Evening star., 1900-10-27

learned from the mystics of the remote
Indian peninsula. And, truth to tell, their
exhibition that day at the congress was
very extraordinary, eminently calculated
to send the most convinced skeptic home
wondering. These. Aissouas are common
place-lookfng persons in the normal state.
just like any ''dagoes'' selling fruit in New
York or Chicago, except for their oriental
costumes. But while they are engaged in
doing their stunts they become formida-
BILE. On the floor before them, as they
crouch. a small censor sends up smoke
clouds of heavy perfume, which is sup
posed to intoxicate the performers to the
wonder-working point.
As the thick clouds of fragrant blue
over the "fakirs." The musicians begin a
low, plaintive eastern sing-song. beating
time upon their instruments. In a few
moments they are shouting at full voice a
wild, rapid cultural chant and banging their
drums in a kind of frenzy The barbaric
music seizes the audience, too; one sees
that people are turning pale. and half rising
In their seats, as If under the impression
or some strange enchantment; one hears
women giving that peculiar kind of half
groan, half scream that the negroes of the
south emit at religious revival. And all
the while the fakir who is to show forth
the wonderful powers of his tribe is whirl-
ing to the music in a mad, irregular dance
that absolutely fascinates ones gaze. His
condltion increases every second: he foams
at the mouth. yells like a lunatic and
every now and then filings himself over to
the censer to drink In through the nostrils
and mouth great draughts of the heavy,
colling smoke. There comes moment when
he seems like a being of another world.
some world where madness reigns supreme.
His eyes are starting out of his head. his
veins stand out like strong blue cords on
his forehead and on his bare arms and
chest. He bites savagely at the floating ends
of his long robe-and all the time he whirls
and yells, bounding over the platform like
panther. Then he Is ripe for his expert
ment; he is incapable Of feeling pain. A
groan of horror goes up from the whole
audience as he filings himself upon basket
full of venomous snakes, plunges his arm
IN, clutches a mass of the coiing, Shiny
serpents, filings them all about him, stuffs
them into his mouth biting them savagey,
and roll himself over among them in an
uncomfortable fury. 1t is disgusting, and
many people in the audience go out hor-
rlf1ed and sick, but it is fascinating all the
same. They return for the next experience.
Insensible to Pain.
This time it is the two musicians who
give an exhibition, while the snake dancer,
after drinking some potion to calm his
nerves, returns to prove to the audience
that he has not been harmed by the snakes
he has handled so violently in his drunken
frenzy. Though, by way of parenthesis, it
would be a remarkably courageous Stake
that would have presence of mind enough
tc defend itself against the attacks of
The musicians repeat the extravagant
contortions with which the first perform
ance began. They bang their instruments
with an intensity that increases every mo-
ment, and constantly they inhaie the heavy
perfume. Suddenly, when the desired fury
has seized them in turn, they fling away
their tambourines, and. yelling like demons
bound all over the platform, snatcning UP
different weapons which lie Uttered over
the floor. One of them thrusts a dagger
full into his eye and leaves it sticking there
while he capers about singing what cne
might take for a chant of victory of some
tribe of savage warriors. The other trans
fixes his tongue with four slim -bladed sti-
lettos and Immediately afterward iabs
long knife, apparently at random, into his
stomach. 1t seems, as they do these things,
that they feel an intense need Of some vio-
lent physical sensation to counteract the
exalted mental state into which they have
brought themselves. long gurgle of sat
iSfaction followed always the inthruSt
of the weapon into the flesh.
Too Wonderful to Be True.
The last act was perhaps still more
curious. One of the men took long, stout
nail with sharp point, placed it over the
top of his skull, then beat it hard in with
heavy wooden block. He rose suddenly, as
If in convusions, and careered round the
stage for several minutes with the nail
sticking out of his head, while his COM
rades pounded their tambourines and raised
the roO1 with lOud SonOrOuS song. Fin
ally the man sank down, exhausted. His
dark bronZed skin had turned to a sickly
green and his eyes glittered strangely. A
young member of the congress pulled the
nail from his head. 1t came out with DIFF
fculty and the blood spurted. One of the
troupe then made passes over the head and
breathed on the spot. When he withdrew
there was only slight roughness on the
skin of the scalp to show where the nail
had been.
The writer asked the secretary Of the
congress what, in sum, all these feats
amount to-; what was the explanation Of
these strange endurances. The secretary
confessed absolute ignorance. These semi
savages know, from centuries back secrets
of nature which are sealed mysteries to u.s.
They hypnotize themselves by perfumes
and music to point where neither venom
Gus snakes nor deadly weapons can touch
their lives; when they are wounded they can
cure themselves in a few moments by
methods which entirely escape our under
standing. They themselves cannot explain
what they do-with them it is simply the
exercise of traditional knowledge based on
a secret oriental religion"
VALERIAN GRIBAYEDOFF.