The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1882-12-07
THE MANGO TRICK.



fHarper's woskly.J
With certain Indian jugglers the
ttmango" trick is their most effective
feat A mango seed is produced, and q
flower pot filed with mold, and after
lot of ceremony Gin plain English fuss),
the seed is put under the mold and sew
eral coverings of baskets and cloths are
placed over the pot. Then there Is more
ceremony and lingering about the COW
cred basket, and the pot Is shown with
the mango leaves just sprouting up.
Then it Is covered over again and more
hocussing goes on, and the cover is
lifted up again and the plant is seen to
have grown. The covering, hocussing,
go ON, the plant meanwhile having
further grown and become strong enough
to bear fruit, the blossom to appear, the
fruit to ripen, which is then plucked off
and given to be eaten.
Now, we, for our part, can not under
stand how any one can see through the
performance, Nay, even when to
fellow spectator, who once viewed this
performance, we explained the details of
the trick after it was over, he would not
believe, but reckoned the affair wonder
tul, and even partal1ing of the super
natural. We can only attribute it to his
having been so mystifed as to have been
actually mesmerized, though partaling
OF conscience. The real truth about this
feat was that the green and ripe fruits,
and every branch and shoot that was
exhibited, were actually there, just as
much as the seed and the flower pot
all In the wraps and folds and baskets
which formed the covering. We were
carefully watching the mans proceed
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knowledge of Juggling tricks. As We
struments of the exhibition after the par
ticular performance began, the baskets
wraps, ETC., could not be disturbed; bu
with our own eyes we saw the performe
draw out the branches, etc., from tn
folds of the cloth, and noticed him stick
ing them into the pot beneath the cover
ing, working away with his hands, an
as we thought, very clumsily.
The question may be asked by
doubter of our account of the process
how about green and q ripe fruit, o
well as blossoms, being produced sim
rltaneously, say at O period when ther
were no such things; that is, when the,
ane out of season? This, indeed, ha
been brought forward as q cSmplet
answer by those who believe in thes
jugglers. To answer this is not SO diff
ficult, however, as it appears. India is
vast continent, and from its southern
most limit on the Indian Ocean, wher
there is little difference between summe
and winter, to it's northern boundary O.
the snowy Hinalayas, there is existing
every variety of climate at any give
time of the year. The mango fourishe
equally in Ceylon and in the sui
Himalayan countries. We have our
selves, in passing through the plain
into the upper Himalayas, in the cours
of successive weeks, seen the mang
season just over on the plains; q ittl
higher up mangoes were just in season
the fruits forming higher up still; TIN
blossoms in full flush o couple O
thousand feet higher; while higher still
the blossoms had not yet made an ap
pearance. With this fact are to be take,
two others, the first, that Indian Jug
glers all belong to one Masonic brother
hood, and are in intimate communities
ton with one another, NIL ever on tn
move; and the second, that even the
will decline at times to perform this pal
ticular feat; that is, when they are NO
provided with the blossoms, green an
ripe fruits. The seeds, shoots, etc., ar
always everywhere procurable. e..
If there be still any other doubter, le
us only add that after the performanc
detailed above we took the man asid
UNWILLING naturally to expose the man
and destroy the credit by means {
which he made his iving) and asked hiI
if it was not true that the branches an
fruits were all there in the wraps. Th
glance of our eye told him that we kne
everything that he did, and 80 he COZ
fessed that what we said was the truth
and apologized by Saying that he mus
make living.
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