Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-07-22
UNDER THE HAShISH.
A Graphic Description OF the Sensations
Produced by the Drug.
(Cornhill MagaZlne.)

(Cornhill Magazlne.)
We were five comrades, seated on a cir
cular divan around a 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
carrying a quaintly-chased silver Golfer,
which he placed on the table before our
host, the celebrated DR.. NJ; the other
bore tray on which were placed tiny
cups of Turkish coffee, in their outer
cups Of fligree silver. The Doctor drew
the Golfer toward him and gravely opened
II. He took therefrom several boxes Of
rock crystal one Of which was half full
Of a greenish sort of compound.
Here" said he, 1--WE have the substance
in question In all It's possible forms--in a
powder for the Narghily smoker, In an
oily extract, In r spirituous one, and even
cleverly disguised In sweets and conserves.
1t Is under the latter cloak that i recon-
mend it TO you a. being more pleasant
to swallow; its taste Is sufficiently agree
able when prepared with pistachio nuts
like that which procured yesterday"
Does one run no risk or danger by
using this Drug
by some learned men II is asserted
to be quite innoxious; but 1t would be
difficult for me to share their conviction.
for / think that too frequent use OF
II would induce cerebral congestion, and
certainly the pitiable condition OF those
individuals who are given up 10 this
passion seems TO me sufficiently In
structive. But / believe that one may
occasionally use 1t without any marked
III effect. /, who am speaking to you.
have taken Ii close on 20 times, and
am none the worse for II. Even IL dis.
agreeable experiences do follow, they are,
l repeat. so very curious that he who
hos not exposed himself to them, once,
at least, can scarcely say that he has
lived. And now. gentlemen, II you please.
let me offer dose OF hashish To each
Of you" so saying. he gave US a small
teaspoonful OF the conserve
Doctor" said I, "as wish TO be COM
pletely under the influence OF the drug,
will you please to increase the dose for
me?'
'If you wish 1t I will do So
Here the servants brought In the df-
ferent dishes. and. as our host has the
reputation Of being a gourmet 1t is need
less TO say that the breakfast was ex-
quisite. Each and all did honor TO the
rspast, and during quite good half hour
felt nothing in any way abnormal; but
when the meal was drawing TO It's close
a subtle warmth, which came as II were
In gusts TO my head and chest, seemed
to permeate my body with singular
emotion. Later on, tina conversation
around me reached my understanding
with droll insignifcance. The noise or
a fork tapped against a glass struck ry
ear as IL most harmonious vibration. The
faces OF my companions were transform
Al fr,tIo animal which
according to Lavater, is the basis OF every
human countenance-appeared to me
strikingly clear. My right-hand neighbor
became an eagle; ne on my left grew into
an owl, with full, projecting eyes; imTne-
diately in front of me the man was a
lion; while the Doctor himself was meta
morphosed into a fox. Objects around
me seemed, little by little, to clothe them
selves in fastastic garb, the arabesques
on the walls revealed themselves to me
in rich rhymes Of attractive poesy-some-
times melancholy, but more generally
rising to an exaggerated lyrism, or TO
transcendent buffoonery. The porcelain
vases, the bottles, the glasses sparkling
on the table, all took the most ludicrous
forms. At the same time / felt creeping
all around the region of my heart a
tickling pressure, to squeeze out as II
were, with gentle force, a laugh which
burst forth with noisy violence.
NV neghbors, too, seemed subjected 10
an identical influence, 70: l saw their
faces unfold like peonies-victims Of bois-
ferrous hilarity, holding their sides. and
rolling about from right 10 left, their
countenances swollen like Titans! My
voice seemed to have gained considerable
strength, for when spoke II was as II
IL were discharge CT cannon, and long
after / had uttered a sentence j heard
in my brain the reverberation, as 1t were,
Of distant thunder. Thoughts seized on
me with fury and unclaimed and disen-
tangled themselves by torrents ia my
brain. and developed a rapid succession
of geometrlcal 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 prolix words or
gross moulding. Besides all this. l lost
completely the idea OF time.
AS the action OF hashish IL intermit
tent. / gradually came back 10 my own
identity. and believing that the effect OF
the drug was exhausted, / thought II
time to withdraw myself and leave TO
their respective dreams my companions
who were too much absorbed to trouble
themselves about my departure. But
scarcely had set foot on the pave
ment outside the house than the effect Of
the drug. which had In measure sub
sided seized upon ne again with re-
doubled force. Here words utterly fail
me to expires the incomprehensible agony
which ran through alt my being! Some
times i felt that my feet took root 10
the earth, and that I was sinking up TO
my neck IN the soil, and that l could only
draw my feet out with the greatest diff
ficulty, each step seeming TO have hun
dreds OF pounds weight attached to them.
Then l appeared to be gifted with the
lightness of a sponge, and / remember
that / held firmly to a tree. fearing that
/ should suddenly disappear in the air
with the velocity Of balloon. Vibra-
tions, like shocks OF electricity, ran
through me. An iron hand seemed to
have got hold of my brain and was crush
ing It. I was seized with dizziness. and
I shudder even now when / think how in
tense was my suffering.