AN EMPIRIC. 
99 
sent for a sort of seer in the village near which we had 
halted., who professed the power of curing diseases by 
a spell; and pretended that the poison of the most 
venomous reptile could not resist the potency of his 
mystical but curative charm. The poor cooly at the 
time of this man’s arrival was lying upon his back; 
still breathing indeed; but in a state of perfect un- 
consciousness as to what was passing around him; 
and obviously at the last extremity. The professor, 
nothing abashed by the apparent impossibility of re- 
suscitating a dead man, or a man all but dead, auda- 
ciously declared that the bystanders should see the 
sufferer rise in his strength in a few minutes, — such 
was the form of his declaration. He began accord- 
ingly to gesticulate, to mutter, to hum, to look wild 
and mysterious ; but in the midst of his afflatus, 
the bitten cooly gave a quick gasp and died. As 
soon as it became apparent to the empirical Hindoo 
that his patient was actually dead, he expressed nei- 
ther surprise nor emotion, but gravely averred that the 
man had been guilty of some unpardonable crime, and 
that as his soul was to go into the body of a snake in 
the next birth for his sins in this, the great Siva’s mi- 
nister was prevented by the sinner’s destiny from ex- 
ercising the efficacy of his spell ; but,” he continued, 
pointing to the body, f<r had that been a good man, I 
could have rendered the poison of the reptile as harm- 
less as milk.” 
It may excite surprise that these imposters are 
never suspected. Their failures expose them to no dis- 
credit. They have a ready excuse which is always 
received, and their infallibility becomes so settled an 
