CHAPTER II.

Of what use were wings to a man fast bound in chains of iron? They would
but increase the horror of his despair. Like the dragon guarding his
treasure, I remained cut off from all human intercourse, and starving
amidst my very gold, for it gave me no pleasure: I anathematized it as
the source of all my wretchedness.

Sole depository of my fearful secret, I trembled before the meanest of
my attendants, whom, at the same time, I envied; for he possessed a
shadow, and could venture to go out in the day-time, while I shut myself
up in my room day and night, and indulged in all the bitterness of
grief.

One individual, however, was daily pining away before my eyes--my
faithful Bendel, who was the victim of silent self-reproach, tormenting
himself with the idea that he had betrayed the confidence reposed in him
by a good master, in failing to recognize the individual in quest of
whom he had been sent, and with whom he had been led to believe that my
melancholy fate was closely connected. Still, I had nothing to accuse
him with, as I recognized in the occurrence the mysterious character of
the unknown.

In order to leave no means untried, I one day despatched Bendel with a
costly ring to the most celebrated artist in the town, desiring him to
wait upon me. He came; and, dismissing the attendants, I secured the
door, placing myself opposite to him, and, after extolling his art, with
a heavy heart came to the point, first enjoining the strictest secrecy.

"For a person," said I, "who most unfortunately has lost his shadow,
could you paint a false one?"

"Do you speak of the natural shadow?"

"Precisely so."

"But," he asked, "by what awkward negligence can a man have lost his
shadow?"

"How it occurred," I answered, "is of no consequence; but it was in this
manner"--(and here I uttered an unblushing falsehood)--"he was
travelling in Russia last winter, and one bitterly cold day it froze so
intensely, that his shadow remained so fixed to the ground, that it was
found impossible to remove it."

"The false shadow that I might paint," said the artist, "would be liable
to be lost on the slightest movement, particularly in a person who, from
your account, cares so little about his shadow. A person without a
shadow should keep out of the sun, that is the only safe and rational
plan."

He arose and took his leave, casting so penetrating a look at me that
I shrank from it. I sank back in my chair, and hid my face in my hands.

In this attitude Bendel found me, and was about to withdraw silently and
respectfully on seeing me in such a state of grief: looking up,
overwhelmed with my sorrows, I felt that I must communicate them to him.
" Bendel," I exclaimed, "Bendel, thou the only being who seest and
respectest my grief too much to inquire into its cause--thou who seemest
silently and sincerely to sympathize with me--come and share my
confidence. The extent of my wealth I have not withheld from thee,
neither will I conceal from thee the extent of my grief. Bendel! forsake
me not. Bendel, you see me rich, free, beneficent; you fancy all the
world in my power; yet you must have observed that I shun it, and avoid
all human intercourse. You think, Bendel, that the world and I are at
variance; and you yourself, perhaps, will abandon me, when I acquaint
you with this fearful secret. Bendel, I am rich, free, generous; but,
O God, I have NO SHADOW!

"No shadow!" exclaimed the faithful young man, tears starting from his
eyes. "Alas! that I am born to serve a master without a shadow!" He was
silent, and again I hid my face in my hands.

"Bendel," at last I tremblingly resumed, "you have now my confidence;
you may betray me--go--bear witness against me!"

He seemed to be agitated with conflicting feelings; at last he threw
himself at my feet and seized my hand, which he bathed with his tears.

"No," he exclaimed; "whatever the world may say, I neither can nor will
forsake my excellent master because he has lost his shadow. I will
rather do what is right than what may seem prudent. I will remain with
you--I will shade you with my own shadow--I will assist you when I
can--and when I cannot, I will weep with you."

I fell upon his neck, astonished at sentiments so unusual; for it was
very evident that he was not prompted by the love of money.

My mode of life and my fate now became somewhat different. It is
incredible with what provident foresight Bendel contrived to conceal my
deficiency. Everywhere he was before me, and with me, providing against
every contingency, and in cases of unlooked-for danger, flying to shield
me with his own shadow, for he was taller and stouter than myself. Thus
I once more ventured among mankind, and began to take a part in worldly
affairs. I was compelled, indeed, to affect certain peculiarities and
whims; but in a rich man they seem only appropriate; and so long as the
truth was kept concealed I enjoyed all the honor and respect which gold
could procure.

I now looked forward with more composure to the promised visit of the
mysterious unknown at the expiration of the year and a day.

I was very sensible that I could not venture to remain long in a place
where I had once been seen without a shadow, and where I might easily
be betrayed; and perhaps, too, I recollected my first introduction to
Mr. John, and this was by no means a pleasing reminiscence. However, I
wished just to make a trial here, that I might with greater ease and
security visit some other place. But my vanity for some time withheld
me, for it is in this quality of our race that the anchor takes the
firmest hold.

Even the lovely Fanny, whom I again met in several places, without her
seeming to recollect that she had ever seen me before, bestowed some
notice on me; for wit and understanding were mine in abundance now. When
I spoke, I was listened to; and I was at a loss to know how I had so
easily acquired the art of commanding attention, and giving the tone to
the conversation.

The impression which I perceived I had made upon this fair one
completely turned my brain; and this was just what she wished. After
that, I pursued her with infinite pains through every obstacle. My
vanity was only intent on exciting hers to make a conquest of me; but
although the intoxication disturbed my head, it failed to make the least
impression on my heart.

But why detail to you the oft-repeated story which I have so often heard
from yourself?

However, in the old and well-known drama in which I played so worn-out
a part, a catastrophe occurred of quite a peculiar nature, in a manner
equally unexpected to her, to me, and to everybody.

One beautiful evening I had, according to my usual custom, assembled a
party in a garden, and was walking arm-in-arm with Fanny at a little
distance from the rest of the company, and pouring into her ear the
usual well-turned phrases, while she was demurely gazing on vacancy, and
now and then gently returning the pressure of my hand. The moon suddenly
emerged from behind a cloud at our back. Fanny perceived only her own
shadow before us. She started, looked at me with terror, and then again
on the ground, in search of my shadow. All that was passing in her mind
was so strangely depicted in her countenance, that I should have burst
into a loud fit of laughter had I not suddenly felt my blood run cold
within me. I suffered her to fall from my arm in a fainting-fit; shot
with the rapidity of an arrow through the astonished guests, reached the
gate, threw myself into the first conveyance I met with, and returned
to the town, where this time, unfortunately, I had left the wary Bendel.
He was alarmed on seeing me: one word explained all. Post-horses were
immediately procured. I took with me none of my servants, one cunning
knave only excepted, called Rascal, who had by his adroitness become
very serviceable to me, and who at present knew nothing of what had
occurred. I travelled thirty leagues that night; having left Bendel
behind to discharge my servants, pay my debts, and bring me all that was
necessary.

When he came up with me next day, I threw myself into his arms, vowing
to avoid such follies and to be more careful for the future.

We pursued our journey uninterruptedly over the frontiers and mountains;
and it was not until I had placed this lofty barrier between myself and
the before- mentioned unlucky town that I was persuaded to recruit
myself after my fatigues in a neighboring and little-frequented
watering-place.

I must now pass rapidly over one period of my history, on which how
gladly would I dwell, could I conjure up your lively powers of
delineation! But the vivid hues which are at your command, and which
alone can give life and animation to the picture, have left no trace
within me; and were I now to endeavor to recall the joys, the griefs,
the pure and enchanting emotions, which once held such powerful dominion
in my breast, it would be like striking a rock which yields no longer
the living spring, and whose spirit has fled for ever. With what an
altered aspect do those bygone days now present themselves to my gaze!

In this watering-place I acted an heroic character, badly studied; and
being a novice on such a stage, I forgot my part before a pair of lovely
blue eyes.

All possible means were used by the infatuated parents to conclude the
bargain; and deception put an end to these usual artifices. And that is
all--all.

The powerful emotions which once swelled my bosom seem now in the
retrospect to be poor and insipid, nay, even terrible to me.

Alas, Minna! as I wept for thee the day I lost thee, so do I now weep
that I can no longer retrace thine image in my soul.

Am I, then, so far advanced into the vale of years? O fatal effects of
maturity! would that I could feel one throb, one emotion of former days
of enchantment-- alas, not one! a solitary being, tossed on the wild
ocean of life--it is long since I drained thine enchanted cup to the
dregs!

But to return to my narrative. I had sent Bendel to the little town with
plenty of money to procure me a suitable habitation. He spent my gold
profusely; and as he expressed himself rather reservedly concerning his
distinguished master (for I did not wish to be named), the good people
began to form rather extraordinary conjectures.

As soon as my house was ready for my reception, Bendel returned to
conduct me to it. We set out on our journey. About a league from the
town, on a sunny plain, we were stopped by a crowd of people, arrayed
in holiday attire for some festival. The carriage stopped. Music, bells,
cannons, were heard; and loud acclamations rang through the air.

Before the carriage now appeared in white dresses a chorus of maidens,
all of extraordinary beauty; but one of them shone in resplendent
loveliness, and eclipsed the rest as the sun eclipses the stars of
night. She advanced from the midst of her companions, and, with a lofty
yet winning air, blushingly knelt before me, presenting on a silken
cushion a wreath, composed of laurel branches, the olive, and the rose,
saying something respecting majesty, love, honor, etc., which I could
not comprehend; but the sweet and silvery magic of her tones intoxicated
my senses and my whole soul: it seemed as if some heavenly apparition
were hovering over me. The chorus now began to sing the praises of a
good sovereign and the happiness of his subjects. All this, dear
Chamisso, took place in the sun: she was kneeling two steps from me, and
I, without a shadow, could not dart through the air, nor fall on my
knees before the angelic being. Oh, what would I not now have given for
a shadow! To conceal my shame, agony, and despair, I buried myself in
the recesses of the carriage. Bendel at last thought of an expedient;
he jumped out of the carriage. I called him back, and gave him out of
the casket I had by me a rich diamond coronet, which had been intended
for the lovely Fanny.

He stepped forward, and spoke in the name of his master, who, he said,
was overwhelmed by so many demonstrations of respect, which he really
could not accept as an honor--there must be some error; nevertheless he
begged to express his thanks for the goodwill of the worthy townspeople.
In the meantime Bendel had taken the wreath from the cushion, and laid
the brilliant crown in its place. He then respectfully raised the lovely
girl from the ground; and, at one sign, the clergy, magistrates, and all
the deputations withdrew. The crowd separated to allow the horses to
pass, and we pursued our way to the town at full gallop, through arches
ornamented with flowers and branches of laurel. Salvos of artillery
again were heard. The carriage stopped at my gate; I hastened through
the crowd which curiosity had attracted to witness my arrival.
Enthusiastic shouts resounded under my windows, from whence I showered
gold amidst the people; and in the evening the whole town was
illuminated. Still all remained a mystery to me, and I could not imagine
for whom I had been taken. I sent Rascal out to make inquiry; and he
soon obtained intelligence that the good King of Prussia was travelling
through the country under the name of some count; that my aide-de-camp
had been recognized, and that he had divulged the secret; that on
acquiring the certainty that I would enter their town, their joy had
known no bounds: however, as they perceived I was determined on
preserving the strictest incognito, they felt how wrong they had been
in too importunately seeking to withdraw the veil; but I had received
them so condescendingly and so graciously, that they were sure I would
forgive them. The whole affair was such capital amusement to the
unprincipled Rascal, that he did his best to confirm the good people in
their belief, while affecting to reprove them. He gave me a very comical
account of the matter; and, seeing that I was amused by it, actually
endeavored to make a merit of his impudence.

Shall I own the truth? My vanity was flattered by having been mistaken
for our revered sovereign. I ordered a banquet to be got ready for the
following evening, under the trees before my house, and invited the
whole town. The mysterious power of my purse, Bendel's exertions, and
Rascal's ready invention made the shortness of the time seem as nothing.

It was really astonishing how magnificently and beautifully everything
was arranged in these few hours. Splendor and abundance vied with each
other, and the lights were so carefully arranged that I felt quite safe:
the zeal of my servants met every exigency and merited all praise.

Evening drew on, the guests arrived, and were presented to me. The word
MAJESTY was now dropped; but, with the deepest respect and humility, I
was addressed as the COUNT. What could I do? I accepted the title, and
from that moment I was known as Count Peter. In the midst of all this
festivity my soul pined for one individual. She came late--she who was
the empress of the scene, and wore the emblem of sovereignty on her
brow.

She modestly accompanied her parents, and seemed unconscious of her
transcendent beauty.

The Ranger of the Forests, his wife, and daughter were presented to me.
I was at no loss to make myself agreeable to the parents; but before the
daughter I stood like a well-scolded schoolboy, incapable of speaking
a single word.

At length I hesitatingly entreated her to honor my banquet by presiding
at it-- an office for which her rare endowments pointed her out as
admirably fitted. With a blush and an expressive glance she entreated
to be excused; but, in still greater confusion than herself, I
respectfully begged her to accept the homage of the first and most
devoted of her subjects, and one glance of the count was the same as a
command to the guests, who all vied with each other in acting up to the
spirit of the noble host.

In her person, majesty, innocence, and grace, in union with beauty,
presided over this joyous banquet. Minna's happy parents were elated by
the honors conferred upon their child. As for me, I abandoned myself to
all the intoxication of delight: I sent for all the jewels, pearls, and
precious stones still left to me--the produce of my fatal wealth--and,
filling two vases, I placed them on the table, in the name of the queen
of the banquet, to be divided among her companions and the remainder of
the ladies.

I ordered gold, in the meantime, to be showered down without ceasing
among the happy multitude.

Next morning Bendel told me in confidence that the suspicions he had
long entertained of Rascal's honesty were now reduced to a certainty;
he had yesterday embezzled many bags of gold.

"Never mind," said I; "let him enjoy his paltry booty. _I_ like to spend
it; why should not he? Yesterday he, and all the newly-engaged servants
whom you had hired, served me honorably, and cheerfully assisted me to
enjoy the banquet."

No more was said on the subject. Rascal remained at the head of my
domestics. Bendel was my friend and confidant; he had by this time
become accustomed to look upon my wealth as inexhaustible, without
seeking to inquire into its source. He entered into all my schemes, and
effectually assisted me in devising methods of spending my money.

Of the pale, sneaking scoundrel--the unknown--Bendel only knew thus
much, that he alone had power to release me from the curse which weighed
so heavily on me, and yet that I stood in awe of him on whom all my
hopes rested. Besides, I felt convinced that he had the means of
discovering ME under any circumstances, while he himself remained
concealed. I therefore abandoned my fruitless inquiries, and patiently
awaited the appointed day.

The magnificence of my banquet, and my deportment on the occasion, had
but strengthened the credulous townspeople in their previous belief.

It appeared soon after, from accounts in the newspapers, that the whole
history of the King of Prussia's fictitious journey originated in mere
idle report. But a king I was, and a king I must remain by all means;
and one of the richest and most royal, although people were at a loss
to know where my territories lay.

The world has never had reason to lament the scarcity of monarchs,
particularly in these days; and the good people, who had never yet seen
a king, now fancied me to be first one, and then another, with equal
success; and in the meanwhile I remained as before, Count Peter.

Among the visitors at this watering-place a merchant made his
appearance, one who had become a bankrupt in order to enrich himself.
He enjoyed the general good opinion; for he projected a shadow of
respectable size, though of somewhat faint hue.

This man wished to show off in this place by means of his wealth, and
sought to rival me. My purse soon enabled me to leave the poor devil far
behind. To save his credit he became bankrupt again, and fled beyond the
mountains; and thus I was rid of him. Many a one in this place was
reduced to beggary and ruin through my means.

In the midst of the really princely magnificence and profusion, which
carried all before me, my own style of living was very simple and
retired. I had made it a point to observe the strictest precaution; and,
with the exception of Bendel, no one was permitted, on any pretence
whatever, to enter my private apartment. As long as the sun shone I
remained shut up with him; and the Count was then said to be deeply
occupied in his closet. The numerous couriers, whom I kept in constant
attendance about matters of no importance, were supposed to be the
bearers of my despatches. I only received company in the evening under
the trees of my garden, or in my saloons, after Bendel's assurance of
their being carefully and brilliantly lit up.

My walks, in which the Argus-eyed Bendel was constantly on the watch for
me, extended only to the garden of the forest-ranger, to enjoy the
society of one who was dear to me as my own existence.

Oh, my Chamisso! I trust thou hast not forgotten what love is! I must
here leave much to thine imagination. Minna was in truth an amiable and
excellent maiden: her whole soul was wrapped up in me, and in her lowly
thoughts of herself she could not imagine how she had deserved a single
thought from me. She returned love for love with all the full and
youthful fervor of an innocent heart; her love was a true woman's love,
with all the devotion and total absence of selfishness which is found
only in woman; she lived but in me, her whole soul being bound up in
mine, regardless what her own fate might be.

Yet I, alas, during those hours of wretchedness--hours I would even now
gladly recall--how often have I wept on Bendel's bosom, when after the
first mad whirlwind of passion I reflected, with the keenest
self-upbraidings, that I, a shadowless man, had, with cruel selfishness,
practised a wicked deception, and stolen away the pure and angelic heart
of the innocent Minna!

At one moment I resolved to confess all to her; then that I would fly
for ever; then I broke out into a flood of bitter tears, and consulted
Bendel as to the means of meeting her again in the forester's garden.

At times I flattered myself with great hopes from the near approaching
visit of the unknown; then wept again, because I saw clearly on
reflection that they would end in disappointment. I had made a
calculation of the day fixed on by the fearful being for our interview;
for he had said in a year and a day, and I depended on his word.

The parents were worthy old people, devoted to their only child; and our
mutual affection was a circumstance so overwhelming that they knew not
how to act. They had never dreamed for a moment that the COUNT could
bestow a thought on their daughter; but such was the case--he loved and
was beloved. The pride of the mother might not have led her to consider
such an alliance quite impossible, but so extravagant an idea had never
entered the contemplation of the sounder judgment of the old man. Both
were satisfied of the sincerity of my love, and could but put up prayers
to Heaven for the happiness of their child.

A letter which I received from Minna about that time has just fallen
into my hands. Yes, these are the characters traced by her own hand. I
will transcribe the letter:

"I am indeed a weak, foolish girl to fancy that the friend I so tenderly
love could give an instant's pain to his poor Minna! Oh no! thou art so
good, so inexpressibly good! But do not misunderstand me. I will accept
no sacrifice at thy hands--none whatever. Oh heavens! I should hate
myself! No; thou hast made me happy, thou hast taught me to love thee.

"Go, then--let me not forget my destiny--Count Peter belongs not to me,
but to the whole world; and oh! what pride for thy Minna to hear thy
deeds proclaimed, and blessings invoked on thy idolized head! Ah! when
I think of this, I could chide thee that thou shouldst for one instant
forget thy high destiny for the sake of a simple maiden! Go, then;
otherwise the reflection will pierce me. How blest I have been rendered
by thy love! Perhaps, also, I have planted some flowers in the path of
thy life, as I twined them in the wreath which I presented to thee.

"Go, then--fear not to leave me--you are too deeply seated in my
heart--I shall die inexpressibly happy in thy love."

Conceive how these words pierced my soul, Chamisso!

I declared to her that I was not what I seemed--that, although a rich,
I was an unspeakably miserable man--that a curse was on me, which must
remain a secret, although the only one between us--yet that I was not
without a hope of its being removed--that this poisoned every hour of
my life--that I should plunge her with me into the abyss--she, the light
and joy, the very soul of my existence. Then she wept because I was
unhappy. Oh! Minna was all love and tenderness. To save me one tear she
would gladly have sacrificed her life. Yet she was far from
comprehending the full meaning of my words. She still looked upon me as
some proscribed prince or illustrious exile; and her vivid imagination
had invested her lover with every lofty attribute.

One day I said to her, "Minna, the last day in next month will decide
my fate, and perhaps change it for the better; if not, I would sooner
die than render you miserable."

She laid her head on my shoulder to conceal her tears. "Should thy fate
be changed," she said, "I only wish to know that thou art happy; if thy
condition is an unhappy one, I will share it with thee, and assist thee
to support it."

"Minna, Minna!" I exclaimed, "recall those rash words--those mad words
which have escaped thy lips! Didst thou know the misery and curse--didst
thou know who--what--thy lover ... Seest thou not, my Minna, this
convulsive shuddering which thrills my whole frame, and that there is
a secret in my breast which you cannot penetrate?" She sank sobbing at
my feet, and renewed her vows and entreaties.

Her father now entered, and I declared to him my intention to solicit
the hand of his daughter on the first day of the month after the ensuing
one. I fixed that time, I told him, because circumstances might probably
occur in the interval materially to influence my future destiny; but my
love for his daughter was unchangeable.

The good old man started at hearing such words from the mouth of Count
Peter. He fell upon my neck, and rose again in the utmost confusion for
having forgotten himself. Then he began to doubt, to ponder, and to
scrutinize; and spoke of dowry, security, and future provision for his
beloved child. I thanked him for having reminded me of all this, and
told him it was my wish to remain in a country where I seemed to be
beloved, and to lead a life free from anxiety. I then commissioned him
to purchase the finest estate in the neighborhood in the name of his
daughter--for a father was the best person to act for his daughter in
such a case--and to refer for payment to me. This occasioned him a good
deal of trouble, as a stranger had everywhere anticipated him; but at
last he made a purchase for about L150,000.

I confess this was but an innocent artifice to get rid of him, as I had
frequently done before; for it must be confessed that he was somewhat
tedious. The good mother was rather deaf, and not jealous, like her
husband, of the honor of conversing with the Count.

The happy party pressed me to remain with them longer this evening. I
dared not --I had not a moment to lose. I saw the rising moon streaking
the horizon--my hour was come.

Next evening I went again to the forester's garden. I had wrapped myself
closely up in my cloak, slouched my hat over my eyes, and advanced
towards Minna. As she raised her head and looked at me, she started
involuntarily. The apparition of that dreadful night in which I had been
seen without a shadow was now standing distinctly before me--it was she
herself. Had she recognized me? She was silent and thoughtful. I felt
an oppressive load at my heart. I rose from my seat. She laid her head
on my shoulder, still silent and in tears. I went away.

I now found her frequently weeping. I became more and more melancholy.
Her parents were beyond expression happy. The eventful day approached,
threatening and heavy, like a thunder-cloud. The evening preceding
arrived. I could scarcely breathe. I had carefully filled a large chest
with gold, and sat down to await the appointed time--the twelfth
hour--it struck.

Now I remained with my eyes fixed on the hand of the clock, counting the
seconds--the minutes--which struck me to the heart like daggers. I
started at every sound--at last daylight appeared. The leaden hours
passed on--morning-- evening--night came. Hope was fast fading away as
the hand advanced. It struck eleven--no one appeared--the last
minutes--the first and last stroke of the twelfth hour died away. I sank
back in my bed in an agony of weeping. In the morning I should,
shadowless as I was, claim the hand of my beloved Minna. A heavy sleep
towards daylight closed my eyes.

CHAPTER III.

It was yet early, when I was suddenly awoke by voices in hot dispute in
my ante- chamber. I listened. Bendel was forbidding Rascal to enter my
room, who swore he would receive no orders from his equals, and insisted
on forcing his way. The faithful Bendel reminded him that if such words
reached his master's ears, he would turn him out of an excellent place.
Rascal threatened to strike him if he persisted in refusing his
entrance.

By this time, having half-dressed myself, I angrily threw open the door,
and addressing myself to Rascal, inquired what he meant by such
disgraceful conduct. He drew back a couple of steps, and coolly
answered: "Count Peter, may I beg most respectfully that you will favor
me with a sight of your shadow? The sun is now shining brightly in the
court below."

I stood as if struck by a thunderbolt, and for some time was unable to
speak. At last I asked him how a servant could dare to behave so towards
his master. He interrupted me by saying, quite coolly, "A servant may
be a very honorable man, and unwilling to serve a shadowless master--I
request my dismissal."

I felt that I must adopt a softer tone, and replied, "But, Rascal, my
good fellow, who can have put such strange ideas into your head? How can
you imagine-
-"

He again interrupted me in the same tone--

"People say you have no shadow. In short, let me see your shadow, or
give me my dismissal."

Bendel, pale and trembling, but more collected than myself, made a sign
to me. I had recourse to the all-powerful influence of gold. But even
gold had lost its power--Rascal threw it at my feet: "From a shadowless
man," he said, "I will take nothing."

Turning his back upon me, and putting on his hat, he then slowly left
the room, whistling a tune. I stood, with Bendel, as if petrified,
gazing after him.

With a deep sigh and a heavy heart I now prepared to keep my engagement,
and to appear in the forester's garden like a criminal before his judge.
I entered by the shady arbor, which had received the name of Count
Peter's arbor, where we had appointed to meet. The mother advanced with
a cheerful air; Minna sat fair and beautiful as the early snow of autumn
reposing on the departing flowers, soon to be dissolved and lost in the
cold stream.

The ranger, with a written paper in his hand, was walking up and down
in an agitated manner, struggling to suppress his feelings--his usually
unmoved countenance being one moment flushed and the next perfectly
pale. He came forward as I entered, and, in a faltering voice, requested
a private conversation with me. The path by which he requested me to
follow him led to an open spot in the garden, where the sun was shining.
I sat down. A long silence ensued, which even the good woman herself did
not venture to break. The ranger, in an agitated manner, paced up and
down with unequal steps. At last he stood still; and glancing over the
paper he held in his hand, he said, addressing me with a penetrating
look, "Count Peter, do you know one Peter Schlemihl?" I was silent.

"A man," he continued, "of excellent character and extraordinary
endowments."

He paused for an answer. "And supposing I myself were that very man?"

"You!" he exclaimed passionately; "he has lost his shadow!"

"Oh, my suspicion is true!" cried Minna; "I have long known it--he has
no shadow!" And she threw herself into her mother's arms, who,
convulsively clasping her to her bosom, reproached her for having so
long, to her hurt, kept such a secret. But, like the fabled Arethusa,
her tears, as from a fountain, flowed more abundantly, and her sobs
increased at my approach.

"And so," said the ranger fiercely, "you have not scrupled, with
unparalleled shamelessness, to deceive both her and me; and you
pretended to love her, forsooth!--her whom you have reduced to the state
in which you now see her. See how she weeps!--Oh, shocking, shocking!"

By this time I had lost all presence of mind; and I answered,
confusedly: "After all, it is but a shadow, a mere shadow, which a man
can do very well without; and really it is not worth the while to make
all this noise about such a trifle." Feeling the groundlessness of what
I was saying, I ceased, and no one condescended to reply. At last I
added: "What is lost to-day may be found to- morrow."

"Be pleased, sir," continued the ranger, in great wrath--"be pleased to
explain how you have lost your shadow."

Here again an excuse was ready: "A boor of a fellow," said I, "one day
trod so rudely on my shadow that he tore a large hole in it. I sent it
to be repaired-- for gold can do wonders--and yesterday I expected it
home again."

"Very well," answered the ranger. "You are a suitor my daughter's hand,
and so are others. As a father, I am bound to provide for her. I will
give you three days to seek your shadow. Return to me in the course of
that time with a well- fitted shadow, and you shall receive a hearty
welcome; otherwise, on the fourth day--remember, on the fourth day--my
daughter becomes the wife of another."

I now attempted to say one word to Minna; but, sobbing more violently,
she clung still closer to her mother, who made a sign for me to
withdraw. I obeyed; and now the world seemed shut out from me for ever.

Having escaped from the affectionate care of Bendel, I now wandered
wildly through the neighboring woods and meadows. Drops of anguish fell
from my brow, deep groans burst from my bosom--frenzied despair raged
within me.

I knew not how long this had lasted, when I felt myself seized by the
sleeve on a sunny heath. I stopped, and looking up, beheld the
gray-coated man, who appeared to have run himself out of breath in
pursuing me. He immediately began: "I had," said he, "appointed this
day; but your impatience anticipated it. All, however, may yet be right.
Take my advice--redeem your shadow, which is at your command, and return
immediately to the ranger's garden, where you will be well received, and
all the past will seem a mere joke. As for Rascal--who has betrayed you
in order to pay his addresses to Minna--leave him to me; he is just a
fit subject for me."

I stood like one in a dream. "This day?" I considered again. He was
right--I had made a mistake of a day. I felt in my bosom for the purse.
He perceived my intention, and drew back.

"No, Count Peter; the purse is in good hands--pray keep it." I gazed at
him with looks of astonishment and inquiry. "I only beg a trifle as a
token of remembrance. Be so good as to sign this memorandum." On the
parchment, which he held out to me, were these words: "By virtue of this
present, to which I have appended my signature, I hereby bequeath my
soul to the holder, after its natural separation from my body."

I gazed in mute astonishment alternately at the paper and the gray
unknown. In the meantime he had dipped a new pen in a drop of blood
which was issuing from a scratch in my hand just made by a thorn. He
presented it to me. "Who are you?" at last I exclaimed. "What can it
signify?" he answered: "do you not perceive who I am? A poor devil--a
sort of scholar and philosopher, who obtains but poor thanks from his
friends for his admirable arts, and whose only amusement on earth
consists in his small experiments. But just sign this; to the right,
exactly underneath--Peter Schlemihl."

I shook my head, and replied: "Excuse me, sir; I cannot sign that."

"Cannot!" he exclaimed; "and why not?"

"Because it appears to me a hazardous thing to exchange my soul for my
shadow."

"Hazardous!" he exclaimed, bursting into a loud laugh. "And, pray, may
I be allowed to inquire what sort of a thing your soul is?--have you
ever seen it?-- and what do you mean to do with it after your death? You
ought to think yourself fortunate in meeting with a customer who, during
your life, in exchange for this infinitely minute quantity, this
galvanic principle, this polarized agency, or whatever other foolish
name you may give it, is willing to bestow on you something
substantial--in a word, your own identical shadow, by virtue of which
you will obtain your beloved Minna, and arrive at the accomplishment of
all your wishes; or do you prefer giving up the poor young girl to the
power of that contemptible scoundrel Rascal? Nay, you shall behold her
with your own eyes. Come here; I will lend you an invisible cap (he drew
something out of his pocket), and we will enter the ranger's garden
unseen."

I must confess that I felt excessively ashamed to be thus laughed at by
the gray stranger. I detested him from the very bottom of my soul; and
I really believe this personal antipathy, more than principle or
previously formed opinion, restrained me from purchasing my shadow, much
as I stood in need of it, at such an expense. Besides, the thought was
insupportable of making this proposed visit in his society. To behold
this hateful sneak, this mocking fiend, place himself between me and my
beloved, between our torn and bleeding hearts, was too revolting an idea
to be entertained for a moment. I considered the past as irrevocable,
my own misery as inevitable; and turning to the gray man, I said: "I
have exchanged my shadow for this very extraordinary purse, and I have
sufficiently repented it. For Heaven's sake, let the transaction be
declared null and void!" He shook his head, and his countenance assumed
an expression of the most sinister cast. I continued: "I will make no
exchange whatever, even for the sake of my shadow, nor will I sign the
paper. It follows, also, that the incognito visit you propose to me
would afford you far more entertainment than it could possibly give me.
Accept my excuses, therefore; and, since it must be so, let us part."

"I am sorry, Mr. Schlemihl, that you thus obstinately persist in
rejecting my friendly offer. Perhaps, another time, I may be more
fortunate. Farewell! May we shortly meet again! But, a propos, allow me
to show you that I do not undervalue my purchase, but preserve it
carefully."

So saying, he drew my shadow out of his pocket; and shaking it cleverly
out of its folds, he stretched it out at his feet in the sun--so that
he stood between two obedient shadows, his own and mine, which was
compelled to follow and comply with his every movement. On again
beholding my poor shadow after so long a separation, and seeing it
degraded to so vile a bondage at the very time that I was so unspeakably
in want of it, my heart was ready to burst, and I wept bitterly. The
detested wretch stood exulting over his prey, and unblushingly renewed
his proposal. "One stroke of your pen, and the unhappy Minna is rescued
from the clutches of the villain Rascal, and transferred to the arms of
the high-born Count Peter--merely a stroke of your pen!"

My tears broke out with renewed violence; but I turned away from him,
and made a sign for him to be gone.

Bendel, whose deep solicitude had induced him to come in search of me,
arrived at this very moment. The good and faithful creature, on seeing
me weeping, and that a shadow (evidently mine) was in the power of the
mysterious unknown, determined to rescue it by force, should that be
necessary; and disdaining to use any finesse, he desired him directly,
and without any disputing, to restore my property. Instead of a reply,
the gray man turned his back on the worthy fellow, and was making off.
But Bendel raised his buck-thorn stick; and following close upon him,
after repeated commands, but in vain, to restore the shadow, he made him
feel the whole force of his powerful arm. The gray man, as if accustomed
to such treatment, held down his head, slouched his shoulders, and, with
soft and noiseless steps, pursued his way over the heath, carrying with
him my shadow, and also my faithful servant. For a long time I heard
hollow sounds ringing through the waste, until at last they died away
in the distance, and I was again left to solitude and misery.

Alone on the wild heath, I disburdened my heart of an insupportable load
by given free vent to my tears. But I saw no bounds, no relief, to my
surpassing wretchedness; and I drank in the fresh poison which the
mysterious stranger had poured into my wounds with a furious avidity.
As I retraced in my mind the loved image of my Minna, and depicted her
sweet countenance all pale and in tears, such as I had beheld her in my
late disgrace, the bold and sarcastic visage of Rascal would ever and
anon thrust itself between us. I hid my face, and fled rapidly over the
plains; but the horrible vision unrelentingly pursued me, till at last
I sank breathless on the ground, and bedewed it with a fresh torrent of
tears--and all this for a shadow!--a shadow which one stroke of the pen
would repurchase. I pondered on the singular proposal, and on my
hesitation to comply with it. My mind was confused--I had lost the power
of judging or comprehending. The day was waning apace. I satisfied the
cravings of hunger with a few wild fruits, and quenched my thirst at a
neighboring stream. Night came on; I threw myself down under a tree, and
was awoke by the damp morning air from an uneasy sleep, in which I had
fancied myself struggling in the agonies of death. Bendel had certainly
lost all trace of me, and I was glad of it. I did not wish to return
among my fellow-creatures--I shunned them as the hunted deer flies
before its pursuers. Thus I passed three melancholy days.

I found myself on the morning of the fourth on a sandy plain, basking
in the rays of the sun, and sitting on a fragment of rock; for it was
sweet to enjoy the genial warmth of which I had so long been deprived.
Despair still preyed on my heart. Suddenly a slight sound startled me;
I looked round, prepared to fly, but saw no one. On the sunlit sand
before me flitted the shadow of a man not unlike my own; and wandering
about alone, it seemed to have lost its master. This sight powerfully
excited me. "Shadow!" thought I, "art thou in search of thy master? in
me thou shall find him." And I sprang forward to seize it, fancying that
could I succeed in treading so exactly in its traces as to step in its
footmarks, it would attach itself to me, and in time become accustomed
to me, and follow all my movements.

The shadow, as I moved, took to flight, and I commenced a hot chase
after the airy fugitive, solely excited by the hope of being delivered
from my present dreadful situation; the bare idea inspired me with fresh
strength and vigor.

The shadow now fled towards a distant wood, among whose shades I must
necessarily have lost it. Seeing this, my heart beat wild with fright,
my ardor increased and lent wings to my speed. I was evidently gaining
on the shadow--I came nearer and nearer--I was within reach of it, when
it suddenly stopped and turned towards me. Like a lion darting on its
prey, I made a powerful spring and fell unexpectedly upon a hard
substance. Then followed, from an invisible hand, the most terrible
blows in the ribs that anyone ever received. The effect of my terror
made me endeavor convulsively to strike and grasp at the unseen object
before me. The rapidity of my motions brought me to the ground, where
I lay stretched out with a man under me, whom I held tight, and who now
became visible.

The whole affair was now explained. The man had undoubtedly possessed
the bird's nest which communicates its charm of invisibility to its
possessor, though not equally so to his shadow; and this nest he had now
thrown away. I looked all round, and soon discovered the shadow of this
invisible nest. I sprang towards it, and was fortunate enough to seize
the precious booty, and immediately became invisible and shadowless.

The moment the man regained his feet he looked all round over the wide
sunny plain to discover his fortunate vanquisher, but could see neither
him nor his shadow, the latter seeming particularly to be the object of
his search: for previous to our encounter he had not had leisure to
observe that I was shadowless, and he could not be aware of it. Becoming
convinced that all traces of me were lost, he began to tear his hair,
and give himself up to all the frenzy of despair. In the meantime, this
newly acquired treasure communicated to me both the ability and the
desire to mix again among mankind.

I was at no loss for a pretext to vindicate this unjust robbery--or,
rather, so deadened had I become, I felt no need of a pretext; and in
order to dissipate every idea of the kind, I hastened on, regardless of
the unhappy man, whose fearful lamentations long resounded in my ears.
Such, at the time, were my impressions of all the circumstances of this
affair.

I now ardently desired to return to the ranger's garden, in order to
ascertain in person the truth of the information communicated by the
odious unknown; but I knew not where I was, until, ascending an eminence
to take a survey of the surrounding country, I perceived, from its
summit, the little town and the gardens almost at my feet. My heart beat
violently, and tears of a nature very different from those I had lately
shed filled my eyes. I should, then, once more behold her!

Anxiety now hastened my steps. Unseen, I met some peasants coming from
the town; they were talking of me, of Rascal, and of the ranger. I would
not stay to listen to their conversation, but proceeded on. My bosom
thrilled with expectation as I entered the garden. At this moment I
heard something like a hollow laugh which caused me involuntarily to
shudder. I cast a rapid glance around, but could see no one. I passed
on; presently I fancied I heard the sound of footsteps close to me, but
no one was within sight. My ears must have deceived me.

It was early; no one was in Count Peter's bower--the gardens were
deserted. I traversed all the well-known paths, and penetrated even to
the dwelling-house itself. The same rustling sound became now more and
more audible. With anguished feelings I sat down on a seat placed in the
sunny space before the door, and actually felt some invisible fiend take
a place by me, and heard him utter a sarcastic laugh. The key was turned
in the door, which was opened. The forest- master appeared with a paper
in his hand. Suddenly my head was, as it were, enveloped in a mist. I
looked up, and. oh horror! the gray-coated man was at my side, peering
in my face with a satanic grin. He had extended the mist-cap he wore
over my head. His shadow and my own were lying together at his feet in
perfect amity. He kept twirling in his hand the well-known parchment
with an air of indifference; and while the ranger, absorbed in thought,
and intent upon his paper, paced up and down the arbor, my tormentor
confidentially leaned towards me, and whispered: "So, Mr. Schlemihl, you
have at length accepted my invitation; and here we sit, two heads under
one hood, as the saying is. Well, well, all in good time. But now you
can return me my bird's nest--you have no further occasion for it; and
I am sure you are too honorable a man to withhold it from me. No need
of thanks, I assure you; I had infinite pleasure in lending it to you."
He took it out of my unresisting hand, put it into his pocket, and then
broke into so loud a laugh at my expense, that the forest-master turned
round, startled at the sound. I was petrified. "You must acknowledge,"
he continued, "that in our position a hood is much more convenient. It
serves to conceal not only a man, but his shadow, or as many shadows as
he chooses to carry. I, for instance, to-day bring two, you perceive."
He laughed again. "Take notice, Schlemihl, that what a man refuses to
do with a good grace in the first instance, he is always in the end
compelled to do. I am still of opinion that you ought to redeem your
shadow and claim your bride (for it is yet time); and as to Rascal, he
shall dangle at a rope's end--no difficult matter, so long as we can
find a bit. As a mark of friendship I will give you my cap into the
bargain."

The mother now came out, and the following conversation took place:
" What is Minna doing?"--"She is weeping."--"Silly child! what good can
that do?"--"None, certainly; but it is so soon to bestow her hand on
another. O husband, you are too harsh to your poor child."--"No, wife;
you view things in a wrong light. When she finds herself the wife of a
wealthy and honorable man, her tears will soon cease; she will waken out
of a dream, as it were, happy and grateful to Heaven and to her parents,
as you will see."--"Heaven grant it may be so!" replied the wife. "She
has, indeed, now considerable property; but after the noise occasioned
by her unlucky affair with that adventurer, do you imagine that she is
likely soon to meet with so advantageous a match as Mr. Rascal? Do you
know the extent of Mr. Rascal's influence and wealth? Why, he has
purchased with ready money, in this country, six millions of landed
property, free from all encumbrances. I have had all the documents in
my hands. It was he who outbid me everywhere when I was about to make
a desirable purchase; and, besides, he has bills on Mr. Thomas John's
house to the amount of three millions and a half."-- "He must have been
a prodigious thief!"--"How foolishly you talk! he wisely saved where
others squandered their property."--"A mere livery-servant!"--
" Nonsense! he has at all events an unexceptionable shadow."--"True,
but..."

While this conversation was passing, the gray-coated man looked at me
with a satirical smile.

The door opened, and Minna entered, leaning on the arm of her female
attendant, silent tears flowing down her fair but pallid face. She
seated herself in the chair which had been placed for her under the lime
trees, and her father took a stool by her side. He gently raised her
hand; and as her tears flowed afresh, he addressed her in the most
affectionate manner:

"My own dear, good child--my Minna--will act reasonably, and not afflict
her poor old father, who only wishes to make her happy. My dearest
child, this blow has shaken you--dreadfully, I know it; but you have
been saved, as by a miracle, from a miserable fate, my Minna. You loved
the unworthy villain most tenderly before his treachery was discovered:
I feel all this, Minna; and far be it from me to reproach you for it--in
fact, I myself loved him so long as I considered him to be a person of
rank: you now see yourself how differently it has turned out. Every dog
has a shadow; and the idea of my child having been on the eve of uniting
herself to a man who... but I am sure you will think no more of him. A
suitor has just appeared for you in the person of a man who does not
fear the sun--an honorable man--no prince indeed, but a man worth ten
millions of golden ducats sterling--a sum nearly ten times larger than
your fortune consists of--a man, too, who will make my dear child
happy--nay, do not oppose me--be my own good, dutiful child--allow your
loving father to provide for you, and to dry up these tears. Promise to
bestow your hand on Mr. Rascal. Speak my child: will you not?"

Minna could scarcely summon strength to reply that she had now no longer
any hopes or desires on earth, and that she was entirely at her father's
disposal. Rascal was therefore immediately sent for, and entered the
room with his usual forwardness; but Minna in the meantime had swooned
away.

My detested companion looked at me indignantly, and whispered: "Can you
endure this? Have you no blood in your veins?" He instantly pricked my
finger, which bled. "Yes, positively," he exclaimed, "you have some
blood left!--come, sign." The parchment and pen were in my hand!...

CHAPTER IV.

I submit myself to thy judgment, my dear Chamisso; I do not seek to bias
it. I have long been a rigid censor of myself, and nourished at my heart
the worm of remorse. This critical moment of my life is ever present to
my soul, and I dare only cast a hesitating glance at it, with a deep
sense of humiliation and grief. Ah, my dear friend, he who once permits
himself thoughtlessly to deviate but one step from the right road will
imperceptibly find himself involved in various intricate paths, all
leading him farther and farther astray. In vain he beholds the
guiding-stars of heaven shining before him. No choice is left him--he
must descend the precipice, and offer himself up a sacrifice to his
fate. After the false step which I had rashly made, and which entailed
a curse upon me, I had, in the wantonness of passion, entangled one in
my fate who had staked all her happiness upon me. What was left for me
to do in a case where I had brought another into misery, but to make a
desperate leap in the dark to save her?--the last, the only means of
rescue presented itself. Think not so meanly of me, Chamisso, as to
imagine that I would have shrunk from any sacrifice on my part. In such
a case it would have been but a poor ransom. No, Chamisso; but my whole
soul was filled with unconquerable hatred to the cringing knave and his
crooked ways. I might be doing him injustice; but I shuddered at the
bare idea of entering into any fresh compact with him. But here a
circumstance took place which entirely changed the face of things....

I know not whether to ascribe it to excitement of mind, exhaustion of
physical strength (for during the last few days I had scarcely tasted
anything), or the antipathy I felt to the society of my fiendish
companion; but just as I was about to sign the fatal paper, I fell into
a deep swoon, and remained for a long time as if dead. The first sounds
which greeted my ears on recovering my consciousness were those of
cursing and imprecation; I opened my eyes--it was dusk; my hateful
companion was overwhelming me with reproaches. "Is not this behaving
like an old woman? Come, rise up, and finish quickly what you were going
to do; or perhaps you have changed your determination, and prefer to lie
groaning there?"

I raised myself with difficulty from the ground and gazed around me
without speaking a word. It was late in the evening, and I heard strains
of festive music proceeding from the ranger's brilliantly illuminated
house; groups of company were lounging about the gardens; two persons
approached, and seating themselves on the bench I had lately occupied,
began to converse on the subject of the marriage which had taken place
that morning between the wealthy Mr. Rascal and Minna. All was then
over.

I tore off the cap which rendered me invisible; and my companion having
disappeared, I plunged in silence into the thickest gloom of the grove,
rapidly passed Count Peter's bower towards the entrance-gate; but my
tormentor still haunted me, and loaded me with reproaches. "And is this
all the gratitude I am to expect from you, Mr. Schlemihl--you, whom I
have been watching all the weary day, until you should recover from your
nervous attack? What a fool's part I have been enacting! It is of no use
flying from me, Mr. Perverse--we are inseparable--you have my gold, I
have your shadow; this exchange deprives us both of peace. Did you ever
hear of a man's shadow leaving him?--yours follows me until you receive
it again into favor, and thus free me from it. Disgust and weariness
sooner or later will compel you to do what you should have done gladly
at first. In vain you strive with fate!"

He continued unceasingly in the same tone, uttering constant sarcasms
about the gold and the shadow, till I was completely bewildered. To fly
from him was impossible. I had pursued my way through the empty streets
towards my own house, which I could scarcely recognize--the windows were
broken to pieces, no light was visible, the doors were shut, and the
bustle of domestics had ceased. My companion burst into a loud laugh.
" Yes, yes," said he, "you see the state of things: however, you will
find your friend Bendel at home; he was sent back the other day so
fatigued, that I assure you he has never left the house since. He will
have a fine story to tell! So I wish you a very good night--may we
shortly meet again!"

I had repeatedly rung the bell; at last a light appeared; and Bendel
inquired from within who was there. The poor fellow could scarcely
contain himself at the sound of my voice. The door flew open, and we
were locked in each other's arms. I found him sadly changed; he was
looking ill and feeble. I, too, was altered; my hair had become quite
gray. He conducted me through the desolate apartments to an inner room,
which had escaped the general wreck. After partaking of some
refreshments, we seated ourselves; and, with fresh lamentations, he
began to tell me that the gray, withered old man whom he had met with
my shadow had insensibly led him such a zig-zag race, that he had lost
all traces of me, and at last sank down exhausted with fatigue; that,
unable to find me, he had returned home, when, shortly after, the mob,
at Rascal's instigation, assembled violently before the house, broke the
windows, and by all sorts of excesses completely satiated their fury.
Thus had they treated their benefactor. My servants had fled in all
directions. The police had banished me from the town as a suspicious
character, and granted me an interval of twenty-four hours to leave the
territory. Bendel added many particulars as to the information I had
already obtained respecting Rascal's wealth and marriage. This villain,
it seems--who was the author of all the measures taken against
me--became possessed of my secret nearly from the beginning, and,
tempted by the love of money, had supplied himself with a key to my
chest, and from that time had been laying the foundation of his present
wealth. Bendel related all this with many tears, and wept for joy that
I was once more safely restored to him, after all his fears and
anxieties for me. In me, however, such a state of things only awoke
despair.

My dreadful fate now stared me in the face in all its gigantic and
unchangeable horror. The source of tears was exhausted within me; no
groans escaped my breast; but with cool indifference I bared my
unprotected head to the blast. "Bendel," said I, "you know my fate; this
heavy visitation is a punishment for my early sins: but as for thee, my
innocent friend, I can no longer permit thee to share my destiny. I will
depart this very night--saddle me a horse--I will set out alone. Remain
here, Bendel--I insist upon it: there must be some chests of gold still
left in the house--take them, they are thine. I shall be a restless and
solitary wanderer on the face of the earth; but should better days
arise, and fortune once more smile propitiously on me, then I will not
forget thy steady fidelity; for in hours of deep distress thy faithful
bosom has been the depository of my sorrows." With a bursting heart, the
worthy Bendel prepared to obey this last command of his master; for I
was deaf to all his arguments and blind to his tears. My horse was
brought--I pressed my weeping friend to my bosom--threw myself into the
saddle, and, under the friendly shades of night, quitted this sepulchre
of my existence, indifferent which road my horse should take; for now
on this side the grave I had neither wishes, hopes, nor fears.

After a short time I was joined by a traveller on foot, who, after
walking for a while by the side of my horse, observed that as we both
seemed to be travelling the same road, he should beg my permission to
lay his cloak on the horse's back behind me, to which I silently
assented. He thanked me with easy politeness for this trifling favor,
praised my horse, and then took occasion to extol the happiness and the
power of the rich, and fell, I scarcely know how, into a sort of
conversation with himself, in which I merely acted the part of listener.
He unfolded his views of human life and of the world, and, touching on
metaphysics, demanded an answer from that cloudy science to the question
of questions--the answer that should solve all mysteries. He deduced one
problem from another in a very lucid manner, and then proceeded to their
solution.

You may remember, my dear friend, that after having run through the
school- philosophy, I became sensible of my unfitness for metaphysical
speculations, and therefore totally abstained from engaging in them.
Since then I have acquiesced in some things, and abandoned all hope of
comprehending others; trusting, as you advised me, to my own plain sense
and the voice of conscience to direct, and, if possible, maintain me in
the right path.

Now this skilful rhetorician seemed to me to expend great skill in
rearing a firmly-constructed edifice, towering aloft on its own
self-supported basis, but resting on, and upheld by, some internal
principle of necessity. I regretted in it the total absence of what I
desired to find; and thus it seemed a mere work of art, serving only by
its elegance and exquisite finish to captivate the eye. Nevertheless,
I listened with pleasure to this eloquently gifted man, who diverted my
attention from my own sorrows to the speaker; and he would have secured
my entire acquiescence if he had appealed to my heart as well as to my
judgment.

In the meantime the hours had passed away, and morning had already
dawned imperceptibly in the horizon; looking up, I shuddered as I beheld
in the east all those splendid hues that announce the rising sun. At
this hour, when all natural shadows are seen in their full proportions,
not a fence or shelter of any kind could I descry in this open country,
and I was not alone! I cast a glance at my companion, and shuddered
again--it was the man in the gray coat himself! He laughed at my
surprise, and said, without giving me time to speak: "You see, according
to the fashion of this world, mutual convenience binds us together for
a time; there is plenty of time to think of parting. The road here along
the mountain, which perhaps has escaped your notice, is the only one
that you can prudently take; into the valley you dare not descend--the
path over the mountain would but reconduct you to the town which you
have left--my road, too, lies this way. I perceive you change color at
the rising sun--I have no objections to let you have the loan of your
shadow during our journey, and in return you may not be indisposed to
tolerate my society. You have now no Bendel; but I will act for him. I
regret that you are not over-fond of me; but that need not prevent you
from accepting my poor services. The devil is not so black as he is
painted. Yesterday you provoked me, I own; but now that is all
forgotten, and you must confess I have this day succeeded in beguiling
the wearisomeness of your journey. Come, take your shadow, and make
trial of it."

The sun had risen, and we were meeting with passengers; so I reluctantly
consented. With a smile, he immediately let my shadow glide down to the
ground; and I beheld it take its place by that of my horse, and gayly
trot along with me. My feelings were anything but pleasant. I rode
through groups of country people, who respectfully made way for the
well-mounted stranger. Thus I proceeded, occasionally stealing a
side-long glance with a beating heart from my horse at the shadow once
my own, but now, alas, accepted as a loan from a stranger, or rather a
fiend. He moved on carelessly at my side, whistling a song. He being on
foot, and I on horseback, the temptation to hazard a silly project
occurred to me; so, suddenly turning my bridle, I set spurs to my horse,
and at full gallop struck into a by-path; but my shadow, on the sudden
movement of my horse, glided away, and stood on the road quietly
awaiting the approach of its legal owner. I was obliged to return
abashed towards the gray man; but he very coolly finished his song, and
with a laugh set my shadow to rights again, reminding me that it was at
my option to have it irrevocably fixed to me, by purchasing it on just
and equitable terms. "I hold you," said he, "by the shadow; and you seek
in vain to get rid of me. A rich man like you requires a shadow,
unquestionably; and you are to blame for not having seen this sooner."

I now continued my journey on the same road; every convenience and even
luxury of life was mine; I moved about in peace and freedom, for I
possessed a shadow, though a borrowed one; and all the respect due to
wealth was paid to me. But a deadly disease preyed on my heart. My
extraordinary companion, who gave himself out to be the humble attendant
of the richest individual in the world, was remarkable for his
dexterity; in short, his singular address and promptitude admirably
fitted him to be the very beau ideal of a rich man's lacquey. But he
never stirred from my side, and tormented me with constant assurances
that a day would most certainly come when, if it were only to get rid
of him, I should gladly comply with his terms, and redeem my shadow.
Thus he became as irksome as he was hateful to me. I really stood in awe
of him--I had placed myself in his power. Since he had effected my
return to the pleasures of the world, which I had resolved to shun, he
had the perfect mastery of me. His eloquence was irresistible, and at
times I almost thought he was in the right. A shadow is indeed necessary
to a man of fortune; and if I chose to maintain the position in which
he had placed me, there was only one means of doing so. But on one point
I was immovable: since I had sacrificed my love for Minna, and thereby
blighted the happiness of my whole life, I would not now, for all the
shadows in the universe, be induced to sign away my soul to this
being--I knew not how it might end.

One day we were sitting by the entrance of a cavern much visited by
strangers who ascended the mountain; the rushing noise of a subterranean
torrent resounded from the fathomless abyss, the depths of which
exceeded all calculation. He was, according to his favorite custom,
employing all the powers of his lavish fancy, and all the charm of the
most brilliant coloring, to depict to me what I might effect in the
world by virtue of my purse, when once I had recovered my shadow. With
my elbows resting on my knees, I kept my face concealed in my hands, and
listened to the false fiend, my heart torn between the temptation and
my determined opposition to it. Such indecision I could no longer
endure, and resolved on one decisive effort.

"You seem to forget," said I, "that I tolerate your presence only on
certain conditions, and that I am to retain perfect freedom of action."

"You have but to command; I depart," was all his reply.

The threat was familiar to me; I was silent. He then began to fold up
my shadow. I turned pale, but allowed him to continue. A long silence
ensued, which he was the first to break.

"You cannot endure me, Mr. Schlemihl--you hate me--I am aware of it--but
why?-- is it, perhaps, because you attacked me on the open plain, in
order to rob me of my invisible bird's nest? or is it because you
thievishly endeavored to seduce away the shadow with which I had
entrusted you--my own property--confiding implicitly in your honor? I,
for my part, have no dislike to you. It is perfectly natural that you
should avail yourself of every means, presented either, by cunning or
force, to promote your own interests. That your principles also should
be of the strictest sort, and your intentions of the most honorable
description,--these are fancies with which I have nothing to do; I do
not pretend to such strictness myself. Each of us is free, I to act, and
you to think, as seems best. Did I ever seize you by the throat, to tear
out of your body that valuable soul I so ardently wish to possess? Did
I ever set my servant to attack you, to get back my purse, or attempt
to run off with it from you?"

I had not a word to reply.

"Well, well," he exclaimed, "you detest me, and I know it; but I bear
you no malice on that account. We must part--that is clear; also I must
say that you begin to be very tiresome to me. Once more let me advise
you to free yourself entirely from my troublesome presence by the
purchase of your shadow."

I held out the purse to him.

"No, Mr. Schlemihl; not at that price."

With a deep sigh, I said, "Be it so, then; let us part, I entreat; cross
my path no more. There is surely room enough in the world for us both."

Laughing, he replied: "I go; but just allow me to inform you how you may
at any time recall me whenever you have a mind to see your most humble
servant: you have only to shake your purse, the sound of the gold will
bring me to you in an instant. In this world every one consults his own
advantage; but you see I have thought of yours, and clearly confer upon
you a new power. Oh this purse! it would still prove a powerful bond
between us, had the moth begun to devour your shadow. But enough: you
hold me by my gold, and may command your servant at any distance. You
know that I can be very serviceable to my friends, and that the rich are
my peculiar care--this you have observed. As to your shadow, allow me
to say, you can only redeem it on one condition."

Recollections of former days came over me; and I hastily asked him if
he had obtained Mr. Thomas John's signature.

He smiled, and said: "It was by no means necessary from so excellent a
friend."

"Where is he? for God's sake tell me; I insist upon knowing."

With some hesitation, he put his hand into his pocket, and drew out the
altered and pallid form of Mr. John by the hair of his head, whose livid
lips uttered the awful words, "Justo judicio Dei judicatus sum; justo
judicio Dei condemnatus sum"--"I am judged and condemned by the just
judgment of God." I was horror- struck; and instantly throwing the
jingling purse into the abyss, I exclaimed, "Wretch! in the name of
Heaven, I conjure you to be gone!--away from my sight!-- never appear
before me again!" With a dark expression on his countenance, he rose,
and immediately vanished behind the huge rocks which surrounded the
place.

CHAPTER V.

I was now left equally without gold and without shadow; but a heavy load
was taken from my breast, and I felt cheerful. Had not my Minna been
irrecoverably lost to me, or even had I been perfectly free from
self-reproach on her account, I felt that happiness might yet have been
mine. At present I was lost in doubt as to my future course. I examined
my pockets, and found I had a few gold-pieces still left, which I
counted with feelings of great satisfaction. I had left my horse at the
inn, and was ashamed to return, or at all events I must wait till the
sun had set, which at present was high in the heavens. I laid myself
down under a shady tree and fell into a peaceful sleep.

Lovely forms floated in airy measures before me, and filled up my
delightful dreams. Minna, with a garland of flowers entwined in her
hair, was bending over me with a smile of good-will; also the worthy
Bendel was crowned with flowers, and hastened to meet me with friendly
greetings. Many other forms seemed to rise up confusedly in the
distance: thyself among the number, Chamisso. Perfect radiance beamed
around them, but none had a shadow; and what was more surprising, there
was no appearance of unhappiness on this account. Nothing was to be seen
or heard but flowers and music; and love and joy, and groves of
never-fading palms, seemed the natives of that happy clime.

In vain I tried to detain and comprehend the lovely but fleeting forms.
I was conscious, also, of being in a dream, and was anxious that nothing
should rouse me from it; and when I did awake, I kept my eyes closed,
in order if possible to continue the illusion. At last I opened my eyes.
The sun was now visible in the east; I must have slept the whole night:
I looked upon this as a warning not to return to the inn. What I had
left there I was content to lose, without much regret; and resigning
myself to Providence, I decided on taking a by-road that led through the
wooded declivity of the mountain. I never once cast a glance behind me;
nor did it ever occur to me to return, as I might have done, to Bendel,
whom I had left in affluence. I reflected on the new character I was now
going to assume in the world. My present garb was very
humble--consisting of an old black coat I formerly had worn at Berlin,
and which by some chance was the first I put my hand on before setting
out on this journey, a travelling-cap, and an old pair of boots. I cut
down a knotted stick in memory of the spot, and commenced my pilgrimage.

In the forest I met an aged peasant, who gave me a friendly greeting,
and with whom I entered into conversation, requesting, as a traveller
desirous of information, some particulars relative to the road, the
country, and its inhabitants, the productions of the mountain, etc. He
replied to my various inquiries with readiness and intelligence. At last
we reached the bed of a mountain-torrent, which had laid waste a
considerable tract of the forest; I inwardly shuddered at the idea of
the open sunshine. I suffered the peasant to go before me. In the middle
of the very place which I dreaded so much, he suddenly stopped, and
turned back to give me an account of this inundation; but instantly
perceiving that I had no shadow, he broke off abruptly, and exclaimed:
" How is this?--you have no shadow!"

"Alas, alas!" said I, "in a long and serious illness I had the
misfortune to lose my hair, my nails, and my shadow. Look, good father;
although my hair has grown again, it is quite white; and at my age my
nails are still very short; and my poor shadow seems to have left me,
never to return."

"Ah!" said the old man, shaking his head; "no shadow! that was indeed
a terrible illness, sir."

But he did not resume his narrative; and at the very first cross-road
we came to left me without uttering a syllable. Fresh tears flowed from
my eyes, and my cheerfulness had fled. With a heavy heart I travelled
on, avoiding all society. I plunged into the deepest shades of the
forest; and often, to avoid a sunny tract of country, I waited for hours
till every human being had left it, and I could pass it unobserved. In
the evenings I took shelter in the villages. I bent my steps to a mine
in the mountains, where I hoped to meet with work underground; for
besides that my present situation compelled me to provide for my own
support, I felt that incessant and laborious occupation alone could
divert my mind from dwelling on painful subjects. A few rainy days
assisted me materially on my journey; but it was to the no small
detriment of my boots, the soles of which were better suited to Count
Peter than to the poor foot- traveller. I was soon barefoot, and a new
purchase must be made. The following morning I commenced an earnest
search in a market-place, where a fair was being held; and I saw in one
of the booths new and second-hand boots set out for sale. I was a long
time selecting and bargaining; I wished much to have a new pair, but was
frightened at the extravagant price; and so was obliged to content
myself with a second-hand pair, still pretty good and strong, which the
beautiful fair-haired youth who kept the booth handed over to me with
a cheerful smile, wishing me a prosperous journey. I went on, and left
the place immediately by the northern gate.

I was so lost in my own thoughts, that I walked along scarcely knowing
how or where. I was calculating the chances of my reaching the mine by
the evening, and considering how I should introduce myself. I had not
gone two hundred steps, when I perceived I was not in the right road.
I looked round, and found myself in a wild-looking forest of ancient
firs, where apparently the stroke of the axe had never been heard. A few
steps more brought me amid huge rocks covered with moss and saxifragous
plants, between which whole fields of snow and ice were extended. The
air was intensely cold. I looked round, and the forest had disappeared
behind me; a few steps more, and there was the stillness of death
itself. The icy plain on which I stood stretched to an immeasurable
distance, and a thick cloud rested upon it; the sun was of a red
blood-color at the verge of the horizon: the cold was insupportable. I
could not imagine what had happened to me. The benumbing frost made me
quicken my pace. I heard a distant sound of waters; and at one step more
I stood on the icy shore of some ocean. Innumerable droves of sea-dogs
rushed past me and plunged into the waves. I continued my way along this
coast, and again met with rocks, plains, birch and fir forests, and yet
only a few minutes had elapsed. It was now intensely hot. I looked
around, and suddenly found myself between some fertile rice-fields and
mulberry trees; I sat down under their shade, and found by my watch that
it was just one quarter of an hour since I had left the village market.
I fancied it was a dream; but no, I was indeed awake, as I felt by the
experiment I made of biting my tongue. I closed my eyes in order to
collect my scattered thoughts. Presently I heard unintelligible words
uttered in a nasal tone; and I beheld two Chinese, whose Asiatic
physiognomies were not to be mistaken, even had their costume not
betrayed their origin. They were addressing me in the language and with
the salutations of their country. I rose and drew back a couple of
steps. They had disappeared; the landscape was entirely changed; the
rice-fields had given place to trees and woods. I examined some of the
trees and plants around me, and ascertained such of them as I was
acquainted with to be productions of the southern part of Asia. I made
one step towards a particular tree, and again all was changed. I now
moved on like a recruit at drill, taking slow and measured steps, gazing
with astonished eyes at the wonderful variety of regions, plains,
meadows, mountains, steppes, and sandy deserts, which passed in
succession before me. I had now no doubt that I had seven-leagued boots
on my feet.

I fell on my knees in silent gratitude, shedding tears of thankfulness;
for I now saw clearly what was to be my future condition. Shut out by
early sins from all human society, I was offered amends for the
privation by Nature herself, which I had ever loved. The earth was
granted me as a rich garden; and the knowledge of her operations was to
be the study and object of my life. This was not a mere resolution. I
have since endeavored, with anxious and unabated industry, faithfully
to imitate the finished and brilliant model then presented to me; and
my vanity has received a check when led to compare the picture with the
original. I rose immediately, and took a hasty survey of this new field,
where I hoped afterwards to reap a rich harvest.

I stood on the heights of Thibet; and the sun I had lately beheld in the
east was now sinking in the west. I traversed Asia from east to west,
and thence passed into Africa, which I curiously examined, at repeated
visits, in all directions. As I gazed on the ancient pyramids and
temples of Egypt, I descried, in the sandy deserts near Thebes of the
hundred gates, the caves where Christian hermits dwelt of old.

My determination was instantly taken, that here should be my future
dwelling. I chose one of the most secluded, but roomy, comfortable, and
inaccessible to the jackals.

I stepped over from the pillars of Hercules to Europe; and having taken
a survey of its northern and southern countries, I passed by the north
of Asia, on the polar glaciers, to Greenland and America, visiting both
parts of this continent; and the winter, which was already at its height
in the south, drove me quickly back from Cape Horn to the north. I
waited till daylight had risen in the east of Asia, and then, after a
short rest, continued my pilgrimage. I followed in both the Americas the
vast chain of the Andes, once considered the loftiest on our globe. I
stepped carefully and slowly from one summit to another, sometimes over
snowy heights, sometimes over flaming volcanoes, often breathless from
fatigue. At last I reached Elias's mountain, and sprang over Behring's
Straits into Asia; I followed the western coast in its various windings,
carefully observing which of the neighboring isles was accessible to me.
From the peninsula of Malacca my boots carried me to Sumatra, Java,
Bali, and Lombok. I made many attempts--often with danger, and always
unsuccessfully--to force my way over the numerous little islands and
rocks with which this sea is studded, wishing to find a northwest
passage to Borneo and other islands of the Archipelago.

At last I sat down at the extreme point of Lombok, my eyes turned
towards the southeast, lamenting that I had so soon reached the limits
allotted to me, and bewailing my fate as a captive in his grated cell.
Thus was I shut out from that remarkable country, New Holland, and the
islands of the southern ocean, so essentially necessary to a knowledge
of the earth, and which would have best assisted me in the study of the
animal and vegetable kingdoms. And thus, at the very outset, I beheld
all my labors condemned to be limited to mere fragments.

Ah! Chamisso, what is the activity of man?

Frequently in the most rigorous winters of the southern hemisphere I
have rashly thrown myself on a fragment of drifting ice between Cape
Horn and Van Diemen's Land, in the hope of effecting a passage to New
Holland, reckless of the cold and the vast ocean, reckless of my fate,
even should this savage land prove my grave.

But all in vain--I never reached New Holland. Each time, when defeated
in my attempt, I returned to Lombok; and seated at its extreme point,
my eyes directed to the southeast, I gave way afresh to lamentations
that my range of investigation was so limited. At last I tore myself
from the spot, and, heartily grieved at my disappointment, returned to
the interior of Asia. Setting out at morning dawn, I traversed it from
east to west, and at night reached the cave in Thebes which I had
previously selected for my dwelling-place, and had visited yesterday
afternoon.

After a short repose, as soon as daylight had visited Europe, it was my
first care to provide myself with the articles of which I stood most in
need. First of all a drag to act on my boots; for I had experienced the
inconvenience of these whenever I wished to shorten my steps and examine
surrounding objects more fully. A pair of slippers to go over the boots
served the purpose effectually; and from that time I carried two pairs
about me, because I frequently cast them off from my feet in my
botanical investigations, without having time to pick them up, when
threatened by the approach of lions, men, or hyenas. My excellent watch,
owing to the short duration of my movements, was also on these occasions
an admirable chronometer. I wanted, besides, a sextant, a few
philosophical instruments, and some books. To purchase these things, I
made several unwilling journeys to London and Paris, choosing a time
when I could be hid by the favoring clouds. As all my ill-gotten gold
was exhausted, I carried over from Africa some ivory, which is there so
plentiful, in payment of my purchases-- taking care, however; to pick
out the smallest teeth, in order not to overburden myself. I had thus
soon provided myself with all that I wanted, and now entered on a new
mode of life as a student--wandering over the globe--measuring the
height of the mountains, and the temperature of the air and of the
springs-- observing the manners and habits of animals--investigating
plants and flowers. From the equator to the pole, and from the new world
to the old, I was constantly engaged in repeating and comparing my
experiments.

My usual food consisted of the eggs of the African ostrich or northern
sea- birds, with a few fruits, especially those of the palm and the
banana of the tropics. The tobacco-plant consoled me when I was
depressed; and the affection of my spaniel was a compensation for the
loss of human sympathy and society. When I returned from my excursions,
loaded with fresh treasures, to my cave in Thebes, which he guarded
during my absence, he ever sprang joyfully forward to greet me, and made
me feel that I was indeed not alone on the earth. An adventure soon
occurred which brought me once more among my fellow-creatures.

One day, as I was gathering lichens and algae on the northern coast,
with the drag on my boots, a bear suddenly made his appearance, and was
stealing towards me round the corner of a rock. After throwing away my
slippers, I attempted to step across to an island, by means of a rock,
projecting from the waves in the intermediate space, that served as a
stepping-stone. I reached the rock safely with one foot, but instantly
fell into the sea with the other, one of my slippers having
inadvertently remained on. The cold was intense; and I escaped this
imminent peril at the risk of my life. On coming ashore, I hastened to
the Libyan sands to dry myself in the sun; but the heat affected my head
so much, that, in a fit of illness, I staggered back to the north. In
vain I sought relief by change of place--hurrying from east to west, and
from west to east-- now in climes of the south, now in those of the
north; sometimes I rushed into daylight, sometimes into the shades of
night. I know not how long this lasted. A burning fever raged in my
veins; with extreme anguish I felt my senses leaving me. Suddenly, by
an unlucky accident, I trod upon some one's foot, whom I had hurt, and
received a blow in return which laid me senseless.

On recovering, I found myself lying comfortably in a good bed, which,
with many other beds, stood in a spacious and handsome apartment. Some
one was watching by me; people seemed to be walking from one bed to
another; they came beside me, and spoke of me as NUMBER TWELVE. On the
wall, at the foot of my bed--it was no dream, for I distinctly read
it--on a black-marble tablet was inscribed my name, in large letters of
gold:

PETER SCHLEMIHL.

Underneath were two rows of letters in smaller characters, which I was
too feeble to connect together, and closed my eyes again.

I now heard something read aloud, in which I distinctly noted the words,
" Peter Schlemihl," but could not collect the full meaning. I saw a man
of benevolent aspect, and a very beautiful female dressed in black,
standing near my bed; their countenances were not unknown to me, but in
my weak state I could not remember who they were. Some time elapsed, and
I began to regain my strength. I was called Number Twelve, and, from my
long beard, was supposed to be a Jew, but was not the less carefully
nursed on that account. No one seemed to perceive that I was destitute
of a shadow. My boots, I was assured, together with everything found on
me when I was brought here, were in safe keeping, and would be given up
to me on my restoration to health. This place was called the
SCHLEMIHLIUM: the daily recitation I had heard was an exhortation to
pray for Peter Schlemihl as the founder and benefactor of this
institution. The benevolent-looking man whom I had seen by my bedside
was Bendel; the beautiful lady in black was Minna. I had been enjoying
the advantages of the Schlemihlium without being recognized; and I
learned, further, that I was in Bendel's native town, where he had
employed a part of my once unhallowed gold in founding an hospital in
my name, under his superintendence, and that its unfortunate inmates
daily pronounced blessings on me. Minna had become a widow: an unhappy
lawsuit had deprived Rascal of his life, and Minna of the greater part
of her property. Her parents were no more; and here she dwelt in widowed
piety, wholly devoting herself to works of mercy.

One day, as she stood by the side of Number Twelve's bed with Bendel,
he said to her, "Noble lady, why expose yourself so frequently to this
unhealthy atmosphere? Has fate dealt so harshly with you as to render
you desirous of death?"

"By no means, Mr. Bendel," she replied; "since I have awoke from my long
dream, all has gone well with me. I now neither wish for death nor fear
it, and think on the future and on the past with equal serenity. Do you
not also feel an inward satisfaction in thus paying a pious tribute of
gratitude and love to your old master and friend?"

"Thanks be to God, I do, noble lady," said he. "Ah, how wonderfully has
everything fallen out! How thoughtlessly have we sipped joys and sorrows
from the full cup now drained to the last drop; and we might fancy the
past a mere prelude to the real scene for which we now wait armed by
experience. How different has been the reality! Yet let us not regret
the past, but rather rejoice that we have not lived in vain. As respects
our old friend also, I have a firm hope that it is now better with him
than formerly."

"I trust so, too," answered Minna; and so saying, she passed by me, and
they departed.

This conversation made a deep impression on me; and I hesitated whether
I should discover myself or depart unknown. At last I decided; and,
asking for pen and paper, wrote as follows:

"Matters are indeed better with your old friend than formerly. He has
repented; and his repentance has led to forgiveness."

I now attempted to rise, for I felt myself stronger. The keys of a
little chest near my bed were given me; and in it I found all my
effects. I put on my clothes; fastened my botanical case round
me--wherein, with delight, I found my northern lichens all safe--put on
my boots, and, leaving my note on the table, left the gates, and was
speedily far advanced on the road to Thebes.

Passing along the Syrian coast, which was the same road I had taken on
last leaving home, I beheld my poor Figaro running to meet me. The
faithful animal, after vainly waiting at home for his master's return,
had probably followed his traces. I stood still, and called him. He
sprang towards me with leaps and barks, and a thousand demonstrations
of unaffected delight. I took him in my arms--for he was unable to
follow me--and carried him home.

There I found everything exactly in the order in which I had left it;
and returned by degrees, as my increasing strength allowed me, to my old
occupations and usual mode of life, from which I was kept back a whole
year by my fall into the Polar Ocean. And this, dear Chamisso, is the
life I am still leading. My boots are not yet worn out, as I had been
led to fear would be the case from that very learned work of
Tieckius--De Rebus Gestis Pollicilli. Their energies remain unimpaired;
and although mine are gradually failing me, I enjoy the consolation of
having spent them in pursuing incessantly one object, and that not
fruitlessly.

So far as my boots would carry me, I have observed and studied our globe
and its conformation, its mountains and temperature, the atmosphere in
its various changes, the influences of the magnetic power; in fact, I
have studied all living creation--and more especially the kingdom of
plants--more profoundly than any one of our race. I have arranged all
the facts in proper order, to the best of my ability, in different
works. The consequences deducible from these facts, and my views
respecting them, I have hastily recorded in some essays and
dissertations. I have settled the geography of the interior of Africa
and the Arctic regions, of the interior of Asia and of its eastern
coast. My Historia Stirpium Plantarum Utriusque Orbis is an extensive
fragment of a Flora universalis terrae and a part of my Systema Naturae.
Besides increasing the number of our known species by more than a third,
I have also contributed somewhat to the natural system of plants and to
a knowledge of their geography. I am now deeply engaged on my Fauna, and
shall take care to have my manuscripts sent to the University of Berlin
before my decease.

I have selected thee, my dear Chamisso, to be the guardian of my
wonderful history, thinking that, when I have left this world, it may
afford valuable instruction to the living. As for thee, Chamisso, if
thou wouldst live amongst thy fellow-creatures, learn to value thy
shadow more than gold; if thou wouldst only live to thyself and thy
nobler part--in this thou needest no counsel.