ERNAKULAM-KASARAGOD-ANGAR-SHOLAPUR         415
Pant also wept, when Ramdas reminded him: "Ramji,
what is this you are doing? What about your words to
Maruti when he manifested similar feelings?11
Ramdas also started at the appointed time and it was
night. His next destination was Ernakulam in Cochin
State. The railway carriage in which he travelled was
crowded* He secured a seat at the corner of a short
bench. A passenger on the bench was sleeping at full length
and Ramdas sat in such a manner as to cause the least
disturbance to the sleeping man. The seat in front of him
was occupied by three men, two of whom were Musal-
mans. From their gilt turbans and the showy badges, they
appeared to be sepoys of some eminent personage. A
steady look at the oval brass plates on the red badges
revealed the fact that they belonged to the Cochin State.
Both the sepoys, as night advanced, began to doze in their
s&ats. The elder of the two, fearing that his neat gilt
turban might tumble down while nodding through sleep,
placed it near Ramdas 011 his seat and commanded him in a
gruff voice: "Hey, take care of my turban; see that it does
not fall down. Watch and guard it well." Ram das signified
by a 'hum' that he would do as bidden.
The sepoys now entered deep into the land of sleep,
and Ramdas fell to watching the precious turban given to
his charge. A little later, the sleeping man on his bench
stretched his legs straight, and Ramdas had to move to the
very extremity of the bench and so was obliged to take up
the turban and place the valuable charge tenderly on his
lap. Still further the passenger lengthened himself. Ramdas
thought that he was not an ordinary human being but an
India-rubber man, for he seemed to stretch himself to any
extent! Ramdas now, seeing the floor below the opposite
seat vacant and free from luggage, slipped down to the
place with the turban. Placing the turban near his head
on a portion of his cloth, Ramdas took a reclining posture
since the low place did not permit of sitting upright.