Page:Anandamath, The Abbey of Bliss - Chatterjee.djvu/209



The two then had a short deliberation in whispers ; which done, Jivananda hid himself in a thicket. Santi entered another and engaged herself in a fine fun. She was going to die, but she had determined to die in a woman's dress. As Mahendra had told her, her male costume was a mask and she could not carry it on to death. So he had brought out with her the basket which contained her toilette an —womanly dress. Having put on her smart nose-print with a little catechu patch between the eye-brows and covering her blooming face with fine short curls after the fashion of the day, Santi equipped herself with a sareng and appeared in the guise of a singing Vaishnavi girl in the camp of the Englishmen. Her sight upset the sepoys in their jet black beards and moustache. Some bid her sing love songs, some would have Gkuzl, others asked songs to Kali and other again would hear about Krishna. Some gave her rice, some dal, some sweets, some pice and some again four-anna pieces. The Vaishnavi then carefully informed herself of the state of the camp and was about to leave, when the sepoys asked her as to when she was going to pay them another visit. " Can't say," she answered, " I 'live at a great dis- tance." " How far ?," asked they. " I live at Padachinha," was the answer.