CHAPTER II.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1944, 20 December 1884, Page 4 (Supplement)

CHAPTER 11.

There are two classes of sceptics with regard to spiritual manifestions. The first simply ignores everything that would seem to savor of proof. Suoh extraordinary oireumstances as Lord Brougham relates in his Autobiography, are to them merely evidences of a disordered liver, or at the best, only vague proofs of some affinity between mortals not depending on material existence, the exact extent of which science will determine in the fulness of time. The other class will acknowledge the possibility of communication between the other world and this, but doubt that there are isolated oases of such communication^ They say with fair enough; reasoning, that the benefit to mankind would' be so great that if granted at all it would-be tinivejfßftl. ,' -, '~ '*..,.;:"-*- /£Npw, I belonged to the former class; "Of; ,cours£tfiy*e&aQati^^ ; qni^teoriee [^hioh F hiye b ße'en JBfefwe, jb^|pr,orld*

different from the supernatural. The Lucretian doctrine of a present mind in matter seemed to me to satibfy all the demands of so called spiritual phenomena, and where we could not comprehend, we could take that doctrine aa the basis of our investigations My experience had never given me an opportunity of putting my theory to any test, and it was something akin to pleasure I found at hand a chance of testing the matter. The evident sincerely of my friend assured me that, so far at least as he was concerned, there was_ nothing approaching imposition, bat this did not convince me that there was no imposicion elsewhere. If human beings had anything tj do with an attempt to frighten the stranger, I was determined they would not get off scot free. I took with me a faithful little revolver, which had done me good service on the Upper Nile. The little building was a plain structure two stories high, evidently formed with a view to strength. The upper storey had been the prison. The prisoners were secured in a very primitive fashion. The upper storey was reached by a ladder and trap-door, to which were still attached the rusty remains of the ancient fastenings. This means of confinement certainly saved the trouble of the warders who took possession of the lower chamber, but there was little need of constant watch and ward. A stretcher bed, a table and a fire were all the preparations made for my reception — the fire only to give some cheerfulness to the desolate scene, as the weather was warm enough. I had provided myself with both an ordinary lamp and a small bull's eye lantern, and to occupy my mind had brought a copy of Horace, whose sterling common-sense and manliness would, I thought, prove an antidote to any mental vagaries. I first mounted a crazy ladder, and thoroughly examined the upper chamber, but found nothing— absolutely nothing. The poor prisoners had not even a ray of light to gladden them. There was not even a slit in the thick masonry to admit a stray sunbeam. Verily our fathers were men of iron. The inspection did not take long to complete, and I turned to the trap-door to descend, but aa I came near I saw it gradually fall over, and that, too, without any noise, though it creaked loud enough when I first pushed it from beneath. Down it sank gradually as if the moving power supported it in its desoent, not as if it had received one impulse and then dropped of its own weight. I Of course the time taken was not sufficient for me to reason on the matter. I could only grasp for the moment the bare fact that the door was shut and that I had probably neglected to push it up high enough. Passing my fingers through an opening at the aide I pulled and pulled with all my might, but the door resisted every effort. Again and again I tried in every direction without any success, andl had come to the conclusion that by some means or other it had got jammed, and 3 should have to spend my night on the bare boards, when it suddenly flew open with such violence that I was almost dashed against the wall, and at the same moment I heard what I can only desciibe as the echo of a hoarse laugh, but where it came from I could not say. lam not ashamed to confess that when I got to the foot of the ladder I seriously deliberated whether or not I should give up the enterprise, but the fear of chaff, which makes many a man a hero, prevailed, and I determined to see it out. I threw myself, dressed as I was, on the little bed. At its head was the table, on which were placed the lamp, the revolver, and my watch. I settled down to one of the Satires, and for a time forgot where I was. Just as my eyes began to feel heavy I was recalled to full consciousness by observing a peculiar haze grow around the lamp. One minute before it burned bright and clear, now, though the flame was still there, it seemed robbed of its light. I quickly sat upon the bed, and with something like terror saw the blaze of both lamp and fire overwhelmed by a palpable darkness. The darkness approached slowly, as if it was a bodily entity, and bit by bit conquered its enemy, just as a thick mist covers the landscape after sunset. I felt its approach, but if I could have gained a kingdom by doing so I could not move a single limb. It approached from all aides, and just as its most opaque part reached the table something like an immense hand was sent forth and enveloped revolver and watch before my eyes. My senses were painfully acute, and I thought I could hear the clink of the chain of the latter when it was raised from the table. I myself was forced backward as if by a mighty weight, but felt no weight, or even touch. For some seconds I lay without moving, but bending every power of my mind to resist, I would not fear. Then I was conscious of the bed floating in the air, though I could perceive no motion. It soon settled again, but I thought in a different position, and I immediately seemed to recover some power over my limbs. I tried to pierce the surrounding darkness with staring eyes, but I felt as if the blackness clothed everything like a positive envelope, and for the first time I realised " a darkness which could be felt," not merely a negative want of light. From one part, however, I was convinced all these manifestations proceeded. It was like, a centre of operation, and to this part I directed all my attention. Without any relief in the surrounding darkness, I fancied the obscurity here became intensified and the other parts by contrast less dim. Soon it took shape — indefinite, but still a shape, and at the same instant a lurid glare tinged the extremities and gave a horrid prominence to the indistinct mass. Like the phantasms of a fever it revolved within itself, and the horror of its possibilities were in my mind a thousand times more dreadful than the realities. One minute, and there struck my ears the shrill scream of a child, which curdled the blood in my veins, and then the revolutions and contortions redoubled. Soon I heard the hoarse cries of anger, mingled with the groans and sobs of one in mortal agony, and the heavy tread of men in the chamber above, and the sickening thump, thump as of a body dragged roughly over the floor, filled my ears. The huge indefinite mass seemed the origin and source from which all this arose. To me it took the form of an irrevocable destiny. Notwithstanding all these horrors I retained my senses, and even tried hard to speculate on them. That I was in the immediate presence of some awful power I knew ; that it could injure me I doubted, so long as I was true to myself. The greatest torture I endured was the consciousness of my own impotence. I could only passively resist my spiritual faculties being weakened by human disabilities. What I saw dimly appeared the reflection of the evolution of an inevitable fate.

While these thoughts crossed my mind the mass before mo became more and more distinct, as the obscure forms of a magio lantsrn gradually assume shape on the illumined neld, and there stood out in relief a face with the features writhed and distorted with Honny and hate. The face did not seem to r prea nt the mass as the human face represents the mm. It seemed rather an emanation or product of ib. I wa3 horror struok by its expression but did not fear it. It gradually faded and gave place to a succession of ghastly appearances, each of which retained human characteristics, but a thousand times more repulsive than the creation of a nightmare. All this time I was endeavoring, with all my strength of will, to parsuade myself that what I looked at was nothing but a waking vision without reality — a dismal fancy, but I dared not, however, attempt to spring up and dispel the illusion. I caught myself hoping that the horrid din might bring some one to my assistance, and the next moment I donbted if anyone save nayself could hear it. From the very fact that I could reason on the matter, I judged I was regarding a reality, not the phantasmagoria of delusion. The whirling of the centre still continued, and gradually it seemed to take the form of a child with long fair hair, but a. glow around the head revealed the features s mass of wounds, and a broad deep gash from ear to ear. The sight for an instant almost unmanned me, and I felt my courage to endure almost forsaking my heart actually. I hoped for insensibility as a relief from this mental torture. By some intuition I seemed at this moment to gain an insight into the hidden meaning. I thought I looked upon thejfate of the house to which I was about to ally myself, at least its fate in connection with that place. The mythology of ancient Greeoe and Borne gives us many instances of places being under the direct influence of some oocult power, sometimes benevolent, more frequently malevolent or capricious. The folk-lore of Germany, of Ireland, of Scotland, and indeed of all countries, tells us of the awful power of these genii loci. Why then if there is the slightest grounds for such traditions should these countries not have them as well as those longer known? The malign influence with which they are credited in Europe may be quite as active in Australia, and they may have revenged themselves for some fancied slight on the family of my host and of my future wife. It is strange that such thoughts, and indeed conclusions, should force themselves on my mind at such a moment. I seemed, however, at this stage to have become an indifferent spectator, and by the force of logic to have reconciled myself to look upon this horrid apparition as one having no personl interest in its significance, but I was mistaken. Suddenly, the darkness lifted like the fleecy cloud before the morning breeze. The scene enlarged and I saw the deep river as it flowed past the Oairnstock meadows ; but, great Heavens 1 in the stream, struggling for life and beating the waters with ineffectual blows, I saw my dear friend, my brother. G-od of Heavens 1 was it a fact, a present disaster, or the premonition of a future fate ? Madly I struggled to hurl myself from my couch, but I was bound to it as if by seven-fold cords, and had to gaze helpless while the white ghastly face rose and sank again and again until the waters slowly rippled over hia head, and the dark shadow became more and more obscure in the cold depth of the stream. The icy sweat of horror sprung from every pore, and I fancied the sound of hideous mocking laughter — the laughter of fiends — filled all the space around. I was powerless —powerless, and could not even summon courage enough to put an end to my agony, by active resistance. The river scene then changed, and a distinct view of the House appeared, but how different! The flames gushed from every window. The chimneys tottered and threatened the roof -tree, across which the stealthy fire spread slowly as if sure of its prey. But whom did I see at one of the windows girt with a dreadful circle of lambent flame ? The glowing eddy licks her form, and her glorious hair is shrivelled at the touch. Soon the bright form will be in its deadly embrace, and my Ada, my life, my soul . Human nature could stand no more. I shrieked an agony, and threw out my hand. It was clasped in cold, deadly fingers, and from the extremity of the nails to the shoulder a chill as of the grave struck to the very marrows. I remember no more. When my senses were restored, Ada was leaning over my bed, her sweet countenance betraying the anxiety she felt, and Alf, with misery in every feature, stood watching me. He bitterly blamed himself, and was blamed by his sister for allowing me to subject myself to such an ordeal, but I maintained that only myself was in fault, if any fault there were. It was anything but a merry Christmas we spent. I related what I saw to Alf, and he seemed strupk with my theory of accounting for the phenomena. " I may tell you," said he, " that on that awful night I spent in that room I saw everything that you flaw, with the exception of my own appearance. That the two of us should have the same experience is something more than extraordinary. You mean to say that probably the influence, whatever it may be, is only local, and if we should remove from this we should have peace." 41 At any rate I think so, and it is simply useless to attempt to reason on such a theme. It is one of those things which our philosophy cannot comprehend. I give you my word, my Ada, with my will, and pleasure will never re-enter this house after she once leaves its door in my company. Indeed, I should prefer that our marriage should take place immediately in Launceston, and, dear Alf > you will, I am sure, agree with me that after that dreadful night I have not much prospect of peace of mind in this country at all, beautitul as it is." Ada and I were married a week after. We persuaded Alf to remove to Victoria, and rje easily got rid of the old station. There is one subject we rarely speak about, and that is the old Bridewell at Gairnatock Hou.se. This is my story, and I leave the wise to account for what I have related. The fool may say it is all nonsense, the man of the world may say, a dream of feverish excitement, but the sage will say, there is more things in Nature than we dream of in our philosophy.

The Emperor of Austria has just presented the Sultan of Turkey with six white horses of remarkable symmetry and beauty. These horses are of Spanish breed which exists only in the Emperor's gtud, who possesses now only a dozen. Two superb sets of harness were sent with each horse.