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

THE FIRST TEN YEARS 89of pains all over the body-and asked for rest. But Baba persuaded and pushed him on and on,patting him on the back with his hand, and at times even directing him when, in a dejected mood,the driver would miss the track. So it went on for two more days, after which they came in sightof their destination - the town of Duzbab, which was to be their abode for three days - three daysof trouble still to come!The driver could not believe his eyes when he saw in the distance the outlines of Duzdab.He had crossed the desert for years, and even under the best conditions had never completed thejourney in less than five full days. Sometimes it had taken him ten to twelve. No wonder he feltsurprised, for at times during the journey he was afraid he had lost the way, as he could notclearly distinguish the road and surroundings.Duzdab was the frontier station on the border of the territories of the Persian and BritishGovernments. Another drama of troubles was enacted here in connection with their passports.Baba warned them from the moment they arrived that it would take much time to get the visas,hence they were told to make all haste; otherwise, he said, if detained now and the next train wasmissed, they would not be allowed to cross the frontier and would be kept in Persia, perhaps formonths. There were two trains only, on Thursday and Sunday every week, leaving Duzdab forQuetta, the British frontier station in Baluchistan. They had arrived in Duzdab on Wednesdayafternoon, so it seemed impossible to go by the train leaving the next morning at ten, as to get thevisas took several days, after stringent cross-questionings and inquiries into references. Thecomposition of the party was cosmopolitan; six Persians and five British Indians (two Parsees,two Hindus, and one Moslem). The Persian members of the party thought that to obtain visasfrom both the Persian and British Consulates would be managed easily and that there would be notrouble. But Baba repeatedly warned them that he knew there would be much trouble, hence theyshould make all possible haste and let not a moment be wasted. 'We must leave here by the trainon Sunday', he said. They soon found that all their haste could not stir the Persian Consulateoffice to act quickly, and it was on Saturday noon, after three days, that they got their visas! Butthey had still to cope with the difficult task of getting the visas from the British Consulate, whoseoffice closed at 1 p.m. on Saturday. It seemed hopeless to expect to pass through the process ofcross examination of over a dozen men within an hour. But Baba expects the impossible. Theyknew it, and that is why two of them-Afsari and