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 fine houses, the wide streets and the big steam trains that tore across the country and came puffing into the city stations.

Rhamon had heard many tales of the big cities on the other side of the mountains, but he had never seen them. The crumbling old city of Srinagar was the only one he knew. He had never been out of his valley that lay far up in the heart of the great mountains. In the winter the narrow mountain roads were often closed with snow. Then even the mail trucks could not come over them and the people in the high valley were shut off from news of the world below.

Rhamon's heart ached with the longing to be a man. He wanted to go down the mountains, to see the great cities and the steam trains.

So busy was Rhamon with his top and the stories which filled his ears, he did not notice that the sun was slowly sinking. As the fiery ball slipped behind the mountains it touched the plumy clouds with gold, and streaked the soft blue sky with rosy banners.