TRANCE OF MAN AND BUTTERFLY 



mummy. His servant began to bathe him with 

 warm water, to rub him with ghee, a kind of butter, 

 and to straighten the limbs. The fakeer's mouth 

 was opened with difficulty, and the tongue, pulled 

 out and let go, flew back like a spring ! Finally, 

 the fakeer breathed, stirred, woke to life, and re- 

 proached Runjet for his unbelief. This case of 

 fakeer trance is perhaps the most trustworthy, 

 though others have been reported on by English- 

 men. Unfortunately, Wade was not present at 

 the burial as at the resurrection scene. Once accept, 

 with Braid, that a man can throw himself into a 

 trance, remain in it six weeks, and be restored to 

 consciousness need one doubt, with Braid, that 

 such human trances might last for a much longer 

 period ? Many hibernating animals enter these 

 trances fat, and come out thin ; for, however low 

 the vital functions may sink in hibernation, a cer- 

 tain amount of tissue is spent whilst it lasts. But it 

 seems the fakeer did not even feed himself up 

 against this six weeks' trance. 



If the trance were genuine, might not a man 

 remain dead-alive for a longer period, fed up against 

 it on a very nutritive diet ? How do the seeds, 

 Rip van Winkles of the vegetable world, manage, 

 which lie dormant for a hundred years on the hanger 

 under the beech, the English upas tree ? As for 

 butterflies, I fancy that those which hibernate in the 

 winged or perfect state are eaters. The brimstones 

 are for butterflies large eaters ; they may go into 

 winter quarters fed up and fat, as the salmon enters 



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