Year: 1859




which may be Of service to the AiSSaouas d
they should ever hear of them. ! will ex
plain them.


The chirop 1dist Maous, who taught me
Juggling, included in his instruction a very
clever trick, which consisted in putting {
little nail into the right eye and then making
il appear to travel through the flesh and re-
appear in tire left eye, then in the mouth
and then in the right eye again.


Imagine to what extent the fire of sorcer5
was kindied within me. had the courage
to accuStom myself to the trick, which
thought fine one.


At last, very disagreeable cirgnmstaprs
destroyed my illusions as TO the effect pro
duced by it.


used to go sometimes 10 spend the even
ingS at the house of lady who had two in.
teresting daughters, for whose amusement
she often gave small parties. | thought
could find no better opportunity To give my
first representation Of this than mt one OF
these parties, and asked permission TO pre-
sent diversion of an entirely novel charac-
ter. The company were curious TO see it,
and formed round me in circle.


Ladies, said | with mysterious en-
phasis, al am invulnerable, and to prove
this to you, might stab myself with a
poignard, a knife or any other cutting in
strument; but fear that the sight of blood
would make too painful an impression upon
you. | will give different proof of my
supernatural power And Iperiormed my
famous trick of the nail in the eye.


The effect Of il upon the company was
not what had anticipated; it was scarcely
over when one of the young ladies tainted
and fell. The pleasure of the evening wa.
ruined, and, fearing blame, | left without
saying a word, vowing that would net be
caught again in such performance.


But this is the explanation of the trick:


Amy one can easily put lead or silver
nail, half an inch long by line in thickness,
into the corner OF the eye, near the lachry-
NAL reservoir, between the under eyelid and
the eyeball; and when once this bit Of metal
is there the eve does not seem to be aware
of its presence. 1t is easy to push it out
with the finger. One of these nails is put
secretly in the left eye and another in the
mouth. With this preparation the perform
er presents himself


He then, before the company, puts nail
into his right eye; by pressing on the flesh
he pretends to push it through the bridge
of the nose into the left eye; he really con-
ceals the nail in the right eye, and pushes
out that which he has before concealed in
the left eye. Then he hides away this nail
under the eyelid and makes the motions OF
pushing it through the flesh into the mouth,
from which the concealed nail is taken. The
same process restores the nail into the right
eye, from which the nail is taken which was
hidden away in il, = So -.


When that is done, at any good opportu-
nifty, the nails are taken out of the left eye
and the mouth.


But to return to the final performance OF
the Aissaouas, walking on red hot iron, and
licking iron heated to whiteness.


The Aissaoua who walks on red hot iron,
does nothing very surprising When we re-
member he barely touches it, and that al
ways going barefoot the sole of his foot is
as hard as a horses hoof; the horny portion
may be broiled without occaSioning the
least pain.


Besides, may not chance have taught the
Aissaouas precautions which were known 10
more than one European juggler, before DR.
Sementini stated they were used, and dis
covered them to the public? And which
will explain to us in the simplest way the
most interesting feat of the Arab sorcerers,
that which is regarded as the most astonish-
ing, the most wonderful, the touching Of the
tongue to white-hot iron.


Let us first refer To some well known feat
of our wizards, whence we can judge how
far, even in the marvellous, the followers OF
AisSa are behind the age in their pretended
miracles.


In February, 1877, an Englishman named
Richardson, came TO Paris, and gave some
remarkable representations which proved
they said, his incombustbility.


He was seen To roast piece of beef on
his tongue, To kindle piece of charcoal il
his mouth by breath, and TO grasp a bal
Of red-hot iron in his hand, or to hold it il
his teeth.


The valet of this Englishman published
his masters secret, and it may he found il
the Journal des SoUdRs (l6G7 premiere edi
ton, page Al, ct deuxieme edition, 1890
page 2C, LAP ct 252.)


In 1909, Spaniard, named Leonetto, gave
an exhibition in Paris. He also handled
with impunity bar of red-hot iron, passed
it over his hair, put his heels on it, drank
boiling oil, dipped his fingers into meltec
lead, put little of it on his tongue, after
which he carried red-hot iron about on
his tongue.


This extraordinary man attracted the at
tention of DR.. Lementini, who set himsel
about finding out his secret.


The savant noticed that the tongue of the
incombustible man was covered with {
grayish coating; and this led him to try
some experiments upon himself. He discOv
cred that, by evaporaling solution o
alum, until it became spongy, and rubbing
it over the skin, he could render it insensi
bic to the heat of red hot iron, and that b.,
rubbing on "a coating of soap in addition
the shin was thoroughly protected agains
burning.


Satisfied with his researches, the Doctor
coated his tongue with soap and solution o
alum, and found that rcd hot iron produced
no impression upon il.


Prepared in this way, the tongue coul,
receive boiling oil, which, after cooling
could be swallowed.


DR.. Semeutini found ont also that tn,
melted lead which Leonetto used was tha
metallic composition which melts at tn,
temperature of boiling water. If the fin
gers be previously dipped in ether, they ma,
be plunged into the real withot injury.1


la these manipulations, satisfactory ex
PLANTATION may he found to the pretended
Incombustibility of the Aissaous; however