,,byways ,,of ,,ghost-,,land ,,byways ,,of ,,ghost-,,land ,,by ,,elliott ,o',,donnell ,,author ,,of ,,some ,,haunted ,,houses ,,of ,,england ,,and ,,wales1 ,,haunted ,,houses ,,of ,,london1 ,,ghostly ,,phenomena1 ,,dreams ,,and ,,their ,,meanings1 ,,scottish ,,ghost ,,tales1 ,,true ,,ghost ,,tales1 ,,etc41 ,,etc4 ,,william ,,rider ,,and ,,son1 ,,limited #afd ,aldersgate ,st41 ,london1 ,e4,c4 #aiaa ,,contents ,,chap4 ,,page #a4 ,,the ,,unknown ,,brain #a #b4 ,,the ,,occult ,,in ,,shadows #ba #c4 ,,obsession1 ,,possession #bh #d4 ,,occult ,,hooligans #dg #e4 ,,sylvan ,,horrors #ef #f4 ,,complex ,,hauntings ,,and ,,occult ,,bestialities #hj #g4 ,,vampires1 ,,were-,,wolves1 ,,fox-,,women1 ,,etc4 #aaj #h4 ,,death-,,warnings ,,and ,,family ,,ghosts #acb #i4 ,,superstitions ,,and ,,fortunes #aec #aj4 ,,the ,,hand ,,of ,,glory2 ,,the ,,bloody ,,hand ,,of ,,ulster2 ,,the ,,seventh ,,son2 ,,birth-,,marks2 ,,nature',s ,,devil ,,signals2 ,,pre-,,existence2 ,,the ,,future2 ,,projection2 ,,telepathy2 ,,etc4 #agf #aa4 ,,occult ,,inhabitants ,,of ,,the ,,sea ,,and ,,rivers #aih #ab4 ,,buddhas ,,and ,,boggle ,,chairs #baj ,,index #bdd ,,byways ,,of ,,ghost-,,land ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,unknown ,,brain ,whether all that constitutes man's spiritual nature1 that is to say1 ,,all his mind1 is inseparably amalgamated with the whitish mass of soft matter enclosed in his cranium and called his brain1 is a question that must1 one supposes1 be ever open to debate4 ,one knows that this whitish substance is the centre of the nervous system and the seat of consciousness and volition1 and1 from the constant study of character by type or by phrenology1 one may even go on to deduce with reason that in this protoplasmic substance--in each of the numerous cells into which it is divided and subdivided--are located the human faculties4 ,hence1 it would seem that one may rationally conclude1 that all man's vital force1 all that comprises his mind--i4e4 the power in him that conceives1 remembers1 reasons1 wills--is so wrapped up in the actual matter of his cerebrum as to be incapable of existing apart from it2 and that as a natural sequence thereto1 on the dissolution of the brain1 the mind and everything pertaining to the mind dies with it--there is no future life because there is nothing left to survive4 ,such a condition1 if complete annihilation can be so named1 is the one and only conclusion to the doctrine that mind--crude1 undiagnosed mind--is dependent on matter1 a doctrine confirmed by the apparent facts that injury to the cranium is accompanied by unconsciousness and protracted loss of memory1 and that the sanity of the individual is entirely contingent upon the state of his cerebral matter--a clot of blood in one of the cerebral veins1 or the unhealthy condition of a cell1 being in itself sufficient to bring about a complete mental metamorphose1 and1 in common parlance1 to produce madness4 ,in the deepest of sleeps1 too1 when there is less blood in the cerebral veins1 and the muscles are generally relaxed1 and the pulse is slower1 and the respiratory movements are fewer in number1 consciousness departs1 and man apparently lapses into a state of absolute nothingness which materialists1 not unreasonably1 presume must be akin to death4 ,it would appear1 then1 that our mental faculties are entirely regulated by1 and consequently1 entirely dependent on1 the material within our brain cells1 and that1 granted certain conditions of that material1 we have consciousness1 and that1 without those conditions1 we have no consciousness--in other words1 our minds cease to exist4 ,hence1 there is no such thing as separate spiritual existence2 mind is merely an eventuality of matter1 and1 when the latter perishes1 the former perishes too4 ,there is nothing1 absolutely nothing1 that can exist apart from the physical4 ,this is an assertion--unquestionably dogmatic--that exponents of materialism hold to be logically unassailable4 ,to disprove it may not be an easy task at present2 but ,i am1 nevertheless1 convinced there is a world apart from matter--a superphysical plane with which part of us1 at least1 is in some way connected1 and ,i discredit the materialist's dogma1 partly because something in my nature compels me to an opposite conclusion1 and partly because certain phenomena ,i have experienced1 cannot1 ,i am certain1 have been produced by any physical agency4 ,in support of my theory that we are not solely material1 but partly physical and partly superphysical1 ,i maintain that consciousness is never wholly lost2 that even in swoons and dreams1 when all sensations would seem to be swallowed up in the blackness of darkness1 there is ,,some consciousness left--the consciousness of existence1 of impression4 ,we recover from a faint1 or awake from the most profound of slumbers1 and remember not that we have dreamed4 ,yet1 if we think with sufficient concentration1 our memory suddenly returns to us1 and we recollect that1 during the swoon or sleep1 ,,all thought was not obliterated1 but1 that we were conscious of being somewhere and of experiencing ,,something4 ,it is only in our lighter sleeps1 when the spirit traverses superphysical planes more closely connected with the material1 that we remember ,,all that occurred4 ,most of us will agree that there are two distinct forms of mental existence--the one in which we are conscious of the purely superphysical1 and the one wherein we are only cognisant of the physical4 ,in the first-named of these two mental existences-- i4e4 in swoons1 sleep1 and even death1 consciousness is never entirely lost2 we still think--we think with our spiritual or unknown brain2 and when in the last-named state1 i4e4 in our physical wakefulness and life1 we think with our material or known brain4 ,unknown brains exist on all sides of us4 ,many of them are the earth-bound spirits of those whose spiritual or unknown brains1 when on the earth1 were starved to feed their material or known brains2 or1 in other words1 the earth-bound spirits of those whose cravings1 when in carnal form1 were entirely animal4 ,it is they1 together with a variety of elementary forms of superphysical life 7i4e4 phantasms that have never inhabited any kind of earthly body71 that constantly surround us1 and1 with their occult brains1 suggest to our known brains every kind of base and impure thought4 ,something1 it is difficult to say what1 usually warns me of the presence of these occult brains1 and at certain times 7and in certain places7 ,i can feel1 with my superphysical mind1 their subtle hypnotic influences4 ,it is the unknown brain that produces those manifestations usually attributed to ghosts1 and it is1 more often than not1 the possessors of the unknown brain in constant activity1 i4e4 the denizens of the superphysical world1 who convey to our organs of hearing1 either by suggestion or actual presentation1 the sensations of uncanny knocks1 crashes1 shrieks1 etc42 and to our organs of sight1 all kinds of uncanny1 visual phenomena4 ,all the phenomena we see are not objective2 but the agents who will that we should see them are objective--they are the unknown brains4 ,it is a mistake to think that these unknown brains can only exert their influence on a few of us4 ,we are all subject to them1 though we do not all see their manifestations4 ,were it not for the lower order of spirit brains1 there would be comparatively few drunkards1 gamblers1 adulterers1 fornicators1 murderers1 and suicides4 ,it is they who excite man's animal senses1 by conjuring up alluring pictures of drink1 and gold1 and sexual happiness4 ,by the aid of the higher type of spirit brains 7who1 contending for ever with the lower forms of spirit brains1 are indeed our guardian angels7 ,i have been enabled to perceive the atmosphere surrounding drinking-dens and brothels full of all kinds of bestial influences1 from elementals1 who allure men by presenting to their minds all kinds of attractive tableaux1 to the earth-bound spirits of drunkards and libertines1 transformed into horrors of the sub-human1 sub-animal order of phantasms--things with bloated1 nude bodies and pigs' faces1 shaggy bears with fulsome1 watery eyes2 mangy dogs1 etc4 ,i have watched these things that still possess--and possess in a far greater degree--all the passions of their life incarnate1 sniffing the foul and vitiated atmosphere of the public-houses and brothels1 and chafing in the most hideous manner at their inability to gratify their lustful cravings in a more substantial way4 ,a man advances along the road at a swinging pace1 with no thought1 as yet1 of deviating from his course and entering a public-house4 ,he comes within the radius of the sinister influences1 which ,i can see and feel hanging around the saloon4 ,their shadowy1 silent brain power at once comes into play and gains ascendancy over his weaker will4 ,he halts because he is willed to do so4 ,a tempting tableau of drink rises before him and he at once imagines he is thirsty4 ,soft and fascinating elemental hands close over his and draw him gently aside4 ,a look of beastly satisfaction suffuses his eyes4 ,he smacks his lips1 hastens his steps1 the bar-room door closes behind him1 and1 for the remaining hours of the day1 he wallows in drink4 ,but the unknown brain does not confine itself to the neighbourhood of a public-house--it may be anywhere4 ,i have1 intuitively1 felt its presence on the deserted moors of ,cornwall1 between ,st ,ives and the ,land's ,end2 in the grey ,cornish churches and chapels 7very much in the latter72 around the cold and dismal mouths of disused mine-shafts2 all along the rocky ,north ,cornish coast2 on the sea2 at various spots on different railway lines1 both in the ,united ,kingdom and abroad2 and1 of course1 in multitudinous places in ,london4 ,a year or so ago1 ,i called on ,mrs de ,b----1 a well-known society lady1 at that time residing in ,cadogan ,gardens4 ,the moment ,i entered her drawing-room1 ,i became aware of an occult presence that seemed to be hovering around her4 ,wherever she moved1 it moved with her1 and ,i ,,felt that its strange1 fathomless1 enigmatical eyes were fixed on her1 noting and guiding her innermost thoughts and her every action with inexorable persistence4 ,some six months later1 ,i met ,lady ,d----1 a friend in common1 and in answer to my inquiries concerning ,mrs de ,b----1 was informed that she had just been divorced4 ,dorothy 7i4e4 ,mrs de ,b----71 ,lady ,d---- went on to explain1 had been all right till she took up spiritualism1 but directly she began to attend sances everything seemed to go wrong with her4 ,at last she quarrelled with her husband1 the climax being reached when she became violently infatuated with an officer in the ,guards4 ,the result was a decree nisi with heavy costs4 ,i exhibited1 perhaps1 more surprise than ,i felt4 ,but the fact of ,mrs de ,b---- having attended sances explained everything4 ,she was obviously a woman with a naturally weak will1 and had fallen under the influence of one of the lowest1 and most dangerous types of earth-bound spirits1 the type that so often attends sances4 ,this occult brain had attached itself to her1 and1 accompanying her home1 had deliberately wrecked her domestic happiness4 ,it would doubtless remain with her now ad infinitum4 ,indeed1 it is next to impossible to shake off these superphysical cerebrums4 ,they cling to one with such leech-like tenacity1 and can rarely be made to depart till they have accomplished their purposes4 ,burial-grounds appear to have great attractions for this class of spirit4 ,a man1 whom ,i once met at ,boulogne1 told me a remarkable story1 the veracity of which ,i have no reason to doubt4 ,i have1 he began1 undergone an experience which1 though1 unfortunately1 by no means unique1 is one that is rarer nowadays than formerly4 ,i was once all but buried alive4 ,it happened at a little village1 a most charming spot1 near ,maestel in the valley of the ,rhone4 ,i had been stopping at the only inn the place possessed1 and1 cycling out one morning1 met with an accident--my machine skidded violently as ,i was descending a steep hill1 with the result that ,i was pitched head first against a brick wall4 ,the latter being considerably harder than my skull1 concussion followed4 ,some villagers picked me up insensible1 ,i was taken to the inn1 and the nearest doctor--an uncertificated wretch--was summoned4 ,he knew little of trepanning2 besides1 ,i was a foreigner1 a ,german1 and it did not matter4 ,he bled me1 it is true1 and performed other of the ordinary means of relief2 but these producing no apparent effect1 he pronounced me dead1 and preparations were at once made for my burial4 ,as strangers kept coming to the inn and the accommodation was strictly limited1 the landlord was considerably incensed at having to waste a room on a corpse4 ,accordingly1 he had me screwed down in my coffin without delay1 and placed in the cemetery among the tombs1 till the public gravedigger could conveniently spare a few minutes to inter me4 ,the shaking ,i received during my transit 7for the yokels were exceedingly rough and clumsy71 together with the cold night air which1 luckily for me1 found an easy means of access through the innumerable chinks and cracks in the ill-fitting coffin-lid1 acting like a restorative tonic1 ,i gradually revived1 and the horror ,i felt in realising my position is better1 perhaps1 imagined than described4 ,when consciousness first began to reassert itself1 ,i simply fancied ,i was awakening from a particularly deep sleep4 ,i then struggled hard to remember where ,i was and what had taken place4 ,at first nothing came back to me1 all was blank and void2 but as ,i continued to persevere1 gradually1 very gradually1 a recollection of my accident and of the subsequent events returned to me4 ,i remembered with the utmost distinctness striking my head against the wall1 and of ,,seeing myself carried1 head first1 by two rustics--the one with a shock head of red hair1 the other swarthy as a ,dago--to the inn4 ,i recollected seeing the almost humorous look of horror in the chambermaid's face1 as she rushed to inform the landlord1 and the consternation of one and all during the discussion as to what ought to be done4 ,the landlady suggested one thing1 her husband another1 the chambermaid another2 and they all united in ransacking my pockets--much to my dismay--to see if they could discover a card-case or letter that might give them a clue as to my home address4 ,i saw them do all this2 and it seemed as if ,i were standing beside by own body1 looking down at it1 and that on all sides of me1 and apparently invisible to the rest of the company1 were strange1 inscrutable pale eyes1 set in the midst of grey1 shapeless1 shadowy substances4 ,then the doctor--a little slim1 narrow-chested man1 with a pointed beard and big ears--came and held a mirror to my mouth1 and opened one of my veins1 and talked a great deal of gibberish1 whilst he made countless covert sheep's eyes at the pretty chambermaid1 who had taken advantage of his arrival to overhaul my knapsack and help herself from my purse4 ,i distinctly heard the arrangements made for my funeral1 and the voice of the landlord saying3 ',yes1 of course1 doctor1 that is only fair2 you have taken no end of trouble with him4 ,i will keep his watch' 7the watch was of solid gold1 and cost me #be7 'and clothes to defray the expenses of the funeral and pay for his recent board' 7,i had only settled my account with him that morning74 ,and the shrill voice of the landlady echoed3 ',yes1 that is only fair1 only right6' ,then they all left the room1 and ,i remained alone with my body4 ,what followed was more or less blurred4 ,the innumerable and ever-watchful grey eyes impressed me most4 ,i recollected1 however1 the advent of the men--the same two who had brought me to the inn--to take me away in my coffin1 and ,i had vivid recollections of tramping along the dark and silent road beside them1 and wishing ,i could liberate my body4 ,then we halted at the iron gate leading into the cemetery1 the coffin was dropped on the ground with a bang1 and--the rest was a blank4 ,nothing1 nothing came back to me4 ,at first ,i was inclined to attribute my memory to a dream4 ',absurd6' ,i said to myself4 ',such things cannot have occurred4 ,i am in bed2 ,i know ,i am6' ,then ,i endeavoured to move my arms to feel the counterpane2 ,i could not2 my arms were bound1 tightly bound to my side4 ,a cold sweat burst out all over me4 ,good ,god6 was it true8 ,i tried again2 and the same thing happened--,i could not stir4 ,again and again ,i tried1 straining and tugging at my sides till the muscles on my arms were on the verge of bursting1 and ,i had to desist through utter exhaustion4 ,i lay still and listened to the beating of my heart4 ,then1 ,i clenched my toes and tried to kick4 ,i could not2 my feet were ruthlessly fastened together4 ,death garments6 ,a winding-sheet6 ,i could feel it clinging to me all over4 ,it compressed the air in my lungs1 it retarded the circulation1 and gave me the most excruciating cramp1 and pins and needles4 ,my sufferings were so acute that ,i groaned1 and1 on attempting to stretch my jaws1 found that they were encased in tight1 clammy bandages4 ,by prodigious efforts ,i eventually managed to gain a certain amount of liberty for my head1 and this gave me the consolation that if ,i could do nothing else ,i could at least howl--howl6 ,how utterly futile1 for who1 in ,god's name1 would hear me8 ,the thought of all there was above me1 of all the piles of earth and grass--for the idea that ,i was not actually buried never entered my mind--filled me with the most abject sorrow and despair4 ,the utter helplessness of my position came home to me with damning force4 ,rescue was absolutely out of the question1 because the only persons1 who knew where ,i was1 believed me dead4 ,to my friends and relations1 my fate would ever remain a mystery4 ,the knowledge that they would1 at once1 have come to my assistance1 had ,i only been able to communicate with them1 was cruel in the extreme2 and tears of mortification poured down my cheeks when ,i realised how blissfully unconscious they were of my fate4 ,the most vivid and alluring visions of home1 of my parents1 and brothers1 and sisters1 flitted tantalisingly before me4 ,i saw them all sitting on their accustomary seats1 in the parlour1 my father smoking his meerschaum1 my mother knitting1 my eldest sister describing an opera she had been to that afternoon1 my youngest sister listening to her with mouth half open and absorbing interest in her blue eyes1 my brother examining the works of a clockwork engine which he had just taken to pieces2 whilst from the room overhead1 inhabited by a ,count1 a veteran who had won distinction in the campaigns of '#fd and '#ff1 came strains of ',the ,watch on the ,rhine4' ,every now and then my mother would lean back in her chair and close her eyes1 and ,i knew intuitively she was thinking of me4 ,mein ,gott6 ,if she had only known the truth4 ,these tableaux faded away1 and the gruesome awfulness of my surroundings thrust themselves upon me4 ,a damp1 foetid smell1 suggestive of the rottenness of decay1 assailed my nostrils and made me sneeze4 ,i choked2 the saliva streamed in torrents down my chin and throat6 ,my recumbent position and ligaments made it difficult for me to recover my breath2 ,i grew black in the face2 ,i imagined ,i was dying4 ,i abruptly1 miraculously recovered1 and all was silent as before4 ,silent6 ,good heavens6 ,there is no silence compared with that of the grave4 ,i longed for a sound1 for any sound1 the creaking of a board1 the snapping of a twig1 the ticking of an insect--there was none--the silence was the silence of stone4 ,i thought of worms2 ,i imagined countless legions of them making their way to me from the surrounding mouldering coffins4 ,every now and then ,i uttered a shriek as something cold and slimy touched my skin1 and my stomach heaved within me as a whiff of something particularly offensive fanned my face4 ,suddenly ,i saw eyes--the same grey1 inscrutable eyes that ,i had seen before--immediately above my own4 ,i tried to fathom them1 to discover some trace of expression4 ,i could not--they were insoluble4 ,i instinctively felt there was a subtle brain behind them1 a brain that was stealthily analysing me1 and ,i tried to assure myself its intentions were not hostile4 ,above1 and on either side of the eyes1 ,i saw the shadow of something white1 soft1 and spongy1 in which ,i fancied ,i could detect a distinct likeness to a human brain1 only on a large scale4 ,there were the cerebral lobes1 or largest part of the forebrain1 enormously developed and overhanging the cerebellum1 or great lobe of the hindbrain1 and completely covering the lobes of the midbrain4 ,on the cerebrum ,i even thought ,i could detect--for ,i have a smattering of anatomy--the usual convolutions1 and the grooves dividing the cerebrum into two hemispheres4 ,but there was something ,i had never seen before1 and which ,i could not account for--two things like antenn1 one on either side of the cerebrum4 ,as ,i gazed at them1 they lengthened and shortened in such quick succession that ,i grew giddy and had to remove my eyes4 ,what they were ,i cannot think2 but then1 of course the brain1 being occult1 doubtless possessed properties of a nature wholly unsuspected by me4 ,the moment ,i averted my glance1 ,i experienced--this time on my forehead--the same cold1 slimy sensation ,i had felt before1 and ,i at once associated it with the cerebral tentacles4 ,soon after this ,i was touched in a similar manner on my right thigh1 then on my left1 and simultaneously on both legs2 then in a half a dozen places at the same time4 ,i looked out of the corner of my eyes1 first on one side of me and then the other1 and encountered the shadowy semblance to brains in each direction4 ,i was therefore forced to conclude that the atmosphere in the coffin was literally impregnated with psychic cerebrums1 and that every internal organ ,i possessed was being subjected to the most minute inspection4 ,my mind rapidly became filled with every vile and lustful desire1 and ,i cried aloud to be permitted five minutes' freedom to put into operation the basest and filthiest of actions4 ,my thoughts were thus occupied when1 to my amazement1 ,i suddenly heard the sound of voices--human voices4 ,at first ,i listened with incredulity1 thinking that it must be merely a trick of my imagination or some further ingenious1 devilish device1 on the part of the ghostly brains1 to torture me4 ,but the voices continued1 and drew nearer and nearer1 until ,i could at length distinguish what they were saying4 ,the speakers were two men1 ,franois and ,jacques1 and they were discussing the task that brought them thither--the task of burying me4 ,burying me6 ,so1 then1 ,i was not yet under the earth6 ,the revulsion of my feelings on discovering that there was still a spark of hope is indescribable2 the blood surged through my veins in waves of fire1 my eyes danced1 my heart thumped1 and--,i laughed6 ,laughed6 ,there was no stopping me--peal followed peal1 louder and louder1 until cobblestones and tombstones reverberated and thundered back the sound4 ,the effect on ,franois and ,jacques was the reverse of what ,i wished4 ,when first they heard me1 they became suddenly and deathly silent4 ,then their pent-up feelings of horror could stand it no longer1 and with the wildest of yells they dropped their pick and shovel1 and fled4 ,my laughter ceased1 and1 half drowned in tears of anguish1 ,i listened to their sabots pounding along the gravel walk and on to the hard highroad1 till the noises ceased and there was1 once again1 universal and awe-inspiring silence4 ,again the eyes and tentacles1 again the yearnings for base and shameful deeds1 and again--oh1 blissful interruption6 the sound of human voices--,franois and ,jacques returning with a crowd of people1 all greatly excited1 all talking at once4 ',i call ,god as my witness ,i heard it1 and ,jacques too4 ,isn't that so1 ,jacques8' a voice1 which ,i identified as that of ,franois1 shrieked4 ,and ,jacques1 doubtless as eager to be heard--for it was not once in a lifetime anyone in his position had such an opportunity for notoriety--as he was to come to his companion's rescue1 bawled out2 ',ay6 ,there was no mistaking the sounds4 ,may ,i never live to eat my supper again if it was not laughter4 ,listen6' ,and everyone1 at once1 grew quiet4 ,now was my opportunity--my only opportunity4 ,a single sound1 however slight1 however trivial1 and ,i should be saved6 ,a cry rose in my throat2 another instant and it would have escaped my lips1 when a dozen tentacles shot forward and ,i was silent4 ,despair1 such as no soul experienced more acutely1 even when on the threshold of hell1 now seized me1 and bid me make my last1 convulsive effort4 ,collecting1 nay1 even dragging together every atom of will-power that still remained within my enfeebled frame1 ,i swelled my lungs to their utmost4 ,a kind of rusty1 vibratory movement ran through my parched tongue2 my jaws creaked1 creaked and strained on their hinges1 my lips puffed and assumed the dimensions of bladders and--that was all4 ,no sound came4 ,a weight1 soft1 sticky1 pungent1 and overwhelming1 cloaked my brain1 and spreading weed-like1 with numbing coldness1 stifled the cry ere it left the precincts of my larynx4 ,hope died within me--,i was irretrievably lost4 ,a babel of voices now arose together4 ,franois1 ,jacques1 the village cur1 gendarme1 doctor1 chambermaid1 mine host and hostess1 and others1 whose tones ,i did not recognise1 clamoured to be heard4 ,some1 foremost amongst whom were ,franois1 ,jacques1 and a boy1 were in favour of the coffin being opened2 whilst others1 notably the doctor and chambermaid 7who pertly declared she had seen quite enough of my ugly face71 ridiculed the notion and said the sooner ,i was buried the better it would be4 ,the weather had been more than usually hot that day1 and the corpse1 which was very much swollen--for1 like all gourmands1 ,i had had chronic disease of the liver--had1 in their opinion1 already become insanitary4 ,the boy then burst out crying4 ,it had always been the height of his ambition1 he said1 to see someone dead1 and he thought it a dastardly shame on the part of the doctor and chambermaid to wish to deny him this opportunity4 ,the gendarme thinking1 no doubt1 he ought to have a say in the matter1 muttered something to the effect that children were a great deal too forward nowadays1 and that it would be time enough for the boy to see a corpse when he broke his mother's heart--which1 following the precedence of all spoilt boys1 he was certain to do sooner or later2 and this opinion found ready endorsement4 ,the boy suppressed1 my case began to look hopeless1 and the poignancy of my suspense became such that ,i thought ,i should have gone mad4 ,franois was already persuaded into setting to work with his pick1 and1 ,i should most certainly have been speedily interred1 had it not been for the timely arrival of a village wag1 who1 planking himself unobserved behind a tombstone close to my coffin1 burst out laughing in the most sepulchral fashion4 ,the effect on the company was electrical2 the majority1 including the women1 fled precipitately1 and the rest1 overcoming the feeble protests of the doctor1 wrenched off the lid of the coffin4 ,the spell1 cast over me by the occult brains1 was now by a merciful ,providence broken1 and ,i was able to explain my condition to the flabbergasted faces around me4 ,i need only say1 in conclusion1 that the discomfiture of the doctor was complete1 and that ,i took good care to express my opinion of him everywhere ,i went4 ,doubtless1 many poor wretches have been less fortunate than ,i1 and1 being pronounced dead by unskilled physicians1 have been prematurely interred4 ,apart from all the agony consequent to asphyxiation1 they must have suffered hellish tortures through the agency of spirit brains4 ,this is the anecdote as related to me1 and it serves as an illustration of my theory that the unknown brain is objective1 and that it can1 under given circumstances--i4e4 when physical life is1 so to speak1 in abeyance--be both seen and felt by the known brain4 ,at birth1 and more particularly at death1 the presence of the unknown brain is most marked4 ,and here it may not be inappropriate to remark that1 in my experience at least1 the hour of midnight is by no means the time most favourable to occult phenomena4 ,i have seen far more manifestations at twilight1 and between two and four a4m41 than at any other period of the day--times1 ,i think1 according with those when human vitality is at its lowest and death most frequently takes place4 ,it is1 doubtless1 the ebb of human vitality and the possibility of death that attracts the earth-bound brains and other varying types of elemental harpies4 ,they scent death with ten times the acuteness of sharks and vultures1 and hie with all haste to the spot1 so as to be there in good time to get their final suck1 vampire fashion1 at the spiritual brain of the dying2 substituting in the place of what they extract1 substance--in the shape of foul and lustful thoughts--for the material or known brain to feed upon4 ,the food they have stolen1 these vampires vainly imagine will enable them to rise to a higher spiritual plane4 ,in connection with this subject of the two brains1 the question arises3 ,what forms the connecting link between the material or known brain1 and the spiritual or unknown brain8 ,if the unknown brain has a separate existence1 and can detach itself at times 7as in projection71 why must it wait for death to set it entirely free8 ,my answer to that question is3 ,that the connecting link consists of a magnetic force1 at present indefinable1 the scope1 or pale1 of which varies according to the relative dimensions of the two brains4 ,in a case1 for example1 where the physical or known brain is far more developed than the spiritual or unknown brain1 the radius of attraction would be limited and the connecting link strong2 on the other hand1 in a case where the spiritual or unknown brain is more developed than the physical or known brain1 the magnetic pale is proportionately wide1 and the connecting link would be weak4 ,thus1 in the swoon or profound sleep of a person possessing a greater preponderance of physical than spiritual brain1 the conscious self would still be concerned with purely material matters1 such as eating and drinking1 petty disputes1 money1 sexual desires1 etc41 though1 owing to the lack of concentration1 which is a marked feature of those who possess the grossly material brain1 little or nothing of this conscious self would be remembered4 ,but in the swoon1 or deep sleep of a person possessing the spiritual brain in excess1 the unknown brain is partially freed from the known brain1 and the conscious self is consequently far away from the material body1 on the confines of an entirely spiritual plane4 ,of course1 the experiences of this conscious self may or may not be remembered1 but there is1 in its case1 always the possibility1 owing to the capacity for concentration which is invariably the property of all who have developed their spiritual or unknown brain1 of subsequent recollection4 ,at death1 and at death only1 the magnetic link is actually broken4 ,the unknown brain is then entirely freed from the known brain1 and the latter1 together with the rest of the material body1 perishes from natural decay2 whilst the former1 no longer restricted within the limits of its earthly pale1 is at liberty to soar ad infinitum4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,occult ,,in ,,shadows ,many of the shadows1 ,i have seen1 have not had material counterparts4 ,they have invariably proved themselves to be superphysical danger signals1 the sure indicators of the presence of those grey1 inscrutable1 inhuman cerebrums to which ,i have alluded2 of phantasms of the dead and of elementals of all kinds4 ,there is an indescribable something about them1 that at once distinguishes them from ordinary shadows1 and puts me on my guard4 ,i have seen them in houses that to all appearances are the least likely to be haunted--houses full of sunshine and the gladness of human voices4 ,in the midst of merriment1 they have darkened the wall opposite me like the mystic writing in ,nebuchadnezzar's palace4 ,they have suddenly appeared by my side1 as ,i have been standing on rich1 new carpeting or sun-kissed swards4 ,they have floated into my presence with both sunbeams and moonbeams1 through windows1 doors1 and curtains1 and their advent has invariably been followed by some form or other of occult demonstration4 ,i spent some weeks this summer at ,worthing1 and1 walking one afternoon to the ,downs1 selected a bright and secluded spot for a comfortable snooze4 ,i revel in snatching naps in the open sunshine1 and this was a place that struck me as being perfectly ideal for that purpose4 ,it was on the brow of a diminutive hillock covered with fresh1 lovely grass of a particularly vivid green4 ,in the rear and on either side of it1 the ground rose and fell in pleasing alternation for an almost interminable distance1 whilst in front of it there was a gentle declivity 7up which ,i had clambered7 terminating in the broad1 level road leading to ,worthing4 ,here1 on this broad expanse of the ,downs1 was a fairyland of soft sea air1 sunshine and rest--rest from mankind1 from the shrill1 unmusical voices of the crude and rude product of the ,county ,council schools4 ,i sat down2 ,i never for one moment thought of phantasms2 ,i fell asleep4 ,i awoke2 the hot floodgates of the cloudless heaven were still open1 the air translucent over and around me1 when straight in front of me1 on a gloriously gilded patch of grass1 there fell a shadow--a shadow from no apparent substance1 for both air and ground were void of obstacles1 and1 apart from myself1 there was no living object in the near landscape4 ,yet it was a shadow2 a shadow that ,i could not diagnose2 a waving1 fluctuating shadow1 unpleasantly suggestive of something subtle and horrid4 ,it was1 ,i instinctively knew1 the shadow of the occult2 a few moments more1 and a development would1 in all probability1 take place4 ,the blue sky1 the golden sea1 the tiny trails of smoke creeping up lazily from the myriads of chimney-pots1 the white house-tops1 the red house-tops1 the church spire1 the railway line1 the puffing1 humming1 shuffling goods-train1 the glistening white roads1 the breathing1 busy figures1 and the bright and smiling mile upon mile of emerald turf rose in rebellion against the likelihood of ghosts--yet1 there was the shadow4 ,i looked away from it1 and1 as ,i did so1 an icy touch fell on my shoulder4 ,i dared not turn2 ,i sat motionless1 petrified1 frozen4 ,the touch passed to my forehead and from thence to my chin1 my head swung round forcibly1 and ,i saw--nothing--only the shadow2 but how different1 for out of the chaotic blotches there now appeared a well--a remarkably well--defined outline1 the outline of a head and hand1 the head of a fantastic beast1 a repulsive beast1 and the hand of a man4 ,a flock of swallows swirled overhead1 a grasshopper chirped1 a linnet sang1 and1 with this sudden awakening of nature1 the touch and shadow vanished simultaneously4 ,but the hillock had lost its attractions for me1 and1 rising hastily1 ,i dashed down the decline and hurried homewards4 ,i discovered no reason other than solitude1 and the possible burial-place of prehistoric man1 for the presence of the occult2 but the next time ,i visited the spot1 the same thing happened4 ,i have been there twice since1 and the same1 always the same thing--first the shadow1 then the touch1 then the shadow1 then the arrival of some form or other of joyous animal life1 and the abrupt disappearance of the ,unknown4 ,i was once practising bowls on the lawn of a very old house1 the other inhabitants of which were all occupied indoors4 ,i had taken up a bowl1 and was in the act of throwing it1 when1 suddenly1 on the empty space in front of me ,i saw a shadow1 a nodding1 waving1 impenetrable1 undecipherable shadow4 ,i looked around1 but there was nothing visible that could in any way account for it4 ,i threw down the bowl and turned to go indoors4 ,as ,i did so1 something touched me lightly in the face4 ,i threw out my hand and touched a cold1 clammy substance strangely suggestive of the leafy branch of a tree4 ,yet nothing was to be seen4 ,i felt again1 and my fingers wandered to a broader expanse of something gnarled and uneven4 ,i kept on exploring1 and my grasp closed over something painfully prickly4 ,i drew my hand smartly back1 and1 as ,i did so1 distinctly heard the loud and angry rustling of leaves4 ,just then one of my friends called out to me from a window4 ,i veered round to reply1 and the shadow had vanished4 ,i never saw it again1 though ,i often had the curious sensation that it was there4 ,i did not mention my experience to my friends1 as they were pronounced disbelievers in the superphysical1 but tactful inquiry led to my gleaning the information that on the identical spot1 where ,i had felt the phenomena1 had once stood a horse-chestnut tree1 which had been cut down owing to the strong aversion the family had taken to it1 partly on account of a strange growth on the trunk1 unpleasantly suggestive of cancer1 and partly because a tramp had hanged himself on one of the branches4 ,all sorts of extraordinary shadows have come to me in the ,parks1 the ,twopenny ,tube1 and along the ,thames ,embankment4 ,at ten o'clock1 on the morning of #ast ,april #ahii1 ,i entered ,hyde ,park by one of the side gates of the ,marble ,arch1 and crossing to the island1 sat down on an empty bench4 ,the sky was grey1 the weather ominous1 and occasional heavy drops of rain made me rejoice in the possession of an umbrella4 ,on such a day1 the park does not appear at its best4 ,the ,arch exhibited a dull1 dirty1 yellowish-grey exterior2 every seat was bespattered with mud2 whilst1 to render the general aspect still more unprepossessing1 the trees had not yet donned their mantles of green1 but stood dejectedly drooping their leafless branches as if overcome with embarrassment at their nakedness4 ,on the benches around me sat1 or lay1 ,london's homeless--wretched-looking men in long1 tattered overcoats1 baggy1 buttonless trousers1 cracked and laceless boots1 and shapeless bowlers1 too weak from want of food and rest even to think of work1 almost incapable1 indeed1 of thought at all--breathing corpses1 nothing more1 with premature signs of decomposition in their filthy smell4 ,and the women--the women were1 if possible1 ranker--feebly pulsating1 feebly throbbing1 foully stinking1 rotten1 living deaths4 ,no amount of soap1 food1 or warmth could reclaim them now4 ,nature's implacable law--the survival of the fittest1 the weakest to the wall--was here exhibited in all its brutal force1 and1 as ,i gazed at the weakest1 my heart turned sick within me4 ,time advanced2 one by one the army of tatterdemalions crawled away1 ,god alone knew how1 ,god alone knew where4 ,in all probability ,god did not care4 ,why should ,he8 ,he created ,nature and ,nature's laws4 ,a different type of humanity replaced this garbage3 neat and dapper girls on their way to business2 black-bowlered1 spotless-leathered1 a-guinea-a-week clerks1 casting longing glances at the pale grass and countless trees 7their only reminiscence of the country71 as they hastened their pace1 lest they should be a minute late for their hateful servitude2 a policeman with the characteristic stride and swinging arms2 a brisk and short-stepped postman2 an apoplectic-looking1 second-hand-clothes-man2 an emaciated widow2 a typical charwoman2 two mechanics2 the usual brutal-faced labourer2 one of the idle rich in shiny hat1 high collar1 cutaway coat1 prancing past on a coal-black horse2 and a bevy of nursemaids4 ,to show my mind was not centred on the occult1--bootlaces1 collar-studs1 the two buttons on the back of ladies' coats1 dyed hair1 servants' feet1 and a dozen and one other subjects1 quite other than the superphysical1 successively occupied my thoughts4 ,imagine1 then1 my surprise and the shock ,i received1 when1 on glancing at the gravel in front of me1 ,i saw two shadows--two enigmatical shadows4 ,a dog came shambling along the path1 showed its teeth1 snarled1 sprang on one side1 and1 with bristling hair1 fled for its life4 ,i examined the plot of ground behind me2 there was nothing that could in any way account for the shadows1 nothing like them4 ,something rubbed against my leg4 ,i involuntarily put down my hand2 it was a foot--a clammy lump of ice1 but1 unmistakably1 a foot4 ,yet of what8 ,i saw nothing1 only the shadows4 ,i did not want to discover more2 my very soul shrank within me at the bare idea of what there might be1 what there was4 ,but1 as is always the case1 the superphysical gave me no choice2 my hand1 moving involuntarily forward1 rested on something flat1 round1 grotesque1 horrid1 something ,i took for a face1 but a face which ,i knew could not be human4 ,then ,i understood the shadows4 ,uniting1 they formed the outline of something lithe and tall1 the outline of a monstrosity with a growth even as ,i had felt it--flat1 round1 grotesque1 and horrid4 ,was it the phantasm of one of those poor waifs and strays1 having all their bestialities and diseases magnified2 or was it the spirit of a tree of some unusually noxious nature8 ,i could not divine1 and so ,i came away unsatisfied4 ,but ,i believe the shadow is still there1 for ,i saw it only the last time ,i was in the ,park4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,obsession1 ,,possession ,clocks1 ,chests and ,mummies ,as ,i have already remarked1 spirit or unknown brains are frequently present at births4 ,the brains of infants are very susceptible to impressions1 and1 in them1 the thought-germs of the occult brains find snug billets4 ,as time goes on1 these germs develop and become generally known as tastes1 cranks1 and manias4 ,it is an error to think that men of genius are especially prone to manias4 ,on the contrary1 the occult brains have the greatest difficulty in selecting thought-germs sufficiently subtle to lodge in the brain-cells of a child of genius4 ,practically1 any germ of carnal thought will be sure of reception in the protoplasmic brain-cells of a child1 who is destined to become a doctor1 solicitor1 soldier1 shopkeeper1 labourer1 or worker in any ordinary occupation2 but the thought-germ that will find entrance to the brain-cells of a future painter1 writer1 actor1 or musician1 must represent some propensity of a more or less extraordinary nature4 ,we all harbour these occult missiles1 we are all to a certain extent mad3 the proud mamma who puts her only son into the ,church or makes a lawyer of him1 and placidly watches him develop a scarlet face1 double chin1 and prodigious paunch1 would flounce out a hundred and one indignant denials if anyone suggested he had a mania1 but it would be true2 gluttony would be his mania1 and one every whit as prohibitive to his chances of reaching the spiritual plane1 as drink1 or sexual passion4 ,love of eating is1 indeed1 quite the commonest form of obsession1 and one that develops soonest4 ,nine out of ten children--particularly present-day children1 whose doting parents encourage their every desire--are fonder of cramming their bellies than of playing cricket or skipping2 games soon weary them1 but buns and chocolates never4 ,the truth is1 buns and chocolate have obsessed them4 ,they think of them all day1 and dream of them all night4 ,it is buns and chocolates6 wherever and whenever they turn or look--buns and chocolates6 ,this greed soon develops1 as the occult brain intended it should2 enforced physical labour1 or athletics1 or even sedentary work may dwarf its growth for a time1 but at middle and old age it comes on again1 and the buns and chocolates are become so many coursed luncheons and dinners4 ,their world is one of menus1 nothing but menus2 their only mental exertion the study of menus1 and ,i have no doubt that tuck shops and restaurants are besieged by the ever-hungry spirit of the earth-bound glutton4 ,though the drink-germ is usually developed later 7and its later growth is invariably accelerated with seas of alcohol71 it not infrequently feeds its initial growth with copious streams of ginger beer and lemon kali4 ,manual labourers--i4e4 navvies1 coal-heavers1 miners1 etc4--are naturally more or less brutal4 ,their brain-cells at birth offered so little resistance to the evil occult influences that they received1 in full1 all the lower germs of thought inoculated by the occult brains4 ,drink1 gluttony1 cruelty1 all came to their infant cerebrums cotemporaneously4 ,the cruelty germ develops first1 and cats1 dogs1 donkeys1 smaller brothers1 and even babies are made to feel the superior physical strength of the early wearer of hobnails4 ,he is obsessed with a mania for hurting something1 and with his strongly innate instinct of self-preservation1 invariably chooses something that cannot harm him4 ,daily he looks around for fresh victims1 and finally decides that the weedy offspring of the hated superior classes are the easiest prey4 ,in company with others of his species1 he annihilates the boy in ,etons on his way to and from school1 and the after recollections of the weakling's bloody nose and teardrops are as nectar to him4 ,the cruelty germ develops apace4 ,the bloody noses of the well-dressed classes are his mania now4 ,he sees them at every turn and even dreams of them4 ,he grows to manhood1 and either digs in the road or plies the pick and shovel underground4 ,the mechanical1 monotonous exercise and the sordidness of his home surroundings foster the germ1 and his leisure moments are occupied with the memory of those glorious times when he was hitting out at someone1 and he feels he would give anything just to have one more blow4 ,curse the police6 ,if it were not for them he could indulge his hobby to the utmost4 ,but the stalwart1 officious man in blue is ever on the scene1 and the thrashing of a puny cleric or sawbones is scarcely compensation for a month's hard labour4 ,yet his mania must be satisfied somehow--it worries him to pieces4 ,he must either smash someone's nose or go mad2 there is no alternative1 and he chooses the former4 ,the ,society for the ,prevention of ,cruelty to ,animals prevents him skinning a cat2 the ,national ,society for the ,prevention of ,cruelty to ,children will be down on him at once if he strikes a child1 and so he has no other resource left but his wife--he can knock out all her teeth1 bash in her ribs1 and jump on her head to his heart's content4 ,she will never dare prosecute him1 and1 if she does1 some ,humanitarian ,society will be sure to see that he is not legally punished4 ,he thus finds safe scope for the indulgence of his crank1 and when there is nothing left of his own wife1 he turns his unattractive and pusillanimous attentions to someone else's4 ,but occult thought-germs of this elementary type only thrive where the infant's spiritual or unknown brain is wholly undeveloped4 ,where the spiritual or unknown brain of an infant is partially developed1 the germ-thought to be lodged in it 7especially if it be a germ-thought of cruelty7 must be of a more subtle and refined nature4 ,i have traced the growth of cruelty obsession in children one would not suspect of any great tendency to animalism4 ,a refined love of making others suffer has led them to vent inquisitionary tortures on insects1 and the mania for pulling off the legs of flies and roasting beetles under spyglasses has been gradually extended to drowning mice in cages and seeing pigs killed4 ,time develops the germ2 the cruel boy becomes the callous doctor or sharp-practising attorney1 and the cruel girl becomes the cruel mother and often the frail divorce4 ,drink and cards are an obsession with some2 cruelty is just as much a matter of obsession with others4 ,but the ingenuity of the occult brain rises to higher things2 it rises to the subtlest form of invention when dealing with the artistic and literary temperament4 ,i have been intimately acquainted with authors--well-known in the popular sense of the word--who have been obsessed in the oddest and often most painful ways4 ,the constant going back to turn door-handles1 the sitting in grotesque and untoward positions1 the fondness for fingering any smooth and shiny objects1 such as mother-of-pearl1 develop into manias for change--change of scenery1 of occupation1 of affections1 of people--change that inevitably necessitates misery2 for breaking--breaking promises1 contracts1 family ties1 furniture--but breaking1 always breaking2 for sensuality--sensuality sometimes venial1 but often of the most gross and unpardonable nature4 ,i knew a musician who was obsessed in a peculiarly loathsome manner4 ,few knew of his misfortune1 and none abominated it more than himself4 ,he sang divinely1 had the most charming personality1 was all that could be desired as a husband and father1 and yet was1 in secret1 a monomaniac of the most degrading and unusual order4 ,in the daytime1 when all was bright and cheerful1 his mania was forgotten2 but the moment twilight came1 and he saw the shadows of night stealing stealthily towards him1 his craze returned1 and1 if alone1 he would steal surreptitiously out of the house and1 with the utmost perseverance1 seek an opportunity of carrying into effect his bestial practices4 ,i have known him tie himself to the table1 surround himself with ,bibles1 and resort to every imaginable device to divert his mind from his passion1 but all to no purpose2 the knowledge that outside all was darkness and shadows proved irresistible4 ,with a beating heart he put on his coat and hat1 and1 furtively opening the door1 slunk out to gratify his hateful lust4 ,heaven knows6 he went through hell4 ,i once watched a woman obsessed with an unnatural and wholly monstrous mania for her dog4 ,she took it with her wherever she went1 to the theatre1 the shops1 church1 in railway carriages1 on board ship4 ,she dressed it in the richest silks and furs1 decorated it with bangles1 presented it with a watch1 hugged1 kissed1 and fondled it1 took it to bed with her1 dreamed of it4 ,when it died1 she went into heavy mourning for it1 and in an incredibly short space of time pined away4 ,i saw her a few days before her death1 and ,i was shocked2 her gestures1 mannerisms1 and expression had become absolutely canine1 and when she smiled--smiled in a forced and unnatural manner--,i could have sworn ,i saw ,launcelot1 her pet6 ,there was also a man1 a brilliant writer1 who from a boy had been obsessed with a craze for all sorts of glossy things1 more especially buttons4 ,the mania grew2 he spent all his time running after girls who were manicured1 or who wore shining buttons1 and1 when he married1 he besought his wife to sew buttons on every article of her apparel4 ,in the end1 he is said to have swallowed a button1 merely to enjoy the sensation of its smooth surface on the coats of his stomach4 ,this somewhat exaggerated instance of obsession serves to show that1 no matter how extraordinary the thought-germ1 it may enter one's mind and finally become a passion4 ,that the majority of people are obsessed1 though in a varying degree1 is a generally accepted fact2 but that furniture can be possessed by occult brains1 though not a generally accepted fact1 is1 ,i believe1 equally true4 ,in a former work1 entitled ,some ,haunted ,houses of ,england and ,wales1 published by ,mr ,eveleigh ,nash1 ,i described how a bog-oak grandfather's clock was possessed by a peculiar type of elemental1 which ,i subsequently classified as a vagrarian1 or kind of grotesque spirit that inhabits wild and lonely places1 and1 not infrequently1 spots where there are the remains of prehistoric 7and even latter-day7 man and beast4 ,in another volume called ,the ,haunted ,houses of ,london1 ,i narrated the haunting of a house in ,portman ,square by a grandfather's clock1 the spirit in possession causing it to foretell death by striking certain times2 and ,i have since heard of hauntings by phenomena of a more or less similar nature4 ,the following is an example4 ,a very dear friend of mine was taken ill shortly before ,christmas4 ,no one at the time suspected there was anything serious the matter with her1 although her health of late had been far from good4 ,i happened to be staying in the house just then1 and found1 that for some reason or other1 ,i could not sleep4 ,i do not often suffer from insomnia1 so that the occurrence struck me as somewhat extraordinary4 ,my bedroom opened on to a large1 dark landing4 ,in one corner of it stood a very old grandfather's clock1 the ticking of which ,i could distinctly hear when the house was quiet4 ,for the first two or three nights of my visit the clock was as usual1 but1 the night before my friend was taken ill1 its ticking became strangely irregular4 ,at one moment it sounded faint1 at the next moment1 the reverse2 now it was slow1 now quick2 until at length1 in a paroxysm of curiosity and fear1 ,i cautiously opened my door and peeped out4 ,it was a light night1 and the glass face of the clock flashed back the moonbeams with startling brilliancy4 ,a grim and subdued hush hung over the staircases and landings4 ,the ticking was now low2 but as ,i listened intently1 it gradually grew louder and louder1 until1 to my horror1 the colossal frame swayed violently backwards and forwards4 ,unable to stand the sight of it any longer1 and fearful of what ,i might see next1 ,i retreated into my room1 and1 carefully locking the door1 lit the gas1 and got into bed4 ,at three o'clock the ticking once again became normal4 ,the following night the same thing occurred1 and ,i discovered that certain other members of the household had also heard it4 ,my friend rapidly grew worse1 and the irregularities of the clock became more and more pronounced1 more and more disturbing4 ,then there came a morning1 when1 between two and three o'clock1 unable to lie in bed and listen to the ticking any longer1 ,i got up4 ,an irresistible attraction dragged me to the door4 ,i peeped out1 and there1 with the moonlight concentrated on its face as before1 swayed the clock1 backwards and forwards1 backwards and forwards1 slowly and solemnly2 and with each movement there issued from within it a hollow1 agonised voice1 the counterpart of that of my sick friend1 exclaiming1 ,oh dear6 ,oh dear6 ,it is coming6 ,it is coming6 ,i was so fascinated1 so frightened1 that ,i could not remove my gaze1 but was constrained to stand still and stare at it2 and all the while there was a dull1 mechanical repetition of the words3 ,oh dear6 ,oh dear6 ,it is coming1 it is coming6 ,half an hour passed in this manner1 and the hands indicated five minutes to three1 when a creak on the staircase made me look round4 ,my heart turned to ice--there1 half-way down the stairs1 was a tall1 black figure1 its polished ebony skin shining in the moonbeams4 ,i saw only its body at first1 for ,i was far too surprised even to glance at its face4 ,as it glided noiselessly towards me1 however1 obeying an uncontrollable impulse1 ,i looked4 ,there was no face at all1 only two eyes--two long1 oblique1 half-open eyes--grey and sinister1 inexpressibly1 hellishly sinister--and1 as they met my gaze1 they smiled gleefully4 ,they passed on1 the door of the clock swung open1 and the figure stepped inside and vanished6 ,i was now able to move1 and re-entering my room1 ,i locked myself in1 turned on the gas1 and buried myself under the bedclothes4 ,i left the house next day1 and shortly afterwards received the melancholy tidings of the death of my dear friend4 ,for the time being1 at least1 the clock had been possessed by an elemental spirit of death4 ,i know an instance1 too1 in which a long1 protracted whine1 like the whine of a dog1 proceeded from a grandfather's clock1 prior to any catastrophe in a certain family2 another instance1 in which loud thumps were heard in a grandfather's clock before a death2 and still another instance in which a hooded face used occasionally to be seen in lieu of the clock's face4 ,in all these cases1 the clocks were undoubtedly temporarily possessed by the same type of spirit--the type ,i have classified ,clanogrian or ,family ,ghost--occult phenomena that1 having attached themselves in bygone ages to certain families1 sometimes cling to furniture 7often not inappropriately to clocks7 that belonged to those families2 and1 still clinging1 in its various removals1 to the piece they have possessed1 continue to perform their original grizzly function of foretelling death4 ,of course1 these charnel prophets are not the only phantasms that possess furniture4 ,for example1 ,i once heard of a case of possession by a non-prophetic phantasm in connection with a chest--an antique oak chest which1 ,i believe1 claimed to be a native of ,limerick4 ,after experiencing many vicissitudes in its career1 the chest fell into the hands of a ,mrs ,mac,neill1 who bought it at a rather exorbitant price from a second-hand dealer in ,cork4 ,the chest1 placed in the dining-room of its new home1 was the recipient of much premature adulation4 ,the awakening came one afternoon soon after its arrival1 when ,mrs ,mac,neill was alone in the dining-room at twilight4 ,she had spent a very tiring morning shopping in ,tralee1 her nearest market-town1 and consequently fell asleep in an arm-chair in front of the fire1 directly after luncheon4 ,she awoke with a sensation of extreme chilliness1 and thinking the window could not have been shut properly1 she got up to close it1 when her attention was attracted by something white protruding from under the lid of the chest4 ,she went up to inspect it1 but she recoiled in horror4 ,it was a long finger1 with a very protuberant knuckle-bone1 but no sign of a nail4 ,she was so shocked that for some seconds she could only stand staring at it1 mute and helpless2 but the sound of approaching carriage-wheels breaking the spell1 she rushed to the fireplace and pulled the bell vigorously4 ,as she did so1 there came a loud chuckle from the chest1 and all the walls of the room seemed to shake with laughter4 ,of course everyone laughed when ,mrs ,mac,neill related what had happened4 ,the chest was minutely examined1 and as it was found to contain nothing but some mats that had been stored away in it the previous day1 the finger was forthwith declared to have been an optical illusion1 and ,mrs ,mac,neill was1 for the time being1 ridiculed into believing it was so herself4 ,for the next two or three days nothing occurred2 nothing1 in fact1 until one night when ,mrs ,mac,neill and her daughters heard the queerest of noises downstairs1 proceeding apparently from the dining-room--heavy1 flopping footsteps1 bumps as if a body was being dragged backwards and forwards across the floor1 crashes as if all the crockery in the house had been piled in a mass on the floor1 loud peals of malevolent laughter1 and then--silence4 ,the following night1 the disturbances being repeated1 ,mrs ,mac,neill summoned up courage to go downstairs and peep into the room4 ,the noises were still going on when she arrived at the door1 but1 the moment she opened it1 they ceased and there was nothing to be seen4 ,a day or two afterwards1 when she was again alone in the dining-room and the evening shadows were beginning to make their appearance1 she glanced anxiously at the chest1 and--there was the finger4 ,losing her self-possession at once1 and yielding to a paroxysm of the wildest1 the most ungovernable terror1 she opened her mouth to shriek4 ,not a sound came2 the cry that had been generated in her lungs died away ere it reached her larynx1 and she relapsed into a kind of cataleptic condition1 in which all her faculties were acutely alert but her limbs and organs of speech palsied4 ,she expected every instant that the chest-lid would fly open and that the baleful thing lurking within would spring upon her4 ,the torture she suffered from such anticipations was little short of hell1 and was rendered all the more maddening by occasional quiverings of the lid1 which brought all her expectations to a climax4 ,now1 now at any rate1 she assured herself1 the moment had come when the acme of horrordom would be bounced upon her and she would either die or go mad4 ,but no2 her agonies were again and again borne anew1 and her prognostications unfulfilled4 ,at last the creakings abruptly ceased--nothing was to be heard save the shaking of the trees1 the distant yelping of a dog1 and the far-away footfall of one of the servants4 ,having somewhat recovered from the shock1 ,mrs ,mac,neill was busy speculating as to the appearance of the hidden horror1 when she heard a breathing1 the subtle1 stealthy breathing of the secreted pouncer4 ,again she was spellbound4 ,the evening advanced1 and from every nook and cranny of the room1 from behind chairs1 sofa1 sideboard1 and table1 from window-sill and curtains1 stole the shadows1 all sorts of curious shadows1 that brought with them an atmosphere of the barren1 wind-swept cliffs and dark1 deserted mountains1 an atmosphere that added fresh terrors to ,mrs ,mac,neill's already more than distraught mind4 ,the room was now full of occult possibilities1 drawn from all quarters1 and doubtless attracted thither by the chest1 which acted as a physical magnet4 ,it grew late2 still no one came to her rescue2 and still more shadows1 and more1 and more1 and more1 until the room was full of them4 ,she actually saw them gliding towards the house1 in shoals1 across the moon-kissed lawn and carriage-drive4 ,shadows of all sorts--some1 unmistakable phantasms of the dead1 with skinless faces and glassy eyes1 their bodies either wrapped in shrouds covered with the black slime of bogs or dripping with water2 some1 whole and lank and bony2 some with an arm or leg missing2 some with no limbs or body1 only heads--shrunken1 bloodless heads with wide-open1 staring eyes--yellow1 ichorous eyes--gleaming1 devilish eyes4 ,elementals of all sorts--some1 tall and thin1 with rotund heads and meaningless features2 some1 with rectangular1 fleshy heads2 some1 with animal heads4 ,on they came in countless legions1 on1 on1 and on1 one after another1 each vying with the other in ghastly horridness4 ,the series of terrific shocks ,mrs ,mac,neill experienced during the advance of this long and seemingly interminable procession of every conceivable ghoulish abortion1 at length wore her out4 ,the pulsations of her naturally strong heart temporarily failed1 and1 as her pent-up feelings found vent in one gasping scream for help1 she fell insensible to the ground4 ,that very night the chest was ruthlessly cremated1 and ,mrs ,mac,neill's dining-room ceased to be a meeting-place for spooks4 ,whenever ,i see an old chest now1 ,i always view it with suspicion--especially if it should happen to be a bog-oak chest4 ,the fact is1 the latter is more likely than not to be possessed by elementals1 which need scarcely be a matter of surprise when one remembers that bogs--particularly ,irish bogs--have been haunted1 from time immemorial1 by the most uncouth and fantastic type of spirits4 ,but mummies1 mummies even more often than clocks and chests1 are possessed by denizens of the occult world4 ,of course1 everyone has heard of the unlucky mummy1 the painted case of which1 only1 is in the ,oriental department of the ,british ,museum1 and the story connected with it is so well known that it would be superfluous to expatiate on it here4 ,i will therefore pass on to instances of other mummies possessed in a more or less similar manner4 ,during one of my sojourns in ,paris1 ,i met a ,frenchman who1 he informed me1 had just returned from the ,east4 ,i asked him if he had brought back any curios1 such as vases1 funeral urns1 weapons1 or amulets4 ,yes1 lots1 he replied1 two cases full4 ,but no mummies6 ,mon ,dieu6 ,no mummies6 ,you ask me why8 ,ah6 ,therein hangs a tale4 ,if you will have patience1 ,i will tell it you4 ,the following is the gist of his narrative3-- ,some seasons ago ,i travelled up the ,nile as far as ,assiut1 and when there1 managed to pay a brief visit to the grand ruins of ,thebes4 ,among the various treasures ,i brought away with me1 of no great archological value1 was a mummy4 ,i found it lying in an enormous lidless sarcophagus1 close to a mutilated statue of ,anubis4 ,on my return to ,assiut1 ,i had the mummy placed in my tent1 and thought no more of it till something awoke me with a startling suddenness in the night4 ,then1 obeying a peculiar impulse1 ,i turned over on my side and looked in the direction of my treasure4 ,the nights in the ,soudan at this time of year are brilliant2 one can even see to read1 and every object in the desert is almost as clearly visible as by day4 ,but ,i was quite startled by the whiteness of the glow that rested on the mummy1 the face of which was immediately opposite mine4 ,the remains--those of ,met-,om-,karema1 lady of the ,college of the god ,amen-ra--were swathed in bandages1 some of which had worn away in parts or become loose2 and the figure1 plainly discernible1 was that of a shapely woman with elegant bust1 well-formed limbs1 rounded arms and small hands4 ,the thumbs were slender1 and the fingers1 each of which were separately bandaged1 long and tapering4 ,the neck was full1 the cranium rather long1 the nose aquiline1 the chin firm4 ,imitation eyes1 brows1 and lips were painted on the wrappings1 and the effect thus produced1 and in the phosphorescent glare of the moonbeams1 was very weird4 ,i was quite alone in the tent1 the only other ,european1 who had accompanied me to ,assiut1 having stayed in the town by preference1 and my servants being encamped at some hundred or so yards from me on the ground4 ,sound travels far in the desert1 but the silence now was absolute1 and although ,i listened attentively1 ,i could not detect the slightest noise--man1 beast1 and insect were abnormally still4 ,there was something in the air1 too1 that struck me as unusual2 an odd1 clammy coldness that reminded me at once of the catacombs in ,paris4 ,i had hardly1 however1 conceived the resemblance1 when a sob--low1 gentle1 but very distinct--sent a thrill of terror through me4 ,it was ridiculous1 absurd6 ,it could not be1 and ,i fought against the idea as to whence the sound had proceeded1 as something too utterly fantastic1 too utterly impossible6 ,i tried to occupy my mind with other thoughts--the frivolities of ,cairo1 the casinos of ,nice2 but all to no purpose2 and soon on my eager1 throbbing ear there again fell that sound1 that low and gentle sob4 ,my hair stood on end2 this time there was no doubt1 no possible manner of doubt--the mummy lived6 ,i looked at it aghast4 ,i strained my vision to detect any movement in its limbs1 but none was perceptible4 ,yet the noise had come from it1 it had breathed--breathed-- and even as ,i hissed the word unconsciously through my clenched lips1 the bosom of the mummy rose and fell4 ,a frightful terror seized me4 ,i tried to shriek to my servants2 ,i could not ejaculate a syllable4 ,i tried to close my eyelids1 but they were held open as in a vice4 ,again there came a sob that was immediately succeeded by a sigh2 and a tremor ran through the figure from head to foot4 ,one of its hands then began to move1 the fingers clutched the air convulsively1 then grew rigid1 then curled slowly into the palms1 then suddenly straightened4 ,the bandages concealing them from view then fell off1 and to my agonised sight were disclosed objects that struck me as strangely familiar4 ,there is something about fingers1 a marked individuality1 ,i never forget4 ,no two persons' hands are alike4 ,and in these fingers1 in their excessive whiteness1 round knuckles1 and blue veins1 in their tapering formation and perfect filbert nails1 ,i read a likeness whose prototype1 struggle how ,i would1 ,i could not recall4 ,gradually the hand moved upwards1 and1 reaching the throat1 the fingers set to work1 at once1 to remove the wrappings4 ,my terror was now sublime6 ,i dare not imagine1 ,i dare not for one instant think1 what ,i should see6 ,and there was no getting away from it2 ,i could not stir an inch1 not the fraction of an inch1 and the ghastly revelation would take place within a yard of my face4 ,one by one the bandages came off4 ,a glimmer of skin1 pallid as marble2 the beginning of the nose1 the whole nose2 the upper lip1 exquisitely1 delicately cut2 the teeth1 white and even on the whole1 but here and there a shining gold filling2 the under-lip1 soft and gentle2 a mouth ,i knew1 but--,god6--where8 ,in my dreams1 in the wild fantasies that had oft-times visited my pillow at night--in delirium1 in reality1 where8 ,mon ,dieu6 ,,where8 ,the uncasing continued4 ,the chin came next1 a chin that was purely feminine1 purely classical2 then the upper part of the head--the hair long1 black1 luxuriant--the forehead low and white--the brows black1 finely pencilled2 and1 last of all1 the eyes6--and as they met my frenzied gaze and smiled1 smiled right down into the depths of my livid soul1 ,i recognised them--they were the eyes of my mother1 my mother who had died in my boyhood6 ,seized with a madness that knew no bounds1 ,i sprang to my feet4 ,the figure rose and confronted me4 ,i flung open my arms to embrace her1 the woman of all women in the world ,i loved best1 the only woman ,i had loved4 ,shrinking from my touch1 she cowered against the side of the tent4 ,i fell on my knees before her and kissed--what8 ,not the feet of my mother1 but that of the long unburied dead4 ,sick with repulsion and fear ,i looked up1 and there1 bending over and peering into my eyes was the face1 the fleshless1 mouldering face of a foul and barely recognisable corpse6 ,with a shriek of horror ,i rolled backwards1 and1 springing to my feet1 prepared to fly4 ,i glanced at the mummy4 ,it was lying on the ground1 stiff and still1 every bandage in its place2 whilst standing over it1 a look of fiendish glee in its light1 doglike eyes1 was the figure of ,anubis1 lurid and menacing4 ,the voices of my servants1 assuring me they were coming1 broke the silence1 and in an instant the apparition vanished4 ,i had had enough of the tent1 however1 at least for that night1 and1 seeking refuge in the town1 ,i whiled away the hours till morning with a fragrant cigar and novel4 ,directly ,i had breakfasted1 ,i took the mummy back to ,thebes and left it there4 ,no1 thank you1 ,mr ,o',donnell1 ,i collect many kinds of curios1 but--no more mummies6 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,occult ,,hooligans ,deducing from my own and other people's experiences1 there exists a distinct type of occult phenomenon whose sole occupation is in boisterous orgies and in making manifestations purely for the sake of causing annoyance4 ,to this phantasm the ,germans have given the name ,,poltergeist1 whilst in former of my works ,i have classified it as a ,vagrarian ,order of ,,elemental4 ,it is this form of the superphysical1 perhaps1 that up to the present time has gained the greatest credence--it has been known in all ages and in all countries4 ,who1 for example1 has not heard of the famous ,stockwell ghost that caused such a sensation in #aggb1 and of which ,mrs ,crowe gives a detailed account in her ,night ,side of ,nature2 or again1 of ,the ,black ,lion ,lane1 ,bayswater ,ghost1 referred to many years ago in ,the ,morning ,post2 or1 of the ,epworth ,ghost1 that so unceasingly tormented the ,wesley family2 or1 of the ,demon of ,tedworth that gave ,john ,mompesson and his family no peace1 and of countless other well-authenticated and recorded instances of this same type of occult phenomenon8 ,the poltergeists in the above-mentioned cases were never seen1 only felt and heard2 but in what a disagreeable and often painful manner6 ,the ,demon of ,tedworth1 for example1 awoke everyone at night by thumping on doors and imitating the beatings of a drum4 ,it rattled bedsteads1 scratched on the floor and wall as if possessing iron talons1 groaned1 and uttered loud cries of ,a witch6 ,a witch6 ,nor was it content with these auditory demonstrations1 for it resorted to far more energetic methods of physical violence4 ,furniture was moved out of its place and upset2 the children's shoes were taken off their feet and thrown over their heads2 their hair was tweaked and their clothes pulled2 one little boy was even hit on a sore place on his heel2 the servants were lifted bodily out of their beds and let fall2 whilst several members of the household were stripped of all they had on1 forcibly held down1 and pelted with shoes4 ,nor were the proceedings at ,stockwell1 ,black ,lion ,lane1 and ,epworth1 though rather more bizarre1 any less violent4 ,to quote another instance of this kind of haunting1 ,professor ,schuppart at ,gressen1 in ,upper ,hesse1 was for six years persecuted by a poltergeist in the most unpleasant manner2 stones were sent whizzing through closed rooms in all directions1 breaking windows but hurting no one2 his books were torn to pieces2 the lamp by which he was reading was removed to a distant corner of the room1 and his cheeks were slapped1 and slapped so incessantly that he could get no sleep4 ,according to ,mrs ,crowe1 there was a case of a similar nature at ,mr ,chave's1 in ,devonshire1 in #aiaj1 where affidavits were made before the magistrate attesting the facts1 and large rewards offered for discovery2 but in vain1 the phenomena continued1 and the spiritual agent was frequently seen in the form of some strange animal4 ,there seems to be little limit1 short of grievous bodily injury--and even that limit has occasionally been overstepped--to poltergeist hooliganism4 ,last summer the ,rev4 ,henry ,hacon1 ,m4,a41 of ,searly ,vicarage1 ,north ,kelsey ,moor1 very kindly sent me an original manuscript dealing with poltergeist disturbances of a very peculiar nature1 at the old ,syderstone ,parsonage near ,fakenham4 ,i published the account ad verbum in a work of mine that appeared the ensuing autumn1 entitled ,ghostly ,phenomena1 and the interest it created encourages me to refer to other cases dealing with the same kind of phenomena4 ,there is a parsonage in the ,south of ,england where not only noises have been heard1 but articles have been mysteriously whisked away and not returned4 ,a lady assures me that when a gentleman1 with whom she was intimately acquainted1 was alone in one of the reception rooms one day1 he placed some coins to the value1 ,i believe1 of fifteen shillings1 on the table beside him1 and chancing to have his attention directed to the fire1 which had burned low1 was surprised on looking again to discover the coins had gone2 nor did he ever recover them4 ,other things1 too1 for the most part trivial1 were also taken in the same incomprehensible manner1 and apparently by the same mischievous unseen agency4 ,it is true that one of the former inhabitants of the house had1 during the latter portion of his life1 been heavily in debt1 and that his borrowing propensities may have accompanied him to the occult world2 but though such an explanation is quite feasible1 ,i am rather inclined to attribute the disappearances to the pranks of some mischievous vagrarian4 ,i have myself over and over again experienced a similar kind of thing4 ,for example1 in a certain house in ,norwood1 ,i remember losing in rapid succession two stylograph pens1 a knife1 and a sash4 ,i remembered1 in each case1 laying the article on a table1 then having my attention called away by some rather unusual sound in a far corner of the room1 and then1 on returning to the table1 finding the article had vanished4 ,there was no one else in the house1 so that ordinary theft was out of the question4 ,yet where did these articles go1 and of what use would they be to a poltergeist8 ,on one occasion1 only1 ,i caught a glimpse of the miscreant4 ,it was about eight o'clock on a warm evening in ,june1 and ,i was sitting reading in my study4 ,the room is slightly below the level of the road1 and in summer1 the trees outside1 whilst acting as an effective screen against the sun's rays1 cast their shadows somewhat too thickly on the floor and walls1 burying the angles in heavy gloom4 ,in the daytime one rather welcomes this darkness2 but in the afternoon it becomes a trifle oppressive1 and at twilight one sometimes wishes it was not there4 ,it is at twilight that the nature of the shadows usually undergoes a change1 and there amalgamates1 with them1 that ,something1 that peculiar1 indefinable ,something that ,i can only associate with the superphysical4 ,here1 in my library1 ,i often watch it creep in with the fading of the sunlight1 or1 postponing its advent till later--steal in through the window with the moonbeams1 and ,i feel its presence just as assuredly and instinctively as ,i can feel and detect the presence of hostility in an audience or individual4 ,i cannot describe how2 ,i can only say ,i do1 and that my discernment is seldom misleading4 ,on the evening in question ,i was alone in the house4 ,i had noticed1 amid the shadows that lay in clusters on the floor and walls1 this enigmatical ,something4 ,it was there most markedly2 but ,i did not associate it with anything particularly terrifying or antagonistic4 ,perhaps that was because the book ,i was reading interested me most profoundly--it was a translation from ,heine1 and ,i am devoted to ,heine4 ,let me quote an extract4 ,it is from ,florentine ,nights1 and runs3 ,but is it not folly to wish to sound the inner meaning of any phenomenon outside us1 when we cannot even solve the enigma of our own souls8 ,we hardly know even whether outside phenomena really exist6 ,we are often unable to distinguish reality from mere dream-faces4 ,was it a shape of my fancy1 or was it horrible reality that ,i heard and saw on that night8 ,i know not4 ,i only remember that1 as the wildest thoughts were flowing through my heart1 a singular sound came to my ear4 ,i had got so far1 absorbingly1 spiritually interested1 when ,i heard a laugh1 a long1 low chuckle1 that seemed to come from the darkest and most remote corner of the room4 ,a cold paroxysm froze my body1 the book slid from my hands1 and ,i sat upright in my chair1 every faculty within me acutely alert and active4 ,the laugh was repeated1 this time from behind a writing-table in quite another part of the room4 ,something which sounded like a shower of tintacks then fell into the grate2 after which there was a long pause1 and then a terrific bump1 as if some heavy body had fallen from a great height on to the floor immediately in front of me4 ,i even heard the hissing and whizzing the body made in its descent as it cut its passage through the air4 ,again there came an interval of tranquillity broken only by the sounds of people in the road1 the hurrying footsteps of a girl1 the clattering of a man in hobnails1 the quick1 sharp tread of the lamplighter1 and the scampering patter of a bevy of children4 ,then there came a series of knockings on the ceiling1 and then the sound of something falling into a gaping abyss which ,i intuitively felt had surreptitiously opened at my feet4 ,for many seconds ,i listened to the reverberations of the object as it dashed against the sides of the unknown chasm2 at length there was a splash1 succeeded by hollow echoes4 ,shaking in every limb1 ,i shrank back as far as ,i possibly could in my chair and clutched the arms4 ,a draught1 cold and dank1 as if coming from an almost interminable distance1 blew upwards and fanned my nostrils4 ,then there came the most appalling1 the most blood-curdling chuckle1 and ,i saw a hand--a lurid grey hand with long1 knotted fingers and black1 curved nails--feeling its way towards me1 through the subtle darkness1 like some enormous1 unsavoury insect4 ,nearer1 nearer1 and nearer it drew1 its fingers waving in the air1 antenn fashion4 ,for a moment it paused1 and then1 with lightning rapidity1 snatched the book from my knees and disappeared4 ,directly afterwards ,i heard the sound of a latchkey inserted in the front door1 whilst the voice of my wife inquiring why the house was in darkness broke the superphysical spell4 ,obeying her summons1 ,i ascended the staircase1 and the first object that greeted my vision in the hall was the volume of ,heine that had been so unceremoniously taken from me6 ,assuredly this was the doings of a poltergeist6 ,a poltergeist that up to the present had confined its attentions to me1 no one else in the house having either heard or seen it4 ,in my study there is a deep recess concealed in the winter-time by heavy curtains drawn across it2 and often when ,i am writing something makes me look up1 and a cold horror falls upon me as ,i perceive the curtains rustle1 rustle as though they were laughing1 laughing in conjunction with some hidden occult monstrosity2 some grey--the bulk of the phantasms that come to me are grey--and glittering monstrosity who was enjoying a rich jest at my expense4 ,occasionally1 to emphasise its presence1 this poltergeist has scratched the wall1 or thumped1 or thrown an invisible missile over my head1 or sighed1 or groaned1 or gurgled1 and ,i have been frightened1 horribly1 ghastly frightened4 ,then something has happened--my wife has called out1 or someone has rung a bell1 or the postman has given one of his whole-hearted smashes with the knocker1 and the poltergeist has cleared off1 and ,i have not been disturbed by it again for the remainder of the evening4 ,i am not the only person whom poltergeists visit4 ,judging from my correspondence and the accounts ,i see in the letters of various psychical research magazines1 they patronise many people4 ,their modus operandi1 covering a wide range1 is always boisterous4 ,undoubtedly they have been badly brought up--their home influence and their educational training must have been sadly lacking in discipline4 ,or is it the reverse8 ,are their crude devices and mad1 tomboyish pranks merely reactionary1 and the only means they have of finding vent for their naturally high spirits8 ,if so1 ,i devoutly wish they would choose some locality other than my study for their playground4 ,yet they interest me1 and although ,i quake horribly when they are present1 ,i derive endless amusement at other times1 in speculating on their raison d'tre1 and curious--perhaps complex--constitutions4 ,i do not believe they have ever inhabited any earthly body1 either human or animal4 ,i think it likely that they may be survivals of early experiments in animal and vegetable life in this planet1 prior to the selection of any definite types2 spirits that have never been anything else but spirits1 and which have1 no doubt1 often envied man his carnal body and the possibilities that have been permitted him of eventually reaching a higher spiritual plane4 ,it is envy1 perhaps1 that has made them mischievous1 and generated in them an insatiable thirst to torment and frighten man4 ,another probable explanation of them is1 that they may be inhabitants of one of the other planets that have the power granted1 under certain conditions at present unknown to us1 of making themselves seen and heard by certain dwellers on the earth2 and it is1 of course1 possible that they are but one of many types of spirits inhabiting a superphysical sphere that encloses or infringes on our own4 ,they may be only another form of life1 a form that is neither carnal nor immortal1 but which has to depend for its existence on a superphysical food4 ,they may be born in a fashion that1 apart from its peculiarity and extravagance1 bears some resemblance to the generation of physical animal life2 and they may die1 too1 as man dies1 and their death may be but the passing from one stage to another1 or it may be for eternity4 ,but enough of possibilities1 of probable and improbable theories4 ,for the present not only poltergeists but all other phantoms are seen as through a glass darkly1 and1 pending the discovery of some definite data1 we do but flounder in a sea of wide1 limitless1 and infinite speculation4 ,,chapter ,v ,,sylvan ,,horrors ,i believe trees have spirits2 ,i believe everything that grows has a spirit1 and that such spirits never die1 but passing into another state1 a state of film and shadow1 live on for ever4 ,the phantasms of vegetable life are everywhere1 though discernible only to the few of us4 ,often as ,i ramble through thoroughfares1 crowded with pedestrians and vehicles1 and impregnated with steam and smoke and all the impurities arising from over-congested humanity1 ,i have suddenly smelt a different atmosphere1 the cold atmosphere of superphysical forest land4 ,i have come to a halt1 and leaning in some doorway1 gazed in awestruck wonder at the nodding foliage of a leviathan lepidodendron1 the phantasm of one of those mammoth lycopods that flourished in the ,carboniferous period4 ,i have watched it swaying its shadowy arms backwards and forwards as if keeping time to some ghostly music1 and the breeze it has thus created has rustled through my hair1 while the sweet scent of its resin has pleasantly tickled my nostrils4 ,i have seen1 too1 suddenly open before me1 dark1 gloomy aisles1 lined with stupendous pines and carpeted with long1 luxuriant grass1 gigantic ferns1 and other monstrous primeval flora1 of a nomenclature wholly unknown to me2 ,i have watched in chilled fascination the black trunks twist and bend and contort1 as if under the influence of an uncontrollable fit of laughter1 or at the bidding of some psychic cyclone4 ,i have at times stayed my steps when in the throes of the city-pavements2 shops and people have been obliterated1 and their places taken by occult foliage2 immense fungi have blocked out the sun's rays1 and under the shelter of their slimy1 glistening heads1 ,i have been thrilled to see the wriggling1 gliding forms of countless smaller saprophytes4 ,i have felt the cold touch of loathsome toadstools and sniffed the hot1 dry dust of the full1 ripe puff-ball4 ,on the ,thames ,embankment1 up ,chelsea way1 ,i have at twilight beheld wonderful metamorphoses4 ,in company with the shadows of natural objects of the landscape1 have silently sprung up giant reeds and bullrushes4 ,i have felt their icy coldness as1 blowing hither and thither in the delirium of their free1 untrammelled existence1 they have swished across my face4 ,visions1 truly visions1 the exquisite fantasies of a vivid imagination4 ,so says the sage4 ,i do not think so2 ,i dispute him in toto4 ,these objects ,i have seen have not been illusions2 else1 why have ,i not imagined other things2 why1 for example1 have ,i not seen rocks walking about and tables coming in at my door8 ,if these phantasms were but tricks of the imagination1 then imagination would stop at nothing4 ,but they are not imagination1 neither are they the idle fancies of an over-active brain4 ,they are objective--just as much objective as are the smells of recognised physical objects1 that those1 with keenly sensitive olfactory organs1 can detect1 and those1 with a less sensitive sense of smell1 cannot detect2 those1 with acute hearing1 can hear1 and those with less acute hearing cannot hear4 ,and yet1 people are slow to believe that the seeing of the occult is as much a faculty as is the scenting of smells or the hearing of noises4 ,i have heard it said that1 deep down in coal mines1 certain of the workers have seen wondrous sights2 that when they have been alone in a drift1 they have heard the blowing of the wind and the rustling of leaves1 and suddenly found themselves penned in on all sides by the naked trunks of enormous primitive trees1 lepidodendrons1 sigillarias1 ferns1 and other plants1 that have shone out with phosphorescent grandeur amid the inky blackness of the subterranean ether4 ,around the feet of the spellbound watchers have sprung up rank blades of ,brobdingnagian grass and creepers1 out of which have crept1 with lurid eyes1 prodigious millipedes1 cockroaches1 white ants1 myriapods and scorpions1 whilst added to the moaning and sighing of the trees has been the humming of stone-flies1 dragon-flies1 and locusts4 ,galleries and shafts have echoed and re-echoed with these noises of the old world1 which yet lives1 and will continue to live1 maybe1 to the end of time4 ,but are the physical trees1 the trees that we can all see budding and sprouting in our gardens to-day--are they ever cognisant of the presence of the occult8 ,can they1 like certain--not all--dogs and horses and other animals1 detect the proximity of the unknown8 ,do they tremble and shake with fear at the sight of some psychic vegetation1 or are they utterly devoid of any such faculty8 ,can they see1 hear1 or smell8 ,have they any senses at all8 ,and1 if they have one sense1 have they not others8 ,aye1 there is food for reflection4 ,personally1 ,i believe trees have senses--not1 of course1 in such a high state of development as those of animal life2 but1 nevertheless1 senses4 ,consequently1 ,i think it quite possible that certain of them1 like certain animals1 feel the presence of the superphysical4 ,i often stroll in woods4 ,i do not love solitude2 ,i love the trees1 and ,i do not think there is anything in nature1 apart from man1 ,i love much more4 ,the oak1 the ash1 the elm1 the poplar1 the willow1 to me are more than mere names2 they are friends1 the friends of my boyhood and manhood2 companions in my lonely rambles and voluntary banishments2 guardians of my siestas2 comforters of my tribulations4 ,the gentle fanning of their branches has eased my pain-racked brow and given me much-needed sleep1 whilst the chlorophyll of their leaves has acted like balm to my eyelids1 inflamed after long hours of study4 ,i have leaned my head against their trunks1 and heard1 or fancied ,i have heard1 the fantastic murmurings of their peaceful minds4 ,this is what happens in the daytime1 when the hot summer sun has turned the meadow-grass a golden brown4 ,but with the twilight comes the change4 ,phantom-land awakes1 and mingled with the shadows of the trees and bushes that lazily unroll themselves from trunk and branches are the darkest of shades1 that impart to the forest an atmosphere of dreary coldness4 ,usually ,i hie away with haste at sunset1 but there are occasions when ,i have dallied longer than ,i have intended1 and only realised my error when it has been too late4 ,i have then1 controlled by the irresistible fascination of the woods1 waited and watched4 ,i well recollect1 for example1 being caught in this way in a ,hampshire spinney1 at that time one of my most frequented haunts4 ,the day had been unusually close and stifling1 and the heat1 in conjunction with a hard morning's work--for ,i had written1 ,god only knows how long1 without ceasing1--made me frightfully sleepy1 and on arriving at my favourite spot beneath a lofty pine1 ,i had slept till1 for very shame1 my eyelids could keep closed no longer4 ,it was then nine o'clock1 and the metamorphosis of sunset had commenced in solemn earnest4 ,the evening was charming1 ideal of the heart of summer2 the air soft1 sweetly scented2 the sky unspotted blue4 ,a peaceful hush1 broken only by the chiming of some distant church bells1 and the faint1 the very faint barking of dogs1 enveloped everything and instilled in me a false sensation of security4 ,facing me was a diminutive glade padded with downy grass1 transformed into a pale yellow by the lustrous rays of the now encrimsoned sun4 ,fainter and fainter grew the ruddy glow1 until there was nought of it left but a pale pink streak1 whose delicate marginal lines still separated the blue of the sky from the quickly superseding grey4 ,a barely perceptible mist gradually cloaked the grass1 whilst the gloom amid the foliage on the opposite side of the glade intensified4 ,there was now no sound of bells1 no barking of dogs2 and silence1 a silence tinged with the sadness so characteristic of summer evenings1 was everywhere paramount4 ,a sudden rush of icy air made my teeth chatter4 ,i made an effort to stir1 to escape ere the grotesque and intangible horrors of the wood could catch me4 ,i ignominiously failed2 the soles of my feet froze to the ground4 ,then ,i felt the slender1 graceful body of the pine against which ,i leaned my back1 shake and quiver1 and my hand--the hand that rested on its bark--grew damp and sticky4 ,i endeavoured to avert my eyes from the open space confronting them4 ,i failed2 and as ,i gazed1 filled with the anticipations of the damned1 there suddenly burst into view1 with all the frightful vividness associated only with the occult1 a tall form--armless1 legless--fashioned like the gnarled trunk of a tree--white1 startlingly white in places where the bark had worn away1 but on the whole a bright1 a luridly bright1 yellow and black4 ,at first ,i successfully resisted a powerful impulse to raise my eyes to its face2 but as ,i only too well knew would be the case1 ,i was obliged to look at last1 and1 as ,i anticipated1 ,i underwent a most violent shock4 ,in lieu of a face ,i saw a raw and shining polyp1 a mass of waving1 tossing1 pulpy radicles from whose centre shone two long1 obliquely set1 pale eyes1 ablaze with devilry and malice4 ,the thing1 after the nature of all terrifying phantasms1 was endowed with hypnotic properties1 and directly its eyes rested on me ,i became numb2 my muscles slept while my faculties remained awake1 acutely awake4 ,inch by inch the thing approached me2 its stealthy1 gliding motion reminding me of a tiger subtly and relentlessly stalking its prey4 ,it came up to me1 and the catalepsy which had held me rigidly upright departed4 ,i fell on the ground for protection1 and1 as the great unknown curved its ghastly figure over me and touched my throat and forehead with its fulsome tentacles1 ,i was overcome with nervous tremors2 a deadly pain griped my entrails1 and1 convulsed with agony1 ,i rolled over on my face1 furiously clawing the bracken4 ,in this condition ,i continued for probably one or even two minutes1 though to me it seemed very much longer4 ,my sufferings terminated with the loud report of firearms1 and slowly picking myself up1 ,i found that the apparition had vanished1 and that standing some twenty or so paces from me was a boy with a gun4 ,i recognised him at once as the son of my neighbour1 the village schoolmaster2 but not wishing to tarry there any longer1 ,i hurriedly wished him good night1 and leaving the copse a great deal more quickly than ,i had entered it1 ,i hastened home4 ,what had ,i seen8 ,a phantasm of some dead tree8 some peculiar species of spirit 7,i have elsewhere termed a vagrarian71 attracted thither by the loneliness of the locality8 some vicious1 evil phantasm8 or a vice-elemental1 whose presence there would be due to some particularly wicked crime or series of crimes perpetrated on or near the spot8 ,i cannot say4 ,it might well have been either one of them1 or something quite different4 ,i am quite sure1 however1 that most woods are haunted1 and that he who sees spirit phenomena can be pretty certain of seeing them there4 ,again and again1 as ,i have been passing after nightfall1 through tree-girt glen1 forest1 or avenue1 ,i have seen all sorts of curious forms and shapes move noiselessly from tree to tree4 ,hooded figures1 with death's-heads1 have glided surreptitiously through moon-kissed spaces2 icy hands have touched me on the shoulders2 whilst1 pacing alongside me1 ,i have oft-times heard footsteps1 light and heavy1 though ,i have seen nothing4 ,miss ,frances ,sinclair tells me that1 once1 when walking along a country lane1 she espied some odd-looking object lying on the ground at the foot of a tree4 ,she approached it1 and found to her horror it was a human finger swimming in a pool of blood4 ,she turned round to attract the attention of her friends1 and when she looked again the finger had vanished4 ,on this very spot1 she was subsequently informed1 the murder of a child had taken place4 ,trees are1 ,i believe1 frequently haunted by spirits that suggest crime4 ,i have no doubt that numbers of people have hanged themselves on the same tree in just the same way as countless people have committed suicide by jumping over certain bridges4 ,why8 ,for the very simple reason that hovering about these bridges are influences antagonistic to the human race1 spirits whose chief and fiendish delight is to breathe thoughts of self-destruction into the brains of passers-by4 ,i once heard of a man1 medically pronounced sane1 who frequently complained that he was tormented by a voice whispering in his ear1 ,shoot yourself6 ,shoot yourself6--advice which he eventually found himself bound to follow4 ,and of a man1 likewise stated to be sane1 who journeyed a considerable distance to jump over a notorious bridge because he was for ever being haunted by the phantasm of a weirdly beautiful woman who told him to do so4 ,if bridges have their attendant sinister spirits1 so undoubtedly have trees--spirits ever anxious to entice within the magnetic circle of their baleful influence anyone of the human race4 ,many tales of trees being haunted in this way have come to me from ,india and the ,east4 ,i quoted one in my ,ghostly ,phenomena1 and the following was told me by a lady whom ,i met recently1 when on a visit to my wife's relations in the ,midlands4 ,i was riding with my husband along a very lonely mountain road in ,assam1 my informant began1 when ,i suddenly discovered ,i had lost my silk scarf1 which happened to be a rather costly one4 ,i had a pretty shrewd idea whereabouts ,i might have dropped it1 and1 on mentioning the fact to my husband1 he at once turned and rode back to look for it4 ,being armed1 ,i did not feel at all nervous at being left alone1 especially as there had been no cases1 for many years1 of assault on a ,european in our district2 but1 seeing a big mango tree standing quite by itself a few yards from the road1 ,i turned my horse's head with the intention of riding up to it and picking some of its fruit4 ,to my great annoyance1 however1 the beast refused to go2 moreover1 although at all times most docile1 it now reared1 and kicked1 and showed unmistakable signs of fright4 ,i speedily came to the conclusion that my horse was aware of the presence of something--probably a wild beast--,i could not see myself1 and ,i at once dismounted1 and tethering the shivering animal to a boulder1 advanced cautiously1 revolver in hand1 to the tree4 ,at every step ,i took1 ,i expected the spring of a panther or some other beast of prey2 but1 being afraid of nothing but a tiger--and there were none1 thank ,god6 in that immediate neighbourhood--,i went boldly on4 ,on nearing the tree1 ,i noticed that the soil under the branches was singularly dark1 as if scorched and blackened by a fire1 and that the atmosphere around it had suddenly grown very cold and dreary4 ,to my disappointment there was no fruit1 and ,i was coming away in disgust1 when ,i caught sight of a queer-looking thing just over my head and half-hidden by the foliage4 ,i parted the leaves asunder with my whip and looked up at it4 ,my blood froze4 ,the thing was nothing human4 ,it had a long1 grey1 nude body1 shaped like that of a man1 only with abnormally long arms and legs1 and very long and crooked fingers4 ,its head was flat and rectangular1 without any features saving a pair of long and heavy lidded1 light eyes1 that were fixed on mine with an expression of hellish glee4 ,for some seconds ,i was too appalled even to think1 and then the most mad desire to kill myself surged through me4 ,i raised my revolver1 and was in the act of placing it to my forehead1 when a loud shout from behind startled me4 ,it was my husband4 ,he had found my scarf1 and1 hurrying back1 had arrived just in time to see me raise the revolver--strange to relate--at him6 ,in a few words ,i explained to him what had happened1 and we examined the tree together4 ,but there were no signs of the terrifying phenomenon--it had completely vanished4 ,though my husband declared that ,i must have been dreaming1 ,i noticed he looked singularly grave1 and1 on our return home1 he begged me never to go near the tree again4 ,i asked him if he had had any idea it was haunted1 and he said3 ',no6 but ,i know there are such trees4 ,ask ,dingan4' ,dingan was one of our native servants--the one we respected most1 as he had been with my husband for nearly twelve years--ever since1 in fact1 he had settled in ,assam4 ',the mango tree1 mem-sahib6' ,dingan exclaimed1 when ,i approached him on the subject1 'the mango tree on the ,yuka ,road1 just before you get to the bridge over the river8 ,i know it well4 ,we call it the devil tree1 mem-sahib4 ,no other tree will grow near it4 ,there is a spirit peculiar to certain trees that lives in its branches1 and persuades anyone who ventures within a few feet of it1 either to kill themselves1 or to kill other people4 ,i have seen three men from this village alone1 hanging to its accursed branches2 they were left there till the ropes rotted and the jackals bore them off to the jungles4 ,three suicides have ,i seen1 and three murders--two were women1 strangers in these parts1 and they were both lying within the shadow of the mango's trunk1 with the backs of their heads broken in like eggs6 ,it is a thrice-accursed tree1 mem-sahib4' ,needless to say1 ,i agreed with ,dingan1 and in future gave the mango a wide berth4 ,vagrarians1 tree devils 7a type of vice elemental71 and phantasms of dead trees are some of the occult horrors that haunt woods1 and1 in fact1 the whole country-side6 ,added to these1 there are the fauns and satyrs1 those queer creatures1 undoubtedly vagrarians1 half-man and half-goat1 that are accredited by the ancients with much merry-making1 and grievous to add1 much lasciviousness4 ,of these spirits there is mention in ,scripture1 namely1 ,isaiah xiii4 #ba1 where we read3 ,and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures1 and owls shall dwell there1 and satyrs shall dance there2 and in ,baddeley's ,historical ,meditations1 published about the beginning of the seventeenth century1 there is a description by ,plutarch1 of a satyr captured by ,sulla1 when the latter was on his way from ,dyrrachium to ,brundisium4 ,the creature1 which appears to have been very material1 was found asleep in a park near ,apollonia4 ,on being led into the presence of ,sulla1 it commenced speaking in a harsh voice that was an odd mixture of the neighing of a horse and the crying of a goat4 ,as neither ,sulla nor any of his followers could understand in the slightest degree what the monstrosity meant1 they let it go1 nor is there any further reference to it4 ,now1 granted that this account is not faked1 and that such a beast actually did exist1 it would naturally suggest to one that vagrarians1 pixies1 and other grotesque forms of phantasms are1 after all1 only the spirits of similar types of material life1 and that1 in all probability1 the earth1 contemporary with prehistoric1 and even later-day man1 fairly swarmed with such creatures4 ,however1 this1 like everything else connected with these early times1 is merely a matter of speculation4 ,another explanatory theory is1 that possibly superphysical phenomena were much more common formerly than now1 and that the various types of sub-human and sub-animal apparitions 7which were then constantly seen by the many1 but which are now only visible to the few7 have been handed down to us in the likeness of satyrs and fauns4 ,anyhow1 ,i think they may be rightly classified in the category of vagrarians4 ,the association of spirits with trees is pretty nearly universal4 ,in the fairy tales of youth we have frequent allusions to them4 ,in the ,caucasus1 where the population is not of ,slavonic origin1 we have innumerable stories of sacred trees1 and in each of these stones the main idea is the same--namely1 that a human life is dependent on the existence of a tree4 ,in ,slavonic mythology1 plants as well as trees are magnets for spirits1 and in the sweet-scented pinewoods1 in the dark1 lonely pinewoods1 dwell psipolnitza1 or female goblins1 who plague the harvesters2 and lieshi1 or forest male demons1 closely allied to satyrs4 ,in ,iceland there was a pretty superstition to the effect that1 when an innocent person was put to death1 a sorb or mountain ash would spring over their grave4 ,in ,teutonic mythology the sorb is supposed to take the form of a lily or white rose1 and1 on the chairs of those about to die1 one or other of these flowers is placed by unseen hands4 ,white lilies1 too1 are emblematic of innocence1 and have a knack of mysteriously shooting up on the graves of those who have been unjustly executed4 ,surely this would be the work of a spirit1 as1 also1 would be the action of the ,eglantine1 which is so charmingly illustrated in the touching story of ,tristram and ,yseult4 ,tradition says that from the grave of ,tristram there sprang an eglantine which twined about the statue of the lovely ,yseult1 and1 despite the fact of its being thrice cut down1 grew again1 ever embracing the same fair image4 ,among the ,north ,american ,indians there was1 and maybe still is1 a general belief that the spirits of those who died1 naturally reverted to trees--to the great pines of the mountain forests--where they dwelt for ever amid the branches4 ,the ,indians believed also that the spirits of certain trees walked at night in the guise of beautiful women4 ,lucky ,indians6 ,would that my experience of the forest phantasms had been half so entrancing4 ,the modern ,greeks1 ,australian bushmen1 and natives of the ,east ,indies1 like myself1 only see the ugly side of the superphysical1 for the spirits that haunt their vegetation are irredeemably ugly1 horribly terrifying1 and fiendishly vindictive4 ,the idea that the dead often passed into trees is well illustrated in the classics4 ,for example1 neas1 in his wanderings1 strikes a tree1 and is half-frightened out of his wits by a great spurt of blood4 ,a hollow voice1 typical of phantasms and apparently proceeding from somewhere within the trunk1 then begs him to desist1 going on to explain that the tree is not an ordinary tree but the metamorphosed soul of an unlucky wight called ,polydorus1 7he must have been unlucky1 if only to have had such a name74 ,needless to say1 neas1 who was strictly a gentleman in spite of his aristocratic pretensions1 at once dropped his axe and showed his sympathy for the poor tree-bound spirit in an abundant flow of tears1 which must have satisfied1 even1 ,polydorus4 ,there is a very similar story in ,swedish folk-lore4 ,a voice in a tree addressed a man1 who was about to cut it down1 with these words1 ,friend1 hew me not6 ,but the man on this occasion was not a gentleman1 and1 instead of complying with the modest request1 only plied his axe the more heartily4 ,to his horror--a just punishment for his barbarity--there was a most frightful groan of agony1 and out from the hole he had made in the trunk1 rushed a fountain of blood1 real human blood4 ,what happened then ,i cannot say1 but ,i imagine that the woodcutter1 stricken with remorse1 whipped up his bandana from the ground1 and did all that lay in his power--though he had not had the advantages of lessons in first aid--to stop the bleeding4 ,one cannot help being amused at these marvellous stories1 but1 after all1 they are not very much more wonderful than many of one's own ghostly experiences4 ,at any rate1 they serve to illustrate how widespread and venerable is the belief that trees--trees1 perhaps1 in particular--are closely associated with the occult4 ,pixies6 ,what are pixies8 ,that they are not the dear1 delightful1 quaint little people ,shakespeare so inimitably portrays in the ,midsummer ,night's ,dream1 is1 ,i fear1 only too readily acknowledged4 ,i am told that they may be seen even now1 and ,i know those who say that they have seen them1 but that they are the mere shadows of those dainty creatures that used to gambol in the moonshine and help the poor and weary in their household work4 ,the present-day pixies1 whom ,i am loath to imagine are the descendants of the old-world pixies--though1 of course1 on the other hand1 they may be merely degenerates1 a much more pleasant alternative--are ,i think still to be occasionally encountered in lonely1 isolated districts2 such1 for instance1 as the mountains in the ,west of ,ireland1 the ,hebrides1 and other more or less desolate islands1 and on one or two of the ,cornish hills and moors4 ,like most phantasms1 the modern pixies are silent and elusive4 ,they appear and disappear with equal abruptness1 contenting themselves with merely gliding along noiselessly from rock to rock1 or from bush to bush4 ,dainty they are not1 pretty they are not1 and in stature only do they resemble the pixie of fairy tales2 otherwise they are true vagrarians1 grotesque and often harrowing4 ,in my ,ghostly ,phenomena ,i have given one or two accounts of their appearance in the ,west of ,england1 but the nearest approach to pixies that ,i have myself seen1 were phantasms that appeared to me1 in #aijc1 on the ,wicklow ,hills1 near ,bray4 ,i was out for a walk on the afternoon of ,thursday1 ,may #ah2 the weather was oppressive1 and the grey1 lowering sky threatened rain1 a fact which accounted for the paucity of pedestrians4 ,leaving my temporary headquarters1 at ,bray1 at half-past one1 ,i arrived at a pretty village close to the foot of the hills and immediately began the ascent4 ,selecting a deviating path that wound its way up gradually1 ,i1 at length1 reached the summit of the ridge4 ,on and on ,i strolled1 careless of time and distance1 until a sudden dryness in my throat reminded me it must be about the hour at which ,i generally took tea4 ,i turned round and began to retrace my steps homeward4 ,the place was absolutely deserted2 not a sign of a human being or animal anywhere1 and the deepest silence4 ,i had come to the brink of a slight elevation when1 to my astonishment1 ,i saw in the tiny plateau beneath1 three extraordinary shapes4 ,standing not more than two feet from the ground1 they had the most perfectly proportioned bodies of human beings1 but monstrous heads2 their faces had a leadish blue hue1 like that of corpses2 their eyes were wide open and glassy4 ,they glided along slowly and solemnly in ,indian file1 their grey1 straggling hair and loose white clothes rustling in the breeze2 and on arriving at a slight depression in the ground1 they sank and sank1 until they entirely disappeared from view4 ,i then descended from my perch1 and made a thorough examination of the spot where they had vanished4 ,it was firm1 hard1 caked soil1 without hole or cover1 or anything in which they could possibly have hidden4 ,i was somewhat shocked1 as indeed ,i always am after an encounter with the superphysical1 but not so much shocked as ,i should have been had the phantasms been bigger4 ,i visited the same spot subsequently1 but did not see another manifestation4 ,to revert to trees--fascinating1 haunting trees4 ,much credulity was at one time attached to the tradition that the tree on which ,jesus ,christ was crucified was an aspen1 and that1 thenceforth1 all aspens were afflicted with a peculiar shivering4 ,botanists1 scientists1 and matter-of-fact people of all sorts pooh-pooh this legend1 as1 indeed1 many people nowadays pooh-pooh the very existence of ,christ4 ,but something--you may call it intuition--,i prefer to call it my ,guardian ,spirit--bids me believe both2 and ,i do believe as much in the tradition of the aspen as in the existence of ,christ4 ,moreover1 this intuition or influence--the work of my ,guardian ,spirit--whether dealing with things psychical1 psychological1 or physical has never yet failed me4 ,if it warns me of the presence of a phantasm1 ,i subsequently experience some kind or other of spiritual phenomenon2 if it bids me beware of a person1 ,i am invariably brought to discover later on that that person's intentions have been antagonistic to me2 and if it causes me to deter from travelling by a certain route1 or on a certain day1 ,i always discover afterwards that it was a very fortunate thing for me that ,i abided by its warning4 ,that is why ,i attach great importance to the voice of my ,guardian ,spirit2 and that is why1 when it tells me that1 despite the many obvious discrepancies and absurdities in the ,scriptures1 despite the character of the ,old ,testament ,god--who repels rather than attracts me--despite all this1 there was a ,jesus ,christ who actually was a great and benevolent ,spirit1 temporarily incarnate1 and who really did suffer on the ,cross in the manner described in subsequent ,,mss41--,i believe it all implicitly4 ,i back the still1 small voice of my ,guardian ,spirit against all the arguments scepticism can produce4 ,very good1 then4 ,i believe in the existence and spirituality of ,jesus ,christ because of the biddings of my ,guardian ,spirit1 and1 for the very same reason1 ,i attach credence to the tradition of the quivering of the aspen4 ,the sceptic accounts for the shaking of this tree by showing that it is due to a peculiar formation in the structure of the aspen's foliage4 ,this may be so1 but that peculiarity of structure was created immediately after ,christ's crucifixion1 and was created as a memento1 for all time1 of one of the most unpardonable murders on record4 ,there is something especially weird1 too1 in the ash2 something that suggests to my mind that it is particularly susceptible to superphysical influences4 ,i have often sat and listened to its groaning1 and more than once1 at twilight1 perceived the filmy outline of some fantastic figure writhed around its slender trunk4 ,john ,timbs1 ,f4,s4,a41 in his book of ,popular ,errors1 published by ,crosby1 ,lockwood ,co4 in #ahhj1 quotes from a letter1 dated #gth ,july #afjf1 thus3 ,it is stated that at ,brampton1 near ,gainsborough1 in ,lincolnshire1 'an ash tree shaketh in body and boughs thereof1 sighing and groaning like a man troubled in his sleep1 as if it felt some sensible torment4 ,many have climbed to the top of it1 who heard the groans more easily than they could below4 ,but one among the rest1 being on the top thereof1 spake to the tree2 but presently came down much aghast1 and lay grovelling on the earth1 three hours speechless4 ,in the end reviving1 he said3 ,brampton1 ,brampton1 thou art much bound to pray6' ,the ,earl of ,lincoln caused one of the arms of the ash to be lopped off and a hole bored through the body1 and then was the sound1 or hollow voice1 heard more audibly than before1 but in a kind of speech which they could not comprehend4 ,this is the second wonderful ash produced by past ages in this district--according to tradition1 ,ethelreda's budding staff having shot out into the first4 ,so says the letter1 and from my own experience of the ash1 ,i am quite ready to accredit it with special psychic properties1 though ,i cannot state ,i have ever heard it speak4 ,i believe it attracts phantasms in just the same way as do certain people1 myself included1 and certain kinds of furniture4 ,its groanings at night have constantly attracted1 startled1 and terrified me2 they have been quite different to the sounds ,i have heard it make in the daytime2 and often ,i could have sworn that1 when ,i listened to its groanings1 ,i was listening to the groanings of some dying person1 and1 what is more harrowing still1 to some person ,i knew4 ,i have heard it said1 too1 that the most ghastly screams and gurgles have been heard proceeding from the ash trees planted in or near the site of murders or suicides1 and as ,i sit here writing1 a scene opens before me1 and ,i can see a plain with one solitary tree--an ash--standing by a pool of water1 on the margin of which are three clusters of reeds4 ,dark clouds scud across the sky1 and the moon only shows itself at intervals4 ,it is an intensely wild and lonely spot1 and the cold1 dank air blowing across the barren wastes renders it all the more inhospitable4 ,no one1 no living thing1 no object is visible save the ash4 ,suddenly it moves its livid trunk1 sways violently1 unnaturally1 backwards and forwards--once1 twice1 thrice2 and there comes from it a cry1 a most piercing1 agonising cry1 half human1 half animal1 that dies away in a wail and imparts to the atmosphere a sensation of ice4 ,i can hear the cry as ,i sit here writing2 my memory rehearses it2 it was one of the most frightful1 blood-curdling1 hellish sounds ,i ever endured2 and the scene was on the ,wicklow hills in ,ireland4 ,the narcotic plant1 the mandrake1 is also credited with groaning1 though ,i cannot say ,i have ever heard it4 ,though there is nothing particularly psychic about the witch-hazel1 in the hands of certain people who are mediumistic1 it will indicate the exact spot where water lies under the ground4 ,the people who possess this faculty of discovering the locality of water by means of the hazel1 are named dowsers1 and my only wonder is that their undeniably useful faculty is not more cultivated and developed4 ,to my mind1 there is no limit to the possibilities suggested by this faculty2 for surely1 if one species of tree possesses attraction for a certain object in nature1 there can be no reason why other species of trees should not possess a similar attraction for other objects in nature4 ,and if they possess this attraction for the physical1 why not for the superphysical--why1 indeed1 should not ghosts come within the radius of their magnetism8 ,the palm and sycamore trees have invariably been associated with the spiritual1 and made use of symbolically1 as the tree of life4 ,an illustration1 on a stele in the ,berlin ,museum1 depicts a palm tree from the stem of which proceeds two arms1 one administering to a figure1 kneeling below1 the fruit or bread of life2 the other1 pouring from a vase the water of life4 ,on another1 a later ,egyptian stele1 the tree of life is the sycamore4 ,there is no doubt that the ,egyptians and ,assyrians regarded these two trees as susceptible only to good psychic influences1 they figure so frequently in illustrations of the benevolent deities4 ,nor were the ,jews and ,christians behind in their recognition of the extraordinary properties of these two trees1 especially the palm4 ,we find it symbolically introduced in the decoration of ,solomon's ,temple--on the walls1 furniture1 and vessels2 whilst in ,christian mosaics it figures as the tree of life in ,paradise 7vide ,rev4 xxii4 #a1 #b1 and in the apsis of ,s4 ,giovanni ,laterans74 ,it is even regarded as synonymous with ,jesus ,christ1 as may be seen in the illuminated frontispiece to an ,evangelium in the library of the ,british ,museum1 where the symbols of the four ,evangelists1 placed over corresponding columns of lessons from their gospels1 are portrayed looking up to a palm tree1 rising from the earth1 on the summit of which is a cross1 with the symbolical letters alpha and omega suspended from its arms4 ,i am1 of course1 only speaking from my own experience1 but this much ,i can vouch for1 that ,i have never heard of a palm tree being haunted by an evil spirit1 whereas ,i have heard of several cases in which palm leaves or crosses cut from palms have been used1 and apparently with effect1 as preventives of injuries caused by malevolent occult demonstrations2 and were ,i forced to spend a night in some lonely forest1 ,i think ,i should prefer1 viewing the situation entirely from the standpoint of psychical possibilities1 that that forest should be composed partly or wholly of palms4 ,before concluding this chapter1 ,i must make a brief allusion to another type of spirit--the ,,barrowvian--that resembles the vagrarian and pixie1 inasmuch as it delights in lonely places4 ,whenever ,i see a barrow1 tumulus or druidical1 circle1 ,i scent the probability of phantasms--phantasms of a peculiar sort4 ,most ancient burial-places are haunted1 and haunted by two species of the same genus3 the one1 the spirits of whatever prehistoric forms of animal life lie buried there2 and the other1 grotesque phantasms1 often very similar to vagrarians in appearance1 but with distinct ghoulish propensities and an inveterate hatred to living human beings4 ,in my ,ghostly ,phenomena ,i have referred to the haunting of a druidical circle in the ,north of ,england1 and also to the haunting of a house ,i once rented in ,cornwall1 near ,castle on ,dinas1 by barrowvians2 ,i have heard1 too1 of many cases of a like nature4 ,i have1 of course1 often watched all night1 near barrows or cromlechs1 without any manifestations taking place2 sometimes1 even1 without feeling the presence of the ,unknown1 though these occasions have been rare4 ,at about two o'clock one morning1 when ,i was keeping my vigil beside a barrow in the ,south of ,england1 ,i saw a phenomenon in the shape of a hand--only a hand1 a big1 misty1 luminous blue hand1 with long crooked fingers4 ,i could1 of course1 only speculate as to the owner of the hand1 and ,i must confess that ,i postponed that speculation till ,i was safe and sound1 and bathed in sunshine1 within the doors of my own domicile4 ,hauntings of this type generally occur where excavations have been made1 a barrow broken into1 or a dolmen removed2 the manifestations generally taking the form of phantasms of the dead1 the prehistoric dead4 ,but phenomena that are seen there are1 more often than not1 things that bear little or no resemblance to human beings2 abnormally tall1 thin things with small1 bizarre heads1 round1 rectangular1 or cone-shaped1 sometimes semi- or wholly animal1 and always expressive of the utmost malignity4 ,occasionally1 in fact ,i might say often1 the phenomena are entirely bestial--such1 for example1 as huge1 blue1 or spotted dogs1 shaggy bears1 and monstrous horses4 ,houses1 built on or near the site of such burial-places1 are not infrequently disturbed by strange noises1 and the manifestations1 when materialised1 usually take one or other of these forms4 ,in cases of this kind ,i have found that exorcism has little or no effect2 or1 if any1 it is that the phenomena become even more emphatic4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,complex ,,hauntings ,,and ,,occult ,,bestialities ,what are occult bestialities8 ,are they the spirits of human beings who1 when inhabiting material bodies1 led thoroughly criminal lives2 are they the phantasms of dead beasts--cats and dogs1 etc42 or are they things that were never carnate8 ,i think they may be either one or the other--that any one of these alternatives is admissible4 ,there is a house1 for example1 in a ,london square1 haunted by the apparition of a nude woman with long1 yellow1 curly hair and a pig's face4 ,there is no mistaking the resemblance--eyes1 snout1 mouth1 jaw1 jowls1 all are piggish1 and the appearance of the thing is hideously suggestive of all that is bestial4 ,what1 then1 is it8 ,from the fact that in all probability a very sensuous1 animal-minded woman once lived in the house1 ,i am led to suppose that this may be her phantasm--or--one only of her many phantasms4 ,and in this latter supposition lies much food for reflection4 ,the physical brain1 as we know1 consists of multitudinous cells which we may reasonably take to be the homes of our respective faculties4 ,now1 as each material cell has its representative immaterial inhabitant1 so each immaterial inhabitant has its representative phantasm4 ,thus each representative phantasm1 on the dissolution of the material brain1 would be either earth-bound or promoted to the higher spiritual plane4 ,hence1 one human being may be represented by a score of phantasms1 and it is quite possible for a house to be haunted by many totally different phenomena of the same person4 ,i know1 for instance1 of a house being subjected to the hauntings of a dog1 a sensual-looking priest1 the bloated shape of an indescribable something1 and a ferocious-visaged sailor4 ,it had had1 prior to my investigation1 only one tenant1 a notorious rake and glutton2 no priest or sailor had ever been known to enter the house2 and so ,i concluded the many apparitions were but phantasms of the same person--phantasms of his several1 separate1 and distinct personalities4 ,he had brutal tendencies1 sacerdotal 7not spiritual7 tendencies1 gluttonous1 and nautical tendencies1 and his whole character being dominated by carnal cravings1 on the dissolution of his material body each separate tendency would remain earth-bound1 represented by the phantasm most closely resembling it4 ,i believe this theory may explain many dual hauntings1 and it holds good with regard to the case ,i have quoted1 the case of the apparition with the pig's head4 ,the ghost need not necessarily have been the spirit of a dead woman in toto1 but merely the phantasm of one of her grosser personalities2 her more spiritual personalities1 represented by other phantasms1 having migrated to the higher plane4 ,let me take1 as another example1 the case which ,i personally investigated1 and which interested me deeply4 ,the house was then haunted 7and1 as far as ,i know to the contrary1 is still haunted7 by a blurred figure1 suggestive of something hardly human and extremely nasty1 that bounded up the stairs two steps at a time2 by a big1 malignant eye--only an eye--that appeared in one of the top rooms2 and by a phantasm resembling a lady in distinctly modern costume4 ,the house is old1 and as1 according to tradition1 some crime was committed within its walls many years ago1 the case may really be an instance of separate hauntings--the bounding figure and the eye 7the latter either belonging to the figure or to another phantasm7 being the phantasms of the principal1 or principals1 in the ancient tragedy2 the lady1 either the phantasm of someone who died there comparatively recently1 or of someone still alive1 who consciously1 or unconsciously1 projects her superphysical ego to that spot4 ,on the other hand1 the three different phenomena might be three different phantasms of one person1 that person being either alive or dead--for one can unquestionably1 at times1 project phantasms of one's various personalities before physical dissolution4 ,the question of occult phenomena1 one may thus see1 is far more complex than it would appear to be at first sight1 and naturally so1--the whole of nature being complex from start to finish4 ,just as minerals are not composed of one atom but of countless atoms1 so the human brain is not constituted of one cell but of many2 and as with the material cerebrum1 so with the immaterial--hence the complexity4 ,with regard to the phenomena of superphysical bestialities such as dogs1 bears1 etc41 it is almost impossible to say whether the phantasm would be that of a dead person1 or rather that representing one of some dead person's several personalities--the phantasm of a genuine animal1 of a vagrarian1 or of some other type of elemental4 ,one can only surmise the identity of such phantasms1 after becoming acquainted with the history of the locality in which such manifestations appear4 ,the case to which ,i referred in my previous works1 ,some ,haunted ,houses of ,england and ,wales1 and ,ghostly ,phenomena1 namely1 that of the apparition of a nude man being seen outside an unused burial-ground in ,guilsborough1 ,northamptonshire1 furnishes a good example of alternatives4 ,near to the spot1 at least within two or three hundred yards of it1 was a barrow1 close to which a sacrificial stone had been unearthed2 consequently the phantasm may have been a barrowvian2 and again1 as the locality is much wooded and but thinly populated1 it may have been a vagrarian2 and again1 the burial-ground being in such close proximity1 the apparition may well have been the phantasm of one of the various personalities of a human being interred there4 ,one night1 as ,i was sitting reading alone in an isolated cottage on the ,wicklow hills1 ,i was half-startled out of my senses by hearing a loud1 menacing cry1 half-human and half-animal1 and apparently in mid-air1 directly over my head4 ,i looked up1 and to my horror saw suspended1 a few feet above me1 the face of a ,dalmatian dog--of a long since dead ,dalmatian dog1 with glassy1 expressionless eyes1 and yellow1 gaping jaws4 ,the phenomenon did not last more than half a minute1 and with its abrupt disappearance came a repetition of the cry4 ,what was it8 ,i questioned the owner of the cottage1 and she informed me she had always had the sensation something uncanny walked the place at night1 but had never seen anything4 ,one of my children did1 though1 she added2 ,mike--he was drowned at sea twelve months ago4 ,before he became a sailor he lived with me here1 and often used to see a dog--a big1 spotted cratur1 like what we called a plum-pudding dog4 ,it was a nasty1 unwholesome-looking thing1 he used to tell me1 and would run round and round his room--the room where you sleep--at night4 ,though a bold enough lad as a rule1 the thing always scared him2 and he used to come and tell me about it1 with a face as white as linen--',mother6' he would say1 ',i saw the spotted cratur again in the night1 and ,i couldn't get as much as a wink of sleep4' ,he would sometimes throw a boot at it1 and always with the same result--the boot would go right through it4 ,she then told me that a former tenant of the house1 who had borne an evil reputation in the village--the peasants unanimously declaring she was a witch--had died1 so it was said1 in my room4 ,but1 of course1 she added1 it wasn't her ghost that ,mike saw4 ,here ,i disagreed with her4 ,however1 if she could not come to any conclusion1 neither could ,i2 for though1 of course1 the dog may have been the earth-bound spirit of some particularly carnal-minded occupant of the cottage--or1 in other words1 a phantasm representing one of that carnal-minded person's several personalities1--it may have been the phantasm of a vagrarian1 of a barrowvian1 or1 of some other kind of elemental1 attracted to the spot by its extreme loneliness1 and the presence there1 unsuspected by man1 of some ancient remains1 either human or animal4 ,occult dogs are very often of a luminous1 semi-transparent bluish-grey--a bluish-grey that is common to many other kinds of superphysical phenomena1 but which ,i have never seen in the physical world4 ,i have heard of several houses in ,westmoreland and ,devon1 always in the vicinity of ancient burial-places1 being haunted by blue dogs1 and sometimes by blue dogs without heads4 ,indeed1 headless apparitions of all sorts are by no means uncommon4 ,a lady1 who is well known to me1 had a very unpleasant experience in a house in ,norfolk1 where she was awakened one night by a scratching on her window-pane1 which was some distance from the ground1 and1 on getting out of bed to see what was there1 perceived the huge form of a shaggy dog1 without a head1 pressed against the glass4 ,fortunately for my informant1 the manifestation was brief4 ,the height of the window from the ground quite precluded the possibility of the apparition being any natural dog1 and my friend was subsequently informed that what she had seen was one of the many headless phantasms that haunted the house4 ,of course1 it does not follow that because one does not actually see a head1 a head is not objectively there--it may be very much there1 only not materialised4 ,a story of one of these seemingly headless apparitions was once told me by a ,mrs ,forbes du ,barry whom ,i met at ,lady ,d4's house in ,eaton ,square4 ,i remember the at-home to which ,i refer1 particularly well1 as the entertainment on that occasion was entirely entrusted to ,miss ,lilian ,north1 who as a reciter and raconteur is1 in my opinion1 as far superior to any other reciter and raconteur as the stars are superior to the earth4 ,those who have not heard her stories1 have not listened to her eloquent voice--that appeals not merely to the heart1 but to the soul--are to be pitied4 ,but there--,i am digressing4 ,let me proceed4 ,it was1 ,i repeat1 on the soul-inspiring occasion above mentioned that ,i was introduced to ,mrs ,forbes du ,barry1 who must be held responsible for the following story4 ,i was reading one of your books the other day1 ,mr ,o',donnell1 she began1 and some of your experiences remind me of one of my own--one that occurred to me many years ago1 when ,i was living in ,worthing1 in the old part of the town1 not far from where the ,public ,library now stands4 ,directly after we had taken the house1 my husband was ordered to ,india4 ,however1 he did not expect to be away for long1 so1 as ,i was not in very good health just then1 ,i did not go with him1 but remained with my little boy1 ,philip1 in ,worthing4 ,besides ,philip and myself1 my household only consisted of a nursery-governess1 cook1 housemaid1 and kitchen-maid4 ,the hauntings began before we had been in our new quarters many days4 ,we all heard strange noises1 scratchings1 and whinings1 and the servants complained that often1 when they were at meals1 something they could not see1 but which they could swear was a dog1 came sniffing round them1 jumping up and placing its invisible paws on their lap4 ,often1 too1 when they were in bed the same thing entered their room1 they said1 and jumped on the top of them4 ,they were all very much frightened1 and declared that if the hauntings continued they would not be able to stay in the house4 ,of course1 ,i endeavoured to laugh away their fears1 but the latter were far too deeply rooted1 and ,i myself1 apart from the noises ,i had heard1 could not help feeling that there was some strangely unpleasant influence in the house4 ,the climax was brought about by ,philip4 ,one afternoon1 hearing him cry very loudly in the nursery1 ,i ran upstairs to see what was the matter4 ,on the landing outside the nursery ,i narrowly avoided a collision with the governess1 who came tearing out of the room1 her eyes half out of her head with terror1 and her cheeks white as a sheet4 ,she said nothing--and indeed her silence was far more impressive than words--but1 rushing past me1 flung herself downstairs1 half a dozen steps at a time1 and ran into the garden4 ,in an agony of fear--for ,i dreaded to think what had happened--,i burst into the nursery1 and found ,philip standing on the bed1 frantically beating the air with his hands4 ',take it away--oh1 take it away6' he cried2 'it is a horrid dog2 it has no head6' ,then1 seeing me1 he sprang down and1 racing up to me1 leaped into my open arms4 ,as he did so1 something darted past and disappeared through the open doorway4 ,it was a huge greyhound without a head6 ,i left the house the next day--,i was fortunately able to sublet it--and went to ,bournemouth4 ,but1 do you know1 ,mr ,o',donnell1 that dog followed us6 ,wherever we went it went too1 nor did it ever leave ,philip till his death1 which took place in ,egypt on his twenty-first birthday4 ,now1 what do you think of that8 ,i think1 ,i replied1 that the phantasm was very probably that of a real dog1 and that it became genuinely attached to your son4 ,i do not think it was headless1 but that1 for some reason unknown for the present1 its head never materialised4 ,what was the history of the house8 ,it had no history as far as ,i could gather1 ,mrs ,forbes du ,barry said4 ,a lady once lived there who was devoted to dogs1 but no one thinks she ever had a greyhound4 ,then1 ,i replied thoughtfully1 it is just possible that the headless dog was the phantasm of the lady herself1 or1 at least1 of one of her personalities6 ,mrs du ,barry appeared somewhat shocked1 and ,i adroitly changed the conversation4 ,however1 ,i should not be at all surprised if this were the case4 ,the improbability of any ancient remains being interred under or near the house1 precludes the idea of barrowvians1 whilst the thickly populated nature of the neighbourhood and the entire absence of loneliness1 renders the possibility of vagrarians equally unlikely4 ,that being so1 one only has to consider the possibility of its being a vice elemental attracted to the house by the vicious lives and thoughts of some former occupant1 and ,i am1 after all1 inclined to favour the theory that the phantasm was the phantasm of the old dog-loving lady herself1 attaching itself in true canine fashion to the child ,philip4 ,the most popular animal form amongst spirits--the form assumed by them more often than any other--is undoubtedly the dog4 ,i hear of the occult dog more often than of any other occult beast1 and in many places there is yet a firm belief that the souls of the wicked are chained to this earth in the shape of monstrous dogs4 ,according to ,mr ,dyer1 in his ,ghost ,world1 a man who hanged himself at ,broomfield1 near ,salisbury1 manifested himself in the guise of a huge black dog2 whilst the ,lady ,howard of ,james ,i4's reign1 for her many misdeeds1 not the least of which was getting rid of her husbands1 was1 on her death1 transformed into a hound and compelled to run every night1 between midnight and cock-crow1 from the gateway of ,fitzford1 her former residence1 to ,oakhampton ,park1 and bring back to the place1 from whence she started1 a blade of grass in her mouth2 and this penance she is doomed to continue till every blade of grass is removed from the park1 which feat she will not be able to effect till the end of the world4 ,mr ,dyer also goes on to say that in the hamlet of ,dean ,combe1 ,devon1 there once lived a weaver of great fame and skill1 who the day after his death was seen sitting working away at the loom as usual4 ,a parson was promptly fetched1 and the following conversation took place4 ,knowles6 the parson commanded 7not without1 ,i shrewdly suspect1 some fear71 come down6 ,this is no place for thee6 ,i will6 said the weaver1 as soon as ,i have worked out my quill4 ,nay1 said the vicar1 thou hast been long enough at thy work2 come down at once4 ,the spirit then descended1 and1 on being pelted with earth and thrown on the ground by the parson1 was converted into a black hound1 which apparently was its ultimate shape4 ,some years ago1 ,mr ,dyer says1 there was an accident in a ,cornish mine whereby several men lost their lives1 and1 rather than that their relatives should be shocked at the sight of their mangled remains1 some bystander1 with all the best intentions in the world1 threw the bodies into a fire1 with the result that the mine has ever since been haunted by a troop of little black dogs4 ,according to the ,book of ,days1 ii4 p4 #dcc1 there is a widespread belief in most parts of ,england in a spectral dog1 large1 shaggy1 and black1 but not confined to any one particular species4 ,this phantasm is believed to haunt localities that have witnessed crimes1 and also to foretell catastrophes4 ,the ,lancashire people1 according to ,harland and ,wilkinson in their ,lancashire ,folk-lore1 call it the stuker and trash3 the latter name being given it on account of its heavy1 slopping walk2 and the former appellation from its curious screech1 which is a sure indication of some approaching death or calamity4 ,to the peasantry of ,norfolk and ,cambridgeshire it is known as the shuck1 an apparition that haunts churchyards and other lonely places4 ,in the ,isle of ,man a similar kind of phantasm1 called the ,mauthe dog1 was said to walk ,peel ,castle2 whilst many of the ,welsh lanes--particularly that leading from ,mowsiad to ,lisworney ,crossways--are1 according to ,wirt ,sikes' ,british ,goblins1 haunted by the gwyllgi1 a big black dog of the most terrifying aspect4 ,cases of hauntings by packs of spectral hounds have from time to time been reported from all parts of the ,united ,kingdom2 but mostly from ,northumberland1 ,yorkshire1 ,lancashire1 ,cumberland1 ,wales1 ,devon1 and ,cornwall4 ,in the northern districts they are designated ,gabriel's hounds2 in ,devon1 the ,wisk1 ,yesk1 or ,heath hounds2 in ,wales1 the ,cwn ,annwn or ,cwn y ,wybr 7see ,dyer's ,ghost ,world72 and in ,cornwall1 the devil and his dandy dogs4 ,my own experiences fully coincide with the traditional belief that the dog is a very common form of spirit phenomena2 but ,i can only repeat 7the same remark applying to other animal manifestations71 that it is impossible to decide with any degree of certainty to what category of phantasms1 in addition to the general order of occult bestialities1 the dog belongs4 ,it seems quite permissible to think that the spirits of ladies1 with an absorbing mania for canine pets1 should be eventually earth-bound in the form of dogs--a fate which many of the fair sex have assured me would be absolutely divine1 and far preferable to the orthodox heaven4 ,i cannot see why the shape of a dog should be appropriated by the less desirable denizens of the occult world4 ,but1 that it is so1 there is no room to doubt1 as the following illustration shows4 ,as soon as the trial of the infamous slaughterer ,x---- was over1 and the verdict of death generally known1 a deep sigh of relief was heaved by the whole of civilisation--saving1 of course1 those pseudo-humanitarians who always pity murderers and women-beaters1 and who1 if the law was at all sensible and just1 should be hanged with their bestial protgs4 ,from all classes of men1 ,i repeat1 with the exception of those pernicious cranks1 were heard the ejaculations3 ,well6 he's settled4 ,what a good thing6 ,i am glad6 ,the world will be well rid of him6 ,then ,i smiled4 ,the world well rid of him6 ,would it be rid of him8 ,not if ,i knew anything about occult phenomena4 ,indeed1 the career on earth for such an epicure in murder as ,x---- had only just begun2 in fact1 it could hardly be said to begin till physical dissolution4 ,the last drop--that six feet or so plunge between grim scaffolding--might in the case of some criminals1 mere tyros at the trade1 terminate for good their connection with this material plane2 but not1 decidedly not1 in the case of this bosom comrade of vice elementals4 ,from both a psychological and superphysical point of view the case had interested me from the first4 ,i had been anxious to see the man1 for ,i felt sure1 even if he did not display any of the ordinary physiognomical danger signals observable in many bestial criminals1 there would nevertheless be a something about or around him1 that would immediately warn as keen a student of the occult as myself of his close association with the lowest order of phantasms4 ,i was not1 however1 permitted an interview1 and so had to base my deductions upon the descriptions of him given me1 first hand1 by two experts in psychology1 and upon photographs4 ,in the latter ,i recognised--though not with the readiness ,i should have done in the photo's living prototype--the presence of the unknown brain1 the grey1 silent1 stealthy1 ever-watchful1 ever-lurking occult brain4 ,as ,i gazed at his picture1 as in a crystal1 it faded away1 and ,i saw the material man sitting alone in his study before a glowing fire4 ,from out of him there crept a shadow1 the shadow of something big1 bloated1 and crawling4 ,i could distinguish nothing further4 ,on reaching the door it paused1 and ,i felt it was eyeing him--or rather his material body--anxiously4 ,perhaps it feared lest some other shadow1 equally baleful1 equally sly and subtle1 would usurp its home4 ,its hesitation was1 however1 but momentary1 and1 passing through the door1 it glided across the dimly lighted hall and out into the freedom of the open air4 ,picture succeeding picture with great rapidity1 ,i followed it as it curled and fawned over the tombstones in more than one churchyard2 moved with a peculiar waddling motion through foul alleys1 halting wherever the garbage lay thickest1 rubbed itself caressingly on the gory floors of slaughter-houses1 and finally entered a dark1 empty house in a road that1 if not the ,euston ,road1 was a road in every way resembling it4 ,the atmosphere of the place was so suggestive of murder that my soul sickened within me2 and so much so1 in fact1 that when ,i saw several grisly forms gliding down the gloomy staircases and along the sombre1 narrow passages1 where ,x----'s immaterial personality was halting1 apparently to greet it1 ,i could look no longer1 but shut my eyes4 ,for some seconds ,i kept them closed1 and1 on re-opening them1 found the tableau had changed--the material body before the fire was re-animated1 and in the depths of the bleared1 protruding eyes ,i saw the creeping1 crawling1 waddling1 enigmatical shadow vibrating with murder4 ,again the scene changed1 and ,i saw the physical man standing in the middle of a bedroom1 listening--listening with blanched face and slightly open mouth1 a steely glimmer of the superphysical1 of the malignant1 devilish superphysical1 in his dilated pupils4 ,what he is anticipating ,i cannot say1 ,i dare not think--unless--unless the repetition of a scream2 and it comes--,i cannot hear it1 but ,i can feel it1 feel the reverberation through the crime-kissed walls and vicious1 tainted atmosphere4 ,something is at the door--it presses against it2 ,i can catch a glimpse of its head1 its face2 my blood freezes--it is horrible4 ,it enters the room1 grey and silent--it lays one hand on the man's sleeve and drags him forward4 ,he ascends to the room above1 and1 with all the brutality of those accustomed to the dead and dying1 drags the---- ,but ,i will not go on4 ,the grey unknown1 the occult something1 sternly issues its directions1 and the merely physical obeys them4 ,it is all over2 the plot of the vice elementals has triumphed1 and as they gleefully step away1 one by one1 patting their material comrade on the shoulder1 the darkness1 the hellish darkness of that infamous night lightens1 and in through the windows steal the cold grey beams of early morning4 ,i am assured2 ,i have had enough2 ,i pitch the photograph into the grate4 ,the evening comes--the evening after the execution4 ,a feeling of the greatest1 the most unenviable curiosity urges me to go1 to see if what ,i surmise1 will actually happen4 ,i leave ,gipsy ,hill by an early afternoon train1 ,i spend a few hours at a literary club1 ,i dine at a quiet--an eminently quiet--restaurant in ,oxford ,street1 and at eleven o'clock ,i am standing near a spot which ,i believe--,i have no positive proof--,i merely believe1 was frequented by ,x----4 ,it is more than twelve hours since he was executed2 will anything--will the shape1 the personality1 ,i anticipate--come8 ,the night air grows colder2 ,i shrink deeper and deeper into the folds of my overcoat1 and wish--devoutly wish--myself back again by my fireside4 ,the minutes glide by slowly4 ,the streets are very silent now4 ,with the exception of an occasional toot-toot from a taxi and the shrill whistle of a goods train1 no other sounds are to be heard4 ,it is the hour when nearly all material ,london sleeps and the streets are monopolised by shadows1 interspersed with something rather more substantial--namely1 policemen4 ,a few yards away from me there slips by a man in a blue serge suit2 and then1 tip-toeing surreptitiously behind him1 with one hand in his trousers-pocket and the other carrying a suspicious-looking black bag1 comes a white-faced young man1 dressed in shabby imitation of a ,west ,end swell2 an ill-fitting frock-coat1 which1 even in the uncertain flicker of the gas-lamps1 pronounces itself to be ready made1 and the typical shopwalker's silk hat worn slightly on one side4 ,whether this night bird goes through life on tiptoe1 as many people do1 or whether he only adopts that fashion on this particular occasion1 is a conundrum1 not without interest to students of character to whom a man's walk denotes much4 ,for a long time the street is deserted1 and then a bedraggled figure in a shawl1 with a big paper parcel under her arm1 shuffles noiselessly by and disappears down an adjacent turning4 ,then there is another long interval1 interrupted by a pretentious clock sonorously sounding two4 ,a feeling of drowsiness creeps over me2 my eyelids droop4 ,i begin to lose cognisance of my surroundings and to imagine myself in some far-away place1 when ,i am recalled sharply to myself by an intensely cold current of air4 ,intuitively ,i recognise the superphysical2 it is the same species of cold which invariably heralds its approach4 ,i have been right in my surmises after all2 this spot is destined to be haunted4 ,my eyes are wide enough open now1 and every nerve in my body tingles with the keenest expectation4 ,something is coming1 and1 if that something is not the phantasm of him whom ,i believe is earthbound1 whose phantasm is it8 ,there is a slight noise of scratching from somewhere close beside me4 ,it might have been the wind rustling the leaves against the masonry1 or it might have been--,i look round and see nothing4 ,the sound is repeated and with the same result--,,nothing6 ,a third time ,i heard it1 and then from the dark road on one side of me there waddles--,i recognise the waddling at once--a shadow that1 gradually becoming a little more distinct1 develops into the rather blurry form of a dog--a gaunt1 hungry-looking mongrel4 ,in a few seconds it stops short and looks at me with big swollen eyes that glitter with a something that is not actually bestial or savage1 something strange yet not altogether strange1 something enigmatic yet not entirely enigmatic4 ,i am nonplussed2 it was1 and yet it was not1 what ,i expected4 ,with restless1 ambling steps it slinks past me1 disappearing through the closed gate by my side4 ,then satisfied1 yet vaguely puzzled1 ,i come away1 wondering1 wondering--wondering why on earth dogs should thus be desecrated4 ,contrary to what one would imagine to be the case from the close association of cats with witches and magic1 phantasms in a feline form are comparatively rare1 and their appearance is seldom1 if ever1 as repulsive as that of the occult dog4 ,i have seen phantasm cats several times1 but1 though they have been abnormally large and alarming1 only once--and ,i am anxious to forget that time--were they anything like as offensive as many of the ghostly dogs that have manifested themselves to me4 ,in my ,haunted ,houses of ,england and ,wales ,i have given an instance of dual haunting1 in which one of the phenomena was a big black cat with a fiendish expression in its eyes1 but otherwise normal2 and1 propos of cats1 there now comes back to me a story ,i was once told in the ,far ,west--the ,golden ,state of ,california4 ,i was on my way back to ,england1 after a short but somewhat bitter absence1 and ,i was staying for the night at a small hotel in ,san ,francisco4 ,the man who related the anecdote was an ,australian1 born and bred1 on his way home to his native land after many years' sojourn in ,texas4 ,i was sitting on the sofa in the smoke-room reading1 when he threw himself down in a chair opposite me and we gradually got into conversation4 ,it was late when we began talking1 and the other visitors1 one by one1 yawned1 rose1 and withdrew to their bedrooms1 until we found ourselves alone--absolutely alone4 ,the night was unusually dark and silent4 ,leaning over the little tile-covered table at which we sat1 the stranger suddenly said3 ,do you see anything by me8 ,look hard4 ,much surprised at his request1 for ,i confess that up to then ,i had taken him for a very ordinary kind of person1 ,i looked1 and1 to my infinite astonishment and awe1 saw1 floating in mid-air1 about two yards from him1 and on a level with his chair1 the shadowy outlines of what looked like an enormous cat--a cat with very little hair and unpleasant eyes--decidedly unpleasant eyes4 ,my flesh crawled6 ,well8 said the stranger--who1 by-the-by1 had called himself ,gallaher1--in very anxious tones1 ,well--you don't seem in a hurry1 nor yet particularly pleased--what is it8 ,a cat6 ,i gasped4 ,a cat--and a cat in mid-air6 ,the stranger swore4 ,d---- it6 he cried1 dashing his fist on the table with such force that the match-box flew a dozen or so feet up the room--,cuss6 the infernal thing6 ,i guessed it was near me1 ,i could feel its icy breath6 ,he glanced sharply round as he spoke1 and hurled his tobacco pouch at the shape4 ,it passed right through it and fell with a soft squash on the ground4 ,gallaher picked it up with an oath4 ,i will tell you the history of that cat1 he went on1 as he resumed his seat1 and a d----d queer history it is4 ,pouring himself out a bumper of whisky and refilling his pipe1 he cleared his throat and began3 ,as a boy ,i always hated cats--,god knows why--but the sight of a cat made me sick4 ,i could not stand their soft1 sleek fur2 nor their silly1 senseless faces2 nor their smell--the smell of their skins1 which most people don't seem able to detect4 ,i could1 however2 ,i could recognise that d----d scent a mile off1 and could always tell1 without seeing it1 when there was a cat in the house4 ,if any of the boys at school wanted to play me a trick they let loose half a dozen mangy tabbies in our yard1 or sent me a hideous ',tom' trussed up like a fowl in a hamper1 or made cats' noises in the dead of night under my window4 ,everyone in the village1 from the baker to the bone-setter1 knew of my hatred of cats1 and1 consequently1 ,i had many enemies--chiefly amongst the old ladies4 ,i must tell you1 however1 much as ,i loathed and abominated cats1 ,i never killed one4 ,i threw stones and sticks at them2 ,i emptied jugs1 and cans1 and many pails of water on them2 ,i pelted them with turnips2 ,i hurled cushions1 bolsters1 pillows1 anything ,i could first lay my hands on1 at them2 and--here he cast a furtive look at the shadow--,i have pinched and trodden on their tails2 but ,i have never killed one4 ,when ,i grew up1 my attitude towards them remained the same1 and wherever ,i went ,i won the reputation for being the inveterate1 the most poignantly inveterate1 enemy of cats4 ,when ,i was about twenty-five1 ,i settled in a part of ,texas where there were no cats4 ,it was on a ranch in the upper valley of the ,colorado4 ,i was cattle ranching1 and having had a pretty shrewd knowledge of the business before ,i left home1 ,i soon made headway1 and--between ourselves1 mate1 for there are mighty 'tough uns' in these town hotels--a good pile of dollars4 ,i never had any of the adventures that befall most men out ,west1 never but once1 and ,i am coming to that right away4 ,i had been selling some hundred head of cattle and about the same number of hogs1 at a town some twenty or so miles from my ranch1 and feeling ,i would like a bit of excitement1 after so many months of monotony--the monotony of the desert life--,i turned into the theatre--a wooden shanty--where a company of touring players1 mostly ,yankees1 were performing4 ,sitting next to me was a fellow who speedily got into conversation with me and assured me he was an ,australian4 ,i did not believe him1 for he had not the cut of an ,australian1--until he mentioned one or two of the streets ,i knew in ,adelaide1 and that settled me4 ,we drank to each other's health straight away1 and he invited me to supper at his hotel4 ,i accepted2 and as soon as the performance was over1 and we had exchanged greetings with some half-dozen of the performers1 in whisky1 he slipped his arm through mine and we strolled off together4 ,of course it was very foolish of me1 seeing that ,i had a belt full of money2 but then ,i had not had an outing for a long time1 and ,i thirsted for adventure as ,i thirsted for whisky1 and ,god alone knows how much of ,,that ,i had already drunk4 ,we arrived at the hotel4 ,it was a poor-looking place in a sinister neighbourhood1 abounding with evil-eyed ,dagos and cut-throats of all kinds4 ,still ,i was young and strong1 and well armed1 for ,i never left home in those days without a six-shooter4 ,my companion escorted me into a low room in the rear of the premises1 smelling villainously of foul tobacco and equally foul alcohol4 ,some half-cooked slices of bacon and suspicious-looking fried eggs were placed before us1 which1 with huge hunks of bread and a bottle of very much belabelled--too much belabelled--,highland whisky1 completed the repast4 ,but it was too unsavoury even for my companion1 whose hungry eyes and lantern jaws proclaimed he had a ravenous appetite4 ,however1 he ate the bacon and ,i the bread2 the eggs we emptied into a flower-pot4 ,the supper--the supper of which he had led me to think so much--over1 we filled our glasses1 or at least he poured out for both1 for his hands were steadier--even in my condition of semi-intoxication ,i noticed they were steadier--than mine4 ,then he brought me a cigar and took me to his bedroom1 a bare1 grimy apartment overhead4 ,there was no furniture1 saving a bed showing unmistakable signs that someone had been lying on it in dirty boots1 a small rectangular deal table1 and one chair4 ,in a stupefied condition ,i was hesitating which of the alternatives to choose--the chair or the table1 for1 oddly enough1 ,i never thought of the bed1 when my host settled the question by leading me forcibly forward and flinging me down on the mattress4 ,he then took a wooden wedge out of his pocket1 and1 going to the door1 thrust it in the crack1 giving the handle a violent tug to see whether the door stood the test4 ',there now1 mate1' he said with a grin--a grin that seemed to suggest something my tipsy brain could not grasp1 ',i have just shut us in snug and secure so that we can chat away without fear of interruption4 ,let us drink to a comfortable night's sleep4 ,you will sleep sound enough here1 ,i can tell you6' ,he handed me a glass as he spoke4 ',drink6' he said with a leer4 ',you are not half an ,australian if you cannot hold that6 ,see6' and pouring himself out a tumbler of spirits and water he was about to gulp it down1 when ,i uttered an ejaculation of horror4 ,the light from the single gas jet over his head1 falling on his face as he lifted it up to drink the whisky1 revealed in his wide open1 protruding pupils1 the reflection of a cat--,i can swear it was a cat4 ,instantly my intoxication evaporated and ,i scented danger4 ,how was it ,i had not noticed before that the man was a typical ruffian--a regular street-corner loiterer1 waiting1 hawklike1 to pounce upon and fleece the first well-to-do looking stranger he saw4 ,of course ,i saw it all now like a flash of lightning3 he had seen me about the town during the earlier part of the day1 had found out ,i was there on business1 that ,i was an ,australian1 and one or two other things--it is surprising how soon one's affairs get mooted in a small town1--and guessing ,i had the receipts of my sales on my person1 had decided to rob me4 ,accordingly1 with this end in view1 he had followed me into the theatre1 and1 securing the seat next me1 had broken the ice by pretending he was an ,australian4 ,he had then plied me with drink and brought me1 already more than half drunk1 to this cut-throat den4 ,and ,i owed the discovery to a cat6 ,my first thought was to feel for my revolver4 ,i did1 and found it was--gone4 ,my hopes sank to zero2 for though ,i might have been more than a match for the wiry framed stranger had we both been unarmed1 ,i had not the slightest chance with him were he armed1 as he undoubtedly was1 with my revolver as well as his own4 ,though it takes some time to explain this1 it all passed through my mind in a few seconds--before he had finished drinking4 ',now1 mate6' he said1 putting down his glass1 the first ,,whole glass even of whisky and water he had taken that night1 'that's my share1 now for yours4' ',wait a bit6' ,i stammered1 pretending to hiccough1 'wait a bit4 ,i don't feel that ,i can drink any more just yet6 ,maybe ,i will in a few minutes4' ,we sat down1 and ,i saw protruding from his hip pocket the butt end of a revolver4 ,if only ,i could get it6 ,determined to try1 ,i edged slightly towards him4 ,he immediately drew away1 a curious1 furtive1 bestial smile lurking in the corner of his lips4 ,i casually repeated the manoeuvre1 and he just as casually repeated his4 ,then ,i glanced at the window--the door ,i knew was hopeless1--and it was iron barred4 ,i gazed again at the man1 and his eyes grinned evilly as they met mine4 ,without a doubt he meant to murder me4 ,the ghastliness of my position stunned me4 ,even if ,i shrieked for help1 who would hear me save desperadoes1 in all probability every whit as ready as my companion to kill me4 ,a hideous stupor now began to assert itself1 and as ,i strained to keep my lids from closing1 ,i watched with a thrill of terror a fiendish look of expectancy creep into the white1 gleaming face of the stranger4 ,i realised1 only too acutely1 that he was waiting for me to fall asleep so as the more conveniently to rob and murder me4 ,the man was a murderer by instinct--his whole air suggested it--his very breath was impregnated with the sickly desire to kill4 ,physically1 he was the ideal assassin4 ,it was strange that ,i had not observed it before2 but in this light1 this yellow1 piercing glare1 all the criminality of his features was revealed with damning clearness3 the high cheek-bones1 the light1 protruding eyes1 the abnormally developed forehead and temporal regions1 the small1 weak chin1 the grossly irregular teeth1 the poisonous breath1 the club-shaped finger-tips and thick palms4 ,where could one find a greater combination of typically criminal characteristics8 ,the man was made for destroying his fellow creatures4 ,when would he begin his job and how8 ,i am not narrow minded1 ,i can recognise merit even in my enemies2 and though ,i was so soon to be his victim1 ,i could not but admire the thoroughly professional manner1 indicative of past mastership1 with which he set about his business4 ,so far all his plans1 generated with meteor-like quickness1 had been successful2 he was now showing how devoted he was to his vocation1 and how richly he appreciated the situation1 by abandoning himself to a short period of greedy1 voluptuous anticipation1 fully expressed in his staring eyes and thinly lipped mouth1 before experiencing the delicious sensation of slitting my windpipe and dismembering me4 ,my drowsiness1 which ,i verily believe was in a great measure due to the peculiar fascination he had for me1 steadily increased1 and it was only with the most desperate efforts1 egged on by the knowledge that my very existence depended on it1 that ,i could keep my eyelids from actually coming together and sticking fast4 ,at last they closed so nearly as to deceive my companion1 who1 rising stealthily to his feet1 showed his teeth in a broad grin of satisfaction1 and whipping from his coat pocket a glittering1 horn-handled knife1 ran his dirty1 spatulate thumb over the blade to see if it was sharp4 ,grinning still more1 he now tiptoed to the window1 pulled the blind as far down as it would go1 and1 after placing his ear against the panel of the door to make sure no one was about1 gaily spat on his palms1 and1 with a soft1 sardonic chuckle1 crept slowly towards me4 ,had he advanced with a war-whoop it would have made little or no difference--the man and his atmosphere paralysed me--,i was held in the chair by iron bonds that swathed themselves round hands1 and feet1 and tongue4 ,i could neither stir nor utter a sound1--only look1 look with all the pent-up agonies of my soul through my burning1 quivering eye-lashes4 ,a yard1 a foot1 an inch1 and the perspiring fingers of his left hand dexterously loosened the gaudy coloured scarf that hid my throat4 ,a second later and ,i felt them smartly transferred to my long1 curly hair4 ,they tightened1 and my neck was on the very verge of being jerked back1 when between my quivering eyelids ,i saw on the sheeny surface of his bulging eye-balls1--the cat--the damnable1 hated cat4 ,the effect was magical4 ,a wave of the most terrific1 the most ungovernable fury surged through me4 ,i struck out blindly1 and one of my fists alighting on the would-be murderer's face made him stagger back and drop the knife4 ,in an instant the weapon was mine1 and ere he could draw his six-shooter--for the suddenness of the encounter and my blow had considerably dazed him--,i had hurled myself upon him1 and brought him to the ground4 ,the force with which ,i had thrown him1 together with my blow1 had stunned him1 and ,i would have left him in that condition had it not been for the cat--the accursed cat--that1 peeping up at me from every particle of his prostrate body1 egged me on to kill him4 ,my intense admiration for his genius now manifested itself in the way in which ,i imitated all his movements1 from the visit to the door and window1 to the spitting on his palms2 and with a grin--the nearest counterpart that ,i could get1 after prodigious efforts1 to the one that so fascinated me--,i approached his recumbent figure1 and1 bending over it1 removed his neckerchief4 ,i sat and admired the gently throbbing whiteness of his throat for some seconds1 and then1 with a volley of execrations at the cat1 commenced my novel and by no means uninteresting work4 ,i am afraid ,i bungled it sadly1 for ,i was disturbed when in the midst of it1 by the sound of scratching1 the violent and frantic scratching1 of some animal on the upper panels of the door4 ,the sound flustered me1 and1 my hand shaking in consequence1 ,i did not make such a neat job of it as ,i should have liked4 ,however1 ,i did my best1 and at all events ,i killed him2 and ,i enjoyed the supreme satisfaction of knowing that ,i had killed him--killed the cat4 ,but my joy was of short duration1 and ,i now bitterly regret my rash deed4 ,wherever ,i go in the daytime1 the shadowy figure of the cat accompanies me1 and at night1 crouching on my bedclothes1 it watches--watches me with the expression in its eyes and mouth of my would-be murderer on that memorable night4 ,as he concluded1 for an instant1 only for an instant1 the shadow by his side grew clearer1 and ,i saw the cat1 saw it watching him with murder1 ghastly murder lurking in its eyes4 ,i struck a match1 and1 as ,i had anticipated1 the phenomenon vanished4 ,it will return1 the ,australian said gloomily2 it always does4 ,i shall never get rid of it6 ,and as ,i fully concurred with this statement1 and had no suggestions to offer1 ,i thanked him for his story1 and wished him good night4 ,but ,i did not leave him alone4 ,he still had his cat4 ,i saw it return to him as ,i passed through the doorway4 ,of course1 ,i had no means of verifying his story2 it might have been true1 or it might not4 ,but there was the cat6--thoroughly objective and as perfect a specimen of a feline1 occult bestiality as ,i have ever seen or wish to see again4 ,that a spirit should appear in the form of a pig need not seem remarkable when we remember that those who live foul lives1 i4e4 the sensual and greedy1 must1 after death1 assume the shape that is most appropriate to them2 indeed1 in these circumstances1 one might rather be surprised that a phantasm in the shape of a hog is not a more frequent occurrence4 ,there are numerous instances of hauntings by phenomena of this kind1 in some cases the phantasms being wholly animal1 and in other cases semi-animal4 ,what ,i have said with regard to the phantasms of dogs--namely1 the difficulty1 practically the impossibility1 of deciding whether the manifestation is due to an elemental or to a spirit of the dead--holds good in the case of pig as well as every other kind of bestial phenomenon4 ,the phantasm in the shape of a horse ,i am inclined to attribute to the once actually material horse and not to elementals4 ,with regard to phantom birds--and there are innumerable cases of occult bird phenomena--,i fancy it is otherwise1 and that the majority of bird hauntings are caused either by the spirits of dead people1 or by vicious forms of elementals4 ,though one hears of few cases of occult bestialities in the shape of tigers1 lions1 or any other wild animal--saving bears and wolves1 phantasms of which appear to be common--,i nevertheless believe1 from hearsay evidence1 that they are to be met with in certain of the jungles and deserts in the ,east1 and that for the most part they are the phantasms of the dead animals themselves1 still hankering to be cruel--still hankering to kill4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,vampires1 ,,were-,,wolves1 ,,fox-,,women1 ,,etc4 ,vampires ,according to a work by ,jos4 ,ennemoser1 entitled ,the ,phantom ,world1 ,hungary was at one time full of vampires4 ,between the river ,theiss and ,transylvania1 were 7and still are1 ,i believe7 a people called ,heyducs1 who were much pestered with this particularly noxious kind of phantasm4 ,about #agcb1 a ,heyduc called ,arnauld ,paul was crushed to death by a waggon4 ,thirty days after his burial a great number of people began to die1 and it was then remembered that ,paul had said he was tormented by a vampire4 ,a consultation was held and it was decided to exhume him4 ,on digging up his body1 it was found to be red all over and literally bursting with blood1 some of which had forced a passage out and wetted his winding sheet4 ,moreover1 his hair1 nails1 and beard had grown considerably4 ,these being sure signs that the corpse was possessed by a vampire1 the local bailie was fetched and the usual proceedings for the expulsion of the undesirable phantasm began4 ,a stake1 sharply pointed at one end1 was handed to the bailie1 who1 raising it above his head1 drove it with all his might into the heart of the corpse4 ,there then issued from the body the most fearful screams1 whereupon it was at once thrown into a fire that had been specially prepared for it1 and burned to ashes4 ,but1 though this was the end of that particular vampire1 it was by no means the end of the hauntings2 for the deaths1 far from decreasing in number1 continued in rapid succession1 and no less than seventeen people in the village died within a period of three months4 ,the question now arose as to which of the other bodies in the cemetery were possessed1 it being very evident that more than one vampire lay buried there4 ,whilst the matter was at the height of discussion1 the solution to the problem was brought about thus4 ,a girl1 of the name of ,stanoska1 awoke in the middle of the night1 uttering the most heartrending screams1 and declaring that the son of a man called ,millo 7who had been dead nine weeks7 had nearly strangled her4 ,a rush was at once made to the cemetery1 and a general disinterment taking place1 seventeen out of the forty corpses 7including that of the son of ,millo7 showed unmistakable signs of vampirism4 ,they were all treated according to the mode described1 and their ashes cast into the adjacent river4 ,a committee of inquiry concluded that the spread of vampirism had been due to the eating of certain cattle1 of which ,paul had been the first to partake4 ,the disturbances ceased with the death of the girl and the destruction of her body1 and the full account of the hauntings1 attested to by officers of the local garrison1 the chief surgeons1 and most influential of the inhabitants of the district1 was sent to the ,imperial ,council of ,war at ,venice1 which caused a strict inquiry to be made into the matter1 and were subsequently1 according to ,ennemoser1 satisfied that all was bona fide4 ,in another work1 ,a ,history of ,magic1 ,ennemoser also refers to a case in the village of ,kisilova1 in ,hungary1 where the body of an old man1 three days after his death1 appeared to his son on two consecutive nights1 demanding something to eat1 and1 being given some meat1 ate it ravenously4 ,the third night the son died1 and the succeeding day witnessed the deaths of some five or six others4 ,the matter was reported to the ,tribunal of ,belgrade1 which promptly sent two officers to inquire into the case4 ,on their arrival the old man's grave was opened1 and his body found to be full of blood and natural respiration4 ,a stake was then driven through its heart1 and the hauntings ceased4 ,though far fewer in number than they were1 and more than ever confined to certain localities1 ,i am quite sure that vampires are by no means extinct4 ,their modes and habits--they are no longer gregarious--have changed with the modes and habits of their victims1 but they are none the less vampires4 ,have ,i seen them8 ,no6 but my not having been thus fortunate1 or rather unfortunate1 does not make me so discourteous as to disbelieve those who tell me that they have seen a vampire--that peculiar1 indefinably peculiar shape that1 wriggling along the ground from one tombstone to another1 crawls up and over the churchyard wall1 and making for the nearest house1 disappears through one of its upper windows4 ,indeed1 ,i have no doubt that had ,i watched that house some few days afterwards1 ,i should have seen a pale1 anmic looking creature1 with projecting teeth and a thoroughly imbecile expression1 come out of it4 ,i believe a large percentage of idiots and imbecile epileptics owe their pitiable plight to vampires which1 in their infancy1 they had the misfortune to attract4 ,i do not think that1 as of old1 the vampires come to their prey installed in stolen bodies1 but that they visit people wholly in spirit form1 and1 with their superphysical mouths1 suck the brain cells dry of intellect4 ,the baby1 who is thus the victim of a vampire1 grows up into something on a far lower scale of intelligence than dumb animals1 more bestial than monkeys1 and more dangerous 7far more dangerous1 if the public only realised it7 than tigers2 for1 whereas the tiger is content with one square meal a day1 the hunger of vampirism is never satisfied1 and the half-starved1 mal-shaped brain cells1 the prey of vampirism1 are in a constant state of suction1 ever trying to draw in mental sustenance from the healthy brain cells around them4 ,idiots and epileptics are the cephalopoda of the land--only1 if anything1 fouler1 more voracious1 and more insatiable than their aquatic prototypes4 ,they never ought to be at large4 ,if not destroyed in their early infancy 7which one cannot help thinking would be the most merciful plan both for the idiot and the community in general71 those polyp brains ought to be kept in some isolated place where they would have only each other to feed upon4 ,when ,i see an idiot walking in the streets1 ,i always take very good care to give him a wide berth1 as ,i have no desire that the vampire buried in his withered brain cells should derive any nutrition at my expense4 ,from the fact that some towns which are close to cromlechs1 ancient burial-grounds1 woods1 or moors are full of idiots1 leads me to suppose that vampires often frequent the same spots as barrowvians1 vagrarians and other types of elementals4 ,whilst1 on the other hand1 since many densely crowded centres have fully their share of idiots1 ,i am led to believe that vampires are equally attracted by populous districts1 and that1 in short1 unlike barrowvians and vagrarians1 they can be met with pretty nearly everywhere4 ,and now for examples4 ,a man ,i know1 who spends most of his time in ,germany1 once had a strange experience when staying in the neighbourhood of the ,hartz mountains4 ,one sultry evening in ,august he was walking in the country1 and noticed a perambulator with a white figure1 which he took to be that of a remarkably tall nursemaid1 bending over it4 ,as he drew nearer1 however1 he found that he had been mistaken4 ,the figure was nothing human2 it had no limbs2 it was cylindrical4 ,a faint1 sickly sound of sucking caused my friend to start forward with an exclamation of horror1 and as he did so1 the phantasm glided away from the perambulator and disappeared among the trees4 ,the baby1 my friend assured me1 was a mere bag of bones1 with a ghastly1 grinning anmic face4 ,again1 when touring in ,hungary1 he had a similar experience4 ,he was walking down a back street in a large1 thickly populated town1 when he beheld a baby lying on the hot and sticky pavement with a queer-looking object stooping over it4 ,wondering what on earth the thing was1 he advanced rapidly1 and saw1 to his unmitigated horror1 that it was a phantasm with a limbless1 cylindrical body1 a huge flat1 pulpy head1 and protruding1 luminous lips1 which were tightly glued to the infant's ears2 and again my friend heard a faint1 sickly sound of sucking1 and a sound more hideously nauseating1 he informed me1 could not be imagined4 ,he was too dumbfounded to act2 he could only stare2 and the phantasm1 after continuing its loathsome occupation for some seconds1 leisurely arose1 and moving away with a gliding motion1 vanished in the yard of an adjacent house4 ,the child did not appear to be human1 but a concoction of half a dozen diminutive bestialities1 and as my friend gazed at it1 too fascinated for the moment to tear himself away1 it smiled up at him with the hungry1 leering smile of vampirism and idiocy4 ,so much for vampires in the country and in crowded cities1 but1 as ,i have already remarked1 they are ubiquitous4 ,as an illustration1 there is said to be a maritime town in a remote part of ,england1 which1 besides being full of quaintness 7of a kind not invariably pleasant7 and of foul smells1 is also full of more than half-savage fishermen and idiots2 idiots that often come out at dusk1 and greatly alarm strangers by running after them4 ,some years ago1 one of these idiots went into a stranger's house1 took a noisy baby out of its cot1 and after tubbing it well 7which ,i think showed that the idiot possessed certain powers of observation71 cut off its head1 throwing the offending member into the fire4 ,the parents were naturally indignant1 and so were some of the inhabitants2 but the affair was speedily forgotten1 and although the murderer was confined to a lunatic asylum1 nothing was done to rid the town of other idiots who were1 collectively1 doing mischief of a nature far more serious than that of the recently perpetrated murder4 ,the wild and rugged coast upon which the town is situated was formerly the hunting-ground of wreckers1 and ,i fear the present breed of fishermen1 in spite of their hypocritical pretensions to religion1 prove only too plainly by their abominable cruelty to birds and inhospitable treatment of strangers1 that they are in reality no better than their forbears4 ,this inherited strain of cruelty in the fishermen would alone account for the presence of vampires and every other kind of vicious elemental2 but the town has still another attraction--namely1 a prehistoric burial-ground1 on a wide expanse of thinly populated moorland--in its rear4 propos of vampires1 my friend ,mrs ,south writes to me as follows 7,i quote her letter ad verbum73 ,the other night1 ,i was dining with a very old friend of mine whom ,i had not seen for years1 and1 during a pause in the conversation1 he suddenly said1 ',do you believe in vampires8' ,i wondered for a moment if he had gone mad1 and ,i think1 in my matter-of-fact way1 ,i blurted out something of the sort2 but ,i saw in a moment1 from the expression in his eyes1 that he had something to tell me1 and that he was not at all in the mood to be laughed at or misunderstood1 ',tell me1' ,i said1 ',i am listening4' ',well1' he replied1 ',i had an extraordinary experience a few months ago1 and not a word of it have ,i breathed to any living soul4 ,but sometimes the horror of it so overpowers me that ,i feel ,i must share my secret with someone2 and you--well1 you and ,i have always been such pals4' ,i answered nothing1 but gently pressed his hand4 ,after lighting a cigarette1 he commenced his story1 which ,i will give you as nearly as possible in his own words3-- ',it is about six months ago since ,i returned from my travels4 ,up to that time ,i had been away from ,england for nearly three years1 as you know4 ,about a couple of nights after my return1 ,i was dining at my ,club1 when someone tapped me on the shoulder1 and turning round1 ,i saw my old friend ,s----4 ',as ,i had no idea he was in ,london1 you may imagine my delight4 ,he joined me at dinner and we went over old times together4 ,he asked me if ,i had heard anything of our mutual friend ,g----1 to whom we were both very much attached4 ,i said ,i had had a few lines from him about six months previously1 announcing his marriage1 but that ,i had never heard from him nor seen him since4 ,he had settled1 ,i believe1 in the heart of the country4 ,s---- then told me that he had not seen ,g---- since his engagement1 neither had he heard from him2 in fact he had written to him once or twice1 but his letters had received no answer4 ,there were whispered rumours that he was looking ill and unhappy4 ,hearing this1 ,i got ,g----'s address from ,s----1 and made up my mind ,i would run down and see him as soon as ,i could get away from town4 ',about a week afterwards ,i found myself1 after driving an interminable distance1 so it seemed to me1 through ,devonshire lanes1 stopping outside a beautiful house which appeared to be entirely isolated from any other dwelling4 ',a few more minutes and ,i was standing before a blazing log fire in a fine old hall1 eagerly awaiting the welcome ,i knew my old friend would give me4 ,i did not anticipate long2 in less time than it takes to tell ,g---- appeared1 and with slow1 painfully slow steps1 crossed the hall to greet me4 ,he was wasted to a shadow1 and ,i felt a lump rise in my throat as ,i thought of the splendid1 athletic boy ,i used to know4 ,he made no excuse for his wife1 who did not accompany him2 and though ,i was naturally anxious to see her1 ,i was glad that ,jack and ,i were alone4 ,we chatted together utterly regardless of the time1 and it was not until the first gong had sounded that ,i thought of dressing for dinner4 ,after performing a somewhat hurried toilette1 ,i was hastening downstairs1 when ,i suddenly became conscious that ,i was being watched4 ,i looked all round and could see no one4 ,i then heard a low1 musical laugh just above my head1 and looking up1 ,i saw a figure leaning over the banisters4 ,the beauty of the face dazzled me for a moment1 and the loveliness of the eyes1 which looked into mine and seemed to shine a red gold1 held me spellbound4 ,presently a voice1 every whit as lovely as the face1 said3 ,so you are ,jack's chum8 ,the most beautiful woman ,i have ever seen then came slowly down the stairs1 and slipping her arm through mine1 led me to the dining-room4 ,as her hand rested on my coat-sleeve1 ,i remember noticing that the fingers were long1 and thin1 and pointed1 and the nails so polished that they almost shone red4 ,indeed1 ,i could not help feeling somewhat puzzled by the fact that everything about her shone red with the exception of her skin1 which1 with an equal brilliancy1 shone white4 ,at dinner she was lively1 but she ate and drank very sparingly1 and as though food was loathsome to her4 ',soon after dinner ,i felt so exceedingly tired and sleepy1 a most unusual thing for me1 that ,i found it absolutely impossible to keep awake1 and consequently asked my host and hostess to excuse me4 ,i woke next morning feeling languid and giddy1 and1 while shaving1 ,i noticed a curious red mark at the base of my neck4 ,i imagined ,i must have cut myself shaving hurriedly the evening before1 and thought nothing more about it4 ',the following night1 after dinner1 ,i experienced the same sensation of sleepiness1 and felt almost as if ,i had been drugged4 ,it was impossible for me to keep awake1 so ,i again asked to be excused6 ,on this occasion1 after ,i had retired1 a curious thing happened4 ,i dreamed--or at least ,i suppose ,i dreamed--that ,i saw my door slowly open1 and the figure of a woman carrying a candle in one hand1 and with the other carefully shading the flame1 glide noiselessly into my room4 ,she was clad in a loose red gown1 and a great rope of hair hung over one shoulder4 ,again those red-gold eyes looked into mine2 again ,i heard that low musical laugh2 and this time ,i felt powerless either to speak or to move4 ,she leaned down1 nearer and nearer to me2 her eyes gradually assumed a fiendish and terrible expression2 and with a sucking noise1 which was horrible to hear1 she fastened her crimson lips to the little wound in my neck4 ,i remembered nothing more until the morning4 ,the place on my neck1 ,i thought1 looked more inflamed1 and as ,i looked at it1 my dream came vividly back to me and ,i began to wonder if after all it was only a dream4 ,i felt frightfully rotten1 so rotten that ,i decided to return to town that day2 and yet ,i yielded to some strange fascination1 and determined1 after all1 to stay another night4 ,at dinner ,i drank sparingly2 and1 making the same excuse as on the previous nights1 ,i retired to bed at an early hour4 ,i lay awake until midnight1 waiting for ,i know not what2 and was just thinking what a mad fool ,i was1 when suddenly the door gently opened and again ,i saw ,jack's wife4 ,slowly she came towards me1 gliding as stealthily and noiselessly as a snake4 ,i waited until she leaned over me1 until ,i felt her breath on my cheek1 and then--then flung my arms round her4 ,i had just time to see the mad terror in her eyes as she realised ,i was awake1 and the next instant1 like an eel1 she had slipped from my grasp1 and was gone4 ,i never saw her again4 ,i left early the next morning1 and ,i shall never forget dear old ,jack's face when ,i said good-bye to him4 ,it is only a few days since ,i heard of his death4' ,were-wolves ,closely allied to the vampire is the were-wolf1 which1 however1 instead of devouring the intellect of human beings1 feeds only on their flesh4 ,like the vampire1 the were-wolf belongs to the order of elementals2 but1 unlike the vampire1 it is confined to a very limited sphere--the wilds of ,norway1 ,sweden1 and ,russia1 and only appears in two guises1 that of a human being in the daytime and a wolf at night4 ,i have closely questioned many people who have travelled in those regions1 but very few of them--one or two at the most--have actually come in contact with those to whom the existence of the were-wolf is not a fable but a fact4 ,one of these travellers1 a mere acquaintance whom ,i met in an hotel in the ,latin ,quarter of ,paris1 assured me that the authenticity of a story he would tell me1 relating to the were-wolf1 was1 in the neighbourhood through which he travelled1 never for a single moment doubted4 ,my informant1 a highly cultured ,russian1 spoke ,english1 ,french1 ,german1 and ,italian with as great fluency as ,i spoke my native tongue1 and ,i believed him to be perfectly genuine4 ,the incident he told me1 to which unanimous belief was accredited1 happened to two young men 7whom ,i will call ,hans and ,carl71 who were travelling to ,nijni ,novgorod1 a city in the province of ,tobolsk4 ,the route they took was off the beaten track1 and led them through a singularly wild and desolate tract of country4 ,one evening1 when they were trotting mechanically along1 their horses suddenly came to a standstill and appeared to be very much frightened4 ,they inquired of the driver the reason of such strange behaviour1 and he pointed with his whip to a spot on the ice--they were then crossing a frozen lake--a few feet ahead of them4 ,they got out of the sleigh1 and1 approaching the spot indicated1 found the body of a peasant lying on his back1 his throat gnawed away and all his entrails gone4 ,a wolf without a doubt1 they said1 and getting back into the sleigh1 they drove on1 taking good care to see that their rifles were ready for instant action4 ,they had barely gone a mile when the horses again halted1 and a second corpse was discovered1 the corpse of a child with its face and thighs entirely eaten away4 ,again they drove on1 and had progressed a few more miles when the horses stopped so abruptly that the driver was pitched bodily out2 and before ,carl and ,hans could dismount1 the brutes started off at a wild gallop4 ,they were eventually got under control1 but it was with the greatest difficulty that they were forced to turn round and go back1 in order to pick up the unfortunate driver4 ,the farther they went1 the more restless they became1 and when1 at length1 they approached the place where the driver had been thrown1 they came to a sudden and resolute standstill4 ,as no amount of whipping would now make them go on1 ,hans got out1 and advancing a few steps1 espied something lying across the track some little distance ahead of them4 ,gun in hand1 he advanced a few more steps1 when he suddenly stopped4 ,to his utter amazement he saw1 bending over a body1 which he at once identified as that of their driver1 the figure of a woman4 ,she started as he approached1 and1 hastily springing up1 turned towards him4 ,the strange beauty of her face1 her long1 lithe limbs 7she stood fully six feet high7 and slender body1--the beauty of the latter enhanced by the white woollen costume in which she was clad1--had an extraordinary effect upon ,hans4 ,her shining masses of golden hair1 that curled in thick clusters over her forehead and about her ears2 the perfect regularity of her features1 and the lustrous blue of her eyes1 enraptured him2 whilst the expression both in her face and figure--in her sparkling eyes and firmly modelled mouth2 in her red lips1 and even in her pearly teeth1 repulsed and almost frightened him4 ,he gazed steadily at her1 and1 as he did so1 the hold on his rifle involuntarily tightened4 ,he then glanced from her face to her hands1 and noticed with a spasm of horror that the tips of her long and beautifully shaped nails were dripping with blood1 and that there was blood1 too1 on her knees and feet1 blood all over her4 ,he then looked at the driver and saw the wretched man's clothes had been partially stripped off1 and that there were great gory holes in his throat and abdomen4 ,oh1 ,i am so glad you have come6 the woman cried1 addressing him in a strangely peculiar voice1 that thrilled him to the marrow of his bones4 ,it is the wolves4 ,do come and see what they have done4 ,i saw them1 from a distance1 attack this poor man1 and leaving my sleigh1 for my horses came to a dead halt1 and nothing ,i could do would induce them to move1 ,i ran to his assistance4 ,but1 alas6 ,i was too late6 ,then1 looking at her dress1 from which ,hans could scarcely remove his eyes1 she cried out3 ,ugh6 ,how disgusting--blood6 ,my hands and clothes are covered with it4 ,i tried to stop the bleeding1 but it was no use2 and she proceeded to wipe her fingers on the snow4 ,but why did you venture here alone8 ,hans inquired1 and why unarmed8 ,how foolhardy6 ,the wolves would have made short work of you had you encountered them6 ,then you cannot have heard the report of my gun6 the woman cried1 in well-feigned astonishment4 ,how strange6 ,i fired at the wolves from over there2 and she pointed with one of her slender1 milky-white fingers to a spot on the ice some fifty yards away4 ,fortunately1 they all made off1 she continued1 and ,i hastened hither1 dropping my gun that ,i might run the faster4 ,i can see no gun1 ,hans exclaimed1 shading his eyes with his hand and staring hard4 ,the woman laughed4 ,what a disbelieving ,jew it is6 she said4 ,the gun is there2 ,i can see it plainly4 ,you must be short-sighted4 ,and then1 straining her eyes on the far distance1 she shrieked3 ,great ,heavens6 ,my sleigh has gone6 ,oh6 what shall ,i do8 ,what shall ,i do8 ,giving way to every gesture of despair1 she looked so forlorn and beautiful that ,hans would have been full of pity for her1 had not certain vague suspicions1 which he could neither account for nor overcome1 entered his heart4 ,sorely perplexed1 he did not know what to do1 and stood looking at her in critical silence4 ,won't you come with me8 she said1 clasping her hands beseechingly4 ,come with me to look for it4 ,the horses may only have strayed a short distance1 and we might overtake them without much difficulty4 ,as she spoke thus1 her piercing1 earnest gaze thrilled him to the very soul1 and his heart rose in rebellion against his reason4 ,he had seen many fair women1 but assuredly none as fair as this one4 ,what eyes6 ,what hair6 ,what a complexion6 ,what limbs6 ,it seemed to him that she was not like ordinary women1 that she was not of the same flesh and blood as any of the women he had ever met1 and that she was in reality something far superior2 something generated by the primitive glamour of the starry night1 of the great1 sparkling1 ice-covered lake1 and the lone1 snow-capped peaks beyond4 ,and all the while he was thinking thus1 and unconsciously coming under the spell of her weird beauty1 the woman continued to gaze entreatingly at him from under the long lashes which swept her cheeks4 ,at last he could refuse her no longer--he would have gone to hell with her had she asked it--and shouting to ,carl to remain where he was1 he bade her lead the way4 ,setting off with long1 quick strides that made ,hans wonder anew1 she soon put a considerable distance between herself and companion1 and ,carl4 ,hans now perceived a change2 the sky grew dark1 the clouds heavy1 and the farther they went1 the more perceptible this change became4 ,the brightness and sense of joy in the air vanished1 and1 with its dissipation1 came a chill and melancholy wind that rose from the bosom of the lake and swept all around them1 moaning and sighing like a legion of lost souls4 ,but ,hans1 who came of a military stock1 feared little1 and1 with his beautiful guide beside him1 would cheerfully have faced a thousand devils4 ,he had no eyes for anything save her1 no thought of anything but her1 and when she sidled up to him1 playfully fingering his gun1 he allowed her to take it from him and do what she liked with it4 ,indeed1 he was so absorbed in the contemplation of her marvellous beauty1 that he did not perceive her deftly unload his rifle and throw it from her on the ice2 nor did he take any other notice than to think it a very pretty1 playful trick when she laughingly caught his two hands1 and bound them securely together behind his back4 ,he was still drinking in the wondrous beauty of her eyes1 when she suddenly slipped one of her pretty1 shapely feet between his1 and with a quick1 subtle movement1 tripped him and threw him to the ground4 ,there was a dull crash1 and1 amid the hundred and one sounds that echoed and re-echoed through his head as it came in contact with the ice1 he seemed to hear the far-off patter of horses' hoofs4 ,then something deliciously soft and cool touched his throat1 and opening his eyes1 he found his beautiful companion bending over him and undoing the folds of his woollen neckerchief with her shapely fingers4 ,for such an experience he would fall and faint till further orders4 ,he sought her eyes1 and all but fainted again--the expression in them appalled him4 ,they were no longer those of a woman but a devil1 a horrible1 sordid devil that hungered not merely for his soul1 but for his flesh and blood4 ,then1 in a second1 he understood it all--she was a were-wolf1 one of those ghastly creatures he had hitherto scoffingly attributed to the idle superstitions of the peasants4 ,it was she who had mutilated the bodies they had passed on the road2 it was she who had killed and half-eaten their driver2 it was she--but he could think no more1 it was all too horrible1 and the revulsion of his feelings towards her clogged his brain4 ,he longed to grapple with her1 strangle her1 and he could do nothing4 ,the bare touch of those fingers--those cool1 white1 tapering fingers1 with their long1 shining filbert nails1 all ready and eager to tear and rend his flesh to pieces--had taken all the life from his limbs1 and he could only gaze feebly at her and damn her from the very bottom of his soul4 ,one by one1 more swiftly now1 she unfastened the buttons of his coat and vest and then1 baring her cruel teeth with a soft gurgle of excitement1 and a smack of her red glistening lips1 she prepared to eat him4 ,strangely enough1 he experienced no pain as her nails sank into the flesh of his throat and chest and clawed it asunder4 ,he was numb1 numb with the numbness produced by hypnotism or paralysis--only some of his faculties were awake1 vividly1 startlingly awake4 ,he was abruptly roused from this state by the dull crack of a rifle1 and an agonising1 blood-curdling scream1 after which he knew no more till he found himself sitting upright on the ice1 gulping down brandy1 his throat a mass of bandages1 and ,carl kneeling beside him4 ,where is she8 he asked1 and ,carl pointed to an object on the ice4 ,it was the body of a huge white wolf1 with half its head blown away4 ,an explosive bullet1 ,carl said grimly4 ,i thought ,i would make certain of the beast1 even at the risk of hurting you2 and1 mein ,gott6 it was a near shave6 ,you have lost some of your hair1 but nothing more4 ,when ,i saw you go away with the woman1 ,i guessed something was up4 ,i did not like the look of her at all2 she was a giantess1 taller than any woman ,i have ever seen2 and the way she had you in tow made me decidedly uncomfortable4 ,consequently1 ,i followed you at a distance1 and when ,i saw her trip you1 ,i lashed up our horses and came to your rescue as fast as ,i could4 ,unfortunately1 ,i had to dismount when ,i was still some distance off1 as no amount of lashing would induce the horses to approach you nearer1 and after arriving within range1 it took me some seconds to get my rifle ready and select the best position for a shot4 ,but1 thank ,god6 ,i was just in time1 and1 beyond a few scratches1 you are all right4 ,shall we leave the beast here or take it with us8 ,we will do neither1 ,hans said1 with a shudder1 whilst a new and sad expression stole into his eyes4 ,i cannot forget it was once a woman6 and1 my ,god6 what a woman6 ,we will bury her here in the ice4 ,the story here terminated1 and from the fact that ,i have heard other stories of a similar nature1 ,i am led to believe that there is in this one some substratum of truth4 ,were-wolves are not1 of course1 always prepossessing2 they vary considerably4 ,moreover1 they are not restricted to one sex1 but are just as likely to be met with in the guise of boys and men as of girls and women4 ,fox-women ,very different from this were-wolf1 though also belonging to the great family of elementals1 are the fox-women of ,japan and ,china1 about which much has been written1 but about which1 apparently1 very little is known4 ,in ,china the fox was 7and in remote parts still is7 believed to attain the age of eight hundred or a thousand years4 ,at fifty it can assume the form of a woman1 and at one hundred that of a young and lovely girl1 called ,kao-,sai1 or ,our ,lady4 ,on reaching the thousand years' limit1 it goes to ,paradise without physical dissolution4 ,i have questioned many ,chinese concerning these fox-women1 but have never been able to get any very definite information4 ,one ,chinaman1 however1 assured me that his brother had actually seen the transmigration from fox to woman take place4 ,the man's name ,i have forgotten1 but ,i will call him ,ching ,kang4 ,well1 ,ching ,kang was one day threading his way through a lovely valley of the ,tapa-ling mountains1 when he came upon a silver 7i4e4 white7 fox crouching on the bank of a stream in such a peculiar attitude that ,ching ,kang's attention was at once arrested4 ,thinking that the animal was ill1 and delighted at the prospect of lending it aid1 for silver foxes are regarded as of good omen in ,china1 ,ching ,kang approached it1 and was about to examine it carefully1 when to his astonishment he found he could not move--he was hypnotised4 ,but although his limbs were paralysed1 his faculties were wonderfully active1 and his heart almost ceased beating when he saw the fox slowly begin to get bigger and bigger1 until at last its head was on a level with his own4 ,there was then a loud crash1 its skin burst asunder1 and there stepped out of it the form of a girl of such entrancing beauty that ,ching ,kang thought he must be in ,heaven4 ,she was fairer than most ,chinese women2 her eyes were blue instead of brown1 and her shapely hands and feet were of milky whiteness4 ,she was gaily dressed in blue silk1 with earrings and bracelets of blue stone1 and carried in one of her hands a blue fan4 ,with a wave of her slender palms she released ,ching ,kang from his spell1 and1 bidding him follow her1 plunged into a thick clump of bushes4 ,madly infatuated1 ,ching ,kang needed no second bidding1 but1 keeping close to her heels1 stolidly pushed his way through barricades of brambles that1 whilst yielding to her touch1 closed on him and beat him on the face and body so unmercifully that in a very short time he was barely recognisable1 being literally bathed in blood4 ,however1 despite his wounds increasing and multiplying with every step he took1 and naturally causing him the most excruciating agony1 ,ching ,kang never1 for one instant1 thought of turning back2 he always kept within touching distance of the blue form in front of him4 ,but at last human nature could stand it no longer2 his strength gave way1 and as with a mad shriek of despair he implored her to stop1 his senses left him and he fell in a heap to the ground4 ,when he recovered he was lying alone1 quite alone in the middle of the road1 exactly opposite the spot where he had first seen the fox1 and by his side was a fan1 a blue fan4 ,picking it up sadly1 he placed it near his heart 7where it remained to the very day of his death71 and with one last lingering look at the bank of the stream1 he continued his solitary journey4 ,this was ,ching ,kang's story4 ,his brother did not think he ever met the fox-woman again4 ,he believed ,ching ,kang was still searching for her when he died4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,death ,,warnings ,,and ,,family ,,ghosts ,candles are very subject to psychic influences4 ,many years ago1 when ,i was a boy1 ,i was sitting in a room with some very dear friends of mine1 when one of them1 suddenly turning livid1 pointed at the candle1 and with eyes starting out of their sockets1 screamed1 ,a winding-sheet6 ,a winding-sheet6 ,see6 it is pointing at me6 ,we were all so frightened by the suddenness of her action1 that for some seconds no one spoke1 but all sat transfixed with horror1 gaping at the candle4 ,it must be my brother ,tom1 she continued1 or ,jack4 ,can't you see it8 ,then1 one after another1 we all examined the candle and discovered that what she said was quite true--there was an unmistakable winding-sheet in the wax1 and it emphatically pointed in her direction4 ,nor were her surmisings in vain1 for the next morning she received a telegram to say her brother ,tom had died suddenly4 ,i am sceptical with regard to some manifestations1 but ,i certainly do believe in this one1 and ,i often regard my candle anxiously1 fearing that ,i may see a winding-sheet in it4 ,to have three candles lighted at the same time is also an omen of death1 and as ,i have known it to be fulfilled in several cases within my own experience1 ,i cannot help regarding it as one of the most certain4 ,i am sometimes informed of the advent of the occult in a very startling manner--my candle burns blue4 ,it has done this when ,i have been sitting alone in my study1 at night1 writing4 ,i have been busily engaged penning descriptions of the ghosts ,i and others have seen1 when ,i have been startled by the fact that my paper1 originally white1 has suddenly become the colour of the sky1 and on looking hastily up to discover a reason1 have been in no small measure shocked to see my candle burning a bright blue4 ,an occult manifestation of sorts has invariably followed4 ,i am often warned of the near advent of the occult in this same manner when ,i am investigating in a haunted house--the flame of the candle burns blue before the appearance of the ghost4 ,it is1 by the way1 an error to think that different types of phantasms can only appear in certain colours--colours that are peculiar to them4 ,i have seen the same phenomenon manifest itself in half a dozen different colours1 and blue is as often adopted by the higher types of spirits as by the lower1 and is1 in fact1 common to both4 ,i have little patience with occultists who draw hard and fast lines1 and1 ignoring everybody else's experiences1 presume to diagnose within the narrow limits of their own4 ,no one can as yet say anything for certain with regard to the superphysical1 and the statements of the most humble psychic investigator1 provided he has had actual experience1 and is genuine1 are just as worthy of attention as those of the most eminent exponents of theosophy or spiritualism1 or of any learned member of the ,psychical ,research ,societies4 ,the occult does not reveal itself to the rich in preference to the poor1 and1 for manifestation1 is not more partial to the ,professor of ,physics and ,law than to the ,professor of ,nothing--other than keen interest and common sense4 ,corpse-candles ,in ,wales there are corpse-candles4 ,according to the account of the ,rev4 ,mr ,davis in a work by ,t4 ,charley entitled ,the ,invisible ,world1 corpse-candles are so called because their light resembles a material candle-light1 and might be mistaken for the same1 saving that when anyone approaches them they vanish1 and presently reappear4 ,if the corpse-candle be small1 pale1 or bluish1 it denotes the death of an infant2 if it be big1 the death of an adult is foretold2 and if there are two1 three1 or more candle-lights1 varying in size1 then the deaths are predicted of a corresponding number of infants and adults4 ,of late1 the ,rev4 ,mr ,davis goes on to say 7,i quote him ad verbum71 my sexton's wife1 an aged1 understanding woman1 saw from her bed a little bluish candle upon her table3 within two or three days after comes a fellow in1 inquiring for her husband1 and1 taking something from under his cloak1 clapt it down directly upon the table end where she had seen the candle2 and what was it but a dead-born child8 ,another time1 the same woman saw such another candle upon the other end of the same table3 within a few days later1 a weak child1 by myself newly christened1 was brought into the sexton's house1 where presently he died2 and when the sexton's wife1 who was then abroad1 came home1 she found the women shrouding the child on that other end of the table where she had seen the candle4 ,on a time1 myself and a huntsman coming from our school in ,england1 and being three or four hours benighted ere we could reach home1 saw such a light1 which1 coming from a house we well knew1 held its course 7but not directly7 in the highway to church3 shortly after1 the eldest son in that house died1 and steered the same course4444 ,about thirty-four or thirty-five years since1 one ,jane ,wyatt1 my wife's sister1 being nurse to ,baronet ,rud's three eldest children1 and 7the lady being deceased7 the lady of the house going late into a chamber where the maid-servants lay1 saw there no less than five of these lights together4 ,it happened awhile after1 the chamber being newly plastered1 and a great grate of coal-fire therein kindled to hasten the drying up of the plastering1 that five of the maid-servants went there to bed as they were wont2 but in the morning they were all dead1 being suffocated in their sleep with the steam of the newly tempered lime and coal4 ,this was at ,llangathen in ,carmarthen4 ,so wrote the ,rev4 ,mr ,davis1 and in an old number of ,frazer's ,journal ,i came across the following account of death-tokens1 which1 although not exactly corpse-candles1 might certainly be classed in the same category4 ,it ran thus3 ,in a wild and retired district in ,north ,wales1 the following occurrence took place1 to the great astonishment of the mountaineers4 ,we can vouch for the truth of the statement1 as many of our own teutu1 or clan1 were witnesses of the facts4 ,on a dark evening a few weeks ago1 some persons1 with whom we are well acquainted1 were returning to ,barmouth on the south or opposite side of the river4 ,as they approached the ferry house at ,penthryn1 which is directly opposite ,barmouth1 they observed a light near the house1 which they conjectured to be produced by a bonfire1 and greatly puzzled they were to discover the reason why it should have been lighted4 ,as they came nearer1 however1 it vanished2 and when they inquired at the house respecting it1 they were surprised to learn that not only had the people there displayed no light1 but they had not even seen one2 nor could they perceive any signs of it on the sands4 ,on reaching ,barmouth1 the circumstance was mentioned1 and the fact corroborated by some of the people there1 who had also plainly and distinctly seen the light4 ,it was settled1 therefore1 by some of the old fishermen that this was a death-token2 and1 sure enough1 the man who kept the ferry at that time was drowned at high water a few nights afterwards1 on the very spot where the light was seen4 ,he was landing from the boat1 when he fell into the water1 and so perished4 ,the same winter the ,barmouth people1 as well as the inhabitants of the opposite bank1 were struck by the appearance of a number of small lights1 which were seen dancing in the air at a place called ,borthwyn1 about half a mile from the town4 ,a great number of people came out to see these lights2 and after awhile they all but one disappeared1 and this one proceeded slowly towards the water's edge to a little bay where some boats were moored4 ,the men in a sloop which was anchored near the spot saw the light advancing1 they saw it also hover for a few seconds over one particular boat1 and then totally disappear4 ,two or three days afterwards1 the man to whom that particular boat belonged was drowned in the river1 while he was sailing about ,barmouth harbour in that very boat4 ,as the corpse-candle is obviously a phantasm whose invariable custom is to foretell death1 it must1 ,i think1 be classified with that species of elementals which ,i have named--for want of a more appropriate title--,,clanogrian4 ,,clanogrians embrace every kind of national and family ghost1 such as ,the ,white ,owl of the ,arundels1 the ,drummer of the ,airlies1 and the ,banshee of the ,o',neills and ,o',donnells4 ,with regard to the origin of corpse-candles1 as of all other clanogrians1 one can only speculate4 ,the powers that govern the superphysical world have much in their close keeping that they absolutely refuse to disclose to mortal man4 ,presuming1 however1 that corpse-candles and all sorts of family ghosts are analogous1 ,i should say that the former are spirits which have attached themselves to certain localities1 either owing to some great crime or crimes having been committed there in the past1 or because at some still more remote period the inhabitants of those parts--the ,milesians and ,nemedhians1 the early ancestors of the ,irish1 dabbled in sorcery4 ,fire-coffins ,who has not seen all manner of pictures in the fire8 ,who has not seen1 or fancied he has seen1 a fire-coffin8 ,a fire-coffin is a bit of red-hot coal that pops mysteriously out of the grate in the rude shape of a coffin1 and is prophetic of death1 not necessarily the death of the beholder1 but of someone known to him4 ,the ,death-watch ,though this omen in a room is undoubtedly due to the presence in the woodwork of the wall of a minute beetle of the timber-boring genus ,,anobium1 it is a strange fact that its ticking should only be heard before the death of someone1 who1 if not living in the house1 is connected with someone who does live in it4 ,from this fact1 one is led to suppose that this minute beetle has an intuitive knowledge of impending death1 as is the case with certain people and also certain animals4 ,the noise is said to be produced by the beetle raising itself upon its hind legs 7see ,popular ,errors explained1 by ,john ,timbs71 with the body somewhat inclined1 and beating its head with great force and agility upon the plane of position2 and its strokes are so powerful as to be heard from some little distance4 ,it usually taps from six to twelve times in succession1 then pauses1 and then recommences4 ,it is an error to suppose it only ticks in the spring1 for ,i know those who have heard its ticking at other1 and indeed1 at all times in the year4 ,owls ,owls have always been deemed psychic1 and they figure ominously in the folk-lore of many countries4 ,i myself can testify to the fact that they are often the harbinger of death1 as ,i have on several occasions been present when the screeching of an owl1 just outside the window1 has occurred almost coincident with the death of someone1 nearly related either to myself or to one of my companions4 ,that owls have the faculty of scenting the approach of death is to my mind no mere idle superstition1 for we constantly read about them hovering around gibbets1 and they have not infrequently been known to consummate ,heaven's wrath by plucking out the eyes of the still living murderers and feeding on their brains4 ,that they also have tastes in common with the least desirable of the occult world may be gathered from the fact that they show a distinct preference for the haunts of vagrarians1 barrowvians1 and other kinds of elementals2 and even the worthy ,isaiah goes so far as to couple them with satyrs4 ,occasionally1 too1 as in the case of the ,arundels of ,wardour1 where a white owl is seen before the death of one of the family1 they perform the function of clanogrians4 ,ravens ,a close rival of the owl in psychic significance is the raven1 the subtle1 cunning1 ghostly raven that taps on window-panes and croaks dismally before a death or illness4 ,i love ravens--they have the greatest fascination for me4 ,years ago ,i had a raven1 but1 alas6 only for a time1 a very short time4 ,it came to me one gloomy night1 when the wind was blowing and the rain falling in cataracts4 ,i was at the time--and as usual--writing ghost tales4 ,thought ,i to myself1 this raven is just what ,i want2 ,i will make a great friend of it1 it shall sit at my table while ,i write and inspire me with its eyes--its esoteric eyes and mystic voice4 ,i let it in1 gave it food and shelter1 and we settled down together1 the raven and ,i1 both revellers in the occult1 both lovers of solitude4 ,but it proved to be a worthless bird1 a shallow1 empty-minded1 shameless bird1 and all ,i gleaned from it was--idleness4 ,it made me listless and restless2 it filled me with cravings1 not for work1 but for nature1 for the dark open air of night-time1 for the vast loneliness of mountains1 the deep secluded valleys1 the rushing1 foaming flow of streams1 and for woods--ah6 how ,i love the woods6--woods full of stalwart oaks and silvery beeches1 full of silent1 moon-kissed glades1 nymphs1 sirens1 and pixies4 ,ah6 how ,i longed for all these1 and more besides--for anything and everything that appertained neither to man nor his works4 ,then ,i said good-bye to the raven1 and1 taking it with me to the top of a high hill1 let it go4 ,croaking1 croaking1 croaking it flew away1 without giving me as much as one farewell glance4 ,mermaids ,who would not1 if they could1 believe in mermaids8 ,surely all save those who have no sense of the beautiful--of poetry1 flowers1 painting1 music1 romance2 all save those who have never built fairy castles in the air nor seen fairy palaces in the fire2 all save those whose minds1 steeped in money-making1 are both sordid and stunted4 ,that mermaids did exist1 and more or less in legendary form1 ,i think quite probable1 for ,i feel sure there was a time in the earth's history when man was in much closer touch with the superphysical than he is at present4 ,they may1 ,i think1 be classified with pixies1 nymphs1 and sylphs1 and other pleasant types of elementals that ceased to fraternise with man when he became more plentiful and forsook the simple mode of living for the artificial4 ,pixies1 nymphs1 sylphs1 and other similar kinds of fairies are all harmless and benevolent elementals1 and ,i believe they were all fond of visiting this earth1 but that they seldom visit it now1 only appearing at rare intervals to a highly favoured few4 ,the ,wandering ,jew ,no story fascinated me more when ,i was a boy than that of ,ahasuerus1 the ,wandering ,jew4 ,how vividly ,i saw him--in my mental vision--with his hooked nose1 and wild1 dark eyes1 gleaming with hatred1 cruelty1 and terror1 spit out his curses at ,christ and frantically bid him begone6 ,and ,christ6 ,how plainly ,i saw ,him1 too1 bathed in the sweat of agony1 stumbling1 staggering1 reeling1 and tottering beneath the cross he had to carry6 ,and then the climax--the calm1 biting1 damning climax4 ,tarry thou till ,i come6 ,how distinctly ,i heard ,christ utter those words1 and with what relief ,i watched the pallor of sickly fear and superstition steal into the ,jew's eyes and overspread his cheeks6 ,and he is said to be living now6 ,periodically he turns up in some portion or other of the globe1 causing a great sensation4 ,and many are the people who claim to have met him--the man whom no prison can detain1 no fetters hold2 who can reel off the history of the last nineteen hundred odd years with the most minute fluency1 and with an intimate knowledge of men and things long since dead and forgotten4 ,ahasuerus1 still1 always1 ever ,ahasuerus--no matter whether we call him ,joseph1 ,cartaphilus1 or ,salathiel1 his fine name and guilty life stick to him--he can get rid of neither4 ,for all time he is1 and must be1 ,ahasuerus1 the ,wandering ,jew--the ,jew ,christ damned4 ,attendant ,spirits ,i believe that1 from the moment of our birth1 most1 if not all of us1 have our attendant spirits1 namely1 a spirit sent by the higher occult powers that are in favour of man's spiritual progress1 whose function it is to guide us in the path of virtue and guard us from physical danger1 and a spirit sent by the higher occult powers that are antagonistic to man's spiritual progress1 whose function it is to lead us into all sorts of mental1 moral1 and spiritual evil1 and also to bring about our path some bodily harm4 ,the former is a benevolent elemental1 well known to the many1 and termed by them ,our ,guardian ,angel2 the latter is a vice elemental1 equally well known perhaps1 to the many1 and termed by them ,our ,evil ,genie4 ,the benevolent creative powers and the evil creative powers 7in whose service respectively our attendant spirits are employed7 are for ever contending for man's superphysical body1 and it is1 perhaps1 only in the proportion of our response to the influences of these attendant spirits1 that we either evolve to a higher spiritual plane1 or remain earth-bound4 ,i1 myself1 having been through many vicissitudes1 feel that ,i owe both my moral and physical preservation from danger entirely to the vigilance of my guardian attendant spirit4 ,i was once travelling in the ,united ,states at the time of a great railway strike4 ,the strikers held up my train at ,crown ,point1 a few miles outside ,chicago2 and as ,i was forced to take to flight1 and leave my baggage 7which unfortunately contained all my ready money71 ,i arrived in ,chicago late at night without a cent on me4 ,beyond the clothes ,i had on1 ,i had nothing2 consequently1 on my presenting myself at a hotel with the request for a night's lodging1 ,i was curtly refused4 ,one hotel after another1 one house after another1 ,i tried1 but always with the same result2 having no luggage1 and being unable to pay a deposit1 no one would take me4 ,the night advanced2 the streets became rougher and rougher1 for ,chicago just then was teeming with the scum of the earth1 ruffians of every description1 who would cheerfully have cut any man's throat simply for the sake of his clothes4 ,all around me was a sea of swarthy faces with insolent1 sinister eyes that flashed and glittered in the gaslight4 ,i was pushed1 jostled1 and cursed1 and the bare thought of having to spend a whole night amid such a foul1 cut-throat horde filled me with dismay4 ,yet what could ,i do8 ,clearly nothing1 until the morning1 when ,i should be able to explain my position to the ,british ,consul4 ,the knowledge that in all the crises through which ,i had hitherto passed1 my guardian spirit had never deserted me1 gave me hope1 and ,i prayed devoutly that it would now come to my assistance and help me to get to some place of shelter4 ,time passed1 and as my prayers were not answered1 ,i repeated them with increased vigour4 ,then1 quite suddenly1 a man stepped out from the dark entrance to a by-street1 and1 touching me lightly on the arm1 said1 ,is there anything amiss8 ,i have been looking at you for some time1 and a feeling has come over me that you need assistance4 ,what is the matter8 ,i regarded the speaker earnestly1 and1 convinced that he was honest1 told him my story1 whereupon to my delight he at once said1 ,i think ,i can help you1 for a friend of mine runs a small but thoroughly respectable hotel close to here1 and1 if you like to trust yourself to my guidance1 ,i will take you there and explain your penniless condition4 ,i accepted his offer2 what he said proved to be correct2 the hotel-keeper believed my story1 and ,i passed the night in decency and comfort4 ,in the morning the proprietor lent me the requisite amount of money for a cablegram to ,europe4 ,my bank in ,england cabled to a bank in ,chicago1 and the hotel-keeper generously made himself responsible for my identity2 the draft was cashed1 and ,i was once again able to proceed on my journey4 ,but what caused the man in the street to notice me8 ,what prompted him to lend me his aid8 ,surely my guardian spirit4 ,again1 when in ,denver1 in the ,denver of old times1 before it had grown into anything like the city it is now1 ,i was seized with a severe attack of dysentery1 and the owner of the hotel in which ,i was staying1 believing it to be cholera1 turned me1 weak and faint as ,i was1 into the street4 ,i tried everywhere to get shelter2 the ghastly pallor and emaciation of my countenance went against me--no one1 not even by dint of bribing1 for ,i was then well off1 would take me in4 ,at last1 completely overcome by exhaustion1 ,i sank down in the street1 where1 in all probability1 ,i should have remained all night1 had not a negro suddenly come up to me1 and1 with a sympathetic expression in his face1 asked if he could help me4 ,i passed you some time ago1 he said1 and noticed how ill you looked1 but ,i did not like to speak to you for fear you might resent it1 but ,i had not got far before ,i felt compelled to turn back4 ,i tried to resist this impulse1 but it was no good4 ,what ails you8 ,i told him4 ,for a moment or so he was silent1 and then1 his face brightening up1 he exclaimed1 ,i think ,i can help you4 ,come along with me1 and1 helping me gently to my feet1 he conducted me to his own house1 not a very grand one1 it is true1 but scrupulously clean and well conducted1 and ,i remained there until ,i was thoroughly sound and fit4 ,the negro is not as a rule a creature of impulse1 and here again ,i felt that ,i owed my preservation to the kindly interference of my guardian spirit4 ,thrice ,i have been nearly drowned1 and on both occasions saved as by a miracle1 or1 in other words1 by my attendant guardian spirit4 ,once1 when ,i was bathing alone in a ,scotch loch and had swum out some considerable distance1 ,i suddenly became exhausted1 and realised with terror that it was quite impossible for me to regain the shore4 ,i was making a last futile effort to strike out1 when something came bobbing up against me4 ,it was an oar6 ,whence it had come ,heaven alone knew1 for ,heaven alone could have sent it4 ,leaning my chin lightly on it and propelling myself gently with my limbs1 ,i had no difficulty in keeping afloat1 and eventually reached the land in safety4 ,the scene of my next miraculous rescue from drowning was a river4 ,in diving into the water off a boat1 ,i got my legs entangled in a thick undergrowth of weeds4 ,frantically struggling to get free and realising only too acutely the seriousness of my position1 for my lungs were on the verge of bursting1 ,i fervently solicited the succour of my guardian spirit1 and had no sooner done so1 than ,i fancied ,i felt soft hands press against my flesh1 and the next moment my body had risen to the surface4 ,no living person was within sight1 so that my rescuer could only have been--as usual--my guardian spirit4 ,several times ,i fancy ,i have seen her1 white1 luminous1 and shadowy1 but for all that suggestive of great beauty4 ,once1 too1 in the wilder moments of my youth1 when ,i contemplated rash deeds1 ,i heard her sigh1 and the sigh1 sinking down into the furthermost recesses of my soul1 drowned all my thoughts of rash deeds in a thousand reverberating echoes4 ,i have been invariably warned by strangers against taking a false step that would unquestionably have led to the direst misfortune4 ,i meet a stranger1 and without the slightest hint from me1 he touches upon the very matter uppermost in my mind1 and1 in a few earnest and never-to-be-forgotten words of admonition1 deters me from my scheme4 ,whence come these strangers1 to all appearance of flesh and blood like myself8 ,were they my guardian spirit in temporary material guise1 or were they human beings that1 like the hotel proprietor's friend in ,chicago1 and the negro1 have been impelled by my guardian spirit to converse with me and by their friendly assistance save me8 ,many of the faces we see around us every day are1 ,i believe1 attendant spirits1 and phantasms of every species1 that have adopted physical form for some specific purpose4 ,banshees ,it has been suggested that banshees are guardian spirits and evil genii2 but ,i do not think so1 for whereas one or other of the two latter phantasms 7sometimes both7 are in constant attendance on man1 banshees only visit certain families before a catastrophe about to happen in those families1 or before the death of a member of those families4 ,as to their origin1 little can be said1 for little is at present known4 ,some say their attachment to a family is due to some crime perpetrated by a member of that family in the far dim past1 whilst others attribute it to the fact that certain classes and races in bygone times dabbled in sorcery1 thus attracting the elementals1 which have haunted them ever since4 ,others1 again1 claim that banshees are mere thought materialisations handed down from one generation to another4 ,but although no one knows the origin and nature of a banshee1 the statements of those who have actually experienced these hauntings should surely carry far more weight and command more attention than the statements of those who only speak from hearsay2 for it is1 after all1 only the sensation of actual experience that can guide us in the study of this subject2 and1 perhaps1 through our sensations alone1 the key to it will one day be found4 ,a phantasm produces an effect on us totally unlike any that can be produced by physical agency--at least such is my experience--hence1 for those who have never come in contact with the unknown to pronounce any verdict on it1 is to my mind both futile and absurd4 ,of one thing1 at least1 ,i am sure1 namely1 that banshees are no more thought materialisations than they are cats--neither are they in any way traceable to telepathy or suggestion2 they are entirely due to objective spirit forms4 ,i do not base this assertion on a knowledge gained from other people's experiences--and surely the information thus gained cannot properly be termed knowledge--but from the sensations ,i myself1 as a member of an old ,irish clan1 have experienced from the hauntings of the banshee--the banshee that down through the long links of my ,celtic ancestry1 through all vicissitudes1 through all changes of fortune1 has followed us1 and will follow us1 to the end of time4 ,because it is customary to speak of an ,irish family ghost by its generic title1 the banshee1 it must not be supposed that every ,irish family possessing a ghost is haunted by the same phantasm--the same banshee4 ,in ,ireland1 as in other countries1 family ghosts are varied and distinct1 and consequently there are many and varying forms of the banshee4 ,to a member of our clan1 a single wail signifies the advent of the banshee1 which1 when materialised1 is not beautiful to look upon4 ,the banshee does not necessarily signify its advent by one wail--that of a clan allied to us wails three times4 ,another banshee does not wail at all1 but moans1 and yet another heralds its approach with music4 ,when materialised1 to quote only a few instances1 one banshee is in the form of a beautiful girl1 another is in the form of a hideous prehistoric hag1 and another in the form of a head--only a head with rough matted hair and malevolent1 bestial eyes4 ,scottish ,ghosts ,when it is remembered that the ancestors of the ,highlanders1 i4e41 the ,picts and ,scots1 originally came from ,ireland and are of ,formosian and ,milesian descent1 it will be readily understood that their proud old clans--and rightly proud1 for who but a grovelling money grubber would not sooner be descended from a warrior1 elected chief1 on account of his all-round prowess1 than from some measly hireling whose instincts were all mercenary8--possess ghosts that are nearly allied to the banshee4 ,the ,airlie family1 whose headquarters are at ,cortachy ,castle1 is haunted by the phantasm of a drummer that beats a tattoo before the death of one of the members of the clan4 ,there is no question as to the genuineness of this haunting1 its actuality is beyond dispute4 ,all sorts of theories as to the origin of this ghostly drummer have been advanced by a prying1 inquisitive public1 but it is extremely doubtful if any of them approach the truth4 ,other families have pipers that pipe a dismal dirge1 and skaters that are seen skating even when there is no ice1 and always before a death or great calamity4 ,english ,family ,ghosts ,there are a few old ,english families1 too1 families who1 in all probability1 can point to ,celtic blood at some distant period in their history1 that possess family ghosts4 ,i have1 for example1 stayed in one house where1 prior to a death1 a boat is seen gliding noiselessly along a stream that flows through the grounds4 ,the rower is invariably the person doomed to die4 ,a friend of mine1 who was very sceptical in such matters1 was fishing in this stream late one evening when he suddenly saw a boat shoot round the bend4 ,much astonished--for he knew it could be no one from the house--he threw down his rod and watched4 ,nearer and nearer it came1 but not a sound2 the oars stirred and splashed the rippling1 foaming water in absolute silence4 ,convinced now that what he beheld was nothing physical1 my friend was greatly frightened1 and1 as the boat shot past him1 he perceived in the rower his host's youngest son1 who was then fighting in ,south ,africa4 ,he did not mention the incident to his friends1 but he was scarcely surprised when1 in the course of the next few days1 a cablegram was received with the tidings that the material counterpart of his vision had been killed in action4 ,a white dove is the harbinger of death to the ,arundels of ,wardour2 a white hare to an equally well-known family in ,cornwall4 ,corby ,castle in ,cumberland has its ,radiant ,boy2 whilst ,mrs ,e4 ,m4 ,ward has stated1 in her reminiscences1 that a certain room at ,knebworth was once haunted by the phantasm of a boy with long yellow hair1 called ,the ,yellow ,boy1 who never appeared to anyone in it1 unless they were to die a violent death1 the manner of which death he indicated by a series of ghastly pantomimics4 ,other families1 ,i am told1 lay claim to phantom coaches1 clocks1 beds1 ladies in white1 and a variety of ghostly phenomena whose manifestations are always a sinister omen4 ,welsh ,ghosts ,in addition to corpse-candles and blue lights1 the ,welsh1 according to ,mr ,wirt ,sykes1 in his work1 ,british ,goblins1 pp4 #bab-baf1 possess a species of ill-omened ghost that is not1 however1 restricted to any one family1 but which visits promiscuously any house or village prior to a death4 ,sometimes it flaps its leathern wings against the window of the room containing the sick person1 and in a broken1 howling tone calls upon the latter to give up his life2 whilst1 at other times1 according to ,mr ,dyer in his ,ghost ,world1 it actually materialises and appears in the form of an old crone with streaming hair and a coat of blue1 when it is called the ,ellyllon1 and1 like the banshee1 presages death with a scream4 ,again1 when it is called the ,cyhyraeth1 and is never seen1 it foretells the death of the insane1 or those who have for a long time been ill1 by moaning1 groaning1 and rattling shutters in the immediate vicinity of the doomed person4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,superstitions ,,and ,,fortunes ,thirteen at ,table ,there is no doubt that there have been many occasions upon which thirteen people have sat down to dinner1 all of which people at the end of a year have been alive and well2 there is no doubt also that there have been many occasions upon which thirteen have sat down to dine1 and the first of them to rise has died within twelve months4 ,therefore1 ,i prefer not to take the risk1 and to sit down to dinner in any number but thirteen4 ,a curious story is told in connection with this superstition4 ,a lady was present at a dinner party given by the ,count ,d---- in ,buda-,pesth1 when it was discovered that the company about to sit down numbered thirteen4 ,immediately there was a loud protest1 and the poor ,count was at his wits' end to know how to get out of the difficulty1 when a servant hurriedly entered and whispered something in his ear4 ,instantly the ,count's face lighted up4 ,how very fortunate6 he exclaimed1 addressing his guests4 ,a very old friend of mine1 who1 to tell the truth1 ,i had thought to be dead1 has just turned up4 ,we may1 therefore1 sit down in peace1 for we shall now be fourteen4 ,a wave of relief swept through the party1 and1 in the midst of their congratulations1 in walked the opportune guest1 a tall1 heavily bearded young man1 with a strangely set expression in his eyes and mouth1 and not a vestige of colour in his cheeks4 ,it was noticed that after replying to the ,count's salutations in remarkably hollow tones that made those nearest him shiver1 he took no part in the conversation1 and partook of nothing beyond a glass of wine and some fruit4 ,the evening passed in the usual manner2 the guests1 with the exception of the stranger1 went1 and1 eventually1 the ,count found himself alone with the friend of his boyhood1 the friend whom he had not seen for years1 and whom he had believed to be dead4 ,wondering at the unusual reticence of his old chum1 but attributing it to shyness1 the ,count1 seeing that he now had an opportunity for a chat1 and1 anxious to hear what his friend had been doing in the long interval since they had last met1 sat down beside him on the couch1 and thus began3 ,how very odd that you should have turned up to-night6 ,if you hadn't come just when you did1 ,i don't know what would have happened6 ,but ,i do6 was the quiet reply4 ,you would have been the first to rise from the table1 and1 consequently1 you would have died within the year4 ,that is why ,i came4 ,at this the ,count burst out laughing4 ,come1 come1 ,max6 he cried4 ,you always were a bit of a wag1 and ,i see you haven't improved4 ,but be serious now1 ,i beg you1 and tell me what made you come to-night and what you have been doing all these years8 ,why1 it must be sixteen years1 if a day1 since last ,i saw you6 ,max leaned back in his seat1 and1 regarding the ,count earnestly with his dark1 penetrating eyes1 said1 ,i have already told you why ,i came here to-night1 and you don't believe me1 but ,,wait6 ,now1 as to what has happened to me since we parted4 ,can ,i expect you to believe that8 ,hardly6 ,anyhow1 ,i will put you to the test4 ,when we parted1 if you remember rightly1 ,i had just passed my final1 and having been elected junior house surgeon at my hospital1 ,st ,christopher's1 at ,brunn1 had taken up my abode there4 ,i remained at ,st ,christopher's for two years1 just long enough to earn distinction in the operating theatre1 when ,i received a more lucrative appointment in ,cracow4 ,there ,i soon had a private practice of my own and was on the high road to fame and fortune1 when ,i was unlucky enough to fall in love4 ,unlucky6 laughed the ,count4 ,pray what was the matter with her8 ,had she no dowry1 or was she an heiress with an ogre of a father1 or was she already married8 ,married1 ,max responded1 married to a regular martinet who1 whilst treating her in the same austere manner he treated his soldiers--he was colonel of a line regiment--was jealous to the verge of insanity4 ,it was when ,i was attending him for a slight ailment of the throat that ,i met her1 and we fell in love with each other at first sight4 ,how romantic6 sighed the ,count4 ,how very romantic6 ,another glass of ,moselle8 ,for some time1 ,max continued1 not noticing the interruption1 all went smoothly4 ,we met clandestinely and spent many an hour together1 unknown to the invalid4 ,we tried to keep him in bed as long as we could1 but his constitution1 which was that of an ox1 was against us1 and his recovery was astonishingly rapid4 ,an indiscreet observation on the part of one of the household first led him to suspect1 and1 watching his wife like a cat does a mouse1 he caught her one evening in the act of holding out her hand for me to kiss4 ,with a yell of fury he rushed upon us1 and in the scuffle that followed---- ,you killed him1 said the ,count4 ,well6 ,i forgive you6 ,we all forgive you6 ,by the love of ,heaven6 you had some excuse4 ,you are mistaken6 ,max went on1 still in the same cold1 unmoved accents1 it was ,i who was killed6 ,he looked at the ,count1 and the ,count's blood turned to ice as he suddenly realised he was1 indeed1 gazing at a corpse4 ,for some seconds the ,count and the corpse sat facing one another in absolute silence1 and then the latter1 rising solemnly from the chair1 mounted the window-sill1 and1 with an expressive wave of farewell1 disappeared in the absorbing darkness without4 ,now1 as ,max was never seen again1 and it was ascertained without any difficulty that he had actually perished in the manner he had described1 there is surely every reason to believe that a bona fide danger had threatened the ,count1 and that the spirit of ,max in his earthly guise had1 in very deed1 turned up at the dinner party with the sole object of saving his friend4 ,spilling ,salt ,everyone knows that to avoid bad luck from spilling salt1 it is only necessary to throw some of it over the left shoulder2 but no one knows why such an act is a deterrent to misfortune1 any more than why misfortune1 if not then averted1 should accrue from the spilling4 ,that the superstition originated in a tradition that ,judas ,iscariot overturned a salt-cellar is ridiculous1 for there is but little doubt it was in vogue long before the advent of ,christ1 and is certainly current to-day among tribes and races that have never heard of the ,last ,supper4 ,in all probability the superstition is derived from the fact that salt1 from its usage in ancient sacrificial rites1 was once regarded as sacred4 ,hence to spill any carelessly was looked upon as sacrilegious and an offence to the gods1 to appease whom the device of throwing it over the left1 the more psychic shoulder1 was instituted4 ,looking-glasses ,the breaking of a looking-glass is said to be an ill omen1 and ,i have certainly known many cases in which one misfortune after another has occurred to the person who has had the misfortune to break a looking-glass4 ,some think that because looking-glasses were once used in sorcery1 they possess certain psychic properties1 and that by reason of their psychic properties any injury done to a mirror must be fraught with danger to the doer of that injury1 but whether this is so or not is a matter of conjecture4 ,psychic ,days ,friday's child is full of woe4 ,of all days ,friday is universally regarded as the most unlucky4 ,according to ,soames in his work1 ,the ,anglo-,saxon ,church1 ,adam and ,eve ate the forbidden fruit on a ,friday and died on a ,friday4 ,and since ,jesus ,christ was crucified on a ,friday1 it is naturally of small wonder that ,friday is accursed4 ,to travel on ,friday is generally deemed to be courting accident2 to be married on ,friday1 courting divorce or death4 ,few sailors care to embark on ,friday2 few theatrical managers to produce a new play on ,friday4 ,in ,livonia most of the inhabitants are so prejudiced against ,friday1 that they never settle any important business1 or conclude a bargain on that day2 in some places they do not even dress their children4 ,for my part1 ,i so far believe in this superstition that ,i never set out for a journey1 or commence any new work on ,friday1 if ,i have the option of any other day4 ,thursday has always been an unlucky day for me4 ,most of my accidents1 disappointments1 illnesses have happened on ,thursdays4 ,wednesday has been my luckiest day4 ,monday1 ,thursday1 ,friday1 and ,saturday the days when ,i have mostly experienced occult phenomena4 ,on ,all-,hallows ,e'en the spirits of the dead are supposed to walk4 ,i remember when a child hearing from the lips of a relative how in her girlhood she had screwed up the courage to shut herself in a dark room on ,all-,hallows ,e'en and had eaten an apple in front of the mirror2 and that instead of seeing the face of her future husband peering over her shoulder1 she had seen a quantity of earth falling4 ,she was informed that this was a prognostication of death1 and1 surely enough1 within the year her father died4 ,i have heard1 too1 of a girl who1 on ,all-,hallows ,e'en1 walked down a gloomy garden path scattering hempseed for her future lover to pick up1 and on hearing someone tiptoeing behind her1 and fancying it was a practical joker1 turned sharply round1 to confront a skeleton dressed exactly similar to herself4 ,she died before the year was out from the result of an accident on the ice4 ,i have often poured boiling lead into water on ,all-,hallows ,e'en and it has assumed strange shapes1 once--a boot1 once--a coffin1 once--a ship2 and ,i have placed all the letters of the alphabet cut out of pasteboard by my bedside1 and on one occasion 7my door was locked1 by the way1 and ,i fully satisfied myself no one was in hiding7 found1 on awakening in the morning1 the following word spelt out of them--,merivale4 ,it was not until some days afterwards that ,i remembered associations with this word1 and then it all came back to me in a trice--it was the name of a man who had once wanted me to join him in an enterprise in ,british ,west ,africa4 ,on ,new ,year's ,eve a certain family1 with whom ,i am very intimately acquainted1 frequently see ghosts of the future1 as well as phantasms of the dead1 and1 when ,i stay with them1 which ,i often do at ,christmas1 ,i am always glad when this night is over4 ,on one occasion1 one of them saw a lady come up the garden path and vanish on the front doorsteps4 ,she saw the lady's face distinctly2 every feature in it1 together with the clothes she was wearing1 stood out with startling perspicuity4 ,some six months later1 she was introduced to the material counterpart of the phantasm1 who was destined to play a most important part in her life4 ,on another ,new ,year's ,eve she saw the phantasm of a dog1 to which she had been deeply attached1 enter her bedroom and jump on her bed1 just as it had done during its lifetime4 ,not in the least frightened1 she put down her hand to stroke it1 when it vanished4 ,i have given several other instances of this kind in my ,haunted ,houses of ,london and ,ghostly ,phenomena--they all1 ,i think1 tend to prove a future existence for dumb animals4 ,the #bhth of ,december1 ,childermass ,day1 or the ,feast of the ,holy ,innocents1 the day on which ,king ,herod slaughtered so many infants 7if they were no better mannered than the bulk of the ,county ,council children of to-day1 one can hardly blame him71 is held to be unpropitious for the commencement of any new undertaking by those of tender years4 ,the fishermen who dwell on the ,baltic seldom use their nets between ,all ,saints and ,st ,martin's ,day1 or on ,st ,blaise's ,day2 if they did1 they believe they would not take any fish for a whole year4 ,on ,ash ,wednesday the women in those parts neither sew nor knit for fear of bringing misfortune upon their cattle1 whilst they do not use fire on ,st ,lawrence's ,day1 in order to secure themselves against fire for the rest of the year4 ,in ,moravia the peasants used not to hunt on ,st ,mark's or ,st ,catherine's ,day1 for fear they should be unlucky all the rest of the year4 ,in ,yorkshire it was once customary to watch for the dead on ,st ,mark's 7,april #bd7 and ,midsummer ,eve4 ,on both those nights 7so says ,mr ,timbs in his ,mysteries of ,life and ,futurity7 persons would sit and watch in the church porch from eleven o'clock at night till one in the morning4 ,in the third year 7for it must be done thrice71 the watchers were said to see the spectres of all those who were to die the next year pass into the church4 ,i am quite sure there is much truth in this1 for ,i have heard of sceptics putting it to the test1 and of singing to quite a different tune when the phantasms of those they knew quite well suddenly shot up from the ground1 and1 gliding past them1 vanished at the threshold of the church4 ,occasionally1 too1 ,i have been informed of cases where the watchers have seen themselves in the ghastly procession and have died shortly afterwards4 ,fortune-telling ,before ridiculing the possibility of telling fortunes by cards1 it would be just as well for sceptics to inquire into the history of cards1 and the reason of their being designated the ,devil's pasteboards4 ,their origin may be traced to the days when man was undoubtedly in close touch with the occult1 and each card1 i4e4 of the original design1 has a psychic meaning4 ,hence the telling of fortunes by certain people--those who have had actual experience with occult phenomena--deserves to be taken seriously2 and ,i am convinced many of the fortunes thus told come true4 ,palmistry ,that there is much truth in palmistry--the palmistry of those who have made a thorough study of the subject--should by this time1 ,i think1 be an established fact4 ,i can honestly say ,i have had my hand told with absolute accuracy1 and in such a manner as utterly precludes the possibility of coincidence or chance4 ,many of the events1 and out-of-the-way events1 of my life have been read in my lines with perfect veracity1 my character has been delineated with equal fidelity1 and the future portrayed exactly in the manner it has come about--and all by a stranger1 one who had never seen or heard of me before he told my hand4 ,to attempt to negative the positive is the height of folly1 but fools will deny anything and everything save their own wit4 ,it does not follow that because one palmist has been at fault1 all palmists are at fault4 ,i believe in palmistry1 because ,i have seen it verified in a hundred and one instances4 ,apart from the lines1 however1 there is a wealth of character in hands3 ,i am never tired of studying them4 ,to me the most beautiful and interesting hands are the pure psychic and the dramatic--the former with its thin1 narrow palm1 slender1 tapering fingers and filbert nails2 the latter a model of symmetry and grace1 with conical finger-tips and filbert nails--indeed1 filbert nails are more or less confined to these two types2 one seldom sees them in other hands4 ,then there are the literary and artistic hands1 with their mixed types of fingers1 some conical and some square-tipped1 but always with some redeeming feature of refinement and elegance in them2 and the musical hand1 sometimes a modified edition of the psychic1 and sometimes quite different1 with short1 supple fingers and square tips4 ,and yet again--would that it did not exist6--the business hand1 far more common in ,england1 where the bulk of the people have commercial minds1 than elsewhere4 ,it has no redeeming feature1 but is short1 and square1 and fat1 with stumpy fingers and hideous1 spatulate nails1 the very sight of which makes me shudder4 ,indeed1 ,i have heard it said abroad1 and not without some reason1 that1 apart from other little peculiarities1 such as projecting teeth and big feet1 the ,english have two sets of toes6 ,when ,i look at ,english children's fingers1 and see how universal is the custom of biting the nails1 ,i feel quite sure the day will come when there will be no nails left to bite--that the day1 in fact1 is not far distant1 when nails1 rather than teeth1 will become extinct4 ,the ,irish1 ,french1 ,italians1 ,spanish1 and ,danes1 being far more dramatic and psychic than the ,english1 have far nicer hands1 and for one set of filbert nails in ,london1 we may count a dozen in ,paris or ,madrid4 ,murderers' hands are often noticeable for their knotted knuckles and club-shaped finger-tips2 suicides--for the slenderness of the thumbs and strong inclination of the index to the second finger2 thieves--for the pointedness of the finger-tips1 and the length and suppleness of the fingers4 ,dominating1 coarse-minded people1 and people who exert undue influence over others1 generally have broad1 flat thumbs4 ,the hands of soldiers and sailors are usually broad1 with short1 thick1 square-tipped fingers2 the hands of clergy are also more often broad and coarse than slender and conical1 which may be accounted for by the fact that so many of them enter the ,church with other than spiritual motives4 ,the really spiritual hand is the counterpart of the psychical1 and rarely seen in ,england4 ,doctors1 doctors with a genuine love of their profession1 in other words1 born doctors1 have broad but slender palms1 with long1 supple fingers and moderately square tips4 ,this type of hand is typical1 also1 of the hospital nurse4 ,it is1 of course1 a gross error to think that birth has everything to do with the shape of the hand2 for the latter is entirely dependent on temperament2 but it is also a mistake to say that as many beautiful-shaped hands are to be found among the lower as among the upper classes in ,england4 ,it is a mistake1 because the psychic and dramatic temperaments 7and the psychic and dramatic type of hand is unquestionably the most beautiful7 are rarely to be found in the middle and lower classes in ,england--they are almost entirely confined to the upper classes4 ,pyromancy ,predicting the future by fire is one of the oldest methods of fortune-telling1 and has been practised from time immemorial4 ,i have often had my fortune told in the fire1 but ,i cannot say it has ever proved to be very correct2 only once a prognostication came true1--a sudden death occurred in a family very nearly connected with me1 after a very fanciful churchyard had been pointed out to me amid the glowing embers4 ,hydromancy ,there are many ways of telling the fortune by means of water4 ,one of the most usual methods is to float some object on the water's surface1 predicting the future in accordance with the course that object takes2 but ,i believe future events are just as often foretold by means of the water only4 ,many people believe that especially successful results in fortune-telling may be obtained by means of water only1 on ,all-,hallows ,e'en or ,new ,year's ,eve4 ,on the former night1 the method of divining the future is as follows3--,place a bowl of clear spring water on your lap at midnight1 and gaze into it4 ,if you are to be married1 you will see the face of your future husband 7or bride7 reflected in the water2 if you are to remain single all your life1 you will see nothing2 and if you are to die within the year1 the water will become muddy4 ,on ,new ,year's ,eve a tumbler of water should be placed at midnight before the looking-glass1 when any person1 or persons1 destined to play a very important rle in your life within the coming year1 will suddenly appear and sip the water4 ,should you be doomed to die within that period1 the tumbler will be thrown on the ground and dashed to pieces4 ,the conditions during the trial of both these methods are that you should be alone in the room1 with only one candle burning4 ,the ,crystal ,i often practise crystal-gazing1 and the results are strangely inconsistent4 ,i see with startling vividness events that actually come to pass1 and sometimes with equal perspicuity events that1 as far as ,i know1 are never fulfilled4 ,and this ,i feel sure must be the case with all crystal-gazers1 if they would but admit it4 ,my method is very simple4 ,as ,i cannot concentrate unless ,i have absolute quiet1 ,i wait till the house is very still1 and ,i then sit alone in my room with my back to the light1 in such a position that the light pours over my shoulders on to the crystal1 which ,i have set on the table before me4 ,sometimes ,i sit for a long time before ,i see anything1 and sometimes1 after a lengthy sitting1 ,i see nothing at all2 but when a tableau does come1 it is always with the most startling vividness4 ,when ,i want to be initiated into what is happening to certain of my friends1 ,i concentrate my whole mind on those friends--,i think of nothing but them--their faces1 forms1 mannerisms1 and surroundings--and then1 suddenly1 ,i see them in the crystal6 ,visions are sometimes of the future1 sometimes of the present1 sometimes of the past1 and sometimes of neither1 but of what never actually transpires--and there is the strange inconsistency4 ,i do not know what methods other people adopt1 ,i daresay some of them differ from mine1 but ,i feel quite sure that1 look at the crystal how they will1 it will invariably lie to them at times4 ,a day or so before the death of ,lafayette1 when ,i was concentrating my whole mind on forthcoming events1 ,i distinctly saw1 in the crystal1 a stage with a man standing before the footlights1 either speaking or singing4 ,in the midst of his performance1 a black curtain suddenly fell1 and ,i intuitively realised the theatre was on fire4 ,the picture then faded away and was replaced by something of a totally different character4 ,again1 just before the great thunder-storm at the end of ,may1 when ,holy ,trinity ,church1 ,marylebone1 was struck1 ,i saw1 in the crystal1 a black sky1 vivid flashes of lightning1 a road rushing with brown water1 and a church spire with an enormous crack in it4 ,of course1 it is very easy to say these visions might have been mere coincidences2 but if they were only coincidences1 they were surpassingly uncommon ones4 ,talismans and ,amulets ,amulets1 though now practically confined to the ,east1 were once very much in vogue throughout ,europe4 ,count ,daniel ,o',donnell1 brigadier-general in the ,irish ,brigade of ,louis ,,xiv41 never went into battle without carrying with him an amulet in the shape of the jewelled casket ,cathach of ,columbcille1 containing a ,latin psalter said to have been written by ,st ,columba4 ,it has quite recently been lent to the ,royal ,irish ,academy 7where it is now7 by my kinsman1 the late ,sir ,richard ,o',donnell1 ,bart4 ,count ,o',donnell used to say that so long as he had this talisman with him1 he would never be wounded1 and it is a fact that though he led his regiment in the thick of the fight at ,borgoforte1 ,nago1 ,arco1 ,vercelli1 ,ivrea1 ,verrua1 ,chivasso1 ,cassano1 and other battles in the ,italian ,campaign of #agja-g1 and at ,oudenarde1 ,malplaquet1 ,arleux1 ,denain1 ,douai1 ,bouchain1 and ,fuesnoy1 in the ,netherlands1 he always came through scathless4 ,hence1 like him1 ,i am inclined to attribute his escapes to the psychic properties of the talisman4 ,the great family of ,lyons were in possession of a talisman in the form of a lion-cup1 the original of ,scott's ,blessed ,bear of ,bradwardine1 which always brought them good luck till they went to ,glamis1 and after that they experienced centuries of misfortune4 ,another famous talisman is the ,luck of ,edenhall1 in the possession of ,sir ,richard ,musgrave of ,edenhall1 in ,cumberland2 and many other ancient families still retain their amulets4 ,the ,evil ,eye ,i was recently speaking to an ,italian lady who informed me that belief in the evil eye is still very prevalent in many parts of ,italy4 ,i myself believe in it1 she said1 and whenever ,i pass a person whom ,i think possesses it1 ,i make a sign with my fingers--and she held up two of her fingers as she spoke4 ,i certainly have observed that people with a peculiar and undefinable something in their eyes are particularly unlucky and invariably bring misfortune on those with whom they are in any degree intimate4 ,these people1 ,i have no doubt1 possess the evil eye1 though it would not be discernible except to the extremely psychic1 and there is no doubt that the ,irish and ,italians are both far more psychic than the ,english4 ,people are of opinion that the eye is not a particularly safe indicator of true character1 but ,i beg to differ4 ,to me the eye tells everything1 and ,i have never yet looked directly into a person's eyes without being able to satisfy myself as to their disposition4 ,cruelty1 vanity1 deceit1 temper1 sensuality1 and all the other vices display themselves at once2 and so with vulgarity--the glitter of the vulgar1 of the ignorant1 petty1 mean1 sordid mind1 the mind that estimates all things and all people by money and clothes1 cannot be hidden2 vulgarity will out1 and in no way more effectually than through the eyes4 ,no matter how smart the parvenu dresses1 no matter how perfect his style1 the glitter of the eye tells me what manner of man he is1 and when ,i see that strange anomaly1 nature's gentleman1 in the service of such a man1 ,i do not say to myself ,jack is as good--,i say1 ,jack is better than his master4 ,but to me the evil eye1 no less than the vulgar eye1 manifests itself4 ,i was at an at home one afternoon several seasons ago1 when an old friend of mine suddenly whispered3 ,you see that lady in black1 over there8 ,i must tell you about her4 ,she has just lost her husband1 and he committed suicide under rather extraordinary circumstances in ,sicily4 ,he was not only very unlucky himself1 but he invariably brought misfortune on those to whom he took a liking--even his dogs4 ,his mother died from the effects of a railway accident2 his favourite brother was drowned2 the girl to whom he was first engaged went into rapid consumption2 and no sooner had he married the lady you see1 than she indirectly experienced misfortune through the heavy monetary losses of her father4 ,at last he became convinced that he must be labouring under the influence of a curse1 and1 filled with a curious desire to see if he had 'the evil eye1'--people of course said he was mad--he went to ,sicily4 ,arriving there1 he had no sooner shown himself among the superstitious peasants1 than they made a sign with their fingers to ward off evil1 and in every possible way shunned him4 ,convinced then that what he had suspected was true1 namely1 that he was genuinely accursed1 he went into a wood and shot himself4 ,this1 ,i daresay1 is only one of many suicides in similar circumstances1 and not a few of the suicides we attribute1 with such obvious inconsistency 7thinking thereby to cover our ignorance71 to temporary insanity1 may be traceable to the influence of the evil eye4 ,witches ,though witches no longer wear conical hats and red cloaks and fly through the air on broomsticks1 and though their modus operandi has changed with their change of attire1 ,i believe there are just as many witches in the world to-day1 perhaps even more1 than in days gone by4 ,all women are witches who exert baleful influence over others--who wreck the happiness of families by setting husbands against wives 7or1 what is even more common1 wives against husbands71 parents against children1 and brothers against sisters2 and1 who steal whole fortunes by inveigling into love1 silly1 weak-minded old men1 or by captivating equally silly and weak-willed women4 ,indeed1 the latter is far from rare1 and there are instances of women having filled other women with the blindest infatuation for them--an infatuation surpassing that of the most doting lovers1 and1 without doubt1 generated by undue influence1 or1 in other words1 by witchcraft4 ,indeed1 ,i am inclined to believe that the orthodox witch of the past was harmless compared with her present-day representative4 ,there is1 however1 one thing we may be thankful for1 and that is--that in the majority of cases the modern witch1 despite her disregard of the former properties of her calling1 cannot hide her danger signals4 ,her manners are soft and insinuating1 but her eyes are hard--hard with the steely hardness1 which1 granted certain conditions1 would not hesitate at murder4 ,her hands1 too1 are coarse--an exaggeration of the business type of hand--the fingers short and club-shaped1 the thumbs broad and flat1 the nails hideous2 they are the antipodes of the psychic or dramatic type of hands3 a type that1 needless to say1 witches have never been known to possess4 ,once the invocation of the dead was one of the practices of ancient witchcraft3 one might1 perhaps1 not inappropriately apply the term witch to the modern spiritualist4 ,if we credit the ,scriptures with any degree of truth1 then witches most certainly had the power of calling up the dead in ,biblical days1 for at ,endor the feat--rare even in those times--was accomplished of invoking in material form the phantasms of the good as well as the evil4 ,though ,i am of the opinion that no amount of invocation will bring back a phantasm from the higher spiritual planes to-day1 unless that invocation be made in very exceptional circumstances1 with a specific purpose1 ,i am quite sure that bona fide spirits of the earth-bound do occasionally materialise in answer to the summons of the spiritualist4 ,i do not base this statement on any experience ,i have ever had1 for it is a rather singular fact that1 although ,i have seen many spontaneous phenomena in haunted houses1 ,i have never seen anything resembling1 in the slightest degree1 a genuine spirit form1 at a sance4 ,therefore1 ,i repeat1 ,i do not base my statement1 as to the occasional materialisation of bona fide earth-bound spirits1 on any of my experiences1 but on those of sitters with whom ,i am intimately acquainted4 ,what benefit can be derived from getting into close touch with earth-bound spirits1 i4e4 with vice and impersonating elementals and the phantasms of dead idiots1 lunatics1 murderers1 suicides1 rakes1 drunkards1 immoral women and silly people of all sorts1 is1 ,i think1 difficult to say2 for my own part1 ,i am only too content to steer clear of them1 and confine my attentions to trying to be of service to those apparitions that are1 obviously1 for some reason1 made to appear by the higher occult powers4 ,thus1 what is popularly known as spiritualism is1 from my point of view1 a mischievous and often very dangerous form of witchcraft4 ,a ,frenchman to whom ,i was recently introduced at a house in ,maida ,vale1 told me the following case1 which he assured me actually happened in the middle of the eighteenth century1 and was attested to by judicial documents4 ,a ,french nobleman1 whom ,i will designate the ,vicomte ,davergny1 whilst on a visit to some friends near ,toulouse1 on hearing that a miller in the neighbourhood was in the habit of holding ,sabbats1 was seized with a burning desire to attend one4 ,consequently1 in opposition to the advice of his friends1 he saw the miller1 and1 by dint of prodigious bribing1 finally persuaded the latter to permit him to attend one of the orgies4 ,but the miller made one stipulation--the ,vicomte was on no account to carry firearms2 and to this the latter readily agreed4 ,when1 however1 the eventful night arrived1 the ,vicomte1 becoming convinced that it would be the height of folly to go to a notoriously lonely spot1 in the dark1 and unarmed1 concealed a brace of pistols under his clothes4 ,on reaching the place of assignation1 he found the miller already there1 and on the latter enveloping him in a heavy cloak1 the ,vicomte felt himself lifted bodily from the ground and whirled through the air4 ,this sensation continued for several moments1 when he was suddenly set down on the earth again and the cloak taken off him4 ,at first he could scarcely make out anything owing to a blaze of light1 but as soon as his eyes grew accustomed to the illumination1 he perceived that he was standing near a huge faggot fire1 around which squatted a score or so of the most hideous hags he had ever conceived even in his wildest imagination4 ,after going through a number of strange incantations1 which were more or less ,greek to the ,vicomte1 there was a most impressive lull1 that was abruptly broken by the appearance of an extraordinary and alarming-looking individual in the midst of the flames4 ,all the witches at once uttered piercing shrieks and prostrated themselves1 and the ,vicomte then realised that the remarkable being who had caused the commotion was none other than the devil4 ,yielding to an irresistible impulse1 but without really knowing what he was doing1 the ,vicomte whipped out a pistol1 and1 pointing at ,mephistopheles1 fired4 ,in an instant1 fire and witches vanished1 and all was darkness and silence4 ,terrified out of his wits1 the ,count sank on the ground1 where he remained till daylight1 when he received another shock1 on discovering1 stretched close to him1 the body of the miller with a bullet wound in his forehead4 ,flying from the spot1 he wandered on and on1 until he came to a cottage1 at which he inquired his way home4 ,and here another surprise awaited him4 ,for the cottagers1 in answer to his inquiries1 informed him that the nearest town was not ,toulouse but ,bordeaux1 and if he went on walking in such and such a direction1 he would speedily come to it4 ,arriving at ,bordeaux1 as the peasant had directed1 the ,vicomte rested a short time1 and then set out for ,toulouse1 which city he at length reached after a few days' journeying4 ,but he had not been back long before he was arrested for the murder of the miller1 it being deposed that he had been seen near ,bordeaux1 in the immediate neighbourhood of the tragedy1 directly after its enaction4 ,however1 as it was obviously impossible that the ,vicomte could have taken less than a few days to travel from ,toulouse to a spot near ,bordeaux1 where the murder had taken place1 a distance of several hundreds of miles1 on the evidence of his friends1 who declared that he had been with them till within a few hours of the time when it was presumed the crime was committed1 the charge was withdrawn1 and the ,vicomte was fully acquitted4 ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,hand ,,of ,,glory2 ,,the ,,bloody ,,hand ,,of ,,ulster2 ,,the ,,seventh ,,son2 ,,birthmarks2 ,,nature',s ,,devil ,,signals2 ,,pre-,,existence2 ,,the ,,future2 ,,projection2 ,,telepathy1 ,,etc4 ,the ,hand of ,glory ,belief in the power of the ,hand of ,glory still1 ,i believe1 exists in certain parts of ,european and ,asiatic ,russia4 ,once it was prevalent everywhere4 ,the ,hand of ,glory was a hand cut off from the body of a robber and murderer who had expiated his crimes on the gallows4 ,to endow it with the properties of a talisman1 the blood was first of all extracted2 it was then given a thorough soaking in saltpetre and pepper1 and hung out in the sun4 ,when perfectly dry1 it was used as a candlestick for a candle made of white wax1 sesame seed1 and fat from the corpse of the criminal4 ,prepared thus1 the ,hand of ,glory was deemed to have the power of aiding and protecting the robbers in their nefarious work by sending to sleep their intended victims4 ,hence no robber ever visited a house without having such a talisman with him4 ,the ,bloody ,hand of ,ulster ,the ,red ,right ,hand of ,ulster is the badge of the ,o',neills1 and according to tradition it originated thus3--,on the approach of an ancient expedition to ,ulster1 the leader declared that whoever first touched the shore should possess the land in the immediate vicinity4 ,an ancestor of the ,o',neills1 anxious to obtain the reward1 at once cut off his right hand and threw it on the coast1 which henceforth became his territory4 ,since then the ,o',neills have always claimed the ,red ,right ,hand of ,ulster as their badge1 and it figured only the other day on the banner which1 for the first time since the days of ,shane the ,proud1 was flown from the battlements of their ancient stronghold1 ,ardglass ,castle1 now in the possession of ,mr ,f4 ,j4 ,bigger4 ,a very similar story to that of the ,o',neill is told of an ,o',donnell1 who1 with a similar motive1 namely1 to acquire territory1 on arriving within sight of ,spain1 cut off his hand and hurled it on the shore1 and1 like the ,o',neills1 the ,o',donnells from that time have adopted the hand as their badge4 ,the ,seventh ,son ,it was formerly believed that a seventh son could cure diseases1 and that a seventh son of a seventh son1 with no female born in between1 could cure the king's evil4 ,indeed1 seven was universally regarded as a psychic number1 and according to astrologers the greatest events in a person's life1 and his nearest approach to death without actually incurring it1 would be every seven years4 ,the grand climacterics are sixty-three and eighty-four1 and the most critical periods of a person's life occur when they are sixty-three and eighty-four years of age4 ,birthmarks ,some families have a heritage of peculiar markings on the skin4 ,the only birthmark of this description which ,i am acquainted with is ,the ,historic ,baldearg1 or red spot that has periodically appeared on the skins of members of the ,o',donnell clan4 ,its origin is dubious1 but ,i imagine it must go back pretty nearly to the time of the great ,niall4 ,in the days when ,ireland was in a chronic state of rebellion1 it was said that it would never shake off the yoke of its cruel ,english oppressors till its forces united under the leadership of an ,o',donnell with the ,baldearg4 ,an ,o',donnell with the ,baldearg turned up in #afij1 in the person of ,hugh ,baldearg ,o',donnell1 son of ,john ,o',donnell1 an officer in the ,spanish ,army1 and descendant of the ,calvagh ,o',donnell of ,tyrconnell1 who had been created ,earl of ,wexford by ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,but the ,irish1 as has ever been the case1 would not unite1 and despite the aid given him by ,talbot 7who had succeeded the ,o',donnells in the ,earldom of ,tyrconnell71 he met with but little success1 and returning to ,spain1 died there with the rank of ,major-,general in #agjd4 ,references to the ,baldearg may be seen in various of the ,memoirs of the ,o',donnells in the libraries of the ,british ,museum1 ,madrid1 ,dublin1 and elsewhere4 ,nature's ,devil ,signals ,i have already alluded to the fingers typical of murderers2 ,i will now refer in brief to a form of ,nature's other danger signals4 ,the feet of murderers are1 as a rule1 very short and broad1 the toes flat and square-tipped4 ,as a rule1 too1 they either have very receding chins1 as in the case of ,mapleton ,lefroy1 or very massive1 prominent chins1 as in the case of ,gotfried4 ,in many instances the ears of murderers are set very far back and low down on their heads1 and the outer rims are very much crumpled2 also they have very high and prominent cheek-bones1 whilst one side of the face is different from the other4 ,the backs of many murderers' heads are nearly perpendicular1 or1 if anything1 rather inclined to recede than otherwise--they seldom project--whilst the forehead is unusually prominent4 ,it is a noteworthy fact that a large percentage of modern murderers have had rather prominent light1 steely blue eyes--rarely grey or brown4 ,their voices--and there is another key to the character--are either hollow and metallic1 or suggestive of the sounds made by certain animals4 ,many of these characteristics are to be found in criminal lunatics4 ,pre-existence and the ,future ,to talk of a former life as if it were an established fact is1 of course1 an absurdity2 to dogmatise at all on such a question1 with regard to which one man's opinion is just as speculative as another's1 is1 perhaps1 equally ridiculous4 ,granted1 then1 the equal value of the varying opinions of sane men on this subject1 it is clear that no one can be considered an authority2 my opinion1 no less than other people's1 is1 as ,i have said1 merely speculation4 ,that ,i had a former life is1 ,i think1 extremely likely1 and that ,i misconducted myself in that former life1 more than likely1 since it is only by supposing a previous existence in which ,i misbehaved1 that ,i can see the shadow of a justification for all the apparently unmerited misfortunes ,i have suffered in my present existence4 ,i do not1 however1 see any specific reason why my former existence should have been here2 on the contrary1 ,i think it far more probable that ,i was once in some other sphere--perhaps one of the planets--where my misdeeds led to my banishment and my subsequent appearance in this world4 ,with regard to a future life1 eternal punishment1 and its converse1 everlasting bliss1 ,i fear ,i never had any orthodox views1 or1 if ,i had1 my orthodoxy exploded as soon as my common sense began to grow4 ,hell1 the hell hurled at my head from the pulpit1 only excited my indignation--it was so unjust--nor did the ,god of the ,old ,testament fill me with aught save indignation and disgust4 ,lost in a quagmire of doubts and perplexities1 ,i inquired of my preceptors as to the authorship of the book that held up for adoration a being so stern1 relentless1 and unjust as ,god2 and in answer to my inquiries was told that ,i was very wicked to talk in such a way about the ,bible2 that it was ,god's own book--divinely inspired--in fact1 written by ,god ,himself4 ,then ,i inquired if the original manuscript in ,god's handwriting was still in existence2 and was told ,i was very wicked and must hold my tongue4 ,yet ,i had no idea of being in any way irreverent or blasphemous2 ,i was merely perplexed1 and longed to have my difficulties settled4 ,failing this1 they grew1 and ,i began to question whether the terms merciful and almighty were terms that could be applied with any degree of consistency to the scriptural one and only ,creator4 ,would that ,god1 if ,he were almighty1 have permitted the existence of such an enemy 7or indeed an enemy at all7 as the ,devil8 ,and if ,he were merciful1 would ,he1 for the one disobedient act of one human being1 have condemned to the most ghastly and diabolical sufferings1 millions of human beings1 and not only human beings1 but animals8 ,ah6 that's where the rub comes in1 for though there may be some sense1 if not justice1 in causing men and women1 who have sinned--to suffer1 there is surely neither reason nor justice in making animals1 who have not sinned--to suffer4 ,and yet1 for man's one act of disobedience1 both man and beast have suffered thousands of years of untold agonies4 ,could anyone save the blindest and most fanatical of biblical bigots call the ordainer of such a punishment merciful8 ,how often have ,i asked myself who created the laws and principles of ,nature6 ,they are certainly more suggestive of a fiendish than a benevolent author4 ,it is ridiculous to say man owes disease to his own acts--such an argument--if argument at all--would not deceive an infant4 ,are the insects1 the trees1 the fish responsible for the diseases with which they are inflicted8 ,no1 ,nature1 or rather the creator of ,nature1 is alone responsible4 ,but1 granted we have lived before1 there may be grounds for the suffering both of man and beast4 ,the story of the ,fall may be but a contortion of something that has happened to man in a former existence1 in another sphere1 possibly1 in another planet2 and its description based on nothing more substantial than memory1 vague and fleeting as a dream4 ,anyhow1 ,i am inclined to think that incarnation here might be traced to something of more--infinitely more--importance than an apple2 possibly1 to some cause of which we have not1 at the present1 even the remotest conception4 ,people1 who do not believe in the former existence1 attempt to justify the ills of man here1 by assuming that a state of perfect happiness cannot be attained by man1 except he has suffered a certain amount of pain2 so that1 in order to attain to perfect happiness1 man must of necessity experience suffering--a theory founded on the much misunderstood axiom1 that nothing can exist save by contrast4 ,but supposing1 for the sake of argument1 that this axiom1 according to its everyday interpretation1 is an axiom1 i4e4 a true saying1 then ,god1 the ,creator of all things1 must have created evil--evil that good may exist1 and good that evil may exist4 ,this deduction1 however1 is obviously at variance with the theory that ,god is all goodness1 since if nothing can exist save by contrast1 goodness must of necessity presuppose badness1 and we are thus led to the conclusion that ,god is at the same time both good and bad1 a conclusion which is undoubtedly a reductio ad absurdum4 ,seeing1 then1 that a ,god all good cannot have created evil1 surely we should be more rational1 if less scriptural1 were we to suppose a plurality of gods4 ,in any case ,i cannot see how pain1 if ,god is indeed all mighty and all good1 can be the inevitable corollary of pleasure4 ,nor can ,i see the necessity for man to suffer here1 in order to enjoy absolute happiness in the hereafter4 ,no1 ,i think if there is any justification for the suffering of mankind on this earth1 it is to be found1 not in the theory of contrast1 but in a former existence1 and in an existence in some other sphere or plane4 ,vague recollections of such an existence arise and perplex many of us2 but they are so elusive1 the moment we attempt to grapple with them1 they fade away4 ,the frequent and vivid dreams ,i have1 of visiting a region that is peopled with beings that have nothing at all in common with mankind1 and who welcome me as effusively as if ,i had been long acquainted with them1 makes me wonder if ,i have actually dwelt amongst them in a previous life4 ,i cannot get rid of the idea that in everything ,i see 7in these dreams7--in the appearance1 mannerisms1 and expressions of my queer companions1 in the scenery1 in the atmosphere--,i do but recall the actual experience of long ago--the actual experience of a previous existence4 ,nor is this identical dreamland confined to me2 and the fact that others whom ,i have met1 have dreamed of a land1 corresponding in every detail to my dreamland1 proves1 to my mind1 the possibility that both they and ,i have lived a former life1 and in that former life inhabited the same sphere4 ,projection ,i have1 as ,i have previously stated in my work1 ,the ,haunted ,houses of ,london1 succeeded1 on one occasion1 in separating at will1 my immaterial from my material body4 ,i was walking alone along a very quiet1 country lane1 at #d ,p4,m41 and concentrating with all my mind1 on being at home4 ,i kept repeating to myself1 ,i ,,will be there4 ,suddenly a vivid picture of the exterior of the house rose before me1 and1 the next instant1 ,i found myself1 in the most natural manner possible1 walking down some steps and across the side garden leading to the conservatory4 ,i entered the house1 and found all my possessions--books1 papers1 shoes1 etc4--just as ,i had left them some hours previously4 ,with the intention of showing myself to my wife1 in order that she might be a witness to my appearance1 ,i hastened to the room1 where ,i thought it most likely ,i should find her1 and was about to turn the handle of the door1 when1 for the fraction of a second1 ,i saw nothing4 ,immediately afterwards there came a blank1 and ,i was once again on the lonely moorland road1 toiling along1 fishing rod in hand1 a couple of miles1 at least1 away from home4 ,when ,i did arrive home1 my wife met me in the hall1 eager to tell me that at four o'clock both she and the girls had distinctly heard me come down the steps and through the conservatory into the house4 ,you actually came1 my wife continued1 to the door of the room in which ,i was sitting4 ,i called out to you to come in1 but1 receiving no reply1 ,i got up and opened the door1 and found1 to my utter amazement1 no one there4 ,i searched for you everywhere1 and should much like to know why you have behaved in this very extraordinary manner4 ,much excited in my turn1 ,i hastened to explain to her that ,i had been practising projection1 and had actually succeeded in separating my material from my immaterial body1 for a brief space of time1 just about four o'clock4 ,the footsteps she had heard were indeed my own footsteps--and upon this point she was even more positive than ,i--the footsteps of my immaterial self4 ,i have made my presence felt1 though ,i have never appeared1 on several other occasions4 ,in my sleep1 ,i believe1 ,i am often separated from my physical body1 as my dreams are so intensely real and vivid4 ,they are so real that ,i am frequently able to remember1 almost verbatim1 long conversations ,i have had in them1 and ,i awake repeating broken-off sentences4 ,often1 after ,i have taken active exercise1 such as running1 or done manual labour1 such as digging or lifting heavy weights in the land of my dreams1 my muscles have ached all the following day4 ,with regard to the projections of other people1 ,i have often seen phantasms of the living1 and an account of one appearing to me1 when in the company of three other persons1 all of whom saw it1 may be read in the ,psychical ,research ,society's ,magazine for ,october #ahii4 ,i have referred to it as well as to other of my similar experiences in ,ghostly ,phenomena and ,haunted ,houses of ,london4 ,doubles1 i4e4 people who are more or less the exact counterpart of other people1 may easily be taken for projections by those who have but little acquaintance with the occult4 ,i1 myself1 have seen many doubles1 but though they be as like as the proverbial two peas1 ,i can tell at a glance whether they be the material or immaterial likeness of those they so exactly resemble4 ,i think there is no doubt that1 in a good many instances1 doubles have been mistaken for projections1 and1 of course1 vice vers4 ,telepathy and ,suggestion ,though telepathy between two very wakeful minds is an established fact1 ,i do not think it is generally known that it can also take place between two minds when asleep1 or between one person awake and another asleep1 and yet ,i have proved this to be the case4 ,my wife and ,i continually dream of the same thing at the same time1 and if ,i lie down in the afternoon and fall asleep alone1 she often thinks of precisely what ,i am dreaming about4 ,though telepathy and suggestion may possibly account for hauntings when the phenomenon is only experienced individually1 ,i cannot see how it can do so when the manifestations are witnessed by numbers1 i4e4 collectively4 ,i am quite sure that neither telepathy nor suggestion are in any degree responsible for the phenomena ,i have experienced1 and that the latter hail only from one quarter--the objective and genuine occult world4 ,the ,psychic ,faculty and ,second ,sight ,whereas some people seem fated to experience occult phenomena and others not1 there is this inconsistency3 the person with the supposed psychic faculty does not always witness the phenomena when they appear4 ,by way of illustration3 ,i have been present on one occasion in a haunted room when all present have seen the ghost with the exception of myself2 whilst on other occasions1 either ,i have been the only one who has seen it1 or some or all of us have seen it4 ,it would thus seem that the psychic faculty does not ensure one's seeing a ghost1 whenever a ghost is to be seen4 ,i think1 as a matter of fact1 that apparitions can1 whilst manifesting themselves to some1 remain invisible to others1 and that they themselves determine to whom they will appear4 ,some types of phantasms apparently prefer manifesting themselves to the spiritual or psychic-minded person1 whilst other types do not discriminate1 but appear to the spiritual and carnal-minded alike4 ,there is just as much variety in the tastes and habits of phantasms as in the tastes and habits of human beings1 and in the behaviour of both phantasm and human being1 ,i regret to say1 there is an equal and predominant amount of inconsistency4 ,intuition ,i do not think it can be doubted that psychic people have the faculty of intuition far more highly developed than is the case with the more material-minded4 ,second sight is but another name for the psychic faculty1 and it is generally acknowledged to be far more common among the ,celts than the ,anglo-,saxons4 ,that this is so need not be wondered at1 since the ,irish and the ,highlanders of ,scotland 7originally the same race7 are far more spiritual-minded than the ,english 7in whom commerciality and worldliness are innate71 and consequently have1 on the whole1 a far greater attraction for spirits who would naturally prefer to reveal themselves to those in whom they would be the more likely to find something in common4 ,there is still a belief in certain parts of the ,hebrides that second sight was once obtained there through a practice called ,the ,taigheirm4 ,this rite1 which is said to have been last performed about the middle of the seventeenth century1 consisted in roasting on a spit1 before a slow fire1 a number of black cats4 ,as soon as one was dead another took its place1 and the sacrifice was continued until the screeches of the tortured animals summoned from the occult world an enormous black cat1 that promised to bestow as a perpetual heritage on the sacrificer and his family1 the faculty of second sight1 if he would desist from any further slaughter4 ,the sacrificer joyfully closed with the bargain1 and the ceremony concluded with much feasting and merriment1 in which1 however1 it is highly improbable that the phantasms of the poor roasted toms took part4 ,clairvoyance ,clairvoyance is a branch of occultism in which ,i have had little experience1 and can1 therefore1 only refer to in brief4 ,when ,i was the ,principal of a ,preparatory ,school1 ,i once had on my staff a ,frenchman of the name of ,deslys4 ,on recommencing school after the ,christmas vacation1 ,m4 ,deslys surprised me very much by suddenly observing3 ,mr ,o',donnell1 did you not stay during the holidays at ,no4 444 ,the ,crescent1 ,bath8 ,yes1 ,i replied2 but how on earth do you know8 ,i had only been there two days1 and had certainly never mentioned my visit either to him or to anyone acquainted with him4 ,well6 he said1 ,i'll tell you how ,i came to know4 ,hearing from my friends that ,mme4 ,leprs1 a well-known clairvoyante1 had just come to ,paris1 ,i went to see her4 ,it is just a week ago to-day4 ,after she had described1 with wonderful accuracy1 several houses and scenes with which ,i was familiar1 and given me several pieces of information about my friends1 which ,i subsequently found to be correct1 ,i asked her to tell me where you were and what you were doing4 ,for some moments she was silent1 and then she said very slowly3 ',he is staying with a friend at ,no4 444 ,the ,crescent1 ,bath4 ,i can see him 7it was then three o'clock in the afternoon7 sitting by the bedside of his friend1 who has his head tied up in bandages4 ,mr ,o',donnell is telling him a very droll story about ,lady ,b----1 to whom he has been lately introduced4' ,she then stopped1 made a futile effort to go on1 and after a protracted pause exclaimed3 ',i can see no more--something has happened4' ,that was all ,i found out about you4 ,and enough1 too1 ,m4 ,deslys1 ,i responded1 for what she told you was absolutely true4 ,a week ago to-day ,i was staying at ,no4 444 ,the ,crescent1 ,bath1 and at three o'clock in the afternoon ,i was sitting at the bedside of my friend1 who had injured his head in a fall1 and had it tied up in bandages2 and amongst other bits of gossip1 ,i narrated to him a very amusing anecdote concerning ,lady ,b----1 whom ,i have only just met1 for the first time1 in ,london4 ,now ,m4 ,deslys could not possibly have known1 excepting through psychical agency1 where ,i had been staying a week before that time1 or what ,i had been doing at three o'clock on that identical afternoon4 ,automatic ,writing ,i have frequently experimented in automatic writing4 ,who that is interested in the occult has not6 ,but ,i cannot say ,i have ever had any astonishing results4 ,however1 though my own experiences are not worth recording1 ,i have heard of many extraordinary results obtained by others--results from automatic messages that one can not help believing could only be due to superphysical agency4 ,table-turning ,i do not think there is anything superphysical in merely turning the table1 or making it move across the room1 or causing it to fall over on to the ground1 and to get up again4 ,i am of the opinion that all this is due to animal magnetism1 and to the unconscious efforts of the audience1 who are ever anxious for the ghost to come and something startling to happen4 ,the ladies1 in particular1 ,i would point out1 press a little hard with their dainty but determined hands1 or with their self-willed knees resort to a few sly pushes4 ,when this does not happen1 ,i think it is quite possible that an elemental or some other equally undesirable type of phantasm does actually attend the sance1 and1 emphasising its arrival by sundry noises1 is responsible for many1 if not all the phenomena4 ,on the other hand1 ,i certainly think that ninety per cent4 of the rappings and the manifestations of musical enthusiasts is due to trickery on the part of the medium1 or1 if there be no professional medium present1 to an over-zealous sitter4 ,but since ghosts can and do show themselves spontaneously in haunted houses1 why the necessity of musical instruments1 professional medium1 and sitting round a table with fingers linked8 ,surely1 when one comes to think of it1 the modus operandi of the sance1 besides being extremely undignified1 is somewhat superfluous4 ,tin trumpets1 twopenny tambourines1 and concertinas are all very well in their way1 but1 try how ,i will1 ,i cannot associate them with ghosts4 ,what phantasm of any standing at all would be attracted by such baubles8 ,surely only the phantasms of the very silliest of servant girls1 of incurable idiots1 and of advanced imbeciles4 ,but even they1 ,i think1 might be above it1 in which case the musical instruments1 tin trumpets1 tambourines1 and concertinas1 disdained by the immaterial1 must be manipulated by the material6 ,and this rule with regard to table-turning1 the manipulation of musical instruments1 etc41 equally applies to materialisation4 ,i have no doubt that genuine phantasms of the earth-bound or elementals do occasionally show themselves1 but ,i am quite sure in nine cases out of ten the manifestations are manifestations of living flesh and blood4 ,charms and ,checks against ,ghosts ,when ,i feel the approach of the superphysical1 ,i always cross myself1 an old lady once remarked to me2 and this is what many people do2 indeed1 the sign of the cross is the most common mode of warding off evil4 ,whether it is really efficacious is doubtful4 ,i1 for my part1 make use of the sign1 involuntarily rather than otherwise1 because the custom is innate in me1 and is1 perhaps1 with various other customs1 the heritage of all my race from ages past2 but ,i cannot say it always or even often answers1 for ghosts frequently manifest themselves to me in spite of it4 ,then there is the magic circle which is described differently by divers writers4 ,according to ,mr ,dyer1 in his ,ghost ,world1 pp4 #afg-afh1 the circle was prepared thus3 ,a piece of ground was usually chosen1 nine feet square1 at the full extent of which parallel lines were drawn1 one within the other1 having sundry crosses and triangles described between them1 close to which was formed the first or outer circle2 then about half a foot within the same1 a second circle was described1 and within that another square corresponding to the first1 the centre of which was the spot where the master and associate were to be placed4 ,the vacancies formed by the various lines and angles of the figure were filled up by the holy names of ,god1 having crosses and triangles described between them4444 ,the reason assigned for the use of the circles was1 that so much ground being blessed and consecrated by such holy words and ceremonies as they made use of in forming it1 had a secret force to expel all evil spirits from the bounds thereof1 and1 being sprinkled with pure sanctified water1 the ground was purified from all uncleanliness2 besides1 the holy names of ,god being written over every part of it1 its forces became so powerful that no evil spirits had ability to break through it1 or to get at the magician and his companion1 by reason of the antipathy in nature they bore to these sacred names4 ,and the reason given for the triangles was1 that if the spirits were not easily brought to speak the truth1 they might by the exorcist be conjured to enter the same1 where1 by virtue of the names of the essence and divinity of ,god1 they could speak nothing but what was true and right4 ,again according to ,mr ,dyer1 when a spot was haunted by the spirit of a murderer or suicide who lay buried there1 a magic circle was made just over the grave1 and he who was daring enough to venture there1 at midnight1 preferably when the elements were at their worst1 would conjure the ghost to appear and give its reason for haunting the spot4 ,in answer to the summons there was generally a long1 unnatural silence1 which was succeeded by a tremendous crash1 when the phantasm would appear1 and1 in ghastly1 hollow tones answer all the questions put to it4 ,never once would it encroach on the circle1 and on its interrogator promising to carry out its wishes1 it would suddenly vanish and never again walk abroad4 ,if the hauntings were in a house1 the investigator entered the haunted room at midnight with a candle1 and compass1 and a crucifix or ,bible4 ,after carefully shutting the door1 and describing a circle on the floor1 in which he drew a cross1 he placed within it a chair1 and table1 and on the latter1 put the crucifix1 a ,bible1 and a lighted candle4 ,he then sat down on the chair and awaited the advent of the apparition1 which either entered noiselessly or with a terrific crash4 ,on the promise that its wishes would be fulfilled1 the ghost withdrew1 and there were no more disturbances4 ,sometimes the investigator1 if he were a priest1 would sprinkle the phantasm with holy water and sometimes make passes over it with the crucifix1 but the results were always the same2 it responded to all the questions that were put to it and never troubled the house again4 ,how different from what happens in reality6 ,though ,i have seen and interrogated many ghosts1 ,i have never had a reply1 or anything in the shape of a reply1 nor perceived any alteration in their expression that would in any way lead me to suppose they had understood me2 and as to exorcism--well1 ,i know of innumerable cases where it has been tried1 and tried by the most pious of clergy--clergy of all denominations--and singularly failed4 ,it is true ,i have never experimented with a magic circle1 but1 somehow1 ,i have not much faith in it4 ,in ,china the method of expelling ghosts from haunted houses has been described as follows3--,an altar containing tapers and incense sticks is erected in the spot where the manifestations are most frequent4 ,a ,taoist priest is then summoned1 and enters the house dressed in a red robe1 with blue stockings and a black cap4 ,he has with him a sword1 made of the wood of the peach or date tree1 the hilt and guard of which are covered with red cloth4 ,written in ink on the blade of the sword is a charm against ghosts4 ,advancing to the altar1 the priest deposits his sword on it4 ,he then prepares a mystic scroll1 which he burns1 collecting and emptying the ashes into a cup of spring water4 ,next1 he takes the sword in his right hand and the cup in his left1 and1 after taking seven paces to the left and eight to the right1 he says3 ,gods of heaven and earth1 invest me with the heavy seal1 in order that ,i may eject from this dwelling-house all kinds of evil spirits4 ,should any disobey me1 give me power to deliver them for safe custody to rulers of such demons4 ,then1 addressing the ghost in a loud voice1 he says3 ,as quick as lightning depart from this house4 ,this done1 he takes a bunch of willow1 dips it in the cup1 and sprinkles it in the east1 west1 north1 and south corners of the house1 and1 laying it down1 picks up his sword and cup1 and1 going to the east corner of the building1 calls out3 ,i have the authority1 ,tai-,shaong-,loo-,kivan4 ,he then fills his mouth with water from the cup1 and spits it out on the wall1 exclaiming3 ,kill the green evil spirits which come from unlucky stars1 or let them be driven away4 ,this ceremony he repeats at the south1 west1 and north corners respectively1 substituting1 in turn1 red1 white1 and yellow in the place of green4 ,the attendants then beat gongs1 drums1 and tom-toms1 and the exorcist cries out3 ,evil spirits from the east1 ,i send back to the east2 evil spirits from the south1 ,i send back to the south1 and so on4 ,finally1 he goes to the door of the house1 and1 after making some mystical signs in the air1 manoeuvres with his sword1 congratulates the owner of the establishment on the expulsion of the ghosts1 and demands his fee4 ,in ,china the sword is generally deemed to have psychic properties1 and is often to be seen suspended over a bed to scare away ghosts4 ,sometimes a horse's tail--a horse being also considered extremely psychic--or a rag dipped in the blood from a criminal's head1 are used for the same purpose4 ,but no matter how many1 or how varied1 the precautions we take1 ghosts will come1 and nothing will drive them away4 ,the only protection ,i have ever found to be of any practical value in preventing them from materialising is a powerful light4 ,as a rule they cannot stand that1 and whenever ,i have turned a pocket flashlight on them1 they have at once dematerialised2 often1 however1 materialising again immediately the light has been turned off4 ,the cock was1 at one time1 7and still is in some parts of the world7 regarded as a psychic bird2 it being thought that phantasms invariably took their departure as soon as it began to crow4 ,this1 however1 is a fallacy4 ,as ghosts appear at all hours of the day and night1 in season and out of season1 ,i fear it is only too obvious that their manifestations cannot be restricted within the limits of any particular time1 and that their coming and going1 far from being subject to the crowing of a cock1 however vociferous1 depend entirely on themselves4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,occult ,,inhabitants ,,of ,,the ,,sea ,,and ,,rivers ,phantom ,ships ,from time to time1 one still hears of a phantom ship being seen1 in various parts of the world4 ,sometimes it is in the ,straits of ,magellan1 vainly trying to weather the ,horn2 sometimes in the frozen latitudes of the north1 steering its way in miraculous fashion past monster icebergs2 sometimes in the ,pacific1 sometimes in the ,atlantic1 and only the other day ,i heard of its being seen off ,cornwall4 ,the night was dark and stormy1 and lights being suddenly seen out at sea as of a vessel in distress1 the lifeboat was launched4 ,on approaching the lights1 it was discovered that they proceeded from a vessel that mysteriously vanished as soon as the would-be rescuers were within hailing4 ,much puzzled1 the lifeboat men were about to return1 when they saw the lights suddenly reappear to leeward4 ,on drawing near to them1 they again disappeared1 and were once more seen right out to sea4 ,utterly nonplussed1 and feeling certain that the elusive bark must be the notorious phantom ship1 the lifeboat men abandoned the pursuit1 and returned home4 ,a fisherman of the same town--the town to which the lifeboat that had gone to the rescue of the phantom ship belonged--told me1 when ,i was out with him one evening in his boat1 that one of the oldest inhabitants of the place had on one occasion1 when the phantom ship visited the bay1 actually got his hands on her gunwales before she melted away1 and he narrowly escaped pitching headlong into the sea4 ,though the weather was then still and warm1 the yards of the ship1 which were coated with ice1 flapped violently to and fro1 as if under the influence of some mighty wind4 ,the appearance of the phenomenon was followed1 as usual1 by a catastrophe to one of the local boats4 ,i very often sound sailors as to whether they have ever come across this ominous vessel1 and sometimes hear very enthralling accounts of it4 ,an old sea captain whom ,i met on the pier at ,southampton1 in reply to my inquiry1 said3 ,yes6 ,i have seen the phantom ship1 or at any rate a phantom ship1 once--but only once4 ,it was one night in the fifties1 and we were becalmed in the ,south ,pacific about three hundred miles due west of ,callao4 ,it had been terrifically hot all day1 and1 only too thankful that it was now a little cooler1 ,i was lolling over the bulwarks to get a few mouthfuls of fresh air before turning into my berth1 when one of the crew touched me on the shoulder1 and ejaculating1 ',for ,god's sake----' abruptly left off4 ,following the direction of his glaring eyes1 ,i saw to my amazement a large black brig bearing directly down on us4 ,she was about a mile off1 and1 despite the intense calmness of the sea1 was pitching and tossing as if in the roughest water4 ,as she drew nearer ,i was able to make her out better1 and from her build--she carried two masts and was square-rigged forward and schooner-rigged aft--as well as from her tawdry gilt figurehead1 concluded she was a hermaphrodite brig of1 very possibly1 ,dutch nationality4 ,she had evidently seen a great deal of rough weather1 for her foretopmast and part of her starboard bulwarks were gone1 and what added to my astonishment and filled me with fears and doubts was1 that in spite of the pace at which she was approaching us and the dead calmness of the air1 she had no other sails than her foresail and mainsail1 and flying-jib4 ,by this time all of our crew were on deck1 and the skipper and the second mate took up their positions one on either side of me1 the man who had first called my attention to the strange ship1 joining some other seamen near the forecastle4 ,no one spoke1 but1 from the expression in their eyes and ghastly pallor of their cheeks1 it was very easy to see that one and all were dominated by the same feelings of terror and suspicion4 ,nearer and nearer drew the brig1 until she was at last so close that we could perceive her crew--all of whom1 save the helmsman1 were leaning over the bulwarks--grinning at us4 ,never shall ,i forget the horror of those grins4 ,they were hideous1 meaningless1 hellish grins1 the grins of corpses in the last stage of putrefaction4 ,and that is just what they were--all of them--corpses1 but corpses possessed by spirits of the most devilish sort1 for as we stared1 too petrified with fear to remove our gaze1 they nodded their ulcerated heads and gesticulated vehemently4 ,the brig then gave a sudden yaw1 and with that motion there was wafted a stink--a stink too damnably foul and rotten to originate from anywhere1 save from some cesspool in hell4 ,choking1 retching1 and all but fainting1 ,i buried my face in the skipper's coat1 and did not venture to raise it1 till the far-away sounds of plunging and tossing assured me the cursed ship had passed4 ,i then looked up1 and was just in time to catch a final glimpse of the brig1 a few hundred yards to leeward1 7she had passed close under our stern7 before her lofty stern rose out of the water1 and1 bows foremost1 she plunged into the stilly depths and we saw her no more4 ,there was no need for the skipper to tell us that she was the phantom ship1 nor did she belie her sinister reputation1 for within a week of seeing her1 yellow fever broke out on board1 and when we arrived at port1 there were only three of us left4 ,the ,sargasso ,sea ,of all the seas in the world1 none bear a greater reputation for being haunted than the ,sargasso4 ,within this impenetrable waste of rank1 stinking seaweed1 in places many feet deep1 are collected wreckages of all ages and all climes1 grim and permanent records of the world's maritime history1 unsinkable and undestroyable4 ,it has ever been my ambition to explore the margins of this unsightly yet fascinating marine wilderness1 but1 so far1 ,i have been unable to extend my peregrinations further south than the thirty-fifth degree of latitude4 ,among the many stories ,i have heard in connection with this sea1 the following will1 ,i think1 bear repeating3-- ,a brig with twelve hands aboard1 bound from ,boston to the ,cape ,verde ,islands1 was caught in a storm1 and1 being blown out of her course1 drifted on to the northern extremities of the ,sargasso4 ,the wind then sinking1 and an absolute calm taking its place1 there seemed every prospect that the brig would remain where it was for an indefinite period4 ,a most horrible fate now stared the crew in the face1 for although they had food enough to last them for many weeks1 they only had a very limited supply of water1 and the intense heat and terrific stench from the weeds made them abnormally thirsty4 ,after a long and earnest consultation1 in which the skipper acted as chairman1 it was decided that on the consumption of the last drop of water they should all commit suicide1 anything rather than to perish of thirst1 and it would be far less harrowing to die in a body and face the awful possibilities of the next world in company than alone4 ,as there was only one firearm on board1 and the idea of throat-cutting was disapproved of by several of the more timid1 rat poison1 of which there was just enough to go all round1 was chosen4 ,meanwhile1 in consideration of the short time left to them on earth1 the crew insisted that they should be allowed to enjoy themselves to the utmost4 ,to this the captain1 knowing only too well what that would mean1 reluctantly gave his consent4 ,a general pandemonium at once ensued1 one of the men producing a mouth accordion and another a concertina1 whilst the rest1 selecting partners with much mock gallantry1 danced to the air of a popular ,vaudeville song till they could dance no longer4 ,the next item on the programme was dinner4 ,the best of everything on board was served up1 and they all ate and drank till they could hold no more4 ,they were then so sleepy that they tumbled off their seats1 and1 lying on the floor1 soon snored like hogs4 ,the cool of the evening restoring them1 they played pitch and toss1 and poker1 till tea-time1 and then fooled away the remainder of the evening in more cards and more drink4 ,in this manner the best part of a week was beguiled4 ,then the skipper announced the fact that the last drop of liquor on board had gone1 and that1 according to the compact1 the hour had arrived to commit suicide4 ,had a bombshell fallen in their midst1 it could not have caused a greater consternation than this announcement4 ,the men had1 by this time1 become so enamoured with their easy and irresponsible mode of living1 that the idea of quitting it in so abrupt a manner was by no means to their liking1 and they evinced their displeasure in the roughest and most forcible of language4 ',the skipper could d----d well put an end to himself if he had a mind to1 but they would see themselves somewhere else before they did any such thing--it would be time enough to talk of dying when the victuals were all eaten up4' ,then they thoroughly overhauled the ship1 and on discovering half a dozen bottles of rum and a small cask of water stowed away in the skipper's cabin1 they threw him overboard and pelted him with empty bottles till he sank2 after which they cleared the deck and danced till sunset4 ,two nights later1 when they were all lying on the deck near the companion way1 licking their parched lips and commiserating with themselves on the prospect of their gradually approaching end--for they had abandoned all idea of the rat poison--they suddenly saw a hideous1 seaweedy object rise up over the bulwarks on the leeward side of the ship4 ,in breathless expectation they all sat up and watched4 ,inch by inch it rose1 until they saw before them a tall form enveloped from head to foot in green slime1 and horribly suggestive of the well-known figure of the murdered captain4 ,gliding noiselessly over the deck1 it shook its hands menacingly at each of the sailors1 until it came to the cabin-boy--the only one among them who had not participated in the skipper's death--when it touched him gently on the forehead1 and1 stooping down1 appeared to whisper something in his ears4 ,it then recrossed the deck1 and1 mounting the bulwarks1 leaped into the sea4 ,for some seconds no one stirred2 and then1 as if under the influence of some hypnotic spell1 one by one1 each of the crew1 with the exception of the cabin-boy1 got up1 and1 marching in ,indian file to the spot where the apparition had vanished1 flung themselves overboard4 ,the last of the procession had barely disappeared from view1 when the cabin-boy1 whose agony of mind during this infernal tragedy cannot be described1 fell into a heavy stupor1 from which he did not awake till morning4 ,in the meanwhile the brig1 owing to a stiff breeze that had arisen in the night1 was freed from its environment1 and was drifting away from the seaweed4 ,it went on and on1 day after day1 and day after day1 till it was eventually sighted by a steamer and taken in tow4 ,the cabin-boy1 by this time barely alive1 was nursed with the tenderest care1 and1 owing to the assiduous attention bestowed on him1 he completely recovered4 ,i think this story1 though naturally ridiculed and discredited by some1 may be unreservedly accepted by those whose knowledge and experience of the occult warrant their belief in it4 ,along the coast of ,brittany are many haunted spots1 none more so than the ,bay of the ,departed1 where1 in the dead of night1 wails and cries1 presumably uttered by the phantasms of drowned sailors1 are distinctly heard by the terrified peasantry on shore4 ,i can the more readily believe this1 because ,i myself have heard similar sounds off the ,irish1 ,scottish1 and ,cornish coasts1 where shrieks1 and wails1 and groans as of the drowning have been borne to me from the inky blackness of the foaming and tossing sea4 ,according to ,mr ,hunt in his ,romances of the ,west of ,england1 the sands of ,porth ,towan were haunted1 a fisherman declaring that one night when he was walking on them alone1 he suddenly heard a voice from the sea cry out1 ,the hour is come1 but not the man4 ,this was repeated three times1 when a black figure1 like that of a man1 appeared on the crest of an adjacent hill1 and1 dashing down the steep side1 rushed over the sands and vanished in the waves4 ,in other parts of ,england1 as well as in ,brittany and ,spain1 a voice from the sea is always said to be heard prior to a storm and loss of life4 ,in the ,bermudas1 ,i have heard that before a wreck a huge white fish is often seen2 whilst in the ,cape ,verde ,islands maritime disasters are similarly presaged by flocks of peculiarly marked gulls4 ,on no more reliable authority than hearsay evidence1 ,i understand that off the coast of ,finland a whirlpool suddenly appears close beside a vessel that is doomed to be wrecked1 and that a like calamity is foretold off the coast of ,peru by the phantasm of a sailor who1 in eighteenth-century costume1 swarms up the side of the doomed ship1 enters the captain's cabin1 and1 touching him on the shoulder1 points solemnly at the porthole and vanishes4 ,river ,ghosts ,in ,china there is a strong belief that spots in rivers1 creeks1 and ponds where people have been drowned are haunted by devils that1 concealing themselves either in the water itself or on the banks1 spring out upon the unwary and drown them4 ,to warn people against these dangerous elementals1 a stone or pillar called ,the ,fat-pee1 on which the name of the future ,buddha or ,pam-mo-o-mee-to-foo is inscribed1 is set up near the place where they are supposed to lurk1 and when the hauntings become very frequent the evil spirit is exorcised4 ,the ceremony of exorcism consists in the decapitation of a white horse by a specially selected executioner1 on the site of the hauntings4 ,the head of the slaughtered animal is placed in an earthenware jar1 and buried in the exact spot where it was killed1 which place is then carefully marked by the erection of a stone tablet with the words ,o-me-o-to-fat transcribed on it4 ,the performance concludes with the cutting up and selling of the horse's body for food4 ,amongst the numerous other creeks that have witnessed this practice in recent years are those adjoining the villages of ,tsze-tow 7near ,whampoa7 and ,gna-zew 7near ,canton74 ,various of the lakes1 particularly the crater lakes of ,america1 were once thought to be haunted by spirits or devils of a fiery red who raised storms and upset canoes4 ,sirens ,but by far the most fascinating of all the phantasms of the water are the sirens that haunted 7and still occasionally haunt7 rivers and waterfalls1 particularly those of ,germany and ,austria4 ,not so very long ago on my travels ,i came across an aged ,hungarian who declared that he had once seen a siren4 ,i append the story he told me1 as nearly as possible in his own words4 ,my brother ,hans and ,i were wandering1 early one morning1 along the banks of a tributary of the ,drave1 in search of birds' eggs4 ,the shores on either side the river were thickly wooded1 and so rough and uneven in places that we had to exercise the greatest care to avoid getting hurt4 ,few people visited the neighbourhood1 save in the warmest and brightest time of the day1 and1 with the exception of a woodcutter1 we had met no one4 ,much1 then1 to our astonishment1 on arriving at an open space on the bank1 we heard the sound of singing and music4 ',whoever can it be8' we asked ourselves1 and then1 advancing close to the water's edge1 we strained our heads1 and saw1 perched high on a rock in midstream a few feet to our left1 a girl with long yellow hair and a face of the most exquisite beauty4 ,though ,i was too young then to trouble my head about girls1 ,i could not help being struck with this one1 whilst ,hans1 who was several years older than ,i1 was simply spellbound4 ',my ,god6 how lovely6' he cried out1 'and what a voice--how exquisite6 ,isn't she divine8 ,she is altogether too beautiful for a human being2 she must be an angel1' and he fell on his knees and extended his hands towards her1 as if in the act of worship4 ,never having seen ,hans behave in such a queer way before1 ,i touched him on the shoulder1 and said3 ',get up6 ,if you go on like this the lady will think you mad4 ,besides1 it is getting late1 we ought to be going on6' ,but ,hans did not heed me4 ,he still continued to exclaim aloud1 expressing his admiration in the most extravagant phrases2 and then the girl ceased singing1 and1 looking at ,hans with her large blue eyes1 smiled and beckoned him to approach4 ,i caught hold of him1 and begged and implored him to do nothing so foolish1 but he wrenched himself free1 and1 striking me savagely on the chest1 leaped into the water and swam towards the rock4 ,with what eagerness ,i counted his strokes and watched the dreaded distance diminish6 ,on and on he swam1 till at length he was close to the rock1 and the lady1 bending down1 was holding out her lily hands to him4 ,hans clutched at them1 and they were1 ,i thought1 already in his fevered grasp1 when she coyly snatched them away and struck him playfully on the head4 ,the cruel1 hungry waters then surged over him4 ,i saw him sink down1 down1 down3 ,i saw him no more4 ,when ,i raised my agonised eyes to the rocks1 all was silent and desolate3 the lady had vanished4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,buddhas ,,and ,,boggle ,,chairs ,it was in ,paris1 at the ,hotel ,mandeville1 that ,i met the ,baroness ,paoli1 an almost solitary survivor of the famous ,corsican family4 ,i was introduced to her by ,john ,heroncourt1 a friend in common1 and the introduction was typical of his characteristic unorthodoxy4 ,mr ,elliott ,o',donnell1 the ,baroness ,paoli4 ,mr ,elliott ,o',donnell is a writer on the superphysical4 ,he is unlike the majority of psychical researchers1 inasmuch as he has not based his knowledge on hearsay1 but has actually seen1 heard1 and felt occult phenomena1 both collectively and individually4 ,the ,baroness smiled4 ,then ,i am delighted to meet ,mr ,o',donnell1 for ,i1 too1 have had experience with the superphysical4 ,she extended her hand2 the introduction was over4 ,a man in my line of life has to work hard4 ,my motto is promptness4 ,i have no time to waste on superfluity of any kind4 ,i come to the point at once4 ,consequently1 my first remark to the ,baroness was direct from the shoulder3 ,your experiences4 ,please tell them--they will be both interesting and useful4 ,the ,baroness gently clasped her hands--truly psychic hands1 with slender fingers and long shapely nails--and1 looking at me fixedly1 said3 ,if you write about it1 promise that you will not mention names4 ,they shall at all events be unrecognisable1 ,i said4 ,please begin4 ,and without further delay the ,baroness commenced her story4 ,you must know1 she said1 that in my family1 as in most historical families--particularly ,corsican--there have been many tragedies4 ,in some cases merely orthodox tragedies--a smile1 a blow1 a groan2 in other cases peculiar tragedies--peculiar even in that country and in the grimness of the medival age4 ,since #acaf the headquarters of my branch of the ,paolis has been at ,sartoris1 once the strongest fortified castle in ,corsica1 but now1 alas6 almost past repair1 in fact little better than a heap of crumbling ruins4 ,as you know1 ,mr ,o',donnell1 it takes a vast fortune to keep such a place merely habitable4 ,i lived there with my mother until my marriage two years ago1 and neither she nor ,i had ever seen or heard any superphysical manifestations4 ,from time to time some of the servants complained of odd noises1 and there was one room which none of them would pass alone even in daylight2 but we laughed at their fears1 merely attributing them to the superstition which is so common among the ,corsican peasants4 ,the year after my marriage1 my husband1 a ,mr ,vercoe1 who was a great friend of ours1 and ,i1 accepted my mother's invitation to spend ,christmas with her1 and we all three travelled together to ,sartoris4 ,it was an ideal season1 and the snow--an exceptional sight in my native town--lay thick in the ,castle grounds4 ,but to get on with my story--for ,i see ,i must not try your patience with unnecessary detail--,i must give you a brief description of the bedroom in which my husband and ,i slept4 ,like all the rooms in the ,castle1 it was oak panelled throughout4 ,floor1 ceiling1 and walls1 all were of oak1 and the bed1 also of oak1 and certainly of no later date than the fourteenth century1 was superbly carved1 and had been recently valued at #cj1jjj4 ,there were two entrances1 the one leading into a passage1 and the other into a large reception room1 formerly a chapel1 at the furthest extremity of which was a huge barred and bolted door that had not been opened for more than a hundred years4 ,this door led down a flight of stone steps to a series of ancient dungeons that occupied the space underneath our bedroom and the reception room4 ,on ,christmas ,eve we retired to rest somewhat earlier than usual1 and1 being tired after a long day's motoring1 speedily fell into a deep sleep4 ,we awoke simultaneously1 both querying the time and agreeing that it must be about five o'clock4 ,whilst we were talking1 we suddenly heard1 to our utter astonishment1 the sound of footsteps--heavy footsteps--accompanied by a curious clanging sound1 immediately beneath us2 and1 as if by mutual consent1 we both held our breath and listened4 ,the footsteps moved on1 and we presently heard them begin to ascend the stone steps leading to the adjoining room4 ,up1 up1 up1 they came1 until1 having reached the summit1 they paused4 ,then we heard the huge1 heavy bolts of the fast-closed door shoot back with a sonorous clash4 ,so far ,i had been rather more puzzled than frightened1 and the idea of ghosts had not entered my mind1 but when ,i heard the door--the door which ,i knew to be so securely fastened from the inside--thus opened1 a great fear swept over me1 and ,i prayed ,heaven to save us from what might ensue4 ,several people1 talking rapidly in gruff voices1 now entered the room1 and we distinctly heard the jingling of spurs and the rattling of sword scabbards coming to us distinctly through the cracks of the door4 ,i was so paralysed with fear that ,i could do nothing4 ,i could neither speak nor move1 and my very soul was concentrated in one great1 sickly dread1 one awful anticipation that the intruders would burst into our room1 and1 before our very eyes1 perform unthinkable horrors4 ,to my immeasurable relief1 however1 this did not happen4 ,the footsteps1 as far as ,i could judge1 advanced into the middle of the room--there was a ghastly suggestion of a scuffle1 of a smothered cry1 a gurgle2 and the mailed feet then retired whence they had come1 dragging with them some heavy load which bumped1 bumped1 bumped down the stairs and into the cellar4 ,then a brief silence followed1 abruptly broken by the sound of a girlish voice1 which1 though beautifully tintinnabulous1 was unearthly1 and full of suggestions so sinister and blood-curdling1 that the fetters which had hitherto held me tongue-tied snapped asunder1 and ,i was able to give vent to my terror in words4 ,the instant ,i did so the singing ceased1 all was still1 and not another sound disturbed us till morning4 ,we got up as soon as we dared and found the door at the head of the dungeon steps barred and bolted as usual1 while the heavy and antique furniture in the apartment showed no sign of having been disturbed4 ,on the following night my husband sat up in the room adjoining our bedroom1 to see if there would be a repetition of what had taken place the night before1 but nothing occurred1 and we never heard the noises again4 ,that is one experience4 ,the other1 though not our own1 was almost coincidental1 and happened to our engineer friend1 ,mr ,vercoe4 ,when we told him about the noises we had heard1 he roared with laughter4 ',well1' he said1 ',i always understood you ,corsicans were superstitious1 but this beats everything4 ,the regulation stereotype ghost in armour and clanking chains1 eh6 ,do you know what the sounds were1 ,baroness8 ,rats6' and he smiled odiously4 ,then a sudden idea flashed across me4 ',look here1 ,mr ,vercoe1' ,i exclaimed1 'there is one room in our ,castle ,i defy even you--sceptic as you are--to sleep in4 ,it is the ,barceleri ,chamber1 called after my ancestor1 ,barceleri ,paoli4 ,he visited ,china in the fifteenth century1 bringing back with him a number of ,chinese curiosities1 and a ,buddha which ,i shrewdly suspect he had stolen from a ,canton temple4 ,the room is much the same as when my ancestor occupied it1 for no one has slept in it since4 ,moreover1 the servants declare that the noises they so frequently hear come from it4 ,but1 of course1 you won't mind spending a night in it8' ,mr ,vercoe laughed4 ',he1 he1 he6 ,only too delighted4 ,give me a bottle of your most excellent vintage1 and ,i defy any ghost that was ever created6' ,he was as good as his word1 ,mr ,o',donnell1 and though he had advised the contrary1 we--that is to say1 my mother1 my husband1 our two old servants and ,i--sat up in one of the rooms close at hand4 ,eleven1 twelve1 one1 two1 and three o'clock struck1 and we were beginning to wish we had taken his advice and gone to bed1 when we heard the most appalling1 agonising1 soul-rending screams for help4 ,we rushed out1 and1 as we did so1 the door of ,mr ,vercoe's room flew open and something--something white and glistening--bounded into the candle-light4 ,we were so shocked1 so absolutely petrified with terror1 that it was a second or so before we realised that it was ,mr ,vercoe--not the ,mr ,vercoe we knew1 but an entirely different ,mr ,vercoe--a ,mr ,vercoe without a stitch of clothing1 and with a face metamorphosed into a lurid1 solid block of horror1 overspreading which was a suspicion of something--something too dreadful to name1 but which we could have sworn was utterly at variance with his nature4 ,close at his heels was the blurred outline of something small and unquestionably horrid4 ,i cannot define it4 ,i dare not attempt to diagnose the sensations it produced4 ,apart from a deadly1 nauseating fear1 they were mercifully novel4 ,dashing past us1 ,mr ,vercoe literally hurled himself along the corridor1 and with almost superhuman strides1 disappeared downstairs4 ,a moment later1 and the clashing of the hall door told us he was in the open air4 ,a breathless silence fell on us1 and for some seconds we were all too frightened to move4 ,my husband was the first to pull himself together4 ',come along6' he cried1 gripping one of the trembling servants by the arm4 ',come along instantly6 ,we must keep him in sight at all costs1' and1 bidding me remain where ,i was1 he raced downstairs4 ,after a long search he eventually discovered ,mr ,vercoe lying at full length on the grass--insensible4 ,for some weeks our friend's condition was critical--on the top of a violent shock to the system1 sufficient in itself to endanger life1 he had taken a severe chill1 which resulted in double pneumonia4 ,however1 thanks to a bull-dog constitution1 typically ,english1 he recovered1 and we then begged him to give us an account of all that had happened4 ',i cannot6' he said4 ',my one desire is to forget everything that happened on that awful night4' ,he was obdurate1 and our curiosity was1 therefore1 doomed to remain unsatisfied4 ,both my husband and ,i1 however1 felt quite sure that the image of ,buddha was at the bottom of the mischief1 and1 as there chanced just then to be an ,english doctor staying at a neighbouring chateau1 who was on his way to ,china1 we entrusted the image to him1 on the understanding that he would place it in a ,buddhist temple4 ,he deceived us1 and1 returning almost immediately to ,england1 took the image with him4 ,we subsequently learned that within three months this man was divorced1 that he murdered a woman in ,clapham ,rise1 and1 in order to escape arrest1 poisoned himself4 ,the image then found its way to a pawnbroker's establishment in ,houndsditch1 which shortly afterwards was burned to the ground4 ,where it is now1 ,i cannot definitely say1 but ,i have been told that an image of ,buddha is the sole occupant of an empty house in the ,shepherd's ,bush ,road--a house that is now deemed haunted4 ,these are the experiences ,i wanted to tell you1 ,mr ,o',donnell4 ,what do you think of them8 ,i think1 ,i said1 they are of absorbing interest4 ,can you see any association in the two hauntings--any possible connection between what you heard and what ,mr ,vercoe saw8 ,a look of perplexity crossed the ,baroness's face4 ,i hardly know1 she said4 ,what is your opinion on that point8 ,that they are distinct--absolutely distinct4 ,the phenomena you heard are periodical re-enactions1 7either by the earth-bound spirits of the actual victim and perpetrators1 or by impersonating phantoms71 of a crime once committed within the ,castle walls4 ,a girl was obviously murdered in the chapel and her coffin dragged into the dungeons1 where1 no doubt1 her remains are to be found4 ,i presume it was her spirit you heard tintinnabulating4 ,very possibly1 if her skeleton were unearthed and re-interred in an orthodox fashion1 the hauntings would cease4 ,now1 with regard to your friend's experience4 ,the blurred figure you saw pursuing the engineer was not the image of ,buddha--it was one of ,mr ,vercoe's many personalities1 extracted from him by the image of ,buddha4 ,we are all1 as you are aware1 complex creatures1 all composed of diverse selves1 each self possessing a specific shape and individuality4 ,the more animal of these separate selves1 the higher spiritual forces attaching themselves to certain localities and symbols have the power of drawing out of us1 and eventually destroying4 ,the higher spiritual forces1 however1 do not associate themselves with all crucifixes and ,buddhas1 but only with those moulded by true believers4 ,for instance1 a ,buddha fashioned for mere gain1 and by a person who was not a genuine follower of the prophet1 would have no power of attraction4 ,i have proved all this1 experimentally1 times without number4 ,mr ,vercoe must have had--as indeed many of us have--vices1 in all probability1 little suspected4 ,the close proximity of the ,buddha acted on them1 and they began to leave his body and form a shape of their own4 ,had he allowed them to do so1 all might have gone well2 they would have been effectually overcome by the higher spiritual forces attached to the ,buddha4 ,but as soon as he saw a figure beginning to form--and no doubt it was very dreadful--he lost his head4 ,his shrieks interrupted the work1 the power of the ,buddha was1 pro tempus1 at an end1 and the extracted personality commenced at once to re-enter ,vercoe4 ,rushing at him with that end in view1 it so terrified him that he fled from the room1 and it was at that stage that you appeared upon the scene4 ,what followed is1 of course1 pure conjecture on my part1 but ,i fear1 ,i greatly fear1 that by the time ,mr ,vercoe became unconscious the mischief was done1 and the latter's evil personality had once again united with his other personalities4 ,and what would be the after-effect1 ,mr ,o',donnell8 the ,baroness inquired anxiously4 ,i fear a serious one1 ,i replied evasively4 ,in the case of the doctor you mentioned1 who committed murder1 an evil ego had doubtless been expelled1 and1 receiving a rebuff1 had reunited1 for after a reunion the evil personality usually receives a new impetus and grows with amazing rapidity4 ,have you heard from ,mr ,vercoe lately8 ,the ,baroness shook her head4 ,not for several months4 ,you will let me know when you do8 ,she nodded4 ,a week later she wrote to me from ,rome4 ,isn't it terrible8 she began1 ,mr ,vercoe committed suicide on ,wednesday--the ,birmingham papers--he was a ,birmingham man--are full of it6 ,the ,barrowvian ,the description of an adventure ,mr ,trobas1 a friend of mine1 had with a barrowvian in ,brittany 7and which ,i omitted to relate when referring to barrowvians71 ,i now append as nearly as possible in his own words3-- ,night6 ,a sky partially concealed from view by dark1 fantastically shaped clouds1 that1 crawling along with a slow1 stealthy motion1 periodically obscure the moon4 ,the crest of a hill covered with short-clipped grass1 much worn away in places1 and in the centre a ,druidical circle broken and incomplete2 a few of the stones are erect1 the rest either lie at full length on the sward1 close to the mystic ring1 or at some considerable distance from it4 ,here and there are distinct evidences of recent digging1 and at the base of one of the horizontal stones is an excavation of no little depth4 ,a sudden1 but only temporary clearance of the sky reveals the surrounding landscape2 the rugged mountain side1 flecked with gleaming granite boulders and bordered with sturdy hedges 7a mixture of mud and bracken71 and beyond them the meadows1 traversed by sinuous streams whose scintillating surfaces sparkle like diamonds in the silvery moonlight4 ,at rare intervals the scene is variegated1 and nature interrupted1 by a mill or a cottage1--toy-like when viewed from such an altitude1--and then the sweep of meadowland continues1 undulating gently till it finds repose at the foot of some distant ridge of cone-shaped mountains4 ,over everything there is a hush1 awe-inspiring in its intensity4 ,not the cry of a bird1 not the howl of a dog1 not the rustle of a leaf2 there is nothing1 nothing but the silence of the most profound sleep4 ,in these remote rural districts man retires to rest early1 the physical world accompanying him2 and all nature dreams simultaneously4 ,it was shortly after the commencement of this period of universal slumber1 one night in ,april1 that ,i toiled laboriously to the summit of the hill in question1 and1 spreading a rug on one of the fallen stones1 converted it into a seat4 ,naturally ,i had not climbed this steep ascent without a purpose4 ,the reason was this--at eight-thirty that morning ,i received a telegram from a friend at ,armennes1 near ,carnac1 which ran thus3 ',am in great difficulty--,ghosts--,come4--,,krantz4' ,of course ,krantz is not the real name of my friend1 but it is one that answers the purpose admirably in telegrams and on post-cards2 and of course he well knew what he was about when he said ',come4' ,not only ,i but everyone has confidence in ,krantz1 and ,i was absolutely certain that when he demanded my presence1 the money ,i should spend on the journey would not be spent in vain4 ,apart from psychical investigation1 ,i study every phase of human nature1 and am at present1 among other things1 engaged on a work of criminology based on impressions derived from face-to-face communication with notorious criminals4 ,the morning ,i received ,krantz's summons was the morning ,i had set aside for a special study of ,s---- ,m----1 whose case has recently commanded so much public attention2 but the moment ,i read the wire1 ,i changed my plans1 without either hesitation or compunction4 ,krantz was ,krantz1 and his dictum could not be disobeyed4 ,tearing down la rue ,saint ,denis1 and narrowly avoiding collision with a lady who lives in la rue ,saint ,franois1 and will persist in wearing hats and heels that outrage alike every sense of decency and good form1 ,i hustled into the station1 and1 rushing down the steps1 just succeeded in catching the ,carnac train4 ,after a journey which1 for slowness1 most assuredly holds the record1 ,i arrived1 boiling over with indignation1 at ,armennes1 where ,krantz met me4 ,after luncheon he led the way to his study1 and1 as soon as the servant who handed us coffee had left the room1 began his explanation of the telegram4 ',as you know1 ,trobas1' he observed1 'it's not all bliss to be a landlord4 ,up to the present ,i have been singularly fortunate1 inasmuch as ,i have never experienced any difficulty in getting tenants for my houses4 ,now1 however1 there has been a sudden and most alarming change1 and ,i have just received no less than a dozen notices from tenants desirous of giving up their habitations at once4 ,here they are6' ,and he handed me a bundle of letters1 for the most part written in the scrawling hand of the illiterate4 ',if you look1' he went on1 'you will see that none of them give any reason for leaving4 ,it is merely--,we ,,cannot ,,possibly stay here any longer1 or ,we ,,must give up possession ,,immediately1 which they have done1 and in every instance before the quarter was up4 ,being naturally greatly astonished and perturbed1 ,i made careful inquiries1 and1 at length--for the ,north ,country rustic is most reticent and difficult to draw--succeeded in extracting from three of them the reason for the general exodus4 ,the houses are all ,,haunted6 ,there was nothing amiss with them1 they informed me1 till about three weeks ago1 when they all heard all sorts of alarming noises--crashes as if every atom of crockery they possessed was being broken2 bangs on the panels of doors2 hideous groans2 diabolical laughs2 and blood-curdling screams4 ,nor was that all2 some of them vowed they had seen things--horrible hairy hands1 with claw-like nails and knotted joints1 that came out of dark corners and grabbed at them2 naked feet with enormous filthy toes2 and faces--,,horrible faces that peeped at them over the banisters or through the windows2 and sooner than stand any more of it--sooner than have their wives and bairns frightened out of their senses1 they would sacrifice a quarter's rent and go4 ,we are sorry1 ,mr ,krantz1 they said in conclusion1 for you have been a most considerate landlord1 but stay we cannot4' ,here my friend paused4 ',and have you no explanation of these hauntings8' ,i asked4 ,krantz shook his head4 ',no6' he said1 'the whole thing is a most profound mystery to me4 ,at first ,i attributed it to practical jokers1 people dressed up2 but a couple of nights' vigil in the haunted district soon dissipated that theory4' ',you say district1' ,i remarked4 ',are the houses close together--in the same road or valley8' ',in a valley1' ,krantz responded--'the ,valley of ,dolmen4 ,it is ten miles from here4' ',dolmen6' ,i murmured1 'why ,dolmen8' ',because1' ,krantz explained1 'in the centre of the valley is a hill1 on the top of which is a ,druids' circle4' ',how far are the houses off the hill8' ,i queried4 ',various distances1' ,krantz replied2 'one or two very close to the base of it1 and others further away4' ',but within a radius of a few miles8' ,krantz nodded4 ',oh yes1' he answered4 ',the valley itself is small4 ,i intend taking you there to-night4 ,i thought we would watch outside one of the houses4' ',if you don't mind1' ,i said1 ',i would rather not4 ,anyway not to-night4 ,tell me how to get there and ,i will go alone4' ,krantz smiled4 ',you are a strange creature1 ,trobas1' he said1 'the strangest in the world4 ,i sometimes wonder if you are an elemental4 ,at all events1 you occupy a category all to yourself4 ,of course go alone1 if you would rather4 ,i shall be far happier here1 and if you can find a satisfactory solution to the mystery and put an end to the hauntings1 ,i shall be eternally grateful4 ,when will you start1 and what will you take with you8' ',if that clock of yours is right1 ,krantz1' ,i exclaimed1 pointing to a gun-metal timepiece on the mantelshelf1 'in half an hour4 ,as the night promises to be cold1 let me have some strong brandy-and-water1 a dozen oatmeal biscuits1 a thick rug1 and a lantern4 ,nothing else6' ,krantz carried out my instructions to the letter4 ,his motor took me to ,dolmen ,valley1 and at eight o'clock ,i began the ascent of the hill4 ,on reaching the summit1 ,i uttered an exclamation4 ',someone has been excavating1 and quite recently6' ,it was precisely what ,i had anticipated4 ,some weeks previously1 a member of the ,lyons literary club1 to which ,i belong1 had informed me that a party of geologist friends of his had been visiting the cromlechs of ,brittany1 and had committed the most barbarous depredations there4 ,hence1 the moment ,krantz mentioned the ',druidical circle1' ,i associated the spot with the visit of the geologists2 and knowing only too well that disturbances of ancient burial grounds almost always lead to occult manifestations1 ,i decided to view the place at once4 ,that ,i had not erred in my associations was now only too apparent4 ,abominable depredations ,,had been committed1--doubtless1 by the people to whom ,i have alluded--and1 unless ,i was grossly mistaken1 herein lay the clue to the hauntings4 ,the air being icy1 ,i had to wrap both my rug and my overcoat tightly round me to prevent myself from freezing1 and every now and then ,i got up and stamped my feet violently on the hard ground to restore the circulation4 ,so far there had been nothing in the atmosphere to warn me of the presence of the superphysical1 but1 precisely at eleven o'clock1 ,i detected the sudden amalgamation1 with the ether1 of that enigmatical1 indefinable ,,something1 to which ,i have so frequently alluded in my past adventures4 ,and now began that period of suspense which 'takes it out of me' even more than the encounter with the phenomenon itself4 ,over and over again ,i asked myself the hackneyed1 but none the less thrilling question1 ',what form will it take8 ,will it be simply a phantasm of a dead ,celt1 or some peculiarly grotesque and awful elemental#a attracted to the spot by human remains8' #a ,either a barrowvian or vagrarian4 ,vide ,haunted ,houses of ,london 7published by ,eveleigh ,nash7 and ,ghostly ,phenomena 7published by ,werner ,laurie74 ,minute after minute passed1 and nothing happened4 ,it is curious1 how at night1 especially when the moon is visible1 the landscape seems to undergo a complete metamorphosis4 ,objects not merely increase in size1 but vary in shape1 and become possessed of an animation suggestive of all sorts of lurking1 secretive possibilities4 ,it was so now4 ,the boulders in front and around me1 presented the appearance of grotesque beasts1 whose hidden eyes ,i could feel following my every movement with sly interest4 ,the one solitary fir adorning the plateau was a tree no longer but an ogre1 pro tempus1 concealing the grim terrors of its spectral body beneath its tightly folded limbs4 ,the stones of the circle opposite were ghoulish1 hump-backed things that crouched and squatted in all kinds of fantastic attitudes and tried to read my thoughts4 ,the shadows1 too1 that1 swarming from the silent tarns and meadows1 ascended with noiseless footsteps the rugged sides of the hill1 and1 taking cover of even the smallest obstacles1 stalked me with unremitting persistency1 were no mere common shadows1 but intangible1 pulpy things that breathed the spirit of the ,great ,unknown4 ,yet nothing specified came to frighten me4 ,the stillness was so emphatic that each time ,i moved1 the creaking of my clothes and limbs created echoes4 ,i yawned1 and from on all sides of me came a dozen other yawns4 ,i sighed1 and the very earth beneath me swayed with exaggerated sympathy4 ,the silence irritated me4 ,i grew angry2 ,i coughed1 laughed1 whistled2 and from afar off1 from the distant lees1 and streams1 and spinneys1 came a repetition of the noises4 ,then the blackest of clouds creeping slowly over the moor crushed the sheen out of the valley and smothered everything in sable darkness4 ,the silence of death supervened1 and my anger turned to fear4 ,around me there was now--,,nothing--only a void4 ,black ether and space6 ,space6 a sanctuary from fear1 and yet composed of fear itself4 ,it was the space1 the nameless1 bottomless ,,something spreading limitless all around me1 that1 filling me with vague apprehensions1 confused me with its terrors4 ,what was it8 ,whence came it8 ,i threw out my arms and ,something1 ,something which ,i intuitively knew to be there1 but which ,i cannot explain1 receded4 ,i drew them in again1 and the same ,,something instantly oppressed me with its close--its very close proximity4 ,i gasped for breath and tried to move my arms again--,i could not4 ,a sudden rigor held me spellbound1 and fixed my eyes on the darkness directly ahead of me4 ,then1 from somewhere in my rear1 came a laugh--hoarse1 malignant1 and bestial1 and ,i was conscious that the ,,something had materialised and was creeping stealthily towards me4 ,nearer1 nearer and nearer it came1 and all the time ,i wondered what1 ,,what in the name of ,god it was like6 ,my anticipations became unbearable1 the pulsations of my heart and the feverish throbbing of my temples warning me that1 if the climax were postponed much longer1 ,i should either die where ,i sat1 or go mad4 ,that ,i did neither1 was due to a divine inspiration which made me suddenly think of a device that ,i had once seen on a ,druidical stone in ,brittany--the sun1 a hand with the index and little fingers pointing downwards1 and a sprig of mistletoe4 ,the instant ,i saw them in my mind's eye1 the cords that held me paralytic slackened4 ,i sprang up1 and there1 within a yard of where ,i had sat1 was a figure--the luminous nude figure of a creature1 half man and half ape4 ,standing some six feet high1 it had a clumsy1 thick-set body1 covered in places with coarse1 bristly hair1 arms of abnormal length and girth1 legs swelling with huge muscles and much bowed1 and a very large and long dark head4 ,the face was ,,dreadful6--it was the face of something long since dead2 and out of the mass of peeling1 yellow skin and mouldering tissues gleamed two lurid and wholly malevolent eyes4 ,our glances met1 and1 as they did so1 a smile of hellish glee suffused its countenance4 ,then1 crouching down in cat-like fashion on its disgusting hands1 it made ready to spring4 ,again the device of the sun and mistletoe arose before me4 ,my fingers instinctively closed on my pocket flashlight4 ,i pressed the button and1 as the brilliant1 white ray shot forth1 the satanical object before me ,,vanished4 ,then ,i turned tail1 and never ceased running till ,i had arrived at the spot on the high-road where ,krantz's motor awaited me4 99 99 99 99 99 ,after breakfast next morning1 ,krantz listened to my account of the midnight adventure in respectful silence4 ',then6' he said1 when ,i had finished1 'you attribute the hauntings in the valley to the excavations of the geologist ,leblanc and his party1 at the cromlech six weeks ago8' ',entirely1' ,i replied4 ',and you think1 if ,leblanc and ,cie were persuaded to restore and re-inter the remains they found and carted away1 that the disturbances would cease8' ',i am sure of it6' ,i said4 ',then1' ,krantz exclaimed1 banging his clenched fist on the table1 ',i will approach them on the subject at once6' ,he did so1 and1 after much correspondence1 eventually received per goods train1 a ,tate's sugar cube-box1 containing a number of bones of the missing link pattern1 which he at once had taken to the ,druids' circle4 ,as soon as they were buried and the marks of the recent excavations obliterated1 the hauntings in the houses ceased4 ,boggle ,chairs ,killington ,grange1 near ,northampton1 was once haunted1 so my friend ,mr ,pope informs me1 by a chair1 and the following is ,mr ,pope's own experience of the hauntings1 as nearly as possible as he related it to me3-- ,some years ago1 shortly before ,christmas1 ,i received an invitation from my old friend1 ,william ,achrow4 ',killington ,grange1 ',northampton4 ',,dear ,,pope' 7he wrote7--',my wife and ,i are entertaining a few guests here this ,christmas1 and are most anxious to include you among them4 ',when ,i tell you that ,sir ,charles and ,lady ,kirlby are coming1 and that we can offer you something startling in the way of a ghost1 you will1 ,i know1 need no further inducement to join our party4--,yours1 etc41 ',w4 ,,achrow4' ,achrow was a cunning fellow2 he knew ,i would go a thousand miles to meet the ,kirlbys1 who had been my greatest friends in ,ireland1 and that ghosts invariably drew me like magnets4 ,at that time ,i was a bachelor2 ,i had no one to think about but myself1 and as ,i felt pretty sure of a fresh theatrical engagement in the early spring1 ,i was happily careless with regard to expenditure--and to people of limited incomes like myself1 staying in country houses means expenditure1 a great deal more expenditure than a week or so at an ordinary hotel4 ,however1 as ,i have observed1 ,i felt pretty secure just then2 ,i could afford a couple of 'fivers1' and would gladly get rid of them to see once more my dear old friends1 ,sir ,charles and ,lady ,k----4 ,accordingly1 ,i accepted ,achrow's invitation1 and the afternoon of ,december #bcrd saw me snugly ensconced in a first-class compartment en route for ,castle ,street1 ,northampton4 ,now1 although ,i am1 not unnaturally1 perhaps1 prejudiced in favour of ,ireland and everything that is ,irish1 ,i must say ,i do not think the ,emerald ,isle shows her best in winter1 when the banks of fair ,killarney are shorn of their vivid colouring1 and the whole country from north to south1 and east to west1 is carpeted with mud4 ,no1 the palm of wintry beauty must assuredly be given to the ,english ,midlands--the ,midlands with their stolid and richly variegated woodlands1 and their pretty undulating meadows1 clad in fleecy garments of the purest1 softest1 and most glittering snow4 ,it was a typical ,midland ,christmas when ,i got to ,northampton and took my place in the luxurious closed carriage ,achrow had sent to meet me4 ,killington ,grange lies at the extremity of the village4 ,it stands in its own grounds of some hundred or so acres1 and is approached by a long avenue that winds its way from the lodge gates through endless rows of giant oaks and elms1 and slender1 silver birches4 ,on either side1 to the rear of the trees1 lay broad stretches of undulating pasture land1 that in one place terminated in the banks of a large lake1 now glittering with ice and wrapped in the silence of death4 ,the crunching of the carriage wheels on gravel1 the termination of the trees1 and a great blaze of light announced the close proximity of the house1 and in a few seconds ,i was standing on the threshold of an imposing entrance4 ,a footman took my valise1 and before ,i had crossed the spacious hall1 ,i was met by my host and kind old friends1 whose combined and hearty greetings were a happy forecast of what was to come4 ,indeed1 at a merrier dinner party ,i have never sat down1 though in ,god's truth ,i have dined in all kinds of places1 and with all sorts of people3 with ,princesses of the ,royal blood1 aflame with all the hauteur of their race2 with earls and counts2 with blood-thirsty anarchists2 with bishops and ,salvationists1 miners and policemen1 ,dagos and ,indians 7,red and ,brown72 with ,japs1 ,russians1 and ,poles2 and1 in short1 with the lite and the rag-tag and bobtail of all climes4 ,but1 as ,i have already said1 ,i had seldom if ever enjoyed a dinner as ,i enjoyed this one4 ,possibly the reason was not far to find--there was little or no formality2 we were all old friends2 we had one cause in common--love of ,ireland2 we hadn't met for years1 and we knew not if we should ever meet again1 for our paths in life were not likely to converge4 ,but ,christmas is no season for prigs and dullards1 and1 possibly1 this rare enjoyment was1 in no small measure1 due to the delightful snugness and1 at the same time1 artistic nature of our surroundings1 and to the excellence1 the surpassing excellence of the vintage1 which made our hearts mellow and our tongues loose4 ,long did our host1 ,sir ,charles1 and ,i sit over the dessert table1 after the ladies had left us1 filling and refilling our glasses2 and it was close on ten before we repaired to the drawing-room4 ',lady ,kirlby1' ,i said1 seating myself next her on a divan1 ',i want to hear about the ghost4 ,up to the present ,i confess ,i have been so taken up with more material and1 may ,i add'--casting a well-measured glance of admiration at her beautifully moulded features and lovely eyes--lovely1 in spite of the cruel hand of time which had streaked her chestnut hair with grey--'infinitely more pleasing subjects1 that ,i have not even thought about the superphysical4 ,william1 however1 informs me that there is a ghost here--he has1 of course1 told you4' ,but at this very psychological moment ,mrs ,achrow interrupted3 ',now1 no secrets1 you two1' she said laughingly1 leaning over the back of the divan and tapping ,lady ,kirlby playfully on the arm4 ',there must be no mention of ghosts till it is close on bedtime1 and the lights are low4' ,lady ,kirlby gave me a pitying look1 but it was of no avail2 the word of our hostess was paramount1 and ,i did not learn what was in store for me until it was too late to retreat4 ,at half-past eleven ,william ,achrow turned out the gas1 and when we were all seated round the fire1 he suggested we should each relate in turn1 the most thrilling ghost tale we had ever heard4 ,the idea1 being approved of generally1 was carried out1 and when we had been thrilled1 as assuredly we had never been thrilled before1 ,william coolly proclaimed that he had put me in the haunted room4 ',i am sure1' he said1 amid a roar of the most unfeeling laughter1 in which all but the tender-hearted ,lady ,kirlby joined1 'that your nerves are now in the most suitable state for psychical investigation1 and that it won't be your fault if you don't see the ghost4 ,and a very horrible one it is1 at least so ,i am told1 though ,i cannot say ,i have ever seen it myself4 ,no6 ,i won't tell you anything about it now--,i want to hear your version of it first4' ,with a few more delicate insinuations1 made1 as he candidly confessed1 in the fervent hope of frightening me still more1 on the stroke of midnight my friend conducted me to my quarters4 ',you will have it all to yourself1' he said1 as we traversed a tremendously long and gloomy corridor that connected the two wings of the house1 'for all the rooms on this side are at present unoccupied1 and those immediately next to yours haven't been slept in for years--there is something about them that doesn't appeal to my guests4 ,what it is ,i can't say--,i leave that to you4 ,here we are6' and1 as he spoke1 he threw open a door4 ,a current of icy cold air slammed it to and blew out my light1 and as ,i groped for the door-handle1 ,i heard my host's footsteps retreating hurriedly down the corridor1 whilst he wished me a rather nervous good-night4 ,relighting my candle and shutting the window--,achrow is one of those open-air fiends who never had a bronchial cold in his life1 and expects everyone else to be equally immune--,i found myself in a room that was well calculated to strike even the most hardened ghost-hunter with awe4 ,it was coffin-shaped1 large1 narrow1 and lofty2 and floor1 panelling1 and furniture were of the blackest oak4 ,the bedstead1 a four-poster of the most funereal type1 stood near the fireplace1 from which a couple of thick pine logs sent out a ruddy glare2 and directly opposite the foot of the bed1 with its back to the wall1 stood an ebony chair1 which1 although in a position that should have necessitated its receiving a generous share of the fire's rays1 was nevertheless shrouded in such darkness that ,i could only discern its front legs--a phenomenon that did not strike me as being peculiar till afterwards4 ,between the chair and the ingle1 was a bay window overlooking one angle of the lawn1 a side path connecting the back premises of the house with the drive1 and a dense growth of evergreens1 poplars1 limes1 and copper beeches1 the branches of which were now weighed down beneath layer upon layer of snow4 ,the room1 as ,i have stated1 was long1 but ,i did not realise how long until ,i was in the act of getting into bed1 when my eyes struggled in vain to reach the remote corners of the chamber and the recesses of the vaulted and fretted ceiling1 which were fast presenting the startling appearance of being overhung with an impenetrable pall1 such a pall as forms the gloomy coverlet of a hearse2 the similarity being increased by waving plume-like shadows that suddenly appeared--from ,god knows where6--on the floor and wall4 ,that the room was genuinely haunted ,i had not now the slightest doubt1 for the atmosphere was charged to the very utmost with superphysical impressions--the impressions of a monstrous hearse1 with all the sickly paraphernalia of black flowing drapery and scented pine wood4 ,i was annoyed with ,william ,achrow4 ,i had wanted to see him2 ,i had wanted to meet the ,kirlbys2 but a ghost--no6 ,honestly1 candidly--no6 ,i had not slept well for nights1 and after the good things ,i had eaten at dinner and that excellent vintage1 ,i had been looking forward to a sound1 an unusually sound sleep4 ,now1 however1 my hopes were dashed on the head--the room was haunted--haunted by something gloomily1 damnably evil1 evil with an evilness that could only have originated in hell4 ,such were my impressions when ,i got into bed4 ,contrary to my expectations1 ,i soon fell asleep4 ,i was awakened by a creak1 the loud but unmistakable creak of a chair4 ,now1 the creaking of furniture is no uncommon thing4 ,there are few of us who have not at some time or other heard an empty chair creak1 and attributed that creaking either to expansion of the wood through heat1 or to some other equally physical cause4 ,but are we always right8 ,may not that creaking be sometimes due to an invisible presence in the chair8 ,why not8 ,the laws that govern the superphysical are not known to us at present4 ,we only know from our own experiences and from the compiled testimony of various reputable ,research ,societies that there is a superphysical1 and that the superphysical is a fact which is acknowledged by several of the greatest scientists of the day4 ,but to continue4 ,the creaking of a chair roused me from my sleep4 ,i sat up in bed1 and as my eyes wandered involuntarily to the ebony chair to which ,i have already alluded1 ,i again heard the creaking4 ,my sense of hearing now became painfully acute1 and1 impelled by a fascination ,i could not resist1 ,i held my breath and listened4 ,as ,i did so1 ,i distinctly heard the sound of stealthy respiration4 ,either the chair or something in it was breathing1 breathing with a subtle gentleness4 ,the fire had now burned low2 only a glimmer1 the very faintest perceptible glimmer1 came from the logs2 hence ,i had to depend for my vision on the soft white glow that stole in through the trellised window-panes4 ,the chair creaked again1 and at the back of it1 and at a distance of about four feet from the ground1 ,i encountered the steady glare of two long1 pale1 and wholly evil eyes1 that regarded me with a malevolency that held me spellbound2 my terror being augmented by my failure to detect any other features saving the eyes1 and only a vague ,something which ,i took for a body4 ,i remained in a sitting posture for many minutes without being able to remove my gaze1 and when ,i did look away1 ,i instinctively felt that the eyes were still regarding me1 and that the ,something1 of which the eyes were a part1 was waiting for an opportunity to creep from its hiding-place and pounce upon me4 ,this is1 ,i think1 what would have happened had it not been for the very opportune arrival of the ,killington ,waits1 who1 bursting out with a terrific and discordant version of ',the ,mistletoe ,bough1' which1 by the way1 is somewhat inexplicably regarded as appropriate to the festive season1 effectually broke the superphysical spell1 and when ,i looked again at the chair1 the eyes had gone4 ,feeling quite secure now1 ,i lay down1 and1 in spite of the many interruptions1 managed to secure a tolerably good night's sleep4 ,at breakfast everyone was most anxious to know if ,i had seen the ghost1 but ,i held my tongue4 ,the spirit of adventure had been rekindled in me1 my sporting instinct had returned1 and ,i was ready and eager to see the phenomena again2 but until ,i had done so1 and had put it to one or two tests1 ,i decided to say nothing about it4 ,the day passed pleasantly--how could it be otherwise in ,william ,achrow's admirably appointed household8--and the night found me once again alone in my sepulchral bed-chamber4 ,this time ,i did not get into bed1 but took my seat in an easy-chair by the fire 7which ,i took care was well replenished with fuel71 my face turned in the direction of the spot where the eyes had appeared4 ,the weather was inclined to be boisterous1 and frequent gusts of wind1 rumbling and moaning through the long and gloomy aisle of the avenue1 plundered the trees of the loose-hanging snow and hurled it in fleecy clouds against the walls and windows4 ,i had been sitting there about an hour when ,i suddenly felt ,i was no longer alone2 a peculiarly cold tremor1 that was not1 ,i feel sure1 due to any actual fall in the temperature of the room1 ran through me1 and my teeth chattered4 ,as on the previous occasion1 however1 my senses were abnormally alive1 and as ,i watched--instinct guiding my eyes to the ebony chair--,i heard a creak1 and the sound of ,something breathing4 ,the antagonistic ,presence was once again there4 ,i essayed to speak1 to repeat the form of address ,i had constantly rehearsed1 to say and do something that would tempt the unknown into some form of communication4 ,i could do nothing4 ,i was lip-bound1 powerless to move2 and then from out of the superphysical darkness there gleamed the eyes1 lidless1 lurid1 bestial4 ,a shape was there1 too3 a shape which1 although still vague1 dreadfully so1 was nevertheless more pronounced than on the former occasion1 and ,i felt that it only needed time1 time and an enforced1 an involuntary amount of scrutiny on my part1 to see that shape materialise into something satanical and definite4 ,i waited--,i was obliged to wait--when1 even as before--,heaven be praised6--the arrival of the gallant waits1 7,i say1 gallant1 for the night had fast become a white inferno7 loosened my fetters1 and as ,i sprang towards the chair1 the eyes vanished4 ,i then got into bed and slept heavily till the morning4 ,to their great disappointment1 the clamorous breakfasters learned nothing--,i kept the adventure rigidly to myself1 and that night1 ,christmas night1 found me1 for the third time1 listening for the sounds from the mysterious1 the hideously1 hellishly mysterious1 high-backed1 ebony chair4 ,there had been a severe storm during the day1 and the wind had howled with cyclonic force around the house2 but there was silence now1 an almost preternatural silence2 and the lawn1 lavishly bestrewn with huge heaps of driven snow1 and broken1 twisted branches1 presented the appearance of a titanic battlefield4 ,in marked contrast to the disturbed condition of the ground1 the sky was singularly serene1 and broad beams of phosphorescent light poured in through the diamond window-panes on to the bed1 in which ,i was sitting1 bolt upright4 ,one o'clock struck1 and ere the hollow-sounding vibrations had ceased1 the vague form once again appeared behind the chair1 and the malignant1 evil eyes met mine in a diabolical stare2 whilst1 as before1 on trying to speak or move1 ,i found myself tongue-tied and paralysed4 ,as the moments slowly glided away1 the shape of the ,thing became more and more distinct2 a dark and sexless face appeared1 surmounted with a straggling mass of black hair1 the ends of which melted away into mist4 ,i saw no trunk1 but ,i descried two long and bony arms1 ebony as the chair1 with crooked1 spidery1 misty fingers4 ,as ,i watched its development with increasing horror1 hoping and praying for the arrival of the never-again-to-be-despised waits1 ,i suddenly realised with a fresh grip of terror that the chair had moved out of the corner1 and that the ,thing behind it was slowly creeping towards me4 ,as it approached1 the outlines of its face and limbs became clearer4 ,i knew that it was something repulsively1 diabolically grotesque1 but whether the phantasm of man1 or woman1 or hellish elemental1 ,i couldn't for the life of me say2 and this uncertainty1 making my fear all the more poignant1 added to my already sublime sufferings1 those of the damned4 ,it passed the chair on which my dress-shirt flashed whiter than the snow in the moonlight2 it passed the tomb-like structure constituting the foot-board of the bed2 and as in my frantic madness ,i strained and strained at the cruel cords that held me paralytic1 it crept on to the counterpane and wriggled noiselessly towards me4 ,even then1 though its long1 pale eyes were close to mine1 and the ends of its tangled hair curled around me1 and its icy corpse-tainted breath scoured my cheeks1 even then--,i could not see its body nor give it a name4 ,clawing at my throat with its sable fingers1 it thrust me backwards1 and ,i sank gasping1 retching1 choking on to the pillow1 where ,i underwent all the excruciating torments of strangulation2 strangulation by something tangible1 yet intangible1 something that could create sensation without being itself sensitive2 something detestably1 abominably wicked and wholly hostile1 madly hostile in its attitude towards mankind4 ,what ,i suffered is indescribable1 and it was to me interminable4 ,days1 months1 years1 seemed to pass1 and ,i was still being suffocated1 still feeling the inexorable crunch of those fingers1 still peering into the livid depths of those gloating1 fiendish eyes4 ,and then--then1 as ,i was on the eve of abandoning all hope1 a thousand and one tumultuous noises buzzed in my ears1 my eyes swam blood1 and ,i lost consciousness4 ,when ,i recovered1 the dawn was breaking and all evidences of the superphysical had disappeared4 ,i did not tell ,achrow what ,i had experienced1 but expressed1 instead1 the greatest astonishment that anyone should have thought the room was haunted4 ',haunted indeed6' ,i said4 ',nonsense6 ,if anything haunts it1 it is the ghost of some philanthropist1 for ,i never slept sounder in my life4 ,i am1 as you know1 ,william1 extremely sensitive to the superphysical1 but in this instance1 ,i can assure you1 ,i was disappointed1 greatly disappointed1 so much so that ,i am going home at once2 it would be mere waste of my valuable time to stay any longer in the vain hope of investigating1 when there is ,,nothing to investigate4 ,how came you to get hold of such a crazy idea8' ',well1' ,william replied1 a puzzled expression on his face1 'you noticed an ebony chair in the room8' ,i nodded4 ',i bought it in ,bruges1 and there are two stories current in connection with it4 ,the one is to the effect that a very wicked monk1 named ,gaboni1 died in it 7and1 indeed1 the man who sold me the chair was actually afraid to keep it any longer in his house1 as he assured me ,gaboni's spirit had amalgamated with the wood72 and the other story1 which ,i learned from a different source1 namely1 from someone who1 on finding out where ,i bought the chair1 told me he knew the whole history of it1 is to the effect that it was of comparatively modern make1 and had been designed by ,w----1 the famous nineteenth-century ,belgian painter1 who specialised1 as you may know1 in the most weird and fantastic subjects4 ,w---- kept the chair in his studio1 and my informant half laughingly1 half seriously remarked that no doubt the chair was thoroughly saturated with the wave-thoughts from ,w----'s luridly fertile brain4 ,of course1 ,i do not know which story is true1 or if1 indeed1 either story is true1 but the fact remains that1 up to now1 everyone who has slept in the room with that chair has complained of having had the most unpleasant sensations4 ,i own that after all that was told me1 ,i was afraid to experiment with it myself1 but after your experience1 or rather lack of experience1 ,i shall not hesitate to have it in my own bedroom4 ,both my wife and ,i have always admired it--it is such a uniquely beautiful piece of furniture4' ,of course ,i agreed with my friend1 and1 after congratulating him most effusively on his good luck in having been able to secure so unique a treasure1 ,i again thanked him for his hospitality and bade him good-bye4 ,,index ,adventure in ,chicago1 #adc-ade4 of ,hans and ,carl with a were-wolf1 #aba-abi4 with pixies near ,bray1 #ga4 neas1 story of1 #fi-gj4 ,all-,hallows ,e'en1 #aeh-aei4 ,anglo-,saxon ,church1 ,the1 #aeh4 ,arundels1 ,white ,owl of the1 #acg1 #aci1 #aea4 ,ash trees1 #gd-ge4 ,aspens1 #gc4 ,assam1 haunted tree in1 #fd-fg4 ,assiut1 #db4 ,attendant spirits1 #adb-ade4 ,automatic writing1 #aij4 ,baldearg1 the1 #agh4 ,banshee1 the1 #acg1 #adg-adi4 ,barrowvians1 #gh1 #bbj-bcj4 ,bay of the ,departed1 #bje4 ,bears1 phantasms of1 #gi4 ,birthmarks1 #agh4 ,bloody ,hand of ,ulster1 #agf4 ,blue hand1 phantasm of a1 #gi4 ,boggle chairs1 #bcj-bdc4 ,book of ,days1 #ij4 ,brampton1 haunted ash tree of1 #gd4 ,british ,goblins1 ,book of1 #ia1 #aea4 ,buddhas1 #baj-bbj4 ,candles1 warnings by1 #acb4 ,castle on ,dinas1 #gh4 ,cats1 phantasms of1 #ig-ajh4 ,charley1 ,t41 #acd4 ,charms and checks against ghosts1 #aib-aig4 ,childermass ,day1 #afj4 ,ching ,kang and the ,fox-woman1 story of1 #abi-aca4 ,clairvoyance1 #ahi4 ,clanogrians1 #cg1 #acg4 ,complex hauntings and occult bestialities1 #hj4 ,complex hauntings by phantasms of one person1 #ha4 ,corpse-candles1 #acd-acg4 ,count ,daniel ,o',donnell1 #afg4 ,crystal-gazing1 #aff-afg4 ,d41 ,lady1 #g4 ,dalmatian dog1 phantasm of1 #hc4 ,davis1 ,rev4 ,mr1 #ace4 ,de ,b41 ,mrs1 #f4 ,dean ,combe ,ghost1 #hi4 ,death warnings1 #acb-adj4 ,death-,watch1 #ach4 ,demon of ,stockwell1 #dh4 of ,tedworth1 #dh4 ,dogs1 spirits of1 #gi1 #ha1 #hc-ia4 ,dowsers1 #gf4 ,drummer of the ,airlies1 #acg-aej4 ,dyer's ,ghost ,world1 #hi4 ,earl of ,lincoln and the ash tree1 #ge4 ,elementals1 #e4 ,ellyllon1 the1 #aea4 ,english family ghosts1 #aej4 ,ennemoser1 works by ,jos41 #aaj4 ,epworth1 hauntings at1 #dh4 ,evil eye1 the1 #afh-agj4 ,exorcism1 #aie-aif4 ,eye1 phantasm of1 #hb4 ,fire-coffins1 #ach4 ,forbes du ,barry1 ,mrs1 #hf4 ,fortune-telling1 #afa4 ,fox-women1 #aai-aca4 ,frazer's ,journal1 #ace4 ,gabriel's hounds1 #ia4 ,ghost of ,black ,lion ,lane1 #dh4 ,gluttony1 #bi4 ,grandfather clocks1 hauntings by1 #ce4 ,gwyllgi1 the1 #ia4 ,hacon1 ,rev4 ,henry1 #db4 ,hand of ,glory1 #agf4 ,hands1 #afb-afd4 ,hartz mountains1 vampirism in the1 #aad-aae4 ,haunted trees1 #fj-gj4 in ,caucasus1 #fh4 in ,slavonic mythology1 #fh4 seas1 #aih-bjf4 ,hauntings on ,wicklow nets1 #hc-he4 ,headless dogs1 #he1 #hg-hh4 ,history of magic1 #aab4 ,horses1 phantasms of1 #gi1 #ajh4 ,howard1 phantasm of ,lady1 #hi4 ,hunt1 works of ,mr1 #bje-bjf4 ,hydromancy1 #afe4 ,idiots and vampirism1 #aac-aad4 ,intuition1 #ahg-ahh4 ,land's ,end1 #f4 ,looking-glasses1 #aeg4 ,luck of ,edenhall1 #afh4 ,lyons family1 #afh4 ,mandrake1 the1 #gf4 ,manias1 #bh-cd4 for buttons1 #ch4 of manual workers1 #cj4 of women for dogs1 #cc4 ,mauthe dog1 the1 #ij4 ,mermaids1 #ada4 ,midsummer eve1 #afa4 ,mines1 hauntings of1 #eh4 ,monomaniac musician1 #cc4 ,mummy of ,met-,om-,karema1 haunted1 #db-df4 ,nature's devil signals1 #agi4 ,new year's eve1 #afj1 #aff4 ,news from the ,invisible ,world1 #acd4 ,north1 recitations of ,miss ,lilian1 #hf4 ,numbers1 climacteric1 #agg4 ,oak chests1 haunted1 #ch4 ,obsession and possession1 #bh4 ,occult hooligans1 #dg-ee4 ,occult in shadows1 #ba4 ,owls1 #aci4 ,palm tree1 #gg4 ,palmistry1 #afb4 ,paul1 vampirism of ,arnauld1 #aaj4 ,phantasms of living1 #ahd-ahf4 of pigs1 #ajh4 of sailors1 #ha4 of wild animals1 #ajh4 ,phantom rowers1 #aej4 ships1 #aih-bja4 white hares1 #aea4 world1 #aaj4 ,pixies1 #gj4 ,plutarch's account of satyrs1 #fg4 ,poltergeists1 #dg-ej4 and ,professor ,schuppart1 #dh-ej4 in ,norwood1 #ej4 ,polydorus1 story of1 #gj4 ,poor in ,hyde ,park1 #be4 ,pre-existence1 #agi-ahd4 ,premature burial1 #b-ah4 ,primitive trees1 visions of1 #ef-eg4 ,projection1 #ahd-ahf4 ,psychic days1 #aeh4 faculty1 #ahf4 ,pyromancy1 #afe4 ,radiant ,boy of ,corby1 the1 #aea4 ,ravens1 #adj4 ,river ghosts1 #bjf-bjg4 ,romances of ,west of ,england1 #bje-bjf4 ,st ,blaise's ,day1 #afj4 ,st ,catherine's ,day1 #afa4 ,st ,lawrence's ,day1 #afa4 ,st ,mark's ,day1 #afa4 ,st ,martin's ,day1 #afj4 ,sargasso ,sea1 #bja-bje4 ,satyrs and fawns1 #fg4 ,scottish ghosts1 #adi-aej4 ,sances1 #aia-aib4 ,second sight1 #ahg4 ,seventh son1 the1 #agg4 ,shadow on the ,downs1 the1 #bb-bc4 in ,hyde ,park1 #bf4 of a tree1 #bd4 ,shuck1 the1 #ij4 ,sinclair1 ,miss1 #fc4 ,sirens1 #bjg-bji4 ,soames1 work of ,mr1 #aeh4 ,south's tale of a vampire1 ,mrs1 #aaf-aba4 ,spells1 #aei-afa4 ,spilling salt1 #aeg4 ,stuker1 the1 #ij4 ,suggestion1 #ahf4 ,superstitions and fortunes1 #aec4 ,sycamore1 the1 #gg4 ,sylvan horrors1 #ef-gi4 ,table-turning1 #aia-aib4 ,talismans and amulets1 #afg4 ,telepathy1 #ahf4 ,thirteen at table1 #aec-aeg4 ,timbs1 ,john1 #gd1 #ach1 #afa4 ,trash1 #ij4 ,tree of life1 the1 #gg4 ,trees1 haunted1 #fj-gj4 ,tristam and ,yseult1 legend of1 #fi4 ,unknown depths1 the1 #bj4 ,vampires1 #aaj-aba4 ,wandering ,jew1 the1 #ada-adb4 ,welsh ghosts1 #aea4 ,were-wolves1 #aba-abi4 ,wirt ,sikes1 work by1 #ia1 #aea4 ,witches1 #aga-age4 ,worthing1 #bb1 #hf-hh4 ,x41 phantasm of murderer1 #ia-ig4 ,yellow ,boy1 the1 #aea4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,the following corrections were made3 p4 #bc3 extra comma removed 7after time in but the next time ,i visited the spot7 p4 #cb3 sensualty to sensuality 7sensuality sometimes venial7 p4 #cd3 thought germ to thought-germ to match other instances 7how extraordinary the thought-germ7 p4 #cd3 later-day to latter-day 7even latter-day7 p4 #fg3 extra comma removed 7after degree in in the slightest degree what the monstrosity meant7 p4 #hh3 ,du to du to match other instances 7,mrs du ,barry7 p4 #ij3 ,haviland to ,harland 7,harland and ,wilkinson7 p4 #ia3 ,wyhr to ,wybr 7,cwn y ,wybr71 to match cited source p4 #aaj3 missing period added 7,jos4 ,ennemoser7 pp4 #aaj1 #aab1 and #bdd 7,index73 ,ennemoses to ,ennemoser p4 #aaf3 pretentions to pretensions 7hypocritical pretensions7 p4 #abi3 ,thanking to ,thinking 7,thinking that the animal was ill7 p4 #adj3 syrens to sirens 7nymphs1 sirens1 and pixies7 p4 #aed3 ont he to on the 7on the couch7 p4 #agf3 he to the 7badge of the ,o',neills7 p4 #bbb3 added missing single close quote 7,here they are6'7 p4 #bbd3 double close quote to single close quote 7one of the houses4'7 p4 #bbe3 had to has 7',someone has been excavating1 and quite recently6'7 p4 #bde3 missing periods added after several ,index entries 7,gluttony1 #bi42 ,haunted ,trees 444 in ,caucasus1 #fh47 ,on page #aaj1 the author refers to ,jos4 ,ennemoser as the author of ,the ,phantom ,world4 ,in fact1 the cited passage comes from a work by ,augustine ,calmet1 which was translated into ,english by ,william ,howitt as ,the ,phantom ,world2 ,ennemoser quotes from it in his book ,the ,history of ,magic4 ,this error has not been corrected4 ,irregularities in hyphenation and capitalization have not been corrected4 ,antiquated or misspelled place names have been left as in the original4 ,for the plain text version1 oe ligatures have been changed to oe4