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THE TRUST PROPERTY

a garland of flowers round his neck, and began to recite mantras.[1]

To sit there like a god, and hear mantras recited made poor Nitai feel very uneasy. "Grandfather," he whispered.

But Jaganath did not reply, and went on muttering his incantations.

Finally, with great difficulty he dragged each ghurra before the boy and made him repeat the following vow after him:

"I do solemnly promise that I will make over all this treasure to Gokul Chandra Kundu, the son of Brindaban Kundu, the grandson of Jaganath Kundu, or to the son or to the grandson or to the great-grandson of the said Gokul Chandra Kundu, or any other progeny of his who may be the rightful heir."

The boy repeated this over and over again, until he felt stupefied, and his tongue began to grow still in his mouth. When the ceremony was over, the air of the cave was laden with the smoke of the earthen lamp and the breath-poison of the two. The boy felt that the roof of his mouth had become

  1. Incantations.