Things in India became rather more difficult than they were. Before, everyone under the British Raj seemed to have been very obliging. But then, a deal had been done between heads of state that if the Indians fought on the British side, then India would be returned to the Indians. And the people that did that deal were not actually Gandhi, although he was a prime mover, I think, but by the heads of state, whose names elude me at the present.

So, I was in... there was one particular bit of India that I liked very much. This had a large open space, buildings all around it, but two book shops. One book shop on one side and, rather opposite, a slightly smaller one on the other side. Now, the one on this side was run purely by an Indian, and on the other side, the chap was a Muslim Indian, and he was not as friendly as the pure Indian. And I often used to go there, and used to buy books from him, and talk to him. And he was very friendly, he had a very good command of English, and the English were getting out. And so I said to him, 'Well, I suppose this time had to come, and you'll be pleased about it'. And he looked me in the eye and he said, 'You see that man over there, with that other book shop? As soon as the British go, I have to fight him and he has to fight me, so I'm not so happy'.

And it came out that the guy understood the situation; that was what happened. But the British had said they would get out, and as I was crossing this square, a number of Indians came rushing out from somewhere with large stones and hurled them at me!

I ran the faster and at the far side of the square, there was a British lorry and it was revving up to go and so I ran like the devil and managed to cling on to the tailboard, whereupon two guys, who were in there, came and helped me and got me in, and these cobbles hit the side of the vehicle as we left the square.  And that was 'adios' to the British.