B914 <=> B916 [BTG XLI The bokharian dervish, p. 915]

“’In view of the fact that the elucidation of this question which interested him turned out to be complicated and in the surrounding conditions of the places of habitation there, impracticable, he decided to come to me and with my help clear them up by experiment.

“’And that was why he had brought with him all the necessary materials for these elucidatory experiments.

“’The next day I put at his disposal one of the sections of the underground domain and several what are called “Salkamourskian” goats and everything else required for his elucidatory experiments.

“’Among other preparations, he with the help of the Bunsen elements, first put into operation the action of the Roentgen apparatus.

“’And already three days after his arrival, that began, which was the cause of the arising of permanent electric lighting in our caves.

“’And it began in the following way: As we were making certain experiments by means of my vibrometers and calculating the vibrations of the electric current which produces X rays in the Roentgen apparatus, we noticed that the number of vibrations of the electric current obtained by means of these Bunsen elements, all the time either increased or diminished; and because the number of vibrations in a certain length of time were most important for our elucidations during the flowing of the electric current, it then became clear to us that that kind of electric current was absolutely useless for the elucidations we required.

“’This constatation of ours very much discouraged and depressed my young friend.

“’He immediately ceased the experiments he had begun and began to think.

“’The following two days he thought unceasingly even during meals.