The works of Edgar Allan Poe; newly collected and edited, with a memoir, critical introductions, and notes, by Edmund Clarence Stedman and George Edward Woodberry; the illustrations by Albert Edward Sterner.

ADVENTURE OF ONE HANS PFAALL

contributed also to render me nearly incapable of
making any exertion for the preservation of my life.
I had, indeed, little power of reflection left, and the
violence of.the pain in my head seemed to be greatly
on the increase. Thus I found that my senses would
shortly give, way altogether, and I had already
clutched one of the valve ropes with the view of attempting a descent, when the recollection of the trick
I had played the three creditors, and the possible
consequences to myself, should I return, operated to
deter me for the moment. I lay down in the bottom
of the car, and endeavored to collect my faculties.
In this I so far succeeded as to determine upon the
experiment of losing blood. Having no lancet, however, I was constrained to perform the operation in
the best manner I was able, and finally succeeded in
opening a vein in my left arm with the blade of my
penknife. The blood had hardly commenced flowing
when I experienced a sensible relief, and by the time
I had lost about half a moderate basin-full, most of
the worst symptoms had abandoned me entirely. I
nevertheless did not think it expedient to attempt
getting on my feet immediately; but, having tied up
my arm as well as I could, I lay still for about a
quarter of an hour. At the end of this time I arose,
and found myself freer from absolute iain of any
kind than I had been during the last hour and a
quarter of my ascension. The difficulty of breathing,
however, was diminished in a very slight degree, and
I found that it would soon be positively necessary to
make use of my condenser. In the mean time, looking towards the cat, who was again snugly stowed
away upon my coat, I discovered, to my infinite surprise, that she had taken the opportunity of my
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