The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-02-14

CHINESE JUGGLING ExTRAoRDI-
NARY.-Marco Polo and Colonel
iule furnish us here and else
where with phenomena that would
appear to embrace, if not trans
cend, the whole encyclopedia of
modern spiritualism. When, for
example, the Great Khan, ''seated
upon platform some eight cubits
above the pavement, desires to
drink, cups filled with wine are
moved from buffet in the centre
of the hall, a distance of ten
PAGES, and present themselves to
the emperor without being touch
ed by any body" The feats as.
cribed in ancient legends to Simon
Magus, such as the moving of
cups and other vessels, making
statues to walk, causing closed
doors to ay open spontaneously,
were by no means unusual among
the Bacsi, or Thibetan priests,
whose performances, if we are to
believe our traveller, might we'll
excite the envy of modern spirit
ual mediums. Producing figures
of their divinities in empty space;
making pencil to write answers
to questions without any body
touching it; sitting upon nothing;
flying through the air, penetrating
every where as if immaterial;
conjuring up mist, fog, snow, and
rain, by which battles were lost
or won; preventing clouds and
storms from passing over the en-
peror's palace; reading the most
secret human thoughts, ioretelling
future events, and even raising the
dead-these and many other won
derful feats could be performed by
means Of the Dharani, or mystical
Indian charms.
Ibn Batuta, the Arabian, whose
marvellous account has been more
recently corroborated by Edward
Melton, the Anglo-Dutch traveller,
relates that when present at
great entertainment at the court
of the Viceroy of Khansa (Kinsay
of Polo, or Hangchaufu) }, ga Jug
gler, who was one of the khan's
slaves, made his appearance, and
the amir said to him, Come and
show us some of your marvels.'
Upon this he took a wooden bal!
with several holes in it, through
which long thongs were passed, |
and, laying hold of one of these,
slunS it into the air. 1t went SO |
high that we lost sight of it alto
gether. 1t was the hottest sea
son OF the year, and we were out.
side in the middle of the palace
court) There now remained only
4 little of the end OF a thong in the
conjursr's hand, and he desired
one OF the boys who assisted him
to lay hold OF it and mount. He
did so, climbing by the thong, and |
we lost sight of him also! The
conjurer then called to him three |
times, but getting no answer. he
snatched up a knife, as if in a
great rage, laid hold of the thong,
and disappeared also. By-and-by |
he threw down one OF the bows /
hands, then foot, then tho other
hand, and then the other foot,
then the trunk, and. last of all.
the head! Then he came down
himself, all putting and painting,
and with his clothes all bloody,
kissed the ground before the amir,
and said something to him in Chi
nese. The amir gave some order
in reply, and our friend then took
the lads limbs, laid them together
intheir places, and gave a kick,
when, presto! there was the boy,
who got up and stood before us!
All this astonished me beyond
measure, and / had an attack of
palpitation like that which over
came me once before in the pres
ence of the Sultan of India, when
he showed me something Of the
same kind. They gave me a cor
olai, however, which cured the at
tack. The Kazi Afkharuddin was