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it； it popped right out of my brain to the tip of my tongue。
'Stacy；' I said right out loud。 'Joseph Stacy。' That was it。 Get
my drive？
〃You only tell me about them scars what thousands of men know。 I
don't know how you got the information； I guess you don't know
yourself。 That ain't my lookout。 But there she is。 Telling me
what many knows buys nothing with me。 You got to deliver a whole
lot more than that to make me swallow the rest of your whoppers。〃
Hamilton's Law of Parsimony in the weighing of evidence！ So
intrinsically was this slum…bred convict a scientist； that he had
worked out Hamilton's law and rigidly applied it。
And yetand the incident is deliciousJake Oppenheimer was
intellectually honest。 That night； as I was dozing off； he called
me with the customary signal。
〃Say； Professor； you said you saw me wiggling my loose tooth。 That
has got my goat。 That is the one thing I can't figure out any way
you could know。 It only went loose three days ago； and I ain't
whispered it to a soul。〃
CHAPTER XXI
Pascal somewhere says： 〃In viewing the march of human evolution；
the philosophic mind should look upon humanity as one man； and not
as a conglomeration of individuals。〃
I sit here in Murderers' Row in Folsom； the drowsy hum of flies in
my ears as I ponder that thought of Pascal。 It is true。 Just as
the human embryo； in its brief ten lunar months； with bewildering
swiftness； in myriad forms and semblances a myriad times multiplied；
rehearses the entire history of organic life from vegetable to man；
just as the human boy； in his brief years of boyhood； rehearses the
history of primitive man in acts of cruelty and savagery； from
wantonness of inflicting pain on lesser creatures to tribal
consciousness expressed by the desire to run in gangs； just so； I；
Darrell Standing； have rehearsed and relived all that primitive man
was； and did； and became until he became even you and me and the
rest of our kind in a twentieth century civilization。
Truly do we carry in us； each human of us alive on the planet to…
day； the incorruptible history of life from life's beginning。 This
history is written in our tissues and our bones； in our functions
and our organs； in our brain cells and in our spirits； and in all
sorts of physical and psychic atavistic urgencies and compulsions。
Once we were fish…like； you and I； my reader； and crawled up out of
the sea to pioneer in the great； dry…land adventure in the thick of
which we are now。 The marks of the sea are still on us； as the
marks of the serpent are still on us； ere the serpent became serpent
and we became we； when pre…serpent and pre…we were one。 Once we
flew in the air； and once we dwelt arboreally and were afraid of the
dark。 The vestiges remain； graven on you and me； and graven on our
seed to come after us to the end of our time on earth。
What Pascal glimpsed with the vision of a seer； I have lived。 I
have seen myself that one man contemplated by Pascal's philosophic
eye。 Oh； I have a tale； most true； most wonderful； most real to me；
although I doubt that I have wit to tell it； and that you； my
reader； have wit to perceive it when told。 I say that I have seen
myself that one man hinted at by Pascal。 I have lain in the long
trances of the jacket and glimpsed myself a thousand living men
living the thousand lives that are themselves the history of the
human man climbing upward through the ages。
Ah； what royal memories are mine； as I flutter through the aeons of
the long ago。 In single jacket trances I have lived the many lives
involved in the thousand…years…long Odysseys of the early drifts of
men。 Heavens； before I was of the flaxen…haired Aesir； who dwelt in
Asgard； and before I was of the red…haired Vanir； who dwelt in
Vanaheim； long before those times I have memories （living memories）
of earlier drifts； when； like thistledown before the breeze； we
drifted south before the face of the descending polar ice…cap。
I have died of frost and famine； fight and flood。 I have picked
berries on the bleak backbone of the world； and I have dug roots to
eat from the fat…soiled fens and meadows。 I have scratched the
reindeer's semblance and the semblance of the hairy mammoth on ivory
tusks gotten of the chase and on the rock walls of cave shelters
when the winter storms moaned outside。 I have cracked marrow…bones
on the sites of kingly cities that had perished centuries before my
time or that were destined to be builded centuries after my passing。
And I have left the bones of my transient carcasses in pond bottoms；
and glacial gravels； and asphaltum lakes。
I have lived through the ages known to…day among the scientists as
the Paleolithic； the Neolithic； and the Bronze。 I remember when
with our domesticated wolves we herded our reindeer to pasture on
the north shore of the Mediterranean where now are France and Italy
and Spain。 This was before the ice…sheet melted backward toward the
pole。 Many processions of the equinoxes have I lived through and
died in； my reader 。 。 。 only that I remember and that you do not。
I have been a Son of the Plough； a Son of the Fish； a Son of the
Tree。 All religions from the beginnings of man's religious time
abide in me。 And when the Dominie； in the chapel； here in Folsom of
a Sunday； worships God in his own good modern way； I know that in
him； the Dominie； still abide the worships of the Plough； the Fish；
the Treeay； and also all worships of Astarte and the Night。
I have been an Aryan master in old Egypt； when my soldiers scrawled
obscenities on the carven tombs of kings dead and gone and forgotten
aforetime。 And I； the Aryan master in old Egypt； have myself
builded my two burial placesthe one a false and mighty pyramid to
which a generation of slaves could attest； the other humble； meagre；
secret； rock…hewn in a desert valley by slaves who died immediately
their work was done。 。 。 。 And I wonder me here in Folsom； while
democracy dreams its enchantments o'er the twentieth century world；
whether there； in the rock…hewn crypt of that secret； desert valley；
the bones still abide that once were mine and that stiffened my
animated body when I was an Aryan master high…stomached to command。
And on the great drift； southward and eastward under the burning sun
that perished all descendants of the houses of Asgard and Vanaheim；
I have been a king in Ceylon； a builder of Aryan monuments under
Aryan kings in old Java and old Sumatra。 And I have died a hundred
deaths on the great South Sea drift ere ever the rebirth of me came
to plant monuments； that only Aryans plant； on volcanic tropic
islands that I； Darrell Standing； cannot name； being too little
versed to…day in that far sea geography。
If only I were articulate to paint in the frail medium of words what
I see and know and possess incorporated in my consciousness of the
mighty driftage of the races in the times before our present written
history began！ Yes； we had our history even then。 Our old men； our
priests； our wise ones； told our history into tales and wrote those
tales in the stars so that our seed after us should not forget。
From the sky came the life…giving rain and the sunlight。 And we
studied the sky； learned from the stars to calculate time and
apportion the seasons； and we named the stars after our heroes and
our foods and our devices for getting food； and after our
wanderings； and drifts； and adventures； and after our functions and
our furies of impulse and desire。
And； alas！ we thought the heavens unchanging on which we wrote all
our humble yearnings and all the humble things we did or dreamed of
doing。 When I was a Son of the Bull； I remember me a lifetime I
spent at star…gazing。 And； later and earlier； there were other
lives in which I sang with the priests and bards the taboo…songs of
the stars wherein we believed was written our imperishable record。
And here； at the end of it all； I pore over books of astronomy from
the prison library； such as they allow condemned men to read； and
learn that even the heavens are passing fluxes； vexed with star…
driftage as the earth is by the drifts of men。
Equipped with this modern knowledge； I have； returning through the
little death from my earlier lives； been able to compare the heavens
then and now。 And the stars do change。 I have seen pole stars and
pole stars and dynasties of pole stars。 The pole star to…day is in
Ursa Minor。 Yet； in those far days I have seen the pole star in
Draco； in Hercules； in Vega； in Cygnus； and in Cepheus。 No； not
even the stars abide； and yet the memory and the knowledge of them
abides in me； in the spirit of me that is memory and that is
eternal。 Only spirit abides。 All else； being mere matter； passes；
and must pass。
Oh； I do see myself to…day that one man who appeared in the elder
world； blonde； ferocious； a