The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-11-09
Jugglers In the East.

to credit anything which l hear OF
the skill of eastern jugglers. In our
trip we first encountered them at
Port Said. The ship was lying at
anchor there and a tall. intelligent
looking Hindoo. dressed in loose
white gown and turban. came on
deck. He did so many things. each
more wonderful than the last. that I
can only remember few. For in
stance. he took four eggs. ordinary
hens eggs, which we all examined.
He put one in each of his ears. and
one In each eye. stood perfectly
straight. holding his head perpen-
diculsrly. The eggs remained in
place as If fastened there. He then
took off his turban. a piece of very
f1ne white cloth, eight inches in
width and about fifteen feet long.
e He cut this in two, then lighted the
ends and allowed them to burn until
they were considerably charred. All
this time we were standing very
close to him. so that his slightest
movement could not escape US. His
sleeves were rolled up and there was
no way of concealing anything in his
gown. Well. he tied the two pieces
of his turban together and rolled
them up into knot, twisting it
again and again. All at once he gave
1t a jerk and the long white cloth
shot across the deck, white and clean
without a break or a burned spot in
1t. All this on the open deck with
the crowd near enough to touch him.
Everywhere we went we saw Jug
glers, and their tricks, in which skill
was their main element. were very
numerous and very astonishing. But
here is one by japanese iuggler
which shows more than mere skill I;
At Yokohama juggler came on
deck and built little box by piling
sticks one on top of the other In
squares. He held 1t up so that we
could all see through it. Then he
put bottom to it, and Immediately
thrust his fingers down into it and
began to pull out long piece of
what looked like smilax. He had
no possible way of concealing it. He
pulled six or seven fathoms of it out
more than he could have wrapped
into a small bundle. Afterward he
performed wha: is called the water
trick.
He set a small table on the deck,
first placing under it a piece of paper
so that all the legs rested on the
paper. He then piled little boxes
and tables one on top of the other,
forming a sort of column of which
the first table was the base. Each
table and box was separated from
every other by piece of paper.
Then he stood off from the column
and lifted his wand, From one cor
uer of the topmost box spouted
stream of water. When he raised his
wand the stream spouted up higher.
When he lowered it the stream was
less. Then he made water stream
from the end of the wand, and walk.
ed about the deck with the water
flowing from it. His sleeves were
rolled up his hands and arms were
bare. At Yokohama. at theatre, /
saw the same thing on a large scale.
The juggler then made streams of
water flow from the foreheads of his
attendants. from the midst of a blaz.
ing ball of pitch at the end of his
wand, and finally from the flames to
two lamps which lighted the stage.
At Singapore, on the deck of the
steamer. a Hin6oo juggler did the
mango trick. He came on board clad
IN the usual turban and loose white
robe, and wearing his legs and feet
bare. His tools were a mango nut
shout the size of the ordinary sea
bean, a pot of earth, short stick
about as thick as the little finger and
cloth about fout feet square. He
kneeled upon the'deck while doing
the trick, and we all bent oyer him.
He poured out the earth and heaped
it upon a little mound. He next
held up the mango nut. then buried
1t In the little mound of earth. He
poured water on it, waved his cloth
over it several times, then pulled the
cloth away, and sprout about two
inches long stood up fresh and green
from the mound. He lifted it out
and we all examined 1t and saw that
1t was fastened to the nut. He buried
the nut again, poured on more water.
pressed down the earth with his
stick. made the passes with the cloth
and removing it, disclosed a sprout
about six inches In length. He re-
peated this process two or three times
and then had a stalk about a foot
high. He now pressed the cloth over
this stirred the earth at its base and