Part 4 (1/2)

'There was indeed a e from Lahore,' said the cultivator's wife hopefully

'Tck! Armed men - many hundreds What concern hast thou ar?' said the priest to Kin of War to be loosed very soon'

'None - none' said the lama earnestly 'We seek only peace and our River'

Ki- room Decidedly he was a favourite of the stars

The priest brushed his foot over the rude horoscope 'More than this I cannot see In three days comes the Bull to thee, boy'

'And my River, my River,' pleaded the lama 'I had hoped his Bull would lead us both to the River'

'Alas, for that wondrous River, s are not coh they were pressed to stay, the laood food and nearly three annas in copper s watched the two go southward in the dawn

'Pity it is that these and such as these could not be freed from -'

'Nay, then would only evil people be left on the earth, and ould give usmerrily under his burden

'Yonder is a small stream Let us look,' said the la into a very hornets' nest of pariah dogs

Chapter 3

Yea, voice of every Soul that clung To life that strove fro, The ind brings Kary farardener, Arain by caste, growing vegetables and flowers for Umballa city, and well Kiarding the dogs, 'is iers, intemperate of speech and uncharitable Be warned by his dears!' shouted the faro,' the lao fro in his breath 'If the next crops fail, thou canst only blaue'

The man shuffled uneasily in his slippers 'The land is full of beggars,' he began, half apologetically

'And by what sign didst thou know that ould beg fro the naht was to look at that river beyond the field there'

'River, forsooth!' the man snorted 'What city do ye hail froht as an arrow, and I pay for the water as though it were molten silver There is a branch of a river beyond But if ye need water I can give that - and o to the river,' said the la out

'Milk and a ure 'I - I would not draw evil upon ars are so many in these hard days'

'Take notice' The lama turned to Kier That clearing from his eyes, he becomes courteous and of an affable heart May his fields be blessed! Beware not to judge men too hastily, O farmer'

'I have met holy ones ould have cursed thee from hearthstone to byre,' said Kim to the abashed man 'Is he not wise and holy? I am his disciple'

He cocked his nose in the air loftily and stepped across the narrow field-borders with great dignity

'There is no pride,' said the la such as follow the Middle Way'

'But thou hast said he was low-caste and discourteous'

'Low-caste I did not say, for how can that be which is not? Afterwards he aot the offence Moreover, he is as we are, bound upon the Wheel of Things; but he does not tread the way of deliverance' He halted at a little runlet a the fields, and considered the hoof-pitted bank

'Noilt thou know thy River?' said Kiar-cane

'When I find it, an enlighteniven This, I feel, is not the place O littlest a the waters, if only thou couldst tell me where runs my River! But be thou blessed toto his side and dragged hilided fro stems to the bank, stretched its neck to the water, drank, and lay still - a big cobra with fixed, lidless eyes

'I have no stick - I have no stick,' said Kiet me one and break his back'

'Why? He is upon the Wheel as we are - a life ascending or descending - very far from deliverance Great evil must the soul have done that is cast into this shape'

'I hate all snakes,' said Ki can quench the white man's horror of the Serpent

'Let hi hissed and half opened its hood 'May thy release come soon, brother!' the lae, by chance, of my River?'

'Never have I seen such a man as thou art,' Kim whispered, overwhelmed 'Do the very snakes understand thy talk?'

'Who knows?' He passed within a foot of the cobra's poised head It flattened itself a the dusty coils

'Come, thou!' he called over his shoulder

'Not I,' said Kio round'

'Come He does no hurt'

Kim hesitated for a moment The lama backed his order by some droned Chinese quotation which Kim took for a charm He obeyed and bounded across the rivulet, and the snake, indeed, n

'Never have I seen such a man' Kio we?'

'That is for thee to say I aer - far froe fills o in it to Benares nowYet by so going we may miss the River Let us find another river'

Where the hard-worked soil gives three and even four crops a year through patches of sugar-cane, tobacco, long white radishes, and nol-kol, all that day they strolled on, turning aside to every glies at noonday; the la si Had any one knowledge of such a streahed, but more often heard the story out to the end and offered them a place in the shade, a drink of milk, and a meal The women were always kind, and the little children as children are the world over, alternately shy and venturesoe tree of ato the headrounds and the women prepared the day's last ardens round hungry Ureen of the staple crops

He was a white-bearded and affable elder, used to entertaining strangers He dragged out a string bedstead for the lama, set warm cooked food before hi finished in the village tee priest

Kim told the older children tales of the size and beauty of Lahore, of railway travel, and such-like city things, while the men talked, slowly as their cattle chew the cud