Now, turning the thread of our tale in a new direction, we take our readers to the sacred city of Kashi, and draw their attention to the condition of a young woman sitting by the banks of the Ganga at dusk.

The sun has set, and darkness is gathering all around. The Ganga flows gently and serenely. In the sky, small clouds drift from the east and gather in the west. Right at the riverbank sits a young woman, who cannot be more than fifteen years old, resting her cheek upon her palm, gazing at the water, lost in thought. There is no doubt that this woman is beautiful and graceful from head to toe, though her complexion is dusky. Yet, this does not in any way diminish her beauty or delicacy. Every so often, she lifts her head and glances around, then resumes her thoughtful pose, resting her cheek upon her hand.

Before her, anchored in the Ganga, is a small barge on which four or five men can be seen, along with some travel gear and two or four palanquins.

After a little while, as darkness falls, the woman rises. At the same moment, two guards descend from the barge, help her up, and escort her onto the vessel. She goes up to the deck and sits by the edge, gazing out as if awaiting someone's arrival. Indeed, that was the case, for just then a man appeared, carrying a bundle in his hand. At the sight of him, two boatmen came ashore; one took the bundle from his hand and carried it up to the deck, while the other lightly supported the man as he climbed aboard. He too stood before the woman on the deck, and with a gesture, asked, "What are your orders now?" In response, the woman signaled with her hand to proceed to the opposite bank of the river. The newly arrived man called out to the boatmen to take the barge across, and then he and the woman exchanged a few more gestures, which we could not understand. However, it became clear that this woman was mute and deaf—she could not speak, nor could she hear.

The barge was cast off from the shore and began to move across. Four boatmen took up the oars...

began to look. The woman descended from the roof and went below, and the man too, taking the bundle he had brought, climbed down from the roof. There were two cabins below deck in the barge—one had a beautiful white carpet spread out, and in the other a cot was laid with some belongings scattered about. The woman, making a gesture with her hand, sat down on the carpet, and the man placed a wooden writing board and a small piece of chalk before her. He too sat down, and the two began to converse by writing on the wooden board with the chalk. Now, the conversation that took place between them we shall set down below, but the reader should remember that the entire exchange happened in writing.

First, the woman opened the bundle and began to see what was inside. Out came a brass pen case, which she opened. She took out five or seven letters and notes, read them, and put them back as they were, then began to look at other things. After examining two or four kinds of handkerchiefs and some old coins, she opened a large tin box, inside which was something astonishing. After opening the box, she first removed some cloth that was packed as padding, then peered inside to see the thing within.

Who knows what it was in that box, but the moment the woman saw it, her entire demeanor changed. At a single glance, she gasped and shrank back, drenched in sweat, her body trembling, her face drained of color, and her eyes closed. The man quickly replaced the padding cloth and closed the box, removing it from before her.

Just then, a voice came from outside the barge, "Nanakji!"

Nanakprasad was the name of the man who had brought the bundle. He was neither tall nor very short, stout in build, fair of complexion, and his upper teeth were somewhat uneven. At the sound of the voice, he rose and went outside. The boatmen had stopped rowing, and three soldiers stood alert at the door.

Nanak (to one of the soldiers): "What is it?"

Soldier (pointing across the river): "It seems to me that many people are standing on the far bank. Look, whenever the clouds part and the moonlight falls, it becomes clear that those people too are moving downstream, in the same direction as our barge."

Nanak (looking carefully): "Yes, that's right."

Soldier: "Who knows, perhaps they are our enemies."

Nanak: "It wouldn't be surprising. Well then, let the boat drift with the current, do not cross to the other side."

Saying this, Nanakprasad went inside. By then, the woman had regained her senses and was gazing intently at the tin box, which was now closed.

was. Seeing Nanak, she gestured and asked, "What is it?"

In response, Nanak wrote on a wooden slate with chalk and showed her:

"On the opposite bank, many men can be seen. Who knows, perhaps they are our enemies."

The woman (writing): "Let the barge drift with the current. Tell the soldiers to be ready with their guns. If anyone is seen swimming towards us in the water, by all means, shoot them."

Nanak: "Very well."

Nanak went out again, relayed the order to the soldiers, and returned inside. The woman, opening a key from her sari's edge, handed it to Nanak and signaled that he should place this tin box in their chest.

Nanak did as instructed, then went into another room. Here a bed was laid out, along with some belongings and a chest. Using the same key, he opened the chest, placed the tin box inside, locked it again, and returned the key to the