24
Kaspar Hauser.
him into his own family, he began to learn rapidly. He sat with
those friendly people at table, and although he could not eat
their food, they taught him to sit properly and use his hands to
some purpose. He played with the jailer’s children, and the
elder boy took pride in teaching the childish young man to talk,
He showed great quickness in acquiring information, and took
absorbing interest in everything that was presented to his notice,
[n a very short time he began to express himself in broken
sentences, and to understand what was said to him.
Soon after his arrival the jailer and his wife stripped him and
gave him a thorough washing. It seemed as though he had never
Yeen washed before ; the dirt upon his body was like a crust, and
came off in rolls from his skin. His demeanour upon this occa-
sion was that of an ignorant, innocent child. He submitted to
the process without reluctance, and showed no embarrassment
because the bath was presided over by a woman. But he very
soon began to develop a sense of shame, and during the rest of
his short life his modesty was as delicate as that of a chaste
young girl,
So singular a specimen of humanity awakened naturally a
general curiosity, and many experiments were made upon the boy
by his jailer, his companions in the guardroom, and the people
of the town, who came in greater numbers every day to see the
wonder.
Notwithstanding his evident dislike of any other nourishment
than bread and water, attempts were frequently made to induce
him to swallow ordinary food ; but his tormentors soon desisted
on perceiving the serious results of their jokes. Even a drop of
wine or coffee, secretly mixed with his glass of water, caused pro-
fuse sweating, vomiting, and severe headache. A few drops of
coffee produced an attack of diarrhoea; a little beer mingled
with water caused colic and fever ; even milk, whether fresh or
cooked, disordered his stomach seriously, and a morsel of meat
made him really ill, while the mere smell of liquor or of cooked
food produced nausea and faintness.
The first time that a lighted candle was placed near him he was