The Five Jars Read online

  II

  THE FIRST JAR

  That night I waited till the moon was up before trying to open the box.I do not well know why, but it seemed the right thing, and I followed myinstinct, feeling that it might be the plant that made me think as Idid. I drew up the blind and laid the box on a table near the window,where the moon shone full on it, and waited to see if anything elseoccurred to me. Suddenly I heard a sort of metallic snap. I went andlooked at the box. Nothing appeared on the side nearest to me--but whenI turned it round I saw that all along the side which the moon had shoneupon there was a line along the metal. I turned another side to themoonlight, and another snap came in two or three minutes. Of course Iwent on. When the moon had made a groove on all four sides, I tried thelid. It would not come off yet, so there was nothing to be done butcontinue the process. Three times I did it: every side I turned to themoon thrice, and when that was done the lid was free. I lifted it, andwhat did I see in the box? All this writing would be very little use ifI did not tell you, so it must be done.

  There were five compartments in the box: in each of them was a littlejar or vase of glass with a round body, a narrow neck, and spreading outa little at the top. The top of each was covered with a plate of metaland on each plate was a word or two in capital letters. On the one inthe middle there were the words _unge oculos_, the other jars had oneword apiece, _aures_, _linguam_, _frontem_, _pectus_.

  Now, years ago, I took great pains to learn the Latin language, and onmany occasions I have found it _most useful_, whatever you may see tothe contrary in the newspaper: but seldom or never have I found it moreuseful than now. I saw at once that the words meant _anoint the eyes_,_the ears_, _the tongue_, _the forehead_, _the chest_. What would be theresult of my doing this, of course I knew no more than you: but I waspretty sure that it would not do to try them all at once, and anotherthing I felt, that it would be better to wait till next day beforetrying any of them. It was past midnight now, so I went to bed: butfirst I locked up the box in a cupboard, for I did not want anyone tosee it as yet.

  * * * * *

  Next day I woke bright and early, looked at my watch, found there was noneed to think about getting up yet, and, like a wise creature, went tosleep again. I mention this, not merely by way of being jocose, butbecause after I went to sleep I had a dream which most likely came fromthe plant and certainly had to do with the box.

  I seemed to see a room, or to be in a room about which I only noticedthat the floor was paved with mosaic in a pattern mostly red and white,that there were no pictures on the walls and no fireplace, no sashes orindeed panes in the window, and the moon was shining in very bright.There was a table and a chest. Then I saw an old man, rather badlyshaved and bald, in a Roman dress, white for the most part, with apurple stripe somewhere, and sandals. He looked by no means a wicked ordesigning old man. I was glad of that. He opened the chest, took out mybox, and placed it carefully on the table in the moonlight. Then he wentto a part of the room I could not see, and I heard a sound of waterbeing poured into a metal basin, and he came into sight again, wipinghis hands on a white towel. He opened the box, took out a little silverspoon and one of the jars, took off the lid and dipped the spoon in thejar and touched first his right eye and then his left with it. Then heput the jar and the spoon back, laid the lid on the box and put it backin the chest. After that he went to the window and stood there lookingout, and seemed to be very much amused with what he saw. That was all.

  "Hints for me," I remember thinking. "Perhaps it will be best not totouch the box before the moon is up to-night, and always with washedhands." I suppose I woke up immediately, for it was all very fresh in mymind when I did.

  It was something of a disappointment to have to put off my experimentstill the night came round. But it was all for the best, for letters cameby the post which I had to attend to: in fact, I was obliged to go tothe town a little way off to see someone and to send telegrams and soon. I was a little doubtful about the seeing things underground, but Isoon found that unless I--so to say--turned on the tap, and speciallywished and tried to use the power, it did not interfere with my ordinaryseeing. When I did, it seemed to come forward from the back of my eyes,and was stronger than the day before. I could see rabbits in theirburrows and followed the roots of one oak-tree very deep down. Once itthreatened to be awkward, when I stooped to pick up a silver coin in thestreet, and grazed my knuckle against a paving stone, under which, ofcourse, it was.

  So much for that. By the way, I had taken a look at the box afterbreakfast, I found (not very much to my surprise) that the lid was astight on it as when I found it first.

  After dinner that evening I put out the light--the moon being nowbright--placed the box on the table, washed my hands, opened it and,shutting my eyes, put my hand on one of the jars at random and took itout. As I had rather expected, I heard a little rattle as I did so, andfeeling in the compartment, I found a little, a very little, spoon. Allwas well. Now to see which jar chance or the plant had chosen for myfirst experiment. I took it to the window: it was the one marked_aures_--ears--and the spoon had on the handle a letter A. I opened thejar. The lid fitted close but not over tightly. I put in the spoon asthe old man had done, as near as I could remember. It brought out a verysmall drop of thick stuff with which I touched first my right ear andthen my left. When I had done so I looked at the spoon. It was perfectlydry. I put it and the jar back, closed the box, locked it up, and, notknowing in the least what to expect, went to the open window and put myhead out.

  For some little time I heard nothing. That was to be expected, and I wasnot in the least inclined to distrust the jar. Then I was rewarded; abat flew by, and I, who have not heard a bat even squeak these twentyyears, now heard this one say in a whistling angry tone, "Would you,would you, _I've_ got you--no, drat, drat." It was not a very excitingremark, but it was enough to show me that a whole new world (as thebooks say) was open to me.

  This, of course, was only a beginning. There were some plants andflowering shrubs under the window, and though I could see nothing, Ibegan to hear voices--two voices--talking among them. They soundedyoung: of course they were anyhow very small, but they seemed to belongto young creatures of their kind.

  "Hullo, I say, what have you got there? Do let's look; you might aswell."

  Then a pause--another voice: "I believe it's a bad one."

  _Number one_: "Taste it."

  _Number two_, after another pause, with a slight sound (very diminutive)of spitting: "Heugh! bad! I should rather think it was. Maggot!"

  _Number one_ (after laughing rather longer than I thought kind): "Lookhere--don't chuck it away--let's give it to the old man. Here--shove thepiece in again and rub it over--here he is!" (Very demurely): "O sir,we've got such a nice-looking----" (_I could not catch what it was_)"here; we thought you might perhaps like it, sir. Would you, sir?... Ohno, thank you, sir, we've had plenty, sir, but this was the biggest wefound."

  A third voice said something; it was a deeper one and less easy to hear.

  _Number two_: "Bitten, sir? Oh no, I don't think so. Do you ----?" (_aname which I did not make out_).

  _Number one_: "Why, how could it be?"

  _Number three_ again--angry, I thought.

  _Number two_ (rather anxiously): "But, sir, really, sir, I don't muchlike them.... Must I really, sir?... O _sir_, it's got a maggot in it,and I believe they're poison." (_Smack, smack, smack, smack._)

  Two voices, very lamentable: "O _sir_, sir, please sir!"

  A considerable pause, and sniffing. Then _Number two_, in a brokenvoice: "You silly fool, why did you go laughing like that right underhis snout? You might have known he'd cog it." ("Cog." I had not heardthe word since 1876.) "There'll be an awful row to-morrow. Look here, Ishall go to bed."

  The voices died away; I thought _Number one_ seemed to be apologizing.

  That was all I heard _that_ night. After eleven o'clock things seemed toget very still, and I began to feel just
a little apprehensive lestsomething of a less innocent kind should come along. So I went to bed.