The Kingdom Of This World

Macandal’s poison spreads through the Plaine du Nord, first affecting livestock, then humans. The masters respond with increased violence towards the slaves, but that does not quell the spread of disease. Even foreign imports were somehow poisoned. However, finally, a slave gives up information: “Macandal, who had been made a Vodou priest in the Rada rite [...] was the Lord of Poison” (22) and that he and his thousands of followers meant to exterminate all whites.

After Macandal’s power is revealed, the poison stops spreading. Planters continue to search for him, but with decreasing seriousness. The black residents of Haiti, however, believe his return is immanent: they tell each other “the strangest news with great joy” (25)—they see strange animals and believe that each is Macandal in disguise. He was believed to have been “graced with the power to transform himself” (26) and to be using that power to watch over his followers. For four years, his followers wait for news that it is time to rise up against the slavers.