A "HACHISH" EXPERIMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1653, 5 April 1884, Page 2

A "HACHISH" EXPERIMENT.

A correspondent of the St, James, Gazette writesaboutan experiment he made ; iipon;himself with haehish, a narcotic drug prepared from the common hemp ; plant, which is said to produce mnrvellous effects upon Orientals. He says that after swallowing six grains " I felt lazy and disinclined to move; and this tendency, was speedily increased by an agreeable sensation of warmth that pervaded my whole body. Presently a curious torpor began to take possession of my extremities, My feet and hands successively ' went to sleep" for a few moments, and when they awoke again, tingled as if they had been frost-bitten and. were rapidly regaining their normal condition. Although I did not lose consciousness for more than three or four seconds at a time, consecutive,thought now became irksome, if not impossible, and I voluntarily surrendered myself lo the dreaminess that now came over me. My mind, too, seemed to quit my body and travel into a fairy land. It visited the strand on a calm and moonlit sea, in whose waters beautiful women bathed, : laughing. Thence it was transported to the sward of a forest glade full of the music of birds that flitted hither and thither. Again, with equal suddenness, it was carried upwards through the crisp air of night to a mountain peak, whence all around was visible iti the starlight; and I felt myself alone in a world of ice-fields and avalanches. But no vision lasted for long, It changed with the rapidity of the pattern in the revolving kaleidoscope. I had not the strength of will to tear myself away from my dreaming. And no wonder, seeing what dreams were mine. I seemed to be as much at homo in water tmdair'.as.ou the earth. After Hying through space towards a star, and noticing as I approached it its increasing magnitude and brightness, I fell seaward, and, plunging beneath the waves, I found myself in a glorious cavern, through whose rosy vaults echoed the tones o.f.an'organ. It must have been at this time that I staggered to the piano which stood in tho corner of the room. ; Under ordinary circumstances tarn a poor player, yet I have a good ear, and improvise with tolerable facility. I began a wild melody liko some of the quaint creations of SaintSayns, and played it (so a friend says) with brilliancy. For myself, I remember nothing of my performance. My adventure with the piano seems to have turned the current of my idear. I was led back to my chair by the fire; and thenceforth my visions, instead of visions, instead of being sublime, became ridiculous. Then succeeded the third stage of the influence of the haehish. Numbness seemed to steal over me, and I went to sleep. An hour later or about four hours and a quarter, after having swallowed the hachis,* I awoke, dazed and dreamy; but a draught of cold water immeciately brought mo to myself, and in 10 more the influence of tho drug had entirely evaporated. What is moro I had a furious appetite, and at mid night I ate a great supper. I had no headache, no lassitude, and no nervousness, and when in the small hours I turned into bed, I slept soundly, dreamlessly, ■ and naturally and rose next morning none tho worse for my experiment,"