RETURN JOURNEY' 283
"Eat them," he said.
Ramdas pressed them between his fingers and felt them
soft. In the dim light he could scarcely make out what the
pieces were. Ramdas put a piece into his mouth. It was so
delicious to the taste.
The host: "It is kand, a root that you are eating-. It is
boiled. We obtain it in these parts in plenty.1'
Ramdas: "Ramji, Ramdas would prefer to eat two more
pieces of this root and must be excused regarding roti
and milk."
"No, no," he lovingly remonstrated, "you shall have
both. You may do justice to as much kand as you like, but
you ought to drink also milk in which I have mixed
up roti."
Ramdas had to drink milk thickened with roti as also
eat some more bits of kand. Then all the inmates had their
evening meal. Far into the night the happy talk of God,
bhakti, prem and anand went on. The host was all the while
in ecstasy.
After a couple of hours' sleep, Ramdas awoke in the
morning and started on his journey. The host was incon-
solable. With tears in his eyes he appealed to Ramdas to
stay with him a day longer. But Ram's command to Ramdas
to leave the place was imperative. He gave a parting embrace
to the kind host when he said:
"You see higher up on the hills a small patch; it is a
group of huts. Keeping the sign in view, walk up towards
it. You might reach there at midday, and the hospitable
people of the village will look to your wants."
Traversing through forests and valleys, Ramdas reached
the village, when the sun had risen right overhead. Here
too, the villagers treated him with the greatest hospitality.
After meal he set out again.
The old man of the village said: "Maharaj, you have yet
to cover a distance of about ten miles. There is no foot-
path, nor are there any villages on the way. If you venture