Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-11-08
THE FAKiR.s CURSE.
a Prophecy of Ern That Cams True with
Crushing EHect.

Crushing Eject.
James Mass. the traveller. tells this
story: ut was about five o'clock in the
evening, and Colonel Yeager and sat on
the veranda OF the vidullah Hotel In
Bombay, and on the edge Of the native
city which is called Vicullah, and not
Bombay. The Colonel Is dead; all that
he once owned and loved is gone. lie
was expecting his wife and daughter
who had been out TO England on a years
visit. and the vessel was 10 arrive at
Calcutta next day, while we were going
to get the bungalow ready TO receive
them. The Colonel was in the best Of
spirits He joked and laughed and
told old stories OF love and war; how no
was nearly captured and murdered by
the renowned Nana-Said at Compore; OF
his vast poppy plantations and the rev.
enue he derived from the opium he dis
titled every year. Finally we started
TO walk to where we had our horses sta
bled, and then for n canter over the
beautiful roads 10 the bungalow fifteen
miles away. We had to GO through Vi
cullah to reach our destination. What
Kaleidoscope that native city isl The
burrah-wailah water carrier, wearing
nothing but q breech clout, and the
male body servant. with his red turban
and long white jackets. Jews from Pal
estine. Parsees. fire worshipers. who
travelled 5000 miles over desert and
mountain from Persia and carried their
sacred fires, all picturesque, all In white,
bordered with red or other bright col.
ors.
swell, in turning a corner in Vicul
lah we found crowd being harangcd by
one OF the best known fakirs in India
bad heard him spoken of as one who
could put a blight upon you. People
called him Sadi-Saib. sadi, my master
Colonel Yeager pushed through the
crowd to within few feet OF the fakir
to whom he said something in Hindo
stanese. II seemed to eurage Sadi. whs
jumped from his little platform in from
OF Yeager. saying:
'Englishman. be careful. or bligh
may fall upon you and yours. Trca,
not upon the smallest thing Buddha ha
created. or 1t may turn and sting you. >
Before could stop him the Colone
had cut the fakir across the face. an'
with an oath had shouted: Out of thu
way, you Hindoo pigr
"The fakir with blazing eyes said:
"'Englishman. you will not meet you
wife. You will not meet your child
Your plantations will be devastated
your craven heart will wither withi
you. You will die
1.-The fakir's words were prophetic.
felt 1t then, and | also think the Colone
did. We reached the bungalow, an
were soon in bed. How | slept tina
night ! don't know. The words. 'ET
glishman. beware were continuousl
raging in my ear. Next morning wen
into the breakfast room, and | shudde
when think of is Tho Colonel wa
there walking up and down with q tel,
gram in his hand, his face drawn. an
he looking twenty years older than
did the night before. With tears In HI
eyes he handed me this messag,
Steamship Fiago went ashore at tn
, mouth Of the Hoogaly. Your wife an
child drowned have never seen tn
, Colonel since. but have watched h
career. His poppy crop was a failui
that year and Ii ruined him, his bungl
low was burned by either accident or d,
sign. and Yeager died within a twelv,
month Of broken heart rt"-Philade
nhfa Iuouirar