The Opelousas courier., 1893-09-02

I wondered hat they did not scorch
my face when he glanced at me
He raised the silver salver with it's
contents, and, holding it high above
his head, waited for q moment in
silence.
A fash, and the powder on the salver
burst into flames. He lowered it to
the deck, and the flames died away,
leaving behind a mist Of smoke, family
fragrant, which settled lower and
lower around us until we viewed all OBJ
iects through it's dim haze.
] glanced behind to the hammock
where the two children were lying to
see if they were frightened, but baby
was sleeping and Nera was swinging
and humming to herself as she played
with her doll. She lay with her head
upon baby's skirts and he had one
little hand buried in her hair.
All this time the serpent had twisted
and writhed around us, and the Hin
doc had kept up his low, walling
chant. The girl stood with bowed
head close beside him, and the smoke
seemed to bend and Irvine about her
form until it grew dim and seemed to
wave and sway as if in a breeze.
Then all at once she raised her arms
and slowly, softly foated upward on
the cloud waves like o leaf rising on
the eddying winds. The chant grew
more rapid, the smoke more dense, but
still through its vaporous we
could see the light form floating up
ward, still up until it vas lost to sight
far above the top. of the masts.
Louder and louder chanted the Hin
doc. The smoke rose even thicker
and more dense. We had lost sight OF
the girl. All eyes were turned to the
spot where she had disappeared far up
above our heads.
The Hindoo stood erect in the midst
of the circle, his form swaylng IN
rhythmic measure with his chanting.
He held his hands higher and his voice
took on a deeper tone. Then from lar
ND in the blue void above us we saw a
tiny spot scarce visible against the
azure sky. It foated downward.
Nearer it came, until we could see that
it was the form of the young girl.
Lower, still lower, SID came, and we
could see that she held a burden
clasped in her arms.
The smoke grew more mistlike as
shasdescended, until it vanished. She
canA down with the same swaylng,
driMAng motion I had noticed when
she assembled. Soon she was below the
mastheads, and in q moment she
ioaked just above our heads. Then, to
my horror, ] recognized the burden
she bore. It was the form of my baby.
She held him closely clasped in her
arms, and before I could move she
had foated across and laid him in the
hammock, where I had seen him calm
ly sleeping but q few moments before
we saw the girl floating upward in the
midst of the smoke. Before I could
move she stood again before the Hin
doc in the centre of the circle. The
powder in the salver had ceased to
smoke. The line encircling our group
was again nothing more dangerous
than a simple hempen rope. My nerves
had been SO thoroughly unstrung by
the sight of my child dropping through
the air when I had supposed him
sleeping safely by my side, that / did
not care for further exhibitions of the
wonderful power which the Hindoo
possessed. They received their re-
ward, gathered up their effects, and in
q few moments were rowing toward
the shore.
When we were a little calmer, and
could compare notes, we found that
every one had seen the same wonder
full sigbt-the girl, with empty arms,
float away out of sight, only to de-
scend bearing the child on her bosom.
The only thing which differed in our
several experiences was in the first
vision. When the crystal had been
held up for us 20 look into each saw q
different picture, Each sew the one
of whom he thought: len told to send
his mind back to his best loved friend
at home.
I have not the time to give the diff
ferent pictures each beheld, but in all
the other wonders of the hour each
saw the same surprising sign. We all
saw the twining serpent; every eye
had seen the same picture that met
mine of the floating girl ascending
alone to return bearing the infant In
her arms. If one had been deceived
all had been-all in our group, that is,
for when in talking it over I turned to
Nera and said, "Yho took baby boy
out of the hammock, Nera, while we
were busy with the MANI" Nera
looked up in wide-eyed surprise and
answered: sFWhy, he didn't be tooken
up, auntie. / lied on him dress all the
time SO him couldn't fall out, and we
swinged all the time the man stood up
and preached.
But, Nera, did not you see the
rretty girl fly up in the air."
mo, her stood right still all tbs
time. Her kept watch of big man
when he swing him arms, but her not
fly, her not do anything"
There you have it. They say now
that the camera shows just what Nera
said she saw that day. Men Of science
are about agreed that the mysterious
power of the Hindoo juggler is roth
ing more OF less than hypnotism, and
that would account for Nera and the
camera seeing things as they are, moi
as they appear to those who have
yielded their minds to the strange
ga H. -