Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-04-05

Indian Juggling. +,
A traveller in India gives the follow
ng account of some remarkable tricks
'erfol med by Hindoo jugglers
One trick is the apparent CONVEX
ion of brass coin into snake. The
uggler gave me the coin to hold, and
hen seated himself, about five yards
rom me, on snail rug, from which
,e never attempted to move during the
Rhole performance. l showed the coin
% several persons who were close be-
tide me, on q form in front Of the Jug
yler. At a sign from him, | not only |
grasped tho coin held firmly in my
right hand, but, crossing that hand
with equal tightnes with my left, l en-
closed them both as firmly as l could
between my knees. OF course was
positively certain that the small coin
was within my double fists. The Jug
gler then began sort of incarnation,
accompanied by q monotonous and dis
cordant kind Of recitative, and, repeat
ing the words, Ram, Sammu, during
some minutes. He then suddenly
stopped, and, still keeping his seat,
made quick motion with his right
hand, as if throwing something at me,
giving at the same time q puff with his
mouth. At that instant I felt my hand
suddenly distend, and become partly
open, while I experienced a sensation
as if cold ball Of dough, or something
equally soft, nasty, and disagreeable
was now between my palms. lstarted
to my feet in astonishment, also the
astonishment Of others, and opening
my hands, foand there no coin, but to
my horror and alarm (fer Of all crea-
ted things I detest and loathe the
genus l SAW young snake, all alive
oh and Of all snakes in the world, a
cobrs-di-sapello, folded, or rather
coiled, roundly up. I thrcS it Instant
" to the ground, trembling with rage
and fear, a. if already bit by the dead
~ reptile, which began Immediately to
crawl along the ground, to the alarm
and amszement Of every one present.
The juggler now got up for the first
time since he had sat down, and CATCH
ing held of the snake displayed its
length, which was nearly two feet .
two feet all bus an inch and half. $500
He then teok it cautiously by the tail.
and opening his own mouth to its
widest extent, let the head of the snake
drop into it, and deliberately COM.
menced to swallow the animal, till the
end of the tail only was visible (; then
making sudden gulp, the whole of the
snake was apparently swallowed. AZ
ter this, he came up to the spectators,
and opening his mouth wide, permitted
US to look into his throat, butno snake
or snakes tail was visible; it was
seemingly down his throat altogether
During the remainder of the perform.
ances, we never saw this snake again
nor did the man profess bis ability tt
make it re.appear but he performed
another snake-trick, which surprised III
very much. He took from q bag all
other charlottesville, and walking
into the centre of the room, enclosed Il
in his hands in . folded state. HI
waved, or shook them for some time il
this condition, and then opened hi
fists, when, hey! presto THE snake
was gone, and in its place appeared
several small ones, which he suffered tx
fall from his hands, when they glided
with their peculiar undulating move
ment, almost like toe waves of the sea
about the floor.
| I will notice one or two more Of tn,
surprising performances Of these won
derful jugglers of India, and the read
er will perhaps have had enough.
While staying in Madras, before
coming home, a party ofjugglers came
forward on one occasion to act public
ly in the yard Of the barracks there
Many hundreds Of people, Of all kinds
different ages, both sexes, and various
denominations, including the soldiery
in garrison, assembled to witness thu
exhibition, and some littls temporary
arrangements were made, to enable
each and every one to see and heal
conveniently. The leader Of the Jug,
glers, who were all, of course, natives
o. Hindoostin, requested the command
ing officer to place guard of mer
around the scene of display-a precau-
ton which was adopted, and which
proved very wise one. The floor Of
tAe court, bs it observed, was composed
Of sand fine, well-trodden. On the
ground, then, after some preliminary
tricks Of an inferior kind, one man
was left alone with little girl, the
latter seeming about eight or nine
years Of age. Beside them stood a
tall, narrow basket, three or four feet
high, by a little more than foot in
width, and open all the way up. No
other object, animate or inanimate,
appeared on the ground. After short
period, spent by the man in converting
with the little girl, he seemed to get
angry, and began to rail loudly at be-,
for the neglect Of some wish Of his
The child attempted to soothe him,
but he continued to show an increased
degree Of irritation as he went, at
length lashing himself into such ap-
Tarent fury, that the foam actually
stood upon his lips, and being natural
ly rather anonstrune S~gens-that is,
possessed Of an exceedingly unprepos-
sessing face, he looked, to the white
spectators at least, as like q demon ss-
capped from Dante's Inferno, as might