。
When a thief was caught on the premises of a large fur store one morning； the shop assistants must have found it impossible to resist the temptation to say 'it serves him right'。 The shop was an old…fashioned one with many large； disused fireplaces and tall； narrow chimneys。 Towards midday； a girl heard a muffled cry coming from behind one of the walls。 As the cry was repeated several times； she ran to tell the manager who promptly rang up the fire…brigade。 The cry had certainly come from one of the chimneys； but as there were so many of them； the firemen could not be certain which one it was。 They located the right chimney by tapping at the walls and listening for the man's cries。 After chipping through a wall which was eighteen inches thick； they found that a man had been trapped in the chimney。 As it was extremely narrow； the man was unable to move； but the firemen were eventually able to free him by cutting a huge hole in the wall。 The sorry…looking； blackened figure that emerged； at once admitted that he had tried to break into the shop during the night but had got stuck in the chimney。 He had been there for nearly ten hours。 Justice had been done even before the man was handed over to the police。
Lesson36 A chance in a million
We are less credulous than we used to be In the nineteenth century； a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences most of them wildly improbable。 Readers happily accepted the fact that an obscure maid…servant was really the hero's mother。 A long…lost brother； who was presumed dead； was really alive all the time and wickedly plotting to bring about the hero's down… fall。 And so on。 Modern readers would find such naive solutions totally unacceptable。 Yet； in real life； circumstances do sometimes conspire to bring about coincidences which anyone but a nineteenth century novelist would find incredible。
A German taxi…driver； Franz Bussman； recently found a brother who was thought to have been killed twenty years before。 While on a walking tour with his wife； he stopped to talk to a workman。 After they had gone on； Mrs Bussman commented on the workman's close resemblance to her husband and even suggested that he might be his brother。 Franz poured scorn on the idea； pointing
out that his brother had been killed in action during the war。 Though Mrs Bussman was fully acquainted with this story； she thought that there was a chance in a million that she might be right。 A few days later； she sent a boy to the workman to ask him if his name was Hans Bussman； Needless to say； the man's name was Hans Bussman and he really was Franz's long…lost brother。
When the brothers were re…united； Hans explained how it was that he was still alive。 After having been wounded towards the end of the war； he had been sent to hospital and was separated from his unit。 The hospital had been bombed and Hans had made his way back into Western Germany on foot。 Meanwhile； his unit was lost and all records of him had been destroyed。 Hans returned to his
family home； but the house had been bombed and no one in the neighbourhood knew what had become of the inhabitants。 Assuming that his family had been killed during an air…raid； Hans settled down in a Village fifty miles away where he had remained ever since。
Lesson37 The Westhaven Express
We have learnt to expect that trains will be punctual。 After years of pre…conditioning； most of us have developed an unshakable faith in railway time…tables。 Ships may be delayed by storms； air flights may be cancelled because of bad weather； but trains must be on time。 Only an exceptionally heavy snow fall might temporarily dislocate railway services。 It is all too easy to blame the railway authorities when something does go wrong。 The truth is that when mistakes
occur； they are more likely to be ours than theirs。
After consulting my railway time…table； I noted with satisfaction that there was an express train to Westhaven。 It went direct from my local station and the journey lasted a mere hour and seventeen minutes。 When I boarded the train； I could not help noticing that a great many local people got on as well。 At the time； this did not strike me as odd。 I reflected that there must be a great many people besides myself who wished to take advantage of this excellent service。 Neither was I surprised when the train stopped at Widley； a tiny station a few miles along the line。 Even a mighty express train can be held up by signals。 But when the train dawdled at station after station； I began to wonder。 It suddenly dawned on me that this express was not roaring down the line at ninety miles an hour； but barely chugging along at thirty。 One hour and seventeen minutes passed and we had not even covered half the distance。 I asked a passenger if this was the Westhaven Express； but he had not even heard of it。 I determined to lodge a complaint as soon as we arrived。 Two hours later； I was talking angrily to the station…master at Westhaven。 When he denied the train's existence； I borrowed his copy of the time…table。 There was a note of triumph in my voice when I told him that it was there in black and white。 Glancing at it briefly； he told me to look again。 A tiny asterisk conducted me to a footnote at the bottom of the page。 It said： 'This service has been suspended。'
Lesson38 The first calendar
Future historians will be in a unique position when they come to record the history of our own times。 They will hardly know which facts to select from the great mass of evidence that steadily
accumulates。 What is more they will not have to rely solely on the written word。 Films； gramophone records； and magnetic tapes will provide them with a bewildering amount of information。 They will be able； as it were； to see and hear us in action。 But the historian attempting to reconstruct the distant past is always faced with a difficult task。 He has to deduce what he can from the few scanty clues available。 Even seemingly insignificant remains can shed interesting light on the history of early man。
Up to now； historians have assumed that calendars came into being with the advent of agriculture； for then man was faced with a real need to understand something about the seasons。 Recent scientific evidence seems to indicate that this assumption is incorrect。 Historians have long been puzzled by dots； lines and symbols which have been engraved on walls； bones； and the ivory tusk of mammoths。 The nomads who made these markings lived by hunting and fishing during the last Ice Age； which began about 35；000 B。C。 and ended about 10；000 B。C。 By correlating markings made in various parts of the world； historians have been able to read this difficult code。 They have found that it is connected with the passage of days and the phases of the moon。 It is； in fact； a； primitive type of calendar。 It has long been known that the hunting scenes depicted on walls were not simply a form of artistic expression。 They had a definite meaning； for they were as near as early man could get to writing。 It is possible that there is a definite relation between these paintings and the markings that sometimes accompany them。 It seems that man was making a real effort to understand the seasons 20；000 years earlier than has been supposed。
Lesson39 Nothing to worry about
The rough road across the plain soon became so bad that we tried to get Bruce to drive back to the village we had come from。 Even though the road was littered with boulders and pitted with holes；
Bruce was not in the least perturbed。 Glancing at his map； he informed us that the next village was a mere twenty miles away。 It was not that Bruce always underestimated difficulties。 He simply had no sense of danger at all。 No matter what the conditions were； he believed that a car should be driven as fast as it could possibly go。
As we bumped over the dusty track； we swerved to avoid large boulders。 The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car。 We felt sure that sooner or later a stone would rip a hole in our petrol tank or damage the engine。 Because of this； we kept looking back； wondering if we were leaving a trail of oil and petrol behind us。 What a relief it was when the boulders suddenly disa