182 



DISCOVERY 



inflicted torture, have the power of voluntarily placing 

 themselves in a state of suspended animation, which 

 lasts for varying periods. At the end of each period 

 they return to life unchanged and undisturbed. It is 

 a common tale of Indian tra^■ellers. 



Verworn has recorded an instance quoted from 

 Baird, one of the earliest writers on hypnotism, in the 

 following lines : 



" At the palace of Runjeet Singh, in a square building 

 which had in the middle a closed room, a fakir, who 

 had voluntarily put himself into a lifeless condition, 

 had been sewed up in a sack and walled in, the single 

 door of the room having been sealed with the private 

 seal of Runjeet Singh. (To judge from the account, 

 the air, as in all such cases, was not absolutely excluded.) 

 In order to exclude all fraud, Runjeet Singh, who was 

 not himself a believer in the wonderful power of the 

 fakirs, had established a cordon of his own bodyguard 

 around the building ; in front of the latter, four sentries 

 were stationed, who were relieved every two hours 

 and were continually watched. Under these condi- 

 tions the fakir remained in his grave for six weeks. 

 An Englishman, who was present during the whole 

 event as an eye-witness, reported as follows concerning 

 the disinterment, which took place at the end of six 

 weeks : When the building was opened in the presence 

 of Runjeet Singh, the seal and all the walls were 

 found uninjured. In the dark room of the building, 

 which was examined with a light, the sack contahiing 

 the fakir lay in a locked box, which was provided with 

 a seal likewise uninjured. The sack, which presented 

 a mildewed appearance, was opened, and the crouching 

 form of the fakir was taken out. The body was 

 perfectly stiff. A physician who was present found 

 that nowhere on the body was a trace of a pulse-beat 

 evident. In the meantime the servant of the fakir 

 poured warm water over the head, laid a hot cake upon 

 the top of the head, removed the wax with which 

 the ears and nostrils were stopped, with a knife forcibly 

 opened the teeth, which were tightly pressed together, 

 drew forward the tongue, which was bent backward 

 and which repeatedly sprang back again into its posi- 

 tion, and rubbed the closed eyelids with butter. 

 Soon the fakir began to open his eyes, the body began 

 to twitch convulsively, the nostrils were dilated, the 

 skin, heretofore stiff and wrinkled, assumed gradually 

 its normal fullness, and a few minutes later the fakir 

 opened his lips and in a feeble voice asked Runjeet 

 Singh, ' Do you believe me now ? ' " 



Many other cases have been recorded by witnesses 

 of established veracity, and rarely cases have been 

 described in Europe. Dr. Cheyne, a well-known 

 physician of Dublin, gives an account of the case 

 of Colonel Townsend. It is so extraordinary that 

 it is worth quoting : 



" He could die or expire when he pleased, and yet, 

 by an effort or somehow, he could come to life again. 

 He insisted so much upon us seeing the trial made 

 that we were at last forced to comply. We all three 

 felt his pulse first : it was distinct, though small and 

 thready, and his heart had its usual beating. He 

 composed himself on his back, and lay in a still posture 

 for some time ; while I held his right hand. Dr. Baynard 

 laid his hand on his heart, and Mr. Skrine held a clear 

 looking-glass to his mouth. I found his pulse sink 

 gradually, till at last I could not feel any, by the 

 most exact and nice touch. Dr. Baynard could not 

 feel the least motion in the heart, nor Mr. Skrine 

 perceive the least soil on the bright mirror he held to 

 his mouth. Then, each of us, by turns, examined his 

 arm, heart, and breath ; but could not, by the nicest 

 scrutiny, discover the least symptom of life in him. 

 We reasoned a long time about this odd appearance 

 as well as we could, and finding that he still continued 

 in that condition, we began to conclude that he had, 

 indeed, carried the experiment too far ; and at last 

 we were satisfied that he was actually dead, and were 

 just ready to leave him. This continued about half 

 an hour. By nine in the morning, in autumn, as we 

 were going away, we observed some motion about the 

 body, and upon examination found his pulse and the 

 motion of his heart gradually returning : he began 

 to breathe heavily and speak softly. We were all 

 astonished to the last degree at this unexpected 

 change, and after some further conversation with him, 

 and among ourselves, went away fuUy satisfied as to all 

 the particulars of this fact, but confounded and 

 puzzled, and not able to form any rational scheme 

 that might account for it." 



Readers of the Master of BaUantrcB will recollect 

 that in his last desperate effort to escape his enemies 

 the " Master," under the guidance of his East Indian 

 friend, went into one of these states of suspended 

 animation. The last page or two is occupied with a 

 vivid account of the efforts of the Indian to exhume 

 the body of his English friend. " ' I tell you I bury him 

 alive,' said Secimdra. ' I teach him swallow his 

 tongue. Now dig him up pretty good hurry, and he 

 not much worse.' The frost was not yet very 

 deep, and presently the Indian threw aside his tool, 

 and began to scoop the dirt by handfuls. Then he 

 disengaged a corner of a buffalo robe ; and then I 

 saw hair catch among his fingers : yet a moment 

 more, and the moon shone on something white. A 

 while Secundra crouched upon his knees, scraping 

 with delicate fingers, breathing with puffed lips ; 

 and when he moved aside, I beheld the face of the 

 Master wholly disengaged. It was deadly white, the 

 eyes closed, the ears and nostrils plugged, the cheeks 

 fallen, the nose sharp as if in death ; but for all he 



