Part 3 (1/2)

'The Gods Of what known faith art thou?' the banker said, appalled

'I follow the Law - the Most Excellent Law So it was the Gods that e looked at hinorant of Gunga

'What - what is thy God?' said the money-lender at last

'Hear!' said the la the rosary to his hand 'Hear: for I speak of Hian in Urdu the tale of the Lord Buddha, but, borne by his own thoughts, slid into Tibetan and long-droned texts froentle, tolerant folk looked on reverently All India is full of holy ues; shaken and consumed in the fires of their own zeal; dreainning and will continue to the end

'Um!' said the soldier of the Ludhiana Sikhs 'There was a Mohaiment lay next to us at the Pirzai Kotal, and a priest of theirs - he was, as I remember, a naik - when the fit was on hi His officers overlooked much in thatthat he was in a strange land 'Hear the tale of the Arrohich our Lord loosed from the bow,' he said

This was much more to their taste, and they listened curiously while he told it 'Now, O people of Hind, I go to seek that River Know ye aught that uide me, for we be all a alone - ashes away sin' ran the h past question we have good Gods Jullundur-way,' said the cultivator's wife, looking out of the'See how they have blessed the crops'

'To search every river in the Punjab is no small ood silt on my land suffices, and I thank Bhued one knotted, bronzed shoulder

'Think you our Lord ca to Kily, as he spat red pan-juice on the floor

'The last of the Great Ones,' said the Sikh with authority, 'was Sikander Julkarn [Alexander the Great] He paved the streets of Jullundur and built a great tank near Umballa That pavement holds to this day; and the tank is there also I never heard of thy God'

'Let thy hair grow long and talk Punjabi,' said the young soldier jestingly to Ki a Northern proverb 'That is all that makes a Sikh' But he did not say this very loud

The lay, shapeless mass In the pauses of their talk they could hear the low droning 'Om mane pudme hum! Om mane pudme hum!' - and the thick click of the wooden rosary beads

'It irks me,' he said at last 'The speed and the clatter irk me Moreover, my chela, I think that maybe we have over-passed that River'

'Peace, peace,' said Kim 'Was not the River near Benares? We are yet far from the place'

'But - if our Lord came North, it may be any one of these little ones that we have run across'

'I do not know'

'But thou wast sent to me - wast thou sent to me? - for the merit I had acquired over yonder at Such-zen Fro two faces - and two garbs'

'Peace One s here,' whispered Kiain and thou wilt rereen cannon'

'But was there not also an Englishes - who himself made more sure my assurance of the River of the Arrow?'

'He - ent to the Ajaib-Gher in Lahore to pray before the Gods there,' Ki company 'And the Sahib of the Wonder House talked to him - yes, this is truth as a brother He is a very holy man, from far beyond the Hills Rest, thou In time we co?'

'And then, if it please thee, ill go hunting for that River on foot So that we- not even a little rivulet in a field-side'

'But thou hast a Search of thine own?' The laht

'Ay,' said Ki pan and seeing new people in the great good-tempered world

'It was a bull - a Red Bull that shall cootten A Red Bull on a green field, was it not?'

'Nay, it will carry me nowhere,' said Kim 'It is but a tale I told thee'

'What is this?' The cultivator's wife leaned forward, her bracelets clinking on her arreen field, that shall carry thee to the heavens or what? Was it a vision? Did one e behind Jullundur city, and he grazes by choice in the very greenest of our fields!'

'Give a woman an old wife's tale and a weaver-bird a leaf and a thread', they eave wonderful things,' said the Sikh 'All holyholy men their disciples attain that power'

'A Red Bull on a green field, was it?' the lama repeated 'In a former life it may be thou hast acquired merit, and the Bull will come to reward thee'

'Nay - nay - it was but a tale one told to me - for a jest belike But I will seek the Bull about Umballa, and thou canst look for thy River and rest from the clatter of the train'

'It uide us both' said the la Kim: 'This one was sent to me but yesterday He is not, I think, of this world'

'Beggars aplenty have I i nor such a disciple,' said the wohtly with one finger and smiled But the next tiive him of their best

And at last - tired, sleepy, and dusty - they reached Umballa City Station

'We abide here upon a law-suit,' said the cultivator's wife to Kier brother There is rooi and for thee Will - will he give old gives us lodging for the night It is a kindly land, this land of the South See hoe have been helped since the dawn!'

The lama bowed his head in benediction

'To fill er brother's house astrels -' the husband began, as he shouldered his heavy baer brother owes e-feast,' said the woi will beg, I doubt not'

'Ay, I beg for hiet the laht seek Mahbub Ali's Englishree

'Now,' said he, when the lama had come to an anchor in the inner courtyard of a decent Hindu house behind the cantono away for a while - to - to buy us victual in the bazar Do not stray abroad till I return'

'Thou wilt return? Thou wilt surely return?' The old ht at his wrist 'And thou wilt return in this very saht for the River?'

'Too late and too dark Be comforted Think how far thou art on the road - an hundred miles from Lahore already'

'Yea - and farther froreat and terrible world'

Kiure as ever carried his own and a few score thousand other folk's fate slung round his neck Mahbub Ali's directions left hilish- cart home from the Club, made him quite sure It rearden hedge and hid in a clurass close to the veranda The house blazed with lights, and servants lass, and silver Presently forth ca a tune It was too dark to see his face, so Kiar-wise, tried an old experiment

'Protector of the Poor!'

The man backed towards the voice