MESCAL: A NEW ARTIFICIAL PARADISE. 539 



and about an hour after the final dose I felt faint and unsteady; the 

 pulse was low, and I found it pleasanter to lie down. I was still able 

 to read, and I noticed that a pale violet shadow floated over the page 

 around tlie point at which my eyes were fixed. I had already noticed 

 tbat objects not in the direct line of vision, such as my hands holding 

 the book, showed a tendency to look obtrusive, heightened in color, 

 almost monstrous, while, on closing my eyes, afterimages were vivid 

 and prolonged. The appearance of visions with closed eyes was very 

 gradual. At first there was merely a vague play of light and shade 

 which suggested pictures, but never made them. Then the pictures 

 became more definite, but too confused and crowded to be described, 

 beyond saying that they were of the same character as the images of 

 the kaleidoscope, symmetrical groupings of spiked objects. Then, in 

 the course of the evening, they became distinct, but still indescribable — 

 mostly a vast field of golden jewels, studded with red and green stones, 

 ever changing. This moment was, perhaps, the most delightful of the 

 experience, for at the same time the air around me seemed to be 

 flushed with vague perfume — producing with the visions a delicious 

 effect — and all discomfort had vanished, except a slight faintuess and 

 tremor of the hands, which, later on, made it almost impossible to 

 guide a pen as I made notes of the experiment; it Avas, however, with 

 an effort, always possible to write with a pencil. The visions never 

 resembled familiar objects; they were extremely definite, but yet always 

 novel; they were constantly approaching, and yet constantly eluding, 

 the semblance of known things. I would see thick, glorious fields of 

 jewels, solitary or clustered, sometimes brilliant and sparkling, some- 

 times with a dull rich glow. Then they would sjiring up into flower- 

 like shapes beneath my gaze, and then seem to turn into gorgeous 

 butterfly forms or endless folds of glistening, iridescent, fibrous wings 

 of wonderful insects; while sometimes I seemed to be gazing into a 

 vast hollow revolving vessel, on whose polished concave mother-of- 

 pearl surface the hues were swiftly changing. I was surprised, not 

 only by the enormous profusion of the imagery presented to my gaze,' 

 but still more by its variety. Perpetually some totally new kind of 

 effect would appear in the field of vision; sometimes there was swift 

 movement, sometimes dull, somber richness of color, sometimes glitter 

 and sparkle, once a startling rain of gold, which seemed to approach 

 me. Most usually there was a combination of rich, sober color, with 

 jewel-like points of brilliant hue. Every color and tone conceivable 

 to me appeared at some time or another. Sometimes all the dif- 

 ferent varieties of one color, as of red, with scarlets, crimsons, pinks, 

 would spring up together, or in quick succession. But in spite of 

 this immense profusion, there was always a certain parsimony and 

 aesthetic value in the colors presented. They were usually associated 

 with form, and never appeared in large masses, or if so, the tone was 

 very delicate. I was further impressed, not only by the brilliance, 

 delicacy, and variety of the colors, but even more by their lovely and 



