s in their attempt to get rid of the goat
the villagers became desperate. So a few hot-headed young men of the
village in an evil hour decided to kill the goat. Instead of killing the
goat quietly (as probably they should have done) and throwing the body
into the river, they organised a grand feast and ate the flesh of the
dedicated goat.

Within 24 hours of the dinner each one of them who had taken part in it
was attacked with cholera of a most virulent type and within another 24
hours every one of them was dead. Medical and scientific experts were
called in from Calcutta to explain the cause of the calamity, but no
definite results were obtained from these investigations. One thing,
however, was certain. There was no poison of any kind in the food.

The cause of the death of about 30 young men remains a mystery.

This was retribution with a vengeance and the writer does not see the
justice of the divine providence in this particular case.

* * * * *

In another village the visit of the messenger of death was also marked
in a peculiar fashion.

Two men one tall and the other short, the tall man carrying a lantern,
are seen to enter the house of one of the villagers; and the next
morning there is a death in the house which they entered.

When, for the first time, these two mysterious individuals were seen to
enter a house an alarm of thieves was raised. The house was searched
but no trace of any stranger was found in the house. The poor villager
who had given the alarm was publicly scolded for his folly after the
fruitless search, for thinking that thieves would come with a lighted
lantern. But that poor man had mentioned the lighted lantern before the
search commenced and nobody had thought that fact "_absurd_" at that
time.

Since that date a number of people has seen these messengers of death
enter the houses of several persons, and whenever they enter a house a
death takes place in that house within the next 24 hours.

Some of the witnesses who have seen these messengers of death are too
cautious and too respectable to be disbelieved or doubted. Your humble
servant on one occasion passed a long time in this village, but he,
fortunately or unfortunately, call it what you please, never saw these
fell messengers of death.

* * * * *

In another family in Bengal death of a member is foretold a couple of
days before the event in a very peculiar ma