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Salient. Victoria University of Wellington Students' Newspaper. Vol. 32, No. 23. September 24, 1969

The Argot-naughts

The Argot-naughts

Once upon a time in a land of many islands far across the might realms of Neptune, a land known to our forefathers as the Land Of The Long White Cloud, there stood on the hills risen to the gods a school of learning called Victoria.

And it came to pass that the literary learned who dwelt there gathered together the papyrus leaves and made strange markings thereon. They whom Jupiter had blessed with silver tongues bound together the marked leaves and named their book Argot.

Even as the gnarled peasant in the most humble vineyard desires to sell his wine, not so much for the few drachma that he will receive, but so as men may taste the glories of his fruit; just so the Argot literati felt the need to vend their works of art.

Now every year in the self-same land a festival of arts is held at which multiferous heads who might purchase perchance an Argot collect. Therefore Simon called Arnold (among other things) bundled up two hundred and forty copies of their magazine and hied himself down to the Railways Department for to send the Argot's on a trip far to the south to the jewelled star city of Dunedin where the festival was to be. And Simon called Arnold took another trip to that place.

And he waited for seven days and seven nights for the Argot's trip to end, but never did they come down. Each day he spoke to the Railways people thus:

"Wherefore is my suitcase in which the Argots trip?"

And they answered him: "Are we your suitcase-keeper?"

To which he had no reply. And he sorely grieved at his failure to vend his Argot's.

Oh the quarters of the luminous moon had turned full circle when the jingle of Mercury's bell was heard by the chief of the wise men of Argot, David the Responsible (but to whom?). And a civil slave from the Railways quoth: "The trip has ended, and the Argot's safe at home."

One question falls from all lips. How will Partly Dave sell, unload or otherwise his extra 240 copies of Argot? Only Time will tell.