37. When his mortal sought understanding, the Master offered ideas, spoken through coincidence, in the language of events and in the adventures of life. . . . 41. Every test, most of them, the Master designed to be a more advanced challenge for his dear mortal, eac . . . uthor Richard Bach was listed in critical condition Saturday at Harborview Medical Center . . . Bach's plane struck high-tension wires, crashed inverted, leaving the pilot unconscious in the cockpit, near fires from broken wires. The author remains in a coma to date.