(A charger falls wounded when his rider has captured six out of seven kings. Seeing that a hack is being saddled again, makes a last effort and dies in the hour of victory.)
Long ago in the kingdom of Benares, a horse of rare breed was made as the King’s destrier, surrounded by all pomp and state. He was fed on exquisite rice, which was always served up to him in a golden dish and the ground of his stall was perfumed with four types of fragrances. Crimson curtains were hung all around his stall while overhead was a canopy studded with stars of gold. On the walls were festooned wreaths and garlands of fragrant flowers; and a lamp fed with scented oil was always burning there.
One day, seven kings nearby coveted and surrounded the kingdom of Benares, sent a message to the king saying,"Either yield up your kingdom to us or give battle." An urgent meeting was held in the assembly of his ministries in regard to the matter. The ministries suggested that the king had better not go out to do the battle personally at the initial stage but despatch the best knight instead to fight them first before deciding what to do if the knight fails.
So the king summoned that knight and asked,"Can you fight the seven kings, my dear knight?" Replied the knight,"Give me but your best destrier, and not only I could fight seven kings, but all the kings in India." The king consented to his request and gave his best destrier to the knight. Then the noble destrier was led out and sheathed in mail, while the knight arming himself and girding his sword, mounted on his noble steed he passed out of the city-gate, and with a lighting charge broke down the first camp, taking one king alive and bringing back as a prisoner to the soldiers custody. Returning to the field again, he broke down a second and the third camps and so on till he captured alive five kings. The destrier was wounded very badly, bleeding profusely which caused the noble animal sharp pain. This happened while the knight had just broken down and caught the sixth king. Perceiving that the horse was wounded, the knight made it lie down at the king’s gate, loosened its mail, and chose another horse to go with. As the wounded horse was lying at his side and opened his eyes gathering what the knight was doing, he thought to himself,"My rider is arming another horse. The other horse will never be able to break down the 7th camp and capture the 7th king; he will lose all that I have accomplished. This peerless knight will be killed; and the king too, will fall into the hands of the enemy. I am the only one and no other horse can break down that defence of the 7th king."
So, as he was lying there, he called to the knight saying that he was the only horse who can break down the 7th camp and capture the 7th king. He didn’t want to lose all that he had done and fought so hard for. And so saying, the knight held the noble horse and set him up at its feet, bound up his wound and armed the horse again. Mounted on the destrier, he broke down the 7th camp and captured the 7th king alive successfully.
The soldiers led the noble horse up to the king’s gate, where the king came out to look upon him. Then said the noble horse to the king,"Great king, have mercy. Do not kill these seven kings. Bind them by an oath and let them go. Let the knight enjoy all the honour due to the victory we had lay our lives for the kingdom, it is not right that a warrior who has presented you with seven captives kings, should steep so low as to have them executed. And as for yourself, great king, exercise charity, rule your kingdom with righteousness and justice." After saying those words, they took off the mail from the noble horse; but when they were taking it off piecemeal, the noble horse passed away.
Recognising the last effort that the noble horse had contributed and dies in the hour of victory despite being wounded very badly, the king had the body burned with all respect and bestowing a great honour on the knight, the seven kings were sent back to their homes after every king made an oath never to war against him again. As for the king, he kept his words and ruled his kingdom in righteousness and justice.