The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-05-29


 moned to his aid.
 The most famous illustra tion of Indian juggling is the Indian rope trick. The only time I have seen it performed was at Massi-Kassi, in East Africa, where there is a very large Indian community. I was stay ing at this small Portuguese town, which stands on the frontiers of Rho-. desia. and I was told one afternoon, that an Indian juggler and conjuror intended giving exhibition in the market-Dlace and my presence was 'honorably" requested
 There were several Europeans present at the entertainment. which was a more or less ordinary affair and one which did not particularly inn press me. When it was over I asked the conjuror whether he had ever heard of the Indian rope trick. He replied that he had, and that on one rare occasions when he was particu- larly gifted, by the supernatural pow CTS, which guided him he could per form it.
 Very we'll" said l, let us have an exhibition of 1t now.''
 To this however, he demurred, say ing that he had not the spirit in him, and that he had hardly thought it was possible that in his present straightened circumstances, with his mind worried as it was by the illness of his father and the recent death of his mother and the starvation of ms family at Bombay, that he could arouse himself to the necessary con- dition of ecstacy which made such a performance possible.
 We made the only reply, namely, l,o h tn SIlh- scribe between us a sufficient sum, which, if it did not bring his mother back to life and immediately cure his father would at least alleviate the sufferings of his family in Bombay, We raised between us something like two pounds for which sum he agreed on the following morning to perform the trick.
 After dinner that night we receiv ed a message from one of the ragged followers that the performance would occur on a little hill just outside Mas si-Kassi between half past five and six in the morning, that being the time his genii had chosen for the man. Hesitation.
 The Rope Trick Performed
 It seemed miserable hour but we stout fellows turned up just before sunrise and found the conjuror for them He had found all his para phernalia and had it stretched out on the ground. His small boy assistant, shivering under a. large sack which was wrapped about his shoulders, was on hand and all that was neces- sary to make the experiment possible was the performance of certain rites and the mutterings of certain incan- tations, which our conjuror proceeded forthwith to mutter.
 The place where we were to sit was indicated to us, and at six o'clock the actual experiment began l can hardly say that the conjuror stood with his back against the rising sun. We had that same glaring orb Of day shining straight in our faces. He pro duced a rope, threw it up. and, I agree that it immediately became stiff. The little boy climbed on to his shoulder. and apparently climbed the rope, and as apparently disappeared The con- jurors four assistants excited greet and they were shouting excited greet ings to the invisible boy, for invisible he was to us. There was a sudden thud, the lad landed flop on the ground from nowhere in particular, and the experiment was finished. My theory was that the success of the trick depended entirely upon the sun being in our eyes, and that the real trick was making the rope stand stfffIy upright, but that could be done if a certain type of fibre was used
 The boy then climbed to the man s shoulder, crouched as if to leap for ward but in reality disappeared be- hind the man from whence he again emerged iwhen the experiment was