Short Commons 159
“It’s the essence of your teaching, surely, Mr.
Lamus, that every man should be absolute master of
his own destiny.”
“‘ Well, well,” admitted the Teacher with an exag-
gerated sigh, “I expected to be beaten in argument.
I always am. But I, too, am the master of mine.
‘If Power asks Why, then is Power weakness,’ as we
readin the Book of the Law; and it’s not my destiny
to give you any drugs this morning.”
“ But you're interfering with my Will,” protested
Cockie, almost vivaciously.
“It would take too long to explain,” returned
Lamus, “ why I think that remark unfair. But to
quote the Book of the Law once more, ‘Enough of
Because, be he damned for a dog.’ Instead, let me
tell you a story.”
We tactfully expressed eagerness to hear it.
“The greatest mountaineer of his generation, as
you know, was the late Oscar Eckenstein.”
He went through a rather complicated gesture quite
incomprehensible; but it vaguely suggested to me
some ceremonial reverence connected with death.
“‘T had the great good fortune to be adopted by this
man; he taught me how to climb; in particular, how
to glissade. He made me start down the slope from
all kinds of complicated positions ; head first and so
on; and I had to let myself slide without attempting
to save myself until he gave the word, and then I had
to recover myself and finish, either sitting or standing,
as he chose, to swerve or to stop; while he counted
five. And he gave me progressively dangerous exercises.
Of course, this sounds all rather obvious, but as a
matter of fact, he was the only man who had learnt
and who taught to glissade in this thorough way.
“The acquired power, however, staod me in very
good stead on many occasions. To save an hour may
sometimes mean to save one’s life, and we could plunge
down dangerous slopes where (for example) one might
find oneself on a patch of ice when going at high speed