272 IN THE VISION OF' GOD
Bam was kind indeed! Ramdas had really a great desire
to remain at least for a night in the big cave which is the
famous Vasishta cave. He returned and took his seat again
by the side of the sadhu. Thereafter there was rio talk. H6
sat up for about two hours in silence and then, taking the
sadhu's permission, laid himself down: All the night he
was half awake. The sadhu also never slept. He reclined
against a cushion and at short interval s he was busy smoking
his hookah, and was also now and again throwing a lump
of sugar into his mouth.
The night passed. At daybreak Ramdas rose, and Bat up,
but he felt no inducement to move. After some time, the
sadhu suddenly flared up and said in a harsh voice:
"G-et out. what are you doing here ? Go to your cave. I
wish to go into samadlii.''
Ramdas quietly slipped out and directly entered the
small cave in which he remained unmoved for the whole
day. At about eleven o'clock noon, two men passed by the
cave carrying milk for the sadhu. Half-an-hour later, one
of them came to him with a cup of milk. He said that the
sadhu in the cave had requested Ramdas to accept it.
Ramdas now played his part as artfully as Ram played Hi&.
He refused to have the milk and asked the man to take it
back to the sadhu. Thereupon the sadhu came in person with
the milk-cup and approaching Ramdas pressed him to drink.
'"Maharaj," Ramdas said, "excuse Ramdas. How can
you expect him to receive a share of your milk which is
just what you require for yourself for the day ? You may
remember how you warned him when you said: " Have
you come here to share my daily drink of milk and starve
me to death ? "
At this straight talk he winced and lowered his eyosv
but still he pressed again.
461 appeal to you,11 he cried, "I want yon to take thifc
milk. I have mixed ample Gangaji's water in it. For me
there is a sufficient quantity left."-