The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-04-08

A correspondent of the New York Sun,
who has been travelling in the far east,
relates . wonderful tale oil. divination.
He and . number of companions were
stopping in Constantinoplc ut, the time
Of the occurrence, and were viewing the
strsngs sights of the city, accompanied
By favorite spaniel. During their pere-
grinntions the dog was lost amid the null
titude Of dogs that make that city hid
-eous BY their presence. He was greatly
annoyed by the loss, and searched in vain
for the dog, and finally offered reward
for its recovery. Failing in this he was
advised by an old Greek woman to con-,
suit the dervishes, who, she said, knew
all thing. and could surely discover the
whereabouts Of the lost canine.
Moved by curiosity, the party deter
mined TO investigate the matter, and,
sscertaining the locatiopof the dervishes,
they went at once to their abode. When
they arrived there and made their wants
known, the boss dervish took two of the
party to dingy room near the roof of
building, where was found hideouslx
dsfted 3rSsale Who tpraed. oat 70 b
the sybil whose mission it was to reveal
the hidden mysteries of nature-the
famous Natmos, known as the Damascus
oracle. The rest of the story can better
Be - in the ccrresponaents pses}O-
guage.
Without losing time in idle talk, the
dervish produced a piece Of -chaIk and
trac.d around the girl circle about six
FEET in diameter. Fetching from behind
the door twelve swall copper lamps and
SLING them with dark liquid contained
in . vial which he drew from his boeom,
he placed them symmetrically around
the magic circle. He then broke chip
Of wood from the half ruined panel of
the door, which bore evident marks of
many similar depreciation, and, holding
the chip between his thumb and finger,
began blowing on it at regular intervals,
alternating with mutterings of wierd in
cantation. Suddenly, and to all appear
anees without apparent cause for its ig-
milton, there appeared spark on the
chip, and it blazed up like a match. He
Lit the twelve lamps of this selfgenerated
fame. During this process Nstmos, who
until then had sat altogether uncon-
cerned and motionless, removed her vel
low tnbooches off from her naked feet,
and throwing them in corner disclosed
as an additional beauty sixth toe on
each deformed foot. The defvisli sthkn
reached over into the circle, and seizing
the dwarFs ankles gave jerk as if he
had been lifting bag Of corn, raised her
clear of the ground ard stepping bach
held her head downward. He shook her
rs one might q sack to pack its contents,
the motion being regular and easy. He
then swung her to and fro like pendu.
lum until the necessary momentum was
acquired, when, letting go one foot and
ssizing che other with both hands, he
made a powerful muscular effort, and
whirled her round in the air as. if she had
been an Indian club.
My csmpanion had shrunk back into q
corner in fear. Round and round the
dervish swung his living burden, she re
manning perfectly passive. The sotior
increased in rapidity, until the eye could
hardly follow her body in its circuit
This continued perhaps for two or thret
minutes, until gradually slackening the
motion he stopped it, and in an instant
had landed the girl upon her knees In
the middle of the lamp-lit circle. 2sucl
was the eastern method of instrumentation
Is practiced among the dervishes. q
And now the dwarf seemed entirely
obliyious of external objects, and i'm
deep trance. Her head and jaw dropped
upon her chest, her eyes were glazed and
staring, and altogether her appearance
was hideous The dervish then carefully
closed the wooden shutters of the only
windoy, AID we should have been in to
tai obscurity but that there was hols
bored in it, through which entered &
bright ray of sunlight, which shot through
the darkened room and shone upon the
girl. He arranged her dropping head &C
that the ray should fall directly upon The
crown, after which, motioning US to re
main silent, he folded his arms upon hi.
bosom, and fixing his gaze upon the
bright spot, became as motionless rs an
image of stone. i, too, riveted my eyes
upon the same spot, and followed the
proceeding with intense interest, for ]
had seen something similar before, and
knew what beautiful phenomena to ex
pct.
By degrees the BRIGHT patch, as if il
had drawn through the .nbeam greater
spIendor from without and condensed il
within its own area, shaped itself into q
brilliant star, which from its focus sent
ont rays in every direction.
A curious optical effect then occurred
The room, which previously had beer
partially lighted by the sunbeam, grew
darker and darker as the star increased
In snAiance, until we found ourselves IN
Egyptian gloom. The star twinkled,
trembled and turned, at first with aslow,
gyratory motion, then faster and faster,
expanding and increasing its eircunfer-
ence at every rotation until 1t formed a
brilliant disk, and we lost sight Of the
dwarf as if she herself had been absorbed
into its light. Having gradually at
tanned vertiein rs velocity, as the girl
had when whirled by the dervish, the
motion began decreas ng and finally
merged into a feeble vibration, like the
simmer of moonbeams on. ripping wa
Ter. TLen it fickered for moment
longer, emitted few last flashes, and
assuming the density and iridescence OF
an immense opal it remained motimless.
The disk now radiated a moonlike luster,
H. I..x ;cs<ood IF Hmm in O.