In other cases, when the medium becomes entranced, the demonstration of a communicator's separate intelligence may become stronger and the sophistication less. A still further stage is reached when by special effort what is called _telergy_ is employed, _i.e._ when physiological mechanism is more directly utilised without telepathic operation on the mind. And a still further step away from personal sophistication, though under extra mechanical difficulties, is attainable in _telekinesis_ or what appears to be the direct movement of inorganic matter. To this last category--though in its very simplest form--must belong, I suppose, the percussive sounds known as raps. To understand the intelligent tiltings of a table in contact with human muscles is a much simpler matter. It is crude and elementary, but in principle it does not appear to differ from automatic writing; though inasmuch as the code and the movements are so simple, it appears to be the easiest of all to beginners. It is so simple that it has been often employed as a sort of game, and so has fallen into disrepute. But its possibilities are not to be ignored for all that; and in so far as it enables a feeling of more direct influence--in so far as the communicator feels able himself to control the energy necessary, instead of having to entrust his message to a third person--it is by many communicators preferred. More on this subject will be found in Chapters VIII of Part II and XIV of Part III. Before beginning an historical record of the communications and messages received from or about my son since his death, I think it will be well to prelude it by-- (i) A message which arrived before the event; (ii) A selection of subsequent communications bearing on and supplementing this message; (iii) One of the evidential episodes, selected from subsequent communications, which turned out to be exactly verifiable. A few further details about these things, and another series of messages of evidential importance, will be found in that Part of the _Proceedings_ of the S.P.R. which is to be published about October 1916. If the full discussion allowed to these selected portions appears rather complicated, an unstudious reader may skip the next three chapters, on a first reading, and may learn about the simpler facts in their evolutionary or historical order. CHAPTER II THE 'FAUNUS' MESSAGE _Preliminary Facts_ Raymond joined the Army in September 1914; trained near Liverpool and Edinburgh with the South Lancashires, and in March 1915 was sent to the trenches in Flanders. In the middle of July 1915 he had a few days' leave at home, and on the 20th returned to the Front. INITIAL 'PIPER' MESSAGE