But the groom laughed at him.
"The shop keeper was right," he said, "you are a bumpkin. Why did you tell him you were a servant of the governor? They sell saddles like this in the bazaars every day for two tomans."
CHAPTER XI
KARIM AT THE PALACE
Nasr'ullah was true to his promise, for he saw that Karim was large for his age, and had already learned how to manage horses.
Ardashir Khan, the agha's son, was very fond of riding, and was often in the saddle. Sometimes there was simply a ride across country to the hills, made gay by feats of horsemanship. The young khan and his friends, with their servants, rode madly at full speed in small circles, or pretended to get into a fight and fired their guns when at full run. At other times there was a party to hunt quail or partridge with the aid of falcons and dogs.
But one of the pleasantest excursions was to a garden-house, surrounded by tall trees and grassy lawns. Here the young khans, in a cool porch beside a pool of clear water, drank the tea prepared by their servants, and smoked the pipe, while they enjoyed each other's jokes and stories.
One story of which no one seemed to tire, if it was well told, was about the disappointments of the lovers Leila and Majnoun.