What will the healer of turquoises say to this ? Now , slowly , let us hear what befell afterwards -- step by step , omitting nothing . ' Step by step then , Kim told his adventures between coughs as the full-flavoured tobacco caught his lungs . ' I said , ' growled Mahbub Ali to himself , ' I said it was the pony breaking out to play polo . The fruit is ripe already -- except that he must learn his distances and his pacings , and his rods and his compasses . Listen now . I have turned aside the Colonel 's whip from thy skin , and that is no small service . ' ` True . ' Kim pulled serenely . ` That is true . ' ` But it is not to be thought that this running out and in is any way good . ' ` It was my holiday , Hajji . I was a slave for many weeks . Why should I not run away when the school was shut ? Look , too , how I , living upon my friends or working for my bread , as I did with the Sikh , have saved the Colonel Sahib a great expense . ' Mahbub 's lips twitched under his well-pruned Mohammedan moustache . ` What are a few rupees ' -- the Pathan threw out his open hand carelessly -- ` to the Colonel Sahib ? He spends them for a purpose , not in any way for love of thee . ' ` That , ' said Kim slowly , ' I knew a very long time ago . ' ` Who told ? '
` The Colonel XXXXX himself .
Ali Hajji Kim Mohammedan Sahib Sikh compasses pacings turquoises weeks