Part 17 (1/2)

'To protection Tonight we change thy colour This sleeping under roofs has blanched thee like an almond But Huneefa has the secret of a colour that catches No painting of a day or two Also, we fortify thee against the chances of the Road That is ift to thee, my son Take out all metals on thee and lay theed forth his compass, Survey paint-box, and the new-filled medicine-box They had all accompanied his travels, and boylike he valued them immensely

The woman rose slowly and moved with her hands a little spread before her Then Kim saw that she was blind 'No, no,' she o in a week or a uard'

'When one is far off and alone, it would not be well to grow blotched and leprous of a sudden,' said Mahbub 'When thou ith me I could oversee the matter Besides, a Pathan is a fair-skin Strip to the waist now and look how thou art whitened' Huneefa felt her way back from an inner room 'It is no ed hand

The dye-stuff showed blue and gummy Kim experimented on the back of his wrist, with a dab of cotton-wool; but Huneefa heard hi is not done thus, but with the proper cereive thee the full protection of the Road'

'Tadoo? [ic],'said Kihtless eyes Mahbub's hand on his neck bowed him to the floor, nose within an inch of the boards

'Be still No harm comes to thee, my son I am thy sacrifice!'

He could not see what the woman was about, but heard the dish-clash of her jewellery for ht the well-known purr and fizzle of grains of incense Then the rooh growing drowse he heard the names of devils - of Zulbazan, Son of Eblis, who lives in bazars and paraos,all the sudden leickedness of wayside halts; of Dulhan, invisible aboutthe slippers of the faithful, who hinders folk from their prayers; and Musboot, Lord of lies and panic Huneefa, nohispering in his ear, now talking as froers, but Mahbub's grip never shi+fted froh, the boy lost his senses

'Allah! How he fought! We should never have done it but for the drugs That was his white blood, I take it,' said Mahbub testily 'Go on with the dawut [invocation] Give him full Protection'

'O Hearer! Thou that hearest with ears, be present Listen, O Hearer!' Huneefa moaned, her dead eyes turned to the west The dark roos

Froure raised a round bullet head and coughed nervously

'Do not interrupt this ventriloquial necrolish 'I opine that it is very disturbing to you, but no enlightened observer is jolly-well upset'

'I will lay a plot for their ruin! O Prophet, bear with the unbelievers Let them alone awhile!' Huneefa's face, turned to the northward, worked horribly, and it was as though voices fro answered her

Hurree Babu returned to his note-book, balanced on the -sill, but his hand shook Huneefa, in soed ecstasy, wrenched herself to and fro as she sat cross-legged by Kim's still head, and called upon devil after devil, in the ancient order of the ritual, binding them to avoid the boy's every action

'With His! None knoweth them besides Himself He knoweth that which is in the dry land and in the sea!' Again broke out the unearthly whistling responses

'I - I apprehend it is not at allthe throat-ues 'It - it is not likely that she has killed the boy? If so, I decline to be witness at the trial What was the last hypothetical devil mentioned?'

'Babuji,' said Mahbub in the vernacular 'I have no regard for the devils of Hind, but the Sons of Eblis are far otherwise, and whether they be jumalee [well-affected] or jullalee [terrible) they love not Kafirs'

'Then you think I had better go?' said Hurree Babu, half rising 'They are, of course, dematerialized phenomena Spencer says '

Huneefa's crisis passed, as these things , with a touch of froth at the lips She lay spent and motionless beside Kim, and the crazy voices ceased

'Wah! That work is done May the boy be better for it; and Huneefa is surely a mistress of dawut Help haul her aside, Babu Do not be afraid'

'How am I to fear the absolutely non-existent?' said Hurree Babu, talking English to reassure hiic that you conteate -to collect folk-lore for the Royal Society with a lively belief in all Powers of Darkness

Mahbub chuckled He had been out with Hurree on the Road ere now 'Let us finish the colouring,' said he 'The boy is well protected if - if the Lords of the Air have ears to hear I aet blind-sides of a woo round to invite a kick? Set him upon the way, Babu, and see that old Red Hat does not lead hiet back to ht,' said Hurree Babu 'He is at present curious spectacle'

About third cockcrow, Kim woke after a sleep of thousands of years Huneefa, in her corner, snored heavily, but Mahbub was gone

'I hope you were not frightened,' said an oily voice at his elbow 'I superintended entire operation, which was h-class dawut'

'Huh!' said Kily

'And also I had honour to bring down froan your present costuauds to subordinates, but' - he giggled - 'your case is noted as exceptional on the books I hope Mr Lurgan will note ood to turn and tithin loose clothes once again

'What is this?' He looked curiously at the heavy duffle-stuff loaded with the scents of the far North

'Oho! That is inconspicuous dress of chela attached to service of lamaistic la into the balcony to clean his teeth at a goglet 'I aion, but rather sub-variant of same I have contributed rejected notes To Whom It May Concern: Asiatic Quarterly Review on these subjects Now it is curious that the old gentleiosity He is not a dam' particular'

'Do you know hied in the prescribed rites that accoalis Then he recited in English an Arya-Somaj prayer of a theistical nature, and stuffed his mouth with pan and betel

'Oah yes I have met him several tiate hinostic - same as me'

Huneefa stirred in her sleep, and Hurree Babu jumped nervously to the copper incense-burner, all black and discoloured in er in the accuonally across his face

'Who has died in thy house?' asked Kim in the vernacular

'None But she may have the Evil Eye - that sorceress,' the Babu replied

'What dost thou do now, then?'

'I will set thee on thy way to Benares, if thou goest thither, and tell thee what o At what hour runs the te-rain?' He rose to his feet, looked round the desolate chamber and at the yelloax face of Huneefa as the low sun stole across the floor 'Is there money to be paid that witch?'

'No She has charers in the nalish: 'He is highly obsolete, I think, to indulge in such supersteetion Why, it is all ventriloquy Belly-speak - eh?'

Kiers mechanically to avert whatever evil - Mahbub, he knew, h Huneefa's led once more But as he crossed the room he was careful not to step in Huneefa's blotched, squat shadow on the boards Witches -when their time is on them - can lay hold of the heels of a man's soul if he does that

'Now you must well listen,' said the Babu when they were in the fresh air 'Part of these ceremonies which itnessed they include supply of effeecient amulet to those of our Department If you feel in your neck you will find one small silver amulet, verree cheap That is ours Do you understand?'

'Oah yes, hawa-dilli [a heart-lifter],' said Ki at his neck

'Huneefa she makes them for two rupees twelve annas with - oh, all sorts of exorcisms They are quite common, except they are partially black enamel, and there is a paper inside each one full of nas Thatt is Huneefa's look-out, you see? Huneefa et them we put in, before issue, one sives them There is no other source of supply; but it was me invented all this It is strictly unoffeecial of course, but convenient for subordinates Colonel Creighton he does not know He is European The turquoise is wrapped in the paperYes, that is road to railway stationNow suppose you go with the laet into a daht place I am a fearful ht places more than hairs on ood'

'I do not understand quite We lish here'

'That is all raight I alish to you All we Babus talk English to show off;' said Hurree, flinging his shoulder-cloth jauntily 'As I was about to say, ”Son of the Charm” means that you may be member of the Sat Bhai - the Seven Brothers, which is Hindi and Tantric It is popularly supposed to be extinct Society, but I have written notes to show it is still extant You see, it is all ood Sat Bhai has many members, and perhaps before they jolly-well-cut-your-throat they ive you just a chance of life That is useful, anyhow And moreover, these foolish natives - if they are not too excited - they always stop to think before they kill a anization You see? You say then when you are in tight place, ”I aet - perhaps - ah -your second wind That is only in extreer Can you quite see? Verree good But suppose now, I, or any one of the Department, come to you dressed quite different You would not know me at all unless I choose, I bet you Some day I will prove it I co - and I say to you: ”You want to buy precious stones?” You say: ”Do I look like a man who buys precious stones?” Then I say: ”Even verree poor man can buy a turquoise or tarkeean” '

'That is kichree - vegetable curry,' said Kim