26 THE STORY-BOOK OF SCIENCE 



black, pieces of different values: pawns, knights, 

 bishops, castles, queen and king. The action begins. 

 The pawns, simple foot-soldiers, are destined as al- 

 ways to receive the first of the glory on the battle- 

 field. The king looks on at their extermination, 

 guarded l>y his grandeur far from the fray. Now 

 the cavalry charge, slashing with their swords right 

 and left ; even the bishops fight with hot-headed en- 

 thusiasm, and the ambulating castles go here and 

 there, protecting the flanks of the army. Victory is 

 decided. Of the blacks, the queen is a prisoner ; the 

 king has lost his castles ; one knight and one bishop 

 do wonderful deeds to procure his flight. They suc- 

 cumb. The king is checkmated. The game is lost. 



"This clever game, image of war, pleased the bored 

 king very much, and he asked the dervish what re- 

 ward he desired for his invention. 



" ' Light of the faithful,' answered the inventor, *a 

 poor dervish is easily satisfied. You shall give me 

 one grain of wheat for the first square of the chess- 

 board, two for the second, four for the third, eight 

 for the fourth, and you will double thus the number 

 of grains, to the last square, which is the sixty-fourth. 

 I shall be satisfied with that. My blue pigeons will 

 have enough grain for some days.' 



" 'This man is a fool,' said the king to himself; 

 1 he might have had great riches and he asks me for 

 a few handfuls of wheat.' Then, turning to his min- 

 ister: ' Count out ten purses of a thousand sequins 

 for this man, and have a sack of wheat given him. 

 He will have a hundred times the amount of grain 

 In- asks of me.' 



