The Globe-republican., 1891-06-17

determined that no deception should
take place. We noticed the sheet grad
ually rising in the middle. as it pushed
up from below with a stick. Higher
and higher: it is now about eight inches
above the flower-pot. The juggler ap-
breaches the sheet. and selling two OF
its corners. without at all touching the
pot draws off the sheet carefully right
under our eyes. There is the young
shoot of a mango plant. with its stiff
stem and four little glistening leaves
apparently about a week old. He re-
casts the sheet over pot and plant. and
we see that he touches neither. He re.
turns to his performances and we con-
tinue our watch. Higher it rises and
higher-it is now about two feet high.
and the sheet shows a rounded dome
like shape. Again he removes the
sheet: and behold a young plant. like
two-year-old mango tree-a real tough
dwarf tree. He again covers 1t. and
we continue our watch. Higher it rises
and higher. When about four feet
high he again uncovers the mystery
and shows mango tree with two small
gSen fruitlings on it. When next un-
covered it has two fine ripe mangoeS
Now touching it for the first time. he
plucks and hands US the mangOeS,
which we cut and eat, and find good
and fresh as the best. The tree is then
plucked up. handled and examined by
us-a genuine dwarf tree-root, stem.
bark. branches. leaves. all complete. as
real as the mangoes we eat Remem-
Der. four acute-eyed. incredulous, sus-
picious Europeans. watching the whole
thing during the whole time NEARLY an
hour. and attending to nothing else;
the performer almost a naked native,
with only loin-cloth on; the flower.
pot right under our eyes, no one touch
ing it during the whole time; in our
own veranda. and in broad daylight.
All the stock objections Of sleighr-of-
hand. optical delusion. etc. fail in this
case. to my own certain knowledge;
and others can vouch for its not being
a very rare thing in India
But how explain it? Arc there hid
den forces IL nature, Of which some
succeed in learning the secret. and uti-
lie their knowledge to work what
seems an impossibility or a wonder?
Do not gardeners force early plants?
Do not the Chinese grow miniature for
est trees, showing every sign Of prema-
ture but fully developed old age in j
dwarf body? Who can dogmatise as to
what is or is not impossib bic in nature:
From several quarters 1 heard of. but
did not myself see. what does appear
an impossible feat; this, therefore. ]
give on mere hearsay evidence. 4 jug.
gler pitches at a corner Of bazaar or
wide street: and in the presence of
! gaping crowd which speedily assem-
bles to witness the ''tamasha' or fun.
he takes out of his wallet large ball
of Irvine. and tying one end Of it to
corner of the wallet. casts the ball uE
skywards with all his might. Up il
goes. unwinding gradually-up and out
of sight. II does not come back: it has
unfolded itself on. into the blue sky, il
seems He orders his attendants
small boy. possibly his own son, and
about eight years Of age-to go up.
The boy grasps the Irvine and goes
hand over hand. up. up and out OF
sight. Remem Der. please, that Indian
houses are low, and that it needs but
little sense to see whether a ball OF
Irvine has been thrown il a common
| way on and over a neigh boring house.
or has unaccountably gone up into the
sky without coming down: whether
| small boy has by means Of this Irvine
gone on 10 housetop or has disaP
,y>1
ably as the Irvine did.
After a number of ordinary tricks.
the juggler declares he needs the boys
help. and looking upwards. calls him
by name. 4 voice replies from a dis
tance above. saying he will not come
down. (Ventriloquism. you suggest
Very well: perhaps so: watt The
man gets angry. says the boy must be
punished: and taking long knife be-
tween his teeth, he goes up the Irvine
hand over hand. as the boy had done be-
fore, and apparently disappears in his
turn into the sky. 4 scream is heard
above. Then. to the horror of the spec
| tators. drops of blood rain down; and
then the child falls. dismembered. with
his few clothes cut. and covered with
blood. The man then slides down the
Irvine. with the knife. all bloody. at his
waist. He casts a sheet over the
mangled remains of the child. and
leisurely proceeds to wrap up into a
ball the Irvine which comes down to
him by degrees from the sky. as if
there were q kite at the end of il He
puts his things into the wallet and then
takes up the sheet. From under it,
whole and intact. alive and grinning,
rises up the identical small boy. There
are no mangled remains, and no blood.
On this l make only one remark: the
thing itself seems really impossible. yet
that does not prove that the perform
ance is not actually done. The para
dox may possibly find its resolution in
the suggestive experiences" of hypnot-
ism A hypnotised patient sees and
feels what his hypnotiser wishes him to
see and feel. Is it possible to hyp-
notise a whole crowd? II so. and the
crowd thereupon proceeds to see what
Tho ;,,ocr1ar NJ bvnpn<iSer SaSiraS <harn