1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:29,083 --> 00:00:31,625 [Roald] Hmm. Yes. 4 00:00:32,583 --> 00:00:35,750 Well, here we are now in the hut where I write. 5 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,875 I've been in this hut for 30 years now. 6 00:00:40,750 --> 00:00:42,958 Well, it's important, uh, before I start, 7 00:00:42,958 --> 00:00:48,000 I like to make sure I have everything around me that I'm going to need. Um... 8 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,208 Cigarettes, of course. Some coffee, chocolates. 9 00:00:53,958 --> 00:00:57,875 And always make sure I have a sharp pencil before I start. 10 00:00:57,875 --> 00:00:59,833 [sharpener whirring] 11 00:00:59,833 --> 00:01:03,458 I have six pencils, and then I like to clean my writing board. 12 00:01:05,666 --> 00:01:07,083 See how many bits of rubber. 13 00:01:08,833 --> 00:01:09,666 There. 14 00:01:11,958 --> 00:01:13,875 And then, finally, one starts. 15 00:01:17,125 --> 00:01:20,708 It's, uh... usually a few corrections needed. 16 00:01:23,458 --> 00:01:24,291 Yeah. 17 00:01:25,916 --> 00:01:27,916 [mumbling] 18 00:01:29,541 --> 00:01:30,375 It's, um... 19 00:01:34,250 --> 00:01:38,041 Henry Sugar was 41 years old, unmarried and rich. 20 00:01:38,666 --> 00:01:41,625 He was rich because he had a rich father who was now dead. 21 00:01:41,625 --> 00:01:45,791 Was unmarried because he was too selfish to share any of his money with a wife. 22 00:01:45,791 --> 00:01:47,583 He was 6'2" tall, 23 00:01:47,583 --> 00:01:50,291 and not perhaps as handsome as he thought he was. 24 00:01:50,291 --> 00:01:52,958 He paid a great deal of attention to his clothes. 25 00:01:52,958 --> 00:01:55,250 He went to an expensive tailor for his suits, 26 00:01:55,250 --> 00:01:58,666 to a shirt maker for his shirts, and to a boot maker for his shoes. 27 00:01:58,666 --> 00:02:01,583 His hairdresser trimmed his hair once every ten days, 28 00:02:01,583 --> 00:02:04,458 and he always took a manicure at the same time. 29 00:02:04,458 --> 00:02:06,083 He drove a Ferrari motor car 30 00:02:06,083 --> 00:02:08,666 which cost him about the same as a country cottage. 31 00:02:08,666 --> 00:02:10,208 [bell tolling distantly] 32 00:02:10,208 --> 00:02:11,583 All his friends were rich 33 00:02:11,583 --> 00:02:14,000 and he had never done a day's work in his life. 34 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,500 Men like Henry Sugar can be found drifting like seaweed all over the world. 35 00:02:19,500 --> 00:02:23,291 They're not particularly bad men, but they're not good men either. 36 00:02:24,458 --> 00:02:26,416 They're simply part of the decoration. 37 00:02:28,375 --> 00:02:30,625 All rich people of Henry's type, of course, 38 00:02:30,625 --> 00:02:34,875 have one peculiarity in common: a terrific urge to make themselves richer. 39 00:02:35,791 --> 00:02:38,625 The 10 million is never enough. Nor is 20 million. 40 00:02:38,625 --> 00:02:41,583 Always they suffer the insatiable longing for more money 41 00:02:41,583 --> 00:02:45,250 and the terror of waking up one morning and finding nothing in the bank. 42 00:02:45,250 --> 00:02:48,541 {\an8}They employ various methods to increase their fortunes. 43 00:02:48,541 --> 00:02:51,333 {\an8}Some buy stocks and shares, watch them go up and down. 44 00:02:51,333 --> 00:02:56,333 {\an8}Some buy land or art or diamonds. Some bet on roulette, blackjack, horses. 45 00:02:56,333 --> 00:02:58,416 {\an8}Some, indeed, bet on anything. 46 00:02:58,416 --> 00:03:02,541 {\an8}Henry Sugar was one of those, and not at all above cheating, by the way. 47 00:03:03,500 --> 00:03:04,458 {\an8}One summer weekend, 48 00:03:04,458 --> 00:03:08,166 {\an8}Henry drove from London to the countryside to stay with Sir William W. 49 00:03:08,166 --> 00:03:10,583 The house was magnificent. So were the grounds. 50 00:03:10,583 --> 00:03:14,166 But when Henry arrived that Saturday, it was already pelting with rain. 51 00:03:14,166 --> 00:03:17,750 The host and his other guests whiled away the afternoon playing games, 52 00:03:17,750 --> 00:03:21,708 while Henry glumly stared out at the drops splashing against the windows. 53 00:03:21,708 --> 00:03:25,041 Henry wandered out of the drawing room and into the front hall. 54 00:03:25,041 --> 00:03:29,375 He drifted through the house, aimless. Then finally mooched into the library. 55 00:03:32,250 --> 00:03:35,916 Sir William's father was a book collector, and the walls of this huge room 56 00:03:35,916 --> 00:03:39,291 were lined with antiquated leather bound volumes floor-to-ceiling. 57 00:03:39,291 --> 00:03:40,708 Henry wasn't interested. 58 00:03:40,708 --> 00:03:44,166 He only read detective novels and thrillers. Nothing like that here. 59 00:03:44,166 --> 00:03:45,333 He was about to leave 60 00:03:45,333 --> 00:03:48,500 when his eye was caught and held by something quite different. 61 00:03:48,500 --> 00:03:50,458 So slim, he never would've noticed it 62 00:03:50,458 --> 00:03:53,541 if it hadn't been sticking out from the books on either side. 63 00:03:53,541 --> 00:03:55,166 He pulled it from the shelf. 64 00:03:55,166 --> 00:03:56,291 It was nothing more 65 00:03:56,291 --> 00:03:59,166 than a cardboard exercise book, the kind children use at school. 66 00:03:59,166 --> 00:04:01,833 The cover was dark blue, with nothing written on it. 67 00:04:01,833 --> 00:04:05,750 On the first page, hand-printed in black ink, clear and neat, it said: 68 00:04:08,666 --> 00:04:12,416 Strange. Weird. What is this? 69 00:04:13,291 --> 00:04:16,750 He settled himself into an armchair and started from the beginning. 70 00:04:16,750 --> 00:04:20,708 The following is what Henry read in the little, blue exercise book. 71 00:04:24,958 --> 00:04:28,916 My name is Z.Z. Chatterjee. Head surgeon at Lords and Ladies Hospital, Calcutta. 72 00:04:28,916 --> 00:04:31,083 On the morning of 2nd December, 1935, 73 00:04:31,083 --> 00:04:33,291 I was in the doctors' rest room having a cup of tea. 74 00:04:33,291 --> 00:04:36,916 Three other doctors were present with me. Doctors Marshall, Mitra, and Macfarlane. 75 00:04:36,916 --> 00:04:38,500 - There was a knock. - [knocking] 76 00:04:38,500 --> 00:04:39,750 "Come in," I said. 77 00:04:41,458 --> 00:04:44,750 Excuse me, please. May I ask you gentlemen a favor? 78 00:04:44,750 --> 00:04:46,500 "This is a private room," I said. 79 00:04:46,500 --> 00:04:48,750 I know. I'm sorry to burst in like this, 80 00:04:48,750 --> 00:04:51,791 but I have a most, I think, interesting thing to show you. 81 00:04:51,791 --> 00:04:54,208 We were pretty annoyed and didn't say anything. 82 00:04:55,208 --> 00:04:59,375 Gentlemen, I'm a man who can see without using his eyes. 83 00:05:00,208 --> 00:05:01,666 He was a small man, about 60, 84 00:05:01,666 --> 00:05:05,375 white mustache and a matting of black hair over the outsides of his ears. 85 00:05:05,375 --> 00:05:08,291 You may bandage my head with 50 bandages in any way, 86 00:05:08,291 --> 00:05:10,500 and I'll still be able to read you a book. 87 00:05:10,500 --> 00:05:14,166 He seemed perfectly serious. I felt my curiosity beginning to stir. 88 00:05:14,166 --> 00:05:15,250 Come in, please. 89 00:05:22,166 --> 00:05:25,791 All right. How many fingers is Dr. Marshall holding up? 90 00:05:25,791 --> 00:05:27,291 - Seven. -"Once more," I said. 91 00:05:27,291 --> 00:05:28,750 - Nine. -"Once more," I said. 92 00:05:28,750 --> 00:05:29,833 - Three. - Once more-- 93 00:05:29,833 --> 00:05:31,291 - Three again. - Once more. 94 00:05:32,250 --> 00:05:33,166 No fingers. 95 00:05:34,625 --> 00:05:36,333 Hmm. What's the trick? 96 00:05:36,333 --> 00:05:40,333 There's no trick. This is a genuine thing I've managed after years of training. 97 00:05:40,333 --> 00:05:41,708 What sorts of training? 98 00:05:41,708 --> 00:05:44,208 Forgive me, sir, but that is a private matter. 99 00:05:45,125 --> 00:05:46,291 What can we do for you? 100 00:05:46,291 --> 00:05:49,333 I work in a traveling theater. We arrived in Calcutta today. 101 00:05:49,333 --> 00:05:52,791 Tonight we give our opening performance at the Royal Palace Hall. 102 00:05:52,791 --> 00:05:54,375 I am billed on the program as: 103 00:05:54,375 --> 00:05:56,708 Imdad Khan, the Man Who Sees without His Eyes. 104 00:05:56,708 --> 00:05:58,750 When our company arrives in a new town, 105 00:05:58,750 --> 00:06:00,250 I go to the largest hospital 106 00:06:00,250 --> 00:06:03,791 and ask the doctors to bandage my eyes in the most thorough fashion. 107 00:06:03,791 --> 00:06:06,125 It is important this job is done by doctors, 108 00:06:06,125 --> 00:06:08,208 otherwise people may think I'm cheating. 109 00:06:08,208 --> 00:06:11,041 Then I go out into the streets and do a dangerous thing. 110 00:06:11,041 --> 00:06:12,333 I looked at the others. 111 00:06:12,333 --> 00:06:15,458 Mitra and Macfarlane had to go back to their patients. Go on. 112 00:06:15,458 --> 00:06:18,541 - But Dr. Marshall said... - Why not? Let's do the job properly. 113 00:06:18,541 --> 00:06:20,708 Make it absolutely certain he can't see anything. 114 00:06:20,708 --> 00:06:23,208 You are kind. Please do whatever you wish. 115 00:06:23,208 --> 00:06:25,000 "Before we bandage him," I said, 116 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,250 "fill his eye sockets with something soft, solid." 117 00:06:27,250 --> 00:06:29,500 - Dough? - Perfect. Go to the hospital bakery. 118 00:06:29,500 --> 00:06:31,375 I'll take him and seal his eyelids. 119 00:06:31,375 --> 00:06:33,916 I led Imdad down the long corridor to the surgery. 120 00:06:33,916 --> 00:06:35,250 "Lie down there," I said. 121 00:06:35,250 --> 00:06:37,666 I took a bottle of collodion from the cupboard. 122 00:06:37,666 --> 00:06:39,916 I'll glue your eyelids shut with this stuff. 123 00:06:39,916 --> 00:06:41,291 How do I remove it later? 124 00:06:41,291 --> 00:06:44,833 Just dab some alcohol carefully below the lashes. That'll dissolve it. 125 00:06:44,833 --> 00:06:47,583 Keep your eyes closed while we wait for it to harden. 126 00:06:47,583 --> 00:06:48,625 Two minutes passed. 127 00:06:48,625 --> 00:06:51,041 "Open your eyes," I said. He couldn't. 128 00:06:51,041 --> 00:06:55,000 I took some of Dr. Marshall's dough and plastered it over one of Imdad's eyes. 129 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:56,333 I filled the whole socket 130 00:06:56,333 --> 00:06:59,000 and let the dough overlap onto the surrounding skin. 131 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,791 I did the same with the other eye. 132 00:07:00,791 --> 00:07:02,500 I pressed the edges down hard. 133 00:07:02,500 --> 00:07:05,416 -"Isn't too uncomfortable?" I asked. - [Imdad] Not at all. Thank you. 134 00:07:05,416 --> 00:07:07,458 "Do the bandaging," I said to Marshall. 135 00:07:07,458 --> 00:07:09,000 My fingers are too sticky. 136 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,833 Pleasure. We'll just pop these here... 137 00:07:11,833 --> 00:07:15,333 Dr. Marshall laid thick cotton-wool on Imdad's dough-filled eyes. 138 00:07:15,333 --> 00:07:16,375 It stuck in place. 139 00:07:16,375 --> 00:07:17,416 Sit up please. 140 00:07:18,125 --> 00:07:21,416 Dr. Marshall rolled a three-inch bandage round the face and head. 141 00:07:21,416 --> 00:07:23,833 Please do leave my nose free for breathing. 142 00:07:23,833 --> 00:07:25,083 [Dr. Marshall] Of course. 143 00:07:25,750 --> 00:07:28,500 Sorry, it's going to be a pinch on the tight side. 144 00:07:29,166 --> 00:07:30,416 [Imdad groans softly] 145 00:07:31,166 --> 00:07:32,083 How's that? 146 00:07:32,083 --> 00:07:33,125 "Splendid," I said. 147 00:07:33,125 --> 00:07:35,708 Looked like he suffered a terrible brain operation. 148 00:07:35,708 --> 00:07:36,666 How does it feel? 149 00:07:36,666 --> 00:07:37,833 [Imdad] It feels very good. 150 00:07:37,833 --> 00:07:40,916 I must compliment you gentlemen on doing such a thorough job. 151 00:07:40,916 --> 00:07:44,166 Imdad Khan stood up off the bed and walked straight to the door. 152 00:07:51,291 --> 00:07:54,458 Great Scott! See that? He put his hand right on the doorknob! 153 00:07:54,458 --> 00:07:55,958 Dr. Marshall stopped grinning. 154 00:07:56,541 --> 00:07:59,583 Imdad was walking normally, quite briskly along the corridor. 155 00:07:59,583 --> 00:08:03,000 We followed five yards behind him. Spooky it was to watch this man 156 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,000 with an enormous, totally bandaged head strolling casually... 157 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:07,166 "He saw it!" I cried. 158 00:08:07,166 --> 00:08:09,875 "He saw that trolley! This is unbelievable!" 159 00:08:09,875 --> 00:08:11,333 Dr. Marshall didn't answer. 160 00:08:11,333 --> 00:08:14,166 His whole face was rigid with shocked disbelief. 161 00:08:14,166 --> 00:08:16,708 Imdad went down the stairs with no trouble at all. 162 00:08:16,708 --> 00:08:18,208 Didn't even hold the stair-rail. 163 00:08:18,208 --> 00:08:21,166 Several people were coming up. You can see how they reacted. 164 00:08:21,875 --> 00:08:25,750 At the bottom of the stairs, he turned and headed out the doors to the street. 165 00:08:25,750 --> 00:08:28,166 Dr. Marshall and I kept close behind him. 166 00:08:28,166 --> 00:08:31,416 Below us, a crowd of 100 barefoot children shouted and surged 167 00:08:31,416 --> 00:08:33,166 towards our white-headed visitor. 168 00:08:33,166 --> 00:08:35,500 He greeted them with his hands above his head. 169 00:08:35,500 --> 00:08:38,833 He walked to a bicycle, mounted it, and pedaled a figure-eight. 170 00:08:38,833 --> 00:08:41,708 The barefoot children chased him, cheering and laughing. 171 00:08:41,708 --> 00:08:44,583 He sped straight out into the traffic of the busy street 172 00:08:44,583 --> 00:08:47,916 with honking motor-cars whizzing around him in every direction. 173 00:08:47,916 --> 00:08:49,625 He rode superbly. 174 00:08:49,625 --> 00:08:51,708 For a minute, we kept him in sight. 175 00:08:51,708 --> 00:08:53,750 Then he turned a corner and was gone. 176 00:08:53,750 --> 00:08:57,375 -"I can't believe it," Dr. Marshall said. - I can't believe it. 177 00:08:57,375 --> 00:08:58,958 "I can't either," I said. 178 00:08:58,958 --> 00:09:01,250 I think we just witnessed a miracle. 179 00:09:01,250 --> 00:09:03,875 For the rest of the day, I was busy with patients. 180 00:09:03,875 --> 00:09:06,541 In the evening, I went to my flat to change clothes. 181 00:09:06,541 --> 00:09:08,000 I took a long, cool shower. 182 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,500 I drank whisky-soda on the veranda with only a towel around my waist. 183 00:09:11,500 --> 00:09:14,416 At ten minutes to 7:00, I arrived at the Royal Palace Hall. 184 00:09:14,416 --> 00:09:16,000 [Dr. Z.Z.] The show lasted two hours. 185 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,458 To my surprise, I enjoyed it. The juggler, the snake-charmer, the fire-eater, 186 00:09:19,458 --> 00:09:22,625 the sword-swallower who pushed a rapier down his throat into his stomach. 187 00:09:22,625 --> 00:09:24,666 Lastly, to a great fanfare of trumpets, 188 00:09:24,666 --> 00:09:27,000 our friend Imdad Khan came out to do his act. 189 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:30,041 Members of the audience were called onstage to blindfold him 190 00:09:30,041 --> 00:09:32,250 before he threw knives around a boy's body 191 00:09:32,250 --> 00:09:34,541 and shot a can off his head with a revolver. 192 00:09:34,541 --> 00:09:38,458 Then, finally, a metal barrel was fitted over his already bandaged head. 193 00:09:38,458 --> 00:09:42,291 The boy placed a needle in Imdad's hand and some cotton thread in the other. 194 00:09:42,291 --> 00:09:44,708 A large magnifying glass was placed in front of him, 195 00:09:44,708 --> 00:09:46,375 and with no false moves, 196 00:09:46,375 --> 00:09:49,458 he neatly threaded the thread through the eye of the needle. 197 00:09:49,458 --> 00:09:52,166 - [crowd exclaiming] - [lively music playing] 198 00:09:54,208 --> 00:09:55,208 I was flabbergasted. 199 00:09:57,583 --> 00:10:00,125 Backstage, I found Imdad sitting quietly on a stool 200 00:10:00,125 --> 00:10:01,625 while he removed his stage makeup. 201 00:10:01,625 --> 00:10:03,416 You're curious, doctor, correct? 202 00:10:03,416 --> 00:10:04,666 "Most curious," I said. 203 00:10:04,666 --> 00:10:08,583 Again, I was struck by the matting of black hair on the outsides of his ears. 204 00:10:08,583 --> 00:10:10,916 I'd never seen anything like it on another person. 205 00:10:10,916 --> 00:10:13,458 I have a proposal: I'm not a writer by profession. 206 00:10:13,458 --> 00:10:15,875 But if you tell me how you developed this power 207 00:10:15,875 --> 00:10:18,833 of seeing without your eyes, I'll take it down faithfully. 208 00:10:18,833 --> 00:10:21,833 I'll try to get it published in the British Medical Journal 209 00:10:21,833 --> 00:10:23,125 or in a famous magazine. 210 00:10:23,125 --> 00:10:25,375 Would that help you? To become better known? 211 00:10:25,375 --> 00:10:27,416 - It would help me very much. - Splendid. 212 00:10:27,416 --> 00:10:30,333 I have a shorthand for taking down medical histories. 213 00:10:30,333 --> 00:10:33,500 I believe I got everything Imdad said to me, word for word. 214 00:10:33,500 --> 00:10:35,750 I give it to you now exactly as he spoke it. 215 00:10:42,708 --> 00:10:45,791 I was born in Kashmir State in 1873. 216 00:10:45,791 --> 00:10:48,916 My father was a ticket inspector on the national railway. 217 00:10:48,916 --> 00:10:52,291 One day, a conjurer came to our school and gave a performance. 218 00:10:52,291 --> 00:10:53,833 I was spellbound. 219 00:10:53,833 --> 00:10:55,833 Two weeks later, I took all my savings 220 00:10:55,833 --> 00:10:58,375 and ran away to join a traveling theater company. 221 00:10:58,375 --> 00:11:01,708 That was in 1886. I was 13 years old. 222 00:11:01,708 --> 00:11:02,791 For three years 223 00:11:02,791 --> 00:11:05,500 I traveled with this group all over the Punjab. 224 00:11:05,500 --> 00:11:08,125 By the end of it, I was playing top of the bill. 225 00:11:08,125 --> 00:11:10,666 All the time, I was saving money, 226 00:11:10,666 --> 00:11:14,541 which finally added up to just over 3,000 rupees. 227 00:11:14,541 --> 00:11:17,625 At this moment, I heard tell of a great, famous yogi 228 00:11:17,625 --> 00:11:19,958 who had acquired the rare power of levitation. 229 00:11:19,958 --> 00:11:21,666 It was said that when he prayed, 230 00:11:21,666 --> 00:11:25,208 his whole body left the ground and rose up 18 inches into the air. 231 00:11:25,208 --> 00:11:27,250 At the very least, a terrific effect. 232 00:11:28,375 --> 00:11:29,208 Mustache? 233 00:11:31,125 --> 00:11:33,208 - Oh. I quit the theater company... - [woman] Mmm-hmm. 234 00:11:33,208 --> 00:11:36,375 ...and made my way to the small town on the banks of the Ganges, 235 00:11:36,375 --> 00:11:38,375 where rumor said this yogi was living. 236 00:11:38,375 --> 00:11:40,833 One day, I overheard a traveler mention a hermit 237 00:11:40,833 --> 00:11:44,583 he had encountered not so very far away, in the densest jungle, all alone. 238 00:11:44,583 --> 00:11:45,958 That was enough for me. 239 00:11:45,958 --> 00:11:48,166 Um, I dashed out to hire a horse and cart. 240 00:11:49,083 --> 00:11:50,708 As I negotiated with the driver, 241 00:11:50,708 --> 00:11:53,291 a man appeared and said he was going in the same direction, 242 00:11:53,291 --> 00:11:56,291 and suggested we share the ride and split the cost. 243 00:11:56,291 --> 00:11:59,166 Well, what truly fantastic luck! 244 00:11:59,166 --> 00:12:00,541 Talking to my companion, 245 00:12:00,541 --> 00:12:03,625 I found that he was a disciple of the great yogi himself, 246 00:12:03,625 --> 00:12:06,541 and on his way, at that very moment, to visit his master. 247 00:12:06,541 --> 00:12:07,458 I blurted out, 248 00:12:07,458 --> 00:12:10,416 "This is the man I'm looking for! Please, may I meet him?" 249 00:12:10,416 --> 00:12:13,291 My companion looked at me long and slow. 250 00:12:13,291 --> 00:12:15,458 "That is impossible," he said. 251 00:12:15,458 --> 00:12:18,750 From this point forward, he refused to answer my questions. 252 00:12:18,750 --> 00:12:21,416 However, I managed to learn one small thing: 253 00:12:21,416 --> 00:12:24,625 the time of day the great yogi commenced his meditation. 254 00:12:24,625 --> 00:12:28,958 My companion signaled to halt the cart, dismounted, and was gone. 255 00:12:28,958 --> 00:12:31,625 I pretended to drive on. But just around the corner, 256 00:12:31,625 --> 00:12:33,875 I jumped down and snuck back along the path. 257 00:12:33,875 --> 00:12:36,375 Already, the man had disappeared into the jungle. 258 00:12:36,375 --> 00:12:38,750 - [twig snaps] - I heard a rustling in the undergrowth. 259 00:12:38,750 --> 00:12:41,125 "If that's not him," I thought, "it's a tiger, 260 00:12:41,125 --> 00:12:43,750 and I'm about to be pounced upon, thrashed, 261 00:12:43,750 --> 00:12:46,583 and eaten in little, torn morsels of bloody flesh." 262 00:12:47,958 --> 00:12:49,125 It was him. 263 00:12:49,125 --> 00:12:51,041 - [insects trilling] - [birds chirping] 264 00:12:51,041 --> 00:12:54,791 There wasn't even a shadow of a trace of a path where the man was walking. 265 00:12:54,791 --> 00:12:57,000 He was pushing his way between tall bamboos 266 00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:58,875 and every kind of heavy vegetation. 267 00:12:58,875 --> 00:13:02,833 I crept after him, very quiet, keeping at least 100 yards behind. 268 00:13:02,833 --> 00:13:05,916 Whenever I lost sight of him, which was most of the time, 269 00:13:05,916 --> 00:13:08,458 I was able to follow the sound of his footsteps. 270 00:13:08,458 --> 00:13:11,750 For half an hour, this tense game of follow-the-leader went on. 271 00:13:11,750 --> 00:13:14,666 Then, suddenly, I no longer heard the man in front of me. 272 00:13:14,666 --> 00:13:16,375 I stopped and listened. 273 00:13:16,375 --> 00:13:18,583 All at once, through the thick undergrowth, 274 00:13:18,583 --> 00:13:21,166 I saw a little clearing and two small huts. 275 00:13:21,166 --> 00:13:22,458 My heart jumped. 276 00:13:22,458 --> 00:13:24,833 There was a water-hole next to the nearest hut 277 00:13:24,833 --> 00:13:26,916 with a prayer-mat beside it, and above, 278 00:13:26,916 --> 00:13:31,208 a large baobab tree with beautiful, thick, leafy branches. 279 00:13:31,208 --> 00:13:33,583 All through the great noontime heat, I waited. 280 00:13:33,583 --> 00:13:36,500 On through the heavy wet heat of the afternoon, I waited. 281 00:13:36,500 --> 00:13:37,958 As five o'clock approached, 282 00:13:37,958 --> 00:13:41,416 I quietly climbed up my tree and hid among the leaves. 283 00:13:41,416 --> 00:13:43,625 Finally, the great yogi came out of his hut 284 00:13:43,625 --> 00:13:45,541 and sat cross-legged on the mat. 285 00:13:45,541 --> 00:13:48,208 Each movement he made was calm and gentle. 286 00:13:48,208 --> 00:13:50,791 He put his hands palm downward on his knees 287 00:13:50,791 --> 00:13:53,041 and took a long breath through his nostrils, 288 00:13:53,041 --> 00:13:56,875 and already I could see a sort of brightness was melting over him. 289 00:13:56,875 --> 00:14:00,291 For 14 minutes, he remained perfectly still in this position. 290 00:14:00,291 --> 00:14:04,000 And then, as I watched, I saw, quite positively, 291 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,166 his body slowly lifting off the ground. 292 00:14:07,666 --> 00:14:11,333 Twelve inches. Fifteen. Eighteen. Twenty. 293 00:14:12,083 --> 00:14:14,166 Two feet above the prayer-mat. 294 00:14:14,166 --> 00:14:15,958 Up in the tree, I said to myself, 295 00:14:15,958 --> 00:14:19,125 "There before you is a man sitting in the air." 296 00:14:20,458 --> 00:14:24,416 Forty-six minutes, by my watch, his body remained suspended. 297 00:14:24,416 --> 00:14:26,708 And then he slowly descended back to earth, 298 00:14:26,708 --> 00:14:29,333 until his buttocks rested again upon the mat. 299 00:14:29,333 --> 00:14:31,916 I climbed down from my tree and ran straight over. 300 00:14:31,916 --> 00:14:34,291 The great yogi was washing his hands and feet. 301 00:14:34,291 --> 00:14:36,583 "How long have you been here?" he said sharply. 302 00:14:36,583 --> 00:14:39,208 Suddenly, he picked up a brick and threw it at me so hard 303 00:14:39,208 --> 00:14:41,791 it broke in two as it struck my leg below the knee. 304 00:14:41,791 --> 00:14:44,000 I have the scar still. I'll show it to you. 305 00:14:46,916 --> 00:14:48,708 This was actually a stroke of luck. 306 00:14:48,708 --> 00:14:51,791 A great yogi isn't meant to lose his temper and fling bricks. 307 00:14:51,791 --> 00:14:56,250 The old man was humiliated, remorseful, and deeply disappointed in himself. 308 00:14:56,250 --> 00:14:59,625 He explained that though he could not take me on as a disciple, 309 00:14:59,625 --> 00:15:02,541 he would, nevertheless, give me some informal instruction 310 00:15:02,541 --> 00:15:04,708 in order to make amends for attacking me, 311 00:15:04,708 --> 00:15:07,125 an attack I fully deserved, by the way. 312 00:15:07,125 --> 00:15:09,041 This was in 1890. 313 00:15:09,041 --> 00:15:11,041 I was nearly 17 years old. 314 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,250 Now, what was the great yogi's instruction? 315 00:15:15,250 --> 00:15:16,875 Here it comes. 316 00:15:16,875 --> 00:15:18,458 The mind is a scattered thing. 317 00:15:18,458 --> 00:15:21,541 It concerns itself with thousands of different items at once. 318 00:15:21,541 --> 00:15:24,250 Things you see around you. Things you hear and smell. 319 00:15:24,250 --> 00:15:27,208 Things you think about. Things you try not to think about. 320 00:15:27,208 --> 00:15:29,250 You must learn to concentrate such that 321 00:15:29,250 --> 00:15:32,916 you can visualize at will one item, one item only, and nothing else. 322 00:15:32,916 --> 00:15:35,958 If you work hard, you may be able to concentrate your conscious mind 323 00:15:35,958 --> 00:15:37,458 on any one object you select 324 00:15:37,458 --> 00:15:39,458 for around three and one-half minutes. 325 00:15:39,458 --> 00:15:42,625 This will take about 20 years of diligent, daily effort. 326 00:15:42,625 --> 00:15:44,291 "Twenty years!" I cried. 327 00:15:44,291 --> 00:15:46,083 Twenty years. It may take longer. 328 00:15:46,083 --> 00:15:48,875 That's the usual time, if you are able to do it at all. 329 00:15:48,875 --> 00:15:50,541 I'll be an old man by then! 330 00:15:50,541 --> 00:15:53,416 The time varies. Some take ten years, some take thirty. 331 00:15:53,416 --> 00:15:56,333 On extremely rare occasions, a special person comes along 332 00:15:56,333 --> 00:15:59,250 who's able to develop the power in only one or two years, 333 00:15:59,250 --> 00:16:01,250 but this is one in a billion. Not you. 334 00:16:01,250 --> 00:16:03,625 Is it that difficult to concentrate the mind-- 335 00:16:03,625 --> 00:16:08,166 Almost impossible. Try it and see. Shut your eyes and think of something. 336 00:16:08,166 --> 00:16:11,291 Think of just one object. Visualize it. See it before you. 337 00:16:11,291 --> 00:16:13,458 In a few seconds, your mind will wander. 338 00:16:13,458 --> 00:16:16,541 Other thoughts will creep in. It's a very difficult thing. 339 00:16:16,541 --> 00:16:18,625 Thus spoke the great, wise, old yogi. 340 00:16:20,708 --> 00:16:23,500 [Imdad] And so my exercises began. 341 00:16:24,083 --> 00:16:25,458 Each evening, I sat down, 342 00:16:25,458 --> 00:16:28,916 closed my eyes, and visualized the person I loved best in the world, 343 00:16:28,916 --> 00:16:32,333 which was my elder brother who died, age ten, from a blood disease. 344 00:16:32,333 --> 00:16:36,208 I concentrated on his face, but the instant my mind began to wander, 345 00:16:36,208 --> 00:16:39,166 I stopped the exercise, rested for several minutes, 346 00:16:39,166 --> 00:16:40,458 then I tried again. 347 00:16:40,458 --> 00:16:42,291 After five years of daily practice, 348 00:16:42,291 --> 00:16:45,208 I was able to concentrate absolutely on my brother's face 349 00:16:45,208 --> 00:16:46,750 for one and a half minutes. 350 00:16:46,750 --> 00:16:48,166 I was making progress. 351 00:16:51,791 --> 00:16:52,625 In the meantime, 352 00:16:52,625 --> 00:16:55,833 I began to earn quite good money giving conjuring performances. 353 00:16:55,833 --> 00:16:58,041 By nature, my sleight-of-hand is very good, 354 00:16:58,041 --> 00:17:00,708 but always, I continued my exercises. 355 00:17:00,708 --> 00:17:04,583 Every evening, wherever I was, I settled myself down in a quiet spot 356 00:17:04,583 --> 00:17:07,333 and concentrated my mind on my brother's face. 357 00:17:07,333 --> 00:17:10,583 Sometimes, I lit a candle and began by staring at the flame. 358 00:17:10,583 --> 00:17:14,041 A candle flame, as you know, has three separate parts: 359 00:17:14,041 --> 00:17:16,541 the yellow at the top, the mauve lower down, 360 00:17:16,541 --> 00:17:17,875 and the black inside. 361 00:17:17,875 --> 00:17:20,833 I placed the candle 16 inches away from my face, 362 00:17:20,833 --> 00:17:22,458 absolutely level with my eyes, 363 00:17:22,458 --> 00:17:25,708 so I didn't have to make even tiny adjustments of my eye muscles 364 00:17:25,708 --> 00:17:26,916 by looking up or down. 365 00:17:26,916 --> 00:17:31,041 I stared at the black part in the center until everything around me disappeared. 366 00:17:31,041 --> 00:17:32,458 Then I shut my eyes 367 00:17:32,458 --> 00:17:35,000 and began to concentrate on my brother's face. 368 00:17:35,916 --> 00:17:40,750 By 1907, when I was 34 years old, I could concentrate for three minutes 369 00:17:40,750 --> 00:17:43,125 without any wandering of my mind whatsoever. 370 00:17:43,125 --> 00:17:46,458 It was also at this time that I became aware of a slight ability, 371 00:17:46,458 --> 00:17:48,291 just a queer, little feeling, 372 00:17:48,291 --> 00:17:51,375 that when I closed my eyes and looked at something hard, 373 00:17:51,375 --> 00:17:52,750 with fierce intensity, 374 00:17:52,750 --> 00:17:55,541 I could see the outline of the object I was looking at. 375 00:17:55,541 --> 00:17:57,583 I thought of a thing the yogi had said: 376 00:17:57,583 --> 00:18:01,250 "Certain holy people have been known to develop so great a concentration 377 00:18:01,250 --> 00:18:04,000 they can see without using their eyes." 378 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,416 Each night after I performed my exercises with the candle flame, 379 00:18:08,416 --> 00:18:11,333 I drank a cup of coffee, then I blindfolded myself 380 00:18:11,333 --> 00:18:13,875 and sat in my chair trying to see without my eyes. 381 00:18:13,875 --> 00:18:16,125 I started with a deck of playing cards. 382 00:18:16,125 --> 00:18:18,333 I studied the backs. I guessed the values. 383 00:18:18,333 --> 00:18:20,583 Immediately, I had a 60% success rate. 384 00:18:20,583 --> 00:18:22,833 Later, I bought maps and navigational charts 385 00:18:22,833 --> 00:18:24,625 and pinned them up around my room. 386 00:18:24,625 --> 00:18:29,083 I spent hours looking at them blindfolded, trying to read the small lettering. 387 00:18:29,083 --> 00:18:33,291 Every evening for the next eight years, I proceeded with this kind of practice. 388 00:18:33,291 --> 00:18:36,000 By 1915, I could read a book straight through, 389 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:37,958 cover to cover, blindfolded. 390 00:18:37,958 --> 00:18:39,291 I had it! 391 00:18:39,291 --> 00:18:41,291 At last, I had this power. 392 00:18:42,833 --> 00:18:45,541 As you know, it became my entire conjuring performance. 393 00:18:45,541 --> 00:18:48,791 Audiences loved it, but no one believed it to be genuine. Still don't. 394 00:18:48,791 --> 00:18:52,333 Even doctors, like you, who blindfold me in the most expert fashion, 395 00:18:52,333 --> 00:18:55,375 refuse to believe anyone can see without his eyes. 396 00:18:55,375 --> 00:18:58,708 They forget there are other ways of sending an image to the brain. 397 00:18:58,708 --> 00:19:00,208 Imdad Khan fell silent. 398 00:19:00,208 --> 00:19:01,208 He was tired. 399 00:19:01,208 --> 00:19:02,666 "What other ways?" I asked. 400 00:19:04,750 --> 00:19:06,333 Quite honestly, I do not know. 401 00:19:08,083 --> 00:19:10,958 The seeing is done by another part of the body. 402 00:19:10,958 --> 00:19:12,458 [Dr. Z.Z.] Which part? 403 00:19:22,125 --> 00:19:23,666 That night I didn't go to bed. 404 00:19:23,666 --> 00:19:26,833 This man would have scientists turning somersaults in the air. 405 00:19:26,833 --> 00:19:28,875 He must be the most valuable man alive. 406 00:19:28,875 --> 00:19:32,625 I had to find out exactly how it was, biologically, chemically, magically, 407 00:19:32,625 --> 00:19:35,375 an image could be sent to the brain without using the eyes. 408 00:19:35,375 --> 00:19:38,833 Blind people might be able to see. Deaf people to hear. Who knows what else? 409 00:19:38,833 --> 00:19:41,541 "This incredible man must not be ignored," I thought. 410 00:19:41,541 --> 00:19:45,333 I started transcribing with care everything Imdad had told me that evening. 411 00:19:45,333 --> 00:19:47,416 I wrote for five hours without stopping. 412 00:19:50,125 --> 00:19:53,583 At eight o'clock the next morning, I finished the most important part: 413 00:19:53,583 --> 00:19:55,041 the pages you've just read. 414 00:19:55,041 --> 00:19:57,958 I didn't see Dr. Marshall until we met for our tea-break. 415 00:19:57,958 --> 00:20:00,291 I told him what I could in the time we had. 416 00:20:00,291 --> 00:20:02,916 "Back to the theater tonight," I said. Can't lose him now. 417 00:20:02,916 --> 00:20:04,291 I'll come with you. 418 00:20:04,291 --> 00:20:06,875 At 6:45, we drove to the Royal Palace Hall. 419 00:20:06,875 --> 00:20:09,458 I parked the car, and we walked to the theater. 420 00:20:09,458 --> 00:20:11,250 "There's something wrong," I said. 421 00:20:11,250 --> 00:20:13,625 There was no crowd, and the doors were closed. 422 00:20:13,625 --> 00:20:17,666 The poster for the show was in place, but someone had printed across it... 423 00:20:17,666 --> 00:20:19,833 "Tonight's performance canceled." 424 00:20:20,875 --> 00:20:24,208 I asked an old gatekeeper by the locked doors: "What happened?" 425 00:20:24,208 --> 00:20:26,500 - [gatekeeper] Someone died. -"Who?" 426 00:20:26,500 --> 00:20:27,958 Of course, I already knew. 427 00:20:27,958 --> 00:20:30,583 [gatekeeper] The man who sees without his eyes. 428 00:20:30,583 --> 00:20:32,208 "How?" I cried. 429 00:20:32,208 --> 00:20:34,708 [gatekeeper] He went to sleep and never woke up. 430 00:20:35,208 --> 00:20:36,375 These things happen. 431 00:20:39,750 --> 00:20:41,416 We walked slowly back to the car. 432 00:20:46,125 --> 00:20:48,500 I felt an overwhelming sense of grief and anger. 433 00:20:48,500 --> 00:20:50,583 I should never have allowed him out of my sight. 434 00:20:50,583 --> 00:20:52,500 I should've given him my bed, taken care of him. 435 00:20:52,500 --> 00:20:54,000 Imdad Khan was a maker of miracles. 436 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:58,333 He'd communicated with mysterious forces far beyond the reach of ordinary people. 437 00:20:58,333 --> 00:21:00,083 Now he was dead. 438 00:21:00,083 --> 00:21:01,833 "That's that," Dr. Marshall said. 439 00:21:02,625 --> 00:21:03,541 That's that. 440 00:21:04,500 --> 00:21:05,500 "Yes," I said. 441 00:21:06,833 --> 00:21:07,750 "That's that." 442 00:21:12,625 --> 00:21:15,083 This is a true and accurate report of everything 443 00:21:15,083 --> 00:21:17,291 concerning my two meetings with Imdad Khan. 444 00:21:20,416 --> 00:21:21,625 Well, well, well. 445 00:21:22,708 --> 00:21:24,791 Now that is extremely interesting. 446 00:21:26,166 --> 00:21:28,333 This is a terrific piece of information. 447 00:21:29,916 --> 00:21:31,333 This could change my life. 448 00:21:42,375 --> 00:21:44,375 [electrical buzzing] 449 00:21:51,125 --> 00:21:53,541 The piece of information Henry was referring to 450 00:21:53,541 --> 00:21:57,333 was that Imdad Khan had trained himself to read the value of a playing-card 451 00:21:57,333 --> 00:21:58,833 from the reverse side, 452 00:21:58,833 --> 00:22:01,541 and, being, as mentioned, a dishonest gambler, 453 00:22:01,541 --> 00:22:03,000 Henry realized at once, 454 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,083 he could make a fortune. 455 00:22:05,083 --> 00:22:07,500 He went downstairs to the butler's pantry 456 00:22:07,500 --> 00:22:10,208 and asked for a candle, a candlestick, and a ruler. 457 00:22:10,208 --> 00:22:12,041 He took them to his bedroom, locked the door, 458 00:22:12,041 --> 00:22:14,041 drew the curtains, and turned off the lights. 459 00:22:14,041 --> 00:22:16,625 Put the candle on the dressing-table. Pulled up a chair. 460 00:22:16,625 --> 00:22:20,083 He noticed with satisfaction that his eyes were level with the wick. 461 00:22:20,083 --> 00:22:24,000 Using the ruler, he positioned his face 16 inches from the candle, 462 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:25,541 as indicated in the book. 463 00:22:25,541 --> 00:22:29,125 Imdad Khan had visualized the face of the person he loved best, 464 00:22:29,125 --> 00:22:31,666 which, in his case, was his deceased brother. 465 00:22:31,666 --> 00:22:33,458 Henry didn't have a brother. 466 00:22:34,041 --> 00:22:36,958 He decided instead to visualize his own face. 467 00:22:42,541 --> 00:22:43,666 [car engine revving] 468 00:22:43,666 --> 00:22:46,875 As Henry stared into the black area at the center of the flame, 469 00:22:46,875 --> 00:22:48,583 an extraordinary thing happened. 470 00:22:48,583 --> 00:22:51,791 His mind went absolutely blank, his brain ceased fidgeting, 471 00:22:51,791 --> 00:22:55,083 and all at once he felt as if his entire body had become encased, 472 00:22:55,083 --> 00:22:56,000 snug and cozy, 473 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:58,708 within that little black area of burning nothingness. 474 00:22:59,291 --> 00:23:01,500 Admittedly, this lasted only 15 seconds. 475 00:23:01,500 --> 00:23:03,791 Then, no matter where, or what he was doing, 476 00:23:03,791 --> 00:23:07,291 he made a point of practicing with the candle five times a day. 477 00:23:07,291 --> 00:23:11,583 For the very first time, he threw himself into something with genuine enthusiasm, 478 00:23:11,583 --> 00:23:14,083 and the progress he made was remarkable. 479 00:23:14,083 --> 00:23:15,166 After six months 480 00:23:15,166 --> 00:23:18,625 he could concentrate absolutely upon the image of his face for three minutes 481 00:23:18,625 --> 00:23:21,541 without a single outside thought entering his mind. 482 00:23:21,541 --> 00:23:23,166 "It's me," Henry thought. 483 00:23:23,166 --> 00:23:25,416 "I'm the one-in-a-billion with the ability 484 00:23:25,416 --> 00:23:27,791 to acquire yoga powers at incredible speed!" 485 00:23:27,791 --> 00:23:31,291 By the end of the first year, he'd exceeded five and a half minutes. 486 00:23:32,250 --> 00:23:33,375 The time had come. 487 00:23:37,375 --> 00:23:39,833 {\an8}The living room of Henry's London flat. Midnight. 488 00:23:39,833 --> 00:23:42,083 He shakes with excitement as, for the first time, 489 00:23:42,083 --> 00:23:44,291 he places a deck of cards upside down before him 490 00:23:44,291 --> 00:23:46,041 and concentrates on the top card. 491 00:23:46,041 --> 00:23:49,833 All he sees initially is the ordinary design of thin red lines on the back, 492 00:23:49,833 --> 00:23:52,750 perhaps the most common playing-card design in the world. 493 00:23:52,750 --> 00:23:56,375 He now shifts his concentration to the other side of the card. 494 00:23:56,375 --> 00:24:00,500 He focuses with great intensity upon the invisible underneath of the card. 495 00:24:00,500 --> 00:24:03,416 Thirty seconds elapse. One, two, three minutes. 496 00:24:03,416 --> 00:24:04,916 Henry doesn't move a muscle. 497 00:24:04,916 --> 00:24:07,500 His now highly-developed concentration is absolute. 498 00:24:07,500 --> 00:24:09,500 He visualizes the reverse of the card. 499 00:24:09,500 --> 00:24:12,000 No other thought is permitted to enter his mind. 500 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,375 During the fourth minute, something starts to happen. 501 00:24:14,375 --> 00:24:16,333 Slowly, magically, but distinctly, 502 00:24:16,333 --> 00:24:20,125 a black blob becomes a spade, a twisty squiggle becomes a five. 503 00:24:20,125 --> 00:24:21,708 The five of spades. 504 00:24:21,708 --> 00:24:25,083 Fingers quivering, he picks up the card and turns it over. 505 00:24:25,083 --> 00:24:27,250 [gasps] "I've done it," he says. 506 00:24:28,333 --> 00:24:29,541 Henry becomes a fanatic. 507 00:24:29,541 --> 00:24:32,291 He never leaves his flat except to buy food and drink. 508 00:24:32,291 --> 00:24:34,250 All day and often far into the night, 509 00:24:34,250 --> 00:24:36,583 he crouches over the cards with the stopwatch. 510 00:24:36,583 --> 00:24:38,833 - Reducing his time, second by second. - [cork pops] 511 00:24:38,833 --> 00:24:41,791 In a month, he's at a minute and a half. Six months, 20 seconds. 512 00:24:41,791 --> 00:24:43,708 Seven more months, ten seconds flat. 513 00:24:43,708 --> 00:24:45,000 His target is five. 514 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,708 Unless he can read through a card in five seconds, 515 00:24:47,708 --> 00:24:49,875 he won't work the casinos successfully. 516 00:24:49,875 --> 00:24:53,916 Yet the nearer he gets to his target, the more difficult it becomes to reach it. 517 00:24:53,916 --> 00:24:56,166 Four weeks to get from ten seconds to nine. 518 00:24:56,166 --> 00:24:58,083 Five more to get from nine to eight. 519 00:24:58,083 --> 00:24:59,791 Hard work no longer bothers him. 520 00:24:59,791 --> 00:25:02,375 He's able to work 12 hours straight, no trouble. 521 00:25:02,375 --> 00:25:04,791 He knows with certainty he'll get there. 522 00:25:04,791 --> 00:25:07,333 The last two seconds are the hardest, 11 months. 523 00:25:07,333 --> 00:25:09,041 But late one Saturday afternoon... 524 00:25:09,041 --> 00:25:10,291 [watch ticking] 525 00:25:16,708 --> 00:25:20,583 Five seconds. Henry goes through the pack, timing himself with every card. 526 00:25:20,583 --> 00:25:24,458 Five seconds. Five seconds. Five seconds. 527 00:25:25,500 --> 00:25:27,833 How long has it taken him to reach this moment? 528 00:25:28,666 --> 00:25:31,666 Three years and three months of uninterrupted effort. 529 00:25:33,208 --> 00:25:35,625 There were over 100 legitimate casinos in London. 530 00:25:35,625 --> 00:25:39,750 Henry was a member of no less than ten. Lord's House was his favorite. 531 00:25:39,750 --> 00:25:43,041 It was the finest in the land, in a magnificent Georgian mansion. 532 00:25:43,041 --> 00:25:44,166 Good evening, Mr. Sugar. 533 00:25:44,166 --> 00:25:46,916 ...said the man whose job it was to never forget a face. 534 00:25:46,916 --> 00:25:50,125 Henry ascended the marvelous staircase to the cashier's office. 535 00:25:50,125 --> 00:25:52,250 He wrote a check for £10,000. 536 00:25:52,250 --> 00:25:56,416 Well-fed women circled the roulette wheel like plump hens around a feeding hopper. 537 00:25:56,416 --> 00:25:58,708 Men with crimson faces, cigars between their lips 538 00:25:58,708 --> 00:26:01,125 counted their chips, eyes glittering with greed. 539 00:26:02,541 --> 00:26:04,541 Odd. For the first time in Henry's life, 540 00:26:04,541 --> 00:26:07,583 he looked with distaste upon a room full of horrible rich people. 541 00:26:07,583 --> 00:26:10,500 He searched for a vacant seat directly on the dealer's camera left 542 00:26:10,500 --> 00:26:12,166 at any of the blackjack tables. 543 00:26:12,166 --> 00:26:15,250 The dealer took Henry's plaque and dropped it into a slot. 544 00:26:15,250 --> 00:26:18,458 He was a young-ish man with black eyes and gray skin. 545 00:26:18,458 --> 00:26:20,791 He never smiled and only spoke when necessary. 546 00:26:20,791 --> 00:26:23,583 He had slim hands. There was arithmetic in his fingers. 547 00:26:23,583 --> 00:26:26,875 He picked up a wedge of £25 chips and placed them in a pile. 548 00:26:26,875 --> 00:26:29,708 He didn't need to count them. Those nimble fingers were never wrong. 549 00:26:29,708 --> 00:26:31,250 He slid the pile to Henry. 550 00:26:31,250 --> 00:26:32,708 As Henry stacked his chips, 551 00:26:32,708 --> 00:26:34,875 he glanced at the top card in the dealer's shoe. 552 00:26:34,875 --> 00:26:38,375 In five seconds he read it as a ten. He pushed out eight chips, £200, 553 00:26:38,375 --> 00:26:40,583 the maximum stake allowed at Lord's House. 554 00:26:40,583 --> 00:26:43,083 He was dealt the ten. His second card was a nine. 555 00:26:43,083 --> 00:26:44,333 Nineteen all together. 556 00:26:44,333 --> 00:26:45,416 On 19, you stick. 557 00:26:45,416 --> 00:26:49,083 You sit tight and hope the dealer doesn't get 20 or 21. It's a given. 558 00:26:49,083 --> 00:26:51,708 - When the dealer came to Henry, he said... - Nineteen. 559 00:26:51,708 --> 00:26:54,333 ...and passed to the next player. "Wait," said Henry. 560 00:26:54,333 --> 00:26:55,958 The dealer came back to Henry. 561 00:26:55,958 --> 00:26:58,333 He raised his eyebrows, looked with cool eyes. 562 00:26:58,333 --> 00:27:00,583 - You wish to draw to 19? - ...he asked crisply. 563 00:27:00,583 --> 00:27:04,208 There were only two ranks that wouldn't bust a 19, the ace and the two. 564 00:27:04,208 --> 00:27:08,250 Only an idiot would risk drawing on 19, especially with £200 on the table. 565 00:27:08,250 --> 00:27:11,375 The back of the next card lay visible. The dealer hadn't touched it. 566 00:27:11,375 --> 00:27:14,833 "Yes," Henry said. "Another card." The dealer shrugged and dealt it. 567 00:27:14,833 --> 00:27:18,083 The two of clubs landed in front of Henry alongside the ten and the nine. 568 00:27:18,083 --> 00:27:19,708 - 21. - ...the dealer said evenly. 569 00:27:19,708 --> 00:27:21,750 He glanced up again into Henry's face, 570 00:27:21,750 --> 00:27:24,500 and rested there, silent, watchful, puzzled. 571 00:27:24,500 --> 00:27:25,583 [crowd murmuring] 572 00:27:25,583 --> 00:27:29,208 Henry had unbalanced him. He'd rarely, if ever, seen anyone draw on 19. 573 00:27:29,208 --> 00:27:31,500 This fellow had with a calmness and certainty 574 00:27:31,500 --> 00:27:33,750 that was quite staggering, and he'd won. 575 00:27:33,750 --> 00:27:37,166 Henry caught the dealer's look, realized he'd made a silly mistake. 576 00:27:37,166 --> 00:27:39,500 He'd attracted attention. "I beg your pardon." 577 00:27:39,500 --> 00:27:41,000 He must never do that again. 578 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:44,125 He must be very careful, even make himself lose occasionally. 579 00:27:44,125 --> 00:27:45,250 The game went on. 580 00:27:45,250 --> 00:27:47,041 Henry's advantage was so enormous, 581 00:27:47,041 --> 00:27:49,583 he had difficulty keeping his winnings reasonable. 582 00:27:49,583 --> 00:27:51,291 In an hour, he'd won £30,000. 583 00:27:51,291 --> 00:27:52,416 There he stopped. 584 00:27:52,416 --> 00:27:54,916 It could just as easily have been a million. 585 00:27:54,916 --> 00:27:56,208 Thank you. 586 00:27:56,208 --> 00:27:58,958 Henry was now almost certainly capable of making money 587 00:27:58,958 --> 00:28:01,458 faster than any other person in the entire world. 588 00:28:03,666 --> 00:28:04,500 Interesting. 589 00:28:09,041 --> 00:28:11,333 Had this been a made-up story instead of a true one, 590 00:28:11,333 --> 00:28:12,833 it would have been necessary 591 00:28:12,833 --> 00:28:15,583 to invent a surprising and exciting end for the thing. 592 00:28:15,583 --> 00:28:17,250 Something dramatic and unusual. 593 00:28:17,250 --> 00:28:20,416 For example, Henry could go home and start counting his money. 594 00:28:20,416 --> 00:28:23,333 While doing this, he might suddenly begin to feel unwell. 595 00:28:23,333 --> 00:28:24,875 He has a pain in his chest. 596 00:28:25,875 --> 00:28:28,333 He decides to go to bed. He takes off his clothes. 597 00:28:28,333 --> 00:28:30,250 Walks naked and puts on pajamas. 598 00:28:30,250 --> 00:28:33,458 He passes the full-length mirror against the wall. He stops. 599 00:28:33,458 --> 00:28:36,541 Automatically, from force of habit, he starts to concentrate. 600 00:28:36,541 --> 00:28:38,833 All at once, he sees through his own skin. 601 00:28:38,833 --> 00:28:41,250 Like an X-ray, only better. He sees everything. 602 00:28:41,250 --> 00:28:43,666 Arteries, veins, the blood pumping through him. 603 00:28:43,666 --> 00:28:46,541 Liver, kidneys, intestines. He sees his heart beating. 604 00:28:46,541 --> 00:28:48,708 He looks at where the pain is coming from 605 00:28:48,708 --> 00:28:52,958 and sees a dark lump inside the large vein leading into the heart on the right side. 606 00:28:52,958 --> 00:28:55,916 A blood clot. At first, the clot appears to be stationary. 607 00:28:55,916 --> 00:28:59,083 Then it moves. The movement's slight. Only a millimeter or so. 608 00:28:59,083 --> 00:29:01,708 The blood is pumping up behind the clot and pushing past it, 609 00:29:01,708 --> 00:29:03,083 and the clot moves again. 610 00:29:03,083 --> 00:29:06,166 It jerks forward about half an inch. Henry watches in terror. 611 00:29:06,166 --> 00:29:09,666 He knows a large clot that's broken free and is traveling in the vein 612 00:29:09,666 --> 00:29:11,125 will reach the heart. 613 00:29:11,125 --> 00:29:12,500 He is about to die. 614 00:29:12,500 --> 00:29:15,375 Not a bad ending for fiction, but this isn't fiction. 615 00:29:15,375 --> 00:29:16,416 This story is fact. 616 00:29:16,416 --> 00:29:19,333 The only untrue thing is Henry's name, which wasn't Henry Sugar. 617 00:29:19,333 --> 00:29:22,750 His name has to be protected. It still must be protected. 618 00:29:22,750 --> 00:29:24,875 Apart from that, this is a true story, 619 00:29:24,875 --> 00:29:28,000 and because it's a true story, it must have the true ending. 620 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:29,583 Here's what actually happened. 621 00:29:33,916 --> 00:29:36,875 Henry walked for an hour. The evening was cool and pleasant. 622 00:29:36,875 --> 00:29:38,583 The city still wide awake. 623 00:29:38,583 --> 00:29:42,041 He could feel the thick bankroll in the inside pocket of his jacket. 624 00:29:42,041 --> 00:29:43,500 He patted it gently. 625 00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:45,708 A lot of money for an hour's work. 626 00:29:45,708 --> 00:29:47,791 Yet, he was a puzzled man. 627 00:29:47,791 --> 00:29:51,583 He couldn't understand why he felt so little excitement about this success. 628 00:29:51,583 --> 00:29:54,333 If this had happened three years ago, before the yoga, 629 00:29:54,333 --> 00:29:56,041 he'd have gone crazy with excitement, 630 00:29:56,041 --> 00:29:58,666 he'd be rushing off to a nightclub to celebrate. 631 00:29:58,666 --> 00:30:00,750 But Henry didn't feel excited. 632 00:30:00,750 --> 00:30:02,083 He felt sad. 633 00:30:02,083 --> 00:30:04,916 Every time he made a bet, he'd been certain to win. 634 00:30:04,916 --> 00:30:08,083 There was no thrill, no suspense, no danger. 635 00:30:08,083 --> 00:30:11,083 He knew he could travel around the world making millions. 636 00:30:11,083 --> 00:30:12,750 But was it going to be any fun? 637 00:30:12,750 --> 00:30:15,000 Another thing. Was it not entirely possible 638 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,166 the process of acquiring yoga powers 639 00:30:17,166 --> 00:30:20,833 had completely and utterly changed his entire outlook on life? 640 00:30:20,833 --> 00:30:22,041 It was possible. 641 00:30:22,750 --> 00:30:25,458 The next morning, Henry woke up late, got out of bed, 642 00:30:25,458 --> 00:30:28,166 saw the enormous bundle lying on his dressing-table, 643 00:30:28,166 --> 00:30:30,208 and didn't want it. 644 00:30:54,500 --> 00:30:55,333 [man] Oi?! 645 00:30:55,333 --> 00:30:58,875 Good morning, sir. That's for you! It's a present. 646 00:30:58,875 --> 00:30:59,791 [man 1] I... 647 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:01,833 A what? 648 00:31:02,625 --> 00:31:03,958 Put it in your pocket! 649 00:31:05,458 --> 00:31:06,291 [man] All right. 650 00:31:15,208 --> 00:31:16,250 [woman] What is it? 651 00:31:16,250 --> 00:31:18,041 - [man 2] It's money. - Keep it! 652 00:31:18,041 --> 00:31:21,750 [passing footsteps] 653 00:31:24,583 --> 00:31:25,416 [man 2] Hey! 654 00:31:25,416 --> 00:31:27,583 [hurried footsteps approaching] 655 00:31:28,875 --> 00:31:29,833 [woman 2] Come on... 656 00:31:31,250 --> 00:31:32,791 [bicycle bell ringing] 657 00:31:32,791 --> 00:31:34,375 [bicycle thuds] 658 00:31:34,375 --> 00:31:36,083 [car horn honking] 659 00:31:36,083 --> 00:31:38,250 [people chattering excitedly] 660 00:31:39,666 --> 00:31:41,875 [people yelling indistinctly] 661 00:31:49,666 --> 00:31:51,958 - [car brakes screech] - [car doors slam] 662 00:31:53,708 --> 00:31:55,541 [people clamoring violently] 663 00:31:57,291 --> 00:31:58,541 - [brakes screech] - [thuds] 664 00:31:58,541 --> 00:31:59,791 [whistle blowing] 665 00:32:00,750 --> 00:32:04,458 [doorbell ringing] 666 00:32:04,458 --> 00:32:06,291 [policeman] The doorbell rang. 667 00:32:06,291 --> 00:32:08,875 - What do you think you're doing? - Sorry about the crowd. 668 00:32:08,875 --> 00:32:10,208 I was giving away some money. 669 00:32:10,208 --> 00:32:12,750 - You're inciting a riot! - Just giving away some money. 670 00:32:12,750 --> 00:32:15,000 I won't do it again. They'll soon go away. 671 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,000 The policeman took one hand off his hip, produced a £50 note. 672 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:21,333 - A-ha, you got one yourself. - This is evidence. Where's the money from? 673 00:32:21,333 --> 00:32:24,166 I won it at blackjack. I had a tremendously lucky night. 674 00:32:24,166 --> 00:32:26,875 Henry named the club and the policeman wrote it down. 675 00:32:26,875 --> 00:32:28,333 They'll tell you it's true. 676 00:32:28,333 --> 00:32:30,250 The policeman lowered the book. I don't care. 677 00:32:30,250 --> 00:32:31,958 - Don't you? - Not whatsoever. 678 00:32:31,958 --> 00:32:33,583 In fact, I believe your story, 679 00:32:33,583 --> 00:32:36,541 but that doesn't excuse what you did even the tiniest bit. 680 00:32:36,541 --> 00:32:38,958 I didn't do anything illegal, did I? 681 00:32:39,791 --> 00:32:40,708 Illegal? 682 00:32:41,458 --> 00:32:42,583 [shouting] You're an idiot! 683 00:32:43,333 --> 00:32:46,708 If you're lucky enough to win yourself a big sum of money like that, 684 00:32:46,708 --> 00:32:49,750 and want to give it away, you don't throw it out of the window. 685 00:32:49,750 --> 00:32:53,958 You give it somewhere it'll do some good. A hospital for instance, or an orphanage. 686 00:32:53,958 --> 00:32:56,125 There's hospitals and orphanages all over 687 00:32:56,125 --> 00:32:59,375 got hardly enough money to buy the kids a present for Christmas. 688 00:32:59,375 --> 00:33:01,208 Then comes a spoiled idiot 689 00:33:01,208 --> 00:33:03,666 who's never known what it's like to be hard up, 690 00:33:03,666 --> 00:33:06,666 and you throw the stuff out into the street! 691 00:33:06,666 --> 00:33:09,666 The policeman stomped down the stairs and out of the door. 692 00:33:09,666 --> 00:33:10,666 Henry didn't move. 693 00:33:10,666 --> 00:33:13,416 Those words, and the fury with which they were spoken, 694 00:33:13,416 --> 00:33:14,750 struck hard and deep. 695 00:33:14,750 --> 00:33:16,375 He was ashamed. 696 00:33:16,375 --> 00:33:17,708 It was an awful feeling. 697 00:33:23,916 --> 00:33:25,000 Then, all at once, 698 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:28,500 Henry felt a powerful electricity tingling through his entire body, 699 00:33:28,500 --> 00:33:32,208 and there began to come to him an idea that was to change everything. 700 00:33:32,208 --> 00:33:33,791 He started pacing up and down, 701 00:33:33,791 --> 00:33:36,916 ticking off the points that would make his idea possible. 702 00:33:36,916 --> 00:33:39,333 One. I'm going to win a very large sum of money 703 00:33:39,333 --> 00:33:42,416 each and every day of my life from this moment forward. 704 00:33:42,416 --> 00:33:46,250 [different voice] Two. I can go to the same casino only once every six months. 705 00:33:46,250 --> 00:33:49,000 Three. I must never win too much money in one sitting. 706 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,666 [normally] £50,000 pounds a night, that's my limit. 707 00:33:51,666 --> 00:33:55,166 [in Texan accent] Four. £50,000 a night for 365 days a year. 708 00:33:55,166 --> 00:33:57,916 That's £18.25 million. 709 00:33:57,916 --> 00:33:59,166 [normally] Five. Keep moving. 710 00:33:59,166 --> 00:34:01,791 No more than three nights at a stretch in any city. 711 00:34:01,791 --> 00:34:03,958 London, Monte-Carlo, Cannes, Biarritz, 712 00:34:03,958 --> 00:34:07,083 Deauville, Las Vegas, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Nassau. 713 00:34:07,083 --> 00:34:11,416 Six. I'll take the money and establish hospitals and orphanages around the world. 714 00:34:11,416 --> 00:34:13,791 [in woman's voice] Corny and sentimental as a dream, 715 00:34:13,791 --> 00:34:16,083 but as a reality, I think I can make it work. 716 00:34:16,083 --> 00:34:20,208 I don't think it'd be corny at all. It would be wonderfully stupendous. 717 00:34:20,208 --> 00:34:23,875 [normally] Seven. I need a partner who can sit behind a desk and receive the money, 718 00:34:23,875 --> 00:34:25,541 then send it where it's needed. 719 00:34:25,541 --> 00:34:28,791 Someone I can deeply, emphatically, categorically trust forever. 720 00:34:28,791 --> 00:34:32,041 John Winston was Henry's accountant, and had been his father's too, 721 00:34:32,041 --> 00:34:34,708 and John's father had been Henry's father's father's accountant. 722 00:34:34,708 --> 00:34:36,708 You could be the richest man on Earth. 723 00:34:38,833 --> 00:34:41,000 I don't want to be the richest man on Earth. 724 00:34:43,583 --> 00:34:46,250 I can't operate in England. The taxman'll take it all. 725 00:34:46,250 --> 00:34:48,416 I'll have to move to Switzerland. But not tomorrow. 726 00:34:48,416 --> 00:34:51,125 I'm not unattached like you with no responsibilities. 727 00:34:51,125 --> 00:34:54,000 I must talk to my family, give notice to my partners. 728 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:56,541 I must sell my house, find another in Switzerland, 729 00:34:56,541 --> 00:34:58,916 take the kids out of school. These things take time. 730 00:34:58,916 --> 00:35:02,125 One year later, Henry had sent just over £120 million 731 00:35:02,125 --> 00:35:03,875 to John Winston in Lausanne. 732 00:35:03,875 --> 00:35:05,958 The money was delivered five days a week 733 00:35:05,958 --> 00:35:08,250 to a Swiss company called Winston Sugar, LLC. 734 00:35:08,250 --> 00:35:11,250 Nobody except John and Henry knew where the money came from 735 00:35:11,250 --> 00:35:12,708 or what would happen to it. 736 00:35:12,708 --> 00:35:14,458 The Monday remittance was the biggest 737 00:35:14,458 --> 00:35:17,125 because it included the take for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 738 00:35:17,125 --> 00:35:18,333 when the banks were closed. 739 00:35:18,333 --> 00:35:20,041 [Henry] He moved with astonishing speed, 740 00:35:20,041 --> 00:35:22,750 changing his identity several times in a single week. 741 00:35:22,750 --> 00:35:25,416 Often, the only clue John had of Henry's whereabouts 742 00:35:25,416 --> 00:35:29,250 was the address of the bank which had sent the money. It was stupendous. 743 00:35:49,541 --> 00:35:52,958 Henry died last year, age 63, from a pulmonary embolism. 744 00:35:52,958 --> 00:35:56,166 He saw it coming, quite literally, but was very much at peace. 745 00:35:56,166 --> 00:35:58,833 He'd been following his plan for just over 20 years. 746 00:35:58,833 --> 00:36:01,458 He'd made £644 million. 747 00:36:01,458 --> 00:36:03,041 He'd left 21 well-established, 748 00:36:03,041 --> 00:36:06,208 well-run children's hospitals and orphanages around the world, 749 00:36:06,208 --> 00:36:10,333 administered and financed from Lausanne by John Winston and his staff. 750 00:36:10,333 --> 00:36:11,666 His work was complete. 751 00:36:16,125 --> 00:36:20,208 Now, how do I know all this? Good question. I'll tell you. 752 00:36:20,208 --> 00:36:23,791 Soon after Henry's death, John Winston telephoned me from Switzerland. 753 00:36:23,791 --> 00:36:25,291 He introduced himself simply 754 00:36:25,291 --> 00:36:28,750 as the head of a company calling itself Winston Sugar, LLC, 755 00:36:28,750 --> 00:36:31,000 and asked if I'd come to Lausanne to see him 756 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:34,000 with a view to writing a brief history of the organization. 757 00:36:34,625 --> 00:36:36,250 I don't know how he chose me. 758 00:36:36,250 --> 00:36:39,125 Probably had a list of writers and stuck a pin in it. 759 00:36:39,125 --> 00:36:41,375 He would pay me well, he said, and added, 760 00:36:41,375 --> 00:36:43,583 "A remarkable man has died recently." 761 00:36:43,583 --> 00:36:45,291 "His name was Henry Sugar." 762 00:36:45,291 --> 00:36:49,125 "I think people ought to know a bit about what he has done for the world." 763 00:36:49,125 --> 00:36:50,208 In my ignorance, 764 00:36:50,208 --> 00:36:53,000 I asked whether the story was really interesting enough 765 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:54,541 to merit being put on paper. 766 00:36:54,541 --> 00:36:58,041 This annoyed John Winston very much. Perhaps it even offended him. 767 00:36:58,625 --> 00:37:00,083 In five minutes on the phone, 768 00:37:00,083 --> 00:37:03,041 he told me about Henry Sugar's secret career. 769 00:37:03,041 --> 00:37:04,541 It was secret no longer. 770 00:37:04,541 --> 00:37:08,083 Henry was dead and would never enter another casino again. 771 00:37:08,083 --> 00:37:10,083 "I'm coming," I said. 772 00:37:10,083 --> 00:37:13,000 In Lausanne, I met John Winston, now over 70, 773 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:14,291 also Max Engelman, 774 00:37:14,291 --> 00:37:17,291 {\an8}a renowned make-up artist who traveled the world with Henry 775 00:37:17,291 --> 00:37:20,166 {\an8}creating fantastic disguises to conceal his identity. 776 00:37:20,166 --> 00:37:24,333 {\an8}They were both shattered by Henry's death. Max even more so than John Winston. 777 00:37:24,333 --> 00:37:26,625 {\an8}I loved him. He was a great man. 778 00:37:26,625 --> 00:37:29,666 {\an8}John Winston showed me the original dark-blue exercise book 779 00:37:29,666 --> 00:37:32,666 {\an8}written by Z.Z. Chatterjee in Calcutta in 1935. 780 00:37:32,666 --> 00:37:34,833 {\an8}I later copied it out word-for-word. 781 00:37:34,833 --> 00:37:36,375 {\an8}"One last question," I said. 782 00:37:36,375 --> 00:37:40,083 {\an8}"You keep calling him Henry Sugar, yet you tell me that wasn't his name." 783 00:37:40,083 --> 00:37:43,375 {\an8}"Don't you want me to say who he really was when I do the story?" 784 00:37:43,375 --> 00:37:44,750 {\an8}- No. - ...John Winston said. 785 00:37:44,750 --> 00:37:47,208 {\an8}Max and I promised never to reveal his identity. 786 00:37:47,208 --> 00:37:49,750 {\an8}Oh, I suppose it'll probably leak out sooner or later. 787 00:37:49,750 --> 00:37:51,833 {\an8}He was from a well-known English family, 788 00:37:51,833 --> 00:37:54,500 {\an8}but I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to find out. 789 00:37:54,500 --> 00:37:56,791 {\an8}Just please, call him plain Mr. Henry Sugar. 790 00:37:58,833 --> 00:38:00,291 {\an8}And that is what I have done.