“oh, kind and blissful mockery, when the manacled felon, on his bed of straw, is transported to the home of his innocent boyhood, and the pining and forsaken fair, is happy with her fond and faithful lover—and the poor man hath abundance—and the dying man is in joyous health—and despair hath hope—and those that want are as though they wanted not—and they who weep are as though they wept not.—but the fashion of these things passeth away.”
“at home” may mean, that quarter-day has passed with all its terrors, accounts settled, bills filed, tax-collectors satisfied, and the horizon of finance clear and cloudless. there is no fear of duns or doctors, and john thomas announces “at home.” or it may mean, that having enrobed oneself in morning gown and slippers, filled and lighted our pipe, seated ourselves in an easy chair, placed our feet firmly and contentedly on the hearthrug, and commenced enveloping ourselves in a cloud like that in which juno conveyed the vanquished paris from the field to the presence of the fairest of the daughters of greece, we feel, with reference to ourselves, and in despite of the rest of the world—“at home.” or it may mean, that having made the “grand tour,” crossed the desert on a camel, or seen the lions of singapore, hong-kong, and231 shanghai, we are once more on our native soil, and no longer fear italian banditti or turkish plague, sandstorms or crocodiles, chinese poisoners or bow-wow pie, that we breathe again, and are “at home”. or it may mean half-a-dozen things beside. but to see a man at home, is to see him in all the gradations of light and shade, of sunlight and shadow, brighter and deeper, than when he covers his head and walks abroad to look at the sun.
gunja is not at home in europe. notwithstanding the efforts made in england and france to introduce the indian hemp into medical practice, and the asseverations of medical practitioners in british india, who have extolled its power as a narcotic and anodyne, it has never settled upon european soil. the drugs already in use to produce sleep and alleviate pain, still occupy their old popularity, undisturbed by the visit of a stranger, who, finding the reception too cold, has retreated. in france, certain experiments were made, and by leave of dr. moreau, we shall take advantage of them, and of the journal of psychological medicine, to ascertain the effects of this drug on those who have used it.
since the days of prosper albinus, both learned and unlearned have listened with wonder to the marvellous effects of those “drowsy syrups of the east,” when—
“quitting earth’s dull sphere, the soul exulting soars
to each bright realm by fancy conjured up,
and clothed in hues of beauty, there to mix
with laughing spirits on the moonlit green;
or rove with angels through the courts of heaven,
and catch the music flowing from their tongues.”
in asia minor an extract from the indian hemp has been from time immemorial swallowed with232 the greatest avidity, as the means of producing the most ecstatic delight, and affording a gratification even of a higher character than that which is known there to follow on the use of opium. a small dose seems only to influence the moral faculties, giving to the intellectual powers greater vivacity, and momentary vigour. a larger dose seems to awaken a new sensibility, and call into action dormant capabilities of enjoyment. not only is the imagination excited, but an intensity of energy pervades all the passions and affections of the mind. memory not only recurs with facility to the past, but incorporates delusions with it, for with whatever accuracy the facts may be remembered, they are painted with glowing colours, and made sources of pleasure. the senses become instruments also of deception, the eye and the ear, not only are alive to every impression, but they delude the reason, and disturb the brain, by the delusions to which they become subject. gaiety, or a soothing melancholy, may be produced, as pleasant or disagreeable sights or sounds are presented.
so much alive are the swallowers of haschisch to the effect of external objects upon the perceptive powers, that they generally retire to the depths of the harem, where the almas, or females educated for this purpose, add, by the charms of music and the dance, to the false perceptions which the disordered condition of the brain gives rise to. insensibly the reason and the volition are entirely overcome, and yield themselves up to the fantastic imagery which affords such delight. can we wonder at such people producing and admiring all the extravagancies of the “arabian nights’ entertainments?” can we be surprised at their belief in a paradise for the future, which is at best but a voluptuary’s dream?
233
at the commencement of the intoxication produced by the hemp, there is the most perfect consciousness of the state of the disordered faculties. there exists the power of analyzing the sensations, but the mind seems unwilling to resume its guiding and controlling power. it is conscious that all is but a dream, and yet feels a delight in perfect abandonment to the false enjoyment. it will not attempt to awaken from the reverie, but rather to indulge in it, to the utmost extent of which it is capable. there seems an ideal existence, but it is too pleasurable to shake off—it penetrates into the inmost recesses of the body—it envelopes it. the dreams and phantoms of the imagination appear part of the living being; and yet, during all this, there remains the internal conviction that the real world is abandoned, for a fictitious and imaginative existence, which has charms too delightful to resist. to the extreme rapidity with which ideas, sensations, desires, rush across the brain, may be attributed the singular retardation of time, which appears to be lengthened out to eternity. similar effects, proceeding, doubtless, from the same or similar causes, are noticed in the “confessions of an opium-eater,” wherein he speaks of minutes becoming as ages.
dr. moreau gives singular illustrations of this peculiar state. on one occasion he took a dose of the haschisch previously to his going to the opera, and he fancied that he was upwards of three hours finding his way through the passage leading to it. m. de saulcy partook of a dose of haschisch, and when he recovered, it appeared to him that he had been under its influence for a hundred years at least.
whilst an indescribable sensation of happiness takes possession of the individual, and the joy and exultation are felt to be almost too much to be234 borne, the mind seems totally at a loss to account for it, or to explain from what particular source it springs. there is a positive sensation of universal contentment, but it is vain to attempt to explain the nature of the enjoyment. the peculiar motion appears to be wholly inexplicable. a sense of something unusual pervades every fibre, but all attempts to analyze or describe it are declared to be in vain. after a certain period of time the system appears to be no longer capable of further happiness, the sensibility seems thoroughly exhausted, a gentle sense of lassitude, physical and moral, gradually succeeds—an apathy, a carelessness, an absolute calm, from which no exterior object can arouse the torpid frame. these are the great characteristics of this stage. the most alarming or afflicting intelligence is listened to without exciting any emotion. the mind is thoroughly absorbed, the perception seems blunted, the senses scarcely convey any impression to the brain. a re-action has taken place, yet the collapse is unattended with any disagreeable feeling. the energies are all prostrate, yet there are none of those depressing symptoms which attend the last stages of ordinary intoxication. all that is described is an ineffable tranquillity of soul, during which it is perfectly inaccessible to sorrow or pain. “the haschisch eater is happy,” continues dr. moreau, “not like the gourmand, or the famished man when satisfying his appetite, or the voluptuary in the gratification of his amative desires; but like him who hears tidings which fill him with joy, or like the miser counting his treasures, the gambler who is successful at play, or the ambitious man who is intoxicated with success.”
all those who have tried the experiment do not speak in such glowing terms of the results. m. de saulcey, who tried it at jerusalem, says:—235—“the experiment, to which we had recourse for passing our time, turned out so utterly disagreeable that i may safely say, not one of us will ever be tempted to try it again. the haschisch is an abominable poison which the dregs of the population alone drink and smoke in the east, and which we were silly enough to take, in too large a dose, on the eve of new year’s-day. we fancied we were going to have an evening of enjoyment, but we nearly died through our imprudence. as i had taken a larger dose of this pernicious drug than my companions, i remained almost insensible for more than twenty-four hours, after which i found myself completely broken down with nervous spasms, and incoherent dreams.”
it is not uncommon for illusions and hallucinations to occur during the early stage, when the senses have lost their power of communicating faithfully to the brain the impressions they receive.
dr. auber, in his work on the plague, narrates various instances of delusions occurring in the course of his administering hemp preparations as a relief in that disease. an officer in the navy saw puppets dancing on the roof of his cabin—another believed that he was transformed into the piston of a steam-engine—a young artist imagined that his body was endowed with such elasticity as to enable him to enter into a bottle, and remain there at his ease. other writers speak of individuals similarly affected: one of a man who believed himself changed entirely into brittle glass, and in constant fear of being cracked or broken, or having a finger or toe knocked off; another, of a youth who believed himself growing and expanding to such an extent, that he deemed it inevitable that the room in which he was would be too small to contain him, and that he must, during the236 expansion, force up the ceiling into the room above. dr. moreau, on one occasion, believed that he was melting away by the heat of the sun, at another, that his whole body was inflated like a balloon, that he was enabled to elevate himself, and vanish in the air. the ideas that generally presented themselves to him of these illusions were, that objects wore the semblance of phantasmagoric figures, small at first, then gradually enlarging, then suddenly becoming enormous and vanishing. sometimes these figures were subjects of alarm to him. a little hideous dwarf, clothed in the dress of the thirteenth century, haunted him for some time. aware of the delusion, he entreated that the object which kept up the illusion should be removed—these were a hat and a coat upon a neighbouring table. an old servant of seventy-one, was, upon another occasion, represented by his eye to the brain as a young lady, adorned with all the grace of beauty, and his white hair and wrinkles transformed into irresistible attractions. a friend who presented him with a glass of lemonade was pictured to his disordered imagination as a furnace of hot charcoal. sometimes the happiness was interrupted by delusions that affrighted him. thus, having indulged himself with his accustomed dose, every object awoke his terror and alarm, which neither the conviction of his own mind nor the soothing explanations of his friends could diminish, and he was for a considerable length of time under the most fearful impressions.
“through the darkness spread
around, the gaping earth then vomited
legions of foul and ghastly shapes, which
hung upon his flight.”
these are the immediate effects produced by this most extraordinary substance. there are others,237 however, still more singular, which have attracted the attention of travellers, and become the objects of intense curiosity. these are of a nature unknown in connection with any other substance, and have formed the basis of numerous marvellous narrations, that have astonished even the incredulous. those who have seen the fearful symptoms betrayed during delirium tremens, and have heard the sufferers declare that they saw before them genii, fairies, devils, know how the senses may become the source of delusion, and hence may judge to what a disordered state of the intellect may lead. when the brain has once become disordered by the use of the narcotic hemp, it becomes ever afterwards liable to hallucinations and delusions, unlike those produced by anything else, save intoxicating liquours after an attack of delirium tremens. the mind then believes that it sees visions, and beholds beings with whom it can converse. the phenomena gradually develop themselves, until illusions take the place of realities, and hold firm possession of the mind, which would seem on all other points to be healthy and vigorous, but on this point, insane. so firm and so fixed becomes the belief, that neither argument convinces, nor ridicule shakes, the individual from his faith, in which a prejudiced or too credulous nature confirms him but the more.
the arabs, especially those of egypt, are exceedingly superstitious, and there is scarce a person, even among the better informed, who does not believe in the existence of genii. according to their belief there are three species of intelligent beings, namely, angels, who were created of light, genii, who were created of fire, and men, created of earth. the prevailing opinion is that sheytans (devils) are rebellious genii. it is said that god created the genii two thousand years before adam,238 and that there are believers and infidels among them as among men. it is held that they are aerial animals with transparent bodies, which can assume any form. that they are subject to death, but live many ages. the following are traditions of the prophet concerning them. the genii are of various shapes, having the forms of serpents, scorpions, lions, wolves, jackals, &c. they are of three kinds, one on the land, one in the sea, one in the air. they consist of forty troops, each troop consisting of six hundred thousand. they are of three sorts, one has wings and fly; another, are snakes and dogs; and the third move about from place to place like men. domestic snakes on the same authority, are asserted to be genii. if serpents or scorpions intrude themselves upon the faithful at prayers, the prophet orders that they be killed, but on other occasions, first to admonish them to depart, and then if they remained to kill them. it is related that aisheeh, the prophet’s wife, having killed a serpent in her chamber, was alarmed by a dream, and fearing that it might have been a muslim jinnee, as it did not enter her chamber when she was undressed, gave in alms, as an expiation, about three hundred pounds, the price of the blood of a muslim. the genii appear to mankind most commonly in the shapes of serpents, dogs, cats, or human beings. in the last case, they are sometimes of the stature of men, and sometimes of a size enormously gigantic. if good, they are generally resplendently handsome, if evil, horribly hideous. they become invisible at pleasure (by a rapid extension or rarefaction of the particles which compose them) or suddenly disappear in the earth or air, or through a solid wall.
the sheykh khaleel el medabighee related the following anecdote of a jinnee. he had, he said, a favourite black cat, which always slept at the239 foot of his musquito curtain. once, at midnight, he heard a knocking at the door of his house, and his cat went and opened the hanging shutter of the window, and called, “who is there?” a voice replied, “i am such a one,” (mentioning a strange name) “the jinnee, open the door.” “the lock,” said the sheykh’s cat, “has had the name pronounced upon it.” it is the custom to say, “in the name of god, the compassionate, the merciful,” on locking the door, covering bread, laying down their clothes at night, and on other occasions, and this they believe protects their property from genii. “then throw me down,” said the voice, “two cakes of bread.” “the bread-basket,” answered the cat at the window, “has had the name pronounced upon it.” “well,” said the stranger, “at least give me a draught of water.” but he was answered that the water-jar had been secured in the same manner, and asked what he was to do, seeing that he was likely to die of hunger and thirst. the sheykh’s cat told him to go to the door of the next house, and went there also himself, and opened the door, and soon after returned. next morning the sheykh deviated from a habit which he had constantly observed; he gave to the cat half of the fateereh upon which he breakfasted instead of a little morsel which he was wont to give, and afterwards said, “o my cat, thou knowest that i am a poor man; bring me then a little gold,” upon which words the cat immediately disappeared, and he saw it no more. such are the stories which they believe and narrate of these genii; and there is scarce an indulger in haschisch whose imagination does not lead him to believe that he has seen or had communication with some of these beings.
mr. lane, translator of the “arabian nights,” had once a humourous cook addicted to the240 intoxicating haschisch, of whom he relates the following circumstance:——“soon after he had entered my service, i heard him, one evening, muttering, and exclaiming on the stairs as if surprised at some event, and then politely saying, ‘but why are you sitting here in the draught? do me the favour to come up into the kitchen, and amuse me with your conversation a little!’ the civil address not being answered, was repeated, and varied several times, till i called out to the man, and asked him to whom he was speaking. ‘the efreet of a turkish soldier,’ he replied, ‘is sitting on the stairs, smoking his pipe, and refuses to move; he came up from the well below; pray step and see him.’ on my going to the stairs, and telling the servant that i could see nothing, he only remarked that it was because i had a clear conscience. my cook professed to see this efreet frequently after.”
dr. moreau enumerates many instances, from his own immediate followers, of genii seers among the haschisch eaters. his dragoman, who had been attached in that capacity to champollion, the captain of the vessel, and several sailors, had not only a firm belief in, but had actually received visits from genii or efreets, and neither argument nor ridicule could shake their conviction. the captain had, on two occasions, seen a jinnee, he appeared to him under the form of a sheep. on returning one evening somewhat late to his house, the captain found a stray sheep bleating with unusual noise. he took him home, sheared him for his long fleece, and was about to kill him, when suddenly the sheep rose up to the height of twenty feet, in the form of a black man, and in a voice of thunder, announced himself as a jinnee.
one of the sailors, mansour, a man who had made nearly twenty voyages with europeans, recounted his interview with a genius under the241 guise of a young girl of eight or ten years of age. he met her in the evening on the banks of the nile, weeping deplorably because she had lost her way. mansour, touched with compassion, took her home with him. in the morning he mounted her on an ass, to take her to her parents. on entering a grove of palms, he heard behind him some fearful sighs; on looking round to ascertain the cause, he saw, to his horror, that the little girl had dismounted, that her lower extremities had become of an enormous length, resembling two frightful serpents, which she trailed after her in the sand. her arms became lengthened out, her face mounted up into the skies, black as charcoal, her immense mouth, armed with crocodile’s teeth, vomited forth flame. poor mansour fell suddenly upon the earth, where, overcome with terror, he passed the night. in the morning he crawled home, and two months of illness attested the fact of disorder of the brain.
many such tales are recounted, and all told by the sufferers with the firmest belief, and the most earnest conviction of their truth; each, by his own delusion, strengthening and confirming others. all those who had seen visions had their minds diseased through the use of haschisch, while those who did not indulge in the habit were free from these extraordinary illusions. these hallucinations seem to be manifested independently of any then existing affection of the brain, and the individual appears, under other circumstances, fitted for the usual avocations of life. they may be only symptoms of a previously disordered intellect, but they may also be the starting point, from which insanity is developed. in all instances in which these hallucinations occur, watchfulness is necessary, since, in the majority of cases they terminate finally in derangement of the brain to the extent generally denominated madness.
242
other curious results from the use of this narcotic are detailed by dr. o’shaughnessy, as exhibited by patients in india, to whom he had prescribed it, in his capacity of medical practitioner, and other experiments he made.
a dog, to whom some churrus was given, in half an hour became stupid and sleepy, dozing at intervals, starting up, wagging his tail as if extremely contented; he ate food greedily, on being called he staggered to and fro, and his countenance assumed the appearance of utter and helpless drunkenness. in six hours these symptoms had passed away, and he was perfectly well and lively.
a patient to whom hemp had been administered, on a sudden uttered a loud peal of laughter, and exclaimed, that four spirits were springing with his bed into the air. attempts to pacify him were in vain, his laughter became momentarily more and more uncontrollable. in a short time he exhibited symptoms of that peculiar nervous condition, which mesmerists have of late years made us more acquainted with, under the name of catalepsy. in whatever imaginable attitude his arms and legs were placed, they became rigid and remained. a waxen figure could not be more pliant or stationary in each position, no matter how contrary to the natural influence of gravity on the part. a strong stimulant drink was given to him, and his intoxication led to such noisy exclamations, that he had to be removed to a separate room, where he soon became tranquil, in less than an hour his limbs had gained their natural condition, and in two hours he said he was perfectly well, and very hungry.
a rheumatic cooly was subjected to the influence of half a grain of hemp resin. in two hours the old gentleman became talkative and musical, told several stories, and sang songs to a circle of highly243 delighted auditors, ate the dinners of two persons, subscribed for him in the ward, and finally fell soundly asleep, and so continued until the following morning. at noon he was perfectly free from headache, or any unpleasant sequel; at his request, the medicine was repeated, and he was indulged with it for a few days, and then discharged.
a medical pupil took about a quarter of a grain of the resin in the form of tincture. a shout of loud and prolonged laughter ushered in the symptoms, and a state of catalepsy occurred for two or three minutes. he then enacted the part of a rajah giving orders to his courtiers; he could recognize none of his fellow students or acquaintances—all to his mind seemed as altered as his own condition; he spoke of many years having passed since his student’s days, described his teachers and friends with a piquancy which a dramatist would envy, detailed the adventures of an imaginary series of years, his travels, his attainment of wealth and power. he entered on discussions on religious, scientific, and political subjects, with astonishing eloquence, and disclosed an extent of knowledge, reading, and a ready apposite wit, which those who knew him best were altogether unprepared for. for three hours and upwards he maintained the character he at first assumed, and with a degree of ease and dignity perfectly becoming his high situation. this scene terminated nearly as abruptly as it commenced, and no headache, sickness, or other unpleasant symptoms followed the excess.
without detailing instances in which its virtues as a medicinal agent are set forth, or naming cases of hydrophobia in which it was given and failed, or of tetanus in which it was resorted to with success, we can scarce forbear noticing the fact, that to an infant only 60 days old, 130 drops of the tincture had to be given to produce narcotism,244 whilst 10 drops produced those effects in the student above named, who believed himself an important rajah.
the most recent information we have of the effects of haschisch is supplied by professor k.?d. schroff. it relates to a kind called “birmingi,” the laughter producer (“macht keif”) obtained from bucharest.
this preparation was in the form of tablets, hard and difficult to break, externally almost black and smooth, with but a slight smell. the taste was neither bitter nor aromatic, but rather insipid. on prolonged mastication, the very tough mass became gradually pappy, and eventually dissolved in the saliva, leaving a crumbling solid substance. it produced irritation in the throat, when chewed for a long time.
dr. heinrich took ten grains of this preparation in may, 1859, at about half-past five in the afternoon. he chewed this quantity for about an hour, during which it gradually dissolved and was swallowed; only the insoluble residue, about two grains, was spit out. irritation of the throat, and slight nausea, succeeded. the attempt to smoke a cigar in the open air had to be given up on account of dryness and roughness in the throat. dr. h. walked into town, and looked at the print-shops without perceiving any change in himself. at the end of an hour and a half, about seven o’clock, he met an acquaintance, to whom he talked all kinds of nonsensical trash, and made the most foolish comparisons; henceforth, everything he looked at seemed to him ridiculous. this condition of excitement lasted about twenty minutes, during which his face and eyes grew redder and redder. suddenly a great degree of sadness came over him; everything was too narrow for him—he acquired a disturbed appearance, and became pale. his245 sadness increased to a feeling of anxiety, accompanied by the sensation as if his blood was flowing in a boiling state up to his head; the feeling as if his body was raised aloft, and as if he was about to fly up, was particularly characteristic. his anxiety and weakness overcame him to such a degree, that he was obliged to collect all the power of his will, and his companion had to seize him firmly under the arm, in order to bring him on, which was done in all haste, as he feared a new attack, and wished, if possible, to reach a place where he could be taken care of; but in the course of three minutes, while he was still walking, the attack set in with increased violence.
it was only with great difficulty he reached the institute—here he immediately drank two pints of cold water, and washed his head, neck, and arms with fresh water, on which he became somewhat better. the improvement, however, lasted only about five minutes. he sat down on a chair and felt his pulse, which he found to be very small and slow, with very long intervals. he was no longer in a state to take out his watch to ascertain more exactly the frequency of his pulse, for the feeling of anxiety came over him again, and with it he traced the premonitory symptoms of a new and violent attack. he was taken into the adjoining chamber, stripped himself partly of his clothes, and gave over his things, directing what was to be done with them after his death, for he was firmly convinced that his last hour had struck, and continually cried out, “i am dying; i shall soon be undergoing dissection in the dead-room.” the new attack was more violent than the former were, so that the patient retained only an imperfect degree of consciousness, and at the height of the paroxysm, even this disappeared. after the fit, too, consciousness returned but imperfectly: only so much remained246 in his recollection, that the images which arose within him constantly increased in ghastliness, until they gave way to the unconscious state, and that gradually, with returning consciousness, less formidable figures appeared in their stead. subsequently he stated that it appeared to him as if he were transported from the level surface to a hill, thence to a steep precipice, thence to a bare rock, and lastly to the ridge of a hill, with an immense abyss before him. from this time, he could no longer control the current of ideas following one another with impetuous haste, and he could not avoid speaking uninterruptedly until a fresh attack came on, which quite deprived him of consciousness for some minutes. the flow of his ideas had now free course; and notwithstanding his loquacity, he could only utter a few words of what he imagined. all his thoughts and deeds from his childhood came into his mind. the senses of sight and hearing were unimpaired, for when he opened his eyes, he knew all who were standing about him, and recognized them by their voices when his eyes were closed. towards ten o’clock—that is, four hours and a half after the seizure—the storm was somewhat allayed; he obtained control over his imagination, ceased to speak incessantly, and traced where he felt pain. during the night he drank a great deal of lemonade; nevertheless, sleep fled from him, and his imagination was constantly at work. next morning he dressed, and was conveyed home, but could not set to his daily work, because, notwithstanding the greatest efforts, he could not collect his scattered thoughts, and he also felt bodily weak. he was obliged to take to bed, where he remained till the morning of the third day. during this time, he drank four pints of lemonade, and took soup only twice, as he had no appetite. on the third day he was led about,247 supported by a second person, but was still rather confused and giddy. this day he ate but little, and drank lemonade. during the second and third nights, his sleep was tranquil. on the fourth day he felt well again, regained his appetite, his strength increased, and his appearance became less unsettled. nevertheless, walking about for half an hour tired him much. the depression which came on after the excitement gave way only gradually.24
the incautious use of hemp is also noticed as leading to, or ending in, insanity, especially among young persons, who try it for the first time. this state may be recognised by the strange balancing gait of the victim, a constant rubbing of the hands, perpetual giggling, and a propensity to caress and chafe the feet of all bystanders, of whatever rank. the eye wears an expression of cunning and merriment which can scarcely be mistaken. in a few cases, the patients are violent—in all, voraciously hungry.
under the influence of this drug, its devotees exhibited, doubtless, to the astonished gaze of the early travellers from this, and other northern countries, strange freaks and antics, which filled them with wonder, and sent them home brim-full of wonderful legends and marvellous stories gathered from the lips of the votaries of hemp. the ready and active brain of the oriental—always associating places and people, actions and accidents, men and manners, with the unseen agency of ghosts and genii—under the influence of haschisch, gave full scope to their imaginations, letting loose upon the traveller a torrent of romance, and peopling every corner of his route with legions of spirits, set him wondering to himself whether he had really escaped from the common-place world248 of his nativity into another sphere specially devoted to the occupation of etherial beings. now listening to the narrative of a reputed communicant with spirits, he hears of the concentrated genii, confined in the narrow form of a little dog, or smaller still, in a little fish, gradually expanding, and towering higher and higher, till his head reached to the clouds, and then with a voice of thunder communicating his message to the terrified and superstitious arab crouching at his feet. anon, he hears of the plague, and his credulous dragoman informs him that once upon a time a pious moslem was worshipping at sunrise, when he saw a hideous phantom approaching him, and the following conversation passed between them.
“who art thou?”
“the plague.”
“whither goest thou?”
“to cairo.”
“wherefore?”
“to kill ten thousand.”
“go not.”
“it is destined that i should.”
“go then, but slay not more than thou hast said.”
“to hear is to obey.”
after the plague was over, at the same hour, and in the same place, the phantom once more appears to him, and the holy man again addressed him thus—
“whence comest thou?”
“from cairo.”
“how many persons hast thou destroyed?”
“ten thousand, according to my orders.”
“thou liest, twenty thousand are dead.”
“’tis true, i killed ten thousand, fear carried off the remainder.”
shortly, and the traveller passes a tree, a mound,249 or a mass of ruins. the dragoman narrates the story of confined treasures and protecting genii, and marvels of the days long gone, and of deeds of sin, and ends with the universal ejaculation, “god is great, and mahomet is his prophet.” from these people of mysteries and land of marvels the traveller returns, and though he only narrates, for fear of shame, the more credible of the stories he has heard, from that day forth, poor man, his friends shake their heads, and mutter their fears that a tropical sun has addled his brains.
naturally and nationally superstitious and credulous, the use of the narcotic assists in adding to his store of legendary lore, and the arab or turk becomes in himself not only a new edition of the “arabian night’s entertainments,” but it also becomes in him a living belief, and the narration comes from his lips with all the earnestness of positive truth, impressing itself upon the auditor as a circumstance in which the narrator was a principal actor. and father to son, and generation to generation, tell the tales, recount the marvels, and swallow the haschisch of their forefathers, and allah is praised, and mahomet is still “the prophet.”
