When they returned to the hotel they found some forty or more horses from which they were to make their selection. Half an hour was spent in trying the steeds and the saddles on their backs, and when this operation was ended the rejected horses were led away, while the selected ones were fastened in front of the hotel at the Doctor's suggestion. Some of the owners wanted to take the horses away, in order to feed them before their departure for Ramleh; but the Doctor ended the discussion by saying that any desired nourishment could be given where the animals were standing. "It is a common trick," said he to the boys, "to change the horses after you have made your selection. We have picked out good horses, and I think we shall be satisfied with them; these fellows would very likely bring us animals of the same color and general appearance, and we should find them vicious, weak, bad in gait, or with some other defects. We will keep our horses directly under our eyes till we are away from here; when we are once on the road they are not likely to try the substitution trick." "But wouldn't they tell you so, if they had changed the horses?" said one of the boys. "Not a bit of it," answered the Doctor, with a laugh. "They would declare there had been no change whatever; and as we would not be familiar with the horses after seeing them only once, we would not be certain of the deception till too late to rectify it." "What dreadful story-tellers they must be!" was the very natural comment on the Doctor's assertion. "Yes," he responded; "and do you know how they account for it themselves?" Neither of the youths had ever heard the explanation, and so the Doctor gave it. "The Arabs say that when the Father of Lies came on earth to distribute his goods he had nine bagfuls. He spread one bag of lies in Europe, and then started for Asia and Africa. He landed in Egypt one evening, intending to scatter a bagful over that country and Syria, and then go on the next day to Asia; but while he slept the Arabs stole all his remaining stock, and distributed it among themselves. This accounts for the great difficulty they have in telling the truth." "This propensity among them," continued the Doctor, "is practically universal, as an Arab who can tell the straightforward truth is very difficult to find. If you ask a question of an Arab, and he has no interest in deceiving you, he may possibly give you the correct answer if he happens to know it, though he is by no means sure to do so; if he does not know the answer, he will give you the first that his imagination suggests, and he would be very much surprised if you told him he had done wrong."