Theos-Talk Archives (July 1996 Message tl00736)

(IV)  OLCOTT'S ACCOUNT OF MEETING MASTER KOOT HOOMI IN NOVEMBER, 1883 ON THE
OUTSKIRTS OF LAHORE, INDIA.

Colonel Olcott’s account of meeting the Master K.H at Lahore is to be found
in the third volume of Olcott’s OLD DIARY LEAVES:

"I was sleeping in my tent, the night of the 19th, when I rushed back
towards external consciousness on feeling a hand laid on me. The camp being
on the open plain, and beyond the protection of the Lahore Police, my first
animal instinct was to protect myself from a possible religious fanatical
assassin, so I clutched the stranger by the upper arms, and asked him in
Hindustani who he was and what he wanted.  It was all done in an instant,
and I held the man tight, as would one who might be attacked the next moment
and have to defend his life.  But the next moment a kind, sweet voice said:
‘Do you not know me?  Do you not remember me?’ It was the voice of the
Master K.H. . . .I relaxed my hold on his arms, joined my palms in
reverential salutation, and wanted to jump out of bed to show him respect.
But his hand and voice stayed me, and after a few sentences had been
exchanged, he took my left hand in his, gathered the fingers of his right
into the palm,  and stood quiet beside my cot, from which I could see his
divinely benignant face by the light of the lamp that burned on a
packing-case at his back.  Presently I felt some soft substance forming in
my hand, and the next minute the Master laid his kind hand on my forehead,
uttered a blessing, and left my half of the large tent to visit Mr. W.T.
Brown, who slept in the other half behind a canvas screen that divided the
tent into two rooms.  When I had time to pay attention to myself, I found
myself holding in my left hand a folded paper enwrapped in a silken cloth.
To go to the lamp, open and read it, was naturally my first impulse.  I
found it to be a letter of private counsel. . . On hearing an exclamation
from…[Brown’s] side of the screen, I went in there and he showed me a
silk-wrapped letter of like appearance to mine though of different contents,
which he said had been given him much as mine had been to me, and which we
read together. . . .The next evening. . .we two and Damodar sat in my tent,
at 10 o’clock, waiting for an expected visit from Master K.H. . . .We sat on
chairs at the back of the tent so as not to be observed from the camp:  the
moon was in its last quarter and had not risen.  After some waiting we heard
and saw a tall Hindu approaching from the side of the open plain.  He came
to within a few yards of us and beckoned Damodar to come to him, which he
did.  He told him that the Master would appear within a few minutes, and
that he had some business with Damodar. It was a pupil of Master K.H.
Presently we saw the latter coming from the same direction, pass his pupil.
. .and stop in front of our group, now standing and saluting in the Indian
fashion, some yards away.  Brown and I kept our places, and Damodar went and
conversed for a few minutes with the Teacher, after which he returned to us
and the king-like visitor walked away.  I heard his footsteps on the ground.
. . .Before retiring, when I was writing my Diary, the pupil lifted the
*portiere*, beckoned to me, and pointed to the figure of his Master [K.H.],
waiting for me out on the plain in the starlight.  I went to him, we walked
off to a safe place at some distance where intruders need not be expected,
and then for about a half-hour he told me what I had to know. . . .There
were no miracles done at the interview. . .just two men talking together, a
meeting, and a parting when the talk was over. . . ." (pp. 37-39, 43-45)