Confessions of Aleister Crowley

269 of common sense, and could only meet with further failure and disaster. I foretold exactly what would happen, except that I heartily hoped that the Englishmen would be killed and their coolies escape by some miracle. It was not to be. They made the mistake against which I had warned them; they had precisely the same kind of accident as in 1905 that resulted from the mutinous violation of my orders; but, just as the doctor and Righi had escaped with their worthless lives, to go about the world with the manslaughter of their comrades on their consciences, so also it happened in 1922. But the London press refused to publish my article. One editor told me that it was a shame to "crab" the expediton, and that my warnings would give pain to the relations of the party! No, better wait until the accident had happened, and then it would be interesting to point out why it had happened. Of course that is the journalistic point of view. Disasters should not be prevented. Heaven forbid! We should rather encourage battle, murder and sudden death. Our business is to make the splash. This psychology is one of my reasons for holding the press in horror. I do not believe in restrictions on business enterprise, but it really ought to be made impossible that it should be to anyone's interest to bring about a European war. On the twenty-third Guillarmod came to see me and ask me to say no more in the public press, as far as he was concerned. On the twenty-fourth we discussed the whole matter. He admitted that he had been in the wrong and excused himself (on the ground of ill-health and nervousness) for his behaviour. I thought I knew him; he was simply a fool but incapable of malice or treachery. On the twenty-fifth he and Righi made a violent attack on me in the columns of a newspaper, but "out of their own mouths"! Their admission proved my case. In particular, they blamed the coolies, so I had to write {443} to the paper, "I would most especially call attention to the repeated complaints against the coolies as evidence of incapacity to manage them, and emphasize my own testimony to their steadiness, capacity and goodwill." Guillarmod's overtures had been intended merely to give them time to strike. "Cet animal est trŠs m‚cant: quand on l'attaque il se d‚fend." I hit back and cut Guillarmod publicly on the twenty-sixth. On the twenty seventh I received the following amazing letter. 27.IX.05 Lord Boleskne, Vos procédés financiers puent l'escroc ŕ plein nez & font honneur ŕ la noblesse irlandaise. Faire signer un papier par lequel je déclare ne plus rien réclamer alors que vous savez pertinemment que j'oublie plusieurs dépenses est un acte aussi honnęte que l'hospitalité écossaise (haggis). Je comprends maintenant les raisons qui vous font rechercher les endroits reculés & inhabités; vous craignez trop de rencontrer de vos dupes, filou que vous ętes. Je conserve précieusement le reçdu de 300 Rs que vous venez d'envoyer ŕ Reymond & si demain ŕ 10 h. du matin je n'ai pas reçu un chčque de cette somme, je dépose avec une plainte en escroquerie un exemplaire des Snowdrops oů vous préféreriez ne pas le voir. J.J.G. I took it at once to a lawyer who warned him that by the Indian penal code he was rendering himself liable to a long term in prison. I realized that the man was simply insane with remorse and did not press the charge. On the contrary despite the agreement of the twentieth, I agreed to pay him a small sum for certain items which had been overlooked. I went down to Calcutta on the twenty-