The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-07
GIN AND MAGIC MIXED.
Novel Features in "a Performance by
Indian Jugglers.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.

From the Pail Mail Gazette.
They came with much squeaking and
droning of their pipes and other musical
instruments Of torture. One of them car
ried an old sack and the other basket,
and small boy of perhaps twelve or fif-
teen years of age accompanied them. Har-
ris and 1 interviewed them.
Good morning, Saul; what do you
want?"
1--WE will show the Sahib some strange
play with snakes and balls and scorpions
and other things, if the Sahib will be kind
enough to watch. We will send them to
Bombay and Calcutta, bring them back
while the Sahib blows-phew!-so We
will make the snakes dance and obey our
words And we have other matters too,
to show. VIII the SahiD deign to look?'
I'VE have seen all these before Saul;
we have seen them many times. You
must show us some new thing, or we will
not give you any money!
Then they began. A circular piece of
ground in the garden, about eight feet in
diameter, was swept clear, and the two
men squatted in 1t with the bag between
them and the boy and the basket behind.
One of the men began playing on his
gourd, making a hideous noise, while the
CUBS.
making the balls appear and disappear at
will. ] turned to Harris and said the
gourd blowing must be dry work, and no
sooner were the words out of my mouth
than the performance stopped, and the
musician, standing up, said:
1T is very hot to-day, and we have
walked a long way, will the Sahib give US
little something to drink? We know the
great kindness of his heart, and ask as
his servants"
We'll, what will you have? Some wa
ter?"
"A little brandy,if the sahib is so good;
a very little brandy"
mo, Sami; / won't give, you brandy:
but"-a thought struck mel will give
you some gin, If you like"
1.-THE sahib is very good; we will drink
the 'geen,' and will always bless the Sa-
hib."
One of my contractors, All Ching, had
presented me on a previous occasion with
a gift of three bottles of cheap gin, some
fowls, some fruit and other things. The
gin had remained untouched till now, as
no snakes had been preserved recently in
our establishment, and 7 thought / would
let them have It, / told the boy to bring
bottle of gin and some glasses and wa
ter, and give it to the men. He did So
The musician poured out half a tumbler
of gin and tasted II, passing IT on to his
fellow. They both looked up to heaven,
rolled their eyes and said 1t was exceed
ing good, and promptly drank a tumbler-
full each, casting looks Of disdain at the
water bottle. Harris and gasped, and L
had visions OF emeucs and so forth, but
the performance recommended at once.
and we did nothing
There never was such a performance.
Nothing went right. When three balls
should have been under one cup there
were none; when the casual bystander
was given coin to hold between his
palms for the Juggler TO change II into
a scorpion in the good old-fashioned way.
II persistently refused to change, and so
with all the tricks; and meanwhile the
musical partner was extracting the most
blood-curdlng sounds from his gourd
Everybody was in fits of laughter. The
AFFECT surprise of the performers was in
describable.
But the final touch was yet to come In
getting some of their paraphernalia out OF
the sack, they had disarranged the con-
tents to such an extent that the scorpion
and snakes had got loose One of their
tricks consisted Of pulling yards and
yards of red worsted out Of the mouth OF
the performer. and this scarlet thread had
got mixed In the bag with the scorpion.
When thoroughly entangled by its strug-
giles TO free itself, the scorpion walked out
Of the mouth of the bag, with all this red
stun wrapped round him, and the jugglers
did not recognize II; they both jumped
clean out Of the ring, and the spectators
scattered.
They were very drunk now. and were in
most extreme state OF fright. To make
matters worse, the snakes got loose at this
moment, and things We're very lively Az
ter short chase the snakes were captur-
ed. but the men refused stouuy to have
anything to do with the scorpion. and ulti-
mately / had to secure It by putting an
empty howerpot over Il and stopping up
the hole in the bottom with some clay.
Then the men quarrcled, and knocked
one another about a great deal without
doing any hurt, and finally went 20 sleep
under the veranda. When they woke UP
at o'clock we gave them "A dollar and
some vinegar 10 drink. and they walked of
all right, after unwinding the scorpion
and putting IL into its box.
But we had a thoroughly amusing after
noon.
--Willy-Do animals go to heaven par