Page:Anandamath, The Abbey of Bliss - Chatterjee.djvu/30

8 drank the murky water of ponds and then walked again, suffering terribly. Mahendra held the child in his arms and fanned it now and then. Once they sat down to rest under a tree decked with dense green foliage and fragrant flowers, and fondly encircled by creepers. Mahendra was surprised at the patience with which Kalyani roughed all this out. He soaked his cloth in the pond which was there, and with its water drenched the face, hands and feet of Kalyani and himself.

Kalyani was slightly refreshed, but they were both oppressed by hunger. This they could stand, but the hunger and thirst of the little child they could not bear. Therefore they walked on and on,—they swam so to say across the torrent of fire, till at dusk they reached an inn. Mahendra fondly hoped that there he would be able to refresh his wife and child with cool water and give them some food to keep them from starvation. But alas, he found no one in the inn. Big huts lay there, the men had all fled. Mahendra looked about. He then made his wife and child lie down in one of the rooms, and coming out shouted to the top of his voice. No one answered. Then he said to Kalyani, "Do just gather up courage to stay alone for a while; if there is a cow in the land, Srikrishna help me, I'll get some milk." So saying he walked out with an earthen pitcher in hand,—there were many such lying about in that place.