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'She asked me many questions and propounded many problems - the
most of which were idle tales which she had heard from devil-
serving priests who pretend to follow the Way. Some I answered, and
some I said were foolish. Many wear the Robe, but few keep the
Way.'

'True. That is true.' Kim used the thoughtful, conciliatory tone of
those who wish to draw confidences.

'But by her lights she is most right-minded. She desires greatly
that we should go with her to Buddh Gaya; her road being ours, as I
understand, for many days' journey to the southward.'

'And?'

'Patience a little. To this I said that my Search came before all
things. She had heard many foolish legends, but this great truth of
my River she had never heard. Such are the priests of the lower
hills! She knew the Abbot of Lung-Cho, but she did not know of my
River - nor the tale of the Arrow.'

'And?'

'I spoke therefore of the Search, and of the Way, and of matters
that were profitable; she desiring only that I should accompany her
and make prayer for a second son.'

'Aha! "We women" do not think of anything save children,' said Kim
sleepily.

'Now, since our roads run together for a while, I do not see that
we in any way depart from our Search if so be we accompany her - at
least as far as - I have forgotten the name of the city.'

'Ohe!' said Kim, turning and speaking in a sharp whisper to one of
the Ooryas a few yards away. 'Where is your master's house?'

'A little behind Saharunpore, among the fruit gardens.' He named
the village.

'That was the place,' said the lama. 'So far, at least, we can go
with her.'

'Flies go to carrion,' said the Oorya, in an abstracted voice.

'For the sick cow a crow; for the sick man a Brahmin.' Kim breathed
the proverb impersonally to the shadow-tops of the trees overhead.

The Oorya grunted and held his peace.

'So then we go with her, Holy One?'

'Is there any reason against? I can still step aside and try all
the rivers that the road overpasses. She desires that I should
come. She very greatly desires it.'

Kim stifled a laugh in the quilt. When once that imperious old lady
had recovered from her natural awe of a lama he thought it probable
that she would be worth listening to.

He was nearly asleep when the lama suddenly quoted a proverb: 'The
husbands of the talkative have a great reward hereafter.' Then Kim
heard him snuff thrice, and dozed off, still laughing.

The diamond-bright dawn woke men and crows and bullocks together.
Kim sat up and yawned, shook himself, and thrilled with delight.
This was seeing the world in real truth; this was life as he would
have it - bustling and shouting, the buckling of belts, and beating
of bullocks and creaking of wheels, lighting of fires and cooking
of food, and new sights at every turn of the approving eye. The
morning mist swept off in a whorl of silver, the parrots shot away
to some distant river in shrieking green hosts: all the well-wheels

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