The aegis & intelligencer., 1901-08-23

COULD PUT MY HAND ON HIS HEAD.
distinguished look and bearing. and
the common people reverenced him and
belieI ed that he could do anything he
willed. The British authorities had
watched him closely for a year or two.
ready to pounce down upon him should
he utter words Of sedition. but thus
far he had not meddled with politics
In any manner. He was generally re-
ferred to by the English as fakir and
a charlatan, but l had a far higher
estimate of him.
Rajpoor Gyah's hut stood among the
hills on the edge of jungle and was
not an uncomfortable place. He had
with him many books and parchments
relating to the mysteries of life and
death and likewise many relics and
souvenirs from various temples and
forgotten cities. l felt at home with
| the man, and yet In sense | feared
him. Now and then he looked at me
In way that took all my will power
away, and | realized that he had but
to speak and | should be compelled to
obey. Up to that little or nothing was
known of hypnotism. but there were
people who could magnetic by rub
bing the forehead. Nothing worthy Of
note happened for the first three days.
Then, after our humble breakfast. Raj
poor Gyah put his hands on my shoul-
der and looked into my eyes and said:
Brother, go forth and find me a
cobra and bring 1t here. that I may
see what soul has passed into It."
l had natural horror of serpents.
and it was only with a great effort that
l could approach dead one. but l set
out Oh my mission without the slight.
est reluctance. The mans will had
Overpowered mine. Had he told me to
walk through fire l should have done
so. l set out and wandered about. and
after time espied a cobra summing
itself on rock. | walked straight up
to the horrible thing and picked it up
in my hands. 1t writhed and hissed.
but did not strike me. Carrying 1t
coiled about my right arm. l arrived at
the hut. and Rajpoor Gyah took 1t from
me and sat down and sang to it in a
low voice. The serpent grew quiet and
stretched itself out at our feet, and by
and by the man said to me:
1T was a serpent before. and 1t IL q
serpent now. We will let 1t go away"
After three or four minutes the cobra
became more active and went crawling
away. and felt so weak and lethargic
that fell upon a couch and was pres
emily asleep. 1t was afternoon when
awoke and found Rajpoor Gyah bend
ing over me and touching my face with
his soft fingers. When l sat up, he
said:
Come and walk with me. and l will
show you tigers path. Tonight you
will go into the jungle and find tiger
and bring him to me. and you shall
bear US converse together"
We walked for two or three miles,
and as we walked Rajpoor Gyah point
ed out misshapen trees and told me
that the spirits Of bad men had passed
into them and made them what they
were. By and by we came to a path
used by animals as they passed from
the jungle to the stream and back, and
the man said:
Look well about you. that you may
find the path In the night"
Then we returned home. and he pre-
pared the evening meal. As we fingered
over 1t he told me the soul Of his
brother, who had been a bad man and
had been hung for murder. had passed
into the body Of a jackal, but the pray.
ers of his widow and children had per-
haps prevailed ere this and the soul
had been whitened by passing into the
body Of a tiger. 1t was an hour after
dark when | set out, having no weap-
ms whatever. There were wolves and
hyenas and panthers and tigers In that
district. and 1t was notorious for its
serpents, but l felt no personal fear as
l passed along. When l struck the
path. boldly entered the jungle, and
believe l had gone distance of half