New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-10-20
ORIENTAL JUGGEhRY.

showing woman or child to vary the
monotony, look odd enough to unac-
customed eyes. Still more strange
seem the huge gates that lead to private
dwellings,; for the gates are always
closed, and the houses, with their high,
narrow windows, appear to have been
built backwards, facing inward on
court, instead of toward the street.
These courts are adorned with bright,
tropical flowers and cool fountains, and
they form the usual lounging-places of
households, where INDECENT nabobs re-
tire from the noise and dust of the outer
world to enjoy, in the society of the
family, the quiet and repose in which
orientals SO especially delight. The
father is generally too dignitied or too
listless to care for amuscments; but his
lively wives and children indulge in
various exciting pastimes. Music and
dancing, fencing, l"hping and other
fe,sts of agility. aad, Dove I'LL, jugg'er-
i"s. serve to entertain LLu secluded
household; :"" a''tors in all these sports
can be readily vD :tined by calling in
one of the bands oi travelling jugglers
met at every turn in the large cities of
the East. For there is never q wedding
nor funeral, feast nor q fast, the
conservation OF q priest nor the crown
ing Of king, where these magicians,"
aS they call themselves, are not found.
Even on the public thoroughfares, they
will sit and wait for an audience, dron-
ing their peculiar music, or throwing
out something to attract attention
Scarcely can one pass without stopping
nnfIO0
decorations; and, as one trick follows
another, each more wonderful than the
last, every pedestrian becomes patron:
helping to fill the pockets of these dex-
ferrous knaves. They are believed by
their countrymen to possess super
natural powers, to act under the infiu-
ence of evil spirits, and to be able, by
mere glance of the eye, to make well
people sick and sick people well with
out so much as touching them. OF
course, you know that this is not really
true of them, and that their marvellous
performances are only seeming. not
real, miracles; but the exhibitions of
their art are strangely fascinating, nev-
ertheless.
On one occasion, quite a famous band
of Indian jugglers was in attendance at
a great national festival; and, for their
use, beautifully decorated booths and
tents had been erected, and supplied
with tanks of water for the numerous
ceremonial additions for which the Hin.
docs are famous. Before eating, before
sleeping, before praying, as, an "open
sesame alike to palace, theater and
temple, as part and parcel of their re-
ligion, their business and their pleas.
ures, come always and everywhere the
inevitable bath and shaving of the head.
And these jugglers, one could see at .
glance, came always to the arena fresh
from their additions and rObed in snow.
white muslin.
The first trick at the festival have
mentioned was known as the "bamboo-
trick" and, though repeated several
times, the audience did not seem to
weary of it. Amid the beating of TOM
toms and the music of many instru.
ments, the jugglcrs smoothed place
on the hard, dry sand Of the arena.
We were invited to examine the
ground, but we could find nothing like
an opening, nor even that the soil had
been recently dug up, nor did we dis
cover any concealed apparatus of any
sort. Presently, large basket of
coarse wicker-work was laid down and
carclessly covered with a little square
of gauze flannel. Both basket and ilan-
mel were passed around, so that all who
chose light satisfy themselves that
these articles were quite empty; while
in the single waist-cloth and transpar-
oof "a 1rnf nf nj,
OF each actor was composed, no large
article could have been concealed.
Yet, five minutes later, when the bas-
ket was lifted, there appeared growing
in the hard, sandy bed flourishing
bamboo plant, more than foot in
height! When the basket had been
raised the second time, the tree was
three feet high, and in twenty minutes
more our wondering c, es behold live
twelve-foot bamboo clothed with verdi
ure, while from its top blossoms and
fruit budded out luxuriantly! One of
the conjurers then drew from his mouth
some twenty yards of strong silk cord,
which he adroitly knotted, and attached
to half a dozen hooks that had been
drawn from the same roomy place. BY
the aid Of these re gathered the bam-
boo fruit, and then, without once hay
ing left the arena, he passed it around to
be handled and tasted by all who wished.
Another of the conjurers took from
tiny bag single handful of paddy.
which is rice with the husk still on.
He first ightened the soil of about two
square feet of the floor with two
pronged fork, and scattered on it the
handful of paddy, then pouring on it
cup of water, he said:
"Now you will please to wait until
my crop grows, and see whether am
not the best farmer you know
He turned basket over his little
plantation, and sang simple air, so
sweet and plaintive that we were not
surprised when q bird seemed to an
swer his call. He lifted the basket,
and sure enough, there were the rice
plants, grown six inches high in as
many minutes, and in their midst nest
Of real live rice birds, and mother and
four nestlings! The old bird fluttered
and tapped her wings, as if fright
ened, then cooed softlyt TO herlittlc ones,
and folded over them her downy wings.
Meanwhile the basket had been lying side
ways on the floor where the juggler had
thrown it a few minutes before. Now
he picked it up without leaving his
seat, and carelessly replaced it over
the rice-plants and birds. Yetthe next
time this mysterious basket was raised
nothing was to be seen but pair of
deadly sun-snakes, writhing and twist
ing themselves as if in q frenzy at hav-
ing been pinned in such close quarters.
They darted their forked tongues aud
snapped their fiery eyes at one and an
other of the spectators nearest them,
to the small terror of all. But the con-
wand, and, in a droning, caressing
voice, to speak to the serpents. when
they sprang into his arms, one coiling
itself about his neck, the other kissing
his very lips and the tip of his tongue,
and then hiding its hideous form in his
bosom.