The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-28
THE FAKlR'S CURSE.
4 Prophecy OF Evil That Came True Wit
Crushing Ercct.

4 Prophecy OF Evil That Came True with,
Crushing Facet.
James Mass, the traveller. tolls this
story: at was about five o'clock in tho
cvcning. and Colonel Ycagcr and ] sat on
the vcranda of the Nidullah Hotel in
bombay. and on tho cdgc OF tho native
city which is called Vicullah, and not
bombay. Tho Colonel is dead; all that
he once owned and loved is gone. Ito
was expecting his vito and daughter,
who had been out To England on a years
visit, and tho vessel was to arrive at
Calcutta next day while wc wcrc going
to get tho bungalow ready to receive
them. The Colonel was in the best OF
spirits. He jol,ed and laughed and
told old stories OF love and war: how no
was nearly captured and murdered by
the renowned Nana-Said at Comporc: Of
his vast poppy plantations and the row
enuc he derived from tho opium he dis
tiilcd cyory year. Finally we started
TO walk 10 where wC had our horses sta
blod and then Tor Il cantor over the
beautiful roads TO tho bungalow fifteen
miles away. We had To go through Vi
cullal 10 reach orr destination. What
Kaleidoscope that native city is! Tho
hurrah-wallah water carrier wearing
nothing but brecrh clou;, and the
male body servant, with his rcd turbau
and long white Jackets. Jews from Pal
cstinc. rarsccs, fire worshipcrs. who
Travelled 5000 miles over desert and
mountain from Persia and carried their
sacred fires, all picturesque. all in white,
bordcrcd with red or other bright coll
well, in turning a corner in Vicul-
lah we found 4 crowd being harangcd bv
ono of the best known fakrs in India. [
had heard him spoken Of as ono who
could put blight upon you. People
called him Sadi-Saib, Sadi. my master.
Colonel Hcagcr pushed through tho
crowd TO within few feet of the fakir,
to whom he said something in IIindo-
stancsc. 1t seemed to cnrage Sadi, who
jumped from his little platform in front
of icagor, saying:
'Englishman, bo careful, or blight
may fall upon you and yours. Tread
not upon the smallest thing Buddha has
created or it may turn and sting YOU"
''Bcforc | could stop him the Colonel
had cut the faliir across the face, and
with an oath had shouted: Out of the
way, You lIindoo pig!'
The falir with blazing eyes said:
Englishman, you will not meet your
wife. You will not meet your child
Your plantations will he devastated;
your craven heart will withcr within
YOU You will die
Tho fallir's words werc prophetic. 7
felt it then, and | also think the Colonel
did. We reached the bungalow, and
were soon in bed. How slept that
night don't know. The words. En-
glishman. bowarc,' wcrc continuously
raging in my ear. Next morning went
into the breakfast room, and | shudder
when think of it. The Colonel was
there walking up and down with Il tclc-
gram in his hand his face drawn. and
he looking twenty years older than ho
did the night before. With tears in his
eyes he handed me this mcssagc:
Steamship Fiago won't ashore at the
mouth OF the lIoogaly. Your wife and
child drowned. | have never seen the
Colonel since, but / have watched his
career. His poppy crop was :; failure
that year and it ruined him, his bunga-
low was burned by either accident or de-
sign, and Icagcr died within II twelve
month OF broken heart '-Philadcl-
phia Inquirer.