By this will he know that thou comest from me . He will then say `` What proof hast thou ? '' and thou wilt answer : `` Mahbub Ali has given me the proof . '' ' ` And all for the sake of a white stallion , ' said Kim , with a giggle , his eyes aflame . ` That pedigree I will give thee now -- in my own fashion and some hard words as well . ' A shadow passed behind Kim , and a feeding camel . Mahbub Ali raised his voice . ` Allah ! Art thou the only beggar in the city ? Thy mother is dead . Thy father is dead . So is it with all of them . Well , well -- ' He turned as feeling on the floor beside him and tossed a flap of soft , greasy Mussalman bread to the boy . ` Go and lie down among my horseboys for tonight -- thou and the lama . Tomorrow I may give thee service . ' Kim slunk away , his teeth in the bread , and , as he expected , he found a small wad of folded tissue-paper wrapped in oilskin , with three silver rupees -- enormous largesse . He smiled and thrust money and paper into his leather amulet-case . The lama , sumptuously fed by Mahbub 's Baltis , was already asleep in a corner of one of the stalls . Kim lay down beside him and laughed . He knew he had rendered a service to Mahbub Ali , and not for one little minute did he believe the tale of the stallion 's pedigree .
But XXXXX did not suspect that Mahbub Ali , known as one of the best horse-dealers in the Punjab , a wealthy and enterprising trader , whose caravans penetrated far and far into the Back of Beyond , was registered in one of the locked books of the Indian Survey Department as C25 IB .
Ali Baltis Kim amulet-case flap horseboys lama minute oilskin wad