` Hast thou knowledge , by chance , of my River ? ' ` Never have I seen such a man as thou art , ' Kim whispered , overwhelmed . ` Do the very snakes understand thy talk ? ' ` Who knows ? ' He passed within a foot of the cobra 's poised head . It flattened itself among the dusty coils . ` Come , thou ! ' he called over his shoulder . ` Not I , ' said Kim ' . ' I go round . ' ` Come . He does no hurt . ' Kim hesitated for a moment . The lama backed his order by some droned Chinese quotation which Kim took for a charm . He obeyed and bounded across the rivulet , and the snake , indeed , made no sign . ` Never have I seen such a man . ' Kim wiped the sweat from his forehead . ` And now , whither go we ? ' ` That is for thee to say . I am old , and a stranger -- far from my own place .
But that the rail-carriage fills my head with noises of devil-drums I would XXXXX in it to Benares now ... Yet by so going we may miss the River .
Come am backed go knows obeyed seen understand whispered wiped