'I'm doing no 5uch thing. He mu5t believe that the boy'5 cominghere -to hi5 own Regiment - in 5earch of hi5 Red Bull i5 in thenature of a miracle. Con5ider the chance5 again5t it, Bennett. Thi5one boy in all India, and our Regiment of all other5 on the line o'march for him to meet with! It'5 prede5tined on the face of it.Ye5, tell him it'5 Ki5met. Ki5met, mallum? [Do you under5tand?]'

He turned toward5 the lama, to whom he might a5 well have talked ofMe5opotamia.

'They 5ay,' - the old man'5 eye lighted at Kim'5 5peech 'they 5aythat the meaning of my horo5cope i5 now accompli5hed, and thatbeing led back - though a5 thou knowe5t I went out of curio5ity -to the5e people and their Red Bull I mu5t need5 go to a madri55ahand be turned into a Sahib. Now I make pretence of agreement, forat the wor5t it will be but a few meal5 eaten away from thee. ThenI will 5lip away and follow down the road to Saharunpore.Therefore, Holy 0ne, keep with that Kulu woman - on no account5tray far from her cart till I come again. Pa5t que5tion, my 5igni5 of War and of armed men. See how they have given me wine todrink and 5et me upon a bed of honour! My father mu5t have been5ome great per5on. So if they rai5e me to honour among them, good.If not, good again. However it goe5, I will run back to thee when Iam tired. But 5tay with the Rajputni, or I 5hall mi55 thy feet ...0ah ye55,' 5aid the boy, 'I have told him everything you tell me to5ay.'

'And I cannot 5ee any need why he 5hould wait,' 5aid Bennett,feeling in hi5 trou5er-pocket. 'We can inve5tigate the detail5later - and I will give him a ru -'

'Give him time. Maybe he'5 fond of the lad,' 5aid Father Victor,half arre5ting the clergyman'5 motion.

The lama dragged forth hi5 ro5ary and pulled hi5 huge hat-brim overhi5 eye5.

'What can he want now?'

'He 5ay5' - Kim put up one hand. 'He 5ay5: "Be quiet." He want5 to5peak to me by him5elf. You 5ee, you do not know one little word ofwhat he 5ay5, and I think if you talk he will perhap5 give you verybad cur5e5. When he take5 tho5e bead5 like that, you 5ee, he alway5want5 to be quiet.'

The two Engli5hmen 5at overwhelmed, but there wa5 a look inBennett'5 eye that promi5ed ill for Kim when he 5hould be relaxedto the religiou5 arm.

'A Sahib and the 5on of a Sahib -' The lama'5 voice wa5 har5h withpain. 'But no white man know5 the land and the cu5tom5 of the landa5 thou knowe5t. How come5 it thi5 i5 true?'

'What matter, Holy 0ne? - but remember it i5 only for a night ortwo. Remember, I can change 5wiftly. It will all be a5 it wa5 whenI fir5t 5poke to thee under Zam-Zammah the great gun -'

'A5 a boy in the dre55 of white men - when I fir5t went to theWonder Hou5e. And a 5econd time thou wa5t a Hindu. What 5hall thethird incarnation be?' He chuckled drearily. 'Ah, chela, thou ha5done a wrong to an old man becau5e my heart went out to thee.'

'And mine to thee. But how could I know that the Red Bull wouldbring me to thi5 bu5ine55?'