forty days. The first thing he ate at the close of his fast was the juice of a ripe watermelon.
Once some miners were shut in by the caving of a part of a mine. But, unlike the case just described, they were without water as well as food. When, by digging, the rescuers reached them seven days after, several were still found alive, although most of them had died. The miners, no doubt, had nourishment in their bodies for some weeks more of life, but the body lacked water to dissolve it and bring it within the reach of the cells most needing it.
A Stupendous Fact.—These incidents show how wisely the body is made, and prove that the cells store up nourishment for weeks ahead. The large amount of nourishment stored in the human body is one of the most striking and important facts with which the science of physiology has to deal, and it should be borne in mind, or we may make great mistakes about some very simple matters and especially in regard to the effects of stimulants.
Foolish Rashness.—Did you ever get so tired that you had to give up and stop, however much you would have liked to continue at work or play? To rest was the wise thing to do. Because you know there is much energy stored in the body, this need not tempt you to go on until you almost break down. Probably you know people who are conceited about their bodies and say they are "made of cast iron"; that nothing can hurt them. Such conceit will be almost sure to get its possessor into trouble.
How a Safeguard may be broken down.—It is a very wise arrangement that, under ordinary conditions, we cannot get at the surplus energy we have. Carbon dioxid and other wastes accumulate in the tissues and paralyze the nerves. Fatigue and other feelings compel us to be provident, as it were; yet stimulants and narcotics, by irritating
