QUOTE : At Gauristhalam, Bijala gave a stirring speech ; it was something Keki had made him practice for many days. He spoke about going deep into the jungle to catch this enemy of the country; how he hd wrestled with crocodiles in the river Mahishi, and tigers in the forest; how he had hiked up the ice-capped peaks of Gauriparvat to crawl into its caves and meditate on the future Mahishmathi. He talked about his sacrifices for the people-but he also made sure to talk about me he lost on the way. With tears on his eyes, he called the widows of soldiers who had died on the mission. The prince fell at their feet. 'Mothers,' he cried his voice quivering , his lips trembling with emotion. 'Your husbands were all brave men. I am a sinner. I couldn't save them . Every time a man died under my watch, I wanted to jump into the funeral pyre along with him. The only thing that kept me alive was the thought that I needed to apologie to you. Now that I have done so, allow me to jump into a pyre.