said the negro.

"Hear me still further!" resumed the other. "'I am going towards the
north, to a country of eternal snow,' said the traveller to me.
The cholera also went towards the north, passing through
Muscat--Ispahan--Tauris--Tiflis--till it overwhelmed Siberia."

"True," said Faringhea, becoming thoughtful:

"And the cholera," resumed the Indian, "only travelled its five or six
leagues a day--a man's tramp--never appeared in two places at once--but
swept on slowly, steadily,--even as a man proceeds."

At the mention of this strange coincidence, the Hindoo's companions
looked at each other in amazement. After a silence of some minutes,
the awe-struck negro said to the last speaker: "So you think that this
man--"

"I think that this man, whom we killed, restored to life by some
infernal divinity, has been commissioned to bear this terrible scourge
over the earth, and to scatter round his steps that death, from which he
is himself secure. Remember!" added the Indian, with gloomy enthusiasm,
"this awful wayfarer passed through Java--the cholera wasted Java. He
passed through Bombay--the cholera wasted Bombay. He went towards the
north--the cholera wasted the north."

So saying, the Indian fell into a profound reverie. The negro and
Faringhea were seized with gloomy astonishment.

The Indian spoke the truth as to the mysterious march (still
unexplained) of that fearful malady, which has never been known to
travel more than five or six leagues a day, or to appear simultaneously
in two spots. Nothing can be more curious, than to trace out, on the
maps prepared at the period in question, the slow, progressive course of
this travelling pestilence, which offers to the astonished eye all the
capricious incidents of a tourist's journey. Passing this way rather
than that--selecting provinces in a country--towns in a province--one
quarter in a town--one street in a quarter--one house in a
street--having its place of residence and repose, and then continuing
its slow, mysterious, fear inspiring march.

The words of the Hindoo, by drawing attention to these dreadful
eccentricities, made a strong impression upon the minds of the negro and
Faringhea--wild natures, brought by horrible doctrines to the monomania
of murder.

Yes--for this also is an established fact--there have been in India
members of an abominable community, who killed without motive, without
passion--killed for the sake of killing--for the pleasure of