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Is it any lust of thine to be re-born as a rat, or a snake under the eaves a worm in the belly of the most mean beast? Is it thy wish to The man from Ao-chung fell to his knees, for the voice boomed like a Tibetan devil-gong. 'Ai! ai! cried the Spiti men. 'Do not curse us do not curse him. It was but his zeal, Holy One! ... Put down the rifle, fool! 'Anger on anger! Evil on evil!
Others that it was made at the Devil-Shrine of Ao-Chung in Thibet, was stolen by a Kafir, from him by a Gurkha, from him again by a Lahouli, from him by a khitmatgar, and by this latter sold to an Englishman, so all its virtue was lost: because, to work properly, the Bisara of Pooree must be stolen with bloodshed if possible, but, at any rate, stolen.
Hst! We will ask his chela. The Ao-chung man refreshed himself, and swelled with pride of leadership. 'We have here, he whispered, 'a kilta whose nature we do not know. 'But I do, said Kim cautiously. The lama drew breath in natural, easy sleep, and Kim had been thinking of Hurree's last words. As a player of the Great Game, he was disposed just then to reverence the Babu.
'Not as good as Yankling Sahib. The Ao-chung man took a pull at the whisky-bottle and passed it over. 'Now hear me unless any other man thinks he knows more. The challenge was not taken up. 'We go to Shamlegh when the moon rises. There we will fairly divide the baggage between us. I am content with this new little rifle and all its cartridges.
They had seen sacrilege unspeakable, and it behoved them to get away before the Gods and devils of the hills took vengeance. The Frenchman ran towards the lama, fumbling at his revolver with some notion of making him a hostage for his companion. A shower of cutting stones hillmen are very straight shots drove him away, and a coolie from Ao-chung snatched the lama into the stampede.
'It is a kilta with a red top full of very wonderful things, not to be handled by fools. 'I said it; I said it, cried the bearer of that burden. 'Thinkest thou it will betray us? 'Not if it be given to me. I can draw out its magic. Otherwise it will do great harm. 'A priest always takes his share. Whisky was demoralizing the Ao-chung man.
'I was tempted to loose the bullet; and truly, in Tibet there would have been a heavy and a slow death for them ... He struck me across the face ... upon the flesh ... He slid to the ground, breathing heavily, and Kim could hear the over-driven heart bump and check. 'Have they hurt him to the death? said the Ao-chung man, while the others stood mute. Kim knelt over the body in deadly fear.
'Nay, he cried passionately, 'this is only a weakness. Then he remembered that he was a white man, with a white man's camp-fittings at his service. 'Open the kiltas! The Sahibs may have a medicine. 'Oho! Then I know it, said the Ao-chung man with a laugh. 'Not for five years was I Yankling Sahib's shikarri without knowing that medicine. I too have tasted it. Behold!
The men made no motion to divide the plunder till they had seen the lama bedded down in the best room of the place, with Kim shampooing his feet, Mohammedan-fashion. 'We will send food, said the Ao-chung man, 'and the red-topped kilta. By dawn there will be none to give evidence, one way or the other. If anything is not needed in the kilta see here!
'I have said they are not true Sahibs. All their skins and heads were bought in the bazar at Leh. I know the marks. I showed them to ye last march. 'True. They were all bought skins and heads. Some had even the moth in them. That was a shrewd argument, and the Ao-chung man knew his fellows.
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