' you thief ! ' shrieked moti , and ran up and , just as the tiger , in astonishment , dropped a bone -- whack ! came moti 's staff on his head with such good will that the beast was half stunned and could hardly breathe or see . then moti continued to shower upon him blows and abuse until the poor tiger could hardly stand , whereupon his tormentor tied the end of the broken halter round his neck and dragged him back to the serai . ' if you had my horse , ' he said , ' i will at least have you , that 's fair enough ! ' and he tied him up securely by the head and heels , much as he used to tie the horse ; then , the night being far gone , he flung himself beside him and slept soundly . you can not imagine anything like the fright of the people in the serai , when they woke up and found a tiger -- very battered but still a tiger -- securely tethered amongst themselves and their beasts ! men gathered in groups talking and exclaiming , and finding fault with the innkeeper for allowing such a dangerous beast into the serai , and all the while the innkeeper was just as troubled as the rest , and none dared go near the place where the tiger stood blinking miserably on everyone , and where moti lay stretched out snoring like thunder .
the innkeeper .
who did the men blame for allowing such a dangerous beast into the serai ?
who did the men blame for allowing such a dangerous beast into the serai ?