Although it would be two hours before the train arrived I dared not
fall asleep. I had with me a small battery operated video game and I
occupied myself with this while waiting for the train to arrive. When
it did there was a general commotion as people started rushing into the
compartments. I enquired with one or two persons whether there were any
special seats but nobody was really willing to pay attention so I just
found myself a nice spot and settled down. The train started soon
thereafter.
I stayed fully alert during the entire journey, keeping a watch on my
things (I carried a haversack and a sleeping bag, both new) and having
heard about pickpockets and other thieves I wanted to be doubly
careful. I did not get down at any of the railway stations as I was not
sure how long the train would stop. So I contented myself with eating
the fruit that Dad had bought for me at the Calicut station.
The train arrived in Mangalore at 9 p.m. From the station I took a
rickshaw to my grand aunt's house for which I paid thirty rupees. This
was quite a lot of money, but since it was night-time and since I was
not perfectly confident of the route I did not bother to argue with the
rickshaw-wallah.
My aunt and family were pleased to see me and urged me to stay on for a
few days. But I knew that my mother would be anxiously awaiting my
return, and not wanting to be irresponsible, I decided to return as
planned the next day itself.
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