Very well.In that day all men will be accomplished levitationists, and they will leave this perishing planet and seek more hospitable worlds.How can levitation be accomplished? By progressive fasts.
Yes, I have tried them, and toward the end I could feel myself actually getting lighter."The man is a maniac, thought I.
"Of course," he added, "these are only theories of mine.I like to speculate upon the glorious future of man.Levitation may not be possible, but I like to think of it as possible."One evening, when he yawned, I asked him how much sleep he allowed himself.
"Seven hours," was the answer."But in ten years I'll be sleeping only six hours, and in twenty years only five hours.You see, Ishall cut off an hour's sleep every ten years.""Then when you are a hundred you won't be sleeping at all," Iinterjected.
"Just that.Exactly that.When I am a hundred I shall not require sleep.Also, I shall be living on air.There are plants that live on air, you know.""But has any man ever succeeded in doing it?"He shook his head.
"I never heard of him if he did.But it is only a theory of mine, this living on air.It would be fine, wouldn't it? Of course it may be impossible--most likely it is.You see, I am not unpractical.I never forget the present.When I soar ahead into the future, I always leave a string by which to find my way back again."I fear me the Nature Man is a joker.At any rate he lives the simple life.His laundry bill cannot be large.Up on his plantation he lives on fruit the labour cost of which, in cash, he estimates at five cents a day.At present, because of his obstructed road and because he is head over heels in the propaganda of socialism, he is living in town, where his expenses, including rent, are twenty-five cents a day.In order to pay those expenses he is running a night school for Chinese.
The Nature Man is not bigoted.When there is nothing better to eat than meat, he eats meat, as, for instance, when in jail or on shipboard and the nuts and fruits give out.Nor does he seem to crystallize into anything except sunburn.
"Drop anchor anywhere and the anchor will drag--that is, if your soul is a limitless, fathomless sea, and not dog-pound," he quoted to me, then added: "You see, my anchor is always dragging.I live for human health and progress, and I strive to drag my anchor always in that direction.To me, the two are identical.Dragging anchor is what has saved me.My anchor did not hold me to my death-bed.Idragged anchor into the brush and fooled the doctors.When Irecovered health and strength, I started, by preaching and by example, to teach the people to become nature men and nature women.
But they had deaf ears.Then, on the steamer coming to Tahiti, a quarter-master expounded socialism to me.He showed me that an economic square deal was necessary before men and women could live naturally.So I dragged anchor once more, and now I am working for the co-operative commonwealth.When that arrives, it will be easy to bring about nature living.
"I had a dream last night," he went on thoughtfully, his face slowly breaking into a glow."It seemed that twenty-five nature men and nature women had just arrived on the steamer from California, and that I was starting to go with them up the wild-pig trail to the plantation."Ah, me, Ernest Darling, sun-worshipper and nature man, there are times when I am compelled to envy you and your carefree existence.
I see you now, dancing up the steps and cutting antics on the veranda; your hair dripping from a plunge in the salt sea, your eyes sparkling, your sun-gilded body flashing, your chest resounding to the devil's own tattoo as you chant: "The gorilla in the African jungle pounds his chest until the noise of it can be heard half a mile away." And I shall see you always as I saw you that last day, when the Snark poked her nose once more through the passage in the smoking reef, outward bound, and I waved good-bye to those on shore.
Not least in goodwill and affection was the wave I gave to the golden sun-god in the scarlet loin-cloth, standing upright in his tiny outrigger canoe.
