A Voyage to the Moon

by George Tucker

  CHAPTER IX.

  _The fortune-telling philosopher, who inspected the finger nails: hisvisiters--Another philosopher, who judged of the character by thehair--The fortune-teller duped--Predatory warfare._

  As we returned to our lodgings, we saw a number of persons, some of whomwere entering and some leaving a neat small dwelling; and on joining thethrong, we learnt that a famous fortune-teller lived there, who, atstated periods, opened his house to all that were willing to pay forbeing instructed in the events of futurity, or for having the secrets ofthe present or past revealed to them. On entering the house, anddescending a flight of steps, we found, at the farther end of a darkroom, lighted with a chandelier suspended from the ceiling, an elderlyman, with a long gray beard, and a thin, pale countenance, deeplyfurrowed with thought rather than care. He received us politely, andthen resumed the duties of his vocation. His course of proceeding was toexamine the finger nails, and, according to their form, colour,thickness, surface, and grain, to determine the character and destiniesof those who consulted him. I was at once pleased and surprised at theminuteness of his observation, and the infinite variety of hisdistinctions. Besides the qualities of the nails that I have mentioned,he noticed some which altogether eluded my senses, such as theirmilkiness, flintiness, friability, elasticity, tenacity, andsensibility; whether they were aqueous, unctious, or mealy; with manymore, which have escaped my recollection.

  A modest, pensive looking girl, apparently about seventeen, was timidlyholding forth her hand for examination, at the time we entered.Avarabet, (for that was the name of this philosopher,) uttered two orthree words, with a significant shake of his head, upon which I saw therising tear in her eyes. She withdrew her hand, and had not courage tolet him take another look.

  A fat woman, of a sanguine temperament, holding a little girl by thehand, then stepped up and showed her fingers. He pronounced her amorous,inconstant, prone to anger, and extravagant; that she had made one manmiserable, and would probably make another. She also abruptly withdrew,giving manifest signs of one of the qualities ascribed to her.

  An elderly matron then approached, holding forth one trembling, palsiedhand, with a small volume in the other. Avarabet hesitated for sometime; examined the edges as well as the surface of the nails; drew hisfinger slowly over them, and then said,--"You have a susceptible heart;you are in sorrow, but your affliction will soon have an end." It waseasy to see, in the look of the applicant, signs of pious resignation,and a lively hope of another and a better state of existence.

  I thought I perceived in the scene that was passing before us, anexhibition that is not uncommon on our earth, of cunning knaveryimposing on ignorance and credulity; and I expressed my opinion to theBrahmin; but he assured me that the class of persons in the moon, whowere resorted to on account of their supposed powers of divination, wasvery different from the similar class in Asia or Europe, and thatoracular art was here regularly studied and professed as a branch ofphilosophy. "You would be surprised," said he, "to find how successfulthey have been in investing their craft with the forms and trappings ofscience, the parade of classification, and the mystery imparted bytechnical terms. By these means they have given plausibility enough totheir theories, to leave many a one in doubt, whether it is really a newtriumph of human discovery, or merely a later form of empiricism. Itsprofessors are commonly converts to their own theories, at least in agreat degree; for, strange as it may seem, there can mingle with thedisposition to deceive others, the power of deceiving one's self; andwhile they exercise much acuteness and penetration in discovering, bythe air, look, dress, and manner of those who consult them, the leadingpoints in the history or character of persons of whom they have noprevious knowledge, they at the same time persuade themselves that theysee something indicative of their circumstances in their finger nails.Such is the equivocal character of the greater part of their sect: butthere are some who are mere honest dupes to the pretensions of thescience; and others again, who have not one tittle of credulity toextenuate their impudent pretensions.

  "When I was here before, I remember a physician, who acquired greatcelebrity by affecting to cure diseases by examining a lock of thepatient's hair; and, not content with merely pronouncing on the natureof the disease, and suggesting the remedy, he would enter into anelaborate, and often plausible course of reasoning, in defence of hissystem. That system was briefly this: that the hair derived its length,strength, hue, and other properties, from the brain; which opinion hesupported by a reference to acknowledged facts--as, that it changes itshue with the difference of the mental character in the different stagesof life; that violent affections of the mind, such as grief or fear,have been known to change it in a single night. Science on this, as onother occasions, is merely augmenting and methodizing facts that themass of mankind had long observed--as, that red hair had always beenconsidered indicative of warm temperament; that affliction, and evenlove, were believed to create baldness; and that in great terror, thehair stands on end. The different ages too, are distinguished as much bytheir hair as their complexion, their facial angle, or in any other way.He was led to this theory first, by observing at school that a boy of astiff, bristly head of hair, was remarkably cruel. He professed to havebeen able, from a long course of observation, to assign to everydifferent colour and variety of hair, its peculiar temperament andcharacter. One mental quality was indicated by its length, another byits fineness, and others again as it chanced to be greasy, or lank, orcurled. He would also blow on it with a bellows, to see how the partsarranged themselves: hold it near the fire, and watch the operation ofits crisping by the heat: and although he had often been mistaken in hisestimates of character, by the rules of his new science, he did not losethe confidence of his disciples on that account--some of them refusingto believe the truth, rather than to admit themselves mistaken; andothers insisting that, if his science was not infallible, it very rarelydeceived."

  It was now our turn to submit our hands to Avarabet for examination. Hediscovered signs of the loftiest virtues and most heroic enterprise inthe Brahmin; and, near the bottom of one of his nails, a deep-rootedsorrow, which would leave him only with his life. A transient shade ofgloom on the Brahmin's countenance was soon succeeded by a piercing,inquisitive glance cast on the diviner. He saw the other's eyes directedon the miniature which he always wore, and which discovered itself toAvarabet as he stooped forward. A smile of contempt now took the placeof his first surprise, and he seemed in a state of abstraction, duringthe continued rhapsodies of the oracle.

  My hand was next examined; but little was said of me, except that I hadbeen a great traveller, and should be so again; that I should encountermany dangers and difficulties; that I possessed more intelligence thansensibility, and more prudence than generosity. Thus he discovered in megreat courage, enterprise, and constancy of purpose.

  A hale, robust, well-set man, now bursting through the crowd, andthrusting out his hand, abruptly asked the wise man to tell him, if hecould, in what part of the country he lived. Avarabet mentioned adistant district on the coast of Morosofia.

  "Good," said the other; "and what is my calling?"

  After a slight pause, he replied, that he got his living on the water.

  "Good again. Shall I ever be rich?"

  "No, not very:--never."

  "Better and better," rejoined the inquirer, at the same time giving ventto a loud and hearty laugh. Surely, thought I, sailors are every wherethe same sort of beings, rough and boisterous as the elements theyroam over.

  "And what is your opinion of me farther?"

  "You are bold, frank, improvident, credulous and good-natured."

  "Excellent, indeed! Now, what will you say, old sham wisdom, when I tellyou that I never made a voyage in my life; was never two days' journeyfrom this spot, and am seldom off my own dominion? That I own the forestof Tongloo, where I sometimes hunt, from morning till night, and fromnight till morning, twelve out of the thirteen days in the year? That mywealth, which was considerable whe
n I came to my estate, has, by myhabits of life, greatly increased, and that I am bent upon adding to ityet more? I drink nothing but water; and have come here only to win awager, that you were not as knowing as you pretended to be, and that Icould impose on you. You thus have a specimen of my candour,improvidence, and credulity." So saying, he leaped on his zebra, gave asort of huntsman's shout, and was off in a twinkling.

  This adventure created great tumult in the crowd, a few enjoying thejest, but the greater number manifesting ill-will and resentment towardsthe sportsman. The Brahmin and I took advantage of the confusion, towithdraw unnoticed by the bystanders. After remaining at our lodgingslong enough to take rest and refreshment, and to make minutes of what wehad seen, we proposed to spend the remainder of the night in thecountry, the weather being more pleasant at this time in that climate,than when the sun is above the horizon.

  We accordingly set out when the earth was in her second quarter, and itwas about two of our days before sunrise. After walking about threemiles, the freshness of the morning air, the fragrance of the flowers,and the music of innumerable birds, whose unceasing carols testifiedtheir joy and delight at the approach of a more genial month, we came toa large, well cultivated farm, in which a number of coarse looking menwere employed, with the aid of dogs, cross-bows, and other martialweapons, in hunting down llamas, and a small kind of buffalo, which, inone of our former walks, we had seen quietly feeding on a rich andextensive pasture. We inquired of some stragglers from the throng, themeaning of what we saw; but they were too much occupied with their sportto afford us any satisfaction. We walked on, indulging our imaginationsin conjecture; but had not proceeded more than a quarter of a mile,before we beheld a similar scene going on to our left, by the sameill-looking crew. Our curiosity was now redoubled, and we resolved towait a while on the highway, for the chance of some passenger more atleisure to answer our inquiries, and more courteously inclined thanthese fierce marauders. We had not stopped many minutes, before awell-dressed man, wearing the appearance of authority, having ridden up,we asked him to explain the cause of their violent, and seeminglylawless proceedings.

  "You are strangers, I see, or you would have understood that I amexercising my baronial privilege of doing myself justice. These cattlebelong to the owners of a neighbouring estate, by whom I and my tenantshave been injured and insulted; and, according to the usage in suchcases, I have given the signal to my people to lay hold on what they canof his flocks and herds, and, to quicken their exertions, I give themhalf of what they catch."

  "And how does your neighbour bear this in the mean time?" said theBrahmin.

  "Oh, for that matter," said the other, "he is not at all behindhand, andI lose nearly as many cattle as I get. But it gives me much morepleasure to kill one of his buffaloes or llamas, than it does pain mewhen he kills one of mine. I consider how much it will vex him, and thatsome of his vassals are thereby deprived of their sustenance. I haveupwards of thirty strong men employed in ranging this plain and wood,and during the last year they took for me four hundred head."

  "Indeed!--and how many did you lose in the same time?

  "Not above three hundred and eighty."

  "But very inferior?" said the Brahmin.

  "Why, no," replied he: "as my pastures are richer and more luxuriantthan his, two of my cattle are worth perhaps three of his."

  "Is this custom," asked the Brahmin, "an advantage or a tax on yourestate?"

  "A tax, indeed! Why it is worth from four to five hundred head a-year."

  "And how much is it worth to your neighbour?"

  "I presume nearly as much."

  "Do your vassals get rich by the bounty you give them?"

  "As to that matter, some who are lucky succeed very well, and the restmake a living by it."

  "And what do they give you for the privilege of hunting your neighbour'scattle?"

  "Nothing at all: I even lose my customary rent from those who engage init."

  "And it is the same case with your neighbour?"

  "Certainly," said he.

  "Then," said the Brahmin, "it seems to me, if you would agree to layaside this old custom, you would both be considerable gainers. I see youlook incredulous, but listen a moment. Each one would, in that case,instead of having half his neighbour's cattle, have all his own; and,being kept in their native pastures, they would be less likely to strayaway, and you could therefore slay and eat as you wanted them; whereas,in your hunting matches many more are either killed or maimed than arewanted for present use, and they are consequently consumed in waste. Youwould, moreover, be a gainer by the amount of the labour of these thirtyboors, whom you keep in this employment, and who very probably acquirehabits of ferocity, licentiousness, and waste, which are not veryfavourable to their obedience or fidelity."

  The proprietor, having pondered a while upon my friend's remarks, in atone of exultation said,--"Do you think, then, I could ever prevail onmy people to forbear, when they saw a likely flock, from laying violenthands on it; or could I resist so favourable an opportunity of revenge?Nay, more; if we were then tamely to tie up our hands, do you think thatBulderent and his men would consent to do the same? No, no, old man," hecontinued, with great self-complacency, "your arguments appear plausibleat first, but when closely considered, they will not stand the lest ofexperience. They are the fancies of a stranger--of one who knows more oftheory than practice. Had you lived longer among us, you would haveknown that your ingenious project could never be carried into execution.If I observed it, Bulderent would not; and if he observed it, I verilybelieve I could not--and thus, you see, the thing is altogetherimpracticable." As one soon tires of preaching to the winds, the Brahmincontented himself with asking his new acquaintance to think more on thesubject at his leisure; and we proceeded on our walk.