Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1859-04-07

the tread and port Of kings. The song of
he Rama a5orea while he. clung to the
bark of the ragged plum-tree. sounded
like the strains of divine orchestras--
Houses, walls, and streets melted like rain
clouds, and vistas of unimaginable glory
stretched away before us. 1t was raptu--
rous companionship. We each of us en-
joyed more perfectly the vast delight be-
cause, even in our most ecstatic moments,
we were ever conscious of each others
presence. Our pleasures, while individu-
al, were still twin, vibrating and moving
in musical accord.
On the evening in question, the 10th of
July, the Doctor and myself found our
selves in an unusually metaphysical mood.
We lit our large meorschaums, filed with
fine Turkish tobacco, in the core of which
burned a little black nut of opium, that,
like the nut in the fairy tale, held within
its narrow limits wonders beyond the reach
of kings; we paced to and fro, conversing.
A strange perversiy dominated the. cur
rents of our thought. They would not
flow through tie sun-lit channels into
which we strove to divert them. For some
unaccountable reason they constantly d.
verged into dark. lonesome beds, where a
continual gloom brooded. 1t was in vain
that, after the old fashion. we flung our
selves on the shores sof the East and talk
ed of its gay bazaars. of tie splendors of
the time of Haroun, of harems and golden
palaces. Black afreets continually arose
from the depths of our talk. and expand
] ed, like the one the 6shmerman released
from the copper vessel, until they blotsed
everything bright from our vision In
sensibly we yielded to the occult force
that swayed us. and INDUCED in gloomy
specula ion. We had talked some time
upon the proneness of the human mind to
mysticism aud the almost universal love of
the Terrible, when Hammond suddenly said
TO me:
/ What do yon consider to be the great
est element of Terror"
The question, own, puzzled me. That
mSny things were terrible, l knew Stun
bling over a corpse in the dark; beholding,
as | once did, a woman floating down a
deep aud rapid river. with wildly-lifted
arms and awful. upturned face. utterirg.
as she sank, shreks that rent ones heart,
while we, the spectators. stood frozen at a
window which overhung the river at a
height of sixty feet, unable to make the
slightest effort TO save her, but dumbly
watching her last supreme agony and dis
appearance. "A shattered wreck with nc
life visib encountered floating listlessIy
on the ocean. is terrible object, for il
suggests huge terror, the proportions o
which are yelled. But it now struck me
for the first time that there must be one
great and ruling embodimant of fear. q
t King OF Terrors, to which all others mus
succumb What might it be? To what
train of circumstances would 1t owe its
existence? ar T
81 confess, Hammond" replied to my
friend, 81 never considered the matter be-
fore. That there must be one Something
! more terrible than any other thing l feel
cannot attempt. however, even the mos
vague definition .esaJ qs
II am somewhat like you, Harry" he
answered. Il feel my capacity to expert
} enee terror greater than has ever been
conceived by the human mind. Some
} thing combining in fearful and unnatural
: amalgam>tion hitherto supposed incom
, pa. ible elements. The calling of the vol
ces in Brockden Browns novel of VIE
r land is awful; SO is the picture of the
|. Dweller Of the Threshold in Bulwer's Ia
) nomi;' but, % he added gloomily, there is
something, still more horrible than these
Look here. Hammond" | rejoineG
let US drop this kind of talk. for Heavens
t sake. We shall suffer for it, depend on
|, it," '.''s ''h e
; Il don't know what's the matter with
me tonight" he replied. "but my brain
is running upon all sorts of weird and aw.
. full thoughts. feel as if could write a
story like Hoffman tonight, if l were on
Fly master OF literary style"
t F"Well. If we are going to be Hoffman
Iesque in our talk, I'm off to bed. Opium
and nightmare should never be brought to.
. gether. How sultry it is Good night.
Hammond" aszsfssik 80 fela est !
h"Good night. Harry. Pleasant dreams
to you"
ITO you. gloomy wretch, afreets, ghouls
and ,encbanters.'' .ra esr =
i We parted, and each sought his respect
i've chamber. undressed quickly and
fgot into bed, taking with me, according to
/. my usual custom. book. over which, l