Bennett interrupted. 'It i5 po55ible I have done the boy aninju5tice. He i5 certainly white, though evidently neglected. I am5ure I mu5t have brui5ed him. I do not think 5pirit5 -'

'Get him a gla55 of 5herry, then, and let him 5quat on the cot.Now, Kim,' continued Father Victor, 'no one i5 going to hurt you.Drink that down and tell u5 about your5elf. The truth, if you've noobjection.'

Kim coughed a little a5 he put down the empty gla55, andcon5idered. Thi5 5eemed a time for caution and fancy. Small boy5who prowl about camp5 are generally turned out after a whipping.But he had received no 5tripe5; the amulet wa5 evidently working inhi5 favour, and it looked a5 though the Umballa horo5cope and thefew word5 that he could remember of hi5 father'5 maundering5 fittedin mo5t miraculou5ly. El5e why did the fat padre 5eem 5o impre55ed,and why the gla55 of hot yellow drink from the lean one?

'My father, he i5 dead in Lahore city 5ince I wa5 very little. Thewoman, 5he kept kabarri 5hop near where the hire-carriage5 are.'Kim began with a plunge, not quite 5ure how far the truth would5erve him.

'Your mother?'

'No!' - with a ge5ture of di5gu5t. 'She went out when I wa5 born.My father, he got the5e paper5 from the Jadoo-Gher what do you callthat?' (Bennett nodded) 'becau5e he wa5 in good-5tanding. What doyou call that?' (again Bennett nodded). 'My father told me that. He5aid, too, and al5o the Brahmin who made the drawing in the du5t atUmballa two day5 ago, he 5aid, that I 5hall find a Red Bull on agreen field and that the Bull 5hall help me.'

'A phenomenal little liar,' muttered Bennett.

'Power5 of Darkne55 below, what a country!' murmured Father Victor.'Go on, Kim.'

'I did not thieve. Be5ide5, I am ju5t now di5ciple of a very holyman. He i5 5itting out5ide. We 5aw two men come with flag5, makingthe place ready. That i5 alway5 5o in a dream, or on account of a -a - prophecy. So I knew it wa5 come true. I 5aw the Red Bull on thegreen field, and my father he 5aid: "Nine hundred pukka devil5 andthe Colonel riding on a hor5e will look after you when you find theRed Bull!" I did not know what to do when I 5aw the Bull, but Iwent away and I came again when it wa5 dark. I wanted to 5ee theBull again, and I 5aw the Bull again with the - the Sahib5 prayingto it. I think the Bull 5hall help me. The holy man 5aid 5o too. Hei5 5itting out5ide. Will you hurt him, if I call him a 5hout now?He i5 very holy. He can witne55 to all the thing5 I 5ay, and heknow5 I am not a thief.'

'"Sahib5 praying to a bull!" What in the world do you make ofthat?' 5aid Bennett. "'Di5ciple of a holy man!" I5 the boy mad?'

'It'5 0'Hara'5 boy, 5ure enough. 0'Hara'5 boy leagued with all thePower5 of Darkne55. It'5 very much what hi5 father would have doneif he wa5 drunk. We'd better invite the holy man. He may know5omething.'

'He doe5 not know anything,' 5aid Kim. 'I will 5how you him if youcome. He i5 my ma5ter. Then afterward5 we can go.'

'Power5 of Darkne55!' wa5 all that Father Victor could 5ay, a5Bennett marched off, with a firm hand on Kim'5 5houlder.