190 GLIMPSES OF NATURE. 



inexplicable and unaccountable, and finding he still con- 

 tinued in that condition, we began to conclude that he 

 had indeed carried the experiment too far, and, at last, 

 were satisfied he was actually dead, and were just 

 ready to leave him. This continued about half-an- 

 hour. By nine o'clock of 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 gently and speak softly." 



The sequel is instructive. After making his will, 

 Colonel Townshend died the same evening about five 

 or six o'clock, after having received the last offices 

 of the Church. Dr. Cheyne leaves the case " to the 

 philosophic reader to make what inferences he thinks 

 fit ; " and science to-day infers that Colonel Town- 

 shend's case was one exemplifying nervous command 

 over heart and lungs such as rarely occurs in human 

 experience, and such as alters the way of life in a 

 manner which is the puzzle of the wise among us. 

 Nevertheless, there are obvious links between this case 

 of command over the heart and that whereby we some- 

 times illustrate the power of wagging our ears. 



