A STRANGE CASE 113 



affected appears to be endowed with an extra sense 

 or faculty, like clairvoyance or second sight. Many 

 such cases have been recorded (and here our Lord 

 Roberts comes in again), but I will only mention 

 one. This is the case of a workman who always knew 

 when an adder was near him, even at a distance of 

 several yards, and could locate the exact spot where 

 it was lying. It is not stated whether or not the 

 presence of the adder produced any disagreeable 

 effect on him. When working with other men in the 

 woods he would call the attention of his mates to an 

 adder near them, concealed from their sight by trees 

 or bushes, and would himself then turn aside as if 

 to avoid seeing it or to see the others kill it. 



Here again, in all these cases of supposed second 

 sight, I prefer the simpler explanation of the sense 

 of smell. To conclude, I will give here a very 

 strange experience of " clairvoyance " in a person in 

 a disturbed mental state, given to me by a friend, 

 who will, I hope, pardon me for telling it, and be 

 ready to testify to its truth. 



My friend had been about four years a resident in 

 London, first completing his studies then following 

 his profession of an architect, living with his people 

 in Kensington. One day, walking home, he saw a 

 young gentleman in a side street in an excited con- 

 dition, swinging his cane to drive off a number of 

 street boys following and jeering at him. My friend, 

 being of a chivalrous disposition, at once went to 

 the young gentleman's rescue, and on coming up to 

 him was astonished to recognise in him an old school- 



