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Life in an Ashram
45

courage to speak in his own language when the Viceroy was present.

Gandhiji worked so hard to get more and more young men to join the army and fight that he fell very ill and the doctor who was looking after him became worried. He wanted him to drink plenty of milk and to put on weight. Some time earlier Gandhiji had taken a vow that he would not drink cow's milk as he loved animals and felt it was cruel the way the poor cows in India were drained of the last drop of milk.

Kasturbai, his wife, heard the doctor tell Gandhiji to drink milk and she knew that he would never break his vow. She wondered what could be done. Suddenly it struck her Gandhiji had vowed never to take cow's milk. It would therefore not be breaking his vow if he drank goat's milk!