` I 'd give a month 's pay to find what 's goin ' on inside that little round head of yours . ' ` There is nothing , ' said Kim , and scratched it . He was wondering whether Mahbub Ali would send him as much as a whole rupee . Then he could pay the letter-writer and write letters to the lama at Benares . Perhaps Mahbub Ali would visit him next time he came south with horses . Surely he must know that Kim 's delivery of the letter to the officer at Umballa had caused the great war which the men and boys had discussed so loudly over the barrack dinner-tables . But if Mahbub Ali did not know this , it would be very unsafe to tell him so . Mahbub Ali was hard upon boys who knew , or thought they knew , too much . ` Well , till I get further news ' -- Father Victor 's voice interrupted the reverie . ` Ye can run along now and play with the other boys . They 'll teach ye something -- but I do n't think ye 'll like it . ' The day dragged to its weary end . When he wished to sleep he was instructed how to fold up his clothes and set out his boots ; the other boys deriding . Bugles waked him in the dawn ; the schoolmaster caught him after breakfast , thrust a page of meaningless characters under his nose , gave them senseless names and whacked him without reason . Kim meditated poisoning him with opium borrowed from a barrack-sweeper , but reflected that , as they all ate at one table in public -LRB- this was peculiarly revolting to Kim , who preferred to turn his back on the world at meals -RRB- , the stroke might be dangerous . Then he attempted running off to the village where the priest had tried to drug the lama -- the village where the old soldier lived . But far-seeing sentries at every exit headed back the little scarlet figure . Trousers and jacket crippled body and mind alike so he abandoned the project and fell back , Oriental-fashion , on time and chance . Three days of torment passed in the big , echoing white rooms . He walked out of afternoons under escort of the drummer-boy , and all he heard from his companions were the few useless words which seemed to make two-thirds of the white man 's abuse .
XXXXX knew and despised them all long ago .
Ali Benares Kim Umballa barrack-sweeper days dinner-tables drummer-boy letter-writer sentries