He told me that he thought
it had, but that a great many children had been taken off by the
disease.[12]
'I understand, Rao Sahib, that Khushhal Chand, the banker, is
supposed to have augmented the virulence of the disease by burning
his boy; was it so?'
'Certainly,' said my friend, with a grave, long face; 'the disease
was much increased by this man's folly.' I looked very grave in my
turn, and he continued:- 'Not a child escaped after he had burned his
boy. Such incredible folly! To set fire to the _goddess_ in the midst
of a population of twenty thousand souls; it might have brought
destruction on us all!'
'What makes you think that the disease is itself the goddess?'
'Because we always say, when any member of a family becomes attacked
by the small-pox, "_Devi nikali_", that is, Devi has shown herself in
that family, or in that individual. And the person affected can wear
nothing but plain white clothing, not a silken or coloured garment,
nor an ornament of any kind; nor can he or any of his family
undertake a journey, or participate in any kind of rejoicings, lest
he give offence to her.
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