KOLLUR AND KASARAGOD 2$
on a rainy day, a strange looking individual entered his
room. Besides his being clothed in rags, his hair was
dishevelled. He had with him a small bundle suspended on
a rough palm stick. He looked as if he were demented. He
came in and took his seat near Ramdas.
"May I rest here tonight?,1' he asked in a queer sing-
song manner. Raindas said that he was quite welcome.
He sat on the mat and opened Ms bundle which
contained a bizarre assortment of small bits of cloth in
varied colours. Taking out the rags lie scattered them
on the ground. Then glancing at Ramdas he laughed a
merry laugh.
Ramdas thought to himself: *'0 Lord, Thou cometh in
wonderful disguises". After a while the strange visitor
gathering up the scraps remade the bundle. !ftText approach-
ing Ramdas he chanted the burden of a popular Kanarese
song, the purport of which was: "Thou art the ever pure,
all-merciful and mysterious Govinda." He sang forth this
•verse in his own peculiarly passionate and impressive style.
He spoke in the Kanarese tongue. Suddenly, stopping his
music, he directly looked on Ramdas' face and said: "You
see, my clothes are all old and worn out. Would you not
part with the one you are using, for me?", pointing to the
cloth worn by Raindas.
Ramdas at once divesting himself of the cloth handed
it over to him. The visitor carefully folded it and laid it
beside him.
In an imperious voice he spoke next: "Now let us sleep.
Reduce the light. Mind you, don't put it out." Obediently
Raindas carried out his bidding. He laid himself down
pretending to sleep, and Ramdas followed suit. Five
minutes had not elapsed when he sprang into a sitting
posture calling on Ramdas to do the same. Ramdas yielded.
The light was made brighter.
"I have yet to demand something more/' he said.
"Everything in this room," Ramdas replied, "is Ram's