then he was distressed at getting nothing to eat, and he said to his wife at night, "it is owing to my poverty and stupidity that i am treated with such disrespect here; so i will pretend by means of an artifice to possess a knowledge of magic, so that i may become an object of respect to this sthuladatta; so, when you get an opportunity, tell him that i possess magical knowledge." he said this to her, and after turning the matter over in his mind, while people were asleep he took away from the house of sthuladatta a horse on which his master's son-in-law rode. he placed it in concealment at some distance, and in the morning the friends of the bridegroom could not find the horse, though they searched in every direction. then, while sthuladatta was distressed at the evil omen, and searching for the thieves who had carried off the horse, the wife of harisarman came and said to him, "my husband is a wise man, skilled in astrology and magical sciences; he can get the horse back for you; why do you not ask him?" when sthuladatta heard that, he called harisarman, who said, "yesterday i was forgotten, but to-day, now the horse is stolen, i am called to mind," and sthuladatta then propitiated the brahman with these words "i forgot you, forgive me" and asked him to tell him who had taken away their horse. then harisarman drew all kinds of pretended diagrams, and said: "the horse has been placed by thieves on the boundary line south from this place. it is concealed there, and before it is carried off to a distance, as it will be at close of day, go quickly and bring it." when they heard that, many men ran and brought the horse quickly, praising the discernment of harisarman.