230 A SNEEZE THAT STUNNED 



variety, from the little pussy-cat puff of sound 

 emitted by some women to the awful outbursts of 

 noise in some men that would do credit to a mastodon 

 or behemoth. Doubtless our civilisation, its infinite 

 complexity, which affects the entire organism, is the 

 cause of the variety, but as a rule each person keeps 

 to his own individual manner of sneezing. My own 

 sneeze shapes itself into a shrill crescendo sort of yell, 

 probably distressing to others. "0 please don't!" 

 was my wife's invariable exclamation when she heard 

 it, and I never succeeded in convincing her that it 

 was quite natural and involuntary. She believed it 

 was artificial, that I had invented or rather composed 

 it for my own amusement. 



To return to my highly explosive friend. One 

 Sunday morning I took him and another friend to 

 the Zoological Gardens, and in the small cats' house 

 we met with a curious adventure. We stood for a 

 long time watching two large ichneumons in their 

 cage, fascinated at the sight of their swift unresting 

 motions. For they were certainly the most restless 

 creatures we had ever beheld : not for a second would 

 they be still; from end to end of their large cage they 

 would run, leaping over each other, and up against 

 the bars at the ends, then back again. 



Suddenly my friend sneezed, and the sound seemed 

 to shake the whole small cats' house, and the effect on 

 the two restless ichneumons was wonderful to witness. 

 They both dropped down as if shot dead, and lay 

 without the faintest motion or sign of life, extended 

 limp as two stranded jelly-fish before us on the floor 



