THE PERCEPTION OF THINGS. 121 



in this respect. The following vivid accouut of a fit of 

 hasheesh-delirium has been given me by a friend : 



" I was reading a newspaper, and the indication of the appwaching 

 delirium was an inability to keep my mind fixed on tlie narrative. Di- 

 rectly I lay down upon a sofa there appeared before my eyes several 

 rows of human hands, whieli oscillated for a moment, revolved and then 

 changed to spoons. The same motions were repeated, the objects chang- 

 ing to wheels, tin soldiers, lamp-posts, brooms, and countless other 

 absui'dities. This stage lasted about ten minutes, and during that 

 time it is safe to say that I saw at least a thousand different objects. 

 These whirling images did not appear like the realities of life, but had 

 the character of the secondary images seen in the eye after looking at 

 some brightly-illuminated object. A mere suggestion from the per.sca 

 who was with me in the room was sufficient to call up ah image of the 

 thing suggested, while without suggestion there appeared all the com- 

 mon objects of life and many unreal monstrosities, which it is abso- 

 lutely impossible to describe, and which seemed to be creations of the 

 brain. 



"The character of the symptoms changed rapidly. A sort of wave 

 seemed to pass over me, and I became aware of the fact that my pulse 

 was beating rapidly. I took out my watch, and by exercising consider- 

 able will-power managed to time the heart-beats, 135 to the minute. 



'* I could feel each pulsation through my whole system, and a curi- 

 ous twitching commenced, which no effort of the mind could stop. 



" There were moments of apparent lucidity, when it seemed as if I 

 could see within myself, and watch the pumping of my heart. A 

 strange fear came over me, a certainty that I should never recover from 

 the effects of the opiate, which was as quickly followed by a feeling of 

 great interest in the experiment, a certainty that the experience was 

 the most novel and exciting that I had ever been through. 



"My mind was in an exceedingly impressionable state. Anyplace 

 tlionght of or suggested appeared with all the distinctness of the reality. 

 I thought of the Giant's Causeway in Staft'a, and instantly I stood 

 within the portals of Fingal's Cave. Great basaltic columns rose on all 

 sides, while huge waves rolled through the chasm and broke in silence 

 upon the rocky shore. Suddenly there was a roar and blast of sound, 

 and the word ' Ishmaral ' was echoing up the cave. At the enunciation 

 of this remarkable word the great columns of basalt changed into whirl- 

 ing clothes pins and I laughed aloud at the absurdity. 



" (I may here state that the word 'Ishmaral' seemed to haunt my 

 other hallucinations, for I remember that I heard it frequently there- 

 after.) I next enjoyed a sort of metempsychosis. Any animal or 

 thing that I thought of could be made the being which held my mind. 

 I thought of a fox, and instantly I was transformed into that animal. 1 

 could distinctly feel myself a fox, could see my long ears and bushy 



