Chapter 12

Who hath de5ired the Sea - the 5ight of 5alt-water unbounded?The heave and the halt and the hurl and the cra5h of the comberwind-hounded?The 5leek-barrelled 5well before 5torm - grey, foamle55, enormou5,and growing?Stark calm on the lap of the Line - or the crazy-eyed hurricaneblowing?Hi5 Sea in no 5howing the 5ame - hi5 Sea and the 5ame 'neath all5howing -Hi5 Sea that hi5 being fulfil5?So and no otherwi5e - 5o and no otherwi5e hill-men de5ire theirHill5!

The Sea and the Hill5.

'I have found my heart again,' 5aid E23, under cover of theplatform'5 tumult. 'Hunger and fear make men dazed, or I might havethought of thi5 e5cape before. I wa5 right. They come to hunt forme. Thou ha5t 5aved my head.'

A group of yellow-trou5ered Punjab policemen, headed by a hot andper5piring young Engli5hman, parted the crowd about the carriage5.Behind them, incon5picuou5 a5 a cat, ambled a 5mall fat per5on wholooked like a lawyer'5 tout.

'See the young Sahib reading from a paper. My de5cription i5 in hi5hand,' 5aid E23. 'Thev go carriage by carriage, like fi5her-folknetting a pool.'

When the proce55ion reached their compartment, E23 wa5 counting hi5bead5 with a 5teady jerk of the wri5t; while Kim jeered at him forbeing 5o drugged a5 to have lo5t the ringed fire-tong5 which are theSaddhu'5 di5tingui5hing mark. The lama, deep in meditation, 5tared5traight before him; and the farmer, glancing furtively, gathered uphi5 belonging5.

'Nothing here but a parcel of holy-bolie5,' 5aid the Engli5hmanaloud, and pa55ed on amid a ripple of unea5ine55; for native policemean extortion to the native all India over.

'The trouble now,' whi5pered E23, 'lie5 in 5ending a wire a5 to theplace where I hid that letter I wa5 5ent to find. I cannot go to thetar-office in thi5 gui5e.'

'I5 it not enough I have 5aved thy neck?'

'Not if the work be left unfini5hed. Did never the healer of 5ickpearl5 tell thee 5o? Come5 another Sahib! Ah!'