Indian Conjuring ([1922])

I

UC-NRLF

son of

GHAUS MAHOMMED, who died aged 75 years, and _grandson of

NUR MAHOMMED, whodied at theageof 78 years.

All three were itinerant _conjurors and had never seen

INDIAN

_CONJURING

BY

MAJOR

L.

H.

BRANSON

M.I.M.C.

Indian

_Army

With 8 Illustrations

/

LONDON

GEORGE ROUTLEDGE

&

SONS

LTD.

7 dedicate this small volume to

MY

WIFE

who has _always been yny best audience

and

_my

keenest critic at the innumerable

sleight-of-hand performances that I have

had the _pleasure of giving in her presence.

TIMES

OF

_INDIA,

ILLUSTRATED

WEEKLY,

by ivhose kind permission they

KSZ V

/->T/

-373

CONTENTS

₃

CHAPTER PAGE

I. A COMPARISON

...

.1

II.

THE

CUP

AND

BALLS . .

.16

III.

THE

BAMBOO-STICKS . .

.23

THE

RING

ON

THE

STICK . . 26

IV.

THE

GLASS

BOX

....

32

THE

BUNDER

BOAT

. . . 35

V.

THE

BOWL

OF RICE . • • 39

THE

COLOURED

SANDS . .

.42

VI. A

ROPE

TRICK . . .

.46

THE

SWASTIKA

. . .

.49

THE

EGG BAG

. . .

.52

VII.

THE

DANCING

DUCK

. .

.54

THE MANGO

TREE

TRICK . . 57

VIII.

THE

BASKET

TRICK . .

.65

IX.

THE

INDIAN

ROPE

TRICK . . 76

X.

SNAKES

AND

CROCODILES . . 89

My

old friendShahMahommed, aged87 years,

son of Ghaus Mahommed, whodied _aged 75_{years, and grandson}of Nur Mahommed

who died at the _ageof 78 years. All three

were itinerant conjurers and had never

seen the_rope trick , - - _Front

Shah Mahommedsinging Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay

betweentwo_experiments -

-Facingpage 10

Shah Mahommed with two assistants for the

Ring on the Stick

...

_{Facing page 28} Preliminaries of the _{Restored Rope, the only}

rope trickthat I have everseen _performed

in India - - -

-Facing page 46

Shah Mahommed_performingthe_{egg bag}trick _Facingpage 52

The _{Dancing Duck, performed} with an enamel bowlinstead of the cocoa-nut shell

-Facingpage 54

The _{preliminary stage} ofthe _mango tree trick

as _{shewn by Shah} Mahommed - - _Facing

page 60

Conclusion of the_mango tree trick -

-Facingpage 62

INDIAN

_CONJURING

CHAPTER

I

A

COMPARISON

Since the world

_began

_Magic

and

wizardy

seem

to

have

held a great

fasci-nation for

_{mankind, an}

_example

_being in

the _story of the

Witch

of Endor.

That

this

_tendency

has in

no

wise altered is

clear

from

the _popularity of _conjurors,

illusionists,

and

so called _magicians

who

still, be it East or West, attract

an

audience

so easily

and

so _surely. This little

volume

is written in the _hopes that it

_may

_prove

of interest to the thousands

who

reside in _India,

and

those other

_{thousands who,}

visiting its coral shores

from

time to time,

often discuss in

_wondering

amazement

how

the Indian _{conjuror performs} his tricks. It is also written to

_uphold

the

reputation of the

Western

conjuror against the _spurious

_ascendency

held

_by

his

Eastern confrere.

Before _{describing the}

_many

well

known

tricks that are

shewn

_by

the "

house

to

house"

_{Jadoo-wallah,}

and

_explaining

how

they are done,

we

will

_compare

_{the average}

Indian _conjuror with his _mystic friends in _Europe,

America

and

China.

Let us for a

moment

_picture in our

mind's _eye the _stage

and

_person of the

European

or

American

conjuror.

A

few

small tables with _{spindle legs (upon}

them

a steel

frame

or _{so, transparent}

and

decorative) are

exposed

to our view.

The

performer appears with rolled

up

sleeves

in close _fitting clothes

and

_by

the

end

of his

_performance

has filled the _stage with

A

COMPARISON

several _{large flags,} a

_bouquet

of flowers

and,

_may

be, a beautiful lady, all, _possibly

produced

from

a top hat. His

per-formance

is _given to the

_{accompaniment}

of

_amusing

_patter

and

is _{brightened with}

the colour of the articles

he

_produces.

He

_may

be

an

illusionist _pure

and

_simple

and

does not _indulge in _{sleight-of-hand} at all. In this case the

_comparison

with

the _{Indian Jadoo-wallah} is not a fair _one,

as the latter has not the

means

to _purchase

the _complicated

mechanism

_necessary for

up-to-date illusions as

shewn

by

European

magicians.

Whether

or

no

his _superior education

is the _reason, the

_European

_{conjuror gains} in skill

and

shows

his inventive _genius

as time _goes on.

His

effects are studied,

and

his _{paraphernalia}

embraces

more and

more

varied articles.

The

_{disappearance}

of a Christmas tree with all its candles

Ughted

is

an

excellent

_example

to

what

he

has risen.

He

takes

an

interest in his

profession or calUng

and

strives to

outdo

others in neatness or

_by

_inventing

an

exclusive trick to

which

his

name

can be

given

and

handed

down

to posterity.

This

_may

be

the result _{of large} fees that

can

be

earned at the *' Halls " or

_by

_private

entertainments

_by

those at the

_top

of the

tree.

But

these fees are

_open

to a con-juror of

any

nationality,

and

I

am

confident

that the interest the

_European

takes in

his

_hobby

has

more

to

do with

_{his superi-} /

ority

than

education

and

large fees.

The

ruling Princes of India are very fond of

watching

a clever conjuror

and

can

pay

enormous

fees,

but

no

Indian conjuror appears to appeal to them.

A

Western

performer

always wants

to give his best to his audience

and

takes a _pride in

mystifying

them.

David

Devant,

who

is

one

of the _{greatest living}

_exponents

has

quite recently written

an

article in the

A COMPARISON

Strand

_Magazine

of his

dreams

of tricks

that he

would

like to be able to do.

To

meet

the late Charles

Bertram

" at

home

"

was

a

_study

in itself.

To

have

seen

him

playing, as a child

would

play, with a

pack

of cards until

he stumbled

across a

new

sleight

and watched

the

enjoyment

written

all over his _face,

was

_{a proof} of his

_deep

interest in his

_hobby.

Can

_anyone

_imagine

an

Indian _conjuror

dreaming

of a

new

trick ?

'*

Ghee

and

khana

" _(clarified butter

and

_food)

form

the subject of the _majority of his dreams.

When

he does _play with _anything it is

to caress _lovingly the " _paisa " or _pieces of

_money

that he last _earned, not to im-prove his _dexterity

but

_{because they} will

give

him

a

good

meal, a

cup

of arak, (or

intoxicating liquor)

and

a long lazy sleep.

The Chinaman

_gives his entertainment

with his _stagewell filled with tables covered with gorgeous dragon-be-decked draperies

that reach the _ground,

and

behind

which

useful assistants could

be

_easily concealed.

His

own

_garments

are

_roomy

and

his sleeves

could contain a multitude of billiard balls

and

rabbits.

But

he

_gives a

_showy

performance

with clean bright articles,

ending

up

occasionally, as I

have

seen,

with the _production of twelve _large Chinese

lanterns all lit !

The

Chinaman

is the inventor of

_many

of the

most

beautiful illusions that are

performed.

One

of the prettiest tricks

imaginable is that of the _production of

bowls

of _gold fish in real _water,

one

of

Chinese _origin.

He

has

_improved

from

ancient times as

an

_up-to-date

_showman,

and

is a wonderful illusionist.

To

show

what

can be

done

in the

voluminous

gar-ments

of a

_Chinaman,

on

one

_occasion.

I, in his national costume,

_produced

a _large

bowl

of

water

which

took

two

men

to _carry

away,

then a little

boy

aged

ten,

and

his

A COMPARISON

younger

brother

aged

five, _ostensibly

from

a shawl without

_moving

from

the centre of a _stage devoid of _{trap doors,}

or

_any

furniture. It

was more

a feat of

strength

than

skill at conjuring, though,

as one

_may

_{readily imagine, extremely}

effective.

The

Chinaman

is also a clever

pro-ductionist

and

excels in _producing flowers;

lanterns

and

similar articles. His _dexterity

or _{sleight-of-hand} is

_{good but}

inferior to

that of the

_European.

He

has

and

uses

well,

many

_extremely ingenious devices, or " fakes."

One

_{in particular has always}

appealed to

me

and

is

worth

_describing.

He

takes a _{piece of tissue}

_{paper which}

he

either chews, or moistens

somehow

and

rolls it into a small ball like _pulp. This he _places

on

his fan

and

tosses

_up

into the air several

times while it _gradually

assumes

the _shape

of

an

_egg. After

some

few

seconds it has

in

an

_egg

_cup

on

the table in full

view

of

the audience. This little trick is _very

|

effective, _easy to do,

and

can

be

purchased

^

for half-a-crown at

_any

_{magical depot} in

London.

I

I

_hope

that I

have

_gained

my

_point in !

showing

that the

Chinaman

is

an

_ingenious j i

and

a neat _performer.

There

are

_many

'

other

_amazing

tricks

which

were

_originated

|

in

China

and

the far _{East, (as} the

_Japanese

j

are as _good, if not better

than

the Chinese) !

but

this _egg trick is to

_my

mind

the

most

symbolical of Chinese magic. j

The

Indian _juggler or _Jadoo-wallah

arrives with a basket _large

_enough

to con- !

tain a

_man,

as

we

will see _later, a

_huge

delapidated bag, a

voluminous

dhotie or

loin cloth,

and

_possibly a snake basket !

or two.

He

is a

_poor

man

or " _gareeb i

admi

"

and

looks it.

He

starts a

whine

in the

_hope

of _getting

an

audience

_through

sympathy.

If he does not

whine he assumes

A

COMPARISON

an

air of _superiority that is

somewhat

exasperating.

At

sleight-of-hand he is

far

below

the level of the _average

_European

performer.

He

spoils his art

by

the

continual diving into his

_bag

_{ostentatiously} to _dig out the

bone

of a

cow

or

an

antequated

"

dolly," of the rag doll type.

If _{only he}

would

do

his little tricks

_away

from

his

_impedimenta

in clean clothes

he

would

add

_50%

to the merit of his

performance

though

it

would

_probably

be not so _entertaining to those

_newly

arrived in India.

I

have

_very little _praise to _give to the

Indian _conjuror as

an

_artist, either in

sleight-of-hand, in juggling, or as

an

illusionist. His tricks are as " old as

_my

unpaid

bills "

and

from

time

immemorial

have

been

_performed

with the

same

monotonous

_patter

and

the _irritating drone

of the

"bean"

or so called musical

in-strument. I

_may

here _say that this 9

musical torture is

used

to _disguise

move-ments

of the

showman's

hand

in the

same

way

as the

_European

uses his

_magic

_wand,

an

instrument that _{does not appeal} to

me

at all,

though

at times very useful.

The

articles

used

_by

the _{Indian conjuror} are _{very very primitive}

and

of indifferent

manufacture.

The

_Jadoo-wallah has

re-mained

as

he

was

_{50, 60,} or 100 _{years ago.}

The

old

_gentleman

whose

_portrait

forms

the first illustration of this

book

told

me

that the tricks

he

does

were

learnt

_by

his

great grandfather

from

a friend in Lahore. This takes us

back

some

_{150 years.}

The

tricks

have

remained

the

same

as

when

taught at

Lahore

though

my

old friend

has

_brought

them

_up-to-date

_by

_singing

"

Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay

"

between

each

experiment

!

The

_{Indian conjuror has never indulged}

in _{pure sleight-of-hand} to

_any

_extent,

and

has never

_improved

_upon

_any

of his

^'^£_'<e

|W^(i

A COMPARISON

sions.

He

seldom

has

_any

_patter

worth

hstening to

and

that

which

he uses consists usually of

"

Beggie, beggie,

aow

"

or

"

Beggie beggie jaow."

''

Bun,

two, three, four, five, white, bite, fight, kite."

Amusing

to a casual observer

but

_hopeless

from

an

artists _point of view.

Latterly

some

Indian conjurors

have

attempted

to give in India performances

on

_European

lines.

_They

have purchased

the necessary paraphernalia

from

London

and

have

as

much

idea of _using it to its

best

_advantage

as a crocodile has of

arranging the flowers

on

a dinner table.

Our

Indian _{Jadoo-wallah usually gets}

himself into a _{very tight fitting} third or

fourth

hand

_eveningdress

on

these occasions, to _show, I _presume,

how

_European

he is.

The

audience is

more

concerned with the possibihty of its bursting

and

their

having

to leave the theatre for _decency's sake

His

_patter is _{excruciating and,} to hide

his

want

of skill in _{sleight-of-hand,}

he

moves

his

hands

and arms

in _grotesque

curves,

with

his

body

so bent that it is

almost _impossible to see

what

he

is _trying

to do. I

have

never _{yet seen}

_any

Indian

give

an

English

performance

that

would

be tolerated

on

the sands at

Slushton-on-Sea

the seat of

_my

ancestral

home.

While

writing the

above

I

have

in

mind

one

of these Indians,

an

_{impossible person,}

_who,

as _{Court performer} to several of the

_Ruling

Indian Princes,

makes

the astonishing

total of

Rsi200

or

_£80

a

month.

The

_only native _conjurors that I

have

seen

who

_{are consistently}

_good

at

sleight-of-hand, _{(and they} are

Arabs

or _Egyptians) are the invaders of _{the ships} at Port _Said,

and

their

one

and

_only

_good

_point, magically, is their manipulation of those unfortunate chickens. Their " Gillie,

gillie, Mrs.

Langtry

"

is

more

_up-to-date 12

A

COMPARISON

and

an

_{improvement upon}

the " _Beggie,

beggie,

aow

"

of India.

It _{has always}

been

a

marvel

to

me

how

the Indian _{conjuror has gained} his _spurious

reputation. I

can

_only ascribe the fact to the idea that the audience start with the impression, sub-conscious

though

it

_may

be

—

of

_Mahatmaism,

_Jadoo, or

_any

other

synonym

by

which

Oriental

_Magic

is

designated. This allows

them

to

watch

with

amazement

tricks that are so _simple

that

no

_{English conjuror}

would

dare to

show

them

to his

_youngest

child.

Without

_partiality I can _safely assert

that of the three _types

under

_discussion,

the

_European,

the

_Chinaman,

and

the Indian, the _average

_European

_conjuror

is the

most

skilled _{particularly at}

sleight-of-hand.

He

_certainly excels in card manipulation

which

is

seldom touched

_by

the Oriental _magician. In illusions he is

beyond

comparison, as

many

of our readers

may

certify

who

have

seen the wonderful

productions

by

Messrs.

Maskelyn

and

Cooke,

Devant,

and

their

_many

followers.

The

_{gradual disappearance} of a _lady in

evening dress, visibly,

and

in

mid

stage

growing

smaller

and

smaller until she is

small

_enough

to

_{be put}

into a

_paper

_bag,

which

is rolled into a ball

and thrown

_away,

is

an

illusion that

no

Oriental will ever

attempt

to

compete

with.

Such

illusions

can be

seen at

_any

time of the _year at the

Palace

Theatre

and

other halls in

_London,

in Paris

and

even

_Bombay.

There

_may

be

_many

who

will _readily

disagree

with

my

disparagement

of the

Indian Jadoo-wallah. I

admit

that

_Magic

may

have

come

_originally

from

the East.

The

_Egyptians

for _instance,

had

wonderful

illusions that

were

_freely used

_by

their priests in the temples

mainly

for the

ex-tortion of

_money

or valuables

from

their gullible disciples.

These

illusions

were

A COMPARISON

merely

mechanical devices such as the

mysterious opening

and

shutting of doors

on

the

sound

of a certain

word

like

*'

Abracadabra."

These

devices

can

be

duplicated

by

our skilful _mechanics, but

would

not be

worth

_very

much

these enlightened

days

as a lucrative investment. It

_may

also be said that the

_comparison

to the detriment of the Indian is not a fair

one as

he

has

no

_stage

_upon

which

_to

per-form,

whereas

the

_European

_gives his

show

usually in a

roped

off _portion of the

_drawing

room,

or

on

the _stage of a concert hall.

The

reason of this is that the

_European

cannot

as a rule collect his audience in the open.

When

he does get

an

outdoor

assembly

he is _{just as}

much

an

_adept as he

is indoors.

_Many

of

_my

readers

_may

have

regrettably to agree with

me,

especially

those

who

have

met

our " three card trick " friend, or the perfectly

good

gentleman

with the thimbles

and

the _{pea, at} Ascot.

When

the _{Jadoo-wallah has} sat himself

down

with his

_{bag and}

baskets in their correct _places

he

_{usually proceeds} to

show

the following tricks :

—

The

_cups

and

balls.

The

bamboo

sticks.

The

_ring

on

the stick.

The

ball in the _glass box.

The

bunder-boat.

The

bowl

of rice.

The

coloured sands.

The

_rope trick.

The

_{egg bag.}

The

swastika.

The

_{dancing duck.}

The

_mango

tree.

The

basket trick. 16

THE

CUP

AND

BALI.S

I will

_attempt

to describe each trick for the benefit of those

who

have

not act-ally seen

them

performed,

and

will then

attempt

to give a lucid explanation of

how

these tricks are done.

THE

CUP

AND

BALLS

The

_{performer has} three _cups of

_wood,

somewhat

similar to crude

wine

_glasses

overturned, the base of the

wine

_glass

forming the handle

by

which

the

cup

is

manipulated.

Under

these he places,

with-out detection, little woollen or cloth balls

and

extracts

them

in the

same

_mysterious

manner.

_Similarly he

shows

two

_balls,

one

under

each of

two

_cups,

and

_by

a drone

on

the "

bean

" or musical instrument,

one ball flies _magically

from

the one

_cup

to join its

mate

under

the other. Various combinations

and

_permutations of this sleight complete the

experiment

which

is

_accompanied

_by

a _{running patter} of "

Go

_Bombay

" "

Go

London."

In

_my

_opinion this trick is the _{only one}

in

which

the Indian _conjuror

shows

_any

aptitude at sleight-of-hand,

and

the

average

Jadoo-wallah

is _very

_good

at it. It is a trick that at first needs a little

practice,

but

it is easy to learn

and

can

be

made

into a first-class _stage or

_drawing

room

entertainment.

One

of our _greatest

exponents

in

London

performs the trick with three breakfast _{cups inverted,} three

lumps

of sugar,

some

walnuts,

and

tan-gerine oranges to a

most amusing

patter

about

_{Cuthbert, Clarence,}

and

_Algernon,

who

are _represented

_by

the three

_lumps

of _sugar

and

_undergo

all sorts of

mis-adventures in _{the night clubs} in the

West

End

of

London.

The

_explanation is _simple.

Instead of three balls the _performer

has four.

One

of these he conceals in the

palm

of the

hand by

which

he lifts the

THE

CUP

AND

BALLS

between

the outstretched _lingers

—

_(first

and

_second)

—

and

the ball is _{securely held}

by

the

muscle

at the ball of the

thumb.

By

bending

the first

and

second _fingers

that hold _{the cup,} its _lip is

_brought

in close

proximity to the secreted ball.

By

a sharp

or _jerky

movement

forward to _place

the

_{cup on}

the _ground,

and

at the

same

time _releasing the muscle of the ball of

the

_thumb,

the woollen ball _naturally finds

its _place

under

the

_cup

and

the _deception

is _complete.

The

_performer then _picks

up

one of the three

_exposed

balls

and

pretends to place it in his

_bag

or into the other hand.

A

blow on

the "

bean

"

and

Hey

! Presto ! the ball appears

under

the

cup

that a

moment

ago

was

placed apparently

empty

on

the ground.

c^

I will _{not go}

_any

further into the

com-binations

and

_{permutations,}

which

are unlimited, of the trick.

Once

a _person has

mastered

the _{easy dexterity described}

above

to _{get the} ball into _{the cup,}

he can

devise further

_developments

for himself.

The

_diagrams

_given will, I trust, clear

up

any

misunderstanding

that

may

beleft after

reading

my

explanation. If there is still

any

uncertainty, for a

few annas

or pence,

any

itinerant conjuror will

show

the

THE

CUP

AND

BAttS

sleight,

and

ten

minutes

practice

ought

to _bring matters to a _satisfactory

con-clusion.

This

_may

be a _{fitting opportunity} to

disabuse the

minds

of

some

about

the

amount

_{of practice}

undertaken

_by

a _really

first-class _performer. I consider that a

man

who

is

an

_expert needs

no

_practice

at all. _{Sleight-of-hand} to

him

is _just

as innate as _hitting

_any

_shaped

ball

with

_any

_shaped

_stick, is to a

man

with

an

_eye for _games.

The

artists

who

drew

these _{illustrations,}

draw

any-thing instinctively.

Years

of practice will never

make

the faces of a _{pretty girl}

that I

draw

look less like

an amphibious

cow.

But

I

have

_{frequently given}

per-formances of

two

hour's duration without

any

previous practice whatever,

beyond

a quick rehearsal to see that all the various

properties are in their correct places,

ready at

hand

when

wanted. I

do

not

want

the _person

who

wishes to

do

a

few

tricks

Uke

the _cups

and

_balls,

and

those

which

I will describe later, to be discouraged

under

the _impression that _{not being a}

born

conjuror it will

be

uselessfor

him

to

_attempt

small tricks

without

constant

and

monoton-ous _practice.

A

little attention

and

trouble

will

make

him

" hot stuff "

with

the _cups

and

balls

and

will lead

him

on

to _higher things.

CHAPTER

III

THE

BAIMBOO-STICKS

We

have

now

the second trick that is

usually

shewn

by

the Jadoo-wallah, that

of the

bamboo

sticks, essentially one of

purely Indian origin.

The

_performer takes

two

small

bamboo

sticks

which have

threaded

_through

them

a _piece of _{string at} each

end

of

which

is a

bead.

He

holds these sticks _together

and

when

he _pulls one

bead

the other is

naturally

drawn

into its stick.

He

now

takes a knife

and

_passes it

between

the sticks _{ostensibly cutting the string}

between

them.

He

_{again pulls} one

bead

and

wonderful to relate the other

bead

is still

drawn

in

towards

its _stick, as before.

He

now

_separates the sticks

and

holds

them

in the _shape of a

_"V,"

and

one can

see

that there is

no

_string

between

the sticks.

Still the

same

_{thing happens.}

When

he

pulls .

one

bead

the other is

drawn

into

its stick.

This little trick is _usually sold as

one

of a

box

of tricks for children at

_any

of the

toy shops in

England.

The

explanation

is _given in the

_diagrams

_below,

which

sticks held together

tillthe knifeis_passed

between them

Heldin "V"

position

show

that the _string does not _{pass directly}

through

each stick,

but from

one side only,

then

_through

its centre

down

to the

_bottom,

across to the other stick,

_up

_through

its

centre,

and

out

through

its side.

THE

BAMBOO-STICKS

quently passing the knife

between

the

sticks cannot

harm

the _string in

_any

_way.

The

Indian _{conjuror goes} still farther

than

the trick as _supplied in the child's

box

of tricks. After _pulling the _string

to

and

fro while the sticks are held as a

"

V

" he _separates the sticks _completely.

The

same

result occurs nevertheless.

When

he _pulls one

end

of the _string the other

end

is

drawn

towards

its stick. This is

brought about

by

a different construction

of _{the apparatus}

than

that described above.

In this case the _string is _put

_through

one side of the stick

and

is attached to

a small _weight that can

move

_freely

_up

and

down

the hollowed out centre of the

bamboo.

When

the stick is held _vertically

the _weight will

_drop

and

the

bead

attached

to the visible

end

of the _string will be automatically

drawn

in.

When

the

per-former wishes to leave the _{pulled string}

out, he

must

incline the stick to a horizontal 25

position

when

the weight will not slide

down.

The

_diagrams

will

show

how

the

sticks should

be

held while

_showing

the

trick. It

can be

_easily

manufactured

or

bought

in a bazaar for a

few

annas.

i I

A

i

Both sticks held vertically and

both beadsin

One stickheld

horizon-tallyallowsthebeadto

remain _out, while the

other _{being held} verti-cally has the bead

drawn in

Vice-versa with sticks _separated

THE

RING

ON THE

STICK

The

sticks are

_put

_away

into _{the basket,}

and

the

_magic

wand

is

_produced

for our

next little _experiment, that of _putting a

borrowed

_ring

on

to the

middle

of a stick

that is held at

both

ends.

Almost

_every

THE

RING

ON

THE

STICK

European

in India has seen this

_performed

in India for it is the favourite ofthe

Jadoo-wallah,

and

is the

most

effective of the small tricks that he

can

show. It takes

up

a considerable time

and

is _simplicity

itself.

In case

_any

of

_my

readers

have

not seen the trick in India, or

on

their

_way

out at

Port Said, I will describe it.

The

per-former either

borrows

or uses his

own

thin cane,

and

_passes it

round

to his

audi-ence to

show

that it is devoid of all

mechanism.

He

then

borrows

a

_wedding

ring,

which

he

also allows to be freely

examined.

He

_gets

A

and

B,

two

of his

audience, to hold the ends of the stick

each

_by

one hand.

He

then _boldly

pro-claims that _{he proposes} to _pass the _ring

on

to the

middle

of the stick without either

A

or

B

_{letting go} of their _respective ends.

In _{order, however,} not to _divulge the

of a handkerchief.

He

takes the

borrowed

ring

and

wraps

it

_up

in the

middle

of the

handkerchief

which

he

asks

some

one

to hold,

and

to feel the ring

wrapped

up

in

it. In order to let

_everyone

know

that

the _ring is _{really there,}

he

takes the stick

from

A

and

B

and

_{gives a tap}

on

the _ring.

He

then

_gets

A

and

B

to hold the stick

once

more

and

_persuades C,

who

is

assisting

with

the handkerchief, to hold

it over the

middle

of the stick.

The

performer holds the corner of the

handker-chief

and

instructs

C

to let _go his hold

on

the

word

'' three." ''

One

!

two

!

three !

"

The

handkerchief is _sharply

pulled

away

and

the

borrowed

ring is seen to

be

_spinning

on

the

middle

of the stick !

This is

how

it is done.

The

stick is

an

ordinary one, thin

enough

to pass easily

through

a

wedding

ring.

The

only

pre-pared

article is the handkerchief, in one

corner of

which

is a _duplicate

_wedding

THE

RING

ON

THE

STICK

ring

sewn

into a small pocket. It does

not

matter

whether

or

no

it is _exactly

similar to the _ring that is _borrowed, as

the _performer takes care that the

owner

of the

borrowed

_ring does not _get a

chance

of _{feeling the duplicate}

even through

the folds of the handkerchief.

When

the

per-former takes the

borrowed

_{ring to fold in}

the _{handkerchief,} he folds the

one

that

is _already

sewn

in it,

and

secretes the

borrowed

_{ring in} his hand.

He

takes the

stick

from

A

and

B

to _tap

on

the _ring folded in _{the handkerchief, really} to slide

the

borrowed

_ring into the middle of it.

He

hands

the stick

back

to be held

_by

A

and

B

but

_keeps his

hand

over the _ring

now

on

it, thus concealing it until it is

covered

_by

the handkerchief.

When

the

handkerchief is _pulled

_away

on

the

word

''

three " it takes with it the _ring

sewn

into its corner

and

as it brushes the stick it

makes

the

borrowed

_ring

on

the stick

revolve _apparently as if it

had

_just arrived

in that _position.

For

_simplicity's sake let us take the various

moves

as

thev

occur.

A.

Borrow

a stick

and

hand

it

round

for examination.

B.

Get

A

and

B

to hold it at the ends. C.

Borrow

a

_wedding

_ring.

D.

Take

the handkerchief

from

the pocket. (The duplicate ring

sewn

in the corner _being held _preferably

in the _{right hand.)}

E.

Pretend

to

_wrap

_up

the

borrowed

ring in the handkerchief, in reahty

wrapping

up

the corner _ring,

and

secrete the

borrowed

_{ring in} the _right

hand.

F.

Take

the stick

from

A

and

B

and

_tap

the folded _ring with it,

now

being

held

_by

C.

While

_{doing so, slip} the

borrowed

_ring into the

middle

of

the stick.

THE

RING

ON THE

STICK

G.

Hand

the stick

back

to

A

and

B

but

_keep

the

hand

on

the stick over

the _ring.

H. Get

C

to cover this

hand

with the handkerchief, holding the ring over

the

middle

of the stick

and

instruct

him

to let _go

on

the

word

" three."

A

neat little trick that can be

_performed

by

anybody

who

takes the trouble to

practice it a couple of times.

THE

GLASS

BOX

The

Glass

Box

and

Ball,

The

next trick _presented to us is

usually the glass

box

and

woollen ball.

The

_performer takes a _very

_badly

con-structed _glass

box

_through

which

one can

see in

_any

direction.

He

covers this with a handkerchief

and

_places it

on

the _ground.

Having

played

his

"

bean

" for

some

moments

he

takes

_up

the box.

There

is

a loud _click,

and

_snatching

_away

the

hand-kerchief the

_Jadoo-wallah

shows

the

box

filled

with

a _variegated cloth ball.

He

opens the lid, takes the ball out,

and

after

casually

showing

it to the audience thrusts

it into his _bag.

He

is _inordinately

_proud

THE

GivASS

BOX

of this _effort, as he assures one that it is

from

" _Bilayat " _{(England), a slander that}

is at once discountenanced

_by

a _glimpse

ar the _{box, obviously}

made

_by

the

most

indifferent " teen

banane

wallah "

(tin-smith) that ever

had

the impertinence to undertake to

make

_anything.

The

construction of the

box

is

shewn

in the

_diagram

below. Its sides are of glass but the top

and

bottom

are of tin.

Before _presenting the _trick^^a cloth _ball,'^

made

of a _{spiral spring} covered with cloth, (triangular pieces of different colours

sewn

together), is

compressed

and

placed

between

the

bottom

of the

box and

a _{glass flap}

which

is _pressed

down

over it until

_caught

by

a pin at the

back

of the box.

When

the ball is to _appear, this _pin is _pressed

and

the catch releases the _{glass flap.}

The

_spring in the ball forces it

_up

_against

one

of the sides while the ball fills the

box

and

holds the _{flap up.}

It is a

most

futile trick with little effect

and

_usually

_uncommonly

_badly

shewn.

But

the

man

of

_mystery

himself is _delighted

with

it

and

thinks it is the best trick in his repertoire.

THE BUNDER

BOAT

\

The

Bunder

Boat. 1

Our

next trick

—

so called because the

'

toy boat used is intended to be a miniature '

of the

harbour

or "

bander

" boat used i

in

_Bombay

—

is a trick

which

_depends

\

entirely

on

natural principles,

and

only needs a careful _eye to time its _required

patter. It is a trick that is

more

commonly

shewn

in the

_Bombay

districts

than

else-where,

_though

there is

no

reason

_why

it

should not

have

travelled _throughout '

India since its invention countless _years

ago.

A

_piece of

wood

cut into the _shape of a

boat is _placed

on

the _ground,

and

a

mast

about

12 inches _high is fixed into its one

;

and

_only seat

_by

_{being firmly pressed} into

the hole cut

_through

the seat.

To

the _top

of the

mast

is affixed a cocoa-nut shell '

which

has a small hole cut into it

about

j

one third of the

_way

_up. Prior to the ^

and

the shell are filled

with

water.

The

bottom

of the

mast

—

which

is hollowed

down

its centre

—

_just touches the _top

of the

water

in the boat.

While

_filling

Oma<lhole oufor

Which fhc Wahur pours

i^^bthsbocfWfii'iIht DottomcTiha.mas^is

rrca oftncvAaJ'er in the. boof'. ^Cocoa-riuP shell foilof HoltcWmosK .o!«

fhroi^cjMwhichtha.

"^arerlaaks.this lanWaa(z. \sncf obscrvfcd_oWm^lbfhc_carelass(!)

spillir^ oTthevVotzrreferredte inthefzxf^

the _{articles; \vith^}

water

the _performer

carelessl}^

—

very carelessly

—

spills

some

on

the

_ground

all

round

the boat.

He

then

blows

his " bean." After a short interval

he orders

water

to

_pour

out of the hole

in the shell. It does so until he tells it to stop.

He

again blows his

"

bean."

_Again

THE BUNDER

BOAT

I

he orders the

water

to

_pour

out of the shell.

Again

it _{pours out} until told to _stop.

And

so

on

until the shell is _quite

_empty

and

the trick is at

an

end.

Wonderful

isn't it ? Marvellous !

Mahatmaism

1

Now

let us

have

the explanation.

The

cocoa-nut shell is full of water.

It _{has only}

one

outlet, the small hole in

its side. This is so small that the air

cannot _get in to let the water out.

The

only

way

the air

can

get in is

up

the

hollowed _mast, the

bottom

of

which

is

immersed

in the

water

in the boat.

There

is a small hole in the

bottom

of the boat

through which

the water in it leaks

_away.

This lowers the

water

until it has cleared

from

the

bottom

of the

mast

_{through which}

a _puff of air _goes

_up

into the shell, _allowing

some

of the water in the shell to

_pour

out

into the

water

in the boat.

Now

the water

into the boat

than

the

water

that is

leaking out of the boat. This fills it

_up

again until the

bottom

of the

mast

is _again

immersed,

stopping

any

air _going

_up

into

the shell

and

the

water

_{stops pouring out} of it.

The

_performer drones

_away

on

his

musical instrument until

he

sees that the

water

level in the boat is _just

about

to clear the

bottom

of the mast.

He

then

orders the

water

to

come

out of the shell.

He

watches

until the

_{newly added}

water

to that in the boat is

about

to cover the

bottom

of the

mast

_again,

and

then

_gives

that

wonderful

and

much

used

order

'*

Bus

" _{that, possibly,}

_many

of

_my

readers

may

use

from

time to

time

after the

sun

has set.

The

water

_{stops pouring} out

of the mast.

Wonderful

isn't it ?

Mahatma.

Ghandi

ki _Jai !

CHAPTER

V

THE

BOWI.

OF

RICE

A

_surprising little trick

was

once

shewn

to

me

_by

a _performer

whose

exhibition

of

_magic

was

otherwise of _{a very}

low

class.

He

borrowed

a '' lota " or brass

water

bowl

of

one

of the servants.

These

lotas are _invariably so

_shaped

that the

cir-cumference

of the _top is

about

half that

of the widest _part, thus :

—

He

then

borrowed

some uncooked

rice

with

which he

_proceeded to fill the

bowl

to its

utmost

_capacity.

While

_doing so 39

he

_kept

on

_bumping

the

bowl

on

the

_ground

so that the rice

was

_packed

as _closely as possible inside it, until finally one could see the last

few

_grains in a

_pyramid

on

_top.

He

then

borrowed

a _large table _knife,

and

as it _were,

stabbed

it into the rice

down

into the bowl. Little stabs at

first,

and

then _deeper

and

_deeper until

the

whole

of the blade of the knife

was

in the rice,

and

the handle alone

remained

to

be

seen. After

an

incantation

and

jadoo-music,

he caught

hold of the handle

and

raised the

bowl

and

the rice _slowly into space.

He

then

_swung

it to

and

fro

and

_eventually

_spun

round

and

_round, holding the handle of the knife while the

bowl

and

its contents of rice _clung

tenaciously to the blade.

Beginning

to

slow

_down,

he at last _replaced the

bowl

on

the _ground, extracted the knife

and

handed

it to

me

for examination.

He

emptied

the

bowl

pouring the rice into

THE

BOWI,

OF

RICE

some

_paper

laid out to receive it.

The

closest _scrutiny revealed

no

trace of

''

gadgets

"or

of

any

artifice that

had

enabled

him

to thus lift the filled bowl.

A

small bribe could not

_tempt

him

to reveal the _secret,

and

in such cases I

make

it a rule to _try the trick _exactly as I

have

seen it done.

I took a similar _bowl, filled it with _rice,

and

stabbed it

with

a table knife.

_Gently

at first

and

then

more

_firmly.

To

_my

astonishment I

found

that after three

or four stabs in _exactly the

same

_place,

the rice

below

the blade

seemed

to _get

harder, until I _pressed

down

the knife

and

found

that 1 could not extract it with

a _{straight pull} ! I lifted the

bowl

of

rice,

and

could with

_impunity

swing it

round

over

_my

head

_just as one uses

an

Indian club.

To

extract the knife one has to twist the handle _slightly,

when

it

comes

out _immediately.

_Try

it

and

see. 41

The

Coloured Sands.

Occasionally our .conjuring friend breaks

out

from

the _stereotyped

_programme

already described,

and

one

of the

most

common

additions to his

_programme

is

the

"coloured

sand"

trick.

He

has a

bowl

of

water

on

_{the ground,}

and from

a

number

of small _packets of

paper

he

takes a corresponding

number

of different _{coloured powders.}

Let

_{us say}

"

Green,

Red,

White,

Orange and

Blue."

He

_pours all these into the

bowl

of _water,

which

assumes

a _dirty blue colour

when

stirred

_up

well.

Finally,

from

a

box

containing

common

sand he

_puts

two

or three handsfull into

the basin of

water

and

_thoroughly

mixes

up

the contents of the bowl.

He

then asks his audience

which

col-oured sand

_they

would

like extracted

from

the water.

The

_reply

_may

be

" _green."

"

Wet

or

_dry

?

"

asks the _conjuror.

Let

42

THE

COI^OURED

SANDS

us ask for " _dry."

He

_dips his

hand

into

the

water

and

_{grasping, apparently,} a

handful of the _mixture,

draws

it out _again,

and

_squeezes out a

shower

of _{dry green}

sand,

unmixed

with

_any

other colour !

"

Now

what

colourwill

_you

have

?

"

asks the magician.

Let

us ask for

"

wet

blue sand."

He

_dips his

_{empty hand}

into the _water,

and

draws

out a handful of

wet

_{blue sand,}

for,

when

he opens his hand, a

_damp

ball

of blue

sand

falls

on

to the _ground.

He

can

deal with the other coloured sands

in the

same

_way,

_bringing out each colour

separately,

and

wet

or

dry

as desired.

How

on

earth is it

done

?

The

different coloured sands or

_powders

are

_put

into the

water

in a fair

and

_square

manner.

But

the solution of the trick is to be

found

in the

_way

in

which

he puts

the

common

sand

into the water. This

common

sand

is _kept in _{a box,}

and

in it

of coloMrs _{corresponding} to those _already

put

into the water.

These

balls _are

pre-pared

by

being

mixed

with

a little _water,

rolled into a _ball,

which

is

smeared

all

over

with

_grease,

and

then

baked

until dry.

Each

ball

can

then

be

immersed

in

water

for a

minute

or so

_{without crumbling}

or _being

_{damaged by}

the water.

These

balls are

_put

into the

common

sand

box,

so that _they are _{only just} visible to the performer.

He

puts his

hand

into the

box

and

extracts a handful of

common

sand, together with a ball of _powder.

He

thrusts his

hand

into the

bowl

_{leaving the}

ball

_immersed,

and

notes its _position.

He

_again takes a handful of

common

sand

and

with it another ball

which

he

_places in the water. _Similarly he _places all the

coloured balls into the _water,

under

the

guise of

adding

plenty of

common

sand,

to

make

the trick

more

difficult

and

THE

COLOURED

SANDS

position of each coloured ball as he puts

it into the water, as

when

immersed

_they

cannot be seen either

_by

him

or the audience,

_owing

to the _dirty blue-ishness of the

whole

mixture.

The

audience

now

select the colour of

the

_powder

to be extracted.

The

per-former

remembers

the _position of the

re-quired ball

and

takes it out.

If it is to be

_poured

out _wet, he opens his

hand and

_drops it

on

to the _ground.

If it is

wanted

"

Dry,"

by

squeezing the

ball, its

baked

shell is cracked

and

its

contents

_pour

out.

There

is

no

_difficulty in _performing the trick. It is _very effective

and

one that

is included in the

_programme

of

many

European

conjurors,

though

their

modus

operandi is

more

efficient

and

needs less

preparation.

A ROPE

TRICK

The

_{only rope} trick I

have

ever seen

performed

by

an

Indian conjuror, is that

of "

The

cut _{string restored/'} as it is

called in

_England.

The

idea is to _get

one

of the audience

to cut a _{piece of string or rope ostensibly}

in half

and

_by

_magic

to restore it, without the use of knots.

The

_explanation of this trick is _given

in

_many

books

for _beginners in _Magic.

The

author of "

Modern

_Magic

"

—

the best

work

to

_my

mind

on

_Elementary

con-juring

—

says of it " This trick is of such venerable _antiquity, that

we

should not

have

ventured to allude to it, w^ere it not

PRELIMINARIES OF THE RESTORED ROPE. The _only rope trick that I have ever seen _performed m India.

A

ROPE

TRICK

that the

mode

of _working,

which

we

are

about

to describe,

_though

old in _principle is

new

in detail

and

much

_superior in

neatness to _{the generally}

known

methods."

After _offering the _rope for

_thorough

examination

Shah

Mohommed

took the

two

ends

and

_manipulated

the _rope in such

a

manner

that

when

it

was

held out to be

cut it

was

in this wise :

—

Held

at

A

_by

the left

hand and

at

B

_by

the _right. It

was

cut at

x

and

_consequently

was

in

two

_pieces not of _{equal length,}

but of

which

one

was

_practically the

whole

length of the rope while the other

was

the _piece

_AX,

or _possibly

some

six 47