ed afterwards, they simply wanted to gratify their curiosity about
us.

Here we learned, for the first time, that we were under police
supervision, the police being represented by an individual clad in a
suit of white clothes, and possessing a very fresh complexion, and a
pair of long moustaches. He was an agent of the secret police, and had
followed us from Bombay. On learning this flattering piece of news,
the colonel burst into a loud laugh; which only made us still more
suspicious in the eyes of all these Anglo-Indians, enjoying a quiet and
dignified meal. As to me, I was very disagreeably impressed by this bit
of news, I must confess, and wished this unpleasant dinner was over.

The train for Allahabad was to leave at eight P.M., and we were to
spend the night in the railway carriage. We had ten reserved seats in a
first-class carriage, and had made sure that no strange passengers would
enter it, but, nevertheless, there were many reasons which made me think
I could not sleep this night. So I obtained a provision of candles
for my reading lamp, and making myself comfortable on my couch, began
reading the pamphlet of Dr. Paul, which interested me greatly.

Amongst many other interesting things, Dr. Paul explains very fully and
learnedly the mystery of the periodical suspension of breathing, and
some other seemingly impossible phenomena, practised by the Yogis.

Here is his theory in brief. The Yogis have discovered the reason of the
wondrous capacity of the chameleon to assume the appearance of plumpness
or of leanness. This animal looks enormous when his lungs are filled
with air, but in his normal condition he is quite insignificant. Many
other reptiles as well acquire the possibility of swimming across large
rivers quite easily by the same process. And the air that remains in
their lungs, after the blood has been fully oxygenated, makes them
extraordinarily lively on dry land and in the water. The capacity of
storing up an extraordinary provision of air is a characteristic feature
of all the animals that are subjected to hibernation.

The Hindu Yogis studied this capacity, and perfected and developed it in
themselves.

The means by which they acquire it--known under the name of Bhastrika
Kumbhala--consist of the following: The Yogi isolates himself in an
underground cave, where the atmosphere is more uniform and more damp
than on the surface of the earth: this causes the appetite to grow less.
Man's appetit