have been an oak tree, and the sound of his revilings and
shoutings came down upon the breeze! Behind him the dust cloud moved
to the sound of the thunder of hoofs, whilst here and there flashed the
glitter of steel. The sight and the sound struck terror into the king,
and, turning his horse, he fled at top speed, thinking that a regiment
of yelling giants was upon him; and all his force followed him as fast
as they might go. One fat officer alone could not keep up on foot with
that mad rush, and as Moti came galloping up he flung himself on the
ground in abject fear. This was too much for Moti's excited pony, who
shied so suddenly that Moti went flying over his head like a sky rocket,
and alighted right on the top of his fat foe.

Quickly regaining his feet Moti began to swing his plant round his head
and to shout:

'Where are your men? Bring them up and I'll kill them. My regiments!
Come on, the whole lot of you! Where's your king? Bring him to me. Here
are all my fine fellows coming up and we'll each pull up a tree by the
roots and lay you all flat and your houses and towns and everything
else! Come on!'

But the poor fat officer could do nothing but squat on his knees with
his hands together, gasping. At last, when he got his breath, Moti sent
him off to bring his king, and to tell him that if he was reasonable his
life should be spared. Off the poor man went, and by the time the troops
of Moti's side had come up and arranged themselves to look as formidable
as possible, he returned with his king. The latter was very humble and
apologetic, and promised never to make war any more, to pay a large sum
of money, and altogether do whatever his conqueror wished.

So the armies on both sides went rejoicing home, and this was really
the making of the fortune of clumsy Moti, who lived long and contrived
always to be looked up to as a fountain of wisdom, valour, and
discretion by all except his relations, who could never understand what
he had done to be considered so much wiser than anyone else.

A Pushto Story.

The Enchanted Deer

A young man was out walking one day in Erin, leading a stout cart-horse
by the bridle. He was thinking of his mother and how poor they were
since his father, who was a fisherman, had been drowned at sea, and
wondering what he should do to earn a living for both of them. Suddenly
a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a voice said to him:

'Will you sell me your horse, son of the fi