The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-10-31
ASTOUNDING MAGIC.
THRILLING FEATS PERFORMED BY
ANCIENT ORIENTAL ~JUGGLERS.

The Wonderful Conjuring Tricks Were
Accomplished without tho Use of Elab- !
crate Paraphernalia and Seem Almost
Beyond Belief.
Tales which Mortified our ~forefathers
while they were trusting and ignorant,
which stirred a later generation to mirth
and were dismissed at length as thread
bare jests, become interesting again now
that we can perform these miracles our
selves. The best of our c%onjurers' tricks
have been learned in the east, and in
many instances they have improved on
the original. But it is not certain that
their modus operandi is the same.
The most ingenious professor" in Eu-
rope might despair when set to achieve
that feat which is the first trial of an as
pirant among the Kakhuens, as Sir e.
Slade describes it. The neoph-te must
climb a ladder of which the rungs are
naked swords, edge upward, and sit
upon a platform thickly studded with
spikes for an uncertain time before he
even 'goes up for eSamination"-and
this in the open air among a crowd OF
tribesmen.
OF the stories told by the Ibn Batuta
some have been verified. SO tospeak, but
not all. One day, when he was talking
with Molalnmed Tughlak at Delhi,
three Yogees approached, and the EN-
peror told them to astonish his guest.
Forthwith one took the form OF a cube,
rose into the air and hung above their
heads. ,bn Batuta tainted promptly, but
the emperor gave him a draft which
brought him to in al instant.
It has been suggested by those who
can read the original ext that this must
have been alcohol in some form. How
ever, when be recovered his senses The
object was still suspended. The second
Yogee then snatched "A sandal from one
of the bystanders and struck it sharply
on the ground, thereupon the sandal
mounted and slapped the cube, as if
upon the face. when down the 1ogee
fell. Mohammed Tughlak promised to
show his guests things yet more surprls-
ing. but Ibn was seized with a palpita-
ton of the heart, which put a stop to the
entertainment for that time. Perhaps
there was no .'draft" handy.
vi dAAotANA oOA
Chinese jugglers gave a performance.
.'In my presence" says this respectable
traveller, ''they produced a chain 80 Gu.
bits long which they tossed upward, and
it stood erect. A dog was then brought
forward. 1t ran up on the chain and on
gaining the top vanished. In the same
manner a boy, a panther, a tiger and a
lion mounted one after another and dis
appeared. At last they took down the
chain and put it into a bag, no n dis
corning how the animals were made to
vanish in the mysterious way / have de-
scribed. This, l may venture to affirm,
was beyond measure strange n sur
prising."
An exact pendant to this is tale CIV.
in the .'Liao-chai-chih-i," translated by
Mr.. Giles under the name of Strange
Stories From IA Chinese Studio" The a u
thor declares that he himself beheld the
marvels r~elated-the only instance. WE
believe. in which he vouches his personal
experience. a fact worth noting, for he
tells a thousand marvels of the sort.
When a little boy, Sung Lung was taken
to the provincial capital for h spring
feast and followed the crowd into the
Judges yamen. In the middle of the hal
was a man with a little boy, who under
took to perform anything demanded Of
of him. The great men seated round
asked for peaches. 1t was the month Of
March.
Much .'business" followed, but a
length the juggler said he must get then
from the orchard of 1.-THE royal mother
who dwells in heaven. He took from
his box a piece of cord ''some tens of fee
long," arranged it carefully and threw
one end into the air, where it remained
fixed, las if caught by something" ant
he paid it out from below. Higher ant
higher the rope mounted, until a small
piece only remained in his hands. Thel
the man called his boy and babe hin
climb up. Up went the boy, after NOR
gag" like a spider running up it
thread, and in q few minutes he was on
of sight.
Presently a peach fell down as largea
q basin. While the magistrates were ex
aiming it the rope dropped suddenly il
q heap. and the man cried: ALAS, some
body has cut it! What will my son d.
now?' At the same instant the boy
head fell from heaven, and lamentation
which may be imagined followed. Limb
and body came tumbling after. Toomi
business the Juggler collected them
put them in his box and begged help TO
the funeral expenses. The Mortified spec
tators subscribed liberally. and whel
they had given as much as could b
hoped the man tapped upon the box. say
ing, why don't you come out, you ras
cal, and thank the gentlemen" Fortl
with the boy threw up the lid. jumpe
: out and bowed to the company.
Sung Lung says: Il have never forgot
ten this strange trick. which. as l hav
heard now, is performed by the Whit
Lily sect, who probably learned 1t fror
this man." The White Lily, otherwis
"Do Nothing" Wu-Wd-Kesou. u th
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