But 't was prettily done . Now God He knows how many more there be upon the Road who have orders to test me -- perhaps with the knife . So it stands that the boy must go to Umballa -- and by rail -- for the writing is something urgent . I abide here , following the Flower and drinking wine as an Afghan coper should . ' He halted at the stall next but one to his own . His men lay there heavy with sleep . There was no sign of Kim or the lama . ` Up ! ' He stirred a sleeper . ` Whither went those who lay here last even -- the lama and the boy ? Is aught missing ? ' ` Nay , ' grunted the man , ` the old madman rose at second cockcrow saying he would go to Benares , and the young one led him away . ' ` The curse of Allah on all unbelievers ! ' said Mahbub heartily , and climbed into his own stall , growling in his beard . But it was Kim who had wakened the lama -- Kim with one eye laid against a knot-hole in the planking , who had seen the Delhi man 's search through the boxes . This was no common thief that turned over letters , bills , and saddles -- no mere burglar who ran a little knife sideways into the soles of Mahbub 's slippers , or picked the seams of the saddle-bags so deftly . At first Kim had been minded to give the alarm -- the long-drawn choor -- choor ! -LSB- thief ! thief ! -RSB- that sets the serai ablaze of nights ; but he looked more carefully , and , hand on amulet , drew his own conclusions .
` It must be the pedigree of that made-up horse-lie , ' said he , ` the thing that I carry to XXXXX .
't Delhi Kim Mahbub Umballa cockcrow knot-hole lama nights unbelievers