Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-07-12
AUSTRALIAN MAGIC.
Marvellous Things That Wild Men Can d
by Slight OF Hand.

! Marvellous Things That Wild Men Can Do
| by Slight of Hand.
| A long and disastrous drought. which
| had almost ruined the small Australian
| tribe on whose borders was encamped,
had resulted in their demanding Of the
| tribe wizard that the much-needed rain
be produced, and that forthwith.
The first act of this charlatan was to
call the people together and, during a
sort OF pOwwOw, to perform few feats
| OF simple magic, such as any tyro in the
slight-of-hand arts could surpass.
Then he assembled into the highest tree
in the vicinity, where he remained for
some time in silent contemplation of the
sky.
was informed that he was working
wonders at that great height-he was
quite two hundred feet from the
ground-which would soon result in re-
freshing showers being sent by the
''devil-devil,' who kept back the need
ed rains at the solicitation of the wiz
ards of nearby, envious tribes.
My field glass discovered the fact,
however, that he was sitting aloft, in
the most comfortable manner he could
command, straining his eyes toward the
lAoi iLoh. "ilCuSC Ills Stuut III k)ttSU Scd-
sons had taught him the first storms of
the rainy season, then overdue, always
came.
The farce was kept up for several
days.
After several days, but not until my
barometer had foretold an approaching
storm. he remained one morning but
short time i'll the tree. He returned to
the ground with all the airs of a con-
quering hero.
Then followed a very interesting
though ridiculous performance. Tying
a cloth tightly about his head, he went
through series of contortions, during
which he carried around a large gourd
or calabash. He took much care to
show that this was empty, and then,
with much ceremony, marched to a
nearly-fallen tree, holding it upside
down.
Here, in sight of all his dupes, he
placed it on the stump, and removing the
cloth from his head, began to wiring it
out as though it was full of water. AS
l thought the whole performance was
simply meant to typify the tribes de-
sire for water, had not watched him
as closely as should have done haG
been prepared for his next act.
Turning suddenly, with the gourd in
his hand, he tipped it slightly, and
from it poured clear, limpid water.
Then he marched triumphantly among
his people exhibiting it, and proving to
the satisfaction of all that it was purer
water than they had seen for weeks.
This performance was greeted with
Shn,Ifc of 1a1irI toll
sure sign that the ''devil-devil'' had re-
a sign of the blessing soon to follow.
The same slight-of-hand trickery
was used again in my presence by the
wizard of another tribe. / was hidden
in a neighboring clump of bushes,
where l could not observe it with suf-
icient closeness to see how it was man.
aged.
The test of this wizards skill arose
from the apparently serious illness of
an old man in the tribe. AS is always
the case, the wizard claimed that the
wizard of a neighboring unfriendly
tribe had bewitched the man by tang
ling up his intestines'' SO that he could
not live without pain.
After dancing around his patient for
some time, going through lot OF
grotesque and violent contortions, the
wizard suddenly swooped down upon
his dupe. and, with the quickness Of
cat, apparently drew from his mouth
double handful of what looked like in
testines
These he triumphantly waved over
his head, while he danced around the
circle two or three times more, and
then threw them far from him into the
low branches of tree.
Knowing that no one of the tribe
would dare to examine the bewitched
intestines, so magically cast out to
make room for the new set provided by |
the wizard, and that they would surely |
disappear as soon as the darkness of
night made it possible for him to re-
move them, I watched my opportunity, |
and by examination discovered them to |
have undoubtedly belonged to a small
sized kangaroo.-BOston Globe.