The Sorcery Club Part 2

"The anxiety of my comrades to leave the continent, perforce put an end to my explorations, and in the beginning of the year 1692--exactly ten months after our landing--the _Peterkin_ was refloated.

"This time nothing happened to impede our progress, and in April of the same year, we sighted Boston. Here I remained for some months, making many new friends, and studying magic and sorcery. But the love of travel had laid so strong a hold on me that I again took to a roving life. I set sail for Spain in November 1692; landed at Corunna, and made my way to Madrid, where I arrived on January 1, 1693."

For the rest, Hamar had to turn to Messrs. Fox and Pool's addendum, _i.e._ the footnote that Matt Kelson had read aloud.

Hamar was now inclined to regard the book in a very different light.

What he had read seemed to him to be set down in too simple, straightforward, and, at the same time, detailed a manner to be other than true. Up to the present he had not believed in ghosts and witches, for the very simple reason that--like all sceptics--he had never inquired into the testimony respecting them. He had pooh-poohed the subject, because every one he knew pooh-poohed it, and also because it had never seemed worth his while to do otherwise. But provided he thought it would pay him, he was ready to believe in anything--in Christianity, Mahommedanism, Buddhism, Theosophy, or any other creed; and granted the book he had in his hands was really written by Maitland, and Maitland was _bona fide_ (which Hamar saw no reason to doubt), and granted, also, that Maitland was sane and logical--which from his writing he certainly appeared to be--then there was a certain amount in the volume that in Hamar's opinion was "a find." Needless to say, he referred to the magic of the Atlanteans--the art through the practice of which they had got in touch with the Powers that could endow them with riches. The actual history of Atlantis--once he was satisfied there had been such a place--did not interest him. He skimmed through it quickly, and I append a brief summary, only, for the benefit of more intelligent and disinterested readers.

The Atlanteans were the oldest intelligent race in the world--they existed contemporaneously with Paleolithic man, with whom their mariners and explorers frequently came in contact, and about whom their novelists wrote the most delightful stories, just as Fenimore Cooper and Mayne Reid, in these days, have written the most delightful stories about the Red Indians. In religion they were polytheists; they believed that, in the work of Creation, many Powers partic.i.p.ated; that some of these Powers were benevolent, some malevolent, whilst others--neither benevolent nor malevolent--were merely neutral. To the benevolent creative Powers they attributed all that is beautiful in the world (_i.e._ certain of the trees, plants, flowers, animals, insects, and pleasing colours and scents); all that is fair and agreeable in the human being, such as affection, love, kindness, the arts and sciences--in a word all that in any degree affected the welfare of mankind; and to the malevolent creative Powers they attributed all that was noxious in creation; all that was harmful to man, and detrimental to his moral and physical progress (_i.e._ diseases, and all savage and filthy pa.s.sions); all races of low intelligence, viz. Paleolithic and Neolithic man--and all those born with black or red skins (those colours being particularly significant of the malignant Occult Elements); all destructive animals; (_i.e._ reptiles such as the teleosaurus, steneosaurus, etc.; birds, such as the ptereodactyl, vulture, eagle, etc.; mammals, such as the cave lion, cave tiger, etc.; fish, such as the shark, octopus, etc.); and all ugly and venomous insects.

These earliest records show that at one time the physical and superphysical world were in close touch; all kinds of spirits--trolls, pixies, nymphs, satyrs, imps, Vagrarians, Barrowvians, etc.--mixing freely with living human beings; but that as the population increased and civilization evolved, superphysical manifestations became more and more rare, until finally they became restricted to certain conditions dependent on time and locality.[10]

Up to this period there had been no state religion--no temples in Atlantis. If any one wished for a particular favour from the Occult Powers--for example, from the Rabses, the Occult Powers of music; the Brakvos, the Occult Powers of medicine; or the Derinas, the Occult Powers of love, they retired to some secluded spot and held direct intercourse with these Powers. The idea of praying to an invisible being--who might or might not hear them--never entered their minds; they were far too matter of fact for that--and it was not until superphysical manifestations had become confined to a very select few, that the plan of erecting public buildings in spots frequented by the spirits, so that all who wished could a.s.semble there and communicate with them, was proposed and put into operation. In these buildings, however, the spirits did not choose always, to appear to order--sometimes they quitted the spot where the edifice had been erected; sometimes they would only appear there periodically; and sometimes, out of perversity, they would appear when least expected.

But whether occult manifestations really took place in these buildings or not, those a.s.sembled to see them were persuaded by those in charge of the building, who saw thereby an opportunity of making money, that the spirits were actually there; and in due time these buildings became known as temples, and their showmen as priests. Every temple was dedicated to an individual spirit--one to the Spirit Bara-boo; another to the Spirit Karaboro, and so on; whilst in the absence of genuine spirit manifestations, prayers, incantations and rituals, invented by the priests, always attracted a large concourse of people to these temples, and finally proved a greater source of attraction than the spirits themselves.

It was to gain favours from the Occult Powers that donations from the public were at first invited, then demanded; and the priests in this manner acc.u.mulated vast fortunes. Later on, too, there sprang up, in connection with these temples, colleges for the training of young men--invariably selected from the wealthy cla.s.ses--to the priesthood; and from the parents of these youthful aspirants large fees, which in course of time became exorbitant, were extracted, thereby furnis.h.i.+ng another source of revenue to the priests. The most famous colleges for the training of priests in Atlantis were those of Bara-boo-rek[11] at Keisionwo, Karaboro-rek at Diniangek, and Ballygarap-rek at Tijimin.

It was in the reign of Barrahneil,[12] fifty-first sovereign of the Dynasty of Shaotak, that the evocation of spirits (from which modern spiritualism takes its origin) commenced. Barrahneil was most eager to see a superphysical manifestation. Being of a somewhat poetical turn of mind he was particularly enamoured of fairies, and in the hope of seeing one, constantly frequented their favourite haunts, _i.e._ woods, caves, and lonely isolated habitations. But all to no purpose--they never would manifest themselves to him. At last, he lost patience. Against the advice of his oldest and most trusty counsellors, and accompanied by one or two of his favourite courtiers, he went to an excessively lonely spot in the heart of a desert, and besought spirits--spirits of any sort--he did not care what--to manifest themselves. To his surprise--for he had grown extremely sceptical--an Occult form, half man and half beast,[13] materialized.

It informed them that it was Daramara, _i.e._ in Atlantis, the Unknown--that it had no beginning and no end, and that it would remain an impenetrable mystery to them during their existence in the physical sphere, but would be fully revealed to them when they pa.s.sed over into Malanok--one of the superphysical planes. On this, and on several subsequent occasions, when it manifested itself to them, it gave them instructions with regard to evocation, and described to them the tests they must undergo before they could acquire the great powers the Unknown was able to bestow on them, namely, (1) second sight; (2) divining other people's thoughts and detecting the presence of waters and metals; (3) thought transference, _i.e._ being able to transmit messages, irrespective of distance, from one brain to another without any physical medium; (4) hypnotism; (5) the power to hold converse with animals; (6) invisibility, _i.e._ dematerializing at will; (7) walking on, and breathing under, water; (8) inflicting all manner of diseases and torments; (9) curing all kinds of diseases; (10) converting people into beasts and minerals; (11) foretelling the future by palmistry, pyromancy, hydromancy, astrology, etc.; (12) conjuring up all manner of spirits antagonistic to men's moral progress, _i.e._ Vice Elementals--Vagrarians, Barrowvians, etc.

Taking every care to observe the greatest secrecy, Barrahneil caused a full account of these interviews with Daramara, together with all the instructions the latter had given him, to be transcribed in a book, which he called _Brahnapotek_[14]--or the _Book of Mysteries_; and which he kept sealed and guarded in a room in his palace.

During his lifetime no one held communication with Daramara saving himself and his friends, but after his death the secret of black magic leaked out; countless people sought to acquire it, and ultimately the practice of it became universal. But the Atlanteans little knew the danger they were incurring. The spirits they conjured up--though at first subservient, that is to say, mere instruments--at length obtained complete dominion over them--the whole race became steeped in crime and vice of every kind--and so horrible were the enormities perpetrated that, fearful lest Man should be entirely obliterated the benevolent Occult Powers, after a desperate struggle with the malevolent Occult Powers, succeeded, by means of a vast earthquake, in submerging the Continent and hurling it to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, where, what remains of it, now lies. This catastrophe took place in the reign of Aboonirin, twentieth sovereign of the Dynasty of Molonekin--three thousand years after the reign of Barrahneil.

So ran the history of Atlantis, or at least all of it that need be quoted for the elucidation of this story. That Black Magic--the Black Art of the Atlanteans was by no means dead--Hamar felt convinced, and if Maitland could resuscitate it--why could not he? At any rate he might try. He could lose nothing by giving it a trial--at least nothing to speak of--the outlay on chemicals would be a mere song--whereas, on the other hand, what might he not gain! He eagerly perused the tests--the test he must impose upon himself before he could get in touch with the Unknown, and acquire the magic powers--which, according to Thomas Maitland, were copied from the original Brahnapotek, and including a preface, ran as follows: (_Preface_) "It is essential that the person desirous of being initiated into the Black Art--the Art of communicating with the Unknown (Daramara) in order to acquire certain great powers, should dismiss from his mind all ideas of moral progress, and wholly concentrate on the bettering of his material self--on acquiring riches and fame in the physical sphere. His aspirations must be entirely earthly, and all his affections subordinate to his main desire for wealth and carnal pleasures. Having acquired this preliminary psychological stage, for one clear week he must give himself up entirely to the breaking of all the conventionalities of morality with which society is hedged in. He must practice every kind of deception--lie, cheat and steal, and go out of his way to seek an opportunity to avenge any personal injury; and if his mind is earnestly and wholly concentrated on acquiring knowledge of the Black Art no bodily mishap will befall him. During this time of probation he must will himself to dream, at night, of all the deeds he had it in his mind to do, during the day; when he will know, by his visions, to what extent he is progressing. At the end of the week he must apply the tests to see if he is in a ripe state to proceed.

"The tests--

"No. 1. At midnight, when the moon is full, place a mirror, set in a wooden frame, in a tub of water, so that it will float on the surface with its face uppermost. Put in the water fifteen grains of bicarbonate of potash, and sprinkle it with three drops of blood, not necessarily human If the reflection of the moon in the mirror then appear crimson, the test is satisfactorily accomplished.

"No. 2. At midnight, when the moon is full, take a black cat, place it where the moonbeams are thickest, sprinkle it with three drops of blood, not necessarily human, and rub its coat with the palm of the hand. Sparks will then be given out, and if those sparks appear crimson the test is satisfactorily done.

"No. 3. Take a human skull--preferably that of some person who has met with an unnatural end, pour on it a single drop of fresh, human blood--place it on a couch, and go to sleep with the back part of the head resting on it. If you are awakened, at the second hour after midnight, by hearing a great commotion close at hand, and the room is then discovered to be full of crimson light, the test is satisfactorily fulfilled.

"No. 4. Take half a score of the berries of enchanter's nightshade,[15] two ounces of hemlock leaves in powder, and one ounce of red sorrel leaves. Heat them in an oven for two hours, pound them together, in a mortar, and at midnight boil them in water. As soon as the contents begin to bubble, remove them from the fire and stand them in a dark place; and if the experiment is to prove satisfactory, three bubbles of luminous green light will rise simultaneously from the water and burst.

"No. 5. In the above preparation after the test described, soak a hazel twig, fas.h.i.+oned in the shape of a fork. On meeting a child hold the fork with the V downwards in front of its face, and if the child exhibits violence and signs of terror, and falls down, the experiment is successful.

"No. 6. Take a couple of handfuls of fine soil from over the spot where some four-footed animal has recently been buried. Put it in a tin vessel, mix with it three ounces of a.s.safoetida and one drachm of qua.s.sia chips, to which add a death's-head moth (_Acherontia atropos_). Heat the vessel over a wood fire for three hours. Then remove it and place it on the hearth, rake out the fire and make the room absolutely dark. Keep watch beside the vessel, and if, at the second hour after midnight, any strange phenomena occur, the test will be known to have been satisfactorily executed.

"(_Addendum_) If any of these tests fail the candidate must wait for six months before giving them a further trial, and he must occupy the interim by training his thoughts in the manner already prescribed. But if, on the other hand, the tests have been successfully performed, he can proceed with the rites appertaining to the Black Art."

Hamar had read so far when, with a gesture of impatience, he closed the book. "What a fool I am!" he exclaimed, "to waste my time with such stuff!... But Maitland writes in such a devilish convincing way!

Jerusalem! Any straw is good enough for the drowning man, and if witchcraft and sorcery with motors das.h.i.+ng by every second and the whole air alive with wireless and telephones, is a bit beyond my comprehension, what then? All I care about is money--and I'll leave no stone unturned to get it. If it were possible for man to get in touch with Daramara--the Unknown--Devil, or whatever else it chooses to call itself--I'll call it an angel if it only gives me money--twenty thousand years ago--why shouldn't it be possible to get in touch with it now? Anyhow as I said before, I'll have a try. As far as the preliminary stage is concerned, I fancy I'm pretty well fixed. My mind is occupied right enough with things of this world--I don't give a cent for anything belonging to another--and if only I had half a dozen souls, I'd sell them right away now, for less than twenty thousand dollars--a d.a.m.ned sight less. As for these tests--foolish isn't the word for them--but it won't cost much just to try them.... Now, according to Thomas Maitland, the ceremony of calling up the Unknown stands a far greater chance of success if there are three human beings present ... but, of course, if there is any truth in this business, I'd rather keep the secret of it to myself. However, if I try alone, the Unknown may not come to me, and then I shall have had all the trouble of going through the tests for nothing!... Ah! now I see! If the other two get more of the profits than I think necessary--I can make use of my newly acquired Occult Power to--to dissolve partners.h.i.+p! Ha! ha! I could--I could trick the Unknown if it comes to that. Trust a Jew to outwit the Devil! I'll just look up Kelson and--Curtis."

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: The river referred to by Maitland is the river Lagartos, which was then (1691) unnamed.]

[Footnote 2: For chiche compare the ancient Maya or Yucatan word Chicken-Itza (_i.e._ name of town in Yucatan where excavations are now taking place--1912).]

[Footnote 3: For Menes compare Mayan Menes, wise men.]

[Footnote 4: Compare Mayan Chaac-mol, a leopard.]

[Footnote 5: Compare Ozil, Mayan for well-beloved.]

[Footnote 6: Moo, Mayan for Macaw.]

[Footnote 7: Nike, woman's name in Mayan.]

[Footnote 8: Recent (1912) discoveries of statues in Easter Island still further corroborate the sinking of Atlantis.

The Atlantean character [C] resembles the Easter Island [C] (C) " " [O] " " " [O] (O) " " [E] " " " [E] (E) " " [Z] " " " [Z] (Z)

It will be noticed that all the Atlantean characters are distinguished by additional curling strokes.]

[Footnote 9: In all probability she was the founder of Chicken-Itza, the capital of Yucatan.]

[Footnote 10: Types of Elementals still to be met with in certain localities (vide _Byeways of Ghostland_, published by Rider & Son).]

[Footnote 11: Compare Egyptian re.]

[Footnote 12: Maitland raises the question as to whether Barrahneil was the ancestor of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Of this there is every possibility, since many Atlanteans undoubtedly escaped to Ireland, carrying with them the knowledge of Black Magic--to which might be traced the Banshee and other family ghosts.]

[Footnote 13: Probably a Vice Elemental.]

[Footnote 14: All subsequent works dealing with Black Magic were founded on it.]

[Footnote 15: Closely allied to deadly nightshade, and known in botany as _Circaea_. It is found in damp, shady places and was used to a very large extent in mediaeval sorcery.]

CHAPTER III

LEARNING TO SIN

Messrs. Kelson and Curtis did not live in Pacific Avenue where the Popes hold sway, nor yet in California Street where the Crockers are wont to entertain their millionaire friends. Where they lived, there were no ma.s.sive granite steps flanked with equally ma.s.sive pillars--such as herald the approach to the n.o.b Hill palaces; no rare gla.s.s bow-windows looking out on to flower bedecked lawns; no vast betiled hall, with rotundas in the centre; no highly polished oak staircases; no frescoed ceilings; no tufted, cerulean blue silk draperies; and no sweet perfumery--only the smell, if one may so suddenly sink to a third-cla.s.s expression--only the smell of rank tobacco and equally rank lager beer. No, Messrs. Kelson and Curtis resided within a stone's throw of the five cent baths in Rutter Street--and that was the nearest they ever got to bathing. Their suite of apartments consisted of one room, about ten by eight feet, which served as a dining-room, drawing-room, study, boudoir, kitchen, bedroom, and--from sheer force of habit, I was about to add bathroom; but as I have already hinted cold water on half-empty stomachs and chilly livers is uninviting; besides, soap costs something. Their furniture was antique but not ma.s.sive; nor could any of it be fairly reckoned superfluous. All told, it consisted of a bedstead (three six-foot planks on four sugar cubes; the bedclothes--a pair of discarded overalls, a torn and much emaciated blanket, a woolly neck wrap, a yellow vest, and the garments they stood in); a small round and rather rickety deal table; and one chair. Of the very limited number of culinary utensils, the frying-pan was by far the most important. Its handle served as a poker, and its pan, as well as for frying, roasting and boiling, did duty for a teapot and a slop-basin.

They had no crockery. They had only one thing in abundance--namely, air; for the lower frame of the window having long lacked gla.s.s in it, a couple of pages of the _Examiner_, fixed in it, flapped dismally every time the wind came blowing down 216th Street.

They had not lived there always. In the palmy days of work, before the firm smashed, they had aspired to what might properly be called diggings; and, moreover, had "digged" in respectable surroundings. It was the usual thing--the thing that is happening always, every hour of the day, in all the great cities of the world--starvation, through lack of employment. Civilization still shuts its eyes to everyday poverty. Who knows? Who cares? Who is responsible? No one. Is there a remedy? Ah! that is a question that requires time. Time--always time!

Time for the politician, and time for the starving ones! Half the world thinks, whilst half the world dies; and the cause of it all is time--too much, a d.a.m.ned sight too much--time!

But Kelson and Curtis could not grumble. They had their room--bare, dirty and well-ventilated--for next to nothing. Fifty cents a week!

And they could furnish it as they pleased. Fancy that! What a privilege! They were glad of it all the same--glad of it in preference to the streets; and probably, when asleep, they thought of it as home.

But on leaving Hamar's, that evening, they had fully resolved to convert their little room into a cemetery. What else could they do?