The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-08-18
HYPNOTIC CHESS.


black chess knight served as paperweight
upon the library table ofmy friend, the colo
mel, and had often reused my curiosity.
One night he told me its story. This is
what he said:
81 don't know whether you take any in
terest in such subjects as hypnotism,
thought readingand so on, but if you do
you may perhaps be able to form some sci
entific theory to explain my story. Person
ally used to be unbelieving in such mat
tiers, but my skepticism was modified by
the adventure am going to tell you of.
ION one occasion in India many years
ago l had got leave from my regiment for
few weeks in order to join shooting eX-
petition which had been got up by one of
my greatest friends-a man many years
older than was then and of much higher
rank in the service. When, however, ar
rived ut our appointed meeting place,
found my friend, the general, preparing
for more warlike excursion against ma
rauding tribe who had lately been extend
ing their cattle raids across our frontier
The shooting expedition having fallen
through, readily accepted the generals
suggestion that l should accompany his
force as a volunteer and see some sport of
more exciting kind. Nothing of any in
terest happened, however, till we were
across the enemy's frontier and the force
was encamped one night under a brilliant
moon on hill overlooking thickly wood
ed valley.
81 was strolling round camp with cigar
when was Joined by one of the younger
officers, who, not being on duty, was re-
freshing himself after the days march in
the same way, and we continued our walk
together. We stopped to admire the view
at point where we could look down on
the valley, and presently we fell into an ar
gument as to whether bright surface
which caught the moonlight in glade of
the wood below was water or a smooth slab
of rock. 1t happened that my companion
particularly prided himself on the keenness
of his sight and a few days before had won
a small bet from me on the subject.
81, too, thought that l had good eyes,
and feeling sure that he was wrong in his
contention that he could detect a gentle
ripple on the surface in dispute 1 offered
him a second bet that it was rock and pro
posed to settle the question by myself go
ing down to the spot. He accepted my bet,
and | gayly started down the hill alone,
telling him with a laugh to have the stakes
ready by the time l returned. | never for a
moment supposed that was running any
risk in the affair.
II rapidly made my way down over the
short grass of the hillside, and marking the
direction of the spot in question soon
plunged into the darkness of the wood, the
cavernous depth of whose shadows was en-
HANGED by an occasional CLINT of moonshine.
am not naturally superstitious. l have
Il
yards or haunted rooms, but must confess
/ felt an uncommonly disagreeable feeling
of something like dread when got inside
that wood. Everything was absolutely
dead and still. Not the faintest rustic of
leaf, not the chirp of an insect, nor murmur
of water but dense and awful silencel 1t
excited my nerves
81 almost imagined | saw black shapes
moving under the trees, though it was quite
impossible that anything not luminous
should show against such an inky back
ground. felt my way cautiously, stop
ping constantly to hear if anything was
moving near me. What cracks the twigs
under my feet gavel What a resounding
crash reverberated in the gloomy shades
when my foot set a loose stone rollingl My
nerve was gone, and felt horribly uncom-
bet to be back again in camp, but was
bound to go through with my search now
that had once begun, and l should make
myself butt for the wit of the regiment if
turned back half way to confess myself
scared by the dark.
AFTER long time and with more difficult
ty than had anticipated reached the slab
of rock, for such it proved to be. Here l
was clear of the trees, and stood for few
moments in the bright moonlight, so that
my friend above, who l knew would be
watching for me to emerge from the shadow,
might see that it was not water on which |
stood. Then turned and struck out for
the camp.
81 had not, however, pushed my way far
through the underground when l was trip
ped up suddenly by what at first took to
be some stout creeper or protruding root.
fell forward on my hands and had not
time to get on my feet again before learn
ed that it was no accident which had over
thrown me. Before had time to offer the
least resistance or even to utter shout for
help felt myself seized round the neck by
grip like a wise. A few seconds more,
and was gagged, bound and carried off
through the forest quickly, but in silence.
"As soon as subsiding establishment left
room for any other sensation, felt par
oxysm of rage, as we'll against my own folly
in running into such trap as against my
sudden assailants, whom cursed none the
less heartily for my inability to utter a
sound. The futility of passion under the
circumstances gradually subdued me, if
not to philosophic fortitude, at least to suf-
flcient calmness to speculate on my proba-
BILE fate and on the chances of escape.
"For some time / seemed to be borne
down hill and over irregular ground; then
we must have emerged from the jungle on
to more even ground, for the pace became
quicker and smoother. This may have
gone on for some 20 minutes or half an
hour, and then my captOrs came to halt.
Twas set on my feet and my eyes and mouth
released from their bandages. This change
of condition did not, however, conduce to
my comfort or reinsurance, for while an
armed native on each side held me firmly
by my pinioned arms a third presented a
huge horse pistol at my head at a yards
distance. For few instants i endured an
agony Of suspense / shut my eyes and
waited for the bullet to crash through my
brain.
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