The Curse Of The Goddess

by Ratan Lal Basu

  Chapter 5: The Mysterious Bhutia

  Nil decided that he would go direct to Darjeeling from New Jalpaiguri (NJP) and visit the beautiful hill town for three days and thereafter go right to Manebhanjan on the appointed date. The train was an hour late. A co-passenger suggested him to go by auto to Tensing Norgay bus terminus and he would get plenty of buses and land rovers from there. Vehicles from NJP would charge exorbitant rates. Nil deposited his luggage at the cloak room at the station and got refreshed from the first class waiting room. He then went to the railway canteen for breakfast. He suddenly felt uneasy to notice a gigantic Bhutia in shabby clothes glancing at him curiously from a seat at the far end of the canteen. He had a large head and wide forehead; longish hair tied at the back and as he grinned his ugly yellowish teeth gave the impression of a demon. It was not cold at all at the station but the Bhutia was wearing a grey shabby coat that ran down to his knees and as he stood up Nil observed that he was very tall and stout and notwithstanding his uneasiness Nil could not but laugh at the awkward appearance of the man. He had heard that these Bhutias do not bathe and they never put off the garments until they are torn. He had also heard that the stench from their body is horrible. There might be exaggerations, but all these made him laugh within and free from the worries that the looks of the giant had generated within him. Generally these people are simple and harmless and he might have looked at Nil out of seer curiosity and he looked malicious simply because of his natural appearance. Soon Nil forgot the man. At the bus terminus the next bus was to start after one hour. A Nepali boy approached him that there was a seat at a land rover and he might go by it to save time. Nil had earlier bitter experience of journey by packed up land rovers. He had no hurry and he decided to take the bus. From tourist counter he booked a room for three days at a hotel at Darjeeling.

  The bus journey was pleasant and the beautiful sceneries on the way enchanted him. The hotel was near the railway station and he had no difficulty in finding it. The porter who carried his luggage took him right to the hotel.

  He visited the town for three days and on the fixed date he took the bus for Shukia Pokri as suggested by the hotel manager. Vehicles for Manebhanjan were available from this place. Nil bargained with a small car, the cheapest vehicle and at last they came upon an agreed rate. He went to a nearby stall and bought chewing gums and a bottle of water that would be necessary on the way. While approaching the car he was panicked to find the same Bhutia talking with the driver of the car. As Nil got closer the man greeted him and there was no stench from his body and now he was wearing a different coat and his hairstyle was a bit different, but from his looks Nil had no doubt that he was the same man. As Nil got into the car, the man asked Nil if he was in need of hotels at Manebhanjan. If so he might give Nil the address of his own hotel which was very good but cheap too. Nil replied that he had already booked hotel there. The man greeted revealing his yellow stained teeth and left. Nil thought he could surely be the same man and following him. ‘But who has appointed him and why?’, the question started pinching him. Then he tried his best to drive away the idea thinking that they were two different persons and simply from his inward worries he was suspecting him to be a spy.

  Sangey was waiting for him at Manebhanjan. He said, ‘let’s have tea first and then proceed for Rimbik. After a night’s halt there at a hotel we’ll proceed for the village.’

  They took tea and singara from a stall and Nil once again noticed the Bhutia in a different outfit, standing at a corner and watching them. As Nil glanced at him he promptly hid himself behind a vehicle. Nil got out of the shop and searched for him but he was no where to be found. On their way to Rimbik in the car hired by Sangey, Nil related the incident to Sangey who laughed and said, ‘Mr. Roy, you’re not accustomed to seeing Bhutias and therefore all Bhutias look alike to you. There are plenty of them in the hills and I’m sure these three Bhutias you’ve seen are different persons. So give up your unnecessary worries.’

  Sangey might be right Nil thought, but still the anxiety went on lingering in his mind.

  Was the Bhutia spying on him, but why? What could be his purpose and who could have appointed him? Nil did not find any answer and disquiet of his mind continued like the irritation caused by a tiny thorn insight the flesh. It could as well be all figments of his imagination due to repressed tension. He tried to convince himself that Sangey was right that all these three persons were different and as he was unaccustomed to seeing the Bhutias, they appeared alike to him. Still he could not shake off his worries which remained hidden in the depth of his mind and caused a continued disquiet. To divert his mind Nil started conversation with Sangey.

  ‘Shall we go via Sandhak-fu?’ Nil queried.

  ‘No this time we would take a different route’, Sangey smiled and continued, ‘from Rimbik we’ll go by a vehicle to Gorkay valley and thereafter on foot to the village. This would be safe as we are likely to meet very few people on the way.’

  ‘Would it take a very long time to reach the village along this route?’

  ‘No, it is like to take a shorter time but the route is a bit difficult. We are to climb steep rises and cross a few gorges over rope bridges.’

  Nil felt a bit perturbed to learn about the rope bridges. He said, ‘I’ve never crossed rope bridges’.

  ‘I’ll give you direction and with a little effort you’ll be able to cross them. It would be an adventure trekking with new experience and the natural view on the way is fantastic.’

  Assurance of Sangey was not enough to allay Nil’s worries about the rope bridges but it had one good effect on him. He completely forgot the Bhutia.

  It was afternoon when they arrived at Rimbik and they went right to the hotel already booked by Sangey. The weather was now colder and Nil had to wear a sweater. After dinner Nil went out to by cigarettes from a stall to the other side of the road across from the hotel. While lighting the cigarette he turned around and his heart pounded to notice the Bhutia only a few feet from the shop. He was now wearing a heavy woolen sweater and stepped into the darkness to find Nil turning his glance at him. Nil had now no doubt it was the same person. At Shukia Pokri he could watch the Bhutia from close and he now found the same scar on his right cheek. Nil hastened to the hotel and did his best to tame the trepidations of his heart. It was no use telling the matter to Sangey as he would again give the same explanation and would have doubt about the divine power of Nil.

  In bed Nil could not sleep for a long time. No doubt the Bhutia was spying on him and someone must have appointed him. But who could be behind him? The only person, who might be interested to know the whereabouts of Nil, was the tantric at the cursed plateau, but how did he learn about the mission? Neither Sangey nor Shyamal could be suspected. The, tantric at Nimtala, however, might have some contact with his erstwhile disciple in the hills. He was a new acquaintance of Shyamal. He had come to Nimtala from Tarapith and erected a temple of goddess Kali near the burning ghat and soon the temple and the man became very popular. People believed that he could resolve all sorts of problems. Shyamal’s son had some speech problem and renowned doctors had suggested that he would not be able to talk till the age of six. Then with the advice of a friend at Ahiritola, Mina had visited the tantric who soon cured the child and his speech became normal at the age of three only one month after he had been blessed by the tantric. Thereafter Mina became his disciple and since then both Shyamal and Mina had deep faith in him. But besides his curing power they knew nothing else about him.

  Nil now suspected that the tantric guru had misled him. The guru was still in close contact with his erstwhile disciple and informed him about Nil’s mission. What the guru told about the power mongering of his disciple might also be true for him. It was not unlikely that through his disciple he was trying to create a strong following among the hill people. If his disciple was successful in resolving their problem, even if after some years, this would spread the fame of both him and his guru. If so the tantrics would
never like a third person winning the hill people from them. So he should be very cautious about the Bhutia spy.

  Nil did not discuss the spy issue any more with Sangey, but he remained alert all along. Before getting into the vehicle for Gorkay he checked up all the places around and was satisfied as no trace of the Bhutia could be found. The track to Gorkay was steep and through forest and on the way he found only a few Nepalese collecting fuel wood. The valley was beautiful and had much resemblance with the Lepcha village. It too looked like a cauldron surrounded by hills covered with tall pines but unlike the barren Lepcha village the place was lush with green vegetables. A beautiful rivulet was flowing through the village and there were a few shops and tea stalls. They rested at a trekkers’ hut and took lunch prepared on order by a Nepali family. All the villagers were Nepalese and among them any Bhutia could be easily distinguished. Nil bought cigarettes from a stall and asked the shopkeeper if other hill races used to frequent the village. The shopkeeper replied that at times Lepcha and Limbu people visited the village to buy vegetables but no Bhutia had ever visited the village. This gave Nil satisfaction that if the Bhutia attempted to follow him here too he could be detected as his presence would raise curiosity among the villagers and he would not be safe in an unknown village.

  After they had left Gorkay, the gentle uphill journey was pleasant at first but soon it turned difficult. They had to climb steep slopes along a narrow causeway skirting the sides of a hill and any false step meant a fall into the deep gorge. Moreover he had to be very cautious as the narrow path was strewn with pine needles. Still the journey was thrilling and adventurous. Then came the most difficult part – crossing a deep valley along a rope bridge. Ropes were attached with trees on both sides of the valley. The valley would have to be crossed by keeping legs on one rope and holding a rope above. Sangey crossed the bridge several times to make Nil confident. And eventually Nil could make it uttering silently the name of goddess Kali. Sangey carried the entire luggage over the bridge. Now the journey was downhill and less difficult but the chance of skidding on pine needles increased and Nil had to move very cautiously. They had to cross two more rope bridges and Nil had already learnt to cross them effortlessly.

  It was almost afternoon when they arrived at a shallow valley in between two adjacent hillocks. Sangey told that it would not be judicious to go direct to the village and so they took the causeway to the Lama’s cottage.

  Nil was received cordially by the Lama, Yalmo and Doma. The boy ran toward them and snatched the luggage from their hands. He looked very happy to meet Nil after a long time. Nil queried Doma about her mother, brother and sisters. For sake of secrecy his arrival was kept from her brother and sisters. It was evening and Sangey had to stay the night at the cottage.

  Nil did not disclose anything about the Bhutia to Doma or the Lama. But he was curious to know if any Bhutia resided in this locality. He asked Doma, ‘does any Bhutia live around this place? I’m very much curious about these simple Buddhists.’

  Doma replied, ‘none lives close to our village but there’s a Bhutia village far downhill to the northern side of the cursed plateau. They are really very simple people and devotees of Lord Buddha. But I’ve learnt that some of them have now become devotees of goddess Kali and occasionally visit the tantric’s temple to offer prayer to the goddess.’

  The information made it more probable to Nil that the Bhutia was a spy of the tantric who might be already informed of Nil’s association with the Lepchas, even about the mission. Two possibilities crossed his mind. First the tantric needed the assistance of Lepcha laborers for some esoteric practice to achieve higher spiritual power. In such a case he would not resolve the curse fully until completion of his esoteric practice. Secondly it was also probable that by resolving the curse the tantric was expecting to spread his influence over the Lepchas and his guru at Calcutta might also be involved in it. In either case he would not like meddling by Nil in the matter and would try his best to foil Nil’s mission the success of which would spoil his goal.

  Nil remembered the dream where the goddess had cautioned him that in his mission he would have to encounter hazards both from outside and from within. The tantric and the spy were outside hazards, but he would have also to be cautious about the hazards from within. The temptation from Rita was no longer consequential as she was now far off. But Doma, who was deeply infatuated in him, might be a problem as he too had a subconscious desire for her. He would have to apply all his mental strength to overcome this weakness.

  After early dinner they went to the secret room to discuss the plan in detail. Sangey was not needed for the purpose and he went to bed in the front room. The Lama now gave the detail of the mission chalked out jointly by him and the Hindu Sage at Nepal.

  At first Nil and Doma would visit the cursed place secretly. Nil with his trident mark and Doma with her divine power would be free from the evil effects of the curse. The tantric should by no means know about their visit. This would aggrieve him and he would stop whatever help he was providing to them. They still needed his help until the curse could be fully removed by Nil and Doma. So they should visit the place secretly. Every night the tantric remained absorbed in deep meditation but by his supernatural power he would be able to know the presence of Nil and Doma at the plateau. To prevent this the Hindu sage had prepared a robe which would conceal them from the detecting power of the tantric. They could, however, be detected by the tantric’s men if they visited the place along the common track. So they should now go to the Buddhist cave at the end of a Sherpa village. The Lama there had already been informed about the mission and he had assured that he would cooperate by all means. They would go there under the guise of performers of occult meditation of Lord Buddha and stay in hiding in the caves.

  As Nil expressed curiosity about the caves, the Lama told that at the end of the Sherpa village to the north east of the cursed plateau there ware a few caves with antique Buddha statues curved on the stone walls. No body knew the history of the caves and to all the Buddhists the caves were very sacred. Sometimes Buddhist monks from distant places, even Tibet visited the caves and stayed there for secret religious practices. So it would not be difficult for the Lama there to convince any curious Sherpa that Nil and Doma were monk and nun from Sikkim practicing occult worship in the caves. With the robes on, they would look like Buddhist monk and nun and nobody would be able to recognize them.

  Now staying in the caves they, with the assistance of the Lama there, would secretly visit the plateau at night and discover the nature of the curse. Their supernatural power would help them in this matter. They should first discover the center of the curse and thereafter take further decision accordingly, if necessary, consulting again the sage at Nepal.

  They got up early next morning and after early breakfast prepared for the adventure. The robes reached up to their feet and covered their faces like burkhas. Now Nil looked like a high level Buddhist monk and Doma like a Buddhist nun. At the north east corner of the secret room there was a lowly door so long hidden behind a shelf. The Lama removed the shelf and opened the door which led them into a narrow cave and they had to crawl along the entire length of the cave to come out into the open. Doma giggled while brushing off the dusts from the robe of Nil and he felt a sensation of thrill while brushing off dust from Doma’s robe. They were now inside a cluster of dwarf rhododendrons. The downhill path snaking through the gaps of the trees was very steep at places but Nil had no problem in climbing down by catching hold of the branches of the trees.

  The atmosphere now was foggy and soon they were engulfed in dense fog. Nothing could be visible beyond a few feet. Doma got close to Nil and took hold of his hand so that Nil did not lose the way. She interlocked her arm with Nil’s and the latter had to struggle hard to repress his emotions and nervousness. He now felt as though he was floating in the clouds hand in hand with an uncanny goddess. They stopped at places for a few minutes’ rest when Nil felt tired. It was eleven o’clock whe
n the fog started dissipating and the dim sun was visible through the translucent clouds. Nil looked around and observed that they had taken a semi-circular turn around the hill containing the cursed plateau and leaving the village behind. They had come far down and only the forest covered sides of the cursed plateau were now visible. The rhododendron forest had now become thinner and Nil realized they had gone down even below the level of the village. They found a level ground in between the trees and sat down to have their lunch. Ahead of them a deep canyon had separated the hill from another hill and Nil could hear the murmurs of water inside the canyon. Doma told that the rivulet along the canyon had flowed into south Sikkim. Both this one and one that used to irrigate their village had their origins in a natural lake high up in the north east at the foot of the Kanchenjunga. This one, being free from curse, was flowing across Sikkim into the Tista River.

  Nil asked if they would have to cross the canyon now. Doma replied that it could not be crossed here. They would have to follow an uphill path alongside the canyon and they would cross the river farther to the north east over the roof of a tunnel through which the river had flown. As they came close to the canyon, the river far below looked greenish and the scenic view made Nil spellbound.

  After an hour’s journey they came close to the roof of the tunnel. The scenery was fantastic and Nil stood transfixed watching the river coming out of the mouth of the tunnel and eddying around boulders strewn all along the gentle slope of the canyon to the right. Doma looked back and laughed to find Nil standing like a statue. She grabbed his hand and led him over to the mossy roof of the tunnel. The thick layer of mosses was spongy and squeaked at the pressure of their feet. The roof was about thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide. The shorter side had a gentle slope keeping with the slope of the canyon. From both sides of the roof that was a natural bridge, the river was flowing twenty feet below. The upper side of the roof down to the river was covered with creepers and mosses. On the lower side there was a steep causeway leading to the water.

  Doma beckoned Nil to follow her and started climbing down the causeway and Nil followed her. Boulders were scattered all along the course of the river. They got close to the river and sat on a flat boulder. Doma put her hand into the water and started sprinkling water on all sides and giggled while Nil protested. Nil tried to retaliate but icy coldness of the water prevented him. This place of the canyon was wide and the river had flown through the boulders making multiple twists and turns and at places between boulders the water was stagnant and Nil was amazed to notice small fishes roaming around merrily.

  Now Doma started humming a song in her dialect which appeared to Nil very sweet and romantic and the tune and rhythm of the song got mingled with the murmurs of the flowing water and Nil felt hilarious as though he was floating in air in an uncanny land. The sky had now become cloudy and Doma hastened up and said,

  ‘hurry up, it will rain soon and we are to find a cover.’

  ‘But what about your huge umbrellas?’

  ‘They won’t work. Rain here is generally accompanied by strong wind that breaks off or sweeps away umbrellas.’

  She looked at the watch in Nil’s wrist and exclaimed, ‘my god it’s already one o’clock. It would take at least three more hours from here to reach the caves and the last part of the journey is a very difficult one.’

  Soon it started drizzling with gusts of wind and they had to open the umbrellas. But the eddying gusts made it very difficult to hold on to the umbrellas. By good luck they found a cave like opening by the side of the hill and it was at the leeward side of the wind. They got into the opening and soon the drizzle turned into heavy downpour and the wind roared and raged across the hills. The rain, however, did not continue for more than half an hour and bright sun peeped through the stray clouds at the south west. They resumed their journey and came to a square level field covered with thick layer of grass. They would have to climb down the steep slope at the far end of the field and because of tiny springs rejuvenated by rain, it could be a very difficult climb down, Doma cautioned Nil.

  They crossed the grassy field and came close to the mouth of the downhill track which had zigzagged down like the letter Z and suddenly a chill coursed down the spine of Nil as he noticed the Bhutia standing behind a tree right at the opening of the downhill track. Nil drew down the covering of his face keeping only the eyes uncovered. The Bhutia came out of his hiding, bowed his head and getting close to Doma bowed again bending forward his tall body and asked in Nepali (the common language for hill people speaking different dialects), ‘mother, you two must be sacred Buddhist pilgrims I suppose.’

  Doma replied, ‘you’re right. We’re from north Sikkim, going to visit the sacred caves. Is this the right way?’

  The Bhutia replied, ‘yes. About half a kilometer from here the path is divided into two. The left branch goes to our Bhutia village and the right one to the caves. But the steep downhill track straight to the caves is very risky. You may better take the easier track across the Sherpa village. Further down the track is bifurcated again and you can easily recognize the easier track from it’s gentle slope.’

  The Bhutia continued, ‘my name’s Namsell Bhutia. Don’t forget to pray for me to the Lord in the caves. Best wishes for you.’ He bowed again and moved to the other side of the field.

  Nil looked nervous and asked Doma about the intention of the Bhutia. Doma assured him that he was a simple Bhutia. The red vermilion mark on his forehead indicated that he was a devotee of goddess Kali and probably he was now going to visit the tantric’s temple.

  Nil apprehended that Namsell was no doubt a spy of the tantric, had recognized them in spite of their robes and he was likely to follow them further up to the caves. Anyway he would have to encounter the hazards bravely and with a cool head and it would not be judicious to make Doma worried by disclosing the matter to her.

  ‘Is the Bhutia village close by?’ Nil asked.

  Doma replied, ‘it’s about seven kilo meters downhill from here. After some distance this path is bifurcated. The one to the left leads to the Bhutia village and we’re to follow the right one.’

  The forest gradually became thinner and the path now was wider and pebbles were scattered on the path. They had to step very carefully to avoid being skidded by stepping on stray pebbles. They soon reached the bifurcation and took the rightward track.. About hundred feet further down the track was divided again. The rightward branch with a gentle slope had skirted the hill ahead and gone across the Sherpa village to the caves. They wanted to avoid the Sherpas and therefore started climbing down the steep causeway that led direct to the caves. From the divide, the caves, through the steep path, were around five kilo meters. The sky soon got overcast with dense clouds and it became almost dark.

  All of a sudden the sky was torn apiece by lightning and the rumbling of the thunder shook the hills as though in an earthquake and it started raining heavily. Because of the strong wind the umbrellas could not be opened. No shelter was visible close by. The robes were made with waterproof materials but water, getting through the openings at their throats, drenched them thoroughly inside and Nil started shivering in cold. They got close to the trunk of a large tree and tried to save themselves from the onslaught of the torrents of rain and eddies of chilly wind.

  Suddenly a horrible blast shook the hills and the continuing deep rumbling made them aware of heavy landslide at the top of the hill and rolling down of huge boulders toward them. Doma blurted out in a panicked voice, ‘let’s immediately run away from this place. Heavy boulders are rolling down the hills and soon this place would be swept off. To save our lives we should now go uphill along the path we’d come down.’

  They started racing uphill and could barely escape the boulders and rains of stones demolishing whatever came their way. Nil got exhausted but Doma started dragging him up along even after he was unconscious and she could ultimately reach a small cave like opening at a safe distance from the devastation. It was now pitch dar
k and it was still raining but at a slower pace.

  After some time Nil regained consciousness and was embarrassed to discover his head on the lap of Doma. He hastened to get up and Doma asked, ‘do you feel comfortable now?’

  ‘To some extent and where are we?’ Nil asked

  Doma smiled and said, ‘we are at a safe place.’

  ‘How long had I been unconscious?’

  ‘Not more than an hour.’

  ‘What to do now?’

  ‘In this darkness we have nothing to do but to wait for the sky to be clear and then in moon light we may again climb down and see if there could be any path to proceed along toward the caves.’

  ‘But we are to go without food for a long time and I’m already hungry.’

  ‘Don’t worry I’ve enough bread and dry fruits in by rucksack ‘

  Nil felt that his robe and inner garments had been removed from his body and his bare body was covered with a thin blanket.’

  In the dim light of the candle Doma had lighted he was embarrassed to see Doma too in the same condition and while talking occasionally her blanket slipped and her bare heavy breasts were visible.

  She said, ‘the rain has let up now and the wind would soon dry up the drenched garments.’

  Doma was not worried at all nor was she embarrassed. She took out bread, fruits and water and they completed their eating.

  Fortunately it was a full moon night and soon the moon came out in the clear sky and made the ambience uncanny. The garments had already dried now and Doma collected them from the dry rocks that had walled the cave and coming closer to Nil she removed the blanket from Nil and stacked it into the rucksack after folding it neatly. Nil was now with only a short underwear and Doma with a panty. She was not at all concerned about their topless nudity but Nil got nervous and felt his passion rising.

  Doma now came closer and they stood facing each other at only a few feet apart. Their expectant eyes met and Doma lowered her eyes in embarrassment. Nil felt the tremor of his extremities. He looked up and watched the semi nude goddess standing with passionate demeanor within the reach of his hands. He watched with passion her strong and beautiful legs, the triangular bulge in her panty, the heavy butts protruding at the back, the slim waist line, the round navel on the flat belly, and the large heaving boobs. Her eyes were fixed at the throbbing bulge between his legs. She raised her eyes and the four passionate eyes met again. They stood motionless for a while and all of a sudden both of them uttered loudly, ‘we are on a sacred mission and we are to preserve our sanctity,’ and they hastened to get dressed up.

  They now climbed downhill and horrified to find that the track to the caves was completely demolished leaving only a polished hillside. Doma decided that they would again climb uphill now and approach the caves across the Sherpa village. The way to the village was out of the landslide zone. They moved uphill in quest of the track to the village and after long searches realized that in the mystic moon light they had lost their way and did not know where they were going. Still they continued searches for some time and at last decided to wait till the daybreak. Nil was now completely exhausted and he fell flat on a clean rock at the bottom of a large tree. Doma told that she would look for some better place for night shelter. She directed Nil to wait at the place until her return. She hurried off and disappeared behind the cluster of pines.

  Nil lay on his back and watched the hide and seek game of the moon and the dollops of clouds. He dozed for some time and woke by a horrible dream that he was being swept away by the landslide. He looked at the watch and got worried. More than an hour had elapsed and Doma had not yet returned. Out of worry he got up and started moving along the path Doma had followed. Even after half an hour’s walk he still could find no trace of Doma. He felt completely exhausted and decided to return to the previous place and wait.

  He turned around and made for the stone slab and was soon horrified to realize that the moon light had misguided him again and it would not be possible for him to get back to the stone. On the contrary, he might get farther away from the place. The moon was again covered with cloud and it started drizzling. He got closer to the hill and finding a curved spot at the bottom of the hill he stepped into to protect himself from the rain. But he quickly moved back to find a large black snake and saw the round red eyes watching him and in a moment he closed his eyes to find its menacing hood high up about three feet from the ground. In a blank mind Nil waited for his destiny. But instead of the strike and death he heard a thumping sound and opening his eyes he was bewildered to find the head of the snake crushed by a slab of stone and the body still wriggling in desperation. He then heard the angry voice of Doma, ‘what the hell did you leave the place for? You were sure dead and the mission spoilt if my instinct did not guide me here on time.’

  Nil could not speak and looked at her helplessly like a truant child caught by its mother while committing mischief. His helpless demeanor swept away her anger and she burst out laughing, but Nil could not join her as the horror still haunted him.

  Doma said with feigned anger, ‘naughty boy, never be disobedient again.’ She was now pacified and told him why she had been late. She had found a good cave for shelter at a place she was familiar with. Thereafter she had gone downhill to collect some sweet roots that would add flavor to the bread. All of a sudden her sixth sense guided her to the spot where Nil was in danger.

  They now moved for the cave she had found. On the way Nil felt dizzy and bad headache. But he did not disclose this to Doma and went on walking with utmost will power. At last they reached the shelter and Nil dropped down on the ground in utter exhaustion. Touching his forehead Doma found that he had temperature. She spread a blanket to make his bed and covered his body with another one. She now left again to collect the roots and some herbs to palliate fever.

  As soon as she had left Nil felt asleep and started moaning.

  Now Doma made haste and returned by half an hour and was worried to find Nil moaning. She touched his forehead again and found the temperature higher now. She took out the herb, pasted it on her palm and woke him up. Nil at first could not realize where he was but slowly his memory returned. She asked, ‘how do you feel now?’

  ‘Not very well, I feel my head heavy and painful’

  He got up and in a reclining position took the herb paste which tasted extremely bitter but in a few minutes he felt better. Doma asked him to rest his head on her lap and he did not hesitate. She started fingering his forehead deftly and he soon fell asleep and it was a sound sleep without moaning or dreams. Both the blankets were in use by Nil. So Doma had to lie down on the stone floor of the cave. She was too tired and fell asleep but her sleep broke soon. Nil was still sleeping peacefully and moon rays had fallen on his innocent face. Looking at the watch in his hand she found it was past midnight.

  She could not make out what to do now. She went out of the cave and started walking aimlessly. The sky was now clear and the moon light had made the night dreamy. She hoped to find out the way to the Sherpa village and carry Nil to the caves. She went ahead and tried to guess in which direction the approach of the road could be. Suddenly she heard some voices and she walked in the direction of the voices and turning corner found Namsell with a few other shorter Bhutias searching hither and thither for something. She ran toward them and they looked up to hear her foot steps. Namsell came forward and said in a worried voice, ‘mother where is the monk?’

  ‘He’s okay, sleeping in a safe cave but he has high fever.’

  Namsell heaved a sigh of relief and said,

  ‘oh, I was very much worried about you. I’ve already informed the Lama at the caves and he with his men would soon reach this place and take you along through a roundabout route which is still undamaged.’

  ‘But how you happened to be here at this hour?’

  ‘I heard the rumbling of heavy land slide and then it dawned on me that by this time you and the monk might have reached near the site of land slide and was d
eeply worried. So I called these villagers and proceeded right for the site. Coming here I was terrified to observe the vast damage done by the landslide. We frantically looked for you but could not find any trail. I then consoled myself that you must have reached the caves before the disaster. To be confirmed I took a difficult climb down a steep hillside keeping my men engaged in searching and went right to the caves and was really worried to learn that you had not gone there. The Lama too was terribly worried. The Lama learnt from me the location of this place and said that he with some Sherpas from the village would soon reach this spot and requested me to wait here until he arrives. Thereafter I returned here and was waiting for the Lama. Fortunately I now find you alive and safe by the grace of the Lord. But still I’m a bit worried about the sick monk. Better show me the cave where the monk is so that I may guide the Lama to the spot.’

  ‘Are you a Buddhist or a Hindu’ Doma asked casually on their way.

  Namsell replied, ‘I’m a Buddhist peasant. My Tibetan ancestors were tantrics and so I worship goddess Kali also and practice tantric cult following family tradition.’

  ‘Have you now become a disciple of the Hindu tantric at the plateau?’

  Namsell laughed and replied, ‘I think you make this guess from my visits to his temple. I just wanted to meet this great tantric but his Nepali disciples dissuaded me on the ground that the great tantric does not meet any non-Hindu. I still occasionally visit the sacred temple.’

  Namsell left after Doma had shown him their shelter and he returned soon with the Lama and the Sherpas and bade good bye after offering good wishes for the nun and the monk.