The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-03
THE SILENT FAKIR'S SOUL.
KNOWN As IT WALKED abroad
As THE SHINING GHoSE.

wisdom and the most foolish superstition; the
~loftiost spiritual enlightenment and tho gross
est idolstry." said J. c.. Powton. some time OF
the Bengal Civil Service in Hlndoostan. Not
long ago THE SuN printed an account OF an
experience OF mine. telling OF an Indian fakir's
strange power OF divlnation. l had another eN-
pericncc with a fakir whose powers lay In quite
n different direction, and the episode was fully
as dramatic as the first. 1t was when / was
an acting Inspector in the Charpore district in
northern India. NV station was at Juldash, a
little native village, smaller than many places
In the district, but centrally situated in respect
to them all. 1t was a wild hill and Jungle coun'
try around, Astounding in game largo and
small. Englishmen sometimes came there to
hunt. but as for permanent neighbors OF my
own race they were few and far between.
THE native people OF the district were peace
full and orderly, and in the outlaw districts to the
westward Can't. Bcsts, with his Ghoorkhas, act
ing in concert with the native police, had stamped
out the thugs and the dacoits pretty thorough.
ly some years before l camo to Charpore. Most
of the gentlemen Of the cord and tulwar, who
had practiced their profession of murder aud
robbery with moro or less impunity since the
mutiny, had been killed or were serving life
sentences on the Andamans, and the rest
had scattered and were little heard of. There
was but one noted leader of the dacoits who
had not been killed or captured. This ono was
Nala Khan, the worst OF all. and It was DO.
lieved of him that he had died from wounds or
exposure in the Jungle. His crimes and cruel
ties had been such that no native. even Of the
lowest caste, would help or hRrbor him, and at
the time Icame to Charpore nothing hai been
heard Of him since the Ghoorkhas followed
his trail, like a wounded leopard's, through
hills and jungle two years before.
son IDminp tn tho stntipn I topk nm NV
quarters at the bungalow, half a mile away
from the village, that my predecessor had occu.
pied. Some of his servants remained at the
bungalow with me-, and others of my house
hold l brought from my former station. ] had
not been long at the Charpore station before l
saw that something was wrong with tho Ser
wants that had come with me. and my steward,
who had been with me four years, soon asked
for his discharge with testimonials. lie gave
some excuse. which ! knew was not the real
one, but l had to let him 90. The other two
gave me notice OF going a week later. and then
l set at work to find out what the trouble was.
The most that l could learn was that the place
was haunted, and that they were afraid. OF
what it was that they were afraid they would
not speak, but shortly after they had gone
away l got the chance to find out something for
myself. l was smoking n good night cheroot
late one evening when | heard a Commotion
among the servants in the outer room. where
they slept, and went to inquire the cause.
1T is the Chost-the Shining Onc-in the
garden said the khitmatgar, not turning his
head. for he was looking away from the garden
us If fearful Of what he might sec there.
II threw open the door and stepped out on the
veranda. Across a grass plot, among the shrub.
berry, the figure of ii man was moving. and from
head to foot it shonc with a light like yellow
fire. 1t was the weirdcst, most uncanny sight
that / ever saw, and had / been alone ] might
have been content to let the apparition pass on
and keep its distance. But there was II moral
lesson to be taught the servants, by example,
IL expected them ever to be of use to me again.
and catching up n stout walking stick ! made
for the tlaring spectre. 1t passed behind n
clump of shrubbery out from my view as ]
came near. and there was no sight or sound of
it to be detected when l got to the place where
it had disappeared. l ordered lanterns to be
brought and | beat up and down the garden to
find the intruder, but it was n useless search.
This was my first meeting with the Shining
Ghost, as the appnrition was called ut the bun.
galow and at Juldash-tor | found out that the
spectre paraded the village streets at times as
we'll as the grounds around my bunga .ow. |
set sone inquiries on foot and learned that the
Shining Ghost had begun its walks. shortly after
the coming OF the silent fnkir to Charrorc tho
year before. The holy man made his abode in a
neck of jungle two miles from the village and a
little nearer TO my bungalow, and, whatever his
pious qualifications might be. he had contrivcd
i'll twelve months to emphasize himself on the
community very thoroughly. The Charpore
people spoke his name in tones OF veneration
and brought him gifts of food and coin so that
he might subsist comfortably and not he moved
to go away. for they thought it u good thing for
the village to have him there.
" Our crops we're good last year, there. was
no pcstilence, and the rains have come which
millct this season. And no one OF Charporc has
died from, a Wild beast or serpent since the holy
man has been among US said the head man OF
the village to me-. Ills words expressed the
sentiment of all the Villagers, including the ser.
wants Of my household.
jungle patch in which lie lived. He was u stout
ly built fellow. OF middle age, with u beard and
n thick shock OF hair which ovCrhung his fore
head to his eyebrows. lie never had been
known to set foot beyond the Jungle since his
coming there and most of the time he sat cross
legged in front of his little bamboo hut, smok-
ing in a pipe n preparation of hemp tops, which
hashcesh. Toward evening he could he seen
moving about the jungle gathering sticks for
the fire at which he cooked his evening meal
and for this. thanks TO tho pious gifts of tho
Charporc people. there never were lacking rice
and ghec and wheat cakes and curry. with some
and rarely raised his eyes when visitors came.
lie received them always sitting on his mat be.
lore the door, and none ever saw The interior OF
his hut or was permitted to pass Il white line,
drawn on the ground with powdered lime rock,
which marked the limit Of approach to his sa.
An these little articles would have been a
limited stock in trade in II country where fakirs
are as plentiful as bcggars in Naples. and this
one might have gone hungry II he han depended
on these alone. 1t was, the mystery of the shin.
Ing Ghost that gave the silent fakir his infu.
once among the natives. My ncYV steward. a
liindoo belonging in tho district, made thar
matter plain TO mi, and revealed The real secret
OF tho silent fakir's power.
" The Shining One be said. not giving tho
ghost its true title for fear II might Ovcrhear
and DO offended by the familiarity. 1t ID the
soul OF the holy man going forth from the body
10 investigate our doings and to watch for our
protection
ut was not an everyday fakir that could do
this sort OF thing, and it 10 small wonder that
the Charporc folks made a great deal of this
one. The shining. Ghost walked only at inter
walls OF weeks, and ol'cner of months, and then
always on IA dark night. saw i five times in
the FIRST year OF my stay in the district. Every
time WAS the perfectly distiIguishHble fig
uTc Of a naked man, shining like pale fire:
every time when | came near IL disappeared as
suddenly as II an eXtinguishcr had been clapped
down on II, and in four out of the five cases
rehppeared further away, in some unexpected
place. l tried every way 1 could think OF to
ind out the secret Of the ghost, short OF pow
der and lead, but al tho end of twelve months
l was as far from solving the mystery as ever.
As IL had shown no unfriendliuesB. | was nor