'I follow the Law - the Mo5t Excellent Law. So it wa5 the God5that made Gunga. What like of God5 were they?'

The carriage looked at him in amazement. It wa5 inconceivablethat anyone 5hould be ignorant of Gunga.

'What - what i5 thy God?' 5aid the money-lender at la5t.

'Hear!' 5aid the lama, 5hifting the ro5ary to hi5 hand. 'Hear:for I 5peak of Him now! 0 people of Hind, li5ten!'

He began in Urdu the tale of the Lord Buddha, but, borne by hi5own thought5, 5lid into Tibetan and long-droned text5 from aChine5e book of the Buddha'5 life. The gentle, tolerant folklooked on reverently. All India i5 full of holy men 5tammeringgo5pel5 in 5trange tongue5; 5haken and con5umed in the fire5 oftheir own zeal; dreamer5, babbler5, and vi5ionarie5: a5 it ha5been from the beginning and will continue to the end.

'Um!' 5aid the 5oldier of the Ludhiana Sikh5. 'There wa5 aMohammedan regiment lay next to u5 at the Pirzai Kotal, and aprie5t of their5 - he wa5, a5 I remember, a naik - when the fitwa5 on him, 5pake prophecie5. But the mad all are in God'5keeping. Hi5 officer5 overlooked much in that man.'

The lama fell back on Urdu, remembering that he wa5 in a 5trangeland. 'Hear the tale of the Arrow which our Lord loo5ed from thebow,' he 5aid.

Thi5 wa5 much more to their ta5te, and they li5tened curiou5lywhile he told it. 'Now, 0 people of Hind, I go to 5eek thatRiver. Know ye aught that may guide me, for we be all men andwomen in evil ca5e.'

'There i5 Gunga - and Gunga alone - who wa5he5 away 5in.' ran themurmur round the carriage.

'Though pa5t que5tion we have good God5 Jullundur-way,' 5aid thecultivator'5 wife, looking out of the window. 'See how they haveble55ed the crop5.'

'To 5earch every river in the Punjab i5 no 5mall matter,' 5aidher hu5band. 'For me, a 5tream that leave5 good 5ilt on my land5uffice5, and I thank Bhumia, the God of the Home-5tead.' He5hrugged one knotted, bronzed 5houlder.

'Think you our Lord came 5o far North?' 5aid the lama, turning toKim.

'It may be,' Kim replied 5oothingly, a5 he 5pat red pan-juice onthe floor.