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Hmm. Yes.
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00:00:32.583 --> 00:00:35.750
Well, here we are now
in the hut where I write.
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I've been in this hut for 30 years now.
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00:00:40.750 --> 00:00:42.958
Well, it's important, uh, before I start,
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I like to make sure I have everything
around me that I'm going to need. Um...
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Cigarettes, of course.
Some coffee, chocolates.
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And always make sure
I have a sharp pencil before I start.
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I have six pencils,
and then I like to clean my writing board.
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See how many bits of rubber.
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There.
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And then, finally, one starts.
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It's, uh...
usually a few corrections needed.
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Yeah.
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It's, um...
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Henry Sugar was 41 years old,
unmarried and rich.
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He was rich because
he had a rich father who was now dead.
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Was unmarried because he was too selfish
to share any of his money with a wife.
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He was 6'2" tall,
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and not perhaps as handsome
as he thought he was.
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He paid a great deal
of attention to his clothes.
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He went
to an expensive tailor for his suits,
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to a shirt maker for his shirts,
and to a boot maker for his shoes.
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His hairdresser trimmed his hair
once every ten days,
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00:02:01.583 --> 00:02:04.458
and he always took a manicure
at the same time.
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He drove a Ferrari motor car
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which cost him about the same
as a country cottage.
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All his friends were rich
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00:02:11.583 --> 00:02:14.000
and he had never done
a day's work in his life.
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Men like Henry Sugar can be found
drifting like seaweed all over the world.
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They're not particularly bad men,
but they're not good men either.
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They're simply part of the decoration.
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All rich people
of Henry's type, of course,
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have one peculiarity in common:
a terrific urge to make themselves richer.
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The 10 million is never enough.
Nor is 20 million.
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Always they suffer
the insatiable longing for more money
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and the terror of waking up one morning
and finding nothing in the bank.
39
00:02:45.250 --> 00:02:48.541 line:5%
They employ various methods
to increase their fortunes.
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00:02:48.541 --> 00:02:51.333 line:5%
Some buy stocks and shares,
watch them go up and down.
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00:02:51.333 --> 00:02:56.333 line:5%
Some buy land or art or diamonds.
Some bet on roulette, blackjack, horses.
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00:02:56.333 --> 00:02:58.416 line:5%
Some, indeed, bet on anything.
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00:02:58.416 --> 00:03:02.541 line:5%
Henry Sugar was one of those,
and not at all above cheating, by the way.
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00:03:03.500 --> 00:03:04.458 line:5%
One summer weekend,
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00:03:04.458 --> 00:03:08.166 line:5%
Henry drove from London to the countryside
to stay with Sir William W.
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The house was magnificent.
So were the grounds.
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But when Henry arrived that Saturday,
it was already pelting with rain.
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The host and his other guests
whiled away the afternoon playing games,
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while Henry glumly stared out at the drops
splashing against the windows.
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Henry wandered out of the drawing room
and into the front hall.
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He drifted through the house, aimless.
Then finally mooched into the library.
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Sir William's father was a book collector,
and the walls of this huge room
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were lined with antiquated
leather bound volumes floor-to-ceiling.
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Henry wasn't interested.
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He only read detective novels
and thrillers. Nothing like that here.
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He was about to leave
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when his eye was caught and held
by something quite different.
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So slim, he never would've noticed it
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if it hadn't been sticking out
from the books on either side.
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He pulled it from the shelf.
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It was nothing more
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than a cardboard exercise book,
the kind children use at school.
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The cover was dark blue,
with nothing written on it.
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On the first page, hand-printed
in black ink, clear and neat, it said:
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Strange. Weird. What is this?
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He settled himself into an armchair
and started from the beginning.
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The following is what Henry read
in the little, blue exercise book.
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My name is Z.Z. Chatterjee. Head surgeon
at Lords and Ladies Hospital, Calcutta.
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On the morning of 2nd December, 1935,
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I was in the doctors' rest room
having a cup of tea.
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Three other doctors were present with me.
Doctors Marshall, Mitra, and Macfarlane.
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- There was a knock.
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"Come in," I said.
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Excuse me, please.
May I ask you gentlemen a favor?
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"This is a private room," I said.
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I know. I'm sorry to burst in like this,
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but I have a most, I think,
interesting thing to show you.
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We were pretty annoyed
and didn't say anything.
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Gentlemen, I'm a man
who can see without using his eyes.
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He was a small man, about 60,
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white mustache and a matting of black hair
over the outsides of his ears.
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You may bandage my head
with 50 bandages in any way,
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and I'll still be able to read you a book.
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He seemed perfectly serious.
I felt my curiosity beginning to stir.
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Come in, please.
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All right. How many fingers
is Dr. Marshall holding up?
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- Seven.
-"Once more," I said.
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- Nine.
-"Once more," I said.
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- Three.
- Once more--
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- Three again.
- Once more.
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No fingers.
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Hmm. What's the trick?
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There's no trick. This is a genuine thing
I've managed after years of training.
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What sorts of training?
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Forgive me, sir,
but that is a private matter.
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What can we do for you?
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I work in a traveling theater.
We arrived in Calcutta today.
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Tonight we give our opening performance
at the Royal Palace Hall.
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I am billed on the program as:
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00:05:54.375 --> 00:05:56.708
Imdad Khan,
the Man Who Sees without His Eyes.
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When our company arrives in a new town,
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I go to the largest hospital
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and ask the doctors to bandage my eyes
in the most thorough fashion.
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It is important this job
is done by doctors,
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otherwise people may think I'm cheating.
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Then I go out into the streets
and do a dangerous thing.
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I looked at the others.
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Mitra and Macfarlane
had to go back to their patients. Go on.
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- But Dr. Marshall said...
- Why not? Let's do the job properly.
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Make it absolutely certain
he can't see anything.
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You are kind. Please do whatever you wish.
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"Before we bandage him," I said,
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"fill his eye sockets
with something soft, solid."
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- Dough?
- Perfect. Go to the hospital bakery.
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I'll take him and seal his eyelids.
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I led Imdad down
the long corridor to the surgery.
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"Lie down there," I said.
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I took a bottle of collodion
from the cupboard.
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I'll glue your eyelids shut
with this stuff.
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How do I remove it later?
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00:06:41.291 --> 00:06:44.833
Just dab some alcohol carefully
below the lashes. That'll dissolve it.
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Keep your eyes closed
while we wait for it to harden.
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Two minutes passed.
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"Open your eyes," I said. He couldn't.
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I took some of Dr. Marshall's dough
and plastered it over one of Imdad's eyes.
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I filled the whole socket
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and let the dough
overlap onto the surrounding skin.
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I did the same with the other eye.
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I pressed the edges down hard.
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-"Isn't too uncomfortable?" I asked.
- Not at all. Thank you.
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"Do the bandaging," I said to Marshall.
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My fingers are too sticky.
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Pleasure. We'll just pop these here...
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Dr. Marshall laid thick cotton-wool
on Imdad's dough-filled eyes.
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It stuck in place.
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Sit up please.
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Dr. Marshall rolled a three-inch bandage
round the face and head.
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Please do leave
my nose free for breathing.
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Of course.
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Sorry, it's going to be
a pinch on the tight side.
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How's that?
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"Splendid," I said.
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Looked like he suffered
a terrible brain operation.
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How does it feel?
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It feels very good.
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I must compliment you gentlemen
on doing such a thorough job.
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Imdad Khan stood up off the bed
and walked straight to the door.
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Great Scott! See that?
He put his hand right on the doorknob!
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Dr. Marshall stopped grinning.
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Imdad was walking normally,
quite briskly along the corridor.
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We followed five yards behind him.
Spooky it was to watch this man
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with an enormous,
totally bandaged head strolling casually...
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"He saw it!" I cried.
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"He saw that trolley!
This is unbelievable!"
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Dr. Marshall didn't answer.
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His whole face was rigid
with shocked disbelief.
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Imdad went down the stairs
with no trouble at all.
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Didn't even hold the stair-rail.
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Several people were coming up.
You can see how they reacted.
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At the bottom of the stairs, he turned
and headed out the doors to the street.
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Dr. Marshall and I kept close behind him.
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Below us, a crowd of 100
barefoot children shouted and surged
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towards our white-headed visitor.
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He greeted them
with his hands above his head.
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He walked to a bicycle,
mounted it, and pedaled a figure-eight.
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The barefoot children chased him,
cheering and laughing.
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He sped straight out
into the traffic of the busy street
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with honking motor-cars
whizzing around him in every direction.
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He rode superbly.
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For a minute, we kept him in sight.
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Then he turned a corner and was gone.
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-"I can't believe it," Dr. Marshall said.
- I can't believe it.
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"I can't either," I said.
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I think we just witnessed a miracle.
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For the rest of the day,
I was busy with patients.
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In the evening,
I went to my flat to change clothes.
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I took a long, cool shower.
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00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:11.500
I drank whisky-soda on the veranda
with only a towel around my waist.
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At ten minutes to 7:00,
I arrived at the Royal Palace Hall.
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The show lasted two hours.
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To my surprise, I enjoyed it. The juggler,
the snake-charmer, the fire-eater,
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the sword-swallower who pushed a rapier
down his throat into his stomach.
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Lastly, to a great fanfare of trumpets,
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our friend Imdad Khan
came out to do his act.
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Members of the audience
were called onstage to blindfold him
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before he threw knives around a boy's body
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and shot a can off his head
with a revolver.
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Then, finally, a metal barrel was fitted
over his already bandaged head.
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The boy placed a needle in Imdad's hand
and some cotton thread in the other.
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A large magnifying glass
was placed in front of him,
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and with no false moves,
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he neatly threaded the thread
through the eye of the needle.
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I was flabbergasted.
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Backstage, I found Imdad
sitting quietly on a stool
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while he removed his stage makeup.
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You're curious, doctor, correct?
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"Most curious," I said.
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00:10:04.666 --> 00:10:08.583
Again, I was struck by the matting
of black hair on the outsides of his ears.
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I'd never seen anything like it
on another person.
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I have a proposal:
I'm not a writer by profession.
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00:10:13.458 --> 00:10:15.875
But if you tell me
how you developed this power
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00:10:15.875 --> 00:10:18.833
of seeing without your eyes,
I'll take it down faithfully.
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I'll try to get it published
in the British Medical Journal
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or in a famous magazine.
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Would that help you?
To become better known?
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00:10:25.375 --> 00:10:27.416
- It would help me very much.
- Splendid.
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00:10:27.416 --> 00:10:30.333
I have a shorthand
for taking down medical histories.
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00:10:30.333 --> 00:10:33.500
I believe I got everything
Imdad said to me, word for word.
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00:10:33.500 --> 00:10:35.750
I give it to you now
exactly as he spoke it.
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00:10:42.708 --> 00:10:45.791
I was born in Kashmir State in 1873.
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00:10:45.791 --> 00:10:48.916
My father was a ticket inspector
on the national railway.
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00:10:48.916 --> 00:10:52.291
One day, a conjurer came to our school
and gave a performance.
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00:10:52.291 --> 00:10:53.833
I was spellbound.
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00:10:53.833 --> 00:10:55.833
Two weeks later, I took all my savings
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00:10:55.833 --> 00:10:58.375
and ran away
to join a traveling theater company.
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00:10:58.375 --> 00:11:01.708
That was in 1886. I was 13 years old.
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00:11:01.708 --> 00:11:02.791
For three years
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00:11:02.791 --> 00:11:05.500
I traveled with this group
all over the Punjab.
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00:11:05.500 --> 00:11:08.125
By the end of it,
I was playing top of the bill.
220
00:11:08.125 --> 00:11:10.666
All the time, I was saving money,
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00:11:10.666 --> 00:11:14.541
which finally added up
to just over 3,000 rupees.
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00:11:14.541 --> 00:11:17.625
At this moment,
I heard tell of a great, famous yogi
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00:11:17.625 --> 00:11:19.958
who had acquired
the rare power of levitation.
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It was said that when he prayed,
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his whole body left the ground
and rose up 18 inches into the air.
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At the very least, a terrific effect.
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00:11:28.375 --> 00:11:29.208
Mustache?
228
00:11:31.125 --> 00:11:33.208
- Oh. I quit the theater company...
- Mmm-hmm.
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00:11:33.208 --> 00:11:36.375
...and made my way to the small town
on the banks of the Ganges,
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00:11:36.375 --> 00:11:38.375
where rumor said this yogi was living.
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00:11:38.375 --> 00:11:40.833
One day,
I overheard a traveler mention a hermit
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he had encountered not so very far away,
in the densest jungle, all alone.
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00:11:44.583 --> 00:11:45.958
That was enough for me.
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00:11:45.958 --> 00:11:48.166
Um, I dashed out to hire a horse and cart.
235
00:11:49.083 --> 00:11:50.708
As I negotiated with the driver,
236
00:11:50.708 --> 00:11:53.291
a man appeared and said
he was going in the same direction,
237
00:11:53.291 --> 00:11:56.291
and suggested we share the ride
and split the cost.
238
00:11:56.291 --> 00:11:59.166
Well, what truly fantastic luck!
239
00:11:59.166 --> 00:12:00.541
Talking to my companion,
240
00:12:00.541 --> 00:12:03.625
I found that he was a disciple
of the great yogi himself,
241
00:12:03.625 --> 00:12:06.541
and on his way,
at that very moment, to visit his master.
242
00:12:06.541 --> 00:12:07.458
I blurted out,
243
00:12:07.458 --> 00:12:10.416
"This is the man I'm looking for!
Please, may I meet him?"
244
00:12:10.416 --> 00:12:13.291
My companion looked at me long and slow.
245
00:12:13.291 --> 00:12:15.458
"That is impossible," he said.
246
00:12:15.458 --> 00:12:18.750
From this point forward,
he refused to answer my questions.
247
00:12:18.750 --> 00:12:21.416
However, I managed
to learn one small thing:
248
00:12:21.416 --> 00:12:24.625
the time of day
the great yogi commenced his meditation.
249
00:12:24.625 --> 00:12:28.958
My companion signaled to halt the cart,
dismounted, and was gone.
250
00:12:28.958 --> 00:12:31.625
I pretended to drive on.
But just around the corner,
251
00:12:31.625 --> 00:12:33.875
I jumped down
and snuck back along the path.
252
00:12:33.875 --> 00:12:36.375
Already, the man
had disappeared into the jungle.
253
00:12:36.375 --> 00:12:38.750
- I heard a rustling in the undergrowth.
254
00:12:38.750 --> 00:12:41.125
"If that's not him," I thought,
"it's a tiger,
255
00:12:41.125 --> 00:12:43.750
and I'm about to be
pounced upon, thrashed,
256
00:12:43.750 --> 00:12:46.583
and eaten in little, torn morsels
of bloody flesh."
257
00:12:47.958 --> 00:12:49.125
It was him.
258
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.
259
00:12:54.791 --> 00:12:57.000
He was pushing his way
between tall bamboos
260
00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:58.875
and every kind of heavy vegetation.
261
00:12:58.875 --> 00:13:02.833
I crept after him, very quiet,
keeping at least 100 yards behind.
262
00:13:02.833 --> 00:13:05.916
Whenever I lost sight of him,
which was most of the time,
263
00:13:05.916 --> 00:13:08.458
I was able to follow
the sound of his footsteps.
264
00:13:08.458 --> 00:13:11.750
For half an hour, this tense game
of follow-the-leader went on.
265
00:13:11.750 --> 00:13:14.666
Then, suddenly,
I no longer heard the man in front of me.
266
00:13:14.666 --> 00:13:16.375
I stopped and listened.
267
00:13:16.375 --> 00:13:18.583
All at once,
through the thick undergrowth,
268
00:13:18.583 --> 00:13:21.166
I saw a little clearing
and two small huts.
269
00:13:21.166 --> 00:13:22.458
My heart jumped.
270
00:13:22.458 --> 00:13:24.833
There was a water-hole
next to the nearest hut
271
00:13:24.833 --> 00:13:26.916
with a prayer-mat beside it, and above,
272
00:13:26.916 --> 00:13:31.208
a large baobab tree
with beautiful, thick, leafy branches.
273
00:13:31.208 --> 00:13:33.583
All through
the great noontime heat, I waited.
274
00:13:33.583 --> 00:13:36.500
On through the heavy wet heat
of the afternoon, I waited.
275
00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:37.958
As five o'clock approached,
276
00:13:37.958 --> 00:13:41.416
I quietly climbed up my tree
and hid among the leaves.
277
00:13:41.416 --> 00:13:43.625
Finally, the great yogi
came out of his hut
278
00:13:43.625 --> 00:13:45.541
and sat cross-legged on the mat.
279
00:13:45.541 --> 00:13:48.208
Each movement he made was calm and gentle.
280
00:13:48.208 --> 00:13:50.791
He put his hands
palm downward on his knees
281
00:13:50.791 --> 00:13:53.041
and took a long breath
through his nostrils,
282
00:13:53.041 --> 00:13:56.875
and already I could see
a sort of brightness was melting over him.
283
00:13:56.875 --> 00:14:00.291
For 14 minutes, he remained
perfectly still in this position.
284
00:14:00.291 --> 00:14:04.000
And then, as I watched,
I saw, quite positively,
285
00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:06.166
his body slowly lifting off the ground.
286
00:14:07.666 --> 00:14:11.333
Twelve inches. Fifteen. Eighteen. Twenty.
287
00:14:12.083 --> 00:14:14.166
Two feet above the prayer-mat.
288
00:14:14.166 --> 00:14:15.958
Up in the tree, I said to myself,
289
00:14:15.958 --> 00:14:19.125
"There before you
is a man sitting in the air."
290
00:14:20.458 --> 00:14:24.416
Forty-six minutes, by my watch,
his body remained suspended.
291
00:14:24.416 --> 00:14:26.708
And then he slowly descended
back to earth,
292
00:14:26.708 --> 00:14:29.333
until his buttocks
rested again upon the mat.
293
00:14:29.333 --> 00:14:31.916
I climbed down from my tree
and ran straight over.
294
00:14:31.916 --> 00:14:34.291
The great yogi
was washing his hands and feet.
295
00:14:34.291 --> 00:14:36.583
"How long have you been here?"
he said sharply.
296
00:14:36.583 --> 00:14:39.208
Suddenly, he picked up a brick
and threw it at me so hard
297
00:14:39.208 --> 00:14:41.791
it broke in two
as it struck my leg below the knee.
298
00:14:41.791 --> 00:14:44.000
I have the scar still.
I'll show it to you.
299
00:14:46.916 --> 00:14:48.708
This was actually a stroke of luck.
300
00:14:48.708 --> 00:14:51.791
A great yogi isn't meant
to lose his temper and fling bricks.
301
00:14:51.791 --> 00:14:56.250
The old man was humiliated, remorseful,
and deeply disappointed in himself.
302
00:14:56.250 --> 00:14:59.625
He explained that though
he could not take me on as a disciple,
303
00:14:59.625 --> 00:15:02.541
he would, nevertheless,
give me some informal instruction
304
00:15:02.541 --> 00:15:04.708
in order to make amends for attacking me,
305
00:15:04.708 --> 00:15:07.125
an attack I fully deserved, by the way.
306
00:15:07.125 --> 00:15:09.041
This was in 1890.
307
00:15:09.041 --> 00:15:11.041
I was nearly 17 years old.
308
00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:15.250
Now, what was
the great yogi's instruction?
309
00:15:15.250 --> 00:15:16.875
Here it comes.
310
00:15:16.875 --> 00:15:18.458
The mind is a scattered thing.
311
00:15:18.458 --> 00:15:21.541
It concerns itself
with thousands of different items at once.
312
00:15:21.541 --> 00:15:24.250
Things you see around you.
Things you hear and smell.
313
00:15:24.250 --> 00:15:27.208
Things you think about.
Things you try not to think about.
314
00:15:27.208 --> 00:15:29.250
You must learn to concentrate such that
315
00:15:29.250 --> 00:15:32.916
you can visualize at will one item,
one item only, and nothing else.
316
00:15:32.916 --> 00:15:35.958
If you work hard, you may be able
to concentrate your conscious mind
317
00:15:35.958 --> 00:15:37.458
on any one object you select
318
00:15:37.458 --> 00:15:39.458
for around three and one-half minutes.
319
00:15:39.458 --> 00:15:42.625
This will take
about 20 years of diligent, daily effort.
320
00:15:42.625 --> 00:15:44.291
"Twenty years!" I cried.
321
00:15:44.291 --> 00:15:46.083
Twenty years. It may take longer.
322
00:15:46.083 --> 00:15:48.875
That's the usual time,
if you are able to do it at all.
323
00:15:48.875 --> 00:15:50.541
I'll be an old man by then!
324
00:15:50.541 --> 00:15:53.416
The time varies.
Some take ten years, some take thirty.
325
00:15:53.416 --> 00:15:56.333
On extremely rare occasions,
a special person comes along
326
00:15:56.333 --> 00:15:59.250
who's able to develop the power
in only one or two years,
327
00:15:59.250 --> 00:16:01.250
but this is one in a billion. Not you.
328
00:16:01.250 --> 00:16:03.625
Is it that difficult
to concentrate the mind--
329
00:16:03.625 --> 00:16:08.166
Almost impossible. Try it and see.
Shut your eyes and think of something.
330
00:16:08.166 --> 00:16:11.291
Think of just one object.
Visualize it. See it before you.
331
00:16:11.291 --> 00:16:13.458
In a few seconds, your mind will wander.
332
00:16:13.458 --> 00:16:16.541
Other thoughts will creep in.
It's a very difficult thing.
333
00:16:16.541 --> 00:16:18.625
Thus spoke the great, wise, old yogi.
334
00:16:20.708 --> 00:16:23.500
And so my exercises began.
335
00:16:24.083 --> 00:16:25.458
Each evening, I sat down,
336
00:16:25.458 --> 00:16:28.916
closed my eyes, and visualized the person
I loved best in the world,
337
00:16:28.916 --> 00:16:32.333
which was my elder brother
who died, age ten, from a blood disease.
338
00:16:32.333 --> 00:16:36.208
I concentrated on his face,
but the instant my mind began to wander,
339
00:16:36.208 --> 00:16:39.166
I stopped the exercise,
rested for several minutes,
340
00:16:39.166 --> 00:16:40.458
then I tried again.
341
00:16:40.458 --> 00:16:42.291
After five years of daily practice,
342
00:16:42.291 --> 00:16:45.208
I was able to concentrate
absolutely on my brother's face
343
00:16:45.208 --> 00:16:46.750
for one and a half minutes.
344
00:16:46.750 --> 00:16:48.166
I was making progress.
345
00:16:51.791 --> 00:16:52.625
In the meantime,
346
00:16:52.625 --> 00:16:55.833
I began to earn quite good money
giving conjuring performances.
347
00:16:55.833 --> 00:16:58.041
By nature,
my sleight-of-hand is very good,
348
00:16:58.041 --> 00:17:00.708
but always, I continued my exercises.
349
00:17:00.708 --> 00:17:04.583
Every evening, wherever I was,
I settled myself down in a quiet spot
350
00:17:04.583 --> 00:17:07.333
and concentrated my mind
on my brother's face.
351
00:17:07.333 --> 00:17:10.583
Sometimes, I lit a candle
and began by staring at the flame.
352
00:17:10.583 --> 00:17:14.041
A candle flame, as you know,
has three separate parts:
353
00:17:14.041 --> 00:17:16.541
the yellow at the top,
the mauve lower down,
354
00:17:16.541 --> 00:17:17.875
and the black inside.
355
00:17:17.875 --> 00:17:20.833
I placed the candle
16 inches away from my face,
356
00:17:20.833 --> 00:17:22.458
absolutely level with my eyes,
357
00:17:22.458 --> 00:17:25.708
so I didn't have to make
even tiny adjustments of my eye muscles
358
00:17:25.708 --> 00:17:26.916
by looking up or down.
359
00:17:26.916 --> 00:17:31.041
I stared at the black part in the center
until everything around me disappeared.
360
00:17:31.041 --> 00:17:32.458
Then I shut my eyes
361
00:17:32.458 --> 00:17:35.000
and began to concentrate
on my brother's face.
362
00:17:35.916 --> 00:17:40.750
By 1907, when I was 34 years old,
I could concentrate for three minutes
363
00:17:40.750 --> 00:17:43.125
without any wandering
of my mind whatsoever.
364
00:17:43.125 --> 00:17:46.458
It was also at this time
that I became aware of a slight ability,
365
00:17:46.458 --> 00:17:48.291
just a queer, little feeling,
366
00:17:48.291 --> 00:17:51.375
that when I closed my eyes
and looked at something hard,
367
00:17:51.375 --> 00:17:52.750
with fierce intensity,
368
00:17:52.750 --> 00:17:55.541
I could see the outline
of the object I was looking at.
369
00:17:55.541 --> 00:17:57.583
I thought of a thing the yogi had said:
370
00:17:57.583 --> 00:18:01.250
"Certain holy people have been known
to develop so great a concentration
371
00:18:01.250 --> 00:18:04.000
they can see without using their eyes."
372
00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:08.416
Each night after I performed
my exercises with the candle flame,
373
00:18:08.416 --> 00:18:11.333
I drank a cup of coffee,
then I blindfolded myself
374
00:18:11.333 --> 00:18:13.875
and sat in my chair
trying to see without my eyes.
375
00:18:13.875 --> 00:18:16.125
I started with a deck of playing cards.
376
00:18:16.125 --> 00:18:18.333
I studied the backs. I guessed the values.
377
00:18:18.333 --> 00:18:20.583
Immediately, I had a 60% success rate.
378
00:18:20.583 --> 00:18:22.833
Later, I bought maps
and navigational charts
379
00:18:22.833 --> 00:18:24.625
and pinned them up around my room.
380
00:18:24.625 --> 00:18:29.083
I spent hours looking at them blindfolded,
trying to read the small lettering.
381
00:18:29.083 --> 00:18:33.291
Every evening for the next eight years,
I proceeded with this kind of practice.
382
00:18:33.291 --> 00:18:36.000
By 1915,
I could read a book straight through,
383
00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:37.958
cover to cover, blindfolded.
384
00:18:37.958 --> 00:18:39.291
I had it!
385
00:18:39.291 --> 00:18:41.291
At last, I had this power.
386
00:18:42.833 --> 00:18:45.541
As you know,
it became my entire conjuring performance.
387
00:18:45.541 --> 00:18:48.791
Audiences loved it, but no one
believed it to be genuine. Still don't.
388
00:18:48.791 --> 00:18:52.333
Even doctors, like you, who blindfold me
in the most expert fashion,
389
00:18:52.333 --> 00:18:55.375
refuse to believe
anyone can see without his eyes.
390
00:18:55.375 --> 00:18:58.708
They forget there are other ways
of sending an image to the brain.
391
00:18:58.708 --> 00:19:00.208
Imdad Khan fell silent.
392
00:19:00.208 --> 00:19:01.208
He was tired.
393
00:19:01.208 --> 00:19:02.666
"What other ways?" I asked.
394
00:19:04.750 --> 00:19:06.333
Quite honestly, I do not know.
395
00:19:08.083 --> 00:19:10.958
The seeing is done
by another part of the body.
396
00:19:10.958 --> 00:19:12.458
Which part?
397
00:19:22.125 --> 00:19:23.666
That night I didn't go to bed.
398
00:19:23.666 --> 00:19:26.833
This man would have scientists
turning somersaults in the air.
399
00:19:26.833 --> 00:19:28.875
He must be the most valuable man alive.
400
00:19:28.875 --> 00:19:32.625
I had to find out exactly how it was,
biologically, chemically, magically,
401
00:19:32.625 --> 00:19:35.375
an image could be sent to the brain
without using the eyes.
402
00:19:35.375 --> 00:19:38.833
Blind people might be able to see.
Deaf people to hear. Who knows what else?
403
00:19:38.833 --> 00:19:41.541
"This incredible man
must not be ignored," I thought.
404
00:19:41.541 --> 00:19:45.333
I started transcribing with care
everything Imdad had told me that evening.
405
00:19:45.333 --> 00:19:47.416
I wrote for five hours without stopping.
406
00:19:50.125 --> 00:19:53.583
At eight o'clock the next morning,
I finished the most important part:
407
00:19:53.583 --> 00:19:55.041
the pages you've just read.
408
00:19:55.041 --> 00:19:57.958
I didn't see Dr. Marshall
until we met for our tea-break.
409
00:19:57.958 --> 00:20:00.291
I told him what I could
in the time we had.
410
00:20:00.291 --> 00:20:02.916
"Back to the theater tonight," I said.
Can't lose him now.
411
00:20:02.916 --> 00:20:04.291
I'll come with you.
412
00:20:04.291 --> 00:20:06.875
At 6:45,
we drove to the Royal Palace Hall.
413
00:20:06.875 --> 00:20:09.458
I parked the car,
and we walked to the theater.
414
00:20:09.458 --> 00:20:11.250
"There's something wrong," I said.
415
00:20:11.250 --> 00:20:13.625
There was no crowd,
and the doors were closed.
416
00:20:13.625 --> 00:20:17.666
The poster for the show was in place,
but someone had printed across it...
417
00:20:17.666 --> 00:20:19.833
"Tonight's performance canceled."
418
00:20:20.875 --> 00:20:24.208
I asked an old gatekeeper
by the locked doors: "What happened?"
419
00:20:24.208 --> 00:20:26.500
- Someone died.
-"Who?"
420
00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:27.958
Of course, I already knew.
421
00:20:27.958 --> 00:20:30.583
The man who sees
without his eyes.
422
00:20:30.583 --> 00:20:32.208
"How?" I cried.
423
00:20:32.208 --> 00:20:34.708
He went to sleep
and never woke up.
424
00:20:35.208 --> 00:20:36.375
These things happen.
425
00:20:39.750 --> 00:20:41.416
We walked slowly back to the car.
426
00:20:46.125 --> 00:20:48.500
I felt an overwhelming sense
of grief and anger.
427
00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:50.583
I should never have allowed him
out of my sight.
428
00:20:50.583 --> 00:20:52.500
I should've given him my bed,
taken care of him.
429
00:20:52.500 --> 00:20:54.000
Imdad Khan was a maker of miracles.
430
00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:58.333
He'd communicated with mysterious forces
far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
431
00:20:58.333 --> 00:21:00.083
Now he was dead.
432
00:21:00.083 --> 00:21:01.833
"That's that," Dr. Marshall said.
433
00:21:02.625 --> 00:21:03.541
That's that.
434
00:21:04.500 --> 00:21:05.500
"Yes," I said.
435
00:21:06.833 --> 00:21:07.750
"That's that."
436
00:21:12.625 --> 00:21:15.083
This is a true and accurate report
of everything
437
00:21:15.083 --> 00:21:17.291
concerning my two meetings
with Imdad Khan.
438
00:21:20.416 --> 00:21:21.625
Well, well, well.
439
00:21:22.708 --> 00:21:24.791
Now that is extremely interesting.
440
00:21:26.166 --> 00:21:28.333
This is a terrific piece of information.
441
00:21:29.916 --> 00:21:31.333
This could change my life.
442
00:21:51.125 --> 00:21:53.541
The piece of information
Henry was referring to
443
00:21:53.541 --> 00:21:57.333
was that Imdad Khan had trained himself
to read the value of a playing-card
444
00:21:57.333 --> 00:21:58.833
from the reverse side,
445
00:21:58.833 --> 00:22:01.541
and, being,
as mentioned, a dishonest gambler,
446
00:22:01.541 --> 00:22:03.000
Henry realized at once,
447
00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:05.083
he could make a fortune.
448
00:22:05.083 --> 00:22:07.500
He went downstairs to the butler's pantry
449
00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:10.208
and asked for a candle,
a candlestick, and a ruler.
450
00:22:10.208 --> 00:22:12.041
He took them to his bedroom,
locked the door,
451
00:22:12.041 --> 00:22:14.041
drew the curtains,
and turned off the lights.
452
00:22:14.041 --> 00:22:16.625
Put the candle on the dressing-table.
Pulled up a chair.
453
00:22:16.625 --> 00:22:20.083
He noticed with satisfaction
that his eyes were level with the wick.
454
00:22:20.083 --> 00:22:24.000
Using the ruler, he positioned
his face 16 inches from the candle,
455
00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:25.541
as indicated in the book.
456
00:22:25.541 --> 00:22:29.125
Imdad Khan had visualized
the face of the person he loved best,
457
00:22:29.125 --> 00:22:31.666
which, in his case,
was his deceased brother.
458
00:22:31.666 --> 00:22:33.458
Henry didn't have a brother.
459
00:22:34.041 --> 00:22:36.958
He decided instead
to visualize his own face.
460
00:22:43.666 --> 00:22:46.875
As Henry stared into the black area
at the center of the flame,
461
00:22:46.875 --> 00:22:48.583
an extraordinary thing happened.
462
00:22:48.583 --> 00:22:51.791
His mind went absolutely blank,
his brain ceased fidgeting,
463
00:22:51.791 --> 00:22:55.083
and all at once he felt as if
his entire body had become encased,
464
00:22:55.083 --> 00:22:56.000
snug and cozy,
465
00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:58.708
within that little black area
of burning nothingness.
466
00:22:59.291 --> 00:23:01.500
Admittedly, this lasted only 15 seconds.
467
00:23:01.500 --> 00:23:03.791
Then, no matter where,
or what he was doing,
468
00:23:03.791 --> 00:23:07.291
he made a point of practicing
with the candle five times a day.
469
00:23:07.291 --> 00:23:11.583
For the very first time, he threw himself
into something with genuine enthusiasm,
470
00:23:11.583 --> 00:23:14.083
and the progress he made was remarkable.
471
00:23:14.083 --> 00:23:15.166
After six months
472
00:23:15.166 --> 00:23:18.625
he could concentrate absolutely upon
the image of his face for three minutes
473
00:23:18.625 --> 00:23:21.541
without a single outside thought
entering his mind.
474
00:23:21.541 --> 00:23:23.166
"It's me," Henry thought.
475
00:23:23.166 --> 00:23:25.416
"I'm the one-in-a-billion with the ability
476
00:23:25.416 --> 00:23:27.791
to acquire yoga powers
at incredible speed!"
477
00:23:27.791 --> 00:23:31.291
By the end of the first year,
he'd exceeded five and a half minutes.
478
00:23:32.250 --> 00:23:33.375
The time had come.
479
00:23:37.375 --> 00:23:39.833 line:5%
The living room
of Henry's London flat. Midnight.
480
00:23:39.833 --> 00:23:42.083
He shakes with excitement as,
for the first time,
481
00:23:42.083 --> 00:23:44.291
he places a deck of cards
upside down before him
482
00:23:44.291 --> 00:23:46.041
and concentrates on the top card.
483
00:23:46.041 --> 00:23:49.833
All he sees initially is the ordinary
design of thin red lines on the back,
484
00:23:49.833 --> 00:23:52.750
perhaps the most common
playing-card design in the world.
485
00:23:52.750 --> 00:23:56.375
He now shifts his concentration
to the other side of the card.
486
00:23:56.375 --> 00:24:00.500
He focuses with great intensity
upon the invisible underneath of the card.
487
00:24:00.500 --> 00:24:03.416
Thirty seconds elapse.
One, two, three minutes.
488
00:24:03.416 --> 00:24:04.916
Henry doesn't move a muscle.
489
00:24:04.916 --> 00:24:07.500
His now highly-developed concentration
is absolute.
490
00:24:07.500 --> 00:24:09.500
He visualizes the reverse of the card.
491
00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:12.000
No other thought
is permitted to enter his mind.
492
00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:14.375
During the fourth minute,
something starts to happen.
493
00:24:14.375 --> 00:24:16.333
Slowly, magically, but distinctly,
494
00:24:16.333 --> 00:24:20.125
a black blob becomes a spade,
a twisty squiggle becomes a five.
495
00:24:20.125 --> 00:24:21.708
The five of spades.
496
00:24:21.708 --> 00:24:25.083
Fingers quivering,
he picks up the card and turns it over.
497
00:24:25.083 --> 00:24:27.250
"I've done it," he says.
498
00:24:28.333 --> 00:24:29.541
Henry becomes a fanatic.
499
00:24:29.541 --> 00:24:32.291
He never leaves his flat
except to buy food and drink.
500
00:24:32.291 --> 00:24:34.250
All day and often far into the night,
501
00:24:34.250 --> 00:24:36.583
he crouches over the cards
with the stopwatch.
502
00:24:36.583 --> 00:24:38.833
- Reducing his time, second by second.
503
00:24:38.833 --> 00:24:41.791
In a month, he's at a minute and a half.
Six months, 20 seconds.
504
00:24:41.791 --> 00:24:43.708
Seven more months, ten seconds flat.
505
00:24:43.708 --> 00:24:45.000
His target is five.
506
00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:47.708
Unless he can read through
a card in five seconds,
507
00:24:47.708 --> 00:24:49.875
he won't work the casinos successfully.
508
00:24:49.875 --> 00:24:53.916
Yet the nearer he gets to his target,
the more difficult it becomes to reach it.
509
00:24:53.916 --> 00:24:56.166
Four weeks
to get from ten seconds to nine.
510
00:24:56.166 --> 00:24:58.083
Five more to get from nine to eight.
511
00:24:58.083 --> 00:24:59.791
Hard work no longer bothers him.
512
00:24:59.791 --> 00:25:02.375
He's able to work
12 hours straight, no trouble.
513
00:25:02.375 --> 00:25:04.791
He knows with certainty he'll get there.
514
00:25:04.791 --> 00:25:07.333
The last two seconds
are the hardest, 11 months.
515
00:25:07.333 --> 00:25:09.041
But late one Saturday afternoon...
516
00:25:16.708 --> 00:25:20.583
Five seconds. Henry goes through the pack,
timing himself with every card.
517
00:25:20.583 --> 00:25:24.458
Five seconds. Five seconds. Five seconds.
518
00:25:25.500 --> 00:25:27.833
How long has it taken him
to reach this moment?
519
00:25:28.666 --> 00:25:31.666
Three years and three months
of uninterrupted effort.
520
00:25:33.208 --> 00:25:35.625
There were over
100 legitimate casinos in London.
521
00:25:35.625 --> 00:25:39.750
Henry was a member of no less than ten.
Lord's House was his favorite.
522
00:25:39.750 --> 00:25:43.041
It was the finest in the land,
in a magnificent Georgian mansion.
523
00:25:43.041 --> 00:25:44.166
Good evening, Mr. Sugar.
524
00:25:44.166 --> 00:25:46.916
...said the man
whose job it was to never forget a face.
525
00:25:46.916 --> 00:25:50.125
Henry ascended the marvelous staircase
to the cashier's office.
526
00:25:50.125 --> 00:25:52.250
He wrote a check for £10,000.
527
00:25:52.250 --> 00:25:56.416
Well-fed women circled the roulette wheel
like plump hens around a feeding hopper.
528
00:25:56.416 --> 00:25:58.708
Men with crimson faces,
cigars between their lips
529
00:25:58.708 --> 00:26:01.125
counted their chips,
eyes glittering with greed.
530
00:26:02.541 --> 00:26:04.541
Odd. For the first time in Henry's life,
531
00:26:04.541 --> 00:26:07.583
he looked with distaste upon a room
full of horrible rich people.
532
00:26:07.583 --> 00:26:10.500
He searched for a vacant seat
directly on the dealer's camera left
533
00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:12.166
at any of the blackjack tables.
534
00:26:12.166 --> 00:26:15.250
The dealer took Henry's plaque
and dropped it into a slot.
535
00:26:15.250 --> 00:26:18.458
He was a young-ish man
with black eyes and gray skin.
536
00:26:18.458 --> 00:26:20.791
He never smiled
and only spoke when necessary.
537
00:26:20.791 --> 00:26:23.583
He had slim hands.
There was arithmetic in his fingers.
538
00:26:23.583 --> 00:26:26.875
He picked up a wedge of £25 chips
and placed them in a pile.
539
00:26:26.875 --> 00:26:29.708
He didn't need to count them.
Those nimble fingers were never wrong.
540
00:26:29.708 --> 00:26:31.250
He slid the pile to Henry.
541
00:26:31.250 --> 00:26:32.708
As Henry stacked his chips,
542
00:26:32.708 --> 00:26:34.875
he glanced at the top card
in the dealer's shoe.
543
00:26:34.875 --> 00:26:38.375
In five seconds he read it as a ten.
He pushed out eight chips, £200,
544
00:26:38.375 --> 00:26:40.583
the maximum stake allowed at Lord's House.
545
00:26:40.583 --> 00:26:43.083
He was dealt the ten.
His second card was a nine.
546
00:26:43.083 --> 00:26:44.333
Nineteen all together.
547
00:26:44.333 --> 00:26:45.416
On 19, you stick.
548
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.
549
00:26:49.083 --> 00:26:51.708
- When the dealer came to Henry, he said...
- Nineteen.
550
00:26:51.708 --> 00:26:54.333
...and passed to the next player.
"Wait," said Henry.
551
00:26:54.333 --> 00:26:55.958
The dealer came back to Henry.
552
00:26:55.958 --> 00:26:58.333
He raised his eyebrows,
looked with cool eyes.
553
00:26:58.333 --> 00:27:00.583
- You wish to draw to 19?
- ...he asked crisply.
554
00:27:00.583 --> 00:27:04.208
There were only two ranks that
wouldn't bust a 19, the ace and the two.
555
00:27:04.208 --> 00:27:08.250
Only an idiot would risk drawing on 19,
especially with £200 on the table.
556
00:27:08.250 --> 00:27:11.375
The back of the next card lay visible.
The dealer hadn't touched it.
557
00:27:11.375 --> 00:27:14.833
"Yes," Henry said. "Another card."
The dealer shrugged and dealt it.
558
00:27:14.833 --> 00:27:18.083
The two of clubs landed in front of Henry
alongside the ten and the nine.
559
00:27:18.083 --> 00:27:19.708
- 21.
- ...the dealer said evenly.
560
00:27:19.708 --> 00:27:21.750
He glanced up again into Henry's face,
561
00:27:21.750 --> 00:27:24.500
and rested there,
silent, watchful, puzzled.
562
00:27:25.583 --> 00:27:29.208
Henry had unbalanced him. He'd rarely,
if ever, seen anyone draw on 19.
563
00:27:29.208 --> 00:27:31.500
This fellow had
with a calmness and certainty
564
00:27:31.500 --> 00:27:33.750
that was quite staggering, and he'd won.
565
00:27:33.750 --> 00:27:37.166
Henry caught the dealer's look,
realized he'd made a silly mistake.
566
00:27:37.166 --> 00:27:39.500
He'd attracted attention.
"I beg your pardon."
567
00:27:39.500 --> 00:27:41.000
He must never do that again.
568
00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:44.125
He must be very careful,
even make himself lose occasionally.
569
00:27:44.125 --> 00:27:45.250
The game went on.
570
00:27:45.250 --> 00:27:47.041
Henry's advantage was so enormous,
571
00:27:47.041 --> 00:27:49.583
he had difficulty
keeping his winnings reasonable.
572
00:27:49.583 --> 00:27:51.291
In an hour, he'd won £30,000.
573
00:27:51.291 --> 00:27:52.416
There he stopped.
574
00:27:52.416 --> 00:27:54.916
It could just as easily
have been a million.
575
00:27:54.916 --> 00:27:56.208
Thank you.
576
00:27:56.208 --> 00:27:58.958
Henry was now
almost certainly capable of making money
577
00:27:58.958 --> 00:28:01.458
faster than any other person
in the entire world.
578
00:28:03.666 --> 00:28:04.500
Interesting.
579
00:28:09.041 --> 00:28:11.333
Had this been a made-up story
instead of a true one,
580
00:28:11.333 --> 00:28:12.833
it would have been necessary
581
00:28:12.833 --> 00:28:15.583
to invent a surprising
and exciting end for the thing.
582
00:28:15.583 --> 00:28:17.250
Something dramatic and unusual.
583
00:28:17.250 --> 00:28:20.416
For example, Henry could go home
and start counting his money.
584
00:28:20.416 --> 00:28:23.333
While doing this,
he might suddenly begin to feel unwell.
585
00:28:23.333 --> 00:28:24.875
He has a pain in his chest.
586
00:28:25.875 --> 00:28:28.333
He decides to go to bed.
He takes off his clothes.
587
00:28:28.333 --> 00:28:30.250
Walks naked and puts on pajamas.
588
00:28:30.250 --> 00:28:33.458
He passes the full-length mirror
against the wall. He stops.
589
00:28:33.458 --> 00:28:36.541
Automatically, from force of habit,
he starts to concentrate.
590
00:28:36.541 --> 00:28:38.833
All at once, he sees through his own skin.
591
00:28:38.833 --> 00:28:41.250
Like an X-ray, only better.
He sees everything.
592
00:28:41.250 --> 00:28:43.666
Arteries, veins,
the blood pumping through him.
593
00:28:43.666 --> 00:28:46.541
Liver, kidneys, intestines.
He sees his heart beating.
594
00:28:46.541 --> 00:28:48.708
He looks at where the pain is coming from
595
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.
596
00:28:52.958 --> 00:28:55.916
A blood clot. At first,
the clot appears to be stationary.
597
00:28:55.916 --> 00:28:59.083
Then it moves. The movement's slight.
Only a millimeter or so.
598
00:28:59.083 --> 00:29:01.708
The blood is pumping up behind the clot
and pushing past it,
599
00:29:01.708 --> 00:29:03.083
and the clot moves again.
600
00:29:03.083 --> 00:29:06.166
It jerks forward about half an inch.
Henry watches in terror.
601
00:29:06.166 --> 00:29:09.666
He knows a large clot that's broken free
and is traveling in the vein
602
00:29:09.666 --> 00:29:11.125
will reach the heart.
603
00:29:11.125 --> 00:29:12.500
He is about to die.
604
00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:15.375
Not a bad ending for fiction,
but this isn't fiction.
605
00:29:15.375 --> 00:29:16.416
This story is fact.
606
00:29:16.416 --> 00:29:19.333
The only untrue thing is Henry's name,
which wasn't Henry Sugar.
607
00:29:19.333 --> 00:29:22.750
His name has to be protected.
It still must be protected.
608
00:29:22.750 --> 00:29:24.875
Apart from that, this is a true story,
609
00:29:24.875 --> 00:29:28.000
and because it's a true story,
it must have the true ending.
610
00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:29.583
Here's what actually happened.
611
00:29:33.916 --> 00:29:36.875
Henry walked for an hour.
The evening was cool and pleasant.
612
00:29:36.875 --> 00:29:38.583
The city still wide awake.
613
00:29:38.583 --> 00:29:42.041
He could feel the thick bankroll
in the inside pocket of his jacket.
614
00:29:42.041 --> 00:29:43.500
He patted it gently.
615
00:29:43.500 --> 00:29:45.708
A lot of money for an hour's work.
616
00:29:45.708 --> 00:29:47.791
Yet, he was a puzzled man.
617
00:29:47.791 --> 00:29:51.583
He couldn't understand why he felt
so little excitement about this success.
618
00:29:51.583 --> 00:29:54.333
If this had happened three years ago,
before the yoga,
619
00:29:54.333 --> 00:29:56.041
he'd have gone crazy with excitement,
620
00:29:56.041 --> 00:29:58.666
he'd be rushing off
to a nightclub to celebrate.
621
00:29:58.666 --> 00:30:00.750
But Henry didn't feel excited.
622
00:30:00.750 --> 00:30:02.083
He felt sad.
623
00:30:02.083 --> 00:30:04.916
Every time he made a bet,
he'd been certain to win.
624
00:30:04.916 --> 00:30:08.083
There was no thrill,
no suspense, no danger.
625
00:30:08.083 --> 00:30:11.083
He knew he could travel
around the world making millions.
626
00:30:11.083 --> 00:30:12.750
But was it going to be any fun?
627
00:30:12.750 --> 00:30:15.000
Another thing.
Was it not entirely possible
628
00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:17.166
the process of acquiring yoga powers
629
00:30:17.166 --> 00:30:20.833
had completely and utterly
changed his entire outlook on life?
630
00:30:20.833 --> 00:30:22.041
It was possible.
631
00:30:22.750 --> 00:30:25.458
The next morning,
Henry woke up late, got out of bed,
632
00:30:25.458 --> 00:30:28.166
saw the enormous bundle
lying on his dressing-table,
633
00:30:28.166 --> 00:30:30.208
and didn't want it.
634
00:30:54.500 --> 00:30:55.333
Oi?!
635
00:30:55.333 --> 00:30:58.875
Good morning, sir.
That's for you! It's a present.
636
00:30:58.875 --> 00:30:59.791
I...
637
00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:01.833
A what?
638
00:31:02.625 --> 00:31:03.958
Put it in your pocket!
639
00:31:05.458 --> 00:31:06.291
All right.
640
00:31:15.208 --> 00:31:16.250
What is it?
641
00:31:16.250 --> 00:31:18.041
- It's money.
- Keep it!
642
00:31:24.583 --> 00:31:25.416
Hey!
643
00:31:28.875 --> 00:31:29.833
Come on...
644
00:32:04.458 --> 00:32:06.291
The doorbell rang.
645
00:32:06.291 --> 00:32:08.875
- What do you think you're doing?
- Sorry about the crowd.
646
00:32:08.875 --> 00:32:10.208
I was giving away some money.
647
00:32:10.208 --> 00:32:12.750
- You're inciting a riot!
- Just giving away some money.
648
00:32:12.750 --> 00:32:15.000
I won't do it again. They'll soon go away.
649
00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:18.000
The policeman took one hand off his hip,
produced a £50 note.
650
00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:21.333
- A-ha, you got one yourself.
- This is evidence. Where's the money from?
651
00:32:21.333 --> 00:32:24.166
I won it at blackjack.
I had a tremendously lucky night.
652
00:32:24.166 --> 00:32:26.875
Henry named the club
and the policeman wrote it down.
653
00:32:26.875 --> 00:32:28.333
They'll tell you it's true.
654
00:32:28.333 --> 00:32:30.250
The policeman lowered the book.
I don't care.
655
00:32:30.250 --> 00:32:31.958
- Don't you?
- Not whatsoever.
656
00:32:31.958 --> 00:32:33.583
In fact, I believe your story,
657
00:32:33.583 --> 00:32:36.541
but that doesn't excuse
what you did even the tiniest bit.
658
00:32:36.541 --> 00:32:38.958
I didn't do anything illegal, did I?
659
00:32:39.791 --> 00:32:40.708
Illegal?
660
00:32:41.458 --> 00:32:42.583
You're an idiot!
661
00:32:43.333 --> 00:32:46.708
If you're lucky enough to win yourself
a big sum of money like that,
662
00:32:46.708 --> 00:32:49.750
and want to give it away,
you don't throw it out of the window.
663
00:32:49.750 --> 00:32:53.958
You give it somewhere it'll do some good.
A hospital for instance, or an orphanage.
664
00:32:53.958 --> 00:32:56.125
There's hospitals and orphanages all over
665
00:32:56.125 --> 00:32:59.375
got hardly enough money
to buy the kids a present for Christmas.
666
00:32:59.375 --> 00:33:01.208
Then comes a spoiled idiot
667
00:33:01.208 --> 00:33:03.666
who's never known
what it's like to be hard up,
668
00:33:03.666 --> 00:33:06.666
and you throw the stuff
out into the street!
669
00:33:06.666 --> 00:33:09.666
The policeman stomped down the stairs
and out of the door.
670
00:33:09.666 --> 00:33:10.666
Henry didn't move.
671
00:33:10.666 --> 00:33:13.416
Those words, and the fury
with which they were spoken,
672
00:33:13.416 --> 00:33:14.750
struck hard and deep.
673
00:33:14.750 --> 00:33:16.375
He was ashamed.
674
00:33:16.375 --> 00:33:17.708
It was an awful feeling.
675
00:33:23.916 --> 00:33:25.000
Then, all at once,
676
00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:28.500
Henry felt a powerful electricity
tingling through his entire body,
677
00:33:28.500 --> 00:33:32.208
and there began to come to him
an idea that was to change everything.
678
00:33:32.208 --> 00:33:33.791
He started pacing up and down,
679
00:33:33.791 --> 00:33:36.916
ticking off the points
that would make his idea possible.
680
00:33:36.916 --> 00:33:39.333
One. I'm going to win
a very large sum of money
681
00:33:39.333 --> 00:33:42.416
each and every day of my life
from this moment forward.
682
00:33:42.416 --> 00:33:46.250
Two. I can go to the
same casino only once every six months.
683
00:33:46.250 --> 00:33:49.000
Three. I must never win
too much money in one sitting.
684
00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:51.666
£50,000 pounds a night,
that's my limit.
685
00:33:51.666 --> 00:33:55.166
Four.
£50,000 a night for 365 days a year.
686
00:33:55.166 --> 00:33:57.916
That's £18.25 million.
687
00:33:57.916 --> 00:33:59.166
Five. Keep moving.
688
00:33:59.166 --> 00:34:01.791
No more than three nights
at a stretch in any city.
689
00:34:01.791 --> 00:34:03.958
London, Monte-Carlo, Cannes, Biarritz,
690
00:34:03.958 --> 00:34:07.083
Deauville, Las Vegas,
Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Nassau.
691
00:34:07.083 --> 00:34:11.416
Six. I'll take the money and establish
hospitals and orphanages around the world.
692
00:34:11.416 --> 00:34:13.791
Corny and sentimental
as a dream,
693
00:34:13.791 --> 00:34:16.083
but as a reality,
I think I can make it work.
694
00:34:16.083 --> 00:34:20.208
I don't think it'd be corny at all.
It would be wonderfully stupendous.
695
00:34:20.208 --> 00:34:23.875
Seven. I need a partner who can
sit behind a desk and receive the money,
696
00:34:23.875 --> 00:34:25.541
then send it where it's needed.
697
00:34:25.541 --> 00:34:28.791
Someone I can deeply,
emphatically, categorically trust forever.
698
00:34:28.791 --> 00:34:32.041
John Winston was Henry's accountant,
and had been his father's too,
699
00:34:32.041 --> 00:34:34.708
and John's father had been
Henry's father's father's accountant.
700
00:34:34.708 --> 00:34:36.708
You could be the richest man on Earth.
701
00:34:38.833 --> 00:34:41.000
I don't want to be
the richest man on Earth.
702
00:34:43.583 --> 00:34:46.250
I can't operate in England.
The taxman'll take it all.
703
00:34:46.250 --> 00:34:48.416
I'll have to move to Switzerland.
But not tomorrow.
704
00:34:48.416 --> 00:34:51.125
I'm not unattached like you
with no responsibilities.
705
00:34:51.125 --> 00:34:54.000
I must talk to my family,
give notice to my partners.
706
00:34:54.000 --> 00:34:56.541
I must sell my house,
find another in Switzerland,
707
00:34:56.541 --> 00:34:58.916
take the kids out of school.
These things take time.
708
00:34:58.916 --> 00:35:02.125
One year later,
Henry had sent just over £120 million
709
00:35:02.125 --> 00:35:03.875
to John Winston in Lausanne.
710
00:35:03.875 --> 00:35:05.958
The money was delivered five days a week
711
00:35:05.958 --> 00:35:08.250
to a Swiss company
called Winston Sugar, LLC.
712
00:35:08.250 --> 00:35:11.250
Nobody except John and Henry
knew where the money came from
713
00:35:11.250 --> 00:35:12.708
or what would happen to it.
714
00:35:12.708 --> 00:35:14.458
The Monday remittance was the biggest
715
00:35:14.458 --> 00:35:17.125
because it included the take
for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
716
00:35:17.125 --> 00:35:18.333
when the banks were closed.
717
00:35:18.333 --> 00:35:20.041
He moved with astonishing speed,
718
00:35:20.041 --> 00:35:22.750
changing his identity
several times in a single week.
719
00:35:22.750 --> 00:35:25.416
Often, the only clue John had
of Henry's whereabouts
720
00:35:25.416 --> 00:35:29.250
was the address of the bank which had
sent the money. It was stupendous.
721
00:35:49.541 --> 00:35:52.958
Henry died last year,
age 63, from a pulmonary embolism.
722
00:35:52.958 --> 00:35:56.166
He saw it coming, quite literally,
but was very much at peace.
723
00:35:56.166 --> 00:35:58.833
He'd been following his plan
for just over 20 years.
724
00:35:58.833 --> 00:36:01.458
He'd made £644 million.
725
00:36:01.458 --> 00:36:03.041
He'd left 21 well-established,
726
00:36:03.041 --> 00:36:06.208
well-run children's hospitals
and orphanages around the world,
727
00:36:06.208 --> 00:36:10.333
administered and financed from Lausanne
by John Winston and his staff.
728
00:36:10.333 --> 00:36:11.666
His work was complete.
729
00:36:16.125 --> 00:36:20.208
Now, how do I know all this?
Good question. I'll tell you.
730
00:36:20.208 --> 00:36:23.791
Soon after Henry's death, John Winston
telephoned me from Switzerland.
731
00:36:23.791 --> 00:36:25.291
He introduced himself simply
732
00:36:25.291 --> 00:36:28.750
as the head of a company
calling itself Winston Sugar, LLC,
733
00:36:28.750 --> 00:36:31.000
and asked
if I'd come to Lausanne to see him
734
00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:34.000
with a view to writing
a brief history of the organization.
735
00:36:34.625 --> 00:36:36.250
I don't know how he chose me.
736
00:36:36.250 --> 00:36:39.125
Probably had a list of writers
and stuck a pin in it.
737
00:36:39.125 --> 00:36:41.375
He would pay me well, he said, and added,
738
00:36:41.375 --> 00:36:43.583
"A remarkable man has died recently."
739
00:36:43.583 --> 00:36:45.291
"His name was Henry Sugar."
740
00:36:45.291 --> 00:36:49.125
"I think people ought to know a bit
about what he has done for the world."
741
00:36:49.125 --> 00:36:50.208
In my ignorance,
742
00:36:50.208 --> 00:36:53.000
I asked whether the story
was really interesting enough
743
00:36:53.000 --> 00:36:54.541
to merit being put on paper.
744
00:36:54.541 --> 00:36:58.041
This annoyed John Winston very much.
Perhaps it even offended him.
745
00:36:58.625 --> 00:37:00.083
In five minutes on the phone,
746
00:37:00.083 --> 00:37:03.041
he told me
about Henry Sugar's secret career.
747
00:37:03.041 --> 00:37:04.541
It was secret no longer.
748
00:37:04.541 --> 00:37:08.083
Henry was dead and would never
enter another casino again.
749
00:37:08.083 --> 00:37:10.083
"I'm coming," I said.
750
00:37:10.083 --> 00:37:13.000
In Lausanne,
I met John Winston, now over 70,
751
00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:14.291
also Max Engelman,
752
00:37:14.291 --> 00:37:17.291 line:5%
a renowned make-up artist
who traveled the world with Henry
753
00:37:17.291 --> 00:37:20.166 line:5%
creating fantastic disguises
to conceal his identity.
754
00:37:20.166 --> 00:37:24.333 line:5%
They were both shattered by Henry's death.
Max even more so than John Winston.
755
00:37:24.333 --> 00:37:26.625 line:5%
I loved him. He was a great man.
756
00:37:26.625 --> 00:37:29.666 line:5%
John Winston showed me
the original dark-blue exercise book
757
00:37:29.666 --> 00:37:32.666 line:5%
written by Z.Z. Chatterjee
in Calcutta in 1935.
758
00:37:32.666 --> 00:37:34.833 line:5%
I later copied it out word-for-word.
759
00:37:34.833 --> 00:37:36.375 line:5%
"One last question," I said.
760
00:37:36.375 --> 00:37:40.083 line:5%
"You keep calling him Henry Sugar,
yet you tell me that wasn't his name."
761
00:37:40.083 --> 00:37:43.375 line:5%
"Don't you want me to say
who he really was when I do the story?"
762
00:37:43.375 --> 00:37:44.750 line:5%
- No.
- ...John Winston said.
763
00:37:44.750 --> 00:37:47.208 line:5%
Max and I promised
never to reveal his identity.
764
00:37:47.208 --> 00:37:49.750 line:5%
Oh, I suppose
it'll probably leak out sooner or later.
765
00:37:49.750 --> 00:37:51.833 line:5%
He was from a well-known English family,
766
00:37:51.833 --> 00:37:54.500 line:5%
but I'd appreciate it
if you didn't try to find out.
767
00:37:54.500 --> 00:37:56.791 line:5%
Just please,
call him plain Mr. Henry Sugar.
768
00:37:58.833 --> 00:38:00.291 line:5%
And that is what I have done.