V7ADHWAN-IN TKE TRAIN 207
station, a number of new passengers poured into the
carriage, all Sluslims. They bad to stand in the narrow
passage between the seats; not a single sleeper made room
for them. Ramrlas felt he could abandon his seat for one of
them and quietly slipped down to the fioor of the carriage
iud sat there. The place vacated by him was at once filled
up.
At the next station a fresh batch of passengers came in;
again all of them were Muslims. The rush was now so
great that they began tramping through the passage with
their heavy boots in search of seats. Eanidas like a rabbit
crouching on the fioor received their kicks with no small
delight. He rolled down and twisted his body into the
Łgnre S so that he could take up the least room. Station
after station new passengers got in. They crowded the
carriage to well-nigh suffocation. Some sleeping passengers
hud to sit up, because they were forced to. So Ramdas was
treated with boot-kicks from all the four sides! The
Muslims who were seated had to knock against him when
changing the position of their legs. The standing friends
in the passage close to him added their share. His only
cloth covered Mm from head to foot. He looked like a
cloth bag on the floor!
Now he spoke to himself:
" Ramdas, you were receiving worship at several houses
of devotees with flower garlands, sandal paste and lights.
That was one kind of worship. Now here yon are getting
another kind, with boot-kicks! Both are same to you."
He enjoyed the fun. Morning dawned* The crowd in
the train thinned. The place on the bench that he formerly
occupied fell vacant and he jumped into the seat. Now a
bearded old Muslim, sitting opposite, with reddened eyes
and grisly beard and moustache on ends, forcibly pulled
Baindas* arm and said in a tone of command: ikGet down,
sit on the floor.'1