The sahib of course had honestly done what he thought was the right thing. But how could the man have an idea of the hardships of poor India? How was he to understand the needs, habits, idiosyncrasies and customs of the people? How was one, accustomed to measuring things in gold sovereigns, all at once to make calculations in tiny bits of copper? As the elephant is powerless to think in the terms of the ant, in spite of the best intentions in the world, even so is the Englishman powerless to think in the terms of, or legislate for, the Indian.
But to resume the thread of the story. In spite of my successes I had been thinking of staying on in Rajkot for some time longer, when one day Kevalram Dave came to me and said: “Gandhi, we will not suffer you to vegetate here. You must settle in Bombay.”
“But who will find work for me there?” I asked. “Will you find the expenses?”
“Yes, yes, I will,” said he. “We shall bring you down here sometimes as a big barrister from Bombay and drafting work we shall send you there. It lies with us vakils to make or mar a barrister. You have proved your worth in Jamnagar and Veraval, and I have therefore not the least anxiety about you. You are destined to do public work, and we will not allow you to be buried in Kathiawad. So tell me, then, when you will go to Bombay.”
“I am expecting a remittance from Natal. As soon as I get it I will go,” I replied.
The money came in about two weeks, and I went to Bombay. I took chambers in Payne, Gilbert and Sayani’s offices, and it looked as though I had settled down.