The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-02-10
HINDU JUGGlERS.
Men and Women Perform Remarkable
Feats of Legerde main.

Feats of Legerde main.
The wonderful tricks of legerdemain,
the feats of balancing, tumbling, and
rope-dancing performed by men and
women in the theatres and circuses in
this country, are hardly equal to the
commonist tricks and feats performed
by Hindu jugglers in their native land.
1t is very common sight in India
60 see young girls balancing themselves
on their heads with their heels in the
air. or TO see them walking on their
hands and feet with their bodies bent
back wards. 1t is an easy thing for
girl of fifteen years to bend backwards,
plunge her head into hole eighteen
inches deep, full of water and dirt, and
bring up between her lips a ring that
was buried in the mud.
Women are not less dexterous than
thc girls and the men. They are fire.
qurrtly seen dancing in couples on
slack ropes, one playing on the oi@d or
Hindu guitar, while the othor poses,
posturcs, and capers gracefully about
with vessel brimful of water in each
hand, without spilling drop.
A Hindu juggler will stand q pole
twenty feet high on the ground, and
then climb to tho top of it as if it was
u tirply rooted tree. He fixes the top
of the pole in the middle of his sash,
and dances about in all directions with
out disturbing the equilibrium of the
pole. The same man, after giving on
exhibition of this sort, slides down the
pole, takes boy on his shoulders,
climbs once more to the top, fixes the
top of the pole in tho hollow of his foot,
and stands erect, balancing himself,
with the boy on his shoulder, as easily
as the average person could balance
himself on one foot on the ground.
Another very difficult act is that OF
balancing sword with n broad blade,
the point resting on the performers
chin; then the juggler will balance q
straw on his nose, or on small stick
which lie holds in his lips. While
performing this trick the juggler some-
times places piece of thin tile on his
nose, and tosses up n stone which, fall
ing on the tile, breaks it in pieces.
Some Of the most wonderful feats of
these men are performed on the slack
rope. While balancing himself on the
rope, the performer carries long stick
on the end Of his nose. At the top Of
the stick is set large tray from which
walnut-shells are suspended by threads
He takes in his lips stick long enough
to reach the shells, and by sudden
movements of the lips he tosses each
shell upon the tray without deranging
anything or losing his balance. While
doing this he strings beads upon horse
hair by means of his tongue, and with
out any assistance from his hands.
The Hindus have found means of COM
municating this wonderful dexterity to
domestic animals. They train bullocks
to perform very difficult tasks. A Hindu
juggler will lie down on his back and
place small piece of stout wood, two
| feet high and six inches in diameter, on
the lower part of his stomach. At his
command a trained bullock will set it's
four feet on the top of this stick and
balance itself. The juggler will then
place another piece of wood, similar to
the first, few inches from it, and the
bullock will shift his position to it with
out touching its feet to the ground.
Goats are also taught wonderful feats
by this queer people.