He is above all castes . I am his chela . ' ` Come here ! ' said the flat thin voice behind the curtain ; and Kim came , conscious that eyes he could not see were staring at him . One skinny brown finger heavy with rings lay on the edge of the cart , and the talk went this way : ` Who is that one ? ' ` An exceedingly holy one . He comes from far off . He comes from Tibet . ' ` Where in Tibet ? ' ` From behind the snows -- from a very far place . He knows the stars ; he makes horoscopes ; he reads nativities . But he does not do this for money . He does it for kindness and great charity . I am his disciple . I am called also the Friend of the Stars . ' ` Thou art no hillman . ' ` Ask him . He will tell thee I was sent to him from the Stars to show him an end to his pilgrimage . ' ` Humph ! Consider , brat , that I am an old woman and not altogether a fool .
Lamas I know , and to these I give reverence , but thou art no more a lawful XXXXX than this my finger is the pole of this wagon .
Humph Kim Tibet brat castes chela eyes fool horoscopes nativities