Once there was a sultan who loved to eat. He ate three or four times a day. One after another, he ate yoghurt soup and potatoes with yoghurt and meat with yoghurt and fruit with youghurt. His dining-room was beautiful. There were large mirrors, thick carpets and expensive furniture in it. Music was played. Birds sang in their cages. Every day, the sultan looked in the mirror. He smiled when he saw how fat and round he was. ‘I’m sure I’m the fattest, roundest sultan in the world’, he thought. One day the sultan found that it was very difficult for him to walk: his body was too heavy. He couldn’t wear his beautiful clothes: they were too small. The sultan couldn’t get into his bath. A new bath was made, large enough to hold two elephants! Ten men helped the sultan to get into the bath. Ten men helped the sultan to get out again. The sultan was getting fatter and fatter. His beautiful expensive bed broke under him, his throne got a crack… Something had to be done. The sultan called his best magician. ‘I am too fat. I can’t wear my beautiful clothes! I can’t sit on my throne! I can’t walk in my garden! I want to get thinner. Try some of your magic spells!’ The magician tried his best magic spell but it didn’t help. He tried another one. The sultan didn’t get thinner. ‘I’m too old’, said the magician. ‘I can’t help you. You must find a doctor.’ The sultan’s men went out all over the kingdom, crying: ‘Listen! Listen! The Sultan has become too fat. He must have a doctor to help him to become thin again. Who can help Sultan? Your prize will be great.’ Doctors hurried to the palace from all parts of the kingdom. Each one was sure that he could help the sultan. The first doctor looked at the sultan. Then he said, ‘My Sultan, you must eat nothing but fruit.’ The Sultan tried for a week to eat nothing but fruit. He had fruit for beakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. He tried to eat nothing but fruit. Oh, he ate between meals now and then. Some potatoes with meat, or white bread with butter and jam… And nothing was better than a few plates of honey cakes. At the end of the week, the first doctor came to see the sultan. The sultan was fatter than ever. ‘Take him away! Put him in prison!’ shouted the sultan. ‘Give him nothing but fruit.’ Another doctor looked at the sultan. Then he said, ‘My Sultan, you must take nothing but hot tea.’ The sultan tried for a week to take nothing but hot tea for breakfast, hot tea for lunch, hot tea for dinner. Oh, he ate between meals now and then, because he was so hungry. Some rice with meat, some bread with jam and, of course, honey cakes. At the end of the week, the second doctor came to see the sultan. The sultan was fatter than ever. ‘Take him away! Put him in prison!’ shouted the sultan. ‘Give him nothing but hot tea.’ The third doctor came. ‘Give the sultan hot baths every day,’ he said. The sultan had hot baths every day but between baths he ate and ate. So this doctor was sent to prison, too. More and more doctors came. ‘Nothing but meat!’ said one doctor. ‘No music at meals!’ said another. ‘Less sleep!’ ‘Nothing but yoghurt!’ ‘Nothing but rice!’ One after another, forty doctors tried to help the sultan. One after another, forty doctors were put in prison. As for the sultan, he grew fatter and fatter. One day a wise hamal passed the palace. On his back he carried the furniture of a whole house. ‘Hamal!’ called the sultan’s page. ‘Come to the palace!’ The hamal put down the furniture. He hurried after the page. ‘You can carry the furniture from a whole house,’ said the page. ‘Lift our sultan into his bed.’ For a minute hamal looked at the sultan. He knew of the sultan’s problems. ‘What does it matter if he sits on his throne or gets into his bed? He will be dead in forty days!’ the hamal said. ‘What did you say?’ asked the sultan. ‘You’ll be dead in forty days,’ said the hamal again. ‘How do you know?’ ‘I j