228 AN INDIAN BATTLE-CRY 



cry as of the first importance in beginning a fight: 

 long ages of practice had doubtless served to make 

 it so. It was a prolonged piercing yell, more powerful 

 and far-reaching than the best coo-ee of the Australian 

 bush, and this is truly the most remarkable and 

 effective set call invented by civilised man; it might 

 well have been made in imitation of the long powerful 

 calls of some of the big birds with great voices. And 

 while this long cry was being emitted, the mouth was 

 rapidly slapped by the fingers of the left hand, thus 

 breaking it into a series of sounds; and when it was 

 delivered by hundreds of furiously charging men, it 

 produced an extraordinary and weird effect when 

 first heard. Even brave men would experience a 

 cold sensation in the spine. 



The terrifying effects of sound and its place in the 

 scheme of life, from insect to man, is, I imagine, a 

 comparatively neglected subject, one about which 

 an entertaining and useful volume might be written. 



There are other aspects of sound I wish to write 

 about in this place, in my own rambling, reminiscent, 

 unsequential manner, with apologies to the reader 

 for the coinage. 



Some time ago the London newspapers contained 

 an account of the strange sudden death of a healthy 

 child who was playing on the carpet close to where 

 his father was sitting in a chair reading his paper. 

 On the father delivering himself of a powerful 

 sneeze, the child dropped down and expired in a 

 minute or two. 



