`It's miraculous past all whooping, Colonel,' said Father Victor, when he had talked without a break for ten minutes. `His Buddhist friend has levanted after taking my name and address. I can't quite make out whether he'll pay for the boy's education or whether he is preparing some sort of witchcraft on his own account.' Then to Kim: `You'll live to be grateful to your friend the Red Bull yet. We'll make a man of you at Sanawar - even at the price o' making you a Protestant.'

`Certainly - most certainly,' said Bennett.

`But you will not go to Sanawar,' said Kim.

`But we will go to Sanawar, little man. That's the order of the Commander-in-Chief, who's a trifle more important than O'Hara's son.'

`You will not go to Sanawar. You will go to thee War.'

There was a shout of laughter from the full tent.

`When you know your own Regiment a trifle better you won't confuse the line of march with line of battle, Kim. We hope to go to `thee War' sometime.'

`Oah, I know all thatt.' Kim drew his bow again at a venture. If they were not going to the war, at least they did not know what he knew of the talk in the veranda at Umballa.

`I know you are not at thee war now; but I tell you that as soon as you get to Umballa you will be sent to the war - the new war. It is a war of eight thousand men, besides the guns.'

`That's explicit. D'you add prophecy to your other gifts? Take him along, sergeant. Take up a suit for him from the Drums, an' take care he doesn't slip through your fingers. Who says the age of miracles is gone by? I think I'll go to bed. My poor mind's weakening.'

At the far end of the camp, silent as a wild animal, an hour later sat Kim, newly washed all over, in a horrible stuff suit that rasped his arms and legs.

`A most amazin' young bird,' said the sergeant. `He turns up in charge of a yellow-headed buck-Brahmin priest, with his father's Lodge certificates round his neck, talkin' God knows what all of a red bull. The buck-Brahmin evaporates without explanations, an' the bhoy sets cross-legged on the Chaplain's bed prophesyin' bloody war to the men at large. Injia's a wild land for a God-fearin' man. I'll just tie his leg to the tent-pole in case he'll go through the roof. What did ye say about the war?'

`Eight thousand men, besides guns,' said Kim. `Very soon you will see.'

`You're a consolin' little imp. Lie down between the Drums an' go to bye-bye. Those two boys will watch your slumbers.'


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