But it had continued to rain intermittently, and since the field was soft mud, it would be inadvisable to sleep there. Baba therefore resolved to go straight to Sirur, sixteen miles farther without stopping.
Before retiring for the night, Baba instructed all to wake up at 2:00 A.M., and after breakfast of tea and a chapati, start the journey at four o'clock. The luggage truck was to leave after the whole group had gone.
Accordingly, early in the morning of Tuesday, 18 October 1949, Baba and all his companions left Supa. This time Baba asked the men to walk in front, while he remained about 220 yards behind with the women. It had rained all night, the sky was overcast, the road muddy and slippery.
But Baba remarked, "Rain or no rain, this time we have to continue the march on foot regardless of the risks."
They walked an average of two and a half miles an hour. Physically, Ghani was the most unfit, being unaccustomed to exercise in any form. Baba, at one point, asked him how he felt. "I'm hungry," he replied. Baba went to the women's caravan and, bringing some sweets from them, distributed them to the men.
With Eruch nearby, Baba walked with the women for the most part, but he would often catch up with the men, and after "chatting" with them for a few minutes, return to the women. He was thus covering twice the distance of the others.
Nearing Narayangaon, Baba pointed to a nearby village and mused, "It would be nice if we could have some hot tea here."
Eruch mentioned to Baba that according to their original plan of spending the night in Narayangaon, the man who was to have made arrangements for their stay had been given four rupees to buy milk, and that he could give them tea. Baba instructed Don and Eruch to go to Narayangaon and arrange for tea. The question of paying for it was thus solved, as according to the New Life conditions, no one had any money on his person. Only Kaka had some in his wallet, but he had gone ahead in the luggage truck.
When they reached Narayangaon, they stopped there for a half an hour, and each had a hot cup of tea. Within a short time, they were on the march again. By now, the rain had stopped, and the October sun was beating down in full force.