The Governor And His Horse

Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a lover of horses. Once he got the news that the Governor of Peshawar had a very rare, swift and beautiful horse named ‘Leila’. He sent a messenger asking the Governor to hand over the horse to him. But the Governor who himself was a great lover of horses, refused to part with his precious horse.

This enraged the Maharaja. He took it as an insult. He at once ordered another officer to proceed to Peshawar fort and produce both the horse and the Governor before him at once. The royal orders were carried out. Both the horse and the Governor were produced before the Maharaja as desired.

The Governor was severely beaten and bound hand and foot and cast into the prison. The horse’s hind and forelegs were tied by means of strong chains. Both were kept separately. The horse was very faithful to his master. Finding the guards fast asleep, the horse began to neigh. The Governor heard the neighing of the horse and slowly and secretly crept to it, caressed it and somehow broke its chains. The faithful creature felt grateful to his master, grasped with his teeth the rope round the waist of his master, put him on his back and ran off with him at an incredible speed.

Maharaja’s men pursued them hard but they could not be overtaken. The pursuers returned disappointed while the faithful horse dropped the Governor down at his palace and himself dropped down dead.

Thus the moral is ‘Adversity is the touchstone of friendship’.