..续本文上一页on past the town and stayed in a cemetery near Wat Thaa Pho. I then spent two nights at Wat Thaa Sao, waiting for Phra Khien to catch up with me. When he didn”t show up I decided that we had parted ways, and that neither of us had to worry about the other any more.

　　From there I went to stay in an old temple near Baan Dara (StarVillage) junction, south of Uttaradit. One afternoon at 2 p.m., after just a few days there, I happened to be sitting in the sala, passing the time of day, when two people came in out of the sun to join me — a monk and a lay man. We started talking about what we were doing and where we were going. The two of them, it turned out, had a buried treasure map and were on their way to dig for the treasure, which according to the map was in Phitsanuloke. The lay man said that his name was Lieutenant Colonel Sutjai, and that he was a retired army officer. As evening came on, they left — where they went to stay, I have no idea.

　　Early the next morning, before dawn, I heard someone calling me from outside my room. "Now who could that be

　　" I thought. So I got up and looked out. There was Colonel Sutjai. "What are you doing here

　　" I asked him.

　　"I haven”t been able to sleep all night," he said. "Every time I close my eyes, I see your face and I keep wondering how you”re going to get all the way to Korat traveling alone. I can”t help feeling sorry for you. So I”d like to give you ten baht towards your train ticket."

　　I told him I”d be pleased to accept his money, and had one of the temple boys come and take it to put in safe keeping. Later the following night the thought occurred to me that Colonel Sutjai might be playing a trick on me. "I bet that bill is counterfeit," I thought, so I asked the temple boy to fetch the bill and take a good look at it to see whether or not it was fake. He assured me it wasn”t.

　　The next morning, before dawn, Colonel Sutjai came calling for me again. "I”m worried about the money I gave you," he said. "I”m afraid it won”t be enough." Then he added, "When are you leaving for Korat

　　"

　　"Tomorrow," I answered.

　　So he promised, "I”ll take you to the station and buy your ticket for you." Then he left. The next day he went and bought the ticket — it cost eleven baht — and put me on the train.

　　The train pulled into the Nakhorn Sawan station in the middle of the night. I didn”t know where I would stay until I spotted an empty sala. I went there and hung up my umbrella tent, put down my bowl and sat down to rest for a while. A middle-aged man came along and asked if he could join me. "If he”s a thief," I thought, "I”ll be stripped of my bowl and belongings tonight, because I”m dead tired. I”ll probably sleep like a log. But what the heck. Let him stay."

　　As it turned out, nothing happened that night. In fact, early the next morning the man bought some food to donate to me. At seven we boarded the train together, heading south. He was a native of Kabinburi, in Prajinburi province, and had been up to see his daughter in Phichit.

　　When we reached Baan Phachi junction I changed trains for Nakhorn Ratchasima (Korat), arriving there at six in the evening. I went to stay with Ajaan Singh, who had founded a monastery and been living there for three years. I asked for news of Ajaan Mun, but Ajaan Singh had no idea of his whereabouts.

　　* * *

　　I decided to spend the Rains Retreat that year in Nakhorn Ratchasima province. Just before the rains started, a lay person from Krathoag (now Chokchai) district came and asked Ajaan Singh for a monk to come and stay in his town. The layperson was Khun Amnaad Amnueykit, the District Official there in Krathoag. Ajaan Singh asked me to go, and I decided to accept the invitation. As it turned out, I stayed on, teaching the monks, novices and lay people in Krathoag for two …

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