oosing the
best-looking horse amongst them he went up to it and said:

'Is this horse for sale? may I try it?' and, the merchants assenting, he
scrambled up on its back, dug in his heels, and off they flew. Now Moti
had never been on a horse in his life, and had so much ado to hold on
with both hands as well as with both legs that the animal went just
where it liked, and very soon broke into a break-neck gallop and made
straight back to the serai where it had spent the last few nights.

'This will do very well,' thought Moti as they whirled in at the
entrance. As soon as the horse had arrived at its stable it stopped of
its own accord and Moti immediately rolled off; but he jumped up at
once, tied the beast up, and called for some breakfast. Presently the
Afghans appeared, out of breath and furious, and claimed the horse.

'What do you mean?' cried Moti, with his mouth full of rice, 'it's my
horse; I paid you fifty pieces of silver for it--quite a bargain, I'm
sure!'

'Nonsense! it is _our_ horse,' answered one of the Afghans, beginning to
untie the bridle.

'Leave off,' shouted Moti, seizing his staff; 'if you don't let my
horse alone I'll crack your skulls! you thieves! _I_ know you! Last
night you took _my_ money, so to-day I took your horse; that's fair
enough!'

Now the Afghans began to look a little uncomfortable, but Moti seemed so
determined to keep the horse that they resolved to appeal to the law, so
they went off, and laid a complaint before the king that Moti had stolen
one of their horses and would not give it up nor pay for it.

Presently a soldier came to summon Moti to the king; and, when he
arrived and made his obeisance, the king began to question him as to why
he had galloped off with the horse in this fashion. But Moti declared
that he had got the animal in exchange for fifty pieces of silver,
whilst the horse merchants vowed that the money they had on them was
what they had received for the sale of other horses; and in one way and
another the dispute got so confusing that the king (who really thought
that Moti had stolen the horse) said at last, 'Well, I tell you what I
will do. I will lock something into this box before me, and if he
guesses what it is, the horse is his, and if he doesn't, then it is
yours.'

To this Moti agreed, and the king arose and went out alone by a little
door at the back of the Court, and presently came back clasping
something closely wrapped up in a cloth under h