The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1865-10-11
WHOLE NO. 1859.
An Eastern Juggler.

| SAAs ASsASEA y u88ACEs
While travelling through India, betwec
Surat and Nagporc, my body servant one ds
informed me that q great juggler and snake
charmer wished to have the honor of shown,
me something of bis wonderful skill.
"What can he do r. asked.
"Almost everything that is marvellous, I've
been told," was the answer received.
"Admit him"
My servant withdrew, and returned with
small, withered old man, about whom | saw
nothing very remarkable, except his eyes
which were small, black, and piercing, and
seemed to have lightning imprisoned in them
! do not know that the man could see liz the
dark, like cat but there were at times tha,
peculiar fiery Appearance Of the balls which il
so often observed in the night prowling ami
mails He wore q white vest, Turkish trowsers
| q sort OF crimson peticoat worked with strange
devices, turban Of many colors, and rcd NOR
occo shoes, pointed and turned up at the toes
His arms and neck were bare, and, with the
exception Of a couple Of heavy, gold rings in
his ears, he displayed no extraneOus ornaments
His age Judged to be rising Of sixty, and his
short moustache was almost white. He made
low salaam, and then appeared to wait to be
| addressed.
"Your name y said I, in Hindoostanee.
''Paujar, your excellency."
| aW Old that you wish 70 show me some
wonders ~
"If your excellency wills"
"Well what can you dor
He suddenly produced-from where I did
not and cannot tell-a large ball Of twine which
he appeared to toss into my lap, keeping hold
Of one end, 80 that it unrolled the whole dis.
tance between him and me, at least ten feet,
| saying, as he did So
"will your e1cellency please examine what
you see?''
Now honestly aver that saw that ball of
| twine when he threw it as plainly as ever saw
anything in my life-saw it come toward me.
saw it unroll, and apparently drop in my lap. so
that l caught my knees quickly together to
catch it-and yet, when put my hand down
to take it and looked down for it it was not
there-notMng was there-and at the same in.
slant perceived the juggler balancing it on
the end of his finger.
''Pshaw !" said L; you deceived me by
making me believe you threw it towards me )"
"Does your excellency think have itr he
asked; and before l could answer, l saw, in
place OF the ball, large, beautiful rose, which
he was balancing by the stem, and yet he had
not altered his position and scarcely stirred his
| finger ~
began to be astonished.
While yet looked, saw in his right hand
large cup, and in his left the rose. He STEP
ped forward few feet, laid the rose down on
the ground, and placed the cup over it.
Here, it will be observed, there was no ma =.
| chinery to assist him-no table, with its false
top, concealed apartments, and confederates.
perhaps, to effect the change, as we see simi.
lar tricks performed in place fitted up by the
magician for the purpose-but only my own
quarters, in the full bright light Of day, with
myself sharply watching him, within five feet,
ana my attendants grouping around almost a.
near. Having covered the rose with the Gun.
as would be willing to make oath-for saw
the rose distinctly, as the hollow vessel, held
by the top, went slowly down over 1.-THE con.
jurer resumed his former place and said
"Will your excelency be kind enough to
lift the cup and see what is under it?'
Of course would have wagered a heavy
sum that the rose was still there for one thing.
because, expecting some trick, had kept nv
eye On il to the last moment, and was ceresii,
there was no possibility of its being removed
after the hand had let 60 Of the cup at the top.
l complied with his request, stepped forward,
aud raised the cup; but instantly dropped it.,
and bounded back with cry Of terror-for
there, instead Of the red rose, was one of the
little, green, deadly serpents of India, coiled
up, and ready for a spring. with its small, Gilt.
tering eyes fixed intentIy on mine. Snakes Of
any kind are my horror; and this one not only
| hOrr'6ed me, but all my attendants, who with
cries of alarm, enlarged the circle very rapidly
| for they knew its bite 70 be fatal.
"No more such tricks as these, coniurer," !"
said l, sternly.
at is perfectly harmless, your exccllency !"
grnned the old man, walking I'D to it, liz.
| ting it up by the neck, putting its head into
his mouth, and allowing it to run down his
throat.
shuddered, and half believed the jugglcr
possessed of devil, il not a devil, himself:
He next produced tube that looked like
brass about two feet long and half an inch in
diameter, and next the ball Of twine again.
Where these things came from, or went to
| could not tell. They seemed to be in his
hands when he wanted them; but never ob.
served his hands passing near his dress, either
when they appeared or disappeared. When
looked for the cup that had lifted from
the snake, it was gone, and yet neither my
self nor any Of my attendants had seen this
wonderful man pick it up? Ii was indeed Jug
glery, if not magic, Of the most unquestionab!e
kinds - -
Through the brass tube the conjurer now
passed one end OF the twine, which he put be.
tween his lips, threw back his head, and held
it perpendicularly, with the ball Of twine on
the upper end. Then suddenly this ball began
to turn, and turn rapidly, and evidently grow
smaller, till it entirely disappeared, as il the
twine had been run off on Z reel What turn.
ed it or where it went to, no one could see -
The juggler then set the tube the other end up,
and new ball began to form on the top, but
| apparently Of ribbon, Of half an inch in width,
and Of different colors. This rolled up, as if
on a bobbin, till it formed wheel OF two or
three inches in diameter, when the performer
seemed to toss ribbon and tube over his should
er, and that was the last saw Of either
He next reproduced what appeared to be the
same cup l had lifted from the snake, showed
something that looked like an egg, advanced
the same as before, and placed the latter on
the ground and the former over it, and again
requested me to raise it, which declined TO
do, fearing should see another serpent, or
something equally horrifying.
"Wil any one lift the cup!" he said, turning
| to the others
No one volunteered to do 50, but all rathe,
drew back.
At this he took up the cup himself and ap
peared to throw it into the air, and there sat in
lis place beautiful dove, which flew up and
alighted on his shoulder. He took it in his
hand, muttcred over some unintelligible words
seemed 10 cram it into his mouth, and that was
the last saw Of that also.
He performed some other tricks similar to
these, and concluded with the mysterious bag
This bas-which somehow came into his hands
as did all ether things he used, in mapner un
known to myself-was from two to three fee,
| long and about q foot wide. 1t looked as if i,
had used to hold some kind Of -four, and
certainly saw something like the dust Of hou,
| fly from it when he turned it inside out and
beat it across his hands. He turned it bacl
again, and tied up the mouth of it with string
muttering low incarnation all the time Thi.
done he threw it on the ground, and stamped
on it, treading it all out fat with his feet. Hs
then stepped back few PAGES and requested u,
oil to tx our eyes upon it. We did SO; ant
after lapse OF perhaps thirty seconds, We saw
it begin to swell up, like blubber when being
expanded with wind. It continued to swell til
every part became distended, and it appeared