The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-03-21

miracle:
Two rabbits were placed in small
cloth bag %, Loosely tied therein and
put on the floor. The small basket (3)
was then placed before Nathoo, who put
upon it his rahmsamee, or god, made out
of cloth and leather, and resembling
oroas between a crocodile and bootjack.
This little god is very efficaoious in
Hindoo ocoultism, and sh ould never be
left out.
After putting it on the basket, Nathoo
spreads a small cloth over both, and then,
after chanting hymn, he removes the
basket with his left hand, with the cloth
still over it, and while calling attention
to the fact that the rahmsamee is still
there, deftly picks up the bag containing
the rab bits with the hand which holds
the basket, bringing them around in
front of him, quickly removes the abbits
from the bag, places them under the bas-
ket, throws aside the cloth In which the
bag is concealed, lifts the basket and as
tonishes his spectators with the sight OF
the rabbits.
The hubble bubble, or Hindoo boat
mystery. came next. This is not trick,
exactly, but very good illustration of
the natural action of air and water,
which greatly puzzled Mr.. Rood for a
long time. An ordinary cocoanut shell Is
followed out from small aperture at
the eye, having a hole about one-six-
tenth of an inoh In diameter and about
two inches from the aperture. A chair
rung about two inches in circumference
and eight inches long has hole one six
teenth of an inch in diameter drilled
lengthwise through the center. Figure
4 represents a small boat eighteen inches
ches deep, with a small hole bored
through the side near the bottom Figure
81. A small seat bar is at one end, in
which Is drilled hole large enough to
allow the chair rung to fit tightly.
The cocoanut is first filed with water,
side. Then one end of the chair rung is
inserted in the coooanut and the other
end il inserted tightly in the seat bar
aperture, and the boat is filled with
water.
At intervals of few seconds the &C.
ton of the water and air will throw a
stream from the small hole in the side of
the cocoanut into the boat. 1t appears
to flow and stop at the will of the Jug
gler, for he regulates his commands &C
oording TO the time neoessary
DANCING DUCK TRICK.
The dancing duck" trick which fol-
lowed has often defied detection. Figure
in cut shows half cocoanut supported
by three stones. Nathoo filed this with
water and soon small duck Figure 81
appeared on the surface, and at his COM
mand bowed and danced to the beating
of small tomtom.
A horse hair fastened with wax to the
ducks breast. and passing down through
a pinhole in the bottom of the cocoanut
Figure 81. was the simple means by
which Nathoo made the duck dance. He
held it with the hand that beat the
tomtom.
After this came the famous mangoe
trick, of which everyone has heard. 1t
looked very strange and mysterious, but
the explanation makes one feel like kick
ing himself for not having discovered it
himself.
Nathoo took a small flower pot nearly
filled with earth, and over it placed
cloth about half as big as bed sheet
After moments incarnation he lifted
the basket to one side, raised the cloth,
and showed in the earth a small, green
'sprout, which he had quickly put there
by his clever palming.
The pot was again covered with the
cloth. and Nathoo prayed some more to
his little god, played OH his hornpipe,
beat his tomtom, grasped small bag,
in which the mangoe bush was concealed,
brought 1t around in front of him, re-
moved the bag, stuck the bush into the
ealth took away the cloth cover, and
there was the miracle right before US.
1t was all exasperatingly simple when
Mr.. Rood later did the trick very slowly.
THE BASKET MYSTERY.
Nathoo's last "miraole'' was the great
basket mystery, which he successfully
performed with Mr.. Rood's assistance
This is said to be performed by the aid
of the mahatmas, and in India is con-
sidered othing short of supernatural.
This trick consists In putting a man
into net, in which he is tightly tied,
and then laid across the top of basket.
about three feet long, eighteen inches
wide and two feet deem
A sheet is then placed over all, and
within ten seconds the net is thrown out
from underneath the sheet. in which is
Enclosed the turban of the juggler, who
has apparently disappeared from the bas-
ket
A moment later the cover of the basket
is removed by the conjurer who is per-
forming the trick, and who, after arrang-
ing the sheet loosely over the basket
stamps on IL and sits down in 1t.
After this he gets up, places the lid on
the basket, binds it tightly with ropes
and then with a sharp stick or sword
piorces the basket viciously on all sides,
through small hole in the center of the
top.
This always convinces the spectators
that the basket is empty, and greatly
puzzles them. for previous inspection
has satisfied all that no trap door or Sc
cret passages are used.