The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-04-12
The old man threw himself down before
him and murmured:
"Sahihl Hera | ami

the old man threw himself down before
MN and murmured:
"Sahib! Here / am!'
Inc fakir suddenly aroused and seeing
hothlng but rags and white hair that swept
Tue EIunild, HBkUd with gfgat HtiRzBIueut:
VINO are you and why do you show such
great respect to a poor beggar?"
Inc Old man raised his face, streaming
with tears, and replied:
u have grown so old that You do not rec
ognlze me any more, Sahib!'
AT the tone OF his voice the fakir raised
the old man by a sudden effort with both
hands, and cried out:
Muller! You here! Embrace me, my
friend! And thanks be to you that You
have come back"
The two old men foil into each others
arms and remained thus, silently, for some
time. 4
MAY Brahma reward you, as you deserve
it, Muller said the fakir, "for having re-
membered your Indian friend in your beau
tifnl native country
May the Almighty give to our soil eter-
nal happiness, oh, great and noble kinQ!''
nswered Mnller, "in return for having suf-
fered on my behalf what yon seem to have
! The fakir took n seat on a curiously
| sculptured stone which formed the lowest
step OF the enclosure before the psQoda
and drew Muller down by his side.
sit down here and tell me of your
country and of the journey which you have
He passed his hand over Muller's white
beard.
Your features are thin, your eyes have a
sickly brightness and the snow lies on
your hair. Should you not have found in
Europe what you went in search of there
or is it the journey that has used
you up so! Tell me-" he added, with ton
derness.
"Sahib, l come back to you with a broken
heart. l come, to die here! II is not the
fatigue of the journey. which in five months
has changed me into an old man. And yet
l have travelled on horseback through all
Mantchuria and China; / have sailed down
the Geino ina junk, the Chinese sea and the
Indian sea in a steamer; / now come from
Calcutta again on horseback-and yet it is
scarcely four months since l left the shores
of Lake Baikai!'
You have travelled through all these
countries alone and were never attacked?''
mo! The robbers respected me. They
remembered that once upon a time l WIS
their leader. The peaceful nations fol-
lowed me with frightened eyes. AL this,
oh, Sahib, has done me no harm. It was
grief that did it! l have lived sixty, years;
! have meditated forty years, and
lance from the known to the unknown.
During these long forty years l dreamt /
could transform the social life of man,
whom thought | knew, fool that l was,
and whose creed I fancied I had proved to
be fallacious! l despised human laws and
called their faith a superstition! I was
mistaken! found this out, oh, Sahib, and
that is what kills me. Give me a corner of
your land where | can shed my tears, ask
Gods mercy and end in oblivion q life that
has lasted too long for the evil I have lone
on earth!''
"sahib,'' replied the fakir, .'all that YOU
used to possess here is still yours, since you
are back here, and ] shall be nabob of
Cawnpore once morev'
''Tell me. Sahib." asked Muller, show is
it with you? Have you suffered muchy'
II was waiting for you; / prayed and l
led a life such as pleeses Brahma. No, /
have not suffered"
Do you like such an ascetic life?" And to
himself he whispered: 1T is egotism!
everywhere egotismt'
mo, ! should have liked it better to sit
the greater glory of Brahma. Many times
l have sighed when | looked at the cupolas
of my palace. But then l remembered You
and thrust back every feeling of regret: l
said to myself, II only pay my debts; 1 do
this for him who has saved my kingdom
and who has made me good!'
You never had any news from Europe?
Did you never hear of my condemnation"
No, l was waiting for you!"
Muller threw himself down before him.
''NabobH' he said. you are truly grandr'
The fakir looked at him with astonish-
ment. "This is the second time YOU show
me such external signs of respect as YOU
used to condemn formerly with such
energy"
Muller smiled. II was in error! I now
cast down my soul, which is pure no longer,
before your soul. which is pure; next /
salute you because you all a king and | am
lothing, and most of all because you rep
resent God upon earth. l humble my
"Oh, Muller, how you have changedr'
"Sahlb,' Muller suddenly asked, will
you still be able to grant me your hospi-
Certainly. You amaze me by your
question:"