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FS25:[ARCHIVE.ALMANAC.FAIRY]ABLEMEN.TXT;1
SIX ABLE MEN
Once upon a time there lived a young soldier named Martin who had enlisted
in the royal army to flght a war. The war was long but victorious and when the
King abandoned the enemy's territory and returned with his troops to the
homeland, he left Martin to guard the only bridge on the river that separated
the two nations.
"Stay on watch on the bridge," the King ordered. "Don't let any enemy
soldier go by." Days and then months passed, and the soldier kept his watch on
the bridge. He survived by asking the passers-by for food and, after two
years, thought that the authorities had probably forgotten him. He then headed
towards the capital, where he would ask the King for all his back pay. His
pockets were empty and his only possessions were a pipe, a bit of tobacco and
his sword.
A couple of days later he arrived in a valley where a stream crossed his
path. A big man with hands as big . . .