SKETCHES NEW AND OLD

by Mark Twain

Part 5.

The Siamese Twins—­[Written about 1868.]

I do not wish to write of the personal habits of these strange creatures solely, but also of certain curious details of various kinds concerning them, which, belonging only to their private life, have never crept into print.  Knowing the Twins intimately, I feel that I am peculiarly well qualified for the task I have taken upon myself.

The Siamese Twins are naturally tender and affectionate indisposition, and have clung to each other with singular fidelity throughout a long and eventful life.  Even as children they were inseparable companions; and it was noticed that they always seemed to prefer each other’s society to that of any other persons.  They nearly always played together; and, so accustomed was their mother to this peculiarity, that, whenever both of them chanced to be lost, she usually only hunted for one of them —­satisfied that when she found that one she would find his brother somewhere in the immediate neighborhood.  And yet these creatures were ignorant and unlettered-barbarians themselves and the offspring of barbarians, who knew not the light of philosophy and science.  What a withering rebuke is this to our boasted civilization, with its quarrelings, its wranglings, and its separations of brothers!

As men, the Twins have not always lived in perfect accord; but still there has always been a bond between them which made them unwilling to go away from each other and dwell apart.  They have even occupied the same house, as a general thing, and it is believed that they have never failed to even sleep together on any night since they were born.  How surely do the habits of a lifetime become second nature to us!  The Twins always go to bed at the same time; but Chang usually gets up about an hour before his brother.  By an understanding between themselves, Chang does all the indoor work and Eng runs all the errands.  This is because Eng likes to go out; Chang’s habits are sedentary.  However, Chang always goes along.  Eng is a Baptist, but Chang is a Roman Catholic; still, to please his brother, Chang consented to be baptized at the same time that Eng was, on condition that it should not “count.”  During the war they were strong partisans, and both fought gallantly all through the great struggle—­Eng on the Union side and Chang on the Confederate.  They took each other prisoners at Seven Oaks, but the proofs of capture were so evenly balanced in favor of each, that a general army court had to be assembled to determine which one was properly the captor and which the captive.  The jury was unable to agree for a long time; but the vexed question was finally decided by agreeing to consider them both prisoners, and then exchanging them.  At one time Chang was convicted of disobedience of orders, and sentenced to ten days in the guard-house, but Eng, in spite of all arguments, felt obliged to share his imprisonment, notwithstanding he himself was entirely innocent; and so, to save the blameless brother from suffering, they had to discharge both from custody—­the just reward of faithfulness.