286 IN ''THE VISION OF GOD
slope is not only sharp but is covered by loose earth. To piit
the foot on it is to slip, and Ramdas will then be rolling
down like a folded mattress until he reaches the bottom;
yon like it, eh ?"
"Ramdas, your laugh and poses are too early," observed
Ram, "you don't seem to make use of the eyes which I
have given you. Look well. On the incline, you will
discover stumps of dried grass at some distance from one
another. These are the roots of thick reeds, and being dry
they cannot be distinguished from the earth, but a close
scrutiny will reveal them to you. They are strong enough
to support your feet. Descend without any delay."
Ram was right. There were roots. Ramdas accordingly*
going on all fours crept down, having the dried stumps of
grass as foot-rests, one after the other, until he reached
nearly the end of the incline beyond which there was again
a steep chasm, the incline being no longer continuous. The
situation, in which he was now placed, was supremely
perilous. He had arrived at about two yards from the
extreme edge of the slope, and a yard down there was only
a faint mark of a stump visible which could support no
more than a toe. Having stopped here, Ramdas asked:
"Now, Ram, what next?"
Ram was ever ready with His cues. He piped in:
"Behold, child, a twig peeping out of the depths just on
the edge of the slope. It is about half-an-inch thick. Reach
it by your feet, descending a yard down by the help of the
small root of grass. After that you will know what to do
next."
Ramdas followed Rani's instructions and had the twig
clutched in between the big toe and the other toes of his
left foot like a monkey. Certainly, here Ramdas remem-
bered Hanuman, the great devotee of Sri Ramchandra.
The body was felt by Ramdas as light as a feather. With
one foot thus poised on the twig, he let go the other from
the grass root. For a few seconds his whole body was