Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-01-13
THE HINDoO FAKIRs
THEY ARE PRINCES OF JueeLERs
AND MAGICiANS.

AND MAGIClANS.
Some OF the Wonderful Fcats of II.
Iusion and Dextcrity These .Hinster.
of the Mystic Arts of the Orient Are
snid to Perform.
"Stopped!'
In tho sudden stiffness that pervades
the great liners saloon everybody
pauses without knowing 1t and looks
ut the captain.
| This gentleman merely settles to his
luncheon more comfortably than be
fore, while anchor chains rattle ont
and the steam whistle blows and the
passengers hasten on deck to feel a
heavy, tropical wind blowing Off low
shore, along which tigers and alliga
tors may creep to the waters edge by
night, but where now noon sun lies
yellow on the huts and rice fields
which are the strangers first glimpse
of Calcutta.
The liner swings well out in the
stream.
Presently flashes through the brown
rlpples of the Hoogly river dusky
body, and UP the anchor chain nimbly
rs monkey scrambles man, clad
only in n loin cloth and having tiny
tight rolled red bundle fastened at the
back of his neck out of reach of the
water.
The mans first action is to pick up
from the deck ball of Irvine with
which sailor Is mending n pawlir
and unwind the string. which goes
straight UP in the air in defiance OF
the law of grayitntlon which should
have trailed 1t along the deck
AS the faklr passes another sailor
who Inns bought cocoanut and Is
cracking 1t open. he gently takes from
the mans hand half of the still full
Shell, holds 1t high above ships buck.
ct, into which water streams from the
coconnut until the bucket has been
twelve times filed and empted. Next
tho juggler asks for n large earthcn
dish, poilrs into 1t n gallon Of water,
raises 1t aloft in his left fand-hls
right being hid against his forehead
The dish grows smaller by almost i'm
perceptible degrees of shrinkage until
1t completely disappears. Then. after
Il pause, II tiny brown speck Is seen
In the juggler's hand. 1t grows larger
and larger until the dish Is visible ms
Mt first, filled to the brlm with water
'yhsals the juggler pours out and which
runs down Into the deck cutters.
A little aloof from the eager circle OF
spectators sits young American wo-
man, her bnby swinging In n ham.
mock, her flve-year-old daughter on n
cushion ut her feet. Tho tuggler stands
perfectly still, his eyes fixed absently
upon the group. apparently concentrat.
Ing his forces upon some fresh wonder
The American shrinks backward with
movement Of repulslon, which the
juggler evidently notices, for lie turns
his gaze upon an English miss of If
teen who stands on the opposite side
of the semiclrcle.
Suddenly tho young mother sees the
English girl begin to rise from the
deck and float across the space be.
tween her and the hammock In which
rests the sleeping baby. To her hor-
ror, the girl stoops over and takes up
the Infant. Then the girl rises from
the deck, higher and higher until she
Is lost in the clouds.
The mother is helpless to cry out or
nightmare. AS she stares she per.
ceives spot in the tieecy clouds-near.
err, nearer 1t comes-she dlscerns the
form of her baby--safe In the arms of
the English girl. who gradually de-
scends to the deck and lays the infapt
back In the hammock.
With frantic effort the, motbe,
bursts the spell that binds her and
snatches up tho ebHd to find 1t sound
asleep. "How !, could you let thai
strange glfif take your little brothe,
away ~ she screams to her startled
danuiEhtcr. who sits quietly on the cush
Ism Isl
"Why, mamma" replies the child
brother has been asleep In his ham
mock all the time. No one has touch
ell him"
1t was but one more trick Of thu
senses played by, the holy man from
India. 1t was utterly inexplIcable.
The fellow came over the ships raj
dripping wet after long swim from
shore. The liner has Just dropped an
Choir after n voyage of several thou
sand miles. A confederate is an i'm
possibility. An audience of about 50t
skeptlcal persons crowds close around
the juggler. There Is no chance 70
deception.
| Now the Hlndoo unties the bundl,
from behind his neck, opens squar,