The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-02-03

rur suuorENs or MADRAS FEAfs or ATH-
LETfU GIRLS.

TUE JVVVLEbs VI MhDNAb FEasp vi Hs'
LErIC GIRLS.
| Madras Correspondence of the London Times.l
In city 80 famous for jugglets, snake
charners, scrobats, and chsvaHets dul-
t,'ustrte generally. ladies ana eentIemeh
Der sense Or the word, and who appar4
entity make q very good living. u was
scarcely likely that The Prince of Wales
would be permitted to stay long without
witnessing the feats Of skill for which
these wandering Madrasses are cele-
brated Thursday being comparatively
open day, therefore. the morning was
selected for On G! sVesco exhibition Ion
OF this Kind. The town lost the
nomads, Government House gardens re-
ceived them. Lot us look at the savage
n cobra live. It Ia n favorite trick you
may see IL done twenty times day In
the streets Of Madras. You may ex-
anime the apparatus closely every time
and watch the apparatus as carefully pc
you please, yet you cannot detect the
tnoelus operandi. The performer hands
YOU q little nat wicker basket, some
eight inches In diameter, and asks you
10 INSPECT it. while he holds tho cobra
skin. which you have previously well
examined, into a square, leaving only
VI.
given the basket back the juggler places
II on the ground, In full view, and under
the lid puts the folded part OF the ser
pent's skin. the tail being In your sight
oil the while.
You may at this stagc. lift the I'D
once more to soc that nothing but the
serpent skin Is in the basket, after
which you must rest content. A white
cloth IL taken by the man and placed
over the basket, after having been well
shaken 80 that you may be assured
nothing Is In H.. A pipe Is produced,
and with 1t horrible noise, similar to
and not unlike the sound Of q cracked
aud badly made bagpipc would emit, is
made. No one goes near the cloth or
basket, except the almost naked man,
who cannot possibly hide any live
snake In his sleeves, for the simple and
sufficient reason That he has neither
sleeves nor jacket, nor, indeed, any
other kind OF clothing than n small
waist cloth, which would certainly
he most inconvenient hiding
place for 9 lively Young cobra;
the basket and sec the tail Of u living
snake being gradually drawn into It.
and on the Id being opened q most dis
tinctly energetic serpent Is discovered.
No sooner is It stirred than Il rises on
It's tail, spreads out It's hood, and strikes
with It's fangs and tongue ut tho charm
or. No one would care to examine that
basket now. with cobra four feet long
making vicious snaps at the juggler.
The charmer takes good care that the
snake comes near you, for with dex-
ferrous movement hessQoes the reptile
by the head, and holding It IL one hand
comes to you with the basket in the
recsptacie. Il only 70 induce him 70 go
Tho snake gone, q stout strong girl
comes forward, makes 2 deep ob0si8hce,
and then, etepping back, throws q man,
weighing. fully eleven stone, over her
shoulders. Nor does she stop hefes for
she seises her victim once more, places
him erosswise on her back, and then
tosses him into tho air as though he
were made Of feathers. and not q broad
shouldered human being, Turning
backward on her feet, she picks up
saulte, and lifts. weights which would
astonish the ordinary London acrobat.
While she 10 thus performing, jugglers
are changing pebbles into birds, birds |
into eggs, and eggs into plants; men |
thread beads with their tongues, Join |
pieces OF cotton into one
long cord, keep half score Of sharp
knives In the afr at once, throw cannon |
balls with their toes, and spin tops on |
the end Of twigs. Pandemonium reigns. |
the clatter is unbearable, and one is
compelled, as was the Prince. to dis
miss the tribe OF vagrants without
further delay.
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Mamma Sing tho President some-