A low murmur of horror went up from the coolies -- some of whom were Spiti men and , by their lights , good Buddhists . The lama rose at the insult ; his hand went to the heavy iron pencase that is the priest 's weapon , and the Babu danced in agony . ` Now you see -- you see why I wanted witnesses . They are highly unscrupulous people . Oh , sar ! sar ! You must not hit holyman ! ' ` Chela ! He has defiled the Written Word ! ' It was too late . Before Kim could ward him off , the Russian struck the old man full on the face . Next instant he was rolling over and over downhill with Kim at his throat . The blow had waked every unknown Irish devil in the boy 's blood , and the sudden fall of his enemy did the rest . The lama dropped to his knees , half-stunned ; the coolies under their loads fled up the hill as fast as plainsmen run aross the level . They had seen sacrilege unspeakable , and it behoved them to get away before the Gods and devils of the hills took vengeance . The Frenchman ran towards the lama , fumbling at his revolver with some notion of making him a hostage for his companion . A shower of cutting stones -- hillmen are very straight shots -- drove him away , and a coolie from Ao-chung snatched the lama into the stampede . All came about as swiftly as the sudden mountain-darkness . ` They have taken the baggage and all the guns , ' yelled the Frenchman , firing blindly into the twilight . ` All right , sar !
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! Babu Frenchman Irish Russian Spiti coolies holyman mountain-darkness right