162 
SCENES IN INDIA. 
tramping conjurors. It often happens that when a 
person wishes to get rid of any one who had offended 
him mortally, he applies to one of these jugglers, who 
generally contrives to put the offending party to 
silence by poison, making it appear that he had 
brought about his death by supernatural agency, 
which is generally believed to be the case, the native 
authorities seldom taking the trouble to investigate 
a matter when from such investigation there accrues 
no personal benefit. About thirty years ago a cir- 
cumstance of this kind occurred in the neighbourhood 
of Tellichery, which made some noise, as I have heard, 
at the time, but was no doubt soon forgotten, for such 
events in India do not long disturb the peace either 
of Hindoo or Mohammedan society. 
A wealthy Portuguese had excited the hostility of 
a profligate Nair by winning from him, in some gam- 
bling transaction, a large sum of money which the 
loser was unable to pay. The winner pressed him 
hard for a settlement, and threatened legal proceed- 
ings. The Nair, finding the matter becoming serious, 
applied to a travelling juggler to transport the soul of 
the Portuguese to the lowest regions of Neraka,* 
where he should receive an appropriate punishment 
for having dared to demand the liquidation of a 
money debt from a faithful worshipper of Vishnoo 
and the three hundred and thirty million gods of the 
Hindoo Pantheon. This sordid Malear readily under- 
took to send the soul of the presumptuous Portuguese 
on a journey to perdition for the sum of two hundred 
One of the Hindoo hells. 
