The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-22
UNDER THE HAsHIsH.
a Graphic Description of the Sensa-
tions Produced by the Drug.
From the Cornhiu Magazine.

a Graphic Description of the sensa-
lions Produced by the Drug.
From the Cornhiu Magazine.
We were five comrades seated on a cir
cular divan around richly served table.
The breakfast, which had been the means
of bringing US together, was not an ordi-
nary breakfast. Scarcely were we seated
when two lackeys entered the room, one
carving quantity chased silver coAer,
which ne pla- ed on the table before our
host, the celebrated Or. M; the
other bore tray on which were placed
tiny cups of Turkish colee. in their outer
cups OF hligree silver The do tor drew
the coter toward him and gra, ely opened
II. lie took therefrom several boxes of
rock crystal, one of which was half full
Of greenlsh sort of compound.
Here" said he. 1--WE have the sub
stance in question in all its possible forms
! In powder for the Narghily Smo6er,
in an oily extract, in spiriJuous one, and
even cleverly disguised in sweets and
conserveS. 1t is under the latter cloak
that recommended il TO you as being
more pleasant 10 swallow; its taste is
sufficiently agreeable when prepared
with pistachio nuts like that which
procured yesterday"
docs one run no risk or danger by
using this drugf'
by some learned men 1t is asserted 10
be quite innoxious, but it would be didi-
cult for me TO share their conviction, for
think that too freq use of IL would
induce cerebral Congesb ton, and certainly
the pitiable condition of those individuals
who are given up to this passion seems to
me sufficiently instructive. But believe
that one may occasionally use it without
| any marked i'll effect. !, who am speak
ing to you, have taken IL close on 200
! times and | am none the worse for it. Even
If disagreeable experiences do follow,
they are, l repeat, so very curious That he
who has not exposed himself to them,
once. at least, can scarcely say that he
has lived. And now, gentlemen, if you
please let me offer dose of hashish 10
each of YOU" So saving, he gave US a
small teaspOonful of the conserve.
doctor" | said, as wish to be COM
pletely under the influence of the drug,
will you please TO increase the dose for
mel'
IF you wish it will do So"
Here the servants brought in the diff
ferent dishes, and, as our host has the
reputation of being gourmet, it is need
less to say that the breakfast was ex-
quisite Each and all did honor TO the
repast, and during quite good half hour
felt nothing in any way abnormal; hut
when the meal was drawing to its close a
subtle warmth, which came, as it were,
in gusts to my head and chest, seemed to
permeate my body with singular emo
ton, Later on, the conversation around
me reached my understanding charged
with droll insigniHcance. The noise of a
fork tapped against a glass struck my ear
as a most harmonious vibration. The
faces of my companions were trans
formed. The particular animal type
| which, according to Lavater, is the basis
of every human ntenance-appeared to
me strikingly clear. My right-hand
neighbor became an eagle; he on
my left grew into an owl, with full, pro-
ecting eyes Immediately in front OF me
the man was lion while the doctor him
self was metamorphosed into fox. OBJ
jects around me seemed, little by little, to
clothe themselves in fantastic garb, the
| arabeslues on the walls revealed them
selves to me in rich rhymes of attractive
poesv-sometimes melancholy, but more
generally rising TO an exaggerated lyrism,
or to transcendent buffoonery The por-
celain vases, the bottles. the glasses
sparkling on the table, all took the most
lbdicrous forms. At the same time felt
creeping all around the region of my heart
q tickling pressure, TO squeeze out, as IL
were. with gentle force, laugh which
burst forth with noisy violence.
My neighbors, too, seemed subjected to
an Identical influence, for l saw their
|
ferrous hilarity, holding their sides and
rolling about from right to lett, their
countenances swollen like Titans2 My
voice seemed to have gained considerable
strength, for when l spoke it was as if it
were a discharge of cannon, and long
after had uttered a sentence heard in
nv brain the rever beration. as il were.
OF distant thunder. Thoughts seized on
me with fury, and unclaimed and olsen
tangled themselves by torrents in my
brain, and developed a rapid succession
of geometrical combinations, which APP
peared TO be the simplest, as well as the
most exact, expression Of those ideas
which one is obliged to render in an APP
proximate manner by proiiX words of
gross moulding. Besides all this, lost
com pletely the idea of time.
AS the action OF hachisch is intermit-
tent, l gradually come back TO my own
Identity and believing that the effect of
the drug was exhausted, thought IL time
TO withdraw myself and leave TO their re-
spective dreams my companions, who
were too much absorbed TO trouble them
selves in my departure. But scarcely had
| set foot on the pavement outside the
house than the effect of the drug, which
had in measure subsidized, seized
upon me again with redoubled force. Here
words utterly fail me to express the in
comprehensive agony which ran through
all my being! Sometimes felt that
my feet took root to the earth, and that
was sinking up to my neck in the soil,
and that could only draw my feet out
with the greatest difficulty, each step
seeming to have hundreds of pound
weights attached TO them. Then l APP
peared to be gifted with the lightness of
a sponge, and I remember that / held
! firmly to tree fearing that should sud
denly disappear in the air with the
velocity of a balloon. Vibrations, like
shocks of electricity, ran through me.
! An iron hand seemed to have got hold of
my brain and was crushing 1t. was
seized with dizziness, and | shudder even
now when think how intense was my
suffering.
| L