The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-05-21
From the Crayon.
Tho Jugglers of India.

days at NauraS, L went TO the "garuen-
house" of one of my English friends, to
see an exhibition by some jugglers who
had been sent for the night before to
come up from the Black Town The
jugglers of Madras are famous as the
best in India. They form a castle by
themselves. Their skill is the result of
the practice of successive generations,
and their art is an hereditary one. 1t
was about six o'clock in a clear Septem-
Der morning and our party consisted of
five or six spectators. Coffee having
been served. we took our seats on the
voranda on the shady side os the Louse,
while the jugglers, of whom there were
fifteen or twenty, men, woman and
children, ranged themselves before us on
the grass, an the further side Of the ave-
nue., ten or twelve feet wide, that run be-
tween us and them. Behind them was
green feld, on which at some distance
grew few trees and Towering shrubs
There was nothing near them that could
afford a hiding place or shelter. The
men wore nothing but the dhotee or tight
cloth about their loins; two of them
were very old, with white boards lying
upon their skins The women were
clothed in the common bright loose dress
of the lower classes, and tho little chill
dron were quite naked. The i'm
plements Of their art, their musical in
struments, and the fiat, circular baskets
in which were their snakes for the Jug
glers are also snake charmers by profess
ion lay around about upon the grass.
One Of the young men began the exhi.
bition with some common tricks of slight
Of hand remarkable only from the fact
that his dress and the ground afIording
him no aids. Then another came for
ward and throwing four brass balls into
tie air, kept them in constant motion,
now making the circle around his head,
now throwing them in opposite direc-
tions under his arm and over his shoul-
ders, now chasing one with another, new
er missing the instantaneous chance, with
incredible quickness Of hand, with incom-
prehensble dclicacy making them wheel
about him as if they were the obedieut
servants of his WILL Such exquisite skill
makes ones hands seem utterly clumsy
and insufficient. All the while that this
jugger was playing so beautifully with
the glitteriDg brass balls one Of his COM
panions beat upon dull drum, while the
others looked on, and now and then, at
some puculiarly successful or long sus-
tanned fight, broke ont with a murmur
of encouraging applause. Then followed
in quick succession other not less remark
able feats of strength, agility and skill
fcats on poles, with swords, with stones,
with ribbands-feats il deed Of all sorts.
and all done with an ararent case that
made them not less pleasant than won
dcrful to see. The jugglers seemed sub.
tie and lith as spirits.
Not tied or manaclcd with Joint or limb,
Not founded on the brittle strength Of bone
Like cumbrous flesh.
But the most wonderful performance
that we saw this morning, was a feat of
pure juggling Of which have never able
to find any solution, One of the old
men came forward upon the gravoled
and hardtro1den avenue, leading with
him woman lie made her kneel down
tied her arms behind her, and blindfoded
her eyes. Then bringing a great bag
net made with oTcn meshcs Of rope he
but it over the woman. and laced up the
mouth, fastening it with knotted inter
twiuing cords in such n way that it
seemed impossible for her to extrcate
herself from it, The man took a close
ly woven wicker basket that narrowed
toward the top. lifted the woman in the
h., har Ia,
it, though it was not without the exertion
of some force that lie could crowd her
through the narrow mouth. Having sue
ceedod in gettirg her into the basket, in
which, from its small size, she was ne
cesSarl'y in most cramPed position, he
put the cover upon it. and threw over it
wide strip of cloth hiding it completely.
In moment, placing his hand under the
cloth. he drew ont the net quite united
and disentanglcd,
lie then took long, strait, sharp
sword, mutteroi some words to himself
while lie sprinkled tho dust upon the
CLOTH and put some upon his forehead,
then pulled of and threw aside the COW
cring, aud plunged the sword suddenly
lDlO lhc Dashcti prepared as III oOHlc
degree wo were for this and knowing
that it was only deception, it was yet
impossible to see it without a cold creep
ing of horror. The quiet and energy
with which he repeated his strokes, driv-
ing the sword through and through the
basket, while the other jugglers looked
on. apparently as much interested as
ourselves, were very dramatic and eilec-
tive Stopping after he had riddlod the
basket, lie again scattered dust upon its
top, lifted the lid, took up the basket
from the ground, showed it to US empty,
and threw it away. At the same mo.
ment we saw the woman approaching us
from cIump of trees al distance Of at
least fifty or sixty feet.
Throughout the whole of this inexpli-
cable feat the old man aud tho woman
were quite removed from the rest of their
party. The basket stood by itself on the
hard earth, and so much beneath the We
randa on which we were sitting, that We
could easily see all around it, BY what
trick our watchful eyes were closed, or
by what means the woman invisibly es-
capped was an entire mystery, and re-