with the day's work, one can throw off one's
clothes and cool oneself with a swim in the river, where the young men
of the place are disporting themselves all their leisure time. They use
the inflated skin of a goat or of a cow, and, supporting themselves
on this, can rest on the deep, cool bosom of the river as long as
they like without fatigue. The river is too rapid for them to travel
upstream, but when business takes them downstream, they simply fasten
their clothes in a bundle on their heads, lie across their inflated
skin, and quietly drift downstream at about four miles an hour as
far as they desire. On returning, they simply deflate their skin,
and sling it over their shoulders.

We were usually thronged with patients here from morning to evening,
and I have seen as many as three hundred in one day, the work
including a number of operations. One day a noted Muhammadan Sheikh
visited the place. He was a convert from Hinduism, and was travelling
about the country preaching Islam and decrying the Christian and Hindu
religions. He sent us a challenge to meet him in a public discussion on
the respective merits of the Cross and the Crescent. I was reluctant,
as such discussions are seldom conducted fairly or sincerely; but,
finding my reluctance was being misunderstood, I consented, and we
met one evening, a Muhammadan gentleman of the place being appointed
chairman. It was arranged that we were each in turn to ask a question,
which the other was to answer. He was given the first question, and
asked how it was that we had not miraculous powers, seeing that the
Bible said that those who believed in Christ should be able to take
poison or be bitten of snakes without suffering injury. The catechist
with me gave so lucid and categorical a reply that the Muhammadan
disputant and chairman changed their tone, and said that, as the
time was getting late, it would be better to postpone my question
till another time. Needless to say, that more convenient time never
came, and we were not again challenged to a discussion at Kalabagh,
and the Sheikh left for fresh pastures a few days later.

CHAPTER IX

AFGHAN MULLAHS

No priesthood in Islam--Yet the Mullahs ubiquitous--Their great
influence--Theological refinements--The power of a charm--Bazaar
disputations--A friend in need--A frontier Pope--In a Militia
post--A long ride--A local Canterbury--An enemy becomes a
friend--The ghazi fanatic--An ou