The Kingdom Of This World

Macandal’s poison spreads through the Plaine du Nord, first affecting livestock and then humans. The enslavers respond with increased violence toward enslaved Haitians, but that does not quell the spread of disease. Even imports are somehow poisoned. However, finally, an enslaved person gives up information: “Macandal, who had been made a Vodou priest in the Rada rite [...] [is] the Lord of Poison” (22), and he and his thousands of followers mean to exterminate all the white people in Haiti.

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 imminent: They tell each other “the strangest news with great joy” (25)—they see strange animals and believe that each is Macandal in disguise. He is believed to have been “graced with the power to transform himself” and to be using that power to watch over his followers (26). For four years, his followers wait for news that it is time to rise against the enslavers.