The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-12-05

and partly to conceal their fallen fortunes
from their own compatriots.
But though their faces were burnt to
the hue of the natives themselves, their
nationality was evident at glance to the
passersby. There is something in the
swing of an Englishman' walk that dis
tinguishes him from the down -trodden
Hindu, while the size of his chest and
calves alone would mark him out from the
narrow built, red -shanked natives of the
plains.
The simple villagers salaamed to them
as they passed, the Mohammedan women
with trousers tight from the knee to the
ankle, the sign of ''the oldest profession
in the world" bestowed on them the leer
specially reserved for the ''sahibs," and
even the soldiers saluted them. Although
they were but two penniless tramps, their
progress was that of the conqueror through
conqueTeu lduu
The men, whose names were Spencer
and Mitchell, were a conjuror and his ad-
vanced agent. They had been engaged in
an up country tour when the hot weather
came on, audiences were not to be found,
funds were exhausted, and finally they
were obliged to take to the road.
With the homing instinct of Englishmen
they were making for Calcutta and the sea-
They levied their living from the country
through which they passed. The fields of
wheat and grain by the roadside furnished
them with grain, which they ground be-
tween two stones and baked into chupat-
ties. The mango tops yielded their lus-
cious fruit to add SAVIOR to the frugal
meal.
As it grew toward midday and the heat
of the sun became overpowering, the two
travellers t2ok refuge in a shady grove,
while the villagers retired to their houses
for their midday sleep. Spencer remarked
as they sank down under tree:
"Tm deuced hungry. A vegetarian
diet doesn't satisfy me at all | wish |
had something more substantial to eat. >
"Have a chew of opium,'' said Mitch
ell, producing block of the drug about
two inches square from his pocket ''The
natives say it very staying
"No, thanks, said Spencer. GA beef
steak more in my line. Where did you
get it? didn't know you were drug
eater.
II am not. I picked this up in the
Lucknow seraf the other day, and never
thought of it again until this minute
Presently only single figure was left
in the landscape, advancing slowly toward
them along the centre of the roadway. As
the man approached nearer, Spencer turned
to his companion and said:
''Have you noticed that that man has
been tracking us for the last three days,
ever since we left Lucknow p
"No; I've never seen him before -
"Well, I've not been an entertainer all
these years without learning to use my
eyes, and I've seen him watching us.
And what more, he's tried to disguise
himself in three or four different ways,
which looks suspicious. -
"But,' said Spencer, briefly, cit s only
your imagination. As we haven't got a
pice in the world, what can he get out of
us p
"That' just what l intend to find out, .
said Spencer, quietly; sit may be worth
knowing
"Salaam, sahib, said the man as he
came up to them, and he produced pack
of cards and some coins from calico bag,
souatted down in front of them on his hams
and arranged his voluminous draperies over
his knees.
GA travelling juggler, by all that S
holy" said Spencer, with grin. 81
wonder if he's any good. In spite of the
travellers yarns about the mango trick and
the vanishing rope trick, [ never met a
native coniurer yet that | couldn't give
points to myself "
'sI don think this chaps any good,
anyway said Mitchell, critically watch
ing the exhibition. "Tm no expert, but
can see the coins dropping into those
skirts of his and the cards disappearing up
his sleeves in the most obvious manner !"
THE worst fraud [ ever struck, re-
piled Spencer. cit looks as if he'd just
started in this line for our benefit. Here,
sonny, give me hold of that bag of tricks
Of yours, and I'll show you how it ought
to be DONE
The Englishman stood up in front of
| the astonished native, barred his arms to
the elbow, and went through the same
tricks one by one. But this time there
was no bungling, the coins disappeared into
the air, and the cards reappeared from the
trunks of the surrounding trees.
AS he watched the astonishing exhibi-
tion the natives eyes got gradually larger
and larger, till at last he fell on his knees
in the dust at Spencer's feet, beat franti-
cally on the ground with the palms of his
hands, and literally howled in Hindustani:
"Oh !! sahib, protector of the poor, spare
me, l see that you are great guru, and
know everything. Only curse me not
| III