Hazrat Ahmad — Page 49
HADHRAT AHMAD 49 mounted police. Then came the carriage bearing the Promised. Messiah. This was followed by a number of policemen on foot. . After them there rode again a number of mounted men and thereafter walked another party of policemen. Thus the Promised. Messiah was escorted back to his residence with the greatest possible care and the mischief-makers were prevented from carrying out their designs. From Lahore he returned to Gurdaspur. . Journey to Sialkot. On 3rd October he proceeded to Sialkot. The journey was undertaken at the earnest request of friends of Sialkot who represented to him that as he had spent a few years of his early life in that town, he might, now that Almighty God vouchsafed him such eminent success, once more bless the city with his presence. . This journey also afforded another clear indication of the success which had attended the mission of the Promised Messiah. At every one of the intermediate stops such a large number of people came to greet him that it became difficult for the railway authorities to accommodate them. At the Lahore railway station the rush was so great that the platform tickets ran out and at last the station master had to allow in people without tickets. At Sialkot, from the railway station right up to his residence-a distance of over a mile-the route was packed with people. The train reached the station at sundown. . There was some delay in getting away and before the carriage of the Promised Messiah had proceeded far, darkness set in. The throngs were so thick that there was apprehension of people being run over in the darkness and the police had to take special precautions to keep the road clear. One leading gentleman of. Sialkot, an Honorary Magistrate, was assisting the police. It was with great difficulty and by the use of considerable force that he could secure a passage and the carriage could proceed only at a very slow pace. The shutter of the windows of the carriage had been let down. Besides the people who thronged both sides of the street, people also crowded in the shop verandahs. Some who could not find room elsewhere clung to the balconies and wooden awnings. On every roof, Hindus and Muslims had lighted lamps in order to catch a glimpse of him. Men and women filled the roofs and when the carriage of the Promised Messiah came near, they held out torches to get a view of his face. Some threw flowers at him.