Page:Frank Owen - The Wind That Tramps the World (1929).djvu/89

 To the furthermost realms of space they roamed and many were the mysteries into which they peered.

Woo Ling-foh and Hwei-Ti had known each other for many years. The old mystic was a most interesting companion and countless were the tranquil hours Hwei-Ti passed listening to his quaint philosophies.

"Of all senses," mused Woo Ling-foh, "that of sight is the greatest. Who really looks with eyes that see? In every man is hidden the shadow of his ancestors. From his shadow he cannot escape. Therefore might it not be possible for one to gaze at a man so intently that one could see his ancestors reaching back dimly through the mists of the ages? However this is purely speculative on my part. I have never had opportunity to pursue this particular road of thought further. I have been too intent on experimenting with spiritual things. For years this has been my main subject of research and do you know what I have come to realize? Vision is granted a man only just before his death. At that period his senses are developed to their most superb degree. Animals and people do not sec things in the same manner. Visions are of different intensities. For instance birds cannot distinguish blue because of the presence of yellow granules in the retina of their eyes. Numerous animals can distinguish ultra-violet rays which are not apparent to human sight, due perhaps to the fluorescence of their eyes. I merely mention these things in a fragmentary way to emphasize my point. If such things can be, might it not also be