{"id":"01KG8AKT01XNPAEZM1KZGZVNZF","cid":"bafkreicq5mvzwyh2zmg4uuen36j4zxbvxvl7gloki5pd4eomeifcy74ipy","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":7127,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:09.927Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 1","source_file":"01KG89J1954N2G0NAERBNJXEX9","start_line":7046,"text":"CHAPTER LI.\r\nIn Which Azzageddi Seems To Use Babbalanja For A Mouth-Piece\r\n\r\n\r\nPorpheero far astern, the spirits of the company rose. Once again, old\r\nMohi serenely unbraided, and rebraided his beard; and sitting Turk-wise\r\non his mat, my lord Media smoking his gonfalon, diverted himself with\r\nthe wild songs of Yoomy, the wild chronicles of Mohi, or the still\r\nwilder speculations of Babbalanja; now and then, as from pitcher to\r\npitcher, pouring royal old wine down his soul.\r\n\r\nAmong other things, Media, who at times turned over Babbalanja for an\r\nencyclopaedia, however unreliable, demanded information upon the\r\nsubject of neap tides and their alleged slavish vassalage to the moon.\r\n\r\nWhen true to his cyclopaediatic nature, Babbalanja quoted from a still\r\nolder and better authority than himself; in brief, from no other than\r\neternal Bardianna. It seems that that worthy essayist had discussed the\r\nwhole matter in a chapter thus headed: “On Seeing into Mysteries\r\nthrough Mill-Stones;“ and throughout his disquisitions he evinced such\r\na profundity of research, though delivered in a style somewhat\r\nequivocal, that the company were much struck by the erudition\r\ndisplayed.\r\n\r\n“Babbalanja, that Bardianna of yours must have been a wonderful\r\nstudent,” said Media after a pause, “no doubt he consumed whole\r\nthickets of rush-lights.”\r\n\r\n“Not so, my lord.—‘Patience, patience, philosophers,’ said Bardianna;\r\n‘blow out your tapers, bolt not your dinners, take time, wisdom will be\r\nplenty soon.’”\r\n\r\n“A notable hint! Why not follow it, Babbalanja?”\r\n\r\n“Because, my lord, I have overtaken it, and passed on.”\r\n\r\n“True to your nature, Babbalanja; you stay nowhere.”\r\n\r\n“Ay, keep moving is my motto; but speaking of hard students, did my\r\nlord ever hear of Midni the ontologist and entomologist?”\r\n\r\n“No.”\r\n\r\n“Then, my lord, you shall hear of him now. Midni was of opinion that\r\nday-light was vulgar; good enough for taro-planting and traveling; but\r\nwholly unadapted to the sublime ends of study. He toiled by night; from\r\nsunset to sunrise poring over the works of the old logicans. Like most\r\nphilosophers, Midni was an amiable man; but one thing invariably put\r\nhim out. He read in the woods by glow-worm light; insect in hand,\r\ntracing over his pages, line by line. But glow-worms burn not long: and\r\nin the midst of some calm intricate thought, at some imminent comma,\r\nthe insect often expired, and Midni groped for a meaning. Upon such an\r\noccasion, ‘Ho, Ho,’ he cried; ‘but for one instant of sun-light to see\r\nmy way to a period!’ But sun-light there was none; so Midni sprang to\r\nhis feet, and parchment under arm, raced about among the sloughs and\r\nbogs for another glow-worm. Often, making a rapid descent with his\r\nturban, he thought he had caged a prize; but nay. Again he tried; yet\r\nwith no better succcess. Nevertheless, at last he secured one; but\r\nhardly had he read three lines by its light, when out it went. Again\r\nand again this occurred. And thus he forever went halting and stumbling\r\nthrough his studies, and plunging through his quagmires after a glim.”\r\n\r\nAt this ridiculous tale, one of our silliest paddlers burst into\r\nuncontrollable mirth. Offended at which breach of decorum, Media\r\nsharply rebuked him.\r\n\r\nBut he protested he could not help laughing.\r\n\r\nAgain Media was about to reprimand him, when Babbalanja begged leave to\r\ninterfere.\r\n\r\n“My lord, he is not to blame. Mark how earnestly he struggles to\r\nsuppress his mirth; but he can not. It has often been the same with\r\nmyself. And many a time have I not only vainly sought to check my\r\nlaughter, but at some recitals I have both laughed and cried. But can\r\nopposite emotions be simultaneous in one being? No. I wanted to weep;\r\nbut my body wanted to smile, and between us we almost choked. My lord\r\nMedia, this man’s body laughs; not the man himself.”\r\n\r\n“But his body is his own, Babbalanja; and he should have it under\r\nbetter control.”\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 1"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJTNYJAJVPY249XHCDNG8","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1954N2G0NAERBNJXEX9","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AKT01MR4832SD55W8QAES","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:16.385Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:24.843Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}