After breakfast, they resumed their journey on foot. Baba's fever worsened and he would stop frequently along the road. The area surrounding Coonoor is famous for its tea plantations which produce large quantities of excellent tea. It was curious that the mandali could not find tea served in any of the restaurants they tried. Only coffee was available, but Baba wanted tea, which proved impossible to procure. With his permission, the four men had a cup of coffee, though during the whole trek, Baba went without food and drink.
On this tour Baba would distribute grams (chickpeas) to the children of the villages they passed along the way, and in this manner the grain stock they were carrying was depleted. They walked for sixteen miles and then traveled the remaining five miles from Kalla to Mettupalaiyam by train. From there they rode to Madras and arrived at 8:30 on the morning of Friday, 8 August, and stayed in a rest house. Baba's fever still had not broken.
As mentioned, Baba had been goading Baily all along the journey. When they reached Madras, Baily told Baba that he was unable to go any farther. Baba frankly told him a few unwelcome truths about his argumentative nature and scornfully said he could go wherever he liked! Baily decided to return to Poona and left the next morning. The excess luggage and overcoats were sent back with him, thus relieving the group of carrying some of the cumbersome items.
Before Baily's departure, Baba remarked, "Not one of you has any feeling of love for me! I have had no sleep for the last four nights, while all of you have slept deeply — snoring away in your beddings. Every one of you is selfish; not one of you follows me literally — the way I want!"
A new plan was then formulated. Baba proposed to go from Madras to Calcutta and then Hardwar, where Vajifdar was to meet them. From Hardwar they would go to Sakori, covering the distance of 1200 miles on foot. On the way, Baba said, they would visit places of pilgrimage such as Benares and Sarnath, and reach Sakori by the end of January 1925.
New travel arrangements were immediately made, and Baba reiterated in the afternoon:
"I want to shatter to smithereens my Baba-hood and my divine ego! What have you gained by being with me so long? I have journeyed this far to meet sadhus who will kick me, insult me, abuse me and spit on me! It is my heart's desire that whenever and wherever I lay my head on the feet of a saint, he should kick me violently in the head! This is my longing, from the very depths of my heart. And I am going to bring about such a situation."