"Just in time," the King, Charles The Great, said to me in his High Germanic tongue. I did not say another word. You never do after a King has spoken; one, such as I, understands if one wants to live. One only speaks when the King tells one; I had already been introduced and I had just began to speak when his Majesty severed my message for a time.
The room was filled with people save for a roaring fire burning, in the middle of the room, in a circular fire pit made with stone maybe a half of a fathom high. Next to this pit stood a lonely servant with a nine pied by nine pied rug laid out in front of the servant.
"Continue," the King began, "pick the rug up and throw it into the fire." The servant picked the rug up and threw the rug unto the fire. After a short time the King commanded, "Now take it off!" The servant had taken his two hands, unprotected, and quickly grasped and laid the rug onto the floor which it was before. The rug unharmed by the fire. The crowd cheered in astonishment.
"Amiantos," I said, letting the word slip out of my mouth. I being in amazement. I had heard of such cloth but, like most others, did not believe of its existence. What cloth could possibly withstand fire?
The King looked at me and laughed heartily,"Yes! Amiantos! Asbest! The King of Persia sent it to me. Marvelous! Now, you," the King speaking to the servant who had put on and taken off the unscorched rug, "lie down on the rug. And the two of you," he pointed to two other servants close to his sides, "roll him up in the rug and throw it upon the fire!"
Each servant did as they were told. The rug went upon the fire. Horrible screaming and the smell of burnt flesh entered the room. "Take it off the fire and unroll the rug," the King said to the two servants.
The two servants took the rug off of the fire and unrolled the rug. The servant within the the rug was writhing in pain blackened and mahogany in color. Most of the crowd in the room had put one or both hands up to their noses with a most distasteful look on their given faces. I turned to the King quickly waiting for his command so I would be able to speak, give my message and return home.
"Take him away," the King with disappointment in his voice said to the two not charred servants. The King watched them as the servants gathered up their cohort.
"Curious," The King said offhandedly.
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