the unknown guest-第31章

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not　yet　know　if　he　is　going　with　me。　His　fate　is　now　being　decided；　and　his　eyes；　melting　with　anguish；　devour　my　mind。　If　I　buckle　on　my　leather　gaiters；　it　means　the　sudden　and　utter　extinction；　of　all　that　constitutes　the　joy　of　life。　They　leave　not　a　ray　of　hope。　They　herald　the　hateful；　lonely　motorcycle；　which　he　cannot　keep　up　with；　and　he　stretches　himself　sadly　in　a　dark　corner；　where　he　goes　back　to　the　gloomy　dreams　of　an　unoccupied；　forsaken　dog。　But；　when　I　slip　my　arms　into　the　sleeves　of　my　heavy　great…coat；　one　would　think　that　they　were　opening　the　gates　of　the　most　dazzling　paradise。　For　this　implies　the　car；　the　obvious；　indubitable　motor…car；　in　other　words；　the　radiant　summit　of　the　most　superlative　delight。　And　delirious　barks；　inordinate　bounds；　riotous；　embarrassing　demonstrations　of　affection　greet　a　happiness　which；　for　all　that；　is　but　an　immaterial　idea；　built　up　of　artless　memories　and　ingenuous　hopes。

23

I　mention　these　matters　only　because　they　are　quite　ordinary　and　because　there　is　nobody　who　has　not　made　a　thousand　similar　observations。　As　a　rule；　we　do　not　notice　that　these　humble　manifestations　represent　sentiments；　associations　of　ideas；　inferences；　deductions；　an　absolute　and　altogether　human　mental　effort。　They　lack　only　speech；　but　speech　is　merely　a　mechanical　accident　which　reveals　the　operations　of　thought　more　clearly　to　us。　We　are　amazed　that　Mohammed　or　Zarif　should　recognize　the　picture　of　a　horse；　a　donkey；　a　hat；　or　a　man　on　horseback；　or　that　they　should　spontaneously　report　to　their　master　the　little　events　that　happen　in　the　stable；　but　it　is　certain　that　our　own　dog　is　incessantly　performing　a　similar　work　and　that　his　eyes；　if　we　could　read　them；　would　tell　us　a　great　deal　more。　The　primary　miracle　of　Elberfeld　is　that　the　stallions　should　have　been　given　the　means　of　expressing　what　they　think　and　feel。　It　is　momentous；　but；　when　closely　looked　into；　it　is　not　incomprehensible。　Between　the　talking　horses　and　my　silent　dog　there　is　an　enormous　distance；　but　not　an　abyss。　I　am　saying　this　not　to　detract　from　the　nature　or　extent　of　the　prodigy；　but　to　call　attention　to　the　fact　that　the　theory　of　animal　intelligence　is　more　justifiable　and　less　fanciful　than　one　is　at　first　inclined　to　think。

24　

But　the　second　and　greater　miracle　is　that　man　should　have　been　able　to　rouse　the　horse　from　his　immemorial　sleep；　to　fix　and　direct　his　attention　and　to　interest　him　in　matters　that　are　more　foreign　and　indifferent　to　him　than　the　variations　of　temperature　in　Sirius　or　Aldebaran　are　to　us。　It　really　seems；　when　we　consider　our　preconceived　ideas；　that　there　is　not　in　the　animal　an　organic　and　insurmountable　inability　to　do　what　man's　brain　does；　a　total　and　irremediable　absence　of　intellectual　faculties；　but　rather　a　profound　lethargy　and　torpor　of　those　faculties。　It　lives　in　a　sort　of　undisturbed　stolidity；　of　nebulous　slumber。　As　Dr。　Ochorowicz　very　justly　remarks；　〃its　waking　state　is　very　near　akin　to　the　state　of　a　man　walking　in　his　sleep。〃　Having　no　notion　of　space　or　time；　it　spends　its　life；　one　may　say；　in　a　perpetual　dream。　It　does　what　is　strictly　necessary　to　keep　itself　alive；　and　all　the　rest　passes　over　it　and　does　not　penetrate　at　all　into　its　hermetically　closed　imaginings。　Exceptional　circumstancessome　extraordinary　need；　wish；　passion　or　shockare　required　to　produce　what　M。　Hachet…Souplet　calls　〃the　psychic　flash〃　which　suddenly　thaws　and　galvanizes　its　brain；　placing　it　for　a　minute　in　the　waking　state　in　which　the　human　brain　works　normally。　Nor　is　this　surprising。　It　does　not　need　that　awakening　in　order　to　exist；　and　we　know　that　nature　never　makes　great　superfluous　efforts。。　〃The　intellect；〃　as　Professor　Clarapede　well　says；　〃appears　only　as　a　makeshift；　an　instrument　which　betrays　that　the　organism　is　not　adapted　to　its　environment；　a　mode　of　expression　which　reveals　a　state　of　impotence。〃

It　is　probable　that　our　brain　at　first　suffered　from　the　same　lethargy；　a　condition；　for　that　matter；　from　which　many　men　have　not　yet　emerged；　and　it　is　even　more　probable　that；　compared　with　other　modes　of　existence；　with　other　psychic　phenomena；　on　another　plane　and　in　another　sphere；　the　dense　sleep　in　which　we　move　is　similar　to　that　in　which　the　lower　animals　have　their　being。　It　also　is　traversed；　with　increasing　frequency；　by　psychic　flashes　of　a　different　order　and　a　different　scope。　Seeing；　on　the　one　side；　the　intellectual　movement　that　seems　to　be　spreading　among　our　lesser　brothers　and；　on　the　other；　the　ever　more　constantly　repeated　manifestations　of　our　subconsciousness；　we　might　even　ask　ourselves　if　we　have　not　here；　on　two　different　planes；　a　tension；　a　parallel　pressure；　a　new　desire；　a　new　attempt　of　the　mysterious　spiritual　force　which　animates　the　universe　and　which　seems　to　be　incessantly　seeking　fresh　outlets　and　fresh　conducting　rods。　Be　this　as　it　may；　when　the　flash　has　passed；　we　behave　very　much　as　the　animals　do：　we　promptly　lapse　into　the　indifferent　sleep　which　suffices　also　for　our　miserable　ways。　We　ask　no　more　of　it；　we　do　not　follow　the　luminous　trail　that　summons　us　to　an　unknown　world；　we　go　on　turning　in　our　dismal　circle；　like　contented　sleep…walkers；　while　Isis'　sistrum　rattles　without　respite　to　rouse　the　faithful。

25　

I　repeat；　the　great　miracle　of　Elberfeld　is　that　of　having　been　able　to　prolong　and　reproduce　at　will　those　isolated　〃psychic　flashes。〃　The　horses；　in　comparison　with　the　other　animals；　are　here　in　the　state　of　a　man　whose　subliminal　consciousness　had　gained　the　upper　hand。　That　man　would　lead　a　higher　existence；　in　an　almost　immaterial　atmosphere；　of　which　the　phenomena　of　metaphysics；　sparks　falling　from　a　region　which　we　shall　perhaps　one　day　reach；　sometimes　give　us　an　uncertain　and　fleeting　glimpse。　Our　intelligence；　which　is　really　lethargy　and　which　keeps　us　imprisoned　in　a　little　hollow　of　space　and　time；　would　there　be　replaced　by　intuition；　or　rather　by　a　sort　of　imminent　knowledge　which　would　forthwith　make　us　sharers　in　all　that　is　known　to　a　universe　which　perhaps　knows　all　things。　Unfortunately；　we　have　not；　or　at　least；　unlike　the　horses；　we　are　not　acquainted　with　a　superior　being　who　interests　himself　in　us　and　helps　us　to　throw　off　our　torpor。　We　have　to　become　our　own　god；　to　rise　above　ourselves　and　to　keep　ourselves　raised　by　our　unaided　strength。　It　is　almost　certain　that　the　horse　would　never　have　come　out　of　his　nebulous　sphere　without　man's　assistance；　but　it　is　not　forbidden　to　hope　that　man；　with　no　other　help　than　his　own　courage　and　high　purpose；　may　yet　succeed　in　breaking　through　the　sleep　that　cramps　him　and　blinds　him。

26

To　come　back　then　to　our　horses　and　to　the　main　point；　which　is　the　isolated　〃psychic　flash；〃　it　is　admitted　that　they　know　the　values　of　figures；　that　they　can　distinguish　and　identify　smells；　colours；　forms；　objects　and　even　graphic　reproductions　of　those　objects。　They　also　understand　a　large　number　of　words；　including　some　of　which　they　were；　never　taught　the　meaning；　but　which　they　picked　up　as　they　went　along　by　hearing　them　spoken　around　them。　They　have　learnt；　with　the　assistance　of　an　exceedingly　complicated　alphabet；　to　reproduce　the　words；　thanks　to　which　they　manage　to　convey　impressions；　sensations；　wishes；　associations　of　ideas；　observations　and　even　spontaneous　reflections。　It　has　been　held　that　all　this　implies　real　acts　of　intelligence。　It　is；　in　fact；　often　very　difficult　to　decide　exactly　how　far　it　is　intelligence　and　how　far　memory；　instinct；　imitative　genius；　obedience　or　mechanical　impulse；　the　effects　of　training；　or　happy　coincidences。

There　are　cases；　however；　which　admit　of　little　or　no　hesitation。　I　give　a　few。

One　day　Krall　and　his　collaborator；　Dr。　Scholler；　thought　that　they　would　try　and　teach　Mohammed　to　express　himself　in　speech。　The　horse；　a　docile　and　eager　pupil；　made　touching　and　fruitless　efforts　to　reproduce　human　sounds。　Suddenly；　he　stopped　and；　in　his　strange　phonetic　spelling；　declared；　by　striking　his　foot　on　the　spring…board：

〃Ig　hb　kein　gud　Sdim。　I　have　not　a　good　voice。〃

Observing　that　he　did　not　open　his　mouth；　they　strove　to　make　him　understand；　by　the　example　of　a　dog；　with　pictures；