` Is it likely to be a fruit or a flower ? No , not a flower this time , for he clasped it too tight . Then it must be a fruit or a stone . Yet not a stone , because he would n't wrap a dirty stone in his nice clean cloth . Then it is a fruit ! And a fruit without much scent , or else he would be afraid that I might smell it . Now what fruit without much scent is in season just now ? When I know that I shall have guessed the riddle ! ' As has been said before , Moti was a country lad , and was accustomed to work in his father 's garden . He knew all the common fruits , so he thought he ought to be able to guess right ; but so as not to let it seem too easy , he gazed up at the ceiling with a puzzled expression , and looked down at the floor with an air or wisdom and his fingers pressed against his forehead , and then he said , slowly , with his eyes on the king , -- ` It is freshly plucked ! It is round and it is red ! It is a pomegranate ! ' Now the king knew nothing about fruits except that they were good to eat ; and , as for seasons , he asked for whatever fruit he wanted whenever he wanted it , and saw that he got it ; so to him Moti 's guess was like a miracle , and clear proof not only of his wisdom but of his innocence , for it was a pomegranate that he had put into the box . Of course when the king marvelled and praised Moti 's wisdom , everybody else did so too ; and , whilst the Afghans went off crestfallen , Moti took the horse and entered the king 's service . Very soon after this , Moti , who continued to live in the serai , came back one wet and stormy evening to find that his precious horse had strayed . Nothing remained of him but a broken halter cord , and no one knew what had become of him . After inquiring of everyone who was likely to know , Moti seized the cord and his big staff and sallied out to look for him . Away and away he tramped out of the city and into the neighbouring forest , tracking hoof-marks in the mud . Presently it grew late , but still Moti wandered on until suddenly in the gathering darkness he came right upon a tiger who was contentedly eating his horse . ` You thief ! '
shrieked Moti , and ran up and , just as the tiger , XXXXX astonishment , dropped a bone -- whack !
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