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diff --git a/old/kimrk12h.htm b/old/kimrk12h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 0244353..0000000 --- a/old/kimrk12h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,20362 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> -<html> -<head> -<title>Kim</title> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content= -"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> -</head> - - -<body> - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Kim, by Rudyard Kipling -#10 in our series by Rudyard Kipling - -Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the -copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing -this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. - -This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project -Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the -header without written permission. - -Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the -eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is -important information about your specific rights and restrictions in -how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a -donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. - - -**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** - -**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** - -*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** - - -Title: Kim - -Author: Rudyard Kipling - - -Release Date: June, 2000 [EBook #2226] -[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] -[This file was first posted on December 27, 2001] -[This file was last updated on February 18, 2003] - -Edition: 12 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: Latin-1 - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KIM *** - - - - -This file produced by: -</pre> - -<p> - Prof. Patricia C. Franks, Chairperson<br> - Business Information Technology Department<br> - Karyl Basmajian, BIT Student<br> - Nancy K. Smith, BIT Student<br> - Broome Community College<br> - Front Street<br> - Binghamton, NY 13902<br> - franks_p@mail.sunybroome.edu</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h1>Kim</h1> - -<h3>by Rudyard Kipling</h3> - -<h2><br> - Chapter I</h2> - -<p><br> - O ye who tread the Narrow Way<br> - By Tophet-flare to judgment Day,<br> - Be gentle when 'the heathen' pray<br> - To Buddha at Kamakura!</p> - -<p>Buddha at Kamakura.</p> - -<p>He sat, in defiance of municipal orders, astride the gun -Zam<br> - Zammah on her brick platform opposite the old Ajaib-Gher -<br> - the Wonder House, as the natives call the Lahore Museum.<br> - Who hold Zam-Zammah, that 'fire-breathing dragon', hold the<br> - Punjab, for the great green-bronze piece is always first of -the<br> - conqueror's loot.</p> - -<p>There was some justification for Kim - he had kicked Lala<br> - Dinanath's boy off the trunnions - since the English held -the<br> - Punjab and Kim was English. Though he was burned black as -any<br> - native; though he spoke the vernacular by preference, and -his<br> - mother-tongue in a clipped uncertain sing-song; though he<br> - consorted on terms of perfect equality with the small boys of -the<br> - bazar; Kim was white - a poor white of the very poorest. The<br> - half-caste woman who looked after him (she smoked opium, and<br> - pretended to keep a second-hand furniture shop by the square<br> - where the cheap cabs wait) told the missionaries that she -was<br> - Kim's mother's sister; but his mother had been nursemaid in -a<br> - Colonel's family and had married Kimball O'Hara, a young -colour-<br> - sergeant of the Mavericks, an Irish regiment. He afterwards -took<br> - a post on the Sind, Punjab, and Delhi Railway, and his -Regiment<br> - went home without him. The wife died of cholera in -Ferozepore,<br> - and O'Hara fell to drink and loafing up and down the line -with<br> - the keen-eyed three-year-old baby. Societies and chaplains,<br> - anxious for the child, tried to catch him, but O'Hara -drifted<br> - away, till he came across the woman who took opium and -learned<br> - the taste from her, and died as poor whites die in India. -His<br> - estate at death consisted of three papers - one he called his -'ne<br> - varietur' because those words were written below his -signature<br> - thereon, and another his 'clearance-certificate'. The third -was<br> - Kim's birth-certificate. Those things, he was used to say, in -his<br> - glorious opium-hours, would yet make little Kimball a man. On -no<br> - account was Kim to part with them, for they belonged to a -great<br> - piece of magic - such magic as men practised over yonder -behind<br> - the Museum, in the big blue-and-white Jadoo-Gher - the Magic<br> - House, as we name the Masonic Lodge. It would, he said, all -come<br> - right some day, and Kim's horn would be exalted between pillars --<br> - monstrous pillars - of beauty and strength. The Colonel -himself,<br> - riding on a horse, at the head of the finest Regiment in the<br> - world, would attend to Kim - little Kim that should have -been<br> - better off than his father. Nine hundred first-class devils,<br> - whose God was a Red Bull on a green field, would attend to -Kim,<br> - if they had not forgotten O'Hara - poor O'Hara that was -gang-<br> - foreman on the Ferozepore line. Then he would weep bitterly -in<br> - the broken rush chair on the veranda. So it came about after -his<br> - death that the woman sewed parchment, paper, and birth-<br> - certificate into a leather amulet-case which she strung -round<br> - Kim's neck.</p> - -<p><br> - 'And some day,' she said, confusedly remembering O'Hara's<br> - prophecies, 'there will come for you a great Red Bull on a -green<br> - field, and the Colonel riding on his tall horse, yes, and'<br> - dropping into English - 'nine hundred devils.'</p> - -<p>'Ah,' said Kim, 'I shall remember. A Red Bull and a Colonel on -a<br> - horse will come, but first, my father said, will come the two -men<br> - making ready the ground for these matters. That is how my -father<br> - said they always did; and it is always so when men work -magic.'</p> - -<p>If the woman had sent Kim up to the local Jadoo-Gher with -those<br> - papers, he would, of course, have been taken over by the<br> - Provincial Lodge, and sent to the Masonic Orphanage in the -Hills;<br> - but what she had heard of magic she distrusted. Kim, too, -held<br> - views of his own. As he reached the years of indiscretion, -he<br> - learned to avoid missionaries and white men of serious aspect -who<br> - asked who he was, and what he did. For Kim did nothing with -an<br> - immense success. True, he knew the wonderful walled city of<br> - Lahore from the Delhi Gate to the outer Fort Ditch; was hand -in<br> - glove with men who led lives stranger than anything Haroun -al<br> - Raschid dreamed of; and he lived in a life wild as that of -the<br> - Arabian Nights, but missionaries and secretaries of -charitable<br> - societies could not see the beauty of it. His nickname -through<br> - the wards was 'Little Friend of all the World'; and very -often,<br> - being lithe and inconspicuous, he executed commissions by -night<br> - on the crowded housetops for sleek and shiny young men of<br> - fashion. It was intrigue, - of course he knew that much, as -he<br> - had known all evil since he could speak, - but what he loved -was<br> - the game for its own sake - the stealthy prowl through the -dark<br> - gullies and lanes, the crawl up a waterpipe, the sights and<br> - sounds of the women's world on the flat roofs, and the -headlong<br> - flight from housetop to housetop under cover of the hot -dark.<br> - Then there were holy men, ash-smeared fakirs by their brick<br> - shrines under the trees at the riverside, with whom he was -quite<br> - familiar - greeting them as they returned from -begging-tours,<br> - and, when no one was by, eating from the same dish. The woman -who<br> - looked after him insisted with tears that he should wear -European<br> - clothes - trousers, a shirt and a battered hat. Kim found it<br> - easier to slip into Hindu or Mohammedan garb when engaged on<br> - certain businesses. One of the young men of fashion - he who -was<br> - found dead at the bottom of a well on the night of the -earthquake<br> - had once given him a complete suit of Hindu kit, the costume<br> - of a lowcaste street boy, and Kim stored it in a secret -place<br> - under some baulks in Nila Ram's timber-yard, beyond the -Punjab<br> - High Court, where the fragrant deodar logs lie seasoning -after<br> - they have driven down the Ravi. When there was business or -frolic<br> - afoot, Kim would use his properties, returning at dawn to -the<br> - veranda, all tired out from shouting at the heels of a -marriage<br> - procession, or yelling at a Hindu festival. Sometimes there -was<br> - food in the house, more often there was not, and then Kim -went<br> - out again to eat with his native friends.</p> - -<p>As he drummed his heels against Zam-Zammah he turned now -and<br> - again from his king-of-the-castle game with little Chota Lal -and<br> - Abdullah the sweetmeat-seller's son, to make a rude remark to -the<br> - native policeman on guard over rows of shoes at the Museum -door.<br> - The big Punjabi grinned tolerantly: he knew Kim of old. So -did<br> - the water-carrier, sluicing water on the dry road from his -goat-<br> - skin bag. So did Jawahir Singh, the Museum carpenter, bent -over<br> - new packing-cases. So did everybody in sight except the -peasants<br> - from the country, hurrying up to the Wonder House to view -the<br> - things that men made in their own province and elsewhere. -The<br> - Museum was given up to Indian arts and manufactures, and -anybody<br> - who sought wisdom could ask the Curator to explain.</p> - -<p>'Off ! Off ! Let me up!' cried Abdullah, climbing up -ZamZammah's<br> - wheel.</p> - -<p>'Thy father was a pastry-cook, Thy mother stole the ghi" -sang<br> - Kim. 'All Mussalmans fell off Zam-Zammah long ago!'</p> - -<p>'Let me up!' shrilled little Chota Lal in his -gilt-embroidered<br> - cap. His father was worth perhaps half a million sterling, -but<br> - India is the only democratic land in the world.</p> - -<p>'The Hindus fell off Zam-Zammah too. The Mussalmans pushed -them<br> - off. Thy father was a pastry-cook -'</p> - -<p>He stopped; for there shuffled round the corner, from the -roaring<br> - Motee Bazar, such a man as Kim, who thought he knew all -castes,<br> - had never seen. He was nearly six feet high, dressed in fold -upon<br> - fold of dingy stuff like horse-blanketing, and not one fold of -it<br> - could Kim refer to any known trade or profession. At his -belt<br> - hung a long open-work iron pencase and a wooden rosary such -as<br> - holy men wear. On his head was a gigantic sort of -tam-o'-shanter.<br> - His face was yellow and wrinkled, like that of Fook Shing, -the<br> - Chinese bootmaker in the bazar. His eyes turned up at the -corners<br> - and looked like little slits of onyx.</p> - -<p>'Who is that?' said Kim to his companions.</p> - -<p>'Perhaps it is a man,' said Abdullah, finger in mouth, -staring.</p> - -<p>'Without doubt.' returned Kim; 'but he is no man of India that -I<br> - have ever seen.'</p> - -<p>'A priest, perhaps,' said Chota Lal, spying the rosary. 'See! -He<br> - goes into the Wonder House!'</p> - -<p>'Nay, nay,' said the policeman, shaking his head. 'I do -not<br> - understand your talk.' The constable spoke Punjabi. 'O Friend -of<br> - all the World, what does he say?'</p> - -<p>'Send him hither,' said Kim, dropping from Zam-Zammah,<br> - flourishing his bare heels. 'He is a foreigner, and thou art -a<br> - buffalo.'</p> - -<p>The man turned helplessly and drifted towards the boys. He -was<br> - old, and his woollen gaberdine still reeked of the stinking<br> - artemisia of the mountain passes.</p> - -<p>'O Children, what is that big house?' he said in very fair -Urdu.</p> - -<p>'The Ajaib-Gher, the Wonder House!' Kim gave him no title - -such<br> - as Lala or Mian. He could not divine the man's creed.</p> - -<p>'Ah! The Wonder House! Can any enter?'</p> - -<p>'It is written above the door - all can enter.'</p> - -<p>'Without payment?'</p> - -<p>'I go in and out. I am no banker,' laughed Kim.</p> - -<p>'Alas! I am an old man. I did not know.' Then, fingering -his<br> - rosary, he half turned to the Museum.</p> - -<p>'What is your caste? Where is your house? Have you come far?' -Kim<br> - asked.</p> - -<p>'I came by Kulu - from beyond the Kailas - but what know -you?<br> - >From the Hills where' - he sighed - 'the air and water are -fresh<br> - and cool.'</p> - -<p>'Aha! Khitai [a Chinaman],' said Abdullah proudly. Fook Shing -had<br> - once chased him out of his shop for spitting at the joss -above<br> - the boots.</p> - -<p>'Pahari [a hillman],' said little Chota Lal.</p> - -<p>'Aye, child - a hillman from hills thou'lt never see. Didst -hear<br> - of Bhotiyal [Tibet]? I am no Khitai, but a Bhotiya -[Tibetan],<br> - since you must know - a lama - or, say, a guru in your -tongue.'</p> - -<p>'A guru from Tibet,' said Kim. 'I have not seen such a man. -They<br> - be Hindus in Tibet, then?'</p> - -<p>'We be followers of the Middle Way, living in peace in our<br> - lamasseries, and I go to see the Four Holy Places before I -die.<br> - Now do you, who are children, know as much as I do who am -old.'<br> - He smiled benignantly on the boys.</p> - -<p>'Hast thou eaten?'</p> - -<p>He fumbled in his bosom and drew forth a worn, wooden -begging-<br> - bowl. The boys nodded. All priests of their acquaintance -begged.</p> - -<p>'I do not wish to eat yet.' He turned his head like an. -old<br> - tortoise in the sunlight. 'Is it true that there are many -images<br> - in the Wonder House of Lahore?' He repeated the last words as -one<br> - making sure of an address.</p> - -<p>'That is true,' said Abdullah. 'It is full of heathen buts. -Thou<br> - also art an idolater.'</p> - -<p>'Never mind him,' said. Kim. 'That is the Government's house -and<br> - there is no idolatry in it, but only a Sahib with a white -beard.<br> - Come with me and I will show.'</p> - -<p>'Strange priests eat boys,' whispered Chota Lal.</p> - -<p>'And he is a stranger and a but-parast [idolater],' said<br> - Abdullah, the Mohammedan.</p> - -<p>Kim laughed. 'He is new. Run to your mothers' laps, and be -safe.<br> - Come!'</p> - -<p>Kim clicked round the self-registering turnstile; the old -man<br> - followed and halted amazed. In the entrance-hall stood the -larger<br> - figures of the Greco-Buddhist sculptures done, savants know -how<br> - long since, by forgotten workmen whose hands were feeling, -and<br> - not unskilfully, for the mysteriously transmitted Grecian -touch.<br> - There were hundreds of pieces, friezes of figures in relief,<br> - fragments of statues and slabs crowded with figures that had<br> - encrusted the brick walls of the Buddhist stupas and viharas -of<br> - the North Country and now, dug up and labelled, made the pride -of<br> - the Museum. In open-mouthed wonder the lama turned to this -and<br> - that, and finally checked in rapt attention before a large -alto-<br> - relief representing a coronation or apotheosis of the Lord<br> - Buddha. The Master was represented seated on a lotus the -petals<br> - of which were so deeply undercut as to show almost detached.<br> - Round Him was an adoring hierarchy of kings, elders, and -old-time<br> - Buddhas. Below were lotus-covered waters with fishes and -water-<br> - birds. Two butterfly-winged dewas held a wreath over His -head;<br> - above them another pair supported an umbrella surmounted by -the<br> - jewelled headdress of the Bodhisat.</p> - -<p>'The Lord! The Lord! It is Sakya Muni himself,' the lama -half<br> - sobbed; and under his breath began the wonderful Buddhist<br> - invocation:</p> - -<p><br> - To Him the Way, the Law, apart, Whom Maya held beneath her -heart,<br> - Ananda's Lord, the Bodhisat.</p> - -<p>'And He is here! The Most Excellent Law is here also. My<br> - pilgrimage is well begun. And what work! What work!'</p> - -<p>'Yonder is the Sahib.' said Kim, and dodged sideways among -the<br> - cases of the arts and manufacturers wing. A white-bearded<br> - Englishman was looking at the lama, who gravely turned and<br> - saluted him and after some fumbling drew forth a note-book and -a<br> - scrap of paper.</p> - -<p>'Yes, that is my name,' smiling at the clumsy, childish -print.</p> - -<p>'One of us who had made pilgrimage to the Holy Places - he is -now<br> - Abbot of the Lung-Cho Monastery - gave it me,' stammered the<br> - lama. 'He spoke of these.' His lean hand moved tremulously -round.</p> - -<p>'Welcome, then, O lama from Tibet. Here be the images, and I -am<br> - here' - he glanced at the lama's face - 'to gather -knowledge.<br> - Come to my office awhile.' The old man was trembling with<br> - excitement.</p> - -<p>The office was but a little wooden cubicle partitioned off -from<br> - the sculpture-lined gallery. Kim laid himself down, his ear<br> - against a crack in the heat-split cedar door, and, following -his<br> - instinct, stretched out to listen and watch.</p> - -<p>Most of the talk was altogether above his head. The lama,<br> - haltingly at first, spoke to the Curator of his own -lamassery,<br> - the Such-zen, opposite the Painted Rocks, four months' march<br> - away. The Curator brought out a huge book of photos and -showed<br> - him that very place, perched on its crag, overlooking the<br> - gigantic valley of many-hued strata.</p> - -<p>'Ay, ay!' The lama mounted a pair of horn-rimmed spectacles -of<br> - Chinese work. 'Here is the little door through which we -bring<br> - wood before winter. And thou - the English know of these -things?<br> - He who is now Abbot of Lung-Cho told me, but I did not -believe.<br> - The Lord - the Excellent One - He has honour here too? And -His<br> - life is known?'</p> - -<p>'It is all carven upon the stones. Come and see, if thou -art<br> - rested.'</p> - -<p>Out shuffled the lama to the main hall, and, the Curator -beside<br> - him, went through the collection with the reverence of a -devotee<br> - and the appreciative instinct of a craftsman.</p> - -<p>Incident by incident in the beautiful story he identified on -the<br> - blurred stone, puzzled here and there by the unfamiliar -Greek<br> - convention, but delighted as a child at each new trove. Where -the<br> - sequence failed, as in the Annunciation, the Curator supplied -it<br> - from his mound of books - French and German, with photographs -and<br> - reproductions.</p> - -<p>Here was the devout Asita, the pendant of Simeon in the -Christian<br> - story, holding the Holy Child on his knee while mother and -father<br> - listened; and here were incidents in the legend of the -cousin<br> - Devadatta. Here was the wicked woman who accused the Master -of<br> - impurity, all confounded; here was the teaching in the -Deer-park;<br> - the miracle that stunned the fire-worshippers; here was the<br> - Bodhisat in royal state as a prince; the miraculous birth; -the<br> - death at Kusinagara, where the weak disciple fainted; while -there<br> - were almost countless repetitions of the meditation under -the<br> - Bodhi tree; and the adoration of the alms-bowl was everywhere. -In<br> - a few minutes the Curator saw that his guest was no mere -bead-<br> - telling mendicant, but a scholar of parts. And they went at -it<br> - all over again, the lama taking snuff, wiping his spectacles, -and<br> - talking at railway speed in a bewildering mixture of Urdu -and<br> - Tibetan. He had heard of the travels of the Chinese pilgrims, -Fu-<br> - Hiouen and Hwen-Tsiang, and was anxious to know if there was -any<br> - translation of their record. He drew in his breath as he -turned<br> - helplessly over the pages of Beal and Stanislas Julien. "Tis -all<br> - here. A treasure locked.' Then he composed himself reverently -to<br> - listen to fragments hastily rendered into Urdu. For the -first<br> - time he heard of the labours of European scholars, who by -the<br> - help of these and a hundred other documents have identified -the<br> - Holy Places of Buddhism. Then he was shown a mighty map, -spotted<br> - and traced with yellow. The brown finger followed the -Curator's<br> - pencil from point to point. Here was Kapilavastu, here the -Middle<br> - Kingdom, and here Mahabodhi, the Mecca of Buddhism; and here -was<br> - Kusinagara, sad place of the Holy One's death. The old man -bowed<br> - his head over the sheets in silence for a while, and the -Curator<br> - lit another pipe. Kim had fallen asleep. When he waked, the -talk,<br> - still in spate, was more within his comprehension.</p> - -<p>'And thus it was, O Fountain of Wisdom, that I decided to go -to<br> - the Holy Places which His foot had trod - to the Birthplace, -even<br> - to Kapila; then to Mahabodhi, which is Buddh Gaya - to the<br> - Monastery - to the Deer-park -to the place of His death.'</p> - -<p>The lama lowered his voice. 'And I come here alone. For five --<br> - seven - eighteen - forty years it was in my mind that the Old -Law<br> - was not well followed; being overlaid, as thou knowest, with<br> - devildom, charms, and idolatry. Even as the child outside -said<br> - but now. Ay, even as the child said, with but-parasti.'</p> - -<p>'So it comes with all faiths.'</p> - -<p>'Thinkest thou? The books of my lamassery I read, and they -were<br> - dried pith; and the later ritual with which we of the -Reformed<br> - Law have cumbered ourselves - that, too, had no worth to -these<br> - old eyes. Even the followers of the Excellent One are at feud -on<br> - feud with one another. It is all illusion. Ay, maya, -illusion.<br> - But I have another desire' - the seamed yellow face drew -within<br> - three inches of the Curator, and the long forefinger-nail -tapped<br> - on the table. 'Your scholars, by these books, have followed -the<br> - Blessed Feet in all their wanderings; but there are things -which<br> - they have not sought out. I know nothing - nothing do I know --<br> - but I go to free myself from the Wheel of Things by a broad -and<br> - open road.' He smiled with most simple triumph. 'As a pilgrim -to<br> - the Holy Places I acquire merit. But there is more. Listen to -a<br> - true thing. When our gracious Lord, being as yet a youth, -sought<br> - a mate, men said, in His father's Court, that He was too -tender<br> - for marriage. Thou knobbiest?'</p> - -<p>The Curator nodded, wondering what would come next.<br> - 'So they made the triple trial of strength against all -comers.<br> - And at the test of the Bow, our Lord first breaking that -which<br> - they gave Him, called for such a bow as none might bend. -Thou<br> - knowest?'</p> - -<p>'It is written. I have read.'</p> - -<p>'And, overshooting all other marks, the arrow passed far and -far<br> - beyond sight. At the last it fell; and, where it touched -earth,<br> - there broke out a stream which presently became a River, -whose<br> - nature, by our Lord's beneficence, and that merit He acquired -ere<br> - He freed himself, is that whoso bathes in it washes away all<br> - taint and speckle of sin.'</p> - -<p>'So it is written,' said the Curator sadly.</p> - -<p>The lama drew a long breath. "Where is that River? Fountain -of<br> - Wisdom, where fell the arrow?"</p> - -<p>'Alas', my brother, I do not know,' said the Curator.</p> - -<p>'Nay, if it please thee to forget - the one thing only that -thou<br> - hast not told me. Surely thou must know? See, I am an old man! -I<br> - ask with my head between thy feet, O Fountain of Wisdom. We -know<br> - He drew the bow! We know the arrow fell! We know the stream<br> - gushed! Where, then, is the River? My dream told me to find -it.<br> - So I came. I am here. But where is the River?'</p> - -<p>'If I knew, think you I would not cry it aloud?'</p> - -<p>'By it one attains freedom from the Wheel of Things,' the -lama<br> - went on, unheeding. 'The River of the Arrow! Think again! -Some<br> - little stream, maybe - dried in the heats? But the Holy One -would<br> - never so cheat an old man.'</p> - -<p>'I do not know. I do not know.'</p> - -<p>The lama brought his thousand-wrinkled face once more a<br> - handsbreadth from the Englishman's. 'I see thou dost not -know.<br> - Not being of the Law, the matter is hid from thee.'</p> - -<p>'Ay - hidden - hidden.'</p> - -<p>'We are both bound, thou and I, my brother. But I' - he rose -with<br> - a sweep of the soft thick drapery - 'I go to cut myself -free.<br> - Come also!'</p> - -<p>'I am bound,' said the Curator. 'But whither goest thou?'</p> - -<p>'First to Kashi [Benares]: where else? There I shall meet one -of<br> - the pure faith in a Jain temple of that city. He also is a -Seeker<br> - in secret, and from him haply I may learn. Maybe he will go -with<br> - me to Buddh Gaya. Thence north and west to Kapilavastu, and -there<br> - will I seek for the River. Nay, I will seek everywhere as I go --<br> - for the place is not known where the arrow fell.'</p> - -<p>'And how wilt thou go? It is a far cry to Delhi, and farther -to<br> - Benares.'</p> - -<p>'By road and the trains. From Pathankot, having left the -Hills, I<br> - came hither in a te-rain. It goes swiftly. At first I was -amazed<br> - to see those tall poles by the side of the road snatching up -and<br> - snatching up their threads,' - he illustrated the stoop and -whirl<br> - of a telegraph-pole flashing past the train. 'But later, I -was<br> - cramped and desired to walk, as I am used.'</p> - -<p>'And thou art sure of thy road?' said the Curator.</p> - -<p>'Oh. for that one but asks a question and pays money, and -the<br> - appointed persons despatch all to the appointed place. That -much<br> - I knew in my lamassery from sure report,' said the lama -proudly.</p> - -<p>'And when dost thou go?' The Curator smiled at the mixture -of<br> - old-world piety and modern progress that is the note of -India<br> - today.</p> - -<p>'As soon as may be. I follow the places of His life till I -come<br> - to the River of the Arrow. There is, moreover, a written paper -of<br> - the hours of the trains that go south.'</p> - -<p>'And for food?' Lamas, as a rule, have good store of money<br> - somewhere about them, but the Curator wished to make sure.</p> - -<p>'For the journey, I take up the Master's begging-bowl. Yes. -Even<br> - as He went so go I, forsaking the ease of my monastery. There -was<br> - with me when I left the hills a chela [disciple] who begged -for<br> - me as the Rule demands, but halting in Kulu awhile a fever -took<br> - him and he died. I have now no chela, but I will take the -alms-<br> - bowl and thus enable the charitable to acquire merit.' He -nodded<br> - his head valiantly. Learned doctors of a lamassery do not -beg,<br> - but the lama was an enthusiast in this quest.</p> - -<p>'Be it so,' said the Curator, smiling. 'Suffer me now to -acquire<br> - merit. We be craftsmen together, thou and I. Here is a new -book<br> - of white English paper: here be sharpened pencils two and three --<br> - thick and thin, all good for a scribe. Now lend me thy -spectacles.'</p> - -<p>The Curator looked through them. They were heavily scratched, -but<br> - the power was almost exactly that of his own pair, which he -slid<br> - into the lama's hand, saying: 'Try these.'</p> - -<p>'A feather! A very feather upon the face? The old man turned -his<br> - head delightedly and wrinkled up his nose. 'How scarcely do -I<br> - feel them! How clearly do I see!</p> - -<p>'They be, bilaur - crystal - and will never scratch. May -they<br> - help thee to thy River, for they are thine.'</p> - -<p>'I will take them and the pencils and the white note-book,' -said<br> - the lama, 'as a sign of friendship between priest and priest --<br> - and now -' He fumbled at his belt, detached the open-work -iron<br> - pincers, and laid it on the Curator's table. 'That is for a<br> - memory between thee and me - my pencase. It is something old --<br> - even as I am.'</p> - -<p>It was a piece of ancient design, Chinese, of an iron that is -not<br> - smelted these days; and the collector's heart in the -Curator's<br> - bosom had gone out to it from the first. For no persuasion -would<br> - the lama resume his gift.</p> - -<p>'When I return, having found the River, I will bring thee -a<br> - written picture of the Padma Samthora such as I used to make -on<br> - silk at the lamassery. Yes - and of the Wheel of Life,' he<br> - chuckled, 'for we be craftsmen together, thou and I.'</p> - -<p>The Curator would have detained him: they are few in the -world<br> - who still have the secret of the conventional brush-pen -Buddhist<br> - pictures which are, as it were, half written and half drawn. -But<br> - the lama strode out, head high in air, and pausing an -instant<br> - before the great statue of a Bodhisat in meditation, brushed<br> - through the turnstiles.</p> - -<p>Kim followed like a shadow. What he had overheard excited -him<br> - wildly. This man was entirely new to all his experience, and -he<br> - meant to investigate further, precisely as he would have<br> - investigated a new building or a strange festival in Lahore -city.<br> - The lama was his trove, and he purposed to take possession. -Kim's<br> - mother had been Irish too.</p> - -<p>The old man halted by Zam-Zammah and looked round till his -eye<br> - fell on Kim. The inspiration of his pilgrimage had left him -for<br> - awhile, and he felt old, forlorn, and very empty.</p> - -<p>'Do not sit under that gun,' said the policeman loftily.</p> - -<br> -'Huh! Owl!' was Kim's retort on the lama's behalf 'Sit under that -<br> -gun if it please thee. When didst thou steal the milkwoman's <br> -slippers, Dunnoo?' - -<p>That was an utterly unfounded charge sprung on the spur of -the<br> - moment, but it silenced Dunnoo, who knew that Kim's clear -yell<br> - could call up legions of bad bazar boys if need arose.</p> - -<p>'And whom didst thou worship within?' said Kim affably, -squatting<br> - in the shade beside the lama.</p> - -<p>'I worshipped none, child. I bowed before the Excellent -Law.'</p> - -<p>Kim accepted this new God without emotion. He knew already a -few<br> - score.</p> - -<p>'And what dost thou do?'</p> - -<p>'I beg. I remember now it is long since I have eaten or -drunk.<br> - What is the custom of charity in this town? In silence, as we -do<br> - of Tibet, or speaking aloud?'</p> - -<p>'Those who beg in silence starve in silence,' said Kim, -quoting a<br> - native proverb. The lama tried to rise, but sank back again,<br> - sighing for his disciple, dead in far-away Kulu. Kim watched -head<br> - to one side, considering and interested.</p> - -<p>'Give me the bowl. I know the people of this city - all who -are<br> - charitable. Give, and I will bring it back filled.'</p> - -<p>Simply as a child the old man handed him the bowl.<br> - [start here]<br> - 'Rest, thou. I know the people.'</p> - -<p>He trotted off to the open shop of a kunjri, a low-caste<br> - vegetable-seller, which lay opposite the belt-tramway line -down<br> - the Motee Bazar. She knew Kim of old.</p> - -<p>'Oho, hast thou turned yogi with thy begging-bowl?' she -cried.</p> - -<p>'Nay.' said Kim proudly. 'There is a new priest in the city a -man<br> - such as I have never seen.'</p> - -<p>'Old priest - young tiger,' said the woman angrily. 'I am -tired<br> - of new priests! They settle on our wares like flies. Is the<br> - father of my son a well of charity to give to all who ask?'</p> - -<p>'No,' said Kim. 'Thy man is rather yagi [bad-tempered] than -yogi<br> - [a holy man]. But this priest is new. The Sahib in the -Wonder<br> - House has talked to him like a brother. O my mother, fill me -this<br> - bowl. He waits.'</p> - -<p>'That bowl indeed! That cow-bellied basket! Thou hast as -much<br> - grace as the holy bull of Shiv. He has taken the best of a -basket<br> - of onions already, this morn; and forsooth, I must fill thy -bowl.<br> - He comes here again.'</p> - -<p>The huge, mouse-coloured Brahmini bull of the ward was<br> - shouldering his way through the many-coloured crowd, a -stolen<br> - plantain hanging out of his mouth. He headed straight for -the<br> - shop, well knowing his privileges as a sacred beast, lowered -his<br> - head, and puffed heavily along the line of baskets ere making -his<br> - choice. Up flew Kim's hard little heel and caught him on his<br> - moist blue nose. He snorted indignantly, and walked away -across<br> - the tram-rails, his hump quivering with rage.</p> - -<p>'See! I have saved more than the bowl will cost thrice over. -Now,<br> - mother, a little rice and some dried fish atop - yes, and -some<br> - vegetable curry.'</p> - -<p>A growl came out of the back of the shop, where a man lay.</p> - -<p>'He drove away the bull,' said the woman in an undertone. 'It -is<br> - good to give to the poor.' She took the bowl and returned it -full<br> - of hot rice.</p> - -<p>'But my yogi is not a cow,' said Kim gravely, making a hole -with<br> - his fingers in the top of the mound. 'A little curry is good, -and<br> - a fried cake, and a morsel of conserve would please him, I<br> - think.'</p> - -<p>'It is a hole as big as thy head,' said the woman fretfully. -But<br> - she filled it, none the less, with good, steaming vegetable<br> - curry, clapped a fried cake atop, and a morsel of clarified<br> - butter on the cake, dabbed a lump of sour tamarind conserve -at<br> - the side; and Kim looked at the load lovingly.</p> - -<p>'That is good. When I am in the bazar the bull shall not come -to<br> - this house. He is a bold beggar-man.'</p> - -<p>'And thou?' laughed the woman. 'But speak well of bulls. -Hast<br> - thou not told me that some day a Red Bull will come out of a<br> - field to help thee? Now hold all straight and ask for the -holy<br> - man's blessing upon me. Perhaps, too, he knows a cure for my<br> - daughter's -sore eyes. Ask. him that also, O thou Little -Friend<br> - of all the World.'</p> - -<p>But Kim had danced off ere the end of the sentence, -dodging<br> - pariah dogs and hungry acquaintances.</p> - -<p>'Thus do we beg who know the way of it,' said he proudly to -the<br> - lama, who opened his eyes at the contents of the bowl. 'Eat -now<br> - and - I will eat with thee. Ohe, bhisti!' he called to the -water-<br> - carrier, sluicing the crotons by the Museum. 'Give water here. -We<br> - men are thirsty.'</p> - -<p>'We men!' said the bhisti, laughing. 'Is one skinful enough -for<br> - such a pair? Drink, then, in the name of the Compassionate.'</p> - -<p>He loosed a thin stream into Kim's hands, who drank -nativefasion;<br> - but the lama must needs pull out a cup from his -inexhaustible<br> - upper draperies and drink ceremonially.</p> - -<p>'Pardesi [a foreigner],' Kim explained, as the old man -delivered<br> - in an unknown tongue what was evidently a blessing.</p> - -<p>They ate together in great content, clearing the -beggingbowl.<br> - Then the lama took snuff from a portentous wooden -snuff-gourd,<br> - fingered his rosary awhile, and so dropped into the easy sleep -of<br> - age, as the shadow of Zam-Zammah grew long.</p> - -<p>Kim loafed over to the nearest tobacco-seller, a rather -lively<br> - young Mohammedan woman, and begged a rank cigar of the brand -that<br> - they sell to students of the Punjab University who copy -English<br> - customs. Then he smoked and thought, knees to chin, under -the<br> - belly of the gun, and the outcome of his thoughts was a -sudden<br> - and stealthy departure in the direction of Nila Ram's -timber-<br> - yard.</p> - -<p>The lama did not wake till the evening life of the city had -begun<br> - with lamp-lighting and the return of white-robed clerks and<br> - subordinates from the Government offices. He stared dizzily -in<br> - all directions, but none looked at him save a Hindu urchin in -a<br> - dirty turban and Isabella-coloured clothes. Suddenly he bowed -his<br> - head on his knees and wailed.</p> - -<p>'What is this?' said the boy, standing before him. 'Hast -thou<br> - been robbed?'</p> - -<p>'It is my new chela [disciple] that is gone away from me, and -I<br> - know not where he is.'</p> - -<p>'And what like of man was thy disciple?'</p> - -<p>'It was a boy who came to me in place of him who died, on -account<br> - of the merit which I had gained when I bowed before the Law<br> - within there.' He pointed towards the Museum. 'He came upon me -to<br> - show me a road which I had lost. He led me into the Wonder -House,<br> - and by his talk emboldened me to speak to the Keeper of the<br> - Images, so that I was cheered and made strong. And when I -was<br> - faint with hunger he begged for me, as would a chela for his<br> - teacher. Suddenly was he sent. Suddenly has he gone away. It -was<br> - in my mind to have taught him the Law upon the road to -Benares.'</p> - -<p>Kim stood amazed at this, because he had overheard the talk -in<br> - the Museum, and knew that the old man was speaking the -truth,<br> - which is a thing a native on the road seldom presents to a<br> - stranger.</p> - -<p>'But I see now that he was but sent for a purpose. By this I -know<br> - that I shall find a certain River for which I seek.'</p> - -<p>'The River of the Arrow?' said Kim, with a superior smile.</p> - -<p>'Is this yet another Sending?' cried the lama. 'To none have -I<br> - spoken of my search, save to the Priest of the Images. Who -art<br> - thou?'</p> - -<p>'Thy chela,' said Kim simply, sitting on his heels. 'I have -never<br> - seen anyone like to thee in all this my life. I go with thee -to<br> - Benares. And, too, I think that so old a man as thou, -speaking<br> - the truth to chance-met people at dusk, is in great need of -a<br> - disciple.'</p> - -<p>'But the River - the River of the Arrow?'</p> - -<p>'Oh, that I heard when thou wast speaking to the- Englishman. -I<br> - lay against the door.'</p> - -<p>The lama sighed. 'I thought thou hadst been a guide -permitted.<br> - Such things fall sometimes - but I am not worthy. Thou dost -not,<br> - then, know the River?'</p> - -<p>'Not U Kim laughed uneasily. 'I go to look for - for a bull -a<br> - Red. Bull on a green field who shall help me.' Boylike, if -an<br> - acquaintance had a scheme, Kim was quite ready with one of -his<br> - own; and,</p> - -<p>boylike, he had really thought for as much as twenty minutes -at a<br> - time of his father's prophecy.</p> - -<p>'To what, child?' said the lama.</p> - -<p>'God knows, but so my father told me'. I heard thy talk in -the<br> - Wonder House of all those new strange places in the Hills, and -if<br> - one so old and so little - so used to truth-telling - may go -out<br> - for the small matter of a river, it seemed to me that I too -must<br> - go a-travelling. If it is our fate to find those things we -shall<br> - find them - thou, thy River; and I, my Bull, and the Strong<br> - Pillars and some other matters that I forget.'</p> - -<p>'It is not pillars but a Wheel from which I would be free,' -said<br> - the lama.</p> - -<p>'That is all one. Perhaps they will make me a king,' said -Kim,<br> - serenely prepared for anything.</p> - -<p>'I will teach thee other and better desires upon the road,' -the<br> - lama replied in the voice of authority. 'Let us go to -Benares.'</p> - -<p>'Not by night. Thieves are abroad. Wait till the day.'</p> - -<p>'But there is no place to sleep.' The old man was used to -the<br> - order of his monastery, and though he slept on the ground, as -the<br> - Rule decrees, preferred a decency in these things.</p> - -<p>'We shall get good lodging at the Kashmir Serai,' said -Kim,<br> - laughing at his perplexity. 'I have a friend there. Come!'</p> - -<p>The hot and crowded bazars blazed with light as they made -their<br> - way through the press of all the races in Upper India, and -the<br> - lama mooned through it like a man in a dream. It was his -first<br> - experience of a large manufacturing city, and the crowded -tram-<br> - car with its continually squealing brakes frightened him. -Half<br> - pushed, half towed, he arrived at the high gate of the -Kashmir<br> - Serai: that huge open square over against the railway -station,<br> - surrounded with arched cloisters, where the camel and horse<br> - caravans put up on their return from Central Asia. Here were -all<br> - manner of Northern folk, tending tethered ponies and -kneeling<br> - camels; loading and unloading bales and bundles; drawing -water<br> - for the evening meal at the creaking well-windlasses; piling<br> - grass before the shrieking, wild-eyed stallions; cuffing the<br> - surly caravan dogs; paying off camel-drivers; taking on new<br> - grooms; swearing, shouting, arguing, and chaffering in the -packed<br> - square. The cloisters, reached by three or four masonry -steps,<br> - made a haven of refuge around this turbulent sea. Most of -them<br> - were rented to traders, as we rent the arches of a viaduct; -the<br> - space between pillar and pillar being bricked or boarded off -into<br> - rooms, which were guarded by heavy wooden doors and cumbrous<br> - native padlocks. Locked doors showed that the owner was away, -and<br> - a few rude - sometimes very rude - chalk or paint scratches -told<br> - where he had gone. Thus: 'Lutuf Ullah is gone to Kurdistan.'<br> - Below, in coarse verse: 'O Allah, who sufferest lice to live -on<br> - the coat of a Kabuli, why hast thou allowed this louse Lutuf -to<br> - live so long?'</p> - -<br> -Kim, fending the lama between excited men and excited beasts, -<br> -sidled along the cloisters to the far end, nearest the -railway -<br> -station, where Mahbub Ali, the horse-trader, lived when he came -<br> -in from that mysterious land beyond the Passes of the North. - -<p>Kim had had many dealings with Mahbub in his little life,<br> - especially between his tenth and his thirteenth year - and -the<br> - big burly Afghan, his beard dyed scarlet with lime (for he -was<br> - elderly and did not wish his grey hairs to show), knew the -boy's<br> - value as a gossip. Sometimes he would tell Kim to watch a man -who<br> - had nothing whatever to do with horses: to follow him for -one<br> - whole day and report every soul with whom he talked. Kim -would<br> - deliver himself of his tale at evening, and Mahbub would -listen<br> - without a word or gesture. It was intrigue of some kind, Kim<br> - knew; but its worth lay in saying nothing whatever to anyone<br> - except Mahbub, who gave him beautiful meals all hot from the<br> - cookshop at the head of the serai, and once as much as eight<br> - annas in money.</p> - -<p>'He is here,' said Kim, hitting a bad-tempered camel on the -nose.<br> - 'Ohe. Mahbub Ali!' He halted at a dark arch and slipped -behind<br> - the bewildered lama.</p> - -<p>The horse-trader, his deep, embroidered Bokhariot belt -unloosed,<br> - was lying on a pair of silk carpet saddle-bags, pulling lazily -at<br> - an immense silver hookah. He turned his head very slightly at -the<br> - cry; and seeing only the tall silent figure, chuckled in his<br> - deep. chest.</p> - -<p>'Allah! A lama! A Red Lama! It is far from Lahore to the -Passes.<br> - What dost thou do here?'</p> - -<p>The lama held out the begging-bowl mechanically.</p> - -<p>'God's curse on all unbelievers!' said Mahbub. 'I do not give -to<br> - a lousy Tibetan; but ask my Baltis over yonder behind the -camels.<br> - They may value your blessings. Oh, horseboys, here is a<br> - countryman of yours. See if he be hungry.'</p> - -<p>A shaven, crouching Balti, who had come down with the horses, -and<br> - who was nominally some sort of degraded Buddhist, fawned upon -the<br> - priest, and in thick gutturals besought the Holy One to sit -at<br> - the horseboys' fire.</p> - -<p>'Go!' said Kim, pushing him lightly, and the lama strode -away,<br> - leaving Kim at the edge of the cloister.</p> - -<p>'Go!' said Mahbub Ali, returning to his hookah. 'Little -Hindu,<br> - run away. God's curse on all unbelievers! Beg from those of -my<br> - tail who are of thy faith.'</p> - -<p>'Maharaj,' whined Kim, using the Hindu form of address, -and<br> - thoroughly enjoying the situation; 'my father is dead - my -mother<br> - is dead - my stomach is empty.'</p> - -<p>'Beg from my men among the horses, I say. There must be -some<br> - Hindus in my tall.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, Mahbub Ali, but am I a Hindu?' said Kim in English.</p> - -<p>The trader gave no sign of astonishment, but looked under -shaggy<br> - eyebrows.</p> - -<p>'Little Friend of all the World,' said he, 'what is this?'</p> - -<p>'Nothing. I am now that holy man's disciple; and we go a<br> - pilgrimage together - to Benares, he says. He is quite mad, and -I<br> - am tired of Lahore city. I wish new air and water.'</p> - -<p>'But for whom dost thou work? Why come to me?' The voice -was<br> - harsh with suspicion.</p> - -<p>'To whom else should I come? I have no money. It is not good -to<br> - go about without money. Thou wilt sell many horses to the<br> - officers. They are very fine horses, these new ones: I have -seen<br> - them. Give me a rupee, Mahbub Ali, and when I come to my wealth -I<br> - will give thee a bond and pay.'</p> - -<p>'Um!' said Mahbub Ali, thinking swiftly. 'Thou hast never -before<br> - lied to me. Call that lama - stand back in the dark.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, our tales will agree,' said Kim, laughing.</p> - -<p>'We go to Benares,' said the lama, as soon as he understood -the<br> - drift of Mahbub Ali's questions. 'The boy and I, I go to seek -for<br> - a certain River.'</p> - -<p>'Maybe - but the boy?'</p> - -<p>'He is my disciple. He was sent, I think, to guide me to -that<br> - River. Sitting under a. gun was I when he came suddenly. -Such<br> - things have befallen the fortunate to whom guidance was -allowed.<br> - But I remember now, he said he was of this world - a Hindu.'</p> - -<p>'And his name?'</p> - -<p>'That I did not ask. Is he not my disciple?'</p> - -<p>'His country - his race - his village? Mussalman - Sikh Hindu --<br> - Jain - low caste or high?'</p> - -<p>'Why should I ask? There is neither high nor low in the -Middle<br> - Way. If he is my chela - does - will - can anyone take him -from<br> - me? for, look you, without him I shall not find my River.' -He<br> - wagged his head solemnly.</p> - -<p>'None shall take him from thee. Go, sit among my Baltis,' -said<br> - Mahbub Ali, and the lama drifted off, soothed by the -promise.</p> - -<p>'Is he not quite mad?' said Kim, coming forward to the -light<br> - again. 'Why should I lie to thee, Hajji?'</p> - -<p>Mahbub puffed his hookah in silence. Then he began, almost<br> - whispering: 'Umballa is on the road to Benares - if indeed ye -two<br> - go there.'</p> - -<p>'Tck! Tck! I tell thee he does not know how to lie - as we -two<br> - know.'</p> - -<p>'And if thou wilt carry a message for me as far as Umballa, -I<br> - will give thee money. It concerns a horse - a white stallion<br> - which I have sold to an officer upon the last time I -returned<br> - from the Passes. But then - stand nearer and hold up hands -as<br> - begging -the pedigree of the white stallion was not fully<br> - established, and that officer, who is now at Umballa, bade -me<br> - make it clear.' (Mahbub here described the horse and the<br> - appearance of the officer.) 'So the message to that officer -will<br> - be: "The pedigree of the white stallion is fully established." -By<br> - this will he know that thou comest from me. He will then say<br> - "What proof hast thou?" and thou wilt answer: "Mahbub Ali -has<br> - given me the proof."'</p> - -<p>'And all for the sake of a white stallion,' said Kim, with -a<br> - giggle, his eyes aflame.</p> - -<p>'That pedigree I will give thee now - in my own fashion and -some<br> - hard words as well.' A shadow passed behind Kim, and a -feeding<br> - camel. Mahbub Ali raised his voice.</p> - -<p>'Allah! Art thou the only beggar in the city? Thy mother is -dead.<br> - Thy father is dead. So is it with all of them. Well, well - -'</p> - -<p>He turned as feeling on the floor beside him and tossed a flap -of<br> - soft, greasy Mussalman bread to the boy. 'Go and lie down -among<br> - my horseboys for tonight - thou and the lama. Tomorrow I may -give<br> - thee service.'</p> - -<p>Kim slunk away, his teeth in the bread, and, as he expected, -he<br> - found a small wad of folded tissue-paper wrapped in oilskin, -with<br> - three silver rupees - enormous largesse. He smiled and -thrust<br> - money and paper into his leather amulet-case. The lama,<br> - sumptuously fed by Mahbub's Baltis, was already asleep in a<br> - corner of one of the stalls. Kim lay down beside him and -laughed.<br> - He knew he had rendered a service to Mahbub Ali, and not for -one<br> - little minute did he believe the tale of the stallion's -pedigree.</p> - -<p>But Kim did not suspect that Mahbub Ali, known as one of the -best<br> - horse-dealers in the Punjab, a wealthy and enterprising -trader,<br> - whose caravans penetrated far and far into the Back of -Beyond,<br> - was registered in one of the locked books of the Indian -Survey<br> - Department as C25 IB. Twice or thrice yearly C25 would send in -a<br> - little story, baldly told but most interesting, and generally --<br> - it was checked by the statements of R17 and M4 - quite true. -It<br> - concerned all manner of out-of-the-way mountain -principalities,<br> - explorers of nationalities other than English, and the guntrade --<br> - was, in brief, a small portion of that vast mass of -'information<br> - received' on which the Indian Government acts. But, -recently,<br> - five confederated Kings, who had no business to confederate, -had<br> - been informed by a kindly Northern Power that there was a -leakage<br> - of news from their territories into British India. So those<br> - Kings' Prime Ministers were seriously annoyed and took -steps,<br> - after the Oriental fashion. They suspected, among many -others,<br> - the bullying, red-bearded horsedealer whose caravans -ploughed<br> - through their fastnesses belly-deep in snow. At least, his<br> - caravan that season had been ambushed and shot at twice on -the<br> - way down, when Mahbub's men accounted for three strange -ruffians<br> - who might, or might not, have been hired for the job. -Therefore<br> - Mahbub had avoided halting at the insalubrious city of -Peshawur,<br> - and had come through without stop to Lahore, where, knowing -his<br> - country-people, he anticipated curious developments.</p> - -<br> -And there was that on Mahbub Ali which he did not wish to keep an -<br> -hour longer than was necessary - a wad of closely folded -tissue-<br> -paper, wrapped in oilskin - an impersonal, unaddressed statement, -<br> -with five microscopic pin-holes in one corner, that most <br> -scandalously betrayed the five confederated Kings, the <br> -sympathetic Northern Power, a Hindu banker in Peshawur, a firm of -<br> -gun-makers in Belgium, and an important, semi-independent <br> -Mohammedan ruler to the south. This last was R17's work, which -<br> -Mahbub had picked up beyond the Dora Pass and was carrying in for -<br> -R17, who, owing to circumstances over which he had no control, -<br> -could not leave his post of observation. Dynamite was milky and -<br> -innocuous beside that report Of C25; and even an Oriental, with -<br> -an Oriental's views of the value of time, could see that the <br> -sooner it was in the proper hands the better. Mahbub had no <br> -particular desire to die by violence, because two or three family -<br> -blood-feuds across the Border hung unfinished on his hands, and -<br> -when these scores were cleared he intended to settle down as a -<br> -more or less virtuous citizen. He had never passed the serai gate -<br> -since his arrival two days ago, but had been ostentatious in <br> -sending telegrams to Bombay, where he banked some of his money; -<br> -to Delhi, where a sub-partner of his own clan was selling horses -<br> -to the agent of a Rajputana state; and to Umballa, where an <br> -Englishman was excitedly demanding the pedigree of a white <br> -stallion. The public letter-writer, who knew English, composed -<br> -excellent telegrams, such as: 'Creighton, Laurel Bank, Umballa. -<br> -Horse is Arabian as already advised. Sorrowful delayed pedigree -<br> -which am translating.' And later to the same address: 'Much <br> -sorrowful delay. Will forward pedigree.' To his sub-partner at -<br> -Delhi he wired: 'Lutuf Ullah. Have wired two thousand rupees your -<br> -credit Luchman Narain's bank-' This was entirely in the way of -<br> -trade, but every one of those telegrams was discussed and re-<br> -discussed, by parties who conceived themselves to be interested, -<br> -before they went over to the railway station in charge of a <br> -foolish Balti, who allowed all sorts of people to read them on -<br> -the road. - -<p>When, in Mahbub's own picturesque language, he had muddied -the<br> - wells of inquiry with the stick of precaution, Kim had dropped -on<br> - him, sent from Heaven; and, being as prompt as he was<br> - unscrupulous, Mahbub Ali used to taking all sorts of gusty<br> - chances, pressed him into service on the spot.</p> - -<p>A wandering lama with a low-caste boy-servant might attract -a<br> - moment's interest as they wandered about India, the land of<br> - pilgrims; but no one would suspect them or, what was more to -the<br> - point, rob.</p> - -<p>He called for a new light-ball to his hookah, and considered -the<br> - case. If the worst came to the worst, and the boy came to -harm,<br> - the paper would incriminate nobody. And he would go up to -Umballa<br> - leisurely and - at a certain risk of exciting fresh suspicion --<br> - repeat his tale by word of mouth to the people concerned.</p> - -<p>But R17's report was the kernel of the whole affair, and it -would<br> - be distinctly inconvenient if that failed to come to hand.<br> - However, God was great, and Mahbub Ali felt he had done all -he<br> - could for the time being. Kim was the one soul in the world -who<br> - had never told him a lie. That would have been a fatal blot -on<br> - Kim's character if Mahbub had not known that to others, for -his<br> - own ends or Mahbub's business, Kim could lie like an -Oriental.</p> - -<p>Then Mahbub Ali rolled across the serai to the Gate of the<br> - Harpies who paint their eyes and trap the stranger, and was -at<br> - some pains to call on the one girl who, he had reason to -believe,<br> - was a particular friend of a smooth-faced Kashmiri pundit who -had<br> - waylaid his simple Balti in the matter of the telegrams. It -was<br> - an utterly foolish thing to do; because they fell to -drinking<br> - perfumed brandy against the Law of the Prophet, and Mahbub -grew<br> - wonderfully drunk, and the gates of his mouth were loosened, -and<br> - he pursued the Flower of Delight with the feet of -intoxication<br> - till he fell flat among the cushions, where the Flower of<br> - Delight, aided by a smooth-faced Kashmiri pundit, searched -him<br> - from head to foot most thoroughly.</p> - -<p>About the same hour Kim heard soft feet in Mahbub's -deserted<br> - stall. The horse-trader, curiously enough, had left his door<br> - unlocked, and his men were busy celebrating their return to -India<br> - with a whole sheep of Mahbub's bounty. A sleek young -gentleman<br> - from Delhi, armed with a bunch of keys which the Flower had<br> - unshackled from the senseless one's belt, went through every<br> - single box, bundle, mat, and saddle-bag in Mahbub's -possession<br> - even more systematically than the Flower and the pundit were<br> - searching the owner.</p> - -<p>'And I think.' said the Flower scornfully an hour later, -one<br> - rounded elbow on the snoring carcass, 'that he is no more than -a<br> - pig of an Afghan horse-dealer, with no thought except women -and<br> - horses. Moreover, he may have sent it away by now - if ever -there<br> - were such a thing.'</p> - -<p>'Nay - in a matter touching Five Kings it would be next his -black<br> - heart,' said the pundit. 'Was there nothing?'</p> - -<p>The Delhi man laughed and resettled his turban as he entered. -'I<br> - searched between the soles of his slippers as the Flower -searched<br> - his clothes. This is not the man but another. I leave little<br> - unseen.'</p> - -<p>'They did not say he was the very man,' said the pundit<br> - thoughtfully. 'They said, "Look if he be the man, since our<br> - counsels are troubled."'</p> - -<p>'That North country is full of horse-dealers as an old coat -of<br> - lice. There is Sikandar Khan, Nur Ali Beg, and Farrukh Shah -all<br> - heads of kafilas [caravans] - who deal there,' said the -Flower.</p> - -<p>'They have not yet come in,' said the pundit. 'Thou must -ensnare<br> - them later.'</p> - -<p>Phew!' said the Flower with deep disgust, rolling Mahbub's -head<br> - from her lap. 'I earn my money. Farrukh Shah is a bear, Ali Beg -a<br> - swashbuckler, and old Sikandar Khan - yaie! Go! I sleep now. -This<br> - swine will not stir till dawn.'</p> - -<p>When Mahbub woke, the Flower talked to him severely on the sin -of<br> - drunkenness. Asiatics do not wink when they have outmanoeuvred -an<br> - enemy, but as Mahbub Ali cleared his throat, tightened his -belt,<br> - and staggered forth under the early morning stars, he came -very<br> - near to it.</p> - -<p>'What a colt's trick!' said he to himself 'As if every girl -in<br> - Peshawur did not use it! But 'twas prettily done. Now God He<br> - knows how many more there be upon the Road who have orders -to<br> - test me - perhaps with the knife. So it stands that the boy -must<br> - go to Umballa - and by rail -for the writing is something<br> - urgent. I abide here, following the Flower and drinking wine -as<br> - an Afghan coper should.'</p> - -<p>He halted at the stall next but one to his own. His men lay -there<br> - heavy with sleep. There was no sign of Kim or the lama.</p> - -<p>'Up! He stirred a sleeper. 'Whither went those who lay here -last<br> - even - the lama and the boy? Is aught missing?'</p> - -<p>'Nay,' grunted the man, 'the old madman rose at second -cockcrow<br> - saying he would go to Benares, and the young one led him -away.'</p> - -<p>'The curse of Allah on all unbelievers!' said Mahbub -heartily,<br> - and climbed into his own stall, growling in his beard.</p> - -<p>But it was Kim who had wakened the lama - Kim with one eye -laid<br> - against a knot-hole in the planking, who had seen the Delhi -man's<br> - search through the boxes. This was no common thief that -turned<br> - over letters, bills, and saddles - no mere burglar who ran a<br> - little knife sideways into the soles of Mahbub's slippers, -or<br> - picked the seams of the saddle-bags so deftly. At first Kim -had<br> - been minded to give the alarm - the long-drawn cho-or --choor!<br> - [thief! thief!] that sets the serai ablaze of nights; but he<br> - looked more carefully, and, hand on amulet, drew his own<br> - conclusions.</p> - -<p>'It must be the pedigree of that made-up horse-lie,' said -he,<br> - 'the thing that I carry to Umballa. Better that we go now. -Those<br> - who search bags with knives may presently search bellies -with<br> - knives. Surely there is a woman behind this. Hai! Hai! in a<br> - whisper to the light-sleeping old man. 'Come. It is time - -time<br> - to go to Benares.'</p> - -<p>The lama rose obediently, and they passed out of the serai -like<br> - shadows.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 2</h2> - -<p><br> - And whoso will, from Pride released;<br> - Contemning neither creed nor priest,<br> - May feel the Soul of all the East.<br> - About him at Kamakura.</p> - -<p>Buddha at Kamakura.</p> - -<p><br> - They entered the fort-like railway station, black in the end -of<br> - night; the electrics sizzling over the goods-yard where they<br> - handle the heavy Northern grain-traffic.</p> - -<p>'This is the work of devils!' said the lama, recoiling from -the<br> - hollow echoing darkness, the glimmer of rails between the -masonry<br> - platforms, and the maze of girders above. He stood in a -gigantic<br> - stone hall paved, it seemed, with the sheeted dead -third-class<br> - passengers who had taken their tickets overnight and were<br> - sleeping in the waiting-rooms. All hours of the twenty-four -are<br> - alike to Orientals, and their passenger traffic is regulated<br> - accordingly.</p> - -<p>'This is where the fire-carriages come. One stands behind -that<br> - hole' -Kim pointed to the ticket-office - 'who will give thee -a<br> - paper to take thee to Umballa.'</p> - -<p>'But we go to Benares,' he replied petulantly.</p> - -<p>'All one. Benares then. Quick: she comes!'</p> - -<p>'Take thou the purse.'</p> - -<p>The lama, not so well used to trains as he had pretended, -started<br> - as the 3.25a.m. south-bound roared in. The sleepers sprang -to<br> - life, and the station filled with clamour and shoutings, cries -of<br> - water and sweetmeat vendors, shouts of native policemen, and<br> - shrill yells of women gathering up their baskets, their -families,<br> - and their husbands.</p> - -<p>'It is the train - only the te-rain. It will not come -here.<br> - Wait!' Amazed at the lama's immense- simplicity (he had -handed<br> - him a small bag full of rupees), Kim asked and paid for a -ticket<br> - to Umballa. A sleepy clerk grunted and flung out a ticket to -the<br> - next station, just six miles distant.</p> - -<p>'Nay,' said Kim, scanning it with a grin. 'This may serve -for<br> - farmers, but I live in the city of Lahore. It was cleverly -done,<br> - Babu. Now give the ticket to Umballa.'</p> - -<p>The Babu scowled and dealt the proper ticket.</p> - -<p>'Now another to Amritzar,' said Kim, who had no notion of<br> - spending Mahbub Ali's money on anything so crude as a paid -ride<br> - to Umballa. 'The price is so much. The small money in return -is<br> - just so much. I know the ways of the te-rain ... Never did -yogi<br> - need chela as thou dost,' he went on merrily to the -bewildered<br> - lama. 'They would have flung thee out at Mian Mir but for -me.<br> - This way! Come!' He returned the money, keeping only one anna -in<br> - each rupee of the price of the Umballa ticket as his commission --<br> - the immemorial commission of Asia.</p> - -<p>The lama jibbed at the open door of a crowded third-class<br> - carriage. 'Were it not better to walk?' said he weakly.</p> - -<p>A burly Sikh artisan thrust forth his bearded head. 'Is he<br> - afraid? Do not be afraid. I remember the time when I was -afraid<br> - of the te-rain. Enter! This thing is the work of the -Government.'</p> - -<p>'I do not fear,' said the lama. 'Have ye room within for -two?'</p> - -<p>'There is no room even for a mouse,' shrilled the wife of a -well-<br> - to-do cultivator - a Hindu Jat from the rich Jullundur, -district.<br> - Our night trains are not as well looked after as the day -ones,<br> - where the sexes are very strictly kept to separate -carriages.</p> - -<p>'Oh, mother of my son, we can make space,' said the -blueturbaned<br> - husband. 'Pick up the child. It is a holy man, see'st thou?'</p> - -<p>'And my lap full of seventy times seven bundles! Why not bid -him<br> - sit on my knee, Shameless? But men are ever thus!' She -looked<br> - round for approval. An Amritzar courtesan near the window -sniffed<br> - behind her head drapery.</p> - -<p>'Enter! Enter!' cried a fat Hindu money-lender, his folded<br> - account-book in a cloth under his arm. With an oily smirk: 'It -is<br> - well to be kind to the poor.'</p> - -<p>'Ay, at seven per cent a month with a mortgage on the -unborn<br> - calf,' said a young Dogra, soldier going south on leave; and -they<br> - all laughed.</p> - -<p>'Will it travel to Benares?' said the lama.</p> - -<p>'Assuredly. Else why should we come? Enter, or we are -left,'<br> - cried Kim.</p> - -<p>'See!' shrilled the Amritzar girl. 'He has never entered a -train.<br> - Oh, see!'</p> - -<p>'Nay, help,' said the cultivator, putting out a large brown -hand<br> - and hauling him in. 'Thus is it done, father.'</p> - -<p>'But - but - I sit on the floor. It is against the Rule to sit -on<br> - a bench,' said the lama. 'Moreover, it cramps me.'</p> - -<p>'I say,' began the money-lender, pursing his lips, 'that there -is<br> - not one rule of right living which these te-rains do not cause -as<br> - to break. We sit, for example, side by side with all castes -and<br> - peoples.'</p> - -<p>'Yea, and with most outrageously shameless ones,' said the -wife,<br> - scowling at the Amritzar girl making eyes at the young -sepoy.</p> - -<p>'I said we might have gone by cart along the road,' said -the<br> - husband, 'and thus have saved some money.'</p> - -<p>'Yes - and spent twice over what we saved on food by the -way.<br> - That was talked out ten thousand times.'</p> - -<p>'Ay, by ten thousand tongues,' grunted he.</p> - -<p>'The Gods help us poor women if we may not speak. Oho! He is -of<br> - that sort which may not look at or reply to a woman.' For -the<br> - lama, constrained by his Rule, took not the faintest notice -of<br> - her. 'And his disciple is like him?'</p> - -<p>'Nay, mother,' said Kim most promptly. 'Not when the woman -is<br> - well-looking and above all charitable to the hungry.'</p> - -<p>'A beggar's answer,' said the Sikh, laughing. 'Thou hast -brought<br> - it on thyself, sister!' Kim's hands were crooked in -supplication.</p> - -<p>'And whither goest thou?' said the woman, handing him the half -of<br> - a cake from a greasy package.</p> - -<p>'Even to Benares.'</p> - -<p>'Jugglers belike?' the young soldier suggested. 'Have ye -any<br> - tricks to pass the time? Why does not that yellow man -answer?'</p> - -<p><br> - 'Because,' said Kim stoutly, 'he is holy, and thinks upon -matters<br> - hidden from thee.'</p> - -<p>'That may be well. We of the Ludhiana Sikhs' - he rolled it -out<br> - sonorously -'do not trouble our heads with doctrine. We -fight.'</p> - -<p>'My sister's brother's son is naik (corporal] in that -regiment,'<br> - said the Sikh craftsman quietly. 'There are also some Dogra<br> - companies there.' The soldier glared, for a Dogra is of -other<br> - caste than a Sikh, and the banker tittered.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p><br> - 'They are all one to me, ' said the Amritzar girl.</p> - -<p>'That we believe,' snorted the cultivator's wife -malignantly.</p> - -<p>'Nay, but all who serve the Sirkar with weapons in their -hands<br> - are, as it were, one brotherhood. There is one brotherhood of -the<br> - caste, but beyond that again' - she looked round timidly --'the<br> - bond of the Pulton - the Regiment -eh?'</p> - -<p>'My brother is in a Jat regiment,' said the cultivator. -'Dogras<br> - be good men.'</p> - -<p>'Thy Sikhs at least were of that opinion,' said the soldier, -with<br> - a scowl at the placid old man in the corner. 'Thy Sikhs -thought<br> - so when our two companies came to help them at the Pirzai -Kotal<br> - in the face of eight Afridi standards on the ridge not three<br> - months gone.'</p> - -<p>He told the story of a Border action in which the Dogra -companies<br> - of the Ludhiana Sikhs had acquitted themselves well. The -Amritzar<br> - girl smiled; for she knew the talc was to win her approval.</p> - -<p>'Alas!' said the cultivator's wife at the end. 'So their -villages<br> - were burnt and their little children made homeless?'</p> - -<p>'They had marked our dead. They paid a great payment after we -of<br> - the Sikhs had schooled them. So it was. Is this Amritzar?'</p> - -<p>'Ay, and here they cut our tickets,' said the banker, fumbling -at<br> - his belt.</p> - -<p>The lamps were paling in the dawn when the half-caste guard -came<br> - round. Ticket-collecting is a slow business in the East, -where<br> - people secrete their tickets in all sorts of curious places. -Kim<br> - produced his and was told to get out.</p> - -<p>'But I go to Umballa,' he protested. 'I go with this holy -man.'</p> - -<p>'Thou canst go to Jehannum for aught I care. This ticket is -only</p> - -<p>Kim burst into a flood of tears, protesting that the lama was -his<br> - father and his mother, that he was the prop of the lama's<br> - declining years, and that the lama would die without his -care.<br> - All the carriage bade the guard be merciful - the banker was<br> - specially eloquent here - but the guard hauled Kim on to the<br> - platform. The lama blinked - he could not overtake the -situation<br> - and Kim lifted up his voice and wept outside the carriage<br> - window.</p> - -<p>'I am very poor. My father is dead - my mother is dead. O<br> - charitable ones, if I am left here, who shall tend that old -man?'</p> - -<p>'What - what is this?' the lama repeated. 'He must go to -Benares.<br> - He must come with me. He is my chela. If there is money to -be<br> - paid -'</p> - -<p>'Oh, be silent,' whispered Kim; 'are we Rajahs to throw away -good<br> - silver when the world is so charitable?'</p> - -<p>The Amritzar girl stepped out with her bundles, and it was on -her<br> - that Kim kept his watchful eye. Ladies of that persuasion, -he<br> - knew, were generous.</p> - -<p>'A ticket - a little tikkut to Umballa - O Breaker of -Hearts!'<br> - She laughed. 'Hast thou no charity?'</p> - -<p>'Does the holy man come from the North'</p> - -<p>'From far and far in the North he comes,' cried Kim. 'From -among<br> - the hills.'</p> - -<p>'There is snow among the pine-trees in the North - in the -hills<br> - there is snow. My mother was from Kulu. Get thee a ticket. -Ask<br> - him for a blessing.'</p> - -<p>'Ten thousand blessings,' shrilled Kim. 'O Holy One, a woman -has<br> - given us in charity so that I can come with thee - a woman with -a<br> - golden heart. I run for the tikkut.'</p> - -<p>The girl looked up at the lama, who had mechanically followed -Kim<br> - to the platform. He bowed his head that he might not see her, -and<br> - muttered in Tibetan as she passed on with the crowd.</p> - -<p>'Light come - light go,' said the cultivator's wife -viciously.</p> - -<p>'She has acquired merit,' returned the lama. 'Beyond doubt it -was<br> - a nun.'</p> - -<p>'There be ten thousand such nuns in Amritzar alone. -Return,</p> - -<p>old man, or the te-rain may depart without thee,' cried -the<br> - banker.</p> - -<p>'Not only was it sufficient for the ticket, but for a little -food<br> - also, ' said Kim, leaping to his place. 'Now eat, Holy One. -Look.<br> - Day comes!'</p> - -<p>Golden, rose, saffron, and pink, the morning mists smoked -away<br> - across the flat green levels. All the rich Punjab lay out in -the<br> - splendour of the keen sun. The lama flinched a little as the<br> - telegraph-posts swung by.</p> - -<p>'Great is the speed of the te-rain,' said the banker, with -a<br> - patronizing grin. 'We have gone farther since Lahore than -thou<br> - couldst walk in two days: at even, we shall enter Umballa.'</p> - -<p>'And that is still far from Benares,' said the lama -wearily,<br> - mumbling over the cakes that Kim offered. They all unloosed -their<br> - bundles and made their morning meal. Then the banker, the<br> - cultivator, and the soldier prepared their pipes and wrapped -the<br> - compartment in choking, acrid smoke, spitting and coughing -and<br> - enjoying themselves. The Sikh and the cultivator's wife -chewed<br> - pan; the lama took snuff and told his beads, while Kim, -cross-<br> - legged, smiled over the comfort of a full stomach.</p> - -<p>'What rivers have ye by Benares?' said the lama of a sudden -to<br> - the carriage at large.</p> - -<p>'We have Gunga,' returned the banker, when the little titter -had<br> - subsided.</p> - -<p>'What others?'</p> - -<p>'What other than Gunga?'</p> - -<p>'Nay, but in my mind was the thought of a certain River of<br> - healing.'</p> - -<p>'That is Gunga. Who bathes in her is made clean and goes to -the<br> - Gods. Thrice have I made pilgrimage to Gunga.' He looked -round<br> - proudly.</p> - -<p>'There was need,' said the young sepoy drily, and the -travellers'<br> - laugh turned against the banker.</p> - -<p>'Clean - to return again to the Gods,' the lama muttered. 'And -to<br> - go forth on the round of lives anew - still tied to the -Wheel.'<br> - He shook his head testily. 'But maybe there is a mistake. -Who,<br> - then, made Gunga in the beginning?'</p> - -<p>'The Gods. Of what known faith art thou?' the banker said,<br> - appalled.</p> - -<p>'I follow the Law - the Most Excellent Law. So it was the -Gods<br> - that made Gunga. What like of Gods were they?'</p> - -<p>The carriage looked at him in amazement. It was -inconceivable<br> - that anyone should be ignorant of Gunga.</p> - -<p>'What - what is thy God?' said the money-lender at last.</p> - -<p>'Hear!' said the lama, shifting the rosary to his hand. -'Hear:<br> - for I speak of Him now! O people of Hind, listen!'</p> - -<p>He began in Urdu the tale of the Lord Buddha, but, borne by -his<br> - own thoughts, slid into Tibetan and long-droned texts from a<br> - Chinese book of the Buddha's life. The gentle, tolerant folk<br> - looked on reverently. All India is full of holy men -stammering<br> - gospels in strange tongues; shaken and consumed in the fires -of<br> - their own zeal; dreamers, babblers, and visionaries: as it -has<br> - been from the beginning and will continue to the end.</p> - -<p>'Um!' said the soldier of the Ludhiana Sikhs. 'There was a<br> - Mohammedan regiment lay next to us at the Pirzai Kotal, and -a<br> - priest of theirs - he was, as I remember, a naik - when the -fit<br> - was on him, spake prophecies. But the mad all are in God's<br> - keeping. His officers overlooked much in that man.'</p> - -<p>The lama fell back on Urdu, remembering that he was in a -strange<br> - land. 'Hear the tale of the Arrow which our Lord loosed from -the<br> - bow,' he said.</p> - -<p>This was much more to their taste, and they listened -curiously<br> - while he told it. 'Now, O people of Hind, I go to seek that<br> - River. Know ye aught that may guide me, for we be all men -and<br> - women in evil case.'</p> - -<p>'There is Gunga - and Gunga alone - who washes away sin.' ran -the<br> - murmur round the carriage.</p> - -<p>'Though past question we have good Gods Jullundur-way,' said -the<br> - cultivator's wife, looking out of the window. 'See how they -have<br> - blessed the crops.'</p> - -<p>'To search every river in the Punjab is no small matter,' -said<br> - her husband. 'For me, a stream that leaves good silt on my -land<br> - suffices, and I thank Bhumia, the God of the Home-stead.' He<br> - shrugged one knotted, bronzed shoulder.</p> - -<p>'Think you our Lord came so far North?' said the lama, turning -to<br> - Kim.</p> - -<p>'It may be,' Kim replied soothingly, as he spat red pan-juice -on<br> - the floor.</p> - -<p>'The last of the Great Ones,' said the Sikh with authority, -'was<br> - Sikander Julkarn [Alexander the Great]. He paved the streets -of<br> - Jullundur and built a great tank near Umballa. That pavement<br> - holds to this day; and the tank is there also. I never heard -of<br> - thy God.'</p> - -<p>'Let thy hair grow long and talk Punjabi,' said the young -soldier<br> - jestingly to Kim, quoting a Northern proverb. 'That is all -that<br> - makes a Sikh.' But he did not say this very loud.</p> - -<p>The lama sighed and shrank into himself, a dingy, shapeless -mass.<br> - In the pauses of their talk they could hear the low droning -_'Om<br> - mane pudme hum! Om mane pudme hum!' - and the thick click of -the<br> - wooden rosary beads.</p> - -<p>'It irks me,' he said at last. 'The speed and the clatter irk -me.<br> - Moreover, my chela, I think that maybe we have over-passed -that<br> - River.'</p> - -<p>'Peace, peace,' said Kim. 'Was not the River near Benares? We -are<br> - yet far from the place.'</p> - -<p>'But - if our Lord came North, it may be any one of these -little<br> - ones that we have run across.'</p> - -<p>'I do not know.'</p> - -<p>'But thou wast sent to me - wast thou sent to me? - for the -merit<br> - I had acquired over yonder at Such-zen. From beside the -cannon<br> - didst thou come - bearing two faces -and two garbs.'</p> - -<p>'Peace. One must not speak of these things here,' whispered -Kim.<br> - 'There was but one of me. Think again and thou wilt remember. -A<br> - boy - a Hindu boy - by the great green cannon.'</p> - -<p>'But was there not also an Englishman with a white beard -holy<br> - among images - who himself made more sure my assurance of -the<br> - River of the Arrow?'</p> - -<p>'He - we - went to the Ajaib-Gher in Lahore to pray before -the<br> - Gods there,' Kim explained to the openly listening company. -'And<br> - the Sahib of the Wonder House talked to him - yes, this is -truth<br> - as a brother. He is a very holy man, from far beyond the -Hills.<br> - Rest, thou. In time we come to Umballa.'</p> - -<p>'But my River - the River of my healing?'</p> - -<p>'And then, if it please thee, we will go hunting for that -River<br> - on foot. So that we miss nothing - not even a little rivulet in -a<br> - field-side.'</p> - -<p>'But thou hast a Search of thine own?' The lama - very -pleased<br> - that he remembered so well - sat bolt upright.</p> - -<p>'Ay,' said Kim, humouring him. The boy was entirely happy to -be<br> - out chewing pan and seeing new people in the great -good-tempered<br> - world.</p> - -<p>'It was a bull - a Red Bull that shall come and help thee -and<br> - carry thee - whither? I have forgotten. A Red Bull on a -green<br> - field, was it not?'</p> - -<p>'Nay, it will carry me nowhere,' said Kim. 'It is but a tale -I<br> - told thee.'</p> - -<p>'What is this?' The cultivator's wife leaned forward, her<br> - bracelets clinking on her arm. 'Do ye both dream dreams? A -Red<br> - Bull on a green field, that shall carry thee to the heavens -or<br> - what? Was it a vision? Did one make a prophecy? We have a -Red<br> - Bull in our village behind Jullundur city, and he grazes by<br> - choice in the very greenest of our fields!'</p> - -<p>'Give a woman an old wife's tale and a weaver-bird a leaf and -a<br> - thread', they will weave wonderful things,' said the Sikh. -'All<br> - holy men dream dreams, and by following holy men their -disciples<br> - attain that power.'</p> - -<p>'A Red Bull on a green field, was it?' the lama repeated. 'In -a<br> - former life it may be thou hast acquired merit, and the Bull -will<br> - come to reward thee.'</p> - -<p>'Nay - nay - it was but a tale one told to me - for a jest<br> - belike. But I will seek the Bull about Umballa, and thou -canst<br> - look for thy River and rest from the clatter of the train.'</p> - -<p>'It may be that the Bull knows - that he is sent to guide -us<br> - both.' said the lama, hopefully as a child. Then to the -company,<br> - indicating Kim: 'This one was sent to me but yesterday. He -is<br> - not, I think, of this world.'</p> - -<p>'Beggars aplenty have I met, and holy men to boot, but never -such<br> - a yogi nor such a disciple,' said the woman.</p> - -<p><br> - Her husband touched his forehead lightly with one finger<br> - and smiled. But the next time the lama would eat they took -care<br> - to give him of their best.</p> - -<p>And at last - tired, sleepy, and dusty - they reached -Umballa<br> - City Station.</p> - -<p>'We abide here upon a law-suit,' said the cultivator's wife -to<br> - Kim. 'We lodge with my man's cousin's younger brother. There -is<br> - room also in the courtyard for thy yogi and for thee. Will- -will<br> - he give me a blessing?'</p> - -<p>'O holy man! A woman with a heart of gold gives us lodging -for<br> - the night. It is a kindly land, this land of the South. See -how<br> - we have been helped since the dawn!'</p> - -<p>The lama bowed his head in benediction.</p> - -<p>'To fill my cousin's younger brother's house with wastrels -' -the<br> - husband began, as he shouldered his heavy bamboo staff.</p> - -<p>'Thy cousin's younger brother owes my father's cousin -something<br> - yet on his daughter's marriage-feast,' said the woman -crisply.<br> - 'Let him put their food to that account. The yogi will beg, -I<br> - doubt not.'</p> - -<p>'Ay, I beg for him,' said Kim, anxious only to get the lama -under<br> - shelter for the night, that he might seek Mahbub Ali's -Englishman<br> - and deliver himself of the white stallion's pedigree.</p> - -<p>'Now,' said he, when the lama had come to an anchor in the -inner<br> - courtyard of a decent Hindu house behind the cantonments, 'I -go<br> - away for a while - to - to buy us victual in the bazar. Do -not<br> - stray abroad till I return.'</p> - -<p>'Thou wilt return? Thou wilt surely return?' The old man -caught<br> - at his wrist. 'And thou wilt return in this very same shape? -Is<br> - it too late to look tonight for the River?'</p> - -<p>'Too late and too dark. Be comforted. Think how far thou art -on<br> - the road - an hundred miles from Lahore already.'</p> - -<p><br> - 'Yea - and farther from my monastery. Alas! It is a great -and<br> - terrible world.'</p> - -<p>Kim stole out and away, as unremarkable a figure as ever -carried<br> - his own and a few score thousand other folk's fate slung -round<br> - his neck. Mahbub Ali's directions left him little doubt of -the<br> - house in which his Englishman lived; and a groom, bringing a -dog-<br> - cart home from the Club, made him quite sure. It remained only -to<br> - identify his man, and Kim slipped through the garden hedge -and<br> - hid in a clump of plumed grass close to the veranda. The -house<br> - blazed with lights, and servants moved about tables dressed -with<br> - flowers, glass, and silver. Presently forth came an -Englishman,<br> - dressed in black and - white, humming a tune. It was too dark -to<br> - see his face, so Kim, beggar-wise, tried an old experiment.</p> - -<p>'Protector of the Poor!'</p> - -<p>The man backed towards the voice.</p> - -<p>'Mahbub Ali says -'</p> - -<p>'Hah! What says Mahbub Ali?' He made no attempt to look for -the<br> - speaker, and that showed Kim that he knew.</p> - -<p>'The pedigree of the white stallion is fully established.'</p> - -<p>'What proof is there?' The Englishman switched at the -rose-hedge<br> - in the side of the drive.</p> - -<p>'Mahbub Ali has given me this proof.' Kim flipped the wad -of<br> - folded paper into the air, and it fell in the path beside -the<br> - man, who put his foot on it as a gardener came round the -corner.<br> - When the servant passed he picked it up, dropped a rupee - -Kim<br> - could hear the clink - and strode into the house, never -turning<br> - round. Swiftly Kim took up the money; but for all his -training,<br> - he was Irish enough by birth to reckon silver the least part -of<br> - any game. What he desired was the visible effect of action; -so,<br> - instead of slinking away, he lay close in the grass and -wormed<br> - nearer to the house.</p> - -<p>He saw - Indian bungalows are open through and through the<br> - Englishman return to a small dressing-room, in a comer of -the<br> - veranda, that was half office, littered with papers and -despatch-<br> - boxes, and sit down to study Mahbub Ali's message. His face, -by<br> - the full ray of the kerosene lamp, changed and darkened, and -Kim,<br> - used as every beggar must be to watching countenances, took -good<br> - note.</p> - -<p>'Will! Will, dear!' called a woman's voice. 'You ought to be -in<br> - the drawing-room. They'll be here in a minute.'</p> - -<p>The man still read intently.</p> - -<p>'Will!' said the voice, five minutes later. 'He's come. I -can<br> - hear the troopers in the drive.'</p> - -<p>The man dashed out bareheaded as a big landau with four -native<br> - troopers behind it halted at the veranda, and a tall, black<br> - haired man, erect as an arrow, swung out, preceded by a -young<br> - officer who laughed pleasantly.</p> - -<p>Flat on his belly lay Kim, almost touching the high wheels. -His<br> - man and the black stranger exchanged two sentences.</p> - -<p>'Certainly, sir,' said the young officer promptly. -'Everything<br> - waits while a horse is concerned.'</p> - -<p>'We shan't be more than twenty minutes,' said Kim's man. 'You -can<br> - do the honours -keep 'em amused, and all that.'</p> - -<p>'Tell one of the troopers to wait,' said the tall man, and -they<br> - both passed into the dressing-room together as the landau -rolled<br> - away. Kim saw their heads bent over Mahbub Ali's message, -and<br> - heard the voices - one low and deferential, the other sharp -and<br> - decisive.</p> - -<p>'It isn't a question of weeks. It is a question of days - -hours<br> - almost,' said the elder. 'I'd been expecting it for some -time,<br> - but this' - he tapped Mahbub Ali's paper - 'clinches it. -Grogan's<br> - dining here to-night, isn't he?'</p> - -<p>'Yes, sir, and Macklin too.'</p> - -<p>'Very good. I'll speak to them myself. The matter will be<br> - referred to the Council, of course, but this is a case where -one<br> - is justified in assuming that we take action at once. Warn -the<br> - Pined and Peshawar brigades. It will disorganize all the -summer<br> - reliefs, but we can't help that. This comes of not smashing -them<br> - thoroughly the first time. Eight thousand should be enough.'</p> - -<p>'What about artillery, sir?'</p> - -<p>'I must consult Macklin.'</p> - -<p>'Then it means war?'</p> - -<p>'No. Punishment. When a man is bound by the action of his<br> - predecessor -'</p> - -<p>'But C25 may have lied.'</p> - -<p>'He bears out the other's information. Practically, they -showed<br> - their hand six months back. But Devenish would have it there -was<br> - a chance of peace. Of course they used it to make themselves<br> - stronger. Send off those telegrams at once - the new code, -not<br> - the old - mine and Wharton's. I don't think we need keep the<br> - ladies waiting any longer. We can settle the rest over the<br> - cigars. I thought it was coming. It's punishment - not war.'</p> - -<p>As the trooper cantered off, Kim crawled round to the back of -the<br> - house, where, going on his Lahore experiences, he judged -there<br> - would be food - and information. The kitchen was crowded -with<br> - excited scullions, one of whom kicked him.</p> - -<p>'Aie,' said Kim, feigning tears. 'I came only to wash dishes -in<br> - return for a bellyful.'</p> - -<p>'All Umballa is on the same errand. Get hence. They go in -now<br> - with the soup. Think you that we who serve Creighton Sahib -need<br> - strange scullions to help us through a big dinner?'</p> - -<p>'It is a very big dinner,' said Kim, looking at the -plates.</p> - -<p>'Small wonder. The guest of honour is none other than the -Jang-i-<br> - Lat Sahib [the Commander-in-Chief].'</p> - -<p>'Ho!' said Kim, with the correct guttural note of wonder. He -had<br> - learned what he wanted, and when the scullion turned he was -gone.</p> - -<p>'And all that trouble,' said he to himself, thinking as usual -in<br> - Hindustani, 'for a horse's pedigree! Mahbub Ali should have -come<br> - to me to learn a little lying. Every time before that I have<br> - borne a message it concerned a woman. Now it is men. Better. -The<br> - tall man said that they will loose a great army to punish -someone<br> - -somewhere - the news goes to Pindi and Peshawur. There are -also<br> - guns. Would I had crept nearer. It is big news!'</p> - -<p>He returned to find the cultivator's cousin's younger -brother<br> - discussing the family law-suit in all its bearings with the<br> - cultivator and his wife and a few friends, while the lama -dozed.<br> - After the evening meal some one passed him a water-pipe; and -Kim<br> - felt very much of a man as he pulled at the smooth -coconut-shell,<br> - his legs spread abroad in the moonlight, his tongue clicking -in<br> - remarks from time to time. His hosts were most polite; for -the<br> - cultivator's wife had told them of his vision of the Red -Bull,<br> - and of his probable descent from another world. Moreover, -the<br> - lama was a great and venerable curiosity.</p> - -<p><br> - The family priest, an old, tolerant Sarsut Brahmin, dropped -in<br> - later, and naturally started a theological argument to -impress<br> - the family. By creed, of course, they were all on their -priest's<br> - side, but the lama was the guest and the novelty. His gentle<br> - kindliness, and his impressive Chinese quotations, that -sounded<br> - like spells, delighted them hugely; and in this sympathetic,<br> - simple air, he expanded like the Bodhisat's own lotus, -speaking<br> - of his life in the great hills of Such-zen, before, as he -said,<br> - 'I rose up to seek enlightenment.'</p> - -<p>Then it came out that in those worldly days he had been a -master-<br> - hand at casting horoscopes and nativities; and the family -priest<br> - led him on to describe his methods; each giving the planets -names<br> - that the other could not understand, and pointing upwards as -the<br> - big stars sailed across the dark. The children of the house<br> - tugged unrebuked at his rosary; and he clean forgot the Rule<br> - which forbids looking at women as he talked of enduring -snows,<br> - landslips, blocked passes, the remote cliffs where men find<br> - sapphires and turquoise, and that wonderful upland road that<br> - leads at last into Great China itself.</p> - -<p>'How thinkest thou of this one?' said the cultivator aside to -the<br> - priest.</p> - -<p>'A holy man - a holy man indeed. His Gods are not the Gods, -but<br> - his feet are upon the Way,' was the answer. 'And his methods -of<br> - nativities, though that is beyond thee, are wise and sure.1</p> - -<p>'Tell me,' said Kim lazily, 'whether I find my Red Bull on -a<br> - green field, as was promised me.'</p> - -<p>'What knowledge hast thou of thy birth-hour?' the priest -asked,<br> - swelling with importance.</p> - -<p>'Between first and second cockcrow of the first night in -May.'</p> - -<p>'Of what year?'</p> - -<p>'I do not know; but upon the hour that I cried first fell -the<br> - great earthquake in Srinagar which is in Kashmir.' This Kim -had<br> - from the woman who took care of him, and she again from -Kimball<br> - O'Hara. The earthquake had been felt in India, and for long -stood<br> - a leading date in the Punjab.</p> - -<p>'Ai!' said a woman excitedly. This seemed to make Kim's<br> - supernatural origin more certain. "Was not such an one's -daughter<br> - born then -'</p> - -<p>'And her mother bore her husband four sons in four years -all<br> - likely boys,' cried the cultivator's wife, sitting outside -the<br> - circle in the shadow.</p> - -<p>'None reared in the knowledge,' said the family priest, -'forget<br> - how the planets stood in their Houses upon that night.' He -began<br> - to draw in the dust of the courtyard. 'At least thou hast -good<br> - claim to a half of the House of the Bull. How runs thy -prophecy?'</p> - -<p>'Upon a day,' said Kim, delighted at the sensation he was<br> - creating, 'I shall be made great by means of a Red Bull on a<br> - green field, but first there will enter two men making all -things<br> - ready.'</p> - -<p>'Yes: thus ever at the opening of a vision. A thick darkness -that<br> - clears slowly; anon one enters with a broom making ready the<br> - place. Then begins the Sight. Two men - thou sayest? Ay, ay. -The<br> - Sun, leaving the House of the Bull, enters that of the -Twins.<br> - Hence the two men of the prophecy. Let us now consider. Fetch -me<br> - a twig, little one.'</p> - -<p>He knitted his brows, scratched, smoothed out, and -scratched<br> - again in the dust mysterious signs - to the wonder of all -save<br> - the lama, who, with fine instinct, forbore to interfere.</p> - -<p>At the end of half an hour, he tossed the twig from him with -a<br> - grunt.</p> - -<p>'Hm! Thus say the stars. Within three days come the two men -to<br> - make all things ready. After them follows the Bull; but the -sign<br> - over against him is the sign of War and armed men.'</p> - -<p>'There was indeed a man of the Ludhiana Sikhs in the -carriage<br> - from Lahore,' said the cultivator's wife hopefully.</p> - -<p>'Tck! Armed men - many hundreds. What concern hast thou -with<br> - war?' said the priest to Kim. 'Thine is a red and an angry -sign<br> - of War to be loosed very soon.'</p> - -<p>'None - none.' said the lama earnestly. 'We seek only peace -and<br> - our River.'</p> - -<p>Kim smiled, remembering what he had overheard in the -dressing-<br> - room. Decidedly he was a favourite of the stars.</p> - -<p>The priest brushed his foot over the rude horoscope. 'More -than<br> - this I cannot see. In three days comes the Bull to thee, -boy.'</p> - -<p>'And my River, my River,' pleaded the lama. 'I had hoped his -Bull<br> - would lead us both to the River.'</p> - -<p>'Alas, for that wondrous River, my brother,' the priest -replied.<br> - 'Such things are not common.'</p> - -<p>Next morning, though they were pressed to stay, the lama -insisted<br> - on departure. They gave Kim a large bundle of good food and<br> - nearly three annas in copper money for the needs of the road, -and<br> - with many blessings watched the two go southward in the -dawn.</p> - -<p>'Pity it is that these and such as these could not be freed -from</p> - -<p>'Nay, then would only evil people be left on the earth, and -who<br> - would give us meat and shelter?' quoth Kim, stepping merrily<br> - under his burden.</p> - -<p>'Yonder is a small stream. Let us look,' said the lama, and -he<br> - led from the white road across the fields; walking into a -very<br> - hornets' nest of pariah dogs.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 3</h2> - -<p><br> - Yea, voice of every Soul that clung<br> -To life that strove from rung to rung<br> - When Devadatta's rule was young,<br> - The warm wind brings Kamakura.</p> - -<p>Buddha at Kamakura.</p> - -<p><br> - Behind them an angry farmer brandished a bamboo pole. He was -a<br> - market-gardener, Arain by caste, growing vegetables and -flowers<br> - for Umballa city, and well Kim knew the breed.</p> - -<p><br> - 'Such an one,' said the lama, disregarding the dogs, 'is -impolite<br> - to strangers, intemperate of speech and uncharitable. Be -warned<br> - by his demeanour, my disciple.'</p> - -<p>'Ho, shameless beggars!' shouted the farmer. 'Begone! Get -hence!'</p> - -<p>'We go,' the lama returned, with quiet dignity. 'We go from -these<br> - unblessed fields.'</p> - -<p>'Ah,' said Kim, sucking in his breath. 'If the next crops -fail,<br> - thou canst only blame thine own tongue.'</p> - -<p>The man shuffled uneasily in his slippers. 'The land is full -of<br> - beggars,' he began, half apologetically.</p> - -<p>'And by what sign didst thou know that we would beg from thee, -O<br> - Mali?' said Kim tartly, using the name that a -market-gardener<br> - least likes. 'All we sought was to look at that river beyond -the<br> - field there.'</p> - -<p>'River, forsooth!' the man snorted. 'What city do ye hail -from<br> - not to know a canal-cut? It runs as straight as an arrow ' and -I<br> - pay for the water as though it were molten silver. There is -a<br> - branch of a river beyond. But if ye need water I can give that --<br> - and milk.'</p> - -<p>'Nay, we will go to the river,' said the lama, striding -out.</p> - -<p>'Milk and a meal.' the man stammered, as he looked at the -strange<br> - tall figure. 'I - I would not draw evil upon myself - or my<br> - crops. But beggars are so many in these hard days.'</p> - -<p>'Take notice.' The lama turned to Kim. 'He was led to -speak<br> - harshly by the Red Mist of anger. That clearing from his eyes, -he<br> - becomes courteous and of an affable heart. May his fields be<br> - blessed! Beware not to judge men too hastily, O farmer.'</p> - -<p>'I have met holy ones who would have cursed thee from -hearthstone<br> - to byre,' said Kim to the abashed man. 'Is he not wise and -holy?<br> - I am his disciple.'</p> - -<p>He cocked his nose in the air loftily and stepped across -the<br> - narrow field-borders with great dignity.</p> - -<p>'There is no pride,' said the lama, after a pause, 'there is -no<br> - pride among such as follow the Middle Way.'</p> - -<p>'But thou hast said he was low-caste and discourteous.'</p> - -<p>'Low-caste I did not say, for how can that be which is -not?<br> - Afterwards he amended his discourtesy, and I forgot the -offence.<br> - Moreover, he is as we are, bound upon the Wheel of Things; but -he<br> - does not tread the way of deliverance.' He halted at a -little<br> - runlet among the fields, and considered the hoof-pitted -bank.</p> - -<p>'Now, how wilt thou know thy River?' said Kim, squatting in -the<br> - shade of some tall sugar-cane.</p> - -<p>'When I find it, an enlightenment will surely be given. This, -I<br> - feel, is not the place. O littlest among the waters, if only -thou<br> - couldst tell me where runs my River! But be thou blessed to -make<br> - the fields bear!'</p> - -<p>'Look! Look!' Kim sprang to his side and dragged him back. -A<br> - yellow-and-brown streak glided from the purple rustling stems -to<br> - the bank, stretched its neck to the water, drank, and lay still --<br> - a big cobra with fixed, lidless eyes.</p> - -<p>'I have no stick - I have no stick,' said Kim. '1 will get me -one<br> - and break his back.'</p> - -<p>'Why? He is upon the Wheel as we are - a life ascending or<br> - descending - very far from deliverance. Great evil must the -soul<br> - have done that is cast into this shape.'</p> - -<p>'I hate all snakes,' said Kim. No native training can quench -the<br> - white man's horror of the Serpent.</p> - -<p>'Let him live out his life.' The coiled thing hissed and -half<br> - opened its hood. 'May thy release come soon, brother!' the -lama<br> - continued placidly. 'Hast thou knowledge, by chance, of my<br> - River?'</p> - -<p>'Never have I seen such a man as thou art,' Kim whispered,<br> - overwhelmed. 'Do the very snakes understand thy talk?'</p> - -<p>'Who knows?' He passed within a foot of the cobra's poised -head.<br> - It flattened itself among the dusty coils.</p> - -<p>'Come, thou!' he called over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>'Not I,' said Kim'. 'I go round.'</p> - -<p>'Come. He does no hurt.'</p> - -<p>Kim hesitated for a moment. The lama backed his order by -some<br> - droned Chinese quotation which Kim took for a charm. He -obeyed<br> - and bounded across the rivulet, and the snake, indeed, made -no<br> - sign.</p> - -<p>'Never have I seen such a man.' Kim wiped the sweat from -his<br> - forehead. 'And now, whither go we?'</p> - -<p>'That is for thee to say. I am old, and a stranger - far from -my<br> - own place. But that the rel-carriage fills my head with noises -of<br> - devil-drums I would go in it to Benares now ... Yet by so -going<br> - we may miss the River. Let us find another river.'</p> - -<p>Where the hard-worked soil gives three and even four crops a -year<br> - through patches of sugar-cane, tobacco, long white radishes,<br> - and nol-kol, all that day they strolled on, turning aside to<br> - every glimpse of water; rousing village dogs and sleeping<br> - villages at noonday; the lama replying to the volleyed -questions<br> - with an unswerving simplicity. They sought a River a River -of<br> - miraculous healing. Had any one knowledge of such a stream?<br> - Sometimes men laughed, but more often heard the story out to -the<br> - end and offered them a place in the shade, a drink of milk, and -a<br> - meal. The women were always kind, and the little children as<br> - children are the world over, alternately shy and -venturesome.<br> - Evening found them at rest under the village tree of a mud-<br> - walled, mud-roofed hamlet, talking to the headman as the -cattle<br> - came in from the grazing-grounds and the women prepared the -day's<br> - last meal. They had passed beyond the belt of market-gardens<br> - round hungry Umballa, and were among the mile-wide green of -the<br> - staple crops.</p> - -<p>He was a white-bearded and affable elder, used to -entertaining<br> - strangers. He dragged out a string bedstead for the lama, -set<br> - warm cooked food before him, prepared him a pipe, and, the<br> - evening ceremonies being finished in the village temple, sent -for<br> - the village priest.</p> - -<p>Kim told the older children tales of the size and beauty -of<br> - Lahore, of railway travel, and such-like city things, while -the<br> - men talked, slowly as their cattle chew the cud.</p> - -<p>'I cannot fathom it,' said the headman at last to the -priest.<br> - 'How readest thou this talk?' The lama, his tale told, was<br> - silently telling his beads.</p> - -<p>'He is a Seeker.' the priest answered. 'The land is full of -such.<br> - Remember him who came only last, month - the fakir with the<br> - tortoise?'</p> - -<p>'Ay, but that man had right and reason, for Krishna -Himself<br> - appeared in a vision promising him Paradise without the -burning-<br> - pyre if he journeyed to Prayag. This man seeks no God who is<br> - within my knowledge.'</p> - -<p>'Peace, he is old: he comes from far off, and he is mad,' -the<br> - smooth-shaven priest replied. 'Hear me.' He turned to the -lama.<br> - 'Three koss [six miles] to the westward runs the great road -to<br> - Calcutta.'</p> - -<p>'But I would go to Benares - to Benares.'</p> - -<p>'And to Benares also. It crosses all streams on this side -of<br> - Hind. Now my word to thee, Holy One, is rest here till -tomorrow.<br> - Then take the road' (it was the Grand Trunk Road he meant) -'and<br> - test each stream that it overpasses; for, as I understand, -the<br> - virtue of thy River lies neither in one pool nor place, but<br> - throughout its length. Then, if thy Gods will, be assured -that<br> - thou wilt come upon thy freedom.'</p> - -<p>'That is well said.' The lama was much impressed by the plan. -'We<br> - will begin tomorrow, and a blessing on thee for showing old -feet<br> - such a near road.' A deep, sing-song Chinese half-chant -closed<br> - the sentence. Even the priest was impressed, and the headman<br> - feared an evil spell: but none could look at the lama's -simple,<br> - eager face and doubt him long.</p> - -<p>'Seest thou my chela?' he said, diving into his snuff-gourd -with<br> - an important sniff. It was his duty to repay courtesy with<br> - courtesy.</p> - -<p>'I see - and hear.' The headman rolled his eye where Kim -was<br> - chatting to a girl in blue as she laid crackling thorns on a<br> - fire.</p> - -<p>'He also has a Search of his own. No river, but a Bull. Yea, -a<br> - Red Bull on a green field will some day raise him to honour. -He<br> - is, I think, not altogether of this world. He was sent of a<br> - sudden to aid me in this search, and his name is Friend of -all<br> - the World.'</p> - -<p>The priest smiled. 'Ho, there, Friend of all the World,' he -cried<br> - across the sharp-smelling smoke, 'what art thou?'</p> - -<p>'This Holy One's disciple,' said Kim.</p> - -<p>'He says thou are a but [a spirit].'</p> - -<p>'Can buts eat?' said Kim, with a twinkle. 'For I am -hungry.'</p> - -<p>'It is no jest,' cried the lama. 'A certain astrologer of that -city<br> - whose name I have forgotten -'</p> - -<p>'That is no more than the city of Umballa where we slept -last<br> - night,' Kim whispered to the priest.</p> - -<p>'Ay, Umballa was it? He cast a horoscope and declared that -my<br> - chela should find his desire within two days. But what said he -of<br> - the meaning of the stars, Friend of all the World?'</p> - -<p>Kim cleared his throat and looked around at the village<br> - greybeards.</p> - -<p>'The meaning of my Star is War,' he replied pompously.</p> - -<p>Somebody laughed at the little tattered figure strutting on -the<br> - brickwork plinth under the great tree. Where a native would -have<br> - lain down, Kim's white blood set him upon his feet.</p> - -<p>'Ay, War,' he answered.</p> - -<p>'That is a sure prophecy,' rumbled a deep voice. 'For there -is<br> - always war along the Border -as I know.'</p> - -<p>It was an old, withered man, who had served the Government in -the<br> - days of the Mutiny as a native officer in a newly raised -cavalry<br> - regiment. The Government had given him a good holding in the<br> - village, and though the demands of his sons, now -grey-bearded<br> - officers on their own account, had impoverished him, he was -still<br> - a person of consequence. English officials - Deputy -Commissioners<br> - even - turned aside from the main road to visit him, and on -those<br> - occasions he dressed himself in the uniform of ancient days, -and<br> - stood up like a ramrod.</p> - -<p>'But this shall be a great war - a war of eight thousand.' -Kim's<br> - voice shrilled across the quick-gathering crowd, astonishing<br> - himself.</p> - -<p>'Redcoats or our own regiments?' the old man snapped, as -though<br> - he were asking an equal. His tone made men respect Kim.</p> - -<p>'Redcoats,' said Kim at a venture. 'Redcoats and guns.'</p> - -<p>'But - but the astrologer said no word of this,' cried the -lama,<br> - snuffing prodigiously in his excitement.</p> - -<p>'But I know. The word has come to me, who am this Holy -One's<br> - disciple. There will rise a war - a war of eight thousand -redcoats.<br> - >From Pindi and Peshawur they will be drawn. This is<br> - sure.</p> - -<p>'The boy has heard bazar-talk,' said the priest.</p> - -<p>'But he was always by my side,' said the lama. 'How should he -know?<br> - I did not know.'</p> - -<p>'He will make a clever juggler when the old man is dead,' -muttered<br> - the priest to the headman. 'What new trick is this?'</p> - -<p>'A sign. Give me a sign,' thundered the old soldier suddenly. -'If<br> - there were war my sons would have told me.'</p> - -<p>'When all is ready, thy sons, doubt not, will be told. But it -is a<br> - long road from thy sons to the man in whose hands these -things<br> - lie.' Kim warmed to the game, for it reminded him of -experiences<br> - in the letter-carrying line, when, for the sake of a few pice, -he<br> - pretended to know more than he knew. But now he was playing -for<br> - larger things - the sheer excitement and the sense of power. -He<br> - drew a new breath and went on.</p> - -<p>'Old man, give me a sign. Do underlings order the goings of -eight<br> - thousand redcoats -with guns?'</p> - -<p>'No.' Still the old man answered as though Kim were an -equal.</p> - -<p>'Dost thou know who He is, then, that gives the order?'</p> - -<p>'I have seen Him.'</p> - -<p>'To know again?'</p> - -<p>'I have known Him since he was a lieutenant in the topkhana -(the<br> - Artillery].'</p> - -<p>'A tall man. A tall man with black hair, walking thus?' Kim -took<br> - a few paces in a stiff, wooden style.</p> - -<p>'Ay. But that anyone may have seen.' The crowd were -breathless-<br> - still through all this talk.</p> - -<p>'That is true,' said Kim. 'But I will say more. Look now. -First<br> - the great man walks thus. Then He thinks thus.' (Kim drew a<br> - forefinger over his forehead and downwards till it came to -rest<br> - by the angle of the jaw.) 'Anon He twitches his fingers -thus.<br> - Anon He thrusts his hat under his left armpit.' Kim -illustrated<br> - the motion and stood like a stork.</p> - -<p>The old man groaned, inarticulate with amazement; and the -crowd<br> - shivered.</p> - -<p>'So - so - so. But what does He when He is about to give an -order?'</p> - -<p>'He rubs the skin at the back of his neck - thus. Then falls -one<br> - finger on the table and He makes a small sniffing noise -through<br> - his nose. Then He speaks, saying: "Loose such and such a -regiment.<br> - Call out such guns."'</p> - -<p>The old man rose stiffly and saluted.</p> - -<p>'"For"' - Kim translated into the vernacular the clinching<br> - sentences he had heard in the dressing-room at Umballa - -'"For,"<br> - says He, "we should have done this long ago. It is not war - it -is<br> - a chastisement. Snff!"'</p> - -<p>'Enough. I believe. I have seen Him thus in the smoke of -battles.<br> - Seen and heard. It is He!'</p> - -<p>'I saw no smoke' - Kim's voice shifted to the rapt sing-song -of the<br> - wayside fortune-teller. 'I saw this in darkness. First came a -man<br> - to make things clear. Then came horsemen. Then came He. standing -in<br> - a ring of light. The rest followed as I have said. Old man, have -I<br> - spoken truth?'</p> - -<p>'It is He. Past all doubt it is He.'</p> - -<p>The crowd drew a long, quavering breath, staring alternately -at the<br> - old man, still at attention, and ragged Kim against the -purple<br> - twilight.</p> - -<p>'Said I not - said I not he was from the other world?' cried -the<br> - lama proudly. 'He is the Friend of all the World. He is the<br> - Friend of the Stars!'</p> - -<p>'At least it does not concern us,' a man cried. 'O thou -young<br> - soothsayer, if the gift abides with thee at all seasons, I have -a<br> - red-spotted cow. She may be sister to thy Bull for aught I know --<br> - '</p> - -<p>'Or I care,' said Kim. 'My Stars do not concern themselves -with thy<br> - cattle.'</p> - -<p>'Nay, but she is very sick,' a woman struck in. 'My man is -a<br> - buffalo, or he would have chosen his words better. Tell me if -she<br> - recover?'</p> - -<p>Had Kim been at all an ordinary boy, he would have carried on -the<br> - play; but one does not know Lahore city, and least of all -the<br> - fakirs by the Taksali Gate, for thirteen years without also -knowing<br> - human nature.</p> - -<p>The priest looked at him sideways, something bitterly - a dry -and<br> - blighting smile.</p> - -<p>'Is there no priest, then, in the village? I thought I had -seen a<br> - great one even now,' cried Kim.</p> - -<p>'Ay - but -' the woman began.</p> - -<p>'But thou and thy husband hoped to get the cow cured for a -handful<br> - of thanks.' The shot told: they were notoriously the -closest-fisted<br> - couple in the village. 'It is not well to cheat the temples. -Give a<br> - young calf to thine own priest, and, unless thy Gods are angry -past<br> - recall, she will give milk within a month.'</p> - -<p>'A master-beggar art thou,' purred the priest approvingly. -'Not the<br> - cunning of forty years could have done better. Surely thou -hast<br> - made the old man rich?'</p> - -<p>'A little flour, a little butter and a mouthful of cardamoms,' -Kim<br> - retorted, flushed with the praise, but still cautious -'Does -one<br> - grow rich on that? And, as thou canst see, he is mad. But it -serves<br> - me while I learn the road at least."</p> - -<p>He knew what the fakirs of the Taksali Gate were like when -they<br> - talked among themselves, and copied the very inflection of -their<br> - lewd disciples.</p> - -<p>'Is his Search, then, truth or a cloak to other ends? It may -be<br> - treasure.'</p> - -<p>'He is mad - many times mad. There is nothing else.'</p> - -<p>Here the old soldier bobbled up and asked if Kim would accept -his<br> - hospitality for the night. The priest recommended him to do so, -but<br> - insisted that the honour of entertaining the lama belonged to -the<br> - temple - at which the lama smiled guilelessly. Kim glanced from -one<br> - face to the other, and drew his own conclusions.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p><br> - 'Where is the money?' he whispered, beckoning the old man off -into<br> - the darkness.</p> - -<p>'In my bosom. Where else?'</p> - -<p>'Give it me. Quietly and swiftly give it me.'</p> - -<p>'But why? Here is no ticket to buy.'</p> - -<p>'Am I thy chela, or am I not? Do I not safeguard thy old feet -about<br> - the ways? Give me the money and at dawn I will return it.' -He<br> - slipped his hand above the lama's girdle and brought away -the<br> - purse.</p> - -<p>'Be it so - be it so.' The old man nodded his head. 'This is -a<br> - great and terrible world. I never knew there were so many men -alive<br> - in it.'</p> - -<p>Next morning the priest was in a very bad temper, but the lama -was<br> - quite happy; and Kim had enjoyed a most interesting evening -with<br> - the old man, who brought out his cavalry sabre and, balancing it -on<br> - his dry knees, told tales of the Mutiny and young captains -thirty<br> - years in their graves, till Kim dropped off to sleep.</p> - -<p>'Certainly the air of this country is good,' said the lama. -'I<br> - sleep lightly, as do all old men; but last night I slept -unwaking<br> - till broad day. Even now I am heavy.'</p> - -<p>'Drink a draught of hot milk,' said Kim, who had carried not a -few<br> - such remedies to opium-smokers of his acquaintance. 'It is time -to<br> - take the Road again.'</p> - -<p>'The long Road that overpasses all the rivers of Hind,' said -the<br> - lama gaily. 'Let us go. But how thinkest thou, chela, to -recompense<br> - these people, and especially the priest, for their great -kindness?<br> - Truly they are but-parast, but in other lives, maybe, they -will<br> - receive enlightenment. A rupee to the temple? The thing within -is<br> - no more than stone and red paint, but the heart of man we -must<br> - acknowledge when and where it is good.'</p> - -<p>'Holy One, hast thou ever taken the Road alone?' Kim looked -up<br> - sharply, like the Indian crows so busy about the fields.</p> - -<p>'Surely, child: from Kulu to Pathankot - from Kulu, where my -first<br> - chela died. When men were kind to us we made offerings, and all -men<br> - were well-disposed throughout all the Hills.'</p> - -<p>'It is otherwise in Hind,' said Kim drily. 'Their Gods are -many-<br> - armed and malignant. Let them alone.'</p> - -<p>'I would set thee on thy road for a little, Friend of all the -World<br> - thou and thy yellow man.' The old soldier ambled up the -village<br> - street, all shadowy in the dawn, on a punt, scissor-hocked -pony.<br> - 'Last night broke up the fountains of remembrance in my -so-dried<br> - heart, and it was as a blessing to me. Truly there is war abroad -in<br> - the air. I smell it. See! I have brought my sword.'</p> - -<p>He sat long-legged on the little beast, with the big sword at -his<br> - side -hand dropped on the pommel - staring fiercely over the -flat<br> - lands towards the North. 'Tell me again how He showed in thy<br> - vision. Come up and sit behind me. The beast will carry -two.'</p> - -<p>'I am this Holy One's disciple,' said Kim, as they cleared -the<br> - village-gate. The villagers seemed almost sorry to be rid of -them,<br> - but the priest's farewell was cold and distant. He had wasted -some<br> - opium on a man who carried no money.</p> - -<p>'That is well spoken. I am not much used to holy men, but -respect<br> - is always good. There is no respect in these days - not even -when<br> - a Commissioner Sahib comes to see me. But why should one -whose<br> - Star leads him to war follow a holy man?'</p> - -<p>'But he is a holy man,' said Kim earnestly. 'In truth, and in -talk<br> - and in act, holy. He is not like the others. I have never seen -such<br> - an one. We be not fortune-tellers, or jugglers, or beggars.'</p> - -<p>'Thou art not. That I can see. But I do not know that other. -He<br> - marches well, though.'</p> - -<p>The first freshness of the day carried the lama forward with -long,<br> - easy, camel-like strides. He was deep in meditation, -mechanically<br> - clicking his rosary.</p> - -<p>They followed the rutted and worn country road that wound -across<br> - the flat between the great dark-green mango-groves, the line of -the<br> - snowcapped Himalayas faint to the eastward. All India was at -work<br> - in the fields, to the creaking of well-wheels, the shouting -of<br> - ploughmen behind their cattle, and the clamour of the crows. -Even<br> - the pony felt the good influence and almost broke into a trot -as<br> - Kim laid a hand on the stirrup-leather.</p> - -<p>'It repents me that I did not give a rupee to the shrine,' -said the<br> - lama on the last bead of his eighty-one.</p> - -<p>The old soldier growled in his beard, so that the lama for -the<br> - first time was aware of him.</p> - -<p>'Seekest thou the River also?' said he, turning.</p> - -<p>'The day is new,' was the reply. 'What need of a river save -to<br> - water at before sundown? I come to show thee a short lane to -the<br> - Big Road.'</p> - -<p>'That is a courtesy to be remembered, O man of good will. But -why<br> - the sword?'</p> - -<p>The old soldier looked as abashed as a child interrupted in -his<br> - game of make-believe.</p> - -<p>'The sword,' he said, fumbling it. 'Oh, that was a fancy of -mine<br> - an old man's fancy. Truly the police orders are that no man -must<br> - bear weapons throughout Hind, but' - he cheered up and slapped -the<br> - hilt - 'all the constabeels hereabout know me.'</p> - -<p>'It is not a good fancy,' said the lama. 'What profit to kill -men?'</p> - -<p>'Very little - as I know; but if evil men were not now and -then<br> - slain it would not be a good world for weaponless dreamers. I -do<br> - not speak without knowledge who have seen the land from Delhi -south<br> - awash with blood.'</p> - -<p>'What madness was that, then?'</p> - -<p>'The Gods', who sent it for a plague, alone know. A madness -ate<br> - into all the Army, and they turned against their officers. -That<br> - was the first evil, but not past remedy if they had then held -their<br> - hands. But they chose to kill the Sahibs' wives and children. -Then<br> - came the Sahibs from over the sea and called them to most -strict<br> - account.'</p> - -<p>'Some such rumour, I believe, reached me once long ago. -They<br> - called it the Black Year, as I remember.'</p> - -<p>'What manner of life hast thou led, not to know The Year? A -rumour<br> - indeed! All earth knew, and trembled!'</p> - -<p>'Our earth never shook but once - upon the day that the -Excellent<br> - One received Enlightenment.'</p> - -<p>'Umph! I saw Delhi shake at least- and Delhi is the navel of -the<br> - world.'</p> - -<p>'So they turned against women and children? That was a bad -deed,<br> - for which the punishment cannot be avoided.'</p> - -<p>'Many strove to do so, but with very small profit. I was then -in<br> - a regiment of cavalry. It broke. Of six hundred and eighty -sabres<br> - stood fast to their salt - how many, think you? Three. Of whom -I<br> - was one.'</p> - -<p>'The greater merit.'</p> - -<p>'Merit! We did not consider it merit in those days. My people, -my<br> - friends, my brothers fell from me. They said: "The time of -the<br> - English is accomplished. Let each strike out a little holding -for<br> - himself." But I had talked with the men of Sobraon, of<br> - Chilianwallah, of Moodkee and Ferozeshah. I said: "Abide a -little<br> - and the wind turns. There is no blessing in this work." In -those<br> - days I rode seventy miles with an English Memsahib and her babe -on<br> - my saddle-bow. (Wow! That was a horse fit for a man!) I placed -them<br> - in safety, and back came I to my officer the one that was -not<br> - killed of our five. "Give me work," said I, "for I am an -outcast<br> - among my own kind, and my cousin's blood is wet on my sabre." -"Be<br> - content," said he. "There is great work forward. When this -madness<br> - is over there is a recompense."'</p> - -<p>'Ay, there is a recompense when the madness is over, surely?' -the<br> - lama muttered half to himself.</p> - -<p>'They did not hang medals in those days on all who by accident -had<br> - heard a gun fired. No! In nineteen pitched battles was I; in -six-<br> - and-forty skirmishes of horse; and in small affairs without -number.<br> - Nine wounds I bear; a medal and four clasps and the medal of -an<br> - Order, for my captains, who are now generals, remembered me -when<br> - the Kaisar-i-Hind had accomplished fifty years of her reign, -and<br> - all the land rejoiced. They said: "Give him the Order of -Berittish<br> - India." I carry it upon my neck now. I have also my jaghir<br> - [holding] from the hands of the State - a free gift to me and -mine.<br> - The men of the old days -they are now Commissioners - come -riding<br> - to me through the crops - high upon horses so that all the -village<br> - sees - and we talk out the old skirmishes, one dead man's -name<br> - leading to another.'</p> - -<p>'And after?' said the lama.</p> - -<p>'Oh, afterwards they go away, but not before my village has -seen.</p> - -<p>'And at the last what wilt thou do?'</p> - -<p>'At the last I shall die.'</p> - -<p>'And after?'</p> - -<p>'Let the Gods order it. I have never pestered Them with -prayers.<br> - I do not think They will pester me. Look you, I have noticed in -my<br> - long life that those who eternally break in upon Those Above -with<br> - complaints and reports and bellowings and weepings are -presently<br> - sent for in haste, as our Colonel used to send for -slack-jawed<br> - down-country men who talked too much. No, I have never wearied -the<br> - Gods. They will remember this, and give me a quiet place where -I<br> - can drive my lance in the shade, and wait to welcome my sons: -I<br> - have no less than three Rissaldar-majors all - in the -regiments.'</p> - -<p>'And they likewise, bound upon the Wheel, go forth from life -to<br> - life - from despair to despair,' said the lama below his -breath,<br> - 'hot, uneasy, snatching.'</p> - -<p>'Ay,' the old soldier chuckled. 'Three Rissaldar-majors in -three<br> - regiments. Gamblers a little, but so am I. They must be well<br> - mounted; and one cannot take the horses as in the old days one -took<br> - women. Well, well, my holding can pay for all. How thinkest -thou?<br> - It is a well-watered strip, but my men cheat me. I do not know -how<br> - to ask save at the lance's point. Ugh! I grow angry and I -curse<br> - them, and they feign penitence, but behind my back I know they -call<br> - me a toothless old ape.'</p> - -<p>'Hast thou never desired any other thing?'</p> - -<p>'Yes - yes - a thousand times! A straight back and a -close-clinging<br> - knee once more; a quick wrist and a keen eye; and the marrow -that<br> - makes a man. Oh, the old days - the good days of my -strength!'</p> - -<p>'That strength is weakness.'</p> - -<p>'It has turned so; but fifty years since I could have proved -it<br> - otherwise,' the old soldier retorted, driving his stirrup-edge -into<br> - the pony's lean flank.</p> - -<p>'But I know a River of great healing.'</p> - -<p>'I have drank Gunga-water to the edge of dropsy. All she gave -me<br> - was a flux, and no sort of strength.'</p> - -<p><br> - 'It is not Gunga. The River that I know washes from all taint -of<br> - sin. Ascending the far bank one is assured of Freedom. I do -not<br> - know thy life, but thy face is the face of the honourable -and<br> - courteous. Thou hast clung to thy Way, rendering fidelity when -it<br> - was hard to give, in that Black Year of which I now remember<br> - other tales. Enter now upon the Middle Way which is the path -to<br> - Freedom. Hear the Most Excellent Law, and do not follow -dreams.'</p> - -<p>'Speak, then, old man,' the soldier smiled, half saluting. 'We -be<br> - all babblers at our age.'</p> - -<p>The lama squatted under the shade of a mango, whose shadow -played<br> - checkerwise over his face; the soldier sat stiffly on the -pony;<br> - and Kim, making sure that there were no snakes, lay down in -the<br> - crotch of the twisted roots.</p> - -<p>There was a drowsy buzz of small life in hot sunshine, a -cooing<br> - of doves, and a sleepy drone of well-wheels across the -fields.<br> - Slowly and impressively the lama began. At the end of ten -minutes<br> - the old soldier slid from his pony, to hear better as he -said,<br> - and sat with the reins round his wrist. The lama's voice -faltered<br> - the periods lengthened. Kim was busy watching a grey -squirrel.<br> - When the little scolding bunch of fur, close pressed to the<br> - branch, disappeared, preacher and audience were fast asleep, -the<br> - old officer's strong-cut head pillowed on his arm, the -lama's<br> - thrown back against the tree-bole, where it showed like -yellow<br> - ivory. A naked child toddled up, stared, and, moved by some -quick<br> - impulse of reverence, made a solemn little obeisance before -the<br> - lama - only the child was so short and fat that it toppled -over<br> - sideways, and Kim laughed at the sprawling, chubby legs. The<br> - child, scared and indignant, yelled aloud.</p> - -<p>'Hai! Hai!' said the soldier, leaping to his feet. 'What is -it?<br> - What orders? ... It is ... a child! I dreamed it was an -alarm.<br> - Little one - little one - do not cry. Have I slept? That was<br> - discourteous indeed!'</p> - -<p>'I fear! I am afraid!' roared the child.</p> - -<p>'What is it to fear? Two old men and a boy? How wilt thou ever -make<br> - a soldier, Princeling?'</p> - -<p>The lama had waked too, but, taking no direct notice of the -child,<br> - clicked his rosary.</p> - -<p>'What is that?' said the child, stopping a yell midway. 'I -have<br> - never seen such things. Give them me.'</p> - -<p>'Aha.' said the lama, smiling, and trailing a loop of it on -the<br> - grass:</p> - -<p>This is a handful of cardamoms,<br> - This is a lump of ghi:<br> - This is millet and chillies and rice,<br> - A supper for thee and me!</p> - -<p>The child shrieked with joy, and snatched at the dark, -glancing<br> - beads.</p> - -<p>'Oho!' said the old soldier. 'Whence hadst thou that song, -despiser<br> - of this world?'</p> - -<p>'I learned it in Pathankot - sitting on a doorstep,' said the -lama<br> - shyly. 'It is good to be kind to babes.'</p> - -<p>'As I remember, before the sleep came on us, thou hadst told -me<br> - that marriage and bearing were darkeners of the true light,<br> - stumbling-blocks upon the Way. Do children drop from Heaven in -thy<br> - country? Is it the Way to sing them songs?'</p> - -<p>'No man is all perfect,' said the lama gravely, recoiling -the<br> - rosary. 'Run now to thy mother, little one.'</p> - -<p>'Hear him!' said the soldier to Kim. 'He is ashamed for that -he has<br> - made a child happy. There was a very good householder lost in -thee,<br> - my brother. Hai, child!' He threw it a pice. 'Sweetmeats are -always<br> - sweet.' And as the little figure capered away into the -sunshine:<br> - 'They grow up and become men. Holy One, I grieve that I slept -in<br> - the midst of thy preaching. Forgive me.'</p> - -<p>'We be two old men,' said the lama. 'The fault is mine. I -listened<br> - to thy talk of the world and its madness, and one fault led to -the<br> - next.'</p> - -<p>'Hear him! What harm do thy Gods suffer from play with a babe? -And<br> - that song was very well sung. Let us go on and I will sing thee -the<br> - song of Nikal Seyn before Delhi - the old song.'</p> - -<p>And they fared out from the gloom of the mango tope, the old -man's<br> - high, shrill voice ringing across the field, as wail by -long-drawn<br> - wail he unfolded the story of Nikal Seyn [Nicholson] - the -song<br> - that men sing in the Punjab to this day. Kim was delighted, and -the<br> - lama listened with deep interest.</p> - -<p>'Ahi! Nikal Seyn is dead - he died before Delhi! Lances of -the<br> - North, take vengeance for Nikal Seyn.' He quavered it out to -the<br> - end, marking the trills with the flat of his sword on the -pony's<br> - rump.</p> - -<p>'And now we come to the Big Road,' said he, after receiving -the<br> - compliments of Kim; for the lama was markedly silent. 'It is -long<br> - since I have ridden this way, but thy boy's talk stirred me. -See,<br> - Holy One - the Great Road which is the backbone of all Hind. -For<br> - the most part it is shaded, as here, with four lines of trees; -the<br> - middle road -all hard takes the quick traffic. In the days -before<br> - rail-carriages the Sahibs travelled up and down here in -hundreds.<br> - Now there are only country-carts and such like. Left and right -is<br> - the rougher road for the heavy carts - grain and cotton and -timber,<br> - fodder, lime and hides. A man goes in safety here for at every -few<br> - koss is a police-station. The police are thieves and -extortioners<br> - (I myself would patrol it with cavalry - young recruits under -a<br> - strong captain), but at least they do not suffer any rivals. -All<br> - castes and kinds of men move here.</p> - -<p>Look! Brahmins and chumars, bankers and tinkers, barbers -and<br> - bunnias, pilgrims -and potters - all the world going and coming. -It<br> - is to me as a river from which I am withdrawn like a log after -a<br> - flood.'</p> - -<p>And truly the Grand Trunk Road is a wonderful spectacle. It -runs<br> - straight, bearing without crowding India's traffic for -fifteen<br> - hundred miles - such a river of life as nowhere else exists -in<br> - the world. They looked at the green-arched, shade-flecked -length<br> - of it, the white breadth speckled with slow-pacing folk; and -the<br> - two-roomed police-station opposite.</p> - -<p>'Who bears arms against the law?' a constable called out<br> - laughingly, as he caught sight of the soldier's sword. 'Are -not<br> - the police enough to destroy evil-doers?'</p> - -<p>'It was because of the police I bought it,' was the answer. -'Does<br> - all go well in Hind?'</p> - -<p>'Rissaldar Sahib, all goes well.'</p> - -<p>'I am like an old tortoise, look you, who puts his head out -from<br> - the bank and draws it in again. Ay, this is the Road of -Hindustan.<br> - All men come by this way...'</p> - -<p>'Son of a swine, is the soft part of the road meant for thee -to<br> - scratch thy back upon? Father of all the daughters of shame -and<br> - husband of ten thousand virtueless ones, thy mother was -devoted<br> - to a devil, being led thereto by her mother. Thy aunts have -never<br> - had a nose for seven generations! Thy sister - What Owl's -folly<br> - told thee to draw thy carts across the road? A broken wheel? -Then<br> - take a broken head and put the two together at leisure!'</p> - -<p>The voice and a venomous whip-cracking came out of a pillar -of<br> - dust fifty yards away, where a cart had broken down. A thin, -high<br> - Kathiawar mare, with eyes and nostrils aflame, rocketed out -of<br> - the jam, snorting and wincing as her rider bent her across -the<br> - road in chase of a shouting man. He was tall and -grey-bearded,<br> - sitting the almost mad beast as a piece of her, and -scientifically<br> - lashing his victim between plunges.</p> - -<p>The old man's face lit with pride. 'My child!' said he -briefly, and<br> - strove to rein the pony's neck to a fitting arch.</p> - -<p>'Am I to be beaten before the police?' cried the carter. -'Justice!<br> - I will have Justice -'</p> - -<p>'Am I to be blocked by a shouting ape who upsets ten thousand -sacks<br> - under a young horse's nose? That is the way to ruin a mare.'</p> - -<p><br> - 'He speaks truth. He speaks truth. But she follows her man -close,'<br> - said the old man. The carter ran under the wheels of his cart -and<br> - thence threatened all sorts of vengeance.</p> - -<p>'They are strong men, thy sons,' said the policeman -serenely,<br> - picking his teeth.</p> - -<p>The horseman delivered one last vicious cut with his whip and -came<br> - on at a canter.</p> - -<p>'My father!' He reigned back ten yards and dismounted.</p> - -<p>The old man was off his pony in an instant, and they embraced -as do<br> - father and son in the East.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2><br> - Chapter 4</h2> - -<p><br> - Good Luck, she is never a lady,<br> - But the cursedest quean alive,<br> - Tricksy, wincing, and jady -<br> - Kittle to lead or drive.<br> - Greet her - she's hailing a stranger!<br> - Meet her - she's busking to leave!<br> - Let her alone for a shrew to the bone<br> - And the hussy comes plucking your sleeve!<br> - Largesse! Largesse, O Fortune!<br> - Give or hold at your will.<br> - If I've no care for Fortune,<br> - Fortune must follow me still!</p> - -<p>The Wishing-Caps.</p> - -<p><br> - Then, lowering their voices, they spoke together. Kim came to -rest<br> - under a tree, but the lama tugged impatiently at his elbow.</p> - -<p>'Let us go on. The River is not here.'</p> - -<p>'Hai mai! Have we not walked enough for a little? Our River -will<br> - not run away. Patience, and he will give us a dole.'</p> - -<p>'This.' said the old soldier suddenly, 'is the Friend of the -Stars.<br> - He brought me the news yesterday. Having seen the very man -Himself,<br> - in a vision, giving orders for the war.'</p> - -<p>'Hm!' said his son, all deep in his broad chest. 'He came by -a<br> - bazar-rumour and made profit of it.'</p> - -<p><br> - His father laughed. 'At least he did not ride to me begging for -a<br> - new charger, and the Gods know how many rupees. Are thy -brothers'<br> - regiments also under orders?'</p> - -<p>'I do not know. I took leave and came swiftly to thee in case --'</p> - -<p>'In case they ran before thee to beg. O gamblers and -spendthrifts<br> - all! But thou hast never yet ridden in a charge. A good horse -is<br> - needed there, truly. A good follower and a good pony also for -the<br> - marching. Let us see - let us see.' He thrummed on the -pommel.</p> - -<p>'This is no place to cast accounts in, my father. Let us go to -thy<br> - house.'</p> - -<p>'At least pay the boy, then: I have no pice with me, and he -brought<br> - auspicious news. Ho! Friend of all the World, a war is toward -as<br> - thou hast said.'</p> - -<p>'Nay, as I know, the war,' returned Kim composedly.</p> - -<p>'Eh?' said the lama, fingering his beads, all eager for the -road.</p> - -<p>'My master does not trouble the Stars for hire. We brought the -news<br> - bear witness, we brought the news, and now we go.' Kim -half-crooked<br> - his hand at his side.</p> - -<p>The son tossed a silver coin through the sunlight, -grumbling<br> - something about beggars and jugglers. It was a four-anna piece, -and<br> - would feed them well for days. The lama, seeing the flash of -the<br> - metal, droned a blessing.</p> - -<p>'Go thy way, Friend of all the World,' piped the old -soldier,<br> - wheeling his scrawny mount. 'For once in all my days I have met -a<br> - true prophet - who was not in the Army.'</p> - -<p>Father and son swung round together: the old man sitting as -erect<br> - as the younger.</p> - -<p>A Punjabi constable in yellow linen trousers slouched across -the<br> - road. He had seen the money pass.</p> - -<p>'Halt!' he cried in impressive English. 'Know ye not that -there is<br> - a takkus of two annas a head, which is four annas, on those -who<br> - enter the Road from this side-road? It is the order of the -Sirkar,<br> - and the money is spent for the planting of trees and the<br> - beautification of the ways.'</p> - -<p>'And the bellies of the police,' said Kim, slipping out of -arm's<br> - reach. 'Consider for a while, man with a mud head. Think you -we<br> - came from the nearest pond like the frog, thy father-in-law? -Hast<br> - thou ever heard the name of thy brother?'</p> - -<p>'And who was he? Leave the boy alone,' cried a senior -constable,<br> - immensely delighted, as he squatted down to smoke his pipe in -the<br> - veranda.</p> - -<p>'He took a label from a bottle of belaitee-pani [soda-water], -and,<br> - affixing it to a bridge, collected taxes for a month from those -who<br> - passed, saying that it was the Sirkar's order. Then came an<br> - Englishman and broke his head. Ah, brother, I am a town-crow, -not a<br> - village-crow!'</p> - -<p>The policeman drew back abashed, and Kim hooted at him all -down the<br> - road.</p> - -<p>'Was there ever such a disciple as I?' he cried merrily to -the<br> - lama. 'All earth would have picked thy bones within ten mile -of<br> - Lahore city if I had not guarded thee.'</p> - -<p>'I consider in my own mind whether thou art a spirit, -sometimes, or<br> - sometimes an evil imp,' said the lama, smiling slowly.</p> - -<p>'I am thy chela.' Kim dropped into step at his side - that<br> - indescribable gait of the long-distance tramp all the world -over.</p> - -<p>'Now let us walk,' muttered the lama, and to the click of -his<br> - rosary they walked in silence mile upon mile. The lama as -usual,<br> - was deep in meditation, but Kim's bright eyes were open wide. -This<br> - broad, smiling river of life, he considered, was a vast -improvement<br> - on the cramped and crowded Lahore streets. There were new -people<br> - and new sights at every stride - castes he knew and castes -that<br> - were altogether out of his experience.</p> - -<p>They met a troop of long-haired, strong-scented Sansis with -baskets<br> - of lizards and other unclean food on their backs, their lean -dogs<br> - sniffing at their heels. These people kept their own side of -the<br> - road', moving at a quick, furtive jog-trot, and all other -castes<br> - gave them ample room; for the Sansi is deep pollution. Behind -them,<br> - walking wide and stiffly across the strong shadows, the memory -of<br> - his leg-irons still on him, strode one newly released from -the<br> - jail; his full stomach and shiny skin to prove that the -Government<br> - fed its prisoners better than most honest men could feed<br> - themselves. Kim knew that walk well, and made broad jest of it -as<br> - they passed. Then an Akali, a wild-eyed, wild-haired Sikh -devotee<br> - in the blue-checked clothes of his faith, with -polished-steel<br> - quoits glistening on the cone of his tall blue turban, -stalked<br> - past, returning from a visit to one of the independent Sikh -States,<br> - where he had been singing the ancient glories of the Khalsa -to<br> - College-trained princelings in top-boots and white-cord -breeches.<br> - Kim was careful not to irritate that man; for the Akali's temper -is<br> - short and his arm quick. Here and there they met or were -overtaken<br> - by the gaily dressed crowds of whole villages turning out to -some<br> - local fair; the women, with their babes on their hips, -walking<br> - behind the men, the older boys prancing on sticks of -sugar-cane,<br> - dragging rude brass models of locomotives such as they sell for -a<br> - halfpenny, or flashing the sun into the eyes of their betters -from<br> - cheap toy mirrors. One could see at a glance what each had -bought;<br> - and if there were any doubt it needed only to watch the -wives<br> - comparing, brown arm against brown arm, the newly purchased -dull<br> - glass bracelets that come from the North-West. These -merry-makers<br> - stepped slowly, calling one to the other and stopping to -haggle<br> - with sweetmeat-sellers, or to make a prayer before one of -the<br> - wayside shrines - sometimes Hindu, sometimes Mussalman - which -the<br> - low-caste of both creeds share with beautiful impartiality. A -solid<br> - line of blue, rising and falling like the back of a caterpillar -in<br> - haste, would swing up through the quivering dust and trot past -to a<br> - chorus of quick cackling. That was a gang of changars - the -women<br> - who have taken all the embankments of all the Northern -railways<br> - under their charge - a flat-footed, big-bosomed, -strong-limbed,<br> - blue-petticoated clan of earth-carriers, hurrying north on news -of<br> - a job, and wasting no time by the road. They belong to the -caste<br> - whose men do not count, and they walked with squared elbows,<br> - swinging hips, and heads on high, as suits women who carry -heavy<br> - weights. A little later a marriage procession would strike into -the<br> - Grand Trunk with music and shoutings, and a smell of marigold -and<br> - jasmine stronger even than the reek of the dust. One could see -the<br> - bride's litter, a blur of red and tinsel, staggering through -the<br> - haze, while the bridegroom's bewreathed pony turned aside to -snatch<br> - a mouthful from a passing fodder-cart. Then Kim would join -the<br> - Kentish-fire of good wishes and bad jokes, wishing the couple -a<br> - hundred sons and no daughters, as the saying is. Still more<br> - interesting and more to be shouted over it was when a -strolling<br> - juggler with some half-trained monkeys, or a panting, feeble -bear,<br> - or a woman who tied goats' horns to her feet, and with these -danced<br> - on a slack-rope, set the horses to shying and the women to -shrill,<br> - long-drawn quavers of amazement.</p> - -<p>The lama never raised his eyes. He did not note the -money-lender on<br> - his goose-rumped pony, hastening along to collect the cruel<br> - interest; or the long-shouting, deep-voiced little mob -still -in<br> - military formation - of native soldiers on leave, rejoicing to -be<br> - rid of their breeches and puttees, and saying the most -outrageous<br> - things to the most respectable women in sight. Even the seller -of<br> - Ganges-water he did not see, and Kim expected that he would -at<br> - least buy a bottle of that precious stuff. He looked steadily -at<br> - the ground, and strode as steadily hour after hour, his soul -busied<br> - elsewhere. But Kim was in the seventh heaven of joy. The Grand -Trunk<br> - at this point was built on an embankment to guard against<br> - winter floods from the foothills, so that one walked, as it -were, a<br> - little above the country, along a stately corridor, seeing -all<br> - India spread out to left and right. It was beautiful to behold -the<br> - many-yoked grain and cotton wagons crawling over the country -roads:<br> - one could hear their axles, complaining a mile away, coming -nearer,<br> - till with shouts and yells and bad words they climbed up the -steep<br> - incline and plunged on to the hard main road, carter -reviling<br> - carter. It was equally beautiful to watch the people, little -clumps<br> - of red and blue and pink and white and saffron, turning aside to -go<br> - to their own villages, dispersing and growing small by twos -and<br> - threes across the level plain. Kim felt these things, though -he<br> - could not give tongue to his feelings, and so contented -himself<br> - with buying peeled sugar-cane and spitting the pith -generously<br> - about his path. From time to time the lama took snuff, and at -last<br> - Kim could endure the silence no longer.</p> - -<p>'This is a good land - the land of the South!' said he. 'The -air is<br> - good; the water is good. Eh?'</p> - -<p>'And they are all bound upon the Wheel,' said the lama. 'Bound -from<br> - life after life. To none of these has the Way been shown.' He -shook<br> - himself back to this world.</p> - -<p>'And now we have walked a weary way,' said Kim. 'Surely we -shall<br> - soon come to a parao [a resting-place]. Shall we stay there? -Look,<br> - the sun is sloping.'</p> - -<p>'Who will receive us this evening?'</p> - -<p>'That is all one. This country is full of good folk. Besides' -he<br> - sunk his voice beneath a whisper - 'we have money.'</p> - -<p>The crowd thickened as they neared the resting-place which -marked<br> - the end of their day's journey. A line of stalls selling -very<br> - simple food and tobacco, a stack of firewood, a police-station, -a<br> - well, a horse-trough, a few trees, and, under them, some -trampled<br> - ground dotted with the black ashes of old fires, are all that -mark<br> - a parao on the Grand Trunk; if you except the beggars and the -crows<br> - - both hungry.</p> - -<p>By this time the sun was driving broad golden spokes through -the<br> - lower branches of the mango-trees; the parakeets and doves -were<br> - coming. home in their hundreds; the chattering, grey-backed -Seven<br> - Sisters, talking over the day's adventures, walked back and -forth<br> - in twos and threes almost under the feet of the travellers; -and<br> - shufflings and scufflings in the branches showed that the bats -were<br> - ready to go out on the night-picket. Swiftly the light -gathered<br> - itself together, painted for an instant the faces and the<br> - cartwheels and the bullocks' horns as red as blood. Then the -night<br> - fell, changing the touch of the air, drawing a low, even haze, -like<br> - a gossamer veil of blue, across the face of the country, and<br> - bringing out, keen and distinct, the smell of wood-smoke and -cattle<br> - and the good scent of wheaten cakes cooked on ashes. The -evening<br> - patrol hurried out of the police-station with important -coughings<br> - and reiterated orders; and a live charcoal ball in the cup of -a<br> - wayside carter's hookah glowed red while Kim's eye -mechanically<br> - watched the last flicker of the sun on the brass tweezers.</p> - -<p>The life of the parao was very like that of the Kashmir Serai -on a<br> - small scale. Kim dived into the happy Asiatic disorder which, -if<br> - you only allow time, will bring you everything that a simple -man<br> - needs.</p> - -<p>His wants were few, because, since the lama had no caste -scruples,<br> - cooked food from the nearest stall would serve; but, for -luxury's<br> - sake, Kim bought a handful of dung-cakes to build a fire. -All<br> - about, coming and going round the little flames, men cried for -oil,<br> - or grain, or sweetmeats, or tobacco, jostling one another -while<br> - they waited their turn at the well; and under the men's voices -you<br> - heard from halted, shuttered carts the high squeals and giggles -of<br> - women whose faces should not be seen in public.</p> - -<p>Nowadays, well-educated natives are of opinion that when -their<br> - womenfolk travel - and they visit a good deal - it is better -to<br> - take them quickly by rail in a properly screened compartment; -and<br> - that custom is spreading. But there are always those of the -old<br> - rock who hold by the use of their forefathers; and, above -all,<br> - there are always the old women - more conservative than the men --<br> - who toward the end of their days go on a pilgrimage. They, -being<br> - withered and undesirable, do not, under certain -circumstances,<br> - object to unveiling. After their long seclusion, during which -they<br> - have always been in business touch with a thousand outside<br> - interests, they love the bustle and stir of the open road, -the<br> - gatherings at the shrines, and the infinite possibilities of -gossip<br> - with like-minded dowagers. Very often it suits a -longsuffering<br> - family that a strong-tongued, iron-willed old lady should -disport<br> - herself about India in this fashion; for certainly pilgrimage -is<br> - grateful to the Gods. So all about India, in the most remote<br> - places, as in the most public, you find some knot of -grizzled<br> - servitors in nominal charge of an old lady who is more or -less<br> - curtained and hid away in a bullock-cart. Such men are staid -and<br> - discreet, and when a European or a high-caste native is near -will<br> - net their charge with most elaborate precautions; but in the<br> - ordinary haphazard chances of pilgrimage the precautions are -not<br> - taken. The old lady is, after all, intensely human, and lives -to<br> - look upon life.</p> - -<p>Kim marked down a gaily ornamented ruth or family -bullock-cart,<br> - with a broidered canopy of two domes, like a double-humped -camel,<br> - which had just been drawn into the par. Eight men made its -retinue,<br> - and two of the eight were armed with rusty sabres - sure signs -that<br> - they followed a person of distinction, for the common folk do -not<br> - bear arms. An increasing cackle of complaints, orders, and -jests,<br> - and what to a European would have been bad language, came -from<br> - behind the curtains. Here was evidently a woman used to -command.</p> - -<p>Kim looked over the retinue critically. Half of them were -thin-<br> - legged, grey-bearded Ooryas from down country. The other half -were<br> - duffle-clad, felt-hatted hillmen of the North; and that -mixture<br> - told its own tale, even if he had not overheard the -incessant<br> - sparring between the two divisions. The old lady was going south -on<br> - a visit - probably to a rich relative, most probably to a -son-in-<br> - law, who had sent up an escort as a mark of respect. The -hillmen<br> - would be of her own people - Kulu or Kangra folk. It was -quite<br> - clear that she was not taking her daughter down to be wedded, -or<br> - the curtains would have been laced home and the guard would -have<br> - allowed no one near the car. A merry and a high-spirited -dame,<br> - thought Kim, balancing the dung-cake in one hand, the cooked -food<br> - in the other, and piloting the lama with a nudging shoulder.<br> - Something might be made out of the meeting. The lama would give -him<br> - no help, but, as a conscientious chela, Kim was delighted to -beg<br> - for two.</p> - -<p>He built his fire as close to the cart as he dared, waiting -for one<br> - of the escort to order him away. The lama dropped wearily to -the<br> - ground, much as a heavy fruit-eating bat cowers, and returned -to<br> - his rosary.</p> - -<p>'Stand farther off, beggar!' The order was shouted in -broken<br> - Hindustani by one of the hillmen.</p> - -<p>'Huh! It is only a pahari [a hillman]', said Kim over his -shoulder.<br> - 'Since when have the hill-asses owned all Hindustan?'</p> - -<p>The retort was a swift and brilliant sketch of Kim's pedigree -for<br> - three generations.</p> - -<p>'Ah!' Kim's voice was sweeter than ever, as he broke the -dung-cake<br> - into fit pieces. 'In my country we call that the beginning of -love-talk.'</p> - -<p>A harsh, thin cackle behind the curtains put the hillman on -his<br> - mettle for a second shot.</p> - -<p>'Not so bad - not so bad,' said Kim with calm. 'But have a -care, my<br> - brother, lest we - we, I say - be minded to give a curse or so -in<br> - return. And our curses have the knack of biting home.'</p> - -<p>The Ooryas laughed; the hillman sprang forward threateningly. -The<br> - lama suddenly raised his head, bringing his huge tam-o'-shanter -hat<br> - into the full light of Kim's new-started fire.</p> - -<p>'What is it?' said he.</p> - -<p>The man halted as though struck to stone. 'I - I - am saved -from a<br> - great sin,' he stammered.</p> - -<p>'The foreigner has found him a priest at last,' whispered one -of<br> - the Ooryas.</p> - -<p>'Hai! Why is that beggar-brat not well beaten?' the old -woman<br> - cried.</p> - -<p>The hillman drew back to the cart and whispered something to -the<br> - curtain. There was dead silence, then a muttering.</p> - -<p>'This goes well,' thought Kim, pretending neither to see nor -hear.</p> - -<p>'When - when - he has eaten' - the hillman fawned on Kim - 'it -- it<br> - is requested that the Holy One will do the honour to talk to -one<br> - who would speak to him.'</p> - -<p>'After he has eaten he will sleep,' Kim returned loftily. He -could<br> - not quite see what new turn the game had taken, but stood -resolute<br> - to profit by it. 'Now I will get him his food.' The last -sentence,<br> - spoken loudly, ended with a sigh as of faintness.</p> - -<p>'I - I myself and the others of my people will look to that - -if it<br> - is permitted.'</p> - -<p>'It is permitted,' said Kim, more loftily than ever. 'Holy -One,<br> - these people will bring us food.'</p> - -<p>'The land is good. All the country of the South is good - a -great<br> - and a terrible world,' mumbled the lama drowsily.</p> - -<p>'Let him sleep,' said Kim, 'but look to it that we are well -fed<br> - when he wakes. He is a very holy man.'</p> - -<p>Again one of the Ooryas said something contemptuously.</p> - -<p>'He is not a fakir. He is not a down-country beggar,' Kim went -on<br> - severely, addressing the stars. 'He is the most holy of holy -men.<br> - He is above all castes. I am his chela.'</p> - -<p>'Come here!' said the flat thin voice behind the curtain; and -Kim<br> - came, conscious that eyes he could not see were staring at him. -One<br> - skinny brown finger heavy with rings lay on the edge of the -cart,<br> - and the talk went this way:</p> - -<p>"Who is that one?'</p> - -<p>'An exceedingly holy one. He comes from far off. He comes -from<br> - Tibet.'</p> - -<p>'Where in Tibet?'</p> - -<p>'From behind the snows - from a very far place. He knows the -stars;<br> - he makes horoscopes; he reads nativities. But he does not do -this<br> - for money. He does it for kindness and great charity. I am -his<br> - disciple. I am called also the Friend of the Stars.'</p> - -<p><br> - 'Thou art no hillman.'</p> - -<p>'Ask him. He will tell thee I was sent to him from the Stars -to<br> - show him an end to his pilgrimage.'</p> - -<p>'Humph! Consider, brat, that I am an old woman and not -altogether a<br> - fool. Lamas I know, and to these I give reverence, but thou art -no<br> - more a lawful chela than this my finger is the pole of this -wagon.<br> - Thou art a casteless Hindu - a bold and unblushing beggar,<br> - attached, belike, to the Holy One for the sake of gain.'</p> - -<p>'Do we not all work for gain?' Kim changed his tone promptly -to<br> - match that altered voice. 'I have heard' - this was a bow drawn -at<br> - a venture - 'I have heard -'</p> - -<p>'What hast thou heard?' she snapped, rapping with the -finger.</p> - -<p>'Nothing that I well remember, but some talk in the bazars, -which<br> - is doubtless a lie, that even Rajahs - small Hill Rajahs -'</p> - -<p>'But none the less of good Rajput blood.'</p> - -<p>'Assuredly of good blood. That these even sell the more comely -of<br> - their womenfolk for gain. Down south they sell them - to -zemindars<br> - and such-all of Oudh.'</p> - -<p>If there be one thing in the world that the small Hill Rajahs -deny<br> - it is just this charge; but it happens to be one thing that -the<br> - bazars believe, when they discuss the mysterious slave-traffics -of<br> - India. The old lady explained to Kim, in a tense, indignant<br> - whisper, precisely what manner and fashion of malignant liar -he<br> - was. Had Kim hinted this when she was a girl, he would have -been<br> - pommelled to death that same evening by an elephant. This -was<br> - perfectly true.</p> - -<p>'Ahai! I am only a beggar's brat, as the Eye of Beauty has -said,'<br> - he wailed in extravagant terror.</p> - -<p>'Eye of Beauty, forsooth! Who am I that thou shouldst -fling<br> - beggar-endearments at me?' And yet she laughed at the long-<br> - forgotten word. 'Forty years ago that might have been said, and -not<br> - without truth. Ay. thirty years ago. But it is the fault of -this<br> - gadding up and down Hind that a king's widow must jostle all -the<br> - scum of the land, and be made a mock by beggars.'</p> - -<p>'Great Queen,' said Kim promptly, for he heard her shaking -with<br> - indignation, 'I am even what the Great Queen says I am; but -none<br> - the less is my master holy. He has not yet heard the Great -Queen's<br> - order that -' I</p> - -<p>'Order? I order a Holy One - a Teacher of the Law - to come -and<br> - speak to a woman? Never!'</p> - -<p>'Pity my stupidity. I thought it was given as an order -'</p> - -<p>'It was not. It was a petition. Does this make all clear?'</p> - -<p>A silver coin clicked on the edge of the cart. Kim took it -and<br> - salaamed profoundly. The old lady recognized that, as the eyes -and<br> - the ears of the lama, he was to be propitiated.</p> - -<p>'I am but the Holy One's disciple. When he has eaten perhaps -he<br> - will come.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, villain and shameless rogue!' The jewelled forefinger -shook<br> - itself at him reprovingly; but he could hear the old lady's<br> - chuckle.</p> - -<p>'Nay, what is it?' he said, dropping into his most caressing -and<br> - confidential tone - the one, he well knew, that few could -resist.<br> - 'Is - is there any need of a son in thy family? Speak freely, -for<br> - we priests -' That last was a direct plagiarism from a fakir by -the<br> - Taksali Gate.</p> - -<p>'We priests! Thou art not yet old enough to -' She checked the -joke<br> - with another laugh. 'Believe me, now and again, we women, O -priest,<br> - think of other matters than sons. Moreover, my daughter has -borne<br> - her man-child.'</p> - -<p>'Two arrows in the quiver are better than one; and three are -better<br> - still.' Kim quoted the proverb with a meditative cough, -looking<br> - discreetly earthward.</p> - -<p>'True - oh, true. But perhaps that will come. Certainly those -down-<br> - country Brahmins are utterly useless. I sent gifts and monies -and<br> - gifts again to them, and they prophesied.'</p> - -<p>'Ah,' drawled Kim, with infinite contempt, 'they prophesied!' -A<br> - professional could have done no better.</p> - -<p>'And it was not till I remembered my own Gods that my prayers -were<br> - heard. I chose an auspicious hour, and - perhaps thy Holy One -has<br> - heard of the Abbot of the Lung-Cho lamassery. It was to him I -put<br> - the matter, and behold in the due time all came about as I -desired.<br> - The Brahmin in the house of the father of my daughter's son -has<br> - since said that it was through his prayers - which is a -little<br> - error that I will explain to him when we reach our journey's -end.<br> - And so afterwards I go to Buddh Gaya, to make shraddha for -the<br> - father of my children.'</p> - -<p>'Thither go we.'</p> - -<p>'Doubly auspicious,' chirruped the old lady. 'A second son -at<br> - least!'</p> - -<p>'O Friend of all the World!' The lama had waked, and, simply -as a<br> - child bewildered in a strange bed, called for Kim.</p> - -<p>'I come! I come, Holy One!' He dashed to the fire, where he -found<br> - the lama already surrounded by dishes of food, the hillmen -visibly<br> - adoring him and the Southerners looking sourly.</p> - -<p>'Go back! Withdraw!' Kim cried. 'Do we eat publicly like -dogs?'<br> - They finished the meal in silence, each turned a little from -the<br> - other, and Kim topped it with a native-made cigarette.</p> - -<p>'Have I not said an hundred times that the South is a good -land?<br> - Here is a virtuous and high-born widow of a Hill Rajah on<br> - pilgrimage, she says, to Buddha Gay. She it is sends us -those<br> - dishes; and when thou art well rested she would speak to -thee.'</p> - -<p>'Is this also thy work?' The lama dipped deep into his -snuff-gourd.</p> - -<p>'Who else watched over thee since our wonderful journey -began?'<br> - Kim's eyes danced in his head as he blew the rank smoke through -his<br> - nostrils and stretched him on the dusty ground. 'Have I failed -to<br> - oversee thy comforts, Holy One?'</p> - -<p>'A blessing on thee.' The lama inclined his solemn head. 'I -have<br> - known many men in my so long life, and disciples not a few. But -to<br> - none among men, if so be thou art woman-born, has my heart gone -out<br> - as it has to thee - thoughtful, wise, and courteous; but -something<br> - of a small imp.'</p> - -<p>'And I have never seen such a priest as thou.' Kim considered -the<br> - benevolent yellow face wrinkle by wrinkle. 'It is less than -three<br> - days since we took the road together, and it is as though it -were a<br> - hundred years.'</p> - -<p>'Perhaps in a former life it was permitted that I should -have<br> - rendered thee some service. Maybe' - he smiled -'I freed thee -from<br> - a trap; or, having caught thee on a hook in the days when I -was<br> - not enlightened, cast thee back into the river.'</p> - -<p>'Maybe,' said Kim quietly. He had heard this sort of -speculation<br> - again and again, from the mouths of many whom the English would -not<br> - consider imaginative. 'Now, as regards that</p> - -<p>women in the bullock-cart I think she needs a second son for -her<br> - daughter.'</p> - -<p>'That is no part of the Way,' sighed the lama. 'But at least -she is<br> - from the Hills. Ah, the Hills, and the snow of the Hills!'</p> - -<p>He rose and stalked to the cart. Kim would have given his ears -to<br> - come too, but the lama did not invite him; and the few words -he<br> - caught were in an unknown tongue, for they spoke some common -speech<br> - of the mountains. The woman seemed to ask questions which the -lama<br> - turned over in his mind before answering. Now and again he -heard<br> - the singsong cadence of a Chinese quotation. It was a -strange<br> - picture that Kim watched between drooped eyelids. The lama, -very<br> - straight and erect, the deep folds of his yellow clothing -slashed<br> - with black in the light of the parao fires precisely as a -knotted<br> - tree-trunk is slashed with the shadows of the low sun, addressed -a<br> - tinsel and lacquered ruth which burned like a many-coloured -jewel<br> - in the same uncertain light. The patterns on the gold-worked<br> - curtains ran up and down, melting and reforming as the folds -shook<br> - and quivered to the night wind; and when the talk grew more -earnest<br> - the jewelled forefinger snapped out little sparks of light -between<br> - the embroideries. Behind the cart was a wall of uncertain -darkness<br> - speckled with little flames and alive with half-caught forms -and<br> - faces and shadows. The voices of early evening had settled down -to<br> - one soothing hum whose deepest note was the steady chumping of -the<br> - bullocks above their chopped straw, and whose highest was -the<br> - tinkle of a Bengali dancing-girl's sitar. Most men had eaten -and<br> - pulled deep at their gurgling, grunting hookahs, which in -full<br> - blast sound like bull-frogs.</p> - -<p>At last the lama returned. A hillman walked behind him with -a<br> - wadded cotton-quilt and spread it carefully by the fire.</p> - -<p>'She deserves ten thousand grandchildren,' thought Kim. 'None -the<br> - less, but for me, those gifts would not have come.'</p> - -<p>'A virtuous woman - and a wise one.' The lama slackened off, -joint<br> - by joint, like a slow camel. 'The world is full of charity to -those<br> - who follow the Way.' He flung a fair half of the quilt over -Kim.<br> - 'And what said she?' Kim rolled up in his share of it.</p> - -<p>'She asked me many questions and propounded many problems - -the<br> - most of which were idle tales which she had heard from -devil-<br> - serving priests who pretend to follow the Way. Some I answered, -and<br> - some I said were foolish. Many wear the Robe, but few keep -the<br> - Way.'</p> - -<p>'True. That is true.' Kim used the thoughtful, conciliatory -tone of<br> - those who wish to draw confidences.</p> - -<p>'But by her lights she is most right-minded. She desires -greatly<br> - that we should go with her to Buddh Gaya; her road being ours, -as I<br> - understand, for many days' journey to the southward.'</p> - -<p>'And?'</p> - -<p>'Patience a little. To this I said that my Search came before -all<br> - things. She had heard many foolish legends, but this great truth -of<br> - my River she had never heard. Such are the priests of the -lower<br> - hills! She knew the Abbot of Lung-Cho, but she did not know of -my<br> - River - nor the tale of the Arrow.'</p> - -<p>'And?'</p> - -<p>'I spoke therefore of the Search, and of the Way, and of -matters<br> - that were profitable; she desiring only that I should accompany -her<br> - and make prayer for a second son.'</p> - -<p>'Aha! "We women" do not think of anything save children,' said -Kim<br> - sleepily.</p> - -<p>'Now, since our roads run together for a while, I do not see -that<br> - we in any way depart from our Search if so be we accompany her - -at<br> - least as far as - I have forgotten the name of the city.'</p> - -<p>'Ohe!' said Kim, turning and speaking in a sharp whisper to -one of<br> - the Ooryas a few yards away. 'Where is your master's house?'</p> - -<p>'A little behind Saharunpore, among the fruit gardens.' He -named<br> - the village.</p> - -<p>'That was the place,' said the lama. 'So far, at least, we can -go<br> - with her.'</p> - -<p>'Flies go to carrion,' said the Oorya, in an abstracted -voice.</p> - -<p>'For the sick cow a crow; for the sick man a Brahmin.' Kim -breathed<br> - the proverb impersonally to the shadow-tops of the trees -overhead.</p> - -<p>The Oorya grunted and held his peace.</p> - -<p>'So then we go with her, Holy One?'</p> - -<p>'Is there any reason against? I can still step aside and try -all<br> - the rivers that the road overpasses. She desires that I -should<br> - come. She very greatly desires it.'</p> - -<p>Kim stifled a laugh in the quilt. When once that imperious old -lady<br> - had recovered from her natural awe of a lama he thought it -probable<br> - that she would be worth listening to.</p> - -<p>He was nearly asleep when the lama suddenly quoted a proverb: -'The<br> - husbands of the talkative have a great reward hereafter.' Then -Kim<br> - heard him snuff thrice, and dozed off, still laughing.</p> - -<p>The diamond-bright dawn woke men and crows and bullocks -together.<br> - Kim sat up and yawned, shook himself, and thrilled with -delight.<br> - This was seeing the world in real truth; this was life as he -would<br> - have it - bustling and shouting, the buckling of belts, and -beating<br> - of bullocks and creaking of wheels, lighting of fires and -cooking<br> - of food, and new sights at every turn of the approving eye. -The<br> - morning mist swept off in a whorl of silver, the parrots shot -away<br> - to some distant river in shrieking green hosts: all the -well-wheels<br> - within ear-shot went to work. India was awake, and Kim was in -the<br> - middle of it, more awake and more excited than anyone, chewing -on a<br> - twig that he would presently use as a toothbrush; for he -borrowed<br> - right- and left-handedly from all the customs of the country -he<br> - knew and loved. There was no need to worry about food - no need -to<br> - spend a cowrie at the crowded stalls. He was the disciple of a -holy<br> - man annexed by a strong-willed old lady. All things would be<br> - prepared for them, and when they were respectfully invited so to -do<br> - they would sit and eat. For the rest - Kim giggled here as -he<br> - cleaned his teeth - his hostess would rather heighten the -enjoyment<br> - of the road. He inspected her bullocks critically, as they came -up<br> - grunting and blowing under the yokes. If they went too fast -it -was<br> - not likely - there would be a pleasant seat for himself along -the<br> - pole; the lama would sit beside the driver. The escort, of -course,<br> - would walk. The old lady, equally of course, would talk a -great<br> - deal, and by what he had heard that conversation would not -lack<br> - salt. She was already ordering, haranguing, rebuking, and, it -must<br> - be said, cursing her servants for delays.</p> - -<p>'Get her her pipe. In the name of the Gods, get her her pipe -and<br> - stop her ill-omened mouth,' cried an Oorya, tying up his -shapeless<br> - bundles of bedding. 'She and the parrots are alike. They screech -in<br> - the dawn.'</p> - -<p>'The lead-bullocks! Hai! Look to the lead-bullocks!' They -were<br> - backing and wheeling as a grain-cart's axle caught them by -the<br> - horns. "Son of an owl, where dost thou go?' This to the -grinning<br> - carter.</p> - -<p>'Ai! Yai! Yai! That within there is the Queen of Delhi going -to<br> - pray for a son,' the man called back over his high load. 'Room -for<br> - the Queen of Delhi and her Prime Minister the grey monkey -climbing<br> - up his own sword!' Another cart loaded with bark for a -down-country<br> - tannery followed close behind, and its driver added a few<br> - compliments as the ruth-bullocks backed and backed again.</p> - -<p>>From behind the shaking curtains came one volley of -invective. It<br> - did not last long, but in kind and quality, in blistering, -biting<br> - appropriateness, it was beyond anything that even Kim had heard. -He<br> - could see the carter's bare chest collapse with amazement, as -the<br> - man salaamed reverently to the voice, leaped from the pole, -and<br> - helped the escort haul their volcano on to the main road. Here -the<br> - voice told him truthfully what sort of wife he had wedded, and -what<br> - she was doing in his absence.</p> - -<p>'Oh, shabash!' murmured Kim, unable to contain himself, as the -man<br> - slunk away.</p> - -<p>'Well done, indeed? It is a shame and a scandal that a poor -woman<br> - may not go to make prayer to her Gods except she be jostled -and<br> - insulted by all the refuse of Hindustan - that she must eat -gali<br> - [abuse] as men eat ghi. But I have yet a wag left to my tongue - -a<br> - word or two well spoken that serves the occasion. And still am -I<br> - without my tobacco! Who is the one-eyed and luckless son of -shame<br> - that has not yet prepared my pipe?'</p> - -<p>It was hastily thrust in by a hillman, and a trickle of thick -smoke<br> - from each corner of the curtains showed that peace was -restored.</p> - -<p>If Kim had walked proudly the day before, disciple of a holy -man,<br> - today he paced with tenfold pride in the train of a -semi-royal<br> - procession, with a recognized place under the patronage of an -old<br> - lady of charming manners and infinite resource. The escort, -their<br> - heads tied up native-fashion, fell in on either side the -cart,<br> - shuffling enormous clouds of dust.</p> - -<p><br> - The lama and Kim walked a little to one side; Kim chewing his -stick<br> - of sugarcane, and making way for no one under the status of -a<br> - priest. They could hear the old lady's tongue clack as steadily -as<br> - a rice-husker. She bade the escort tell her what was going on -on<br> - the road; and so soon as they were clear of the parao she -flung<br> - back the curtains and peered out, her veil a third across her -face.<br> - Her men did not eye her directly when she addressed them, and -thus<br> - the proprieties were more or less observed.</p> - -<p>A dark, sallowish District Superintendent of Police, -faultlessly<br> - uniformed, an Englishman, trotted by on a tired horse, and, -seeing<br> - from her retinue what manner of person she was, chaffed her.</p> - -<p>'O mother,' he cried, 'do they do this in the zenanas? Suppose -an<br> - Englishman came by and saw that thou hats no nose?'</p> - -<p>'What?' she shrilled back. 'Thine own mother has no nose? Why -say<br> - so, then, on the open road?'</p> - -<p>It was a fair counter. The Englishman threw up his hand with -the<br> - gesture of a man hit at sword-play. She laughed and nodded.</p> - -<p>'Is this a face to tempt virtue aside?. She withdrew all her -veil<br> - and stared at him.</p> - -<p>It was by no means lovely, but as the man gathered up his -reins he<br> - called it a Moon of Paradise, a Disturber of Integrity, and a -few<br> - other fantastic epithets which doubled her up with mirth.</p> - -<p>'That is a nut-cut [rogue],' she said. 'All police-constables -are<br> - nut-cuts; but the police-wallahs are the worst. Hai, my son, -thou<br> - hast never learned all that since thou camest from Belait -[Europe].<br> - Who suckled thee?'</p> - -<p>'A pahareen - a hillwoman of Dalhousie, my mother. Keep thy -beauty<br> - under a shade - O Dispenser of Delights,' and he was gone.</p> - -<p>'These be the sort' - she took a fine judicial tone, and -stuffed<br> - her mouth with pan - 'These be the sort to oversee justice. -They<br> - know the land and the customs of the land, The others, all new -from<br> - Europe, suckled by white women and learning our tongues from -books,<br> - are worse than the pestilence. They do harm to Kings.' Then -she<br> - told a long, long tale to the world at large, of an ignorant -young<br> - policeman who had disturbed some small Hill Rajah, a- ninth -cousin<br> - of her own, in the matter of a trivial land-case, winding up -with a<br> - quotation from a work by no means devotional.</p> - -<p>Then her mood changed, and she bade one of the escort ask -whether<br> - the lama would walk alongside and discuss matters of religion. -So<br> - Kim dropped back into the dust and returned to his sugar-cane. -For<br> - an hour or more the lama's tam-o'shanter showed like a moon -through<br> - the haze; and, from all he heard, Kim gathered that the old -woman<br> - wept. One of the Ooryas half apologized for his rudeness -overnight,<br> - saying that he had never known his mistress of so bland a -temper,<br> - and he ascribed it to the presence of the strange priest.<br> - Personally, he believed in Brahmins, though, like all natives, -he<br> - was acutely aware of their cunning and their greed. Still, -when<br> - Brahmins but irritated with begging demands the mother of -his<br> - master's wife, and when she sent them away so angry that -they<br> - cursed the whole retinue (which was the real reason of the -second<br> - off-side bullock going lame, and of the pole breaking the -night<br> - before), he was prepared to accept any priest of any other<br> - denomination in or out of India. To this Kim assented with -wise<br> - nods, and bade the Oorya observe that the lama took no money, -and<br> - that the cost of his and Kim's food would be repaid a hundred -times<br> - in the good luck that would attend the caravan henceforward. -He<br> - also told stories of Lahore city, and sang a song or two which -made<br> - the escort laugh. As a town-mouse well acquainted with the -latest<br> - songs by the most fashionable composers - they are women for -the<br> - most part - Kim had a distinct advantage over men from a -little<br> - fruit-village behind Saharunpore, but he let that advantage -be<br> - inferred.</p> - -<p>At noon they turned aside to eat, and the meal was good, -plentiful,<br> - and well-served on plates of clean leaves, in decency, out of -drift<br> - of the dust. They gave the scraps to certain beggars, that -all<br> - requirements might be fulfilled, and sat down to a long, -luxurious<br> - smoke. The old lady had retreated behind her curtains, but -mixed<br> - most freely in the talk, her servants arguing with and<br> - contradicting her as servants do throughout the East. She -compared<br> - the cool and the pines of the Kangra and Kulu hills with the -dust<br> - and the mangoes of the South; she told a tale of some old -local<br> - Gods at the edge of her husband's territory; she roundly abused -the<br> - tobacco which she was then smoking, reviled all Brahmins, -and<br> - speculated without reserve on the coming of many grandsons.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 5</h2> - -<p><br> - Here come I to my own again<br> - Fed, forgiven, and known again<br> - Claimed by bone of my bone again,<br> - And sib to flesh of my flesh!<br> - The fatted calf is dressed for me,<br> - But the husks have greater zest for me ...<br> - I think my pigs will be best for me,<br> - So I'm off to the styes afresh.</p> - -<p>The Prodigal Son.</p> - -<p><br> - Once more the lazy, string-tied, shuffling procession got -under<br> - way, and she slept till they reached the next halting-stage. It -was<br> - a very short march, and time lacked an hour to sundown, so Kim -cast<br> - about for means of amusement.</p> - -<p>'But why not sit and rest?' said one of the escort. 'Only -the<br> - devils and the English walk to and fro without reason.'</p> - -<p>'Never make friends with the Devil, a Monkey, or a Boy. No -man<br> - knows what they will do next,' said his fellow.</p> - -<p><br> - Kim turned a scornful back - he did not want to hear the old -story<br> - how the Devil played with the boys and repented of it and -walked<br> - idly across country.</p> - -<p>The lama strode after him. All that day, whenever they passed -a<br> - stream, he had turned aside to look at it, but in no case had -he<br> - received any warning that he had found his River. Insensibly, -too,<br> - the comfort of speaking to someone in a reasonable tongue,' and -of<br> - being properly considered and respected as her spiritual adviser -by<br> - a well-born woman, had weaned his thoughts a little from the<br> - Search. And further, he was prepared to spend serene years in -his<br> - quest; having nothing of the white manis impatience, but a -great<br> - faith.</p> - -<p>'Where goest thou?' he called after Kim.</p> - -<p>'Nowhither - it was a small march, and all this'- Kim waved -his<br> - hands abroad - 'is new to me.'</p> - -<p>'She is beyond question a wise and a discerning woman. But it -is<br> - hard to meditate when -'</p> - -<p>'All women are thus.' Kim spoke as might have Solomon.</p> - -<p>'Before the lamassery was a broad platform,' the lama -muttered,<br> - looping up the well-worn rosary, 'of stone. On that I have left -the<br> - marks of my feet - pacing to and fro with these.'</p> - -<p>He clicked the beads, and began the 'Om mane pudme hum's of -his<br> - devotion; grateful for the cool, the quiet, and the absence -of<br> - dust.</p> - -<p>One thing after another drew Kim's idle eye across the plain. -There<br> - was no purpose in his wanderings, except that the build of the -huts<br> - near by seemed new, and he wished to investigate.</p> - -<p>They came out on a broad tract of grazing-ground, brown and -purple<br> - in the afternoon light, with a heavy clump of mangoes in the<br> - centre. It struck Kim as curious that no shrine stood in so<br> - eligible a spot: the boy was observing as any priest for -these<br> - things. Far across the plain walked side by side four men, -made<br> - small by the distance. He looked intently under his curved -palms<br> - and caught the sheen of brass.</p> - -<p>'Soldiers. White soldiers!' said he. 'Let us see.'</p> - -<p>'It is always soldiers when thou and I go out alone together. -But I<br> - have never seen the white soldiers.'</p> - -<p>'They do no harm except when they are drunk. Keep behind -this<br> - tree.'</p> - -<p>They stepped behind the thick trunks in the cool dark of the -mango-<br> - tope. Two little figures halted; the other two came forward<br> - uncertainly. They were the advance-party of a regiment on -the<br> - march, sent out, as usual, to mark the camp. They bore -five-foot<br> - sticks with fluttering flags, and called to each other as -they<br> - spread over the flat earth.</p> - -<p>At last they entered the mango-grove, walking heavily.</p> - -<p>'It's here or hereabouts - officers' tents under the trees, I -take<br> - it, an' the rest of us can stay outside. Have they marked out -for<br> - the baggage-wagons behind?'</p> - -<p>They cried again to their comrades in the distance, and the -rough<br> - answer came back faint and mellowed.</p> - -<p>'Shove the flag in here, then,' said one.</p> - -<p>'What do they prepare?' said the lama, wonderstruck. 'This is -a<br> - great and terrible world. What is the device on the flag?'</p> - -<p>A soldier thrust a stave within a few feet of them, -grunted<br> - discontentedly, pulled it up again, conferred with his -companion,<br> - who looked up and down the shaded cave of greenery, and -returned<br> - it.</p> - -<p>Kim stared with all his eyes, his breath coming short and -sharp<br> - between his teeth. The soldiers stamped off into the -sunshine.</p> - -<p>'O Holy One!' he gasped. 'My horoscope! The drawing in the -dust by<br> - the priest at Umballa! Remember what he said. First come two --<br> - ferashes - to make all things ready - in a dark place, as it -is<br> - always at the beginning of a vision.'</p> - -<p>'But this is not vision,' said the lama. 'It is the -world's<br> - Illusion, and no more.'</p> - -<p>'And after them comes the Bull - the Red Bull on the green -field.<br> - Look! It is he!'</p> - -<p>He pointed to the flag that was snap snapping in the evening -breeze<br> - not ten feet away. It was no more than an ordinary camp -marking-<br> - flag; but the regiment, always punctilious in matters of -millinery,<br> - had charged it with the regimental device, the Red Bull, which -is<br> - the crest of the Mavericks - the great Red Bull on a background -of<br> - Irish green.</p> - -<p>'I see, and now I remember.' said the lama. 'Certainly it is -thy<br> - Bull. Certainly, also, the two men came to make all ready.'</p> - -<p>'They are soldiers - white soldiers. What said the priest? -"The<br> - sign over against the Bull is the sign of War and armed men." -Holy<br> - One, this thing touches my Search.'</p> - -<p>'True. It is true.' The lama stared fixedly at the device -that<br> - flamed like a ruby in the dusk. 'The priest at Umballa said -that<br> - thine was the sign of War.'</p> - -<p>'What is to do now?'</p> - -<p>'Wait. Let us wait.'</p> - -<p>'Even now the darkness clears" said Kim. It was only natural -that<br> - the descending sun should at last strike through the -tree-trunks,<br> - across the grove, filling it with mealy gold light for a few<br> - minutes; but to Kim it was the crown of the Umballa -Brahmin's<br> - prophecy.</p> - -<p>'Hark!' said the lama. 'One beats a drum - far off!'</p> - -<p>At first the sound, carrying diluted through the still -air,<br> - resembled the beating of an artery in the head. Soon a -sharpness<br> - was added.</p> - -<p>'Ah! The music,' Kim explained. He knew the sound of a -regimental<br> - band, but it amazed the lama.</p> - -<p>At the far end of the plain a heavy, dusty column crawled in -sight.<br> - Then the wind brought the tune:</p> - -<p>We crave your condescension<br> - To tell you what we know<br> - Of marching in the Mulligan Guards<br> - To Sligo Port below!</p> - -<p>Here broke in the shrill-tongued fifes:</p> - -<p>We shouldered arms,<br> - We marched - we marched away.<br> - >From Phoenix Park<br> - We marched to Dublin Bay.<br> - The drums and the fifes,<br> - Oh, sweetly they did play,<br> - As we marched - marched - marched - with the<br> - Mulligan Guards!</p> - -<p>It was the band of the Mavericks playing the regiment to camp; -for<br> - the men were route-marching with their baggage. The rippling -column<br> - swung into the level - carts behind it divided left and right, -ran<br> - about like an ant-hill, and ...</p> - -<p>'But this is sorcery!' said the lama.</p> - -<p>The plain dotted itself with tents that seemed to rise, all -spread,<br> - from the carts. Another rush of men invaded the grove, pitched -a<br> - huge tent in silence, ran up yet eight or nine more by the side -of<br> - it, unearthed cooking-pots, pans, and bundles, which were -taken<br> - possession of by a crowd of native servants; and behold the -mango-<br> - tope turned into an orderly town as they watched!</p> - -<p>'Let us go,' said the lama, sinking back afraid, as the -fires<br> - twinkled and white officers with jingling swords stalked into -the<br> - Mess-tent.</p> - -<p>'Stand back in the shadow. No one can see beyond the light of -a<br> - fire,' said Kim, his eyes still on the flag. He had never -before<br> - watched the routine of a seasoned regiment pitching camp in -thirty<br> - minutes.</p> - -<p>'Look! look! look!' clucked the lama. 'Yonder comes a priest.' -It<br> - was Bennett, the Church of England Chaplain of the regiment,<br> - limping in dusty black. One of his flock had made some rude -remarks<br> - about the Chaplain's mettle; and to abash him Bennett had -marched<br> - step by step with the men that day. The black dress, gold cross -on<br> - the watch-chain, the hairless face, and the soft, black -wideawake<br> - hat would have marked him as a holy man anywhere in all India. -He<br> - dropped into a camp-chair by the door of the Mess-tent and slid -off<br> - his boots. Three or four officers gathered round him, laughing -and<br> - joking over his exploit.</p> - -<p>'The talk of white men is wholly lacking in dignity,' said -the<br> - lama, who judged only by tone. 'But I considered the countenance -of<br> - that priest and I think he is learned. Is it likely that he -will<br> - understand our talk? I would talk to him of my Search.'</p> - -<p>'Never speak to a white man till he is fed,' said Kim, quoting -a<br> - well-known proverb. 'They will eat now, and - and I do not -think<br> - they are good to beg from. Let us go back to the -resting-place.<br> - After we have eaten we will come again. It certainly was a Red -Bull<br> - - my Red Bull.'</p> - -<p>They were both noticeably absent-minded when the old lady's -retinue<br> - set their meal before them; so none broke their reserve, for it -is<br> - not lucky to annoy guests.</p> - -<p>'Now,' said Kim, picking his teeth, 'we will return to that -place;<br> - but thou, O Holy One, must wait a little way off, because thy -feet<br> - are heavier than mine and I am anxious to see more of that -Red<br> - Bull.'</p> - -<p>'But how canst thou understand the talk? Walk slowly. The road -is<br> - dark,' the lama replied uneasily.</p> - -<p>Kim put the question aside. 'I marked a place near to the -trees,'<br> - said he, 'where thou canst sit till I call. Nay,' as the lama -made<br> - some sort of protest, 'remember this is my Search - the Search -for<br> - my Red Bull. The sign in the Stars was not for thee. I know -a<br> - little of the customs of white soldiers, and I always desire to -see<br> - some new things.'</p> - -<p>'What dost thou not know of this world?' The lama squatted<br> - obediently in a little hollow of the ground not a hundred -yards<br> - from the hump of the mango-trees dark against the -star-powdered<br> - sky.</p> - -<p>'Stay till I call.' Kim flitted into the dusk. He knew that in -all<br> - probability there would be sentries round the camp, and smiled -to<br> - himself as he heard the thick boots of one. A boy who can -dodge<br> - over the roofs of Lahore city on a moonlight night, using -every<br> - little patch and corner of darkness to discomfit his pursuer, -is<br> - not likely to be checked by a line of well-trained soldiers. -He<br> - paid them the compliment of crawling between a couple, and, -running<br> - and halting, crouching and dropping flat, worked his way toward -the<br> - lighted Mess-tent where, close pressed behind the mango-tree, -he<br> - waited till some chance word should give him a returnable -lead.</p> - -<p>The one thing now in his mind was further information as to -the Red<br> - Bull. For aught he knew, and Kim's limitations were as curious -and<br> - sudden as his expansions, the men, the nine hundred thorough -devils<br> - of his father's prophecy, might pray to the beast after dark, -as<br> - Hindus pray to the Holy Cow. That at least would be entirely -right<br> - and logical, and the padre with the gold cross would be -therefore<br> - the man to consult in the matter. On the other hand, -remembering<br> - sober-faced padres whom he had avoided in Lahore city, the -priest<br> - might be an inquisitive nuisance who would bid him learn. But -had<br> - it not been proven at Umballa that his sign in the high -heavens<br> - portended War and armed men? Was he not the Friend of the Stars -as<br> - well as of all the World, crammed to the teeth with dreadful<br> - secrets? Lastly - and firstly as the undercurrent of all his -quick<br> - thoughts -this adventure, though he did not know the English -word,<br> - was a stupendous lark - a delightful continuation of his old<br> - flights across the housetops, as well as the fulfilment of -sublime<br> - prophecy. He lay belly-flat and wriggled towards the -Mess-tent<br> - door, a hand on the amulet round his neck.</p> - -<p>It was as he suspected. The Sahibs prayed to their God; for in -the<br> - centre of the Mess-table - its sole ornament when they were on -the<br> - line of march - stood a golden bull fashioned from old-time loot -of<br> - the Summer Palace at Pekin - a red-gold bull with lowered -head,<br> - ramping upon a field of Irish green. To him the Sahibs held -out<br> - their glasses and cried aloud confusedly.</p> - -<p>Now the Reverend Arthur Bennett always left Mess after that -toast,<br> - and being rather tired by his march his movements were more -abrupt<br> - than usual. Kim, with slightly raised head, was still staring -at<br> - his totem on the table, when the Chaplain stepped on his -right<br> - shoulder-blade. Kim flinched under the leather, and, rolling<br> - sideways, brought down the Chaplain, who, ever a man of -action,<br> - caught him by the throat and nearly choked the life out of him. -Kim<br> - then kicked him desperately in the stomach. Mr Bennett gasped -and<br> - doubled up, but without relaxing his grip, rolled over again, -and<br> - silently hauled Kim to his own tent. The Mavericks were -incurable<br> - practical jokers; and it occurred to the Englishman that -silence<br> - was best till he had made complete inquiry.</p> - -<p>'Why, it's a boy!' he said, as he drew his prize under the -light of<br> - the tent-pole lantern, then shaking him severely cried: 'What -were<br> - you doing? You're a thief. Choor? Mallum?' His Hindustani was -very<br> - limited, and the ruffled and disgusted Kim intended to keep to -the<br> - character laid down for him. As he recovered his breath he -was<br> - inventing a beautifully plausible tale of his relations to -some<br> - scullion, and at the same time keeping a keen eye on and a -little<br> - under the Chaplain's left arm-pit. The chance came; he ducked -for<br> - the doorway, but a long arm shot out and clutched at his -neck,<br> - snapping the amulet-string and closing on the amulet.</p> - -<p>'Give it me. O, give it me. Is it lost? Give me the -papers.'</p> - -<p>The words were in English - the tinny, saw-cut English of -the<br> - native-bred, and the Chaplain jumped.</p> - -<p>'A scapular,' said he, opening his hand. 'No, some sort of -heathen<br> - charm. Why - why, do you speak English? Little boys who steal -are<br> - beaten. You know that?'</p> - -<p>'I do not - I did not steal.' Kim danced in agony like a -terrier at<br> - a lifted stick. 'Oh, give it me. It is my charm. Do not thieve -it<br> - from me.'</p> - -<p>The Chaplain took no heed, but, going to the tent door, -called<br> - aloud. A fattish, clean-shaven man appeared.</p> - -<p>'I want your advice, Father Victor,' said Bennett. 'I found -this<br> - boy in the dark outside the Mess-tent. Ordinarily, I should -have<br> - chastised him and let him go, because I believe him to be a -thief.<br> - But it seems he talks English, and he attaches some sort of -value<br> - to a charm round his neck. I thought perhaps you might help -me.'</p> - -<p>Between himself and the Roman Catholic Chaplain of the -Irish<br> - contingent lay, as Bennett believed, an unbridgeable gulf, but -it<br> - was noticeable that whenever the Church of England dealt with -a<br> - human problem she was very likely to call in the Church of -Rome.<br> - Bennett's official abhorrence of the Scarlet Woman and all her -ways<br> - was only equalled by his private respect for Father Victor.</p> - -<p>'A thief talking English, is it? Let's look at his charm. No, -it's<br> - not a scapular, Bennett.' He held out his hand.</p> - -<p>'But have we any right to open it? A sound whipping -'</p> - -<p>'I did not thieve,' protested Kim. 'You have hit me kicks all -over<br> - my body. Now give me my charm and I will go away.'</p> - -<p>'Not quite so fast. We'll look first,' said Father Victor,<br> - leisurely rolling out poor Kimball O'Hara's 'ne varietur'<br> - parchment, his clearance-certificate, and Kim's baptismal<br> - certificate. On this last O'Hara - with some confused idea that -he<br> - was doing wonders for his son - had scrawled scores of times: -'Look<br> - after the boy. Please look after the boy' - signing his name -and<br> - regimental number in full.</p> - -<p>'Powers of Darkness below!" said Father Victor, passing all -over to<br> - Mr Bennett. 'Do you know what these things are?'</p> - -<p>'Yes.' said Kim. 'They are mine, and I want to go away.'</p> - -<p>'I do not quite understand,' said Mr Bennett. 'He probably -brought<br> - them on purpose. It may be a begging trick of some kind.'</p> - -<p>'I never saw a beggar less anxious to stay with his company, -then.<br> - There's the makings of a gay mystery here. Ye believe in<br> - Providence, Bennett?'</p> - -<p>'I hope so.'</p> - -<p>'Well, I believe in miracles, so it comes to the same thing. -Powers<br> - of Darkness! Kimball O'Hara! And his son! But then he's a -native,<br> - and I saw Kimball married myself to Annie Shott. How long have -you<br> - had these things, boy?'</p> - -<p>'Ever since I was a little baby.'</p> - -<p>Father Victor stepped forward quickly and opened the front of -Kim's<br> - upper garment. 'You see, Bennett, he's not very black. What's -your<br> - name?'</p> - -<p>'Kim.'</p> - -<p>'Or Kimball?'</p> - -<p>'Perhaps. Will you let me go away?'</p> - -<p>'What else?'</p> - -<p>'They call me Kim Rishti ke. That is Kim of the Rishti.'</p> - -<p>'What is that - "Rishti"?'</p> - -<p>'Eye-rishti - that was the Regiment - my father's.'</p> - -<p>'Irish - oh, I see.'</p> - -<p>'Yess. That was how my father told me. My father, he has -lived.'</p> - -<p>'Has lived where?'</p> - -<p>'Has lived. Of course he is dead - gone-out.'</p> - -<p>'Oh! That's your abrupt way of putting it, is it?'</p> - -<p>Bennett interrupted. 'It is possible I have done the boy -an<br> - injustice. He is certainly white, though evidently neglected. I -am<br> - sure I must have bruised him. I do not think spirits -'</p> - -<p>'Get him a glass of sherry, then, and let him squat on the -cot.<br> - Now, Kim,' continued Father Victor, 'no one is going to hurt -you.<br> - Drink that down and tell us about yourself. The truth, if you've -no<br> - objection.'</p> - -<p>Kim coughed a little as he put down the empty glass, and<br> - considered. This seemed a time for caution and fancy. Small -boys<br> - who prowl about camps are generally turned out after a -whipping.<br> - But he had received no stripes; the amulet was evidently working -in<br> - his favour, and it looked as though the Umballa horoscope and -the<br> - few words that he could remember of his father's maunderings -fitted<br> - in most miraculously. Else why did the fat padre seem so -impressed,<br> - and why the glass of hot yellow drink from the lean one?</p> - -<p>'My father, he is dead in Lahore city since I was very little. -The<br> - woman, she kept kabarri shop near where the hire-carriages -are.'<br> - Kim began with a plunge, not quite sure how far the truth -would<br> - serve him.</p> - -<p>'Your mother?'</p> - -<p>'No!' - with a gesture of disgust. 'She went out when I was -born.<br> - My father, he got these papers from the Jadoo-Gher what do you -call<br> - that?' (Bennett nodded) 'because he was in good-standing. What -do<br> - you call that?' (again Bennett nodded). 'My father told me that. -He<br> - said, too, and also the Brahmin who made the drawing in the dust -at<br> - Umballa two days ago, he said, that I shall find a Red Bull on -a<br> - green field and that the Bull shall help me.'</p> - -<p>'A phenomenal little liar,' muttered Bennett.</p> - -<p>'Powers of Darkness below, what a country!' murmured Father -Victor.<br> - 'Go on, Kim.'</p> - -<p>'I did not thieve. Besides, I am just now disciple of a very -holy<br> - man. He is sitting outside. We saw two men come with flags, -making<br> - the place ready. That is always so in a dream, or on account of -a -<br> - a -prophecy. So I knew it was come true. I saw the Red Bull on -the<br> - green field, and my father he said: "Nine hundred pukka devils -and<br> - the Colonel riding on a horse will look after you when you find -the<br> - Red Bull!" I did not know what to do when I saw the Bull, but -I<br> - went away and I came again when it was dark. I wanted to see -the<br> - Bull again, and I saw the Bull again with the - the Sahibs -praying<br> - to it. I think the Bull shall help me. The holy man said so too. -He<br> - is sitting outside. Will you hurt him, if I call him a shout -now?<br> - He is very holy. He can witness to all the things I say, and -he<br> - knows I am not a thief.'</p> - -<p>'"Sahibs praying to a bull!" What in the world do you make -of<br> - that?' said Bennett. "'Disciple of a holy man!" Is the boy -mad?'</p> - -<p>'It's O'Hara's boy, sure enough. O'Hara's boy leagued with all -the<br> - Powers of Darkness. It's very much what his father would have -done<br> - if he was drunk. We'd better invite the holy man. He may -know<br> - something.'</p> - -<p>'He does not know anything,' said Kim. 'I will show you him if -you<br> - come. He is my master. Then afterwards we can go.'</p> - -<p><br> - 'Powers of Darkness!' was all that Father Victor could say, -as<br> - Bennett marched off, with a firm hand on Kim's shoulder.</p> - -<p>They found the lama where he had dropped.</p> - -<p>'The Search is at an end for me,' shouted Kim in the -vernacular. 'I<br> - have found the Bull, but God knows what comes next. They will -not<br> - hurt you. Come to the fat priest's tent with this thin man and -see<br> - the end. It is all new, and they cannot talk Hindi. They are -only<br> - uncurried donkeys.'</p> - -<p>'Then it is not well to make a jest of their ignorance,' the -lama<br> - returned. 'I am glad if thou art rejoiced, chela.'</p> - -<p>Dignified and unsuspicious, he strode into the little tent, -saluted<br> - the Churches as a Churchman, and sat down by the open -charcoal<br> - brazier. The yellow lining of the tent reflected in the -lamplight<br> - made his face red-gold.</p> - -<p>Bennett looked at him with the triple-ringed uninterest of -the<br> - creed that lumps nine-tenths of the world under the title of<br> - 'heathen'.</p> - -<p>'And what was the end of the Search? What gift has the Red -Bull<br> - brought?' The lama addressed himself to Kim.</p> - -<p>'He says, "What are you going to do?"' Bennett was staring -uneasily<br> - at Father Victor, and Kim, for his own ends, took upon himself -the<br> - office of interpreter.</p> - -<p>'I do not see what concern this fakir has with the boy, who -is<br> - probably his dupe or his confederate,' Bennett began. 'We -cannot<br> - allow an English boy - Assuming that he is the son of a Mason, -the<br> - sooner he goes to the Masonic Orphanage the better.'</p> - -<p>'Ah! That's your opinion as Secretary to the Regimental -Lodge,'<br> - said Father Victor; 'but we might as well tell the old man what -we<br> - are going to do. He doesn't look like a villain.'</p> - -<p>'My experience is that one can never fathom the Oriental mind. -Now,<br> - Kimball, I wish you to tell this man what I say word for -word.'</p> - -<p>Kim gathered the import of the next few sentences and began -thus:</p> - -<p>'Holy One, the thin fool who looks like a camel says that I am -the<br> - son of a Sahib.'</p> - -<p>'But how?'</p> - -<p>'Oh, it is true. I knew it since my birth, but he could only -find<br> - it out by rending the amulet from my neck and reading all -the<br> - papers. He thinks that once a Sahib is always a Sahib, and -between<br> - the two of them they purpose to keep me in this Regiment or to -send<br> - me to a madrissah [a school]. It has happened before. I have -always<br> - avoided it. The fat fool is of one mind and the camel-like one -of<br> - another. But that is no odds. I may spend one night here and<br> - perhaps the next. It has happened before. Then I will run away -and<br> - return to thee.'</p> - -<p>'But tell them that thou art my chela. Tell them how thou -didst<br> - come to me when I was faint and bewildered. Tell them of our<br> - Search, and they will surely let thee go now.'</p> - -<p>'I have already told them. They laugh, and they talk of -the<br> - police.'</p> - -<p>'What are you saying?' asked Mr Bennett.</p> - -<p>'Oah. He only says that if you do not let me go it will stop -him in<br> - his business - his ur-gent private af-fairs.' This last was -a<br> - reminiscence of some talk with a Eurasian clerk in the Canal<br> - Department, but it only drew a smile, which nettled him. 'And -if<br> - you did know what his business was you would not be in such -a<br> - beastly hurry to interfere.'</p> - -<p>'What is it then?' said Father Victor, not without feeling, as -he<br> - watched the lama's face.</p> - -<p>'There is a River in this country which he wishes to find so -verree<br> - much. It was put out by an Arrow which -'Kim tapped his foot<br> - impatiently as he translated in his own mind from the vernacular -to<br> - his clumsy English. 'Oah, it was made by our Lord God Buddha, -you<br> - know, and if you wash there you are washed away from all your -sins<br> - and made as white as cotton-wool.' (Kim had heard mission-talk -in<br> - his time.) 'I am his disciple, and we must find that River. It -is<br> - so verree valuable to us.'</p> - -<p>'Say that again,' said Bennett. Kim obeyed, with -amplifications.</p> - -<p>'But this is gross blasphemy!' cried the Church of -England.</p> - -<p>'Tck! Tck!' said Father Victor sympathetically. 'I'd give a -good<br> - deal to be able to talk the vernacular. A river that washes -away<br> - sin! And how long have you two been looking for it?'</p> - -<p>'Oh, many days. Now we wish to go away and look for it again. -It is<br> - not here, you see.'</p> - -<p>'I see,' said Father Victor gravely. 'But he can't go on in -that<br> - old man's company. It would be different, Kim, if you were not -a<br> - soldier's son. Tell him that the Regiment will take care of you -and<br> - make you as good a man as your - as good a man as can be. Tell -him<br> - that if he believes in miracles he must believe that -'</p> - -<p>'There is no need to play on his credulity,' Bennett -interrupted.</p> - -<p>'I'm doing no such thing. He must believe that the boy's -coming<br> - here -to his own Regiment - in search of his Red Bull is in -the<br> - nature of a miracle. Consider the chances against it, Bennett. -This<br> - one boy in all India, and our Regiment of all others on the line -o'<br> - march for him to meet with! It's predestined on the face of -it.<br> - Yes, tell him it's Kismet. Kismet, mallum? [Do you -understand?]'</p> - -<p>He turned towards the lama, to whom he might as well have -talked of<br> - Mesopotamia.</p> - -<p>'They say,' - the old man's eye lighted at Kim's speech 'they -say<br> - that the meaning of my horoscope is now accomplished, and -that<br> - being led back - though as thou knowest I went out of curiosity --<br> - to these people and their Red Bull I must needs go to a -madrissah<br> - and be turned into a Sahib. Now I make pretence of agreement, -for<br> - at the worst it will be but a few meals eaten away from thee. -Then<br> - I will slip away and follow down the road to Saharunpore.<br> - Therefore, Holy One, keep with that Kulu woman - on no -account<br> - stray far from her cart till I come again. Past question, my -sign<br> - is of War and of armed men. See how they have given me wine -to<br> - drink and set me upon a bed of honour! My father must have -been<br> - some great person. So if they raise me to honour among them, -good.<br> - If not, good again. However it goes, I will run back to thee -when I<br> - am tired. But stay with the Rajputni, or I shall miss thy feet -...<br> - Oah yess,' said the boy, 'I have told him everything you tell me -to<br> - say.'</p> - -<p>'And I cannot see any need why he should wait,' said -Bennett,<br> - feeling in his trouser-pocket. 'We can investigate the -details<br> - later - and I will give him a ru -'</p> - -<p>'Give him time. Maybe he's fond of the lad,' said Father -Victor,<br> - half arresting the clergyman's motion.</p> - -<p>The lama dragged forth his rosary and pulled his huge hat-brim -over<br> - his eyes.</p> - -<p>'What can he want now?'</p> - -<p>'He says' - Kim put up one hand. 'He says: Be quiett.' He -wants to<br> - speak to me by himself You see, you do not know one little word -of<br> - what he says, and I think if you talk he will perhaps give you -very<br> - bad curses. When he takes those beads like that, you see, he -always<br> - wants to be quiett.'</p> - -<p>The two Englishmen sat overwhelmed, but there was a look -in<br> - Bennett's eye that promised ill for Kim when he should be -relaxed<br> - to the religious arm.</p> - -<p>'A Sahib and the son of a Sahib -' The lama's voice was harsh -with<br> - pain. 'But no white man knows the land and the customs of the -land<br> - as thou knowest. How comes it this is true?'</p> - -<p>'What matter, Holy One? - but remember it is only for a night -or<br> - two. Remember, I can change swiftly. It will all be as it was -when<br> - I first spoke to thee under Zam-Zammah the great gun -'</p> - -<p>'As a boy in the dress of white men - when I first went to -the<br> - Wonder House. And a second time thou wast a Hindu. What shall -the<br> - third incarnation be?' He chuckled drearily. 'Ah, chela, thou -has<br> - done a wrong to an old man because my heart went out to -thee.'</p> - -<p>'And mine to thee. But how could I know that the Red Bull -would<br> - bring me to this business?'</p> - -<p>The lama covered his face afresh, and nervously rattled the -rosary.<br> - Kim squatted beside him and laid hold upon a fold of his -clothing.</p> - -<p>'Now it is understood that the boy is a Sahib?' he went on in -a<br> - muffled tone. 'Such a Sahib as was he who kept the images in -the<br> - Wonder House.' The lama's experience of white men was limited. -He<br> - seemed to be repeating a lesson. 'So then it is not seemly that -he<br> - should do other than as the Sahibs do. He must go back to his -own<br> - people.'</p> - -<p>'For a day and a night and a day,' Kim pleaded.</p> - -<p>'No, ye don't!' Father Victor saw Kim edging towards the door, -and<br> - interposed a strong leg.</p> - -<p>'I do not understand the customs of white men. The Priest of -the<br> - Images in the Wonder House in Lahore was more courteous than -the<br> - thin one here. This boy will be taken from me. They will make -a<br> - Sahib of my disciple? Woe to me! How shall I find my River? -Have<br> - they no disciples? Ask.'</p> - -<p>'He says he is very sorree that he cannot find the River now -any<br> - more. He says, Why have you no disciples, and stop bothering -him?<br> - He wants to be washed of his sins.'</p> - -<p>Neither Bennett nor Father Victor found any answer ready.</p> - -<p>Said Kim in English, distressed for the lama's agony: 'I think -if<br> - you will let me go now we will walk away quietly and not steal. -We<br> - will look for that River like before I was caught. I wish I did -not<br> - come here to find the Red Bull and all that sort of thing. I do -not<br> - want it.'</p> - -<p>'It's the very best day's work you ever did for yourself, -young<br> - man,' said Bennett.</p> - -<p>'Good heavens, I don't know how to console him,' said -Father<br> - Victor, watching the lama intently. 'He can't take the boy -away<br> - with him, and yet he's a good man - I'm sure he's a good -man.<br> - Bennett, if you give him that rupee he'll curse you root and<br> - branch!'</p> - -<p>They listened to each other's breathing - three - five -full<br> - minutes. Then the lama raised his head, and looked forth -across<br> - them into space and emptiness.</p> - -<p>'And I am a Follower of the Way,' he said bitterly. 'The sin -is<br> - mine and the punishment is mine. I made believe to myself for -now I<br> - see it was but make-belief - that thou wast sent to me to aid -in<br> - the Search. So my heart went out to thee for thy charity and -thy<br> - courtesy and the wisdom of thy little years. But those who -follow<br> - the Way must permit not the fire of any desire or attachment, -for<br> - that is all Illusion. As says . . .' He quoted an old, old -Chinese<br> - text, backed it with another, and reinforced these with a third. -'I<br> - stepped aside from the Way, my chela. It was no fault of thine. -I<br> - delighted in the sight of life, the new people upon the roads, -and<br> - in thy joy at seeing these things. I was pleased with thee -who<br> - should have considered my Search and my Search alone. Now I -am<br> - sorrowful because thou art taken away and my River is far from -me.<br> - It is the Law which I have broken!'</p> - -<p>'Powers of Darkness below!' said Father Victor, who, wise in -the<br> - confessional, heard the pain in every sentence.</p> - -<p>'I see now that the sign of the Red Bull was a sign for me as -well<br> - as for thee. All Desire is red - and evil. I will do penance -and<br> - find my River alone.'</p> - -<p>'At least go back to the Kulu woman,' said Kim, 'otherwise -thou<br> - wilt be lost upon the roads. She will feed thee till I run back -to<br> - thee.'</p> - -<p>The lama waved a hand to show that the matter was finally -settled<br> - in his mind.</p> - -<p>'Now,' - his tone altered as he turned to Kim, - 'what will -they do<br> - with thee? At least I may, acquiring merit, wipe out past -ill.'</p> - -<p>'Make me a Sahib - so they think. The day after tomorrow I -return.<br> - Do not grieve.'</p> - -<p>'Of what sort? Such an one as this or that man?' He pointed -to<br> - Father Victor. 'Such an one as those I saw this evening men -wearing<br> - swords and stamping heavily?'</p> - -<p>'Maybe.'</p> - -<p>'That is not well. These men follow desire and come to -emptiness.<br> - Thou must not be of their sort.'</p> - -<p>'The Umballa priest said that my Star was War,' Kim -interjected. 'I<br> - will ask these fools - but there is truly no need. I will run -away<br> - this night, for all I wanted to see the new things.'</p> - -<p>Kim put two or three questions in English to Father -Victor,<br> - translating the replies to the lama.</p> - -<p>Then: 'He says, "You take him from me and you cannot say what -you<br> - will make him." He says, "Tell me before I go, for it is not -a<br> - small thing to make a child."'</p> - -<p>'You will be sent to a school. Later on, we shall see. -Kimball, I<br> - suppose you'd like to be a soldier?'</p> - -<p>'Gorah-log [white-folk]. No-ah! No-ah!' Kim shook his head<br> - violently. There was nothing in his composition to which drill -and<br> - routine appealed. 'I will not be a soldier.'</p> - -<p>'You will be what you're told to be,' said Bennett; 'and you -should<br> - be grateful that we're going to help you.'</p> - -<p><br> - Kim smiled compassionately. If these men lay under the -delusion<br> - that he would do anything that he did not fancy, so much the<br> - better.</p> - -<p>Another long silence followed. Bennett fidgeted with -impatience,<br> - and suggested calling a sentry to evict the fakir.</p> - -<p>'Do they give or sell learning among the Sahibs? Ask them,' -said<br> - the lama, and Kim interpreted.</p> - -<p>'They say that money is paid to the teacher - but that money -the<br> - Regiment will give ... What need? It is only for a night.'</p> - -<p>'And - the more money is paid the better learning is given?' -The<br> - lama disregarded Kim's plans for an early flight. 'It is no -wrong<br> - to pay for learning. To help the ignorant to wisdom is always -a<br> - merit.' The rosary clicked furiously as an abacus. Then he -faced<br> - his oppressors.</p> - -<p>'Ask them for how much money do they give a wise and -suitable<br> - teaching? And in what city is that teaching given?'</p> - -<p>'Well,'said Father Victor in English, when Kim had -translated,<br> - 'that depends. The Regiment would pay for you all the time you -are<br> - at the Military Orphanage; or you might go on the Punjab -Masonic<br> - Orphanage's list (not that he or you 'ud understand what -that<br> - means); but the best schooling a boy can get in India is, of<br> - course, at St Xavier's in Partibus at Lucknow.' This took some -time<br> - to interpret, for Bennett wished to cut it short.</p> - -<p>'He wants to know how much?' said Kim placidly.</p> - -<p>'Two or three hundred rupees a year.' Father Victor was long -past<br> - any sense of amazement. Bennett, impatient, did not -understand.</p> - -<p>'He says: "Write that name and the money upon a paper and give -it<br> - him." And he says you must write your name below, because he -is<br> - going to write a letter in some days to you. He says you are a -good<br> - man. He says the other man is a tool. He is going away.'</p> - -<p>The lama rose suddenly. 'I follow my Search,' he cried, and -was<br> - gone.</p> - -<p>'He'll run slap into the sentries,' cried Father Victor, -jumping up<br> - as the lama stalked out; 'but I can't leave the boy.' Kim -made<br> - swift motion to follow, but checked himself. There was no sound -of<br> - challenge outside. The lama had disappeared.</p> - -<p>Kim settled himself composedly on the Chaplain's cot. At least -the<br> - lama had promised that he would stay with the Raiput woman -from<br> - Kulu, and the rest was of the smallest importance. It pleased -him<br> - that the two padres were so evidently excited. They talked long -in<br> - undertones, Father Victor urging some scheme on Mr Bennett, -who<br> - seemed incredulous. All this was very new and fascinating, but -Kim<br> - felt sleepy. They called men into the tent - one of them -certainly<br> - was the Colonel, as his father had prophesied - and they asked -him<br> - an infinity of questions, chiefly about the woman who looked -after<br> - him, all of which Kim answered truthfully. They did not seem -to<br> - think the woman a good guardian.</p> - -<p><br> - After all, this was the newest of his experiences. Sooner or -later,<br> - if he chose, he could escape into great, grey, formless -India,<br> - beyond tents and padres and colonels. Meantime, if the Sahibs -were<br> - to be impressed, he would do his best to impress them. He too -was a<br> - white man.</p> - -<p>After much talk that he could not comprehend, they handed him -over<br> - to a sergeant, who had strict instructions not to let him -escape.<br> - The Regiment would go on to Umballa, and Kim would be sent -up,<br> - partly at the expense of the Lodge and in part by subscription, -to<br> - a place called Sanawar.</p> - -<p>'It's miraculous past all whooping, Colonel,' said Father -Victor,<br> - when he had talked without a break for ten minutes. 'His -Buddhist<br> - friend has levanted after taking my name and address. I can't -quite<br> - make out whether he'll pay for the boy's education or whether he -is<br> - preparing some sort of witchcraft on his own account.' Then to -Kim:<br> - 'You'll live to be grateful to your friend the Red Bull yet. -We'll<br> - make a man of you at Sanawar - even at the price o' making you -a<br> - Protestant.'</p> - -<p>'Certainly - most certainly,' said Bennett.</p> - -<p>'But you will not go to Sanawar,' said Kim.</p> - -<p>'But we will go to Sanawar, little man. That's the order of -the<br> - Commander-in-Chief, who's a trifle more important than -O'Hara's<br> - son.'</p> - -<p>'You will not go to Sanawar. You will go to thee War.'</p> - -<p>There was a shout of laughter from the full tent.</p> - -<p>'When you know your own Regiment a trifle better you won't -confuse<br> - the line of march with line of battle, Kim. We hope to go to -"thee<br> - War" sometime.'</p> - -<p>'Oah, I know all thatt.' Kim drew his bow again at a venture. -If<br> - they were not going to the war, at least they did not know what -he<br> - knew of the talk in the veranda at Umballa.</p> - -<p>'I know you are not at thee war now; but I tell you that as -soon as<br> - you get to Umballa you will be sent to the war - the new war. It -is<br> - a war of eight thousand men, besides the guns.'</p> - -<p>'That's explicit. D'you add prophecy to your other gifts? Take -him<br> - along, sergeant. Take up a suit for him from the Drums, an' -take<br> - care he doesn't slip through your fingers. Who says the age -of<br> - miracles is gone by? I think I'll go to bed. My poor mind's<br> - weakening.'</p> - -<p>At the far end of the camp, silent as a wild animal, an hour -later<br> - sat Kim, newly washed all over, in a horrible stuff suit -that<br> - rasped his arms and legs.</p> - -<p>'A most amazin' young bird,' said the sergeant. 'He turns up -in<br> - charge of a yellow-headed buck-Brahmin priest, with his -father's<br> - Lodge certificates round his neck, talkin' God knows what all of -a<br> - red bull. The buck-Brahmin evaporates without explanations, an' -the<br> - bhoy sets cross-legged on the Chaplain's bed prophesyin' bloody -war<br> - to the men at large. Injia's a wild land for a God-fearin' -man.<br> - I'll just tie his leg to the tent-pole in case he'll go through -the<br> - roof What did ye say about the war?'</p> - -<p>'Eight thousand men, besides guns,' said Kim. 'Very soon you -will<br> - see.'</p> - -<p>'You're a consolin' little imp. Lie down between the Drums an' -go<br> - to bye-bye. Those two boys will watch your slumbers.'</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 6</h2> - -<p><br> - Now I remember comrades -<br> - Old playmates on new seas -<br> - Whenas we traded orpiment<br> - Among the savages.<br> - Ten thousand leagues to southward,<br> - And thirty years removed -<br> - They knew not noble Valdez,<br> - But me they knew and loved.</p> - -<p>Song of Diego Valdez.</p> - -<p><br> - Very early in the morning the white tents came down and -disappeared<br> - as the Mavericks took a side-road to Umballa. It did not skirt -the<br> - resting-place, and Kim, trudging beside a baggage-cart under -fire<br> - of comments from soldiers' wives, was not so confident as<br> - overnight. He discovered that he was closely watched - -Father<br> - Victor on the one side, and Mr Bennett on the other.</p> - -<p><br> - In the forenoon the column checked. A camel-orderly handed -the<br> - Colonel a letter. He read it, and spoke to a Major. Half a mile -in<br> - the rear, Kim heard a hoarse and joyful clamour rolling down on -him<br> - through the thick dust. Then someone beat him on the back, -crying:<br> - 'Tell us how ye knew, ye little limb of Satan? Father dear, see -if<br> - ye can make him tell.'</p> - -<p>A pony ranged alongside, and he was hauled on to the -priest's<br> - saddlebow.</p> - -<p>'Now, my son, your prophecy of last night has come true. Our -orders<br> - are to entrain at Umballa for the Front tomorrow.'</p> - -<p>'What is thatt?' said Kim, for 'front' and 'entrain' were -newish<br> - words to him.</p> - -<p>'We are going to "thee War," as you called it.'</p> - -<p>'Of course you are going to thee War. I said last night.'</p> - -<p>'Ye did; but, Powers o' Darkness, how did ye know?'</p> - -<p>Kim's eyes sparkled. He shut his lips, nodded his head, and -looked<br> - unspeakable things. The Chaplain moved on through the dust, -and<br> - privates, sergeants, and subalterns called one another's -attention<br> - to the boy. The Colonel, at the head of the column, stared at -him<br> - curiously. 'It was probably some bazar rumour.' he said; 'but -even<br> - then -' He referred to the paper in his hand. 'Hang it all, -the<br> - thing was only decided within the last forty-eight hours.'</p> - -<p>Are there many more like you in India?' said Father Victor, -'or are<br> - you by way o' being a lusus naturae?'</p> - -<p>'Now I have told you,' said the boy, 'will you let me go back -to my<br> - old man? If he has not stayed with that woman from Kulu, I -am<br> - afraid he will die.'</p> - -<p>'By what I saw of him he's as well able to take care of -himself as<br> - you. No. Ye've brought us luck, an' we're goin' to make a man -of<br> - you. I'll take ye back to your baggage-cart and ye'll come to -me<br> - this evening.'</p> - -<p>For the rest of the day Kim found himself an object of<br> - distinguished consideration among a few hundred white men. -The<br> - story of his appearance in camp, the discovery of his -parentage,<br> - and his prophecy, had lost nothing in the telling. A big, -shapeless<br> - white woman on a pile of bedding asked him mysteriously whether -he<br> - thought her husband would come back from the war. Kim -reflected<br> - gravely, and said that he would, and the woman gave him food. -In<br> - many respects, this big procession that played music at -intervals -<br> - this crowd that talked and laughed so easily - resembled a -festival<br> - in Lahore city. So far, there was no sign of hard work, and -he<br> - resolved to lend the spectacle his patronage. At evening there -came<br> - out to meet them bands of music, and played the Mavericks into -camp<br> - near Umballa railway station. That was an interesting night. Men -of<br> - other regiments came to visit the Mavericks. The Mavericks -went<br> - visiting on their own account. Their pickets hurried forth to -bring<br> - them back, met pickets of strange regiments on the same duty; -and,<br> - after a while, the bugles blew madly for more pickets with -officers<br> - to control the tumult. The Mavericks had a reputation for<br> - liveliness to live up to. But they fell in on the platform -next<br> - morning in perfect shape and condition; and Kim, left behind -with<br> - the sick, women, and boys, found himself shouting farewells<br> - excitedly as the trains drew away. Life as a Sahib was amusing -so<br> - far; but he touched it with a cautious hand. Then they marched -him<br> - back in charge of a drummer-boy to empty, lime-washed -barracks,<br> - whose floors were covered with rubbish and string and paper, -and<br> - whose ceilings gave back his lonely footfall. Native-fashion, -he<br> - curled himself up on a stripped cot and went to sleep. An angry -man<br> - stumped down the veranda, woke him up, and said he was a<br> - schoolmaster. This was enough for Kim, and he retired into -his<br> - shell. He could just puzzle out the various English Police -notices<br> - in Lahore city, because they affected his comfort; and among -the<br> - many guests of the woman who looked after him had been a -queer<br> - German who painted scenery for the Parsee travelling theatre. -He<br> - told Kim that he had been 'on the barricades in 'Forty-eight,' -and<br> - therefore - at least that was how it struck Kim - he would -teach<br> - the boy to write in return for food. Kim had been kicked as far -as<br> - single letters, but did not think well of them.</p> - -<p>'I do not know anything. Go away!' said Kim, scenting -evil.<br> - Hereupon the man caught him by the ear, dragged him to a room in -a<br> - far-off wing where a dozen drummer-boys were sitting on forms, -and<br> - told him to be still if he could do nothing else. This he -managed<br> - very successfully. The man explained something or other with -white<br> - lines or a black board for at least half an hour, and Kim -continued<br> - his interrupted nap. He much disapproved of the present aspect -of<br> - affairs, for this was the very school and discipline he had -spent<br> - two-thirds of his young life in avoiding. Suddenly a beautiful -idea<br> - occurred to him, and he wondered that he had not thought of -it<br> - before.</p> - -<p>The man dismissed them, and first to spring through the -veranda<br> - into the open sunshine was Kim.</p> - -<p>' 'Ere, you! 'Alt! Stop!' said a high voice at his heels. -'I've got<br> - to look after you. My orders are not to let you out of my -sight.<br> - Where are you goin'?'</p> - -<p>It was the drummer-boy who had been hanging round him all -the<br> - forenoon - a fat and freckled person of about fourteen, and -Kim<br> - loathed him from the soles of his boots to his cap-ribbons.</p> - -<p>'To the bazar - to get sweets - for you,' said Kim, after -thought.</p> - -<p>'Well, the bazar's out o' bounds. If we go there we'll get -a<br> - dressing-down. You come back.'</p> - -<p>'How near can we go?' Kim did not know what bounds meant, but -he<br> - wished to be polite - for the present.</p> - -<p>' 'Ow near? 'Ow far, you mean! We can go as far as that tree -down<br> - the road.'</p> - -<p>'Then I will go there.'</p> - -<p>'All right. I ain't goin'. It's too 'ot. I can watch you from -'ere.<br> - It's no good your runnin' away. If you did, they'd spot you by -your<br> - clothes. That's regimental stuff you're wearin'. There ain't -a<br> - picket in Umballa wouldn't 'ead you back quicker than you -started<br> - out.'</p> - -<p>This did not impress Kim as much as the knowledge that his -raiment<br> - would tire him out if he tried to run. He slouched to the tree -at<br> - the corner of a bare road leading towards the bazar, and eyed -the<br> - natives passing. Most of them were barrack-servants of the -lowest<br> - caste. Kim hailed a sweeper, who promptly retorted with a piece -of<br> - unnecessary insolence, in the natural belief that the European -boy<br> - could not follow it. The low, quick answer undeceived him. Kim -put<br> - his fettered soul into it, thankful for the late chance to -abuse<br> - somebody in the tongue he knew best. 'And now, go to the -nearest<br> - letter-writer in the bazar and tell him to come here. I would -write<br> - a letter.'</p> - -<p>'But - but what manner of white man's son art thou to need a -bazar<br> - letter-writer? Is there not a schoolmaster in the barracks?'</p> - -<p>'Ay; and Hell is full of the same sort. Do my order, you - you -Od!<br> - Thy mother was married under a basket! Servant of Lal Beg' -(Kim<br> - knew the God of the sweepers), 'run on my business or we will -talk<br> - again.'</p> - -<p>The sweeper shuffled off in haste. 'There is a white boy by -the<br> - barracks waiting under a tree who is not a white boy,' he -stammered<br> - to the first bazar letter-writer he came across. 'He needs -thee.'<br> - TO HERE</p> - -<p>'Will he pay?' said the spruce scribe, gathering up his -desk<br> - and pens and sealing-wax all in order.</p> - -<p>'I do not know. He is not like other boys. Go and see. It -is<br> - well worth.'</p> - -<p>Kim danced with impatience when the slim young Kayeth hove -in<br> - sight. As soon as his voice could carry he cursed him -volubly.</p> - -<p>'First I will take my pay,' the letter-writer said. 'Bad words -have<br> - made the price higher. But who art thou, dressed in that -fashion,<br> - to speak in this fashion?'</p> - -<p>'Aha! That is in the letter which thou shalt write. Never was -such<br> - a tale. But I am in no haste. Another writer will serve me. -Umballa<br> - city is as full of them as is Lahore.'</p> - -<p>'Four annas,' said the writer, sitting down and spreading his -cloth<br> - in the shade of a deserted barrack-wing.</p> - -<p>Mechanically Kim squatted beside him squatted as only the -natives<br> - can - in spite of the abominable clinging trousers.</p> - -<p>The writer regarded him sideways.</p> - -<p>'That is the price to ask of Sahibs,' said Kim. 'Now fix me a -true<br> - one.'</p> - -<p>'An anna and a half. How do I know, having written the letter, -that<br> - thou wilt not run away?'</p> - -<p>I must not go beyond this tree, and there is also the stamp to -be<br> - considered.'</p> - -<p>'I get no commission on the price of the stamp. Once more, -what<br> - manner of white boy art thou?'</p> - -<p>'That shall be said in the letter, which is to Mahbub Ali, -the<br> - horse-dealer in the Kashmir Serai, at Lahore. He is my -friend.'</p> - -<p>'Wonder on wonder!' murmured the letter-writer, dipping a reed -in<br> - the inkstand. 'To be written in Hindi?'</p> - -<p>'Assuredly. To Mahbub Ali then. Begin! I have come down with -the<br> - old man as far as Umballa in the train. At Umballa I carried -the<br> - news of the bay mare's pedigree.' After what he had seen in -the<br> - garden, he was not going to write of white stallions.</p> - -<p>'Slower a little. What has a bay mare to do . . . Is it Mahbub -Ali,<br> - the great dealer?'</p> - -<p>'Who else? I have been in his service. Take more ink. Again. -As the<br> - order was, so I did it. We then went on foot towards Benares, -but<br> - on the third day we found a certain regiment. Is that down?'</p> - -<p>'Ay, pulton,''' murmured the writer, all ears.</p> - -<p>'I went into their camp and was caught, and by means of the -charm<br> - about my neck, which thou kno west, it was established that I -was<br> - the son of some man in the regiment: according to the prophecy -of<br> - the Red Bull, which thou knowest was common talk of our bazar.' -Kim<br> - waited for this shaft to sink into the letter-writer's -heart,<br> - cleared his throat, and continued: 'A priest clothed me and gave -me<br> - a new name . . . One priest, however, was a fool. The clothes -are<br> - very heavy, but I am a Sahib and my heart is heavy too. They -send<br> - me to a school and beat me. I do not like the air and water -here.<br> - Come then and help me, Mahbub Ali, or send me some money, for -I<br> - have not sufficient to pay the writer who writes this.</p> - -<p>' "Who writes this." It is my own fault that I was tricked. -Thou<br> - art as clever as Husain Bux that forged the Treasury stamps -at<br> - Nucklao. But what a tale! What a tale! Is it true by any -chance?'</p> - -<p>'It does not profit to tell lies to Mahbub Ali. It is better -to<br> - help his friends by lending them a stamp. When the money comes -I<br> - will repay.'</p> - -<p>The writer grunted doubtfully, but took a stamp out of his -desk,<br> - sealed the letter, handed it over to Kim, and departed. -Mahbub<br> - Ali's was a name of power in Umballa.</p> - -<p>'That is the way to win a good account with the Gods,' Kim -shouted<br> - after him.</p> - -<p>'Pay me twice over when the money comes,' the man cried over -his<br> - shoulder.</p> - -<p>'What was you bukkin' to that nigger about?' said the -drummer-boy<br> - when Kim returned to the veranda. 'I was watch-in' you.'</p> - -<p>'I was only talkin' to him.'</p> - -<p>'You talk the same as a nigger, don't you?'</p> - -<p>'No-ah! No-ah! I onlee speak a little. What shall we do -now?'</p> - -<p>'The bugles'll go for dinner in arf a minute. My Gawd! I wish -I'd<br> - gone up to the Front with the Regiment. It's awful doin' -nothin'<br> - but school down 'ere. Don't you 'ate it?'</p> - -<p>'Oah yess!'</p> - -<p>I'd run away if I knew where to go to, but, as the men say, in -this<br> - bloomin' Injia you're only a prisoner at large. You can't -desert<br> - without bein' took back at once. I'm fair sick of it.'</p> - -<br> -'You have been in Be - England?' - -<p>'W'y, I only come out last troopin' season with my mother. I -should<br> - think I 'ave been in England. What a ignorant little beggar -you<br> - are! You was brought up in the gutter, wasn't you?'</p> - -<p>'Oah yess. Tell me something about England. My father he came -from<br> - there.'</p> - -<p>Though he would not say so, Kim of course disbelieved every -word<br> - the drummer-boy spoke about the Liverpool suburb which was -his<br> - England. It passed the heavy time till dinner - a most -unappetizing<br> - meal served to the boys and a few invalids in a corner of a<br> - barrack-room. But that he had written to Mahbub Ali, Kim would -have<br> - been almost depressed. The indifference of native crowds he -was<br> - used to; but this strong loneliness among white men preyed on -him.<br> - He was grateful when, in the course of the afternoon, a big -soldier<br> - took him over to Father Victor, who lived in another wing -across<br> - another dusty parade-ground. The priest was reading an -English<br> - letter written in purple ink. He looked at Kim more curiously -than<br> - ever.</p> - -<p>'An' how do you like it, my son, as far as you've gone? Not -much,<br> - eh? It must be hard - very hard on a wild animal. Listen now. -I've<br> - an amazin' epistle from your friend.'</p> - -<p>'Where is he? Is he well? Oah! If he knows to write me -letters, it<br> - is all right.'</p> - -<p>'You're fond of him then?'</p> - -<p>'Of course I am fond of him. He was fond of me.'</p> - -<p>'It seems so by the look of this. He can't write English, can -he?'</p> - -<p>'Oah no. Not that I know, but of course he found a -letter-writer<br> - who can write English verree well, and so he wrote. I do hope -you<br> - understand.'</p> - -<p>'That accounts for it. D'you know anything about his money<br> - affairs?' Kim's face showed that he did not.</p> - -<p>'How can I tell?'</p> - -<p>'That's what I'm askin'. Now listen if you can make head or -tail o'<br> - this. We'll skip the first part . . . It's written from -Jagadhir<br> - Road . . . "Sitting on wayside in grave meditation, trusting to -be<br> - favoured with your Honour's applause of present step, which<br> - recommend your Honour to execute for Almighty God's sake. -Education<br> - is greatest blessing if of best sorts. Otherwise no earthly -use."<br> - Faith, the old man's hit the bull's-eye that time! "If your -Honour<br> - condescending giving my boy best educations Xavier" (I -suppose<br> - that's St Xavier's in Partibus) "in terms of our conversation -dated<br> - in your tent 15th instant" (a business-like touch there!) -"then<br> - Almighty God blessing your Honour's succeedings to third an' -fourth<br> - generation and" - now listen! -"confide in your Honour's -humble<br> - servant for adequate remuneration per hoondi per annum three<br> - hundred rupees a year to one expensive education St Xavier,<br> - Lucknow, and allow small time to forward same per hoondi sent -to<br> - any part of India as your Honour shall address yourself This<br> - servant of your Honour has presently no place to lay crown of -his<br> - head, but going to Benares by train on account of persecution -of<br> - old woman talking so much and unanxious residing Saharunpore in -any<br> - domestic capacity." Now what in the world does that mean?'</p> - -<p>'She has asked him to be her puro - her clergyman - at -Saharunpore,<br> - I think. He would not do that on account of his River. She -did<br> - talk.'</p> - -<p>'It's clear to you, is it? It beats me altogether. "So going -to<br> - Benares, where will find address and forward rupees for boy who -is<br> - apple of eye, and for Almighty God's sake execute this -education,<br> - and your petitioner as in duty bound shall ever awfully -pray.<br> - Written by Sobrao Satai, Failed Entrance Allahabad University, -for<br> - Venerable Teshoo Lama the priest of Such-zen looking for a -River,<br> - address care of Tirthankars' Temple, Benares. P. M. -Please -note<br> - boy is apple of eye, and rupees shall be sent per hoondi -three<br> - hundred per annum. For God Almighty's sake." Now, is that -ravin'<br> - lunacy or a business proposition? I ask you, because I'm fairly -at<br> - my wits' end.'</p> - -<p>'He says he will give me three hundred rupees a year? So he -will<br> - give me them.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, that's the way you look at it, is it?'</p> - -<p>'Of course. If he says so!'</p> - -<p>The priest whistled; then he addressed Kim as an equal.'I -don't<br> - believe it; but we'll see. You were goin' off today to the<br> - Military Orphanage at Sanawar, where the Regiment would keep -you<br> - till you were old enough to enlist. Ye'd be brought up to -the<br> - Church of England. Bennett arranged for that. On the other hand, -if<br> - ye go to St Xavier's ye'll get a better education an - an can -have<br> - the religion. D'ye see my dilemma? Kim saw nothing save a -vision<br> - of the lama going south in a train with none to beg for him.</p> - -<p>'Like most people, I'm going to temporize. If your friend -sends the<br> - money from Benares - Powers of Darkness below, where's a -street-<br> - beggar to raise three hundred rupees? - ye'll go down to -Lucknow<br> - and I'll pay your fare, because I can't touch the -subscription-<br> - money if I intend, as I do, to make ye a Catholic. If he -doesn't,<br> - ye'll go to the Military Orphanage at the Regiment's expense. -I'll<br> - allow him three days' grace, though I don't believe it at all. -Even<br> - then, if he fails in his payments later on . . . but it's -beyond<br> - me. We can only walk one step at a time in this world, praise -God!<br> - An' they sent Bennett to the Front an' left me behind. -Bennett<br> - can't expect everything.'</p> - -<p>'Oah yess,' said Kim vaguely.</p> - -<p>The priest leaned forward. 'I'd give a month's pay to find -what's<br> - goin' on inside that little round head of yours.'</p> - -<p>'There is nothing,' said Kim, and scratched it. He was -wondering<br> - whether Mahbub Ali would send him as much as a whole rupee. Then -he<br> - could pay the letter-writer and write letters to the lama at<br> - Benares. Perhaps Mahbub Ali would visit him next time he came -south<br> - with horses. Surely he must know that Kim's delivery of the -letter<br> - to the officer at Umballa had caused the great war which the -men<br> - and boys had discussed so loudly over the barrack -dinner-tables.<br> - But if Mahbub Ali did not know this, it would be very unsafe -to<br> - tell him so. Mahbub Ali was hard upon boys who knew, or -thought<br> - they knew, too much.</p> - -<p>'Well, till I get further news' - Father Victor's voice -interrupted<br> - the reverie. 'Ye can run along now and play with the other -boys.<br> - They'll teach ye something - but I don't think ye'll like -it.'</p> - -<p>The day dragged to its weary end. When he wished to sleep he -was<br> - instructed how to fold up his clothes and set out his boots; -the<br> - other boys deriding. Bugles waked him in the dawn; the -schoolmaster<br> - caught him after breakfast, thrust a page of meaningless -characters<br> - under his nose, gave them senseless names and whacked him -without<br> - reason. Kim meditated poisoning him with opium borrowed from -a<br> - barrack-sweeper, but reflected that, as they all ate at one -table<br> - in public (this was peculiarly revolting to Kim, who preferred -to<br> - turn his back on the world at meals), the stroke might be drug -the<br> - lama the village where the old soldier lived. But far-seeing<br> - sentries at every exit headed back the little scarlet -figure.<br> - Trousers and jacket crippled body and mind alike dangerous. Then -he<br> - attempted running off to the village where the priest had tried -to,<br> - so he abandoned the project and fell back, Oriental-fashion, -on<br> - time and chance. Three days of torment passed in the big, -echoing<br> - white rooms. He walked out of affernoons under escort of the<br> - drummer-boy, and all he heard from his companions were the -few<br> - useless words which seemed to make two-thirds of the white -man's<br> - abuse. Kim knew and despised them all long ago. The boy -resented<br> - his silence and lack of interest by beating him, as was only<br> - natural. He did not care for any of the bazars which were in<br> - bounds. He styled all natives 'niggers'; yet servants and -sweepers<br> - called him abominable names to his face, and, misled by -their<br> - deferential attitude, he never understood. This somewhat -consoled<br> - Kim for the beatings.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the fourth day a judgement overtook that -drummer.<br> - They had gone out together towards Umballa racecourse. He -returned<br> - alone, weeping, with news that young O'Hara, to whom he had -been<br> - doing nothing in particular, had hailed a scarlet-bearded nigger -on<br> - horseback; that the nigger had then and there laid into him with -a<br> - peculiarly adhesive quirt, picked up young O'Hara, and borne -him<br> - off at full gallop. These tidings came to Father Victor, and -he<br> - drew down his long upper lip. He was already sufficiently -startled<br> - by a letter from the Temple of the Tirthankars at Benares,<br> - enclosing a native banker's note of hand for three hundred -rupees,<br> - and an amazing prayer to 'Almighty God'. The lama would have -been<br> - more annoyed than the priest had he known how the bazar -letter-<br> - writer had translated his phrase 'to acquire merit</p> - -<p>'Powers of Darkness below!' Father Victor fumbled with the -note.<br> - 'An' now he's off with another of his peep-o'-day friends. I -don't<br> - know whether it will be a greater relief to me to get him back -or<br> - to have him lost. He's beyond my comprehension. How the Divil --<br> - yes, he's the man I mean -can a street-beggar raise money to<br> - educate white boys?'</p> - -<p>Three miles off, on Umballa racecourse, Mahbub Ali, reining a -grey<br> - Kabuli stallion with Kim in front of him, was saying:</p> - -<p>'But, Little Friend of all the World, there is my honour -and<br> - reputation to be considered. All the officer-Sahibs in all -the<br> - regiments, and all Umballa, know Mahbub Ali. Men saw me pick -thee<br> - up and chastise that boy. We are seen now from far across -this<br> - plain. How can I take thee away, or account for thy disappearing -if<br> - I set thee down and let thee run off into the crops? They would -put<br> - me in jail. Be patient. Once a Sahib, always a Sahib. When thou -art<br> - a man - who knows? - thou wilt be grateful to Mahbub Ali.'</p> - -<p>'Take me beyond their sentries where I can change this red. -Give me<br> - money and I will go to Benares and be with my lama again. I do -not<br> - want to be a Sahib, and remember I did deliver that -message.'</p> - -<p>The stallion bounded wildly. Mahbub Ali had incautiously -driven<br> - home the sharp-edged stirrup. (He was not the new sort of -fluent<br> - horse-dealer who wears English boots and spurs.) Kim drew his -own<br> - conclusions from that betrayal.</p> - -<p>'That was a small matter. It lay on the straight road to -Benares. I<br> - and the Sahib have by this time forgotten it. I send so many<br> - letters and messages to men who ask questions about horses, -I<br> - cannot well remember one from the other. Was it some matter of -a<br> - bay mare that Peters Sahib wished the pedigree of?'</p> - -<p>Kim saw the trap at once. If he had said 'bay mare' Mahbub -would<br> - have known by his very readiness to fall in with the amendment -that<br> - the boy suspected something. Kim replied therefore:</p> - -<p>'Bay mare. No. I do not forget my messages thus. It was a -white<br> - stallion.'</p> - -<p>'Ay, so it was. A white Arab stallion. But thou didst write -"bay<br> - mare" to me.'</p> - -<p>'Who cares to tell truth to a letter-writer?' Kim answered, -feeling<br> - Mahbub's palm on his heart.</p> - -<p>'Hi! Mahbub, you old villain, pull up!' cried a voice, and -an<br> - Englishman raced alongside on a little polo-pony. 'I've been<br> - chasing you half over the country. That Kabuli of yours can go. -For<br> - sale, I suppose?'</p> - -<p>'I have some young stuff coming on made by Heaven for the -delicate<br> - and difficult polo-game. He has no equal. He - '</p> - -<p>'Plays polo and waits at table. Yes. We know all that. What -the<br> - deuce have you got there?'</p> - -<p>'A. boy,' said Mahbub gravely. 'He was being beaten by another -boy.<br> - His father was once a white soldier in the big war. The boy was -a<br> - child in Lahore city. He played with my horses when he was a -babe.<br> - Now I think they will make him a soldier. He has been newly -caught<br> - by his father's Regiment that went up to the war last week. But -I<br> - do not think he wants to be a soldier. I take him for a ride. -Tell<br> - me where thy barracks are and I will set thee there.'</p> - -<p>'Let me go. I can find the barracks alone.'</p> - -<p>'And if thou runnest away who will say it is not my -fault?'</p> - -<p>'He'll run back to his dinner. Where has he to run to?' -the<br> - Englishman asked.</p> - -<p>'He was born in the land. He has friends. He goes where he -chooses.<br> - He is a chabuk sawai [a sharp chap]. It needs only to change -his<br> - clothing, and in a twinkling he would be a low-caste Hindu -boy.'</p> - -<p>'The deuce he would!' The Englishman looked critically at the -boy<br> - as Mahbub headed towards the barracks. Kim ground his teeth. -Mahbub<br> - was mocking him, as faithless Afghans will; for he went on:</p> - -<p>'They will send him to a school and put heavy boots on his -feet and<br> - swaddle him in these clothes. Then he will forget all he -knows.<br> - Now, which of the barracks is thine?'</p> - -<p>Kim pointed - he could not speak - to Father Victor's wing, -all<br> - staring white near by.</p> - -<p>'Perhaps he will make a good soldier,' said Mahbub -reflectively.</p> - -<p>'He will make a good orderly at least. I sent him to deliver -a<br> - message once from Lahore. A message concerning the pedigree of -a<br> - white stallion.'</p> - -<p>Here was deadly insult on deadlier injury - and the Sahib to -whom<br> - he had so craftily given that war-waking letter heard it all. -Kim<br> - beheld Mahbub Ali frying in flame for his treachery, but for<br> - himself he saw one long grey vista of barracks, schools, and<br> - barracks again. He gazed imploringly at the clear-cut face in -which<br> - there was no glimmer of recognition; but even at this extremity -it<br> - never occurred to him to throw himself on the white man's mercy -or<br> - to denounce the Afghan. And Mahbub stared deliberately at -the<br> - Englishman, who stared as deliberately at Kim, quivering and<br> - tongue-tied.</p> - -<p>'My horse is well trained,' said the dealer. 'Others would -have<br> - kicked, Sahib.'</p> - -<p>'Ah,' said the Englishman at last, rubbing his pony's damp -withers<br> - with his whip-butt. 'Who makes the boy a soldier?'</p> - -<p>'He says the Regiment that found him, and especially the -Padre-<br> - sahib of that regiment.</p> - -<p>'There is the Padre!' Kim choked as bare-headed Father -Victor<br> - sailed down upon them from the veranda.</p> - -<p>'Powers O' Darkness below, O'Hara! How many more mixed friends -do<br> - you keep in Asia?' he cried, as Kim slid down and stood -helplessly<br> - before him.</p> - -<p>'Good morning, Padre,' the Englishman said cheerily. 'I know -you by<br> - reputation well enough. Meant to have come over and called -before<br> - this. I'm Creighton.'</p> - -<p>'Of the Ethnological Survey?' said Father Victor. The -Englishman<br> - nodded. 'Faith, I'm glad to meet ye then; an' I owe you some -thanks<br> - for bringing back the boy.'</p> - -<p>'No thanks to me, Padre. Besides, the boy wasn't going away. -You<br> - don't know old Mahbub Ali.' The horse-dealer sat impassive in -the<br> - sunlight. 'You will when you have been in the station a month. -He<br> - sells us all our crocks. That boy is rather a curiosity. Can -you<br> - tell me anything about him?'</p> - -<p>'Can I tell you?' puffed Father Victor. 'You'll be the one man -that<br> - could help me in my quandaries. Tell you! Powers o' Darkness, -I'm<br> - bursting to tell someone who knows something o' the native!'</p> - -<p>A groom came round the corner. Colonel Creighton raised his -voice,<br> - speaking in Urdu. 'Very good, Mahbub Ali, but what is the use -of<br> - telling me all those stories about the pony? Not one pice more -than<br> - three hundred and fifty rupees will I give.'</p> - -<p>'The Sahib is a little hot and angry after riding,' the -horse-<br> - dealer returned, with the leer of a privileged jester. -'Presently,<br> - he will see my horse's points more clearly. I will wait till he -has<br> - finished his talk with the Padre. I will wait under that -tree.'</p> - -<p>'Confound you!' The Colonel laughed. 'That comes of looking at -one<br> - of Mahbub's horses. He's a regular old leech, Padre. Wait, then, -if<br> - thou hast so much time to spare, Mahbub. Now I'm at your -service,<br> - Padre. Where is the boy? Oh, he's gone off to collogue with -Mahbub.<br> - Queer sort of boy. Might I ask you to send my mare round -under<br> - cover?'</p> - -<p>He dropped into a chair which commanded a clear view of Kim -and<br> - Mahbub Ali in conference beneath the tree. The Padre went -indoors<br> - for cheroots.</p> - -<p>Creighton heard Kim say bitterly: 'Trust a Brahmin before a -snake,<br> - and a snake before an harlot, and an harlot before a Pathan, -Mahbub<br> - Ali.'</p> - -<br> -'That is all one.' The great red beard wagged solemnly. 'Children -<br> -should not see a carpet on the loom till the pattern is made -plain. <br> -Believe me, Friend of all the World, I do thee great service. -They <br> -will not make a soldier of thee.' - -<p>'You crafty old sinner!' thought Creighton. 'But you're not -far<br> - wrong. That boy mustn't be wasted if he is as advertised.'</p> - -<p>'Excuse me half a minute,' cried the Padre from within, 'but -I'm<br> - gettin' the documents in the case.</p> - -<p>'If through me the favour of this bold and wise Colonel Sahib -comes<br> - to thee, and thou art raised to honour, what thanks wilt thou -give<br> - Mahbub Ali when thou art a man?'</p> - -<p>'Nay, nay! I begged thee to let me take the Road again, where -I<br> - should have been safe; and thou hast sold me back to the -English.<br> - What will they give thee for blood-money?'</p> - -<p>'A cheerful young demon!' The Colonel bit his cigar, and -turned<br> - politely to Father Victor.</p> - -<p>'What are the letters that the fat priest is waving before -the<br> - Colonel? Stand behind the stallion as though looking at my -bridle!'<br> - said Mahbub Ali.</p> - -<p>'A letter from my lama which he wrote from Jagadhir Road, -saying<br> - that he will pay three hundred rupees by the year for my<br> - schooling.'</p> - -<p>'Oho! Is old Red Hat of that sort? At which school?'</p> - -<p>'God knows. I think in Nucklao.'</p> - -<p>'Yes. There is a big school there for the sons of Sahibs - -and<br> - half-Sahibs. I have seen it when I sell horses there. So the -lama<br> - also loved the Friend of all the World?'</p> - -<p>'Ay; and he did not tell lies, or return me to captivity.'</p> - -<p>'Small wonder the Padre does not know how to unravel the -thread.<br> - How fast he talks to the Colonel Sahib!' Mahbub Ali chuckled. -'By<br> - Allah!' the keen eyes swept the veranda for an Instant - 'thy -lama<br> - has sent what to me looks like a note of hand. I have had some -few<br> - dealings in hoondis. The Colonel Sahib is looking at it.'</p> - -<p>'What good is all this to me?' said Kim wearily. 'Thou wilt -go<br> - away, and they will return me to those empty rooms where there -is<br> - no good place to sleep and where the boys beat me.'</p> - -<p>'I do not think that. Have patience, child. All Pathans are -not<br> - faithless - except in horseflesh.'</p> - -<p>Five - ten- fifteen minutes passed, Father Victor talking<br> - energetically or asking questions which the Colonel -answered.</p> - -<p>'Now I've told you everything that I know about the boy -from<br> - beginnin to end; and it's a blessed relief to me. Did ye ever -hear<br> - the like?'</p> - -<p>'At any rate, the old man has sent the money. Gobind Sahai's -notes<br> - of hand are good from here to China,' said the Colonel. 'The -more<br> - one knows about natives the less can one say what they will -or<br> - won't do.'</p> - -<p>'That's consolin' - from the head of the Ethnological Survey. -It's<br> - this mixture of Red Bulls and Rivers of Healing (poor heathen, -God<br> - help him!) an' notes of hand and Masonic certificates. Are you -a<br> - Mason, by any chance?'</p> - -<p>'By Jove, I am, now I come to think of it. That's an -additional<br> - reason,' said the Colonel absently.</p> - -<p>'I'm glad ye see a reason in it. But as I said, it's the -mixture<br> - o' things that's beyond me. An' his prophesyin' to our -Colonel,<br> - sitting on my bed with his little shimmy torn open showing -his<br> - white skin; an' the prophecy comin' true! They'll cure all -that<br> - nonsense at St Xavier's, eh?'</p> - -<p>'Sprinkle him with holy water' the Colonel laughed.</p> - -<p>'On my word, I fancy I ought to sometimes. But I'm hoping -he'll be<br> - brought up as a good Catholic. All that troubles me is -what'll<br> - happen if the old beggar-man -'</p> - -<p>'Lama, lama, my dear sir; and some of them are gentlemen in -their<br> - own country</p> - -<p>'The lama, then, fails to pay next year. He's a fine business -head<br> - to plan on the spur of the moment, but he's bound to die some -day.<br> - An' takin' a heathen's money to give a child a Christian -education<br> - -'</p> - -<p>'But he said explicitly what he wanted. As soon as he knew the -boy<br> - was white he seems to have made his arrangements accordingly. -I'd<br> - give a month's pay to hear how he explained it all at the<br> - Tirthankars' Temple at Benares. Look here, Padre, I don't -pretend<br> - to know much about natives, but if he says he'll pay, he'll pay --<br> - dead or alive. I mean, his heirs will assume the debt. My advice -to<br> - you is, send the boy down to Lucknow. If your Anglican -Chaplain<br> - thinks you've stolen a march on him -'</p> - -<p>Bad luck to Bennett! He was sent to the Front instead O' -me.<br> - Doughty certified me medically unfit. I'll excommunicate Doughty -if<br> - he comes back alive! Surely Bennett ought to be content with --,</p> - -<p>'Glory, leaving you the religion. Quite so! As a matter of -fact I<br> - don't think Bennett will mind. Put the blame on me. I - er -<br> - strongly recommend sending the boy to St Xavier's. He can go -down<br> - on pass as a soldier's orphan, so the railway fare will be -saved.<br> - You can buy him an outfit from the Regimental subscription. -The<br> - Lodge will be saved the expense of his education, and that will -put<br> - the Lodge in a good temper. It's perfectly easy. I've got to -go<br> - down to Lucknow next week. I'll look after the boy on the way --<br> - give him in charge of my servants, and so on.'</p> - -<p>'You're a good man.</p> - -<p>'Not in the least. Don't make that mistake. The lama has sent -us<br> - money for a definite end. We can't very well return it. We -shall<br> - have to do as he says. Well, that's settled, isn't it? Shall we -say<br> - that, Tuesday next, you'll hand him over to me at the night -train<br> - south? That's only three days. He can't do much harm in -three<br> - days.'</p> - -<p>'It's a weight off my mind, but - this thing here?' - he<br> - waved the note of hand - 'I don't know Gobind Sahai: or his -bank,<br> - which may be a hole in a wall.'</p> - -<p>'You've never been a subaltern in debt. I'll cash it if -you<br> - like, and send you the vouchers in proper order.'</p> - -<p>'But with all your own work too! It's askin' -'</p> - -<p>'It's not the least trouble indeed. You see, as an<br> - ethnologist, the thing's very interesting to me. I'd like to -make a<br> - note of it for some Government work that I'm doing. The<br> - transformation of a regimental badge like your Red Bull into a -sort<br> - of fetish that the boy follows is very interesting.'</p> - -<p>'But I can't thank you enough.'</p> - -<p>'There's one thing you can do. All we Ethnological men are -as<br> - jealous as jackdaws of one another's discoveries. They're of -no<br> - interest to anyone but ourselves, of course, but you know -what<br> - book-collectors are like. Well, don't say a word, directly -or<br> - indirectly, about the Asiatic side of the boy's character - -his<br> - adventures and his prophecy, and so on. I'll worm them out of -the<br> - boy later on and - you see?'</p> - -<p>'I do. Ye'll make a wonderful account of it. Never a word will -I<br> - say to anyone till I see it in print.'</p> - -<p>'Thank you. That goes straight to an ethnologist's heart. -Well, I<br> - must be getting back to my breakfast. Good Heavens! Old Mabbub -here<br> - still?' He raised his voice, and the horse-dealer came out -from<br> - under the shadow of the tree, 'Well, what is it?'</p> - -<p>'As regards that young horse,' said Mahbub, 'I say that when a -colt<br> - is born to be a polo-pony, closely following the ball -without<br> - teaching - when such a colt knows the game by divination - then -I<br> - say it is a great wrong to break that colt to a heavy cart, -Sahib!'</p> - -<p>'So say I also, Mahbub. The colt will be entered for polo -only.<br> - (These fellows think of nothing in the world but horses, -Padre.)<br> - I'll see you tomorrow, Mahbub, if you've anything likely for -sale.'</p> - -<p>The dealer saluted, horseman-fashion, with a sweep of the off -hand.<br> - 'Be patient a little, Friend of all the World,' he whispered -to<br> - the agonized Kim. 'Thy fortune is made. In a little while -thou<br> - goest to Nucklao, and - here is something to pay the -letter-writer.<br> - I shall see thee again, I think, many times,' and he cantered -off<br> - down the road.</p> - -<p>'Listen to me,' said the Colonel from the veranda, speaking in -the<br> - vernacular. 'In three days thou wilt go with me to Lucknow, -seeing<br> - and hearing new things all the while. Therefore sit still for -three<br> - days and do not run away. Thou wilt go to school at -Lucknow.'</p> - -<p>'Shall I meet my Holy One there?' Kim whimpered.</p> - -<p>'At least Lucknow is nearer to Benares than Umballa. It may be -thou<br> - wilt go under my protection. Mahbub Ali knows this, and he will -be<br> - angry if thou returnest to the Road now. Remember - much has -been<br> - told me which I do not forget.'</p> - -<p>'I will wait,' said Kim, 'but the boys will beat me.'</p> - -<p>Then the bugles blew for dinner.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 7</h2> - -<p><br> - Unto whose use the pregnant suns are poised<br> - With idiot moons and stars retracing stars?<br> - Creep thou betweene - thy coming's all unnoised.<br> - Heaven hath her high, as Earth her baser, wars.<br> - Heir to these tumults, this affright, that fraye<br> - (By Adam's, fathers', own, sin bound alway);<br> - Peer up, draw out thy horoscope and say<br> - Which planet mends thy threadbare fate or mars?</p> - -<p>Sir John Christie.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon the red-faced schoolmaster told Kim that he -had<br> - been 'struck off the strength', which conveyed no meaning to -him<br> - till he was ordered to go away and play. Then he ran to the -bazar,<br> - and found the young letter-writer to whom he owed a stamp.</p> - -<p>'Now I pay,' said Kim royally, 'and now I need another letter -to be<br> - written.'</p> - -<p>'Mahbub Ali is in Umballa,' said the writer jauntily. He was, -by<br> - virtue of his office, a bureau of general misinformation.</p> - -<p><br> - 'This is not to Mahbub, but to a priest. Take thy pen and -write<br> - quickly. To Teshoo La ma, the Holy One from Bhotiyal seeking for -a<br> - River, who is now in the Temple ofihe Tirthankars at Benares. -Take<br> - more ink! In three days I am to go down to Nucklao to the school -at<br> - Nucklao. The name of the school is Xavier. I do not know where -that<br> - school is, but it is at Nucklao.'</p> - -<p>'But I know Nucklao,' the writer interrupted. 'I know the -school.'</p> - -<p>'Tell him where it is, and I give half an anna.'</p> - -<p>The reed pen scratched busily. 'He cannot mistake.' The man -lifted<br> - his head. 'Who watches us across the street?'</p> - -<p>Kim looked up hurriedly and saw Colonel Creighton in -tennis-<br> - flannels.</p> - -<p>'Oh, that is some Sahib who knows the fat priest in the -barracks.<br> - He is beckoning me.'</p> - -<p>'What dost thou?' said the Colonel, when Kim trotted up.</p> - -<p>'I - I am not running away. I send a letter to my Holy One -at<br> - Benares.'</p> - -<p>'I had not thought of that. Hast thou said that I take thee -to<br> - Lucknow?'</p> - -<p>'Nay, I have not. Read the letter, if there be a doubt.'</p> - -<p>'Then why hast thou left out my name in writing to that Holy -One?'<br> - The Colonel smiled a queer smile. Kim took his courage in -both<br> - hands.</p> - -<p>'It was said once to me that it is inexpedient to write the -names<br> - of strangers concerned in any matter, because by the naming -of<br> - names many good plans are brought to confusion.'</p> - -<p>'Thou hast been well taught,' the Colonel replied, and Kim -flushed.<br> - 'I have left my cheroot-case in the Padre's veranda. Bring it to -my<br> - house this even.'</p> - -<p>'Where is the house?' said Kim. His quick wit told him that he -was<br> - being tested in some fashion or another, and he stood on -guard.</p> - -<p>'Ask anyone in the big bazar.' The Colonel walked on.</p> - -<p>'He has forgotten his cheroot-case,' said Kim, returning. 'I -must<br> - bring it to him this evening. That is all my letter except, -thrice<br> - over, Come to me! Come to me! Come to me! Now I will pay for -a<br> - stamp and put it in the post. He rose to go, and as an -afterthought<br> - asked: 'Who is that angry-faced Sahib who lost the -cheroot-case?'</p> - -<p>'Oh, he is only Creighton Sahib - a very foolish Sahib, who is -a<br> - Colonel Sahib without a regiment.'</p> - -<p>'What is his business?'</p> - -<p>'God knows. He is always buying horses which he cannot ride, -and<br> - asking riddles about the works of God - such as plants and -stones<br> - and the customs of people. The dealers call him the father -of<br> - fools, because he is so easily cheated about a horse. Mahbub -Ali<br> - says he is madder than most other Sahibs.'</p> - -<p>'Oh!' said Kim, and departed. His training had given him some -small<br> - knowledge of character, and he argued that fools are not -given<br> - information which leads to calling out eight thousand men -besides<br> - guns. The Commander-in-Chief of all India does not talk, as Kim -had<br> - heard him talk, to fools. Nor would Mahbub Ali's tone have -changed,<br> - as it did every time he mentioned the Colonel's name, if the<br> - Colonel had been a fool. Consequently - and this set Kim to<br> - skipping - there was a mystery somewhere, and Mahbub Ali -probably<br> - spied for the Colonel much as Kim had spied for Mahbub. And, -like<br> - the horse-dealer, the Colonel evidently respected people who -did<br> - not show themselves to be too clever.</p> - -<p><br> - He rejoiced that he had not betrayed his knowledge of the -Colonel's<br> - house; and when, on his return to barracks, he discovered that -no<br> - cheroot-case had been left behind, he beamed with delight. Here -was<br> - a man after his own heart - a tortuous and indirect person -playing<br> - a hidden game. Well, if he could be a fool, so could Kim.</p> - -<p>He showed nothing of his mind when Father Victor, for three -long<br> - mornings, discoursed to him of an entirely new set of Gods -and<br> - Godlings - notably of a Goddess called Mary, who, he gathered, -was<br> - one with Bibi Miriam of Mahbub Ali's theology. He betrayed -no<br> - emotion when, after the lecture, Father Victor dragged him -from<br> - shop to shop buying articles of outfit, nor when envious -drummer-<br> - boys kicked him because he was going to a superior school did -he<br> - complain, but awaited the play of circumstances with an -interested<br> - soul. Father Victor, good man, took him to the station, put -him<br> - into an empty second-class next to Colonel Creighton's first, -and<br> - bade him farewell with genuine feeling.</p> - -<p>'They'll make a man o' you, O'Hara, at St Xavier's - a white -man,<br> - an', I hope, a good man. They know all about your comin', an' -the<br> - Colonel will see that ye're not lost or mislaid anywhere on -the<br> - road. I've given you a notion of religious matters, - at least -I<br> - hope so, - and you'll remember, when they ask you your -religion,<br> - that you're a Cath'lic. Better say Roman Cath'lic, tho' I'm -not<br> - fond of the word.'</p> - -<p>Kim lit a rank cigarette - he had been careful to buy a stock -in<br> - the bazar - and lay down to think. This solitary passage was -verv<br> - different from that joyful down-journey in the third-class with -the<br> - lama. 'Sahibs get little pleasure of travel,' he reflected.</p> - -<p>'Hai mai! I go from one place to another as it might be a -kickball.<br> - It is my Kismet. No man can escape his Kismet. But I am to pray -to<br> - Bibi Miriam, and I am a Sahib.' He looked at his boots -ruefully.<br> - 'No; I am Kim. This is the great world, and I am only Kim. Who -is<br> - Kim?' He considered his own identity, a thing he had never -done<br> - before, till his head swam. He was one insignificant person in -all<br> - this roaring whirl of India, going southward to he knew not -what<br> - fate.</p> - -<p>Presently the Colonel sent for him, and talked for a long -time. So<br> - far as Kim could gather, he was to be diligent and enter the -Survey<br> - of India as a chain-man. If he were very good, and passed -the<br> - proper examinations, he would be earning thirty rupees a month -at<br> - seventeen years old, and Colonel Creighton would see that he -found<br> - suitable employment.</p> - -<p>Kim pretended at first to understand perhaps one word in three -of<br> - this talk. Then the Colonel, seeing his mistake, turned to -fluent<br> - and picturesque Urdu and Kim was contented. No man could be a -fool<br> - who knew the language so intimately, who moved so gently and<br> - silently, and whose eyes were so different from the dull fat -eyes<br> - of other Sahibs.</p> - -<p>'Yes, and thou must learn how to make pictures of roads -and<br> - mountains and rivers to carry these pictures in thine eye till -a<br> - suitable time comes to set them upon paper. Perhaps some day, -when<br> - thou art a chain-man, I may say to thee when we are working<br> - together: "Go across those hills and see what lies beyond." -Then<br> - one will say: "There are bad people living in those hills who -will<br> - slay the chain-man if he be seen to look like a Sahib." What -then?'</p> - -<p>Kim thought. Would it be safe to return the Colonel's -lead?</p> - -<p>'I would tell what that other man had said.'</p> - -<p>'But if I answered: "I will give thee a hundred rupees for<br> - knowledge of what is behind those hills - for a picture of a -river<br> - and a little news of what the people say in the villages -there"?'</p> - -<p>'How can I tell? I am only a boy. Wait till I am a man.' -Then,<br> - seeing the Colonel's brow clouded, he went on: 'But I think -I<br> - should in a few days earn the hundred rupees.'</p> - -<p>'By what road?'</p> - -<p>Kim shook his head resolutely. 'If I said how I would earn -them,<br> - another man might hear and forestall me. It is not good to -sell<br> - knowledge for nothing.'</p> - -<p>'Tell now.' The Colonel held up a rupee. Kim's hand half -reached<br> - towards it, and dropped.</p> - -<p>'Nay, Sahib; nay. I know the price that will be paid for -the<br> - answer, but I do not know why the question is asked.'</p> - -<p>'Take it for a gift, then,' said Creighton, tossing it over. -'There<br> - is a good spirit in thee. Do not let it be blunted at St -Xavier's.<br> - There are many boys there who despise the black men.'</p> - -<p>'Their mothers were bazar-women,' said Kim. He knew well there -is<br> - no hatred like that of the half-caste for his -brother-in-law.</p> - -<p>'True; but thou art a Sahib and the son of a Sahib. Therefore, -do<br> - not at any time be led to contemn the black men. I have known -boys<br> - newly entered into the service of the Government who feigned not -to<br> - understand the talk or the customs of black men. Their pay was -cut<br> - for ignorance. There is no sin so great as ignorance. -Remember<br> - this.'</p> - -<p>Several times in the course of the long twenty-four hours' -run<br> - south did the Colonel send for Kim, always developing this -latter<br> - text.</p> - -<p>'We be all on one lead-rope, then,' said Kim at last, 'the -Colonel,<br> - Mahbub Ali, and I - when I become a chain-man. He will use me -as<br> - Mahbub Ali employed me, I think. That is good, if it allows me -to<br> - return to the Road again. This clothing grows no easier by -wear.'</p> - -<p>When they came to the crowded Lucknow station there was no -sign of<br> - the lama. He swallowed his disappointment, while the Colonel<br> - bundled him into a ticca-gharri with his neat belongings and<br> - despatched him alone to St Xavier's.</p> - -<p>'I do not say farewell, because we shall meet again,' he -cried.<br> - 'Again, and many times, if thou art one of good spirit. But -thou<br> - art not yet tried.'</p> - -<p>'Not when I brought thee' - Kim actually dared to use the tum -of<br> - equals - 'a white stallion's pedigree that night?'</p> - -<p>'Much is gained by forgetting, little brother,' said the -Colonel,<br> - with a look that pierced through Kim's shoulder-blades as he<br> - scuttled into the carriage.</p> - -<p>It took him nearly five minutes to recover. Then he sniffed -the new<br> - air appreciatively. 'A rich city,' he said. 'Richer than -Lahore.<br> - How good the bazars must be! Coachman, drive me a little -through<br> - the bazars here.'</p> - -<p>'My order is to take thee to the school.' The driver used -the<br> - 'thou', which is rudeness when applied to a white man. In -the<br> - clearest and most fluent vernacular Kim pointed out his -error,<br> - climbed on to the box-seat, and, perfect understanding -established,<br> - drove for a couple of hours up and down, estimating, comparing, -and<br> - enjoying. There is no city - except Bombay, the queen of all - -more<br> - beautiful in her garish style than Lucknow, whether you see -her<br> - from the bridge over the river, or from the top of the -Imambara<br> - looking down on the gilt umbrellas of the Chutter Munzil, and -the<br> - trees in which the town is bedded. Kings have adorned her -with<br> - fantastic buildings, endowed her with charities, crammed her -with<br> - pensioners, and drenched her with blood. She is the centre of -all<br> - idleness, intrigue, and luxury, and shares with Delhi the claim -to<br> - talk the only pure Urdu.</p> - -<p>'A fair city - a beautiful city.' The driver, as a Lucknow -man, was<br> - pleased with the compliment, and told Kim many astounding -things<br> - where an English guide would have talked of the Mutiny.</p> - -<p>'Now we will go to the school,' said Kim at last. The great -old<br> - school of St Xavier's in Partibus, block on block of low -white<br> - buildings, stands in vast grounds over against the Gumti River,' -at<br> - some distance from the city.</p> - -<p>'What like of folk are they within?' said Kim.</p> - -<p>'Young Sahibs - all devils. But to speak truth, and I drive -many of<br> - them to and fro from the railway station, I have never seen -one<br> - that had in him the making of a more perfect devil than thou - -this<br> - young Sahib whom I am now driving.'</p> - -<p>Naturally, for he was never trained to consider them in any -way<br> - improper, Kim had passed the time of day with one or two -frivolous<br> - ladies at upper windows in a certain street, and naturally, in -the<br> - exchange of compliments, had acquitted himself well. He was -about<br> - to acknowledge the driver's last insolence, when his eye - it -was<br> - growing dusk - caught a figure sitting by one of the white -plaster<br> - gate-pillars in the long sweep of wall.</p> - -<p>'Stop!' he cried. 'Stay here. I do not go to the school at -once.'</p> - -<p>'But what is to pay me for this coming and re-coming?' said -the<br> - driver petulantly. 'Is the boy mad? Last time it was a -dancing-<br> - girl. This time it is a priest.'</p> - -<p>Kim was in the road headlong, patting the dusty feet beneath -the<br> - dirty yellow robe.</p> - -<p>'I have waited here a day and a half,' the lama's level -voice<br> - began. 'Nay, I had a disciple with me. He that was my friend at -the<br> - Temple of the Tirthankars gave me a guide for this journey. I -came<br> - from Benares in the te-rain, when thy letter was given me. Yes, -I<br> - am well fed. I need nothing.'</p> - -<p>'But why didst thou not stay with the Kulu woman, O Holy One? -In<br> - what way didst thou get to Benares? My heart has been heavy -since<br> - we parted.'</p> - -<p>'The woman wearied me by constant flux of talk and requiring -charms<br> - for children. I separated myself from that company, permitting -her<br> - to acquire merit by gifts. She is at least a woman of open -hands,<br> - and I made a promise to return to her house if need arose. -Then,<br> - perceiving myself alone in this great and terrible world, I<br> - bethought me of the te-rain to Benares, where I knew one abode -in<br> - the Tirthankars' Temple who was a Seeker, even as I.'</p> - -<p>'Ah! Thy River,' said Kim. 'I had forgotten the River.'</p> - -<p>'So soon, my chela? I have never forgotten it. But when I had -left<br> - thee it seemed better that I should go to the Temple and -take<br> - counsel, for, look you, India is very large, and it may be -that<br> - wise men before us, some two or three, have left a record of -the<br> - place of our River. There is debate in the Temple of the<br> - Tirthankars on this matter; some saying one thing, and some<br> - another. They are courteous folk.'</p> - -<p>'So be it; but what dost thou do now?'</p> - -<p>'I acquire merit in that I help thee, my chela, to wisdom. -The<br> - priest of that body of men who serve the Red Bull wrote me that -all<br> - should be as I desired for thee. I sent the money to suffice -for<br> - one year, and then I came, as thou seest me, to watch for -thee<br> - going up into the Gates of Learning. A day and a half have I -waited<br> - not because I was led by any affection towards thee - that is -no<br> - part of the Way - but, as they said at the Tirthankars' -Temple,<br> - because, money having been paid for learning, it was right that -I<br> - should oversee the end of the matter. They resolved my doubts -most<br> - clearly. I had a fear that, perhaps, I came because I wished to -see<br> - thee - misguided by the Red Mist of affection. It is not so . . -.<br> - Moreover, I am troubled by a dream.'</p> - -<p>'But surely, Holy One, thou hast not forgotten the Road and -all<br> - that befell on it. Surely it was a little to see me that thou -didst<br> - come?'</p> - -<p>'The horses are cold, and it is past their feeding-time,' -whined<br> - the driver.</p> - -<p>'Go to Jehannum and abide there with thy reputationless aunt!' -Kim<br> - snarled over his shoulder. 'I am all alone in this land; I know -not<br> - where I go nor what shall befall me. My heart was in that letter -I<br> - sent thee. Except for Mahbub Ali, and he is a Pathan, I have -no<br> - friend save thee, Holy One. Do not altogether go away.'</p> - -<p>'I have considered that also,' the lama replied, in a -shaking<br> - voice. 'It is manifest that from time to time I shall acquire -merit<br> - if before that I have not found my River - by assuring -myself<br> - that thy feet are set on wisdom. What they will teach thee I -do<br> - not know, but the priest wrote me that no son of a Sahib in -all<br> - India will be better taught than thou. So from time to time,<br> - therefore, I will come again. Maybe thou wilt be such a Sahib as -he<br> - who gave me these spectacles' - the lama wiped them elaborately --<br> - 'in the Wonder House at Lahore. That is my hope, for he was -a<br> - Fountain of Wisdom - wiser than many abbots .... Again, maybe -thou<br> - wilt forget me and our meetings.'</p> - -<p>'If I eat thy bread,' cried Kim passionately, 'how shall I -ever<br> - forget thee?' 'No - no.' He put the boy aside. 'I must go back -to<br> - Benares. From time to time,now that I know the customs of -letter-<br> - writers in this land, I will send thee a letter, and from time -to<br> - time I will come and see thee.'</p> - -<p>'But whither shall I send my letters?' wailed Kim, clutching -at the<br> - robe, all forgetful that he was a Sahib.</p> - -<p>'To the Temple of the Tirthankars at Benares. That is the -place I<br> - have chosen till I find my River. Do not weep; for, look you, -all<br> - Desire is Illusion and a new binding upon the Wheel. Go up to -the<br> - Gates of Learning. Let me see thee go . .. Dost thou love me? -Then<br> - go, or my heart cracks .. . I will come again. Surely I will -come<br> - again.</p> - -<p>The lama watched the ticca-gharri rumble into the compound, -and<br> - strode off, snuffing between each long stride.</p> - -<p>'The Gates of Learning' shut with a clang.</p> - -<p>The country born and bred boy has his own manners and -customs,<br> - which do not resemble those of any other land; and his -teachers<br> - approach him by roads which an English master would not -understand.<br> - Therefore, you would scarcely be interested in Kim's experiences -as<br> - a St Xavier's boy among two or three hundred precocious -youths,<br> - most of whom had never seen the sea. He suffered the usual<br> - penalties for breaking out of bounds when there was cholera in -the<br> - city. This was before he had learned to write fair English, and -so<br> - was obliged to find a bazar letter-writer. He was, of -course,<br> - indicted for smoking and for the use of abuse more -full-flavoured<br> - than even St Xavier's had ever heard. He learned to wash -himself<br> - with the Levitical scrupulosity of the native-born, who in -his<br> - heart considers the Englishman rather dirty. He played the -usual<br> - tricks on the patient coolies pulling the punkahs in the -sleeping-<br> - rooms where the boys threshed through the hot nights telling -tales<br> - till the dawn; and quietly he measured himself against his -self-<br> - reliant mates.</p> - -<p>They were sons of subordinate officials in the Railway, -Telegraph,<br> - and Canal Services; of warrant-officers, sometimes retired -and<br> - sometimes acting as commanders-in-chief to a feudatory -Rajah's<br> - army; of captains of the Indian Marine Government -pensioners,<br> - planters, Presidency shopkeepers, and missionaries. A few -were<br> - cadets of the old Eurasian houses that have taken strong root -in<br> - Dhurrumtollah - Pereiras, De Souzas, and D'Silvas. Their -parents<br> - could well have educated them in England, but they loved the -school<br> - that had served their own youth, and generation followed -sallow-<br> - hued generation at St Xavier's. Their homes ranged from Howrah -of<br> - the railway people to abandoned cantonments like Monghyr and<br> - Chunar; lost tea-gardens Shillong-way; villages where their -fathers<br> - were large landholders in Oudh or the Deccan; Mission-stations -a<br> - week from the nearest railway line; seaports a thousand -miles<br> - south, facing the brazen Indian surf; and -cinchona-plantations<br> - south of all. The mere story of their adventures, which to -them<br> - were no adventures, on their road to and from school would -have<br> - crisped a Western boy's hair. They were used to jogging off -alone<br> - through a hundred miles of jungle, where there was always -the<br> - delightful chance of being delayed by tigers; but they would -no<br> - more have bathed in the English Channel in an English August -than<br> - their brothers across the world would have lain still while -a<br> - leopard snuffed at their palanquin. There were boys of fifteen -who<br> - had spent a day and a half on an islet in the middle of a -flooded<br> - river, taking charge, as by right, of a camp of frantic -pilgrims<br> - returning from a shrine. There were seniors who had -requisitioned a<br> - chance-met Rajah's elephant, in the name of St Francis Xavier, -when<br> - the Rains once blotted out the cart-track that led to their<br> - father's estate, and had all but lost the huge beast in a<br> - quicksand. There was a boy who, he said, and none doubted, -had<br> - helped his father to beat off with rifles from the veranda a -rush<br> - of Akas in the days when those head-hunters were bold -against<br> - lonely plantations.</p> - -<p><br> - And every tale was told in the even, passionless voice of -the<br> - native-born, mixed with quaint reflections, borrowed -unconsciously<br> - from native foster-mothers, and turns of speech that showed -they<br> - had been that instant translated from the vernacular. Kim -watched,<br> - listened, and approved. This was not insipid, single-word talk -of<br> - drummer-boys. It dealt with a life he knew and in part -understood.<br> - The atmosphere suited him, and he throve by inches. They gave -him a<br> - white drill suit as the weather warmed, and he rejoiced in the -new-<br> - found bodily comforts as he rejoiced to use his sharpened mind -over<br> - the tasks they set him. His quickness would have delighted -an<br> - English master; but at St Xavier's they know the first rush -of<br> - minds developed by sun and surroundings, as they know the -half-<br> - collapse that sets in at twenty-two or twenty-three.</p> - -<p>None the less he remembered to hold himself lowly. When tales -were<br> - told of hot nights, Kim did not sweep the board with his<br> - reminiscences; for St Xavier's looks down on boys who 'go -native<br> - all-together.' One must never forget that one is a Sahib, and -that<br> - some day, when examinations are passed, one will command -natives.<br> - Kim made a note of this, for he began to understand where<br> - examinations led.</p> - -<p>Then came the holidays from August to October - the long -holidays<br> - imposed by the heat and the Rains. Kim was informed that he -would<br> - go north to some station in the hills behind Umballa, where -Father<br> - Victor would arrange for him.</p> - -<p>'A barrack-school?' said Kim, who had asked many questions -and<br> - thought more.</p> - -<p>'Yes, I suppose so,' said the master. 'It will not do you any -harm<br> - to keep you out of mischief. You can go up with young De Castro -as<br> - far as Delhi.'</p> - -<p>Kim considered it in every possible light. He had been -diligent,<br> - even as the Colonel advised. A boy's holiday was his own -property -<br> - of so much the talk of his companions had advised him, - and -a<br> - barrack-school would be torment after St Xavier's. Moreover - -this<br> - was magic worth anything else - he could write. In three months -he<br> - had discovered how men can speak to each other without a -third<br> - party, at the cost of half an anna and a little knowledge. No -word<br> - had come from the lama, but there remained the Road. Kim -yearned<br> - for the caress of soft mud squishing up between the toes, as -his<br> - mouth watered for mutton stewed with butter and cabbages, for -rice<br> - speckled with strong scented cardamoms, for the -saffron-tinted<br> - rice, garlic and onions, and the forbidden greasy sweetmeats of -the<br> - bazars. They would feed him raw beef on a platter at the -barrack-<br> - school, and he must smoke by stealth. But again, he was a Sahib -and<br> - was at St Xavier's, and that pig Mahbub Ali ... No, he would -not<br> - test Mahbub's hospitality - and yet ... He thought</p> - -<p>it out alone in the dormitory, and came to the conclusion he -had<br> - been unjust to Mahbub.</p> - -<p>The school was empty; nearly all the masters had gone away; -Colonel<br> - Creighton 's railway pass lay in his hand, and Kim puffed -himself<br> - that he had not spent Colonel Creighton 's or Mahbub's money -in<br> - riotous living. He was still lord of two rupees seven annas. -His<br> - new bullock-trunk, marked 'K. O'H.', and bedding-roll lay in -the<br> - empty sleeping-room. 'Sahibs are always tied to their -baggage,'<br> - said Kim, nodding at them. 'You will stay here' He went out -into<br> - the warm rain, smiling sinfully, and sought a certain house -whose<br> - outside he had noted down some time before. . .</p> - -<p>'Arre'! Dost thou know what manner of women we be in this -quarter?<br> - Oh, shame!'</p> - -<p>'Was I born yesterday?' Kim squatted native-fashion on the -cushions<br> - of that upper room. 'A little dyestuff and three yards of cloth -to<br> - help out a jest. Is it much to ask?'</p> - -<p>'Who is she? Thou art full young, as Sahibs go, for this -devilry.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, she? She is the daughter of a certain schoolmaster of -a</p> - -<p>regiment in the cantonments. He has beaten me twice because -I</p> - -<p>went over their wall in these clothes. Now I would go as a</p> - -<p>gardener's boy. Old men are very jealous.'</p> - -<p>'That is true. Hold thy face still while I dab on the -juice.'</p> - -<p>'Not too black, Naikan. I would not appear to her as a -hubshi<br> - [nigger).'</p> - -<p>'Oh, love makes nought of these things. And how old is -she?'</p> - -<p>'Twelve years, I think,' said the shameless Kim. 'Spread it -also on<br> - the breast. It may be her father will tear my clothes off me, -and<br> - if I am piebald -' he laughed.</p> - -<p>The girl worked busily, dabbing a twist of cloth into a -little<br> - saucer of brown dye that holds longer than any walnut-juice.</p> - -<p>'Now send out and get me a cloth for the turban. Woe is me, my -head<br> - is all unshaved! And he will surely knock off my turban.'</p> - -<p>'I am not a barber, but I will make shift. Thou wast born to -be a<br> - breaker of hearts! All this disguise for one evening? Remember, -the<br> - stuff does not wash away.' She shook with laughter till her<br> - bracelets and anklets jingled. 'But who is to pay me for -this?<br> - Huneefa herself could not have given thee better stuff.'</p> - -<p>'Trust in the Gods, my sister,' said Kim gravely, screwing his -face<br> - round as the stain dried. 'Besides, hast thou ever helped to -paint<br> - a Sahib thus before?'</p> - -<p>'Never indeed. But a jest is not money.'</p> - -<p>'It is worth much more.'</p> - -<p>'Child, thou art beyond all dispute the most shameless son -of<br> - Shaitan that I have ever known to take up a poor girl's time -with<br> - this play, and then to say: "Is not the jest enough?" Thou wilt -go<br> - very far in this world.' She gave the dancing-girls' salutation -in<br> - mockery.</p> - -<p>'All one. Make haste and rough-cut my head.' Kim shifted from -foot<br> - to foot, his eyes ablaze with mirth as he thought of the fat -days<br> - before him. He gave the girl four annas, and ran down the stairs -in<br> - the likeness of a low-caste Hindu boy -perfect in every detail. -A<br> - cookshop was his next point of call, where he feasted in<br> - extravagance and greasy luxury.</p> - -<p>On Lucknow station platform he watched young De Castro, all -covered<br> - with prickly-heat, get into a second-class compartment. Kim<br> - patronized a third, and was the life and soul of it. He -explained<br> - to the company that he was assistant to a juggler who had left -him<br> - behind sick with fever, and that he would pick up his master -at<br> - Umballa. As the occupants of the carriage changed, he varied -this<br> - tale, or adorned it with all the shoots of a budding fancy, -the<br> - more rampant for being held off native speech so long. In all -India<br> - that night was no human being so joyful as Kim. At Umballa he -got<br> - out and headed eastward, plashing over the sodden fields to -the<br> - village where the old soldier lived.</p> - -<p>About this time Colonel Creighton at Simla was advised from -Lucknow<br> - by wire that young O'Hara had disappeared. Mahbub Ali was in -town<br> - selling horses, and to him the Colonel confided the affair -one<br> - morning cantering round Annandale racecourse.</p> - -<p>'Oh, that is nothing,' said the horse-dealer. 'Men are like -horses.<br> - At certain times they need salt, and if that salt is not in -the<br> - mangers they will lick it up from the earth. He has gone back -to<br> - the Road again for a while. The madrissak wearied him. I knew -it<br> - would. Another time, I will take him upon the Road myself. Do -not<br> - be troubled, Creighton Sahib. It is as though a polo-pony, -breaking<br> - loose, ran out to learn the game alone.'</p> - -<p>'Then he is not dead, think you?'</p> - -<p>'Fever might kill him. I do not fear for the boy otherwise. -A<br> - monkey does not fall among trees.'</p> - -<p>Next morning, on the same course, Mahbub's stallion ranged<br> - alongside the Colonel.</p> - -<p>'It is as I had thought,' said the horse-dealer. 'He has -come<br> - through Umballa at least, and there he has written a letter to -me,<br> - having learned in the bazar that I was here.'</p> - -<p>'Read,' said the Colonel, with a sigh of relief. It was absurd -that<br> - a man of his position should take an interest in a little -country-<br> - bred vagabond; but the Colonel remembered the conversation in -the<br> - train, and often in the past few months had caught himself -thinking<br> - of the queer, silent, self-possessed boy. His evasion, of -course,<br> - was the height of insolence, but it argued some resource and -nerve.</p> - -<p>Mahbub's eyes twinkled as he reined out into the centre of -the<br> - cramped little plain, where none could come near unseen.</p> - -<p>'"The Friend of the Stars, who is the Friend of all the -World-"'</p> - -<p>'What is this?'</p> - -<p>'A name we give him in Lahore city. "The Friend of all the -World<br> - takes leave to go to his own places. He will come back upon -the<br> - appointed day. Let the box and the bedding-roll be sent for; and -if<br> - there has been a fault, let the Hand of Friendship turn aside -the<br> - Whip of Calamity." There is yet a little more, but-'</p> - -<p>'No matter, read.'</p> - -<p>'"Certain things are not known to those who eat with forks. It -is<br> - better to eat with both hands for a while. Speak soft words -to<br> - those who do not understand this that the return may be<br> - propitious." Now the manner in which that was cast is, of -course,<br> - the work of the letter-writer, but see how wisely the boy -has<br> - devised the matter of it so that no hint is given except to -those<br> - who know!'</p> - -<p>'Is this the Hand of Friendship to avert the Whip of -Calamity?'<br> - laughed the Colonel.</p> - -<p>'See how wise is the boy. He would go back to the Road again, -as I<br> - said. Not knowing yet thy trade -'</p> - -<p>'I am not at all sure of that,' the Colonel muttered.</p> - -<p>'He turns to me to make a peace between you. Is he not wise? -He<br> - says he will return. He is but perfecting his knowledge. -Think,<br> - Sahib! He has been three months at the school. And he is not<br> - mouthed to that bit. For my part, I rejoice. The pony learns -the<br> - game.'</p> - -<p>'Ay, but another time he must not go alone.'</p> - -<p>'Why? He went alone before he came under the Colonel -Sahib's<br> - protection. When he comes to the Great Game he must go alone --<br> - alone, and at peril of his head. Then, if he spits, or sneezes, -or<br> - sits down other than as the people do whom he watches, he may -be<br> - slain. Why hinder him now? Remember how the Persians say: -The<br> - jackal that lives in the wilds of Mazanderan can only be caught -by<br> - the hounds of Mazanderan.'</p> - -<p>'True. It is true, Mahbub Ali. And if he comes to no harm, I -do not<br> - desire anything better. But it is great insolence on his -part.'</p> - -<p>'He does not tell me, even, whither he goes,' said Mahbub. 'He -is<br> - no fool. When his time is accomplished he will come to me. It -is<br> - time the healer of pearls took him in hand. He ripens too -quickly -<br> - as Sahibs reckon.'</p> - -<p>This prophecy was fulfilled to the letter a month later. -Mahbub had<br> - gone down to Umballa to bring up a fresh consignment of horses, -and<br> - Kim met him on the Kalka road at dusk riding alone, begged an -alms<br> - of him, was sworn at, and replied in English. There was -nobody<br> - within earshot to hear Mahbub's gasp of amazement.</p> - -<p>'Oho! And where hast thou been?' 'Up and down - down and -up.'</p> - -<p>'Come under a tree, out of the wet, and tell.' 'I stayed for -a<br> - while with an old man near Umballa; anon with a household of -my<br> - acquaintance in Umballa. With one of these I went as far as -Delhi<br> - to the southward. That is a wondrous city. Then I drove a -bullock<br> - for a teli [an oilman] coming north; but I heard of a great -feast<br> - forward in Patiala, and thither went I in the company of a<br> - firework-maker. It was a great feast' (Kim rubbed his stomach). -'I<br> - saw Rajahs, and elephants with gold and silver trappings; and -they<br> - lit all the fireworks at once, whereby eleven men were killed, -my<br> - fire-work-maker among them, and I was blown across a tent but -took<br> - no harm. Then I came back to the rel with a Sikh horseman, to -whom<br> - I was groom for my bread; and so here.'</p> - -<p>'Shabash!' said Mahbub Ali.</p> - -<p>'But what does the Colonel Sahib say? I do not wish to be -beaten.</p> - -<p>'The Hand of Friendship has averted the Whip of Calamity; -but<br> - another time, when thou takest the Road it will be with me. This -is<br> - too early.'</p> - -<p>'Late enough for me. I have learned to read and to write -English a<br> - little at the madrissah. I shall soon be altogether a -Sahib.'</p> - -<p>'Hear him!' laughed Mahbub, looking at the little drenched -figure<br> - dancing in the wet. 'Salaam - Sahib,' and he saluted -ironically.<br> - 'Well, art tired of the Road, or wilt thou come on to Umballa -with<br> - me and work back with the horses?'</p> - -<p>'I come with thee, Mahbub Ali.'</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 8</h2> - -<p><br> - Something I owe to the soil that grew -<br> - More to the life that fed -<br> - But most to Allah Who gave me two<br> - Separate sides to my head.</p> - -<p>I would go without shirts or shoes,<br> - Friends, tobacco or bread<br> - Sooner than for an instant lose<br> - Either side of my head.'</p> - -<p>The Two-Sided Man.</p> - -<p><br> - 'Then in God's name take blue for red,' said Mahbub, alluding -to<br> - the Hindu colour of Kim's disreputable turban.</p> - -<p>Kim countered with the old proverb, 'I will change my faith -and my<br> - bedding, but thou must pay for it.'</p> - -<p>The dealer laughed till he nearly fell from his horse. At a -shop on<br> - the outskirts of the city the change was made, and Kim stood -up,<br> - externally at least, a Mohammedan.</p> - -<p>Mahbub hired a room over against the railway station, sent for -a<br> - cooked meal of the finest with the almond-curd sweet-meats<br> - [balushai we call it] and fine-chopped Lucknow tobacco.</p> - -<p><br> - 'This is better than some other meat that I ate with the -Sikh,'<br> - said Kim, grinning as he squatted, 'and assuredly they give no -such<br> - victuals at my madrissah.'</p> - -<p>'I have a desire to hear of that same madrissah.' Mahbub -stuffed<br> - himself with great boluses of spiced mutton fried in fat -with<br> - cabbage and golden-brown onions. 'But tell me first, altogether -and<br> - truthfully, the manner of thy escape. For, O Friend of all -the<br> - World,' - he loosed his cracking belt - 'I do not think it -is<br> - often that a Sahib and the son of a Sahib runs away from -there.'</p> - -<p>'How should they? They do not know the land. It was nothing,' -said<br> - Kim, and began his tale. When he came to the disguisement and -the<br> - interview with the girl in the bazar, Mahbub Ali's gravity -went<br> - from him. He laughed aloud and beat his hand on his thigh.</p> - -<p>'Shabash! Shabash! Oh, well done, little one! What will the -healer<br> - of turquoises say to this? Now, slowly, let us hear what -befell<br> - afterwards - step by step, omitting nothing.'</p> - -<p>Step by step then, Kim told his adventures between coughs as -the<br> - full-flavoured tobacco caught his lungs.</p> - -<p>'I said,' growled Mahbub Ali to himself, 'I said it was the -pony<br> - breaking out to play polo. The fruit is ripe already -except -that<br> - he must learn his distances and his pacings, and his rods and -his<br> - compasses. Listen now. I have turned aside the Colonel's whip -from<br> - thy skin, and that is no small service.'</p> - -<p>'True.' Kim pulled serenely. 'That is true.'</p> - -<p>'But it is not to be thought that this running out and in is -any<br> - way good.'</p> - -<p>'It was my holiday, Hajji. I was a slave for many weeks. Why -should<br> - I not run away when the school was shut? Look, too, how I, -living<br> - upon my friends or working for my bread, as I did with the -Sikh,<br> - have saved the Colonel Sahib a great expense.'</p> - -<p>Mahbub's lips twitched under his well-pruned Mohammedan -moustache.</p> - -<p>'What are a few rupees' - the Pathan threw out his open -hand<br> - carelessly - 'to the Colonel Sahib? He spends them for a -purpose,<br> - not in any way for love of thee.'</p> - -<p>'That,' said Kim slowly, 'I knew a very long time ago.'</p> - -<p>'Who told?'</p> - -<p>'The Colonel Sahib himself. Not in those many words, but -plainly<br> - enough for one who is not altogether a mud-head. Yea, he told me -in<br> - the te-rain when we went down to Lucknow.'</p> - -<p>'Be it so. Then I will tell thee more, Friend of all the -World,<br> - though in the telling I lend thee my head.'</p> - -<p>'It was forfeit to me,' said Kim, with deep relish, 'in -Umballa,<br> - when thou didst pick me up on the horse after the drummer-boy -beat<br> - me.'</p> - -<p>'Speak a little plainer. All the world may tell lies save thou -and<br> - I. For equally is thy life forfeit to me if I chose to raise -my<br> - finger here.'</p> - -<p>'And this is known to me also,' said Kim, readjusting the -live<br> - charcoal-ball on the weed. 'It is a very sure tie between -us.<br> - Indeed, thy hold is surer even than mine; for who would miss a -boy<br> - beaten to death, or, it may be, thrown into a well by the -roadside?<br> - Most people here and in Simla and across the passes behind -the<br> - Hills would, on the other hand, say: "What has come to Mahbub -Ali?"<br> - if he were found dead among his horses. Surely, too, the -Colonel<br> - Sahib would make inquiries. But again,'- Kim's face puckered -with<br> - cunning, - 'he would not make overlong inquiry, lest people -should<br> - ask: "What has this Colonel Sahib to do with that -horse-dealer?"<br> - But I - if I lived -,</p> - -<p>'As thou wouldst surely die -,</p> - -<p>'Maybe; but I say, if I lived, I, and I alone, would know that -one<br> - had come by night, as a common thief perhaps, to Mahbub -Ali's<br> - bulkhead in the serai, and there had slain him, either before -or<br> - after that thief had made a full search into his saddlebags -and<br> - between the soles of his slippers. Is that news to tell to -the<br> - Colonel, or would he say to me - (I have not forgotten when he -sent<br> - me back for a cigar-case that he had not left behind him) - -"What<br> - is Mahbub Ali to me?"?'</p> - -<p>Up went a gout of heavy smoke. There was a long pause: then -Mahbub<br> - Ali spoke in admiration: 'And with these things on thy mind, -dost<br> - thou lie down and rise again among all the Sahibs' little sons -at<br> - the madrissah and meekly take instruction from thy -teachers?'</p> - -<p>'It is an order,' said Kim blandly. 'Who am I to dispute an -order?'</p> - -<p>'A most finished Son of Eblis,' said Mahbub Ali. 'But what is -this<br> - tale of the thief and the search?'</p> - -<p>'That which I saw,' said Kim, 'the night that my lama and I -lay<br> - next thy place in the Kashmir Seral. The door was left -unlocked,<br> - which I think is not thy custom, Mahbub. He came in as one -assured<br> - that thou wouldst not soon return. My eye was against a -knot-hole<br> - in the plank. He searched as it were for something - not a rug, -not<br> - stirrups, nor a bridle, nor brass pots- something little and -most<br> - carefully hid. Else why did he prick with an iron between the -soles<br> - of thy slippers?'</p> - -<p>'Ha!' Mahbub Ali smiled gently. 'And seeing these things, what -tale<br> - didst thou fashion to thyself, Well of the Truth?'</p> - -<p>'None. I put my hand upon my amulet, which lies always next to -my<br> - skin, and, remembering the pedigree of a white stallion that I -had<br> - bitten out of a piece of Mussalmani bread, I went away to -Umballa<br> - perceiving that a heavy trust was laid upon me. At that hour, -had I<br> - chosen, thy head was forfeit. It needed only to say to that man, -"I<br> - have here a paper concerning a horse which I cannot read." -And<br> - then?' Kim peered at Mahbub under his eyebrows.</p> - -<p>'Then thou wouldst have drunk water twice - perhaps -thrice,<br> - afterwards. I do not think more than thrice,' said Mahbub -simply.</p> - -<p>'It is true. I thought of that a little, but most I thought -that I<br> - loved thee, Mahbub. Therefore I went to Umballa, as thou -knowest,<br> - but (and this thou dost not know) I lay hid in the garden-grass -to<br> - see what Colonel Creighton Sahib might do upon reading the -white<br> - stallion's pedigree.'</p> - -<p>'And what did he?' for Kim had bitten off the -conversation.</p> - -<p>'Dost thou give news for love, or dost thou sell it?' Kim -asked.</p> - -<p>'I sell and - I buy.' Mahbub took a four-anna piece out of his -belt<br> - and held it up.</p> - -<p>'Eight!' said Kim, mechanically following the huckster -instinct of<br> - the East.</p> - -<p>Mahbub laughed, and put away the coin. It is too easy to deal -in<br> - that market, Friend of all the World. Tell me for love. Our -lives<br> - lie in each other's hand.'</p> - -<p>'Very good. I saw the Jang-i-Lat Sahib [the -Commander-in-Chief]<br> - come to a big dinner. I saw him in Creighton Sahib's office. I -saw<br> - the two read the white stallion's pedigree. I heard the very -orders<br> - given for the opening of a great war.'</p> - -<p>'Hah!' Mahbub nodded with deepest eyes afire. 'The game is -well<br> - played. That war is done now, and the evil, we hope, nipped -before<br> - the flower- thanks to me - and thee. What didst thou later?'</p> - -<p>'I made the news as it were a hook to catch me victual and -honour<br> - among the villagers in a village whose priest drugged my lama. -But<br> - I bore away the old man's purse, and the Brahmin found nothing. -So<br> - next morning he was angry. Ho! Ho! And I also used the news when -I<br> - fell into the hands of that white Regiment with their Bull!'</p> - -<p>'That was foolishness.' Mahbub scowled. 'News is not meant to -be<br> - thrown about like dung-cakes, but used sparingly - like -bhang.'</p> - -<p>'So I think now, and moreover, it did me no sort of good. But -that<br> - was very long ago,' he made as to brush it all away with a -thin<br> - brown hand - 'and since then, and especially in the nights -under<br> - the punkah at the madrissah, I have thought very greatly.'</p> - -<p>'Is it permitted to ask whither the Heaven-born's thought -might<br> - have led?' said Mahbub, with an elaborate sarcasm, smoothing -his<br> - scarlet beard.</p> - -<p>'It is permitted,' said Kim, and threw back the very tone. -'They<br> - say at Nucklao that no Sahib must tell a black man that he has -made<br> - a fault.'</p> - -<p>Mahbub's hand shot into his bosom, for to call a Pathan a -'black<br> - man' [kala admi] is a blood-insult. Then he remembered and -laughed.<br> - 'Speak, Sahib. Thy black man hears.'</p> - -<p>'But,' said Kim, 'I am not a Sahib, and I say I made a fault -to<br> - curse thee, Mahbub Ali, on that day at Umballa when I thought I -was<br> - betrayed by a Pathan. I was senseless; for I was but newly -caught,<br> - and I wished to kill that low-caste drummer-boy. I say now, -Hajji,<br> - that it was well done; and I see my road all clear before me to -a<br> - good service. I will stay in the madrissah till I am ripe.'</p> - -<p>'Well said. Especially are distances and numbers and the -manner of<br> - using compasses to be learned in that game. One waits in the -Hills<br> - above to show thee.'</p> - -<p>'I will learn their teaching upon a condition - that my time -is<br> - given to me without question when the madrissah is shut. Ask -that<br> - for me of the Colonel.'</p> - -<p>'But why not ask the Colonel in the Sahibs' tongue?'</p> - -<p>'The Colonel is the servant of the Government. He is sent -hither<br> - and yon at a word, and must consider his own advancement. (See -how<br> - much I have already learned at Nucklao!) Moreover, the Colonel -I<br> - know since three months only. I have known one Mahbub Ali for -six<br> - years. So! To the madrissah I will go. At the madrissah I -will<br> - learn. In the madrissah I will be a Sahib. But when the -madrissah<br> - is shut, then must I be free and go among my people. Otherwise -I<br> - die!'</p> - -<p>'And who are thy people, Friend of all the World?'</p> - -<p>'This great and beautiful land,' said Kim, waving his paw -round the<br> - little clay-walled room where the oil-lamp in its niche -burned<br> - heavily through the tobacco-smoke. 'And, further, I would see -my<br> - lama again. And, further, I need money.'</p> - -<p>'That is the need of everyone,' said Mahbub ruefully. 'I will -give<br> - thee eight annas, for much money is not picked out of -horses'<br> - hooves, and it must suffice for many days. As to all the rest, I -am<br> - well pleased, and no further talk is needed. Make haste to -learn,<br> - and in three years, or it may be less, thou wilt be an aid - -even<br> - to me.'</p> - -<p>'Have I been such a hindrance till now?' said Kim, with a -boy's<br> - giggle.</p> - -<p>'Do not give answers,' Mahbub grunted. 'Thou art my new -horse-boy.<br> - Go and bed among my men. They are near the north end of the<br> - station, with the horses.'</p> - -<p>'They will beat me to the south end of the station if I -come<br> - without authority.'</p> - -<p>Mahbub felt in his belt, wetted his thumb on a cake of Chinese -ink,<br> - and dabbed the impression on a piece of soft native paper. -From<br> - Balkh to Bombay men know that rough-ridged print with the old -scar<br> - running diagonally across it.</p> - -<p>'That is enough to show my headman. I come in the -morning.'</p> - -<p>'By which road?' said Kim.</p> - -<p>'By the road from the city. There is but one, and then we -return to<br> - Creighton Sahib. I have saved thee a beating.'</p> - -<p>'Allah! What is a beating when the very head is loose on -the<br> - shoulders?'</p> - -<p>Kim slid out quietly into the night, walked half round the -house,<br> - keeping close to the walls, and headed away from the station for -a<br> - mile or so. Then, fetching a wide compass, he worked back at<br> - leisure, for he needed time to invent a story if any of -Mahbub's<br> - retainers asked questions.</p> - -<p>They were camped on a piece of waste ground beside the -railway,<br> - and, being natives, had not, of course, unloaded the two trucks -in<br> - which Mahbub's animals stood among a consignment of -country-breds<br> - bought by the Bombay tram-company. The headman, a -broken-down,<br> - consumptive-looking Mohammedan, promptly challenged Kim, but -was<br> - pacified at sight of Mahbub's sign-manual.</p> - -<p>'The Hajji has of his favour given me service,' said Kim -testily.<br> - 'If this be doubted, wait till he comes in the morning. -Meantime, a<br> - place by the fire.'</p> - -<p>Followed the usual aimless babble that every low-caste native -must<br> - raise on every occasion. It died down, and Kim lay out behind -the<br> - little knot of Mahbub's followers, almost under the wheels of -a<br> - horse-truck, a borrowed blanket for covering. Now a bed -among<br> - brickbats and ballast-refuse on a damp night, between -overcrowded<br> - horses and unwashed Baltis, would not appeal to many white -boys;<br> - but Kim was utterly happy. Change of scene, service, and<br> - surroundings were the breath of his little nostrils, and -thinking<br> - of the neat white cots of St Xavier's all arow under the -punkah<br> - gave him joy as keen as the repetition of the -multiplication-table<br> - in English.</p> - -<p>'I am very old,' he thought sleepily. 'Every month I become a -year<br> - more old. I was very young, and a fool to boot, when I took<br> - Mahbub's message to Umballa. Even when I was with that white<br> - Regiment I was very young and small and had no wisdom. But now -I<br> - learn every day, and in three years the Colonel will take me out -of<br> - the madrissah and let me go upon the Road with Mahbub hunting -for<br> - horses' pedigrees, or maybe I shall go by myself; or maybe I -shall<br> - find the lama and go with him. Yes; that is best. To walk again -as<br> - a chela with my lama when he comes back to Benares.' The -thoughts<br> - came more slowly and disconnectedly. He was plunging into a<br> - beautiful dreamland when his ears caught a whisper, thin and -sharp,<br> - above the monotonous babble round the fire. It came from behind -the<br> - iron-skinned horse-truck.</p> - -<p>'He is not here, then?'</p> - -<p>'Where should he be but roystering in the city. Who looks for -a rat<br> - in a frog-pond? Come away. He is not our man.'</p> - -<p>'He must not go back beyond the Passes a second time. It is -the<br> - order.'</p> - -<p>'Hire some woman to drug him. It is a few rupees only, and -there is<br> - no evidence.'</p> - -<p>'Except the woman. It must be more certain; and remember the -price<br> - upon his head.'</p> - -<p>'Ay, but the police have a long arm, and we are far from -the<br> - Border. If it were in Peshawur, now!'</p> - -<p>'Yes - in Peshawur,' the second voice sneered. 'Peshawur, full -of<br> - his blood-kin - full of bolt-holes and women behind whose -clothes<br> - he will hide. Yes, Peshawur or Jehannum would suit us -equally<br> - well.'</p> - -<p>'Then what is the plan?'</p> - -<p>'O fool, have I not told it a hundred times? Wait till he -comes to<br> - lie down, and then one sure shot. The trucks are between us -and<br> - pursuit. We have but to run back over the lines and go our -way.<br> - They will not see whence the shot came. Wait here at least till -the<br> - dawn. What manner of fakir art thou, to shiver at a little<br> - watching?'</p> - -<p>'Oho!' thought Kim, behind close-shut eyes. 'Once again it -is<br> - Mahbub. Indeed a white stallion's pedigree is not a good thing -to<br> - peddle to Sahibs! Or maybe Mahbub has been selling other news. -Now<br> - what is to do, Kim? I know not where Mahbub houses, and if he -comes<br> - here before the dawn they will shoot him. That would be no -profit<br> - for thee, Kim. And this is not a matter for the police. That -would<br> - be no profit for Mahbub; and' - he giggled almost aloud - 'I do -not<br> - remember any lesson at Nucklao which will help me. Allah! Here -is<br> - Kim and yonder are they. First, then, Kim must wake and go away, -so<br> - that they shall not suspect. A bad dream wakes a man - thus --,</p> - -<p>He threw the blanket off his face, and raised himself suddenly -with<br> - the terrible, bubbling, meaningless yell of the Asiatic roused -by<br> - nightmare.</p> - -<p>'Urr-urr-urr-urr! Ya-la-la-la-la! Narain! The churel! The -churel!'</p> - -<p>A churel is the peculiarly malignant ghost of a woman who has -died<br> - in child-bed. She haunts lonely roads, her feet are turned<br> - backwards on the ankles, and she leads men to torment.</p> - -<p>Louder rose Kim's quavering howl, till at last he leaped to -his<br> - feet and staggered off sleepily, while the camp cursed him -for<br> - waking them. Some twenty yards farther up the line he lay -down<br> - again, taking care that the whisperers should hear his grunts -and<br> - groans as he recomposed himself. After a few minutes he -rolled<br> - towards the road and stole away into the thick darkness.</p> - -<p>He paddled along swiftly till he came to a culvert, and -dropped<br> - behind it, his chin on a level with the coping-stone. Here he -could<br> - command all the night-traffic, himself unseen.</p> - -<p>Two or three carts passed, jingling out to the suburbs; a -coughing<br> - policeman and a hurrying foot-passenger or two who sang to keep -off<br> - evil spirits. Then rapped the shod feet of a horse.</p> - -<p>'Ah! This is more like Mahbub,' thought Kim, as the beast -shied at<br> - the little head above the culvert.</p> - -<p>'Ohe', Mahbub Ali,' he whispered, 'have a care!'</p> - -<p>The horse was reined back almost on its haunches, and -forced<br> - towards the culvert.</p> - -<p>'Never again,' said Mahbub, 'will I take a shod horse for -night-<br> - work. They pick up all the bones and nails in the city.' He -stooped<br> - to lift its forefoot, and that brought his head within a foot -of<br> - Kim's. Down - keep down,' he muttered. 'The night is full of<br> - eyes.'</p> - -<p>'Two men wait thy coming behind the horse-trucks. They will -shoot<br> - thee at thy lying down, because there is a price on thy head. -I<br> - heard, sleeping near the horses.'</p> - -<p>'Didst thou see them? . .. Hold still, Sire of Devils!' -This<br> - furiously to the horse.</p> - -<p>'No.'</p> - -<p>'Was one dressed belike as a fakir?'</p> - -<p>'One said to the other, "What manner of fakir art thou, to -shiver<br> - at a little watching?"'</p> - -<p>'Good. Go back to the camp and lie down. I do not die -tonight.'</p> - -<p>Mahbub wheeled his horse and vanished. Kim tore back down the -ditch<br> - till he reached a point opposite his second resting-place, -slipped<br> - across the road like a weasel, and re-coiled himself in the<br> - blanket.</p> - -<p>'At least Mahbub knows,' he thought contentedly. 'And -certainly he<br> - spoke as one expecting it. I do not think those two men will -profit<br> - by tonight's watch.'</p> - -<p>An hour passed, and, with the best will in the world to keep -awake<br> - all night, he slept deeply. Now and again a night train -roared<br> - along the metals within twenty feet of him; but he had all -the<br> - Oriental's indifference to mere noise, and it did not even weave -a<br> - dream through his slumber.</p> - -<p>Mahbub was anything but asleep. It annoyed him vehemently -that<br> - people outside his tribe and unaffected by his casual amours -should<br> - pursue him for the life. His first and natural impulse was to -cross<br> - the line lower down, work up again, and, catching his -well-wishers<br> - from behind, summarily slay them. Here, he reflected with -sorrow,<br> - another branch of the Government, totally unconnected with -Colonel<br> - Creighton, might demand explanations which would be hard to -supply;<br> - and he knew that south of the Border a perfectly ridiculous fuss -is<br> - made about a corpse or so. He had not been troubled in this -way<br> - since he sent Kim to Umballa with the message, and hoped -that<br> - suspicion had been finally diverted.</p> - -<p><br> - Then a most brilliant notion struck him.</p> - -<p>'The English do eternally tell the truth,' he said, 'therefore -we<br> - of this country are eternally made foolish. By Allah, I will -tell<br> - the truth to an Englishman! Of what use is the Government police -if<br> - a poor Kabuli be robbed of his horses in their very trucks. This -is<br> - as bad as Peshawur! I should lay a complaint at the station. -Better<br> - still, some young Sahib on the Railway! They are zealous, and -if<br> - they catch thieves it is remembered to their honour.'</p> - -<p>He tied up his horse outside the station, and strode on to -the<br> - platform.</p> - -<p>'Hullo, Mahbub Ali' said a young Assistant District -Traffic<br> - Superintendent who was waiting to go down the line - a tall, -tow-<br> - haired, horsey youth in dingy white linen. 'What are you -doing<br> - here? Selling weeds - eh?'</p> - -<p>'No; I am not troubled for my horses. I come to look for -Lutuf<br> - Ullah. I have a truck-load up the line. Could anyone take them -out<br> - without the Railway's knowledge?'</p> - -<p>'Shouldn't think so, Mahbub. You can claim against us if they -do.'</p> - -<p>'I have seen two men crouching under the wheels of one of -the<br> - trucks nearly all night. Fakirs do not steal horses, so I gave -them<br> - no more thought. I would find Lutuf Ullah, my partner.'</p> - -<p>'The deuce you did? And you didn't bother your head about it? -'Pon<br> - my word, it's just almost as well that I met you. What were -they<br> - like, eh?'</p> - -<p>'They were only fakirs. They will no more than take a little -grain,<br> - perhaps, from one of the trucks. There are many up the line. -The<br> - State will never miss the dole. I came here seeking for my -partner,<br> - Lutuf Ullah</p> - -<p>'Never mind your partner. Where are your horse-trucks?'</p> - -<p>'A little to this side of the farthest place where they make -lamps<br> - for the trains.'</p> - -<p>'The signal-box! Yes.'</p> - -<p>'And upon the rail nearest to the road upon the right-hand -side -<br> - looking up the line thus. But as regards Lutuf Ullah - a tall -man<br> - with a broken nose, and a Persian greyhound Aie!'</p> - -<p>The boy had hurried off to wake up a young and -enthusiastic<br> - policeman; for, as he said, the Railway had suffered much -from<br> - depredations in the goods-yard. Mahbub Ali chuckled in his -dyed<br> - beard.</p> - -<p>'They will walk in their boots, making a noise, and then they -will<br> - wonder why there are no fakirs. They are very clever -boys--Barton<br> - Sahib and Young Sahib.'</p> - -<p>He waited idly for a few minutes, expecting to see them hurry -up<br> - the line girt for action. A light engine slid through the -station,<br> - and he caught a glimpse of young.Barton in the cab.</p> - -<p>'I did that child an injustice. He is not altogether a fool,' -said<br> - Mahbub Ali. 'To take a fire-carriage for a thief is a new -game!'</p> - -<p>When Mahbub Ali came to his camp in the dawn, no one thought -it<br> - worth while to tell him any news of the night. No one, at -least,<br> - but one small horseboy, newly advanced to the great man's -service,<br> - whom Mahbub called to his tiny tent to assist in some -packing.</p> - -<p>'It is all known to me,' whispered Kim, bending above -saddlebags.<br> - 'Two Sahibs came up on a te-train. I was running to and fro in -the<br> - dark on this side of the trucks as the te-train moved up and -down<br> - slowly. They fell upon two men sitting under this truck - -Hajji,<br> - what shall I do with this lump of tobacco? Wrap it in paper and -put<br> - it under the salt-bag? Yes - and struck them down. But one -man<br> - struck at a Sahib with a fakir's buck's horn' (Kim meant the<br> - conjoined black-buck horns, which are a fakir's sole -temporal<br> - weapon) - 'the blood came. So the other Sahib, first smiting -his<br> - own man senseless, smote the stabber with a short gun which -had<br> - rolled from the first man's hand. They all raged as though -mad<br> - together.'</p> - -<p>Mahbub smiled with heavenly resignation. 'No! That is not so -much<br> - dewanee [madness, or a case for the civil court - the word can -be<br> - punned upon both ways] as nizamut [a criminal case]. A gun, -sayest<br> - thou? Ten good years in jail.'</p> - -<p>'Then they both lay still, but I think they were nearly dead -when<br> - they were put on the te-train. Their heads moved thus. And there -is<br> - much blood on the line. Come and see?'</p> - -<p>'I have seen blood before. Jail is the sure place - and -assuredly<br> - they will give false names, and assuredly no man will find them -for<br> - a long time. They were unfriends of mine. Thy fate and mine seem -on<br> - one string. What a tale for the healer of pearls! Now swiftly -with<br> - the saddle-bags and the cooking-platter. We will take out -the<br> - horses and away to Simla.'</p> - -<p>Swiftly - as Orientals understand speed - with long -explanations,<br> - with abuse and windy talk, carelessly, amid a hundred checks -for<br> - little things forgotten, the untidy camp broke up and led the -half-<br> - dozen stiff and fretful horses along the Kalka road in the fresh -of<br> - the rain-swept dawn. Kim, regarded as Mahbub Ali's favourite by -all<br> - who wished to stand well with the Pathan, was not called upon -to<br> - work. They strolled on by the easiest of stages, halting every -few<br> - hours at a wayside shelter. Very many Sahibs travel along the -Kalka<br> - road; and, as Mahbub Ali says, every young Sahib must needs -esteem<br> - himself a judge of a horse, and, though he be over head in debt -to<br> - the money-lender, must make as if to buy. That was the reason -that<br> - Sahib after Sahib, rolling along in a stage-carriage, would -stop<br> - and open talk. Some would even descend from their vehicles and -feel<br> - the horses' legs; asking inane questions, or, through sheer<br> - ignorance of the vernacular, grossly insulting the -imperturbable<br> - trader.</p> - -<p>'When first I dealt with Sahibs, and that was when Colonel -Soady<br> - Sahib was Governor of Fort Abazai and flooded the -Commissioner's<br> - camping-ground for spite,' Mahbub confided to Kim as the boy -filled<br> - his pipe under a tree, 'I did not know how greatly they were -fools,<br> - and this made me wroth. As thus -, and he told Kim a tale of -an<br> - expression, misused in all innocence, that doubled Kim up -with<br> - mirth. 'Now I see, however,' - he exhaled smoke slowly - 'that -it<br> - is with them as with all men - in certain matters they are -wise,<br> - and in others most foolish. Very foolish it is to use the -wrong<br> - word to a stranger; for though the heart may be clean of -offence,<br> - how is the stranger to know that? He is more like to search -truth<br> - with a dagger.'</p> - -<p>'True. True talk,' said Kim solemnly. 'Fools speak of a cat -when a<br> - woman is brought to bed, for instance. I have heard them.'</p> - -<p>'Therefore, in one situate as thou art, it particularly -behoves<br> - thee to remember this with both kinds of faces. Among Sahibs, -never<br> - forgetting thou art a Sahib; among the folk of Hind, always<br> - remembering thou art -' He paused, with a puzzled smile.</p> - -<p>'What am I? Mussalman, Hindu, Jain, or Buddhist? That is a -hard<br> - knot.'</p> - -<p>'Thou art beyond question an unbeliever, and therefore thou -wilt be<br> - damned. So says my Law - or I think it does. But thou art also -my<br> - Little Friend of all the World, and I love thee. So says my -heart.<br> - This matter of creeds is like horseflesh. The wise man knows -horses<br> - are good - that there is a profit to be made from all; and -for<br> - myself- but that I am a good Sunni and hate the men of Tirah - -I<br> - could believe the same of all the Faiths. Now manifestly a<br> - Kathiawar mare taken from the sands of her birthplace and -removed<br> - to the west of Bengal founders - nor is even a Balkh stallion -(and<br> - there are no better horses than those of Balkh, were they not -so<br> - heavy in the shoulder) of any account in the great Northern -deserts<br> - beside the snow-camels I have seen. Therefore I say in my heart -the<br> - Faiths are like the horses. Each has merit in its own -country.'</p> - -<p>'But my lama said altogether a different thing.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, he is an old dreamer of dreams from Bhotiyal. My heart is -a<br> - little angry, Friend of all the World, that thou shouldst see -such<br> - worth in a man so little known.'</p> - -<p>'It is true, Hajji; but that worth do I see, and to him my -heart is<br> - drawn.'</p> - -<p>'And his to thine, I hear. Hearts are like horses. They come -and<br> - they go against bit or spur. Shout Gul Sher Khan yonder to drive -in<br> - that bay stallion's pickets more firmly. We do not want a -horse-<br> - fight at every resting-stage, and the dun and the black will -be<br> - locked in a little . . . Now hear me. Is it necessary to the<br> - comfort of thy heart to see that lama?'</p> - -<p>'It is one part of my bond,' said Kim. 'If I do not see him, -and if<br> - he is taken from me, I will go out of that madrissah in -Nucklao<br> - and, and - once gone, who is to find me again?'</p> - -<p>'It is true. Never was colt held on a lighter heel-rope than -thou.'<br> - Mahbub nodded his head.</p> - -<p>'Do not be afraid.' Kim spoke as though he could have -evanished on<br> - the moment. 'My lama has said that he will come to see me at -the<br> - madrissah -,</p> - -<p>'A beggar and his bowl in the presence of those young Sa --'</p> - -<p>'Not all!' Kim cut in with a snort. 'Their eyes are blued and -their<br> - nails are blackened with low-caste blood, many of them. Sons -of<br> - mehteranees - brothers-in-law to the bhungi [sweeper].'</p> - -<p>We need not follow the rest of the pedigree; but Kim made -his<br> - little point clearly and without heat, chewing a piece of -sugar-<br> - cane the while.</p> - -<p>'Friend of all the World,' said Mahbub, pushing over the pipe -for<br> - the boy to clean, 'I have met many men, women, and boys, and not -a<br> - few Sahibs. I have never in all my days met such an imp as -thou<br> - art.'</p> - -<p>'And why? When I always tell thee the truth.'</p> - -<p>'Perhaps the very reason, for this is a world of danger to -honest<br> - men.' Mahbub Ali hauled himself off the ground, girt in his -belt,<br> - and went over to the horses.</p> - -<p>'Or sell it?'</p> - -<p>There was that in the tone that made Mahbub halt and turn. -'What<br> - new devilry?'</p> - -<p>'Eight annas, and I will tell,' said Kim, grinning. 'It -touches thy<br> - peace.'</p> - -<p>'O Shaitan!' Mahbub gave the money.</p> - -<p>'Rememberest thou the little business of the thieves in the -dark,<br> - down yonder at Umballa?'</p> - -<p>'Seeing they sought my life, I have not altogether forgotten. -Why?'</p> - -<p>'Rememberest thou the Kashmir Serai?'</p> - -<p>'I will twist thy ears in a moment - Sahib.'</p> - -<p>'No need - Pathan. Only, the second fakir, whom the Sahibs -beat<br> - senseless, was the man who came to search thy bulkhead at -Lahore. I<br> - saw his face as they helped him on the engine. The very same -man.'</p> - -<p>'Why didst thou not tell before?'</p> - -<p>'Oh, he will go to jail, and be safe for some years. There is -no<br> - need to tell more than is necessary at any one time. Besides, I -did<br> - not then need money for sweetmeats.'</p> - -<p>'Allah kerim!' said Mahbub Ah. 'Wilt thou some day sell my -head for<br> - a few sweetmeats if the fit takes thee?'</p> - -<p>Kim will remember till he dies that long, lazy journey -from<br> - Umballa, through Kalka and the Pinjore Gardens near by, up -to<br> - Simla. A sudden spate in the Gugger River swept down one -horse<br> - (the most valuable, be sure), and nearly drowned Kim among -the<br> - dancing boulders. Farther up the road the horses were stampeded -by<br> - a Government elephant, and being in high condition of grass -food,<br> - it cost a day and a half to get them together again. Then they -met<br> - Sikandar Khan coming down with a few unsaleable screws - -remnants<br> - of his string -and Mahbub, who has more of horse-coping in -his<br> - little fingernail than Sikandar Khan in all his tents, must -needs<br> - buy two of the worst, and that meant eight hours' laborious<br> - diplomacy and untold tobacco. But it was all pure delight - -the<br> - wandering road, climbing, dipping, and sweeping about the -growing<br> - spurs; the flush of the morning laid along the distant snows; -the<br> - branched cacti, tier upon tier on the stony hillsides; the -voices<br> - of a thousand water-channels; the chatter of the monkeys; -the<br> - solemn deodars, climbing one after another with down-drooped<br> - branches; the vista of the Plains rolled out far beneath them; -the<br> - incessant twanging of the tonga-horns and the wild rush of the -led<br> - horses when a tonga swung round a curve; the halts for -prayers<br> - (Mahbub was very religious in dry-washings and bellowings when -time<br> - did not press); the evening conferences by the halting-places, -when<br> - camels and bullocks chewed solemnly together and the stolid -drivers<br> - told the news of the Road - all these things lifted Kim's heart -to<br> - song within him.</p> - -<p>'But, when the singing and dancing is done,' said Mahbub -Ali,<br> - 'comes the Colonel Sahib's, and that is not so sweet.'</p> - -<p>'A fair land - a most beautiful land is this of Hind - and the -land<br> - of the Five Rivers is fairer than all,' Kim half chanted. 'Into -it<br> - I will go again if Mahbub Ali or the Colonel lift hand or -foot<br> - against me. Once gone, who shall find me? Look, Hajji, is -yonder<br> - the city of Simla? Allah, what a city!'</p> - -<p>'My father's brother, and he was an old man when Mackerson -Sahib's<br> - well was new at Peshawur, could recall when there were but -two<br> - houses in it.</p> - -<p>He led the horses below the main road into the lower Simla -bazar -<br> - the crowded rabbit-warren that climbs up from the valley to -the<br> - Town Hall at an angle of forty-five. A man who knows his way -there<br> - can defy all the police of India's summer capital, so -cunningly<br> - does veranda communicate with veranda, alley-way with -alley-way,<br> - and bolt-hole with bolt-hole. Here live those who minister to -the<br> - wants of the glad city - jhampanis who pull the pretty -ladies'<br> - 'rickshaws by night and gamble till the dawn; grocers, -oil-sellers,<br> - curio-vendors, firewood-dealers, priests, pickpockets, and -native<br> - employees of the Government. Here are discussed by courtesans -the<br> - things which are supposed to be profoundest secrets of the -India<br> - Council; and here gather all the sub-sub-agents of half the -Native<br> - States. Here, too, Mahbub Ali rented a room, much more -securely<br> - locked than his bulkhead at Lahore, in the house of a -Mohammedan<br> - cattle-dealer. It was a place of miracles, too, for there went -in<br> - at twilight a Mohammedan horseboy, and there came out an hour -later<br> - a Eurasian lad - the Lucknow girl's dye was of the best - in -badly-<br> - fitting shop-clothes.</p> - -<p>'I have spoken with Creighton Sahib,' quoth Mahbub Ali, and -a<br> - second time has the Hand of Friendship averted the Whip of<br> - Calamity. He says that thou hast altogether wasted sixty days -upon<br> - the Road, and it is too late, therefore, to send thee to any -Hill-<br> - school.'</p> - -<p>'I have said that my holidays are my own. I do not go to -school<br> - twice over. That is one part of my bond.'</p> - -<p>'The Colonel Sahib is not yet aware of that contract. Thou art -to<br> - lodge in Lurgan Sahib's house till it is time to go again to<br> - Nucklao.'</p> - -<p>'I had sooner lodge with thee, Mahbub.'</p> - -<p>'Thou dost not know the honour. Lurgan Sahib himself asked -for<br> - thee. Thou wilt go up the hill and along the road atop, and -there<br> - thou must forget for a while that thou hast ever seen or spoken -to<br> - me, Mahbub Ali, who sells horses to Creighton Sahib, whom thou -dost<br> - not know. Remember this order.'</p> - -<p>Kim nodded. 'Good,' said he, 'and who is Lurgan Sahib? Nay' - -he<br> - caught Mahbub's sword-keen glance - 'indeed I have never heard -his<br> - name. Is he by chance - he lowered his voice -'one of us?'</p> - -<p>'What talk is this of us, Sahib?' Mahbub Ali returned, in the -tone<br> - he used towards Europeans. 'I am a Pathan; thou art a Sahib and -the<br> - son of a Sahib. Lurgan Sahib has a shop among the European -shops.<br> - All Simla knows it. Ask there ... and, Friend of all the World, -he<br> - is one to be obeyed to the last wink of his eyelashes. Men say -he<br> - does magic, but that should not touch thee. Go up the hill and -ask.<br> - Here begins the Great Game.'</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 9</h2> - -<p><br> - S' doaks was son of Yelth the wise -<br> - Chief of the Raven clan.<br> - Itswoot the Bear had him in care<br> - To make him a medicine-man.</p> - -<p>He was quick and quicker to learn -<br> - Bold and bolder to dare:<br> - He danced the dread Kloo-Kwallie Dance<br> - To tickle Itswoot the Bear!</p> - -<p>Oregon Legend</p> - -<p>Kim flung himself whole-heartedly upon the next turn of the -wheel.<br> - He would be a Sahib again for a while. In that idea, so soon as -he<br> - had reached the broad road under Simla Town Hall, he cast about -for<br> - one to impress. A Hindu child, some ten years old, squatted -under a<br> - lamp-post.</p> - -<p>Where is Mr Lurgan's house?' demanded Kim.</p> - -<p><br> - 'I do not understand English,' was the answer, and Kim shifted -his<br> - speech accordingly.</p> - -<p>'I will show.'</p> - -<p>Together they set off through the mysterious dusk, full of -the<br> - noises of a city below the hillside, and the breath of a cool -wind<br> - in deodar-crowned Jakko, shouldering the stars. The -house-lights,<br> - scattered on every level, made, as it were, a double -firmament.<br> - Some were fixed, others belonged to the 'rickshaws of the -careless,<br> - open-spoken English folk, going out to dinner.</p> - -<p>'It is here,' said Kim's guide, and halted in a veranda flush -with<br> - the main road. No door stayed them, but a curtain of beaded -reeds<br> - that split up the lamplight beyond.</p> - -<p>'He is come,' said the boy, in a voice little louder than a -sigh,<br> - and vanished. Kim felt sure that the boy had been posted to -guide<br> - him from the first, but, putting a bold face on it, parted -the<br> - curtain. A black-bearded man, with a green shade over his eyes, -sat<br> - at a table, and, one by one, with short, white hands, picked -up<br> - globules of light from a tray before him, threaded them on a<br> - glancing silken string, and hummed to himself the while. Kim -was<br> - conscious that beyond the circle of light the room was full -of<br> - things that smelt like all the temples of all the East. A whiff -of<br> - musk, a puff of sandal-wood, and a breath of sickly -jessamine-oil<br> - caught his opened nostrils.</p> - -<p>'I am here,' said Kim at last, speaking in the vernacular: -the<br> - smells made him forget that he was to be a Sahib</p> - -<p>'Seventy-nine, eighty, eighty-one,' the man counted to -himself,<br> - stringing pearl after pearl so quickly that Kim could -scarcely<br> - follow his fingers. He slid off the green shade and looked -fixedly<br> - at Kim for a full half-minute. The pupils of the eye dilated -and<br> - closed to pin-pricks, as if at will. There was a fakir by -the<br> - Taksali Gate who had just this gift and made money by it,<br> - especially when cursing silly women. Kim stared with interest. -His<br> - disreputable friend could further twitch his ears, almost like -a<br> - goat, and Kim was disappointed that this new man could not -imitate<br> - him.</p> - -<p>'Do not be afraid,' said Lurgan Sahib suddenly.</p> - -<p>'Why should I fear?'</p> - -<p>'Thou wilt sleep here tonight, and stay with me till it is -time to<br> - go again to Nucklao. It is an order.'</p> - -<p>'It is an order,' Kim repeated. 'But where shall I sleep?'</p> - -<p>'Here, in this room.' Lurgan Sahib waved his hand towards -the<br> - darkness behind him.</p> - -<p>'So be it,' said Kim composedly. 'Now?'</p> - -<p>He nodded and held the lamp above his head. As the light -swept<br> - them, there leaped out from the walls a collection of -Tibetan<br> - devil-dance masks, hanging above the fiend-embroidered draperies -of<br> - those ghastly functions - horned masks, scowling masks, and -masks<br> - of idiotic terror. In a corner, a Japanese warrior, mailed -and<br> - plumed, menaced him with a halberd, and a score of lances -and<br> - khandas and kuttars gave back the unsteady gleam. But what<br> - interested Kim more than all these things - he had seen -devil-dance<br> - masks at the Lahore Museum - was a glimpse of the soft-eyed -Hindu<br> - child who had left him in the doorway, sitting cross-legged -under<br> - the table of pearls with a little smile on his scarlet lips.</p> - -<p>'I think that Lurgan Sahib wishes to make me afraid. And I am -sure<br> - that that devil's brat below the table wishes to see me -afraid.<br> - This place,' he said aloud, 'is like a Wonder House. Where is -my<br> - bed?'</p> - -<p>Lurgan Sahib pointed to a native quilt in a corner by the -loathsome<br> - masks, picked up the lamp, and left the room black.</p> - -<p>'Was that Lurgan Sahib?' Kim asked as he cuddled down. No -answer.<br> - He could hear the Hindu boy breathing, however, and, guided by -the<br> - sound, crawled across the floor, and cuffed into the -darkness,<br> - crying: 'Give answer, devil! Is this the way to lie to a -Sahib?'</p> - -<p>>From the darkness he fancied he could hear the echo of a -chuckle.<br> - It could not be his soft-fleshed companion, because he was -weeping.<br> - So Kim lifted up his voice and called aloud:</p> - -<p>'Lurgan Sahib! O Lurgan Sahib! Is it an order that thy servant -does<br> - not speak to me?'</p> - -<p>'It is an order.' The voice came from behind him and he -started.</p> - -<p>'Very good. But remember,' he muttered, as he resought the -quilt,<br> - 'I will beat thee in the morning. I do not love Hindus.'</p> - -<p><br> - That was no cheerful night; the room being overfull of voices -and<br> - music. Kim was waked twice by someone calling his name. The -second<br> - time he set out in search, and ended by bruising his nose -against a<br> - box that certainly spoke with a human tongue, but in no sort -of<br> - human accent. It seemed to end in a tin trumpet and to be joined -by<br> - wires to a smaller box on the floor - so far, at least, as he -could<br> - judge by touch. And the voice, very hard and whirring, came out -of<br> - the trumpet. Kim rubbed his nose and grew furious, thinking, -as<br> - usual, in Hindi.</p> - -<p>'This with a beggar from the bazar might be good, but - I am -a<br> - Sahib and the son of a Sahib and, whichis twice as much more<br> - beside, a student of Nucklao. Yess' (here he turned to -English),<br> - 'a boy of St Xavier's. Damn Mr Lurgan's eyes! - It is some sort -of<br> - machinery like a sewing-machine. Oh, it is a great cheek of him --<br> - we are not frightened that way at Lucknow - No!' Then in -Hindi:<br> - 'But what does he gain? He is only a trader - I am in his<br> - shop. But Creighton Sahib is a Colonel - and I think -Creighton<br> - Sahib gave orders that it should be done. How I will beat -that<br> - Hindu in the morning! What is this?'</p> - -<p>The trumpet-box was pouring out a string of the most -elaborate<br> - abuse that even Kim had ever heard, in a high uninterested -voice,<br> - that for a moment lifted the short hairs of his neck. When the -vile<br> - thing drew breath, Kim was reassured by the soft, -sewing-machine-<br> - like whirr.</p> - -<p>'Chup! [Be still)' he cried, and again he heard a chuckle -that<br> - decided him. 'Chup - or I break your head.'</p> - -<p>The box took no heed. Kim wrenched at the tin trumpet and -something<br> - lifted with a click. He had evidently raised a lid. If there -were a<br> - devil inside, now was its time, for - he sniffed -thus did -the<br> - sewing-machines of the bazar smell. He would clean that shaitan. -He<br> - slipped off his jacket, and plunged it into the box's mouth.<br> - Something long and round bent under the pressure, there was a -whirr<br> - and the voice stopped - as voices must if you ram a -thrice-doubled<br> - coat on to the wax cylinder and into the works of an -expensive<br> - phonograph. Kim finished his slumbers with a serene mind.</p> - -<p>In the morning he was aware of Lurgan Sahib looking down on -him.</p> - -<p>'Oah!' said Kim, firmly resolved to cling to his Sahib-dom. -'There<br> - was a box in the night that gave me bad talk. So I stopped it. -Was<br> - it your box?'</p> - -<p>The man held out his hand.</p> - -<p>'Shake hands, O'Hara,' he said. 'Yes, it was my box. I keep -such<br> - things because my friends the Rajahs like them. That one is -broken,<br> - but it was cheap at the price. Yes, my friends, the Kings, are -very<br> - fond of toys - and so am I sometimes.'</p> - -<p>Kim looked him over out of the corners of his eyes. He was a -Sahib<br> - in that he wore Sahib's clothes; the accent of his Urdu, the<br> - intonation of his English, showed that he was anything but a -Sahib.<br> - He seemed to understand what moved in Kim's mind ere the boy -opened<br> - his mouth, and he took no pains to explain himself as did -Father<br> - Victor or the Lucknow masters. Sweetest of all - he treated Kim -as<br> - an equal on the Asiatic side.</p> - -<p>'I am sorry you cannot beat my boy this morning. He says he -will<br> - kill you with a knife or poison. He is jealous, so I have put -him<br> - in the corner and I shall not speak to him today. He has just -tried<br> - to kill me. You must help me with the breakfast. He is almost -too<br> - jealous to trust, just now.'</p> - -<p>Now a genuine imported Sahib from England would have made a -great<br> - to-do over this tale. Lurgan Sahib stated it as simply as -Mahbub<br> - Ali was used to record his little affairs in the North.</p> - -<p>The back veranda of the shop was built out over the sheer -hillside,<br> - and they looked down into their neighbours' chimney-pots, as is -the<br> - custom of Simla. But even more than the purely Persian meal -cooked<br> - by Lurgan Sahib with his own hands, the shop fascinated Kim. -The<br> - Lahore Museum was larger, but here were more wonders - -ghost-<br> - daggers and prayer-wheels from Tibet; turquoise and raw -amber<br> - necklaces; green jade bangles; curiously packed incense-sticks -in<br> - jars crusted over with raw garnets; the devil-masks of -overnight<br> - and a wall full of peacock-blue draperies; gilt figures of -Buddha,<br> - and little portable lacquer altars; Russian samovars with<br> - turquoises on the lid; egg-shell china sets in quaint -octagonal<br> - cane boxes; yellow ivory crucifixes - from Japan of all places -in<br> - the world, so Lurgan Sahib said; carpets in dusty bales, -smelling<br> - atrociously, pushed back behind torn and rotten screens of<br> - geometrical work; Persian water-jugs for the hands after -meals;<br> - dull copper incense-burners neither Chinese nor Persian, -with<br> - friezes of fantastic devils running round them; tarnished -silver<br> - belts that knotted like raw hide; hairpins of jade, ivory, -and<br> - plasma; arms of all sorts and kinds, and a thousand other -oddments<br> - were cased, or piled, or merely thrown into the room, leaving -a<br> - clear space only round the rickety deal table, where Lurgan -Sahib<br> - worked.</p> - -<p>'Those things are nothing,' said his host, following Kim's -glance.<br> - 'I buy them because they are pretty, and sometimes I sell - if -I<br> - like the buyer's look. My work is on the table - some of -it.'</p> - -<p>It blazed in the morning light - all red and blue and -green<br> - flashes, picked out with the vicious blue-white spurt of a -diamond<br> - here and there. Kim opened his eyes.</p> - -<p>'Oh, they are quite well, those stones. It will not hurt them -to<br> - take the sun. Besides, they are cheap. But with sick stones it -is<br> - very different.' He piled Kim's plate anew. 'There is no one but -me<br> - can doctor a sick pearl and re-blue turquoises. I grant you -opals -<br> - any fool can cure an opal - but for a sick pearl there is only -me.<br> - Suppose I were to die! Then there would be no one ... Oh no! -You<br> - cannot do anything with jewels. It will be quite enough if -you<br> - understand a little about the Turquoise - some day.'</p> - -<p>He moved to the end of the veranda to refill the heavy, porous -clay<br> - water-jug from the filter.</p> - -<p>'Do you want drink?'</p> - -<p>Kim nodded. Lurgan Sahib, fifteen feet off, laid one hand on -the<br> - jar. Next instant, it stood at Kim's elbow, full to within half -an<br> - inch of the brim - the white cloth only showing, by a small<br> - wrinkle, where it had slid into place.</p> - -<p>'Wah!' said Kim in most utter amazement. 'That is magic.' -Lurgan<br> - Sahib's smile showed that the compliment had gone home.</p> - -<p>'Throw it back.'</p> - -<p>'It will break.'</p> - -<p>'I say, throw it back.'</p> - -<p>Kim pitched it at random. It fell short and crashed into -fifty<br> - pieces, while the water dripped through the rough veranda -boarding.</p> - -<p>'I said it would break.'</p> - -<p>'All one. Look at it. Look at the largest piece.'</p> - -<p>That lay with a sparkle of water in its curve, as it were a -star on<br> - the floor. Kim looked intently. Lurgan Sahib laid one hand -gently<br> - on the nape of his neck, stroked it twice or thrice, and -whispered:<br> - 'Look! It shall come to life again, piece by piece. First the -big<br> - piece shall join itself to two others on the right and the left --<br> - on the right and the left. Look!'</p> - -<p>To save his life, Kim could not have turned his head. The -light<br> - touch held him as in a vice, and his blood tingled -pleasantly<br> - through him. There was one large piece of the jar where there -had<br> - been three, and above them the shadowy outline of the entire<br> - vessel. He could see the veranda through it, but it was -thickening<br> - and darkening with each beat of his pulse. Yet the jar - how -slowly<br> - the thoughts came! - the jar had been smashed before his -eyes.<br> - Another wave of prickling fire raced down his neck, as Lurgan -Sahib<br> - moved his hand.</p> - -<p>'Look! It is coming into shape,' said Lurgan Sahib.</p> - -<p>So far Kim had been thinking in Hindi, but a tremor came on -him,<br> - and with an effort like that of a swimmer before sharks, who -hurls<br> - himself half out of the water, his mind leaped up from a -darkness<br> - that was swallowing it and took refuge in - the -multiplication-<br> - table in English!</p> - -<p>'Look! It is coming into shape,' whispered Lurgan Sahib.</p> - -<p>The jar had been smashed - yess, smashed - not the native -word, he<br> - would not think of that - but smashed - into fifty pieces, -and<br> - twice three was six, and thrice three was nine, and four -times<br> - three was twelve. He clung desperately to the repetition. -The<br> - shadow-outline of the jar cleared like a mist after rubbing -eyes.<br> - There were the broken shards; there was the spilt water drying -in<br> - the sun, and through the cracks of the veranda showed, all -ribbed,<br> - the white house-wall below - and thrice twelve was -thirty-six!</p> - -<p>'Look! Is it coming into shape?' asked Lurgan Sahib.</p> - -<p>'But it is smashed - smashed,' he gasped - Lurgan Sahib had -been<br> - muttering softly for the last half-minute. Kim wrenched his -head<br> - aside. 'Look! Dekho! It is there as it was there.'</p> - -<p>'It is there as it was there,' said Lurgan, watching Kim -closely<br> - while the boy rubbed his neck. 'But you are the first of many -who<br> - has ever seen it so.' He wiped his broad forehead.</p> - -<p>'Was that more magic?' Kim asked suspiciously. The tingle had -gone<br> - from his veins; he felt unusually wide awake.</p> - -<p>'No, that was not magic. It was only to see if there was - a -flaw<br> - in a jewel. Sometimes very fine jewels will fly all to pieces if -a<br> - man holds them in his hand, and knows the proper way. That is -why<br> - one must be careful before one sets them. Tell me, did you see -the<br> - shape of the pot?'</p> - -<p>'For a little time. It began to grow like a flower from -the<br> - ground.'</p> - -<p>'And then what did you do? I mean, how did you think?'</p> - -<p>'Oah! I knew it was broken, and so, I think, that was what -I<br> - thought - and it was broken.'</p> - -<p>'Hm! Has anyone ever done that same sort of magic to you -before?'</p> - -<p>'If it was,' said Kim 'do you think I should let it again? I -should<br> - run away.'</p> - -<p>'And now you are not afraid - eh?'</p> - -<p>'Not now.'</p> - -<p>Lurgan Sahib looked at him more closely than ever. 'I shall -ask<br> - Mahbub Ali - not now, but some day later,' he muttered. 'I -am<br> - pleased with you - yes; and I am pleased with you - no. You are -the<br> - first that ever saved himself. I wish I knew what it was that -...<br> - But you are right. You should not tell that - not even to -me.'</p> - -<p>He turned into the dusky gloom of the shop, and sat down at -the<br> - table, rubbing his hands softly. A small, husky sob came -from<br> - behind a pile of carpets. It was the Hindu child obediently -facing<br> - towards the wall. His thin shoulders worked with grief.</p> - -<p>'Ah! He is jealous, so jealous. I wonder if he will try to -poison<br> - me again in my breakfast, and make me cook it twice.</p> - -<p>'Kubbee - kubbee nahin [Never - never. No!]', came the -broken<br> - answer.</p> - -<p>'And whether he will kill this other boy?'</p> - -<p><br> - 'Kubbee - kubbee nahin.'</p> - -<p>'What do you think he will do?' He turned suddenly on Kim.</p> - -<p>'Oah! I do not know. Let him go, perhaps. Why did he want to -poison<br> - you?'</p> - -<p>'Because he is so fond of me. Suppose you were fond of -someone, and<br> - you saw someone come, and the man you were fond of was more -pleased<br> - with him than he was with you, what would you do?'</p> - -<p>Kim thought. Lurgan repeated the sentence slowly in the -vernacular.<br> - 'I should not poison that man,' said Kim reflectively, 'but -I<br> - should beat that boy - if that boy was fond of my man. But -first, I<br> - would ask that boy if it were true.'</p> - -<p>'Ah! He thinks everyone must be fond of me.'</p> - -<p>'Then I think he is a fool.'</p> - -<p>'Hearest thou?' said Lurgan Sahib to the shaking shoulders. -'The<br> - Sahib's son thinks thou art a little fool. Come out, and next -time<br> - thy heart is troubled, do not try white arsenic quite so -openly.<br> - Surely the Devil Dasim was lord of our table-cloth that day! -It<br> - might have made me ill, child, and then a stranger would -have<br> - guarded the jewels. Come!'</p> - -<p>The child, heavy-eyed with much weeping, crept out from behind -the<br> - bale and flung himself passionately at Lurgan Sahib's feet, with -an<br> - extravagance of remorse that impressed even Kim.</p> - -<p>'I will look into the ink-pools - I will faithfully guard -the<br> - jewels! Oh, my Father and my Mother, send him away!' He -indicated<br> - Kim with a backward jerk of his bare heel.</p> - -<p>'Not yet - not yet. In a little while he will go away again. -But<br> - now he is at school - at a new madrissah - and thou shalt be -his<br> - teacher. Play the Play of the Jewels against him. I will -keep<br> - tally.'</p> - -<p>The child dried his tears at once, and dashed to the back of -the<br> - shop, whence he returned with a copper tray.</p> - -<p>'Give me!' he said to Lurgan Sahib. 'Let them come from thy -hand,<br> - for he may say that I knew them before.'</p> - -<p>'Gently - gently,' the man replied, and from a drawer under -the<br> - table dealt a half-handful of clattering trifles into the -tray.</p> - -<p>'Now,' said the child, waving an old newspaper. 'Look on them -as<br> - long as thou wilt, stranger. Count and, if need be, handle. -One<br> - look is enough for me.' He turned his back proudly.</p> - -<p>'But what is the game?'</p> - -<p>'When thou hast counted and handled and art sure that thou -canst<br> - remember them all, I cover them with this paper, and thou must -tell<br> - over the tally to Lurgan Sahib. I will write mine.'</p> - -<p>'Oah!' The instinct of competition waked in his breast. He -bent<br> - over the tray. There were but fifteen stones on it. 'That is -easy,'<br> - he said after a minute. The child slipped the paper over the<br> - winking jewels and scribbled in a native account-book.</p> - -<p><br> - 'There are under that paper five blue stones - one big, one<br> - smaller, and three small,' said Kim, all in haste. 'There are -four<br> - green stones, and one with a hole in it; there is one yellow -stone<br> - that I can see through, and one like a pipe-stem. There are two -red<br> - stones, and - and - I made the count fifteen, but two I have<br> - forgotten. No! Give me time. One was of ivory, little and -brownish;<br> - and - and - give me time...'</p> - -<p>'One - two' - Lurgan Sahib counted him out up to ten. Kim -shook his<br> - head.</p> - -<p>'Hear my count!' the child burst in, trilling with -laughter.<br> - 'First, are two flawed sapphires - one of two ruttees and one -of<br> - four as I should judge. The four-ruttee sapphire is chipped at -the<br> - edge. There is one Turkestan turquoise, plain with black veins, -and<br> - there are two inscribed - one with a Name of God in gilt, and -the<br> - other being cracked across, for it came out of an old ring, -I<br> - cannot read. We have now all five blue stones. Four flawed -emeralds<br> - there are, but one is drilled in two places, and one is a -little<br> - carven-'</p> - -<p>'Their weights?' said Lurgan Sahib impassively.</p> - -<p>'Three - five - five - and four ruttees as I judge it. There -is one<br> - piece of old greenish pipe amber, and a cut topaz from -Europe.<br> - There is one ruby of Burma, of two ruttees, without a flaw, -and<br> - there is a balas-ruby, flawed, of two ruttees. There is a -carved<br> - ivory from China representing a rat sucking an egg; and there -is<br> - last - ah ha! - a ball of crystal as big as a bean set on a -gold<br> - leaf.'</p> - -<p>He clapped his hands at the close.</p> - -<p>'He is thy master,' said Lurgan Sahib, smiling.</p> - -<p>'Huh! He knew the names of the stones,' said Kim, flushing. -'Try<br> - again! With common things such as he and I both know.'</p> - -<p>They heaped the tray again with odds and ends gathered from -the<br> - shop, and even the kitchen, and every time the child won, till -Kim<br> - marvelled.</p> - -<p>'Bind my eyes - let me feel once with my fingers, and even -then I<br> - will leave thee opened-eyed behind,' he challenged.</p> - -<p>Kim stamped with vexation when the lad made his boast -good.</p> - -<p>'If it were men - or horses,' he said, 'I could do better. -This<br> - playing with tweezers and knives and scissors is too -little.'</p> - -<p>'Learn first - teach later,' said Lurgan Sahib. 'Is he thy -master?'</p> - -<p>'Truly. But how is it done?'</p> - -<p>'By doing it many times over till it is done perfectly - for -it is<br> - worth doing.'</p> - -<p>The Hindu boy, in highest feather, actually patted Kim on the -back.</p> - -<p>'Do not despair,' he said. 'I myself will teach thee.'</p> - -<p>'And I will see that thou art well taught,' said Lurgan -Sahib,<br> - still speaking in the vernacular, 'for except my boy here - it -was<br> - foolish of him to buy so much white arsenic when, if he had -asked,<br> - I could have given it - except my boy here I have not in a -long<br> - time met with one better worth teaching. And there are ten -days<br> - more ere thou canst return to Lucknao where they teach nothing - -at<br> - the long price. We shall, I think, be friends.'</p> - -<p>They were a most mad ten days, but Kim enjoyed himself too -much to<br> - reflect on their craziness. In the morning they played the -Jewel<br> - Game - sometimes with veritable stones, sometimes with piles -of<br> - swords and daggers, sometimes with photo-graphs of natives. -Through<br> - the afternoons he and the Hindu boy would mount guard in the -shop,<br> - sitting dumb behind a carpet-bale or a screen and watching -Mr<br> - Lurgan's many and very curious visitors. There were small -Rajahs,<br> - escorts coughing in the veranda, who came to buy curiosities - -such<br> - as phonographs and mechanical toys. There were ladies in search -of<br> - necklaces, and men, it seemed to Kim - but his mind may have -been<br> - vitiated by early training - in search of the ladies; natives -from<br> - independent and feudatory Courts whose ostensible business was -the<br> - repair of broken necklaces - rivers of light poured out upon -the<br> - table - but whose true end seemed to be to raise money for -angry<br> - Maharanees or young Rajahs. There were Babus to whom Lurgan -Sahib<br> - talked with austerity and authority, but at the end of each<br> - interview he gave them money in coined silver and currency -notes.<br> - There were occasional gatherings of long-coated theatrical -natives<br> - who discussed metaphysics in English and Bengali, to Mr -Lurgan's<br> - great edification. He was always interested in religions. At -the<br> - end of the day, Kim and the Hindu boy - whose name varied at<br> - Lurgan's pleasure - were expected to give a detailed account of -all<br> - that they had seen and heard - their view of each man's -character,<br> - as shown in his face, talk, and manner, and their notions of -his<br> - real errand. After dinner, Lurgan Sahib's fancy turned more to -what<br> - might be called dressing-up, in which game he took a most -informing<br> - interest. He could paint faces to a marvel; with a brush-dab -here<br> - and a line there changing them past recognition. The shop was -full<br> - of all manner of dresses and turbans, and Kim was apparelled<br> - variously as a young Mohammedan of good family, an oilman, and -once<br> - - which was a joyous evening - as the son of an Oudh landholder -in<br> - the fullest of full dress. Lurgan Sahib had a hawk's eye to -detect<br> - the least flaw in the make-up; and lying on a worn teak-wood -couch,<br> - would explain by the half-hour together how such and such a -caste<br> - talked, or walked, or coughed, or spat, or sneezed, and, -since<br> - 'hows' matter little in this world, the 'why' of everything. -The<br> - Hindu child played this game clumsily. That little mind, keen as -an<br> - icicle where tally of jewels was concerned, could not temper -itself<br> - to enter another's soul; but a demon in Kim woke up and sang -with<br> - joy as he put on the changing dresses, and changed speech -and<br> - gesture therewith.</p> - -<p>Carried away by enthusiasm, he volunteered to show Lurgan -Sahib one<br> - evening how the disciples of a certain caste of fakir, old -Lahore<br> - acquaintances, begged doles by the roadside; and what sort -of<br> - language he would use to an Englishman, to a Punjabi farmer -going<br> - to a fair, and to a woman without a veil. Lurgan Sahib -laughed<br> - immensely, and begged Kim to stay as he was, immobile for half -an<br> - hour - cross-legged, ash-smeared, and wild-eyed, in the back -room.<br> - At the end of that time entered a hulking, obese Babu whose<br> - stockinged legs shook with fat, and Kim opened on him with a -shower<br> - of wayside chaff. Lurgan Sahib - this annoyed Kim - watched -the<br> - Babu and not the play.</p> - -<p>'I think,' said the Babu heavily, lighting a cigarette, 'I am -of<br> - opeenion that it is most extraordinary and effeecient -performance.<br> - Except that you had told me I should have opined that- that- -that<br> - you were pulling my legs. How soon can he become -approximately<br> - effeecient chain-man? Because then I shall indent for him.'</p> - -<p>'That is what he must learn at Lucknow.'</p> - -<p>'Then order him to be jolly-dam'-quick. Good-night, Lurgan.' -The<br> - Babu swung out with the gait of a bogged cow.</p> - -<p>When they were telling over the day's list of visitors, -Lurgan<br> - Sahib asked Kim who he thought the man might be.</p> - -<p>'God knows!' said Kim cheerily. The tone might almost have -deceived<br> - Mahbub Ali, but it failed entirely with the healer of sick -pearls.</p> - -<p>'That is true. God, He knows; but I wish to know what you -think.'</p> - -<p>Kim glanced sideways at his companion, whose eye had a way -of<br> - compelling truth.</p> - -<p>'I - I think he will want me when I come from the school, but' --<br> - confidentially, as Lurgan Sahib nodded approval - 'I do not<br> - understand how he can wear many dresses and talk many -tongues.'</p> - -<p>'Thou wilt understand many things later. He is a writer of -tales<br> - for a certain Colonel. His honour is great only in Simla, and it -is<br> - noticeable that he has no name, but only a number and a letter --<br> - that is a custom among us.'</p> - -<p>'And is there a price upon his head too - as upon Mah - all -the<br> - others?'</p> - -<p>'Not yet; but if a boy rose up who is now sitting here and -went -<br> - look, the door is open! - as far as a certain house with a -red-<br> - painted veranda, behind that which was the old theatre in the -Lower<br> - Bazar, and whispered through the shutters: "Hurree Chunder<br> - Mookerjee bore the bad news of last month", that boy might -take<br> - away a belt full of rupees.'</p> - -<p>'How many?' said Kim promptly.</p> - -<p>'Five hundred - a thousand - as many as he might ask for.'</p> - -<p>'Good. And for how long might such a boy live after the news -was<br> - told?' He smiled merrily at Lurgan's Sahib's very beard.</p> - -<p>'Ah! That is to be well thought of. Perhaps if he were very -clever,<br> - he might live out the day - but not the night. By no means -the<br> - night.'</p> - -<p>'Then what is the Babu's pay if so much is put upon his -head?'</p> - -<p>'Eighty - perhaps a hundred - perhaps a hundred and fifty -rupees;<br> - but the pay is the least he might be almost as great as Mahbub -Ali!<br> - The housetops of his search should be half India; he would -follow<br> - Kings and Ministers, as in the old days he had followed vakils -and<br> - lawyers' touts across Lahore city for Mahbub Ali's sake. -Meantime,<br> - there was the present, and not at all unpleasant, fact of St<br> - Xavier's immediately before him. There would be new boys to<br> - condescend to, and there would be tales of holiday adventures -to<br> - hear. Young Martin, son of the tea-planter at Manipur, had -boasted<br> - that he would go to war, with a rifle, against the -head-hunters.</p> - -<p>That might be, but it was certain young Martin had not been -blown<br> - half across the forecourt of a Patiala palace by an explosion -of<br> - fireworks; nor had he... Kim fell to telling himself the story -of<br> - his own adventures through the last three months. He could -paralyse<br> - St Xavier's - even the biggest boys who shaved - with the -recital,<br> - were that permitted. But it was, of course, out of the -question.<br> - There would be a price upon his head in good time, as Lurgan -Sahib<br> - had assured him; and if he talked foolishly now, not only would -that<br> - price never be set, but Colonel part of the work. From time to -time,<br> - God causes men to be born - and thou art one of them -who have -a<br> - lust to go abroad at the risk of their lives and discover news --<br> - today it may be of far-off things, tomorrow of some hidden -mountain,<br> - and the next day of some near-by men who have done a -foolishness<br> - against the State. These souls are very few; and of these few, -not<br> - more than ten are of the best. Among these ten I count the -Babu,<br> - and that is curious. How great, therefore, and desirable must be -a<br> - business that brazens the heart of a Bengali!'</p> - -<p>'True. But the days go slowly for me. I am yet a boy, and it -is only<br> - within two months I learned to write Angrezi. Even now I -cannot<br> - read it well. And there are yet years and years and long -years<br> - before I can be even a chain-man.'</p> - -<p>'Have patience, Friend of all the World' - Kim started at the -title.<br> - 'Would I had a few of the years that so irk thee. I have proved -thee<br> - in several small ways. This will not be forgotten when I make -my<br> - report to the Colonel Sahib.' Then, changing suddenly into -English<br> - with a deep laugh:</p> - -<p>'By Jove! O'Hara, I think there is a great deal in you; but -you must<br> - not become proud and you must not talk. You must go back to -Lucknow<br> - and be a good little boy and mind your book, as the English say, -and<br> - perhaps, next holidays if you care, you can come back to me!' -Kim's<br> - face fell. 'Oh, I mean if you like. I know where you want to -go.'</p> - -<p>Four days later a seat was booked for Kim and his small trunk -at the<br> - rear of a Kalka tonga. His companion was the whale-like Babu, -who,<br> - with a fringed shawl wrapped round his head, and his fat -openwork-<br> - stockinged left leg tucked under him, shivered and grunted in -the<br> - morning chill.</p> - -<p>'How comes it that this man is one of us?' thought Kim -considering<br> - the jelly back as they jolted down the road; and the -reflection<br> - threw him into most pleasant day-dreams. Lurgan Sahib had given -him<br> - five rupees - a splendid sum - as well as the assurance of -his<br> - protection if he worked. Unlike Mahbub, Lurgan Sahib had spoken -most<br> - explicitly of the reward that would follow obedience, and Kim -was<br> - content. If only, like the Babu, he could enjoy the dignity of -a<br> - letter and a number - and a price upon his head! Some day he -would<br> - be all that and more. Some day he might be almost as great as -Mahbub<br> - Ali! The housetops of his search should be half India; he -would<br> - follow Kings and Ministers, as in the old days he had -followed<br> - vakils and lawyers' touts across Lahore city for Mahbub Ali's -sake.<br> - Meantime, there was the present, and not at all unpleasant, fact -of<br> - St Xavier's immediately before him. There would be new boys -to<br> - condescend to, and there would be tales of holiday adventures -to<br> - hear. Young Martin, son of the tea-planter at Manipur, had -boasted<br> - that he would go to war, with a rifle, against the -head-hunters.</p> - -<p>That might be, but it was certain young Martin had not been -blown<br> - half across the forecourt of a Patiala palace by an explosion -of<br> - fireworks; nor had he... Kim fell to telling himself the story -of<br> - his own adventures through the last three months. He could -paralyse<br> - St Xavier's - even the biggest boys who shaved - with the -recital,<br> - were that permitted. But it was, of course, out of the -question.<br> - There would be a price upon his head in good time, as Lurgan -Sahib<br> - had assured him; and if he talked foolishly now, not only would -that<br> - price never be set, but Colonel Creighton would cast him off - -and<br> - he would be left to the wrath of Lurgan Sahib and Mahbub Ali - -for<br> - the short space of life that would remain to him.</p> - -<p>'So I should lose Delhi for the sake of a fish,' was his -proverbial<br> - philosophy. It behoved him to forget his holidays (there -would<br> - always remain the fun of inventing imaginary adventures) and, -as<br> - Lurgan Sahib had said, to work. Of all the boys hurrying back to -St<br> - Xavier's, from Sukkur in the sands to Galle beneath the palms, -none<br> - was so filled with virtue as Kimball O'Rara, jiggeting down -to<br> - Umballa behind Hurree Chunder Mookerjee, whose name on the books -of<br> - one section of the Ethnological Survey was R.</p> - -<p>And if additional spur were needed, the Babu supplied it. -After a<br> - huge meal at Kalka, he spoke uninterruptedly. Was Kim going -to<br> - school? Then he, an M A of Calcutta University, would explain -the<br> - advantages of education. There were marks to be gained by -due<br> - attention to Latin and Wordsworth's Excursion (all this was -Greek to<br> - Kim). French, too was vital, and the best was to be picked up -in<br> - Chandernagore a few miles from Calcutta. Also a man might go -far, as<br> - he himself had done, by strict attention to plays called Lear -and<br> - Julius Caesar, both much in demand by examiners. Lear was not -so<br> - full of historical allusions as Julius Caesar; the book cost -four<br> - annas, but could be bought second-hand in Bow Bazar for two. -Still<br> - more important than Wordsworth, or the eminent authors, Burke -and<br> - Hare, was the art and science of mensuration. A boy who had -passed<br> - his examination in these branches - for which, by the way, -there<br> - were no cram-books - could, by merely marching over a country -with a<br> - compass and a level and a straight eye, carry away a picture of -that<br> - country which might be sold for large sums in coined silver. But -as<br> - it was occasionally inexpedient to carry about measuring-chains -a<br> - boy would do well to know the precise length of his own -foot-pace,<br> - so that when he was deprived of what Hurree Chunder called<br> - adventitious aids' he might still tread his distances. To keep -count<br> - of thousands of paces, Hurree Chunder's experience had shown -him<br> - nothing more valuable than a rosary of eighty-one or a hundred -and<br> - eight beads, for 'it was divisible and sub-divisible into -many<br> - multiples and sub-multiples'. Through the volleying drifts -of<br> - English, Kim caught the general trend of the talk, and it -interested<br> - him very much. Here was a new craft that a man could tuck away -in<br> - his head and by the look of the large wide world unfolding -itself<br> - before him, it seemed that the more a man knew the better for -him.</p> - -<p><br> - Said the Babu when he had talked for an hour and a half 'I hope -some<br> - day to enjoy your offeecial acquaintance. Ad interim, if I may -be<br> - pardoned that expression, I shall give you this betel-box, which -is<br> - highly valuable article and cost me two rupees only four years -ago.'<br> - It was a cheap, heart-shaped brass thing with three compartments -for<br> - carrying the eternal betel-nut, lime and pan-leaf; but it was -filled<br> - with little tabloid-bottles. 'That is reward of merit for -your<br> - performance in character of that holy man. You see, you are so -young<br> - you think you will last for ever and not take care of your body. -It<br> - is great nuisance to go sick in the middle of business. I am -fond of<br> - drugs myself, and they are handy to cure poor people too. These -are<br> - good Departmental drugs - quinine and so on. I give it you -for<br> - souvenir. Now good-bye. I have urgent private business here by -the<br> - roadside.'</p> - -<p>He slipped out noiselessly as a cat, on the Umballa road, -hailed a<br> - passing cart and jingled away, while Kim, tongue-tied, twiddled -the<br> - brass betel-box in his hands.</p> - -<p>The record of a boy's education interests few save his -parents, and,<br> - as you know, Kim was an orphan. It is written in the books of -St<br> - Xavier's in Partibus that a report of Kim's progress was -forwarded<br> - at the end of each term to Colonel Creighton and to Father -Victor,<br> - from whose hands duly came the money for his schooling. It -is<br> - further recorded in the same books that he showed a great -aptitude<br> - for mathematical studies as well as map-making, and carried away -a<br> - prize (The Life of Lord Lawrence, tree-calf, two vols., nine -rupees,<br> - eight annas) for proficiency therein; and the same term played -in St<br> - Xavier's eleven against the Alighur Mohammedan College, his -age<br> - being fourteen years and ten months. He was also re-vaccinated -(from<br> - which we may assume that there had been another epidemic of -smallpox<br> - at Lucknow) about the same time. Pencil notes on the edge of an -old<br> - muster-roll record that he was punished several times for<br> - 'conversing with improper persons', and it seems that he was -once<br> - sentenced to heavy pains for 'absenting himself for a day in -the<br> - company of a street beggar'. That was when he got over the gate -and<br> - pleaded with the lama through a whole day down the banks of -the<br> - Gumti to accompany him on the Road next holidays - for one month --<br> - for a little week; and the lama set his face as a flint against -it,<br> - averring that the time had not yet come. Kim's business, said -the<br> - old man as they ate cakes together, was to get all the wisdom of -the<br> - Sahibs and then he would see. The Hand of Friendship must in -some<br> - way have averted the Whip of Calamity, for six weeks later Kim -seems<br> - to have passed an examination in elementary surveying 'with -great<br> - credit', his age being fifteen years and eight months. From -this<br> - date the record is silent. His name does not appear in the -year's<br> - batch of those who entered for the subordinate Survey of India, -but<br> - against it stand the words 'removed on appointment.</p> - -<p>Several times in those three years, cast up at the Temple of -the<br> - Tirthankars in Benares the lama, a little thinner and a -shade<br> - yellower, if that were possible, but gentle and untainted as -ever.<br> - Sometimes it was from the South that he came - from south of<br> - Tuticorin, whence the wonderful fire-boats go to Ceylon where -are<br> - priests who know Pali; sometimes it was from the wet green West -and<br> - the thousand cotton-factory chimneys that ring Bombay; and once -from<br> - the North, where he had doubled back eight hundred miles to talk -for<br> - a day with the Keeper of the Images in the Wonder House. He -would<br> - stride to his cell in the cool, cut marble - the priests of -the<br> - Temple were good to the old man, - wash off the dust of travel, -make<br> - prayer, and depart for Lucknow, well accustomed now to the way -of<br> - the rail, in a third-class carriage. Returning, it was -noticeable,<br> - as his friend the Seeker pointed out to the head-priest, that -he<br> - ceased for a while to mourn the loss of his River, or to -draw<br> - wondrous pictures of the Wheel of Life, but preferred to talk of -the<br> - beauty and wisdom of a certain mysterious chela whom no man of -the<br> - Temple had ever seen. Yes, he had followed the traces of the -Blessed<br> - Feet throughout all India. (The Curator has still in his -possession<br> - a most marvellous account of his wanderings and meditations.) -There<br> - remained nothing more in life but to find the River of the -Arrow.<br> - Yet it was shown to him in dreams that it was a matter not to -be<br> - undertaken with any hope of success unless that seeker had with -him<br> - the one chela appointed to bring the event to a happy issue, -and<br> - versed in great wisdom - such wisdom as white-haired Keepers -of<br> - Images possess. For example (here came out the snuff-gourd, and -the<br> - kindly Jain priests made haste to be silent):</p> - -<p>'Long and long ago, when Devadatta was King of Benares -let -all<br> - listen to theTataka! - an elephant was captured for a time by -the<br> - king's hunters and ere he broke free, beringed with a -grievous<br> - legiron. This he strove to remove with hate and frenzy in his -heart,<br> - and hurrying up and down the forests, besought his -brother-elephants<br> - to wrench it asunder. One by one, with their strong trunks, -they<br> - tried and failed. At the last they gave it as their opinion that -the<br> - ring was not to be broken by any bestial power. And in a -thicket,<br> - new-born, wet with moisture of birth, lay a day-old calf of the -herd<br> - whose mother had died. The fettered elephant, forgetting his -own<br> - agony, said: "If I do not help this suckling it will perish -under<br> - our feet." So he stood above the young thing, making his -legs<br> - buttresses against the uneasily moving herd; and he begged milk -of a<br> - virtuous cow, and the calf throve, and the ringed elephant was -the<br> - calf's guide and defence. Now the days of an elephant - let -all<br> - listen to the Tataka! - are thirty-five years to his full -strength,<br> - and through thirty-five Rains the ringed elephant befriended -the<br> - younger, and all the while the fetter ate into the flesh.</p> - -<p>'Then one day the young elephant saw the half-buried iron, -and<br> - turning to the elder said: "What is this?" "It is even my -sorrow,"<br> - said he who had befriended him. Then that other put out his -trunk<br> - and in the twinkling of an eyelash abolished the ring, saying: -"The<br> - appointed time has come." So the virtuous elephant who had -waited<br> - temperately and done kind acts was relieved, at the appointed -time,<br> - by the very calf whom he had turned aside to cherish - let -all<br> - listen to the Tataka! for the Elephant was Ananda, and the -Calf<br> - that broke the ring was none other than The Lord Himself...'</p> - -<p>Then he would shake his head benignly, and over the -ever-clicking<br> - rosary point out how free that elephant-calf was from the sin -of<br> - pride. He was as humble as a chela who, seeing his master -sitting in<br> - the dust outside the Gates of Learning, over-leapt the gates -(though<br> - they were locked) and took his master to his heart in the -presence<br> - of the proud-stomached city. Rich would be the reward of such -a<br> - master and such a chela when the time came for them to seek -freedom<br> - together!</p> - -<p>So did the lama speak, coming and going across India as softly -as a<br> - bat. A sharp-tongued old woman in a house among the -fruit-trees<br> - behind Saharunpore honoured him as the woman honoured the -prophet,<br> - but his chamber was by no means upon the wall. In an apartment -of<br> - the forecourt overlooked by cooing doves he would sit, while -she<br> - laid aside her useless veil and chattered of spirits and fiends -of<br> - Kulu, of grandchildren unborn, and of the free-tongued brat who -had<br> - talked to her in the resting-place. Once, too, he strayed alone -from<br> - the Grand Trunk Road below Umballa to the very village whose -priest<br> - had tried to drug him; but the kind Heaven that guards lamas -sent<br> - him at twilight through the crops, absorbed and unsuspicious, to -the<br> - Rissaldar's door. Here was like to have been a grave<br> - misunderstanding, for the old soldier asked him why the Friend -of<br> - the Stars had gone that way only six days before.</p> - -<p>'That may not be,' said the lama. 'He has gone back to his -own<br> - people.'</p> - -<p>'He sat in that corner telling a hundred merry tales five -nights<br> - ago,' his host insisted. 'True, he vanished somewhat suddenly in -the<br> - dawn after foolish talk with my granddaughter. He grows apace, -but<br> - he is the same Friend of the Stars as brought me true word of -the<br> - war. Have ye parted?'</p> - -<p>'Yes - and no,' the lama replied. 'We - we have not -altogether<br> - parted, but the time is not ripe that we should take the -Road<br> - together. He acquires wisdom in another place. We must -wait.'</p> - -<p>'All one - but if it were not the boy how did he come to speak -so<br> - continually of thee?'</p> - -<p>'And what said he?' asked the lama eagerly.</p> - -<p>'Sweet words - an hundred thousand - that thou art his father -and<br> - mother and such all. Pity that he does not take the Qpeen's -service.<br> - He is fearless.'</p> - -<p>This news amazed the lama, who did not then know how -religiously Kim<br> - kept to the contract made with Mahbub Ali, and perforce ratified -by<br> - Colonel Creighton...</p> - -<p>'There is no holding the young pony from the game,' said the -horse-<br> - dealer when the Colonel pointed out that vagabonding over India -in<br> - holiday time was absurd. 'If permission be refused to go and -come as<br> - he chooses, he will make light of the refusal. Then who is to -catch<br> - him? Colonel Sahib, only once in a thousand years is a horse -born so<br> - well fitted for the game as this our colt. And we need men.'</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 10</h2> - -<p><br> - Your tiercel's too long at hack, Sire. He's no eyass<br> - But a passage-hawk that footed ere we caught him,<br> - Dangerously free o' the air. Faith! were he mine<br> - (As mine's the glove he binds to for his tirings)<br> - I'd fly him with a make-hawk. He's in yarak<br> - Plumed to the very point - so manned, so weathered ...<br> - Give him the firmament God made him for,<br> - And what shall take the air of him?</p> - -<p>Gow's Watch</p> - -<p>Lurgan Sahib did not use as direct speech, but his advice -tallied<br> - with Mahbub's; and the upshot was good for Kim. He knew better -now<br> - than to leave Lucknow city in native garb, and if Mahbub -were<br> - anywhere within reach of a letter, it was to Mahbub's camp -he<br> - headed, and made his change under the Pathan's wary eye. -Could<br> - the little Survey paint-box that he used for map-tinting in -term-<br> - time have found a tongue to tell of holiday doings, he might -have<br> - been expelled. Once Mahbub and he went together as far as -the<br> - beautiful city of Bombay, with three truckloads of tram-horses, -and<br> - Mahbub nearly melted when Kim proposed a sail in a dhow across -the<br> - Indian Ocean to buy Gulf Arabs, which, he understood from a -hanger-<br> - on of the dealer Abdul Rahman, fetched better prices than -mere<br> - Kabulis.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p><br> - He dipped his hand into the dish with that great trader when -Mahbub<br> - and a few co-religionists were invited to a big Haj dinner. -They<br> - came back by way of Karachi by sea, when Kim took his first<br> - experience of sea-sickness sitting on the fore-hatch of a -coasting-<br> - steamer, well persuaded he had been poisoned. The Babu's -famous<br> - drug-box proved useless, though Kim had restocked it at -Bombay.<br> - Mahbub had business at Quetta, and there Kim, as Mahbub -admitted,<br> - earned his keep, and perhaps a little over, by spending four -curious<br> - days as scullion in the house of a fat Commissariat sergeant, -from<br> - whose office-box, in an auspicious moment, he removed a -little<br> - vellum ledger which he copied out - it seemed to deal entirely -with<br> - cattle and camel sales - by moonlight, lying behind an outhouse, -all<br> - through one hot night. Then he returned the ledger to its -place,<br> - and, at Mahbub's word, left that service unpaid, rejoining him -six<br> - miles down the road, the clean copy in his bosom.</p> - -<p>'That soldier is a small fish,' Mahbub Ali explained, 'but in -time<br> - we shall catch the larger one. He only sells oxen at two prices --<br> - one for himself and one for the Government which I do not think -is<br> - a sin.'</p> - -<p>'Why could not I take away the little book and be done with -it?'</p> - -<p>Then he would have been frightened, and he would have told -his<br> - master. Then we should miss, perhaps, a great number of new -rifles<br> - which seek their way up from Quetta to the North. The Game is -so<br> - large that one sees but a little at a time.'</p> - -<p>'Oho!' said Kim, and held his tongue. That was in the -monsoon<br> - holidays, after he had taken the prize for mathematics. The<br> - Christmas holidays he spent - deducting ten days for private<br> - amusements - with Lurgan Sahib, where he sat for the most part -in<br> - front of a roaring wood-fire - Jakko road was four feet deep in -snow<br> - that year - and - the small Hindu had gone away to be married --<br> - helped Lurgan to thread pearls. He made Kim learn whole chapters -of<br> - the Koran by heart, till he could deliver them with the very -roll<br> - and cadence of a mullah. Moreover, he told Kim the names and<br> - properties of many native drugs, as well as the runes proper -to<br> - recite when you administer them. And in the evenings he wrote -charms<br> - on parchment - elaborate pentagrams crowned with the names of -devils<br> - - Murra, and Awan the Companion of Kings - all fantastically -written<br> - in the corners. More to the point, he advised Kim as to the care -of<br> - his own body, the cure of fever-fits, and simple remedies of -the<br> - Road. A week before it was time to go down, Colonel Creighton -Sahib<br> - - this was unfair - sent Kim a written examination~paper -that<br> - concerned itself solely with rods and chains and links and -angles.</p> - -<p>Next holidays he was out with Mahbub, and here, by the way, -he<br> - nearly died of thirst, plodding through the sand on a camel to -the<br> - mysterious city of Bikanir, where the wells are four hundred -feet<br> - deep, and lined throughout with camel-bone. It was not an -amusing<br> - trip from Kim's point of view, because - in defiance of the -contract<br> - - the Colonel ordered him to make a map of that wild, walled -city;<br> - and since Mohammedan horse-boys and pipe-tenders are not -expected to<br> - drag Survey-chains round the capital of an independent Native -State,<br> - Kim was forced to pace all his distances by means of a bead -rosary.<br> - He used the compass for bearings as occasion served - after -dark<br> - chiefly, when the camels had been fed - and by the help of -his<br> - little Survey paint-box of six colour-cakes and three brushes, -he<br> - achieved something not remotely unlike the city of Jeysulmir. -Mahbub<br> - laughed a great deal, and advised him to make up a written -report as<br> - well; and in the back of the big account-book that lay under -the<br> - flap of Mahbub's pet saddle Kim fell to work..</p> - -<p>'It must hold everything that thou hast seen or touched or<br> - considered. Write as though the Jung-i-Lat Sahib himself had -come by<br> - stealth with a vast army outsetting to war.'</p> - -<p>'How great an army?'</p> - -<p>'Oh, half a lakh of men.'</p> - -<p>'Folly! Remember how few and bad were the wells in the sand. -Not a<br> - thousand thirsty men could come near by here.'</p> - -<p>'Then write that down - also all the old breaches in the walls -and<br> - whence the firewood is cut - and what is the temper and -disposition<br> - of the King. I stay here till all my horses are sold. I will -hire a<br> - room by the gateway, and thou shalt be my accountant. There is -a<br> - good lock to the door.'</p> - -<p>The report in its unmistakable St Xavier's running script, and -the<br> - brown, yellow, and lake-daubed map, was on hand a few years ago -(a<br> - careless clerk filed it with the rough notes of E's second -Seistan<br> - survey), but by now the pencil characters must be almost -illegible.<br> - Kim translated it, sweating under the light of an oil-lamp, -to<br> - Mahbub, the second day of their return-journey.</p> - -<p>The Pathan rose and stooped over his dappled saddle-bags.</p> - -<p>'I knew it would be worthy a dress of honour, and so I made -one<br> - ready,' he said, smiling. 'Were I Amir of Afghanistan (and some -day<br> - we may see him), I would fill thy mouth with gold.' He laid -the<br> - garments formally at Kim's feet. There was a -gold-embroidered<br> - Peshawur turban-cap, rising to a cone, and a big turban-cloth -ending<br> - in a broad fringe of gold. There was a Delhi embroidered -waistcoat<br> - to slip over a milky white shirt, fastening to the right, ample -and<br> - flowing; green pyjamas with twisted silk waist-string; and -that<br> - nothing might be lacking, russia-leather slippers, smelling<br> - divinely, with arrogantly curled tips.</p> - -<p>'Upon a Wednesday, and in the morning, to put on new clothes -is<br> - auspicious,' said Mahbub solemnly. 'But we must not forget -the<br> - wicked folk in the world. So!'</p> - -<p>He capped all the splendour, that was taking Kim's delighted -breath<br> - away, with a mother-of-pearl, nickel-plated, self-extracting -.450<br> - revolver.</p> - -<p>'I had thought of a smaller bore, but reflected that this -takes<br> - Government bullets. A man can always come by those - -especially<br> - across the Border. Stand up and let me look.' He clapped Kim on -the<br> - shoulder. 'May you never be tired, Pathan! Oh, the hearts to -be<br> - broken! Oh, the eyes under the eyelashes, looking sideways!'</p> - -<p>Kim turned about, pointed his toes, stretched, and felt -mechanically<br> - for the moustache that was just beginning. Then he stooped -towards<br> - Mahbub's feet to make proper acknowledgment with fluttering, -quick-<br> - patting hands; his heart too full for words. Mahbub forestalled -and<br> - embraced him.</p> - -<p>'My son, said he, 'what need of words between us? But is not -the<br> - little gun a delight? All six cartridges come out at one twist. -It<br> - is borne in the bosom next the skin, which, as it were, keeps -it<br> - oiled. Never put it elsewhere, and please God, thou shalt some -day<br> - kill a man with it.'</p> - -<p>'Hai mai!' said Kim ruefully. 'If a Sahib kills a man he is -hanged<br> - in the jail.'</p> - -<p>'True: but one pace beyond the Border, men are wiser. Put it -away;<br> - but fill it first. Of what use is a gun unfed?'</p> - -<p><br> - 'When I go back to the madrissah I must return it. They do not -allow<br> - little guns. Thou wilt keep it for me?'</p> - -<p><br> - 'Son, I am wearied of that madrissah, where they take the best -years<br> - of a man to teach him what he can only learn upon the Road. -The<br> - folly of the Sahibs has neither top nor bottom. No matter. Maybe -thy<br> - written report shall save thee further bondage; and God He knows -we<br> - need men more and more in the Game.'</p> - -<p>They marched, jaw-bound against blowing sand, across the salt -desert<br> - to Jodhpur, where Mahbub and his handsome nephew Habib Ullah -did<br> - much trading; and then sorrowfully, in European clothes, which -he<br> - was fast outgrowing, Kim went second-class to St Xavier's. -Three<br> - weeks later, Colonel Creighton, pricing Tibetan ghost-daggers -at<br> - Lurgan's shop, faced Mahbub Ali openly mutinous. Lurgan -Sahib<br> - operated as support in reserve.</p> - -<p>'The pony is made - finished - mouthed and paced, Sahib! From -now<br> - on, day by day, he will lose his manners if he is kept at -tricks.<br> - Drop the rein on his back and let go,' said the horse-dealer. -'We<br> - need him.'</p> - -<p>'But he is so young, Mahbub - not more than sixteen - is -he?'</p> - -<p>'When I was fifteen, I had shot my man and begot my man, -Sahib.'</p> - -<p>'You impenitent old heathen!' Creighton turned to Lurgan. The -black<br> - beard nodded assent to the wisdom of the Afghan's dyed -scarlet.</p> - -<p>'I should have used him long ago,' said Lurgan. 'The younger -the<br> - better. That is why I always have my really valuable jewels -watched<br> - by a child. You sent him to me to try. I tried him in every way: -he<br> - is the only boy I could not make to see things.'</p> - -<p>'In the crystal - in the ink-pool?' demanded Mahbub.</p> - -<p>'No. Under my hand, as I told you. That has never happened -before.<br> - It means that he is strong enough - but you think it -skittles,<br> - Colonel Creighton - to make anyone do anything he wants. And -that is<br> - three years ago. I have taught him a good deal since, -Colonel<br> - Creighton. I think you waste him now.'</p> - -<p>'Hmm! Maybe you're right. But, as you know, there is no Survey -work<br> - for him at present.'</p> - -<p>'Let him out let him go,' Mahbub interrupted. 'Who expects any -colt<br> - to carry heavy weight at first? Let him run with the caravans - -like<br> - our white camel-colts - for luck. I would take him myself, but --,</p> - -<p>'There is a little business where he would be most useful - in -the<br> - South,' said Lurgan, with peculiar suavity, dropping his heavy -blued<br> - eyelids.</p> - -<p>'E has that in hand,' said Creighton quickly. 'He must not go -down<br> - there. Besides, he knows no Turki.'</p> - -<p>'Only tell him the shape and the smell of the letters we want -and he<br> - will bring them back,' Lurgan insisted.</p> - -<p>'No. That is a man's job,' said Creighton.</p> - -<p>It was a wry-necked matter of unauthorized and incendiary<br> - correspondence between a person who claimed to be the -ultimate<br> - authority in all matters of the Mohammedan religion throughout -the<br> - world, and a younger member of a royal house who had been -brought to<br> - book for kidnapping women within British territory. The -Moslem<br> - Archbishop had been emphatic and over-arrogant; the young prince -was<br> - merely sulky at the curtailment of his privileges, but there was -no<br> - need he should continue a correspondence which might some -day<br> - compromise him. One letter indeed had been procured, but the -finder<br> - was later found dead by the roadside in the habit of an Arab -trader,<br> - as E, taking up the work, duly reported.</p> - -<p>These facts, and a few others not to be published, made both -Mahbub<br> - and Creighton shake their heads.</p> - -<p>'Let him go out with his Red Lama,' said the horse-dealer -with<br> - visible effort. 'He is fond of the old man. He can learn his -paces<br> - by the rosary at least.'</p> - -<p>'I have had some dealings with the old man - by letter,' -said<br> - Colonel Creighton, smiling to himself. 'Whither goes he?'</p> - -<p>'Up and down the land, as he has these three years. He seeks a -River<br> - of Healing. God's curse upon all -' Mahbub checked himself. 'He -beds<br> - down at the Temple of the Tirthankars or at Buddh Gaya when he -is in<br> - from the Road. Then he goes to see the boy at the madrissah, as -we<br> - know for the boy was punished for it twice or thrice. He is -quite<br> - mad, but a peaceful man. I have met him. The Babu also has -had<br> - dealings with him. We have watched him for three years. Red -Lamas<br> - are not so common in Hind that one loses track.'</p> - -<p>'Babus are very curious,' said Lurgan meditatively. 'Do you -know<br> - what Hurree Babu really wants? He wants to be made a member of -the<br> - Royal Society by taking ethnological notes. I tell you, I tell -him<br> - about the lama everything which Mahbub and the boy have told -me.<br> - Hurree Babu goes down to Benares - at his own expense, I -think.'</p> - -<p>'I don't,' said Creighton briefly. He had paid Hurree's -travelling<br> - expenses, out of a most lively curiosity to learn what the -lama<br> - might be.</p> - -<p>'And he applies to the lama for information on lamaism, and -devil-<br> - dances, and spells and charms, several times in these few -years.<br> - Holy Virgin! I could have told him all that yeears ago. I -think<br> - Hurree Babu is getting too old for the Road. He likes better -to<br> - collect manners and customs information. Yes, he wants to be an -FRS.</p> - -<p>'Hurree thinks well of the boy, doesn't he?'</p> - -<p>'Oh, very indeed - we have had some pleasant evenings at my -little<br> - place - but I think it would be waste to throw him away with -Hurree<br> - on the Ethnological side.'</p> - -<p>'Not for a first experience. How does that strike you, Mahbub? -Let<br> - the boy run with the lama for six months. After that we can see. -He<br> - will get experience.'</p> - -<p>'He has it already, Sahib - as a fish controls the water he -swims<br> - in. But for every reason it will be well to loose him from -the<br> - school.'</p> - -<p>'Very good, then,' said Creighton, half to himself. 'He can go -with<br> - the lama, and if Hurree Babu cares to keep an eye on them so -much<br> - the better. He won't lead the boy into any danger as Mahbub -would.<br> - Curious - his wish to be an F R S. Very human, too. He is best -on<br> - the Ethnological side - Hurree.'</p> - -<p>No money and no preferment would have drawn Creighton from his -work<br> - on the Indian Survey, but deep in his heart also lay the -ambition to<br> - write 'F R S' after his name. Honours of a sort he knew could -be<br> - obtained by ingenuity and the help of friends, but, to the best -of<br> - his belief, nothing save work -papers representing a life of it --<br> - took a man into the Society which he had bombarded for years -with<br> - monographs on strange Asiatic cults and unknown customs. Nine -men<br> - out of ten would flee from a Royal Society soiree in extremity -of<br> - boredom; but Creighton was the tenth, and at times his soul -yearned<br> - for the crowded rooms in easy London where silver-haired, -bald-<br> - headed gentlemen who know nothing of the Army move among<br> - spectroscopic experiments, the lesser plants of the frozen -tundras,<br> - electric flight-measuring machines, and apparatus for slicing -into<br> - fractional millimetres the left eye of the female mosquito. By -all<br> - right and reason, it was the Royal Geographical that should -have<br> - appealed to him, but men are as chancy as children in their -choice<br> - of playthings. So Creighton smiled, and thought the better of -Hurree<br> - Babu, moved by like desire.</p> - -<p>He dropped the ghost-dagger and looked up at Mahbub.</p> - -<p>'How soon can we get the colt from the stable?' said the -horse-<br> - dealer, reading his eyes.</p> - -<p>'Hmm! If I withdraw him by order now - what will he do, think -you? I<br> - have never before assisted at the teaching of such an one.'</p> - -<p>'He will come to me,' said Mahbub promptly. 'Lurgan Sahib and -I will<br> - prepare him for the Road.'</p> - -<p>'So be it, then. For six months he shall run at his choice. -But who<br> - will be his sponsor?'</p> - -<p>Lurgan slightly inclined his head. 'He will not tell anything, -if<br> - that is what you are afraid of, Colonel Creighton.'</p> - -<p>'It's only a boy, after all.'</p> - -<p>'Ye-es; but first, he has nothing to tell; and secondly, he -knows<br> - what would happen. Also, he is very fond of Mahbub, and of me -a<br> - little.'</p> - -<p>'Will he draw pay?' demanded the practical horse-dealer.</p> - -<p>'Food and water allowance only. Twenty rupees a month.'</p> - -<p>One advantage of the Secret Service is that it has no -worrying<br> - audit. That Service is ludicrously starved, of course, but the -funds<br> - are administered by a few men who do not call for vouchers -or<br> - present itemized accounts. Mahbub's eyes lighted with almost -a<br> - Sikh's love of money. Even Lurgan's impassive face changed. -He<br> - considered the years to come when Kim would have been entered -and<br> - made to the Great Game that never ceases day and night, -throughout<br> - India. He foresaw honour and credit in the mouths of a chosen -few,<br> - coming to him from his pupil. Lurgan Sahib had made E what E -was,<br> - out of a bewildered, impertinent, lying, little North-West -Province<br> - man.</p> - -<p>But the joy of these masters was pale and smoky beside the joy -of<br> - Kim when St Xavier's Head called him aside, with word that -Colonel<br> - Creighton had sent for him.</p> - -<p>'I understand, O'Hara, that he has found you a place as an -assistant<br> - chain-man in the Canal Department: that comes of taking up<br> - mathematics. It is great luck for you, for you are only sixteen; -but<br> - of course you understand that you do not become pukka -[permanent]<br> - till you have passed the autumn examination. So you must not -think<br> - you are going out into the world to enjoy yourself, or that -your<br> - fortune is made. There is a great deal of hard work before -you.<br> - Only, if you succeed in becoming pukka, you can rise, you know, -to<br> - four hundred and fifty a month.' Whereat the Principal gave him -much<br> - good advice as to his conduct, and his manners, and his morals; -and<br> - others, his elders, who had not been wafted into billets, talked -as<br> - only Anglo-Indian lads can, of favouritism and corruption. -Indeed,<br> - young Cazalet, whose father was a pensioner at Chunar, hinted -very<br> - broadly that Colonel Creighton's interest in Kim was -directly<br> - paternal; and Kim, instead of retaliating, did not even use<br> - language. He was thinking of the immense fun to come, of -Mahbub's<br> - letter of the day before, all neatly written in English, -making<br> - appointment for that afternoon in a house the very name of -which<br> - would have crisped the Principal's hair with horror...</p> - -<p>Said Kim to Mahbub in Lucknow railway station that evening, -above<br> - the luggage-scales: 'I feared lest at the last, the roof would -fall<br> - upon me and cheat me. It is indeed all finished, O my -father?'</p> - -<p>Mahbub snapped his fingers to show the utterness of that end, -and<br> - his eyes blazed like red coals.</p> - -<p>'Then where is the pistol that I may wear it?'</p> - -<p>'Softly! A half-year, to run without heel-ropes. I begged that -much<br> - from Colonel Creighton Sahib. At twenty rupees a month. Old Red -Hat<br> - knows that thou art coming.'</p> - -<p>'I will pay thee dustoorie [commission] on my pay for three -months,'<br> - said Kim gravely. 'Yea, two rupees a month. But first we must -get<br> - rid of these.' He plucked his thin linen trousers and dragged at -his<br> - collar. 'I have brought with me all that I need on the Road. -My<br> - trunk has gone up to Lurgan Sahib's.'</p> - -<p>'Who sends his salaams to thee - Sahib.'</p> - -<p>'Lurgan Sahib is a very clever man. But what dost thou -do?'</p> - -<p>'I go North again, upon the Great Game. What else? Is thy mind -still<br> - set on following old Red Hat?'</p> - -<p>'Do not forget he made me that I am - though he did not know -it.<br> - Year by year, he sent the money that taught me.'</p> - -<p>'I would have done as much - had it struck my thick head,' -Mahbub<br> - growled. 'Come away. The lamps are lit now, and none will mark -thee<br> - in the bazar. We go to Huneefa's house.'</p> - -<p>On the way thither, Mahbub gave him much the same sort of -advice as<br> - his mother gave to Lemuel, and curiously enough, Mahbub was -exact to<br> - point out how Huneefa and her likes destroyed kings.</p> - -<p>'And I remember,' he quoted maliciously, 'one who said, "Trust -a<br> - snake before an harlot, and an harlot before a Pathan, Mahbub -Ali."<br> - Now, excepting as to Pathans, of whom I am one, all that is -true.<br> - Most true is it in the Great Game, for it is by means of women -that<br> - all plans come to ruin and we lie out in the dawning with -our<br> - throats cut. So it happened to such a one.' He gave the -reddest<br> - particulars.</p> - -<p>'Then why -?' Kim paused before a filthy staircase that -climbed to<br> - the warm darkness of an upper chamber, in the ward that is -behind<br> - Azim Ullah's tobacco-shop. Those who know it call it The -Birdcage -<br> - it is so full of whisperings and whistlings and chirrupings.</p> - -<p>The room, with its dirty cushions and half-smoked hookahs, -smelt<br> - abominably of stale tobacco. In one corner lay a huge and -shapeless<br> - woman clad in greenish gauzes, and decked, brow, nose, ear, -neck,<br> - wrist, arm, waist, and ankle with heavy native jewellery. When -she<br> - turned it was like the clashing of copper pots. A lean cat in -the<br> - balcony outside the window mewed hungrily. Kim checked, -bewildered,<br> - at the door-curtain.</p> - -<p>'Is that the new stuff, Mahbub?' said Huneefa lazily, -scarce<br> - troubling to remove the mouthpiece from her lips. 'O Buktanoos!' --<br> - like most of her kind, she swore by the Djinns - 'O Buktanoos! -He is<br> - very good to look upon.'</p> - -<p><br> - 'That is part of the selling of the horse,' Mahbub explained to -Kim,<br> - who laughed.</p> - -<p>'I have heard that talk since my Sixth Day,' he replied, -squatting<br> - by the light. 'Whither does it lead?'</p> - -<p>'To protection. Tonight we change thy colour. This sleeping -under<br> - roofs has blanched thee like an almond. But Huneefa has the -secret<br> - of a colour that catches. No painting of a day or two. Also, -we<br> - fortify thee against the chances of the Road. That is my gift -to<br> - thee, my son. Take out all metals on thee and lay them here. -Make<br> - ready, Huneefa.'</p> - -<p>Kim dragged forth his compass, Survey paint-box, and the -new-filled<br> - medicine-box. They had all accompanied his travels, and boylike -he<br> - valued them immensely.</p> - -<p>The woman rose slowly and moved with her hands a little -spread<br> - before her. Then Kim saw that she was blind. 'No, no,' she -muttered,<br> - 'the Pathan speaks truth - my colour does not go in a week or -a<br> - month, and those whom I protect are under strong guard.'</p> - -<p>'When one is far off and alone, it would not be well to -grow<br> - blotched and leprous of a sudden,' said Mahbub. 'When thou wast -with<br> - me I could oversee the matter. Besides, a Pathan is a -fair-skin.<br> - Strip to the waist now and look how thou art whitened.' Huneefa -felt<br> - her way back from an inner room. 'It is no matter, she cannot -see.'<br> - He took a pewter bowl from her ringed hand.</p> - -<p>The dye-stuff showed blue and gummy. Kim experimented on the -back of<br> - his wrist, with a dab of cotton-wool; but Huneefa heard him.</p> - -<p>'No, no,' she cried, 'the thing is not done thus, but with -the<br> - proper ceremonies. The colouring is the least part. I give thee -the<br> - full protection of the Road.'</p> - -<p>'Tadoo? [magic],'said Kim, with a half start. He did not like -the<br> - white, sightless eyes. Mahbub's hand on his neck bowed him to -the<br> - floor, nose within an inch of the boards.</p> - -<p>'Be still. No harm comes to thee, my son. I am thy -sacrifice!'</p> - -<p>He could not see what the woman was about, but heard the -dish-clash<br> - of her jewellery for many minutes. A match lit up the darkness; -he<br> - caught the well-known purr and fizzle of grains of incense. Then -the<br> - room filled with smoke - heavy aromatic, and stupefying. -Through<br> - growing drowse he heard the names of devils - of Zulbazan, Son -of<br> - Eblis, who lives in bazars and paraos, making all the sudden -lewd<br> - wickedness of wayside halts; of Dulhan, invisible about -mosques,<br> - the dweller among the slippers of the faithful, who hinders -folk<br> - from their prayers; and Musboot, Lord of lies and panic. -Huneefa,<br> - now whispering in his ear, now talking as from an immense -distance,<br> - touched him with horrible soft fingers, but Mahbub's grip -never<br> - shifted from his neck till, relaxing with a sigh, the boy lost -his<br> - senses.</p> - -<p>'Allah! How he fought! We should never have done it but for -the<br> - drugs. That was his white blood, I take it,' said Mahbub -testily.<br> - 'Go on with the dawut [invocation]. Give him full -Protection.'</p> - -<p>'O Hearer! Thou that hearest with ears, be present. Listen, -O<br> - Hearer!' Huneefa moaned, her dead eyes turned to the west. The -dark<br> - room filled with moanings and snortings.</p> - -<p>>From the outer balcony, a ponderous figure raised a round -bullet<br> - head and coughed nervously.</p> - -<p>'Do not interrupt this ventriloquial necromanciss, my friend,' -it<br> - said in English. 'I opine that it is very disturbing to you, but -no<br> - enlightened observer is jolly-well upset.'</p> - -<p>'..........I will lay a plot for their ruin! O Prophet, bear -with<br> - the unbelievers. Let them alone awhile!' Huneefa's face, turned -to<br> - the northward, worked horribly, and it was as though voices from -the<br> - ceiling answered her.</p> - -<p>Hurree Babu returned to his note-book, balanced on the -window-sill,<br> - but his hand shook. Huneefa, in some sort of drugged -ecstasy,<br> - wrenched herself to and fro as she sat cross-legged by Kim's -still<br> - head, and called upon devil after devil, in the ancient order of -the<br> - ritual, binding them to avoid the boy's every action.</p> - -<p>'With Him are the keys of the Secret Things! None knoweth -them<br> - besides Himself He knoweth that which is in the dry land and in -the<br> - sea!' Again broke out the unearthly whistling responses.</p> - -<p>'I - I apprehend it is not at all malignant in its operation?' -said<br> - the Babu, watching the throat-muscles quiver and jerk as -Huneefa<br> - spoke with tongues. 'It - it is not likely that she has killed -the<br> - boy? If so, I decline to be witness at the trial .....What was -the<br> - last hypothetical devil mentioned?'</p> - -<p>'Babuji,' said Mahbub in the vernacular. 'I have no regard for -the<br> - devils of Hind, but the Sons of Eblis are far otherwise, and -whether<br> - they be jumalee [well-affected] or jullalee [terrible) they love -not<br> - Kafirs.'</p> - -<p>'Then you think I had better go?' said Hurree Babu, half -rising.<br> - 'They are, of course, dematerialized phenomena. Spencer says -'</p> - -<p>Huneefa's crisis passed, as these things must, in a paroxysm -of<br> - howling, with a touch of froth at the lips. She lay spent -and<br> - motionless beside Kim, and the crazy voices ceased.</p> - -<p>'Wah! That work is done. May the boy be better for it; and -Huneefa<br> - is surely a mistress of dawut. Help haul her aside, Babu. Do not -be<br> - afraid.'</p> - -<p>'How am I to fear the absolutely non-existent?' said Hurree -Babu,<br> - talking English to reassure himself. It is an awful thing still -to<br> - dread the magic that you contemptuously investigate -to -collect<br> - folk-lore for the Royal Society with a lively belief in all -Powers<br> - of Darkness.</p> - -<p>Mahbub chuckled. He had been out with Hurree on the Road ere -now.<br> - 'Let us finish the colouring,' said he. 'The boy is well -protected<br> - if - if the Lords of the Air have ears to hear. I am a Sufi -[free-<br> - thinker), but when one can get blind-sides of a woman, a -stallion,<br> - or a devil, why go round to invite a kick? Set him upon the -way,<br> - Babu, and see that old Red Hat does not lead him beyond our -reach. I<br> - must get back to my horses.'</p> - -<p>'All raight,' said Hurree Babu. 'He is at present curious<br> - spectacle.'</p> - -<p>About third cockcrow, Kim woke after a sleep of thousands of -years.<br> - Huneefa, in her corner, snored heavily, but Mahbub was gone.</p> - -<p>'I hope you were not frightened,' said an oily voice at his -elbow.<br> - 'I superintended entire operation, which was most interesting -from<br> - ethnological point of view. It was high-class dawut.'</p> - -<p>'Huh!' said Kim, recognizing Hurree Babu, who smiled -ingratiatingly.</p> - -<p>'And also I had honour to bring down from Lurgan your -present<br> - costume. I am not in the habit offeecially of carrying such -gauds to<br> - subordinates, but' - he giggled - 'your case is noted as -exceptional<br> - on the books. I hope Mr Lurgan will note my action.'</p> - -<p>Kim yawned and stretched himself. It was good to turn and -twist<br> - within loose clothes once again.</p> - -<p>'What is this?' He looked curiously at the heavy duffle-stuff -loaded<br> - with the scents of the far North.</p> - -<p>'Oho! That is inconspicuous dress of chela attached to service -of<br> - lamaistic lama. Complete in every particular,' said Hurree -Babu,<br> - rolling into the balcony to clean his teeth at a goglet. 'I am -of<br> - opeenion it is not your old gentleman's precise releegion, -but<br> - rather sub-variant of same. I have contributed rejected notes -To<br> - Whom It May Concern: Asiatic Quarterly Review on these subjects. -Now<br> - it is curious that the old gentleman himself is totally devoid -of<br> - releegiosity. He is not a dam' particular.'</p> - -<p>'Do you know him?'</p> - -<p>Hurree Babu held up his hand to show he was engaged in the<br> - prescribed rites that accompany tooth-cleaning and such things -among<br> - decently bred Bengalis. Then he recited in English an -Arya-Somaj<br> - prayer of a theistical nature, and stuffed his mouth with pan -and<br> - betel.</p> - -<p>'Oah yes. I have met him several times at Benares, and also at -Buddh<br> - Gaya, to interrogate him on releegious points and devil-worship. -He<br> - is pure agnostic - same as me.'</p> - -<p>Huneefa stirred in her sleep, and Hurree Babu jumped nervously -to<br> - the copper incense-burner, all black and discoloured in -morning-<br> - light, rubbed a finger in the accumulated lamp-black, and drew -it<br> - diagonally across his face.</p> - -<p>'Who has died in thy house?' asked Kim in the vernacular.</p> - -<p>'None. But she may have the Evil Eye - that sorceress,' the -Babu<br> - replied.</p> - -<p>'What dost thou do now, then?'</p> - -<p>'I will set thee on thy way to Benares, if thou goest thither, -and<br> - tell thee what must be known by Us.'</p> - -<p>'I go. At what hour runs the te-rain?' He rose to his feet, -looked<br> - round the desolate chamber and at the yellow-wax face of Huneefa -as<br> - the low sun stole across the floor. 'Is there money to be paid -that<br> - witch?'</p> - -<p>'No. She has charmed thee against all devils and all dangers -in the<br> - name of her devils. It was Mahbub's desire.' In English: 'He -is<br> - highly obsolete, I think, to indulge in such supersteetion. Why, -it<br> - is all ventriloquy. Belly-speak - eh?'</p> - -<p>Kim snapped his fingers mechanically to avert whatever evil --<br> - Mahbub, he knew, meditated none - might have crept in -through<br> - Huneefa's ministrations; and Hurree giggled once more. But as -he<br> - crossed the room he was careful not to step in Huneefa's -blotched,<br> - squat shadow on the boards. Witches -when their time is on them --<br> - can lay hold of the heels of a man's soul if he does that.</p> - -<p>'Now you must well listen,' said the Babu when they were in -the<br> - fresh air. 'Part of these ceremonies which we witnessed they -include<br> - supply of effeecient amulet to those of our Department. If you -feel<br> - in your neck you will find one small silver amulet, verree -cheap.<br> - That is ours. Do you understand?'</p> - -<p>'Oah yes, hawa-dilli [a heart-lifter],' said Kim, feeling at -his<br> - neck.</p> - -<p>'Huneefa she makes them for two rupees twelve annas with - oh, -all<br> - sorts of exorcisms. They are quite common, except they are -partially<br> - black enamel, and there is a paper inside each one full of names -of<br> - local saints and such things. Thatt is Huneefa's look-out, you -see?<br> - Huneefa makes them onlee for us, but in case she does not, when -we<br> - get them we put in, before issue, one small piece of turquoise. -Mr<br> - Lurgan he gives them. There is no other source of supply; but it -was<br> - me invented all this. It is strictly unoffeecial of course, -but<br> - convenient for subordinates. Colonel Creighton he does not know. -He<br> - is European. The turquoise is wrapped in the paper . . . Yes, -that<br> - is road to railway station . . . Now suppose you go with the -lama,<br> - or with me, I hope, some day, or with Mahbub. Suppose we get -into a<br> - dam'-tight place. I am a fearful man - most fearful - but I tell -you<br> - I have been in dam'-tight places more than hairs on my head. -You<br> - say: "I am Son of the Charm." Verree good.'</p> - -<p>'I do not understand quite. We must not be heard talking -English<br> - here.'</p> - -<p>'That is all raight. I am only Babu showing off my English to -you.<br> - All we Babus talk English to show off;' said Hurree, flinging -his<br> - shoulder-cloth jauntily. 'As I was about to say, "Son of the -Charm"<br> - means that you may be member of the Sat Bhai - the Seven -Brothers,<br> - which is Hindi and Tantric. It is popularly supposed to be -extinct<br> - Society, but I have written notes to show it is still extant. -You<br> - see, it is all my invention. Verree good. Sat Bhai has many -members,<br> - and perhaps before they jolly-well-cut-your-throat they may give -you<br> - just a chance of life. That is useful, anyhow. And moreover, -these<br> - foolish natives - if they are not too excited - they always stop -to<br> - think before they kill a man who says he belongs to any -speecific<br> - organization. You see? You say then when you are in tight place, -"I<br> - am Son of the Charm", and you get - perhaps - ah -your second -wind.<br> - That is only in extreme instances, or to open negotiations with -a<br> - stranger. Can you quite see? Verree good. But suppose now, I, or -any<br> - one of the Department, come to you dressed quite different. -You<br> - would not know me at all unless I choose, I bet you. Some day I -will<br> - prove it. I come as Ladakhi trader - oh, anything - and I say -to<br> - you: "You want to buy precious stones?" You say: "Do I look like -a<br> - man who buys precious stones?" Then I say: "Even verree poor man -can<br> - buy a turquoise or tarkeean." '</p> - -<p>'That is kichree - vegetable curry,' said Kim.</p> - -<p>'Of course it is. You say: "Let me see the tarkeean." Then I -say:<br> - "It was cooked by a woman, and perhaps it is bad for your -caste."<br> - Then you say: "There is no caste when men go to - look for<br> - tarkeean." You stop a little between those words, "to - look". -That<br> - is thee whole secret. The little stop before the words.'</p> - -<p>Kim repeated the test-sentence.</p> - -<p>'That is all right. Then I will show you my turquoise if there -is<br> - time, and then you know who I am, and then we exchange views -and<br> - documents and those-all things. And so it is with any other man -of<br> - us. We talk sometimes about turquoises and sometimes about -tarkeean,<br> - but always with that little stop in the words. It is verree -easy.<br> - First, "Son of the Charm", if you are in a tight place. Perhaps -that<br> - may help you - perhaps not. Then what I have told you about -the<br> - tarkeean, if you want to transact offeecial business with a -strange<br> - man. Of course, at present, you have no offeecial business. You -are<br> - - ah ha! - supernumerary on probation. Quite unique specimen. If -you<br> - were Asiatic of birth you might be employed right off; but -this<br> - half-year of leave is to make you de~Englishized, you see? The -lama<br> - he expects you, because I have demi-offeecially informed him -you<br> - have passed all your examinations, and will soon obtain -Government<br> - appointment. Oh ho! You are on acting-allowance, you see: so if -you<br> - are called upon to help Sons of the Charm mind you jolly-well -try.<br> - Now I shall say good-bye, my dear fellow, and I hope you - ah - -will<br> - come out top-side all raight.'</p> - -<p>Hurree Babu stepped back a pace or two into the crowd at -the<br> - entrance of Lucknow station and -- was gone. Kim drew a deep -breath<br> - and hugged himself all over. The nickel-plated revolver he -could<br> - feel in the bosom of his sad-coloured robe, the amulet was on -his<br> - neck; begging-gourd, rosary, and ghost-dagger (Mr Lurgan had<br> - forgotten nothing) were all to hand, with medicine, paint-box, -and<br> - compass, and in a worn old purse-belt embroidered with -porcupine-<br> - quill patterns lay a month's pay. Kings could be no richer. -He<br> - bought sweetmeats in a leaf-cup from a Hindu trader, and ate -them<br> - with glad rapture till a policeman ordered him off the -steps.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter ll</h2> - -<p><br> - Give the man who is not made<br> - To his trade<br> - Swords to fling and catch again,<br> - Coins to ring and snatch again,<br> - Men to harm and cure again,<br> - Snakes to charm and lure again -<br> - He'll be hurt by his own blade,<br> - By his serpents disobeyed,<br> - By his clumsiness bewrayed,'<br> - By the people mocked to scorn -<br> - So 'tis not with juggler born!<br> - Pinch of dust or withered flower,<br> - Chance-flung fruit or borrowed staff,<br> - Serve his need and shore his power,<br> - Bind the spell, or loose the laugh!<br> - But a man who, etc.</p> - -<p>The Juggler's Song, op. 15</p> - -<p><br> - Followed a sudden natural reaction.</p> - -<p>'Now am I alone all alone,' he thought. 'In all India is no -one so<br> - alone as I! If I die today, who shall bring the news -and to -whom?<br> - If I live and God is good, there will be a price upon my head, -for I<br> - am a Son of the Charm - I, Kim.'</p> - -<p>A very few white people, but many Asiatics, can throw -themselves<br> - into a mazement as it were by repeating their own names over -and<br> - over again to themselves, letting the mind go free upon -speculation<br> - as to what is called personal identity. When one grows older, -the<br> - power, usually, departs, but while it lasts it may descend upon -a man<br> - at any moment.</p> - -<p><br> - 'Who is Kim - Kim - Kim?'</p> - -<p>He squatted in a corner of the clanging waiting-room, rapt -from all<br> - other thoughts; hands folded in lap, and pupils contracted to -pin-<br> - points. In a minute - in another half-second - he felt he -would<br> - arrive at the solution of the tremendous puzzle; but here, as -always<br> - happens, his mind dropped away from those heights with a rush of -a<br> - wounded bird, and passing his hand before his eyes, he shook -his<br> - head.</p> - -<p>A long-haired Hindu bairagi [holy man], who had just bought -a<br> - ticket, halted before him at that moment and stared -intently.</p> - -<p>'I also have lost it,' he said sadly. 'It is one of the Gates -to the<br> - Way, but for me it has been shut many years.'</p> - -<p>'What is the talk?' said Kim, abashed.</p> - -<p>'Thou wast wondering there in thy spirit what manner of thing -thy<br> - soul might be. The seizure came of a sudden. I know. Who should -know<br> - but I? Whither goest thou?'</p> - -<p>'Toward Kashi [Benares].'</p> - -<p>'There are no Gods there. I have proved them. I go to -Prayag<br> - [Allahabad] for the fifth time - seeking the Road to -Enlightenment.<br> - Of what faith art thou?'</p> - -<p>'I too am a Seeker,' said Kim, using one of the lama's pet -words.<br> - 'Though'- he forgot his Northern dress for the moment - -'though<br> - Allah alone knoweth what I seek.'</p> - -<p>The old fellow slipped the bairagi's crutch under his armpit -and sat<br> - down on a patch of ruddy leopard's skin as Kim rose at the call -for<br> - the Benares train.</p> - -<p>'Go in hope, little brother,' he said. 'It is a long road to -the<br> - feet of the One; but thither do we all travel.'</p> - -<p>Kim did not feel so lonely after this, and ere he had sat out -twenty<br> - miles in the crowded compartment, was cheering his neighbours -with a<br> - string of most wonderful yarns about his own and his -master's<br> - magical gifts.</p> - -<p>Benares struck him as a peculiarly filthy city, though it -was<br> - pleasant to find how his cloth was respected. At least one-third -of<br> - the population prays eternally to some group or other of the -many<br> - million deities, and so reveres every sort of holy man. Kim -was<br> - guided to the Temple of the Tirthankars, about a mile outside -the<br> - city, near Sarnath, by a chance-met Punjabi farmer - a Kamboh -from<br> - Jullundur-way who had appealed in vain to every God of his -homestead<br> - to cure his small son, and was trying Benares as a last -resort.</p> - -<p>'Thou art from the North?' he asked, shouldering through the -press<br> - of the narrow, stinking streets much like his own pet bull at -home.</p> - -<p>'Ay, I know the Punjab. My mother was a pahareen, but my -father came<br> - from Amritzar - by Jandiala,' said Kim, oiling his ready tongue -for<br> - the needs of the Road.</p> - -<p>'Jandiala - Jullundur? Oho! Then we be neighbours in some -sort, as<br> - it were.' He nodded tenderly to the wailing child in his arms. -'Whom<br> - dost thou serve?'</p> - -<p>'A most holy man at the Temple of the Tirthankers.'</p> - -<p>'They are all most holy and - most greedy,' said the Jat -with<br> - bitterness. 'I have walked the pillars and trodden the temples -till<br> - my feet are flayed, and the child is no whit better. And the -mother<br> - being sick too ... Hush, then, little one ... We changed his -name<br> - when the fever came. We put him into girl's clothes. There -was<br> - nothing we did not do, except - I said to his mother when -she<br> - bundled me off to Benares -she should have come with me - I -said<br> - Sakhi Sarwar Sultan would serve us best. We know His generosity, -but<br> - these down-country Gods are strangers.'</p> - -<p>The child turned on the cushion of the huge corded arms and -looked<br> - at Kim through heavy eyelids.</p> - -<p>'And was it all worthless?' Kim asked, with easy interest.</p> - -<p>'All worthless - all worthless,' said the child, lips cracking -with<br> - fever.</p> - -<p>'The Gods have given him a good mind, at least' said the -father<br> - proudly. 'To think he should have listened so cleverly. Yonder -is<br> - thy Temple. Now I am a poor man - many priests have dealt with -me -<br> - but my son is my son, and if a gift to thy master can cure him - -I<br> - am at my very wits' end.'</p> - -<p>Kim considered for a while, tingling with pride. Three years -ago he<br> - would have made prompt profit on the situation and gone his -way<br> - without a thought; but now, the very respect the Jat paid him -proved<br> - that he was a man. Moreover, he had tasted fever once or -twice<br> - already, and knew enough to recognize starvation when he saw -it.</p> - -<p>'Call him forth and I will give him a bond on my best yoke, so -that<br> - the child is cured.'</p> - -<p>Kim halted at the carved outer door of the temple. A -white-clad<br> - Oswal banker from Ajmir, his sins of usury new wiped out, -asked<br> - him what he did.</p> - -<p>'I am chela to Teshoo Lama, an Holy One from Bhotiyal -within -there.<br> - He bade me come. I wait. Tell him.'</p> - -<p>'Do not forget the child,' cried the importunate Jat over -his<br> - shoulder, and then bellowed in Punjabi; 'O Holy One - O disciple -of<br> - the Holy One - O Gods above all the Worlds -behold -affliction<br> - sitting at the gate!' That cry is so common in Benares that -the<br> - passers never turned their heads.</p> - -<p>The Oswal, at peace with mankind, carried the message into -the<br> - darkness behind him, and the easy, uncounted Eastern minutes -slid<br> - by; for the lama was asleep in his cell, and no priest would -wake<br> - him. When the click of his rosary again broke the hush of the -inner<br> - court where the calm images of the Arhats stand, a novice -whispered,<br> - 'Thy chela is here,' and the old man strode forth, forgetting -the<br> - end of that prayer.</p> - -<p>Hardly had the tall figure shown in the doorway than the Jat -ran<br> - before him, and, lifting up the child, cried: 'Look upon this, -Holy<br> - One; and if the Gods will, he lives - he lives!'</p> - -<p>He fumbled in his waist-belt and drew out a small silver -coin.</p> - -<p>'What is now?' The lama's eyes turned to Kim. It was -noticeable he<br> - spoke far clearer Urdu than long ago, under ZamZammah; but<br> - father would allow no private talk.</p> - -<p>'It is no more than a fever,' said Kim. 'The child is not well -fed.'</p> - -<p>'He sickens at everything, and his mother is not here.'</p> - -<p>'If it be permitted, I may cure, Holy One.'</p> - -<p>'What! Have they made thee a healer? Wait here,' said the -lama, and<br> - he sat down by the Jat upon the lowest step of the temple, -while<br> - Kim, looking out of the corner of his eyes, slowly opened the -little<br> - betel-box. He had dreamed dreams at school of returning to the -lama<br> - as a Sahib - of chaffing the old man before he revealed himself --<br> - boy's dreams all. There was more drama in this abstracted, -brow-<br> - puckered search through the tabloid-bottles, with a pause here -and<br> - there for thought and a muttered invocation between whiles. -Quinine<br> - he had in tablets, and dark brown meat-lozenges - beef most<br> - probably, but that was not his business. The little thing would -not<br> - eat, but it sucked at a lozenge greedily, and said it liked the -salt<br> - taste.</p> - -<p>'Take then these six.' Kim handed them to the man. 'Praise the -Gods,<br> - and boil three in milk; other three in water. After he has drunk -the<br> - milk give him this' (it was the half of a quinine pill), 'and -wrap<br> - him warm. Give him the water of the other three, and the other -half<br> - of this white pill when he wakes. Meantime, here is another -brown<br> - medicine that he may suck at on the way home.'</p> - -<p>'Gods, what wisdom!' said the Kamboh, snatching.</p> - -<p>It was as much as Kim could remember of his own treatment in a -bout<br> - of autumn malaria - if you except the patter that he added -to<br> - impress the lama.</p> - -<p>'Now go! Come again in the morning.'</p> - -<p>'But the price - the price,' said the Jat, and threw back his -sturdy<br> - shoulders. 'My son is my son. Now that he will be whole again, -how<br> - shall I go back to his mother and say I took help by the wayside -and<br> - did not even give a bowl of curds in return?'</p> - -<p>'They are alike, these Jats,' said Kim softly. 'The Jat stood -on his<br> - dunghill and the King's elephants went by. "O driver," said -he,<br> - "what will you sell those little donkeys for?"'</p> - -<p>The Jat burst into a roar of laughter, stifled with apologies -to the<br> - lama. 'It is the saying of my own country the very talk of it. -So<br> - are we Jats all. I will come tomorrow with the child; and -the<br> - blessing of the Gods of the Homesteads - who are good little -Gods -<br> - be on you both ... Now, son, we grow strong again. Do not spit -it<br> - out, little Princeling! King of my Heart, do not spit it out, -and we<br> - shall be strong men, wrestlers and club-wielders, by -morning.'</p> - -<p>He moved away, crooning and mumbling. The lama turned to Kim, -and<br> - all the loving old soul of him looked out through his narrow -eyes.</p> - -<p>'To heal the sick is to acquire merit; but first one gets -knowledge.<br> - That was wisely done, O Friend of all the World.'</p> - -<p>'I was made wise by thee, Holy One,' said Kim, forgetting the -little<br> - play just ended; forgetting St Xavier's; forgetting his white -blood;<br> - forgetting even the Great Game as he stooped, -Mohammedan-fashion, to<br> - touch his master's feet in the dust of the Jain temple. 'My -teaching<br> - I owe to thee. I have eaten thy bread three years. My time -is<br> - finished. I am loosed from the schools. I come to thee.'</p> - -<p>'Herein is my reward. Enter! Enter! And is all well?' They -passed to<br> - the inner court, where the afternoon sun sloped golden -across.<br> - 'Stand that I may see. So!' He peered critically. 'It is no -longer a<br> - child, but a man, ripened in wisdom, walking as a physician. I -did<br> - well - I did well when I gave thee up to the armed men on that -black<br> - night. Dost thou remember our first day under Zam-Zammah?'</p> - -<p>'Ay,' said Kim. 'Dost thou remember when I leapt off the -carriage<br> - the first day I went to -'</p> - -<p>'The Gates of Learning? Truly. And the day that we ate the -cakes<br> - together at the back of the river by Nucklao. Aha! Many times -hast<br> - thou begged for me, but that day I begged for thee.'</p> - -<p>'Good reason,' quoth Kim. 'I was then a scholar in the Gates -of<br> - Learning, and attired as a Sahib. Do not forget, Holy One,' he -went<br> - on playfully. 'I am still a Sahib - by thy favour.'</p> - -<p>'True. And a Sahib in most high esteem. Come to my cell, -chela.'</p> - -<p>'How is that known to thee?'</p> - -<p>The lama smiled. 'First by means of letters from the kindly -priest<br> - whom we met in the camp of armed men; but he is now gone to his -own<br> - country, and I sent the money to his brother.' Colonel -Creighton,<br> - who had succeeded to the trusteeship when Father Victor went -to<br> - England with the Mavericks, was hardly the Chaplain's brother. -'But<br> - I do not well understand Sahibs' letters. They must be -interpreted<br> - to me. I chose a surer way. Many times when I returned from -my<br> - Search to this Temple, which has always been a nest to me, -there<br> - came one seeking Enlightenment - a man from Leh - that had been, -he<br> - said, a Hindu, but wearied of all those Gods.' The lama pointed -to<br> - the Arhats.</p> - -<p><br> - 'A fat man?' said Kim, a twinkle in his eye.</p> - -<p>'Very fat; but I perceived in a little his mind was wholly -given up<br> - to useless things - such as devils and charms and the form -and<br> - fashion of our tea-drinkings in the monasteries, and by what -road we<br> - initiated the novices. A man abounding in questions; but he was -a<br> - friend of thine, chela. He told me that thou wast on the road -to<br> - much honour as a scribe. And I see thou art a physician.'</p> - -<p>'Yes, that am I - a scribe, when I am a Sahib, but it is set -aside<br> - when I come as thy disciple. I have accomplished the years -appointed<br> - for a Sahib.'</p> - -<p>'As it were a novice?' said the lama, nodding his head. 'Art -thou<br> - freed from the schools? I would not have thee unripe.'</p> - -<p>'I am all free. In due time I take service under the -Government as a<br> - scribe -'</p> - -<p>'Not as a warrior. That is well.'</p> - -<p>'But first I come to wander with thee. Therefore I am here. -Who<br> - begs for thee, these days?' he went on quickly. The ice was -thin.</p> - -<p>'Very often I beg myself; but, as thou knowest, I am seldom -here,<br> - except when I come to look again at my disciple. From one end -to<br> - another of Hind have I travelled afoot and in the te-rain. A -great<br> - and a wonderful land! But here, when I put in, is as though I -were<br> - in mv own Bhotiyal.'</p> - -<p>He looked round the little clean cell complacently. A low -cushion<br> - gave him a seat, on which he had disposed himself in the -cross-<br> - legged attitude of the Bodhisat emerging from meditation; a -black<br> - teak-wood table, not twenty inches high, set with copper -tea-cups,<br> - was before him. In one corner stood a tiny altar, also of -heavily<br> - carved teak, bearing a copper-gilt image of the seated Buddha -and<br> - fronted by a lamp, an incense-holder, and a pair of copper -flower-<br> - pots.</p> - -<p>'The Keeper of the Images in the Wonder House acquired merit -by<br> - giving me these a year since,' he said, following Kim's eye. -'When<br> - one is far from one's own land such things carry remembrance; -and we<br> - must reverence the Lord for that He showed the Way. See!' He -pointed<br> - to a curiously-built mound of coloured rice crowned with a -fantastic<br> - metal ornament. 'When I was Abbot in my own place - before I -came to<br> - better knowledge I made that offering daily. It is the Sacrifice -of<br> - the Universe to the Lord. Thus do we of Bhotiyal offer all the -world<br> - daily to the Excellent Law. And I do it even now, though I know -that<br> - the Excellent One is beyond all pinchings and pattings.' He -snuffed<br> - from his gourd.</p> - -<p>'It is well done, Holy One,' Kim murmured, sinking at ease on -the<br> - cushions, very happy and rather tired.</p> - -<p>'And also,' the old man chuckled, 'I write pictures of the -Wheel of<br> - Life. Three days to a picture. I was busied on it - or it may be -I<br> - shut my eyes a little - when they brought word of thee. It is -good<br> - to have thee here: I will show thee my art - not for pride's -sake,<br> - but because thou must learn. The Sahibs have not all this -world's<br> - wisdom.'</p> - -<p>He drew from under the table a sheet of strangely scented -yellow<br> - Chinese paper, the brushes, and slab of Indian ink. In -cleanest,<br> - severest outline he had traced the Great Wheel with its six -spokes,<br> - whose centre is the conjoined Hog, Snake, and Dove -(Ignorance,<br> - Anger, and Lust), and whose compartments are all the Heavens -and<br> - Hells, and all the chances of human life. Men say that the -Bodhisat<br> - Himself first drew it with grains of rice upon dust, to teach -His<br> - disciples the cause of things. Many ages have crystallized it -into a<br> - most wonderful convention crowded with hundreds of little -figures<br> - whose every line carries a meaning. Few can translate the -picture-<br> - parable; there are not twenty in all the world who can draw -it<br> - surely without a copy: of those who can both draw and expound -are<br> - but three.</p> - -<p>'I have a little learned to draw,' said Kim. 'But this is a -marvel<br> - beyond marvels.'</p> - -<p>'I have written it for many years,' said the lama. 'Time was -when I<br> - could write it all between one lamp-lighting and the next. I -will<br> - teach thee the art - after due preparation; and I will show thee -the<br> - meaning of the Wheel.'</p> - -<p>'We take the Road, then?'</p> - -<p>'The Road and our Search. I was but waiting for thee. It was -made<br> - plain to me in a hundred dreams - notably one that came upon -the<br> - night of the day that the Gates of Learning first shut that -without<br> - thee I should never find my River. Again and again, as thou -knowest,<br> - I put this from me, fearing an illusion. Therefore I would not -take<br> - thee with me that day at Lucknow, when we ate the cakes. I would -not<br> - take thee till the. time was ripe and auspicious. From the Hills -to<br> - the Sea, from the Sea to the Hills have I gone, but it was -vain.<br> - Then I remembered the Tataka.'</p> - -<p>He told Kim the story of the elephant with the leg-iron, as he -had<br> - told it so often to the Jam priests.</p> - -<p>'Further testimony is not needed,' he ended serenely. 'Thou -wast<br> - sent for an aid. That aid removed, my Search came to naught.<br> - Therefore we will go out again together, and our Search -sure.'</p> - -<p>'Whither go we?'</p> - -<p>'What matters, Friend of all the World? The Search, I say, is -sure.<br> - If need be, the River will break from the ground before us. -I<br> - acquired merit when I sent thee to the Gates of Learning, and -gave<br> - thee the jewel that is Wisdom. Thou didst return, I saw even -now, a<br> - follower of Sakyamuni, the Physician, whose altars are many -in<br> - Bhotiyal. It is sufficient. We are together, and all things are -as<br> - they were - Friend of all the World -Friend of the Stars - -my<br> - chela!'</p> - -<p>Then they talked of matters secular; but it was noticeable -that the<br> - lama never demanded any details of life at St Xavier's, nor -showed<br> - the faintest curiosity as to the manners and customs of Sahibs. -His<br> - mind moved all in the past, and he revived every step of -their<br> - wonderful first journey together, rubbing his hands and -chuckling,<br> - till it pleased him to curl himself up into the sudden sleep of -old<br> - age.</p> - -<p>Kim watched the last dusty sunshine fade out of the court, -and<br> - played with his ghost-dagger and rosary. The clamour of -Benares,<br> - oldest of all earth's cities awake before the Gods, day and -night,<br> - beat round the walls as the sea's roar round a breakwater. Now -and<br> - again, a Jain priest crossed the court, with some small offering -to<br> - the images, and swept the path about him lest by chance he -should<br> - take the life of a living thing. A lamp twinkled, and there -followed<br> - the sound of a prayer. Kim watched the stars as they rose one -after<br> - another in the still, sticky dark, till he fell asleep at the -foot<br> - of the altar. That night he dreamed in Hindustani, with never -an<br> - English word...</p> - -<p>'Holy One, there is the child to whom we gave the medicine,' -he<br> - said, about three o'clock in the morning, when the lama, also -waking<br> - from dreams, would have fared forth on pilgrimage. 'The Jat will -be<br> - here at the light.'</p> - -<p>'I am well answered. In my haste I would have done a wrong.' -He sat<br> - down on the cushions and returned to his rosary. 'Surely old -folk<br> - are as children,' he said pathetically. 'They desire a matter --<br> - behold, it must be done at once, or they fret and weep! Many -times<br> - when I was upon the Road I have been ready to stamp with my feet -at<br> - the hindrance of an ox-cart in the way, or a mere cloud of -dust.<br> - It was not so when I was a man - a long time ago. None the less -it<br> - is wrongful -'</p> - -<p>'But thou art indeed old, Holy One.'</p> - -<p>'The thing was done. A Cause was put out into the world, and, -old or<br> - young, sick or sound, knowing or unknowing, who can rein in -the<br> - effect of that Cause? Does the Wheel hang still if a child spin -it -<br> - or a drunkard? Chela, this is a great and a terrible world.'</p> - -<p>'I think it good,' Kim yawned. 'What is there to eat? I have -not<br> - eaten since yesterday even.'</p> - -<p>'I had forgotten thy need. Yonder is good Bhotiyal tea and -cold<br> - rice.'</p> - -<p>'We cannot walk far on such stuff.' Kim felt all the -European's lust<br> - for flesh-meat, which is not accessible in a Jain temple. -Yet,<br> - instead of going out at once with the begging-bowl, he stayed -his<br> - stomach on slabs of cold rice till the full dawn. It brought -the<br> - farmer, voluble, stuttering with gratitude.</p> - -<p>'In the night the fever broke and the sweat came, he cried. -'Feel<br> - here - his skin is fresh and new! He esteemed the salt lozenges, -and<br> - took milk with greed.' He drew the cloth from the child's face, -and<br> - it smiled sleepily at Kim. A little knot of Jain priests, -silent<br> - but all-observant, gathered by the temple door. They knew, and -Kim<br> - knew that they knew, how the old lama had met his disciple. -Being<br> - courteous folk, they had not obtruded themselves overnight -by<br> - presence, word, or gesture. Wherefore Kim repaid them as the -sun<br> - rose.</p> - -<p>'Thank the Gods of the Jains, brother,' he said, not knowing -how<br> - those Gods were named. 'The fever is indeed broken.'</p> - -<p>'Look! See!' The lama beamed in the background upon his hosts -of<br> - three years. 'Was there ever such a chela? He follows our Lord -the<br> - Healer.'</p> - -<p>Now the Jains officially recognize all the Gods of the Hindu -creed,<br> - as well as the Lingam and the Snake. They wear the -Brahminical<br> - thread; they adhere to every claim of Hindu caste-law. But, -because<br> - they knew and loved the lama, because he was an old man, because -he<br> - sought the Way, because he was their guest, and because he -collogued<br> - long of nights with the head-priest - as free-thinking a<br> - metaphysician as ever split one hair into seventy - they -murmured<br> - assent.</p> - -<p>'Remember,' - Kim bent over the child -. 'this trouble may -come<br> - again.</p> - -<p>'Not if thou hast the proper spell,' said the father.</p> - -<p>'But in a little while we go away.'</p> - -<p>'True,' said the lama to all the Jains. 'We go now together -upon the<br> - Search whereof I have often spoken. I waited till my chela was -ripe.<br> - Behold him! We go North. Never again shall I look upon this -place of<br> - my rest, O people of good will.'</p> - -<p>'But I am not a beggar.' The cultivator rose to his feet, -clutching<br> - the child.</p> - -<p>'Be still. Do not trouble the Holy One,' a priest cried.</p> - -<p>'Go,' Kim whispered. 'Meet us again under the big railway -bridge,<br> - and for the sake of all the Gods of our Punjab, bring food - -curry,<br> - pulse, cakes fried in fat, and sweetmeats. Specially sweetmeats. -Be<br> - swift!'</p> - -<p>The pallor of hunger suited Kim very well as he stood, tall -and<br> - slim, in his sand-coloured, sweeping robes, one hand on his -rosary<br> - and the other in the attitude of benediction, faithfully copied -from<br> - the lama. An English observer might have said that he looked -rather<br> - like the young saint of a stained-glass window, whereas he was -but a<br> - growing lad faint with emptiness.</p> - -<p>Long and formal were the farewells, thrice ended and thrice -renewed.<br> - The Seeker - he who had invited the lama to that haven from -far-<br> - away Tibet, a silver-faced, hairless ascetic -took no part in -it,<br> - but meditated, as always, alone among the images. The others -were<br> - very human; pressing small comforts upon the old man - a -betel-box,<br> - a fine new iron pencase, a food-bag, and such-like - warning -him<br> - against the dangers of the world without, and prophesying a -happy<br> - end to the Search. Meantime Kim, lonelier than ever, squatted on -the<br> - steps, and swore to himself in the language of St Xavier's.</p> - -<p>'But it is my own fault,' he concluded. 'With Mahbub, I ate -Mahbub's<br> - bread, or Lurgan Sahib's. At St Xavier's, three meals a day. -Here I<br> - must jolly-well look out for myself. Besides, I am not in -good<br> - training. How I could eat a plate of beef now! ... Is it -finished,<br> - Holy One?'</p> - -<p>The lama, both hands raised, intoned a final blessing in -ornate<br> - Chinese. 'I must lean on thy shoulder,' said he, as the temple -gates<br> - closed. 'We grow stiff, I think.'</p> - -<p>The weight of a six-foot man is not light to steady through -miles of<br> - crowded streets, and Kim, loaded down with bundles and packages -for<br> - the way, was glad to reach the shadow of the railway bridge.</p> - -<p>'Here we eat,' he said resolutely, as the Kamboh, blue-robed -and<br> - smiling, hove in sight, a basket in one hand and the child in -the<br> - other.</p> - -<p>'Fall to, Holy Ones!' he cried from fifty yards. (They were by -the<br> - shoal under the first bridge-span, out of sight of hungry -priests.)<br> - 'Rice and good curry, cakes all warm and well scented with -king<br> - [asafoetida), curds and sugar. King of my fields,' -this to -the<br> - small son - 'let us show these holy men that we Jats of -Jullundur<br> - can pay a service . . . I had heard the Jams would eat nothing -that<br> - they had not cooked, but truly' - he looked away politely over -the<br> - broad river - 'where there is no eye there is no caste.'</p> - -<p>'And we,' said Kim, turning his back and heaping a leafplatter -for<br> - the lama, 'are beyond all castes.'</p> - -<p><br> - They gorged themselves on the good food in silence. Nor till he -had<br> - licked the last of the sticky sweetstuff from his little finger -did<br> - Kim note that the Kamboh too was girt for travel.</p> - -<p>'If our roads lie together,' he said roughly, 'I go with thee. -One<br> - does not often find a worker of miracles, and the child is -still<br> - weak. But I am not altogether a reed.' He picked up his lathi - -a<br> - five-foot male-bamboo ringed with bands of polished iron - -and<br> - flourished it in the air. 'The Jats are called quarrel-some, -but<br> - that is not true. Except when we are crossed, we are like our -own<br> - buffaloes.'</p> - -<p>'So be it,' said Kim. 'A good stick is a good reason.'</p> - -<p>The lama gazed placidly up-stream, where in long, smudged<br> - perspective the ceaseless columns of smoke go up from the -burning-<br> - ghats by the river. Now and again, despite all municipal<br> - regulations, the fragment of a half-burned body bobbed by on -the<br> - full current.</p> - -<p>'But for thee,' said the Kamboh to Kim, drawing the child into -his<br> - hairy breast, 'I might today have gone thither - with this one. -The<br> - priests tell us that Benares is holy - which none doubt - -and<br> - desirable to die in. But I do not know their Gods, and they ask -for<br> - money; and when one has done one worship a shaved-head vows it -is of<br> - none effect except one do another. Wash here! Wash there! -Pour,<br> - drink, lave, and scatter flowers -but always pay the priests. -No,<br> - the Punjab for me, and the soil of the Jullundur-doab for the -best<br> - soil in it.</p> - -<p>'I have said many times - in the Temple, I think - that if -need be,<br> - the River will open at our feet. We will therefore go North,' -said<br> - the lama, rising. 'I remember a pleasant place, set about -with<br> - fruit-trees, where one can walk in meditation - and the air -is<br> - cooler there. It comes from the Hills and the snow of the -Hills.'</p> - -<p>'What is the name?' said Kim.</p> - -<p>'How should I know? Didst thou not - no, that was after the -Army<br> - rose out of the earth and took thee away. I abode there in<br> - meditation in a room against the dovecot - except when she -talked<br> - eternally.'</p> - -<p>'Oho! the woman from Kulu. That is by Saharunpore.' Kim -laughed.</p> - -<p>'How does the spirit move thy master? Does he go afoot, for -the sake<br> - of past sins?' the Jat demanded cautiously. 'It is a far cry -to<br> - Delhi.'</p> - -<p>'No,' said Kim. 'I will beg a tikkut for the te-rain.' One -does not<br> - own to the possession of money in India.</p> - -<p>'Then, in the name of the Gods, let us take the fire-carriage. -My<br> - son is best in his mother's arms. The Government has brought on -us<br> - many taxes, but it gives us one good thing - the te-rain that -joins<br> - friends and unites the anxious. A wonderful matter is the -te-rain.'</p> - -<p>They all piled into it a couple of hours later, and slept -through<br> - the heat of the day. The Kamboh plied Kim with ten thousand<br> - questions as to the lama's walk and work in life, and received -some<br> - curious answers. Kim was content to be where he was, to look -out<br> - upon the flat North-Western landscape, and to talk to the<br> - changing mob of fellow-passengers. Even today, tickets and -ticket-<br> - clipping are dark oppression to Indian rustics. They do not<br> - understand why, when they have paid for a magic piece of -paper,<br> - strangers should punch great pieces out of the charm. So, long -and<br> - furious are the debates between travellers and Eurasian -ticket-<br> - collectors. Kim assisted at two or three with grave advice, -meant to<br> - darken counsel and to show off his wisdom before the lama and -the<br> - admiring Kamboh. But at Somna Road the Fates sent him a matter -to<br> - think upon. There tumbled into the compartment, as the train -was<br> - moving off, a mean, lean little person - a Mahratta, so far as -Kim<br> - could judge by the cock of the tight turban. His face was cut, -his<br> - muslin upper-garment was badly torn, and one leg was bandaged. -He<br> - told them that a country-cart had upset and nearlv slain him: -he<br> - was going to Delhi, where his son lived. Kim watched him -closely.<br> - If, as he asserted, he had been rolled over and over on the -earth,<br> - there should have been signs of gravel-rash on the skin. But all -his<br> - injuries seemed clean cuts, and a mere fall from a cart could -not<br> - cast a man into such extremity of terror. As, with shaking -fingers,<br> - he knotted up the torn cloth about his neck he laid bare an -amulet<br> - of the kind called a keeper-up of the heart. Now, amulets are -common<br> - enough, but they are not generally strung on square-plaited -copper<br> - wire, and still fewer amulets bear black enamel on silver. -There<br> - were none except the Kamboh and the lama in the compartment, -which,<br> - luckily, was of an old type with solid ends. Kim made as to -scratch<br> - in his bosom, and thereby lifted his own amulet. The Mahratta's -face<br> - changed altogether at the sight, and he disposed the amulet -fairly on<br> - his breast.</p> - -<p>'Yes,' he went on to the Kamboh, 'I was in haste, and the -cart,<br> - driven by a bastard, bound its wheel in a water-cut, and besides -the<br> - harm done to me there was lost a full dish of tarkeean. I was -not a<br> - Son of the Charm [a lucky man] that day.'</p> - -<p>'That was a great loss,' said the Kamboh, withdrawing -interest. His<br> - experience of Benares had made him suspicious.</p> - -<p>'Who cooked it?' said Kim.</p> - -<p>'A woman.' The Mahratta raised his eyes.</p> - -<p>'But all women can cook tarkeean,' said the Kamboh. 'It is a -good<br> - curry, as I know.'</p> - -<p>'Oh yes, it is a good curry,' said the Mahratta.</p> - -<p>'And cheap,' said Kim. 'But what about caste?'</p> - -<p>'Oh, there is no caste where men go to - look for tarkeean,' -the<br> - Mahratta replied, in the prescribed cadence. 'Of whose service -art<br> - thou?'</p> - -<p>'Of the service of this Holy One.' Kim pointed to the happy, -drowsy<br> - lama, who woke with a jerk at the well-loved word.</p> - -<p>'Ah, he was sent from Heaven to aid me. He is called the -Friend of<br> - all the World. He is also called the Friend of the Stars. He -walks<br> - as a physician - his time being ripe. Great is his wisdom.'</p> - -<p>'And a Son of the Charm,' said Kim under his breath, as the -Kamboh<br> - made haste to prepare a pipe lest the Mahratta should beg.</p> - -<p>'And who is that?' the Mahratta asked, glancing sideways -nervously.</p> - -<p>'One whose child I - we have cured, who lies under great debt -to us.<br> - Sit by the window, man from Jullundur. Here is a sick one.'</p> - -<p>'Humph! I have no desire to mix with chance-met wastrels. My -ears<br> - are not long. I am not a woman wishing to overhear secrets.' The -Jat<br> - slid himself heavily into a far corner.</p> - -<p>'Art thou anything of a healer? I am ten leagues deep in -calamity,'<br> - cried the Mahratta, picking up the cue.</p> - -<p>'This man is cut and bruised all over. I go about to cure -him,' Kim<br> - retorted. 'None interfered between thy babe and me.'</p> - -<p>'I am rebuked,' said the Kamboh meekly. 'I am thy debtor for -the<br> - life of my son. Thou art a miracle-worker - I know it.'</p> - -<p>'Show me the cuts.' Kim bent over the Mahratta's neck, his -heart<br> - nearly choking him; for this was the Great Game with a -vengeance.<br> - 'Now, tell thy tale swiftly, brother, while I say a charm.'</p> - -<p>'I come from the South, where my work lay. One of us they slew -by<br> - the roadside. Hast thou heard?' Kim shook his head. He, of -course,<br> - knew nothing of E's predecessor, slain down South in the habit -of an<br> - Arab trader. 'Having found a certain letter which I was sent -to<br> - seek, I came away. I escaped from the city and ran to Mhow. So -sure<br> - was I that none knew, I did not change my face. At Mhow a -woman<br> - brought charge against me of theft of jewellery in that city -which I<br> - had left. Then I saw the cry was out against me. I ran from Mhow -by<br> - night, bribing the police, who had been bribed to hand me -over<br> - without question to my enemies in the South. Then I lay in -old<br> - Chitor city a week, a penitent in a temple, but I could not get -rid<br> - of the letter which was my charge. I buried it under the -Queen's<br> - Stone, at Chitor, in the place known to us all.'</p> - -<p>Kim did not know, but not for worlds would he have broken -the<br> - thread.</p> - -<p>'At Chitor, look you, I was all in Kings' country; for Kotah -to the<br> - east is beyond the Queen's law, and east again lie Jaipur -and<br> - Gwalior. Neither love spies, and there is no justice. I was -hunted<br> - like a wet jackal; but I broke through at Bandakui, where I -heard<br> - there was a charge against me of murder in the city I had left - -of<br> - the murder of a boy. They have both the corpse and the -witnesses<br> - waiting.'</p> - -<p>'But cannot the Government protect?'</p> - -<p>'We of the Game are beyond protection. If we die, we die. Our -names<br> - are blotted from the book. That is all. At Bandakui, where lives -one<br> - of Us, I thought to slip the scent by changing my face, and so -made<br> - me a Mahratta. Then I came to Agra, and would have turned back -to<br> - Chitor to recover the letter. So sure I was I had slipped -them.<br> - Therefore I did not send a tar [telegram] to any one saying -where<br> - the letter lay. I wished the credit of it all.'</p> - -<p>Kim nodded. He understood that feeling well.</p> - -<p>'But at Agra, walking in the streets, a man cried a debt -against me,<br> - and approaching with many witnesses, would hale me to the -courts<br> - then and there. Oh, they are clever in the South! He recognized -me<br> - as his agent for cotton. May he burn in Hell for it!'</p> - -<p>'And wast thou?'</p> - -<p>'O fool! I was the man they sought for the matter of the -letter! I<br> - ran into the Fleshers' Ward and came out by the House of the -Jew,<br> - who feared a riot and pushed me forth. I came afoot to Somna -Road -<br> - I had only money for my tikkut to Delhi - and there, while I lay -in<br> - a ditch with a fever, one sprang out of the bushes and beat me -and<br> - cut me and searched me from head to foot. Within earshot of the -te-<br> - rain it was!'</p> - -<p>'Why did he not slay thee out of hand?'</p> - -<p>'They are not so foolish. If I am taken in Delhi at the -instance of<br> - lawyers, upon a proven charge of murder, my body is handed over -to<br> - the State that desires it. I go back guarded, and then - I -die<br> - slowly for an example to the rest of Us. The South is not my<br> - country. I run in circles - like a goat with one eye. I have -not<br> - eaten for two days. I am marked' - he touched the filthy bandage -on<br> - his leg - 'so that they will know me at Delhi.'</p> - -<p>'Thou art safe in the te-rain, at least.'</p> - -<p>'Live a year at the Great Game and tell me that again! The -wires<br> - will be out against me at Delhi, describing every tear and rag -upon<br> - me. Twenty - a hundred, if need be - will have seen me slay -that<br> - boy. And thou art useless!'</p> - -<p>Kim knew enough of native methods of attack not to doubt that -the<br> - case would be deadly complete - even to the corpse. The -Mahratta<br> - twitched his fingers with pain from time to time. The Kamboh in -his<br> - corner glared sullenly; the lama was busy over his beads; and -Kim,<br> - fumbling doctor-fashion at the man's neck, thought out his -plan<br> - between invocations.</p> - -<p>'Hast thou a charm to change my shape? Else I am dead. Five - -ten<br> - minutes alone, if I had not been so pressed, and I might -'</p> - -<p>'Is he cured yet, miracle-worker?' said the Kamboh jealously. -'Thou<br> - hast chanted long enough.'</p> - -<p>'Nay. There is no cure for his hurts, as I see, except he sit -for<br> - three days in the habit of a bairagi.' This is a common -penance,<br> - often imposed on a fat trader by his spiritual teacher.</p> - -<p>'One priest always goes about to make another priest,' was -the<br> - retort. Like most grossly superstitious folk, the Kamboh could -not<br> - keep his tongue from deriding his Church.</p> - -<p>'Will thy son be a priest, then? It is time he took more of -my<br> - quinine.'</p> - -<p>'We Jats are all buffaloes,' said the Kamboh, softening -anew.</p> - -<p>Kim rubbed a finger-tip of bitterness on the child's trusting -little<br> - lips. 'I have asked for nothing,' he said sternly to the -father,<br> - 'except food. Dost thou grudge me that? I go to heal another -man.<br> - Have I thy leave - Prince?'</p> - -<p>Up flew the man's huge paws in supplication. 'Nay - nay. Do -not mock<br> - me thus.'</p> - -<p>'It pleases me to cure this sick one. Thou shalt acquire merit -by<br> - aiding. What colour ash is there in thy pipe-bowl? White. That -is<br> - auspicious. Was there raw turmeric among thy foodstuffs?'</p> - -<p>'I - I -'</p> - -<p>'Open thy bundle!'</p> - -<p>It was the usual collection of small oddments: bits of cloth, -quack<br> - medicines, cheap fairings, a clothful of atta - greyish, -rough-<br> - ground native flour - twists of down-country tobacco, tawdry -pipe-<br> - stems, and a packet of curry-stuff, all wrapped in. a quilt. -Kim<br> - turned it over with the air of a wise warlock, muttering a<br> - Mohammedan invocation.</p> - -<p>'This is wisdom I learned from the Sahibs,' he whispered to -the<br> - lama; and here, when one thinks of his training at Lurgan's, -he<br> - spoke no more than the truth. 'There is a great evil in this -man's<br> - fortune, as shown by the Stars, which - which troubles him. -Shall I<br> - take it away?'</p> - -<p>'Friend of the Stars, thou hast done well in all things. Let -it be<br> - at thy pleasure. Is it another healing?'</p> - -<p>'Quick! Be quick!' gasped the Mahratta. 'The train may -stop.'</p> - -<p>'A healing against the shadow of death,' said Kim, mixing -the<br> - Kamboh's flour with the mingled charcoal and tobacco ash in the -red-<br> - earth bowl of the pipe. E, without a word, slipped off his -turban<br> - and shook down his long black hair.</p> - -<p><br> - 'That is my food - priest,' the jat growled.</p> - -<p>'A buffalo in the temple! Hast thou dared to look even thus -far?'<br> - said Kim. 'I must do mysteries before fools; but have a care -for<br> - thine eyes. Is there a film before them already? I save the -babe,<br> - and for return thou - oh, shameless!' The man flinched at the -direct<br> - gaze, for Kim was wholly in earnest.</p> - -<p>'Shall I curse thee, or shall I -' He picked up the outer -cloth of<br> - the bundle and threw it over the bowed head. 'Dare so much as -to<br> - think a wish to see, and - and - even I cannot save thee. -Sit!</p> - -<p>Be dumb!'</p> - -<p>'I am blind - dumb. Forbear to curse! Co - come, child; we -will<br> - play a game of hiding. Do not, for my sake, look from under -the<br> - cloth.'</p> - -<p>'I see hope,' said E23. 'What is thy scheme?'</p> - -<p>'This comes next,' said Kim, plucking the thin body-shirt. -E23<br> - hesitated, with all a North-West man's dislike of baring his -body.</p> - -<p>'What is caste to a cut throat?' said Kim, rending it to the -waist.<br> - 'We must make thee a yellow Saddhu all over. Strip - strip<br> - swiftly, and shake thy hair over thine eyes while I scatter the -ash.<br> - Now, a caste-mark on thy forehead.' He drew from his bosom -the<br> - little Survey paint-box and a cake of crimson lake.</p> - -<p>'Art thou only a beginner?' said E23, labouring literally for -the<br> - dear life, as he slid out of his body-wrappings and stood clear -in<br> - the loin-cloth while Kim splashed in a noble caste-mark on the -ash-<br> - smeared brow.</p> - -<p>'But two days entered to the Game, brother,' Kim replied. -'Smear<br> - more ash on the bosom.'</p> - -<p>'Hast thou met - a physician of sick pearls?' He switched out -his<br> - long, tight-rolled turban-cloth and, with swiftest hands, rolled -it<br> - over and under about his loins into the intricate devices of -a<br> - Saddhu's cincture.</p> - -<p>'Hah! Dost thou know his touch, then? He was my teacher for -a<br> - while. We must bar thy legs. Ash cures wounds. Smear it -again.'</p> - -<p>'I was his pride once, but thou art almost better. The Gods -are<br> - kind to us! Give me that.'</p> - -<p>It was a tin box of opium pills among the rubbish of the -Jat's<br> - bundle. E23 gulped down a half handful. 'They are good -against<br> - hunger, fear, and chill. And they make the eyes red too,' he<br> - explained. 'Now I shall have heart to play the Game. We lack -only<br> - a Saddhu's tongs. What of the old clothes?'</p> - -<p>Kim rolled them small, and stuffed them into the slack folds -of his<br> - tunic. With a yellow-ochre paint cake he smeared the legs and -the<br> - breast, great streaks against the background of flour, ash, -and<br> - turmeric.</p> - -<p>'The blood on them is enough to hang thee, brother.'</p> - -<p>'Maybe; but no need to throw them out of the window ... It -is<br> - finished.' His voice thrilled with a boy's pure delight in the -Game.<br> - 'Turn and look, O jat!'</p> - -<p>'The Gods protect us,' said the hooded Kamboh, emerging like -a<br> - buffalo from the reeds. 'But - whither went the Mahratta? What -hast<br> - thou done?'</p> - -<p>Kim had been trained by Lurgan Sahib; E23, by virtue of -his<br> - business, was no bad actor. In place of the tremulous, -shrinking<br> - trader there lolled against the corner an all but naked, -ash-<br> - smeared, ochre-barred, dusty-haired Saddhu, his swollen eyes - -opium<br> - takes quick effect on an empty stomach - luminous with insolence -and<br> - bestial lust, his legs crossed under him, Kim's brown rosary -round<br> - his neck, and a scant yard of worn, flowered chintz on his<br> - shoulders. The child buried his face in his amazed father's -arms.</p> - -<p>'Look up, Princeling! We travel with warlocks, but they will -not<br> - hurt thee. Oh, do not cry ... What is the sense of curing a -child<br> - one day and killing him with fright the next?'</p> - -<p>'The child will be fortunate all his life. He has seen a -great<br> - healing. When I was a child I made clay men and horses.'</p> - -<p>'I have made them too. Sir Banas, he comes in the night and -makes<br> - them all alive at the back of our kitchen-midden,' piped the -child.</p> - -<p>'And so thou art not frightened at anything. Eh, Prince?'</p> - -<p>'I was frightened because my father was frightened. I felt his -arms<br> - shake.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, chicken-man!' said Kim, and even the abashed Jat laughed. -'I<br> - have done a healing on this poor trader. He must forsake his -gains<br> - and his account-books, and sit by the wayside three nights -to<br> - overcome the malignity of his enemies. The Stars are against -him.'</p> - -<p>'The fewer money-lenders the better, say I; but, Saddhu or -no<br> - Saddhu, he should pay for my stuff on his shoulders.'</p> - -<p>'So? But that is thy child on thy shoulder - given over to -the<br> - burning-ghat not two days ago. There remains one thing more. I -did<br> - this charm in thy presence because need was great.I changed -his<br> - shape and his soul. None the less, if, by any chance, O man -from<br> - Jullundur, thou rememberest what thou hast seen, either among -the<br> - elders sitting under the village tree, or in thine own house, or -in<br> - company of thy priest when he blesses thy cattle, a murrain -will<br> - come among the buffaloes, and a fire in thy thatch, and rats in -the<br> - corn-bins, and the curse of our Gods upon thy fields that they -may<br> - be barren before thy feet and after thy ploughshare.' This was -part<br> - of an old curse picked up from a fakir by the Taksali Gate in -the<br> - days of Kim's innocence. It lost nothing by repetition.</p> - -<p>'Cease, Holy One! In mercy, cease!' cried the Jat. 'Do not -curse<br> - the household. I saw nothing! I heard nothing! I am thy cow!' -and<br> - he made to grab at Kim's bare foot beating rhythmically on -the<br> - carriage floor. 'But since thou hast been permitted to aid me in -the<br> - matter of a pinch of flour and a little opium and such trifles -as I<br> - have honoured by using in my art, so will the Gods return a<br> - blessing,' and he gave it at length, to the man's immense -relief. It<br> - was one that he had learned from Lurgan Sahib.</p> - -<p><br> - The lama stared through his spectacles as he had not stared at -the<br> - business of disguisement. 'Friend of the Stars,' he said at -last,<br> - 'thou hast acquired great wisdom. Beware that it do not give -birth<br> - to pride. No man having the Law before his eyes speaks hastily -of<br> - any matter which he has seen or encountered.'</p> - -<p>'No - no - no, indeed,' cried the farmer, fearful lest the -master<br> - should be minded to improve on the pupil. E23, with relaxed -mouth,<br> - gave himself up to the opium that is meat, tobacco, and medicine -to<br> - the spent Asiatic.</p> - -<p>So, in a silence of awe and great miscomprehension, they slid -into<br> - Delhi about lamp-lighting time.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 12</h2> - -<p><br> - Who hath desired the Sea - the sight of salt-water -unbounded?<br> - The heave and the halt and the hurl and the crash of the -comber<br> - wind-hounded?<br> - The sleek-barrelled swell before storm - grey, foamless, -enormous,<br> - and growing?<br> - Stark calm on the lap of the Line - or the crazy-eyed -hurricane<br> - blowing?<br> - His Sea in no showing the same - his Sea and the same 'neath -all<br> - showing -<br> - His Sea that his being fulfils?<br> - So and no otherwise - so and no otherwise hill-men desire -their<br> - Hills!</p> - -<p>The Sea and the Hills.</p> - -<p>'I have found my heart again,' said E23, under cover of -the<br> - platform's tumult. 'Hunger and fear make men dazed, or I might -have<br> - thought of this escape before. I was right. They come to hunt -for<br> - me. Thou hast saved my head.'</p> - -<p>A group of yellow-trousered Punjab policemen, headed by a hot -and<br> - perspiring young Englishman, parted the crowd about the -carriages.<br> - Behind them, inconspicuous as a cat, ambled a small fat person -who<br> - looked like a lawyer's tout.</p> - -<p><br> - 'See the young Sahib reading from a paper. My description is in -his<br> - hand,' said E23. 'Thev go carriage by carriage, like -fisher-folk<br> - netting a pool.'</p> - -<p>When the procession reached their compartment, E23 was -counting his<br> - beads with a steady jerk of the wrist; while Kim jeered at him -for<br> - being so drugged as to have lost the ringed fire-tongs which are -the<br> - Saddhu's distinguishing mark. The lama, deep in meditation, -stared<br> - straight before him; and the farmer, glancing furtively, -gathered up<br> - his belongings.</p> - -<p>'Nothing here but a parcel of holy-bolies,' said the -Englishman<br> - aloud, and passed on amid a ripple of uneasiness; for native -police<br> - mean extortion to the native all India over.</p> - -<p>'The trouble now, ' whispered E23, 'lies in sending a wire as -to the<br> - place where I hid that letter I was sent to find. I cannot go to -the<br> - tar-office in this guise.'</p> - -<p>'Is it not enough I have saved thy neck?'</p> - -<p>'Not if the work be left unfinished. Did never the healer of -sick<br> - pearls tell thee so? Comes another Sahib! Ah!'</p> - -<p>This was a tallish, sallowish District Superintendent of -Police -<br> - belt, helmet, polished spurs and all - strutting and twirling -his<br> - dark moustache.</p> - -<p>'What fools are these Police Sahibs!' said Kim genially.</p> - -<p>E23 glanced up under his eyelids. 'It is well said,' he -muttered in<br> - a changed voice. 'I go to drink water. Keep my place.'</p> - -<p>He blundered out almost into the Englishman's arms, and was -bad-<br> - worded in clumsy Urdu.</p> - -<p>'Tum mut? You drunk? You mustn't bang about as though -Delhi<br> - station belonged to you, my friend.'</p> - -<p>E23, not moving a muscle of his countenance, answered with a -stream<br> - of the filthiest abuse, at which Kim naturally rejoiced. It -reminded<br> - him of the drummer-boys and the barrack- sweepers at Umballa in -the<br> - terrible time of his first schooling.</p> - -<p>'My good fool,' the Englishman drawled. 'Nickle-jao! Go back -to<br> - your carriage.'</p> - -<p>Step by step, withdrawing deferentially and dropping his -voice, the<br> - yellow Saddhu clomb back to the carriage, cursing the D.S.P. -to<br> - remotest posterity, by - here Kim almost jumped - by the curse -of<br> - the Queen's Stone, by the writing under the Queen's Stone, and -by an<br> - assortment of Gods "with wholly, new names.</p> - -<p>'I don't know what you're saving,' - the Englishman flushed -angrily<br> - - 'but it's some piece of blasted impertinence. Come out of -that!'</p> - -<p>E23, affecting to misunderstand, gravely produced his ticket, -which<br> - the Englishman wrenched angrily from his hand.</p> - -<p>'Oh, zoolum! What oppression!' growled the Jat from his -corner.<br> - 'All for the sake of a jest too.' He had been grinning at -the<br> - freedom of the Saddhu's tongue. 'Thy charms do not work well -today,<br> - Holy One!'</p> - -<p>The Saddhu followed the policeman, fawning and supplicating. -The<br> - ruck of passengers, busy, with their babies andtheir bundles, -had<br> - not noticed the affair. Kim slipped outbehind him; for it -flashed<br> - through his head that he had heardthis angry, stupid Sahib<br> - discoursing loud personalities to an oldlady near Umballa -three<br> - years ago.</p> - -<p>'It is well', the Saddhu whispered, jammed in the calling,<br> - shouting, bewildered press - a Persian greyhound between his -feet<br> - and a cageful of yelling hawks under charge of a Rajput falconer -in<br> - the small of his back. 'He has gone now to send word of the -letter<br> - which I hid. Thev told me he was in Peshawur. I might have -known<br> - that he is like the crocodile - always at the other ford. He -has<br> - saved me from present calamity, but I owe my life to thee.'</p> - -<p>'Is he also one of Us?' Kim ducked under a Mewar -camel-driver's<br> - greasy armpit and cannoned off a covey of jabbering Sikh -matrons.</p> - -<p>'Not less than the greatest. We are both fortunate! I will -make<br> - report to him of what thou hast done. I am safe under his<br> - protection.'</p> - -<p>He bored through the edge of the crowd besieging the -carriages, and<br> - squatted by the bench near the telegraph-office.</p> - -<p>'Return, or they take thy place! Have no fear for the work, -brother<br> - - or my life. Thou hast given me breathing-space, and -Strickland<br> - Sahib has pulled me to land. We may work together at the Game -yet.<br> - Farewell!'</p> - -<p>Kim hurried to his carriage: elated, bewildered, but a -little<br> - nettled in that he had no key to the secrets about him.</p> - -<p>'I am only a beginner at the Game, that is sure. I could not -have<br> - leaped into safety as did the Saddhu. He knew it was darkest -under<br> - the lamp. I could not have thought to tell news under pretence -of<br> - cursing ... and how clever was the Sahib! No matter, I savcd -the<br> - life of one ... Where is the Kamboh gone, Holy One?' he -whispered,<br> - as he took his seat in the now crowded compartment.</p> - -<p>'A fear gripped him,' the lama replied, with a touch of -tender<br> - malice. 'He saw thee change the Mahratta to a Saddhu in the<br> - twinkling of an eye, as a protection against evil. That shook -him.<br> - Then he saw the Saddhu fall sheer into the hands of the polis - -all<br> - the effect of thy art. Then he gathered up his son and fled; for -he<br> - said that thou didst change a quiet trader into an impudent -bandier<br> - of words with the Sahibs, and he feared a like fate. Where is -the<br> - Saddhu?'</p> - -<p>'With the polis,' said Kim . . . 'Yet I saved the Kamboh's -child.'</p> - -<p>The lama snuffed blandly.</p> - -<p>'Ah, chela, see how thou art overtaken! Thou didst cure -the<br> - Kamboh's child solely to acquire merit. But thou didst put a -spell<br> - on the Mahratta with prideful workings - I watched thee - and -with<br> - sidelong glances to bewilder an old old man and a foolish -farmer:<br> - whence calamity and suspicion.'</p> - -<p>Kim controlled himself with an effort beyond his years. Not -more<br> - than any other youngster did he like to eat dirt or to be -misjudged,<br> - but he saw himself in a cleft stick. The train rolled out of -Delhi<br> - into the night.</p> - -<p>'It is true,' he murmured. 'Where I have offended thee I have -done<br> - wrong.'</p> - -<p>'It is more, chela. Thou hast loosed an Act upon the world, -and as<br> - a stone thrown into a pool so spread the consequences thou canst -not<br> - tell how far.'</p> - -<p>This ignorance was well both for Kim's vanity and for the -lama's<br> - peace of mind, when we think that there was then being handed in -at<br> - Simla a code-wire reporting the arrival of E23 at Delhi, and, -more<br> - important, the whereabouts of a letter he had been commissioned -to -<br> - abstract. Incidentally, an over-zealous policeman had arrested, -on<br> - charge of murder done in a far southern State, a horribly -indignant<br> - Ajmir cotton-broker, who was explaining himself to a Mr -Strickland<br> - on Delhi platform, while E23 was paddling through byways into -the<br> - locked heart of Delhi city. In two hours several telegrams -had<br> - reached the angry minister of a southern State reporting that -all<br> - trace of a somewhat bruised Mahratta had been lost; and by the -time<br> - the leisurely train halted at Saharunpore the last ripple of -the<br> - store Kim had helped to heave was lapping against the steps of -a<br> - mosque in far-away Roum - where it disturbed a pious man at -prayers.</p> - -<p>The lama made his in ample form near the dewy -bougainvillea-trellis<br> - near the platform, cheered by the clear sunshine and the -presence of<br> - his disciple. 'We will put these things behind us,' he said,<br> - indicating the brazen engine and the gleaming track. 'The -jolting of<br> - the te-rain - though a wonderful thing - has turned my bones -to<br> - water. We will use clean air henceforward.'</p> - -<p>'Let us go to the Kulu woman's house' said Kim, and stepped -forth<br> - cheerily under the bundles. Early morning Saharunpore-way is -clean<br> - and well scented. He thought of the other mornings at St -Xavier's,<br> - and it topped his already thrice-heaped contentment.</p> - -<p>'Where is this new haste born from? Wise men do not run about -like<br> - chickens in the sun. We have come hundreds upon hundreds of -koss<br> - already, and, till now, I have scarcely been alone with thee -an<br> - instant. How canst thou receive instruction all jostled of -crowds?<br> - How can I, whelmed by a flux of talk, meditate upon the -Way?'</p> - -<p>'Her tongue grows no shorter with the years, then?' the -disciple<br> - smiled.</p> - -<p>'Nor her desire for charms. I remember once when I spoke of -the<br> - Wheel of Life' - the lama fumbled in his bosom for his latest -copy -<br> - 'she was only curious about the devils that besiege children. -She<br> - shall acquire merit by entertaining us - in a little while - at -an<br> - after-occasion - softly, softly. Now we will wander -loose-foot,<br> - waiting upon the Chain of Things. The Search is sure.'</p> - -<p>So they travelled very easily across and among the broad -bloomful<br> - fruit-gardens - by way of Aminabad, Sahaigunge, Akrola of the -Ford,<br> - and little Phulesa - the line of the Siwaliks always to the -north,<br> - and behind them again the snows. After long, sweet sleep under -the<br> - dry stars came the lordly, leisurely passage through a -waking<br> - village - begging-bowl held forth in silence, but eyes roving -in<br> - defiance of the Law from sky's edge to sky's edge. Then would -Kim<br> - return soft-footed through the soft dust to his master under -the<br> - shadow of a mango-tree or the thinner shade of a white Doon -siris,<br> - to eat and drink at ease. At mid-day, after talk and a -little<br> - wayfaring, they slept; meeting the world refreshed when the air -was<br> - cooler. Night found them adventuring into new territory - -some<br> - chosen village spied three hours before across the fat land, -and<br> - much discussed upon the road.</p> - -<p>There they told their tale - a new one each evening so far as -Kim<br> - was concerned - and there were they made welcome, either by -priest<br> - or headman, after the custom of the kindly East.</p> - -<p>When the shadows shortened and the lama leaned more heavily -upon<br> - Kim, there was always the Wheel of Life to draw forth, to hold -flat<br> - under wiped stones, and with a long straw to expound cycle by -cycle.<br> - Here sat the Gods on high - and they were dreams of dreams. Here -was<br> - our Heaven and the world of the demi-Gods - horsemen fighting -among<br> - the hills. Here were the agonies done upon the beasts, souls<br> - ascending or descending the ladder and therefore not to be<br> - interfered with. Here were the Hells, hot and cold, and the -abodes<br> - of tormented ghosts. Let the chela study the troubles that come -from<br> - over-eating - bloated stomach and burning bowels. Obediently, -then,<br> - with bowed head and brown finger alert to follow the pointer, -did<br> - the chela study; but when they came to the Human World, busy -and<br> - profitless, that is just above the Hells, his mind was -distracted;<br> - for by the roadside trundled the very Wheel itself, eating,<br> - drinking, trading, marrying, and quarrelling - all warmly -alive.<br> - Often the lama made the living pictures the matter of his -text,<br> - bidding Kim - too ready - note how the flesh takes a -thousand<br> - shapes, desirable or detestable as men reckon, but in truth of -no<br> - account either way; and how the stupid spirit, bond-slave to -the<br> - Hog, the Dove, and the Serpent - lusting after betel-nut, a new -yoke<br> - of oxen, women, or the favour of kings - is bound to follow the -body<br> - through all the Heavens and all the Hells, and strictly round -again.<br> - Sometimes a woman or a poor man, watching the ritual - it -was<br> - nothing less - when the great yellow chart was unfolded, would -throw<br> - a few flowers or a handful of cowries upon its edge. It -sufficed<br> - these humble ones that they had met a Holy One who might be -moved to<br> - remember them in his prayers.</p> - -<p>'Cure them if they are sick,' said the lama, when Kim's -sporting<br> - instincts woke. 'Cure them if they have fever, but by no means -work<br> - charms. Remember what befell the Mahratta.'</p> - -<p>'Then all Doing is evil?' Kim replied, lying out under a big -tree at<br> - the fork of the Doon road, watching the little ants run over -his<br> - hand.</p> - -<p>'To abstain from action is well - except to acquire -merit.'</p> - -<p>'At the Gates of Learning we were taught that to abstain from -action<br> - was unbefitting a Sahib. And I am a Sahib.'</p> - -<p>'Friend of all the World,' - the lama looked directly at Kim - -'I am<br> - an old man - pleased with shows as are children. To those -who<br> - follow the Way there is neither black nor white, Hind nor -Bhotiyal.<br> - We be all souls seeking escape. No matter what thy wisdom -learned<br> - among Sahibs, when we come to my River thou wilt be freed from -all<br> - illusion - at my side. Hai! My bones ache for that River, as -they<br> - ached in the te-rain; but my spirit sits above my bones, -waiting.<br> - The Search is sure!'</p> - -<p>'I am answered. Is it permitted to ask a question?'</p> - -<p>The lama inclined his stately head.</p> - -<p>'I ate thy bread for three years - as thou knowest. Holy -One,<br> - whence came -?'</p> - -<p>'There is much wealth, as men count it, in Bhotiyal,' the -lama<br> - returned with composure. 'In my own place I have the illusion -of<br> - honour. I ask for that I need. I am not concerned with the -account.<br> - That is for my monastery. Ai! The black high seats in the<br> - monastery, and novices all in order!'</p> - -<p>And he told stories, tracing with a finger in the dust, of -the<br> - immense and sumptuous ritual of avalanche-guarded cathedrals; -of<br> - processions and devil-dances; of the changing of monks and nuns -into<br> - swine; of holy cities fifteen thousand feet in the air; of -intrigue<br> - between monastery and monastery; of voices among the hills, and -of<br> - that mysterious mirage that dances on dry snow. He spoke even -of<br> - Lhassa and of the Dalai Lama, whom he had seen and adored.</p> - -<p>Each long, perfect day rose behind Kim for a barrier to cut -him off<br> - from his race and his mother-tongue. He slipped back to -thinking<br> - and dreaming in the vernacular, and mechanically followed the -lama's<br> - ceremonial observances at eating, drinking, and the like. The -old<br> - man's mind turned more and more to his monastery as his eyes -turned<br> - to the steadfast snows. His River troubled him nothing. Now -and<br> - again, indeed, he would gaze long and long at a tuft or a -twig,<br> - expecting, he said, the earth to cleave and deliver its -blessing;<br> - but he was content to be with his disciple, at ease in the -temperate<br> - wind that comes down from the Doon. This was not Ceylon, nor -Buddh<br> - Gaya, nor Bombay, nor some grass-tangled ruins that he seemed -to<br> - have stumbled upon two years ago. He spoke of those places as -a<br> - scholar removed from vanity, as a Seeker walking in humility, as -an<br> - old man, wise and temperate, illumining knowledge with -brilliant<br> - insight. Bit by bit, disconnectedly, each tale called up by -some<br> - wayside thing, he spoke of all his wanderings up and down Hind; -till<br> - Kim, who had loved him without reason, now loved him for fifty -good<br> - reasons. So they enjoyed themselves in high felicity, -abstaining,<br> - as the Rule demands, from evil words, covetous desires; not -over-<br> - eating, not lying on high beds, nor wearing rich clothes. -Their<br> - stomachs told them the time, and the people brought them their -food,<br> - as the saying is. They were lords of the villages of -Aminabad,<br> - Sahaigunge, Akrola of the Ford, and little Phulesa, where Kim -gave<br> - the soulless woman a blessing.</p> - -<p>But news travels fast in India, and too soon shuffled across -the<br> - crop-land, bearing a basket of fruits with a box of Kabul grapes -and<br> - gilt oranges, a white-whiskered servitor - a lean, dry Oorya --<br> - begging them to bring the honour of their presence to his -mistress,<br> - distressed in her mind that the lama had neglected her so -long.</p> - -<p>'Now do I remember' - the lama spoke as though it were a -wholly new<br> - proposition. 'She is virtuous, but an inordinate talker.'</p> - -<p>Kim was sitting on the edge of a cow's manger, telling stories -to a<br> - village smith's children.</p> - -<p>'She will only ask for another son for her daughter. I have -not<br> - forgotten her,' he said. 'Let her acquire merit. Send word that -we<br> - will come.'</p> - -<p>They covered eleven miles through the fields in two days, and -were<br> - overwhelmed with attentions at the end; for the old lady held a -fine<br> - tradition of hospitality, to which she forced her son-in-law, -who<br> - was under the thumb of his women-folk and bought peace by -borrowing<br> - of the money-lender. Age had not weakened her tongue or her -memory,<br> - and from a discreetly barred upper window, in the hearing of -not<br> - less than a dozen servants, she paid Kim compliments that would -have<br> - flung European audiences into unclean dismay.</p> - -<p>'But thou art still the shameless beggar-brat of the parao,' -she<br> - shrilled. 'I have not forgotten thee. Wash ye and eat. The -father of<br> - my daughter's son is gone away awhile. So we poor women are dumb -and<br> - useless.'</p> - -<p>For proof, she harangued the entire household unsparingly till -food<br> - and drink were brought; and in the evening - the -smoke-scented<br> - evening, copper-dun and turquoise across the fields - it pleased -her<br> - to order her palanquin to be set down in the untidy forecourt -by<br> - smoky torchlight; and there, behind not too closely drawn -curtains,<br> - she gossiped.</p> - -<p>'Had the Holy One come alone, I should have received him -otherwise;<br> - but with this rogue, who can be too careful?'</p> - -<p>'Maharanee,' said Kim, choosing as always the amplest title, -'is it<br> - my fault that none other than a Sahib - a polis-Sahib - called -the<br> - Maharanee whose face he -' 'Chutt! That was on the -pilgrimage.<br> - When we travel - thou knowest the proverb.'</p> - -<p>'Called the Maharanee a Breaker of Hearts and a Dispenser -of<br> - Delights?'</p> - -<p>'To remember that! It was true. So he did. That was in the -time of<br> - the bloom of my beauty.' She chuckled like a contented parrot -above<br> - the sugar lump. 'Now tell me of thy goings and comings - as much -as<br> - may be without shame. How many maids, and whose wives, hang -upon<br> - thine eyelashes? Ye hail from Benares? I would have gone there -again<br> - this year, but my daughter - we have only two sons. Phaii! Such -is<br> - the effect of these low plains. Now in Kulu men are elephants. -But I<br> - would ask thy Holy One - stand aside, rogue - a charm against -most<br> - lamentable windy colics that in mango-time overtake my -daughter's<br> - eldest. Two years back he gave me a powerful spell.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, Holy One!' said Kim, bubbling with mirth at the lama's -rueful<br> - face.</p> - -<p>'It is true. I gave her one against wind.'</p> - -<p>'Teeth - teeth - teeth, ' snapped the old woman.</p> - -<p>"'Cure them if they are sick,"' Kim quoted relishingly, "'but -by no<br> - means work charms. Remember what befell the Mahratta."'</p> - -<p>'That was two Rains ago; she wearied me with her continual<br> - importunity.' The lama groaned as the Unjust judge had -groaned<br> - before him. 'Thus it comes - take note, my chela - that even -those<br> - who would follow the Way are thrust aside by idle women. Three -days<br> - through, when the child was sick, she talked to me.'</p> - -<p>'Arre! 1 6and to whom else should I talk? The boy's mother -knew<br> - nothing, and the father - in the nights of the cold weather it -was -<br> - "Pray to the Gods," said he, forsooth, and turning over, -snored!'</p> - -<p>'I gave her the charm. What is an old man to do?'</p> - -<p>"'To abstain from action is well - except to acquire -merit."'</p> - -<p>'Ah chela, if thou desertest me, I am all alone.'</p> - -<p>'He found his milk-teeth easily at any rate,' said the old -lady.<br> - 'But all priests are alike.'</p> - -<p>Kim coughed severely. Being young, he did not approve of -her<br> - flippancy. 'To importune the wise out of season is to invite<br> - calamitv.'</p> - -<p>'There is a talking mynah' - the thrust came back with the -well-<br> - remembered snap of the jewelled fore-finger - 'over the -stables<br> - which has picked up the very tone of the family priest. Maybe -I<br> - forget honour to my guests, but if ye had seen him double his -fists<br> - into his belly, which was like a half-grown gourd, and cry: -"Here is<br> - the pain!" ye would forgive. I am half minded to take the -hakim's<br> - medicine. He sells it cheap, and certainly it makes him fat -as<br> - Shiv's own bull. He does not deny remedies, but I doubted for -the<br> - child because of the in-auspicious colour of the bottles.'</p> - -<p>The lama, under cover of the monologue, had faded out into -the<br> - darkness towards the room prepared.</p> - -<br> -'Thou hast angered him, belike,' said Kim. - -<p>'Not he. He is wearied, and I forgot, being a grandmother. -(None<br> - but a grandmother should ever oversee a child. Mothers are only -fit<br> - for bearing.) Tomorrow, when he sees how my daughter's son is -grown,<br> - he will write the charm. Then, too, he can judge of the new -hakim's<br> - drugs.'</p> - -<p>'Who is the hakim, Maharanee?'</p> - -<p>'A wanderer, as thou art, but a most sober Bengali from Dacca -- a<br> - master of medicine. He relieved me of an oppression after meat -by<br> - means of a small pill that wrought like a devil unchained. -He<br> - travels about now, vending preparations of great value. He has -even<br> - papers, printed in Angrezi, telling what things he has done -for<br> - weak-backed men and slack women. He has been here four days; -but<br> - hearing ye were coming (hakims and priests are snake and tiger -the<br> - world over) he has, as I take it, gone to cover.'</p> - -<p>While she drew breath after this volley, the ancient -servant,<br> - sitting unrebuked on the edge of the torchlight, muttered: -'This<br> - house is a cattle-pound, as it were, for all charlatans and --<br> - priests. Let the boy stop eating mangoes ... but who can argue -with<br> - a grandmother?' He raised his voice respectfully: 'Sahiba, the -hakim<br> - sleeps after his meat. He is in the quarters behind the -dovecote'</p> - -<p>Kim bristled like an expectant terrier. To outface and down- -talk a<br> - Calcutta-taught Bengali, a voluble Dacca drug-vendor, would be -a<br> - good game. It was not seemly that the lama, and incidentally<br> - himself, should be thrown aside for such an one. He knew -those<br> - curious bastard English advertisements at the backs of -native<br> - newspapers. St Xavier's boys sometimes brought them in by -stealth to<br> - snigger over among their mates; for the language of the -grateful<br> - patient recounting his symptoms is most simple and revealing. -The<br> - Oorya, not unanxious to play off one parasite against the -other,<br> - slunk away towards the dovecote</p> - -<p>'Yes,' said Kim, with measured scorn. 'Their stock-in-trade is -a<br> - little coloured water and a very great shamelessness. Their prey -are<br> - broken-down kings and overfed Bengalis. Their profit is in -children<br> - - who are not born.' The old lady chuckled. 'Do not be -envious.<br> - Charms are better, eh? I never gainsaid it. See that thy Holy -One<br> - writes me a good amulet by the morning.'</p> - -<p>'None but the ignorant deny' - a thick, heavy voice boomed -through<br> - the darkness, as a figure came to rest squatting - 'None but -the<br> - ignorant deny the value of charms. None but the ignorant deny -the<br> - value of medicines.'</p> - -<p>'A rat found a piece of turmeric. Said he: "I will open a -grocer's<br> - shop,"' Kim retorted.</p> - -<p>Battle was fairly joined now, and they heard the old lady -stiffen to<br> - attention.</p> - -<p>'The priest's son knows the names of his nurse and three Gods. -Says<br> - he: "Hear me, or I will curse you by the three million Great -Ones."'<br> - Decidedly this invisible had an arrow or two in his quiver. He -went<br> - on: 'I am but a teacher of the alphabet. I have learned all -the<br> - wisdom of the Sahibs.'</p> - -<p>'The Sahibs never grow old. They dance and they play like -children<br> - when they are grandfathers. A strong-backed breed,' piped the -voice<br> - inside the palanquin.</p> - -<p>'I have, too, our drugs which loosen humours of the head in -hot and<br> - angry men. Sina well compounded when the moon stands in the -proper<br> - House; yellow earths I have - arplan from China that makes a -man<br> - renew his youth and astonish his household; saffron from -Kashmir,<br> - and the best salep of Kabul. Many people have died before -'</p> - -<p>'That I surely believe,' said Kim.</p> - -<p>'They knew the value of my drugs. I do not give my sick the -mere<br> - ink in which a charm is written, but hot and rending drugs -which<br> - descend and wrestle with the evil.'</p> - -<p>'Very mightily they do so,' sighed the old lady.</p> - -<p>The voice launched into an immense tale of misfortune and<br> - bankruptcy, studded with plentiful petitions to the Government. -'But<br> - for my fate, which overrules all, I had been now in -Government<br> - employ. I bear a degree from the great school at Calcutta - -whither,<br> - maybe, the son of this House shall go.'</p> - -<p>'He shall indeed. If our neighbour's brat can in a few years -be<br> - made an F A' (First Arts - she used the English word, of which -she<br> - had heard so often), 'how much more shall children clever as -some<br> - that I know bear away prizes at rich Calcutta.'</p> - -<p>'Never,' said the voice, 'have I seen such a child! Born in -an<br> - auspicious hour, and - but for that colic which, alas! turning -into<br> - black cholers, may carry him off like a pigeon - destined to -many<br> - years, he is enviable.'</p> - -<p>'Hai mai!' said the old lady. 'To praise children is -inauspicious,<br> - or I could listen to this talk. But the back of the house is<br> - unguarded, and even in this soft air men think themselves to be -men,<br> - and women we know ... The child's father is away too, and I must -be<br> - chowkedar [watchman] in my old age. Up! Up! Take up the -palanquin.<br> - Let the hakim and the young priest settle between them -whether<br> - charms or medicine most avail. Ho! worthless people, fetch -tobacco<br> - for the guests, and - round the homestead go I!'</p> - -<p>The palanquin reeled off, followed by straggling torches and a -horde<br> - of dogs. Twenty villages knew the Sahiba - her failings, her -tongue,<br> - and her large charity. Twenty villages cheated her after -immemorial<br> - custom, but no man would have stolen or robbed within her<br> - jurisdiction for any gift under heaven. None the less, she -made<br> - great parade of her formal inspections, the riot of which could -be<br> - heard half-way to Mussoorie.</p> - -<p>Kim relaxed, as one augur must when he meets another. The -hakim,<br> - still squatting, slid over his hookah with a friendly foot, and -Kim<br> - pulled at the good weed. The hangers-on expected grave -professional<br> - debate, and perhaps a little free doctoring.</p> - -<p>'To discuss medicine before the ignorant is of one piece -with<br> - teaching the peacock to sing,' said the hakim.</p> - -<p>'True courtesy,' Kim echoed, 'is very often inattention.'</p> - -<p>These, be it understood, were company-manners, designed to -impress.</p> - -<p>'Hi! I have an ulcer on my leg,' cried a scullion. 'Look at -it!'</p> - -<p>'Get hence! Remove!' said the hakim. 'Is it the habit of the -place<br> - to pester honoured guests? Ye crowd in like buffaloes.'</p> - -<p>'If the Sahiba knew -' Kim began.</p> - -<p>'Ai! Ai! Come away. They are meat for our mistress. When her -young<br> - Shaitan's colics are cured perhaps we poor people may be -suffered to<br> - -'</p> - -<p>'The mistress fed thy wife when thou wast in jail for breaking -the<br> - money-lender's head. Who speaks against her?' The old -servitor<br> - curled his white moustaches savagely in the young moonlight. 'I -am<br> - responsible for the honour of this house. Go!' and he drove -the<br> - underlings before him.</p> - -<p>Said the hakim, hardly more than shaping the words with his -lips:<br> - 'How do you do, Mister O'Hara? I am jolly glad to see you -again.'</p> - -<p>Kim's hand clenched about the pipe-stem. Anywhere on the open -road,<br> - perhaps, he would not have been astonished; but here, in this -quiet<br> - backwater of life, he was not prepared for Hurree Babu. It -annoyed<br> - him, too, that he had been hoodwinked.</p> - -<p>'Ah ha! I told you at Lucknow - resurgam - I shall rise again -and<br> - you shall not know me. How much did you bet - eh?'</p> - -<p>He chewed leisurely upon a few cardamom seeds, but he -breathed<br> - uneasily.</p> - -<p>'But why come here, Babuji?'</p> - -<p>'Ah! Thatt is the question, as Shakespeare hath it. I come -to<br> - congratulate you on your extraordinary effeecient performance -at<br> - Delhi. Oah! I tell you we are all proud of you. It was -verree<br> - neat and handy. Our mutual friend, he is old friend of mine. He -has<br> - been in some dam'-tight places. Now he will be in some more. -He<br> - told me; I tell Mr Lurgan; and he is pleased you graduate so -nicely.<br> - All the Department is pleased.'</p> - -<p>For the first time in his life, Kim thrilled to the clean -pride (it<br> - can be a deadly pitfall, none the less) of Departmental praise --<br> - ensnaring praise from an equal of work appreciated by -fellow-<br> - workers. Earth has nothing on the same plane to compare with -it.<br> - But, cried the Oriental in him, Babus do not travel far to -retail<br> - compliments.</p> - -<p>'Tell thy tale, Babu,' he said authoritatively.</p> - -<p>'Oah, it is nothing. Onlee I was at Simla when the wire came -in<br> - about what our mutual friend said he had hidden, and old -Creighton -<br> - ' He looked to see how Kim would take this piece of -audacity.</p> - -<p>'The Colonel Sahib,' the boy from St Xavier's corrected. -'Of<br> - course. He found me at a loose string, and I had to go down -to<br> - Chitor to find that beastly letter. I do not like the South - -too<br> - much railway travel; but I drew good travelling allowance. Ha! -Ha! I<br> - meet our mutual at Delhi on the way back. He lies quiett just -now,<br> - and says Saddhu-disguise suits him to the ground. Well, there -I<br> - hear what you have done so well, so quickly, upon the -instantaneous<br> - spur of the moment. I tell our mutual you take the bally bun, -by<br> - Jove! It was splendid. I come to tell you so.'</p> - -<p>'Umm!'</p> - -<p>The frogs were busy in the ditches, and the moon slid to -her<br> - setting. Some happy servant had gone out to commune with the -night<br> - and to beat upon a drum. Kim's next sentence was in the -vernacular.</p> - -<p>'How didst thou follow us?'</p> - -<p>'Oah. Thatt was nothing. I know from our mutual friend you go -to<br> - Saharunpore. So I come on. Red Lamas are not inconspicuous -persons.<br> - I buy myself my drug-box, and I am very good doctor really. I go -to<br> - Akrola of the Ford, and hear all about you, and I talk here and -talk<br> - there. All the common people know what you do. I knew when -the<br> - hospitable old lady sent the dooli. They have great -recollections of<br> - the old lama's visits here. I know old ladies cannot keep -their<br> - hands from medicines. So I am a doctor, and - you hear my talk? -I<br> - think it is verree good. My word, Mister O'Hara, they know -about<br> - you and the lama for fifty miles - the common people. So I come. -Do<br> - you mind?'</p> - -<p>'Babuji,' said Kim, looking up at the broad, grinning face, 'I -am a<br> - Sahib.'</p> - -<p>'My dear Mister O'Hara</p> - -<p>'And I hope to play the Great Game.'</p> - -<p>'You are subordinate to me departmentally at present.'</p> - -<p>'Then why talk like an ape in a tree? Men do not come after -one from<br> - Simla and change their dress, for the sake of a few sweet words. -I<br> - am not a child. Talk Hindi and let us get to the yolk of the -egg.<br> - Thou art here - speaking not one word of truth in ten. Why art -thou<br> - here? Give a straight answer.'</p> - -<p>'That is so verree disconcerting of the Europeans, Mister -O'Hara.<br> - you should know a heap better at your time of life.'</p> - -<p>'But I want to know,' said Kim, laughing. 'If it is the Game, -I may<br> - help. How can I do anything if you bukh [babble] all round -the<br> - shop?'</p> - -<p>Hurree Babu reached for the pipe, and sucked it till it -guggled<br> - again.</p> - -<p>'Now I will speak vernacular. You sit tight, Mister O'Hara . . -. It<br> - concerns the pedigree of a white stallion.'</p> - -<p>'Still? That was finished long ago.'</p> - -<p>'When everyone is dead the Great Game is finished. Not -before.<br> - Listen to me till the end. There were Five Kings who prepared -a<br> - sudden war three years ago, when thou wast given the -stallion's<br> - pedigree by Mahbub Ali. Upon them, because of that news, and -ere<br> - they were ready, fell our Army.'</p> - -<p>'Ay - eight thousand men with guns. I remember that -night.'</p> - -<p>'But the war was not pushed. That is the Government custom. -The<br> - troops were recalled because the Government believed the Five -Kings<br> - were cowed; and it is not cheap to feed men among the high -Passes.<br> - HilaS and Bunar - Rajahs with guns - undertook for a price to -guard<br> - the Passes against all coming from the North. They protested -both<br> - fear and friendship.' He broke off with a giggle into English: -"Of<br> - course, I tell you this unoffeecialiv to elucidate political<br> - situation, Mister O'Hara. Offeecially, I am debarred from<br> - criticizing any action of superiors. Now I go on. - This pleased -the<br> - Government, anxious to avoid expense, and a bond was made for -so<br> - many rupees a month that Hilas and Bunar should guard the Passes -as<br> - soon as the State's troops were withdrawn. At that time - it -was<br> - after we two met - I, who had been selling tea in Leh, became -a<br> - clerk of accounts in the Army. When the troops were withdrawn, -I<br> - was left behind to pay the coolies who made new roads in the -Hills.<br> - This road-making was part of the bond between Bunar, Hilas, and -the<br> - Government.'</p> - -<p>'So? And then?'</p> - -<p>'I tell you, it was jolly-beastly cold up there too, after -summer,'<br> - said Hurree Babu confidentially. 'I was afraid these Bunar men -would<br> - cut my throat every night for thee pay-chest. My native -sepoy-guard,<br> - they laughed at me! By Jove! I was such a fearful man. Nevar -mind<br> - thatt. I go on colloquially ... I send word many times that -these<br> - two Kings were sold to the North; and Mahbub Ali, who was -yet<br> - farther North, amply confirmed it. Nothing was done. Only my -feet<br> - were frozen, and a toe dropped off. I sent word that the roads -for<br> - which I was paying money to the diggers were being made for the -feet<br> - of strangers and enemies.'</p> - -<br> -'For?' - -<p>'For the Russians. The thing was an open jest among the -coolies.<br> - Then I was called down to tell what I knew by speech of -tongue.<br> - Mahbub came South too. See the end! Over the Passes this year -after<br> - snow-melting' - he shivered afresh - come two strangers under -cover<br> - of shooting wild goats. They bear guns, but they bear also -chains<br> - and levels and compasses.'</p> - -<p>'Oho! The thing gets clearer.'</p> - -<p>'They are well received by Hilas and Bunar. They make -great<br> - promises; they speak as the mouthpiece of a Kaisar with gifts. -Up<br> - the valleys, down the valleys go they, saying, "Here is a place -to<br> - build a breastwork; here can ye pitch a fort. Here can ye hold -the<br> - road against an army" - the very roads for which I paid out -the<br> - rupees monthly. The Government knows', but does nothing. The -three<br> - other Kings, who were not paid for guarding the Passes, tell -them by<br> - runner of the bad faith of Bunar and Hilas. When all the evil -is<br> - done, look you - when these two strangers with the levels and -the<br> - compasses make the Five Kings to believe that a great army -will<br> - sweep the Passes tomorrow or the next day - Hill-people are -all<br> - fools - comes the order to me, Hurree Babu, "Go North and see -what<br> - those strangers do." I say to Creighton Sahib, "This is not -a<br> - lawsuit, that we go about to collect evidence."'Hurree returned -to<br> - his English with a jerk: "'By Jove," I said, "why the dooce do -you<br> - not issue demi-offeecial orders to some brave man to poison -them,<br> - for an example? It is, if you permit the observation, most<br> - reprehensible laxity on your part." And Colonel Creighton, -he<br> - laughed at me! It is all your beastly English pride. You think -no<br> - one dare conspire! That is all tommy-rott.'</p> - -<p>Kim smoked slowly, revolving the business, so far as he -understood<br> - it, in his quick mind.</p> - -<p>'Then thou goest forth to follow the strangers?'</p> - -<p>'No. To meet them. They are coming in to Simla to send down -their<br> - horns and heads to be dressed at Calcutta. They are -exclusively<br> - sporting gentlemen, and they are allowed special faceelities by -the<br> - Government. Of course, we always do that. It is our British -pride.'</p> - -<p>'Then what is to fear from them?'</p> - -<p>'By Jove, they are not black people. I can do all sorts of -things<br> - with black people, of course. They are Russians, and highly<br> - unscrupulous people. I - I do not want to consort with them -without<br> - a witness.'</p> - -<p>'Will they kill thee?'</p> - -<p>'Oah, thatt is nothing. I am good enough Herbert Spencerian, -I<br> - trust, to meet little thing like death, which is all in my fate, -you<br> - know. But - but they may beat me.'</p> - -<p>'Why?'</p> - -<p>Hurree Babu snapped his fingers with irritation. 'Of course I -shall<br> - affeeliate myself to their camp in supernumerary capacity as -perhaps<br> - interpreter, or person mentally impotent and hungree, or some -such<br> - thing. And then I must pick up what I can, I suppose. That is -as<br> - easy for me as playing Mister Doctor to the old lady. Onlee - -onlee<br> - - you see, Mister O'Hara, I am unfortunately Asiatic, which -is<br> - serious detriment in some respects. And all-so I am Bengali - -a<br> - fearful man.'</p> - -<p>'God made the Hare and the Bengali. What shame?' said Kim, -quoting<br> - the proverb.</p> - -<p>'It was process of Evolution, I think, from Primal Necessity, -but<br> - the fact remains in all the cui bono. I am, oh, awfully fearful! -- I<br> - remember once they wanted to cut off my head on the road to -Lhassa.<br> - (No, I have never reached to Lhassa.) I sat down and cried, -Mister<br> - O'Hara, anticipating Chinese tortures. I do not suppose these -two<br> - gentlemen will torture me, but I like to provide for -possible<br> - contingency with European assistance in emergency.' He coughed -and<br> - spat out the cardamoms. 'It is purely unoffeecial indent, to -which<br> - you can say "No, Babu". If you have no pressing engagement with -your<br> - old man - perhaps you might divert him; perhaps I can seduce -his<br> - fancies - I should like you to keep in Departmental touch with -me<br> - till I find those sporting coves. I have great opeenion of -you<br> - since I met my friend at Delhi. And also I will embody your name -in<br> - my offeecial report when matter is finally adjudicated. It will -be<br> - a great feather in your cap. That is why I come really.</p> - -<p>'Humph! The end of the tale, I think, is true; but what of -the<br> - fore-part?'</p> - -<p>'About the Five Kings? Oah! there is ever so much truth in it. -A<br> - lots more than you would suppose,' said Hurree earnestly. 'You -come<br> - - eh? I go from here straight into the Doon. It is verree -verdant<br> - and painted meads. I shall go to Mussoorie to good old -Munsoorie<br> - Pahar, as the gentlemen and ladies say. Then by Rampur into -Chini.<br> - That is the only way they can come. I do not like waiting in -the<br> - cold, but we must wait for them. I want to walk with them to -Simla.<br> - You see, one Russian is a Frenchman, and I know my French -pretty<br> - well. I have friends in Chandernagore.'</p> - -<p>'He would certainly rejoice to see the Hills again,' said -Kim<br> - meditatively. 'All his speech these ten days past has been of -little<br> - else. If we go together -'</p> - -<p>'Oah! We can be quite strangers on the road, if your lama -prefers. I<br> - shall just be four or five miles ahead. There is no hurry for -Hurree<br> - - that is an Europe pun, ha! ha! - and you come after. There -is<br> - plenty of time; they will plot and survey and map, of course. -I<br> - shall go tomorrow, and you the next day, if you choose. Eh? You -go<br> - think on it till morning. By Jove, it is near morning now.' -He<br> - yawned ponderously, and with never a civil word lumbered off to -his<br> - sleeping-place. But Kim slept little, and his thoughts ran -in<br> - Hindustani:</p> - -<p>'Well is the Game called great! I was four days a scullion -at<br> - Quetta, waiting on the wife of the man whose book I stole. And -that<br> - was part of the Great Game! From the South - God knows how far --<br> - came up the Mahratta, playing the Great Game in fear of his -life.<br> - Now I shall go far and far into the North playing the Great -Game.<br> - Truly, it runs like a shuttle throughout all Hind. And my share -and<br> - my joy' - he smiled to the darkness-'I owe to the lama here. -Also to<br> - Mahbub Ali - also to Creighton Sahib, but chiefly to the Holy -One.<br> - He is right - a great and a wonderful world - and I am Kim - Kim --<br> - Kim - alone - one person - in the middle of it all. But I will -see<br> - these strangers with their levels and chains . . .'</p> - -<p>'What was the upshot of last night's babble?' said the lama, -after<br> - his orisons</p> - -<p>'There came a strolling seller of drugs - a hanger-on of -the<br> - Sahiba's. Him I abolished by arguments and prayers, proving -that<br> - our charms are worthier than his coloured waters.'</p> - -<p>'Alas, my charms! Is the virtuous woman still bent upon a new -one?'</p> - -<p>'Very strictly.'</p> - -<p>'Then it must be written, or she will deafen me with her -clamour.'<br> - He fumbled at his pencase.</p> - -<p>'In the Plains,' said Kim, 'are always too many people. In -the<br> - Hills, as I understand, there are fewer.'</p> - -<p>'Oh! the Hills, and the snows upon the Hills.' The lami tore -off a<br> - tiny square of paper fit to go in an amulet. 'But what dost -thou<br> - know of the Hills?'</p> - -<p>'They are very close.' Kim thrust open the door and looked at -the<br> - long, peaceful line of the Himalayas flushed in morning- -gold.<br> - 'Except in the dress of a Sahib, I have never set foot among -them.'</p> - -<p>The lama snuffed the wind wistfully.</p> - -<p>'If we go North,' - Kim put the question to the waking sunrise --<br> - 'would not much mid-day heat be avoided by walking among the -lower<br> - hills at least? ... Is the charm made, Holy One?'</p> - -<p>'I have written the names of seven silly devils - not one of -whom is<br> - worth a grain of dust in the eye. Thus do foolish women drag -us<br> - from the Way!'</p> - -<p>Hurree Babu came out from behind the dovecote washing his -teeth with<br> - ostentatious ritual. Full-fleshed, heavy-haunched, bull-necked, -and<br> - deep-voiced, he did not look like 'a fearful man'. Kim -signed<br> - almost imperceptibly that matters were in good train, and when -the<br> - morning toilet was over, Hurree Babu, in flowery speech, came to -do<br> - honour to the lama. They ate, of course, apart, and afterwards -the<br> - old lady, more or less veiled behind a window, returned to the -vital<br> - business of green-mango colics in the young. The lama's -knowledge of<br> - medicine "was, of course, sympathetic only. He believed that -the<br> - dung of a black horse, mixed with sulphur, and carried in a -snake-<br> - skin, was a sound remedy for cholera; but the symbolism -interested<br> - him far more than the science. Hurree Babu deferred to these -views<br> - with enchanting politeness, so that the lama called him a -courteous<br> - physician. Hurree Babu replied that he was no more than an -inexpert<br> - dabbler in the mysteries; but at least - he thanked the Gods<br> - therefore - he knew when he sat in the presence of a master. -He<br> - himself had been taught by the Sahibs, who do not consider -expense,<br> - in the lordly halls of Calcutta; but, as he was ever first -to<br> - acknowledge, there lay a wisdom behind earthly wisdom - the high -and<br> - lonely lore of meditation. Kim looked on with envy. The Hurree -Babu<br> - of his knowledge - oily, effusive, and nervous - was gone; -gone,<br> - too, was the brazen drug-vendor of overnight. There remained --<br> - polished, polite, attentive - a sober, learned son of experience -and<br> - adversity, gathering wisdom from the lama's lips. The old -lady<br> - confided to Kim that these rare levels were beyond her. She -liked<br> - charms with plenty of ink that one could wash off in water, -swallow,<br> - and be done with. Else what was the use of the Gods? She liked -men<br> - and women, and she spoke of them - of kinglets she had known in -the<br> - past; of her own youth and beauty; of the depredations of -leopards<br> - and the eccentricities of love Asiatic; of the incidence of<br> - taxation, rack-renting, funeral ceremonies, her son-in-law (this -by<br> - allusion, easy to be followed), the care of the young, and the -age's<br> - lack of decency. And Kim, as interested in the life of this -world as<br> - she soon to leave it, squatted with his feet under the hem of -his<br> - robe, drinking all in, while the lama demolished one after -another<br> - every theory of body-curing put forward by Hurree Babu.</p> - -<p>At noon the Babu strapped up his brass-bound drug-box, took -his<br> - patent-leather shoes of ceremony in one hand, a gay -blue-and-white<br> - umbrella in the other, and set off northwards to the Doon, -where, he<br> - said, he was in demand among the lesser kings of those -parts.</p> - -<p>'We will go in the cool of the evening, chela,' said the lama. -'That<br> - doctor, learned in physic and courtesy, affirms that the -people<br> - among these lower hills are devout, generous, and much in need -of a<br> - teacher. In a very short time - so says the hakim - we come to -cool<br> - air and the smell of pines.'</p> - -<p>'Ye go to the Hills? And by Kulu road? Oh, thrice happy!' -shrilled<br> - the old lady. 'But that I am a little pressed with the care of -the<br> - homestead I would take palanquin ... but that would be -shameless,<br> - and my reputation would be cracked. Ho! Ho! I know the road - -every<br> - march of the road I know. Ye will find charity throughout - it -is<br> - not denied to the well-looking. I will give orders for -provision. A<br> - servant to set you forth upon your journey? No ... Then I will -at<br> - least cook ye good food.'</p> - -<p>'What a woman is the Sahiba!' said the white-bearded Oorya, -when a<br> - tumult rose by the kitchen quarters. 'She has never forgotten -a<br> - friend: she has never forgotten an enemy in all her years. And -her<br> - cookery - wah!' He rubbed his slim stomach.</p> - -<p>There were cakes, there were sweetmeats, there was cold fowl -stewed<br> - to rags with rice and prunes - enough to burden Kim like a -mule.</p> - -<p>'I am old and useless,' she said. 'None now love me - and -none<br> - respect - but there are few to compare with me when I call on -the<br> - Gods and squat to my cooking-pots. Come again, O people of -good<br> - will. Holy One and disciple, come again. The room is always<br> - prepared; the welcome is always ready ... See the women do -not<br> - follow thy chela too openly. I know the women of Kulu. Take -heed,<br> - chela, lest he run away when he smells his Hills again ... Hai! -Do<br> - not tilt the rice-bag upside down ... Bless the household, Holy -One,<br> - and forgive thy servant her stupidities.'</p> - -<p>She wiped her red old eyes on a corner of her veil, and -clucked<br> - throatily.</p> - -<p>'Women talk,' said the lama at last, 'but that is a -woman's<br> - infirmity. I gave her a charm. She is upon the Wheel and -wholly<br> - given over to the shows of this life, but none the less, chela, -she<br> - is virtuous, kindly, hospitable - of a whole and zealous heart. -Who<br> - shall say she does not acquire merit?'</p> - -<p>'Not I, Holy One,' said Kim, reslinging the bountiful -provision on<br> - his shoulders. 'In my mind - behind my eyes - I have tried -to<br> - picture such an one altogether freed from the Wheel - -desiring<br> - nothing, causing nothing - a nun, as it were'</p> - -<p>'And, O imp?' The lama almost laughed aloud.</p> - -<p>'I cannot make the picture.'</p> - -<p>'Nor I. But there are many, many millions of lives before her. -She<br> - will get wisdom a little, it may be, in each one.'</p> - -<p>'And will she forget how to make stews with saffron upon that -road?'</p> - -<p>'Thy mind is set on things unworthy. But she has skill. I -am<br> - refreshed all over. When we reach the lower hills I shall be -yet<br> - stronger. The hakim spoke truly to me this morn when he said -a<br> - breath from the snows blows away twenty years from the life of -a<br> - man. We will go up into the Hills - the high hills - up to -the<br> - sound of snow-waters and the sound of the trees - for a -little<br> - while. The hakim said that at any time we may return to the -Plains,<br> - for we do no more than skirt the pleasant places. The hakim is -full<br> - of learning; but he is in no way proud. I spoke to him - when -thou<br> - wast talking to the Sahiba - of a certain dizziness that lays -hold<br> - upon the back of my neck in the night, and he said it rose -from<br> - excessive heat - to be cured by cool air. Upon consideration, -I<br> - marvelled that I had not thought of such a simple remedy.'</p> - -<p>'Didst thou tell him of thy Search?' said Kim, a little -jealously.<br> - He preferred to sway the lama by his own speech - not through -the<br> - wiles of Hurree Babu.</p> - -<p>'Assuredly. I told him of my dream, and of the manner by which -I had<br> - acquired merit by causing thee to be taught wisdom.'</p> - -<p>'Thou didst not say I was a Sahib?'</p> - -<p>'What need? I have told thee many times we be but two souls -seeking<br> - escape. He said - and he is just herein - that the River of -Healing<br> - will break forth even as I dreamed - at my feet, if need be. -Having<br> - found the Way, seest thou, that shall free me from the Wheel, -need I<br> - trouble to find a way about the mere fields of earth - which -are<br> - illusion? That were senseless. I have my dreams, night upon -night<br> - repeated; I have Fataka; and I have thee, Friend of all the -World.<br> - It was written in thy horoscope that a Red Bull on a green field -- I<br> - have not forgotten - should bring thee to honour. Who but I saw -that<br> - prophecy accomplished? Indeed, I was the instrument. Thou shalt -find<br> - me my River, being in return the instrument. The Search is -sure!'</p> - -<p>He set his ivory-yellow face, serene and untroubled, towards -the<br> - beckoning Hills; his shadow shouldering far before him in the -dust.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 13</h2> - -<p><br> - Who hath desired the Sea - the immense and contemptuous -surges?<br> - The shudder, the stumble, the swerve ere the star-stabbing -bowsprit<br> - merges -<br> - The orderly clouds of the Trades and the ridged roaring<br> - sapphire thereunder -<br> - Unheralded cliff-lurking flaws and the head-sails' -low-volleying<br> - thunder?<br> - His Sea in no wonder the same - his Sea and the same in each -wonder<br> - -<br> - His Sea that his being fulfils?<br> - So and no otherwise - so and no otherwise hill-men desire -their<br> - hills!</p> - -<p>The Sea and the Hills.</p> - -<p>'Who goes to the hills goes to his mother.'</p> - -<p>They had crossed the Siwaliks and the half-tropical Doon, -left<br> - Mussoorie behind them, and headed north along the narrow -hill-roads.<br> - Day after day they struck deeper into the huddled mountains, and -day<br> - after day Kim watched the lama return to a man's strength. Among -the<br> - terraces of the Doon he had leaned on the boy's shoulder, ready -to<br> - profit by wayside halts. Under the great ramp to Mussoorie he -drew<br> - himself together as an old hunter faces a well-remembered bank, -and<br> - where he should have sunk exhausted swung his long draperies -about<br> - him, drew a deep double-lungful of the diamond air, and walked -as<br> - only a hillman can. Kim, plains-bred and plains-fed, sweated -and<br> - panted astonished. 'This is my country,' said the lama. -'Beside<br> - Such-zen, this is flatter than a rice-field'; and with -steady,<br> - driving strokes from the loins he strode upwards. But it was on -the<br> - steep downhill marches, three thousand feet in three hours, that -he<br> - went utterly away from Kim, whose back ached with holding back, -and<br> - whose big toe was nigh cut off by his grass sandal-string. -Through<br> - the speckled shadow of the great deodar-forests; through oak<br> - feathered and plumed with ferns; birch, ilex, rhododendron, -and<br> - pine, out on to the bare hillsides' slippery sunburnt grass, -and<br> - back into the woodlands' coolth again, till oak gave way to -bamboo<br> - and palm of the valley, the lama swung untiring.</p> - -<p><br> - Glancing back in the twilight at the huge ridges behind him and -the<br> - faint, thin line of the road whereby they had come, he would -lay<br> - out, with a hillman's generous breadth of vision, fresh marches -for<br> - the morrow; or, halting in the neck of some uplifted pass that -gave<br> - on Spiti and Kulu, would stretch out his hands yearningly -towards<br> - the high snows of the horizon. In the dawns they flared -windy-red<br> - above stark blue, as Kedar- nath and Badrinath - kings of -that<br> - wilderness - took the first sunlight. All day long they lay -like<br> - molten silver under the sun, and at evening put on their -jewels<br> - again. At first they breathed temperately upon the travellers, -winds<br> - good to meet when one crawled over some gigantic hog's-back; but -in<br> - a few days, at a height of nine or ten thousand feet, those -breezes<br> - bit; and Kim kindly allowed a village of hillmen to acquire -merit by<br> - giving him a rough blanket-coat. The lama was mildly surprised -that<br> - anyone should object to the knife-edged breezes which had cut -the<br> - years off his shoulders.</p> - -<p>'These are but the lower hills, chela. There is no cold till -we come<br> - to the true Hills.'</p> - -<p>'Air and water are good, and the people are devout enough, but -the<br> - food is very bad,' Kim growled; 'and we walk as though we were -mad -<br> - or English. It freezes at night, too.'</p> - -<p>'A little, maybe; but only enough to make old bones rejoice in -the<br> - sun. We must not always delight in soft beds and rich food.'</p> - -<p>'We might at least keep to the road.'</p> - -<p>Kim had all a plainsman's affection for the well-trodden -track, not<br> - six feet wide, that snaked among the mountains; but the lama, -being<br> - Tibetan, could not refrain from short cuts over spurs and the -rims<br> - of gravel-strewn slopes. As he explained to his limping -disciple, a<br> - man bred among mountains can prophesy the course of a -mountain-road,<br> - and though low-lying clouds might be a hindrance to a -short-cutting<br> - stranger, they made no earthly difference to a thoughtful man. -Thus,<br> - after long hours of what would be reckoned very fair -mountaineering<br> - in civilized countries, they would pant over a saddle-back, -sidle<br> - past a few landslips, and drop through forest at an angle of -forty-<br> - five onto the road again. Along their track lay the villages of -the<br> - hillfolk - mud and earth huts, timbers now and then rudely -carved<br> - with an axe - clinging like swallows' nests against the -steeps,<br> - huddled on tiny flats half-way down a three-thousand-foot -glissade;<br> - jammed into a corner between cliffs that funnelled and focused -every<br> - wandering blast; or, for the sake of summer pasture, cowering -down<br> - on a neck that in winter would be ten feet deep in snow. And -the<br> - people - the sallow, greasy, duffle- clad people, with short -bare<br> - legs and faces almost Esquimaux - would flock out and adore. -The<br> - Plains - kindly and gentle - had treated the lama as a holy -man<br> - among holy men. But the Hills worshipped him as one in the<br> - confidence of all their devils. Theirs was an almost -obliterated<br> - Buddhism, overlaid with a nature-worship fantastic as their -own<br> - landscapes, elaborate as the terracing of their tiny fields; -but<br> - they recognized the big hat, the clicking rosary, and the -rare<br> - Chinese texts for great authority; and they respected the -man<br> - beneath the hat.</p> - -<p>'We saw thee come down over the black Breasts of Eua,' said a -Betah<br> - who gave them cheese, sour milk, and stone-hard bread one -evening.<br> - 'We do not use that often - except when calving cows stray -in<br> - summer. There is a sudden wind among those stones that casts -men<br> - down on the stillest day. But what should such folk care for -the<br> - Devil of Eua!'</p> - -<p>Then did Kim, aching in every fibre, dizzy with looking -down,<br> - footsore with cramping desperate toes into inadequate crannies, -take<br> - joy in the day's march - such joy as a boy of St Xavier's who -had<br> - won the quarter-mile on the flat might take in the praises of -his<br> - friends. The hills sweated the ghi and sugar suet off his -bones;<br> - the dry air, taken sobbingly at the head of cruel passes, firmed -and<br> - built out his upper ribs; and the tilted levels put new hard -muscles<br> - into calf and thigh.</p> - -<p>They meditated often on the Wheel of Life - the more so since, -as<br> - the lama said, they were freed from its visible temptations. -Except<br> - the grey eagle and an occasional far-seen bear grubbing and -rooting<br> - on the hillside; a vision of a furious painted leopard met at -dawn<br> - in a still valley devouring a goat; and now and again a -bright-<br> - coloured bird, they were alone with the winds and the grass -singing<br> - under the wind. The women of the smoky huts over whose roofs -the<br> - two walked as they descended the mountains, were unlovely -and<br> - unclean, wives of many husbands, and afflicted with goitre. The -men<br> - were woodcutters when they were not farmers - meek, and of -an<br> - incredible simplicity. But that suitable discourse might not -fail,<br> - Fate sent them, overtaking and overtaken upon the road, the<br> - courteous Dacca physician, who paid for his food in ointments -good<br> - for goitre and counsels that restore peace between men and -women. He<br> - seemed to know these hills as well as he knew the hill dialects, -and<br> - gave the lama the lie of the land towards Ladakh and Tibet. He -said<br> - they could return to the Plains at any moment. Meantime, for -such as<br> - loved mountains, yonder road might amuse. This was not all -revealed<br> - in a breath, but at evening encounters on the stone -threshing-<br> - floors, when, patients disposed of, the doctor would smoke and -the<br> - lama snuff, while Kim watched the wee cows grazing on the -housetops,<br> - or threw his soul after his eyes across the deep blue gulfs -between<br> - range and range. And there were talks apart in the dark woods, -when<br> - the doctor would seek herbs, and Kim, as budding physician, -must<br> - accompany him.</p> - -<p>'You see, Mister O'Hara, I do not know what the deuce-an'- all -I<br> - shall do when I find our sporting friends; but if you will -kindly<br> - keep within sight of my umbrella, which is fine fixed point -for<br> - cadastral survey, I shall feel much better.'</p> - -<p>Kim looked out across the jungle of peaks. 'This is not my -country,<br> - hakim. Easier, I think, to find one louse in a bear-skin.'</p> - -<p>'Oah, thatt is my strong points. There is no hurry for Hurree. -They<br> - were at Leh not so long ago. They said they had come down from -the<br> - Karakorum with their heads and horns and all. I am onlee afraid -they<br> - will have sent back all their letters and compromising things -from<br> - Leh into Russian territoree. Of course they will walk away as -far to<br> - the East as possible - just to show that they were never among -the<br> - Western States. You do not know the Hills?' He scratched with a -twig<br> - on the earth. 'Look! They should have come in by Srinagar or<br> - Abbottabad. Thatt is their short road - down the river by Bunji -and<br> - Astor. But they have made mischief in the West. So' - he drew -a<br> - furrow from left to right - 'they march and they march away East -to<br> - Leh (ah! it is cold there), and down the Indus to Hanle (I know -that<br> - road), and then down, you see, to Bushahr and Chini valley. That -is<br> - ascertained by process of elimination, and also by asking -questions<br> - from people that I cure so well. Our friends have been a long -time<br> - playing about and producing impressions. So they are well known -from<br> - far off. You will see me catch them somewhere in Chini -valley.<br> - Please keep your eye on the umbrella.'</p> - -<p>It nodded like a wind-blown harebell down the valleys and -round the<br> - mountain sides, and in due time the lama and Kim, who steered -by<br> - compass, would overhaul it, vending ointments and powders at<br> - eventide. 'We came by such and such a way!' The lama would throw -a<br> - careless finger backward at the ridges, and the umbrella -would<br> - expend itself in compliments.</p> - -<p>They crossed a snowy pass in cold moonlight, when the lama, -mildly<br> - chaffing Kim, went through up to his knees, like a Bactrian -camel -<br> - the snow-bred, shag-haired sort that came into the Kashmir -Serai.<br> - They dipped across beds of light snow and snow-powdered shale, -where<br> - they took refuge from a gale in a camp of Tibetans hurrying -down<br> - tiny sheep, each laden with a bag of borax. They came out -upon<br> - grassy shoulders still snow-speckled, and through forest, to -grass<br> - anew. For all their marchings, Kedarnath and Badrinath were -not<br> - impressed; and it was only after days of travel that Kim, -uplifted<br> - upon some insignificant ten-thousand-foot hummock, could see -that a<br> - shoulder-knot or horn of the two great lords had - ever so -slightly<br> - - changed outline.</p> - -<p>At last they entered a world within a world - a valley of -leagues<br> - where the high hills were fashioned of a mere rubble and refuse -from<br> - off the knees of the mountains. Here one day's march carried -them no<br> - farther, it seemed, than a dreamer's clogged pace bears him in -a<br> - nightmare. They skirted a shoulder painfully for hours, and,<br> - behold, it was but an outlying boss in an outlying buttress of -the<br> - main pile! A rounded meadow revealed itself, when they had -reached<br> - it, for a vast tableland running far into the valley. Three -days<br> - later, it was a dim fold in the earth to southward.</p> - -<p>'Surely the Gods live here!' said Kim, beaten down by the -silence<br> - and the appalling sweep and dispersal of the cloud-shadows -after<br> - rain. 'This is no place for men!'</p> - -<p>'Long and long ago,' said the lama, as to himself, 'it was -asked of<br> - the Lord whether the world were everlasting. o this the -Excellent<br> - One returned no answer ... When I was in Ceylon, a wise -Seeker<br> - confirmed that from the gospel which is written in Pali. -Certainly,<br> - since we know the way to Freedom, the question were -unprofitable,<br> - but - look, and know illusion, chela! These- are the true -Hills!<br> - They are like my hills by Suchzen. Never were such hills!'</p> - -<p>Above them, still enormously above them, earth towered away -towards<br> - the snow-line, where from east to west across hundreds of -miles,<br> - ruled as with a ruler, the last of the bold birches stopped. -Above<br> - that, in scarps and blocks upheaved, the rocks strove to fight -their<br> - heads above the white smother. Above these again, changeless -since<br> - the world's beginning, but changing to every mood of sun and -cloud,<br> - lay out the eternal snow. They could see blots and blurs on its -face<br> - where storm and wandering wullie-wa got up to dance. Below them, -as<br> - they stood, the forest slid away in a sheet of blue-green for -mile<br> - upon mile; below the forest was a village in its sprinkle of<br> - terraced fields and steep grazing-grounds. Below the village -they<br> - knew, though a thunderstorm worried and growled there for -the<br> - moment, a pitch of twelve or fifteen hundred feet gave to the -moist<br> - valley where the streams gather that are the mothers of -young<br> - Sutluj.</p> - -<p>As usual, the lama had led Kim by cow-track and by-road, far -from<br> - the main route along which Hurree Babu, that 'fearful man', -had<br> - bucketed three days before through a storm to which nine -Englishmen<br> - out of ten would have given full right of way. Hurree was no -game-<br> - shot - the snick of a trigger made him change colour - but, as -he<br> - himself would have said, he was 'fairly effeecient stalker', and -he<br> - had raked the huge valley with a pair of cheap binoculars to -some<br> - purpose. Moreover, the white of worn canvas tents against -green<br> - carries far. Hurree Babu had seen all he wanted to see when he -sat<br> - on the threshing-floor of Ziglaur, twenty miles away as the -eagle<br> - flies, and forty by road - that is to say, two small dots which -one<br> - day were just below the snow-line, and the next had moved -downward<br> - perhaps six inches on the hillside. Once cleaned out and set to -the<br> - work, his fat bare legs could cover a surprising amount of -ground,<br> - and this was the reason why, while Kim and the lama lay in a -leaky<br> - hut at Ziglaur till the storm should be over-past, an oily, wet, -but<br> - always smiling Bengali, talking the best of English with the -vilest<br> - of phrases, was ingratiating himself with two sodden and -rather<br> - rheumatic foreigners. He had arrived, revolving many wild -schemes,<br> - on the heels of a thunderstorm which had split a pine over -against<br> - their camp, and so convinced a dozen or two forcibly -impressed<br> - baggage-coolies the day was inauspicious for farther travel -that<br> - with one accord they had thrown down their loads and jibbed. -They<br> - were subjects of a Hill Rajah who farmed out their services, as -is<br> - the custom, for his private gain; and, to add to their -personal<br> - distresses, the strange Sahibs had already threatened them -with<br> - rifles. The most of them knew rifles and Sahibs of old: they -were<br> - trackers and shikarris of the Northern valleys, keen after bear -and<br> - wild goat; but they had never been thus treated in their lives. -So<br> - the forest took them to her bosom, and, for all oaths and -clamour,<br> - refused to restore. There was no need to feign madness or - the -Babu<br> - had thought of another means of securing a welcome. He wrung out -his<br> - wet clothes, slipped on his patent-leather shoes, opened the -blue-<br> - and-white umbrella, and with mincing gait and a heart -beating<br> - against his tonsils appeared as 'agent for His Royal Highness, -the<br> - Rajah of Rampur, gentlemen. What can I do for you, please?'</p> - -<p>The gentlemen were delighted. One was visibly French, the -other<br> - Russian, but they spoke English not much inferior to the -Babu's.<br> - They begged his kind offices. Their native servants had gone -sick at<br> - Leh. They had hurried on because they were anxious to bring -the<br> - spoils of the chase to Simla ere the skins grew moth-eaten. -They<br> - bore a general letter of introduction (the Babu salaamed to -it<br> - orientally) to all Government officials. No, they had not met -any<br> - other shooting-parties en route. They did for themselves. They -had<br> - plenty of supplies. They only wished to push on as soon as might -be.<br> - At this he waylaid a cowering hillman among the trees, and -after<br> - three minutes' talk and a little silver (one cannot be -economical<br> - upon State service, though Hurree's heart bled at the waste) -the<br> - eleven coolies and the three hangers-on reappeared. At least -the<br> - Babu would be a witness to their oppression.</p> - -<p>'My royal master, he will be much annoyed, but these people -are<br> - onlee common people and grossly ignorant. If your honours -will<br> - kindly overlook unfortunate affair, I shall be much pleased. In -a<br> - little while rain will stop and we can then proceed. You have -been<br> - shooting, eh? That is fine performance!'</p> - -<p>He skipped nimbly from one kilta to the next, making pretence -to<br> - adjust each conical basket. The Englishman is not, as a -rule,<br> - familiar with the Asiatic, but he would not strike across the -wrist<br> - a kindly Babu who had accidentally upset a kilta with a red -oilskin<br> - top. On the other hand, he would not press drink upon a Babu -were<br> - he never so friendly, nor would he invite him to meat. The<br> - strangers did all these things, and asked many questions - -about<br> - women mostly - to which Hurree returned gay and unstudied -answers.<br> - They gave him a glass of whitish fluid like to gin, and then -more;<br> - and in a little time his gravity departed from him. He -became<br> - thickly treasonous, and spoke in terms of sweeping indecency of -a<br> - Government which had forced upon him a white man's education -and<br> - neglected to supply him with a white man's salary. He babbled -tales<br> - of oppression and wrong till the tears ran down his cheeks for -the<br> - miseries of his land. Then he staggered off, singing love-songs -of<br> - Lower Bengal, and collapsed upon a wet tree-trunk. Never was -so<br> - unfortunate a product of English rule in India more unhappily -thrust<br> - upon aliens.</p> - -<br> -'They are all just of that pattern,' said one sportsman to the -other <br> -in French. 'When we get into India proper thou wilt see. I should -<br> -like to visit his Rajah. One might speak the good word there. It -is <br> -possible that he has heard of us and wishes to signify his -good-<br> -will.' - -<p>'We have not time. We must get into Simla as soon as may be,' -his<br> - companion replied. 'For my own part, I wish our reports had -been<br> - sent back from Hilas, or even Leh.'</p> - -<p>'The English post is better and safer. Remember we are given -all<br> - facilities - and Name of God! - they give them to us too! Is -it<br> - unbelievable stupidity?'</p> - -<p>'It is pride - pride that deserves and will receive -punishment.'</p> - -<p>'Yes! To fight a fellow-Continental in our game is something. -There<br> - is a risk attached, but these people - bah! It is too easy.'</p> - -<p>'Pride - all pride, my friend.'</p> - -<p>'Now what the deuce is good of Chandernagore being so close -to<br> - Calcutta and all,' said Hurree, snoring open-mouthed on the -sodden<br> - moss, 'if I cannot understand their French? They talk so<br> - particularly fast! It would have been much better to cut -their<br> - beastly throats.'</p> - -<p>When he presented himself again he was racked with a headache --<br> - penitent, and volubly afraid that in his drunkenness he might -have<br> - been indiscreet. He loved the British Government - it was the -source<br> - of all prosperity and honour, and his master at Rampur held the -very<br> - same opinion. Upon this the men began to deride him and to -quote<br> - past words, till step by step, with deprecating smirks, oily -grins,<br> - and leers of infinite cunning, the poor Babu was beaten out of -his<br> - defences and forced to speak - truth. When Lurgan was told the -tale<br> - later, he mourned aloud that he could not have been in the place -of<br> - the stubborn, inattentive coolies, who with grass mats over -their<br> - heads and the raindrops puddling in their footprints, waited on -the<br> - wea- ther. All the Sahibs of their acquaintance - rough-clad -men<br> - joyously returning year after year to their chosen gullies - -had<br> - servants and cooks and orderlies, very often hillmen. These -Sahibs<br> - travelled without any retinue. Therefore they were poor Sahibs, -and<br> - ignorant; for no Sahib in his senses would follow a -Bengali's<br> - advice. But the Bengali, appearing from somewhere, had given -them<br> - money, and could make shift with their dialect. Used to<br> - comprehensive ill-treatment from their own colour, they -suspected a<br> - trap somewhere, and stood by to run if occasion offered.</p> - -<p>Then through the new-washed air, steaming with delicious -earth-<br> - smells, the Babu led the way down the slopes - walking ahead of -the<br> - coolies in pride; walking behind the foreigners in humility. -His<br> - thoughts were many and various. The least of them would have<br> - interested his companions beyond words. But he was an -agreeable<br> - guide, ever keen to point out the beauties of his royal -master's<br> - domain. He peopled the hills with anything thev had a mind to -slay -<br> - thar, ibex, or markhor, and bear by Elisha's allowance. He<br> - discoursed of botany and ethnology with unimpeachable -inaccuracy,<br> - and his store of local legends - he had been a trusted agent of -the<br> - State for fifteen years, remember - was inexhaustible.</p> - -<p>'Decidedly this fellow is an original,' said the taller of the -two<br> - foreigners. 'He is like the nightmare of a Viennese -courier.'</p> - -<p>'He represents in little India in transition - the -monstrous<br> - hybridism of East and West,' the Russian replied. 'It is we who -can<br> - deal with Orientals.'</p> - -<p>'He has lost his own country and has not acquired any other. -But he<br> - has a most complete hatred of his conquerors. Listen. He -confided to<br> - me last night,' said the other.</p> - -<p>Under the striped umbrella Hurree Babu was straining ear and -brain<br> - to follow the quick-poured French, and keeping both eyes on a -kilta<br> - full of maps and documents - an extra-large one with a double -red<br> - oil-skin cover. He did not wish to steal anything. He only -desired<br> - to know what to steal, and, incidentally, how to get away when -he<br> - had stolen it. He thanked all the Gods of Hindustan, and -Herbert<br> - Spencer, that there remained some valuables to steal.</p> - -<p>On the second dav the road rose steeply to a grass spur above -the<br> - forest; and it was here, about sunset, that they came across an -aged<br> - lama - but they called him a bonze - sitting cross-legged above -a<br> - mysterious chart held down by stones, which he was explaining to -a<br> - young man, evidently a neophyte, of singular, though -unwashen,<br> - beauty. The striped umbrella had been sighted half a march away, -and<br> - Kim had suggested a halt till it came up to them.</p> - -<p>'Ha!' said Hurree Babu, resourceful as Puss-in-Boots. 'That -is<br> - eminent local holy man. Probably subject of my royal -master.'</p> - -<p>'What is he doing? It is very curious.'</p> - -<p>'He is expounding holy picture - all hand-worked.'</p> - -<p>The two men stood bareheaded in the wash of the afternoon -sunlight<br> - low across the gold-coloured grass. The sullen coolies, glad of -the<br> - check, halted and slid down their loads.</p> - -<p>'Look!' said the Frenchman. 'It is like a picture for the -birth of a<br> - religion - the first teacher and the first disciple. Is he a<br> - Buddhist?'</p> - -<p>'Of some debased kind,' the other answered. 'There are no -true<br> - Buddhists among the Hills. But look at the folds of the -drapery.<br> - Look at his eyes - how insolent! Why does this make one feel -that we<br> - are so young a people?' The speaker struck passionately at a -tall<br> - weed. 'We have nowhere left our mark yet. Nowhere! That, do -you<br> - understand, is what disquiets me.' He scowled at the placid -face,<br> - and the monumental calm of the pose.</p> - -<p>'Have patience. We shall make your mark together - we and you -young<br> - people. Meantime, draw his picture.'</p> - -<p>The Babu advanced loftily; his back out of all keeping with -his<br> - deferential speech, or his wink towards Kim.</p> - -<p>'Holy One, these be Sahibs. My medicines cured one of a flux, -and I<br> - go into Simla to oversee his recovery. They wish to see thy -picture<br> - -'</p> - -<p>'To heal the sick is always good. This is the Wheel of Life,' -said<br> - the lama, 'the same I showed thee in the hut at Ziglaur when -the<br> - rain fell.'</p> - -<p>'And to hear thee expound it.'</p> - -<p>The lama's eyes lighted at the prospect of new listeners. -'To<br> - expound the Most Excellent Way is good. Have they any knowledge -of<br> - Hindi, such as had the Keeper of Images?'</p> - -<p>'A little, maybe.'</p> - -<p>Hereat, simply as a child engrossed with a new game, the lama -threw<br> - back his head and began the full-throated invocation of the -Doctor<br> - of Divinity ere he opens the full doctrine. The strangers leaned -on<br> - their alpenstocks and listened. Kim, squatting humbly, watched -the<br> - red sunlight on their faces, and the blend and parting of their -long<br> - shadows. They wore un-English leggings and curious girt-in -belts<br> - that reminded him hazily of the pictures in a book in St -Xavier's<br> - library "The Adventures of a Young Naturalist in Mexico" was -its<br> - name. Yes, they looked very like the wonderful M. Sumichrast of -that<br> - tale, and very unlike the 'highly unscrupulous folk' of -Hurree<br> - Babu's imagining. The coolies, earth-coloured and mute, -crouched<br> - reverently some twenty or thirty yards away, and the Babu, the -slack<br> - of his thin gear snapping like a marking-flag in the chill -breeze,<br> - stood by with an air of happy proprietorship.</p> - -<p>'These are the men,' Hurree whispered, as the ritual went on -and the<br> - two whites followed the grass-blade sweeping from Hell to Heaven -and<br> - back again. 'All their books are in the large kilta with the -reddish<br> - top - books and reports and maps - and I have seen a King's -letter<br> - that either Hilas or Bunar has written. They guard it most<br> - carefully. They have sent nothing back from Hilas or Leh. That -is<br> - sure.'</p> - -<p>'Who is with them?'</p> - -<p>'Only the beegar-coolies. They have no servants. They are so -close<br> - they cook their own food.'</p> - -<p>'But what am I to do?'</p> - -<p>'Wait and see. Only if any chance comes to me thou wilt know -where<br> - to seek for the papers.'</p> - -<p>'This were better in Mahbub Ali's hands than a Bengali's,' -said Kim<br> - scornfully.</p> - -<p>'There are more ways of getting to a sweetheart than butting -down a<br> - wall.'</p> - -<p>'See here the Hell appointed for avarice and greed. Flanked -upon the<br> - one side by Desire and on the other by Weariness.' The lama -warmed<br> - to his work, and one of the strangers sketched him in the -quick-<br> - fading light.</p> - -<p>'That is enough,' the man said at last brusquely. 'I -cannot<br> - understand him, but I want that picture. He is a better artist -than<br> - I. Ask him if he will sell it.'</p> - -<p>'He says "No, sar,"' the Babu replied. The lama, of course, -would no<br> - more have parted with his chart to a casual wayfarer than an<br> - archbishop would pawn the holy vessels of his cathedral. All -Tibet<br> - is full of cheap reproductions of the Wheel; but the lama was -an<br> - artist, as well as a wealthy Abbot in his own place.</p> - -<p>'Perhaps in three days, or four, or ten, if I perceive that -the<br> - Sahib is a Seeker and of good understanding, I may myself draw -him<br> - another. But this was used for the initiation of a novice. Tell -him<br> - so, hakim.'</p> - -<p>'He wishes it now - for money.'</p> - -<p>The lama shook his head slowly and began to fold up the Wheel. -The<br> - Russian, on his side, saw no more than an unclean old man -haggling<br> - over a dirty piece of paper. He drew out a handful of rupees, -and<br> - snatched half-jestingly at the chart,which tore in the lama's -grip.<br> - A low murmur of horror went up from the coolies - some of whom -were<br> - Spiti men and, by their lights, good Buddhists. The lama rose at -the<br> - insult; his hand went to the heavy iron pencase that is the -priest's<br> - weapon,and the Babu danced in agony.</p> - -<p>'Now you see - you see why I wanted witnesses. They are -highly<br> - unscrupulous people. Oh, sar! sar! You must not hit -holyman!'</p> - -<p>'Chela! He has defiled the Written Word!'</p> - -<p>It was too late. Before Kim could ward him off, the Russian -struck<br> - the old man full on the face. Next instant he was rolling over -and<br> - over downhill with Kim at his throat. The blow had waked -every<br> - unknown Irish devil in the boy's blood, and the sudden fall of -his<br> - enemy did the rest. The lama dropped to his knees, half-stunned; -the<br> - coolies under their loads fled up the hill as fast as plainsmen -run<br> - aross the level. They had seen sacrilege unspeakable, and it -behoved<br> - them to get away before the Gods and devils of the hills -took<br> - vengeance. The Frenchman ran towards the lama, fumbling at -his<br> - revolver with some notion of making him a hostage for his -companion.<br> - A shower of cutting stones - hillmen are very straight shots - -drove<br> - him away, and a coolie from Ao-chung snatched the lama into -the<br> - stampede. All came about as swiftly as the sudden -mountain-darkness.</p> - -<p>'They have taken the baggage and all the guns,' yelled the<br> - Frenchman, firing blindly into the twilight.</p> - -<p>'All right, sar! All right! Don't shoot. I go to rescue,' -and<br> - Hurree, pounding down the slope, cast himself bodily upon -the<br> - delighted and astonished Kim, who was banging his breathless -foe's<br> - head against a boulder.</p> - -<p>'Go back to the coolies,' whispered the Babu in his ear. 'They -have<br> - the baggage. The papers are in the kilta with the red top, but -look<br> - through all. Take their papers, and specially the murasla -[King's<br> - letter]. Go! The other man comes!'</p> - -<p>Kim tore uphill. A revolver-bullet rang on a rock by his side, -and<br> - he cowered partridge-wise.</p> - -<p>'If you shoot,' shouted Hurree, 'they will descend and -annihilate<br> - us. I have rescued the gentleman, sar. This is particularly<br> - dangerous.'</p> - -<p>'By Jove!' Kim was thinking hard in English. 'This is -dam'-tight<br> - place, but I think it is self-defence.' He felt in his bosom -for<br> - Mahbub's gift, and uncertainly - save for a few practice shots -in<br> - the Bikanir desert, he had never used the little gun -pulled -the<br> - trigger.</p> - -<p>'What did I say, sar!' The Babu seemed to be in tears. 'Come -down<br> - here and assist to resuscitate. We are all up a tree, I tell -you.'</p> - -<p>The shots ceased. There was a sound of stumbling feet, and -Kim<br> - hurried upward through the gloom, swearing like a cat - or a<br> - country-bred.</p> - -<p>'Did they wound thee, chela?' called the lama above him.</p> - -<p>'No. And thou?' He dived into a clump of stunted firs.</p> - -<p>'Unhurt. Come away. We go with these folk to -Shamlegh-under-the-<br> - Snow.'</p> - -<p>'But not before we have done justice,' a voice cried. 'I have -got<br> - the Sahibs' guns - all four. Let us go down.'</p> - -<p>'He struck the Holy One - we saw it! Our cattle will be -barren- our<br> - wives will cease to bear! The snows will slide upon us as we go -home<br> - ... Atop of all other oppression too!'</p> - -<p>The little fir-clump filled with clamouring coolies - -panic-<br> - stricken, and in their terror capable of anything. The man -from<br> - Ao-chung clicked the breech-bolt of his gun impatiently, and -made as<br> - to go downhill.</p> - -<p>'Wait a little, Holy One; they cannot go far. Wait till I -return,'<br> - said he.</p> - -<p>'It is this person who has suffered wrong,' said the lama, his -hand<br> - over his brow.</p> - -<p>'For that very reason,' was the reply.</p> - -<p>'If this person overlooks it, your hands are clean. Moreover, -ye<br> - acquire merit by obedience.'</p> - -<p>'Wait, and we will all go to Shamlegh together,' the man -insisted.</p> - -<p>For a moment, for just so long as it needs to stuff a -cartridge into<br> - a breech-loader, the lama hesitated. Then he rose to his feet, -and<br> - laid a finger on the man's shoulder.</p> - -<p>'Hast thou heard? I say there shall be no killing - I who was -Abbot<br> - of Such-zen. Is it any lust of thine to be re-born as a rat,or -a<br> - snake under the eaves - a worm in the belly of the most mean -beast?<br> - Is it thy wish to -'</p> - -<p>The man from Ao-chung fell to his knees, for the voice boomed -like a<br> - Tibetan devil-gong.</p> - -<p>'Ai! ai!' cried the Spiti men.'Do not curse us - do not curse -him.<br> - It was but his zeal, Holy One! . . . Put down the rifle, -fool!'</p> - -<p>'Anger on anger! Evil on evil! There will be no killing. Let -the<br> - priest-beaters go in bondage to their own acts. Just and sure is -the<br> - Wheel, swerving not a hair! They will be born many times - -in<br> - torment.' His head drooped, and he leaned heavily on Kim's -shoulder.</p> - -<p>'I have come near to great evil, chela,' he whispered in that -dead<br> - hush under the pines. 'I was tempted to loose the bullet; and -truly,<br> - in Tibet there would have been a heavy and a slow death for them -...<br> - He struck me across the face ... upon the flesh ...' He slid to -the<br> - ground, breathing heavily, and Kim could hear the over-driven -heart<br> - bump and check.</p> - -<p>'Have they hurt him to the death?' said the Ao-chung man, -while the<br> - others stood mute.</p> - -<p>Kim knelt over the body in deadly fear. 'Nay,' he cried<br> - passionately, 'this is only a weakness.' Then he remembered that -he<br> - was a white man, with a white man's camp-fittings at his -service.<br> - 'Open the kiltas! The Sahibs may have a medicine.'</p> - -<p>'Oho! Then I know it,' said the Ao-chung man with a laugh. -'Not for<br> - five years was I Yankling Sahib's shikarri without knowing -that<br> - medicine. I too have tasted it. Behold!'</p> - -<p>He drew from his breast a bottle of cheap whisky - such as is -sold<br> - to explorers at Leh - and cleverly forced a little between -the<br> - lama's teeth.</p> - -<p>'So I did when Yankling Sahib twisted his foot beyond Astor. -Aha! I<br> - have already looked into their baskets - but we will make -fair<br> - division at Shamlegh. Give him a little more. It is good -medicine.<br> - Feel! His heart goes better now. Lay his head down and rub a -little<br> - on the chest. If he had waited quietly while I accounted for -the<br> - Sahibs this would never have come. But perhaps the Sahibs may -chase<br> - us here. Then it would not be wrong to shoot them with their -own<br> - guns, heh?'</p> - -<br> -'One is paid, I think, already,' said Kim between his teeth. 'I -<br> -kicked him in the groin as we went downhill. Would I had killed -<br> -him!' - -<p>'It is well to be brave when one does not live in Rampur,' -said one<br> - whose hut lay within a few miles of the Rajah's rickety palace. -'If<br> - we get a bad name among the Sahibs, none will employ us as -shikarris<br> - any more.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, but these are not Angrezi Sahibs - not merry-minded men -like<br> - Fostum Sahib or Yankling Sahib. They are foreigners - they -cannot<br> - speak Angrezi as do Sahibs.'</p> - -<p>Here the lama coughed and sat up, groping for the rosary.</p> - -<p>'There shall be no killing,' he murmured. 'Just is the Wheel! -Evil<br> - on evil -'</p> - -<p>'Nay, Holy One. We are all here.' The Ao-chung man timidly -patted<br> - his feet. 'Except by thy order, no one shall be slain. Rest -awhile.<br> - We will make a little camp here, and later, as the moon rises, -we go<br> - to Shamlegh-under-the-Snow.'</p> - -<p>'After a blow, ' said a Spiti man sententiously, 'it is best -to<br> - sleep.'</p> - -<p>'There is, as it were, a dizziness at the back of my neck, and -a<br> - pinching in it. Let me lay my head on thy lap, chela. I am an -old<br> - man, but not free from passion . . . We must think of the Cause -of<br> - Things.'</p> - -<p>'Give him a blanket. We dare not light a fire lest the Sahibs -see.'</p> - -<p>'Better get away to Shamlegh. None will follow us to -Shamlegh.'</p> - -<p>This was the nervous Rampur man.</p> - -<p>'I have been Fostum Sahib's shikarri, and I am Yankling -Sahib's<br> - shikarri. I should have been with Yankling Sahib now but for -this<br> - cursed beegar [the corvee]. Let two men watch below with the -guns<br> - lest the Sahibs do more foolishness. I shall not leave this -Holy<br> - One.'</p> - -<p>They sat down a little apart from the lama, and, after -listening<br> - awhile, passed round a water-pipe whose receiver was an old Day -and<br> - Martin blacking-bottle. The glow of the red charcoal as it went -from<br> - hand to hand lit up the narrow, blinking eyes, the high -Chinese<br> - cheek-bones, and the bull-throats that melted away into the -dark<br> - duffle folds round the shoulders. They looked like kobolds from -some<br> - magic mine - gnomes of the hills in conclave. And while they -talked,<br> - the voices of the snow-waters round them diminished one by one -as<br> - the night- frost choked and clogged the runnels.'</p> - -<p>'How he stood up against us!' said a Spiti man admiring. 'I -remember<br> - an old ibex, out Ladakh-way, that Dupont Sahib missed on a -shoulder-<br> - shot, seven seasons back, standing up just like him. Dupont -Sahib<br> - was a good shikarri.'</p> - -<p>'Not as good as Yankling Sahib.' The Ao-chung man took a pull -at the<br> - whisky-bottle and passed it over. 'Now hear me - unless any -other<br> - man thinks he knows more.'</p> - -<p>The challenge was not taken up.</p> - -<p>'We go to Shamlegh when the moon rises. There we will fairly -divide<br> - the baggage between us. I am content with this new little rifle -and<br> - all its cartridges.'</p> - -<p>'Are the bears only bad on thy holding? said a mate, sucking -at the<br> - pipe.</p> - -<p>'No; but musk-pods are worth six rupees apiece now, and thy -women<br> - can have the canvas of the tents and some of the cooking-gear. -We<br> - will do all that at Shamlegh before dawn. Then we all go our -ways,<br> - remembering that we have never seen or taken service with -these<br> - Sahibs, who may, indeed, say that we have stolen their -baggage.'</p> - -<p>'That is well for thee, but what will our Rajah say?'</p> - -<p>'Who is to tell him? Those Sahibs, who cannot speak our talk, -or<br> - the Babu, who for his own ends gave us money? Will he lead an -army<br> - against us? What evidence will remain? That we do not need we -shall<br> - throw on Shamlegh-midden, where no man has yet set foot.'</p> - -<p>'Who is at Shamlegh this summer?' The place was only a grazing -centre<br> - of three or four huts.</p> - -<p>'The Woman of Shamlegh. She has no love for Sahibs, as we -know. The<br> - others can be pleased with little presents; and here is enough -for<br> - us all.' He patted the fat sides of the nearest basket.</p> - -<p>'But - but -'</p> - -<p>'I have said they are not true Sahibs. All their skins and -heads<br> - were bought in the bazar at Leh. I know the marks. I showed them -to<br> - ye last march.'</p> - -<p>'True. They were all bought skins and heads. Some had even the -moth<br> - in them.'</p> - -<p>That was a shrewd argument, and the Ao-chung man knew his -fellows.</p> - -<p>'If the worst comes to the worst, I shall tell Yankling Sahib, -who<br> - is a man of a merry mind, and he will laugh. We are not doing -any<br> - wrong to any Sahibs whom we know. They are priest-beaters. -They<br> - frightened us. We fled! Who knows where we dropped the baggage? -Do<br> - ye think Yankling Sahib will permit down-country police to -wander<br> - all over the hills, disturbing his game? It is a far cry from -Simla<br> - to Chini, and farther from Shamlegh to Shamlegh-midden.'</p> - -<p>'So be it, but I carry the big kilta. The basket with the red -top<br> - that the Sahibs pack themselves every morning.'</p> - -<p>'Thus it is proved,' said the Shamlegh man adroitly, 'that -they are<br> - Sahibs of no account. Who ever heard of Fostum Sahib, or -Yankling<br> - Sahib, or even the little Peel Sahib that sits up of nights to -shoot<br> - serow - I say, who, ever heard of these Sahibs coming into the -hills<br> - without a down-country cook, and a bearer, and - and all manner -of<br> - well-paid, high-handed and oppressive folk in their tail? How -can<br> - they make trouble? What of the kilta?'</p> - -<p>'Nothing, but that it is full of the Written Word - books and -papers<br> - in which they wrote, and strange instruments, as of -worship.'</p> - -<p>'Shamlegh-midden will take them all.'</p> - -<p>'True! But how if we insult the Sahibs' Gods thereby! I do not -like<br> - to handle the Written Word in that fashion. And their brass -idols<br> - are beyond my comprehension. It is no plunder for simple -hill-folk.'</p> - -<p>'The old man still sleeps. Hst! We will ask his chela.' The -Ao-chung<br> - man refreshed himself, and swelled with pride of leadership.</p> - -<p>'We have here,' he whispered, 'a kilta whose nature we do not -know.'</p> - -<p>'But I do,' said Kim cautiously. The lama drew breath in -natural,<br> - easy sleep, and Kim had been thinking of Hurree's last words. As -a<br> - player of the Great Game, he was disposed just then to reverence -the<br> - Babu. 'It is a kilta with a red top full of very wonderful -things,<br> - not to be handled by fools.'</p> - -<p>'I said it; I said it,' cried the bearer of that burden. -'Thinkest<br> - thou it will betray us?'</p> - -<p>'Not if it be given to me. I can draw out its magic. Otherwise -it<br> - will do great harm.'</p> - -<p>'A priest always takes his share.' Whisky was demoralizing the -Ao-<br> - chung man.</p> - -<p>'It is no matter to me.' Kim answered, with the craft of his -mother-<br> - country. 'Share it among you, and see what comes!'</p> - -<p>'Not I. I was only jesting. Give the order. There is more -than<br> - enough for us all. We go our way from Shamlegh in the dawn.'</p> - -<p>They arranged and re-arranged their artless little plans for -another<br> - hour, while Kim shivered with cold and pride. The humour of -the<br> - situation tickled the Irish and the Oriental in his soul. Here -were<br> - the emissaries of the dread Power of the North, very possibly -as<br> - great in their own land as Mahbub or Colonel Creighton, -suddenly<br> - smitten helpless. One of them, he privately knew, would be lame -for<br> - a time. They had made promises to Kings. Tonight they lay -out<br> - somewhere below him, chartless, foodless, tentless, gunless - -except<br> - for Hurree Babu, guideless. And this collapse of their Great -Game<br> - (Kim wondered to whom they would report it), this panicky bolt -into<br> - the night, had come about through no craft of Hurree's or<br> - contrivance of Kim's, but simply, beautifully, and inevitably as -the<br> - capture of Mahbub's fakir-friends by the zealous young policeman -at<br> - Umballa.</p> - -<p>'They are there - with nothing; and, by Jove, it is cold! I am -here<br> - with all their things. Oh, they will be angry! I am sorry for -Hurree<br> - Babu.'</p> - -<p>Kim might have saved his pity, for though at that moment the -Bengali<br> - suffered acutely in the flesh, his soul was puffed and lofty. A -mile<br> - down the hill, on the edge of the pine-forest, two half-frozen -men -<br> - one powerfully sick at intervals - were varying mutual<br> - recriminations with the most poignant abuse of the Babu, who -seemed<br> - distraught with terror. They demanded a plan of action. He<br> - explained that they were very lucky to be alive; that their -coolies,<br> - if not then stalking them, had passed beyond recall; that the -Rajah,<br> - his master, was ninety miles away, and, so far from lending -them<br> - money and a retinue for the Simla journey, would surely cast -them<br> - into prison if he heard that they had hit a priest. He enlarged -on<br> - this sin and its consequences till they bade him change the -subject.<br> - Their one hope, said he, was unostentatious flight from village -to<br> - village till they reached civilization; and, for the hundredth -time<br> - dissolved in tears, he demanded of the high stars why the -Sahibs<br> - 'had beaten holy man'.</p> - -<p>Ten steps would have taken Hurree into the creaking gloom -utterly<br> - beyond their reach - to the shelter and food of the nearest -village,<br> - where glib-tongued doctors were scarce. But he preferred to -endure<br> - cold, belly-pinch, bad words, and occasional blows in the -company of<br> - his honoured employers. Crouched against a tree-trunk, he -sniffed<br> - dolefully.</p> - -<p>'And have you thought,' said the uninjured man hotly, 'what -sort of<br> - spectacle we shall present wandering through these hills among -these<br> - aborigines?'</p> - -<p>Hurree Babu had thought of little else for some hours, but -the<br> - remark was not to his address.</p> - -<p>'We cannot wander! I can hardly walk,' groaned Kim's -victim.</p> - -<p>'Perhaps the holy man will be merciful in loving-kindness, -sar,<br> - otherwise -'</p> - -<p>'I promise myself a peculiar pleasure in emptying my revolver -into<br> - that young bonze when next we meet,' was the unchristian -answer.</p> - -<p>'Revolvers! Vengeance! Bonzes!' Hurree crouched lower. The war -was<br> - breaking out afresh. 'Have you no consideration for our loss? -The<br> - baggage! The baggage!' He could hear the speaker literally -dancing<br> - on the grass. 'Everything we bore! Everything we have secured! -Our<br> - gains! Eight months' work! Do you know what that means? -"Decidedly<br> - it is we who can deal with Orientals!" Oh, you have done -well.'</p> - -<p>They fell to it in several tongues, and Hurree smiled. Kim was -with<br> - the kiltas, and in the kiltas lay eight months of good -diplomacy.<br> - There was no means of communicating with the boy, but he could -be<br> - trusted. For the rest, Hurree could so stage-manage the -journey<br> - through the hills that Hilas, Bunar, and four hundred miles of -hill-<br> - roads should tell the tale for a generation. Men who cannot -control<br> - their own coolies are little respected in the Hills, and the -hillman<br> - has a very keen sense of humour.</p> - -<p>'If I had done it myself,' thought Hurree, 'it would not have -been<br> - better; and, by Jove, now I think of it, of course I arranged -it<br> - myself. How quick I have been! Just when I ran downhill I -thought<br> - it! Thee outrage was accidental, but onlee me could have worked -it -<br> - ah - for all it was dam'-well worth. Consider the moral effect -upon<br> - these ignorant peoples! No treaties - no papers - no written<br> - documents at all - and me to interpret for them. How I shall -laugh<br> - with the Colonel! I wish I had their papers also: but you -cannot<br> - occupy two places in space simultaneously. Thatt is -axiomatic.'</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 14</h2> - -<p><br> - My brother kneels (so saith Kabir)<br> - To stone and brass in heathen wise,<br> - But in my brother's voice I hear<br> - My own unanswered agonies.<br> - His God is as his Fates assign -<br> - His prayer is all the world's - and mine.</p> - -<p>The Prayer.</p> - -<p><br> - At moonrise the cautious coolies got under way. The lama, -refreshed<br> - by his sleep and the spirit, needed no more than Kim's shoulder -to<br> - bear him along - a silent, swift-striding man. They held the -shale-<br> - sprinkled grass for an hour, swept round the shoulder of an -immortal<br> - cliff, and climbed into a new country entirely blocked off from -all<br> - sight of Chini valley. A huge pasture-ground ran up fan-shaped -to<br> - the living snow. At its base was perhaps half an acre of flat -land,<br> - on which stood a few soil and timber huts. Behind them - for, -hill-<br> - fashion, they were perched on the edge of all things - the -ground<br> - fell sheer two thousand feet to Shamlegh-midden, where never yet -man<br> - has set foot.</p> - -<p><br> - The men made no motion to divide the plunder till they had seen -the<br> - lama bedded down in the best room of the place, with Kim -shampooing<br> - his feet, Mohammedan-fashion.</p> - -<p>'We will send food, ' said the Ao-chung man, 'and the red- -topped<br> - kilta. By dawn there will be none to give evidence, one way or -the<br> - other. If anything is not needed in the kilta - see here!'</p> - -<p>He pointed through the window - opening into space that was -filled<br> - with moonlight reflected from the snow - and threw out an -empty<br> - whisky-bottle.</p> - -<p>'No need to listen for the fall. This is the world's end,' he -said,<br> - and went out. The lama looked forth, a hand on either sill, -with<br> - eyes that shone like yellow opals. From the enormous pit before -him<br> - white peaks lifted themselves yearning to the moonlight. The -rest<br> - was as the darkness of interstellar space.</p> - -<p>'These,' he said slowly, 'are indeed my Hills. Thus should a -man<br> - abide, perched above the world, separated from delights, -considering<br> - vast matters.'</p> - -<p>'Yes; if he has a chela to prepare tea for him, and to fold -a<br> - blanket for his head, and to chase out calving cows.'</p> - -<p>A smoky lamp burned in a niche, but the full moonlight beat it -down;<br> - and by the mixed light, stooping above the food-bag and cups, -Kim<br> - moved like a tall ghost.</p> - -<p>'Ai! But now I have let the blood cool, my head still beats -and<br> - drums, and there is a cord round the back of my neck.'</p> - -<p>'No wonder. It was a strong blow. May he who dealt it -'</p> - -<p>'But for my own passions there would have been no evil.'</p> - -<p>'What evil? Thou hast saved the Sahibs from the death they -deserved<br> - a hundred times.'</p> - -<p>'The lesson is not well learnt, chela.' The lama came to rest -on a<br> - folded blanket, as Kim went forward with his evening routine. -'The<br> - blow was but a shadow upon a shadow. Evil in itself - my legs -weary<br> - apace these latter days! - it met evil in me anger, rage, and a -lust<br> - to return evil. These wrought in my blood, woke tumult in my<br> - stomach, and dazzled my ears.' Here he drank scalding -block-tea<br> - ceremonially, taking the hot cup from Kim's hand. 'Had I -been<br> - passionless, the evil blow would have done only bodily evil - -a<br> - scar, or a bruise - which is illusion. But my mind was not<br> - abstracted, for rushed in straightway a lust to let the Spiti -men<br> - kill. In fighting that lust, my soul was torn and wrenched -beyond a<br> - thousand blows. Not till I had repeated the Blessings' (he meant -the<br> - Buddhist Beatitudes) 'did I achieve calm. But the evil planted -in<br> - me by that moment's carelessness works out to its end. Just is -the<br> - Wheel, swerving not a hair! Learn the lesson, chela.'</p> - -<p>'It is too high for me,' Kim muttered. 'I am still all shaken. -I am<br> - glad I hurt the man.'</p> - -<p>'I felt that, sleeping upon thy knees, in the wood below. -It<br> - disquieted me in my dreams - the evil in thy soul working -through to<br> - mine. Yet on the other hand' - he loosed his rosary -'I have<br> - acquired merit by saving two lives - the lives of those that -wronged<br> - me. Now I must see into the Cause of Things.The boat of my -soul<br> - staggers.'</p> - -<p>'Sleep, and be strong. That is wisest.'</p> - -<p>'I meditate. There is a need greater than thou knowest.'</p> - -<p>Till the dawn, hour after hour, as the moonlight paled on the -high<br> - peaks, and that which had been belted blackness on the sides of -the<br> - far hills showed as tender green forest, the lama stared fixedly -at<br> - the wall. From time to time he groaned. Outside the barred -door,<br> - where discomfited kine came to ask for their old stable, -Shamlegh<br> - and the coolies gave itself up to plunder and riotous living. -The<br> - Ao-chung man was their leader, and once they had opened the -Sahibs'<br> - tinned foods and found that they were very good they dared not -turn<br> - back. Shamlegh kitchen-midden took the dunnage.</p> - -<p>When Kim, after a night of bad dreams, stole forth to brush -his<br> - teeth in the morning chill, a fair-coloured woman with -turquoise-<br> - studded headgear drew him aside.</p> - -<p>'The others have gone. They left thee this kilta as the -promise was.<br> - I do not love Sahibs, but thou wilt make us a charm in return -for<br> - it. We do not wish little Shamlegh to get a bad name on account -of<br> - the - accident. I am the Woman of Shamlegh.' She looked him -over<br> - with bold, bright eyes, unlike the usual furtive glance of<br> - hillwomen.</p> - -<p>'Assuredly. But it must be done in secret.'</p> - -<p>She raised the heavy kilta like a toy and slung it into her -own hut.</p> - -<p>'Out and bar the door! Let none come near till it is -finished,'<br> - said Kim.</p> - -<p>'But afterwards - we may talk?'</p> - -<p>Kim tilted the kilta on the floor - a cascade of -Survey-instruments,<br> - books, diaries, letters, maps, and queerly scented native<br> - correspondence. At the very bottom was an embroidered bag -covering a<br> - sealed, gilded, and illuminated document such as one King sends -to<br> - another. Kim caught his breath with delight,and reviewed the<br> - situation from a Sahib's point of view.</p> - -<p>'The books I do not want. Besides, they are logarithms - -Survey, I<br> - suppose.' He laid them aside. 'The letters I do not understand, -but<br> - Colonel Creighton will. They must all be kept. The maps - they -draw<br> - better maps than me - of course. All the native letters - oho! - -and<br> - particularly the murasla.' He sniffed the embroidered bag. -'That<br> - must be from Hilas or Bunar, and Hurree Babu spoke truth. By -Jove!<br> - It is a fine haul. I wish Hurree could know . . . The rest must -go<br> - out of the window.' He fingered a superb prismatic compass and -the<br> - shiny top of a theodolite. But after all, a Sahib cannot very -well<br> - steal, and the things might be inconvenient evidence later. -He<br> - sorted out every scrap of manuscript, every map, and the -native<br> - letters. They made one softish slab. The three locked -ferril-backed<br> - books, with five worn pocket-books, he put aside.</p> - -<p>'The letters and the murasla I must carry inside my coat and -under<br> - my belt, and the hand-written books I must put into the -food-bag. It<br> - will be very heavy. No. I do not think there is anything more. -If<br> - there is, the coolies have thrown it down the khud, so thatt is -all<br> - right. Now you go too.' He repacked the kilta with all he meant -to<br> - lose, and hove it up on to the windowsill. A thousand feet below -lay<br> - a long, lazy, round-shouldered bank of mist, as yet untouched by -the<br> - morning sun. A thousand feet below that was a hundred-year-old -pine-<br> - forest. He could see the green tops looking like a bed of moss -when<br> - a wind-eddy thinned the cloud.</p> - -<p>'No! I don't think any one will go after you!'</p> - -<p>The wheeling basket vomited its contents as it dropped. -The<br> - theodolite hit a jutting cliff-ledge and exploded like a shell; -the<br> - books, inkstands, paint-boxes, compasses, and rulers showed for -a<br> - few seconds like a swarm of bees. Then they vanished; and, -though<br> - Kim, hanging half out of the window, strained his young ears, -never<br> - a sound came up from the gulf.</p> - -<p>'Five hundred - a thousand rupees could not buy them,' he -thought<br> - sorrowfully. 'It was verree wasteful, but I have all their -other<br> - stuff - everything they did - I hope. Now how the deuce am I to -tell<br> - Hurree Babu, and whatt the deuce am I to do? And my old man is -sick.<br> - I must tie up the letters in oilskin. That is something to do -first<br> - - else they will get all sweated ... And I am all alone!' He -bound<br> - them into a neat packet, swedging down the stiff, sticky oilskin -at<br> - the comers, for his roving life had made him as methodical as an -old<br> - hunter in matters of the road. Then with double care he packed -away<br> - the books at the bottom of the food-bag.</p> - -<p>The woman rapped at the door.</p> - -<p>'But thou hast made no charm,' she said, looking about.</p> - -<p>'There is no need.' Kim had completely overlooked the -necessity for<br> - a little patter-talk. The woman laughed at his confusion<br> - irreverently.</p> - -<p>'None - for thee. Thou canst cast a spell by the mere winking -of an<br> - eye. But think of us poor people when thou art gone. They were -all<br> - too drunk last night to hear a woman. Thou art not drunk?'</p> - -<p>'I am a priest.' Kim had recovered himself, and, the woman -being<br> - aught but unlovely, thought best to stand on his office.</p> - -<p>'I warned them that the Sahibs will be angry and will make -an<br> - inquisition and a report to the Rajah. There is also the Babu -with<br> - them. Clerks have long tongues.'</p> - -<p>'Is that all thy trouble?' The plan rose fully formed in Kim's -mind,<br> - and he smiled ravishingly.</p> - -<p>'Not all,' quoth the woman, putting out a hard brown hand -all<br> - covered with turquoises set in silver.</p> - -<p>'I can finish that in a breath,' he went on quickly. 'The Babu -is<br> - the very hakim (thou hast heard of him?) who was wandering among -the<br> - hills by Ziglaur. I know him.'</p> - -<p>'He will tell for the sake of a reward. Sahibs cannot -distinguish<br> - one hillman from another, but Babus have eyes for men - and -women.'</p> - -<p>'Carry a word to him from me.'</p> - -<p>'There is nothing I would not do for thee.'</p> - -<p>He accepted the compliment calmly, as men must in lands where -women<br> - make the love, tore a leaf from a note-book, and with a -patent<br> - indelible pencil wrote in gross Shikast - the script that bad -little<br> - boys use when they write dirt on walls: 'I have everything that -they<br> - have written: their pictures of the country, and many -letters.<br> - Especially the murasla. Tell me what to do. I am at -Shamlegh-under-<br> - the-Snow. The old man is sick.'</p> - -<p>"Take this to him. It will altogether shut his mouth. He -cannot have<br> - gone far.'</p> - -<p>'Indeed no. They are still in the forest across the spur. -Our<br> - children went to watch them when the light came, and have cried -the<br> - news as they moved.'</p> - -<p>Kim looked his astonishment; but from the edge of the -sheep-pasture<br> - floated a shrill, kite-like trill. A child tending cattle had -picked<br> - it up from a brother or sister on the far side of the slope -that<br> - commanded Chini valley,</p> - -<p>'My husbands are also out there gathering wood.' She drew a -handful<br> - of walnuts from her bosom, split one neatly, and began to eat. -Kim<br> - affected blank ignorance.</p> - -<p>'Dost thou not know the meaning of the walnut -- priest?' she -said<br> - coyly, and handed him the half-shells.</p> - -<p>'Well thought of.' He slipped the piece of paper between -them<br> - quickly. 'Hast thou a little wax to close them on this -letter?'</p> - -<p>The woman sighed aloud, and Kim relented.</p> - -<p>'There is no payment till service has been rendered. Carry -this to<br> - the Babu, and say it was sent by the Son of the Charm.'</p> - -<p>'Al! Truly! Truly! By a magician - who is like a Sahib.'</p> - -<p>'Nay, a Son of the Charm: and ask if there be any answer.'</p> - -<p>'But if he offer a rudeness? I - I am afraid.'</p> - -<p>Kim laughed. 'He is, I have no doubt, very tired and very -hungry.<br> - The Hills make cold bedfellows. Hai, my' - it was on the tip of -his<br> - tongue to say Mother, but he turned it to Sister -'thou art a -wise<br> - and witty woman. By this time all the villages know what has<br> - befallen the Sahibs - eh?'</p> - -<p>'True. News was at Ziglaur by midnight, and by tomorrow should -be at<br> - Kotgarh. The villages are both afraid and angry.'</p> - -<p>'No need. Tell the villages to feed the Sahibs and pass them -on, in<br> - peace. We must get them quietly away from our valleys. To steal -is<br> - one thing - to kill another. The Babu will understand, and -there<br> - will be no after-complaints. Be swift. I must tend my master -when he<br> - wakes.'</p> - -<p>'So be it. After service - thou hast said? - comes the reward. -I am<br> - the Woman of Shamlegh, and I hold from the Rajah. I am no -common<br> - bearer of babes. Shamlegh is thine: hoof and horn and hide, milk -and<br> - butter. Take or leave.'</p> - -<p>She turned resolutely uphill, her silver necklaces clicking on -her<br> - broad breast, to meet the morning sun fifteen hundred feet -above<br> - them. This time Kim thought in the vernacular as he waxed down -the<br> - oilskin edges of the packets.</p> - -<p>'How can a man follow the Way or the Great Game when he is -so-always<br> - pestered by women? There was that girl at Akrola of the Ford; -and<br> - there was the scullion's wife behind the dovecot - not counting -the<br> - others - and now comes this one! When I was a child it was -well<br> - enough, but now I am a man and they will not regard me as a -man.<br> - Walnuts, indeed! Ho! ho! It is almonds in the Plains!'</p> - -<p>He went out to levy on the village - not with a begging-bowl, -which<br> - might do for down-country, but in the manner of a prince. -Shamlegh's<br> - summer population is only three families - four women and eight -or<br> - nine men. They were all full of tinned meats and mixed drinks, -from<br> - ammoniated quinine to white vodka, for they had taken their -full<br> - share in the overnight loot. The neat Continental tents had been -cut<br> - up and shared long ago, and there were patent aluminium -saucepans<br> - abroad.</p> - -<p>But they considered the lama's presence a perfect safeguard -against<br> - all consequences, and impenitently brought Kim of their best - -even<br> - to a drink of chang - the barley-beer that comes from -Ladakh-way.<br> - Then they thawed out in the sun, and sat with their legs -hanging<br> - over infinite abysses, chattering, laughing, and smoking. -They<br> - judged India and its Government solely from their experience -of<br> - wandering Sahibs who had employed them or their friends as<br> - shikarris. Kim heard tales of shots missed upon ibex, serow, -or<br> - markhor, by Sahibs twenty years in their graves - every -detail<br> - lighted from behind like twigs on tree-tops seen against -lightning.<br> - They told him of their little diseases, and, more important, -the<br> - diseases of their tiny, sure-footed cattle; of trips as far -as<br> - Kotgarh, where the strange missionaries live, and beyond even -to<br> - marvellous Simla, where the streets are paved with silver, -and<br> - anyone, look you, can get service with the Sahibs, who ride -about in<br> - two-wheeled carts and spend money with a spade. Presently, -grave<br> - and aloof, walking very heavily, the lama joined himself to -the<br> - chatter under the eaves, and they gave him great room. The thin -air<br> - refreshed him, and he sat on the edge of precipices with the -best of<br> - them, and, when talk languished, flung pebbles into the void. -Thirty<br> - miles away, as the eagle flies, lay the next range, seamed -and<br> - channelled and pitted with little patches of brush - forests, -each a<br> - day's dark march. Behind the village, Shamlegh hill itself cut -off<br> - all view to southward. It was like sitting in a swallow's -nest<br> - under the eaves of the roof of the world.</p> - -<p>>From time to time the lama stretched out his hand, and -with a little<br> - low-voiced prompting would point out the road to Spiti and -north<br> - across the Parungla.</p> - -<p>'Beyond, where the hills lie thickest, lies De-ch'en' (he -meant<br> - Han-le'), 'the great Monastery. s'Tag-stan-ras-ch'en built -it,and of<br> - him there runs this tale.' Whereupon he told it: a fantastic -piled<br> - narrative of bewitchment and miracles that set Shamlegh -a-gasping.<br> - Turning west a little, he speered for the green hills of Kulu, -and<br> - sought Kailung under the glaciers.'For thither came I in the -old,<br> - old days. From Leh I came, over the Baralachi.'</p> - -<p>'Yes, yes; we know it,' said the far-faring people of -Shamlegh.</p> - -<p>'And I slept two nights with the priests of Kailung. These are -the<br> - Hills of my delight! Shadows blessed above all other shadows! -There<br> - my eyes opened on this world; there my eyes were opened to -this<br> - world; there I found Enlightenment; and there I girt my loins -for my<br> - Search. Out of the Hills I came - the high Hills and the -strong<br> - winds. Oh, just is the Wheel!' He blessed them in detail - the -great<br> - glaciers, the naked rocks, the piled moraines and tumbled shale; -dry<br> - upland, hidden salt-lake, age-old timber and fruitful -water-shot<br> - valley one after the other, as a dying man blesses his folk; and -Kim<br> - marvelled at his passion.</p> - -<p>'Yes - yes. There is no place like our Hills,' said the people -of<br> - Shamlegh. And they fell to wondering how a man could live in the -hot<br> - terrible Plains where the cattle run as big as elephants, unfit -to<br> - plough on a hillside; where village touches village, they had -heard,<br> - for a hundred miles; where folk went about stealing in gangs, -and<br> - what the robbers spared the Police carried utterly away.</p> - -<p>So the still forenoon wore through, and at the end of it -Kim's<br> - messenger dropped from the steep pasture as unbreathed as when -she<br> - had set out.</p> - -<p>'I sent a word to the hakim,' Kim explained, while she -made<br> - reverence.</p> - -<p>'He joined himself to the idolaters? Nay, I remember he did -a<br> - healing upon one of them. He has acquired merit, though the -healed<br> - employed his strength for evil. Just is the Wheel! What of -the<br> - hakim?'</p> - -<p>'I feared that thou hadst been bruised and - and I knew he -was<br> - wise.' Kim took the waxed walnut-shell and read in English on -the<br> - back of his note: Your favour received. Cannot get away from -present<br> - company at present, but shall take them into Simla. After -which,<br> - hope to rejoin you. Inexpedient to follow angry gentlemen. -Return by<br> - same road you came, and will overtake. Highly gratified -about<br> - correspondence due to my forethought. 'He says, Holy One, that -he<br> - will escape from the idolaters, and will return to us. Shall we -wait<br> - awhile at Shamlegh, then?'</p> - -<p>The lama looked long and lovingly upon the hills and shook his -head.</p> - -<p>'That may not be, chela. From my bones outward I do desire it, -but<br> - it is forbidden. I have seen the Cause of Things.'</p> - -<p>'Why? When the Hills give thee back thy strength day by -day?<br> - Remember we were weak and fainting down below there in the -Doon.'</p> - -<p>'I became strong to do evil and to forget. A brawler and a<br> - swashbuckler upon the hillsides was I.' Kim bit back a smile. -'Just<br> - and perfect is the Wheel, swerving not a hair. When I was a man -- a<br> - long time ago - I did pilgrimage to Guru Ch'wan among the -poplars'<br> - (he pointed Bhotanwards), 'where they keep the Sacred -Horse.'</p> - -<br> -'Quiet, be quiet!' said Shamlegh, all arow. 'He speaks of -Jam-lin-<br> -nin-k'or, the Horse That Can Go Round The World In a Day.' - -<p>'I speak to my chela only,' said the lama, in gentle reproof, -and<br> - they scattered like frost on south eaves of a morning. 'I did -not<br> - seek truth in those days, but the talk of doctrine. All -illusion! I<br> - drank the beer and ate the bread of Guru Ch'wan. Next day one -said:<br> - "We go out to fight Sangor Gutok down the valley to discover" -(mark<br> - again how Lust is tied to Anger!) "which Abbot shall bear rule -in<br> - the valley and take the profit of the prayers they print at -Sangor<br> - Gutok." I went, and we fought a day.'</p> - -<p>'But how, Holy One?'</p> - -<p>'With our long pencases as I could have shown . . . I say, -we<br> - fought under the poplars, both Abbots and all the monks, and -one<br> - laid open my forehead to the bone. See!' He tilted back his cap -and<br> - showed a puckered silvery scar. 'Just and perfect is the -Wheel!<br> - Yesterday the scar itched, and after fifty years I recalled how -it<br> - was dealt and the face of him who dealt it; dwelling a little -in<br> - illusion. Followed that which thou didst see - strife and -stupidity.<br> - Just is the Wheel! The idolater's blow fell upon the scar. Then -I<br> - was shaken in my soul: my soul was darkened, and the boat of my -soul<br> - rocked upon the waters of illusion. Not till I came to -Shamlegh<br> - could I meditate upon the Cause of Things, or trace the -running<br> - grass-roots of Evil. I strove all the long night.'</p> - -<p>'But', Holy One, thou art innocent of all evil. May I be -thy<br> - sacrifice!'</p> - -<p>Kim was genuinely distressed at the old man's sorrow, and -Mahbub<br> - Ali's phrase slipped out unawares.</p> - -<p>'In the dawn,' the lama went on more gravely, ready rosary -clicking<br> - between the slow sentences, 'came enlightenment. It is here ... -I am<br> - an old man . . . hill-bred, hill-fed, never to sit down among -my<br> - Hills. Three years I travelled through Hind, but - can earth -be<br> - stronger than Mother Earth? My stupid body yearned to the Hills -and<br> - the snows of the Hills, from below there. I said, and it is -true,<br> - my Search is sure. So, at the Kulu woman's house I turned -hillward,<br> - over-persuaded by myself. There is no blame to the hakim. He --<br> - following Desire - foretold that the Hills would make me -strong.<br> - They strengthened me to do evil, to forget my Search. I -delighted in<br> - life and the lust of life. I desired strong slopes to climb. I -cast<br> - about to find them. I measured the strength of my body, which -is<br> - evil, against the high Hills, I made a mock of thee when thy -breath<br> - came short under Jamnotri. I jested when thou wouldst not face -the<br> - snow of the pass.'</p> - -<p>'But what harm? I was afraid. It was just. I am not a hillman; -and I<br> - loved thee for thy new strength.'</p> - -<p>'More than once I remember' - he rested his cheek dolefully on -his<br> - hand - 'I sought thy praise and the hakim's for the mere -strength of<br> - my legs. Thus evil followed evil till the cup was full. Just is -the<br> - Wheel! All Hind for three years did me all honour. From the -Fountain<br> - of Wisdom in the Wonder House to' - he smiled -'a little -child<br> - playing by a big gun - the world prepared my road. And why?'</p> - -<p>'Because we loved thee. It is only the fever of the blow. I -myself<br> - am still sick and shaken.'</p> - -<p>'No! It was because I was upon the Way - tuned as are -si-nen<br> - [cymbals] to the purpose of the Law. I departed from that -ordinance.<br> - The tune was broken: followed the punishment. In my own Hills, -on<br> - the edge of my own country, in the very place of my evil -desire,<br> - comes the buffet - here!' (He touched his brow.) 'As a novice -is<br> - beaten when he misplaces the cups, so am I beaten, who was Abbot -of<br> - Such-zen. No word, look you, but a blow, chela.'</p> - -<p>'But the Sahibs did not know thee, Holy One?'</p> - -<p>'We were well matched. Ignorance and Lust met Ignorance and -Lust<br> - upon the road, and they begat Anger. The blow was a sign to me, -who<br> - am no better than a strayed yak, that my place is not here. Who -can<br> - read the Cause of an act is halfway to Freedom! "Back to the -path,"<br> - says the Blow. "The Hills are not for thee. Thou canst not -choose<br> - Freedom and go in bondage to the delight of life."'</p> - -<p>'Would we had never met that cursed Russian!'</p> - -<p>'Our Lord Himself cannot make the Wheel swing backward. And -for my<br> - merit that I had acquired I gain yet another sign.' He put his -hand<br> - in his bosom, and drew forth the Wheel of Life. 'Look! I -considered<br> - this after I had meditated. There remains untorn by the idolater -no<br> - more than the breadth of my fingernail.'</p> - -<p>'I see.'</p> - -<p>'So much, then, is the span of my life in this body. I have -served<br> - the Wheel all my days. Now the Wheel serves me. But for the -merit I<br> - have acquired in guiding thee upon the Way, there would have -been<br> - added to me yet another life ere I had found my River. Is it -plain,<br> - chela?'</p> - -<p>Kim stared at the brutally disfigured chart. From left to -right<br> - diagonally the rent ran - from the Eleventh House where Desire -gives<br> - birth to the Child (as it is drawn by Tibetans) - across the -human<br> - and animal worlds, to the Fifth House - the empty House of -the<br> - Senses. The logic was unanswerable.</p> - -<p>'Before our Lord won Enlightenment' - the lama folded all away -with<br> - reverence - 'He was tempted. I too have been tempted, but it -is<br> - finished. The Arrow fell in the Plains - not in the Hills.<br> - Therefore, what make we here?'</p> - -<p>'Shall we at least wait for the hakim?'</p> - -<p>'I know how long I shall live in this body. What can a hakim -do?'</p> - -<p>'But thou art all sick and shaken. Thou canst not walk.'</p> - -<p>'How can I be sick if I see Freedom?' He rose unsteadily to -his<br> - feet.</p> - -<p>'Then I must get food from the village. Oh, the weary Road!' -Kim<br> - felt that he too needed rest.</p> - -<p>'That is lawful. Let us eat and go. he Arrow fell in the -Plains ...<br> - but I yielded to Desire. Make ready, chela.'</p> - -<p>Kim turned to the woman with the turquoise headgear who had -been<br> - idly pitching pebbles over the cliff. She smiled very -kindly.</p> - -<p>'I found him like a strayed buffalo in a cornfield - the -Babu;<br> - snorting and sneezing with cold. He was so hungry that he forgot -his<br> - dignity and gave me sweet words. The Sahibs have nothing.' She -flung<br> - out an empty palm. 'One is very sick about the stomach. Thy -work?'</p> - -<p>Kim nodded, with a bright eye.</p> - -<p>'I spoke to the Bengali first - and to the people of a -near-by<br> - village after. The Sahibs will be given food as they need it - -nor<br> - will the people ask money. The plunder is already distributed. -The<br> - Babu makes lying speeches to the Sahibs. Why does he not -leave<br> - them?'</p> - -<p>'Out of the greatness of his heart.'</p> - -<p>"Was never a Bengali yet had one bigger than a dried walnut. -But it<br> - is no matter ... Now as to walnuts. After service comes reward. -I<br> - have said the village is thine.'</p> - -<p>'It is my loss,' Kim began. 'Even now I had planned desirable -things<br> - in my heart which' - there is no need to go through the -compliments<br> - proper to these occasions. He sighed deeply . . . 'But my -master,<br> - led by a vision -'</p> - -<p>'Huh! What can old eyes see except a full begging-bowl?'</p> - -<p>'- turns from this village to the Plains again.'</p> - -<p>'Bid him stay.'</p> - -<p>Kim shook his head. 'I know my Holy One, and his rage if he -be<br> - crossed,' he replied impressively. 'His curses shake the -Hills.'</p> - -<p>'Pity they did not save him from a broken head! I heard that -thou<br> - wast the tiger-hearted one who smote the Sahib. Let him dream -a<br> - little longer. Stay!'</p> - -<p>'Hillwoman,' said Kim, with austerity that could not harden -the<br> - outlines of his young oval face, 'these matters are too high -for<br> - thee.'</p> - -<p>'The Gods be good to us! Since when have men and women been -other<br> - than men and women?'</p> - -<p>'A priest is a priest. He says he will go upon this hour. I am -his<br> - chela, and I go with him. We need food for the Road. He is -an<br> - honoured guest in all the villages, but' - he broke into a -pure<br> - boy's grin - 'the food here is good. Give me some.'</p> - -<p>'What if I do not give it thee? I am the woman of this -village.'</p> - -<p>'Then I curse thee - a little - not greatly, but enough to<br> - remember.' He could not help smiling.</p> - -<p>'Thou hast cursed me already by the down-dropped eyelash and -the<br> - uplifted chin. Curses? What should I care for mere words?' -She<br> - clenched her hands upon her bosom . . . 'But I would not have -thee<br> - to go in anger, thinking hardly of me - a gatherer of cow-dung -and<br> - grass at Shamlegh, but still a woman of substance.'</p> - -<p>'I think nothing,' said Kim, 'but that I am grieved to go, for -I am<br> - very weary; and that we need food. Here is the bag.'</p> - -<p>The woman snatched it angrily. 'I was foolish,' said she. 'Who -is<br> - thy woman in the Plains? Fair or black? I was fair once. -Laughest<br> - thou? Once, long ago, if thou canst believe, a Sahib looked on -me<br> - with favour. Once, long ago, I wore European clothes at the -Mission-<br> - house yonder.' She pointed towards Kotgarh. 'Once, long ago. I -was<br> - Ker-lis-ti-an and spoke English - as the Sahibs speak it. Yes. -My<br> - Sahib said he would return and wed me - yes, wed me. He went -away -<br> - I had nursed him when he was sick - but he never returned. Then -I<br> - saw that the Gods of the Kerlistians lied, and I went back to my -own<br> - people . . . I have never set eyes on a Sahib since. (Do not -laugh<br> - at me. The fit is past, little priestling.) Thy face and thy -walk<br> - and thy fashion of speech put me in mind of my Sahib, though -thou<br> - art only a wandering mendicant to whom I give a dole. Curse me? -Thou<br> - canst neither curse nor bless!' She set her hands on her hips -and<br> - laughed bitterly. 'Thy Gods are lies; thy works are lies; thy -words<br> - are lies. There are no Gods under all the Heavens. I know it ... -But<br> - for awhile I thought it was my Sahib come back, and he was my -God.<br> - Yes, once I made music on a pianno in the Mission-house at -Kotgarh.<br> - Now I give alms to priests who are heatthen.' She wound up with -the<br> - English word, and tied the mouth of the brimming bag.</p> - -<p>'I wait for thee, chela, ' said the lama, leaning against the -door-<br> - post.</p> - -<p>The woman swept the tall figure with her eyes. 'He walk! He -cannot<br> - cover half a mile. Whither would old bones go?'</p> - -<p>At this Kim, already perplexed by the lama's collapse and -foreseeing<br> - the weight of the bag, fairly lost his temper.</p> - -<p>'What is it to thee, woman of ill-omen, where he goes?'</p> - -<p>'Nothing - but something to thee, priest with a Sahib's face. -Wilt<br> - thou carry him on thy shoulders?'</p> - -<p>'I go to the Plains. None must hinder my return. I have -wrestled<br> - with my soul till I am strengthless. The stupid body is spent, -and<br> - we are far from the Plains.'</p> - -<p>'Behold!' she said simply, and drew aside to let Kim see his -own<br> - utter helplessness. 'Curse me. Maybe it will give him strength. -Make<br> - a charm! Call on thy great God. Thou art a priest.' She turned -away.</p> - -<p>The lama had squatted limply, still holding by the door-post. -One<br> - cannot strike down an old man that he recovers again like a boy -in<br> - the night. Weakness bowed him to the earth, but his eyes that -hung<br> - on Kim were alive and imploring.</p> - -<p>'It is all well,' said Kim. 'It is the thin air that weakens -thee.<br> - In a little while we go! It is the mountain-sickness. I too am -a<br> - little sick at stomach,' ... and he knelt and comforted with -such<br> - poor words as came first to his lips. Then the woman returned, -more<br> - erect than ever.</p> - -<p>'Thy Gods useless, heh? Try mine. I am the Woman of Shamlegh.' -She<br> - hailed hoarsely, and there came out of a cow-pen her two -husbands<br> - and three others with a dooli, the rude native litter of the -Hills,<br> - that they use for carrying the sick and for visits of state. -'These<br> - cattle' - she did not condescend to look at them - 'are thine -for so<br> - long as thou shalt need.'</p> - -<p>'But we will not go Simla-way. We will not go near the -Sahibs,'<br> - cried the first husband.</p> - -<p>'They will not run away as the others did, nor will they -steal<br> - baggage. Two I know for weaklings. Stand to the rear-pole, Sonoo -and<br> - Taree.' They obeyed swiftly. 'Lower now, and lift in that holy -man.<br> - I will see to the village and your virtuous wives till ye -return.'</p> - -<p>'When will that be?'</p> - -<p>'Ask the priests. Do not pester me. Lay the food-bag at the -foot, it<br> - balances better so.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, Holy One, thy Hills are kinder than our Plains!' cried -Kim,<br> - relieved, as the lama tottered to the litter. 'It is a very -king's<br> - bed - a place of honour and ease. And we owe it to -'</p> - -<p>'A woman of ill-omen. I need thy blessings as much as I do -thy<br> - curses. It is my order and none of thine. Lift and away! Here! -Hast<br> - thou money for the road?'</p> - -<p>She beckoned Kim to her hut, and stooped above a battered -English<br> - cash-box under her cot.</p> - -<p>'I do not need anything,' said Kim, angered where he should -have<br> - been grateful. 'I am already rudely loaded with favours.'</p> - -<p>She looked up with a curious smile and laid a hand on his -shoulder.<br> - 'At least, thank me. I am foul-faced and a hillwoman, but, as -thy<br> - talk goes, I have acquired merit. Shall I show thee how the -Sahibs<br> - render thanks?' and her hard eyes softened.</p> - -<p>'I am but a wandering priest,' said Kim, his eyes lighting -in<br> - answer. 'Thou needest neither my blessings nor my curses.'</p> - -<p>'Nay. But for one little moment - thou canst overtake the -dooli in<br> - ten strides - if thou wast a Sahib, shall I show thee what -thou<br> - wouldst do?' -</p> - -<p>'How if I guess, though?' said Kim, and putting his arm round -her<br> - waist, he kissed her on the cheek, adding in English: 'Thank -you<br> - verree much, my dear.'</p> - -<p>Kissing is practically unknown among Asiatics, which may have -been<br> - the reason that she leaned back with wide-open eyes and a face -of<br> - panic.</p> - -<p>'Next time,' Kim went on, 'you must not be so sure of your -heatthen<br> - priests. Now I say good-bye.' He held out his hand -English-fashion.<br> - She took it mechanically. 'Good-bye, my dear.'</p> - -<p>'Good-bye, and - and' - she was remembering her English words -one by<br> - one -'you will come back again? Good-bye, and - thee God bless -you.'</p> - -<p>Half an hour later, as the creaking litter jolted up the hill -path<br> - that leads south-easterly from Shamlegh, Kim saw a tiny figure -at<br> - the hut door waving a white rag.</p> - -<p>'She has acquired merit beyond all others,' said the lama. -'For to<br> - set a man upon the way to Freedom is half as great as though she -had<br> - herself found it.'</p> - -<p>'Umm,' said Kim thoughtfully, considering the past. 'It may be -that<br> - I have acquired merit also ... At least she did not treat me -like a<br> - child.' He hitched the front of his robe, where lay the slab -of<br> - documents and maps, re-stowed the precious food-bag at the -lama's<br> - feet, laid his hand on the litter's edge, and buckled down to -the<br> - slow pace of the grunting husbands.</p> - -<p>'These also acquire merit,' said the lama after three -miles.</p> - -<p>'More than that, they shall be paid in silver,' quoth Kim. The -Woman<br> - of Shamlegh had given it to him; and it was only fair, he -argued,<br> - that her men should earn it back again.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>Chapter 15</h2> - -<p><br> - I'd not give room for an Emperor -<br> - I'd hold my road for a King.<br> - To the Triple Crown I'd not bow down -<br> - But this is a different thing!<br> - I'll not fight with the Powers of Air -<br> - Sentry, pass him through!<br> - Drawbridge let fall - He's the Lord of us all -<br> - The Dreamer whose dream came true!</p> - -<p>The Siege of the Fairies.</p> - -<p><br> - Two hundred miles north of Chini, on the blue shale of Ladakh, -lies<br> - Yankling Sahib, the merry-minded man, spy-glassing wrathfully -across<br> - the ridges for some sign of his pet tracker - a man from -Ao-chung.<br> - But that renegade, with a new Mannlicher rifle and two -hundred<br> - cartridges, is elsewhere, shooting musk-deer for the market, -and<br> - Yankling Sahib will learn next season how very ill he has -been.</p> - -<p><br> - Up the valleys of Bushahr - the far-beholding eagles of the<br> - Himalayas swerve at his new blue-and-white gored umbrella - -hurries<br> - a Bengali, once fat and well-looking, now lean and weather-worn. -He<br> - has received the thanks of two foreigners of distinction, -piloted<br> - not unskilfully to Mashobra tunnel, which leads to the great and -gay<br> - capital of India. It was not his fault that, blanketed by wet -mists,<br> - he conveyed them past the telegraph-station and European colony -of<br> - Kotgarh. It was not his fault, but that of the Gods, of whom -he<br> - discoursed so engagingly, that he led them into the borders -of<br> - Nahan, where the Rahah of that State mistook them for -deserting<br> - British soldiery. Hurree Babu explained the greatness and glory, -in<br> - their own country, of his companions, till the drowsy -kinglet<br> - smiled. He explained it to everyone who asked - many times - -aloud -<br> - variously. He begged food, arranged accommodation, proved a -skilful<br> - leech for an injury of the groin - such a blow as one may -receive<br> - rolling down a rock-covered hillside in the dark - and in all -things<br> - indispensable. The reason of his friendliness did him credit. -With<br> - millions of fellow-serfs, he had learned to look upon Russia as -the<br> - great deliverer from the North. He was a fearful man. He had -been<br> - afraid that he could not save his illustrious employers from -the<br> - anger of an excited peasantry. He himself would just as lief hit -a<br> - holy man as not, but ... He was deeply grateful and -sincerely<br> - rejoiced that he had done his 'little possible' towards -bringing<br> - their venture to - barring the lost baggage - a successful -issue, he<br> - had forgotten the blows; denied that any blows had been dealt -that<br> - unseemly first night under the pines. He asked neither pension -nor<br> - retaining fee, but, if they deemed him worthy, would they write -him<br> - a testimonial? It might be useful to him later, if others, -their<br> - friends, came over the Passes. He begged them to remember him -in<br> - their future greatnesses, for he 'opined subtly' that he, even -he,<br> - Mohendro Lal Dutt, MA of Calcutta, had 'done the State some<br> - service'.</p> - -<p>They gave him a certificate praising his courtesy, -helpfulness, and<br> - unerring skill as a guide. He put it in his waist-belt and -sobbed<br> - with emotion; they had endured so many dangers together. He led -them<br> - at high noon along crowded Simla Mall to the Alliance Bank of -Simla,<br> - where they wished to establish their identity. Thence he -vanished<br> - like a dawn-cloud on Jakko.</p> - -<p>Behold him, too fine-drawn to sweat, too pressed to vaunt the -drugs<br> - in his little brass-bound box, ascending Shamlegh slope, a just -man<br> - made perfect. Watch him, all Babudom laid aside, smoking at noon -on<br> - a cot, while a woman with turquoise-studded headgear points -south-<br> - easterly across the bare grass. Litters, she says, do not travel -as<br> - fast as single men, but his birds should now be in the Plains. -The<br> - holy man would not stay though Lispeth pressed him. The Babu -groans<br> - heavily, girds up his huge loins, and is off again. He does not -care<br> - to travel after dusk; but his days' marches - there is none to -enter<br> - them in a book - would astonish folk who mock at his race. -Kindly<br> - villagers, remembering the Dacca drug-vendor of two months ago, -give<br> - him shelter against evil spirits of the wood. He dreams of -Bengali<br> - Gods, University text-books of education, and the Royal -Society,<br> - London, England. Next dawn the bobbing blue-and-white umbrella -goes<br> - forward.</p> - -<p>On the edge of the Doon, Mussoorie well behind them and the -Plains<br> - spread out in golden dust before, rests a worn litter in which - -all<br> - the Hills know it - lies a sick lama who seeks a River for -his<br> - healing. Villages have almost come to blows over the honour -of<br> - bearing it, for not only has the lama given them blessings, but -his<br> - disciple good money - full one-third Sahibs' prices. Twelve -miles a<br> - day has the dooli travelled, as the greasy, rubbed pole-ends -show,<br> - and by roads that few Sahibs use. Over the Nilang Pass in storm -when<br> - the driven snow-dust filled every fold of the impassive -lama's<br> - drapery; between the black horns of Raieng where they heard -the<br> - whistle of the wild goats through the clouds; pitching and -strained<br> - on the shale below; hard-held between shoulder and clenched jaw -when<br> - they rounded the hideous curves of the Cut Road under -Bhagirati;<br> - swinging and creaking to the steady jog-trot of the descent into -the<br> - Valley of the Waters; pressed along the steamy levels of that -locked<br> - valley; up, up and out again, to meet the roaring gusts off<br> - Kedarnath; set down of mid-days in the dun gloom of kindly -oak-<br> - forests; passed from village to village in dawn-chill, when -even<br> - devotees may be forgiven for swearing at impatient holy men;or -by<br> - torchlight, when the least fearful think of ghosts - the dooli -has<br> - reached her last stage. The little hill-folk sweat in the -modified<br> - heat of the lower Siwaliks, and gather round the priests for -their<br> - blessing and their wage.</p> - -<p>'Ye have acquired merit,' says the lama. 'Merit greater than -your<br> - knowing. And ye will return to the Hills,' he sighs.</p> - -<p>'Surely. The high Hills as soon as may be.' The bearer rubs -his<br> - shoulder, drinks water, spits it out again, and readjusts his -grass<br> - sandal. Kim - his face is drawn and tired - pays very small -silver<br> - from his belt', heaves out the food-bag, crams an oilskin packet --<br> - they are holy writings - into his bosom, and helps the lama to -his<br> - feet. The peace has come again into the old man's eyes, and he -does<br> - not look for the hills to fall down and crush him as he did -that<br> - terrible night when they were delayed by the flooded river.</p> - -<p>The men pick up the dooli and swing out of sight between the -scrub<br> - clumps.</p> - -<p>The lama raises a hand toward the rampart of the Himalayas. -'Not<br> - with you, O blessed among all hills, fell the Arrow of Our Lord! -And<br> - never shall I breathe your airs again!'</p> - -<p>'But thou art ten times the stronger man in this good air,' -says<br> - Kim, for to his wearied soul appeal the well-cropped, kindly -Plains.<br> - 'Here, or hereabouts, fell the Arrow, yes. We will go very -softly,<br> - perhaps, a koss a day, for the Search is sure. But the bag -weighs<br> - heavy.'</p> - -<p>'Ay, our Search is sure. I have come out of great -temptation.'</p> - -<p>It was never more than a couple of miles a day now, and -Kim's<br> - shoulders bore all the weight of it - the burden of an old man, -the<br> - burden of the heavy food-bag with the locked books, the load of -the<br> - writings on his heart, and the details of the daily routine. -He<br> - begged in the dawn, set blankets for the lama's meditation, held -the<br> - weary head on his lap through the noonday heats, fanning away -the<br> - flies till his wrists ached, begged again in the evenings, -and<br> - rubbed the lama's feet, who rewarded him with promise of Freedom --<br> - today, tomorrow, or, at furthest, the next day.</p> - -<p>'Never was such a chela. I doubt at times whether Ananda -more<br> - faithfully nursed Our Lord. And thou art a Sahib? When I was a -man -<br> - a long time ago - I forgot that. Now I look upon thee often, -and<br> - every time I remember that thou art a Sahib. It is strange.'</p> - -<p>'Thou hast said there is neither black nor white. Why plague -me with<br> - this talk, Holy One? Let me rub the other foot. It vexes me. I -am<br> - not a Sahib. I am thy chela, and my head is heavy on my -shoulders.'</p> - -<p>'Patience a little! We reach Freedom together. Then thou and -I, upon<br> - the far bank of the River, will look back upon our lives as in -the<br> - Hills we saw our days' marches laid out behind us. Perhaps I was -once<br> - a Sahib.'</p> - -<p>"Was -never a Sahib like thee, I swear it.'</p> - -<p>'I am certain the Keeper of the Images in the Wonder House was -in<br> - past life a very wise Abbot. But even his spectacles do not make -my<br> - eyes see. There fall shadows when I would look steadily. No -matter -<br> - we know the tricks of the poor stupid carcass - shadow changing -to<br> - another shadow. I am bound by the illusion of Time and Space. -How<br> - far came we today in the flesh?'</p> - -<p>'Perhaps half a koss.' (Three quarters of a mile, and it was -a<br> - weary march.)</p> - -<p>'Half a koss. Ha! I went ten thousand thousand in the spirit. -How,<br> - we are all lapped and swathed and swaddled in these -senseless<br> - things.' He looked at his thin blue-veined hand that found the -beads<br> - so heavy. 'Chela, hast thou never a wish to leave me?'</p> - -<p>Kim thought of the oilskin packet and the books in the food- -bag. If<br> - someone duly authorized would only take delivery of them the -Great<br> - Game might play itself for aught he then cared. He was tired and -hot<br> - in his head, and a cough that came from the stomach worried -him.</p> - -<p>'No.' he said almost sternly. 'I am not a dog or a snake to -bite<br> - when I have learned to love.'</p> - -<p>'Thou art too tender towards me.'</p> - -<p>'Not that either. I have moved in one matter without -consulting<br> - thee. I have sent a message to the Kulu woman by that woman who -gave<br> - us the goat's milk this morn, saying that thou wast a little -feeble<br> - and wouldst need a litter. I beat myself in mv mind that I did -not<br> - do it when we entered the Doon. e stay in this place till -the<br> - litter returns.'</p> - -<p>'I am content. She is a woman with a heart of gold, as thou -sayest,<br> - but a talker - something of a talker.'</p> - -<p>'She will not weary thee. I have looked to that also. Holy -One, my<br> - heart is very heavy for my many carelessnesses towards thee.' -An<br> - hysterical catch rose in his throat. 'I have walked thee too -far: I<br> - have not picked good food always for thee; I have not considered -the<br> - heat; I have talked to people on the road and left thee alone -... I<br> - have - I have ... Hai mai! But I love thee ... and it is all -too<br> - late ... I was a child . . . Oh, why was I not a man? . . .'<br> - Overborne by strain, fatigue, and the weight beyond his years, -Kim<br> - broke down and sobbed at the lama's feet.</p> - -<p>'What a to-do is here!' said the old man gently. 'Thou hast -never<br> - stepped a hair's breadth from the Way of Obedience. Neglect -me?<br> - Child, I have lived on thy strength as an old tree lives on the -lime<br> - of a new wall. Day by day, since Shamlegh down, I have -stolen<br> - strength from thee. Therefore, not through any sin of thine, -art<br> - thou weakened. It is the Body - the silly, stupid Body - that -speaks<br> - now. Not the assured Soul. Be comforted! Know at least the -devils<br> - that thou fightest. They are earth-born - children of illusion. -We<br> - will go to the woman from Kulu. She shall acquire merit in -housing<br> - us, and specially in tending me. Thou shalt run free till -strength<br> - returns. I had forgotten the stupid Body. If there be any blame, -I<br> - bear it. But we are too close to the Gates of Deliverance to -weigh<br> - blame. I could praise thee, but what need? In a little - in a -very<br> - little - we shall sit beyond all needs.'</p> - -<p>And so he petted and comforted Kim with wise saws and grave -texts on<br> - that little-understood beast, our Body, who, being but a -delusion,<br> - insists on posing as the Soul, to the darkening of the Way, and -the<br> - immense multiplication of unnecessary devils.</p> - -<p>'Hai! hai! Let us talk of the woman from Kulu. Think you she -will<br> - ask another charm for her grandsons? When I was a young man, a -very<br> - long time ago, I was plagued with these vapours - and some -others -<br> - and I went to an Abbot - a very holy man and a seeker after -truth,<br> - though then I knew it not. Sit up and listen, child of my soul! -My<br> - tale was told. Said he to me, "Chela, know this. There are many -lies<br> - in the world, and not a few liars, but there are no liars like -our<br> - bodies, except it be the sensations of our bodies." Considering -this<br> - I was comforted, and of his great favour he suffered me to drink -tea<br> - In his presence. Suffer me now to drink tea, for I am -thirsty.'</p> - -<p>With a laugh across his tears, Kim kissed the lama's feet, and -set<br> - about the tea-making.</p> - -<p>'Thou leanest on me in the body, Holy One, but I lean on thee -for<br> - some other things. Dost know it?'</p> - -<p>'I have guessed maybe,' and the lama's eyes twinkled. 'We -must<br> - change that.'</p> - -<p>So, when with scufflings and scrapings and a hot air of -importance,<br> - paddled up nothing less than the Sahiba's pet palanquin sent -twenty<br> - miles, with that same grizzled old Oorya servant in charge, and -when<br> - they reached the disorderly order of the long white rambling -house<br> - behind Saharunpore, the lama took his own measures.</p> - -<p>Said the Sahiba cheerily from an upper window, after -compliments:<br> - 'What is the good of an old woman's advice to an old man? I -told<br> - thee - I told thee, Holy One, to keep an eye upon the chela. -How<br> - didst thou do it? Never answer me! I know. He has been running -among<br> - the women. Look at his eyes - hollow and sunk - and the -Betraying<br> - Line from the nose down! He has been sifted out! Fie! Fie! And -a<br> - priest, too!'</p> - -<p>Kim looked up, over-weary to smile, shaking his head in -denial.</p> - -<p>'Do not jest,' said the lama. 'That time is done. We are here -upon<br> - great matters. A sickness of soul took me in the Hills, and him -a<br> - sickness of the body. Since then I have lived upon his strength --<br> - eating him.'</p> - -<p>'Children together - young and old,' she sniffed, but forbore -to<br> - make any new jokes. 'May this present hospitality restore ye! -Hold<br> - awhile and I will come to gossip of the high good Hills.'</p> - -<p>At evening time - her son-in-law was returned, so she did not -need<br> - to go on inspection round the farm - she won to the meat of -the<br> - matter, explained low-voicedly by the lama. The two old heads -nodded<br> - wisely together. Kim had reeled to a room with a cot in it, and -was<br> - dozing soddenly. The lama had forbidden him to set blankets or -get<br> - food.</p> - -<p>'I know - I know. Who but I?' she cackled. 'We who go down to -the<br> - burning-ghats clutch at the hands of those coming up from the -River<br> - of Life with full water-jars - yes, brimming water-jars. I did -the<br> - boy wrong. He lent thee his strength? It is true that the old -eat<br> - the young daily. Stands now we must restore him.'</p> - -<p>'Thou hast many times acquired merit -'</p> - -<p>'My merit. What is it? Old bag of bones making curries for -men<br> - who do not ask "Who cooked this?" Now if it were stored up for -my<br> - grandson -'</p> - -<p>'He that had the belly-pain?'</p> - -<p>'To think the Holy One remembers that! I must tell his mother. -It is<br> - most singular honour! "He that had the belly-pain" - straightway -the<br> - Holy One remembered. She will be proud.'</p> - -<p>'My chela is to me as is a son to the unenlightened.'</p> - -<p>'Say grandson, rather. Mothers have not the wisdom of our -years. If<br> - a child cries they say the heavens are falling. Now a -grandmother is<br> - far enough separated from the pain of bearing and the pleasure -of<br> - giving the breast to consider whether a cry is wickedness pure -or<br> - the wind. And since thou speakest once again of wind, when last -the<br> - Holy One was here, maybe I offended in pressing for charms.'</p> - -<p>'Sister,' said the lama, using that form of address a Buddhist -monk<br> - may sometimes employ towards a nun, 'if charms comfort thee --'</p> - -<p>'They are better than ten thousand doctors.'</p> - -<p>'I say, if they comfort thee, I who was Abbot of Such-zen, -will make<br> - as many as thou mayest desire. I have never seen thy face -'</p> - -<p>'That even the monkeys who steal our loquats count for again. -Hee!<br> - hee!'</p> - -<p>'But as he who sleeps there said,' - he nodded at the shut -door of<br> - the guest-chamber across the forecourt - 'thou hast a heart of -gold<br> - ... And he is in the spirit my very "grandson" to me'</p> - -<p>'Good! I am the Holy One's cow." This was pure Hinduism, but -the<br> - lama never heeded. 'I am old. I have borne sons in the body. -Oh,<br> - once I could please men! Now I can cure them.' He heard her -armlets<br> - tinkle as though she bared arms for action. 'I will take over -the<br> - boy and dose him, and stuff him, and make him all whole. Hat! -hai'!<br> - We old people know something yet.'</p> - -<p>Wherefore when Kim, aching in every bone, opened his eyes, and -would<br> - go to the cook-house to get his master's food, he found -strong<br> - coercion about him, and a veiled old figure at the door, flanked -by<br> - the grizzled manservant, who told him very precisely the things -that<br> - he was on no account to do.</p> - -<p>'Thou must have? Thou shalt have nothing. What? A locked box -in<br> - which to keep holy books? Oh, that is another matter. -Heavens<br> - forbid I should come between a priest and his prayers! It shall -be<br> - brought, and thou shalt keep the key.'</p> - -<p>They pushed the coffer under his cot, and Kim shut away -Mahbub's<br> - pistol, the oilskin packet of letters, and the locked books -and<br> - diaries, with a groan of relief. For some absurd reason their -weight<br> - on his shoulders was nothing to their weight on his poor mind. -His<br> - neck ached under it of nights.</p> - -<p>'Thine is a sickness uncommon in youth these days: since young -folk<br> - have given up tending their betters. The remedy is sleep, -and<br> - certain drugs,' said the Sahiba; and he was glad to give himself -up<br> - to the blankness that half menaced and half soothed him.</p> - -<p>She brewed drinks, in some mysterious Asiatic equivalent to -the<br> - still-room - drenches that smelt pestilently and tasted worse. -She<br> - stood over Kim till they went down, and inquired exhaustively -after<br> - they had come up. She laid a taboo upon the forecourt, and -enforced<br> - it by means of an armed man. It is true he was seventy odd, that -his<br> - scabbarded sword ceased at the hilt; but he represented the<br> - authority of the Sahiba, and loaded wains, chattering -servants,<br> - calves, dogs, hens, and the like, fetched a wide compass by -those<br> - parts. Best of all, when the body was cleared, she cut out from -the<br> - mass of poor relations that crowded the back of the buildings --<br> - house-hold dogs, we name them - a cousin's widow, skilled in -what<br> - Europeans, who know nothing about it, call massage. And the two -of<br> - them, laying him east and west, that the mysterious -earth-currents<br> - which thrill the clay of our bodies might help and not hinder, -took<br> - him to pieces all one long afternoon - bone by bone, muscle -by<br> - muscle, ligament by ligament, and lastly, nerve by nerve. -Kneaded to<br> - irresponsible pulp, half hypnotized by the perpetual flick -and<br> - readjustment of the uneasy chudders that veiled their eyes, Kim -slid<br> - ten thousand miles into slumber - thirty-six hours of it - -sleep<br> - that soaked like rain after drought.</p> - -<br> -Then she fed him, and the house spun to her clamour. She caused -<br> -fowls to be slain; she sent for vegetables, and the sober, -slow-<br> -thinking gardener, nigh as old as she, sweated for it; she took -<br> -spices, and milk, and onion, with little fish from the brooks - -anon <br> -limes for sherbets, fat quails from the pits, then chicken-livers -<br> -upon a skewer, with sliced ginger between. - -<p>'I have seen something of this world,' she said over the -crowded<br> - trays, 'and there are but two sorts of women in it -those who -take<br> - the strength out of a man and those who put it back. Once I was -that<br> - one, and now I am this. Nay - do not play the priestling with -me.<br> - Mine was but a jest. If it does not hold good now, it will when -thou<br> - takest the road again. Cousin,' - this to the poor relation, -never<br> - wearied of extolling her patroness's charity -'he is getting a -bloom<br> - on the skin of a new-curried horse. Our work is like -polishing<br> - jewels to be thrown to a dance-girl - eh?'</p> - -<p>Kim sat up and smiled. The terrible weakness had dropped from -him<br> - like an old shoe. His tongue itched for free speech again, and -but a<br> - week back the lightest word clogged it like ashes. The pain in -his<br> - neck (he must have caught it from the lama) had gone with the -heavy<br> - dengue-aches and the evil taste in the mouth. The two old women, -a<br> - little, but not much, more careful about their veils now, -clucked as<br> - merrily as the hens that had entered pecking through the open -door.</p> - -<p>'Where is my Holy One?' he demanded.</p> - -<p>'Hear him! Thy Holy One is well,' she snapped viciously. -'Though<br> - that is none of his merit., Knew I a charm to make him wise, -I'd<br> - sell my jewels and buy it. To refuse good food that I cooked -myself<br> - - and go roving into the fields for two nights on an empty belly --<br> - and to tumble into a brook at the end of it - call you that<br> - holiness? Then, when he has nearly broken what thou hast left of -my<br> - heart with anxiety, he tells me that he has acquired merit. Oh, -how<br> - like are all men! No, that was not it - he tells me that he is -freed<br> - from all sin. I could have told him that before he wetted -himself<br> - all over. He is well now - this happened a week ago - but burn -me<br> - such holiness! A babe of three would do better. Do not fret -thyself<br> - for the Holy One. He keeps both eyes on thee when he is not -wading<br> - our brooks.'</p> - -<p>'I do not remember to have seen him. I remember that the days -and<br> - nights passed like bars of white and black, opening and -shutting. I<br> - was not sick: I was but tired."</p> - -<p>'A lethargy that comes by right some few score years later. -But it is<br> - done now.'</p> - -<p>'Maharanee,' Kim began, but led by the look in her eye, -changed it<br> - to the title of plain love - 'Mother, I owe my life to thee. -How<br> - shall I make thanks? Ten thousand blessings upon thy house and --'</p> - -<p>'The house be unblessed!' (It is impossible to give exactly -the old<br> - lady's word.) 'Thank the Gods as a priest if thou wilt, but -thank<br> - me, if thou carest, as a son. Heavens above! Have I shifted thee -and<br> - lifted thee and slapped and twisted thy ten toes to find texts -flung<br> - at my head? Somewhere a mother must have borne thee to break -her<br> - heart. What used thou to her - son?'</p> - -<p>'I had no mother, my mother,' said Kim. 'She died, they tell -me,<br> - when I was young.'</p> - -<p>'Hai mai! Then none can say I have robbed her of any right if -- when<br> - thou takest the road again and this house is but one of a -thousand<br> - used for shelter and forgotten, after an easy-flung blessing. -No<br> - matter. I need no blessings, but - but -' She stamped her foot -at<br> - the poor relation. 'Take up the trays to the house. What is the -good<br> - of stale food in the room, O woman of ill-omen?'</p> - -<p>'I ha - have borne a son in my time too, but he died,' -whimpered the<br> - bowed sister-figure behind the chudder. 'Thou knowest he died! -I<br> - only waited for the order to take away the, tray.'</p> - -<p>'It is I that am the woman of ill-omen,' cried the old -lady<br> - penitently. 'We that go down to the chattris [the big -umbrellas<br> - above the burning-ghats where the priests take their last -dues]<br> - clutch hard at the bearers of the chattis [water-jars - young -folk<br> - full of the pride of life, she meant; but the pun is -clumsy].When<br> - one cannot dance in the festival one must e'en look out of -the<br> - window, and grandmothering takes all a woman's time. Thy -master<br> - gives me all the charms I now desire for my daughter's eldest, -by<br> - reason - is it? - that he is wholly free from sin. The hakim -is<br> - brought very low these days. He goes about poisoning my servants -for<br> - lack of their betters.'</p> - -<p>'What hakim, mother?'</p> - -<p>'That very Dacca man who gave me the pill which rent me in -three<br> - pieces. He cast up like a strayed camel a week ago, vowing that -he<br> - and thou had been blood-brothers together up Kulu-way, and -feigning<br> - great anxiety for thy health. He was very thin and hungry, so I -gave<br> - orders to have him stuffed too - him and his anxiety!'</p> - -<p>'I would see him if he is here.'</p> - -<p>'He eats five times a day, and lances boils for my hinds to -save<br> - himself from an apoplexy. He is so full of anxiety for thy -health<br> - that he sticks to the cook-house door and stays himself with -scraps.<br> - He will keep. We shall never get rid of him.'</p> - -<p>'Send him here, mother' - the twinkle returned to Kim's eye -for a<br> - flash - 'and I will try.'</p> - -<p>'I'll send him, but to chase him off is an ill turn. At least -he had<br> - the sense to fish the Holy One out of the brook; thus, as the -Holy<br> - One did not say, acquiring merit.'</p> - -<p>'He is a very wise hakim. Send him, mother.'</p> - -<p>'Priest praising priest? A miracle! If he is any friend of -thine (ye<br> - squabbled at your last meeting) I'll hale him here with -horse-ropes<br> - and - and give him a caste-dinner afterwards, my son ... Get up -and<br> - see the world! This lying abed is the mother of seventy devils -...<br> - my son! my son!'</p> - -<p>She trotted forth to raise a typhoon off the cook-house, and -almost<br> - on her shadow rolled in the Babu, robed as to the shoulders like -a<br> - Roman emperor, jowled like Titus, bare-headed, with new -patent-<br> - leather shoes, in highest condition of fat, exuding joy and<br> - salutations.</p> - -<p>'By Jove, Mister O'Hara, but I are jolly-glad to see you. I -will<br> - kindly shut the door. It is a pity you are sick. Are you very -sick?'</p> - -<p>'The papers - the papers from the kilta. The maps and the -murasla!'<br> - He held out the key impatiently; for the present need on his -soul<br> - was to get rid of the loot.</p> - -<p>'You are quite right. That is correct Departmental view to -take. You<br> - have got everything?'</p> - -<p>'All that was handwritten in the kilta I took. The rest I -threw down<br> - the hill.' He could hear the key's grate in the lock, the -sticky<br> - pull of the slow-rending oilskin, and a quick shuffling of -papers.<br> - He had been annoyed out of all reason by the knowledge that they -lay<br> - below him through the sick idle days - a burden incommunicable. -For<br> - that reason the blood tingled through his body, when Hurree,<br> - skipping elephantinely, shook hands again.</p> - -<p>'This is fine! This is finest! Mister O'Hara! you have - ha! -ha!<br> - swiped the whole bag of tricks - locks, stocks, and barrels. -They<br> - told me it was eight months' work gone up the spouts! By Jove, -how<br> - they beat me! ... Look, here is the letter from Hilas!' He -intoned a<br> - line or two of Court Persian, which is the language of -authorized<br> - and unauthorized diplomacy. 'Mister Rajah Sahib has just about -put<br> - his foot in the holes. He will have to explain offeecially how -the<br> - deuce-an'-all he is writing love-letters to the Czar. And they -are<br> - very clever maps ... and there is three or four Prime Ministers -of<br> - these parts implicated by the correspondence. By Gad, sar! -The<br> - British Government will change the succession in Hilas and -Bunar,<br> - and nominate new heirs to the throne. "Trea-son most base" ... -but<br> - you do not understand? Eh?'</p> - -<p>'Are they in thy hands?' said Kim. It was all he cared -for.</p> - -<p>'Just you jolly-well bet yourself they are.' He stowed the -entire<br> - trove about his body, as only Orientals can. 'They are going up -to<br> - the office, too. The old lady thinks I am permanent fixture -here,<br> - but I shall go away with these straight off - immediately. Mr -Lurgan<br> - will be proud man. You are offeecially subordinate to me, but -I<br> - shall embody your name in my verbal report. It is a pity we are -not<br> - allowed written reports. We Bengalis excel in thee exact -science.'<br> - He tossed back the key and showed the box empty.</p> - -<p>'Good. That is good. I was very tired. My Holy One was sick, -too.<br> - And did he fall into -'</p> - -<p>'Oah yess. I am his good friend, I tell you. He was behaving -very<br> - strange when I came down after you, and I thought perhaps he -might<br> - have the papers. I followed him on his meditations, and to -discuss<br> - ethnological points also. You see, I am verree small person -here<br> - nowadays, in comparison with all his charms. By Jove, O'Hara, do -you<br> - know, he is afflicted with infirmity of fits. Yess, I tell -you.<br> - Cataleptic, too, if not also epileptic. I found him in such a -state<br> - under a tree in articulo mortem, and he jumped up and walked -into a<br> - brook and he was nearly drowned but for me. I pulled him -out.'</p> - -<p>'Because I was not there!' said Kim. 'He might have died.'</p> - -<p>'Yes, he might have died, but he is dry now, and asserts he -has<br> - undergone transfiguration.' The Babu tapped his forehead -knowingly.<br> - 'I took notes of his statements for Royal Society - in posse. -You<br> - must make haste and be quite well and come back to Simla, and I -will<br> - tell you all my tale at Lurgan's. It was splendid. The bottoms -of<br> - their trousers were quite torn, and old Nahan Rajah, he thought -they<br> - were European soldiers deserting.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, the Russians? How long were they with thee?'</p> - -<p>'One was a Frenchman. Oh, days and days and days! Now all the -hill-<br> - people believe all Russians are all beggars. By Jove! they had -not<br> - one dam'-thing that I did not get them. And I told the common -people<br> - - oah, such tales and anecdotes! -I will tell you at old -Lurgan's<br> - when you come up. We will have - ah - a night out! It is feather -in<br> - both our caps! Yess, and they gave me a certificate. That is<br> - creaming joke. You should have seen them at the Alliance -Bank<br> - identifying themselves! And thank Almighty God you got their -papers<br> - so well! You do not laugh verree much, but you shall laugh when -you<br> - are well. Now I will go straight to the railway and get out. -You<br> - shall have all sorts of credits for your game. When do you -come<br> - along? We are very proud of you though you gave us great -frights.<br> - And especially Mahbub.'</p> - -<p>'Ay, Mahbub. And where is he?'</p> - -<p>'Selling horses in this vi-cinity, of course.'</p> - -<p>'Here! Why? Speak slowly. There is a thickness in my head -still.'</p> - -<p>The Babu looked shyly down his nose. 'Well, you see, I am -fearful<br> - man, and I do not like responsibility. You were sick, you see, -and I<br> - did not know where deuce-an'-all the papers were, and if so, -how<br> - many. So when I had come down here I slipped in private wire -to<br> - Mahbub - he was at Meerut for races - and I tell him how -case<br> - stands. He comes up with his men and he consorts with the lama, -and<br> - then he calls me a fool, and is very rude -'</p> - -<p>'But wherefore - wherefore?'</p> - -<p>'That is what I ask. I only suggest that if anyone steals the -papers<br> - I should like some good strong, brave men to rob them back -again.<br> - You see, they are vitally important, and Mahbub Ali he did not -know<br> - where you were.'</p> - -<p>'Mahbub Ali to rob the Sahiba's house? Thou art mad, Babu,' -said<br> - Kim with indignation.</p> - -<p>'I wanted the papers. Suppose she had stole them? It was -only<br> - practical suggestion, I think. You are not pleased, eh?'</p> - -<p>A native proverb - unquotable - showed the blackness of -Kim's<br> - disapproval.</p> - -<p>'Well,' - Hurree shrugged his shoulders - 'there is no -accounting<br> - for thee taste. Mahbub was angry too. He has sold horses all -about<br> - here, and he says old lady is pukka [thorough] old lady and -would<br> - not condescend to such ungentlemanly things. I do not care. I -have<br> - got the papers, and I was very glad of moral support from -Mahbub. I<br> - tell you, I am fearful man, but, somehow or other, the more -fearful<br> - I am the more dam'-tight places I get into. So I was glad you -came<br> - with me to Chini, and I am glad Mahbub was close by. The old -lady<br> - she is sometimes very rude to me and my beautiful pills.'</p> - -<p>'Allah be merciful!' said Kim on his elbow, rejoicing. 'What a -beast<br> - of wonder is a Babu! And that man walked alone - if he did walk --<br> - with robbed and angry foreigners!'</p> - -<p>'Oah, thatt was nothing, after they had done beating me; but -if I<br> - lost the papers it was pretty-jolly serious. Mahbub he nearly -beat<br> - me too, and he went and consorted with the lama no end. I -shall<br> - stick to ethnological investigations henceforwards. Now -good-bye,<br> - Mister O'Hara. I can catch 4.25 p.m. to Umballa if I am quick. -It<br> - will be good times when we all tell thee tale up at Mr Lurgan's. -I<br> - shall report you offeecially better. Good-bye, my dear fallow, -and<br> - when next you are under thee emotions please do not use the<br> - Mohammedan terms with the Tibetan dress.'</p> - -<p>He shook hands twice - a Babu to his boot-heels - and opened -the<br> - door. With the fall of the sunlight upon his still triumphant -face<br> - he returned to the humble Dacca quack.</p> - -<p>'He robbed them,' thought Kim, forgetting his own share in the -game.<br> - 'He tricked them. He lied to them like a Bengali. They give him -a<br> - chit [a testimonial]. He makes them a mock at the risk of his -life -<br> - I never would have gone down to them after the pistol-shots - -and<br> - then he says he is a fearful man ... And he is a fearful man. I -must<br> - get into the world again.'</p> - -<p>At first his legs bent like bad pipe-stems, and the flood and -rush<br> - of the sunlit air dazzled him. He squatted by the white wall, -the<br> - mind rummaging among the incidents of the long dooli journey, -the<br> - lama's weaknesses, and, now that the stimulus of talk was -removed,<br> - his own self-pity, of which, like the sick, he had great store. -The<br> - unnerved brain edged away from all the outside, as a raw horse, -once<br> - rowelled, sidles from the spur. It was enough, amply enough, -that<br> - the spoil of the kilta was away - off his hands - out of his<br> - possession. He tried to think of the lama - to wonder why he -had<br> - tumbled into a brook - but the bigness of the world, seen -between<br> - the forecourt gates, swept linked thought aside. Then he looked -upon<br> - the trees and the broad fields, with the thatched huts hidden -among<br> - crops - looked with strange eyes unable to take up the size -and<br> - proportion and use of things - stared for a still half-hour. -All<br> - that while he felt, though he could not put it into words, that -his<br> - soul was out of gear with its surroundings - a cog-wheel<br> - unconnected with any machinery, just like the idle cog-wheel of -a<br> - cheap Beheea sugar-crusher laid by in a corner. The breezes -fanned<br> - over him, the parrots shrieked at him, the noises of the -populated<br> - house behind - squabbles, orders, and reproofs - hit on dead -ears.</p> - -<p>'I am Kim. I am Kim. And what is Kim?' His soul repeated it -again<br> - and again.</p> - -<p>He did not want to cry - had never felt less like crying in -his life<br> - - but of a sudden easy, stupid tears trickled down his nose, -and<br> - with an almost audible click he felt the wheels of his being -lock up<br> - anew on the world without. Things that rode meaningless on -the<br> - eyeball an instant before slid into proper proportion. Roads -were<br> - meant to be walked upon, houses to belived in, cattle to be -driven,<br> - fields to be tilled, and men and women to be talked to. They -were<br> - all real and true - solidly planted upon the feet - -perfectly<br> - comprehensible - clay of his clay, neither more nor less. He -shook<br> - himself like a dog with a flea in his ear, and rambled out of -the<br> - gate. Said the Sahiba, to whom watchful eyes reported this -move:<br> - 'Let him go. I have done my share. Mother Earth must do the -rest.<br> - When the Holy One comes back from meditation, tell him.'</p> - -<p>There stood an empty bullock-cart on a little knoll half a -mile<br> - away, with a young banyan tree behind - a look-out, as it -were,<br> - above some new-ploughed levels; and his eyelids, bathed in soft -air,<br> - grew heavy as he neared it. The ground was good clean dust - no -new<br> - herbage that, living, is half-way to death already, but the -hopeful<br> - dust that holds the seeds of all life. He felt it between his -toes,<br> - patted it with his palms, and joint by joint, sighing -luxuriously,<br> - laid him down full length along in the shadow of the -wooden-pinned<br> - cart. And Mother Earth was as faithful as the Sahiba. She -breathed<br> - through him to restore the poise he had lost lying so long on a -cot<br> - cut off from her good currents. His head lay powerless upon -her<br> - breast, and his opened hands surrendered to her strength. The -many-<br> - rooted tree above him, and even the dead manhandled wood -beside,<br> - knew what he sought, as he himself did not know. Hour upon hour -he<br> - lay deeper than sleep.</p> - -<p>Towards evening, when the dust of returning kine made all -the<br> - horizons smoke, came the lama and Mahbub Ali, both afoot, -walking<br> - cautiously, for the house had told them where he had gone.</p> - -<br> -'Allah! What a fool's trick to play in open country!' muttered -the <br> -horse-dealer. 'He could be shot a hundred times - but this is not -<br> -the Border.' - -<p>'And,' said the lama, repeating a many-times-told tale, 'never -was<br> - such a chela. Temperate, kindly, wise, of ungrudging -disposition, a<br> - merry heart upon the road, never forgetting, learned, -truthful,<br> - courteous. Great is his reward!'</p> - -<p>'I know the boy - as I have said.'</p> - -<p>'And he was all those things?'</p> - -<p>'Some of them - but I have not yet found a Red Hat's charm -for<br> - making him overly truthful. He has certainly been well -nursed.'</p> - -<p>'The Sahiba is a heart of gold,' said the lama earnestly. 'She -looks<br> - upon him as her son.'</p> - -<p>'Hmph! Half Hind seems that way disposed. I only wished to see -that<br> - the boy had come to no harm and was a free agent. As thou -knowest,<br> - he and I were old friends in the first days of your -pilgrimage<br> - together.'</p> - -<p>'That is a bond between us.' The lama sat down. 'We are at the -end<br> - of the pilgrimage.'</p> - -<p>'No thanks to thee thine was not cut off for good and all a -week<br> - back. I heard what the Sahiba said to thee when we bore thee up -on<br> - the cot.' Mahbub laughed, and tugged his newly dyed beard.</p> - -<p>'I was meditating upon other matters that tide. It was the -hakim<br> - from Dacca broke my meditations.'</p> - -<p>'Otherwise' - this was in Pushtu for decency's sake -'thou -wouldst<br> - have ended thy meditations upon the sultry side of Hell - being -an<br> - unbeliever and an idolater for all thy child's simplicity. But -now,<br> - Red Hat, what is to be done?'</p> - -<p>'This very night,' - the words came slowly, vibrating with -triumph -<br> - 'this very night he will be as free as I am from all taint of -sin -<br> - assured as I am, when he quits this body, of Freedom from the -Wheel<br> - of Things. I have a sign' - he laid his hand above the torn -chart in<br> - his bosom -'that my time is short; but I shall have safeguarded -him<br> - throughout the years. Remember, I have reached Knowledge, as I -told<br> - thee only three nights back.'</p> - -<p>'It must be true, as the Tirah priest said when I stole his -cousin's<br> - wife, that I am a Sufi [a free-thinker]; for here I sit, I -said<br> - Mahbub to himself, 'drinking in blasphemy unthinkable ... I -remember<br> - the tale. On that, then, he goes to Fannatu l'Adn [the Gardens -of<br> - Eden]. But how? Wilt thou slay him or drown him in that -wonderful<br> - river from which the Babu dragged thee?'</p> - -<p>'I was dragged from no river,' said the lama simply. 'Thou -hast<br> - forgotten what befell. I found it by Knowledge.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, ay. True,' stammered Mahbub, divided between high -indignation<br> - and enormous mirth. 'I had forgotten the exact run of what -happened.<br> - Thou didst find it knowingly.'</p> - -<p>'And to say that I would take life is - not a sin, but a -madness<br> - simple. My chela aided me to the River. It is his right to -be<br> - cleansed from sin - with me.'</p> - -<p>'Ay, he needs cleansing. But afterwards, old man - -afterwards?'</p> - -<p>'What matter under all the Heavens? He is sure of Nibban -<br> - enlightened - as I am.'</p> - -<p>'Well said. I had a fear he might mount Mohammed's Horse and -fly<br> - away.'</p> - -<p>'Nay - he must go forth as a teacher.'</p> - -<p>'Aha! Now I see! That is the right gait for the colt. -Certainly he<br> - must go forth as a teacher. He is somewhat urgently needed as -a<br> - scribe by the State, for instance.'</p> - -<p>'To that end he was prepared. I acquired merit in that I gave -alms<br> - for his sake. A good deed does not die. He aided me in my -Search. I<br> - aided him in his. Just is the Wheel, O horse-seller from the -North.<br> - Let him be a teacher; let him be a scribe - what matter? He -will<br> - have attained Freedom at the end. The rest is illusion.'</p> - -<p>'What matter? When I must have him with me beyond Balkh in -six<br> - months! I come up with ten lame horses and three strong-backed -men -<br> - thanks to that chicken of a Babu - to break a sick boy by force -out<br> - of an old trot's house. It seems that I stand by while a young -Sahib<br> - is hoisted into Allah knows what of an idolater's Heaven by -means of<br> - old Red Hat. And I am reckoned something of a player of the -Game<br> - myself! But the madman is fond of the boy; and I must be -very<br> - reasonably mad too.'</p> - -<p>'What is the prayer?' said the lama, as the rough Pushtu -rumbled<br> - into the red beard.</p> - -<p>'No matter at all; but now I understand that the boy, sure -of<br> - Paradise, can yet enter Government service, my mind is easier. -I<br> - must get to my horses. It grows dark. Do not wake him. I have -no<br> - wish to hear him call thee master.'</p> - -<p>'But he is my disciple. What else?'</p> - -<p>'He has told me.' Mahbub choked down his touch of spleen and -rose<br> - laughing. 'I am not altogether of thy faith, Red Hat - if so -small a<br> - matter concern thee.'</p> - -<p>'It is nothing, said the lama.</p> - -<p>'I thought not. Therefore it will not move thee, sinless, -new-<br> - washed and three parts drowned to boot, when I call thee a good -man<br> - - a very good man. We have talked together some four or five<br> - evenings now, and for all I am a horse-coper I can still, as -the<br> - saying is, see holiness beyond the legs of a horse. Yea, can -see,<br> - too, how our Friend of all the World put his hand in thine at -the<br> - first. Use him well, and suffer him to return to the world as -a<br> - teacher, when thou hast - bathed his legs, if that be the -proper<br> - medicine for the colt.'</p> - -<p>'Why not follow the Way thyself, and so accompany the -boy?'</p> - -<p>Mahbub stared stupefied at the magnificent insolence of the -demand,<br> - which across the Border he would have paid with more than a -blow.<br> - Then the humour of it touched his worldly soul.</p> - -<p>'Softly - softly - one foot at a time, as the lame gelding -went over<br> - the Umballa jumps. I may come to Paradise later - I have -workings<br> - that way - great motions - and I owe them to thy simplicity. -Thou<br> - hast never lied?'</p> - -<p>'What need?'</p> - -<p>'O Allah, hear him! "What need" in this Thy world! Nor ever -harmed a<br> - man?'</p> - -<p>'Once - with a pencase - before I was wise.'</p> - -<p>'So? I think the better of thee. Thy teachings are good. Thou -hast<br> - turned one man that I know from the path of strife.' He -laughed<br> - immensely. 'He came here open-minded to commit a dacoity [a -house-<br> - robbery with violence]. Yes, to cut, rob, kill, and carry off -what<br> - he desired.'</p> - -<p>'A great foolishness!'</p> - -<p>'Oh! black shame too. So he thought after he had seen thee - -and a<br> - few others, male and female. So he abandoned it; and now he goes -to<br> - beat a big fat Babu man.'</p> - -<p>'I do not understand.'</p> - -<p>'Allah forbid it! Some men are strong in knowledge, Red Hat. -Thy<br> - strength is stronger still. Keep it - I think thou wilt. If the -boy<br> - be not a good servant, pull his ears off.'</p> - -<p>With a hitch of his broad Bokhariot belt the Pathan swaggered -off<br> - into the gloaming, and the lama came down from his clouds so far -as<br> - to look at the broad back.</p> - -<p>'That person lacks courtesy, and is deceived by the shadow -of<br> - appearances. But he spoke well of my chela, who now enters upon -his<br> - reward. Let me make the prayer! ... Wake, O fortunate above all -born<br> - of women. Wake! It is found!'</p> - -<p>Kim came up from those deep wells, and the lama attended his -yawning<br> - pleasure; duly snapping fingers to head off evil spirits.</p> - -<p>'I have slept a hundred years. Where -? Holy One, hast thou -been<br> - here long? I went out to look for thee, but' - he laughed -drowsily -<br> - 'I slept by the way. I am all well now. Hast thou eaten? Let us -go<br> - to the house. It is many days since I tended thee. And the -Sahiba<br> - fed thee well? Who shampooed thy legs? What of the weaknesses - -the<br> - belly and the neck, and the beating in the ears?'</p> - -<p>'Gone - all gone. Dost thou not know?'</p> - -<p>'I know nothing, but that I have not seen thee in a monkey's -age.<br> - Know what?'</p> - -<p>'Strange the knowledge did not reach out to thee, when all -my<br> - thoughts were theeward.'</p> - -<p>'I cannot see the face, but the voice is like a gong. Has the -Sahiba<br> - made a young man of thee by her cookery?'</p> - -<p>He peered at the cross-legged figure, outlined jet-black -against the<br> - lemon-coloured drift of light. So does the stone Bodhisat sit -who<br> - looks down upon the patent self-registering turnstiles of the -Lahore<br> - Museum.</p> - -<p>The lama held his peace. Except for the click of the rosary -and a<br> - faint clop-clop of Mahbub's retreating feet, the soft, smoky -silence<br> - of evening in India wrapped them close.</p> - -<p>'Hear me! I bring news.'</p> - -<p>'But let us -'</p> - -<p>Out shot the long yellow hand compelling silence. Kim tucked -his<br> - feet under his robe-edge obediently.</p> - -<p>'Hear me! I bring news! The Search is finished. Comes now the -Reward<br> - ... Thus. When we were among the Hills, I lived on thy strength -till<br> - the young branch bowed and nigh broke. When we came out of -the<br> - Hills, I was troubled for thee and for other matters which I -held in<br> - my heart. The boat of my soul lacked direction; I could not see -into<br> - the Cause of Things. So I gave thee over to the virtuous -woman<br> - altogether. I took no food. I drank no water. Still I saw not -the<br> - Way. They pressed food upon me and cried at my shut door. So -I<br> - removed myself to a hollow under a tree. I took no food. I took -no<br> - water. I sat in meditation two days and two nights, abstracting -my<br> - mind; inbreathing and outbreathing in the required manner . . . -Upon<br> - the second night - so great was my reward - the wise Soul -loosed<br> - itself from the silly Body and went free. This I have never -before<br> - attained, though I have stood on the threshold of it. Consider, -for<br> - it is a marvel!'</p> - -<p>'A marvel indeed. Two days and two nights without food! Where -was<br> - the Sahiba?' said Kim under his breath.</p> - -<p>'Yea, my Soul went free, and, wheeling like an eagle, saw -indeed<br> - that there was no Teshoo Lama nor any other soul. As a drop -draws to<br> - water, so my Soul drew near to the Great Soul which is beyond -all<br> - things. At that point, exalted in contemplation, I saw all -Hind,<br> - from Ceylon in the sea to the Hills, and my own Painted Rocks -at<br> - Such-zen; I saw every camp and village, to the least, where we -have<br> - ever rested. I saw them at one time and in one place; for they -were<br> - within the Soul. By this I knew the Soul had passed beyond -the<br> - illusion of Time and Space and of Things. By this I knew that I -was<br> - free. I saw thee lying in thy cot, and I saw thee falling -downhill<br> - under the idolater - at one time, in one place, in my Soul, -which,<br> - as I say, had touched the Great Soul. Also I saw the stupid body -of<br> - Teshoo Lama lying down, and the hakim from Dacca kneeled -beside,<br> - shouting in its ear. Then my Soul was all alone, and I saw -nothing,<br> - for I was all things, having reached the Great Soul. And I -meditated<br> - a thousand thousand years, passionless, well aware of the Causes -of<br> - all Things. Then a voice cried: "What shall come to the boy if -thou<br> - art dead?" and I was shaken back and forth in myself with pity -for<br> - thee; and I said: "I will return to my chela, lest he miss the -Way."<br> - Upon this my Soul, which is the Soul of Teshoo Lama, withdrew -itself<br> - from the Great Soul with strivings and yearnings and retchings -and<br> - agonies not to be told. As the egg from the fish, as the fish -from<br> - the water, as the water from the cloud, as the cloud from the -thick<br> - air, so put forth, so leaped out, so drew away, so fumed up the -Soul<br> - of Teshoo Lama from the Great Soul. Then a voice cried: "The -River!<br> - Take heed to the River!" and I looked down upon all the world, -which<br> - was as I had seen it before - one in time, one in place - and I -saw<br> - plainly the River of the Arrow at my feet. At that hour my Soul -was<br> - hampered by some evil or other whereof I was not wholly -cleansed,<br> - and it lay upon my arms and coiled round my waist; but I put -it<br> - aside, and I cast forth as an eagle in my flight for the very -place<br> - of the River. I pushed aside world upon world for thy sake. I -saw<br> - the River below me - the River of the Arrow - and, descending, -the<br> - waters of it closed over me; and behold I was again in the body -of<br> - Teshoo Lama, but free from sin, and the hakim from Decca bore up -my<br> - head in the waters of the River. It is here! It is behind the -mango-<br> - tope here - even here!'</p> - -<p>'Allah kerim! Oh, well that the Babu was by! Wast thou very -wet?'</p> - -<p>'Why should I regard? I remember the hakim was concerned for -the<br> - body of Teshoo Lama. He haled it out of the holy water in his -hands,<br> - and there came afterwards thy horse-seller from the North with a -cot<br> - and men, and they put the body on the cot and bore it up to -the<br> - Sahiba's house.'</p> - -<br> -'What said the Sahiba?' - -<p>'I was meditating in that body, and did not hear. So thus the -Search<br> - is ended. For the merit that I have acquired, the River of the -Arrow<br> - is here. It broke forth at our feet, as I have said. I have -found<br> - it. Son of my Soul, I have wrenched my Soul back from the -Threshold<br> - of Freedom to free thee from all sin - as I am free, and -sinless!<br> - Just is the Wheel! Certain is our deliverance! Come!'</p> - -<p>He crossed his hands on his lap and smiled, as a man may who -has won<br> - salvation for himself and his beloved.</p> - -<p> </p> - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Kim, by Rudyard Kipling - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KIM *** - -This file should be named kimrk12h.htm or kimrk12h.zip -Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks get a new NUMBER, kimrk13h.txt -VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, kimrk12ha.txt - -Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US -unless a copyright notice is included. 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