Question

(i) Who was the bearded man?

(ii) Why did he ask for the king’s forgiveness?

Answer 1

(i) The bearded man an enemy of the king. The king had put the man’s brother to death and had also seized his property. That is why he wanted to take revenge on the king.

(ii) He had come with the intention of killing the king. When he left his hiding place, the king’s bodyguard recognised him and thus, wounded him. He managed to escape, but would have died if the king had not taken care of him and dressed his wounds. Ironically, he was saved by the very person whose life he wanted to take. That is why he asked for the king’s forgiveness.