A CHARIOT FOR BIRBAL 1

Some people standing nearby heard Akhbar and started running after the thief.

The thief was running fast but soon the people caught him. Akbar was still far behind when he was caught.

As Akbar neared the crowd, he heard the thief shout, "keep your hands off me. I am your Emperor. If you don't believe me, see the royal ring, with the government seal."

The people saw the ring and got scared. They had dared to hit their Emperor and were scared that they might be punished for this foolish act of theirs.

They fell at the man's feet pleading, "Pardon us, Your Highness. We are sorry. We did not recognize you. Please forgive us. A man was calling you a thief. We will beat him. Where is he?"

Akbar stopped at a distance from the crowd. He knew now that no one would believe him and that if he went closer, then people might start hitting him.

Akbar rushed back to the palace and quickly went to his royal chambers. Akbar was very worried for he had lost the seal ring.

He kept pacing in his room, thinking of ways to get his ring back.

Akbar thought of Birbal. "Birbal would know what to do. But I cannot go to him because he had warned me not to go out alone. Oh Lord! What should I do?"

Akbar felt thirsty and was about to pick up the glass of water, when to his surprise he saw his ring lying on the table.

He picked up the ring and quickly slid it into his finger.

"Oh, how wonderful!" He thought, for he was glad to have the ring back. His eyes then fell on a letter lying on the ground.

Akbar thought, "The thief must have returned this ring and written thus letter to apologies for his misdeed."

But the letter did not have the word, 'sorry at all. On it was written:

"Hadn't I warned you that it was not safe for you to go alone in the city? You just lost the seal ring. Worse things could have happened to you- Birbal."

He felt angry that Birbal had been behind all this. But then he realised that had some thief actually followed him, then matters could have been worse.

Akbar smiled as he thought, "I should have known that the man following me was birbal. What a good actor he is!"

Akbar sat down and thought, "Birbal is really wise. He certainly fooled me. But thank God, I have got this important ring back. I have learnt my lesson."