The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-10-14


beneath his bare feet and his yellow robe
chung 10 his frail old body, but he step
ped down steadily, leaning against the
barasingh. He WAS no longer a holy man,
but Sir Purun bass X. C.. /. H.. Prime
Minister Of no small State. a man ac-
customed TO command going out TO save
life. Down the steep plashy path they
poured all together, the Bhagat and his
brothers, down and down till the deer
clicked and stumbled on the wall of a
threshing-floor and snorted because he
smet man. Now. they were at the head
of the one crooked village street. and
the Bhagat beat with his crutch at the
barred windows OF the blacksmith s
house as his torch blazed up in the
shelter Of the caves. up and out"
cried Puprun Bhagat; and he did not
know his own voice, for 1t was years
since he had spoken aloud TO a man.
and out, oh you Within
at is our Bhagat," said the black
smiths Wfe. "He stands among his
beasts, Gather the little ones and give
1t ran from house to house. while III"
beast, cramped in the narrow way
surged and huddled round the Bhagat,
ana Soma pulled impatientiy.
The people hurried into the street
they were no more than seventy souls. all
told-and in the glare of the torches they
saw their Bhagat holding back the terri
fled barasingf, while the monkeys pluck
ed piteously at his skirts, and Soma sat on
his launches and roared.
Across the valley and up the next
hilln' shouted Purun Bhagat. Leave
none behind. We follow"
Then the people ran as only Hill-folk
can run, for they knew that In a landsllp
you must climb for the highest ground
across the valley. They fled splashiug
through the little river at the bottomN
and planted up the terraced fields on the
far side, while the Bhagat and his
Il.
poslte mountain they climbed, calling
10 each other by name-the roll-cah of
the yillage-and al THEM heels tOled the
big bayasingh, weighted by the falling
strength of Purun Bhagat. At last the
deer stopped I'm the shadow Of the deep
pine-wood. five hundred feet up the hill
side His instinct. that had warned him
of the coming slide, told him he would
Purun Bhagat dropped falnting by his
side. for the chill of that rain and that
fierce climb was killing him; but. first
he called TO the scattered torches ahead.
"Stay and count your numbers Tfen
WHISPERING to the deer as he saw the
lights gather in q cluster: stay win
There was a sigh in the air that grew
to a mutter and a mutter that grew TO a
roar, and roar that passed all sense OF
hearing and the hillside on which the
villagers stood Wa WAS hl nlS n Then pSte as
S staad', deem and true as the deep C of
the organ drowned everything for per-
mans fiye minutes, while the very roots
of the pines quivered 10 IT, IL 9lgd away,
miles of hard ground ard grass changed
10 tho m1Iffed drum of water on soft
earth. Yhat told its own tale,
Never'a yillager, not even the priest
was bold enough 10 sp Sir u iv sse T pn
esrao,,cbad under the pines and waited TIL
the day' When that came they looked
across the valley and saw tnat what had
been forest, and terraced neld ana trac i
threaded grazing-ground was one raw,
IN fan.shaped smear, with a few trees
az az I'D down on the scarp. That red
,ion high nm the hill they were on, dam
Ming back the little river when had
begun 10 o,i Tpav OF the road to the shrine.
- me shrine itself. and the forest be-
Hind there was not trace. for one
mile IN width and two thousand feet In
sheer depth the moun 1,aa sre hdu o1i nc
away bodily; planed cream i'oi' heaa 70
he ana the villagers, one by, one. crept
.,nn,,,,, the wood to pray before their
Bhagat Thep , 5aW sed Wsn they Same ea%e
ing owe, ,hey heard the langurs wailing
neaI, AM huranches. and Soma moaning up
IN ' ns,,. INT their Bhagat was dead. sit
ting eross;legsnedas h'f his sAI armpit and his
f hls trqId to he nOrt ssssa miracle
line pn,iyacle, for In this. very attl-
after mn ali Sunnyass be buried.
tude mus, where ne now is we will build
Therefore In ,a@nle to our holy, man."
the Thsy the temple iens sefS and e ssas
was ended eddIts, they called the hill the Bha-
shrine,n,asnnd and nd they worship there VITA
fs sss ow SS no sr Know S ha hs to .s hs
day. But .nnrrship is the late Sir Purun
OF Their vi /. IT,. D. c. L.. PHI, D., once
Dass, kun;ster OF the progressive and
srr s%s state o. SMohinIwss and
more ..,I lever ever do any good In this world
~ The next