B893 <=> B895 (BTG XLI The bokharian dervish, p. 894)

“This time he brought from another section of the cave an envelope, paper, and a pencil.

“On the paper he brought he wrote something, placed what he had written in the envelope, attached the envelope to a hook that hung from the ceiling in the center of the room, again sat down at the grand piano, and without saying a word began just as before to strike definite keys, from which there was again produced a certain monotonous melody.

“But this time, in the melody, two sounds of the lowest octave of the grand piano were evenly and constantly repeated.

“After a little I noticed that it was becoming uncomfortable for my friend the dervish Hadji-Bogga-Eddin to sit still, for he began to fidget with his left leg.

“A little later he began to stroke his left leg and it was evident from the grimaces he made that his leg was paining him.

“The venerable Hadji-Asvatz-Troov paid no attention to this and continued to strike the designated keys.

“When at last he had finished, he turned to us and, addressing me, said:

“’Friend of my friend, will you please get up, take the envelope off the hook and read what is written inside.’

“I stood up, took the envelope, opened it and read as follows:

“’On each of you, from the vibrations issuing from the grand piano, there must be formed on the left leg an inch below the knee and half an inch to the left of the middle of the leg what is called a “boil.”’

“When I had read this, the venerable Hadji requested us both to bare the indicated places on our left legs.

“When we had bared them, there was to be seen a real boil precisely on that place of the left leg of the dervish Bogga-Eddin; but to the extreme amazement of the venerable Hadji-Asvatz-Troov, there was nothing whatsoever to be seen on my leg.