Hamar clung on to the other two, until his hands grew numb, and the sweat stood on his chest and forehead in great beads.  As figure after figure stealthily and noiselessly approached them, Kelson and Curtis writhed and shrieked; and, at times, it seemed as if the chain must be broken.  But alarming as were these harrowing types of Vice-Elementals—­i.e., nude things with heads of beasts and bodies of men and women; grotesque heads; malevolent eyes; mal-shaped hands; headless beasts, etc.; none had so dangerous an effect on the unity of the trio as the alluring types of Vice-Elementals, i.e., shapes of beautiful women that smiled seductively at Kelson, and resorted to every device to entice him away with them.  It was then that Hamar was taxed to the utmost, that he exhausted voice, strength, and patience, in holding Kelson back.

He was about to give in, when to his astonishment these Vice-Elementals vanished, and a phantasm, the exact counterpart of Karaver, only much taller, appeared before them, and commenced giving them instructions as to Stage Two.

“You,” he said, addressing Hamar, “will possess the property of second sight, i.e., the power to see, at will, earthbound spirits, conditionally, that you fumigate your room, for ten minutes every night, before retiring to rest, with a mixture composed of 2 drachms of henbane, 3 drachms of saffron, 1/2 oz. of aloes, 1/4 oz. of mandrake, 3 drachms of salanum, 2 oz. of assafoetida; that you abstain from animal food and wine, and give up smoking; that, three times every day, you bathe your face in distilled water, to which has been added three drops of the juice of the whortleberry, one drop of the juice of the mountain ash berry, 1 oz. of lavender water, 1 oz. of nitre, and 1/2 oz. of tincture of arnica; and that, just before going to sleep, you look for three minutes, without blinking, at an equilateral triangle, transcribed in blood, on white paper, and composed of these letters and figures.”  And he handed Hamar a piece of paper, on which were written these symbols: 

K.T.O.P.I.6.X.7.4.H.I.P.3.S.4.W.V.2.8.

“So long as you observe these conditions the power will remain with you.  To-morrow, only, it will be awarded you without any preparations.”

“You,” he went on, turning to Kelson, “will possess the property of projection, i.e., the power of leaving your body, and of visiting, where you will, on the material plane.  You will continue to possess the same, conditionally, that you carry out the same rules as Leon Hamar, with the exception that, instead of looking at a triangle before going to sleep, you will repeat these words.  See, I have written them down for you.”  And he handed Kelson a slip of paper, on which were transcribed “Darkona, droomer, doober, parlar, poohmer, perler.  A—­ta—­rama—­ska
tarinek—­ook—­drooksi—­noomeg—­viartikorsa.”