114 
THE ORIENTAL ANNUAL. 
the husbandman of his newly-garnered harvest, the 
cottage of its frugal stores, and carrying off every 
portable article of value, left wailing and despair, per- 
chance blood and death, behind. 
“ The triumph of Kali was now obtained— -all the 
inhabitants of the fallen city had declared themselves 
her worshippers; evil reigned supreme in Ettaiah, 
and the very name of the city was held thrice 
accursed — the knife had reached the very bone. 
“Now, the god Krishna, the pure spirit of benevo- 
lence, cast his eyes of compassion upon the desolation 
and misery of this once magnificent city, and resolved 
by the exercise of his beneficent influence to raise up 
the fallen from her shame, and set the crown of 
rejoicing once more upon her head. But in vain he 
struggled against the wicked passions of men, in- 
flamed by long indulgence and in close alliance with 
the spirits of evil, until at last he was forced to em- 
ploy stratagem to effect his good purpose in the 
reformation of Ettaiah. And first he sent a wasting 
and terrible pestilence among the people, as a chas- 
tisement for their sins, and that any yet lingering 
principle of good might be awakened in their hearts, 
even as we crush the khusha grass to draw forth its 
richest perfume. Lamentation and weeping, terror 
and despair, now filled the streets of the accursed 
city ; mothers saw their infants expire in their arms, 
and children yet more wretched, houseless and unpro- 
tected, shrunk from the livid corpses of their stricken 
