the unknown guest-第32章

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〃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；　and　so　on；　that；　in　order　to　speak；　it　is　necessary　to　separate　the　jaws。　They　next　asked　him：

〃What　must　you　do　to　speak？〃

He　replied；　by　striking　with　his　foot：

〃Open　mouth。〃

〃Why　don't　you　open　yours？〃

〃Weil　kan　nigd：　because　I　can't。〃

A　few　days　after；　Zarif　was　asked　how　he　talks　to　Mohammed。

〃Mit　Munt：　with　mouth。〃

〃Why　don't　you　tell　me　that　with　your　mouth？〃

〃Weil　ig　kein　Stim　hbe：　because　I　have　no　voice。〃　Does　not　this　answer；　as　Krall　remarks；　allow　us　to　suppose　that　he　has　other　means　than　speech　of　conversing　with　his　stable…companion？

In　the　course　of　another　lesson；　Mohammed　was　shown　the　portrait　of　a　young　girl　whom　he　did　not　know。

〃What's　that？〃　asked　his　master。

〃Metgen：　a　girl？〃

On　the　black…board：

〃Why　is　it　a　girl？〃

〃Weil　lang　Hr　hd：　because　she　has　long　hair。〃

〃And　what　has　she　not？〃

〃Moustache。〃

They　next　produced　the　likeness　of　man　with　no　moustache。

〃What's　this？〃

〃Why　is　it　a　man？〃

〃Weil　kurz　Hr　hd：　because　he　has　short　hair。〃

I　could　multiply　these　examples　indefinitely　by　drawing　on　the　voluminous　Elberfeld　minutes；　which；　I　may　say　in　passing；　have　the　convincing　force　of　photographic　records。　All　this；　it　must　be　agreed；　is　unexpected　and　disconcerting；　had　never　been　foreseen　or　suspected　and　may　be　regarded　as　one　of　the　strangest　prodigies；　one　of　the　most　stupefying　revelations　that　have　taken　place　since　man　has　dwelt　in　this　world　of　riddles；　Nevertheless；　by　reflecting；　by　comparing；　by　investigating；　by　regarding　certain　forgotten　or　neglected　landmarks　and　starting…points；　by　taking　into　consideration　the　thousand　imperceptible　gradations　between　the　greatest　and　the　least；　the　highest　and　the　lowest；　it　is　still　possible　to　explain；　admit　and　understand。　We　can；　if　it　comes　to　that；　imagine　that；　in　his　secret　self；　in　his　tragic　silence；　our　dog　also　makes　similar　remarks　and　reflections。　Once　again；　the　miraculous　bridge　which；　in　this　instance；　spans　the　gulf　between　the　animal　and　man　is　much　more　the　expression　of　thought　than　thought　itself。　We　may　go　further　and　grant　that　certain　elementary　calculations；　such　as　little　additions；　little　subtractions　of　one　or　two　figures；　are；　after　all；　conceivable；　and　I；　for　my　part；　am　inclined　to　believe　that　the　horse　really　executes　them。　But　where　we　get　out　of　our　depth；　where　we　enter　into　the　realm　of　pure　enchantment　is　when　it　becomes　a　matter　of　mathematical　operations　on　a　large　scale；　notably　of　the　finding　of　roots。　We　know；　for　instance；　that　the　extraction　of　the　fourth　root　of　a　number　of　six　figures　calls　for　eighteen　multiplications；　ten　subtractions　and　three　divisions　and　that　the　horse　does　thirty…one　sums　in　five　or　six　seconds；　that　is　to　say；　during　the　brief；　careless　glance　which　he　gives　at　the　black…board　on　which　the　problem　is　inscribed；　as　though　the　answer　came　to　him　intuitively　and　instantaneously。

Still；　if　we　admit　the　theory　of　intelligence；　we　must　also　admit　that　the　horse　knows　what　he　is　doing；　since　it　is　not　until　after　learning　what　a　squared　number　or　a　square　root　means　that　he　appears　to　understand　or　that；　at　any　rate；　he　gradually　works　out　correctly　the　ever　more　complicated　calculations　required　of　him。　It　is　not　possible　to　give　here　the　details　of　this　instruction；　which　was　astonishingly　rapid。　The　reader　will　find　them　on　pages　117　et　seq。　of　Krall's　book；　Denkende　Tiere。　Krall　begins　by　explaining　to　Mohammed　that　2　squared　is　equal　to　2　X　2　=　4；　that　2　cubed　is　equal　to　2　X　2　X　2　=　6；　that　2　is　the　square　root　of　4；　and　so　on。　In　short；　the　explanations　and　demonstrations　are　absolutely　similar　to　those　which　one　would　give　to　an　extremely　intelligent　child；　with　this　difference；　that　the　horse　is　much　more　attentive　than　the　child　and　that；　thanks　to　his　extraordinary　memory；　he　never　forgets　what　he　appears　to　have　understood。　Let　us　add；　to　complete　the　magical　and　incredible　character　of　the　phenomenon　that；　according　to　Krall's　own　statement；　the　horse　was　not　taught　beyond　the　point　of　extracting　the　square　root　of　the　number　144　and　that　he　spontaneously　invented　the　manner　of　extracting　all　the　others。

27

Must　we　once　more　repeat；　in　connection　with　these　startling　performances；　that　those　who　speak　of　audible　or　visible　signals；　of　telegraphy　and　wireless　telegraphy；　of　expedients；　trickery　or　deceit；　are　speaking　of　what　they　do　not　know　and　of　what　they　have　not　seen？　There　is　but　one　reply　to　be　made　to　any　one　who　honestly　refuses　to　believe：

〃Go　to　Elberfeld…the　problem　is　sufficiently　important；　sufficiently　big　with　consequences　to　make　the　journey　worth　whileand；　behind　closed　doors；　alone　with　the　horse；　in　the　absolute　solitude　and　silence　of　the　stable；　set　Mohammed　to　extract　half…a　dozen　roots　which；　like　that　which　I　have　mentioned；　require　thirty…one　operations。　You　must　yourself　be　ignorant　of　the　solutions；　so　as　to　do　away　with　any　transmission　of　unconscious　thought。　If　he　then　gives　you；　one　after　the　other；　five　or　six　correct　solutions；　as　he　did　to　me　and　many　others；　you　will　not　go　away　with　the　conviction　that　the　animal　is　able　by　its　intelligence　to　extract　those　roots；　because　that　conviction　would　upset　too　thoroughly　the　greater　part　of　the　certainties　on　which　your　life　is　based；　but　you　will；　at　any　rate；　be　persuaded　that　you　have　been　for　a　few　minutes　in　the　presence　of　one　of　the　greatest　and　strangest　riddles　that　can　disturb　the　mind　of　man；　and　it　is　always　a　good　and　salutary　thing　to　come　into　contact　with　emotions　of　this　order。〃

28　

Truth　to　say；　the　theory　of　intelligence　in　the　animal　would　be　so　extraordinary　as　to　be　almost　untenable。　If　we　are　determined；　at　whatever　cost；　to　pin　our　faith　to　it；　we　are　bound　to　call　in　the　aid　of　other　ideas；　to　appeal；　for　instance；　to　the　extremely　mysterious　and　essentially　uncomprehended　and　incomprehensible　nature　of　numbers。　It　is　almost　certain　that　the　science　of　mathematics　lies　outside　the　intelligence。　It　forms　a　mechanical　and　abstract　whole；　more　spiritual　than　material　and　more　material　than　spiritual；　visible　only　through　its　shadow　and　yet　constituting　the　most　immovable　of　the　realities　that　govern　the　universe。　From　first　to　last　it　declares　itself　a　very　strange　force　and；　as　it　were；　the　sovereign　of　another　element　than　that　which　nourishes　our　brain。　Secret；　indifferent；　imperious　and　implacable；　it　subjugates　and　oppresses　us　from　a　great　height　or　a　great　depth；　in　any　case；　from　very　far；　without　telling　us　why。　One　might　say　that　figures　place　those　who　handle　them　in　a　special　condition。　They　draw　the　cabalistic　circle　around　their　victim。　Henceforth；　he　is　no　longer　his　own　master；　he　renounces　his　liberty；　he　is　literally　〃possessed〃　by　the　powers　which　he　invokes。　He　is　dragged　he　knows　not　whither；　into　a　formless；　boundless　immensity；　subject　to　laws　that　have　nothing　human　about　them；　in　which　each　of　those　lively　and　tyrannical　little　signs　which　move　and　dance　in　their　thousands　under　the　pen　represents　nameless；　but　eternal；　invincible　and　inevitable　verities。　We　think　that　we　are　directing　them　and　they　enslave　us。　We　become　weary　and　breathless　following　them　into　their　uninhabitable　spaces。　When　we　touch　them；　we　let　loose　a　force　which　we　are　no　longer　able　to　control。　They　do　with　us　what　they　will　and　always　end　by　hurling　us；　blinded　and　benumbed；　into　blank　infinity　or　upon　a　wall　of　ice　against　which　every　effort　of　our　mind　and　will　is　shattered。

It　is　possible；　therefore；　in　the　last　resort；　to　explain　the　Elberfeld　mystery　by　the　no　less　obscure　mystery　that　surrounds　numbers。　This　really　only　means　moving　to　another　spot　in　the　gloom；　but　it　is　often　just　by　that　moving　to　another　spot　that　we　end　by　discovering　the　little　gleam　of　light　which　shows　us　a　thoroughfare。　In　any　case；　and　to　return　to　more　precise　ideas；　more　than　one　instance　has　been　cited　to　prove　that　the　gift　of　handling　great　groups　of　figures　is　almost　independent　of　the　intelligence　proper。　One　of　the　most　curious　is　that　of　an