ting developments. Among the
crowd was a Brahman holy man, who was sprinkling the passengers with
holy water and receiving a harvest of coppers in return. He came
to sprinkle us, but we declined the honour. He then asked why we
were waiting instead of going aboard with the other passengers. I
told him that we were waiting because we could not pay the fare of
our bicycles. He retorted that unless we invoked his blessing (for
a remuneration) we should assuredly never start, but that, having
done so, everything would turn out well. When we still declined,
he went away prophesying that all sorts of misfortunes would befall us.

The last of the passengers had gone aboard, the appointed time for
starting had arrived, but no friend had appeared to help us out of the
difficulty. The Brahman came back and taunted us with our position,
and what it might have been had we but accepted his offer. All I could
say was, "Wait and see." Just as the steamer was about to start a
ship's officer called to us and said that the captain was willing to
take our bicycles free of charge. With a friendly nod to the Brahman,
we crossed the drawbridge and in a minute more were under way.

We had now one rupee left for food, but still we were not left in want,
for when that was finished the Goanese cooks came and inquired about
us and gave us a share of their own dinner. At Karachi the steamers
anchor out in the harbour a considerable distance from the landing
wharves, and passengers are taken ashore in native boats, a number of
which crowd alongside the moment the ship is moored. But these boatmen
naturally require remuneration, and we had none to give, so that it now
seemed as though we should have greater difficulty in getting off the
steamer than we had in getting on. Just then a launch came alongside
for the mails, and a ship's officer came up and asked if we would like
to go ashore on it. Of course we accepted the offer with alacrity,
had our machines on board in a trice, and were safely on terra firma
again before the native boats had got away from the steamer.

This pilgrimage gave me many opportunities for philosophizing
on the role that a man's clothes play in gaining him a reception
or a rejection. My missionary brethren took various views on the
subject. Most exhibited incredulity as to the expediency of donning
native garb, while showing some sympathetic interest; few were
antagonistic on principle, though one missionary brother, indee