The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-07-31
JUGGLERY EXTRAORDINARY.

JUGGLERY EXTRAORDINARY.
What n White. Robed Hindoo Conjurer
Did In Broad Dnylight-A Mango Tree,
Five Feet High, Growing from the Nut
In a Single Hour.
I was smoking my chibouk on the wide
veranda of q bungalow, or government
inn, one day in Northern India, writes
a correspondent of the Cleveland (Ohio)
Herald. It was in January, but the
weather was intensely hot, and my OAK
gahrra, with it's rough, unframed horses,
had stopped here for q midday rest. My
Hindostanee servant, with an unpro-
nounceable name, whom I had nick
named "Handy Andy" on account of
certain unhandy ways, and a merry
twinkle Of the eye that indicated no
lack of Hibernian humor, came up to
the porch and, with q salaam, said:
"Would sahib like to see conjurer make
tricks" eyes, bring him on" I sus.
pected the fellow was consulting his
own fondness for amusement more than
mine, but it was too hot to sleep, and I
was ready for anything that would kill
time.
A tall, %fne-looking Hindoo, with a
clear-cut, intelligent face, and eyes
that looked straight at you, next ap-
peared on the scene. he was dressed
in the ordinary long white robe of his
race, with q rich cashmere shawl wound
round bis waist, and. his salutation and
manners were respectful, without the
least shade of servility. He was fol-.
lowed by two attendants, carrying the
various Implements of his profession,
which they spread out before him, and
a dozen O twoIhangers-on of all ages
grouped themselves at q respectful dis
lance to enjoy the free show. The ground
in front of the bungalow was paved with
large, fiat stones, and upon n Of these
the coniurer seated himself, curling his
legs under him in Oriental fashion, and
asked in Hindostanee, "What special
trick would the Sahil like to see?" At
the same time he barred his arms, long,
well formed, but not muscular, and un-
tied his shawl to open his robe and
show me that there vas no concealed
mechanism about his person. I told
him through Handy Andy that I would
like him to perform the mango trick
which I had seer once before at Delhi
without being able to penetrate it's mys-
teries. he nodded assent, and, taking
q box about ten inches square, filed it
with earth, and in it planted a mango
nut about the size of an English wal
nut, having first handed it to me for e1-
animation. He then made q framework,
or tripod, of three sticks, six or eight
feet long and tied together at the top,
placed it over the box, and covered the
whole with a piece of white muslin.
The only thing thus far that looked like
charlatanism was q muttered incanta-
ton, rolling up his eyes. with out
stretched palms, as if appealing for aid
to some higher power.
Again seating himself not more than
ten feet in front of the veranda, he went
through the most astonishing perform
ances of sleight-of-hand tricks, such as
swallowing swords, tossing balls in the
air, drawing from his mouth colored
ribbons of interminable length, &C.,
some of which I had seen before, but
never in broad daylight. he borrowed
my watch. and after smashing it to
finders it was my%steriously returned
unframed to my pocket. He burned
my handkerchief, then poured from q
vial some elixir upon the ashes, and the
linen was restored to me without any
smell of fire upon it. These and many
other equally curious things he did for
nearly an hour, with the most intense
gravity of manner, and an air of candor
that would disarm suspicion. My eyes
we're wide open, and I watched him 80
intently as scarcely to wink, and yet I
was unable to detect a single flaw or
account for one of those transformations.
Some of the tricks he repeated at my
request, but the result vas the same.
At the critical moment his motions were
quick as lightning. In all cases where
fire was used + noticed that he either
poured some liquid or threw a whitish
powder upon the flames, which pro-
duced for an instant a dense smoke, and
left q pungent aromatic odor in the air.
In the meantime the mango tree was
growing. -Four times, at intervals Of
ten or fifteen minutes, he raised the
muslin cover to report progress. The
first time a sprout, three or four inches
long, appeared, at which he expressed
satisfaction, and carefully watered it
from a small ~sprinkling pot. The next
time it was o foot high, and the leaves
seemed just forming. The third time it
was fully two feet in height, and ap-
peared to be growing most vigorously.
At the close of his other performances
he tossed aside the enveloping cloth and
tripod of sticks, and 10 | there was q
mango tree, or bush, about five feet
high, with perfectly-formed leaves and
branches. He brought it to me, and I
satisfied myself beyond question that it
was a real, live tree by breaking off a
branch, which I kept for a souvenir.
He then pulled it up by the roots, to
which wa attached the nut, partially de-
cayed and covered with fine fbrous
sprouts. He then emptied the earth
from the box to show that nothing was
concealed within it.
Through Handy Andy I offered him
twenty rupees if he would disclose to
me the secret of the mango tree. then
doubled and trebled the offer, but he
only shook his head, and I presume a
thousand rupees would have been no
temptation. I rewarded him with gen
erous ''tip," and for the moment re-
GREETED that I was not a Snowman by
profession.