they could not be expected to help me to continue to live without milk. And how could those who

recommended beef-tea and brandy without hesitation help me to persevere with a milkless diet?

I might not take cow's or buffalo's milk, as I was bound by a vow. The vow of course meant the
giving up of all milks, but as I had mother cow's and mother buffalo's only in mind when I took the
vow, and as I wanted to live, I somehow beguiled myself into emphasizing the letter of the vow
and decided to take goat's milk. I was fully conscious, when I started taking mother goat's milk,

that the spirit of my vow was destroyed.

But the idea of leading a campaign against the Rowlatt Act had possessed me. And with it grew

the desire to live. Consequently one of the greatest experiments in my life came to a stop.

I know it is argued that the soul has nothing to do with what one eats or drinks, as the soul neither
eats nor drinks; that it is not what you put inside from without, but what you express outwardly
from within, that matters. There is no doubt some force in this. But rather than examine this
reasoning. I shall content myself with merely declaring my firm conviction that, for the seeker who
would live in fear of God and who would see Him face to face, restraint in diet both as to quantity

and quality is as essential as restraint in thought and speech.

In a matter, however, where my theory has failed me, I should not only give the information, but
issue a grave warning against adopting it. I would therefore urge those who, on the strength of
the theory propounded by me, may have given up milk, not to persist in the experiment, unless
they find it beneficial in every way, or unless they are advised by experienced physicians. Up to
now my experience here has shown me that for those with a weak digestion and for those who

are confined to bed there is no light and nourishing diet equal to that of milk.

I should be greatly obliged if anyone with experience in this line, who happens to read this
chapter, would tell me, if he has known from experience, and not from reading, of a vegetable

substitute for milk, which is equally nourishing and digestible.

Chapter 86

A TUSSLE WITH POWER

To turn now to the Asiatic Department.

Johannesburg was the stronghold of the Asiatic officers. I had been observing that, far from
protecting the Indians, Chinese and others, these officers were grinding them down. Every day I
had complaints like this: 'The rightful ones are not admitted, whilst those who have no right are
smuggled in on payment of 100. If you will not remedy this state of things, who will?' I shared the

feeling. If I did not succeed in stamping out this evil, I should be living in the Transvaal in vain.

So I began to collect evidence, and as soon as I had gathered a fair Amount, I approached the
Police Commissioner. He appeared to be a just man. Far from giving me the cold shoulder, he
listened to me patiently and asked me to show him all the evidence in my possession. He
examined the witnesses himself and was satisfied, but he knew as well as I that it was difficult in
South Africa to get a white jury to convict a white offender against coloured men. 'But,' said he,