The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-08-07
THE JUGGLERS OF INDIA.
WONDERFUL TRICKS PERFORMED
BY THE HINDoo WIZARDS.
Skilrul Sleight-ofHaud Exhibitions
Which Puzzle the Most Careful
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which IuLLiC tne NlOSb OaE6Iul
watchers-The Basket Trick.
Let me give you picture of an Indian
iuggler, writes Frank g. Carpenter from
Bombay, India. One stands outside my
hotel window as write. He is perform
ing his tricks in the dusty road without
table, cabinet, patent boxes, or any of
the ,accompaniments of the American
wizard. His sole possessions consist of
three small baskets, ranging in size from
half peck to a bushel, couple of cloths
and tripod made of three sticks, each
two feet long and held together by
string at the top. Three little wooden
dolls with red cloths tied around their
necEs and each not over a foot long, are
the gods which enable him to do wonder
full things He has q flute in his mouth
and a little drum in his hand. He is
black faced and black bearded, and
his shirt sleeves are pulled up above
his elbows. His only assistant is little
turbaned boy, who sits beside him, whom
he will shortly put into basket not more
than two feet square, and with him will
perform the noted basket trick of India.
This trick is one of the wonderful Jug
Rlu2 liANhS VI illt NOAlus lhS bOl >
hands are tied and he is put into a net,
which is tied over his head and which in
closes his whole body so that he appar-
emily cannot move. He is now crowded
into this basket. The lid is put down
and tight straps are buckled over it. The
juggler now takes a sword, and with a
few passes of these little Hindoo doll
babies over it and the muttering of in
carnations as preliminary, thrusts the
sword again and again into the basket.
There is a crying as though some one was
in terrible pain. 1t is the voice of
child, and the sword comes out bloody.
You hold your breath, and did you not
know it to be trick you would feel like
pouncing upon the man. After a mo-
ment the basket becomes still, the Jug
gler makes n few more passes, unbuckles
the straps and shows you that there is
nothing within it. He calls: "Baba
babal' and in the distance you hear the
child's voice. How the boy got out of
the basket or escaped being killed by the
sword and where the blood came from l
do not know. / only know it was
sleight-of-hand performance and wonder
fully well done.
The mango trick is performed with the
three sticks in the shape of a tripod. The
juggler takes pot of water and pours it
over little pot of earth. He then holds
up a mango bulb about the size of a wal
nut, and, putting this into the earth, he
throws cloth over the tripod. He now
blows upon his horn, makes mysterious
passes, and after a few moments raises
cloth and you see the mango tree spfb
ing forth from the soil. More pass Rand
more music follow, and the cloth is pulled
down again. After few moments, dur.
ing which the showing of minor tricks
goes on, he pulls out the pot, and the
plant has grown about foot above it.
There is more watering and more incan-
tation, and his final triumph comes in
showing you a bush nearly yard high
containing great leaves. This he will pull
up by the root and show you the seed a
the bottom. 1t is a wonderful trick, anC
how the man is able to manipulate tn,
different plants with nothing else but {
thin cotton cloth to help him, which, by
the way, he allows you to examine, il
hard to conceive. He has dozen othe
sleight-of-hand performances equal.
as wonderful. He puts little shell int
his mouth and appears to choke as h
draws out coin after coin and balls o
stone almost as big around as your fist
He spits fire, as does the American wiz
ard, pulls miles of string from his stom
ach, sticks pins through his tongue withou
hurting himself, and ends the perform
ance with a snake trick, which is to m
the most wonderful of all.
In doing this snake trick he asks for
piece of paper and asks you to hold ou
your hand. You do so and he places tn
paper upon it. He then begins to pla
upon his pipe and to dart out his eyes q
hough he saw something near your hanC
His whole frame becomes transforme
he dances around you like wizard, pla!
ing all the time and keeping his eyes o
your hand. Now he starts back an
points at it. You look and see nothin
and he begins to plays louder and dane
wilder than ever. Remember his arm
are bare to the elbow and both of h
hands are upon his pipe. Suddenly
drops the pipe and continues his. 9.,.1,
with incantations. He poi-..s" to Il
paper again and whils-yOu look and 81
nothing he claps his hand down upon
and pGilS-u three great cobras, whiC
siraise their hooded heads and dart o.
their fangs in different directions, ar
squirm and wriggle as he holds them l
before you. You jump back, for the bi
of the cobra is deadly, and l am to
that the snakes used have in some cas-
not had their fangs drawn.
A juggler was killed week ago
Benares by the bite of a cobra which
was using in this way, and they are Il
most terrible snakes have ever seen.
another performance of this same kind
was present with party of four, and '
all decided to ascertain, if we could, he
this trick was done. 1 stood upon a chi
and overlooked the man as he snatch
up the snakes, but could not see whC
they came from, and only know that
had them, and that they were so big th
he crowded them with difficulty into
little round basket the size of pc
measure.
Piutes Expecting a Flood.
Virginia, New, is full of Piutes m
women and children, who, fearing