Montgomery County sentinel., 1889-12-13
MisCellaMenMs.
JUGGLERs IN THE EAST.

So marvellous are the things which
have seen that | am almost ready to
credit anything which | hear of the skill
of eastern jugglors. In our trip We
first encountered them at Port Said
The ship was lying at anchor there and
tall, intelligent looking Hindoo, dress
cd in loose white gown and turban,
came on deck He did so many things,
each more wonderful than the last, that
can only remember few For in-
stance, he took four eggs, ordinary hens
eggs, and which We all examined He
put one in each of his ears, one in each
eye, and stood perfectly straight. hold
ing his head perpendicularly. The eggs
remained in place as if fastened there
He then took off his turban, piece of
very fine white cloth, eight inches in
width and about fifteen feet long. He
cut this in two, then lighted the ends
and allowed them to burn until they
were considerably charrcd. 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 con-
cealing anything in his gown Well,
he tied the two pieces of his turban to-
gctller and rolled them up into n knot.
twisting it again and again All at
once he gave it II jerk and the long
white cloth shot across the deck, white
and clean, without brenk or burned
spot in it. All this on tho open deck
with the crowd near enough to touch
him
Everywhere we went we saw jugglers,
and their tricks, in which skill was their
main element, were very numerous and
very astonishing But here is one by
Japanese juggler which shows more
than mere skill:
At Yokohama juggler came on deck
and built little box by piling sticks
one on top Of the other in squares lie
held it up so that we could all see through
it. Then he put a bottom to it, and
Immediately thrust his fingers down into
it and began to pull out long piece Of
what looked like smilax. lie had no
possible way of concealing it. He pulled
six or seven fathoms of it out-more
than he could have wrapped into small
bundle. Afterward ho performed what
is called the water trick. lie set a
small table on the deck, first placing
under it piece Of paper so that all the
legs rested on tho paper. He then piled
little boxes and tables one on top Of tho
other, forming n 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 of
from the column and lifted his wand.
From one corner Of the topmost box
spouted a stream Of water. When he
raised his wand tho stream spouted up
higher When he lowered it the stream
was less Then he made water stream
from the end of the wand, and walked
about the deck with the water flowing
from 1t. His sleeves were rolled up;
his hands and arms were bare. At
Yokohama, at a theatre, saw the same
thing on large scale. The juggler
then made streams of water flow from
the foreheads of bis attendants, from the
midst of blazing 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, Hindoo juggler did the mango
trick. lie 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 about the size
of the ordinary sea bean. pot of earth,
a short stick about as thick as the little
finger and cloth about four feet square.
He kneelcd upon the deck while doing
the trick, and we all bent over him.
He poured out the earth and heaped it
upon little mound. lie next held up
the mango nut, then buried it in the
little mound of earth. He poured water
on it, waved his cloth over it several
times, then pulled the cloth away, and
a sprout about two inches long stood up
fresh and green from the mound. He
lifted it out and we all examined it and
saw that it was fastened TO the nut.
lie buried the nut again, poured on
more water, pressed down the earth
with his stick, made the passes with the