of the Old World. 267 



joined the rest of the gang, but in the course of half 

 an hour I saw the spell had begun to work, for the 

 people collected in groups, and whispered myste- 

 riously to each other ; and every now and then the 

 names of Haniman and the Gooroo caught my ears, 

 which proved that a great sensation had been caused 

 by this supernatural visitation, which I increased to 

 an awfully exciting pitch by telling them that as I 

 was passing an aspen-leaved Peepul (a sacred tree 

 among the Hindoos) I heard a sweet voice, like that 

 of a young girl, exclaim, " Why, oh ! master, do you 

 hunt in these jungles when the elephants, bound by 

 fate, are waiting for you on the Annamullay Moun- 

 tain, where you can now follow them well, as there is 

 no fever ?" And that although I looked everywhere 

 to find whence the voice proceeded, I saw no one 

 except an old, queer-looking black monkey, which 

 hobbled away out of my sight in a moment. I told 

 this tale with the greatest gravity and command of 

 countenance, and the effect was prodigious the whole 

 gang instantaneously exclaiming, shaking their heads, 

 and nodding significantly at each other, that the voice 

 had only spoken truth, and that we had better imme- 

 diately prepare for an expedition to that part of the 

 country. This was all I wanted; for although at 

 this season of the year the jungle is said to be free 

 from fever, such was the dread of the deadly effect of 

 the malaria of those trackless and unknown forests, 



