The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-11-11

II W sec IL ~ MeiS pulte eeSulS3 anu tHSh
did as he was requested.
Up, up, up, he clambered, higher and
higher, gradually growing smaller and
smaller as he assembled until he actually
disappeared from view. Yet we could tell
that he was still climbing away up there,
for the rope before us trembled with the
motion that he made. Abalani did his
best to study it.
Then suddenly the fakir clapped his
hands and sprang to one side We heard
the rushing sound of body falling through
the air, and then the form of Akli landed
upon his feet before us unhurt and smiling.
Another clapping of Abalani's hands, and
rope and boy both disappeared.
The fabir stood alone before us. Kellar
and were mystifed He asked that
Abalani perform the trick again. When
it had been done second time, Abalani
left us as perplexed as before.
For my part gave the whole riddle
up. had seen many strange feat of
jugglery, but this one completely nom
plused me- Kellar was determined not to
leave Boolak until he had satisfied himself
as to how the trick, or feat, had been per-
| formed
a week passed Our host enjoyed Kel-
lars quandary keenly as a boy, and joked
him about it. However, Kellar joined us
on the porch one afternoon with certain
amused expression upon his face that made
me feel reasonably sure that something in
teresting was up.
'I should like to see little Akli climb
just once more this afternoon he said,
dropping into low steamer chair with
more satisfaction than | had noticed him
evince for the past week. "Con and l
should be leaving tomorrow or the next
day at the latest"
To make known a wish there was to
have it gratifed. After coffee that after
noon Abalani came walking gravely up the
shaded path, his slight figure clothed as
before-in the flowing mantle and scanty
breechcloth-that dark copperring, a shade
lighter in color than the breast it hung
against, his only decoration. As before,
he was alone.
There were the same low salaams, his
dry, hard palms that were of almost the
whiteness of mine being stretched over us.
Few words were spoken. The man could
not have been more deferential. But at
the same time | thought that l detected a
gleam of egotistical challenge in his dark
eyes that made me hope Kellar would
succeed in detecting his trick and increased
my desire to know how it was performed.
We moved down to the place in the
garden where we had witnessed the act
before, Kellar slipping into the house a
moment first. Little Akli appeared as
bright and smiling as when we had first
seen him. The rope appeared, Akli had
climbed it, when l heard slight, sharp
''click p on the side where Kellar was
standing. When little Akli had clambered
out of sight, Abalani clapped his hands
twice. We shuddered as we heard the
sound of Axis falling body. The rope
had disappeared, and the little fellow stood
there bowling before us. The next mo-
ment he was gone.
Kellar hurried me into the house and
to our ROOM The room had a dark closet,
and soon Kellar was holding up dripping
4 by 5 plate from his camera for me to
view by the dim light of our ruby lantern.
| could see our host, arms akimbo, look
ing up wonderingly. | could see Abalani
showing up white in the negative his
thin arms raised above his head, his feet
braced widely apart, as they had been
when steadying the rope for little Akli to
climb when I had heard the shutter of the
camera snap. But there was no little Akli
to be seen anywhere, nor any rope, for that
matter.
Abalani had mesmerized our host, Kel-
lar and myself, but it was beyond his fakir
skill to mesmerize our detective camera.