Year: 1861

Jugglery in Algiers.


A recent work in Algiers gives the follow
ing account Of some of the amusements of that
lively place and vicinage. 1t shows that the
Arabs are cleverer than even our friend Hell
Ter, who is now astonishing the Southern peo-
pie by his experiments in magic:


| In few moments, the tamborines were
again in full force, and the shrielling and yell
ing were again repeated, but this time the
number of dancers was increased. One of the
Arabs took a sword and having stripped to
his loins, ran nearly a quarter of an inch into
his stomach, twirling it around at the same
time like gimlet. TO a certain degree there
was no deception in this, but the absence of
blood reused my suspicious that the sword fit
ted into an old scar long used for the purpose,
especially as it was introduced sideways
Then he ran it into the nape of his neck in the
same manner, twirling it around as before, but
still no blood followed The invisible woman
seemed pleased at this feat, for another "lu, lu,
lu !" swelled around Ms, and the frantic dancing
went on. Presently, four or five instruments
resembling thick kitchen shovels were brought
in red hot, and I felt the sudden glow on my
face as they were taken past me. When the
Arabs bebeld these, their cries changed into
another key, and by gestures they seemed like
wild animals eager for food. Each man took
the glowing iron, placed it on the shorn part
of his head, and then stroked it caressingly
with his naked hand. During this feat there
was sickenng smell of burnt flesh, and a
slight smoke arose from the skin of the per-
formers whenever the rudy metal touched it.
Then, having licked them all over with their
tongues, they placed them between their lips,
holding them firm with their teeth, and leaping
few moments still higher in tune to the un-
firing thunder of the tympana.


A large scorpion was now brought in on one
Of the tamborines and as l touched it with a
stick en- paSsent, it darted up its poisonous tail,
leaving no doubt of its vitality. One of the
Arabs took up the reptile by the head, placed
it in his mouth and swallowed it, making a
horrible craunching noise in the process of
mastication. How he escaped the effects of
its sting is more than 1 can imagine but, at
all events, the unnatural meal seemed to give
him new life for the maddening orgies One
of the dancers now stepped forward with a
a dagger foot in length, and lifted up his
eyelid, thrust it some way in just over the
eyeball, and walked about with the weapon
thus apparently sticking out of his eye. Then
he drew it slowly out, and the host, at my re-
quest, having handed it to me for examination,
| found that it was sharp as a needle, and per-
fectly solid. The voices of the women, at this
period, were louder than heard them before,
and so did the shrill applause continue, that
the Arabs looked up hastily, and said "Hush, "
in the same sort of contemptous tone with
which the charity schoolmaster endeavors to
stop the gathering of his refractory pupils, and
the obedient chorus instantly subsided. Half
dozen cactus leaves were brought in, and the
moment the dancers perceived them they left
off their frantic gestures and growled like dogs,
on their hands and knees The African cac-
tus, or Barbary fig. grows around Algiers into
a regular tree of twelve feet or SO in hight,
and the leaves are large in proportion, beng
generally about foot long, and half an inch
thick, and are very thickly covered with strong
prickles as thick as drugget pin at the
base, and very firm, so that the handling of the
leaf is a matter of difficulty and pain, and
should the point of the prickle break in so do
ing, it forces itself beneath the skin and causes
excrutiating agony. The Arabs crawled
adroitly toward the man who held the leaves,
baying like the dogs they initiated, and as he
held one forth, they thrust their heads forward
and took rapid bites, devouring it, seemingly,
without the slightest inconvenience. The green
fluid expressed from the herb flowed in streams
over their long boards, and noticed that when
they accidently touched each other, they gave
low growl, like ours who are gorging. The
applause of the invisible ladies' was great, but
/ by no means as enthusiastic as before; the
tamborines were again silent, and the perform
ers fell to the ground, as if the superhuman
stimulous to their ezertions had been removed
| drew deep breath as | left the house, like
one who has, by timely awakening, been re-
leived from the incubus of some terrible night
mare, and as l threaded again the narrow
Streets the delicious night air cooled and refresh
ed me.