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

80 THE GOD-MANBaba from a dangerous corner on a rock on the other side. It was a very risky spot, but Baba'swatchers had no orders to shout aloud, only to speak in a very low voice when necessary.Otherwise to carryon conversation by signs.A fortnight passed thus, when one night suddenly at eight o'clock Baba called them toarrange immediately to leave, silently and without informing anyone. There is no railwaythere, and cars are not allowed to cross the mountain ghats after a certain hour in the evening,even if cars could be had, which was out of the question in such a place as Panchgani. Therewas nothing to do but to walk down to Wai, the town at the foot of the hill some miles away;after much trouble, and for the sake of the luggage and bedding, a bullock-cart was got afterdifficulty, and at midnight they removed their things from their huts in the pitch-dark.Baba wanted to walk, and they all came down the ghats on foot, with baggage in their handsand on their heads; and thus after four hours' climbing down over dangerous ground they arrivedat Wai, where they rested in the dak bungalow till morning, and at 10 a.m. were off in a bus forMeherabad.The devotees of Baba at Panchgani were informed of Baba's silent departure in a notewritten from Wai, with his usual final instructions not to worry about it, as it was for no faultor negligence on their part, but for his own reasons.Baba's fast and seclusion continued after returning to Meherabad for about three months.The mandali continued to fast too - but not for so long. Some were released after a month, andsome later.It may be noted that it was to the same cave that Baba afterwards sent two of his mandali toretire in seclusion at different periods. Behramji, for twenty-one days on a very severe fast, toremain only on water; after these twenty-one days, when he was ordered to come out, he wasinstructed to fast nineteen days more, but was allowed to drink milk during this period. So thatin all he fasted for forty days. The other member sent to this cave for a longer period was K.Pleader, who had been observing silence and fasting for some years, living only on milk, andwas during all these years locked in a small room, at different places in Nasik and Meherabad,with orders not even to read or write. He had not seen Baba five times in five years. At the cavehe had to continue fasting, but was allowed to take fruit in addition to milk. Even after beingcalled out of the cave he was ordered to continue the silence and fast simultaneously, but waslater given permission to move about, which he utilized in visiting quiet places in the