Chapter 2

           Atmyalighting,Iwassurroundedwithacrowdofpeople,butthosewhostoodnearestseemedtobeofbetterquality.Theybeheldmewithallthemarksandcircumstancesofwonder;neitherindeedwasImuchintheirdebt,havingnevertillthenseenaraceofmortalssosingularintheirshapes,habits,andcountenances.Theirheadswereallreclined,eithertotheright,ortheleft;oneoftheireyesturnedinward,andtheotherdirectlyuptothezenith.Theiroutwardgarmentswereadornedwiththefiguresofsuns,moons,andstars;interwovenwiththoseoffiddles,flutes,harps,trumpets,guitars,harpsichords,andmanyotherinstrumentsofmusic,unknowntousinEurope.Iobserved,hereandthere,manyinthehabitofservants,withablownbladder,fastenedlikeaflailtotheendofastick,whichtheycarriedintheirhands.Ineachbladderwasasmallquantityofdriedpeas,orlittlepebbles,asIwasafterwardsinformed.Withthesebladders,theynowandthenflappedthemouthsandearsofthosewhostoodnearthem,ofwhichpracticeIcouldnotthenconceivethemeaning.Itseemsthemindsofthesepeoplearesotakenupwithintensespeculations,thattheyneithercanspeak,norattendtothediscoursesofothers,withoutbeingrousedbysomeexternaltactionupontheorgansofspeechandhearing;forwhichreason,thosepersonswhoareabletoafforditalwayskeepaflapper(theoriginalisclimenole)intheirfamily,asoneoftheirdomestics;noreverwalkabroad,ormakevisits,withouthim.