The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-02-04
Indian JuggIers Before the Prince OF
Wales.

Wales.
Dr. RusselI's Letter to the LONDON Times.
One day at Parell his royal highnes
had an hour of quiet amusement il
camp, watching the tricks of some In
dian jugglers and snake charmers, whicl
have been described a hundred times over
and which never lose their interest fo
the spectator After breakfast ragged
train of fellows leading apes and carry
ing bags were seen coming up the maiI
street of the camp to one of the tents
These were followed by seven or eight
ugly, shapeless elderly women in bright
| drapery, carrying what are considered
here musical instruments. They all squat
ted under the shade OF the trees in front
of oneof the tents apart-conjurors, ape
leaders, singing women.
The jugglers and snake charmers were
the first to show off. They were only
two-old chatty fellows, whose skip hung
on their bones as if it were cracked
brown paper They did some clever
"passes,'' swallowed and spat out fire,
and produced an enchanted inexhausti-
BILE water vessel, walked on wooden pat
tens held on by the action of the feet
making a vacuum-in fact the withered
confederate performed all the orthodox
tricks of their confraternity. Where
did he get the cobras which he produced
suddenly out of two baskets which had
been turned over, inside out, in our pres
ence 1t was not the drumming of his
friend or the playing on the dry gourd
which drew the reptiles out of the cover.
Meanwhile a mango under the dirty
al xEyoc and in an interval Ot
snake work the old fellow dashed at the
latter and exposed fresh, bright mango
tree, some eighteen inches high in the
ground, where he had apparently only
put in a mango seed. Expressions of
wonder followed; then the cloth was
thrown over the tree, and another of the
famous legendary legerdemain feats was
executed. A shallow basket, about
eighteen inches high and three feet long,
with a cover, was placed before the
prince. 1t was plain there was no de-
ceit. At call there came out from the
group of natives near at hand lad OF
twelve, or 80, slight of figure and pleas
ant of face, with not an article of dress
save his loin cloth and a dirty turban.
Him the old man, chattering awhile,
bound hand and foot Ia Brothers Any
one III IWlDc. lI6H n SdCk, vi
strong netting, was produced and the old
fellow slipped it over the lad, whom he
squeezed down on his launches, so that
he could tie the cords securely over his
head and lifted him from the ground to
prove how secure he was. He seemed to
use great force to put the lad into the
basket and to have much difficulty in
fitting the lid on the top of him. When
that was done the music was renewed by
one, and the other juggler began. to talk
to his basket. Presently the lid was
agitated, and the cord and net were jerked
out and fell on the ground. Then the
juggler ran at the basket in fury,
jumped on the top, crushed in the lid,
stamped on it, took stick and drove it
with force through the wicker work.
The basket was empty. Then there
came a voice as of the lad who had been
inside, and 10, there was just such a
youth upon one of the trees. The
mango tree, when next uncovered, ap-
peared hung with tiny fruit.