THE GOD-MAN The Life, Journeys and Work of Meher Baba with an ...

THE FIRST TEN YEARS 79them. The other hut was some fifty feet above, so that the two watch-men staying there couldsee a longer distance to warn people from approaching near. A third small hut was erected onthe left side of Baba at an equal distance of fifty feet, where one disciple, Vishnu, was kept inseclusion.The news of Baba's retirement in the cave and fasting spread, and people living in differentplaces far and near voluntarily kept fast with the Master, living on milk, but doing theirworldly duties the while.This strict system of seclusion and fasting by Baba and mandali simultaneously lasted fortwelve days unbroken. Then Baba told some to break the fast, some were given orders to doso after a month, and a few after two or three months. The orders for seclusion also varied, tosome after fifteen days, to others after a month, and to a few after two or three months.The Tiger Valley, as its name indicates, is a haunt of tigers and leopards, the latter beingoften found in the jungle and crossing fields and even public roads. One evening the people ofthe place from which Chhagan used to bring milk every day saw a leopard two minutes afterhe had left with the milk following the same track. As for the mandali on watch duty, they hadno weapons except a bamboo stick, which Baba told everyone to keep at hand. Their onlysafeguard from any possible attack by tigers at night was a hurricane lamp kept outside eachof the huts. The door of the hut was not locked from the inside, but kept slightly open a fewinches to enable the man on duty to see outside, who, if anything appeared, had to arouse hissleeping companion and warn the inmates of the other hut.The watch duty was to be done eight hours daily, four hours during daytime and four atnight alternately, and was no pleasant task. For although this particular spot was not at allfrequented, the rumour that Meher Baba had retired there in a cave brought people innumbers, especially during the morning and evening hours, some out of curiosity, but manywith a desire for darshan. The watchers had a hard task to stop them, for the visitors camesometimes in groups of fifty, and often they had to be severe, much against their will, andmany a time actually to beg them not to misunderstand. It was by no right that people wereinduced to go away, but by humble requests and explanations mildly and gently given.This was the season when the climate there was very cool compared with the heat in thesurrounding country, and many visitors had come to the hills for the season. Some young mentried to get a glimpse of