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Speaker 1: The owl's ear by Erkmann Chatran. On the twenty ninth

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day of July eighteen thirty five, Casper Bach, a shepherd

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of the little village of Hirschviller, with his large felt

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hat tipped back, his wallet of stringy sackcloth hanging at

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his hip, and his great tawny dog at his heels,

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presented himself at about nine o'clock in the evening at

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the house of the burgomaster Petras Moyer, who had just

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finished supper and was taking a little glass of Kerschwasser

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to facilitate digestion. His burgomaster was a tall, thin man

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and wore a bushy gray mustache. He had seen service

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in the armies of the Archduke Charles. He had a

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jovial disposition and ruled the village, it is said, with

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his finger and with the rod. Mister burgomaster cried the

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shepherd in evident excitement. But Petrus Moyeer, without awaiting the

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end of his speech, frowned and said, Casper Boch, begin

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by taking off your hat, put your dog out of

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the room, and then speak distinctly intelligibly, without stammering, so

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that I I may understand you. Hereupon the Burgomaster, standing

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near the table tranquility, emptied his little glass and wiped

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his great gray mustachios indifferently. Kasper put his dog out

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and came back with his hat off. Well, said Petrus,

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seeing that he was silent. What has happened? It happens

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that the spirit has appeared again in the ruins of Geyerstein. Ah,

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I doubt it. You've seen it yourself, very clearly, mister Burgomaster,

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without closing your eyes. Yes, mister Burgomaster, my eyes were

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wide open. There was plenty of moonlight. What form did

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it have? The form of a small man? Good? And

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turning toward the glass door at the left, catl cried

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the Burgomaster. An old serving woman opened the door, Sir,

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I'm going out for a walk on the hillside. Sit

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up for me until ten o'clock. Here's the key, yes, sir.

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Then the old soldier took down his gun from the

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hook over the door, examined the priming, and slung it over.

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Then he addressed Casper, back, go and tell the rural

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guard to meet me in the holly path and tell

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him behind the mill. Your spirit must be sum marauder.

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But if it's a fox I'll make a fine hood

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of it with long earlaps. Master Petris, Moyere and humble

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Casper then went out. The weather was superb, the stars innumerable.

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While the shepherd went to knock the rural guard's door,

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the burgomaster plunged among the elder bushes in a little

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lane that wound around behind the old church. Two minutes later,

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Casper and Hans Gerner, hunting knife at his side, by

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running overtook Master Petris in the holly path. All three

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made their way together toward the ruins of Geyerstein. These ruins,

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which are about twenty minutes walk from the village, seemed

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to be insignificant enough. They consist of the ridges of

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a few decrepit walls from four to six feet high,

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which extend among the briar bushes. Archaeologists call them the

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aqueducts of Serranus, the Roman camp of Holderlock, or vestiges

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of Theodoric. According to their fantasy. The only thing about

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these ruins which could be considered remarkable is a stairway

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to a cistern cut in the rock. Inside of this

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spiral staircase, instead of concentric circles which twist around with

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each complete turn. The involutions become wider as they proceed,

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in such a way that the bottom of the pit

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is three times as large as the opening. Is it

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an architectural freak, or did some reasonable cause determine such

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an odd construction? Eh, it matters little to us. The

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result was to cause in the cistern that vague reverberation

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which anyone may hear upon placing a shall at his ear,

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and to make you aware of the steps on the

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gravel path, murmurs of the air, rustling of the leaves,

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or even distant words spoken by people passing the foot

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of the hill. Our three personages then followed the pathway

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between the vineyards and gardens of Hirschfiller. I see nothing,

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the burgomaster would say, turning up his nose derisively. Nor

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I either the rural guard would repet imitating the other's tone.

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It's down in the hole, muttered the shepherd. We shall see,

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we shall see, returned the bergamaster. It was in this fashion,

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after a quarter of an hour, that they came upon

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the opening of the cistern. As I have said, the

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night was clear, limpid, and perfectly still. The moon portrayed

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as far as the eye could see, one of those

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nocturnal landscapes in bluish lines, studded with slim trees, the

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shadows of which seemed to have been drawn with a

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black crayon. The blooming brier and broom perfumed the air

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with a rather sharp odor, and the frogs of a

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neighboring swamp sang their oily anthem, interspersed with silences. But

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all these details escaped the notice of our good rustics.

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They thought of nothing but laying hands on the spirit.

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When they had reached the stairway, all three stopped and listened,

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then gazed into the dark shadows. Nothing appeared. Nothing stirred

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the devil, said the Burgomaster. We forgot to bring a

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bit of candle. Descend, Kaspar, You know the way better

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than I. I'll follow you. At this proposition, the shepherd

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promptly recoiled. If he had consulted his inclinations, the poor

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man would have taken flight. His pitiful expression made the

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Burgomaster burst out laughing. Ha, well, Hans, since he doesn't

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want to go down, show me the way, he said

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to the game warden er. But mister Burgermaster said the latter,

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you know very well that steps are missing. We should

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risk breaking our necks. Then what's to be done? Yes,

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what is to be done? Send your dog, replied Petrus.

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The shepherd whistled to his dog, showed him the stairway

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urged him, but he did not wish to take the

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chances any more than the others. At this moment, a

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bright idea struck the rural guardsman. Ah mister burgomaster said

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he you should fire your gun inside faith, cried the other.

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You're right, we shall catch a glimpse at least, And

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without hesitating, the worthy man approached the stairway and leveled

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his gun. But by the acoustic effect which I have

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already pointed out, the spirit the marauder, the individual who

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chanced to be actually in the cistern, had heard everything.

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The idea of stopping a gunshot did not strike him

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as amusing, for in a shrill, piercing voice, he cried, stop,

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don't fire, I'm coming. Then the three functionaries looked at

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each other and laughed softly, and the burgomaster, leaning over

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the opening again, cried, rudely, be quick about it, you varlet,

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or I'll shoot. Be quick about it. He cocked his gun,

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and the click seemed to hasten the ascent of the

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mysterious person. They heard him rolling down some stones. Nevertheless,

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it still took him another minute before he appeared the cistern,

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being at a depth of sixty feet. What was this

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man doing in such deep darkness? He must be some

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great criminal, so at least, thought Petrus Marier and his acolytes.

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At last a vague form could be discerned in the dark. Then, slowly,

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by degrees, a little man four and a half feet

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high at the most frail, ragged, his face withered and yellow,

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his eye gleaming like a magpie's, and his hair tangled,

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came out shouting, by what right do you come to

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disturb my studies, wretched creatures? This grandiose apostrophe was scarcely

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in accord with his costume and physiognomy. Accordingly, the burgomaster

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indignantly replied, try to show that your honest you knave,

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or I'll begin by administering a correction. Like correction, said

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the little man, leaping with anger and drawing himself up

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under the nose of the burgomaster. Yes, replied the other,

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who nevertheless did not fail to admire the pigmy's courage.

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If you do not answer the questions satisfactorily, I'm going

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to put to you I am the Burgomaster of Hirschviller.

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Here are the rural guard, the shepherd and his dog.

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We are stronger than you. Be wise and tell me

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peaceably who you are, what you're doing here, and why

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you do not dare to appear in broad daylight. Then

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we shall see what's to be done with you. All

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that's none of your business, replied the little man in

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his craw I shall not answer in that case. Forward march,

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ordered the burgomaster, who grasped him firmly by the nape

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of the neck. You're going to sleep in prison, the

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little man writhed, like a weasel. He even tried to bite,

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and the dog was sniffing at the calves of his legs.

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When quite exhausted, he said, not without a certain dignity,

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let go, sir, I surrender to superior force. I'm yours.

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The burgomaster, who was not entirely lacking in good breeding,

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became calmer. Do you promise, said he? I promise very well,

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walk in front, And that is how on the night

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of the twenty ninth of July eighteen thirty five, the

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burgomaster took captive a little red haired man issuing from

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the cavern of Geyerstein. Upon arriving at Hirschfiller, the rural

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guard ran to find the key of the prison, and

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the vagabond was locked in and double locked, not to

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forget the outside bolt and padlock. Everyone could then repose

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after his fatigues, and Petrus Moriere went to bed and

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dreamed till midnight of this singular adventure. On the morrow,

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toward nine o'clock hens Gerner, the rural guard, having been

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ordered to bring the prisoner to the town house for

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another examination, repaired to the cooler with poor Husky dare devils.

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They opened the door, all of them curious to look

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upon the will of the wisp. But imagine their astonishment

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upon seeing him hanging from the bars of the window

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by his neck tie. Some said he was still writhing,

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others that he was already stiff, however that may be.

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They ran to Petris Moriere's house to inform him of

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the fact. And what is certain is that upon the

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latter's arrival, the little man had breathed his last. The

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justice of the peace, and the doctor of Hurstfiller drew

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up a formal statement of the catastrophe. Then they buried

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the Unknown in a field of meadow grass, and it

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was all over. Now. About three weeks after these occurrences,

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I went to see my cousin Petrus Mariere, whose nearest

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relative I was, and consequently his heir. This circumstance sustained

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an intimate acquaintance between us. We were at dinner, talking

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on indifferent matters, when the burgomaster recounted the foregoing little story,

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as I have just reported it tis strange, cousin, I said,

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truly strange. And you have no other information concerning the Unknown, none,

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And you have found nothing which could give you a

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clue as to his purpose, Absolutely nothing Christian. But as

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a matter of fact, what could he have been doing

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in the cistern? On? What did he live? The Burgomaster

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shrugged his shoulders, refilled our glasses, and replied, with to

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your health, cousin, to yours. We remained silent a few minutes.

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It was impossible for me to accept the abrupt conclusion

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of the adventure, and in spite of myself, I mused

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with some melancholy on the sad fate of certain men

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who appear and disappear in this world like the grass

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of the field, without leaving the least memory or the

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least regret. Cousin, I resumed, how far may it be

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from here to the ruins of Geyerstein in a twenty

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minutes walk at most? Why? Because I should like to

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see them. You know that we have a meeting of

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the municipal council, and I cannot accompany you. Oh, I

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can find them by myself. No, the rural guard will

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show you the way. He has nothing better to do.

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And my worthy cousin, having wrapped on his glass, called

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his servant Catel, go and find Hans Groner. Let him

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hurry and get here. By two o'clock. I must be going.

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The servant went out, and the rural guard was not

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tardy in coming. He was directed to take me to

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the ruins, while the burgomaster proceeded gravely toward the hall

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of the Municipal Council. We were already climbing the hill.

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Hans Gerner, with a wave of the hand, indicated the

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remains of the aqueduct. At the same moment, the rocky

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ribs of the plateau, the blue distances of hunsrick, the

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sad crumbling walls covered with somber ivy, the tolling of

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the Hirschfeler bell summoning the notables to the council, the

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rural guardsman panting and catching at the brambles, assumed in

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my eyes a sad and severe hinge for which I

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could not account. It was the story of the hanged

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man which took the color out of the prospect. The

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cistern staircase struck me as being exceedingly curious, with its

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elegant spiral, the bushes bristling in the fissures at every step,

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the deserted aspect of its surroundings, all harmonized with my sadness.

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We descended, and soon the luminous point of the opening,

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which seemed to contract more and more and to take

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the shape of a star with curved rays, alone, sent

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us its pale light. When we attained the very bottom

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of the cistern, we found a superb sight was to

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be had of all those steps, lighted from above and

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cutting off their shadows with marvelous precision. I then heard

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the hum of which I have already spoken. The immense

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granite conch had as many echoes as stones. Has nobody

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been down here since the little man, I asked the

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rural guardsman. No, sir, the peasants are afraid. They imagine

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that the hanged man will return. And you, Oh, I'm

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just notus. But the justice, the piece, His duty was

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to ha What could he have come to the owl's ear?

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For they call this the owl's ear. Yes, that's pretty near, it,

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said I, raising my eyes. This reverse vault forms the

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pavilion well enough. The underside of the steps makes the

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covering for the tympanum, and the winding of the staircase,

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the cochlea, the labyrinth, and the vestibule of the ear.

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That is the cause of the murmur which we hear.

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We are at the back of a colossal ear. Oh,

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very likely, said Hans Gerner, who did not seem to

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have understood my observations. We started up again, and I

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had ascended the first steps when I felt something crush

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under my feet. I stopped to see what it could be,

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and at that moment perceived a white object before me.

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It was a torn sheet of paper. As for the

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hard object which I had felt grinding up, I recognized

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it as a sort of glazed earthenware. Jug Aha, I

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said to myself, this may clear up the burgomaster's story.

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I rejoined Hans Gerner, who was now waiting for me

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at the edge of the pit. Now, Sir, cried he,

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where would you like to go? First, let's sit down

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for a while. We shall see. Presently I sat down

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on a large stone, while the rural guard cast his

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falcon eyes over the village to see if there chance

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to be any trespassers in the gardens. I carefully examined

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the glazed face, of which nothing but splinters remained. These

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fragments presented the appearance of a funnel lined with wool.

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It was impossible for me to perceive its purpose. I

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then read the piece of a letter written in an

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easy running and firm hand. I transcribe it here below

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word for word. It seems to follow the other half

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of the sheet for which I looked vainly all about

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the ruins. My microacoustic ear trumpet thus has the double

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advantage of infinitely multiplying the intensity of sounds, and of

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introducing them into the ear without causing the observer the

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least discomfort. You would never have imagined, dear Master, the

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charm which one feels in perceiving these thousands of impercepti sounds,

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which are confounded on a fine summer day in an

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immense murmuring. The bumble bee has his song as well

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as the nightingale. The honey bee is the warbler of

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the mosses. The cricket is the lark of the tall grasses.

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The maggot is the wren. It has only a sigh,

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but the sigh is melodious. This discovery, from the point

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of view of sentiment, which makes us live in the

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universal life, surpasses in its importance all that I could

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say on the matter. After so much suffering, privations and weariness,

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How happy it makes one to reap the rewards of

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all his labors, How the soul's sores toward the divine

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author of all these microscopic worlds, the magnificent of which

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is revealed to us. Where now are the long hours

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of anguish, hunger, contempt which overwhelmed us before? Gone, Sir, gone,

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tears of gratitude moist in our eyes. One is proud

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to have achieved through suffering, new joys for humanity, and

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to have contributed to its mental development. But howsoever vast,

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howsoever admirable, may be the first fruits of my microcoustic

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ear trumpet. These do not delimit its advantages. There are

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more positive ones, more material and ones which may be

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expressed in figures. Just as a telescope brought the discovery

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of myriads of worlds performing their harmonious revolutions in infinite space,

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so also will my microcoustic ear trumpet extend the sense

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of the unhearable beyond all possible bounds. Thus, Sir, the

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circulation of the blood and the fluids of the body

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will not give me pause. You shall hear them flow

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with the impetuosity of cataracts. You shall perceive them so

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distinctly as to startle you. The slightest irregularity of the pulse,

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the least obstacle is striking and produces the same effect

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as a rock against which the waves of a torrent

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are dashing. It is doubtless an immense conquest in the

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development of our knowledge of physiology and pathology. But this

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is not the point on which I would emphasize. Upon

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applying your ear to the ground, sir, you may hear

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the mineral waters springing up it immeasurable depths. You may

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judge of their volume, their currents, and the obstacles which

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they meet. Do you wish to go further enter a

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subterranean vault which is so constructed as to gather a

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quantity of loud sounds, Then at night, when the world sleeps,

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when nothing will be confused with the interior noises of

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our globe. Listen, sir, all that is possible for me

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to tell you at the present moment, For in the

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midst of my profound misery, of my privations, and often

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of my despair, I am left only a few lucid

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instants to pursue my geological observations. All that I can

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affirm is that the seething of glow worms, the explosions

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of boiling fluids, is something terrifying and sublime, which can

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only be compared to the impression of the astronomer, whose

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glass fathoms depths of limitless extent. Nevertheless, I must avow

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that these impressions should be studied further and classified in

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a methodological manner, in order that definite conclusions may be

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derived therefrom Likewise, as soon as you shall have deemed

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dear and noble Master to transmit the little sum for

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the use at Neustadt as I asked to supply my

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first needs. We shall see our way to an understanding

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in regard to the establishment of three great subterranean observatories,

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one in the valley of Catania, another in Iceland, then

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a third in kapak Urun Songay or cayambe uruin the

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deepest of the Cordilleras. And consequently here the letter stopped.

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I let my hands fall in stupefaction. Had I read

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the conceptions of an idiot or the inspirations of a

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genius which had been realized? What am I to say

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to think? So this man, this miserable creature, living at

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the bottom of a burrow like a fox dying of hunger,

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had had perhaps one of those inspirations which the Supreme

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Being sent on earth to enlighten future generations. And this

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man had hanged himself in disgust despair. No one had

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answered his prayer, though he'd asked only for a crust

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of bread in exchange for his discovery. It was horrible,

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long long I sat there, dreaming, thanking Heaven for having

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limited my intelligence to the needs of ordinary life, for

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not having desired to make me a superior man in

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the community of martyrs. At length, the Royal Guardsman, seeing

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me with fixed gaze and mouth agape, made so bold

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as to touch me on the shoulder. Mister Christian said,

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he see it's getting late. The Burgomaster must have come

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back from the council. Ha, that's a fact, cried I,

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crumpling up the paper. Come on we descended the hill.

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My worthy cousin met me with a smiling face at

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the threshold of his house. Well, well, Christian, so you've

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found no trace of the imbecile who hanged himself. No

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I thought as much. He was some lunatic who escaped

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from Stephensfield or somewhere. Faith he did well to hang himself.

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When one is good for nothing, that's the simplest way

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for it. The following day I left Hirschfiller, I shall

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never return, and of the owl's ear