He stood in a gigantic stone hall paved , it seemed , with the sheeted dead third-class passengers who had taken their tickets overnight and were sleeping in the waiting-rooms . All hours of the twenty-four are alike to Orientals , and their passenger traffic is regulated accordingly . ` This is where the fire-carriages come . One stands behind that hole ' -- Kim pointed to the ticket-office -- ` who will give thee a paper to take thee to Umballa . ' ` But we go to Benares , ' he replied petulantly . ` All one . Benares then . Quick : she comes ! ' ` Take thou the purse . ' The lama , not so well used to trains as he had pretended , started as the 3.25 a.m. south-bound roared in . The sleepers sprang to life , and the station filled with clamour and shoutings , cries of water and sweetmeat vendors , shouts of native policemen , and shrill yells of women gathering up their baskets , their families , and their husbands . ` It is the train -- only the te-rain . It will not come here . Wait ! ' Amazed at the lama 's immense simplicity -LRB- he had handed him a small bag full of rupees -RRB- , Kim asked and paid for a ticket to Umballa . A sleepy clerk grunted and flung out a ticket to the next station , just six miles distant . ` Nay , ' said Kim , scanning it with a grin . ` This may serve for farmers , but I live in the city of Lahore . It was cleverly done , Babu . Now give the ticket to Umballa . '
The XXXXX scowled and dealt the proper ticket .
Babu Benares Lahore fire-carriages lama overnight sweetmeat te-rain ticket-office waiting-rooms