Profound silence from the cave; nothing disturbed the peace of the woods — peasants calling to each other across the valley or singing snatches of song. In the distance, the bells pealed in Assisi.

"After a little rest, Herbert, Chanji, and Kaka arrived before 4:30. At 5 o'clock I called Baba and it was difficult to rouse him; not from sleep, but from this high state of consciousness.

"He sat up, but there seemed to be no recognition in his eyes. After a time he spelt on the board 'How fortunate you are to be the first one to speak to me after all this.'

"Then he called us into the cave and we sat round him. He began to give us instructions and to tell us of certain plans which had been decided for future work. Some of this in pri­vate. After talking on the board for nearly half-an-hour, we broke our fast outside the cave. Baba took very little, almost nothing. We had some salad, cheese, sardines, and fruit. At about 7, we packed our things and prepared for the return journey to Assisi.

"I was reluctant to leave these beautiful woods after this extraordinary experience. We clambered up the winding paths to the road. Herbert and I visited the Hermitage and talked to the monks for a few moments. We then joined Baba on the road.

"As we walked along the road, we stopped at one point to look down at Assisi. As we continued, I realized more and more what a strange state Baba was in. He walked almost as if he had been drinking. His eyes kept turning up. At one moment, we were obliged to lay him down for a few minutes by the roadside. When he was sufficiently recovered to proceed further, he put his arms around Herbert's neck and mine, and we were obliged to half walk and half run down the hill with long heavy steps. This physical action brought him back more quickly to normality. As we reached the outskirts of Assisi, Baba got better.

"The lights in the town were just coming up as we reached it. On the way to the hotel, Baba pointed out a spot by a wall in the street where St. Francis had once spent a whole night.

"When we got to the hotel we had some coffee, collected our belongings, and packed them on the car. Pavese, whom we now nicknamed the ‘Wet Hen’ on account of his rather futile ways, was always slow in starting. We left between 10 and 10:30 P.M. for Florence via Perugia.

"During the night we nearly had a head-on crash with another car. It was a miracle that we escaped.

"We arrived in Florence as it was beginning to get light and went to a hotel where we washed and shaved. We breakfasted at a cafe in some Piazza. Baba said he wished to find a certain place where St. Francis had been given a Vision of Christ during his stay there. He asked to see some maps and views of Florence and the adjoining country. Pointing to a small village called Borganto*, past Fiesole, he said he would like to visit it.

"As Pavese was tired with his night drive, we hired an excellent taxi driven by an obliging man who knew the country well, and we went to Borganto via Fiesole, arriving there about 10 A.M. We all got out, and led by Baba walked over a large hill known as Monte Ceceri from which the view of Florence and the surrounding country is superb.

"Baba said that formerly there was a large spring there in the time of St. Francis; our enquiries from some men on the hill threw no light on the matter. Baba said he wished Herbert to return to Borganto for a few days visit after his departure for India. We then visited the Villa Alpine, a rather attractive old house. We looked over it with a possible view to taking it on a short lease later, as Baba seemed anxious to possess some property in this part of Italy. (Herbert returned there August 20th and stayed in the Villa Alpine several days, discovering the whereabouts of the spring, and finding out particulars of the property around).

“It was getting very hot when we got back to Florence. We collected

*The correct spelling is Borgunto . . . from official tourist info in Firenze (webmaster jk 2004).