12343	----	Proofreading Team THE Art of Iugling or Legerdemaine. Wherein is deciphered, all the conueyances of Legerdemaine and Iugling, how they are effected, & wherin they chiefly consist. Cautions to beware of cheating at Cardes and Dice. The detection of the beggerly Art of Alcumistry, &, The foppery of foolish cousoning Charmes. All tending to mirth and recreation, especially for those that desire to haue the insight and priuate practise thereof. By _S.R._ _Quod noua testa capit, Inueterata sapit._ 1612. TO THE INGENIOVS GENTLEMAN, and my louing father, Mr. WILLIAM BVBB. _This short conceipt, that I haue writ of late, To you kinde Father _BVBB_, I dedicate, Not that I meane heereby (good sir) to teach, For I confesse, your skills beyond my reach: But since before with me much time you spent, Good reason then, first fruits I should present: That thankefull [*] Bird that leaues one young behinde, Ensamples me, to bear a thankefull minde: Vngratefull he, that thankes can not repay To him, that hath deseru'd it euery way: Accept (kinde Sir) my loue, that being doone, I aske no more, desire no other Boone._ Your Lo: sonne in all loue, SA: RID. [* Sidenote: The nature of this Bird is: that building her nest vnder the couer of houses (as the Swallow doth with vs) leaue euer behinde her for the owner of the house, one young one, in token of her thankfulnesse: and as I may say, for pawne of her rent.] TO HIS LOVING FRIEND AND adopted Sonne Mr. _Sa: Rid_. _Most worthy sonne, Your labour and obseruance heerein, with the gift of your first fruits, is both worthy commendations and acceptance: and to cherrish you further in this your discouery, I will giue an addition to your second treatise. So I leaue you to God: and belieue you, not a more louing friend then,_ William Bubb. _To the curteous Reader._ There goeth a prety Fable of the Moone: On a time she earnestly besought her mother to prouide her a garment, comely and fit for her body: how can that bee sweete daughter (quoth the mother) sith that your body neuer keepes it selfe at one staye, nor at one certaine estate, but changeth euery day in the month, nay euery houre? The application heereof needes no interpretation: Fantasie and foolery who can please? and desire who can humour? no Camelion changeth his coulour as affection, nor any thing so variable a _Populus Chorus Fluuius_. I would with all my heart, euery Author that had done no better then I haue, had done no worse: and it were to be wished that some caprichious Coxecombes, with their desperate wits, were not so forward to disbowell the entrails of their own ouerweening, singular, infectious, & pestiferous thoughts, as I knowe some. But I cannot stand all day nosing of Candlestickes; meane time beare with a plaine man: whatsoeuer I haue now done, I hope no exception can be taken, it is for your mirth and recreation (and I pray you so take it.) let such as will needes barke at the Moone, yell till their hearts ake: Gentle and Gentlemens spirits, wil take all kindely that is kindely presented. _Yours in loue_ S.R. THE Art of Iugling or Legerdemaine. Heretofore we haue runne ouer the two pestiferous carbuncles in the commonwealth, the Egyptians and common Canters: the poore Canters we haue canuased meetely well, it now remaines to proceede where I left, ond to goe forward with that before I promised: St. _Quintane_ be my good speede, I know I haue runne thorow the hands of many, censured of diuers, & girded at not of a few: But humanity is euer willinger to loue then hate: curtesie much forwarder to commend then dispraise: clemency infinitely proner to absolue then to condemn. Is it not possible to find sauery hearbs among netles, roses among prickles, berries among bushes, marrow among bones, grain among stubble, and a little corne among a great deale of chaffe? In the rankest and strongest poysons, pure and sweet balmes may be distilled, and some matter or other worthy to be remembred may be embraced, whosoeuer is Author. There is nothing so exceeding foolish but hath bene defended by some wise man, nor any thing so passing wise, but hath bene confuted by some foole: Tut, St. _Barnard_ saw not all things, and the best cart may eftsoones ouerthrow: That curld pate _Rufus_ that goes about with _Zoylus_ to carpe and finde fault, must bring the Standard of iudgement with him, and make wisedome the moderater of his wit, otherwise they may be like to purchase to themselues the worshipfull names of _Dunces_ and _Dottipoles_. So much by the way. These kinde of people about an hundred yeares agoe, about the twentith yeare of King _Henry_ the eight, began to gather an head, at the first heere about the Southerne parts, and this (as I am informed) and as I can gather, was their beginning. Certaine Egiptians banished their cuntry (belike not for their good conditions) ariued heere in England, who being excellent in quaint trickes and deuises, not known heere at that time among vs, were esteemed and had in great admiration, for what with strangenesse of their attire and garments, together with their sleights and legerdemaines, they were spoke of farre and neere, insomuch that many of our English loyterers ioyned with them, and in time learned their craft and cosening. The speach which they vsed was the right Egiptian language, with whome our Englishmen conuersing with, at last learned their language. These people continuing about the cuntry in this fashion, practising their cosening art of fast and loose, and legerdemaine, purchased to themselues great credit among the cuntry people, and got much by Palmistry, and telling of fortunes: insomuch they pittifully cosoned the poore cuntry girles, both of mony, siluer spoones, and the best of their apparrell, or any good thing they could make, onely to heare their fortunes. This _Giles Hather_ (for so was his name) together with his whore _Kit Calot_, in short space had following them a pretty traine, he tearming himselfe the King of Egiptians, and she the Queene, ryding about the cuntry at their pleasures vncontrolled: at last about forty yeres after, when their knauery began to be espied, and that their cosonages were apparant to the world, (for they had continued neere thirty yeares after this manner, pilling and polling, and cosening the cuntry) it pleased the Councell to looke more narrowly into their liues, and in a Parliament made in the first and second yeares of _Phillip_ and _Mary_, there was a strict Statute made, that whosoeuer should transport any Egiptians into this Realme, should forfeit forty pounds: Moreouer, it was then enacted, that such fellowes as tooke vpon them the name of Egiptians, aboue the age of fourteene, or that shall come ouer and be transported into England, or any other persons, and shall be seene in the company of vagabonds, calling themselues Egiptians, or counterfeiting, transforming, or disguising themselues by their apparrell, speach, or other behauiours like vnto Egiptians, and so shall continue, either at one or seuerall times, by the space of a month, they should be adiudged fellons, not allowed their booke or Clergy. These Acts and Statutes now put forth, and come to their hearing, they deuide their bands and companies into diuers parts of the Realme: for you must imagine and know that they had aboue two hundred roagues and vagabonds in a Regiment: and although they went not altogether, yet would they not be aboue two or three miles one from the other, and now they dare no more be knowne by the name of Egiptians, nor take any other name vpon them then poore people. But what a number were executed presently vpon this statute, you would wonder: yet not withstanding all would not preuaile: but still they wandred, as before vp and downe, and meeting once in a yeere at a place appointed: sometimes at the Deuils arse in peake in Darbishire, and otherwhiles at Ketbrooke by Blackeheath, or elsewhere, as they agreed still at their meeting. Then it pleased Queene _Elizabeth_ to reuiue the Statute before mentioned, in the twentith yeare of her happy raigne, endeauouring by all meanes possible to roote out this pestiferous people, but nothing could be done, you see vntill this day: they wander vp and downe in the name of Egiptians, cullouring their faces and fashioning their attire and garment like vnto them, yet if you aske what they are, they dare no otherwise then say, they are Englishmen, and of such a shire, and so are forced to say contrary to that they pretend. But to come a little neerer our purpose, these fellowes seeing that no profit comes by wandring, but hazard of their liues, doe daily decrease and breake off their wonted society, and betake themselues many of them, some to be Pedlers, some Tinkers, some Iuglers, and some to one kinde of life or other, insomuch that Iugling is now become common, I meane the professors who make an occupation and profession of the same: which I must needs say, that some deserue commendation for the nimblenes and agillity of their hands, and might be thought to performe as excellent things by their Legerdemaine, as any of your wisards, witches, or magitians whatsoeuer. For these kinde of people doe performe that in action, which the other do make shew of: and no doubt many when they heare of any rare exploit performed which cannot enter into their capacity, and is beyond their reach, straight they attribute it to be done by the Deuill, and that they worke by some familiar spirit, when indeede it is nothing els but meere illusion, cosoning, and legerdemaine. For you haue many now adaies, and also heeretofore many writers haue bene abused, as well by vntrue reports as by illusion and practises of confederacy, & legerdemaine, &c. Sometimes imputing to words that which resteth in nature, and sometimes to the nature of the thing that which proceedeth of fraud and deception of sight. But when these experiments growe to superstition and impiety, they are either to be forsaken as vaine, or denyed as false: howbeit, if these things be done for recreation and mirth, and not to the hurt of our neighbour, nor to the prophaning and abusing of Gods holy name: then sure they are neither impious nor altogether vnlawfull, though heerein or heereby a naturall thing be made to seeme supernaturall. And Gentlemen, if you will giue me patience, I will lay open vnto you the right Art Iugling and Legerdemain, in what poynt it doth chiefly consist: principally being sorry that it thus fals out, to lay open the secrets of this mistery to the hinderance of such poore men as liue thereby, whose doings heerein are not onely tollerable, but greatly commendable, so they abuse not the name of God, nor make the people to attribute vnto them his power, but alwaies acknowledge wherein the Art consisteth. The true Art therefore of Iugling, consisteth in Legerdemaine: that is, the nimble conueyance and right dexteritie of the hand, the which is performed diuers waies, especially three: The first and princiall consisteth in hiding & conueying of balls: The second in alteration of money: The third in the shuffling of Cards: and he that is expert in these, may shew many feates, and much pleasure. There are diuers and rare experiments to be showne by confederacy, either priuate or publike, all which in place conuenient, shall be spoken of. And forasmuch as I professe rather to discouer then teach these misteries, it shall suffice to signifie vnto you, that the endeauour and drift of Iuglers, is onely to abuse mens eyes and iudgements: now then my meaning is in wordes as plaine as I can, to rip up some proper tricks of that Art, wherof some are pleasant & delectable, othersome dreadful & desperate, and all but meere delusions and counterfeit actions, as you shal soone see by due obseruation of euery knacke by me heereafter deciphered: And first in order I will begin with the playes and deuises of the ball, which are many: I will touch onely but a few, and as in this, so in all the rest I will runne ouer slightly, yet as plaine as I can. Notes and obseruations to be marked of such as desire to practise Legerdemaine. Remember that a Iugler must set a good face vppon that matter he goeth about, for a good grace and carriage is very requisite to make the art more authenticall. Your feates and trickes then must be nimbly, cleanly, and swiftly done, and conueyed so as the eyes of the beholders may not discerne or perceaue the tricke, for if you be a bungler, you both shame your selfe, and make the Art you goe about to be perceaued and knowne, and so bring it into discredit. Wherefore vse and exercise makes a man ready. _Vsus promptus facit_, and by that meanes your feats being cunningly handled, you shall deceaue both the eye, the hand, and the eare: for often times it will fall out in this arte, and deuises _Deceptio visus, Deceptio tactus, et Deceptio Auditus_. Note also that you must haue none of your Trinckets wanting, least you be put to a non plus: besides it behooueth you to be mindefull whereabout you goe in euery trick, least you mistake, and so discredit the arte. You must also haue your words of Arte, certaine strange words, that it may not onely breed the more admiration to the people, but to leade away the eie from espying the manner of your conuayance, while you may induce the minde, to conceiue, and suppose that you deale with Spirits: and such kinde of sentenses, and od speeches, are vsed in diuers manners, fitting and correspondent to the action and feate that you goe about. As Hey _Fortuna, furia, nunquam, Credo_, passe passe, when come you Sirrah? or this way: hey Iack come aloft for thy masters aduantage, passe and be gone, or otherwise: as _Ailif, Casil, zaze, Hit, metmeltat, Saturnus, Iupiter, Mars, Sol, Venus, Mercurie, Luna?_ or thus: _Drocti, Micocti, et Senarocti, Velu barocti, Asmarocti, Ronnsee, Faronnsee_, hey passe passe: many such obseruations to this arte, are necessary, without which all the rest, are little to the purpose. Feates of Legerdemaine vsed with the Balls, with one or more. Concerning the Ball, the playes and deuises thereof are infinite: insomuch, as if you can vse them wel, you may shew an hundred feats, but whether you seeme to throw the Ball into the ayre, or into your mouth, or into your left hand, or as you list, it must be kept still in your right hand: if you practise first with the leaden bullet, you shall the sooner, and better do it with balls of Corke: the first place at your first learning, where you are to bestow a great ball, is in the palme of your hand, with your ring finger, but a small ball is to be placed with your thumbe betwixt your ring finger and middle finger: then are you to practise to do it betwixt your other fingers, then betwixt the forefinger & the thumbe, with the forefinger & middle finger ioyntly, and therein is the greatest and the strangest conueying shewed. Lastly the same small ball is to be practised in the palme of your hand, and so by vse, you shall not only seeme to put any ball from you, and yet retaine it in your hand, but you shall keepe fower or fiue, as clenly and certaine as one, this being first learned and sleight attayned vnto, you shall worke wonderfull feates: as for ensample. Note for this feate yow must haue fower boxes made in the manner of extinguishers that are made to put out candles, but as big againe: but for want of them, you may take smal candlesticks, or saltseller couers, or som such like. Lay three or fower balls before you, and as many boxes or small candlesticks &c, then first seeme to put one ball into your left hand, and therewithall seeme to holde the same fast. Then take one of the boxes &c. or any other thing (hauing a hollow foote, and being great) and seeme to put the ball which is thought to be in your left hand vnderneath the same, and so vnder the other candlesticks Boxes &c. seeme to bestow the other balls, and all this while the beholders will suppose each ball to be vnder each box, or candlestick &c. this done vse some charme or forme of words (before set downe) as hey _Fortuna furie nunquam credo_, passe passe: then take vp the candlestick with one hand and blow, saying thats gone you see: and so likewise looke vnder each candlestick with like grace and words (for you must remember to carry a good grace and face on the matter) and the beholders will wonder where they are become: But if you in lifting vp the candlesticks with your right hand leaue all those three or fower balls vnder one of them (as by vse you may easily doe) hauing turned them all downe into your hand and holding them fast with your little, and ring finger, and take the box or candlestick &c. with your other fingers and cast the balls vp into the hollownes thereof (for so they will not rowle so soone away) the standers by will be much astonished, but it will seeme wonderfull strange, if also in shewing how there remaineth nothing vnder an other of the said candlesticks taken vp with your left hand you leaue behinde you a great ball, or any other thing, the miracle will be the greater. For first, they will thinke you haue pulled away all the balls by miracle, then that you haue brought them againe by like meanes and they nether thinke, or looke that any other thing remaineth behinde vnder any of them, and therfore after many other feates don returne to your candlesticks, remembring where you left the great ball, and in no wise touch the same, but hauing another great ball about you, seeme to bestow the same in manner and forme aforesaid vnder a candlestick which standeth farthest from that where the ball lyeth, and when you shall with words and charmes seeme to conuey the same ball from vnder the same box or candlestick &c. (and afterward bring it vnder the box &c. which you touched not) it will (I say) seeme wonderfull strange. To make a little Ball swell in your hand till it be very great. Take a very great ball in your left hand, or three indifferent big balls, and shewing one or three little balls, seeme to put them into your said left hand, concealing (as you may well do) the other balls which were there before: Then vse charmes, and words, and make them seem to swell, and open your hand &c. This play is to be varied an hundred waies for as you finde them all vnder the boxe or candlesticke, so may you goe to a stander by, and take off his hat or cap and shew the balls to be there, by conueying them thereinto as you turne the bottome vpward. These things to them that know them are counted ridiculous, but to those that are ignorant they are maruelous. To consume, (or rather conuay) one or many Balls into nothing. If you take a ball or more, and seeme to put it into your other hand, and whilst you vse charming words, you conuey them out of your right hand into your lap, it will seeme strange, for when you open your left hand, immediately the sharpest lookers on will say, it is in your other hand, which also then you may open, and when they see nothing there, they are greatly ouertaken. An other pretty feat with Balls. Take foure Balls, one of the which keep betweene your fore-finger and your middle, laying the other three vpon the table, then take vp one and put it into your left hand, and afterward take vp another, and conuaying it and the other betweene your fingers into your left hand, taking vp the third and seeming to cast it from you into the ayre, or into your mouth, or else where you please, vsing some words or charmes as before: the standers by when you aske them how many you haue in your hand, will iudge there are no more then two, which when you open your hand they shall see how they are deluded. But I will leaue to speake of the ball any more, for heerein I might hold you all day, and yet shall I not be able to teach you the vse of it, nor scarcely to vnderstand what I meane or write, concerning it, vnlesse you haue had some sight thereof heeretofore by demonstration: and alwaies remember that the right hand be kept open and straight, only keepe the palme from view: and therefore I will end with this miracle. A feat, tending chiefly to laughter and mirth. Lay one ball vpon your shoulder, an other on your arme, and the third on the table: which because it is round and will not easily lye vpon the point of your knife, you must bid a stander by, lay it theron, saying, that you meane to cast all those three Balls into your mouth at once: and holding a knife as a penne in your hand, when he is laying vpon the poynt of your knife, you may easily with the haft rap him on the fingers, for the other matter will be hard to doe. And thus much of the Balls. To come to the second principall part of Legerdemaine, which is conuayance of mony, wherein by the way obserue that the mony must not be of too small nor too great a circumference, least either, it hinder the conuayance. Of conueyance of mony. The conueying of mony is not much inferiour to the Ball, but much easier to doe: The principall place to keepe a peece of mony in, is the palme of your hand: The best peece to keepe, is a testor, but with exercise all will be alike, except the mony be very small, and then it must bee kept betweene the fingers, and almost at the fingers end, where as the ball is to be kept, and below neere to the palme. To conuey mony out of one hand into the other, by Legerdemaine. First you must hold open your right hand and lay therin a testor or counter, and then lay thereupon the top of your long left finger, and vse words &c. and vpon the sudden slip your right hand from your finger, wherewith you held downe the testor, and bending your hand a very little, you shall retaine the testor therein, and sodainely (I say) drawing your right hand thorough your left, you shal seeme to haue left the testor there, especially when you shut in due time your left hand, which that it may more plainely appeare to be truely done, you may take a knife and seeme to knocke against it, so as it shall make a great sound: but instead of knocking the peece in the left hand (where none is) you shall hold the point of the knife fast with the left hand, and knocke against the testor held in the other hand, and it will be thought to hit against the mony in the left hand: then vse words, and open the hand, and when nothing is seene, it will be wondred at, how the testor was remoued. To conuert or transubstantiat money into Counters, or Counters into money. An other way to deceaue the lookers on, is to doe as before with a testor, and keeping a Counter in the palme of your left hand, secretly to seeme to put the testor thereinto, which being retained still in the right hand, when the left hand is opened, the testor will seeme to be transubstantiated into a counter. To put one Testor into one hand, and another into an other hand, and with words to bring them together. He that hath once attayned to the facillity of reteyning one peece of money in his right hand, may shew an hundred pleasant conceits by that meanes, and may reserue two or three as well as one: and loe, then may you seeme to put one peece into your left hand, and retaining it still in your right hand, you may together therewith take vp another like peece, and so with words seeme to bring both peeces together. To put one testor into a strangers hand and an other in your owne hand, and to conuay both into the strangers hand with words. Take two testors eeuenly set together, and put the same in stead of one testor into a strangers hand: and then making as though you put one testor into your left hand, with words you shall make it seeme that you conuey the testor in your hand into the strangers hand: for when you open your said left hand, there shall be nothing seene: and he opening his hand, shall finde two where he thought was but one. By this deuise I say an hundred conceits may be shewed. To throwe a peece of money away and to finde it againe where you please. You may with the middle and ring-finger of the right hand, conuey a testor into the palme of the same hand, and seeming to cast it away, keepe it still, which with confederacy will seeme strange: to wit, when you finde it againe, where another hath bestowed the very like peece. But these things without exercise cannot be done, and therefore I will proceede to shew things to be brought to passe by many, with lesse difficulty, and yet as strange as the rest, which being vnknowne, are maruelously commended, but being vnknowne, are derided and nothing at all regarded. To make a testor or a groat, leap out of a potte, or run along vpon a table with words. You shall see a Iugler take a testor or groate & throw it into a pot, or lay it on the middest of the table, and with inchanting words cause the same to leape out of the pot, or run towards him or from him wards alongest the table, which will seeme miraculous, vntill that you know that it is done with a long black haire of a womans head, fastned to the brim of a groat by meanes of a little hole driuen through the same with a spanish needle: in like sort you may vse a knife or any other small thing. But if you would haue it to goe from you, you must haue a confederate by which meanes all Iugling is greased, and amended. This feate is the stranger if it be done by night, a candle placed betweene the lookers on and the Iugler: for by that meanes the eysight is hindred from deserning the conceyt. A very pretty trick to make a groate or a testor to sinck thorow a table, and to vanish out of a hand kercheife very strangely. A Iugler sometimes will borrow a groate or a testor, and marke it before you, and seeme to put the same into a hand kercheife, and winde it so that you may the better see and feele it: then will he take you the handkercheif and bid you feele whether the groate be there or no: And he will also require you to put the same vnder a candlestick or some such thing: then will he send for a Bason and holding the same vnder the boord right against the candlestick will vse certen words of inchantments, and in short space you shall here the groat fall into a bason: this done, one takes of the candlestick and the Iugler taketh the handcarcheife by the tassell, and shaketh it: but the money is gone, which seemeth as strange as any feate what soeuer: but being knowne, the miracle is turned into a bable, for it is nothing but to sowe a counter into the corner of a handkercher finely couered with a peece of linnen little bigger then the counter, which corner you must conuey in steede of the groat deliuered vnto you, in the middle of your handkercheife, leauing the other eyther in your hand or lappe, which afterwards you must seeme to pull through the board, letting it fall into a bason. To conuey one shilling being in one hand into an other, holding your armes abroad like to a roode. Euermore it is necessary to mingle some merry toyes among your graue miracles, as in this case of money: Take a shilling in each hand, and holding your armes abroad, to lay a wager that you will put them both into one hand without bringing them any whit nerer together: the wager being layde, hold your armes abroad like a roode, and turning about with your body, lay the shilling out of one of your hands vppon the table, and turning to the other side take it vp with the other hand, and so you shall winne your wager. Of Cardes and Dice, with good cautions how to auoyde cosenage therein: speciall rules to conuey and handle the cardes, and the manner and order how to accomplish all difficult, & strange things wrought with cardes. Hauing bestowed some wast money amonge you, I will set you to Cardes, and Dice: A cupple of honest friends that drawe both in a yoke together, which haue bin the ouerthrow, of many a hundred in this Realme, and these are not the slightest matters whereuppon Iuglers worke vpon, and shew their feates. By which kinde of Iugling, a great number haue Iugled away, not only their money, but also their landes, their health, their time, and their honestie: I dare not (as I could) shew the lewde Iugling that cheaters practise, least it minister some offence, to the well disposed: to the simple hurt and losse, and to the wicked occasion of euill doing. But by the way I will a little speake of dice, and the vse of them, as caueats, rather to let you take heede of their cosonings, then to giue you light to follow their doings: _Non ad imitandum sed ad cuitandum._ First, you must know a Langret, which is a die that simple men haue seldom heard of, but often seene to their cost, and this is a well fauoured die, and seemeth good and square, yet is it forged longer, vppon the Cater, and Trea, then any other way: And therefore it is called a Langret. Such be also cal'd bard Cater treas, because commonly, the longer end will of his owne sway drawe downewards, and turne vp to the eie, Sixe, Sincke, Deuce or Ace. The principall vse of them is at _Nouum_, for so longe a paire of Bard cater treas be walking on the bourd, so longe can ye not cast fiue, nor nine, vnles it be by greate chance, that the roughnes of the table, or some other stoppe force them to stay, and runne against their kinde: for without Cater or trea, ye know that fiue or nine can neuer come. But you will say by this reason, he that hath the first dice, is like alwaies to stripp and rob all the table about. To helpe this, there must be for that purpose, an odd Die, called a flat Cater trea ready at hand, and no other number, for graunting the trea and Cater be allwaies vppon the one Die, then is there no chance vpon the other Die, but may serue to make fiue or nine, & cast forth, & loose all. But now to share you what shifts they haue to bring the flat die in and out, which is a iolly cunning property of Iugling, with them called foysting: the which is nothing else but a slight, to carry easly within the hand, as often as the foister list: so that when either he or his partner shall cast the dice, the flat comes not abroad, till hee hath made a great hand and won as much as him listeth: otherwise the flat is euer one, vnlesse at few times vpon purpose he suffer the silly soules to cast in a hand or two, to giue them courage to continue the play, and liue in hope of winning. These things I know seeme very strange to the simple, and as yet cannot sinke into their braine, how a man may carry so many dice in one hand, and chop and change them so often, and neuer be espied: so as before I tolde you, Iuglers conueyance seemeth to exceede the compas of reason till you know the feat: but what is it that vse and labour ouercometh not. To foyst finely and readily and with the same hand to tell mony to and fro, is a thing hardly learned, and asketh a bold spirit and long experience, though it be one of the first the Cheater learneth. What should I speak any more of false dice, of fullons, high-men, lowe-men, gourds, and brisled dice, grauiers, demies, and contraries, all which haue his sundry vses: but it is not my meaning to stand on this subiect: I would rather vse my pen, and spend my time, to disswade and perswade all gamesters, to beware not onely with what dice, but with what company and where they exercise gaming: and be well assured Gentlemen that all the friendly entertainement you shall finde amongst them is for no other end, but to perswade you to play, and therby by to breede your great losse, if not altogether your vndoing. Therefore vtterly forbeare to hazard any thing at dice, and liue in doubt and suspition of cheating, wheresoeuer you play (vnles you know your company very well) for the contagion of cheating, is now growne so vniuersall, that they swarme in euery quarter: and therefore ye cannot be in safety, vnles you shunne the company of such altogether. To leaue Dice and returne to Cardes, wherein is as much falsehood and cosening as in Dice: I will therefore disclose as much in one as in the other, for I would not giue a point to choose, which of them is the better, or rather the worse, for there is such a slight in shuffling and sorting of the Cardes, that play at what game you will, all is lost before hand, but if there be a confederate: either of the players or standers bie, the mischiefe can not be auoided. Beware therefore when you play among strangers of him that seemes simple or drunken, for vnder their habit the most speciall cosoners are presented, and while you thinke by their simplicitie and imperfections to beguile them, (and thereof perchance are perswaded by their confederates) your very friends as you thinke, you your selfe will be most of all ouertaken. Beware also of betters by, and lookers on: and namely on them that bet on your side: for whilst they looke on your game without suspition, they discouer it by signes to your aduersaries, with whome they bet, and yet are they confederates, whereof me thinkes this one aboue the rest proceedeth from a fine inuention. A tricke by confederacy at Cardes. A Gamester, after he had bene often times bitten by Cheators, and after much losse, grew very suspitious in his play, so that he would not suffer any of the sitters by to be priuy to his game, for this the Cheators deuised a new shift, that a woman should sit close by him, and by the swift and slowe drawing of her needle, giue a token to the Cheator what was the Cosens game. Other helpes there be, as to set the Cosen vpon the bench, with a great Looking glasse behinde him on the wall, wherein the Cheator may alwaies see what Cardes hee hath in his hand, So that a few ensamples in stead of many that might be rehearsed, this one conclusion may be gathered, that whosoeuer is giuen to play, and once sitteth amongst them, it is great ods but that he shall rise a looser. But many there be that liue so continently, that nothing can perswade them to put a penny in aduenture, and some againe are so vnskilfull that lacke of cunning forceth them to forbeare play: but yet hard it is for any man to fall into their company, but they will make him stoope at one game or other: and for this purpose, their first drift and intent is to seeke, by al meanes possible to vnderstand his nature, and whereunto he is most inclined: if they find that he taketh pleasure in the company of women, then seek they to strike him, at the Sacking law: (as they tearme it) and take this alwaies for a rule, that all the Baudes in the country be of the Cheaters familiar acquaintance. Therefore it is not very hard for them at all times to prouide for their amorous Cosen, a lewd lecherous Lady to keepe him louing company: then fall they to banquetting, and carrowsing and hunting of Tauernes, and much is the cost that this silly Cosen shall be at in Iewels and apparrell, otherwise he shall not once get a graunt to haue a kisse of his mistris lips: and euer in middle of their conference she layeth in this reason, for her sake to put in twenty or thirty crownes in aduenture at Cardes or Dice: you know not (quoth she) what may be a womans lucke: if he refuse it, Lord how vnkindely she takes the matter, and cannot be reconciled with lesse then a gowne or a kirtle of silke. But now if these Cheaters perceaue that he esteemeth no bruised ware, but is enamored with virginity, they haue a fine cast within an houres warning, to make _Ione Siluerpin_ as good a maide as if she had neuer come to the stewes: but to let these things passe, for offending of chast eares, whose displeasure I would not incurre, for all the cheates these gamesters get in a whole yeare. But to our purpose. There are two sorts of vsing the Cards, the one is in playing (with one or more) games, as _Primero, Trumpe, Saunte, Decoye, &c._ The other vse of Cardes is to shew feates of Legerdemaine. Concerning the first, if it be vsed for recreation and not to the prophaning of Gods holy name, nor hurt of our bretheren and neighbors, they are to be tollerated: but now (more is the pitty) they are not vsed in that fashion as they should be, but much hurt oft times ariseth thereof. _Primero_ now as it is in great vse, so is there much deceite in it, some play vppon the prick, some pinch the cardes priuily with their nailes, some turne vp the corners, some marke them with fine spots of Inck, some there be that trauell into Spaine and into Italie to learne fine tricks and quaint conueyances, at cardes and returne home, and winne much money with them here in England, but yet at the last they are still ouer-reached by some fine wittes that devise new sleights here at home. At _Trumpe, Saunte_, and such other like games, cutting at the nick, is a great aduantage, so is cutting by _Bumcard_, finely vnder or ouer: stealing the stock or the discarded Cardes. At _Decoye_ they drawe twentie hands together and play all vpon assurance when to winne or loose, other helpes there be as I haue before set downe, with a looking glasse and confederacy: all which and such like, tende to cosoning and hurt of our brother: But we will proceed with the other vse of Cardes, which tendeth to mirth and recreation of minde and which in themselues simply is no hurt, vnles they are abused. In shewing feats & Iugling with cardes the principall poynt consisteth in shuffling them nimbly, and alwaies keeping one certen carde either in the bottom or in some knowne place of the stock, foure or fiue cardes from it, hereby you shall seeme to worke wonders, for it will be easie for you to see or espie one, which though you be perceiued to doe, it will not be suspected, if you shuffle them well afterwards, and this note I must giue you, That in reseruing the bottome carde, you must alwaies (whilst you shuffle) keepe him a little before, or a little behind, all the cardes lying vnderneath him, bestowing him (I say) eyther a little beyond his fellowes before right ouer the fore finger, or else behinde the rest, so as the little finger of the left hand may meete with it, which is the esier and the readier, and the better way: in the beginning of your shuffleing, shuffle as thick as you can, and in the end throw vppon the deck the nether carde, (with so many moe at the least as you would haue preserued for any purpose) a little before or behinde the rest; prouided alwaies that your fore finger if the pack be laide before, or the little finger if the pack lye behinde, creepe vp to meete with the bottome carde, and not lye betwixt the cardes, and when you feele it, you may there holde it vntill you haue shuffled ouer the cardes againe, still leauing your kept carde below being perfect herein, you may doe almost what you list with the cardes: By this meanes what pack soeuer you make, though it consist of eight, twelue, or twenty cardes, you may keepe them still together vnseuered next to the nether carde, and yet shuffle them often to satisfie the curious beholders, as for ensample, and for breuities sake, to shew you diuers feates vnder one. How to deliuer out foure Aces, and to conuert them into foure Knaues. Make a pack of eight cardes, to wit foure Knaues and foure Aces, and although all the eight cardes must lie imediately together, yet must ech Knaue and Ace be openly seauered, and the same eight cardes must lie also in the lowest place of the bunch, then shuffle them so, as alwaies at the second shuffling, or at least wise at the end of your shuffling the said pack, and of the pack one ace may lye nethermost or so as you may knowe where he goeth and lyeth, and alwaies I say let your foresaid pack, with three or foure cardes more, lye vnseperablely together, immediately vppon and with that ace, then vsing some speech or other deuise, and putting your hand with the cardes to the edge of the table, to hide the account, let out priuily a peece of the second card, which is one of the knaues holding forth the stock in both your hands, and shewing to the standers by the nether Card (which is the ace or kept Card) couering also the head or peece of the knaue (which is your next card) with your foure fingers: draw out the same knaue laying it down an the Table: then shuffle again keeping your packe whole, and so haue you two aces lying together in the bottome: & therefore to reforme that disordered Card, as also for a grace and countenance to that action, take off the vppermost Card of the bunch, and thrust it into the middest of the Cards, and then take away the nethermost Card, which is one of your aces, and bestow him likewise: then may you begin as before, shewing an other ace, and in stead thereof lay downe another knaue, and so forth, vntill instead of your foure aces you haue laid downe foure knaues. The beholders all this while thinking that there lye foure aces on the table, are greatly abused, and will maruell at the transformation. How to tell one what Card he seeth in the bottome, when the same Carde is shuffled into the stock. When you haue seene a Card priuily, or as though you marked it not, lay the same vndermost, and shuffle the Cards as before you were taught, till your Card ly againe belowe in the bottom: then shew the same to the beholders, willing them to remember it, then shuffle the Cards or let any shuffle them, for you know the Cardes already, and therefore may at any time tell them what Carde they saw, which neuerthelesse would be done with great circumstance and shew of difficultie. A strange & excellent tricke to hold foure Kings in the hand, and by words to transform them into foure Aces, and after to make them all blancke Cardes, one after another. You shall see a Iugler take foure Kings and no more in his hand, and apparantly shew you them, then after some words and charmes, he will throwe them downe before you vpon the table, taking one of the Kings away and adding but one other Card: then taking them vp againe and blowing vpon them, will shew you them transformed into blancke Cardes, white on both sides: after vsing charmes againe, throwing them downe as before, (with the faces downeward) will take them vp againe and shew you foure Aces, blowing still vpon them, that it may breede the more wonder, which tricke in my minde is nothing inferiour to the rest: and being not knowne, will seeme wonderfull strange to the spectators, yet after you knowe it, you can not but say the tricke is pretty. Now therefore to accomplish this feate, you must haue Cardes made for the purpose, (halfe Cardes ye may call them) that is the one halfe kings the other part aces, so that laying the aces, one ouer the other, nothing but the kings will be seene, and then turning the kings downward, the foure aces will be seene: prouided you must haue two whole, one whole king to couer one of the aces, or els it will be perceaued, and the other an ace to lay ouer the kings, when you meane to shew the aces: then when you will make them all blancke, lay the Cards a little lower, and hide the aces and they will appeare all white. The like you may make of the foure knaues, putting vppon them the foure fiues, and so of the rest of the Cardes: But this can not be well shewed you without demonstration. Hitherto I haue intreated of the three principall kinds of Iugling, now it remaineth in order to speake of Iugling by confederacy, which is either priuate or publike. Priuate conspiracy is, when one (by a speciall plot laid by himselfe, without any compact made with others) perswadeth the beholders, that he will suddenly and in their presence, doe some miraculous feate, which he hath already accomplished priuately: as for ensample, he will shew you a carde or any other like thing, and will say further unto you, behold and see what a marke it hath, and then burneth it, and neuertheles fetcheth another like Card, so marked out of some bodies pocket, or out of some corner, where he himselfe before had placed it, to the wonder and astonishment of simple beholders, which conceaue not that kinde of illusion, but expect miracles and strange workes. I haue read of a notable exploit done before a King by a Iugler, who painted on a wall the picture of a doue, and seeing a pigeon sitting vpon the top of an house, said to the King, looke now your grace shall see what a Iugler can doe, if he be his craftes master, & then pricked the picture with a knife, so hard and so often, and with so effectuall words, as the pigeon fell downe from the top of the house starke dead, you may imagine how the matter was taken, what wondring was thereat, how he was prohibited to vse that feat any further, least he should imploy it in any other kinde of murder. This story is held yet of diuers as canonicall, but when you are taught the feat or slight, you will thinke it a mockery and a simple illusion. To vnfold you the mistery heereof, so it is that the poore pigeon was before in the hands of the Iugler, into whom he had thrust a dramme of _Nux vomica_, or some other such poyson, which to the nature of the Bird was so extreame a poyson, as after the receit thereof, it could not liue aboue the space of halfe an houre, and being let loose after the medicine ministred, she alwaies resorteth to the top of the next house, which she will the rather doe, if there be any pigeons already sitting there, and after a short space falleth downe, either starke dead, or greatly astonished: but in the meane time, the Iugler vseth words of art, partly to protract time, and partly to gaine credit, and admiration of the beholders. As with Cardes you may shew feates by priuate confederacy, so of the other two, that is to wit, with the balls and the mony, as to marke a shilling or any other thing, and throwe the same into a riuer or deepe pond, & hauing hid the shilling before, with like markes, in some other secret place, bid some goe presently and fetch it, making them beleeue that it is the very same which you threwe into the riuer the beholders will maruell much at it: and of such feates there may be many done, but more by publike confederacy, whereby one may tell another how much money he hath in his purse and an hundred like toyes. Of publike confederacie and whereof it consisteth. Publike confederacy is, when there is before hand a compacte made betwixt diuers persons: the one to be principall, the other to be assistant in working of miracles, or rather in cosoning and abusing the beholders, as when I tell you in the presence of a multitude, what you haue thought or done, or shall doe or thinke, when you and I were thereupon agreed before: and if this be cunningly and closely handled, it will induce great admiration to the beholders, especially when they are before amased and abused, by some experiment of art, magicke or legerdemaine. I will in briefe set you downe some pretty conclusions, and so I will proceede with other feates in other kindes. To tell you how to know whether one caste Crosse or Pile; by the ringing Lay a wager with your confederate (who must seeme simple or obstinate opposed against you) that standing behinde a dore, you will (by the sounding or ringing of the mony) tell him whether he cast crosse or pile, so as when you are gone, and he hath phillepped the money before the witnesses who are to be cosoned, he must say _What is it_ if it be crosse, or _What i'st_ if it be pile, or some other such signe, as you are agreed vpon; and so you neede not faile to gesse rightly. By this meanes if you haue any inuention, you may seeme to doe an hundred miracles, & to discouer a mans thought, or words spoken a far off. How to tell where a stolne horse is become. By meanes of confederacy _Cuthbert Conycatcher_, and one _Swart Rutter_, two that haue taken degrees in _Whittington_ Colledge, abused notably the country people: for _Cuthbert_ would hide away his neighbours horses, kine, colts, &c: and send them to _Swart Rutter_, (whom he before had told where they were) promising to send the parties vnto him, whome he described, and made knowne by diuers signes: so as this _Swart_ would tell them at their first entrance vnto the dore, wherefore they came, and would say that their horses kine &c. were stolne, but the theefe should be forced to bring them backe againe, and leaue them within one mile (south and by west, &c.) of his house: euen as the plot was laid, and the pack made before by Cuthbert & him. This Cuthbert is esteemed of some, & thought to be a witch of others, he is accounted a coniurer, but commonly called a wise man, and are able of themselues, to tell you where any thing that is stolne is, as to build Pauls steeple vp againe. To make one daunce naked. It hath bene reported of such fellowes, and such, that they can doe rare feates, as to make one daunce naked. To the effecting of this, make a poore boy confederate with you: so as after charmes and words spoken by you, he vnclothe himselfe and stand naked: seeming (whilst he vndresseth him) to shake, stampe, and crie, still hastening to be vnclothed, till he be starke naked: or if you can procure none to goe so farre, let him only begin to stamp and shake &c. and to vnclothe him, and then you may (for reuerence of the company) seeme to release him. To make a pot of any such thing standing fast on a cupbord, to fall downe thence by vertue of words. Lett your cupbord be so placed, as your confederate may hould a black Threed without in the courete, behinde some windowe of that roome, and at a certen lowe word spoken by you, he may pull the same threed, being wound about the pot. And this was the feate of _Eleazer_ the _Iewe_, which _Iosephus_ reporteth to be such a miracle. Now that we haue spoken of the three principle actes of Legerdemayne and of confederacy, I will go forward, and touch some fewe ordinary feates, which are pretty, yet not altogether to be compared with the rest; I meane for conceipt and nimblenes of the hand, yet such as to the ignorant, and those that knowe not the carriage, will seeme strange and wonderfull. Of Boxes to alter one graine into another, or to consume the graine or corne to nothing. There be diuers iugling boxes with false bottomes, wherein many false feates are wrought. First they haue a boxe couered or rather footed alike at each end, the bottome of the one end being no deeper then as it may containe one lane of corne or pepper, glewed there vpon. Then vse they to put into the hollow end thereof some other kind of graine, ground or vnground: then doe they couer it, and put it vnder a hat or candlesticke, and either in putting it thereinto, or pulling it thence, they turne the boxe, and open the contrary end, wherein is shewed a contrary graine, or else they shew the glewed end first, (which end they suddenly thrust into a bag of such graine as is glewed already therevpon) and secondly the empty boxe. How to conuey (with words and charmes) the corne conteyned in one Box, into another. There is another boxe fashioned like a bell, whereinto they put so much and such corne as the foresaid hollowe boxe can conteine: then they stop and couer the same with a peece of lether as broad as a tester, which being thrust vp hard to the middle part or waste of the said bell, will sticke fast and beare vp the corne, and if the edge of the same lether be wet, it will hold the better: then take they the other boxe, dipped (as is aforesaid) in corne, and set downe the same vpon the Table, the empty end vpward, saying, that they will conuey the graine therein, into the other boxe or bell, which being set downe somewhat hard vpon the table, the leather & corne therein will fall down, so as the said bell being taken vp from the table: you shal see the corne lying thereon, & the stopple wilbe hidden therewith, & couered, & when you vncouer the other box nothing shal remaine therein, but presently the corne must be swept downe with one hand, into the other, or into your lapp or hatt: many feates may be done with this boxe, as to put therein a toade, affirming the same to be so turned from corne, and then many beholders will suppose the same to be the Iuglers deuill, whereby his feates and myracles are wrought. How to pull laces innumerable out of your mouth; of what colour or length you list, and neuer any thing seene to be therein. As for pulling of laces forth of the mouth it is now somewhat stale, whereby Iuglers get much mony among maydes, selling lace by the yarde, putting into their mouthes one round bottome, as fast as they pull out another, & at the iust ende of euery yarde they tie a knott, so as the same resteth vppon their teeth, then cut they off the same, and so the beholders are double and treble deceaued, seeing so much lace as will be conteined in a hat, and the same of what collour you list to name, to bee drawne by so euen yards out of his mouth, and yet the Iugler to talke as though there were nothing at all in his mouth. There are diuers iugling trickes which I am loath to describe for some reasons before alleaged, whereof some are common some rarer and some desperate: I wil therefore shew a few desperate and dangerous iugling knackes, wherein the simple are made thinke, that a silly Iugler with words can hurt and helpe, kill and reuiue any creature at his pleasure: and first to kill any kinde of pullen and to make them reuiue. To kill a Hen, chicken or Capon and giue it life againe. Take a hen &c. and trust a naule, or a fine sharpe pointed knife through the middle of the head thereof, the edge toward the bill, so as it may seeme impossible for her to escape death. Then vse words or incantations, and pulling out the knife, lay otes before her and she wil eate and liue, being nothing at all greeued or hurt with the wound, because the braine lyeth so farre behinde in the head as it is not touched, though you thrust your knife betweene the combe and it:[*] And after you haue done this, you may conuert your speech and accions, to the greeuous wounding, and recouering of your owne selfe. [* Sidenote: The naturall cause why a Hen thrust through the head with a Bodkin doth liue notwithstanding.] To eate a Knife, and to fetch it forth of another place. Take a knife, and conuey the same betweene your two hands, so as no parte be seene thereof, but a little of the poynt, which you must so bite at the first as noyse may be made therwith: then seeme to put a great parte therof into your mouth, and letting your hand slip downe, there will appeare to haue bin more in your mouth, then is possible to be conteyned therein: then send for drinke, or vse some other delaye vntill you haue let the said knife slip into your lap, holding both your fists close together as before, and then raise them so from the edge of the table where you sit (for from thence the knife may most priuily slippe downe into your lappe) and in steede of biting the knife, knab a little vppon your naile, and then seeme to thrust the knife into your mouth,[*] opening the hand next vnto it, and thrust vp the other, so as it may appeare to the standers by, that you haue deliuered your hands thereof, and thrust it into your mouth: then call for drinke, after countenance made of pricking, and daunger &c. lastly, put your hand into your lap, and taking that knife into your hand, you may seeme to bring it out from behinde you, or from whence you list: but if you haue another like knife, and a confederate, you may doe twentie notable wonders hereby: as to send a stander by into some garden or Orchard, describing to him some tree or herbe vnder which it sticketh: or else some strangers sheath or pocket &c. [* Sidenote: This is pretty if it be cleanely done.] To thrust a bodkin through your head, without any hurt. Take a Bodkin so made, as the haft being hollow, the blade thereof may slip thereinto: as soone as you holde the poynt downeward, and set the same to your forehead, and seeme to thrust it into your head: and so (with a little sponge in your hand) you may wringe out blood or wine, making the beholders thinke the blood or wine (whereof you may say you haue drunke very much) runneth out of your forehead: Then after countenance of paine and greefe, pull away your hand suddenly, holding the poynt downeward, and it will fall so out, as it will seeme neuer to haue bin thrusted into the hafte: But immediately thrust that bodkin into your lappe or pocket, and pull out another playne bodkin like the same, sauing in that conceite. To cut halfe your nose in sunder, and to heale it againe presently without any salue. Take a knife, hauing a round hollow gappe in the middle, and lay it vppon your nose, and so shall you seeme to haue cut your nose in sunder:[*] prouided alwaies that in all these, you haue another like knife without a gap to be shewed vppon pulling out of the same and words of inchauntments to speake: Blood also to bewraye the wounde, and nimble conueyance. [Sidenote: This is easily don, howbeit being nimbly done it will deceaue the sight of the beholders.] To put a Ring through your cheeke. There is pretty Knack, which seemeth dangerous to the cheeke: for the accomplishment whereof, you must haue two rings of like coullour and quantity, the one filed asunder, so as you may thrust it vpon your cheeke: the other must be whole and conueyed vpon a sticke, holding your hand therevpon in the middle of the sticke, deliuering each end of the same sticke to be holden fast by a stander by, then pulling the ring out of your cheeke, cleanely strike it against same part of the sticke, keeping it still in your hand, then pull your other hand from the sticke, and pulling it away, whirle about the ring, and so it will be thought that you haue put thereon the Ring which was in your cheeke. Many other pretty feates of this nature might be here sett downe, as to cut of ones head and to laye it in a platter, which Iuglers cal the decollation of _S. Iohn_ the Baptist, also to thrust a dagger or bodkin through your gutts very strangely, and to recouer imediately: after another way then with the bodkyn before rehearsed, also to draw a corde through your nose, mouth or hande so sencibly, as is wonderful to see, al which with many more, I here forbeare for breuities sake. There is a very pretty trick to make wine or beere, to come out of your browe, or eare, with a funnell after you haue drank the same, the which I am loath to discouer, as not willing to haue all the poore Iugglers trickes made known at once: there is a way to make fire to come out of your mouth by burning of towe, all which for reasons before aleadged, I wil here omit to discouer. But will hie me to another sorte of Iugglers, or rather cosoners, calling themselues by the name of alchimistes, professing themselues learned men, and to haue the Philosophers stone, these professors of the mysty or smokie science, studie and cast about how to ouer-reach and cosen the simple, and such as are giuen to coueteousnes or greedy desire after gaine, with such they insinuate themselues by little and little, professing a shew of honesty and plainnes, vntill they are acquainted with their desires, and found the length of their foote: telling them that they can doe wonders, make siluer of copper, and golde of siluer. Such a one a while agoe was in Battersey, who comming poore to towne, made some of the towne beleeue he had the Philosophers stone: wherevpon, one of the rest beleuing him, desired to be better acquainted with him: insomuch, that he requested him to take a poore bed at his house, and offred him great kindenesse, hoping in time to get some skil of him towards the attaining of the Philosophers stone: vpon a day as this Smith (for so imagine him to be) and beggerly Artist were together, desired him of all loues to impart to him some of his learning, assuring him, if it lay in his power to doe him a pleasure, he should not faile, protesting that both his purse and himselfe were both at his comaund: Herevpon, to be short, my Gentleman at the first was somewhat scrupilous, yet at the earnest request of his newe friend, did at last condiscende, charging him to be secret in what he should disclose vnto him. The Smith swore to be silent: then my cosoning copesmate instructs him as followeth. In the month of Iuly, search for the seede of Fearne, which must be first and principall matter of working this, and effecting this hidden secret, and qd. he, if you had but an ounce of this fearneseede, thou shalt be made for euer, for it is very hard to finde: heerevpon he gets vp the next morning (for it was about the same time of the yeare which he prescribd him to search for this inestimable seede) and lookes very dilligently about the heath, (where store of fearne growes: but hauing) spent most part of the day in searching and looking, his backe ready to cracke with stooping, and his throate furd with dust, for want of small beere, so that the poore Smith was ready to faint for want of foode: by chance one of the towne came by, and seeing him search so dilligently vp & downe, and could not guesse for what, asked him what he sought for so busily? O quoth the Smith, for a thing that if I could finde, I should be made for euer: why quoth the fellow what I prethee ist? O no quoth the Smith I may not tell you: not tell me quoth the fellow, why what ist? I prethee tell me: at last, at the earnest entreaty of the fellow, the smith told he looked for fearne seede: with that the fellow laughed a good, and asked him who willed him to looke for that? that did M. _Etseb_ quoth the smith, and if I can but finde one ounce of it, it would be of much worth: worth quoth the fellow, he that set thee to looke for that was a foole and thou art an Asse, for there was neuer any fearne seede as yet seene: therefore get thee home to the forge, for he makes but a foole of thee: at this the smith was blancke, and got him home to his anuill: but how the smith and the Alcumister, agreed vpon the reckoning for his cosening him, I meane not heere to deliuer: but this I bring in by the way, to shew that their art is nothing but deceipt, and themselues cosoners, which by two pretty tales I will declare vnto you, How an Alcumister cousoned a priest. _Chaucer_ in one of his Canterbury tales, rehearseth this test of a cousoning Alcumist: espying on a day a coueteous priest, whose purse he knew to be well lyned: assaulted him with flattery and kinde speech, two principall points belonging to this art: at length he borrowed mony of this priest, which is the third part of this art, without the which the professors can doe no good, nor endure in good estate: then he at his day repayed the mony, which is the most difficult poynt in this art, and a rare experiment: finally to requite the priests curtesie, he promised vnto him such instructions, as therby within short time he should become infinitely rich, and all through this art of multiplication: and this is the most common point in this science, for heerein they must be skilfull before they be famous or attaine to any credit: the Preist disliked not his proffer, especially because it tended to his profit, and embraced his curtesie: then the foole-taker bad him send forthwith for three ounces of quicke-siluer, which hee said he would transubstantiate (by his art) into perfect siluer: the Priest thought nothing of deceit, but with great ioy accomplished his request. And now forsooth goeth this iolly Alcumist about his busines, and worke of multiplication, and causeth the Priest to make a fire of coles, in the bottome whereof he placeth a croslet, and pretending onely to helpe the Priest to lay the coles handsomely, he foysteth into the middle ward or lane of coles, a beechen cole, within which was conueyed an ingot of perfect siluer, (which when the cole was consumed slipt down into the croslet, that was I say directly vnder it.) The Priest perceaued not the fraud, but receaued the ingot of siluer, and was not a little ioyfull to see such certen successe proceed from his own handy worke, wherein could be no fraud (as he surely conceaued) and therefore very dilligently gaue the knaue forty pounds, for the receit of this experiment, who for that summe of mony, taught him a lesson in Alcumistry, but he neuer returned to heare repetitions or to see how hee profited. A merry tale how a cosoning Alcumist deceaued a country Gentleman. A Gentleman in Kent of good worth, not long sithence was ouertaken by a cosoning knaue, who professed Alcumistry, Iugling, Witch craft, and coniuration, and by meanes of his companions and confederates, found the simplicitie and abilitie of the said Gentleman, & learnt his estate and humors to be conuenient for his purpose, and at last came a wooing to his daughter, to whome hee made loue cunningly in words, though his purpose tended to another end: and among other illusions and tales, concerning his owne commendations, for wealth, parentage, inheritance, alliance, learning and cunning, be bosted of the knowledge and experience in Alcumistry, making the simple Gentleman beleeue that he could multiply, and of one Angell make two or three, which seemed strange to the Gentleman: insomuch as he became willing enough to see that conclusion: whereby the Alcumister had more hope and comfort to attaine his desire, then if his daughter had yeelded to haue married him: to bee short, he in the presence of the said Gentleman, did include within a little ball of virgins ware a couple of Angells, & after certaine ceremonies and coniuring words, he seemed to deliuer the same vnto him, but in truth, through Legerdemaine, he conueyed into the Gentlemans hand, another ball of the same scantling, wherein were inclosed many more Angells then were in the ball which he thought he had receaued, Now (forsooth) the Alcumister bad him lay vp the same ball of ware, and also vse certaine ceremonies, (which I thought good heere to omit) and after certaine daies, houres, and minutes, they returned together according to the appointment, and found great gaines by multiplication of the angels, insomuch that he being a plaine man, was heereby perswaded that he should not onely haue a rare and notable good sonne in law, but a companion that might helpe to ad vnto his wealth much treasure, and to his estate great fortune and felicity: and to encrease this opinion in him, as also to winne his further fauour: but especially to bring his cunning Alcumistry, or rather his lend purpose to passe, he tolde him that it were folly to multiply a pound of gold, when as easily they might multiply a million, and therefore counselled him to produce al the money he had, or could borrowe of his neighbours, and freendes, and did put him out of doubt, that he would multiply the same, & reduble it exceedingly, euen as he sawe by experience how he delt with the smal somme before his face: this Gent. in hope of gaines and preferment, consented to his sweete motion, & brought out and layd before his feete, not the one halfe of his goodes, but all that he had, or could make or borrowe any manner of waye: then this Iuggling Alchimister hauing obtayned his purpose, foulded the same in a ball in quantity far bigger then the other. And conuaying the same vnto his bosome or pocket, deliuered another Ball (as before) in the like quantity, to be reserued, and safely kept in his cheste, whereof (because the matter was of importance) eyther of them must haue a keye, and a seuerall lock, that no interruption might be made to the ceremuny, or abuse by either of them in defrawding eche other. Now forsooth the circumstances, and ceremonies being ended & the Alchimisters purpose thereby performed, he tould the Gent. that vntil a certen day and hower lymited to retorne, either of them might imploye themselues about theire busines, and necessarie affaires, the Gent. to his busines, and he to the citty of London. And in the meane tyme the gould should multiply, But the Alchimister (belike) hauing other matters of more importance, cam not iust at the hower appoynted nor yet at the day, nor with in the yere, so as although it were som what, against the Gent. conscience to violate his promise or break the league yet partly by the longing he had to see, & partely the desire he had to enioy the frute of the excellent experiment, hauing for his own securitie (& the others Satisfaction) some testimonie at the opening thereof, to witnes his sincere dealing, he brake vp the coffer, & loe, he soone espied the Ball of ware which he himselfe had layd vpp there with his owne handes, so as he thought, if the hardest should fall, he should finde his principall, and why not as good incrase now, as of the other before? But alas, when the ware was broken and the mettall discouered, the gould was much abased and became perfect lead. Hitherto haue I spoken somewhat of the knauerie of Alcumisry, now I will conclude with a pretty dialogue that _Petrarke_ a man of great wisdome and learning, and of no lesse experience, hath written who as in his time, sawe the fraudulent fetches of this compassing craft, so hath there bin no age, since the same hath bin broached, but that some wise men haue smelt out the euill meaning of these shifting marchants, and bewrayed them to the world. _Francis Petrarke_, (I say) treating of the same matter, in forme of a dialogue, introduceth a deciple of his, who fancied the foresaid profession and practise, speaking on this manner. _Decip._ I hope for a prosperous successe in Alcamistrie. _Pet._ It is a wonder from whence that hope should spring, sith the fruite thereof did neuer yet fall to thy lotte: nor yet at any time chance to another, as the report commonly goeth, that many rich men, by this vanity and madnes, haue bin brought to beggery, whilst they haue wearied their wealth, in trying of conclusions: to make gould ingender gould. _Decip._ I hope for gould according to the workemans promise. _Petra._ He that promised the gould, will runne away with the gould, and thou neuer the wiser. _Decip._ He promiseth me greate good. _Petr._ He will first serue his owne turne, and releeue his priuate pouerty, for Alcumisters are a beggerly kinde of people, who though they confesse themselues bare, and needy: yet wil they make other rich, and wealthie, as though others pouertie did molest, and greeue them more then their owne, so far the words of _petrarke_. _Albert_ in his booke of mineralls, reporteth that _Auicen_ treating of Alcumistry: saith, Let the dealers of Alcumistry vnderstand, that the very nature of things, can not be changed: but rather made by arte, to resemble the same in shew, and likenes: so that they are not the very thing indeede, but seeme so to bee in appearance: As Castles and Towers doe seeme to be built in the ayre, whereas the representations there shewed, are nothing else, but the resemblance of certaine obiects belowe, caused in some bright, and cleere cloude: when the aire is voyde of thicknes, and grossenes, a sufficient proofe hereof may be the looking-glasse: and wee see (saith he) the yellow orringe cullour layde vppon red, seemeth to be gould. Thus much for the fond, and vaine arte of Alcumistry, I will now drawe to an ende, leauing to speake of the innumerable charmes of coniurours, bad Phisitions, lewd Surgions, melancholy Witches, and cosoners, especially for such: as bad Phisitions and Surgions, knowe not how to cure: as against the falling euill, the biting of madde doggs, the stinging of a Scorpion, the tooth-ache, for a woman in trauell, for the kings euill: to get a thorne out of any member, or a bone out of ones throate: for sore eies, to open locks, against spirits: for the botts in a horse, for sower wines, and diuers others. There are also diuers books imprinted, as it should appeare by the authoritie of the Church of Rome, wherin are conteyned many medecinall prayers, not only against all deseases of horses, but also for euery impediment, and fault in a horse, in so much as if a shooe fall in the middest of his iorney; there is a prayer to warrant your horses hoofe so as it shall not breake, how farre soeuer he be from the smythes forge: But these of all the rest are the fondest toyes, that euer were deuised, therefore we wil passe them ouer, and yet how many in these dayes are addicted to the beleefe of these charmes it is incredible, I will giue you a taste of two or three, because you shall see the foolery of the rest. A Charme to be said each morning by a Witch fasting, or at least before she goe abroade. The fire bites, the fire bites, the fire bites: hogs turde ouer it, hogges turde ouer it, hoggs turde ouer it. The Father with thee, the Sonne with me, the holy Ghost betweene vs both to be, thrise, then spitt ouer one shoulder, and then ouer the other, and then three times right forward. An olde womans Charme wherewith she did much good in the cuntrie and grew famous thereby. An olde woman that healed all deseases of cattell (for the which she neuer tooke any reward but a penny and a loafe) being seriously examined, by what words she brought these things to passe, confessed that after she had touched the sick creature, she alwaies departed immediately saying. _My loafe in my lap, My penie in my purse: Thou art neuer the better, And I am neuer the worse._ A slouenly Charme for sore eies. The Deuill pull out both thine eies, And _etish_[*] in the holes likewise. [Sidenote: spel this word backward and you shall see what a slouenly charme this is _etish_.] A Miller that had his eeles stolne by night, made mone to the priest of the parish, who indeede was the principall of the theeues that stole the eeles, Sir Iohn willed him to be quiet, for said he I will to curse the theeues, and their adherents with bell, booke, and candle, that they shall haue small ioy of their fish, and therefore the next sonday Sir Iohn gotte him vp to the pulpit with his surplis on his back, and his Gole about his neck, and pronounced these words following, in the audience of the people. All ye that haue stolne the myllers Eeles _Laudate Dominum in coelis:_ And all they that haue consented therunto _Benedicamus Domino._ By this little you may plainely perceaue the foppery of the Church of Rome, who hould such toyes as authenticall, and also there knauery to make the people beleeue, lies for truth, and falshod for honestie, Bearing them in hand, as in this, so in all the rest, with blindenes, and ignorance but hereof ynoughe. And now to conclude, lett vs backe againe with one pretty knack, which is held to be meruilous and wonderfull. And that is to make a horse tell you how much money you haue in your purse: and I reade of a pretty story of an asse at _Memphis_ in Egypt, that could do rare feates, among other Iuggling knackes, there and then vsed: there was one that tooke paynes with an asse, that he had taught him, all these quallities following, and for game he caused a stage to be made, and an assembly of people to meete, which being downe in the manner of a play, he came in with his asse, and sayde: The _Sultan_ hath great neede of asses, to helpe to carry stones, and other stuffe towards his great building which he hath in hande: the asse immediately fell downe to the ground, and by all signes shewed himself to be sick, and at length to giue vp the ghost, so as the Iuggler begged of the assembly money towards his asse, and hauing gotten all that he could, he saide, now my masters you shall see mine asse is yet aliue, and doth but counterfeit, because he would haue some money to buy him prouender, knowing that I was poore and in some neede of reliefe: heere vpon he would needes lay a wager that his asse was aliue, who to euery mans seeing was starke dead: and when one had laid mony with him therevpon, he commaunded the asse to arise, but hee lay still as though he were dead: then did he beate him with a Cudgell, but that would not serue the turne, vntill he had addressed his speech to the Asse, saying as before in open audience, the _Sultane_ hath commaunded that all the people shall ride out to morrow, and see the triumph, and that the faire Ladies will ride vpon the fairest Asses, and will giue notable prouender to them, and euery Asse shall drinke of the sweete water of Nylus: and then, loe the Asse did presently start vp, and aduance himself exceedingly. Loe quoth his master, now I haue wonne: but in troth the Maior hath borrowed my Asse for the vse of the old il-fauoured witch his wife: and therevpon immediately he hung downe his eares and halted downe right, as though he had bene starke lame: then said his Master, I perceaue you loue young pretty wenches: at which the asse looked vp as it were with a ioyfull cheere, and then his master bad him choose out one that should ride vpon him, and he ran to a very hansome woman, and touched her with his head. Such a one is at this day to be seene in London, his master will say, sirra, heere be diuers Gentlemen, that haue lost diuers things, and they heare say that thou canst tell them tydings of them where they are: if thou canst, prethee shew thy cunning and tell them: then hurles he downe a handkercher or a gloue that he had taken from the parties before, and bids him giue it the right owner, which the horse presently doth: and many other pretty feates this horse doth, and some of those trickes as the Asse before mencioned did, which not one among a thousand perceaues how they are done, nor how he is brought to learne the same: and note that all the feates that this horse doth, is altogether in numbering: as for ensample, His master will aske him how many people there are in the roome: the horse will pawe with his foote so many times as there are people: and marke the eye of the horse is alwaies vpon his master, and as his master moues, so goes he or stands still, as he is brought to it at the first: as for ensample, his master will throw you three dice, and will bid his horse tell how many you or he haue throwne, then the horse pawes with his foote whiles the master stands stone still: then when his master sees hee hath pawed so many as the first dice shewes it selfe, then he lifts vp his shoulders and stirres a little: then he bids him tell what is on the second die, and then of the third die, which the horse will doe accordingly, still pawing with his foote vntill his master sees he hath pawed ynough, and then stirres: which the horse marking, will stay and leaue pawing. And note, that the horse will paw an hundred times together, vntill he sees his master stirre: and note also that nothing can be done, but his master must first know, and then his master knowing, the horse is ruled by him by signes. This if you marke at any time you shall plainely perceaue. Now that we are come to our iournies end, let vs sit downe and looke about vs, whether we are al sonnes of one father, if there be no knaues among vs: St. _Boniface_ light me the candle. Who doe I see? what the lustie lad of the Myter, that will binde beares, and ride his golden Asse to death but he will haue his will? Birlady, birlady sir, you of all the rest are most welcome, what how doth your stomack after your carrowsing banquet? what gorge vpon gorge, egges vpon egges, and sack vpon sack, at these yeares? by the faith of my body sir you must prouide for a hot kitchen against you growe olde, if you mean to liue my yeares: but happy the father that begot thee, and thrise happy the Nurse that soffred such a toward yonker as thy selfe: I know thy vertues as well as thy selfe, thou hast a superficiall twang of a little something: an Italian ribald can not vomit out the infections of the world, but thou my pretty Iuuinall, an English Dorrell-lorrell, must lick it vp for restoratiue, & putrifie thy gentle brother ouer against thee, with the vilde impostumes of thy lewd corruptions: God blesse good mindes from the blacke enemy say I: I know you haue bene prying like the Deuill from East to West, to heare what newes: I will acquaint thee with some, & that a secret distillation before thou goest. He that drinketh oyle of prickes, shall haue much a doe to auoyd sirrope of roses: and he that eateth nettles for prouender, hath a priuiledge to pisse vpon lillies for litter. I prethee sweete natures darling, insult not ouermuch vpon quiet men: a worme that is troden vpon will turne againe, and patience loues not to be made a cart of Croyden. I doe begin with thee now, but if I see thee not mend thy conditions, Ile tell you another tale shortly: thou shalt see that I can doot, I could bring in my Author to tell thee to thy face, that he hath found a knaue in grosse, of thee: but I can say, I haue found thee a foole in retaile: thou seest simplicity can not double, nor plaine dealing cannot dissemble, I could wish thee to amend thy life, and take heede of the Beadle. _Vale qui rediculose haec legeris._ FINIS. [Transcriber's notes: Obvious typographical errors that were not plausible as historical or phonetic spellings were corrected. In the original, these read "looke now your grace shall see what a Iugler can doe" originally "loo" "bid some goe presently and fetch it" originally "fecth" "so I will proceede with other feates" originally "proceene" "the one filed asunder" originally "the the one" "A slouenly Charme for sore eies" originally "eiet" Abbreviations have been silently expanded. Where opening and closing parentheses were mismatched, commas were turned into parentheses (or vice versa) to make them match.] 
32368	----	PEERLESS PRESTIDIGITATION BY HERBERT DE CASTON. [Illustration: HERBERT DE CASTON.] Peerless Prestidigitation. BEING A COLLECTION OF ENTIRELY NEW IDEAS AND EFFECTS IN THE FASCINATING ART OF MODERN MAGIC. BY HERBERT DE CASTON ASSISTED BY The Leading South African Magicians. COPYRIGHT 1910. (_Entered at Stationers' Hall._) HAMLEY BROTHERS, LIMITED, LONDON. BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO. LD., PRINTERS, LONDON AND TONBRIDGE. INTRODUCTORY SPEECH. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, In calling your attention to a deceptive entertainment, Legerdemain, more generally known as Conjuring, a few introductory remarks may not be out of place. The superstition that existed in the early ages, when wizards and magicians were supposed to exist, time has not worn out; the mystery that hangs over all professors of magic is still in part retained. Many there are who class them amongst supernatural beings, their seeming impossibilities are converted into positive realities, their power supposed to be supreme. Now, were I, in this the twentieth century, to stand before you professing to be a wizard or a magician--or, in fact, to be that which I am not--endowed with supernatural power, it would be looked upon as a gross insult to your good sense; for in truth the only peculiarity of my profession is to deceive--yours to detect. If my hands are quicker than your eyes, I shall have the pleasure of deceiving you; but, on the contrary, if your eyes are quicker than my hands, the reverse will be the result. CONTENTS. PAGE INTRODUCTORY SPEECH 3 THE LATEST CARD FORCE 5 THE PHANTOM CARD 6 THE "DE CASTON" METHOD OF "RISING CARDS" FROM HAND 7 DE CASTON'S DISCOVERY 9 A SPECTACULAR HANDKERCHIEF COMBINATION 10 AN ORIGINAL CONCEPTION WITH EGGS AND FLAGS 19 A NEW HANDKERCHIEF COMBINATION 22 THE "PHANTOM" COIN TRICK 24 AN ORIGINAL "EGGSTRA" SPECIAL COMBINATION 26 * * * * * All Tricks described in this book can be purchased at HAMLEY BROS., LTD. Peerless Prestidigitation. THE LATEST CARD FORCE. _Effect._--A pack of unprepared cards is shuffled by any member of the audience and handed to the performer, who requests one of the spectators to secretly note a card by simply raising a portion of the pack whilst held in the hand of the performer, who turns his head away whilst this is being done. The cards are again shuffled, and the performer instantly names the selected card. [Illustration] _Modus Operandi._--After the cards have been thoroughly examined and shuffled by the spectators the performer takes the pack (face downwards) and quietly bends them over his hand, the bend being so slight that it is hardly noticeable. He then grasps the pack at one end between the first finger and thumb of either hand, and requests a spectator to select a card in the manner described above. It will be found that the action of raising the cards causes a slight break at the spectator's card, and enables the performer to insert his little finger beneath the same and make the pass which brings the selected card to the bottom. After getting a glimpse of the card the pack can be again shuffled and the trick brought to a conclusion in any manner desired. THE PHANTOM CARD. _Effect._--A pack of cards is spread face downwards upon the table, and one of the audience is requested to choose five cards and hand the same to the performer, who arranges the cards fan-shape in his hand. The spectator is now asked to name any one of the five cards, after which the performer drops the cards face _upwards_ upon the table, and, to the astonishment of the audience, the named card has entirely vanished, four cards only being visible. These cards are now turned face downwards and mixed with the remainder of the pack, which it will be remembered is still lying scattered upon the table. The performer, showing his hands quite empty, now proceeds to select another five cards, which he places face down upon the floor at the feet of his temporary assistant and asks him to touch with a stick any one of the five cards. The assistant does so, and, to his astonishment, the touched card is turned over and seen to be the missing card. _Modus Operandi._--When the pack has been spread face down upon the table and the five cards handed to the performer, he asks for one of the five cards to be named. This having been done, he gives the cards a shuffle, and contrives to get the named card to the top, and secretly reverses it. It will thus be seen that when the cards are dropped faces up upon the other cards scattered about the table, the selected card has apparently vanished. The four remaining cards are now turned over and mixed with the others, the performer being careful not to lose sight of the named card. Five cards are now taken seemingly at random off the table, one of them of course being the selected card. The faces of these five cards are not shown, but are immediately placed upon the floor, care being taken to get THE card in the centre of the row. It will be found that in nine cases out of ten the spectator invariably touches the middle card, which, on being turned over, is found to be the one he originally selected. Should the spectator, however, touch any other card you simply revert to the well-known (to conjurers) dodge of "Very well, we don't require this card," etc., etc. THE "DE CASTON" METHOD OF "RISING CARDS" FROM HAND. _Effect._--Several cards having been selected and marked by the audience are returned to the pack, which is thoroughly shuffled. The cards rise from the pack whilst held in the performer's hand, and when two-thirds of the card is visible. The performer requests the spectator to remove his card himself, which he does, the card being drawn out from about the centre of the pack. The remaining cards are produced in a like manner, the effect being quite weird. [Illustration] _Modus Operandi._--For the purpose of this most mystifying card effect it is necessary to prepare a few cards by cutting an oblong slit in each card wide enough to admit the first finger. These cards are then placed in a side pocket, or _pochette_, and the remainder of the pack handed to several spectators for the purpose of having cards selected and marked. This having been done the performer proceeds to collect the cards, each card when placed in the pack being brought to the top by means of the pass, and after the last card has been returned, the conjurer palms off all the selected cards and hands the pack out to be shuffled. On again receiving the pack in his hands he immediately replaces the palmed cards on top of the pack, and whilst calling attention to what has been done as regards freedom of choice, marking, shuffling, etc., he secretly secures the prepared cards and places them upon the chosen ones. By keeping a couple of fingers across the back of the pack it is an easy matter to casually show the front and back of the cards, and a great deal should be made of the fact that no threads, etc., are employed. When the first card (_i.e._, the last one returned by the audience) is well out of the pack, the finger again covers the slit and the pack is presented to the chooser for him to remove his card and verify the mark. The other cards are similarly dealt with, and the prepared ones are finally palmed off, disposed of, and the pack again passed for inspection. DE CASTON'S DISCOVERY. AN ENTIRELY NEW CARD EFFECT. A pack of cards having been shuffled, the performer deals about fifteen cards one by one face upwards upon the table, remarking, "You will observe that the cards are thoroughly mixed." During this action (which is the whole secret of this experiment) the performer secretly notes the _fifth_ card from the top of the pack, and when gathering up the cards takes care that the noted card is left in its original position. He now makes four heaps of cards (faces down and about eight or ten cards in each heap), taking the cards from the _bottom_ of the pack, and when this has been done the conjurer quickly deals from the top of the pack one card on to the top of each heap, immediately throwing the next card (_i.e._, the noted one) face downwards to one of the spectators, who is requested to remember the card (which has seemingly been thrown out at random), and while he is doing so the performer is busy dealing the remainder of the cards in his hands on to the top of the four heaps. The spectator is now requested to place his card in any heap he prefers, and put all the heaps together, and again thoroughly shuffle, during which time the performer turns his back so as not to see which heap the card is placed in. It is now an easy matter to tell the name of the card, which should be done with hesitation and plenty of dramatic gesture. Try this trick, and remember to work it at rather a high rate of speed, and watch the effect on your audience. A SPECTACULAR HANDKERCHIEF COMBINATION. _Effect._--Three white handkerchiefs are borrowed, a coloured one being added to them (this being performer's own), and placed in a box; an umbrella is shown, replaced in its case, and a change is commanded to take place. The box is opened, and in place of the four handkerchiefs is the umbrella cover, and upon opening the umbrella case the umbrella is found minus the cover and the four handkerchiefs attached to its ribs. The handkerchiefs are removed and laid on a table, the umbrella being returned to the case, which is then placed aside. [Illustration] One of the white handkerchiefs and a pair of sharp scissors are taken to a spectator who is asked to mark the same, which he does, the result being (to the consternation of the performer) a large piece cut out of the centre. The performer apologises for the accident, and mentions that by a similar misunderstanding one of his own handkerchiefs was similarly treated the previous evening, in proof of which he shows a coloured handkerchief with a piece cut out of the centre. He says he will endeavour to restore the white handkerchief, and at the same time he will restore the coloured one. He places the two handkerchiefs with their respective loose centres in another piece of apparatus, and upon removing them discovers to his horror that the white handkerchief has the coloured centre and _vice versâ_. He makes a frantic endeavour to unpick the stitches, finally giving it up in despair. Another piece of apparatus is now introduced into which he places the two handkerchiefs, and thinking that it would be more interesting if he used all the borrowed handkerchiefs, he picks up the remaining handkerchiefs from the table and places them along with the two unfortunates. The performer announces that he is about to cut them all up, but before commencing to do so bethinks himself of his own good handkerchief which he removes and places in his pocket. After some by-play the handkerchiefs are shown in dozens of strips, which are offered to the respective owners to sort out, but this not meeting with the approbation of the lenders, the performer introduces a dove-pan into which he places the torn strips, and whilst descanting upon his trials and troubles he holds a lighted candle near the dove-pan and the pieces of cambric catch light. In order to extinguish the fire the performer claps the lid on the pan, and on removing the cover, out fly two doves, and the conjurer immediately removes the three borrowed handkerchiefs and his own coloured one quite restored. _Modus Operandi._--This combination will enable magicians to bring into play some apparatus which they have probably put aside as obviously too mechanical. Properly presented, no better effect can be wished for. [Illustration] I shall not take up space by describing in detail the various pieces of apparatus, the working, I take it, being well known to magicians of the present day. _You will require_:-- A CHANGING DRAWER BOX, with umbrella cover in one compartment. UMBRELLA CHANGING TUBE: in one side is the skeleton umbrella with three duplicate white handkerchiefs and one coloured handkerchief attached to the bare ribs. The other division contains the unprepared umbrella. BURNING GLOBE, containing a white handkerchief with coloured centre and a coloured handkerchief with white centre. HANDKERCHIEF MILL.--One of the compartments contains white and coloured strips, which will be shown to the audience later, as the borrowed handkerchiefs cut to pieces by the knives contained in the mill are produced. DOVE-PAN.--The pan only is placed on centre table, the lid and inner lining being left behind the scenes to be brought on during the experiment. THREE WHITE HANDKERCHIEFS (disposed of as mentioned above) to match those you intend to borrow. THREE COLOURED HANDKERCHIEFS--one has already been disposed of, the second one is placed in your pocket and the third one is prepared by cutting a piece out of the centre; this latter mutilated handkerchief is laid on your table, both pieces being required. A WHITE HANDKERCHIEF WITH COLOURED CENTRE, disposed of as above. A COLOURED HANDKERCHIEF WITH WHITE CENTRE, disposed of as above. A SMALL BOTTLE OF SPIRITS OF WINE, supposed by the audience to be water. A PAIR OF SHARP SCISSORS. CANDLE AND CANDLESTICK. BOX OF MATCHES. REVOLVER, loaded with blank cartridge. TWO DOVES, and ONE INTELLIGENT ASSISTANT, if procurable. _To perform_:--The conjurer requests the loan of several white handkerchiefs. A number being offered, he accepts three, which he throws over a chair back while he calls attention to the empty condition of the drawer box. The performer now takes the borrowed handkerchiefs one by one and places them in the box. After placing the third handkerchief in the drawer box, he looks round as if for another handkerchief, and remarks, "I should have borrowed _four_ handkerchiefs, but I will not trouble you again, I will use my own." Drawing this (the coloured one) from his pocket and placing it in the box with the three white ones, he closes the drawer. The drawer box is now placed on a table or chair near the footlights. The performer next introduces the umbrella tube, being careful to remove the lid from the end containing the unprepared parasol, which he withdraws, opens, and passes for inspection to prove its unpreparedness. The parasol being returned is placed back into the tube, the lid put on, and in turning to place the tube on the table, it (the tube) is reversed, which brings the lid covering the division containing the skeleton umbrella towards audience when laid on the table. The performer now commands a change to take place, and picking up the box he pulls out the drawer containing the parasol cover, which he removes and shows to audience. On opening the umbrella tube, he withdraws the skeleton parasol with the four duplicate handkerchiefs attached to the ribs; the four handkerchiefs are unfastened and laid on the table, the audience believing them to be those originally borrowed. The performer now selects one of the white handkerchiefs, takes up the pair of scissors and asks one of the spectators to mark the handkerchief so that he will know it again--the conjurer holding the handkerchief in such a manner that the spectator is compelled to cut a circular piece out of the centre. While the gentleman is cutting the handkerchief, the assistant enters and removes the drawer box and umbrella tube, as having been finished with, and when behind the scenes he opens the box and removes the three borrowed handkerchiefs and the performer's coloured one, all of which he folds neatly and places in the inner lining of the dove-pan, finally putting in the two doves and locking lid to lining by the usual bayonet catch. During this time the performer has been apologising for the damage done to the white handkerchief, and the owner not caring to accept his property in its present condition, the performer calls attention to the burning globe, and states that by placing the mutilated handkerchief in the globe he can immediately restore it; at the same time he mentions that "the previous evening I had the misfortune to have my own handkerchief marked in a similar manner" (picks up coloured handkerchief and loose centre from table and shows to audience), "and will take the opportunity of restoring my own coloured handkerchief whilst I am restoring the borrowed white one." After showing the globe to be empty, the performer places the two damaged handkerchiefs, with their respective loose centres, into same and gives the body of globe a quarter-turn, which brings the compartment containing the white handkerchief with coloured centre, and the coloured handkerchief with white centre uppermost. After allowing the "spirits" due time to repair the damaged MOUCHOIRS the performer requests one of the spectators to remove the handkerchiefs, and on his doing so, it is found that the centres have been sewn into the wrong handkerchiefs. The conjurer now makes an attempt to undo the stitches, but finds it impossible, so states that "I shall have to cut the handkerchiefs up in order to restore them to their original condition." During this little bit of by-play, the assistant enters, bringing with him, unostentatiously, the lid of the dove-pan, which he places on the centre table, retiring immediately with the brass globe, now finished with. The performer now introduces the handkerchief mill and removes the knives in order to show their sharpness, and the two handkerchiefs are placed in the empty compartment (the other division, it will be remembered, contains the strips of handkerchiefs); but on second thoughts the performer considers that it is unfair not to treat all the handkerchiefs alike, so he picks up the remaining two white handkerchiefs and the coloured one from the table and places them also in the mill. Before commencing to cut the handkerchiefs up, the performer removes his own coloured one and places it in his pocket, remarking that "to damage my own handkerchief would be ridiculous." The performer now makes the knives revolve, and shortly afterwards pulls the strips of handkerchiefs out of the second compartment and drops them into the dove-pan, saying, "The damage to the handkerchiefs is irreparable, but I will endeavour to iron the pieces and the lenders can sort them out at their leisure. I believe it is necessary when doing any ironing to sprinkle a little water over the objects to be ironed" (sprinkle strips with spirits of wine from bottle) "and also to wax the iron, but as I have no wax and no iron, I will light the candle and drop a little of the melted wax on the pieces of handkerchiefs." Whilst lighting the candle the conjurer carelessly drops the lighted match in the dove-pan, the spirits of wine become ignited and there is a great blaze. The performer gets excited and endeavours to blow out the flames, and not being successful, he frantically grasps the lid of the pan and claps it on to same, immediately afterwards picking up his revolver and firing over the pan, finally removing the lid (which leaves the inner lining inside pan) and allowing the doves to escape. The handkerchiefs are now removed and handed back to their respective owners, the performer's coloured handkerchief being returned to his pocket. If the above description has been carefully followed it will be seen that although an enormous amount of destruction has apparently been going on, in reality only one white handkerchief is destroyed at each performance of the experiment. AN ORIGINAL CONCEPTION WITH EGGS AND FLAGS. _Effect._--An egg is produced and wrapped in a handkerchief, which is then placed over a chair back. A glass casket is next shown to be empty and a piece of tape tied round same by a member of the audience. The casket is suspended from a stand and covered with a borrowed handkerchief. A Union Jack flag is produced and changes into an egg. The casket is uncovered, and flag seen within. Handkerchief removed from chair back, opened out, and egg has disappeared. [Illustration] _You will require_:--A glass casket for handkerchief, double handkerchief with slit in centre of one side, two small flags, one ordinary and one hollow egg (with opening at side), a piece of red tape long enough to go twice round the casket, candle in candlestick, box of matches and a folding brass music stand carrying a frame in which is suspended the casket. The casket has the front lid and two sides of glass, the back and bottom being of wood. A wooden flap is hinged to lower portion of back, and a small silk flag is roughly rolled up and placed behind the flap, which is held up by a small catch operating from back of casket. Casket can now be shown empty amongst the audience without fear of flag or flap being seen. The hollow egg is vested, and the second flag rolled up and placed in matchbox ready for production from flame of candle. The ordinary egg can either be brought on openly or magically produced. I prefer using one of the eggs I have previously produced in the "four eggs at finger tips" trick. _Modus Operandi._--Show the egg and wrap same in the double handkerchief, taking care that the egg is placed in the slit; twist the handkerchief round so as to show shape of the egg, and call attention to the fact that the egg can be seen throughout the performance, and lay same over chair back, egg towards audience. Show casket empty and hand the tape to spectator, asking him to tie same round the casket, the performer holding casket whilst it is being tied. It is now suspended in the frame on stand (two small brass chains with hooks at end being used for this purpose), and covered with borrowed handkerchief. In the act of covering the casket, performer releases the flap which drops down inside the casket, thus releasing the duplicate flag previously placed therein. The candle is now lighted and the flag produced from flame. While calling attention once more to the egg in the handkerchief and to the empty (?) casket, the performer secures the hollow egg from vest and proceeds to vanish the flag by working it into the opening at the side of egg. When the flag is well tucked in, the conjurer, without showing egg, explains what he is about to do--to cause the egg to leave the handkerchief and appear in his hand, and the flag to pass from his hand into the empty casket. _Presto!_ the hands are opened, the egg is shown, and placed in a conspicuous position on the table; the casket is uncovered and handed to spectator to untie the tapes and remove the flag. The performer now commences to introduce his _next_ trick, seemingly forgetting about the handkerchief which is still hanging over chair back, and of course the usual "smart" gentleman asks, "What about the egg in the handkerchief?" Performer seems flurried, but otherwise takes no notice of the remark, and pretends to be anxious to get on with his next item. The audience insists that the egg is still in the handkerchief, and performer then calls attention to the egg on the table, which he asserts is the one he wrapped up in the handkerchief, and "eggstracted" by magic. The audience do not believe it, so the magician, with seeming reluctance, very gingerly picks up the handkerchief from the chair and shakes same out (the handkerchief, not the chair), and the egg is "found" to have disappeared, proving (?) that the egg seen on table is the identical one which was wrapped up at commencement of trick. I am indebted to my esteemed brother magicians, Messrs. T. HAYES, W. G. MALVERN, and J. HEMPSTEAD, for the description of the following original and novel experiments:-- A NEW HANDKERCHIEF COMBINATION. BY W. G. MALVERN, COIN AND CARD MANIPULATOR. The requirements for this excellent trick are as follows:--A glass gas chimney, four silk handkerchiefs--one red, one blue, and two white. A small _fêke_--consisting of a brass tube about two inches long and just large enough to slip over the forefinger of the right hand. There must be soldered at the top of the _fêke_ on the outside, a piece of wire forming a small hook. The _fêke_ should, for obvious reasons, be covered with flesh-coloured silk. A sheet of cartridge paper rolled up to form a tube and of such a size as to fit over the glass cylinder is also required. The presentation of the trick is as follows:--The performer commences by showing an ordinary glass cylinder to be unprepared and free from deception. The three handkerchiefs are next shown, and in placing them on the table the blue handkerchief is casually dropped over the _fêke_ which is lying there loaded with a duplicate white handkerchief. The red handkerchief is then picked up along with the cylinder and placed in one end; then the blue handkerchief (and with it the _fêke_) is inserted in the other end of the cylinder. The hook on the fêke engages the rim of the cylinder, which prevents it from slipping down. The performer now covers the cylinder with the tube of paper, and in doing so the forefinger is pushed through the _fêke_, which action causes the concealed handkerchief to appear between the blue and red handkerchiefs, and when withdrawing the finger, the _fêke_ is brought away on it, which, of course, cannot be seen owing to the flesh-coloured silk. [Illustration] The trick is now practically finished; all the performer has to do is to vanish the white handkerchief into the _fêke_, which is removed from the finger, and command the white handkerchief to appear between the red and blue handkerchiefs in the cylinder. On removing the paper tube this is seen to have been done. THE "PHANTOM" COIN TRICK. BY J. HEMPSTEAD, MAGICIAN. The coin trick I am about to describe is most suitable for performing in a room, and has the advantage of being easily mastered by anybody after five minutes' practice. This sleight has perplexed many of the world's leading magicians, amongst whom may be mentioned Mr. Horace Goldin. [Illustration] The effect of the trick is as follows:--The performer rolls up his right sleeve to the elbow, and then sits down at a table. One of the spectators is requested to sit down opposite him, and having obtained the loan of a sixpence, he places the coin in his palm in full view of everybody. The performer then closes his hand on the table, knuckles upwards, and asks the spectator sitting opposite him to place his hand on his (performer's), which he does, and then the performer, saying "One! two! three! Pass!!" asks the spectator if he felt the coin leave the hand and pass through _his_ (spectator's), to which, of course, the answer is "No"; but, nevertheless, on the spectator removing his hand, and the performer opening his, the coin is found to have completely vanished. The hands are shown absolutely empty, fingers wide apart, no palming being employed. The effect of this little trick cannot be sufficiently judged by a description in print, but must be put into actual practice to be thoroughly appreciated. _To perform._--When the performer (with right arm bared to elbow) asks the spectator to place his hand on his (performer's), he brings his left elbow on to the table and rests his head on his left hand--quite a natural position--and when the spectator puts his hand on the performer's (which in nine cases out of ten will be in the form of a fist like performer's), the conjurer exclaims, "No, no! not that way; put your hand _flat_ on mine," on saying which the spectator will naturally remove his hand for an instant--and now comes the conjuring part of the experiment. As the spectator removes his hand performer raises his fist with a quick up-and-down motion, and as his hand descends the coin is thrown through the bottom of fist into left sleeve. This motion must be done very smartly and at the right moment, but with a little practice will be found quite easy of accomplishment. It will now be clear that when the spectator again puts his hand on top of the performer's, the trick is done, and it does not take much of a magician to cause the disappearance of the coin. Of course, should the spectator at first place his hand _flat_ on your fist, the same formula is gone through as before, only _vice versâ_. AN ORIGINAL "EGGSTRA" SPECIAL COMBINATION. BY T. HAYES, CONJURER AND ILLUSIONIST. _Effect._--Appear with wand in hand, and after usual introductory patter lay wand on table and pick up a piece of white tissue paper--size, say, 6 by 4 inches. Roll this up into a ball and place on the palm of the left hand; then, shaking it to and fro, it gradually assumes the form of an egg. Lay this on the table while you light a candle (ready in candlestick); pick up the egg again and hold it over the candle to harden it. In a minute show the egg and have the same examined. Make a few passes--limited only by the skill of the performer--eventually placing it in the left hand (back to audience) and command it to pass; show empty hand, at the same time point to candle on table, when the audience see the egg balanced on top of same. Take it off and bring forward with candle and show. Replace the candle and pick up a handkerchief. Cover egg with handkerchief and taking hold of egg through same, gather up the four loose ends and give to someone to hold. Take up your pistol and fire at same, and laying down pistol, pick up plate and ask assistant to place the handkerchief on it; then open out handkerchief, and in centre in place of the egg he finds original piece of paper (initialed previously if desired). Now take piece of paper, and laying down plate and handkerchief, make a fist of left hand and push paper in at top, draw it out at bottom of hand, when it is seen to have changed to a white silk handkerchief. Show this both sides, holding it at two top corners; then roll it up rope fashion, and pulling hands apart, a handkerchief is seen in both hands--one white and one yellow (here you may remark "The white and yolk; simply a question of colour"). Now roll these two together in the hands, and hold in right hand over candle, saying, "I will hard-boil it," and show the egg again. Pass for examination, asking if it is a good one; on reply of "Yes," say "Well, I have my doubts, but we will test it." Throw it in the air two or three times and the egg disappears, you remarking, "I was afraid there might be a chicken in it." _Explanation._--When you pick up piece of paper at first, you take up with it a "skin" egg, neatly folded, with a thin strip of paper round it to prevent it prematurely expanding. It is this that is placed in palm of left hand, and paper strip torn loose. Lay gently on table and light candle, and as you lay down matchbox with right hand (right side to audience), palm egg in left hand from hip pocket or vest. Pick up "skin" egg and hold over candle, presently remarking "It's getting hot"; suddenly place it apparently in the left hand (really crushing it up and finger palming), and show palmed egg in left hand. After sundry "passes" "vanish" to candle. This is worked on same principle as "Card in Candle," or "Card on Ale Bottle," using a half shell (cut lengthwise). When you go to take egg, remove with left hand and place in right, in which is original egg still palmed. The shell fits on this, so only one egg appears. Pick up the candlestick in left hand, and bring it forward to show it quite unprepared, allowing the _fêke_ to fall forward flat on table. [Illustration] Replace the candle and pick up the handkerchief. This has an oval wire shape in centre covered by a piece of the same material as the handkerchief--this fits over egg, which presses out handkerchief into proper shape. When you pretend to take hold of the egg through handkerchief, you really seize this--allowing egg to drop into right palm out of sight. Gather up the four ends of the handkerchief with this hand, which adds cover for egg. Let go top (egg?) with left hand and ask assistant to hold handkerchief for you. In handing it to him first take it in your left hand and let your right fall naturally to side, and either "vest" or "_profonde_" egg. Now take up pistol and fire at egg (?) in handkerchief, and picking up the plate or tray, lay down pistol and ask assistant to lay handkerchief with the egg gently on it. With your other hand open out handkerchief--when he sees roll of paper on same. (This is original piece, palmed in when pretending to place egg in. The wire frame holds it in position.) Let your assistant open out the paper and verify mark (if one was made). Meanwhile, lay down the plate and handkerchief on the table, at the same time palming small _fêke_ containing white silk handkerchief in left hand. Now take back piece of paper from assistant and thank him; then make left hand into a fist and push the paper in at top till all is in. This pushes out handkerchief from the _fêke_ into the palm; then secretly remove _fêke_ on finger, continuing the pushing with another finger (old idea). Now draw out silk handkerchief from bottom of left hand--show it by holding it at the top corners, in front of you--gradually raise right hand and lower left; as you do so, seize the corner of the yellow handkerchief which protrudes through one of waistcoat buttonholes. (I have a small black bead sewn to the corner to make this easy.) As soon as yellow handkerchief is clear, the left hand should have reached buttonhole and now seizes last corner; then a quick turn (ropewise) rolls up the yellow in the white. Pull hands apart gently, retaining end of yellow handkerchief in one hand and the end of white in the other, and let the audience see both, one in each hand. Now roll these up in the hands, "balling" them well, and hold over candle (or a Stodare egg can be used, making all safe). After a minute, show egg, saying, "It's getting hot!"--change from hand to hand, thus changing for real original egg, which you had just before palmed from vest or pocket, and hand for examination. The final vanish is, of course, into the _profonde_ and needs no explanation. [Illustration] HAMLEYS' MAGICAL PALACE. =Boxes of Conjuring Tricks=, 1/3, 2/9, 5/10, 11/-, 15/8, post free. Larger sizes, 21/-, 30/-, 42/-, 63/- to 10 guineas. =Cabinets of Card Tricks=, 2/9, 5/10, 10/11, 21/9, post free. Larger sizes, 42/- and 63/-, carriage on receipt. =Boxes of Puzzles=, 2/9, 5/10, 10/11, 21/9, post free. Superb Cabinet, 63/-, carriage on receipt. =Boxes of Assorted Wire Puzzles=, price 6d., post free 8d. Large size, 1/-, post free 1/3. =Cabinet of Coin Tricks=, containing eight tricks, 6/3, post free. =Cabinet of Amusing Jokes=. Latest Novelty, very funny and laughable, containing thirteen surprises, price 10/10, post free. [Illustration] SHADOWGRAPHY. =Cabinet of Hand Shadows=, complete with book by David Devant. Price 1/-, post free 1/3. Without book 9d., post free 1/-. =A Complete Set of "Shadowgraphy."= Containing every piece of apparatus named in the book. There are about twenty different pieces, exactly the same as used by Trewey. Price only 3/6, post free 3/9. =Sets of Figures= as described in the book "Shadow Entertainments," by A. Patterson, at prices as follows, post free:--Broken Bridge, 5/3; Ally Sloper's Menagerie, 2/9; Barnaby's Bull, 3/-; Mrs. Bugg's Chimney, 2/9; Old Tagg's Day School, 2/9; Down our Alley, 4/3; The Haunted House, 6/9; Marine piece, 4/6; Set of Characters, 2/9; Book only, describing above sets, 1/-, post free 1/2. =Ventriloquial Heads= at 5/-, 6/6, 10/6, 15/-, 17/6, 24/-, post free 5/4, 6/10, 11/-, 16-, 18/6, 25/-. =Ventriloquial Figures=, 15/-, 21/-, 30/-, 40/-, 63/-, 84/-, and 105/- each; carriage on receipt. Any Special Figure made to order. A large assortment of Ventriloquial Books. List post free. =Original Dialogues= written from 3/6 to 42/-. =Sets of Punch and Judy Figures= from 5/6. List post free. A Large Variety of =Marionette Figures=. List post free. =Hat Coils=, six bright colours in each, cut and made by machinery, rolled very tight, price 2-1/2d. each, post free 4d.; by the dozen (not less) 2/3, post free 2/9. =7-in. Tambourine Coils=, white, 3d. each, post free 6d. each; by the dozen (not less) 2/9, post free 3/5. =Flowers of Enchantment=, best double flowers, silk leaves, shaded, unequalled, price 1/1 per dozen, post free; or 7/6 per 100, post free 7/9. Cheaper quality Paper Flowers, very effective, bright colours, price 6d. per dozen, post free 7d.; or 2/6 per 100, post free 2/7. =Multiplying Flags=, best quality, bright colours, very effective. First size, 8d. per gross; second size (7 ins. by 5 ins.), 6d. per dozen; third size (14 ins. by 10 ins.), 1/- per dozen; fourth size (19 ins. by 15 ins.), 1/4 per dozen; fifth size (29 ins. by 20 ins.), 1/7 per dozen; postage 3d. extra. Any size made to order. =Flash Paper= 4d. per sheet, 8d. per packet, 4/3 per quire, post free. =Grand Complete Illustrated Catalogue=, price 6d., post free. =CHAPEAUGRAPHY, or Twenty-five Heads under one Hat.=--A complete Set of Apparatus, Book, etc., for Chapeaugraphy. An immense success for Public Entertainments, Private Parties, Bazaars, Penny Readings, etc. Price 10/- complete, post free 10/6. Book only, price 6d., post free 7d. [Illustration] { 35, NEW OXFORD STREET, W. C. HAMLEY { 29, LUDGATE HILL, E.C. BROS., LTD., { 510A & 512, OXFORD STREET, W. Branches, { 200 & 202, REGENT STREET, W. London. { 59, KNIGHTSBRIDGE, S.W. { 86 & 87, HIGH HOLBORN, W.C. (HEAD WAREHOUSE.) HAMLEY BROS., Ltd., In which is merged BLAND'S MAGICAL PALACE. Conjuring Tricks Of all Kinds. At all Prices. We have actually IN STOCK thousands of splendid tricks which can be easily, but deceptively, shown immediately on purchasing, after merely having read the clear and explicit instructions which are included with each trick. Prices from 4d. to £25. All tricks described in this book can be obtained at HAMLEY BROS., LTD. =Ventriloquial Dolls and Heads= of every description. =Punch and Judy Shows and Figures= from 5/6 to 6 guineas. ="Make-Up"= of every description at lowest professional prices. =Shadowgraphy and Chapeaugraphy= Outfits for Professionals and Amateurs. =Puzzles=, =Practical Jokes=, and all kinds of funny Novelties, always in stock in immense varieties, etc., etc. N.B.--We have Agents all over the world to keep us posted in "the very latest," which is always to be obtained _first_ at our Grand Magical Palace. Lessons given in Sleight of Hand, Ventriloquism, &c. NEW BOOKS. ="Some Modern Conjuring."= By Donald Holmes. Price =4/-=, post free =4/2= ="Entertaining."= By "Albertus." Price =1/-=, post free =1/2=. ="The Art of Modern Juggling."= By "Anglo." Usual Price =4/6=, reduced to =2/6=, post free =2/8=. ="Problems in Mystery."= By Max Stirling. Price =2/6=, post free =2/8=. ="Aids to Wizardry."= By E. D'Egerdon. Price =2/-=, post free =2/2=. ="Patter Books,"= in 2 volumes. By "Selbit." Price =6d.= each vol., post free =7d.= Ideas for Illusions, etc., worked out. JUGGLING, VENTRILOQUIAL, BOOK, and JOKE LISTS sent post free on application. GRAND ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE (nearly 1,000 Illustrations) post free on receipt of 6d., stamps or P.O. { 35, New Oxford Street, W.C. HAMLEY { 29, Ludgate Hill, E.C. BROS., Ltd., { 510a & 512, Oxford Street, W. Branches, { 200 & 202, Regent Street, W. London, { 59, Knightsbridge, S.W. { 86 & 87, High Holborn, W.C. (Head Warehouse.) * * * * * Transcriber's Notes Italicized text is shown within _underscores_. Bold text is shown within =equal signs=. 
27353	----	[Illustration:] INDIAN CONJURING BY MAJOR L. H. BRANSON M.I.M.C. Indian Army With 8 Illustrations LONDON GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS LTD. NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO. * * * * * _I dedicate this small volume to_ MY WIFE _who has always been my best audience and my keenest critic at the innumerable sleight-of-hand performances that I have had the pleasure of giving in her presence._ * * * * * _Portions of this book were published by the TIMES OF INDIA, ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY, by whose kind permission they are reprinted._ * * * * * CONTENTS 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 XI. GENERALITIES AND OTHER MYTHS 98 * * * * * LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS My old friend Shah Mahommed, aged 87 years, son of Ghaus Mahommed, who died aged 75 years, and grandson of Nur Mahommed who died at the age of 78 years, All three were itinerant conjurers and had never seen the rope trick Front Shah Mahommed singing Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay between two experiments Facing page 10 Shah Mahommed with two assistants for the Ring on the Stick Facing page 28 Preliminaries of the Restored Rope, the only rope trick that I have ever seen performed in India Facing page 46 Shah Mahommed performing the egg bag trick Facing page 52 The Dancing Duck, performed with an enamel bowl instead of the cocoa-nut shell Facing page 54 The preliminary stage of the mango tree trick as shewn by Shah Mahommed Facing page 60 Conclusion of the mango tree trick Facing page 62 * * * * * INDIAN CONJURING CHAPTER I A COMPARISON Since the world began Magic and wizardy seem to have held a great fascination 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 ascendancy 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 several large flags, a bouquet of flowers and, may be, a beautiful lady, all, possibly produced from a top hat. His performance 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 lighted is an excellent example to what he has risen. He takes an interest in his profession or calling 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 conjuror of any nationality, and I am confident that the interest the European takes in his hobby has more to do with his superiority 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 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 improve 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 stage well 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 garments 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 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 productionist 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 become a large duck's egg which he places 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 hope that I have gained my point in showing that the Chinaman is an ingenious and a neat performer. There are many other amazing tricks which were originated in China and the far East, (as the Japanese are as good, if not better than the Chinese) but this egg trick is to my mind the most symbolical of Chinese magic. The Indian juggler or Jadoo-wallah arrives with a basket large enough to contain a man, as we will see later, a huge dilapidated bag, a voluminous dhotie or loin cloth, and possibly a snake basket or two. He is a poor man or "gareeb admi" and looks it. He starts a whine in the hope of getting an audience through sympathy. If he does not whine he assumes 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 antiquated "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 instrument. I may here say that this musical torture is used to disguise movements 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 remained 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 illusions. [Illustration: Shah Mahommed singing Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay between two experiments.] He seldom has any patter worth listening 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 evening dress on these occasions, to show, I presume, how European he is. The audience is more concerned with the possibility of its bursting and their having to leave the theatre for decency's sake than they are of the feats he is attempting to imitate. 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 Rs. 1200 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 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 extortion of money or valuables from their gullible disciples. These illusions were 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 perform, 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. CHAPTER II 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. I will attempt to describe each trick for the benefit of those who have not actually 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, without 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 tangerine 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 misadventures in the night clubs in the West End of London. The explanation is simple. [Illustration] Instead of three balls the performer has four. One of these he conceals in the palm of the hand by which he lifts the cup. The handle of the cup can be grasped between the outstretched fingers--(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. [Illustration] I will not go any further into the combinations 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 be left after reading my explanation. If there is still any uncertainty, for a few annas or pence, any itinerant conjuror will show the sleight, and ten minutes practice ought to bring matters to a satisfactory conclusion. 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 anything 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 performances 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 like 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 useless for him to attempt small tricks without constant and monotonous 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 BAMBOO-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. [Illustration: Sticks held together till the knife is passed between them] [Illustration: Held in "V" position] 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 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. Consequently 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 performer wishes to leave the pulled string out, he must incline the stick to a horizontal 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. [Illustration: Both sticks held vertically and both beads in] [Illustration: One stick held horizontally allows the bead to remain out, while the other being held vertically has the bead drawn in] [Illustration: 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 European in India has seen this performed in India for it is the favourite of the 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 performer either borrows or uses his own thin cane, and passes it round to his audience 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 proclaims 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 secret he must pass it on under cover 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 handkerchief 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! [Illustration: Shah Mahommed with two assistants for The Ring on 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 prepared article is the handkerchief, in one corner of which is a duplicate wedding 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 performer 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 they 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 reality 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. 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. CHAPTER IV 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 constructed 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 handkerchief 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 of this effort, as he assures one that it is from "Bilayat" (England), a slander that is at once discountenanced by a glimpse at the box, obviously made by the most indifferent "teen banane wallah" (tinsmith) that ever had the impertinence to undertake to make anything. [Illustration] 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. [Illustration] 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._ Our next trick--so called because the toy boat used is intended to be a miniature of the harbour or "bander" boat used 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 elsewhere, though there is no reason why it should not have travelled throughout India since its invention countless years ago. [Illustration: Small hole out of which the water pours into the boat while the bottom of the mast is free of the water in the boat. Cocoa-nut shell full of water Hollow mast Hole through which the water leaks. This leakage is not observed owing to the careless(!) spilling of the water referred to in the text.] 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 one third of the way up. Prior to the fixing of the mast and the shell, the boat 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 the articles with water the performer carelessly--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 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! 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 from the shell pours out in greater volume 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 BOWL 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 circumference of the top is about half that of the widest part, thus:-- [Illustration] He then borrowed some uncooked rice with which he proceeded to fill the bowl to its utmost capacity. While doing so 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 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 I 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. _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 coloured sand they would like extracted from the water. The reply may be "green." "Wet or dry?" asks the conjuror. Let 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 colour will 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 are little balls of prepared powders or sand of colours corresponding to those already put into the water. These balls are prepared 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 wonderful. He notes very carefully the 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 performer remembers the position of the required 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. CHAPTER VI 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. [Illustration: PRELIMINARIES OF THE RESTORED ROPE. The only rope trick that I have ever seen performed in India.] 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 conjuring--says of it "This trick is of such venerable antiquity, that we should not have ventured to allude to it, were it not 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 Mahommed 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:-- [Illustration] 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 inches long. While gathering up the rope to be magically restored, the old scoundrel simply got rid of this small piece and showed the longer one as the restored rope. To go into details and to give the "drill" as to how to get the string or rope into the required position would be tedious and difficult to understand. The illustration, I trust, explains sufficiently clearly the secret of the trick, and if one tries to get it into this position it will be found quite easy to do, "chacun à son gout." Shah Mahommed made quite a feature of the trick, using two assistants for it, one to hold the rope occasionally and the other to cut it. The first time I remember seeing it was when Uncle George showed it to me on my fourth birthday, many long weary years ago. [Illustration] The string (as shewn in the above illustration) being held for the audience to cut at x. THE SWASTIKA I remember on one occasion some 20 years ago, being very puzzled by a trick that is often performed in Bengal. The magician gets from one of the servants a broken "chatti" or earthenware bowl. He selects a piece about two inches square and asks one of his audience to draw upon it with a piece of charcoal, borrowed from the "Khansamah" or cook, the sign of the Swastika, with which most people are familiar. [Illustration] The draftsman is then requested to place the piece of earthenware or tile on the ground and after gazing intently at the Swastika to crush it to powder with the heel of his boot. These instructions are accordingly carried out. The man of magic now asks his assistant to look at the palm of his hand and see that there is no mark upon it. There is no mark. The hand is then held out palm upwards over the powdered tile and the assistant is told to gaze at it intently. After a few seconds the performer turns the assistant's hand over so that it is now palm downwards. A little music on the "bean," a magic pass, a mystic word, and the assistant is requested to look at the palm of his hand, when to his astonishment, there is a distinct mark of the Swastika upon it! Truly a miracle! The trick is a most effective one, and when well performed, with intervals for gazing at the dust, the clean palm, mystic words and so forth, it would baffle most audiences. Yet it is simplicity itself, and this is the secret. When the Swastika is drawn on the piece of tile, the performer in placing it on the ground to be trodden upon, puts his thumb on the drawing, and thereby gets an inverse print of it on the ball of his thumb. The tile is powdered and the hand held palm upwards over it. When turning the assistant's hand palm downwards, the conjuror does so with his fingers at the back of the assistant's hand and the thumb on the clean palm, leaving the imprint of the Swastika upon it. A rub with his thumb on his garment, or the ground, removes instantly all trace of the medium between the tile and the assistant's palm. Charcoal must be used as it is soft to write with and gives the best imprints. An "HH" pencil for instance, might do, but the imprint would be hardly visible on the palm. I consider this little trick to be one of the most mystifying of the Indian conjuror. THE EGG BAG An effective little trick usually follows that of the Cut and Restored String in the form of an egg being put into a small bag. A magic pass is made over the mouth of the bag, which is then turned inside out, stamped upon if necessary, and slapped all over to show that it is quite empty and that the egg has disappeared. At will, and with another magic pass, the egg reappears from the bag when it is turned over, mouth downwards. [Illustration: Shah Mahommed performing the Egg bag trick.] The secret lies in the fact that the bag, which is of some opaque material, and is nine inches deep and six inches broad, has one of its sides double. The easiest way to make such a bag is to take a piece of cloth six inches broad and 24 inches long. Fold six inches of one end over and then turn the other end to where the cloth has been folded. Stitch up either side, thus making a bag. When the egg is put in, it drops to the bottom of the bag. When the performer dips his hand in again to take out the egg, in doing so he slips it into the pocket formed inside, and leaves it there, bringing his hand out empty and from which the egg has disappeared. The bag being turned inside out does not expose the egg which is in the inner pocket. When treading on or slapping the bag, care should of course be taken to miss the egg. CHAPTER VII THE DANCING DUCK As his last trick was with water the Jadoo-wallah sensibly enough proceeds to show another with water, though an English conjuror would separate such tricks from an artistic point of view, thinking that a change of diet in magic is just as necessary as it is in a meal. The trick is that of the dancing duck. [Illustration: THE DANCING DUCK, performed with an enamel bowl instead of the cocoa-nut shell.] A half cocoa-nut shell is dug out of the bag. It is wrapped up in a piece of cloth and very carefully unfolded, for reasons that will be apparent later. In this shell is a little wooden duck. The shell is placed on the ground and filled with water upon which the duck floats. The performer takes his "tom tom" and while playing it the duck begins to dance, as it were, upon the water. After an interval it is commanded to pay its obeisances or in other words, to "salaam," which it does by going right under water. On the word "bas" it comes up again. And so forth and so on. It is a clever little trick and we will now see how it is done. The cocoa-nut shell has a hole through the bottom of it. Through this hole passes a horse hair that is attached at one end to the duck and at the other to a piece of bees wax. The hair is about two feet long. The whole apparatus is wrapped in a piece of cloth as otherwise the horse hair would get unwound and broken. When placing it on the ground, the bees wax enables the performer to see where the end of the hair is when unwound. The shell is filled with water, some being carelessly spilt to prevent the leakage through the little hole at the bottom being too noticeable. When picking up his "tom-tom" the performer also picks up the bees wax, and attaching it to the "tom-tom" the arrangements are complete. Bringing the "tom-tom" closer to the body makes the duck dive under water. The ordinary shaking of the drum makes the duck dance. This is not a trick that can be conveniently shewn by Europeans, because of the inconvenience of doing it on the ground. The leakage of the water is not so apparent on the earth, which hides the horse hair. But at a small distance the trick can be done on a table, as the horse hair is quite invisible at a range of five feet, especially when it is against a dark back ground. It can be easily made or bought for a few annas, and with good patter presents a neat little after dinner experiment. _The Mango Tree Trick._ To my mind it is amazing what a spurious reputation this trick has gained. From a technical point of view, it is possibly the worst performance of the Indian conjuror. From a physiological point of view the gullibility of the audience is astounding. Wherever one goes in England, France or America, in fact anywhere out of India, and the conversation turns to Magic, one is asked about the Mango Tree trick, and whether one has seen it done. I have heard the most gorgeously elaborated descriptions of this trick, given not only by persons who had heard about it but, I regret to say, by persons who said that they had seen it done. On one occasion on board ship a Eurasian, who hailed from ---- and indulged in the Mahommedan name of Macpherson, gave me the following details of the trick as he had seen it performed, of course many many years ago. When he was only two years old I expect. "A conjuror came into the compound, and my father told him to clear out. The man, however, persisted in remaining, saying that he had something very wonderful to show us. My father eventually agreed to watch the performance. We all sat down on the verandah, which was of solid concrete, and the Jadoo-wallah took off his "dhoti" or loin cloth, and squatted in front of us. He produced a mango stone and put it under some loose earth, which he had gathered up from our own garden. He played on his flute, and as he did so the stone began to sprout until the little shrub was about two inches high. He then watered it a little and again began playing the most beautiful music to it. The little plant grew higher and higher as he did so, until it was quite two feet high with a number of leaves upon it. He then watered it a second time, and again played his flute until the tree was four feet high with fruit on it. He then stopped his music and cut one of the mangoes off the tree, which my father ate and found to be delicious." That was Macpherson's story. I have never seen the trick done this way, and do not know of anyone who has. But I have an explanation to give. In fact four explanations. These are:-- That Macpherson and Baron Münchausen were relations. That Macpherson's cousin was Louis de Rougement. That the trick as above was explained to me late at night, after Macpherson had had "one or two." That it was never done at all. Of course I do not want to call Macpherson a liar. It would be rude. He is a bigger man than I am, and he might meet me again. I will now describe the mango trick as I have seen it performed many many times. [Illustration: THE PRELIMINARY STAGE OF THE MANGO TREE TRICK as shewn by Shah Mahommed.] The Jadoo-wallah, sitting under the porch and not upon a concrete verandah, heaps up some earth in front of him. He wets this until it has the consistency of mud. He then places in this little mound a mango stone and covers the whole with a cloth. He plays the "bean" and takes away the cloth when the heap is found to be as before. He takes the lid of his basket, and covering it with the cloth, places it over the heap of mud propping up one end of it, that towards himself, with a little piece of stick. More "bean." He then takes away the lid and cloth. Still no result. He puts back the covering again. (I am going to call this point "A" for my explanation.) After a certain amount of manipulation, during which is heard the rustling of leaves, he lifts it up and Lo! and behold! there is a small plant in view. He administers to it with water and adjusts its leaves. He again goes through the same performance as above. Each time that he takes away the basket cover the tree has grown larger. The most developed finale that I have seen, is when the tree was about two feet high with a number of leaves and two diminutive unripe mangoes on it. My explanation will rob those who like to imagine that magic pure and simple, accounts for the Mango Tree trick of a great deal of their enjoyment in that belief. The making of the loose earth into a mud pie is necessary, because, otherwise the bits of branches that are to be stuck into it from time to time will not stand upright. At the point "A" referred to above, when the performer takes the basket lid away, with the cloth he picks up a small bundle by his side which contains a small piece of a mango twig with two or three leaves upon it. Under cover of the replaced lid he undoes the bundle, gets out the twig, and sticks it into the mud heap pressing it firmly down, so that it stands erect and appears to have grown there. He plays a little music and carries away the lid, and with it the empty rag that contained the twig. He places the lid on the ground and so gets rid of the rag. While his audience are showing their surprise at the development of the twig, he picks up still another larger bundle containing a still bigger branch of a mango tree. He replaces the lid, and under cover of it unfolds the bundle, gets out the branch, adds it to the twig already in the mud heap and makes all secure by again pressing down the mud. [Illustration: CONCLUSION OF THE MANGO TREE TRICK.] Finally he plants in the same way, the branch which has possibly two mangoes upon it. It might even have ripe fruit, the means of getting them there being just the same, though the ripe fruit being brought to view will of course depend upon the season of the year at which the trick is being shewn. When the necessary monetary subscription that follows this trick has been completed, the Jadoo-wallah sweeps the branches, earth, and all away in one fell destructive swoop which does not allow his audience to ascertain whether or no the tree had any roots. Occasionally, instead of the basket lid, the magician uses three sticks tied together in the form of a tripod over which he places his cloth under which he works his mysteries. This was the method of Ghaus Mahommed. Many of my readers may say that the above cannot be the explanation of the trick. All I can say is, that the next time they see the mango trick being performed, let them take a copy of this little book and refer to it as the trick progresses, when I feel confident that they will accept this true and only explanation. If they are still unbelievers, or rather believers in the real Magic of the trick, let them offer untold gold to any man who will do the Mango Tree trick in India in January, or February, culminating in the tree having ripe or unripe fruit upon it. As far as I know, the Mango Tree does not give fruit in these two months and the money will never be forfeited. Now that we know the explanation, does it not strike the reader as amazing that such a crude, simple trick should have gained the reputation it has done. I can only attribute the fact to persons like our Mahommedan and Scotch friend Macpherson, who tell "traveller's yarns" until they in time begin to believe them themselves. CHAPTER VIII THE BASKET TRICK When we discussed the Mango Tree trick, I commented unfavourably upon the veracity of our friend Macpherson. Let me here state definitely that there is no such person as far as I know, though the description of the trick as I have given it, was related to me word for word in the smoking room of an outward bound ship. It was capped by some one saying that they had seen the tree grown without earth, on the deck of a steamer on its way to Australia. I make no comment on this version of the Mango Tree trick. There are many people who describe tricks to me and ask how they could have been done. Some of these baffle all explanation. They are so marvellous, that I am convinced that they have never been done and could never be performed. Such tricks as described to me are usually the fruit of a vivid imagination, pure and simple. As an instance of this, I will relate an incident that happened some time ago in Calcutta. I gave a performance in a public place in which I did a billiard ball trick. In the trick, the greatest number of billiard balls that I have at any one time in my hands is two. Throughout the whole of the trick I use no more than one red, two white, and two smaller white balls. Five in all. After the performance, I was having a well earned drink, when a complete stranger to me asked if I had seen "that chap who did the tricks." I could truthfully answer "no" and did so. "He was an absolute marvel," said the stranger "there he was on the stage in evening dress with both arms bared (I never bare my arms) and he produced the whole set of pool balls, every single colour of them." This was said to me within ten minutes of my having performed the trick, and the five balls that I used had been exaggerated into sixteen or seventeen. I forget how many balls are used at the game of Pool. The French Police truthfully say that no two untrained persons can describe accurately in detail a scene witnessed an hour previously. I am sure that all our Indian judges can verify this statement. It can be easily proved by any one of my readers trying with his friends. It is this inability to accurately describe what has been seen that assists the conjuror so much in deceiving his audience. It is this inability which unfortunately results in rumours being spread of wonderful performances being given by magicians in distant lands, notably the Rope trick, with which I will deal later. Such rumours and stories are started by persons who from bravado will swear that they have seen this, that, and the other, in order generally to be the centre of their astounded listeners. A trick that is most frequently described is that known as the Basket trick, which is in my opinion the chef d'oeuvre of the Indian Jadoo-wallah. It is a wonderful bluff usually wonderfully shewn. A perfectly good basket is placed on the ground. It is shewn to be quite empty and devoid of any trap, false bottoms or other mechanism. After a well conducted altercation with his assistant, a small boy, the performer tells him to get into the basket. The boy attempts to do so, but finds that it is too small to contain more than his feet and legs doubled up. The Jadoo-wallah presses forward the little boy's head and this leaves only his shoulders and back visible. A large cloth of thick texture is then thrown over the little boy who is half in and half out of the basket, and the lid is balanced on top of all. A little more altercation ensues when the Maestro takes a big stick and aims a mighty blow at the basket. As the blow falls the lid sinks down on to the top of the basket, and a terrible silence is the result. The Jadoo-wallah realises that he has killed his assistant, and, if a good showman, bewails his lot suitably. He then decides to get rid of the body and, in some cases, to restore it to life again. In order to show that a tune on the "bean" has the required effect of making the body disappear, he lifts the lid of the basket and first with one foot and then the other steps on to the cloth covering the basket and presses it down to the bottom. There is nothing in the basket! To further prove the emptiness of the basket he replaces the lid, through the middle of which there is a hole, and through this hole thrusts down in all directions a sword. Occasionally he thrusts it through the sides. There is nothing in the basket. The body has disappeared. This ends the trick, though on occasions the performer orders the lad to re-appear from the end of the garden, or elsewhere. The collection is made, the basket is hitched up on the shoulder pole and with his bag of tricks the Jadoo-wallah moves on to the next bungalow. How can it be done? [Illustration] First let us note carefully the shape of the basket. It is oblong, about two feet high with a bulge in all its sides, so that the bottom of the basket is larger than the top. When the boy gets into the basket he places both feet into it and sits down, filling the basket thus:-- [Illustration] When the performer pushes his head forward the boy gets into this position:-- [Illustration] The cloth is then thrown over all, the boy and the basket, and while the lid is being placed on top, and the altercation continues, the boy gets into this position, holding the basket lid up with one hand. [Illustration] The lid of the basket being held up like this causes the audience to think that his former position is unaltered. If one were to take away the cloth and look inside the basket one would see the boy lying something like this. [Illustration] The performer takes away the lid which the boy has allowed to sink into its proper place after the terrible blow with the big stick, and to show the emptiness of the basket, puts his feet into the basket, between the body and bent up legs of the boy, and sits down on top of the assistant. By doing so he pushes the cloth down close on to the boy. He then gets out again, replaces the lid and thrusts the sword through the hole in the lid twisting it in all directions. Were it not for the thickness of the cloth, which is by now close to the body of the boy by reason of the performer having pressed it down by sitting in the basket, the sword would certainly hurt the little chap. Incidentally the sword is none too sharp. The sword is withdrawn and pushed through the sides, above the body of the boy. The basket is proved undeniably empty. If my readers doubt this explanation, let them offer the Jadoo-wallah, at this stage of the game, two thousand rupees to be allowed to fire a No. 8 cartridge from a 12 bore gun from a range of thirty yards at the empty basket. The performer will not accept the offer unless he values the boy at less than two thousand rupees and has a good chance of escaping arrest for murder. I have offered it twice with impunity. The trick divides into two endings. One can always tell which ending it will have by a glance at the basket. If it has two ropes which pass underneath it, permanently attached, the betting is that the boy will appear from the end of the garden. The reason of this is that after the re-appearance of the boy--a duplicate of the one in the basket--the permanent ropes on the basket allow it to be hitched up on the shoulder pole and carried away, with the disappeared boy still inside it. When the Jadoo-wallah gets round the corner, the little assistant gets out while his impersonator goes a round about way into the next compound ready to re-appear at the end of the next performance of the trick. If the basket has no ropes attached to it, odds are on the performance ending by the magician apologising profusely to his Gods who restore the boy from the depths of the basket again. The performer in this case has no duplicate, and the trick if well presented is almost as effective as the other, with the more elaborate ending. CHAPTER IX THE INDIAN ROPE TRICK We have now gone through the average performance of the Indian Jadoo-wallah and have, I trust, some idea at any rate of how his tricks are done. Though this is as far as I know the first time that such explanations have been published in detail I do not want anyone to accuse me of trying to deprive the poor fellow of his means of livelihood, which is far from my intention. In fact, though people who have read these pages have a glimmering of how he does his tricks, few of these will be able to imitate them, and those who are really interested will probably call in the next Jadoo-wallah that appears, to get him to give his show with the intention of checking my explanations while the tricks are being performed. I sincerely trust that this will be the case as I shall have done at least one Jadoo-wallah a good turn. It is true that conjurors have a code of honour--this may not be believed of such deceptive people--in that they do not divulge each others tricks which are performed exclusively. For instance, suppose that Mr. A invented a new trick and showed it to Mr. B, who is also a finished artist. Though Mr. B could see the modus operandi of the trick he would be quite unjustified in giving it away or in doing the trick himself without the permission of Mr. A. This is an inviolate law of Members of the Magic Circle and applies equally, or should do, to showmen who do not belong to the circle. There is no harm, however, in one of us explaining tricks that have been performed for centuries and are almost common property. These tricks have lost, as it were, their patent rights. Personally, I do not mind explaining any tricks of my own that I am certain an unskilled person could never possibly do. Having completed the average programme of our Jadoo-wallah, I feel sure that people will say to each other "Yes" but what about the Rope trick? He cannot explain that and has avoided the best known trick of all Indian conjuring tricks. In self-defence therefore, we will deal with the Great Rope trick. I will describe it as it has been described to me. The performer, in one's own compound, throws up the end of an ordinary rope into the air. By some mysterious means this end remains suspended in mid-air, without any visible means of support, so much so that the little boy assistant climbs up the rope to its very highest point, whence, after an interval, he entirely disappears. The performer then takes a sword and waves it in the air, when the legs and arms, disjointed, and finally the trunk and head of the little boy fall with a profusion of blood upon the ground at the foot of the rope. By means of an incantation these resume their natural positions, and the little boy gets up and walks off, apparently none the worse for his most trying ordeal. This trick was first described in writing by one IBN BATUTA, an Arab, who made a journey round the world about the year 1368. (I am not quite sure of this date). As far as I remember he saw it in China. He gives the most blood curdling description of the trick, and ends up with "so much so that we had to have another drink." Please note the expression "another drink." I am of opinion that "this other little drink" did all the harm. Missionaries have from time to time stated that they have seen this trick performed, though in no instance do they give the place or the name of the wonderful man who did it. Although I have been most anxious to see the trick for the last twenty-three years, during which period I would gladly have travelled from one end of India to the other to do so, I have never yet met anyone who has definitely told me that he with his own eyes had seen the trick. There is one exception to this statement, an Irish bandmaster of a Gurkha regiment, who was I think, trying to pull my leg. I have met innumerable people whose aunt's sister's cousin saw it done, but never have I had the pleasure of meeting anyone directly deceived by it. A reward of a year's pay has been open to every sepoy (or Indian soldier) I have met, who has seen the trick and can give me the name and residence of the performer. This for 23 years. So far there have been no acceptances. Eminent conjurors have travelled throughout India on purpose to get into touch with any man who does the trick, but their travels have been in vain. Large rewards have been offered for such a meeting, and larger still for the performance of the trick. One single performance only, not the exposition of it. These rewards have never been claimed. The late Mr. Charles Bertram was one of these eminent men, and though he travelled twice throughout India, he returned to England without having been shewn the trick. In 1918, Captain Holmes, V.C., gave a lecture on this illusion before the members of the Magic Circle at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet Street, London, at which all the press correspondents of the leading news-papers were present. He produced a snapshot of a man purporting to be showing the Rope Trick in Poona, or Kirkee, one of its suburbs. Captain Holmes explained that though the boy did climb up what he (Holmes) thought was a rope, he did not disappear at the top, nor did the disgusting exhibition of blood and disjointed limbs take place. This snapshot was carefully examined through a powerful magnifying glass, and the supposed rope had distinct joints in it similar to any bamboo pole, which Japanese jugglers use when showing the feat of balancing a pole on their chins and allowing a boy to climb to its top. A trick that most of us have seen many times in the music halls of London. At his lecture, Captain Holmes stated that he did not see the man throw the rope up into the air, as he arrived late just in time to take a photo of the boy while in the air. Many explanations have been given from time to time as to how this mythical trick has been done. The most amusing is that which was quoted at the Mass Meeting referred to above, and as far as my memory goes I will quote it here. "The trick is performed during the heat of the day, when the sun is at its zenith. The performer gets his audience to sit in a verandah facing the most powerful glare of the sun. The rope is thrown up and the boy climbs to its topmost end. On the explosion of a gun the boy completely disappears only to re-appear from the other side of the house or garden. The explanation is simple, on the sound of the gun, when the audience are somewhat startled, the boy jumps from the rope on to the top of the verandah up which he climbs, coming down the other side of the house and re-appears." I make no comment on this explanation. It is not worthy of one. "It is done by mesmerism." How many times have I heard this futile remark when discussing the Rope trick. What always defeats me is this. Supposing it could be done by mesmerism, why does this wonderful mesmerist, hypnotist, or suggestionist limit his powers, marvellous as they are, to making people believe that they see a boy climb up a rope. Why does he not make people believe that he is Mahatma Ghandi and the Ali brothers rolled into one? As the trick is done for a means of livelihood, why does he not make people see him as Dr. Barnardo asking for funds for charities. His limitations are unbounded, yet he sticks to this absurd rope and the boy climbing up it. "Tum tua res agito paries cum proximus ardet." I do not know what this Latin quotation means, but I would like it to convey "don't you think it rot yourself?" Ask any medical man about the explanation of hypnotism and kindred other "isms" being accountable for the performance of this trick. I understand that a hypnotist can persuade a patient to believe that his finger is momentarily stiff, and that when released from this suggestion, the patient can remember that it had been made to him. But in order to persuade a person that he sees such a thing as a rope being thrown in the air and so forth, that person must be so much under the influence that when he is released from it he is totally unable to remember what he saw when under the trance. How then, can he describe what he saw when he comes to? Some people say that photos have been taken of the trick and that when the plate was developed it was found to be blank. As I say, a person to be sufficiently mesmerised to imagine that he sees the trick being done, must perforce be so much under the influence that he cannot remember what he saw or anything that he did when under that influence. How does he know that he took a photo? Or that anyone else took one? Or remember anything at all about it? I hope that the above arguments will do away with the plea of mesmeric power being accountable for this myth. The plea is to my mind too absurd for words, yet it is wonderful that many people put it forward in all good faith. While on the subject of photography, let me now point out that although the magicians of Europe and America have for ages been trying to get in touch with the trick, and although the ubiquitous Kodak has been in vogue for at least thirty years, not one single photo or snapshot is available that depicts any part or portion of this trick. If there is such a snapshot, and its owner cares to communicate with me through my publishers, I can get him a good price for the plate or film, even for a copy of the picture. A really handsome price for it. To sum up I maintain that the trick has never been performed out of doors. That is to say that a rope thrown up into the air has not remained suspended in mid-air, nor has any boy ever climbed up it. That when at the top he has not disappeared and that after his disappearance he did not come down in bits, covered with blood or otherwise. I further maintain that no one has seen this trick, as described above, or in any way similar to the above description, who can come forward to give the approximate date, of such a performance, the place, and the names of the performer, his assistants, or of any two other persons who saw the trick done at that time and place. I only wish there might be such a person. We might then get in touch with the Indian Rope trick and Ibn Batuta's character might be vindicated. I offer Rs. 5000. (_£_300) to anyone who will show me the Rope Trick in the open. This amount will be payable to anyone who will arrange that the trick is performed for my benefit, in my presence. The trick must be similar to the description given by Ibn Batuta, and must be brought to a successful conclusion before the reward can be claimed. It is to be performed at a place selected by me, either in India or England. This offer holds good for five years from the 1st January, 1922. My address is:-- Major L. H. Branson, M.I.M.C., The Magic Circle, Anderton's Hotel, Fleet Street, London, England. CHAPTER X SNAKES AND CROCODILES The best trick I have ever seen in India during my 23 years in that country, was one that was performed especially for my benefit twice before I tumbled to the way in which it was done. We were in our own compound or garden in a military station not far from Bombay, having tea on a small lawn--green grass--of which we were inordinately proud. Suddenly we heard the chanter of the itinerant Jadoo-wallah, and as usual I called him in to ask him if he had anything new. I wanted a really wonderful trick. "Yes Saheb" he replied "I have something really good, that few sahebs have seen before." "What is it" said I, thoroughly aroused by his earnest manner, and hoping that at last I should have an opportunity of seeing an oriental miracle worthy of the spurious reputation held by Eastern Magicians. "It is a trick with some snakes and a crocodile" said our friend "and if the saheb will sit down with the memsaheb, and will call the orderly, I will show it now." No sooner said than done. We sat down and called Aba Nalaode, our Mabratta orderly. [Illustration: Filling the Assistant's hands with earth.] While he came from his quarters, the Jadoo-wallah proceeded to divest himself of all his clothing, with the exception of his dhotie or loin cloth. On the arrival of our orderly, he too was made to take off his shirt, leaving him dressed in a similarly negligé manner to our entertainer. The Jadoo-wallah then took some earth and made our orderly hold it in his two hands held together in front of his body. He then pranced round the orderly two or three times, making, as he did so an imaginary circle round his assistant. He next called our attention to the fact that he had nothing concealed about his person. [Illustration: The Performer showing that he has nothing concealed about him.] [Illustration: The actual moment of the appearance of the Snakes and Crocodiles.] We could see that this was so as regards his bare chest, arms and waist, and to convince us that he had nothing hidden in his dhotie he showed us one bare leg at a time, avoiding barely any immodesty. Concealing our blushes, we felt satisfied that his dhotie was the only worldly possession that he had with him at the moment. He picked up his chanter and continued to circle round and round our orderly, gradually closing into him. Suddenly he ran towards the outstretched hands with a crouching movement and struck them a smart blow, causing the orderly to pull his parted hands away and a small cloud of dust to appear from the falling earth. The cloud faded in a moment and there, to our intense astonishment, on the ground at our retainers feet were three snakes, two of which were cobras, and a baby crocodile! Needless to say that as soon as our orderly saw these unpleasant creatures writhing at his feet he cleared off to a safe distance. The Jadoo-wallah caught the reptiles and placed them in his snake basket. I took him aside and asked him to divulge the secret of the trick. "Ha! Ha! saheb" said he "at last I have shewn you something that you do not know. I will not tell you how it is done, but will come again in a week's time and will perform it once more for your benefit." I agreed, and after the usual remuneration or bucksheesh, with a little extra, had passed hands, away went our friend down the road to the bazaar. The following week he sent word that he was coming on a particular day, and that if I got some friends to come he would repeat the trick. The more friends, the more bucksheesh! I gathered a few people in to have tea, and in due course the magician arrived, and with our head servant again performed the trick with the same wonderful result. This time I solved the mystery. I told the performer my impressions of it and was glad to get his corroboration. There was of course no collusion with the volunteer assistants. The secret of the trick lies in a bag suspended mouth downwards from a string round the magician's waist so that it lies between his legs. This bag contained the three snakes and the small crocodile. The mouth of the bag was threaded with a string, and naturally remained closed until the string was pulled right away when the weight of the wriggling contents caused the mouth to open and the reptiles to fall upon the ground beneath. The crouching position of the magician enabled him to get his legs spanning the ground immediately beneath the orderly's hands, and the earth falling in a dust prevented the possibility of our seeing the snakes during the brief interval of their falling from under the dhotie to the ground. Needless to say that the cobras had had their fangs extracted, that the third snake was harmless, and that the baby crocodile was too small to inflict any damage, though all four participants could hiss like a young steam engine. It was, as I say, the best trick I have ever seen in India, and from a magician's artistic point of view, the beauty of it lies in the fact that the bag is concealed through the modesty of the performer, and that in consequence the trick is not likely to be found out except by reasoning and the careful watching of all his movements. CHAPTER XI GENERALITIES, AND OTHER MYTHS. This little book is written on Indian Conjuring, and with the exception of a dissertation upon the great Indian Rope Imagination, we have confined ourselves to tricks that we ourselves have seen, and which are common to the Indian conjuror. It would however, be incomplete without touching on one or two other broadcast myths that are frequently talked about. Messrs. Maskelyn & Devant used to show a very clever illusion called the New Page, in which a page boy was tied up in an upright position in a cabinet just large enough to contain him. The showman then took a doll--a small model of the page boy--and illustrated that whatever happened to the doll would happen to the boy in the box. As a convincing example he turned the doll upside down. Miraculous to relate, when the cabinet was opened the page boy was found to be upside down with the original knots and seals intact! This experiment according to the excellent patter of the showman, was based upon the prevalent idea that in India certain magicians make a small effigy of a person on whom some dire calamity is intended, and that whatever is done to this doll, happens to the unfortunate person at any distance, but at that identical moment. I am glad to say that I have never seen or heard of this myth being verified. On one occasion a medical officer knowing that I was interested in Magic, told me that he was attending an idiot girl who was covered with sores and that the common idea in the bazaar was that some person was working "Jadoo" upon her, using this doll method of doing so. He kindly allowed me to visit the girl with him, and, being an ordinary mortal and unused to horrible sights, I was shocked at her appearance. She had nasty open sores on her cheeks, arms and forehead. She was certainly an imbecile. Her father was adamant in his belief that "Jadoo" and nothing else accounted for her state. Her imbecility was due, we found, to her having had a fall as a baby. In order to ascertain the cause of the sores the medical officer removed her to the cantonment (Government) hospital, where after a period they yielded to treatment and were eventually cured. Evidently the "Jadoo" had ceased. On her return to her ancestral hut, these sores again appeared. With the permission of the medical officer and the parents, I employed a reliable attendant to watch the girl. In three days I received the following report. The previous evening, when the girl thought that she was not being watched, the attendant saw her take something from a hiding place and rub her face with it two or three times. He watched her replace whatever it was, and later found it. He gave it to us with his report. It proved to be a piece of nut used by "Dhobies" or Indian Washermen to mark the clothing committed to their destruction-care, I should say. On every article of clothing returned by the "Dhobie" there is in one corner a small brown mark, corresponding to the stitched mark used by Laundries in England, by which the owner of the article washed is identified. This nut is called, I believe, "Areca nut." When applied to the human skin it causes a sore. The illness from which the poor girl was suffering was an "inclination to maim or disfigure oneself," commonly found with imbeciles. (I have touched wood, you medical people, so please don't abuse me if I am wrong!) As the parents were not fully convinced that "Jadoo" was not being worked, we again took the girl to hospital and again was she cured of the ghastly sores. This is the only case of such "Jadoo" that has come to my personal knowledge. There is another form of "Jadoo" that is believed in by the inhabitants of the bazaar. A maliciously inclined person has a spite against another. He makes a small bouquet of tomato leaves, or cabbage or some such herb, sprinkles it with salt, green powder, and so forth and so on, and lays this down as close as possible to the door of the person to whom he wants to bring bad luck for 12 months! It is true that we had this delightful bouquet thrown into our compound on one occasion, and that shortly afterwards-- (1) our gardener's wife died in childbirth. (2) my wife got hay fever. (3) my agents declined to meet any more of my cheques until they had received a substantial instalment. (4) we were again ordered to move to another Station. I regret to say that of the above, 2, 3 and 4 were of such frequent occurrence that we did not assign them to the receipt of the bouquet. The gardener however, was convinced that it caused his wife to die in childbirth as she had never done so before. I have no explanation for the "denouément" and give the story as it happened, allowing my readers to judge for themselves whether or no any credence should be given to the fable after such convincing proof. * * * * * 
36513	----	Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net. (Book provided by the Whitchurch-Stouffville Library, as part of the Art Latcham Memorial collection on Magic) This book was loaned by the Whitchurch-Stouffville Library, as part of the Art Latcham Memorial collection on Magic. =BRETMA MANUFACTURING CO.= =INCORPORATING MUNRO'S MAGICAL MART (Ornum's).= (Established 1889.) * * * * * =WHY NOT BE A CONJURER?= Now is the time to prepare to entertain your friends at Christmas. We supply a neat attaché case containing a compact Magical Entertainment for a performance lasting from twenty to forty minutes, which we guarantee will entertain and mystify both old and young. This case does not contain tin covers, or so-called tricks that are useless, but it is a case consisting of several first-class Magical Problems in portable form. Easy to perform. No sleight-of-hand required. Price, post free, 21s. Particulars of cheaper boxes on application. There is nothing so entertaining as Magic for festive gatherings. Sleight-of-hand taught by experts. Why not take lessons? If you require a Conjurer for Banquets, Concerts, or Children's Parties--Call, write, or 'phone for further information. We make Children's Entertainments a Speciality. WE ARE MANUFACTURERS OF ALL THE LATEST IDEAS IN MAGIC. * * * * * =THE BRETMA MANUFACTURING CO., 6 Union Court, Old Broad St.,= Telephone No. 7363 London Wall. =LONDON, E.O. 2.= * * * * * =WILFORD HUTCHINSON= =104 Whiteacre Road. ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE.= * * * * * PUBLISHER OF ="THE CONJURER'S CHRONICLE."= Issued Monthly. Price 3/- yearly. 4d. monthly. _LIST OF BOOKS & APPARATUS POST FREE._ SOLE AGENT IN GREAT BRITAIN FOR ="NEW AND ORIGINAL MAGIC."= By Ed. M. Massey. Price 13/6, postage 9d. _DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF THIS EXCELLENT BOOK POST FREE._ * * * * * =KNOWN FOR HIGH-CLASS CONJURING APPARATUS AND BOOKS ON THE= : : : : =ART OF MAGIC.= : : : : * * * * * _THE STANDARD BOOK ON CONJURING_ =The Modern Conjurer= =AND DRAWING ROOM ENTERTAINER= By C. LANG NEIL. Tricks by J. N. Maskelyne, Frank Kennard Trewey, Paul Valadon, Charles Bertram, H. de Manche, T. Nelson Downs, Mdlle. Patrice, Ellis Stanyon. are explained and illustrated by 512 Photographs showing the exact working of the various Illusions, reproduced directly from the conjurers whose tricks are given. Third Edition.--Demy 8vo, cloth. Price 7/6 net. _"A thorough manual of the Conjurer's Art."--Spectator._ =C. ARTHUR PEARSON Ltd., 17 Henrietta St., LONDON, W.C. 2.= =BOOK LIST FREE= =Magical Catalogue & Magazine 1/-= =5/6 Postage 5d. Numerous Halftone and Line Diagrams. : := [Illustration] MAGICAL =ROPE TIES= AND =ESCAPES= BY "HOUDINI." The publishers announce no expense has been spared in the production of Magical Rope Ties and Escapes. Never has such a valuable collection of Escape Secrets been offered to Magicians =WILL GOLDSTON LTD.= Aladdin House, 14 Green Street, LEICESTER SQUARE, LONDON, W.C. 2. =5/6 Postage 5d.= This Book is on sale at all Magical Depots and Booksellers. : : =PRINCIPAL CONTENTS.= A Simple Release. The Kellar Tie. The Knotted Rope Tie. Another Knotted Rope. The Twin-Rope Tie. The Jacobi Tie. Three Effects with the Handcuff Tie. An Added Effect for the Handcuff Tie. The Tom Fool Knot. The Double Header. The Volunteer Release. A Good Chair Tie. The Revenge Tie. The Comedy Tie. The Thumb Tie: Another Method. The Handkerchief Release. Simplex Tie. The Clothes Line Tie. Under Water Escape. Spectacular Escape. The Big Wheel Release. The North American Indian Tie. The Russian Transport Tie. Slade's Knots. The Cotton Bandage Test. Houdini's "Full View of Audience Release." The Turned Vest. The Broomstick Escapes. Lock and Chain Sash Escapes. The Spirit Sack. Double Sack Challenge Escape. Sack Escapes. Valuable Information. WATER WIZARDRY [Illustration: HAMLEY'S CONJURING TRICKS] WRITE FOR COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE, PRICE 6d., POST FREE. SHIPPERS and TRADE SUPPLIED. [Illustration: HAMLEY'S CARD TRICKS] These Cabinets contain a selection of up-to-date Card Tricks, complete with full instructions. All cards are the same pattern. No. 1 Cabinet. Price 5/-. Post free 5/9. No. 2 Cabinet. Price 8/6. Post free 9/5. No. 3 Cabinet. Price 12/6.} No. 4 Cabinet. Price 22/8.} Post free. Superb Cabinet. Price 45/-.} [Illustration] CABINETS OF MAGIC. No. 1 Cabinet. Price 2/6. Post free 3/-. No. 2 Cabinet. Price 8/-. Post free 6/9. No. 3 Cabinet. Price 10/6.} No. 4 Cabinet. Price 18/-.} No. 5 Cabinet. Price 21/-.} Post free No. 6 Cabinet. Price 30/-.} Advanced Cabinets. Prices 42/-, 63/- and 105/-. Carriage extra. [Illustration] BOXES OF PUZZLES. A Splendid Assortment of the Best Puzzles, mostly made of Boxwood. Full directions are given with each Puzzle. No. 1 Box, 4/-. Post free 4/3. No. 2 Box, 5/6. Post free 6/3. No. 3 Box, 10/6. No. 4 Box, 21/-. CABINET OF COIN TRICKS. [Illustration] This little Cabinet contains Eight Capital Coin Tricks. Each Coin is in a Separate Division. Price 7/6. Post free 8/3. * * * * * =HAMLEY BROS., LTD., 86 & 87 HIGH HOLBORN, W.C. 1.= BRANCHES: LONDON and SUBURBS-- (Wholesale and Retail.) 29 & 29a Ludgate Hill. E.C. 4; 510a, 512 & 514 Oxford Street, W. 1; 200 & 202 Regent Street, W. 1; 59 Knightsbridge, S.W. 3; 23 George Street, Croydon. WATER WIZARDRY A COLLECTION OF TRICKS IN WHICH WATER IS THE CHIEF AGENT BY ARTHUR AINSLIE _ILLUSTRATED BY 20 DIAGRAMS_ London C. Arthur Pearson, Limited Henrietta Street, W.C. 1922 Printed in Great Britain at _The Mayflower Press, Plymouth_. William Brendon & Son, Ltd. CONTENTS PAGE I. Little Tricks 11 The Impossible--"An old One"--A Quaint Mixture--The Shower Bath--A Steady Hand--In the Soup--On the Edge II. Little Tricks--(_continued_) 26 Topsy Turvy--A Sporting Offer--A Feat of Dexterity--More than Full--The Obedient Corks--A Peculiar Egg--The Suspended Mug--The Sticky Glass--The Floating Pin--Washing a Card III. The Hydrostatic Tube (David Devant's Trick) 43 IV. The Passe-Passe Trick 50 V. The Rice Bowls 60 VI. The Indian Sands 75 VII. The Dissolved Card 83 VIII. Miscellaneous Water Tricks 96 The Wine and Water Trick (David Devant's method)--The Vanishing Glass of Water--The Vanishing Water--The Aquarius Tube--Links--The Milk Cans--Water from Waste Paper--Cotton Wool to Water--Silk from Water WATER WIZARDRY CHAPTER I LITTLE TRICKS The following tricks are suitable for informal performances. These tricks are easy, but I advise the amateur conjurer to try them over privately a few times before showing them to an audience. The first trick I call The Impossible Three tumblers, a jug of water, and a piece of stiff paper about eight inches by four are required. Pour the water into the tumblers until each is about half full. Be very anxious--before an audience--to see that there is the same quantity of water in each glass, not that this little detail has anything to do with the actual working of the trick, but it may lead people to think that it has--until they see you do the trick. Now, place the paper on the edges of two of the glasses, forming a kind of bridge between them. Pick up the third glass and let it rest, while the hand still holds it, on the paper bridge. Naturally, the paper will sink down under the weight. Then you move the two glasses a little nearer to each other and try again, and again the paper bends under the weight of the glass you place on it. [Illustration: {3 half-full glasses and piece of paper} _THE APPARATUS_ {half-full glass supported by pleated paper on top of 2 half-full glasses} _THE TRICK_ Fig. 1] You pretend to be in difficulties and encourage the "knowing ones" in your audience to jeer at you as you try the trick again and again. You explain that there is a way of resting the glass on the paper in such a way that the paper shall not sink down. Some brainy person will then say, "Impossible!"--or it is to be hoped that they will--because that will give you the opportunity of saying: "Thank you. I remember it now. 'Impossible' happens to be the name of the trick; thanks for giving me the clue. It won't be such a bad trick--will it?--if I make a bridge between these two glasses with this piece of paper and then place the other glass on the bridge. . . ." "With the water still in the glass," says one of your victims. "Of course--with the water still in the glass." Some members of your audience will be sure to say that it cannot be done; others will beg to be allowed to think it out. You will probably hear whispering: "The water in the glasses has something to do with it. Why was he so jolly careful to get the same quantity of water in each glass? Now, wait a minute. . . ." This is where you chuckle secretly. You invite anyone to come and try the experiment. Your audience will suggest putting something under the paper--a strip of cardboard or something of that kind. You work up the excitement as you say: "No cardboard is used in the trick." Your audience will jump to the conclusion that something besides the articles they see is used, but they are wrong. The trick can be done when you know how to do it. When everyone has "given it up" fold the paper in pleats lengthwise, open out the pleats a little, and rest the paper on the tops of two of the glasses. The paper is then in corrugated form and it will bear the weight of the third glass, half full of water, upon it. You have achieved the "impossible." Of course you could do the trick in about half the time by merely asking: "Can you do this?" and then proceeding to do it, but by working up the trick in the way I have suggested you make it more effective. You will now see the necessity of a little private rehearsal with the glasses and the paper that you are going to use. You have to make sure that the paper is sufficiently thick, that the pleats are folded properly (they must not be too wide) and that the glass is not too heavy. The trick is quite simple with a "pony" glass, but as the base of the glass is small the pleats of the paper must also be small; otherwise you will have difficulty in balancing the glass on the paper. "An Old One" If you have a small boy in your audience when you start to do your next trick you will be sure to hear him say that he has seen it before and that it is an old trick, but you need not let a little thing like that worry you. The trick is old, but I have given it a little "twist" which, I think, will leave the small boy guessing as to how it is done. You have a glass of water. You borrow a penny, throw a handkerchief over it and ask someone to hold it over the glass; the penny is held by the edges. You instruct the person helping you to drop the penny into the glass of water when you say "Go!" They obey your instructions and the penny is heard to drop into the water. (You will understand, of course, that the handkerchief is draped round the glass, and so the penny is not seen to fall.) You pull the handkerchief away and hold the glass up to the light. The penny has vanished. The old way of doing this trick was with an eyeglass, which was concealed in your hand. In throwing the handkerchief over the penny you brought the eyeglass up and under the handkerchief while you kept the penny concealed in your hand. The eyeglass was therefore dropped into the glass and it sank to the bottom. By using a glass of the right size it is possible to pour out the water without giving the trick away; the eyeglass adheres to the bottom of the little tumbler. In all probability, therefore, at the conclusion of the trick the small boy in your audience will say: "Now let's look at the tumbler." You pass it to him at once; he thinks he has "got you," but he hasn't. The glass is empty. The little "twist" I have mentioned consists in using an eyeglass with a hole in it. The hole enables you to attach the eyeglass by a short piece of cotton to one corner of the handkerchief. The trick is doubly effective when done in this way because at the beginning you can show that you have only the penny in your hand. Arrange the handkerchief in your pocket before commencing the trick; you will find it convenient to have it either in your right trousers pocket or the left-hand inside pocket of your coat; then you will be able to get at it easily. The prepared corner, with the eyeglass resting on it, should be at the top. When you take the handkerchief by the prepared corner from your pocket the eyeglass will hang down behind the handkerchief and be hidden there. Then take the handkerchief by the prepared corner in your left hand and apparently place the penny under the handkerchief, but of course you conceal the penny in your hand and bring up the eyeglass. Someone grasps the eyeglass by the edge (through the handkerchief) and lets it fall into the tumbler. You then take the handkerchief by the prepared corner and pull it upwards quickly and then away from the glass. Put the handkerchief into your pocket as you pour the water out of the glass to show that the penny has vanished. The small boy may ask to see the handkerchief again, and so you have taken the precaution to have another handkerchief, bunched up in your pocket, in readiness. And this is the handkerchief that you produce for inspection--if someone insists on seeing "the handkerchief" but not otherwise. A Quaint Mixture A soda-water tumbler, a jug containing from a quarter to half a pint of water, and a cup of coffee with a little milk in it are needed for this experiment. The trick is to pour both the coffee and the water into the big tumbler and then separate them again. Possibly somebody will attempt this feat by first placing a small tumbler in the large one, pouring the coffee into the small tumbler and the water around it. But can it be said that you pour both the coffee and the water into the tumbler when you really pour the coffee into another glass placed inside the tumbler? No, that solution does not work. Here is the way in which you carry out your intentions. Pour the coffee into the big tumbler and place on it a disc of thin cardboard; the disc should reach nearly to the edge of the tumbler. Then pour the water very slowly, a few drops at a time, on to the top of the cardboard, which breaks the fall of the water. The water runs off to the edge, and as the coffee is heavier than the water the latter remains on the top. The cardboard disc floats upwards with the water, and so the first half of the trick is accomplished. The separation of the liquids can be brought about in two or three ways. For example, you can offer to drink the coffee without drinking the water, and you achieve this apparent miracle by merely putting in a straw and sucking up the coffee; in that way you have separated the two liquids. With the help of a scent spray you can pump the water into the jug again, taking great care, of course, not to disturb the surface of the coffee. You can also take out nearly all the water with a small sponge and the remainder with a piece of blotting paper. The Shower Bath This is not really the title of the next trick, but it is sometimes suitable for it when the trick is performed by a man who has never had a rehearsal. It is quite a good trick to play on to somebody at a Christmas party. Just tell your audience that instead of doing the next trick yourself you will show somebody else how to do it. Then pour out a glass of water, put a small plate on the top of it and, pressing the plate with the left hand on to the glass and holding the glass with the right hand, turn the lot over. Thus you have a glass of water inverted on a plate. The trick is to drink the water, but in order to get the glass to your mouth you must use only one hand. To do it--lift the plate with the glass upon it and place it on your head. Balance it there for a second. Then, pressing the glass against the plate with the right hand, bend down to the table until you can put the glass on the table and leave the plate on the top of it. Then all you have to do is to lift the plate and drink the water. There is another way of doing this trick, and if the first does not result in a shower bath for the man who is trying it for the first time the second way is almost sure to have that effect. After the glass of water is inverted on the plate, bend down until the top of the head touches the bottom of the glass. Then, pressing the plate against the glass slowly raise the head and stand erect. Stand quite still, remove the plate, and then remove the glass and drink the contents--if you like. [Illustration: {forehead placed on inverted glass on plate, then invert head so glass is upright} Fig. 2] There is a kind of first cousin to this trick. Take two claret glasses. Half fill one of them with water and place the empty glass on the top of it. The trick is to pour the water into the empty glass and drink it, but you must use only one hand and you are not to touch the top glass with it. Pick up the two glasses together by taking the bottom one by the stem (it is just as well to practise this with your own glasses and to stand over a bed during the rehearsal) and then pull off the top one with your mouth and hold it firmly between the teeth. Then you can pour the water into it. Still holding the other glass in your hand place the glass with the water on the top of it, and then, holding the two together, you can drink the water. A Steady Hand You can use one of the glasses for this trick. Half fill it with water and then, tilting the glass, try to balance it on the edge of the foot. With care and a little practice you can accomplish this feat by sheer skill, but you simplify it considerably if you take the precaution to slip a match under the table-cloth before you begin. If you are doing the trick at a dinner table it is just possible that some evil-disposed person may notice the little bump in the tablecloth caused by the match, and so you prepare for that charge by tying a piece of cotton to the match. The end of the cotton hangs down below the table-cloth close to your hand, and directly you have done the trick you quietly pull the match away, and then you can challenge Mr. Know-all to do the trick himself. In the Soup The soup in this case is represented with water, and you can use the same glass; it should be about half full of water. Lay a piece of nice shiny cardboard on the top of it--a piece about eight inches square is large enough--and on the cardboard and exactly over the glass stand a cork. On the top of the cork balance a tangerine orange. Now, if you give a sharp knock to the cardboard with your right hand the cardboard should go skimming away, taking the cork "off the premises" with it, and the tangerine should drop into the water. This feat appears to be very difficult, but it is not; the weight of the tangerine helps you. When you can do the trick every time with one glass you can try it with two glasses--using a larger piece of cardboard, of course--and then three glasses, and, finally, four. It is not so easy then. This feat is often performed on the stage, but eggs--or, rather, imitation eggs--are used in place of the tangerines, and the trick in that form is difficult because the eggs are light. Don't follow up your stroke when you are hitting the cardboard away. Just give it a sharp knock and bring the hand to a standstill with a jerk. Look around you before you do the trick; otherwise, you may hurt somebody with the flying piece of cardboard. To avoid any accident of this kind get a friend to stand a little to the side of your table so that he may catch the cardboard. When the trick is performed on the stage a tea-tray is generally used, and the raised edge of the tray adds considerably to the difficulty of the trick. On the Edge Hold a card by the sides between the fingers and thumb of the right hand, the face of the card being towards the audience. Now, can you balance a glass half full of water on the top of the card? [Illustration: _PLAN_ {from front it looks like glass is balanced on edge of card, from side you see index finger is helping to balance glass} _FRONT_ _SIDE_ Fig. 3] I know of four ways of doing this trick, but we need not take any notice of the first because you are not likely to trouble to learn it; it consists in actually doing what you profess to do--balance the glass. It can be done, but you need a very steady hand and long practice. The second way is by the aid of a specially prepared card. This is made of two cards, fastened together. Fold a card lengthways in half. Stick one-half to the back of another card and then fold back the half which is not stuck so that the back of the prepared card may appear to be the back of an ordinary card. Now, if you hold up this card by the sides you can easily fold the loose half back a little when you are putting the glass on the edge of the card, and thus you get a firm standing place for the glass. If you wish to be able to throw this card down on the table without giving away the secret (because there will naturally be a little curve in the part which you folded back) you must make a little spring hinge by means of a strip of india-rubber down the card. A card prepared in this way can be bought at a conjuring shop. The trick is quite a good one when done in this way, but, of course, it has this drawback. If you are performing at a friend's house and you are using borrowed cards it is more than probable that the backs of the borrowed cards will not match the back of the trick card. Well, you can do the trick without the use of a specially prepared card, and this brings us to the third method. Take any card and fold it in halves lengthways. Then fold it back again and put it on the top of the pack. Of course, if you are performing with a borrowed pack of cards you will have to seize your opportunity to do this when the attention of the audience is directed to another trick, or you can do it before your performance begins. Now, pick up the two top cards together and hold them in the right hand in the way described, with the face of the lower card towards the audience. You will understand, of course, that to the audience these two cards must appear to be one card. When you take the glass with your left hand and try to balance it on the top of the card the back of the left hand is towards the audience and the hand nearly covers the whole of the card. This gives you the chance of bending back the top card to make a firm resting-place for the glass. The bending is done with the right first finger. To assist you in keeping the cards nicely squared up while you are bending back the top one place the right little finger under the lower edge of the cards and the left middle finger and thumb at the sides, the left thumb being just above the right thumb. Of course, the left hand is held in this position for only a few moments while you are balancing the glass. After you have done the trick in this way casually return the two cards to the pack and shuffle the cards, thus getting the bent card out of sight. The fourth method is, to my mind, the best of the lot, because you use only one card. Hold it in the way described and bend it slightly, the convex side being towards the audience. Now, in the act of balancing the glass on the edge with your left hand just stick your right first finger straight up behind the card and rest the glass partly on the edge of the card and partly on the tip of your finger which, of course, is hidden by the card. It will be necessary to hold the card up fairly high so that no one can get a glimpse over the top of it. The trick is over so quickly that no one notices that the first finger is concealed behind the card. CHAPTER II LITTLE TRICKS--(_continued_) I have often thought that many conjurers--amateur and professional--take themselves and their conjuring far too seriously. It is just as well to unbend occasionally, and as a little change from tricks to spring a simple catch on your audience. Here is one. Pour some water into a glass and cover it with an opera hat. Throw a large cloth over the hat. "Now then," you say to your audience, "do you think that I can drink the water without lifting the hat?" The answer is in the negative, as they say in the House of Commons when they mean "No." Hold up the cloth so that it hides your face. The audience see both hands on the top edge of the cloth and therefore are convinced that you are not removing the hat. Make the sound of a man drinking from a glass. (I confess that this part of the experiment is not all it ought to be!) Then announce that you have performed the feat and drop the cloth. Somebody will be sure to pick up the hat to see if the water is in the glass; then you drink the water. You have performed the feat of drinking the water without lifting the hat. Topsy Turvy A more difficult experiment--until you know the secret. Ask someone to put water into a glass when the glass is held upside down. Naturally, they give it up. Then: Pour some water on a plate. Crumple up a small piece of paper, light it and drop it into a tumbler; let it burn for a second or two and then invert the glass over the plate. You will see the water rush into the glass. You have kept your word and have put water into the glass when the glass has been upside down. A Sporting Offer Bend a wooden match into the form of a capital V, taking care not to break the match. Lay the match on the top of a bottle and just at the angle of the "V" place a threepenny bit. Tell someone that they may have the coin if they can get it into the bottle, but they must not touch the match, or the coin, or the bottle, or the table on which the bottle is standing, and they must not blow the coin into the bottle. You have probably guessed--since this book has to do with water tricks--that water must be used in this trick in some way. In that case you are right. Drop a little water on the angle of the match; the wood will expand, the "V" will open and the threepenny bit will drop into the bottle. A Feat of Dexterity Pour some water into a tumbler and balance two pennies on the edge of the tumbler; the coins should be opposite to each other. The trick is to remove the coins together, using only a thumb and one finger. To do this place the thumb on one coin and the first finger on the other. Quickly slide the coins down the sides of the glass and bring the first finger and thumb together, taking the coins with them. This is a feat of dexterity; it is not difficult, but you will not do it at the first attempt. The water helps to steady the glass. More Than Full If a glass is full of water it will not hold anything else; that is obvious. But---- Fill a glass with water. Stand it on a level surface. Wipe the edge of the glass very carefully, because for the purpose of this experiment it must be quite dry. Then, with a steady hand bring the edge of a sixpence to the surface of the water and let the coin go. If you are careful you can put a dozen sixpences into the glass without causing the water to run over the brim. The Obedient Corks For this little experiment you want a nice large rose bowl, full of water, and seven corks. The trick is to put the corks into the water and to cause them to float in a perpendicular position. This is how you do it. Grasp all the corks in one hand, and hold them under the water until they are thoroughly soaked. Then hold them in the position you wish them to assume and let them go; they will remain close together and in an upright position. A Peculiar Egg The peculiarity of the egg used in this experiment is that it neither floats on the top of a large glass of water nor sinks to the bottom, but merely remains an inch or two under water all the time. Make a saturated solution of salt and half fill a big tumbler with it. Then, with a spoon fill up the tumbler with ordinary water, putting it in very steadily so that it does not mingle with the brine at the bottom of the glass. Now if you drop an egg gently into the liquid--which looks like ordinary water--the egg will sink down through the water, but will come to a standstill on to the top of the brine. The Suspended Mug This is an easy catch--more suitable for the garden than for the drawing-room. Tie a piece of string to the handle of a mug. Hold the other end of the string, so that the mug is suspended, and pour in all the water it will hold in that position. Stand on a chair and ask for the services of an assistant. You tell your assistant that you are going to cut the string, and it is his job to catch the mug without spilling a drop of the water. The first assistant naturally fails because you cut the string when he is not expecting the mug to fall. Another assistant tries his luck; he probably holds his hands just under the mug. You protest that that is not fair, but you will try the trick, nevertheless. While talking you quietly move the string until the mug is just over your victim's head, and then you cut the string quickly. (Note. Don't try this trick with a bad-tempered person, or you may spoil the party, and, obviously, the man must be wearing a hard hat or the mug will hurt him badly.) You can keep the game going for quite a little time if you can induce enough brave spirits to take a hand, but sooner or later someone is sure to suggest that you try the trick yourself. You at once consent, and you tell your audience that if they will cut the string you will most certainly catch the mug directly it falls. While making this apparently rash promise you quietly tie a little loop in the string and keep it hidden with your hand for a moment. When your assistant is holding one end of the string and everyone is prepared to see you get a ducking you take your hand away from the loop, tell your assistant to cut the string "just there" pointing to the loop, and you will catch the mug directly it falls; of course, it will not fall. All this is only a catch, something to amuse people at a juvenile garden party. To go to the opposite extreme, here is a little trick which will "want doing" if it is to be done well. The Sticky Glass Pick up a wineglass and fill it with water; while doing so say something about the state of the glass; you can say that the stem feels a little sticky, but perhaps it will do for the trick. Dip a small square piece of paper into the glass of water and take it out again. This action naturally spills a little of the water, so you fill up the glass once more. Then you place the piece of wet paper on the top of the glass and turn the glass over, and take the hand away. The paper remains over the glass, and the water does not run out. If there is a schoolboy present he will be sure to tell you that there is nothing in that; anybody can do it. It is even probable that the boy will explain to you that the pressure of the air on the under surface of the paper is greater than the pressure of the water in the glass. Hence the apparent miracle. Let the dear boy prattle on. Then tell him that you have not done the trick yet. Slowly take the paper away from the glass. The water remains. Put the paper back again; turn the glass right end uppermost, remove the paper, and show that you have nothing in your hands except the paper and the wineglass of water. This is a capital little trick, but it needs practice. The edge of the top of the glass should be ground perfectly flat, and the base should be rather larger than the top. You also need a disc of celluloid with the edge slightly sunk so that when the disc is placed on the glass it fits there and cannot easily slip off sideways. [Illustration: _Paper disc_ _Paper_ _Celluloid Fake_ _Fake_ _PAPER PLACED ON BOTTOM OF GLASS_ _PAPER & FAKE COVER GLASS TOGETHER_ Fig. 4] Before commencing the trick dip this celluloid disc into some water and place it under the base of the glass, the sunk edge being against the glass. The water will cause the disc to adhere to the glass, and therefore when you show the glass you have nothing concealed in your hands. Fill the glass with the water and dip in the piece of paper. This causes some of the water to overflow and you naturally want to pick up the jug to fill it up again, but you are holding the glass in the left hand and the wet paper in your right. To get the right hand free you place the paper under the base of the glass and therefore under the celluloid disc while you fill up the glass with water. Then, in putting on the paper again you take the disc away with it and the disc goes quietly on the top of the glass. It is advisable to make the water overflow in the first place because you want to get the edge of the glass wet. Press down on the paper and shape the paper round the glass and you need not worry about the rest; the celluloid disc will adhere tightly and you can wave the glass about after you have taken the paper away. You have said something in the first part of the trick about the glass being sticky, and you now mention that it must be very sticky, since all the water has stuck to it. In replacing the paper on the top of your glass get your thumb nail under the disc and lift it up. Then remove the paper with the disc under it, place both under the glass, take away the paper, leaving the disc stuck to the base of the glass and the trick is over. A similar trick is done with a tumbler, but as the base of an ordinary tumbler is smaller than the top the disc of celluloid cannot be hidden under the tumbler; it is usual to have it on a tray, and after wetting the paper to place the paper over the disc and pick up both together. The tumbler used for this trick usually has a small hole made in one side (if there can be any side to a round tumbler). At the beginning of the trick the hole is closed with wax, and to conclude the trick the conjurer holds the inverted glass with the paper on it over a glass bowl, scrapes away the wax, thus admitting air, and the water rushes out, carrying the paper and disc with it into the bowl. For a very much finer trick of this kind the reader is referred to Chapter III, "The Hydrostatic Tube." We now return, for a moment, to our wineglass which was left at the conclusion of the trick, with a celluloid disc adhering to its base. The conjurer will naturally want to get rid of this disc at the earliest opportunity, and so he provides his own opportunity by performing this Feat of Dexterity First of all, the conjurer says that the base of the glass is wet. He takes out a clean handkerchief to dry it and in so doing wipes away the celluloid disc and puts it into his pocket. He pours a little of the water out of the glass, which should not be more than about half full, especially during the first rehearsals! The feat consists in looping the loop with the glass, by swinging it right round with the hand, without spilling the water. It is as well to rehearse the feat in the garden! Pick up the glass by holding the back of the hand towards the table and getting the stem of the glass between the second and third fingers. Extend the arm and then, with a quick semicircular sweep of the arm, which should be held stiffly, bring the glass right round and deposit it on the other side of the table. You want a little nerve, and the feat is not difficult, but it appears to be. [Illustration: {glass of water with stem held between index and middle finger, inverted in arc, and placed back on table without spilling water} Fig. 5] Japanese performers present a very spectacular feat of this kind in which they use two large buckets tied to the ends of a rope. The buckets are swung about at an alarming pace and in "impossible" positions without a drop of water being spilled; centrifugal force explains the mystery. The Floating Pin This is a "quieter" trick. Give someone a bowl of water and ask them to lay a pin on the surface of the water and leave it there. The pin naturally sinks to the bottom of the bowl, whereupon you complain that your directions have not been carried out properly; they are not likely to be unless the person to whom you hand the pin happens to know the secret of the trick. Lay a cigarette paper gently on the top of the water and put the pin on the paper. In a few moments the paper will sink, leaving the pin floating on the surface of the water. Washing a Card You can begin this trick by asking someone if they have ever tried to wash a playing card with water; if so, have they noticed the effect. You ask for a pack of cards and begin the experiment by holding the pack in the left hand, with the fingers on the lower side and the thumb on the other. There is no harm in saying that the experiment is most successful with a five-spot card, and you put, say, the five of clubs on the bottom of the pack and therefore hold the pack with that card facing the audience. Then, this is what you apparently do. Dip a finger into some water and rub on the pip at the lower corner nearest to you. To dry the card you take your handkerchief from your pocket and dab the corner. The audience see that you have apparently washed away one of the pips. Turn the cards over in your hand, so that the blank corner is now at the top and repeat the experiment with the pip which is now in the position occupied by the first. This action reduces the number of pips on the card to three, arranged diagonally across the face of the card. Repeat the experiment, but this time wash away the two corner pips at once, leaving only one pip in the centre of the card. Then wash away this pip and you have a blank card, which you hand out for examination. [Illustration: _WASHING OFF THE SPOTS_ {hold five of clubs, then wash off one club at a time until all gone} _SPECIAL CARDS REQUIRED_ Fig. 6] To begin with, the request for the loan of a pack of cards is not quite what it seems. You arrange with a kind friend in the audience to "find" a pack of cards when you ask for one, and that person has no difficulty in "finding" the pack which you have prepared for the trick and placed in some convenient hiding-place in the house. The disappearance of the first pip is easily managed: You dip a finger into the water, shake it, and rub the corner with a dry finger. Then shake the pack as though you were trying to dry the card; this action enables you to turn the pack, in a natural way, with its face towards the floor and thus the audience do not see that the pip is still on the card. Then you take your handkerchief from your pocket, and in so doing secretly take out a five of clubs with one spot missing behind the handkerchief. It is not a difficult matter, under cover of the handkerchief and while pretending to dab the corner of the card, to slip the prepared card on the face of the pack. Having done that, show your hands and the handkerchief to your audience, to let them see that you have not merely slipped the pip off the card, but have apparently dissolved it in water and removed all trace of it. Directly after you have shown this card on the bottom of the pack turn the pack over in the hand, so that the blank corner is now at the top. Now if you bend the third and little fingers of the left hand slightly they will conceal the pip at that corner, but before you bend the fingers let the audience see the card. Now you have to exchange that card for another with only three pips on it, the pips being diagonally across the card. This prepared card is at the back of the pack. While you are talking bring the right hand to the front of the pack, push up the back card with the first finger of the left hand, extend the fingers of the right hand and push the card to the tips of the fingers of the right hand, at the same time slide the card down on to the face of the pack. This movement takes a long time to explain in print, but it is done in the fraction of a second. All you apparently do is to bring the right hand up to the pack to square up the cards. Directly you have the "three card" at the face of the pack, bend the third and little fingers slightly and thus hide the place where the missing pip ought to be. The card is now apparently the same card which the audience saw before--a five spot with one spot missing. This time, when you dip a finger into the water and pretend to wash away a spot you must work rather quickly, and as you take away the tips of the third and little fingers to enable you to wash away the pip which is supposed to be there, you must bring the right hand over the spot at once, otherwise the audience will see that the spot is not there! This time you have the advantage of being able to show the blank corner directly you take away your right hand. Take out your handkerchief, dab the corner with it and return it to your pocket. Now tell your audience that if you wish to rub away two spots at once you have to use both hands. Take the cards in the right hand for a moment while you dip a finger of the left hand into the water. In the act of passing the cards from one hand to the other you slide the next card from the back to the front; this card has one pip in the centre. (If your cards have no index corners you can use the ace for this card.) While you dip the finger of the left hand into the water you must hold the pack with the face card downwards; take it, in the same position, in the left hand, while you dip a finger of the right hand into the water. Then rub first one corner with the left hand and then the other corner with the right hand and bring up the pack with the card facing the audience, but hold the pack in both hands with the hands at the corners (top and bottom) as though you were merely hiding the pips there. Someone is sure to tell you to "take away your hands," and, apparently reluctantly, you do so, disclosing the card with the single pip in the centre. The laugh will then be in your favour, and you take advantage of this temporary diversion to slip the next card from the back to the front of the pack. Then hold the pack by the sides in the right hand with the fingers right over the centre, and the audience will think that the single pip is still there, being hidden by the fingers. To conclude the trick you can say that your fingers are damp enough to manage one pip and you pretend to rub it off the face of the card, which is thus blank. Take this card away in your right hand, and offer it to someone on your left hand for examination, taking care to turn the pack down with its face to the floor as you remove the blank card, otherwise the audience will see the next card, which is the one-pip card. The object of handing the blank card to someone on your left is to enable you to turn in that direction in a natural way, because directly you have turned you drop the pack you are holding in the left-hand pocket of your coat (or dinner jacket) and take from it another pack, from which the five of clubs has been abstracted. This is important because a juvenile audience is merciless to an amateur conjurer as a rule and someone is sure to say: "Let us have a look at the cards." Don't be in too great a hurry to hand them out for examination; always "play" with the younger members of your audience when you get the chance to do so. Of course, if the children are so exceedingly well behaved that they do not ask to see the cards you must suggest that "perhaps you would like to have a look at the cards," but I hope for your sake that the children are not of that kind. An audience of very prim and proper children may be easy to a conjurer, because they do not attempt to catch him out, but in another sense they are very difficult because it is by no means easy to engage and hold their attention. I much prefer an audience of children who are quite natural and who are therefore always eager to pounce upon any little weak point--or point which they think is weak--in a trick. The preparation of the trick cards required for this trick is not a difficult matter. If expense is no object the best plan is to buy several packs of cards, with the backs all alike. A blank card usually goes with each pack. If the cards have no index corners you need prepare only two trick cards--one with four spots on it and one with three. To get the spots, put a ten-spot card in cold water and let it soak until you can peel away the face of it. Dry it on clean blotting paper. Then cut out the spots very neatly and paste them on two of the blank cards, taking care to get the pips at the corners in the right positions. The other method of preparing the cards (presuming that you do not wish to invest in several packs) is to float off the backs of a couple of cards, dry them, paste white paper on them and then stick pips on the paper. The drawback to this method is that the paper will probably not match the paper on the faces of the other cards in the pack. CHAPTER III THE HYDROSTATIC TUBE This trick is one of the many masterpieces of Mr. David Devant, and I am greatly indebted to him for his permission to include a full description of it in this book and to give his method of working the trick. It was Mr. Devant's custom to follow this trick with the "Wine and Water," and he had an object in doing so, for the preparations for the second trick assisted him in performing the first. On a tray on the table were four tumblers, the second and fourth of which (counting from the performer's left hand) were inverted. Behind the glasses there was a large glass lamp chimney with a piece of paper tucked into one end, and a finger bowl, with two spouts, filled with water, and a long hat pin. The effect of the trick--to the audience--was as follows. The performer, having shown that the tube was not prepared in any way, closed one end with a piece of paper (half the piece which had been tucked into the tube at the commencement of the trick). He then filled the tube with water and placed the other piece of paper on the top. He then removed his hand from the lower piece and the water remained in the tube. He explained that there was no trick about that, the pressure of the air kept the paper in its place and so prevented the water from rushing out. He then removed the paper from the lower end of the tube and still the water remained inside it. Then he took the paper from the top of the tube, and still the water remained in the tube. Having replaced the papers he picked up the large hat pin and held the tube over the bowl. He pierced the upper paper with the pin and held it there for a moment. Directly he withdrew the pin with the paper impaled on it the water fell out of the tube into the bowl, carrying the lower paper with it. The performer then showed once more that the tube was free from preparation by rattling the pin inside it, and he at once went on with the "Wine and Water" trick, using the water in the finger-bowl for that trick. And now for the explanation. Two small discs of glass which fitted over the ends of the tube were required. The ends of the tube were ground perfectly level and the glass discs were made with a "shoulder" (or sunk edge), so that when once they were placed on the ends of the tube they could not be moved laterally. The edges of these glass discs were also ground perfectly flat and were made to fit exactly on the ends of the tube. One of the glass discs had a hole in the centre, and this hole was filled up, just before the commencement of the trick, with a little piece of moistened soap. If the soap were prepared too long beforehand it would become crumbly and dry; it has to be soft and damp. The other glass disc was not prepared in any way. Before the commencement of the trick the disc with the hole in it was placed on the top of the fourth tumbler--and therefore to the performer's right. The other disc was laid on the top of the second tumbler in the row of four. The piece of paper tucked into the glass chimney was half of a double sheet of note-paper. (Tear a double sheet from side to side.) And now for the actual performance. Begin by taking up the glass chimney, removing the paper, picking up the hat pin and rattling it inside the chimney--thus showing that it is not prepared in any way for the trick. Put the chimney down, pick up the paper and tear it in halves. (The object of having half a double sheet is to enable the conjurer to tear it easily; the crease is ready for him.) The action of tearing the paper is proof that there is no trickery in the paper. Place one piece of paper on the top of the fourth tumbler (and therefore over the disc with the hole in it). Dip the other piece of paper into the glass bowl, shake it a little, and lay it on the top of the second tumbler. Take the piece from the fourth tumbler, wet it in the same way, and replace it on the top of the fourth tumbler. Thus both pieces of paper are now wet and are over the two glass discs. Pick up the piece of paper on the second tumbler, secretly taking with it the glass disc (which, of course, is under the paper) and place it on the top of the tube, taking great care not to let the glass disc "talk" against the top of the chimney; the audience must not hear the slightest "chink" of glass knocking against glass. Now turn the tube over, holding the disc and paper in place, with the second, third and little fingers underneath the paper, which should be moulded round the end of the chimney. Fill the chimney with water, and see that it is really full. Put the bowl down and pick up the other paper, secretly getting the disc under it, and place the disc with the paper over it on the top of the chimney. Mould the paper round the top of the chimney and turn the chimney over, thus bringing the glass disc with the hole in it at the bottom of the chimney. Press on the disc and then slightly relax the pressure; if it is firmly in place you will feel that it is "sucking" and you can go on to the first part of the mystery. Take your hand away from the lower end and the paper will naturally remain in position. Then, holding the tube by the middle with the right hand, peel the paper away slowly from the bottom of the tube and put the paper between the lips for a moment while you take the top paper away. In doing this you make use of an excellent little piece of showmanship; you pretend to be very nervous. The tube is now held perfectly still for a second or two, and as the audience know that it is full of water and cannot see that there is anything either at the top or bottom of the tube, the effect is very mysterious. Put the paper which was on the top under the lower end, pressing it well round that end, and take the other piece from the lips and mould it firmly round the top. Then invert the chimney, thus bringing the disc with the hole in it to the top again. Again press the papers well round both ends of the chimney. Remove the lower paper once more, and still the water remains in the chimney. At this point in the trick Mr. Devant had an excellent line of patter which I hope he will forgive me for giving away; it always brought a round of laughter. "Supported entirely by voluntary contributions." Replace the paper on the lower end of the chimney, and pick up the hat pin. Place the pin in the top paper; of course, the pin passes through the little plug of soap in the glass disc. As you take the pin out again the air naturally gets in and the water begins to fall. (It will be understood, of course, that at this stage of the trick you hold the chimney over the bowl.) Directly you feel the water is moving put the pin back into its place; this is a very important "move." The water rushes out, naturally taking the disc and paper at the lower end with it. The pin is sticking through the top paper and therefore through the top disc. Remove the pin, taking the disc and paper impaled on it, and push the paper off into the bowl; while you do this you can lift the first paper slightly out of the bowl, so that the top disc sinks to the bottom on the top of the one already there. Then remove both papers and hold up the bowl of water. All trace of the method you employed for bringing about this very mysterious effect is now concealed, for the glass discs cannot be seen at the bottom of the bowl. You pick up the pin and once more rattle it in the glass chimney to show that you have nothing inside it, and then you go on to the next trick. I have heard conjurers say that if they get one good trick out of a book they have received excellent value for their money. If that be true--and I, for one, certainly think it is--then, thanks to Mr. Devant, purchasers of this book have no cause for complaint, for I know of no finer trick with water than "The Hydrostatic Tube." One little helpful hint. When the conjurer is about to put the pin through the top paper he may have a slight difficulty in finding the exact place for it. A little stain on the plug of soap will help him to find the right place at once. The trick needs a steady hand, and the conjurer must not know the meaning of "nerves," but if he will see that the discs fit the ends of the glass chimney perfectly and will carry out these directions he need have no fear of any mishap. CHAPTER IV THE PASSE-PASSE TRICK This is a very old trick, but one which is seldom performed in its original and proper form. After being out of fashion for a number of years the trick has been recently revived, and there are now several versions of the trick. To the best of my knowledge, however, all the modern versions of the passe-passe trick omit one important detail--some water or other liquid. In the original version of the trick the performer comes forward with a bottle and a glass--if these things are not already on the table. (As a matter of fact, it is a good plan to have two small tables on either side of the stage for the presentation of this trick.) Two cardboard cylinders, one fitting inside the other, are also required, together with a small tin funnel. The bottle may be of the champagne kind, or a wine bottle, or a beer bottle; the latter is generally the most convenient; a Bass's label on the bottle serves as a kind of guarantee that the bottle is "genuine." The performer pours water from the bottle into the glass; in fact, he fills the glass with water. Finding that he has a little too much water for his purpose he pours a little back into the bottle, using the funnel to aid him in the task of getting the water into the bottle. He then places the bottle on the table on his right and the glass on the table on his left. The next thing to do is to show the cardboard covers to the audience, and in doing this some little amusement may be caused by pretending that you have something concealed in one of the covers. Thus, you lead off by nursing the smaller cover carefully under one arm and showing the larger cover. When this is returned to you slip it over the smaller cover, withdraw the smaller, and hand that out for examination. The audience will at once jump to the conclusion that you have concealed something in the larger cover and will demand to be allowed to "look at the other." Then the argument begins. "But you have already seen that one," you say. "Ah," comes the quick reply, "but you've slipped something from the other one into that since we saw it." Take back the smaller cover, pass it through the larger one, and hand that out for examination. The audience, being now convinced that there is "some trick" in the covers, will demand to see both of them at once, and with a show of reluctance you hand out both covers at once and the audience laugh at themselves for being "had." Possibly, however, some of the more knowing ones will still think that the covers "have something to do with the trick"; if so, all the better for you, because in that case those persons are on the wrong scent altogether. Having received the covers again you can assure your audience that the covers are made in that way to save space in packing--a remark that is sure not to be believed--and you go on to demonstrate the real use of the covers. One covers the glass, the other the bottle. The trick is, of course, to make the glass of water and the bottle change places. You pronounce the magical word, lift the covers, and show that your command has been obeyed. Having done that it is as well to raise the glass to let the audience see that there is water in it. Then you cover the glass and the bottle again and cause them to return to their original places, and once more you show that the two covers are empty. Unknown to the audience the conjurer uses two bottles for this trick and two glasses. The bottles are made of tin and are painted black to resemble dark glass bottles. Neither bottle is quite "ordinary." One of them has no bottom to it, and is therefore a mere shell. The other has the bottom fixed in about half-way down, leaving room for a small glass to be hidden in the bottle under the bottom. Close up against the neck of this bottle there is fixed a tiny tin tube which passes down the neck and then through the centre of the bottom. Therefore, if you merely pour water into the neck of the bottle it remains in the bottle, but if you insert a funnel into the top of the little tube and pour water into the funnel you are really pouring the water into the glass hidden under the bottom of the bottle. [Illustration: _Hole in back of bottle_ _BOTTLE NO 2._ {special bottle with straw to glass inside, and hole in side so finger can hold glass against edge of bottle} _Finger thro' hole_ _FRONT._ _LIFTING BOTTLE AND GLASS._ Fig. 7] Of course, both bottles must be exactly alike and the label on one must match the label on the other; it is a good plan to have a little piece "accidentally" torn off the label. At the outset of the trick a glass, similar to the "visible" one, is placed in the small bottle (the one holding the water); the shell bottle is placed over that bottle. To enable the conjurer to pick up the bottles and glass together two small holes are made in the backs of the bottles; the tip of the middle finger passes through both holes and holds the glass against the interior of the bottle. In order to prevent the glass from "talking" (making any sound by knocking against the inside of the bottle) it is a good plan to line the lower half of the bottle with cloth. The working of the trick will now be clear. Hold the bottle in the right hand and the glass in the left. Pour out the water and stand the bottle down, taking care to keep the side with the hole away from the audience. Then apparently pour some of the water back into the bottle, but by using the funnel you pour it into the glass below. When you are practising the trick you can find out by experiment just how much water to pour back in this way, and if you make a little scratch on the glass you will guard against the fatal mistake of pouring in too much (because you cannot get it back again) or pouring too little. Obviously, the water you pour into the bottle (really into the glass below) should be equal in quantity to that which you leave in the glass. Having settled this matter to your satisfaction place the glass on the other table or, if you are performing with only one table, keep the bottle and glass as far apart as possible; if they are close together some members of your audience may be confused and forget on which side is the bottle and which the glass. Now comes the business of handing round the cardboard covers for examination. When you get them back again take care to hold the larger one in the right hand. While pattering to your audience you quietly pass the larger cover over the bottle, raise it, and then put the smaller one over the bottle. In raising the larger cover you should nip it slightly and so get the shell bottle inside it. A word of caution is here necessary. Do not forget that there is a hole in the back of the bottle; when you place the cover containing the shell bottle over the glass--which you do immediately after you have covered the bottle with the smaller cover--you want to make sure that the hole in the shell bottle is still at the back. Therefore, note carefully the position of the hand when you raise the cover with the shell bottle inside it, and when you place the cover over the glass see that your hand assumes the same position. You will probably find it convenient to stand behind the table and to keep your thumb at the back of the cover. Now the bottle and the glass are covered, and all you have to do to cause them to change places is to raise both covers; you grip the one on the right rather tightly, thus raising the bottle inside it and disclosing the glass, and you hold the other loosely, thus leaving the bottle in view. Cover the glass and bottle again and to cause them to go back to their original positions first pick up the one on your left--gripping tightly to hold the shell bottle inside it; then walk over to the other and raise it, showing the bottle. This leaves you with the shell bottle inside the larger cover, and you naturally have to get rid of it. Drop the cover over the bottle quickly and then apparently attempt to put the other cover over it. It is impossible to do this, of course, because the cover which held the shell bottle is the larger of the two; therefore you raise the larger cover again, leaving the shell bottle in its original position over the other bottle. Then put the smaller cover inside the larger one, pick up the bottle, taking care to hide the glass inside it, and place it behind your screen or on a side table. Then take away the glass and you are ready for the next trick. A word as to the appearance of the bottles and the covers. These can be bought at a conjuring shop and you will find that, as the Scotsman said of various brands of whiskey, "Some are better than others." You want a bottle which looks exactly like the real thing, and the only way of making quite sure of getting it is to take an empty bottle with you when you are buying the trick. Note the slope of the "shoulder" of the bottle. The labelling you can do yourself. As to the covers, take care that they fit properly and are not too stiff. If the larger one is really a shade too small for the shell bottle and is also too limp you will have difficulty in raising the cover quickly and leaving the shell bottle on the table; the bottle will get jammed in the cover and then--well--perhaps you had better tell the audience that the trick has not happened yet, but you hope it will in time! It is better to guard against such a catastrophe by having covers of the right size; they must not be too large or too small. Although the trick is quite an easy one it requires more than a little practice. The most important move of all is that which enables you to get the shell bottle into the larger cover. You will find that the knack of putting the cover quickly over the bottle and then lifting it up as quickly with the shell bottle inside it is not learned in a moment; at any rate, you cannot learn to do that in a natural way in a moment. To get the move quite right put the cover over the shell bottle and lift it without the shell inside; keep to the same movement when you lift the cover with the shell bottle inside it. To guard against the dropping of the shell you can place your little finger under the cover. I give a few suggestions for "patter." "A trick with a bottle and a glass. All kinds of tricks are done with bottles and glasses, but this is not one of those tricks; this is a perfectly harmless trick. At the risk of disappointing the male members of my audience I may say at once that this bottle contains water. I mention that because I noticed that one or two men seemed rather anxious to come on the stage and assist in this experiment. They don't look so anxious now. (_This as you pour out the water._) Just ordinary plain water, the stuff that farmers and gardeners always want when they haven't got it, and always grumble about when they have. If you live in a town you grumble because you have to pay for it, whether you use much or little; some people don't run any risk of using too much. I'm afraid there's a little too much there--better put some back; it will do another time. (_Pour with funnel into bottle._) There, that's just right; now we can begin. I put the glass over there and the bottle here. There are two other things used in this experiment; you see, this trick ought to be done in the dark because it's rather dangerous, but as we cannot have all the lights put out I have to put the glass and the bottle into these little dark rooms; perhaps you would like to have a look at them. (_Then follows the business, already explained, of having the two covers examined._) "You will notice that both the covers fit over the bottle and, therefore, over the glass, but as we have to cover both we put one on the bottle and the other on the glass. If we were to put one on the glass and the other over the bottle we could not do the trick. "Now I want somebody to say the magic word, because it doesn't always work if I say it. Will someone please start talking about the weather. That's easy. If you just say the word 'weather' I daresay it will do. (_Look inside one of the covers._) It must have heard me; you see, the weather is so changeable--it always is; that's why the word is so useful to conjurers, although I once knew a conjurer who used a shorter word when his trick went wrong. I don't think this trick has gone wrong so far because you see the bottle and glass have changed places. (_Lift covers and show them._) The worst of our magic word is that it works only once in a trick. You might keep on saying: 'weather, weather, weather, weather, weather' all day to the trick, but nothing would happen--unless, of course, a kind policeman, thinking that you were temporarily insane, took care of you. No, if we want the rest of the trick to happen we have to whistle to the bottle to come back. You know that beautiful song--'Whistle, and I shall hear.' Well, the bottle always hears. (_Whistles._) Here it comes and here it is, and very possibly we shall find that the glass has returned to its original position." (_Show it._) CHAPTER V THE RICE BOWLS In presenting this trick the conjurer begins by showing two small bowls on a tray. Into one of the bowls he places a little rice and covers it with the other bowl. On lifting the uppermost bowl the conjurer shows that the quantity of rice has increased; the lower bowl is now heaped up with rice, some of which falls on to the tray. Using the empty bowl as a kind of scoop the conjurer removes some of the surplus rice, letting it fall on the tray. Thus one bowl is now filled to the brim with rice and the other is empty. Once more the conjurer places the empty bowl over the one containing the rice, and once more he raises the empty bowl. All the rice has now vanished, for it has been magically transformed into water, which the conjurer pours from bowl to bowl. Thus there are two entirely different effects in this trick. A small quantity of rice placed in a bowl increases in a mysterious manner; the rice is afterwards changed into water. There are two entirely different methods for this trick. For one of them two china bowls are required; for the other the bowls are of brass. I used the latter method when I presented this trick at St. George's Hall, and I prefer it to the other, especially if I am performing in a room. However, the other method is the more popular of the two, and I will explain that before giving away the secret of the other method. First, let me give a rough idea of the secret of the first method, in which two china bowls are required, because this method admits of one or two variations, and, of course, it is useless to describe these until the reader knows just "how it is done." The edge of one of the bowls is ground perfectly flat. This bowl is then filled nearly to the brim with water. A disc of thick celluloid of the same size of the top of the bowl is also required. The disc should be made with a "lip," so that when it is laid on the top of the bowl it cannot easily be pushed off it. To prepare for the trick dip a finger into the water and run it round the edge of the bowl; dampen the "lip" of the celluloid disc in the same way. Then put the disc on the top of the bowl and press it down evenly all round the edge. If the disc fits properly it will then be possible to turn the bowl upside down without spilling the water; the disc will adhere to the bowl. It is always advisable to have a disc specially made to fit the bowl; then you may be certain that, with a reasonable amount of care, accidents will not happen. If the disc fits properly you can throw the bowl into the air and catch it without any fear of the disc coming away from the bowl. After the disc has been properly fitted to the bowl wipe it thoroughly dry and place it, upside down, on the tray on which a couple of wooden matches have previously been placed; there is then no risk of the disc adhering to the tray. The empty bowl is placed, upside down, over the faked bowl, and with a bag of rice on the tray, you are ready to do the trick. Pick up the empty bowl and show it to the audience. Fill it about half full with rice and stand it on the table. Place the faked bowl on the top of it and, holding the hands round the bowls, get them exactly "together"--an easy thing to do because the bowls are the same size. Keeping the hands in the same position round the bowls pick up both bowls together and reverse them, so that the faked bowl is now underneath. Obviously, there must be some excuse for doing this; that will be provided for in the "patter." The rice naturally falls on to the top of the celluloid disc, and when the top bowl is lifted the rice seems to have increased in quantity. Hold the empty bowl in both hands and scoop off some of the rice, letting it fall on to the tray. Repeat the operation, taking a little more rice away. In taking still a little more rice away get a finger nail under the edge of the disc, and in apparently scooping off a little more rice lift the disc under the bowl and place it on the tray; as the disc with the rice on it is placed over the loose rice which fell on the tray in the first instance it is not noticed. The latter part of this "move" must be done fairly quickly, especially if one is performing at close quarters, and the empty bowl is at once placed on the top of the other bowl which now contains only water. To show the final effect is, therefore, an easy matter. The top bowl is lifted with the right hand, the other with the left hand, and the water is poured from bowl to bowl. [Illustration: _Celluloid Fake._ _Bowl "double filled" with rice_ _Fake_ _Removing Fake with rice_ Fig. 8] Now for the "variations" of the trick. The weak point of the trick is at the beginning; only one bowl is shown to be empty. Is it not possible that some of the very attentive members of your audience will notice this fact and will say to themselves: "He showed us only one empty bowl--wonder what's in the other?" Of course, people ought not to think in this way, and some conjurers believe that they do not, but my experience tells me that there are always some persons in every audience who do not miss much when it comes to judging a trick and trying to find out the method of the conjurer. Theoretically, when the conjurer picks up the faked bowl and holds it upside down he convinces the audience that the bowl is empty. How can there be anything in a bowl which is held upside down? Still, I think you will admit that if you can show the interiors of both bowls at the beginning of the performance you make it a much "stronger" trick than if you show only one bowl and let the state of the other be taken for granted. Besides, being an enthusiastic magician you will naturally want to make your performance as nearly perfect as possible, and therefore you will want to begin this trick by showing "two empty bowls." How are you to do it? Obviously, one bowl has to be exchanged for the faked bowl, and that means that the faked bowl has to be hidden at the beginning of the trick. Here is a simple way of getting over that difficulty. Have a fairly large bag of rice. Place the faked bowl near the back of the tray and the bag of rice in front of it; the bag can be shaped round the bowl. You will also need a "servante" at the back of your table; this can be either a small shelf or, better still, a bag with the mouth slightly stiffened with a strip of whalebone. The "servante" is hidden from the audience by the tablecloth, which hangs down in front of the table. Proceed in this way. At the beginning of the trick stand on the left-hand side of your table. Pick up a bowl in each hand, show the bowls to the audience, put the one in the left hand on the table and apparently put the other on the table behind the bag of rice; of course, you really drop it into the bag or place it on the shelf at the back of the table. Continue the movement of the arm until your right hand is resting against the faked bowl which is hidden behind the bag of rice. At the same moment pick up the bag of rice with the left hand. The audience see two bowls on the table and naturally think that they are the two bowls which you have just shown to them. One of the bowls has not left their sight, and if you make the "change" skilfully no one will suspect you of having made it. If you use this method of exchanging one ordinary bowl for the faked bowl you should have a very small tray and a very small table; otherwise, you have no excuse for apparently putting one bowl behind the bag of rice. Why should you not put it at the side of the bag if there is room for it there? Inquisitive people ask themselves these questions sometimes. If you have a very small tray you naturally have to put the second bowl down on the only vacant spot on it--behind the bag of rice--but at the same moment you lift the bag. Directly you have picked up the bag of rice with the left hand you pass it to the right, pick up the empty bowl with the left hand and pour some rice into it. Take care to let the audience see that rice, and nothing but rice, goes into the bowl. Then put the bag down, pick up the faked bowl, and present the rest of the trick in the way described. This method is perfectly safe if you are performing on a small platform or stage, so that your table is raised, but it is not practical in a small room with the audience close to the table. If you wish to do the trick under those difficult conditions I suggest that you use very small bowls and have a box of rice in place of the bag. The exact size of the box will depend on the size of the bowls. Dip both bowls (having first shown them to be empty) into the box and scoop up as much rice as you can get into them. Pour the rice back into the box. Do this two or three times, and while you are apparently doing the same thing for the third time bury the bowl which you have been holding in your right hand in the box of rice and bring up in its place the faked bowl, which was hidden in the box before the commencement of the trick. You must take care to remember the position of the faked bowl in the box. In exchanging one bowl for another in this way your hand must not pause in its movement down into the box and up again. To make quite sure of getting the movement right practise in front of a looking-glass. First, dip the two bowls into the box of rice and scoop up the rice into both bowls. Remember just how your hands moved when you did that. Now start again, but this time exchange the bowl in your right hand for the faked bowl. [Illustration: _PLAIN BOWL_ _Escape Hole_ _Air Hole_ _Water_ _Plaster_ _FAKED BOWL_ Fig. 9] Now tilt the rice back into the box, and the audience should be convinced that you have two empty bowls in your hands because both bowls are now upside down. Put the faked bowl, upside down, on the table. Take a little rice from the box with the right hand and let it fall into the empty bowl; continue doing this until you have filled the bowl. Then pick up the faked bowl and continue the trick in the way already described. You will find it convenient to close the lid of the box and to use the top of it as your table. If brass bowls are used no celluloid disc is required, and it is not necessary to exchange one bowl for another; the secret of the trick lies in the preparation of one of the bowls, and yet, at the beginning of the trick, both bowls can be held with their interiors facing the audience. Thus, the second method is altogether different from the first. The shape of the two brass bowls is shown in the illustration. The faked bowl has an inner lining fitted to it, with sufficient space between the lining and the bowl itself to hold a considerable quantity of water. The lining is of highly polished brass, like the rest of the bowl, and if it is kept "on the move" it can safely be shown to the audience. People think that the lining is really the interior of the bowl, and the fact that they can see inside both bowls helps to convince them that the bowls are unprepared. It will be obvious that the interior of the faked bowl is really much smaller than that of the "plain" bowl; if, therefore, the latter bowl is filled with rice and the faked bowl placed on the top and both bowls are turned over together the quantity of rice appears to have increased because it overflows. (The edge of the faked bowl is made to fit into the edge of the other bowl, and thus the task of inverting the bowls is simplified; they cannot slide apart.) Near the brim of the faked bowl there is a small air hole, and there is another hole in the centre of the bottom of the bowl. To fill the space between the inner lining and the bowl itself with water and to prevent the water from falling out until you wish it to appear, proceed in this way. Place the bowl in water and let it remain there until no more air bubbles rise to the surface. Move the bowl once or twice in the water to make sure that the space is properly filled. Lift the bowl out of the water by the brim, but just before you get the brim clear of the water put a finger on the air hole there; then the water will not run out of the air hole at the bottom of the bowl. Keep the finger jammed down tightly on the air hole in the brim of the bowl, wipe the outside of the bowl thoroughly dry and place a small piece of adhesive rubber plaster over the air hole in the bottom of the bowl. You can then turn the bowl upside down without any fear that the water will escape through the air hole in the brim. Wipe the inside of the bowl thoroughly dry and you are ready to start the trick. Place the faked bowl, upside down, on the table and the other bowl over it. (You will understand, of course, that the bowls should be in this position on the table when you are about to present the trick.) Pick up the plain bowl with the left hand and the faked bowl with the right, and show the interiors of both bowls to the audience. Pour rice into the plain bowl until it is nearly full, and put the faked bowl on the top of it. Invert the two bowls together; when you separate them the quantity of rice will have apparently increased, because the interior of the faked bowl is really much smaller than that of the plain bowl. [Illustration: _Extracting rice from faked bowl._ Fig. 10] As there is no celluloid disc to get rid of there is no need to use the empty bowl as a scoop with which to level the rice; in fact, it will be inadvisable to use it. By using the bowl as a scoop one would merely level the rice, whereas it is really necessary to get nearly all the rice out of the faked bowl. Begin by levelling the rice with the left hand while you hold the other bowl in front of it; just before you replace the empty bowl bend the left fingers slightly and thus scoop out as much of the rice as you can possibly get out in this way. You must not let the audience see that you are really trying to empty the bowl, and no harm is done if you leave a little rice in it. Replace the empty bowl on the top of the faked bowl, and invert both bowls together; just before putting them on the table remove with the left thumbnail the piece of rubber plaster which has covered the air hole in the bottom of the faked bowl. (If you are performing in a hall with part of the audience in a gallery, so that they can look down on to the top of the bowls, it is as well to disguise the little piece of rubber plaster with a touch of gold paint.) Directly the rubber plaster is removed the water will start to run out into the bottom bowl, and here we come to one of the disadvantages of this method. To my mind it is only a very trifling disadvantage, but I know that some conjurers regard it almost as a serious defect. The water runs out of the air hole slowly, and therefore it is necessary to "patter" for about a minute while the water is dropping into the lower bowl. (The exact time will depend on the size of the bowl.) Some conjurers do not talk at all during their performance; therefore this method of doing the trick does not appeal to them. Some conjurers who do talk during their performances are chary of pattering for a whole minute without doing anything; they think that to do this looks as though they were "holding up" the trick. Until you have pattered for a whole minute without doing anything you do not realise what a very long time one minute can seem to be; you must remember that, to some members of the audience, at any rate, you appear to be talking for no reason whatever. Well, I have presented this trick at St. George's Hall and at private performances and, as I have said, I prefer this method to the one with the china bowls. I admit, however, that a drawing-room conjurer may find the preparation of the trick a little tiresome. I have known a conjurer to prepare the faked bowl--fill it with water and seal it--before setting out on his journey to give his performance, but I should not care to risk doing that myself. If the air hole should get uncovered there would be a tragedy! The question therefore arises--How are you to prepare for the trick in a drawing-room? The simplest plan is to take a small pail--about as large as a child's seaside pail--with you. Remember, the bowl has to be placed in the water. Carry your own pail in your bag, and then all you have to ask for is a large jug of water. Now, to continue with the presentation of the trick. When the water has trickled through into the lower bowl pick up the top one--the faked bowl--with the left hand, take the other bowl with the right hand and pour some of the water into the faked bowl. There will be more than enough water to fill this bowl, and so if you wish you can pour some into a glass bowl on table. You will notice that in this form of the trick both the rice and the water increase. I give some suggestions for "patter" which, of course, can be shortened considerably if the conjurer is using china bowls. Some "silent" conjurers dash through the trick in about half a minute, but it is as well to let your audience see what you are doing. If you are going to use brass bowls you should rehearse the trick very carefully, so that you may be able to fill in the time while the water is running from one bowl to another. "I will try and show you how to make a rice pudding--a new kind of rice pudding. You cook it in two bowls, so as to give the rice room to swell. Even then it isn't swell rice. Swell rice is the kind which is used at weddings. A man doesn't mind how much of this (_pouring rice into bowl_) he has thrown in his face on his wedding day, but he does object to cold rice pudding more than five times a week after his wedding day. And he often gets it! Believe me, he does. You will notice that by this method of cooking (_lift the bowls, wave them in the air and finally invert them_), the rice is cooked entirely by friction. No fire needed; therefore no coal bill; therefore, the coal merchant goes broke. You see what new methods lead to. I don't know if the rice is done yet; excuse me for a moment while I listen to it. There is no sadder sight in this world than an underdone rice pudding. Yes, I think it is done; anyhow we'll chance it. (_Lift bowl, showing quantity of rice increased._) You see, by this method your rice does not swell in the cooking; the more you cook the more rice you get; there's far too much here. (_Level rice off and replace bowl; if brass bowls are used invert them._) "Perhaps I ought to have explained at the beginning that this method of cooking rice is rather slow; if the rice is at all aged and tough it may take hours and hours--or even longer--to cook itself in a proper manner; of course, this rice is strictly proper--highly refined. It can be used for puddings, cakes, poultices, dog-biscuits and bill-stickers' paste; it can also be used for waterproofing boots, and it is invaluable for invalids. I once induced an invalid friend of mine to try some of my patent rice pudding. The invalid got better at once--afraid of having to face a second dose. It's dangerous stuff--rice pudding. Many a happy home has been nearly wrecked--all through a cold, heavy, stodgy, underdone, beastly rice pudding. Ladies, let it be a warning to you. . . . I beg your pardon--I've been talking so much that I've been forgetting my own cooking. (_Lift bowl and pour water from one bowl to the other._) I'm very sorry. Really I must apologise. All the rice has been cooked away--perhaps it's as well, because nobody really likes rice pudding." CHAPTER VI THE INDIAN SANDS In its simplest form this trick consists in putting some silver sand into a bowl of water and taking it out--perfectly dry. But the trick in that form is hardly worth doing and certainly not worth the trouble involved in its preparation. An important additional effect is produced by using sands of three colours--red, white, and blue. The white sand is not really white, but the natural colour of the sand. In this case, not only does the conjurer take out the sand perfectly dry, but he takes out the sand of the colour named by the audience. This is a trick which depends largely for its effect upon the showmanship of the performer, for unless the audience are thoroughly convinced that the bowl of water is what the conjurer says it is and nothing more--an ordinary bowl nearly filled with ordinary water--and unless the audience are further convinced of the fact that the sands of different colours are poured into the bowl and are thoroughly stirred up into the water they will not be properly surprised when the conjurer comes to the climax of the trick. Therefore, the conjurer should lead off by giving the bowl out for examination. The bowl can be either of glass, metal, or china. The trick is most effective, I think, when a glass bowl is used; it should be a large flat bowl. The different sands should be placed in bags, the red sand being in a red bag, and so on. If the conjurer uses a glass bowl he should have the water in a large glass jug. He leads off by holding up the bowl for inspection; then he gives it out for examination. If he is performing in a room he should have a box or some kind of stand on the table, so that everyone can see the bowl during the whole of the performance. Having received the bowl back again the conjurer pours in the water, and he should take note beforehand of the actual quantity required. If there is too much water some of it may get splashed over the brim during the performance of the trick, and if there is too little the trick is not sufficiently effective; besides, with a little water the trick is more difficult. The conjurer then picks up the red bag and pours out the sand, a little at a time, on to his other hand; he should take care to let the audience see that he has nothing concealed in his hand at the beginning of the trick, and in pouring out the sand he should work slowly so that the audience see that he pours out nothing else but sand. While he is doing this he should hold his hand over the bowl, because some of the sand will drop off his hand into the water. There will naturally be quite a little mound of sand on his hand when the bag is empty. He then tips the sand into the bowl and stirs it slightly. The dye will colour the water. He proceeds to empty the other two bags in the same way, taking great care to let the audience see that the bags contain nothing but sand and that he places nothing else in the water. At the end of these proceedings the water will be thoroughly coloured. The conjurer, having turned up his sleeves, dips his right hand into the water, and stirs it up. Then, displaying his empty hand to the audience, he dips it into the water and takes out a handful of the wet sands and holds it up so that the audience can see it. He returns the "mud" to the bowl and washes off any sand from his hands. Once more he dips his hand into the bowl and takes it out closed. Picking up a glass goblet with his other hand, he holds it under his right hand from which dry red sand slowly trickles. When the hand is empty he opens it, shows it to the audience, and puts the goblet down. Then he washes his hands in the bowl, and repeats the performance with the white sand and the blue, so that at the end of the trick the audience can see the sands in the three goblets. At the conclusion of the trick he can pour all the water with the sand "mud" into another vessel and thus show once more that the bowl is not prepared in any way for the trick. This splendid effect is brought about by very simple means. Most conjurers hold the opinion that the best tricks are simple; this one is both simple and easy. The principal secret consists in the preparation of small quantities of the different sands. First of all a quantity of sand is dyed red and a similar quantity is dyed blue, and both are left to dry. While they are drying the conjurer can prepare the white sand. [Illustration: {bag of loose sand, with compressed sand of different colours in different shapes} Loose sand Faked sand _METHOD OF LOADING BAGS OF SAND WITH SAND BLOCKS._ _KEY SHAPES FOR FINDING COLOURS BY TOUCH._ Fig. 11] Place a small quantity in an old frying-pan and put it over the fire until it is thoroughly hot. Then drop in a small piece of tallow candle. When the grease melts stir it well into the sand, so that every grain is covered. Then take the sand off the fire and press it down into little moulds. As sands of three different colours are to be used in the trick it follows that the prepared sands must be put in moulds of three different shapes, because the conjurer merely has to feel in the water for the particular blocks of sand that he requires at each dip. The white sand can be put into little round, flat moulds, about as large as four halfpennies stuck together. When these little round blocks of prepared sand are cool they will be perfectly hard and waterproof. The red sand can be placed in small square moulds and the blue sand in oval or round moulds; the shapes are immaterial so long as the conjurer remembers them. The bags can be of paper. To prepare for the trick, turn one of the bags upside down and push the bottom of it inwards. Then place two or three of the blocks of sand of the right colour in the cavity at the bottom of the bag. Then turn the bag over and fill it with ordinary sand of the same colour. Prepare the other two bags in the same way. In picking up each bag from the table, when you are going to do the trick, begin by lifting it about an inch from the table with the left hand; then grasp it round the middle with the right hand and hold the little finger under the bottom of the bag to prevent the blocks of sand from falling away. The paper of which the bags are made should be fairly stiff. When all the sand from one of the bags has been poured out on to the hand--naturally a good deal of it will fall into the bowl--the conjurer turns his hand over and lets the sand drop into the bowl; at the same time he merely has to take his right little finger away from the bottom of the bag and the blocks fall into the water. They drop behind the falling sand, and being of the same colour they are not noticed by the audience. If the conjurer does not care for this method of getting the prepared blocks into the water he can have larger bags and have the prepared blocks in them with the sand. In that case he dips his hand into a bag, takes out a handful of sand, and lets it trickle back into the bag. He does this once or twice; then he takes out a handful of sand and lets it fall into the water, taking care to let the audience see that he puts in nothing but sand. He repeats the action. Then, in taking another handful of sand, he gets two or three of the blocks with it, lets some of the sand fall into the water, brings his hand down close to the water, releases the "blocks," brings his hand up again and releases the rest of the sand from it. He can continue in this way until the bag is empty. If the performer is on a stage there is very little likelihood of the audience seeing the blocks even if they are dropped from a height with the sand, but in a room, with the audience close to the table, it is as well to take every precaution against the discovery of the secret. As for the rest of the trick, the effect is produced entirely by showmanship. In the hands of a capable performer the trick will cause a sensation, but if it is presented in a slipshod careless way, so that the audience are not thoroughly convinced at each stage of the trick that there has been "no deception," then the trick will go for nothing. For example, if the conjurer neglects to take out a handful of the wet sand and show it to the audience, he misses a point. Of course, all that the conjurer really has to do is to feel in the bowl for the particular blocks of sand he requires. It is as well to have one or two more blocks than are actually necessary. When the conjurer has taken out a handful of the blocks he requires he merely has to crush them in his hand and they fall in a shower of dry sand. A hint to the drawing-room performer. After the performance see that the water is poured away at once; otherwise, if some of the younger and more inquisitive members of your audience come round behind your screen at the close of the performance they will be sure to want to know how this trick was done, and if they get a glimpse of the water they may possibly notice grease floating on the surface! Various other methods have been invented for keeping certain portions of sand dry when other sand of similar colour is placed in water. Some conjurers have done the sand up in little packets of grease-proof paper. I have also heard of tiny air balloons being filled with sand. The great drawback of any of these other methods is that when the conjurer is letting the dry sand trickle away from his hand into the goblet he cannot immediately let the audience see that he has nothing concealed in his hand. He has to go at once to the bowl for the next handful and leave the "fake," whatever it may be, in the bottom of the bowl. By using the method I have described the conjurer gets the most convincing effect, and if he prepares a large quantity of the different blocks of sand at the same time the trick is really not troublesome. The exact quantity of tallow required must be determined by experiment; it will depend, of course, on the amount of sand which is being prepared. The object of using goblets for the display of the dry sands is to enable the members of the audience in the front rows of seats to see the sands. When one is performing to an audience composed chiefly of children the first two or three rows of seats are usually occupied by very small children, and from their positions they cannot see the top of the table. Raise the object which you are going to place on the table and you bring it within the view of everyone. CHAPTER VII THE DISSOLVED CARD Every good trick has a clear, logical conclusion. Although the conjurer is apparently reversing one of Nature's laws he must also be more or less reasonable in his performance. For example, if he tears up a piece of paper into little pieces and then causes these pieces to form together into four strips equal in length when laid end to end, to the original piece, the conjurer is not behaving in a reasonable manner; he should cause the little pieces to join together into one strip and the audience must be led to believe that that strip is the original piece of paper and that in some mysterious manner the conjurer has joined the pieces together. The conjurer who does that brings his trick to what may be called a "logical conclusion." I mention this matter here because it bears upon the trick which I am about to explain. In its simplest--and crudest--form this trick consists in causing a playing card placed into a jug of water to disappear; the water is supposed to dissolve the card. I imagine, however, that no intelligent audience would be satisfied with the trick in that form; there is obviously something wanting, and that something is the magical reappearance of the card. There are dozens of ways in which the trick could be completed--that is to say, in which the card could be caused to reappear--but it must be remembered that the card has apparently been dissolved in water, and that therefore to bring the trick to the "logical conclusion" which is the attribute of all good tricks, the water in which the card has apparently been dissolved should be used in some way to bring about the reappearance of the card. It seems to me that if we were to reproduce the card in a box, or case, or frame which had previously been shown to be empty we should not have a very convincing trick. It might be argued, of course, that if instead of suggesting that the card is dissolved in water we suggest that it is made to disappear from the water we may fairly be allowed to reproduce the card in any way we please. To regard the trick in that way is to destroy the plot of it and to substitute another plot. In the one case the conjurer is suggesting to his audience that the card remains in the water in a state of solution and in the other that the card has disappeared altogether from the water. I think you get a much better effect if you induce your audience to think that the water has dissolved the card, and it is for that reason that I have given the title "The Dissolved Card" to the trick. I propose, therefore, that we should present the trick in this way. The conjurer brings forward a pack of cards, shuffles the cards with their faces towards the audience, and asks someone in the audience to take a card and to place it on the top of the pack. A glass jug, nearly full of water, is then held up for inspection, and, lastly, a large dark silk handkerchief--or muffler--is casually shown. If one of those very trying persons who are always anxious to discover a conjurer's secrets appears anxious to examine the handkerchief the conjurer will do well to pretend that he is in a tight corner for a moment, but, somewhat reluctantly, he allows the interrupter to examine the handkerchief; as a matter of fact, the conjurer is not at all perturbed, because there is no "trick" about the handkerchief. While the jug of water and the handkerchief are being exhibited the pack of cards is on the table. The conjurer picks it up, removes the top card and asks the person who took it to say if it is the card which was chosen and placed on the top of the pack. The answer is sure to be, "Yes." The conjurer holds the card in his left hand with its face towards the audience, and his thumb and lingers pointing upwards. (The position of the hand is important for the working of the trick, and therefore the reader will do well to remember it.) The conjurer throws the silk handkerchief over the card and arranges it neatly, so that the card is about in the centre of the handkerchief. Bringing his right hand over the top of the handkerchief the conjurer takes the card in that hand and holds it over the jug of water, while with his left hand he drapes the handkerchief round the outside of the jug, practically hiding it. Someone in the audience is asked to take the card from the conjurer (holding it, of course, with the handkerchief over it) and to drop it into the water at the word "Go!" When this is done the handkerchief naturally drops down and covers the jug. The conjurer picks up the jug with the left hand and whisking away the handkerchief with the right hand shows that the water has dissolved the card. The conjurer then brings forward two slates, and in order to get them thoroughly clean wipes them with a small sponge which he dips into the jug of water. The slates are dried, placed together, wrapped in a sheet of newspaper and given into the possession of a member of the audience. The audience are led to believe that the name of the card is to be written magically on the slates, but when the person holding them takes off the paper he finds to his surprise that the card is between the slates and, as a matter of fact, the card is the identical card that was chosen in the first place. This effect is brought about by means of a few subtle--but quite easy--"moves" and the use of one little "fake." The jug of water is standing on the conjurer's table; placed just behind it is the large silk handkerchief folded in four, and behind the handkerchief is a piece of transparent celluloid of the exact size of the cards which are to be used; beside the piece of celluloid is the pack of cards. Picking up the cards, the conjurer shuffles them with their faces towards the audience, thus showing--without directly calling attention to the fact--that the pack is an ordinary one. The conjurer advances to someone with the request that a card may be chosen. [Illustration: {shows card in hand, then covered by handkerchief slips card into sleeve with other hand} _Celluloid_ _CARD AS SHOWN_ _Celluloid_ _CONCEALING CARD_ Fig. 12] "Please take any card you like," says the conjurer. "Perhaps you would like to take the pack in your hand and select a card at your leisure. When you have made up your mind will you please put the card on the top of the pack. . . . Have you done that? You'll know the card again when you see it? Thank you. In order that everyone may remember the card I will show it to the audience; there is no harm in my knowing what it is." The conjurer receives the pack back again, lifts off the top card, shows it to the audience, returns it to the pack and then, turning the pack over, drops it face upwards on the table so that it falls on the top of the piece of celluloid. If the cards spread a little when they fall, so much the better. The conjurer then exhibits the jug of water. "A jug of water," he says. "If there were any trickery about this it would be a transparent fraud, wouldn't it? But there is no trickery about it; it's just the ordinary water that comes down from the clouds and is charged for at the ordinary rates." (He puts the jug on the table and picks up the handkerchief.) "A large silk handkerchief. Three hundred silkworms had to work overtime for a fortnight to make the silk for this handkerchief; it isn't one of those tiny little handkerchiefs." (The conjurer shows both sides of the handkerchief and puts it down again.) "And now I am going to see if you all have a good memory. Do you remember what card was chosen and placed on the top of the pack? You do? Well; let us see if you are right." It will be remembered that the cards are face upwards on the table. The conjurer picks up the pack with his right hand (including with it the piece of celluloid), turns it over, and places it in his left hand; directly it is there the right hand is brought over the pack to square it up. The left thumb then pushes the piece of celluloid over the edge of the pack for about half an inch--the right little finger preventing it from going too far--and the left thumb then pushes the top card forward in the same way. Thus the piece of celluloid is now directly over the top card, and the two can be lifted off the pack together and exhibited as one card. The conjurer shows the card to the audience on his right and then places it in his left hand and shows it to the audience on his left. Great care must be taken to nip the piece of celluloid and the card closely together, and when the card is in the left hand the thumb should be behind it, the fingers in front and the tips of the thumb and fingers should point upwards. The conjurer picks up the handkerchief with his right hand and throws it over the card, at the same time saying: "I cover the card with the handkerchief. I do this because it is so much easier than covering the handkerchief with the card. I want to get the centre of the handkerchief just over the card." Directly the card is hidden by the handkerchief the conjurer pushes up the piece of celluloid with his thumb, while with his fingers he slides the card down a little way towards his wrist. In order to arrange the handkerchief properly over the card the conjurer puts his right hand under the handkerchief and lifts it into position, so that the centre is over the card. While his right hand is under the handkerchief the conjurer takes the card from the left hand and slips it for a moment into the left sleeve, taking care to push it down, so that when his hand is afterwards removed the card is hidden. The conjurer then brings his right hand over the top of the handkerchief and, gripping the piece of celluloid through the handkerchief, asks someone to hold it over the jug of water; of course, that person naturally thinks that he is holding the card, and the fact that the conjurer's hands are empty is proof that the card must be under the handkerchief. The next step in the trick is very simple. Having draped the handkerchief round the jug and asked the person holding what he believes to be the card to release "the card" at the word "Go!" the conjurer merely has to take the handkerchief away and hold up the jug; the celluloid sinks to the bottom and is therefore invisible. The assistant is thanked and he returns to his seat. The conjurer continues his patter: "For a time the card is dissolved in that water, but if you would care to wait a few hours you will see the water gradually evaporate, leaving a kind of impression of the card stamped upon the jug. If you want the trick done quickly you have to send a special message to the good fairy who arranges these things. You would like the trick done quickly? Very well, then I must write the message to the fairy on one of these slates and ask for an immediate reply." The conjurer picks up two ordinary slates and holds them in his left hand. The palm of the hand should be facing the audience and the fingers slightly bent. The ends of the two slates are rested on the fingers and against the arm. "When writing to fairies," says the conjurer, "you must always have a clean slate." He dips a little sponge into the jug of water and sponges over the slate which is facing the audience; the slate is turned over and the other side is washed. The conjurer now shifts the position of the slates. With his right hand he grasps them near the ends which are resting on the left hand, and as he does this he inserts the first and second fingers of his right hand into his left sleeve and draws out the card, keeping it hidden behind the slates. Directly he has done this the conjurer takes hold of the slates with the left hand, holding them by their sides; his fingers keep the card behind the slates. He should turn to his right when taking the slates in the left hand. The next step is to slide out the under slate by taking it with the right hand, while the left fingers keep the card pressed against the slate which has been at the top. The slate which has been taken away with the right hand is now placed on the top of the other, both sides are cleaned, and the conjurer, taking a piece of chalk, writes on the slate facing the audience: "Please hurry up." This slate is now drawn away with the right hand and placed under the other, thus getting the card in between the two slates, which are then wrapped in a sheet of paper and given to a member of the audience. The conjurer picks up the jug of water for a moment and pretends to discover suddenly that he has spoiled the experiment. "I quite forgot," he says, "when I was cleaning the slates that I was using some of this water. There's no telling what may happen now; you may find little bits of the card all over the slates when they are dry. Would you mind having a look at them?" The person holding the slates unwraps them and finds the card in between the two slates, and the conjurer finishes by suggesting that the fairy has saved the situation. The only "move" in the trick which is not quite easy is that which the conjurer makes to get the card out of his sleeve and hidden behind the slates. A very little practice, for preference in front of a looking-glass, will enable the conjurer to get over this difficulty; he should bear in mind that what he is apparently doing is to lift the slates with the right hand and take them by the sides with the left hand. If those movements are practised until the conjurer can make them without having to stop to think about them he can then go on to practise making the same movements while, at the same time, he gets the card out of his sleeve and hides it behind the slates, keeping it there with the fingers of his left hand. This is quite easy, but for the benefit of beginners who may wish for a still more simple method of doing the trick I suggest the following. The card is "forced"; that is to say, the conjurer apparently allows the person who is taking the card to have a free choice, but he really makes sure that the person takes one particular card. An expert card conjurer can "force" one particular card from an ordinary pack, but to do this is not easy, and even an expert cannot be absolutely certain of forcing the card which he wishes to use in a trick. Therefore, since the beginner is out to make the trick as simple and sure as possible he should use a "forcing pack," which consists of one card repeated, say, forty times; a few other indifferent cards are placed on the top and below the forty. The conjurer who is going to use a "forcing pack" should do some other card trick with an ordinary pack and then exchange it for the "forcing pack"; of course, the backs of the two packs must match. The conjurer must also take care to hold the cards down when he is having one selected, so that no one may get a glimpse under the cards. The card is taken and placed on the top of the pack as in the first method, and the card is got rid of by being pushed down the left sleeve, but the procedure afterwards is greatly simplified. One of the two slates used is a "flap" slate; that is to say, a loose piece of cardboard painted to resemble a slate is laid inside it. The cardboard is painted on both sides, and, therefore, when the ordinary slate is placed on the top of the flap slate and both are turned over together the "flap" falls into the ordinary slate. The working of this part of the trick will now be obvious. A card similar to the one which has been forced is placed under the flap of one of the slates. When the conjurer picks up this slate he must be careful to hold the flap firmly with his thumb to prevent it from falling away. He lightly sponges both sides of the slate (in reality one side of the flap and one side of the slate); he then cleans the ordinary slate in the same way and places it on the top of the flap. He cannot give the slates to a member of the audience to hold, and, therefore, after he has turned them over, to get the flap to fall, the conjurer merely places a broad elastic band on them and stands them up for a moment against a candlestick or some piece of apparatus on the table after he has written the message to the fairy. By using a flap slate in this way the conjurer can produce a message on one of the slates in addition to producing the card. The message is written on one of the slates and is then covered with the flap; when the flap falls the message and the card are both disclosed. Since the conjurer apparently cleans all four sides of the two slates and leaves them slightly damp he ought really to dampen the underside of the flap and the side of the slate concealed by the flap before he begins the trick; otherwise, someone with a very alert mind may point out at the conclusion of the trick that although the conjurer wiped all four sides of the slates with a damp sponge, two of them (really the underside of the flap and the side of the slate which was concealed by the flap in the first instance) are not quite dry. It is always as well to be prepared for interruptions of that kind. CHAPTER VIII MISCELLANEOUS WATER TRICKS The average beginner usually despises a very easy trick, simply because it is easy. Maybe it is for that reason that one seldom hears of a young amateur including the "Wine and Water" trick in his repertoire. I once heard a young amateur state his objection to the trick. "Oh, it's so obviously just a chemical experiment," he said. He was wrong. If the trick is presented properly it will not be "just a chemical experiment" but a very entertaining little bit of magic--simple in its effect, and very short. The trick used to be in the repertoire of Mr. David Devant, and other notable magicians have performed it in public. There are many ways of presenting the trick, but I do not think that anyone has ever beaten Mr. Devant's method, which I give now with his permission. The effect is so clear that the youngest child in the audience can follow it. Standing in a row on a tray on the table are four tumblers and a small glass jug, with water in it. The conjurer picks up the jug in one hand, a glass in another, pours out a little water and returns it to the jug. Then he puts the glass down and pours a little water into each glass; the glasses should be about half full. The audience are--or should be--surprised to see that although the liquid in the first and third glasses is undoubtedly water, the second and fourth glasses contain wine, or ink, or stout, or whatever the conjurer is pleased to call it; it is a black fluid. The conjurer puts the jug down and, taking up the first and second glasses, mixes the contents together, with the result that he gets one glass full of "wine"; he pours this into the jug and all the water in the jug is immediately turned into wine. The conjurer then mixes the contents of the third and fourth glasses together, and he gets a glass of clear water. Pouring this into the jug he causes all the "wine" in it to change at once into clear water. Thus, at the finish of the trick the conjurer returns to the point at which he started--with a jug of water and four empty glasses. The whole secret is in the "doctoring" of the four glasses. The preparations must be made carefully, and when presenting it in a strange place it is always necessary to try it out beforehand, because the quantities of the chemicals used which are sufficient to work the trick in one district may be quite wrong for the water of another district. The glasses are prepared in this way. The first contains a teaspoonful of a saturated solution of tannin; the second and fourth glasses contain a few drops of a saturated solution of perchloride of iron, known to some chemists as "steel drops"; the third glass contains a few drops of a saturated solution of oxalic acid. The object of pouring water into the first glass and tipping it back into the jug is to mix the tannin with the water in the jug. Directly he has done this the conjurer must be brisk in his movements, because after the tannin has been put in the water soon becomes slightly cloudy. The exact quantities of the chemicals required can only be determined by experiment. Having settled that matter the conjurer has only to carry out the instructions already given. The second and fourth glasses will then have "wine" in them, and the first and third water. The contents of the first and second mixed together will be "wine," and when poured into the jug will cause the water left in the jug to change into "wine." The oxalic acid in the third glass does the trick of taking all the colour out of the contents of the fourth glass, and when he has poured that into the jug the conjurer finishes, as he began, with a "jug of water." The jug should be taken away at once, because the water will probably become dull and clouded in the course of a few minutes. The "water," by the way, is poisonous; to avoid any chance of an accident the conjurer should pour it away at once, and should also see that the glasses and jug are well washed. If fairly large tumblers are used the steel drops can be "rinsed" round the two tumblers (the second and fourth) just before the performance begins, and those tumblers can then be placed upside down on a tray; this position negatives the idea that there is anything in the tumblers at the beginning of the trick. The Vanishing Glass of Water To cause a glass of water to vanish is hardly a complete trick, but it may well form part of many magical experiments. Thus, if you are presenting the "Rice Bowls" (see Chapter V) you can proceed with the trick up to the point when the rice has been secretly removed and the water is in readiness for the final effect. Leave the bowls as they are, one inverted on the other, and show a silk hat to the audience, letting them see inside it. Now pick up a jug of water with your right hand and throw a large handkerchief over your right arm. With the left hand take a tumbler from the table, pour some water into it, and take it with the disengaged fingers of the right hand, so that with your left hand you can take the handkerchief from your right arm and throw it over the glass. Directly you have done this, hold the glass, through the handkerchief, with the left hand and put the jug down on the table. The right hand drapes the handkerchief round the glass. Pause for a second, and then flick the handkerchief into the air. The glass of water has vanished. Go to the silk hat and take from it a glass full of rice. The glass is apparently that which has just vanished and the rice is that which the audience think is in the lower bowl. Then go to the bowls and "discover" the missing water. [Illustration: {jug in one hand with glass of water in the other, then place jug on table and drop glass, while covered with handkerchief, into jug} _FIRST POSITION_ _Cloth or rubber bag_ _THE VANISH_ Fig. 13] The disappearance of the glass of water is managed in this way. The handkerchief is really made of two handkerchiefs sewn together; sewn between them, in the centre, is a round piece of cardboard of the size of the top of the glass. When you throw the handkerchief over the glass you get the disc of cardboard exactly over the top of the glass. Take the glass in the left hand and tap it once against the top of the jug--just to let the audience be convinced that it is there. Then, as you take it away, drop it into the jug, which has been provided with a cloth or india-rubber bag for its reception. The bag is stiffened at the top. Of course, the cardboard disc conveys the impression that the glass is still under the handkerchief. The jug must be either a china or a metal one. If you wish to use the vanish of the glass of water in the way I have suggested--in conjunction with the rice bowls--it will be necessary to have an opera hat with a hinged flap in the centre. Cut a piece of stiff cardboard of the size of the crown of the hat. To the centre of this fasten, by means of strips of black linen, a small, semicircular piece of cardboard, which will thus be hinged to the other piece. Cover the whole of this "fake" with black silk and put it into the open hat. The top of the hinged flap should be about half-way down the hat when the flap is resting against one side of the hat. It is an easy matter to hide a glass under the flap, and that glass is nearly filled with rice, which is prevented from coming out by means of a little plug of paper. By holding the fingers against the flap and the thumb on the brim of the hat it is an easy matter to prevent the glass from falling out when you casually hold the hat up for inspection by the audience. Keep the hat moving, and the audience will not see the flap. Put the hat down, letting the flap swing over to the other side of the hat. Then, when you wish to produce the glass of rice all you have to do is to pull out the plug of paper, leave it in the hat, and take out the glass. Pour the rice out on to a tray and then produce the water from the bowl, and pour it backwards and forwards from one bowl to another. If you are using the metal bowls this vanish of the glass of water helps to fill in the time occupied by the water running from the top bowl to the one underneath it. The Vanishing Water Pour some water into a tumbler until it is about half full. Place a short cardboard cylinder over the glass; when you lift the cylinder the glass is empty, and the cylinder is held with one end facing the audience; there is nothing inside it. This is a very simple "vanish." The glass has a detachable lining of transparent celluloid which will hold water. The presence of the lining in the glass is not noticed. All that the conjurer has to do is to take care not to put too much water into the "glass," because if he does he may find a difficulty in lifting the lining out in the only way in which it can be lifted out. The cover is placed over the glass. In removing the cover the conjurer holds it with his thumb outside and his middle finger, which should be moistened, inside. Two fingers pull up the celluloid lining and hold it tightly against the cover, which, of course, hides it for a moment while the conjurer picks up the glass and shows that the water has vanished. While he does this he puts the cover down on his table for a moment and lets the celluloid lining sink gently down into a "well" in the table. A "well" is the conjurer's name for a hole in the top of the table. The top of the table is covered with black velvet, and the inside of the hole is lined with the same material. If there is a pattern of gold braid on the top of the table--though even this is not necessary if one is performing on a stage--the hole cannot be seen by the audience, even if they are a few feet away from the table. [Illustration: _GLASS WITH CELLULOID LINING_ _REMOVING LINING FROM GLASS._ Fig. 14] The action of putting the cover down in a natural way, and not gingerly, as though the conjurer was afraid of something inside it, must be practised and, of course, the cover must be raised again at the earliest possible moment and shown to be empty. The mere vanishing of water in this way is not a complete trick in itself; it should be combined with other tricks. The milk can, explained later on in this chapter, will serve for the purpose of the reproduction of the water, and if the conjurer will provide himself with an extra celluloid lining, load it with three or four handkerchiefs and place it behind a hat or some piece of apparatus on the table, he can easily build up a little trick. Having shown the milk can to be empty, he fills the glass, covers it, and leaves it covered for a few moments while he shows some silk handkerchiefs similar to those in the "fake." He "vanishes" these handkerchiefs magically and shows his hands empty, or, if he prefers to do so, he can have another prepared glass similar to the first and put the handkerchiefs in that, so that he has a glass containing handkerchiefs on one side of his table and a glass containing water on the other, and the milk can in the centre. He lifts the cover from the handkerchiefs and shows that they have disappeared; of course, the "vanish" is managed in the same way, the celluloid lining of the glass containing the handkerchiefs going down another "well" in the table. Then the conjurer vanishes the water in the way described and having got rid of the "fake," lifts the cover to show that it is empty and puts it down over a similar fake (but containing handkerchiefs similar to those which have been vanished). This fake can be standing behind an opera hat on the table, and the conjurer should take away the hat as he puts the cover down over the fake. He must not convey the impression that he is trying to hide the cover behind the hat. He then replaces the cover over the empty tumbler. The position of things at this stage of the trick should be clear to the audience. The milk can was shown to be empty; the conjurer has caused some handkerchiefs and some water to vanish from two tumblers, one of which is left uncovered. Going to the uncovered one the conjurer lifts the cover and shows the handkerchiefs, and he can at once pour the water from the milk can. I do not suggest for a moment that that would be a particularly good trick to do; I merely describe it in order to start you thinking of some other article which might be added to the water and the handkerchiefs to make a still more puzzling trick. A glance through any catalogue of tricks will surely enable you to concoct a very fair trick on these lines. The Aquarius Tube Now, here is a trick of a different kind, one which is quite complete in itself. The inventor is unknown to me and I have not been able to discover his name. In common with some other conjurers I have always been under the impression that Mr. Claude Chandler invented this trick, but he tells me that he is not the inventor and he does not know by whom the trick was originated. The effect is quite simple and not difficult to obtain. The conjurer comes forward with a small piece of brown paper in his left hand. He shows both sides of it, rolls it into a tube and pours water into the tube. To the surprise of the audience the water remains in the tube. The conjurer puts two fingers into the lower end of the tube and draws out a quantity of coloured paper ribbons, perfectly dry; when all the ribbons are on the table there is quite a little mound of them. The conjurer afterwards unrolls the paper and throws it on one side, showing that it is not prepared in any way for the trick. That is the trick known as the Aquarius tube, but most conjurers would naturally wish to extend it by producing flags from the paper ribbons, and this would not be a difficult matter. In order to do this trick a small metal tube, closed at both ends, with a hole in one end is required. The tube is about the height of a pony glass, with a slightly smaller diameter. When the trick was first invented the tube was made in the form of an "unspillable" ink-well. (See illustration A.) Thus, when the water was poured in (in a way which I will describe presently) there was no risk that the water would run out even if the tube was inverted. The tube in that form was "safe," but a little too safe, because of the difficulty of emptying it after a performance; it had to be shaken vigorously to clear it of water. Mr. Harry Leat, therefore, improved the tube. (See illustration B.) It will be seen that in the improved tube there is a short length of a very small tube attached to the hole in the top of the tube, and in order to facilitate the task of emptying the tube there is a hole at the other end; this hole is closed during the performance of the trick by an india-rubber plug. It will be noticed that in both tubes the base is not flush with the lower edge, but is fastened about half an inch from the edge. Thus, there is space at the bottom of the tube for a small coil of paper ribbons. (The rubber plug comes in the centre of the coil.) [Illustration: _Sections of Water Fakes_ _Type B_ _Paper coil_ _Type A_ _External appearance_ Fig. 15] If a small quantity of water is poured into this tube it can be inverted without any fear of the water running out, but, of course, if too much water is used and the tube is turned upside down a small quantity of water is bound to escape. For myself, I see no object in turning the tube upside down. After the conjurer has made a tube of paper and has poured water into it and has shown that the water does not run out from the other end, I do not see that he gains anything by turning the tube upside down. (It will be understood, of course, that the metal tube is secretly introduced into the paper tube. I am coming to that.) Having poured the water into the tube the conjurer makes one or two mystic passes over it and then pulls out the paper ribbons; directly these have been well started they will uncoil and fall from the tube in a heap on the table. How does the conjurer manage to get rid of the "fake" containing the water? By camouflage. The "fake" tube is painted to match the ribbons. When the ribbons have been produced the conjurer holds up a handful near the end of the tube and calls attention to their colours. He then lets the tube slide down out of the paper tube behind the ribbons and puts the lot on the table again. The "fake," being the same colour as the ribbons, is not noticed. If the conjurer has two or three handkerchiefs on the table to act as a pad he can let the tube fall down on the table, but he must bring the end of the paper tube as near to the table as possible when the metal "fake" is to fall, otherwise there will be an audible "thud." The "fake" is introduced into the paper tube in a very simple manner. The piece of brown paper should be about fifteen inches square. The conjurer holds this in his left hand with his fingers behind the paper and thumb in front of it. Unknown to the audience the conjurer is holding the "fake" behind the paper. In order to show both sides of the paper the conjurer brings up the free end with his right hand until it reaches the left thumb, which then takes it. At the same time he releases the end which he has been holding with his left thumb and that end naturally falls down. The audience have seen both sides of the paper, but the "fake" is still behind the paper in the left hand. This "move" is quite a natural one, and is very easy; if the conjurer will try it in front of a mirror he will see that it is also deceptive. The conjurer, using both hands, now rolls the paper round the tube and finally holds the tube near the lower end in his left hand; it is as well to extend the little finger under the paper tube to prevent the "fake" from falling. The water should be poured into the paper tube in a thin stream. The quantity of water required must be ascertained by experiment. The conjurer then makes a few mystic passes below and over the tube with his right hand, puts two fingers into the lower end of the tube and starts the ribbons; they will fall at once into a heap on the table. I should mention that before loading the "fake" with the coil the outer ribbon on the coil should be torn; if it is not the end of the falling ribbons will be a ring of paper, which will look suspicious. The centre end of the coil should also be pulled out half an inch, so that the conjurer does not have to fumble to get hold of it. If the conjurer wishes to produce flags at the end of the experiment he can have them in a bundle in a "well" in the table, and then all he has to do is to pick up some of the ribbons with his left hand, at the same time getting his thumb into a wire loop round the bundle. Then he breaks the thread tied round the bundle and carries on to the end of the trick. Links In this trick the conjurer fills a tumbler or goblet with water and drops in a number of links from a chain. (A small brass curtain chain which has been pulled to pieces answers well for the trick.) The conjurer "fishes" into the tumbler with a long buttonhook and gets hold of one of the links; all the others come with it, because the links are joined together. Here we make use of what is known as a "mirror" glass. A thick cut-glass tumbler is divided in the centre by two pieces of looking-glass cemented together. The glass is held in the left hand with one side of the mirror facing the audience; hidden in the compartment behind the mirror is a short length of chain. Having filled the glass with water the conjurer puts it down on the table for a moment while he draws attention to the separate links. He picks up the mirror-glass with his left hand and drops in all the separate links into the front compartment of the glass. (The water helps to disguise the presence of the mirror in the glass.) Then the conjurer brings his right hand over to the glass, takes it in that hand and immediately brings his hand right round to his right. Thus he has turned the glass round without having apparently done anything out of the ordinary; the audience see what they believe to be the separate links in the glass. The conjurer then takes the glass with his left hand, the fingers, being in front of the glass, help to hide the mirror. Then--well, the rest is easy! Directly the chain has been taken out the conjurer should put the glass down behind some piece of apparatus on the table; the audience cannot be permitted to gaze at it for any length of time. [Illustration: {glass of water, with mirror in centre and chain on one side, then drop in separate links on other side, but pull out chain} _FRONT_ _Mirror_ _Chain_ _FRONT_ _LINKS DROPPED IN_ _CHAIN PRODUCED_ Fig. 16] The Milk Cans You have seen the toy milk cans in a shop? By having two of these "faked" in the way shown in the illustrations you can compose two or three little tricks. I have already explained a trick in which one of the cans can be used. [Illustration: {special can with angled partition so that when water is poured in it won't come out unless turned around} _Partition_ _SECTION OF CANS_ _EMPTY_ _WATER_ Fig. 17] It will be seen that if water is placed in one of the cans and the can is held with the faked side downwards the can can be shown to be empty, because the water will not run out, but if the can is held with the faked side uppermost the water can be poured out. Of course, the audience cannot be permitted to have a very close view of the interiors of the cans. Here is one way of using two of these cans in a trick. Have one loaded with water and the other empty. Show the audience that both are empty and put them down on the opposite sides of your table. Pour water into the can which really is empty and command it to pass to the other can. You can then make the water travel invisibly back to the first can. In the course of your "patter" you will probably not miss the chance of talking about the milk cans and the other liquid which is sometimes supposed to be put into milk--an old joke, but one which audiences almost seem to expect. Water from Waste Paper For this trick you require two large aluminium drinking cups just alike. One of them is filled with water and is then closed with an india-rubber cap (procurable at any conjuring shop). Gummed on to this cap are little bits of newspaper. The cup is then hidden in a box of pieces of newspaper. Come forward with the empty cup in your hands and fill it with the paper by dipping it into the box. Add a handful of paper with the left hand and then tip the lot back into the box. Repeat the movements. At the third attempt leave the empty cup hidden in the box of waste paper and get hold of the cup filled with water. Add a little more paper to the top of this cup with the left hand and then remove one or two pieces; this helps to convince the audience that the cup is really filled with loose bits of paper. Close the lid of the box and stand the cup on it. Cover the cup with a small thick silk handkerchief. In removing the handkerchief you can easily "nip off" the rubber cover with the thumb, and you leave it hidden in the handkerchief while you pour the water out of the cup. By having two boxes--or one larger one--the trick can be repeated, but it would not be advisable to produce water from both cups. Let the second production be a surprise. If you are performing to children you can have no better production than sweets, which, of course, you give away. This trick is also performed with specially prepared cups with lids. The cups in the boxes are closed with other lids (flush with the top), and thus when they are brought up out of the boxes some loose paper is on the top of each of the secret lids and the cups appear to be full of paper. The "visible" lid is then put on to each cup, and when these lids are removed they bring away with them the secret lids and the little paper which was on the top of them. Then the real contents of the cups are produced. Cotton Wool to Water For this trick I use an old piece of apparatus known to conjurers as the "coffee vase," and I mention it here because my method of using it differs from that usually employed. The vase is a tall, straight one on a foot; it is usually made of polished tin. There is a separate metal lining to this vase; this lining is of the shape shown in the illustration. It will be seen that the bottom of the lining does not come down to the bottom of the vase, and that the outside part of the lining goes over the outside of the vase and extends to the whole length of the vase. Therefore, it is impossible to tell, from looking at the outside of the vase, whether the lining is inside or whether the vase is what you say it is--an empty vase. [Illustration: _COVER_ _VASE_ _FAKE_ Fig. 18] There is also a cardboard cover which fits over the vase, a little metal cup, acting as a lid, which fits loosely into the top of the lining, and a lid with a knob for a handle which fits closely into this secret cup or lid. The secret lid has a little cotton wool placed on it. This is the usual way of working the trick. The lining, with its "secret" lid on the top of it, is placed inside the cover and stood upon the table. The conjurer shows the vase, and as at the moment it is free from preparation he can rattle his wand inside it and show that it is really empty. He then fills it with cotton wool, taking care to put in the wool in little pieces and not pressing it down. He then "explains"--and I ask you to remember that this is not my way of presenting the trick--that the original way of doing the trick was by covering the vase with a cardboard cylinder. He puts on the cover and so gets the lining into the vase. The lining, of course, has been previously filled with coffee, or milk, or water, or some other liquid; the bottom of the lining presses down the cotton wool in the vase into a very small compass. Now, when the conjurer removes the cover the audience see the pieces of cotton wool at the top of the secret lid on the lining, and apparently no change has been made. The conjurer goes on to explain that the modern method of doing the trick consists in merely putting "this little lid" on the cotton wool. (Cotton wool, is easily compressible, and there is sufficient space between the bottom of the lining and the bottom of the vase for all the cotton wool which was placed loosely in the vase.) Naturally, when the conjurer takes off the lid he brings away inside it the secret lid and the little pieces of cotton wool which were on that lid, and he can pour out any liquid which was in the "lining" to the vase. Every trick has its weak point, and it seems to me that the weak point of that version of the trick is found by the audience when they realise that they are not permitted to see that the cover is empty before it is placed over the vase. I admit that the appearance of the vase is not altered in any way after the cover has been removed. The exterior is just the same and the audience see the little pile of cotton wool at the top. Still, I have never liked that method. I dispense with the secret lid or cup to the lining and, therefore, with the "visible" lid to it. At the commencement of the trick I have the inner lining, nearly filled with water, in the vase, and the cover empty. I begin by showing that the cover really is empty, and to show that it fits over the vase I drop it over the vase and lift it off again. I replace the cover and then, as a kind of afterthought, say: "I never showed you the vase; of course, there is nothing in that." This time, when taking off the cover I take off the inner lining by pinching the cover tightly and leave it for a moment hidden in the cover. Then I fill the vase with cotton wool and put on the cover. The audience have seen the cover empty and they have seen the empty vase filled with cotton wool. Of course, when I take off the cover I can at once pour out the water. It is advisable to have the cover made of tin. When you are putting a cardboard cover with the metal lining inside it over the vase it is not an easy matter to prevent the lining from knocking against the top of the vase, and if you are performing at close quarters the audience may hear the "chink" of metal against metal. You get over that difficulty by having the cover made of tin. If you want to raise a laugh easily at the close of this trick you can pretend to overhear someone say that the water is not real water. You at once pour some into a cup and throw it--apparently--over the heads of the audience, but instead of a shower of water they get a shower of confetti. [Illustration: _Partition_ {special cup with partition, holding confetti on one side. water is poured in other side but drains through hole into hollow saucer} _Confetti_ _Hole in cup_ _Water_ _Hole in Saucer_ _Hollow Saucer_ Fig. 19] This is managed by means of a "confetti cup," which is a metal teacup on a saucer. The cup is divided by a partition in the centre and the front compartment is filled with confetti. There is a hole in the bottom of the other compartment and it is there that you pour the water. Where does the water go to? Into the saucer, which is somewhat suspiciously thick. There is a hole in the centre of the saucer and the hole in the bottom of the cup goes exactly over the hole in the saucer. Thus, when the water is poured into the cup it finds its way directly into the saucer and the cup can at once be lifted up. The trick is more suitable for a stage than for a drawing-room; even a little confetti makes a big litter in a room. Still, some good-natured hostesses, if asked if they would have any objection to a litter of confetti in a room, would be sure to reply: "Not the slightest, do what you like as long as you amuse the children." Silk from Water Most conjurers like to conclude a performance with a showy trick, one in which they can produce a quantity of ribbons and flags, finishing up with the production of a Union Jack--the bigger the better. [Illustration: {two cylinders, each with water in one portion and hidden flags in other} _Hinged Flap_ _Rubber Cover_ _WATER_ _FLAGS ETC_ _FLAGS ETC_ _WATER_ _TYPE A._ _TYPE B._ Fig. 20] Here is a trick of that kind. The conjurer begins by showing a large metal cylinder closed at one end. He rattles his wand inside it and then holds it with its end facing the audience. But he does not hold it perfectly still. If he is performing in a room with the front rows of his audience close to him the utmost he can do--in the way of showing the interior of the cylinder--is to point it to the audience on his right and then bring it round with a quick sweep to the audience on his left. It is as well to have an assistant for this trick, but the assistant must be "in the know"--the conjurer's very own assistant, because he--or, better still, she--is asked to hold the cylinder with both hands while the conjurer fills it with water, and the conjurer cannot allow a member of the audience to undertake that task. The water should be poured in from a height, so that the audience can see that real water is used, and that it really does go into the cylinder. The conjurer puts the jug down and peeps into the cylinder as though he were expecting something to happen. Of course, the trick could be brought to a conclusion at once, but you may well pause here for a moment--just to "work up the excitement." You dip your hand into the cylinder and take it out dripping with water. "Just wet water," you say, "very wet." Dip your hand in again. "Still wet." Repeat the action, but this time you remark that here is something which is "quite dry," and you take out an American flag. The little joke may, or may not be, discovered by the audience, but probably some of the older members will see it. You then continue to produce a quantity of flags and finally finish up with the Union Jack, which, of course, must be larger than any of the other flags you have produced. But the trick is not yet over, because as you produce the last flag your assistant, knowing what to do, pours out the water from the cylinder. This effect is produced in a simple manner. The cylinder is divided down the centre into two compartments. The top of the partition does not come up to the top of the cylinder because one compartment, filled with flags before the commencement of the trick, is closed with a little semi-circular lid, and as this lid has to be opened before the flags can be produced it follows that if it were level with the top of the cylinder it would be seen. The whole of the interior is painted a dull black. Care must be taken in pouring the water into the cylinder; if it is poured on to the top of the lid there will be a visible splash above the top of the cylinder, which would give the trick away. Your assistant, having rehearsed the trick with you, knows just what you are going to do, and, therefore, when you dip your hand into the cylinder for the third time to get at the first flag she tilts the cylinder slightly towards you and holds it in such a way that you can lift the lid quickly. Another cylinder for producing the same effect has the secret compartment in the centre. The compartment is a round tube closed at the mouth with an india-rubber cap. This cylinder usually has a foot to it, and this makes it more convenient for the assistant to hold. Besides, knowing that the secret compartment is in the centre the conjurer does not have to be over careful as to the way in which he pours in the water; as long as the spout of the jug is near the edge of the cylinder he knows that he is safe. I used one of these cylinders at St. George's Hall some years ago. It is advisable to produce a flag in the first place, because you are then able to get away with the india-rubber cover behind it; the cover can easily be pulled away and hidden afterwards as you put the flag down. It is a good plan, after the production of the first flag, to take out a number of compressible things. If you are performing to children they will like nothing better than two or three bundles of carrots. These imitation carrots are made with springs inside them, and they can be packed in a very small compass. Imitation flowers, sausages, balls and other things are also made in such a way that they can be packed in a very small space, but when they are produced they expand to the usual size. If you adopt this plan you apparently take out of the tube far more than could possibly be put into it. These things can be followed with a few "throw-outs," as they are called--little coils of bright tissue paper ribbons; the conjurer gets hold of the end and throws the coil away from him when the ribbons spread out, making a good display. After these can come a large number of silk handkerchiefs of bright colours, and finally the flags. Care should be taken in displaying all these things after they are produced. You lose half the effect of the trick if you merely dump them down in an untidy heap. One flag can be hung on the assistant's arm, another over a chair, and another in front of the table, and so on, the object being to leave the audience with some kind of a "spectacle." The one drawback to this very easy, but very effective trick is the anti-climax produced by the water being poured out of the vase at the end of the trick. You really want the end of the trick to be the production of the big Union Jack, and yet if you do not have the water poured out you lose some of the effect of the trick. You can get over this difficulty by producing the Union Jack in another way, and this will give you a little more room in the vase for other flags. Let the last of these be a Union Jack of the same size as the others and drape it with the others over the back of a chair. Then have the water poured out of the vase and the audience will think that you have come to the conclusion of the trick and will begin to applaud--or it is to be hoped they will! Then take several of the flags from the back of the chair and produce a large Union Jack on a flagstaff; this makes an excellent finish to the trick. The flagstaff is a telescopic one; the flag is pleated and rolled up, and the staff is concealed in a little bag hung behind the chair over which you drape the flags. To cause the staff to open, grasp the handle tightly and "shoot" it out with its point towards the floor for a moment; this is a very important point, because if you are performing in a room you may, in the excitement of the moment, do someone a serious injury if you merely "shoot" out the flag towards the audience. The flagstaff should be of the kind known as "self-locking"; that is to say, when every joint is out the staff can immediately be raised to a vertical position without any fear that the staff will collapse; it will remain rigid until you wish to close it. Wave the flag, allowing the other flags to fall from your hands to the floor, and if you do not finish your performance to loud applause the fault will not be yours. =GAMAGES= =Conjuring Tricks for the Discerning Magician= * * * * * Send for our Complete Conjuring Catalogue, beautifully illustrated, post free on application. =Multiplying Plate.= [Illustration] A number of coins are counted upon the plate by one of the audience and poured into an empty hat, where they most mysteriously multiply. This plate is the best and cheapest on the market. Complete with full instructions. Larger size, 2/-, post 4d.; smaller size, 1/3, post 3d. ="Vest Pocket" Wine and Water Problem.= A glass jug of water and four tumblers are used. Upon pouring water into the first glass, it remains perfectly clear, but upon pouring water into the second tumbler, it immediately changes to a rich wine colour, and so on until you have two glasses of wine and two of water. The contents of the first and second glasses when mixed produce all wine, while the second and third mixed, produce clear water. Finally, on all the liquor being returned to the jug, the result is clear water. The contents of the glasses may be tested without injury. Price 1/2, post 2d.; large size, price 2/-. =The Mysterious Hammer, Box, & Ball.= [Illustration] Complete with full instructions. Price 2/9, post 3d. The hammer is first given for examination and then the box with the ball in it. The box is then closed, being empty, and the ball by a magic pass is caused to appear in it. The performer now takes the hammer, and holding his left hand under the table, knocks on the top of the ball, which passes right through the table into the hand underneath it, and it may all be again examined. =The Magic Drawer Box.= This wonderful Drawer Box will produce or vanish borrowed articles at command of performer. Easy to manipulate. Complete with full instructions. Price 1/6, post 3d.; larger sizes, 2/6, 3/6, 4/6, 6/6, post 4d. The Mysterious Coin Trick. Coin produced and vanished as often as desired; simply wonderful, no skill required, anyone can do it. Price 6d., post 2d. =Gamage Cabinet of Card Tricks.= Contains a number of first-class card tricks, the same as performed by our famous professional magicians. We wish to point out that it is absolutely impossible to obtain a more complete and surprising set of up-to-date card tricks at the price. Complete with full instructions and apparatus. Price 24/6; large size, 35/-. =The Tambourine.= [Illustration] You pass round for examination two nickel-silver hoops and a sheet of white paper. You then place the paper between the hoops. Now, holding the impromptu Tambourine at arm's length you make a hole in the middle with the forefinger, and from this hole you pull over sixty yards of paper ribbon and again give the Tambourine to the company to find out the trick if they can. Complete with full instructions. Price 4/9, post 4d.; large size, 6/6, post 4d. =Diminishing Billiard Ball.= The performer shows a full-sized billiard ball, but wishing for a smaller one, passes his hand over it, when it is seen half the size; he passes his hand over again, when it is seen much smaller. The ball having been proved solid, is now invisibly passed away. Price, with full instructions, 2/6, post 3d. =The Havit Coin Trick.= [Illustration] Three pennies, after being covered with an empty and unprepared brass cap, change into two pennies. A profitable trick. No practice required. Price 1/3, post 2d. =The Celebrated Hindoo Sand Trick.= A quantity of sand is placed in water and stirred up, but when those in the secret take a handful out it is found perfectly dry. Price 6½d. per box, post 2d. =The Magician Monthly.= All about magic, of interest to the Man who is a Conjurer, and the Man who would like to be. Specimen Copy, post free, 7½d. Annual Subscription, 6/6. * * * * * =GAMAGES, HOLBORN, LONDON, E.C. 1= =AMUSEMENT FOR THE HOME.= =Price 1/6 net each.= * * * * * =Fun on the Billiard Table.= A Collection of 75 Amusing Tricks and Games with Photographs and Diagrams. By "STANCLIFFE." _Second Edition._ _Stiff Pictorial Wrapper._ "To say that no billiard room should be without this joyous and ingenious little volume is nothing; there is no player, amateur or professional, who would not get his money's worth out of it."--_Sportsman._ =Practice Strokes at Billiards.= For Tables of all sizes. Examples from the actual match play of Roberts, Dawson, Stevenson, Mitchell, Spiller, Peall, and other leading Professional Players, with their methods of scoring therefrom. With 110 Diagrams illustrating the various strokes. New and Enlarged Edition. _In Stiff Pictorial Wrapper._ "Anyone possessing a billiard table, or having the necessary 'oof' to pay for private practice, can soon astonish his friends and erstwhile conquering opponents by studying this book."--_Sporting Times._ =Plays and Displays for Boy Scouts.= _In Stiff Boards._ This volume contains six long plays, varying from thirty to sixty minutes in performance, also several shorter plays occupying from five to fifteen minutes, and a number of recitations suitable for Scout Entertainments. Instructions on How to Run a Scout Entertainment, The Art of Making-up by Willie Clarkson, and How to make Scenery are also included. _UNIFORM WITH ABOVE._ =Plays and Displays for Scout Entertainments.= Second Series. A new collection of PLAYS, RECITATIONS, and other items for BOY SCOUTS. =How and What to Dance.= By GEOFFREY D'EGVILLE. The contents include:--The Etiquette of the Ball-room--Organizing a Dance. Round Dances: The Waltz, Hesitation Waltz and Boston--Polka--Gallop--Two Step, One Step--The Fox Trot--The Jazz Step--Tango--Maxina--Valeta--Barn Dance--Canadian Three Step--Schottische--Highland Schottische. Square Dances: Lancers--Quadrilles--Waltz Cotillion--Caledonians--Parisian Quadrille--Alberts. Country Dances. Morris Dancing. Maypole Dancing. Etc. * * * * * =Price 2/- Each net.= =Indoor Games for Children and Young People.= Edited by E. M. BAKER. _In Stiff Pictorial Paper Boards._ The contents include:--Indoor Games for a Wet Day--Games that can be played alone--Sunday Games--Games for Christmas and Birthday Parties--Home Stage Entertainments--Guessing Games--Table Games--Writing and Letter Games--Round or Parlour Games--Artistic Productions--Home Theatricals--Tableaux Vivants--The Art Exhibition--Forfeits, etc. =Conjuring with Coins.= Including Tricks by NELSON DOWNS and other well-known Conjurers. Edited by NATHAN DEAN. A splendid collection of Simple Tricks and many more advanced requiring apparatus. =Simple Conjuring Tricks that Anybody can Perform.= By WILL GOLDSTON. _Second Edition._ A splendid collection of Tricks with and without Apparatus, within the scope of the beginner who wishes to amuse his friends at evening parties, etc. * * * * * _The above Volumes may be had from all Booksellers and Railway Bookstalls, or post free for 1s. 9d. or 2/4 each, from_ =C. ARTHUR PEARSON, Ltd., 17 Henrietta St., LONDON, W.C. 2.= =AMUSEMENT FOR THE HOME.= IN STIFF PICTORIAL WRAPPERS =Price 2/- net each.= * * * * * =Card Tricks= =Without Sleight of Hand or Apparatus.= By L. WIDDOP. A Volume which will give the Amateur or Semi-Professional, who does not wish to spend a great deal of time in practice, material for entertaining performances. Card Tricks presented in new forms and with up-to-date patter. =The Drawing Room Entertainer.= A Practical Guide to the Art of Amateur and Semi-Professional Entertaining. By CECIL H. BULLIVANT. The Contents include:--Ventriloquism--Conjuring--Popular Entertainments--The Drawing Room Comedian--The Sketch Artist--A Shadow Show--Variety Programmes--Method and Management--How Best to Secure Engagements. =Recitations for Children.= By JENE BELFRAGE. _Second Edition_ A charming Collection of Poems (chiefly _copyright_) specially selected as being suitable for Young People, with instructions for Reciting. =Plays for Amateur Actors.= Containing Eleven Original Humorous Plays. With Hints for Amateur Theatricals. =Heard this One?= The Newest Funny Stories collected and told by CHARLES VIVIAN, Editor of "The Novel Magazine." =Card Games.= By PETER ALSTON. Including Bridge, Whist, Cribbage, and all the various games played to-day. =Magic Made Easy.= By DAVID DEVANT. A New Edition. A splendid collection of Conjuring Tricks by one of our leading magicians. =Matchstick Magic.= Puzzles, Games, and Conjuring Tricks with Matches. By WILL BLYTH, M.I.M.C. With a foreword by DAVID DEVANT. =Ventriloquism= By Harold C. King; and =Juggling= By John E. T. Clark. Two subjects of interest to the Amateur and Semi-Professional Entertainer contained in one volume. Both are dealt with in a lucid and interesting way. =Handkerchief Magic.= By WILL BLYTH, _Author of "Paper Magic," "Matchstick Magic," &c._ Tricks and Amusement with a Pocket Handkerchief, with a foreword by CLIVE MASKELYNE. =Irish Reciter and Reader.= Contains Selections from all the best writers of Ireland, including--William Alexander, D.D. (Primate of Ireland), Katherine Tynan Hinkson, Dora Sigerson Shorter, Alfred Percival Graves, W. H. Yeats, Douglas Hyde, Lady Wilde, "Mr. Dooley," Lady Dufferin, Laurence Sterne, Samuel Lover, and many others. =Hand Shadows.= The Complete Art of Shadowgraphy. By LOUIS NIKOLA. In Stiff Pictorial Wrapper, with numerous illustrations showing how the Shadows are produced. * * * * * _These Handbooks may be obtained through your Bookseller, or will be forwarded post free on receipt of 2s. 4d. from_ =C. ARTHUR PEARSON, Ltd., 17 Henrietta Street, LONDON, W.C. 2.= 
32788	----	TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE The Table of Contents is placed after the Preface. This book contains illustrations showing some of the tricks described. The illustrations are available in the HTML version. In this text-only version they are replaced by the place-holder "[Illustration]", but in the section "Match Puzzles", some simple ASCII diagrams have been created to represent the matches when possible. In the text-only version, italic type is marked _like this_, and bold face *like this*. Footnotes are represented with uppercase letters in square brackets. Two publisher's advertisement pages were placed at the beginning of the book in the printed edition, in this version they have been moved to the end, with the other advertisement pages. A list of changes to the original publication is given at the end. More Conjuring. [Illustration] By HERCAT. HERCAT'S SIMPLE TRICKS MORE CONJURING BY HERCAT Simple Tricks for Social Gatherings BY THE AUTHOR OF "LATEST SLEIGHTS AND ILLUSIONS," "HERCAT'S CARD TRICKS," "CONJURING UP TO DATE," "HERCAT'S VENTRILOQUIST," "HERCAT'S CHAPEAUGRAPHY, SHADOWGRAPHY, AND PAPER FOLDING," ETC. [Illustration: D&S limited] London: DEAN & SON, Ltd., [Illustration: Hamley's 160a, 35, NEW OXFORD STREET, Fleet Street, LONDON, W.C.] E.C. 1912 PREFACE The title of this little brochure indicates its contents. _Simple Tricks_ and simple tricks only. No apparatus is required and but little sleight-of-hand is needed in the performance of any of them. They consist of a series of tricks and problems, easily acquired, suitable for gatherings round the table on winter evenings. Some of them are new and many are old; but even the oldest are new to the rising generation. For six of the latest tricks,--"A Hindoo Swindle," "The Elusive Match," "A Subtle Impromptu Effect with a Coin," "A Novel Card Effect," "An Artful Card Force," and "Another Easy Card Force,"--I am indebted to my friend Mr. F. Walford Perry, a thoroughly up-to-date and original young conjurer. As I have already said, I have included no tricks which require the exercise of much sleight-of-hand; but even the most simple trick should be thoroughly practised before you present it to your friends, especially those tricks which require the assistance of a confederate. Rehearse everything with him thoroughly beforehand. Even your "patter" should be rehearsed. But endeavour to lead your audience to believe that, like "Mr. Wemmick's" marriage, it is all impromptu. He said, "Hello! here's a church. Let's have a wedding." You say, "Hand me that serviette ring and I'll show you a trick." If, when the contents of this little volume have been thoroughly digested, my readers desire to make a study of more advanced legerdemain, I recommend my _Conjuring Up to Date_, _Card Tricks with and without Apparatus_, and _Latest Sleights and Illusions_ to their notice. For tricks which require apparatus my readers cannot do better than to send to Messrs. Hamley Bros., Ltd., 35, New Oxford Street, or one of their branches, for their Magical Catalogue. _The Daily Telegraph_, in a recent article on "Magic Fifty Years Ago," used these words: "Hamleys' were then, as they are now, the premier manufacturers of magical apparatus." A statement which I cordially endorse. The apparatus sold by Messrs. Hamley Bros. is invariably reliable. In conclusion I beg to offer my readers the following advice:-- Never state the nature of the trick you are about to perform. Make it a rule never to repeat a trick the same evening unless you have acquired a different way of showing it. In fact, it is advisable to learn several methods of presenting the same trick. Talk as much as possible and make your "patter" lively, but do not try to be funny unless you are naturally humorous; and, above all, avoid allusions to politics, religion, or any subject about which there may be a diversity of opinion among your audience. HERCAT. CONTENTS SIMPLE CARD TRICKS PAGE An Easy Method of Finding a Selected Card 9 To Bring a Chosen Card from the Bottom of the Pack at any Number Requested 10 A Chosen Card Shaken through a Handkerchief 10 A Selected Card found in a Lighted Cigarette 12 A Sticking Card 13 Two Selected Cards Caught in the Air 13 An Easy but Puzzling Trick 14 Travelling Cards 14 To Name all the Cards in the Pack 16 A New Method 16 The Sense of Touch 17 Where is the Ace? 18 To Make a Person Name a Card which You have Yourself Selected 19 The Clock 21 How to Guess Cards Thought of 22 An Ingenious Card Trick 23 To Name a Card which Some One has Thought of 25 The Rejected Recruits--a Laughable Trick 26 A Novel Card Effect 26 An Artful Card Force 28 Another Easy Card Force 28 A Simple but Puzzling Card Trick 29 SIMPLE COIN TRICKS How to Detect a Marked Coin 30 A Penetrative Shilling 30 Another Simple Trick 31 A Coin to Disappear from Your Cheek and Reappear at Your Elbow 32 Two Vanished Half-Crowns 33 A Divination 33 An Effective but Simple Trick 34 Changing Apple and Coins 35 An Obedient Sixpence 36 Coin and Glass 36 A Simple Experiment with Four Shillings 38 Puzzle of Ten Halfpence 39 How to Increase Your Wealth 39 A Neat Coin Trick 40 A Subtle Impromptu Effect with a Coin 41 An Original Coin Swindle 42 A Cross 43 SIMPLE TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS, RINGS, CANDLES, ETC. A Knot that Cannot be Drawn Tight 44 To Tie an Instantaneous Knot in a Handkerchief 45 Half a Burnt Message Found Restored in a Candle 46 Two Good Ring Tricks 47 SIMPLE ARITHMETICAL PROBLEMS To Ascertain a Number Thought of 49 How to Name a Number which has been Erased 51 A Lesson in the Correct Formation of a Figure 52 Four Nines Problem 53 An Answer to a Sum Given in Advance 53 An Arithmetical Puzzle 54 An Arithmetical Mystery 55 How to Tell Her Age 55 A Race in Addition 56 To Predict the Hour Your Friend Intends to Rise on the Following Morning 57 MATCH PUZZLES Experiment with Ten Matches 59 The Magic Nine 60 Triangles with Matches 61 Match Squares 61 Your Opponent must Take the Last Match 62 A Shakespearean Quotation 63 Numeral 63 Six and Five Make Nine 63 The Artful Schoolboys 64 What are Matches Made of? 66 A Sheep Pen 66 Post and Rail Puzzle 67 SIMPLE MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS A Good After-Dinner Trick 68 To Remove a Serviette Ring from a Tape Held on the Thumbs of Another Person 70 An Experiment in Gravity 71 A Scissors Feat 71 Another Trick with a Pair of Scissors 72 An Indestructible Cigarette Paper 73 To Cut an Apple in Two with Your Finger 74 A Trick with Dominoes 74 An Escape 75 Cigarette Papers and Serviettes 76 Four Cigarette Papers 77 A Hindoo Swindle 77 The Elusive Match--a Capital Impromptu Trick 79 SIMPLE CARD TRICKS AN EASY METHOD OF FINDING A SELECTED CARD Throw the pack on the table and request some one to select a card. Then gather up the rest of the cards and request your friend to show his card to his neighbour, to avoid mistakes. While this is being done bend the pack slightly while pretending to shuffle it, and cause the card to be returned and the pack shuffled. The selected card can then be easily detected among the bent cards by its being perfectly straight. A good way to finish the trick is to bring the card to the top of the pack and cause it to project about an inch over the right side; cover the front end of the pack with your four fingers so that the edge of the projecting card is concealed, and, with your thumb at the other end, hold the pack firmly about eighteen inches above the table. Request the person who drew the card to call it by name. On this being done, drop the pack on the table, when the projecting card will be completely turned over by the air in its descent and lie perfectly square on the top of the pack. Another good finish is to bring the chosen card to the bottom of the pack, and requesting the person who selected it to hold the pack by pinching it tightly between his finger and thumb close to the corner, you give the pack a sharp rap, when all the cards will fall excepting the one chosen. TO BRING A CHOSEN CARD FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE PACK AT ANY NUMBER REQUESTED Ask a member of the company to take a card, look at it, and return it to the pack. Make the "pass" (_Hercat's Card Tricks_, p. 7); "palm" the card (_Card Tricks_, p. 18) and hand the pack to be shuffled. While this is being done transfer the palmed card to your left hand, and on receiving the pack back, place it over the concealed card, and tell the company you will produce the latter from the bottom of the pack at any number they may name. Supposing some one says, "Let it be the fifteenth card." You push the pack forward in your left hand, allowing the bottom card to project about an inch toward you, and proceed to draw out the cards above it with your right hand, one at a time, until the fourteenth is reached, when you push the bottom card forward and produce it as the fifteenth. A CHOSEN CARD SHAKEN THROUGH A HANDKERCHIEF Request a member of the company to select a card and return it to the pack, which you proceed to wrap up in a large pocket handkerchief, and on the person calling the card by name you shake the handkerchief and the selected card falls on the table. EXPLANATION.--If you are not an adept at sleight-of-hand it is advisable to use a "forcing pack" which is composed of only three or four cards, of a kind (i.e. ten kings of hearts, ten five of spades, ten eight of diamonds, etc.) with backs to match your ordinary pack. If you can make the "pass" and can "palm" (_Hercat's Card Tricks_, pp. 7 and 18) the following is the correct _modus operandi_. On the card being returned to the pack, carry it to the top by the pass, palm it, and hand the pack back to be shuffled. Place the palmed card face upward on the left hand and cover it with a large white handkerchief, and cause the pack to be placed face down on the handkerchief exactly over the concealed card. With your right hand throw the back hem of the handkerchief over the pack and with that hand grasp the four sides underneath. Then reverse the position of your hands, moving the right hand toward the right on top and taking the left hand away, which will leave the selected card concealed in the fold of the handkerchief (Fig. 1). Ask the person who took the card to name it and request it to leave the pack and pass through the handkerchief. When he does so shake the handkerchief gently and the card will slowly come into view. If you use a "forcing pack" retain a duplicate of the card you intend to force; conceal it in your left hand and proceed as above described. [Illustration] Fig. 1. A SELECTED CARD FOUND IN A LIGHTED CIGARETTE Roll a card, say the seven of hearts, in a cigarette paper and stuff a small piece of tobacco in each end. Have this in one of your pockets, where it will not get crushed, ready for palming. Previously arrange with a friend to act as your confederate, and request him when you ask him to select a card to take the duplicate of the one in the cigarette. When ready to present the trick, hand the pack to your friend and ask him to shuffle it, select any card he likes, show it to his neighbour, replace it in the pack, and again shuffle the latter thoroughly. While this is in progress produce some tobacco and a cigarette paper and roll a cigarette, which substitute for the one prepared. If you are not an adept at palming I would suggest the following easy method: Lay your handkerchief across your knees, and on it place the prepared cigarette. While reaching for a match, drop the cigarette you have just made on your lap, as if by accident, and pick up the one containing the card. You can afterwards pick up your handkerchief and put it and the genuine cigarette in your pocket. You then light the prepared cigarette and ask your friend to hand you the pack and name his card; when he does so, tell him you will produce the card in any place he may name. By previous arrangement he must say, "In the cigarette you are smoking." You then pick up the pack and "ruffle" it over the cigarette; take the latter from your mouth, extinguish the fire, and tearing the paper in the centre, produce the seven of hearts from it. A STICKING CARD Obtain a short "drawing-pin" with a small head, and having painted the head black, stick it through the centre of the ace of clubs. Put this in your pocket and "force" another ace upon a member of the company. Hand the pack to the person upon whom you have forced the card, request him to replace it and shuffle the pack. Then take the pack from him, and as you turn your back slip the card with the pin through it on the top of the pack. Holding the pack in your right hand with its face toward the palm, ask your friend to name his card. When he does so throw the pack sharply against the door. The top card will be held there by the pin and the rest of the pack will fall on the floor. This trick was shown by a conjurer before the late King Edward a few years ago, and His Majesty was reported in the daily papers to have expressed "great surprise." TWO SELECTED CARDS CAUGHT IN THE AIR Two cards are selected and returned to the pack, which you then make a pretence of shuffling, taking care not to lose sight of the chosen cards; "slip" (_Hercat's Card Tricks_, p. 10) one of the latter to the top of the pack and the others to the bottom face upward. Have a small piece of wax on your right finger and thumb and press the pack between them. Obtain the names of the selected cards, and then throw the pack in the air, moving your hand away quickly, with, of course, the selected cards sticking to your thumb and finger. As the cards descend thrust your hand in among them, and then, separating your thumb and finger, show the cards adhering to them, which you will appear to have caught. AN EASY BUT PUZZLING TRICK Any card may be drawn--not "forced"--and returned to the pack. In pretending to shuffle the cards, bring the selected card to the bottom of the pack, and then slip another card in front of it. Show your friend this card at the bottom and ask him if it is his. Of course he will say "No." Lower the pack, and with the fingers of your left hand draw the bottom card back about half an inch, and with your right hand draw out the next card--which is the one chosen--and place it face down on the table. Shuffle the pack and again show the bottom card, "Is this your card?" "No." "Then I will place this one on the table"--which you do. Repeat this, and place a third card from the bottom of the pack on the table. Then say, "I am sure your card must be one of the three. No? Look and see for yourself." He turns the three cards over, and of course finds his card is one of them. TRAVELLING CARDS Give the pack to a member of the company, and request him to count off between twenty and forty cards, place the pack on the table, and hand the cards he has counted to you. You then hand the pile to a second person and request him to count off about one-third of the number, lay them in a pile on the table, and hand you the remainder, which you give to the first person, requesting him to place them in his pocket. Taking up the second pile, you request the second person to place it in his pocket. We will suppose the first person selected thirty and the second person abstracted ten cards from them, which should leave twenty now in the pocket of the former. Then announce your intention of causing a certain number of cards to leave the pocket of person number one and travel invisibly into the pocket of person number two. Open a pocket-handkerchief, and covering number one's pocket, flick it in the direction of person number two, exclaiming, "They have gone!" On the two piles being produced and counted, those from the pocket of number one person will number only fifteen, and the same number will be found in the second pile. EXPLANATION.--When you receive the thirty cards from the first person, you palm off five or six cards (the number is immaterial) and retain them concealed in your hand, handing the remainder to the second person. When he has counted off ten and placed them on the table, you take those that are left from him and hand them to person number one. When picking up the pile of ten from the table, while pretending to square it, you add the palmed cards and hand the pile thus increased to person number two. You must be careful not to allow the two persons to count the cards after the changes have been made. If you see they are inclined to do so, take the piles from them and place them in their pockets yourself. TO NAME ALL THE CARDS IN THE PACK Ask some one to shuffle the pack, and, on receiving it back, glance at the bottom card. Put the pack behind your back, and then turn the top card round with its face toward you; bring the pack in front of you, the bottom card facing the audience and the turned card facing you. Having already glanced at the bottom card, you can tell them its name, and you now know the card on top. Put the pack behind you again, and move the top card to the front, and turn the one now on top round. Again hold the pack up and name the front card, at the same time noting the card facing you. By repeating this process you can name all the cards in the pack. Take care to have all your audience in front of you, or the turned card will be seen. A NEW METHOD Here is an absolutely new method of performing the same trick blindfolded, but with the aid of a confederate. You tell your friends that by placing your hands on a person's head you can see with his eyes. To illustrate this, tell your assistant to seat himself at a table, and you then stand behind him blindfolded, with your fingers lightly touching his temples. The cards are spread out faces down on the table, and no matter which card he picks up and looks at, you at once say what it is. Of course, you take the tip from him; but how? I will tell you. He must keep his mouth shut and his teeth together. The slightest pressure between his upper and lower teeth--so slight that it is quite imperceptible--will cause his temples to throb--try it on your own temples--and, of course, by the arrangement of a very simple code he can communicate to you the name of each card. Say one throb stands for hearts, two for diamonds, three for clubs, and four for spades. We will say his temples throb twice. You say, "You are looking at a diamond." Then we will suppose they next throb five times. You say, "It is the five of diamonds," and so on. When you come to an ace, of course one throb will suffice; when he picks up a knave, let him give two throbs in rapid succession--a kind of postman's knock; a queen, a postman's knock and one throb over; and for a king, a double postman's knock--rat-tat, rat-tat. With a little practice and a more elaborate code, you can describe all kinds of articles which may be selected--keys, watches, books, etc. It is a capital trick and one which no one can possibly discover. THE SENSE OF TOUCH This is an improvement upon the two preceding tricks which I invented several years ago, and have shown scores of times without the _modus operandi_ being once detected. EFFECT.--The pack is handed to the audience to be shuffled, and, without even glancing at it, the performer places it behind his back and names each card (presumably by the sense of touch) before he draws it. He can hand the pack back to the audience to be shuffled as many times as desired. EXECUTION.--Before handing the pack to be shuffled, ascertain which card is on the top, and palm it in the right hand; receive the pack back in the palm of the left hand and cover it with the thumb. Put both hands behind you and slip the palmed card between the tips of your left first and second fingers; then palm the top card and take the card originally palmed between the right thumb and the forefinger with your thumb on top. While doing this, explain to the audience that you have with considerable practice acquired a marvellously keen sense of touch which enables you to ascertain the name of each card by simply feeling it. You proceed to say: "I will name each card before showing it to you, and you are at liberty to shuffle the pack as many times as you may desire. "The card I am now feeling appears to be (say) the queen of spades." You then show the card held between your thumb and finger, at the same time glancing at the palmed card. Throw the former on the table, and putting your hand behind your back again, nip the palmed card with the first two fingers of the left hand, and palm the top card as before. You can go through the whole pack in this manner, but each time you hand it to be shuffled, be sure to have one card palmed. This trick should not be attempted until it has been thoroughly rehearsed. WHERE IS THE ACE? Select the ace and five of hearts and two other cards of the same suit and conceal the five behind one of the latter so as to make it appear you have only three cards. Hold the two cards (with the concealed five) faces down, a little distance apart and showing the ace place it deliberately behind them so that the pip shows between (Fig. 2) when the cards are held up. Having shown the cards in the latter position to the company, lower them again and defy any one to lift up the ace. A member of the company does so and naturally looks at the card, when you say, "But you must not look at it. Take the card off and place it face down on the table, and I will then tell you whether your attempt has been successful. We will try again?" Re-arranging the cards, substitute the five for the ace and place it so that the centre pip alone is visible between the two cards. Repeat your challenge and request your friend to remove the ace, place it on the table, and cover it with his hand. When this is done ask him if he still has the ace, and he will naturally say "Yes." Tell him to raise his hand, and to his astonishment he will find the five. [Illustration] Fig. 2. TO MAKE A PERSON NAME A CARD WHICH YOU HAVE YOURSELF SELECTED Take any card from two to ten, say the five of hearts, and lay it face down on the table without permitting any one to see its face. Then announce your intention of examining a number of the company as to their knowledge about cards. Ask for a volunteer, and on one consenting to act tell him to answer your questions rapidly and to make his replies short. Then put the following questions: "How many cards are there in a full pack?" Answer, "Fifty-two." "How many suits?" "Four." "What are their colours?" "Red and Black." "Now name one of those colours." "Red." If he should say "black," you must say, "You select black so I take red. How many suits are there in red?" "Two." "What are they?" "Hearts and Diamonds." "Name one of those suits quickly." "Hearts." If he should name diamonds say, "Then I take hearts." "How many cards in the suit?" "Thirteen." "How many between the ace and knave?" "Nine." "How many below six and how many above six?" "Four below and four above." "Name either below or above?" "Below." If he says "above," say, "That gives me those below six. What are the numbers below six?" "Two, three, four, and five." "Name two of those numbers." "Four and five." If he should say "two and three," or "three and four" you remark, "That leaves me four and five. Name one of those numbers." If he says "four," you say, "Which leaves five. The suit you selected was hearts, and now we have come down to five. So you have actually selected the five of hearts; and I am sure you will admit I have not influenced your choice in any way. Please turn over the card on the table." He does so and, of course, finds it is the five of hearts. THE CLOCK Select twelve cards of any suit, ace to ten and king and queen; arrange them in a circle to represent the figures on the face of a clock, the king as twelve and the queen as eleven (Fig. 3), and request a member of the company to think of one of the numbers. You then explain you will tap the cards with a pencil and he is to mentally add your first tap to the number he thought of and count your succeeding taps until twenty is reached, when he is to call "Stop," and your pencil will then rest upon his number. For instance, we will suppose he thinks of twelve; he must count your first tap as thirteen and continue counting mentally until twenty is reached. [Illustration] Fig. 3. EXPLANATION.--Touch the cards at random during the first seven taps and allow your pencil, on its eighth tap, to rest on the king (twelve). Eight and twelve being twenty he will of course say "Stop." Supposing he thought of a lower figure--seven, for instance. Tap at random as before until your eighth tap, which must always be on twelve; then touch the cards in rotation, making the queen your ninth tap, the ten your tenth tap, nine your eleventh, and so on until you reach seven, which will be your thirteenth tap, which number added to seven, the number thought of, will make twenty, and your friend will say "Stop." Another effective trick can be worked with the card dial, but it requires the assistance of a confederate. Having previously instructed him what to do, you tell the company that any one is at liberty to touch one of the cards during your absence from the room, and on returning you will indicate the card he has touched. Upon your returning hand a pencil to your confederate and request him to touch the cards in rotation until you say "Stop," when the pencil will rest on the right card. Your confederate must hold the pencil in his right hand with his forefinger resting on top. When he touches the right card he must raise that finger slightly. It is a signal no one would notice, and the trick always creates a great deal of wonder. HOW TO GUESS CARDS THOUGHT OF Allow the pack to be shuffled freely and then place it on the table face down. Take the three top cards, and holding them up with their backs towards you, ask some one to think of one. Then spread them face down on the table in front of you. Take three more cards, and ask a second person to think of one, and lay these on top of the other three. Show three more cards to a third person, and after he has thought of one, lay these on top of the others. You have now three parcels on the table, each containing three cards. Hold up one parcel, and say to each person: "Is the card you thought of in this lot?" Proceed in the same way with the other parcels, and then tell each person the name of the card he thought of. As the cards shown to the first person were laid on the table first, it stands to reason that the cards he thought of must be at the bottom of the parcel he has said "Yes" to; the second person's card will be the middle one in the parcel, and the third person's the top card. AN INGENIOUS CARD TRICK Select ten cards, regardless of suit, the ace, and from deuce to ten, arranging them as follows: Lay the ten face down on the palm of your hand, the nine next, and the others in rotation, finishing with the ace, which you call "one." Give the cards so arranged to a friend, and tell him you will leave the room while he moves cards one at a time, not to exceed nine, from top to bottom, and when you return you will tell him how many he has shifted. You may repeat this feat successfully several times, and finish by requesting him to make up his mind how many cards he intends moving before you leave the room and you will tell him which card will indicate the number he has selected. On returning you immediately refer him to the card which gives the correct answer. This is really a most puzzling trick and yet an easy one to perform. Commence by showing how the cards are to be moved by shifting a few yourself, noting how many you move, so you will remember which card you leave at the bottom. When you return to the room you subtract the number of pips on that card from ten and the product will show the number of the card from the top, the pips on which indicate the number of cards your friend has moved. We will suppose that, in illustrating, you move four cards, which will, of course, leave the four at the bottom; you subtract four from ten, which leaves six, and no matter how many cards have been moved the pips on the sixth from the top will indicate the number. Taking the pack in your hand face downward, count off the first six cards, and glancing at the sixth say, "You moved ---- cards." When you repeat the trick add the number originally at the bottom to the number your friend has moved, which will give the number now at the bottom, which you again subtract from ten. In predicting the number of cards your friend means to move you tell him the number of the card from the top which will show it. We will suppose the bottom card is eight and your friend mentally decides upon moving five cards, you subtract eight from ten, which leaves two, and tell him the number he is going to move will be indicated by the pips on the second card from the top after he has moved the cards. TO NAME A CARD WHICH SOME ONE HAS THOUGHT OF Spread six cards before a member of the company and ask him to think of one. Place these cards at the bottom of the pack and give the latter a "false shuffle," i.e. shuffle them in such a manner that the bottom cards are not disturbed. Then take the four top cards, and spreading them on the table, faces upward, ask your friend if his card is among them. Of course, he will say "No." While he is looking at the cards on the table "slip" (_Hercat's Card Tricks_, p. 10) one of the bottom cards to the top of the pack. To do this moisten the tips of the two middle fingers of the left hand, and holding the pack in that hand with the moistened fingers against the face of the bottom card, with the thumb and two middle fingers of the right hand raise the rest of the cards slightly and the card adhering to the moistened fingers will be carried to the top of the pack. Again spread the four top cards on the table and repeat the enquiry. If he says "No," repeat the former process until he says, "Yes, my card is in that lot." You, of course, know it is the card you "slipped" from the bottom of the pack. You then tell him to gather up all the cards and shuffle them thoroughly; then place the pack on the table, put his hand over it and look you steadily in the eye. You place your hand over his and say, "I can read your thoughts, you took the ----," naming his card. This is an easy trick to perform and causes great amazement. THE REJECTED RECRUITS--A LAUGHABLE TRICK Select a king and the four knaves and lay the king on the table face upward. Tell the company that the king is recruiting for the army and accepts the knave of clubs, which you place on the king's right. The knave of spades, which you place on the left, he rejects. The knave of diamonds is accepted and placed on the right. The knave of hearts is declined, and placed on the left. Now ask your audience how it is that the king, being in want of recruits, accepts two and refuses two. The answer will puzzle those not acquainted with the trick. It is as follows: Two of the knaves have but one eye each, and are consequently medically unfit. A NOVEL CARD EFFECT EFFECT.--A five-spot card is passed for examination, a two spot of the same suit is then placed face down on the five; after rubbing the cards slightly and separating them a spot is found to have passed from the centre of the five on to the two spot, making a four spot and a three spot. The pack is afterwards shown to be quite an ordinary one without any apparent preparation. PREPARATION.--Remove from the pack the five, four, three, and two of any suit. Place the remainder of pack face down on the table. Now place the five spot face up on the back of the pack, the two spot face down on the five, the four face up on the back of the two, and the three spot face down on the four. Then remove the three top cards, without in any way altering their order, and place them on the face of the pack so that the two spot is showing, and turn the five spot face down, so that the pack appears to be without preparation. PRESENTATION.--Show pack held in left hand and call special attention to the two spot on the bottom of the pack, then lift off the five-spot card and pass it to a spectator with the remark that the centre spot is loose and can be transferred at will to any other card; while the card is being examined you secretly count off the three other prepared cards at the bottom of the pack and keep them separated from the rest with the index finger of left hand. Now take back the five-spot card and place it on the back of the pack, with its face side toward audience. Then with the first two fingers and thumb of right hand take the three other cards from bottom of pack and show them as one card only: namely, the two spot. This movement is best executed by slightly pushing down the three cards with the index finger of left hand until a sufficient amount of projection is obtained for the fingers and thumb of right hand to grip. Now place the apparent two-spot card face toward, and on to the five spot; proceed by gently rubbing the back card with the index finger of right hand, and lift the top card and show it to be a three spot, while the card facing is found to be a four spot, which you also remove. The back of the two-spot card will then be seen and the pack appear to be an unprepared one. AN ARTFUL CARD FORCE PRESENTATION.--First secretly note what the top card of the pack is. Then proceed by asking a spectator to state what card he wishes you to use by giving you a number. After having received the number you proceed to count the cards face down on to a table until you reach that number, at the same time mentioning that the last card counted is the one you are to use. You pause for a moment, apparently thinking, then say, it is possible that the spectator may think that you already know the card as you counted them yourself, you consider that it would only be fair to allow him to count them himself. At the same time you replace the counted cards, and hand the pack to spectator, with the request that he counts down to the number previously stated. This, of course, has the effect of bringing the known top card into position at his number, so that it is quite an easy matter to follow on with any trick in which the sleight-of-hand force is necessary. This seems very simple, but try the effect; even our advanced friends will find it extremely useful. ANOTHER EASY CARD FORCE REQUISITES.--An ordinary pack of cards and two extra cards stuck securely together. Place the double card below a previously noted card. Hold the pack in the left hand so that the thumb can pass readily down the cards at the upper corner. Now pass the thumb of the right hand down the cards so as to ruffle them. You will find that the thumb is automatically stopped at the double card. By requesting a spectator to take the card immediately above the break in the pack, you can then proceed with any trick in which a forced card is necessary. Numerous other uses for the double card will readily occur to my readers from the hint given. A SIMPLE BUT PUZZLING CARD TRICK Place the pack face down on the table and cover it with a serviette. Then request a member of the company to put his hand under the serviette and take a card at random; to be careful not to let you see it but show it to the company and then return it to the pack and to square the pack through the serviette after the card has been replaced. You then lift up the side of the serviette nearest to you and at once produce the card. EXPLANATION.--When the company are looking at the card slip your hand under the serviette and turn the pack over, and, of course, you can at once detect the "faced" card when it is replaced. On withdrawing it with your right hand turn the pack over with your left and lift off the serviette. SIMPLE COIN TRICKS HOW TO DETECT A MARKED COIN Place ten coins--say shillings--in any empty finger-bowl and request a member of the company to select one, put a private mark on it, and then holding it in his closed hand, to close his eyes and think of the appearance of the coin very hard. In about a minute pick up the bowl, and going to him, request him to open his eyes; gaze in them, and then make a few mesmeric passes over his face. Then request him to drop the coin he holds in the bowl and to mix it up thoroughly with the other nine shillings. Now ask some one to blindfold you; when this is done place your hand in the bowl, and picking up the shillings one at a time, you can at once detect his, which you throw across the table to him for confirmation. The secret is that the coin held in the person's hand has obtained a certain degree of warmth and can at once be detected in consequence. A PENETRATIVE SHILLING Sew a halfpenny in the corner of your handkerchief and place the latter in your pocket ready for the trick. Borrow a shilling and request the lender to put a private mark on it. Take out your handkerchief and pretend to place the shilling under it, instead of which pick up the corner containing the halfpenny, place it in the centre and grasp it through the handkerchief with your left hand, while you let the marked shilling drop in the palm of your right. Ask a member of the company to hold the shilling (the halfpenny in the centre) in the handkerchief a few inches above the table. Then pick up an empty glass with your right hand, hold it under the table, and request the person who holds the handkerchief to let it fall on the table. The coin in the handkerchief will be heard to strike the latter and at the same time you drop the shilling from the palm of your right hand into the glass and place the latter on the table, while with your left hand you pick up the handkerchief and shake it, being careful not to allow the halfpenny to strike the table again while you are doing so. Request the person who lent the shilling to take it out of the glass and say if it is the one bearing his private mark. ANOTHER SIMPLE TRICK Here is another simple trick with a sixpence. Put a small piece of wax on it, and place it, the waxed side uppermost, in the centre of a handkerchief. Then put one of the lower corners of the handkerchief over the coin and ask some one to put his finger on it and press it. Then move the second lower corner of the handkerchief over the other corner, telling your assistant to move his finger while you do so. Next cover the two lower corners with the two upper corners of the handkerchief in the same manner, and ask your assistant if he is sure the sixpence is still there. Of course he will say yes; he can feel it. Then tell him to raise his finger. When he does so, take the two upper corners in your hands, and raise the handkerchief, when the coin will appear to have vanished. Of course, it is sticking to the lower corner of the handkerchief. A COIN TO DISAPPEAR FROM YOUR CHEEK AND REAPPEAR AT YOUR ELBOW While sitting at the table turn up your right sleeve, and, taking a half-crown or penny, rub it against your cheek, and then, as if by accident, drop it on the table. Pick up the coin and repeat the process, this time resting your elbow on the table, as you explain, to steady it. Move your hand from your cheek, and the coin has disappeared, and with your left hand produce it from your elbow. Then say, "I will reverse the experiment and send the coin back." Place your empty hand against your face and your left hand containing the coin under your elbow. After rubbing your face and chin, show the coin again in your right hand and your left hand empty. You require two coins for this trick, one palmed in your left hand. When you rub the coin against your face the second time, drop it inside your collar and produce the palmed coin from your elbow. When you "reverse the experiment," take the coin from your collar as you are rubbing your face and chin and drop the other coin from your left hand into your handkerchief spread over your knees. TWO VANISHED HALF-CROWNS This trick requires considerable practice, but is a very effective one. Take the two coins in your right hand, and throw them repeatedly, one at a time, into the other hand until the audience begin to think it is a "sell." Then, offering your left hand (in which the coins are supposed to be) to some one, say: "Well, you try to do it." Open your hand, and the coins have disappeared. EXPLANATION.--The last time you throw only one half-crown, and instead of throwing the second, bring the right hand down quickly, and at the same time jerk the coin in your left hand upwards into your right, and it will strike the coin retained there. The clink will be heard, and by closing your left hand quickly you will lead the company to suppose both coins are in that hand. Half-crowns are the best coins for the trick owing to their weight. A DIVINATION Request a member of the company (seated) to place a shilling or florin upon each knee, and cover them with his hands with his fingers stretched out. You then tell him, when you turn your back, to raise one of the coins and tap his head with it twelve times just above his ear; then replace it on his knee and cover it with his hands as before; and you will tell him, on examining the coins, which one he raised. The examination of the coins has really nothing to do with the trick. All you have to do is to look at the person's hands; the blood leaves the hand that has been raised, and when it is again placed beside the other the difference in colour is most perceptible. I have performed this trick hundreds of times in drawing-rooms, and it has never been detected, but created great surprise. AN EFFECTIVE BUT SIMPLE TRICK Stick a halfpenny (or a shilling) under the edge of a table secretly with a small piece of wax. Show another halfpenny to the company, and when it is returned to you, place it in front of you on the table while you turn up your sleeves. Then place the fingers of your left hand under the table, and with your right hand sweep the halfpenny on the table into your left, at the same time getting hold of the halfpenny under the table, taking care that one coin does not strike the other. Then place your right hand over your left, and pretend to rub the halfpenny the audience have examined very vigorously, and, showing both coins, say you have rubbed one halfpenny into two. You can improve on this trick by using four halfpence on the table and one stuck under the edge. Sweep two coins into your left hand, get possession of the stuck halfpenny, and close your hand. Hold it up, and say: "There are two halfpennies on the table, and I have two in this hand." Picking up the two halfpennies with your right hand, tell the company that you intend to pass one of them into the other hand. Then lay both hands flat on the table, lift your left hand, and show three halfpennies under it. Slide your right hand off the table, leaving one halfpenny behind, and carrying the second coin away with your fingers. As your hand leaves the table, press the halfpenny with your thumb against your two middle fingers, and nip it with your first and little fingers. Remove your thumb, and you will find you can hold it securely "palmed." Then with the right hand sweep the three halfpennies back into the left hand, at the same time letting the "palmed" coin fall with them. Close your fingers over them quickly, and picking up the remaining halfpenny from the table with your right hand, say: "I intend to make this halfpenny join its companions. One, two, three--go!" Pushing it with your thumb against your two middle fingers, palm it as before, and throw the four coins which you hold in your left hand on the table. While the attention of the company is on them, drop the "palmed" coin in your pocket. CHANGING APPLE AND COINS Procure two small apples exactly alike, and in the bottom of one scoop out a hole large enough to hold a pile of three sixpences. Make a conical cover out of cartridge paper large enough to cover the apple and about nine inches in height. Obtain six sixpences, three of which place in a pile on an inverted glass goblet. Conceal the other three and the hollow apple in your left hand. Ask some one to examine the cover, and, on receiving it back, transfer it to your left hand and slip it over the apple. Then give the duplicate apple for examination, and, taking the cover by its lower part, and the apple concealed in it, place both over the three sixpences on the glass. Take the apple that has been examined, and put it under the table with your left hand, hold it between your knees, and say: "I command this apple to pass through the table and take the place now occupied by the three sixpences, and the sixpences to fall into my hand." Bring your left hand from under the table and show the coins, lift up the cover and show the apple on the glass. Then reverse the procedure. Cover the apple on the glass; place the three sixpences under the table; secure the apple held between your knees and roll it on the table; lift up the cover and hollow apple together, and, dropping the latter into your lap, show the former is empty. This trick should be performed sitting. AN OBEDIENT SIXPENCE Place two half-crowns (or pennies) on the table and a sixpence between them. Then cover the coins with an inverted wine-glass, the edges of the latter resting upon the larger coins. Challenge any one to remove the sixpence without touching the glass or the money. It is done very easily, and in an amusing manner. You have only to scratch the tablecloth with your finger-nail in the direction you wish the coin to come, saying: "Come hither, sixpence," and it will at once obey you. COIN AND GLASS Cover the mouths of two glasses with newspaper, by gumming it on them, and trim off the edges neatly.[A] Stand them inverted upon two pieces of newspaper in such a manner that the type on the paper over the glasses fairly corresponds with that on the paper on the table. Make two cones of newspaper to fit closely over each glass. Unobserved by the company, place a penny under the glass on your left, which will of course be concealed by the paper on the mouth of the glass. Then borrow a penny, and, placing the cone over the glass on your right, lift the latter covered by the former from the table; lay the borrowed penny on the newspaper, and cover with the glass and cone. You call attention to the fact that there is nothing under the other glass, and you then cover it with the second cone. You now tell the company that at your word of command the penny will leave one glass and travel invisibly over the table to the other glass. You lift the cone from the glass on your right, under which the borrowed penny was placed, and the coin is not to be seen. Then, lifting both the cone and glass together on your left, the concealed penny is brought into view. You now announce your intention of sending the penny back. Place the covered glass over the penny and replace the cover over the glass on your right. "One, two, three--go!" you exclaim and, lifting the cone off the glass on your left, the penny under it appears to have disappeared, and on removing the other glass, still covered by the cone, the borrowed penny will once more be seen. This trick can be worked with one glass only and the penny made to appear to drop through the table in your hand placed under the latter ready to catch it (the penny, of course, being already palmed in your hand); but the use of two glasses makes the trick more effective, and it can be repeated many times without fear of detection. The paper upon which the glasses stand can, of course, be examined; but the glasses when removed from the paper must be covered with the cones, or the paper cover on the mouth of each will be seen. [A] This piece of apparatus neatly constructed can be obtained at a trifling cost at any of Messrs. Hamley Bros.' Conjuring Depôts, London. A SIMPLE EXPERIMENT WITH FOUR SHILLINGS Borrow four shillings; place one on the palm of each hand, and, holding the palms upward, close your fingers over them. Then request a member of the company to place the other two coins on the nails of your two middle fingers; and announce your intention of throwing a coin from one hand to the other, explaining it is rather a difficult feat to accomplish with your hands closed. Make one or two movements with your hands, and then, as if accidentally, drop the two shillings resting upon your nails upon the table. Apologising for your clumsiness, request some one to replace the coins on your nails, saying you will have another try. Now give your hands a jerk upward; open them and catch the coins on your nails, one in each hand, and tell the company you have accomplished your purpose and sent one coin flying invisibly through the air from one hand to the other. To verify your assertion open your hands and show three coins in one hand and only one in the other. EXPLANATION. When you make the first attempt, and appear to fail, in the upward movement of your hands you open them and allow the shilling resting upon the nail of your left hand to slip into the palm, while you permit the coin in the palm of your right hand to fall, with the one above it on the nail, on the table. If this is done neatly the company will suppose it is the two coins from the nails which have fallen. You now have two shillings in your left hand and none in your right. In the second attempt you have only to catch the shillings resting on your nails in the manner described, and on showing one shilling in your right hand and three in your left, your statement that one has travelled invisibly from one hand to the other will appear to be correct. PUZZLE OF TEN HALFPENCE Place ten halfpence in a row upon the table, then taking up any one of the series, place it upon another, with this proviso, that you pass over just two halfpence each time. Repeat this until there is not a single halfpenny left. Let the following figures represent the halfpence:-- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Place No. 4 upon No. 1; No. 7 upon No. 3; No. 5 upon No. 9; No. 2 upon No. 6; and No. 8 upon No. 10. A little practice will enable the reader to do this puzzle without referring to the figures. HOW TO INCREASE YOUR WEALTH Obtain three sixpences exactly alike, place one in your pocket and stick the other two with a small piece of wax under the edge of the table about an inch apart. After showing other tricks produce the sixpence from your pocket and show it to the company to prove it is an ordinary coin. Pull up your sleeves, and if the table has a cover turn it back. Place the coin on the table near the edge over the concealed sixpences, and showing your right hand is perfectly empty place your thumb over the coin and rub it vigorously backwards and forwards on the table. At the same time run your first and second fingers under the table, and securing one of the coins sticking there move it and the coin under your thumb simultaneously off the table, and pinching them together between your thumb and finger, say: "I will show you how to double your capital. I am going to rub this sixpence into two sixpences." Then showing your other hand is empty use the left thumb and finger to assist in the rubbing, and gradually separate the two coins and exhibit them. Then putting the sixpence with the wax in your pocket place the other one near the edge of the table and repeat the trick, saying: "See, I have now trebled my capital." Do not allow the company to examine the waxed coins. A NEAT COIN TRICK Procure three coins (pennies or half-crowns) exactly alike. Scratch a cross on two, and in the third bore a hole, in which fasten a short piece of black elastic cord. The other end of the elastic tie round your ankle, taking care that the coin does not hang below your trouser leg. Put one of the marked pennies in your left-hand trousers pocket and drop the other one unobserved into the pocket of some one present, or give it to a confederate to hold. Commence by borrowing a similar coin to those you are using and mark it like the others. Hold it between the thumb and finger of the right hand, and, giving it a twist, spin it on the table, then snapping your fingers over it, catch the edge of the coin and it will fly up your sleeve. Close your hand and say, "I will make this coin fly up my sleeve, travel round my back, and pass down my other sleeve." In the meantime you have secured the penny in your pocket and concealed it in your left hand. Open your right hand, showing it is empty, and then show the penny in the other hand. Lower your right hand, the penny in your sleeve will drop into it, and you can pocket it unobserved. Then ask for the loan of a cap and walking-stick. Request some one to hold the stick, while you hold the cap in your left hand. Pick up the penny with your right hand and pretend to place it on the floor. In doing so substitute the coin attached to the elastic, and, stretching the latter, hold the coin on the floor while you cover it with the cap, and ask the person who has the stick to place its end on the coin through the cap and keep it there until you tell him to move it. Then say, "I command this coin to leave the cap and pass into Mr. So-and-So's pocket. Move the stick, please, and then lift up the cap." On the removal of the stick the coin will fly under your trouser leg, and, of course, when the cap is lifted it is no longer on the floor. On the person whose name you mentioned putting his hand in his pocket he will find the coin you placed there, which you return to the person from whom you borrowed the penny. A SUBTLE IMPROMPTU EFFECT WITH A COIN EFFECT.--A coin dropped down the sleeve is slowly rubbed out through the cloth at the elbow. REQUISITES.--Two coins exactly alike. PRESENTATION.--First secretly place one of the coins between the buttons at the end of your left coat sleeve. Then stand with your right side towards spectators with the left arm extended, but slightly bent at the elbow. After having the coin examined, proceed to drop it down the sleeve of the extended arm, when it will fall to the elbow, and ask a spectator to feel that it is really there. Proceed by placing thumb of right hand on the side of sleeve toward spectators, and the fingers at the back, and rub the hand up and down the sleeve from the elbow to the cuff, and at the same time secretly gain possession of the coin between the buttons and bring it down behind the sleeve towards the elbow. Now with a slow pinching movement bring the coin down between the thumb and fingers and apparently out through the cloth of the sleeve, meanwhile moving the left arm up and down slightly. The coin left in the sleeve can be secretly got away by dropping the arm and allowing it to fall into the hand and then pocketed. AN ORIGINAL COIN SWINDLE Palm a halfpenny in your right hand and ask a friend (be sure he _is_ your friend) to lend you a shilling. Pick up a glass, invert it, and place the borrowed shilling on its bottom. Then ask your friend whether the coin is on the top or bottom of the tumbler. He will naturally look surprised at such a question; and you then say,--"Ah, I see you know the trick." Slide the shilling off the glass into your right hand, and as your friend holds out his hand to receive it back, drop the concealed halfpenny into it. The chances are ten to one that he will place the coin in his pocket without glancing at it. Unless you really desire to swindle your friend out of elevenpence halfpenny you will, of course, explain to him how he has been "had." A CROSS Place seven coins on the table, five in a row and one above and one underneath the centre coin. Then challenge any one to form a cross with these coins by moving two only, all the arms of the cross to have the same number of coins. After many attempts and failures show how easy it is to accomplish by taking the two coins at the ends of the row and placing them upon the coin in the centre. SIMPLE TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS, RINGS, CANDLES, ETC. A KNOT THAT CANNOT BE DRAWN TIGHT Tie a single over-hand knot in a handkerchief, and holding it in your left hand, give one end to some one, telling him to pull at a given signal. As he is about to do so, slip your left thumb underneath and, letting go the end hanging over your left hand, allow the handkerchief to run between your thumb and forefinger, when it will come out without any knot (Fig. 4). [Illustration] Fig. 4. TO TIE AN INSTANTANEOUS KNOT IN A HANDKERCHIEF Hold the handkerchief in both hands; give it a twist; blow on it, and a knot instantly appears in its centre. Hold the handkerchief as shown in Fig. 5. [Illustration] Fig. 5. Then while in the act of blowing on it bring the hands together quickly, throw the end _a_, held in the right hand, between the two middle fingers of the left hand and over _b_; at the same time grasp _b_ between the two middle fingers of the right hand (Fig. 6); pull _a_ under _b_ with the left hand and _b_ under _a_ with your right, and the knot is made. With practice you will be able to do this imperceptibly. [Illustration] Fig. 6. HALF A BURNT MESSAGE FOUND RESTORED IN A CANDLE Procure two candles and from one cut one-third off, in which piece drill a hole lengthwise and remove the wick. Put this piece in your pocket and place the other candle in a candlestick. Give a small piece of paper to a member of the company and request him to write a short sentence on it. Tear the paper in two, and giving him half, retain the other half yourself, which you fold up. Have a similar piece of paper, folded, concealed in your right hand, and as you turn to get the candle (which should be lighted), substitute one for the other. Burn the plain piece of paper in the candle, and obtaining the piece of candle from your pocket put your hands behind your back, and, having rolled up the half message, work it into the hole in the piece of candle. In order to gain the time to do this stoop over the lighted candle and make several unsuccessful attempts to blow it out. When the paper is in the piece of candle give one good hard blow and extinguish the light. With the piece of candle concealed in your left hand, take the candle out of the candlestick, lay it on the table, and with a knife cut off the burnt end, which throw away and divide the remainder into three equal parts. Then ask the person who wrote the message to select one piece. When he does so pick up the selected piece with your right hand and pretend to transfer it to your left, but retain it in the right and show the piece concealed in your left, which you present to the person who wrote the sentence and request him to pull out the piece of paper, which he will find to be the corresponding half of the piece in his possession. TWO GOOD RING TRICKS Take a common ring, about the size of a wedding-ring, and suspend it to the centre of your handkerchief by a piece of cotton four inches long. You can hold the handkerchief up by the corners with the ring hanging in front of you, and the latter will not be noticed. Then let the handkerchief fall over your left hand and the ring in your palm. Request the loan of a wedding-ring, and, having obtained one, put it under the handkerchief, drop it in your palm, and pick up the other ring, which push up in the centre of the handkerchief, requesting some one to hold it there. Next take a drinking-glass in your right hand and request the person to drop the ring in it and the handkerchief over it. Shake the glass, and the ring will be heard to rattle inside. Then stand the glass in the palm of your left hand with its bottom over the borrowed ring, which is concealed there. With your right hand pinch the centre of the handkerchief and lift it up quickly, of course, carrying the suspended ring with it, being very careful not to let the ring strike the glass. The glass is seen to be empty; lift it up and show the ring underneath. Say, "You see, the ring has passed through the bottom of the tumbler." A similar and a better trick can be performed with a short cane--say about eighteen inches long--instead of a glass. Commence as in the previous trick, and after you have asked some one to hold the suspended ring through the handkerchief, show the cane, and, holding your left hand back upward, push it through the latter and the borrowed ring, and grasp the cane with, of course, the ring on it, in the centre. With your right hand take the ring and handkerchief from the person who holds them, and request him to take hold of each end of the cane. Now lower the handkerchief until it hides your left hand, when you must move the latter away, leaving the ring on the cane concealed by the handkerchief. Then let the suspended ring fall out of the handkerchief, and if it strikes the cane so much the better. Whip the handkerchief away, and the ring on the cane will be seen. How that ring could have got on the cane while the ends of the latter were being held will puzzle everybody. Pocket the handkerchief with the suspended ring at once, and don't allow it to be examined. SIMPLE ARITHMETICAL PROBLEMS TO ASCERTAIN A NUMBER THOUGHT OF Every schoolboy knows the old puzzle: Think of a number; double it; add 10, divide by 2, subtract number thought of; and 5 left. Here is a great improvement upon that problem, which I have seen puzzle some excellent accountants. Think of a number; multiply by 3; if the result is odd, add 1 and divide by 2; multiply by 3; if result be odd, add 1, and again divide by 2. By how many 9's is the result divisible? On receipt of that information you at once give the number thought of. One of the most puzzling features of the trick is that no 9's are obtainable in the result should either 1, 2, or 3 be thought of, as the following will show:-- Number thought of 1 2 3 multiply by 3 3 3 --- --- 3 9 Add 1 1 --- --- --- Divide by 2 4 6 10 2 3 5 Multiply by 3 3 3 --- --- 9 15 Add 1 1 --- --- --- Divide by 2 6 10 16 3 5 8 As will be seen, none of these results is divisible by 9, yet the number thought of is correctly given in each instance. SOLUTION.--When the number thought of is multiplied by 3, you ask the question, "Is the result odd or even?" If the answer is "odd," make a mental note of _one_; then proceed. "Add one and divide by two. Is the result odd or even?" If the answer is again "odd," make a mental note of _two_; and proceed. "Add one and divide by two. How many nines are obtainable in the result? I do not want to know what the surplus is." The above figures illustrate that when 1 is the number thought of there is only an addition of 1. When 2 is the figure, no addition is required to the first result; but the second result being 9, 1 is added and _two_ noted, which, of course, is the figure thought of. When 3 is thought of two additions are necessary, one to the 9 and one to the 15, making a total of _three_ to be remembered, which represents the original number. When 4 or any succeeding number is thought of the final result is always divisible by 9, and in your mental calculation each 9 must represent 4, to which you add the figures you have previously noted. EXAMPLES. Number thought of 4 � 3 = 12 ÷ 2 = 6 � 3 = 18 ÷ 2 = 9. Here we have one 9, which represents 4, the number thought of. Number thought of 7 � 3 = 21 + 1 = 22 ÷ 2 = 11 � 3 = 33 + 1 = 34 ÷ 2 = 17. From which is obtainable only one 9, which represents 4, to which you add 1 for the first addition of 1, and 2 for the second addition, making a total of 7, the number thought of. Number thought of, 11 � 3 ---- 33 + 1 note 1 ---- ÷ 2 34 17 � 3 ---- 51 + 1 note 2 ÷ 2 52 ---- 26 two 9's = 8 = 11 HOW TO NAME A NUMBER WHICH HAS BEEN ERASED Request a member of the company to write a row of figures, the number of which is immaterial, add them together and subtract the addition from the row. Then to cross out any figure from the result, add the remaining figures together and give you the total, when you will tell him which figure he has erased. Of course, you do not see his figures and can leave the room while he makes them. EXAMPLE. 567219 = 30 - 30 -------- 567189 We will suppose he crosses out 7, which makes the addition of the row, minus that figure, 29. He gives you that result and you at once name the crossed off figure. There are two ways of arriving at the answer. The simplest and quickest way is to add the units in the result together until only one figure remains and deduct it from 9. For instance, we will take 29. Add the 2 and 9 together, which make 11; add 1 and 1 together and you have 2, which deduct from 9, leaving 7, the figure erased in the above example. Supposing 1 was the figure erased, the addition of the remaining figures would then be 35; 3 + 5 = 8, 9 - 8 = 1, the figure crossed off. The second method is to reckon the next multiple of 9 above the figures given you; for instance, supposing they are 29, the next multiple of 9 is 36. Deduct 29 from it and it leaves 7, the erased figure. If either 9 or 0 is erased the result is the same. You can get out of the difficulty, on being told you are wrong, by saying (in case you have given 9), "Yes, I see it is a nought; I thought it had a tail, so mistook it for a nine." If you have named 0 and it turns out to be 9, you can say, "Oh, I didn't notice the tail; of course I should have said nine." A LESSON IN THE CORRECT FORMATION OF A FIGURE Request a friend to write the following figures:-- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 Take the paper from him and, after pretending to scrutinise the row, ask him to point out which figure he considers most imperfectly made. If he should select the 1, say, "You had better practise making that figure. Oblige me by multiplying the row by nine." When he does so the result will be 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Then say, "After this practice you will be able to make better ones in future." If he selects the 4 request him to multiply by 36 and the result will be 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Whichever figure he selects, mentally multiply it by 9 and request him to multiply the row by the result. If he thinks 9 the most imperfectly made figure, you, of course, tell him to multiply by 81 and the result will be all 9's. FOUR NINES PROBLEM How can four 9's be written so that they will make 100? SOLUTION. 99 9/9 AN ANSWER TO A SUM GIVEN IN ADVANCE Ask some one to start a sum in addition by writing the top line of four figures. We will suppose he writes 1912. You mentally subtract the 2 and place it before the 1, making 21,910, which figures write on a piece of paper, which you fold up and lay on the table. You then ask a second person to place four figures under the first line. Then add a line yourself, which must be a deduction of the second line from four 9's. Ask a third person to add four figures to those already written. Then add another line yourself, making it a deduction of the third person's figures from four 9's. Request a fourth person to add up the sum and tell him you have already done so, and he will find the answer on the table. The sum will appear something like this:-- 1912 7234 2765 4891 5108 -------- 21,910 Which answer corresponds with the figures on the paper, which has been on the table the whole time. If you have in the company two friends upon whom you can rely as confederates, previously arrange with them to write the third and fifth lines, explaining to them that they must deduct the line immediately preceding theirs from 9's and make their lines the products. This adds greatly to the mystery of the trick. AN ARITHMETICAL PUZZLE Take 9 from 6; from 9 take 10, and from 40 take 50, and you will find 6 remains. SOLUTION. FROM SIX | FROM IX | FROM XL TAKE IX | TAKE X | TAKE L S | I | X AN ARITHMETICAL MYSTERY Thirteen commercial travellers arrived at an inn, and each desired a separate room. The landlady had but 12 vacant rooms, which may be represented thus:-- ---------------------------------------------------- | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ---------------------------------------------------- But she promised to accommodate all according to their wishes. So she showed two of the travellers into room No. 1, asking them to remain a few minutes together. Traveller No. 3 she showed into room No. 2, traveller No. 4 she showed into room No. 3, traveller No. 5 into room No. 4, traveller No. 6 into room No. 5, and so on until she had put the twelfth traveller into Room No. 11. She then went back to where she had left the two travellers together, and asking the thirteenth traveller to follow her, led him to No. 12, the remaining room. Thus all were accommodated. Ask your friends to explain the mystery. HOW TO TELL HER AGE Girls of a marriageable age do not like to tell how old they are, but you can find out by following the subjoined instructions, the young lady doing the figuring: Tell her to put down the number of the month in which she was born, then to multiply it by 2, then to add 5, then to multiply it by 50, then to add her age, then to subtract 365, then to add 115, then tell her to tell you the amount she has left. The two figures to the right will tell you her age and the remainder the month of her birth. For example, the amount is 822, she is twenty-two years old and was born in the eighth month (August). A RACE IN ADDITION Tell a friend that you will race him in counting from 1 to 100, and guarantee to win, under the following conditions: You will allow him to start first, at any number from 1 to 10, and you are both to have the privilege of adding any figure up to 10 to the last number called. For instance, we will suppose he starts with 5. You call 15, having mentally added 10 to his number. He then calls 20, having added 5; and so on, until 100 is reached. Until he sees through the trick you will win every time, and even then you will win if you start first and commence at 1. In that case, as he can only add 10, his first call could not exceed 11, to which you immediately add 1 and call 12. If his next call is 22, you say 23. No matter what his additions may be, the numbers you must always reach first are 12, 23, 34, 45, 56, 67, 78, and 89. When you call the latter number, as he can only add 10 to it, your next call will, of course, be 100. By this you will observe that, although you can only add 10 to your opponent's last number, you in reality add 11 to your own. So you are, so to speak, always 1 ahead of him. If, when you suggest the trick, you see your friend is not familiar with it, you can give him the option of starting first, and you need not pick up the thread of your winning numbers until you reach 50, adding low numbers to his additions, which will help to puzzle him; but he will soon see that it is necessary to reach 89; then he will notice you strike 78 and 67. When you see he is getting on the right track, pick up the winning numbers earlier, and at last insist that you must now start first. In starting with a person who does not know the trick it is advisable, and more puzzling, to dodge about at first and not get on the track of the winning numbers until 56 or 67. But if your friend knows the trick and starts at 1 you cannot beat him. I have seen good accountants puzzle for hours over this little trick, which was invented by Mr. William Lawtey, a dear old friend of mine. TO PREDICT THE HOUR YOUR FRIEND INTENDS TO RISE ON THE FOLLOWING MORNING Request your friend to make up his mind as to the time he intends to rise on the following morning, and then to mention an entirely different hour to you. To the latter you mentally add twelve, and giving him the number of the total, request him to look at his watch, and starting at the hour preceding the one he has selected for rising, to count backwards until he reaches the number you have given him, beginning with the number which he previously gave you. Ask him to state the hour at which he stops, which he will find is the one he selected for rising. For instance; supposing your friend intends to rise at nine and gives you four. To four you mentally add twelve and request him to start at the hour before his getting-up time (which would be eight) and count sixteen backwards on the face of the watch, starting with the number he gave you--four--and when he reaches sixteen his finger or pencil will rest upon nine, the hour he selected for getting up. MATCH PUZZLES EXPERIMENT WITH TEN MATCHES Lay ten matches side by side (Fig. 7) and request some one to lift each match singly, and passing it over two matches, cross a third match with it until there are five crosses on the table (Fig. 8). Two matches (and only two whether crossed or single) must be passed over at a time. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Fig. 7. \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ \ \ \ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ Fig. 8. The secret is that No. 1 must be crossed first and No. 9 second, or the trick cannot be accomplished. The following are the correct moves: 4 over 2 and 3 and crossed on 1; 6 over 7 and 8 and crossed on 9; 8 over 7 and 5, crossed on 3; 2 over the 3 and 5, crossed on 7; the 10 over the 9 and 7, crossed on 5. THE MAGIC NINE Make the figure 9 with a long tail with matches (Fig. 9) and tell a member of the company to think of a number, which must exceed the number of matches in the tail; and, commencing at the first match in the latter, count mentally round the figure, stop when he reaches the number thought of, and then, recommencing at the match he stopped at, count the reverse way, this time avoiding the tail, and continuing on the upper part of the 9 until he again reaches the number he selected, when you will point to the match he has stopped at. This you can do very easily, for if there are seven matches in the tail he will, of course, stop at the seventh match on the left from the tail, as will be seen by the numbering on the diagram, which assumes he thought of fifteen. Each time the puzzle is tried vary the length of the tail by taking some matches out of the latter and adding them to the upper part of the figure, or vice versa. If this is not done the stop will always be made at the same match, which will give the trick away. [Illustration] Fig. 9. TRIANGLES WITH MATCHES Make three equilateral triangles with six matches. Of course, two can be made with five matches; but then there is one over, and how to make a third triangle with only one match is a puzzler. It is as easy as possible. Make a triangle with three matches, and stand the other three upon end inside the triangle in the form of a tripod (Fig. 10). [Illustration] Fig. 10. Here is another triangular puzzle. With five matches form two equilateral triangles. Tell the company they are to remove three matches; then add two and make two more equilateral triangles. This is only a "sell." You do not say where the two matches are to be added. You add them to the three removed, and form the same figure over again (Fig. 11). /|\ / | \ / | \ \ | / \ | / \|/ Fig. 11. MATCH SQUARES Make nine squares with twenty-four matches (Fig. 12). Then request some one to remove eight matches, and without touching those left, to leave two perfect squares. -- -- -- | | | | -- -- -- | | | | -- -- -- | | | | -- -- -- Fig. 12. Fig. 13 shows the solution. -- -- -- | | -- | | | | -- | | -- -- -- Fig. 13. YOUR OPPONENT MUST TAKE THE LAST MATCH Place twenty-five matches in a row on the table. Request some one to select one end of the row and to take one, two, or three matches from it, you having the same privilege at the other end; and you guarantee he will be compelled to take the last match no matter how he may vary the number he takes. The secret is to remove four matches each time between you. For instance, if your opponent takes three you take one; if he takes two you take two; if he takes one you take three and so on. It is obvious if four matches are taken six times one match will be left on the table, which your opponent must take. A SHAKESPEAREAN QUOTATION Lay five matches on the table and request a member of the company to form a well-known quotation from Shakespeare by the addition of three more matches (Fig. 14). "But," some one will say, "how does KINI represent a Shakespearean quotation?" Your reply is obvious: "Can't you see KINI is 'a little more than kin, but rather less than kind'?" | / | |\ | | |/ | | \ | | |\ | | \ | | | \ | | \| | Fig. 14. NUMERAL Place five matches on the table and challenge any one to make them into thirteen without breaking any of them, and then, without moving them, to make eight by the use of a card. The solution will be found in Fig. 15. \ / | | | \ | | | / \ | | | Fig. 15. To make eight, hide the lower half of the row from sight, and it of course shows viii. SIX AND FIVE MAKE NINE Place six matches on the table and request a person to add five more in such a manner as to make nine. The solution is shown in Fig. 16. _____ |\ | | |\ | | | \ | | | \ | |_____ | \ | | | \ | | | \| | | \| |_____ Fig. 16. THE ARTFUL SCHOOLBOYS At a certain school were four long dormitories, built in the form of a square, in which thirty-two boys occupied beds, as shown by matches in Fig. 17. |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| Fig. 17. By this arrangement the master, in going his rounds at night, counted twelve boys in each corridor. One night four boys absented themselves from the school, and the remaining boys rearranged themselves in such a manner that the master was still able to count twelve boys in each corridor, and the absence of their four comrades was not noticed. How they did it is shown in Fig. 18. ||||| || ||||| || || ||||| || ||||| Fig. 18. The four absentees returned on the following night, accompanied by four friends; but the master was unable to notice the addition, for he again counted twelve boys in each dormitory. The new arrangement was as Fig. 19. ||| |||||| ||| |||||| |||||| ||| |||||| ||| Fig. 19. There were now thirty-six boys sleeping in the dormitories, and next night they were joined by four more, which brought the number up to forty, and yet the master only counted twelve in each dormitory on his rounds that night. How the new distribution was made is shown in Fig. 20. || |||||||| || |||||||| |||||||| || |||||||| || Fig. 20. Next night four more chums popped in for a snooze, making a total of forty-four, and again the master was bamboozled by the following readjustment (Fig. 21). [Illustration] | |||||||||| | |||||||||| |||||||||| | |||||||||| | Fig. 21. History is silent upon the subject of the arrangement at the breakfast-tables. The proper way to present this puzzle to your friends is to lay forty-four matches on the table, and after showing the initial arrangement, allow them to work the rest out for themselves. WHAT ARE MATCHES MADE OF? Arrange fourteen matches as in Fig. 22, and tell your friends to take away any three matches they may select without disturbing the others, and replace one in any position they may choose in such a way as to show what matches are made of. They will endeavour to form the word "wood"; but Fig. 23 gives the correct solution. ----- ----- ----- | | | | \ / | | | | | | \ / | | | | | | \/ | | ----- ----- ----- Fig. 22. ----- ----- | | | \ / | | | | \ / |----- | | | \/ | ----- ----- ----- Fig. 23. A SHEEP PEN Arrange eight matches as shown in Fig. 24, and state that this enclosure, formed by eight hurdles, is supposed to hold one hundred sheep. Ask your friends how many more hurdles would be required to enable the enclosure to contain two hundred sheep? The reply is generally eight more, and your friends will be surprised to learn that only two more hurdles are required--one at each end across the enclosure. Three hurdles being moved to admit of the introduction of the additional two, the pen will, of course, be doubled in size. ----- ----- ----- | | | | | | ----- ----- ----- Fig. 24. POST AND RAIL PUZZLE Put the following question to the company: Supposing there was a tunnel through a hill and a post and rail fence was constructed through it, and another fence was made exactly above it, over the hill, how many more posts would be required for the latter route, supposing they were the same distance apart by both routes? After several calculations have been made you can astonish the company by telling them that exactly the same number of posts would be required for both routes, which you can prove by making a rough sketch of the diagram, Fig. 25, and placing matches on it to represent the posts. [Illustration] Fig. 25. SIMPLE MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS A GOOD AFTER-DINNER TRICK Procure an egg, an apple, an orange, and two dozen nuts. Place the latter on a plate, and request three persons during your absence from the room to each pocket one of the three former, asserting that you will eventually state in whose pockets the different articles are to be found. On returning to the room present to one of the persons you have asked to assist you one nut, to a second person two nuts, and to the third three nuts, which will of course leave eighteen nuts on the plate. You must mentally name the person to whom you gave one nut "number one," to the person holding two nuts "number two," and the one who has three nuts "number three." Announce your intention of again leaving the room, and request your three assistants to help themselves during your absence to nuts as follows--the one holding the apple to take the same number of nuts you presented him with, the one who has the egg to twice as many as you gave him, and the holder of the orange to four times as many as he originally received. Impress on them that the number of nuts they take must be _in addition_ to those they already hold. On returning to the room you glance at the nuts remaining in the plate and at once call for the egg, apple, and orange from their respective holders. EXPLANATION. You must memorise the following Latin words: Attento, Beato, Cantores, Erocat, Fortasse, Glossema, numbering them 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7. The initials of these words, it will be observed, are the first six letters of the alphabet, omitting D, which is not required; A, of course, standing for Apple, E for Egg, and O for Orange. On returning to the room after your second absence count the number of nuts remaining on plate, refer to the Latin words, and you have the key. Supposing there are only two nuts left, take the second word, Beato, and reject the consonants, when the vowels will remain in proper order, E, A, O. The E being first shows the egg is in the pocket of the person whom you have designated as "number one." The A being second indicates "number two" has the apple, and the O, the third letter, means "number three" holds the orange. Supposing there are seven nuts left, take the seventh word, Glossema, reject the consonants as before, and pick out the vowels, O, E, A, which proves "number one" person holds the orange, "number two" the egg, and "number three" the apple, and so on with the other Latin words, the remaining number of nuts always indicating the word from which you are to select the vowels. This trick may be repeated _ad lib._ without fear of detection. TO REMOVE A SERVIETTE RING FROM A TAPE HELD ON THE THUMBS OF ANOTHER PERSON Obtain a piece of tape, or string, about three feet in length and tie the ends; pass this loop through a serviette ring and the ends of the loop over the thumbs of a friend (Fig. 26). [Illustration] Fig. 26. Take hold of the tape with your left forefinger at A and pull it forward and down; with your right forefinger pull the tape at B, from underneath, forward and upward, which will cause the two parts to cross each other. Then with your right forefinger and thumb place the tape B over the thumb D; move the ring toward D and with your right forefinger and thumb take the tape at C from underneath and carry it also over the thumb D. Take hold of the ring and pull it gently, as you slip your left forefinger out of the loop A, when it will at once be released without the tape leaving either thumb. AN EXPERIMENT IN GRAVITY Give a person two half-crowns and request him to hold them horizontally between the tips of his thumb and finger of his right hand, the coins touching each other. Then request him to drop the lower coin in his left hand and you will tell him which side will come uppermost. First note which side of the coin is underneath when you place them in position, for that will be the uppermost side when it reaches his left hand. The lower coin will turn completely over in the act of falling: nothing can prevent it. The distance between the hands should be from fourteen to sixteen inches. A SCISSORS FEAT Hold a pair of scissors on the first two joints of your little fingers with your palms upward, their blades pointing to the floor (Fig. 27). Then throw the points over toward you, turning your hands at the same time and bringing your knuckles back to back, the scissors standing out straight from you (Fig. 28). [Illustration] Fig. 27. [Illustration] Fig. 28. I have never seen any one accomplish this simple feat until they learned the secret. When you throw the scissors over on the palms of your hands, with their points toward your chest, allow the blades to rest there for an instant with the tips of your little fingers touching your palms through the scissors' bows; then bring the backs of your fingers together with your hands closed and the points of the scissors outward. The uninitiated, instead of allowing the bows to slip to the points of the little fingers, hold them tight on the second joints and, of course, fail. ANOTHER TRICK WITH A PAIR OF SCISSORS This trick consists of fastening the scissors securely to the back of a chair with a piece of string and then removing them without cutting or untying the string. First make a loop of a piece of string about two feet in length and pass the double end through one of the bows and the two loose ends through the loop and pull tight. Next pass the two single ends through the other bow of the scissors and tie them to the back of the chair. The puzzle is how to remove them, which is simple enough when you know how. Loosen the loop and draw it upwards and pass it through the other bow, and then over both bows and points, when the scissors will be free. AN INDESTRUCTIBLE CIGARETTE PAPER Take three cigarette papers, fold one up into a very small square, and paste it lightly on the top right corner of the second paper. The third paper roll lengthwise, and conceal it in your ear. Show the first paper between both thumbs and fingers, your right thumb on the pasted corner, then proceed to tear it up into squares, placing the pieces in front of each other before tearing again. When it is in pieces about the size of the pasted square, under the shelter of your left hand, with its back to the audience, separate the pieces from the square and hold the latter up between your right thumb and finger. Then, pretending to moisten your left forefinger on your tongue, slip the pieces in your mouth and conceal them there, and carefully unfold the square held in the other hand, when the paper will appear to have been restored. You then roll the paper length wise, and say, "I will swallow it." Put it in your mouth and pretend to do so. Putting your left hand to your ear, say, "I will now reproduce from my ear." Pull out the paper concealed there very carefully, and as you turn to lay it on your table allow the pieces in your mouth to drop into your hand. TO CUT AN APPLE IN TWO WITH YOUR FINGER With a needle and strong thread take a stitch of about half an inch in its side, leaving several inches of the thread hanging from where you puncture it. Reinserting the needle in the hole it made coming out, take another stitch of half an inch, and again reinsert the needle where it came out. Take similar stitches all round the apple until the needle comes out of the first hole made, and then cross the two ends of the thread and pull them steadily until all the thread comes out of the hole. The apple is now cut through, although the skin does not show it. Slip this apple in your pocket, and during dessert select an apple as much like the prepared one as possible. Having previously placed your serviette over your knees, with the prepared apple in it, drop the apple just selected and pick up the former with your right hand while you turn your plate over with your left hand. Putting the apple on its side on the inverted plate, laying your forefinger on the apple you give the former a smart blow with your right fist, when the apple will fall in two pieces. A TRICK WITH DOMINOES Take a full set of dominoes--twenty-eight pieces--turn them face downward on the table; shuffle them thoroughly; then tell the company to turn them over and match them in the ordinary way, while you take a seat at the other end of the room with your back to the table. They can blindfold you if they wish. As soon as all the pieces are matched you call out the numbers shown at the two ends of the row. Return to the table, turn the dominoes over again, shuffle them as before with the right hand; again turn your back, and call out the end numbers. You can repeat this any number of times without detection, unless some one should count the pieces and find only twenty-seven. Each time you have shuffled them you have dropped a piece concealed in your right hand, and extracted and palmed another. One piece taken from a set of dominoes invariably indicates by its numbers the numbers at the two ends of a row when the pieces are all properly matched. AN ESCAPE Ask some one to tie your wrists together with a handkerchief, and then to pass a cord between your arms behind your tied wrists, and hold the ends securely. Have towel or cloth thrown over your hands, and after a very brief interval tell the person who holds the ends of the cord to pull. When he does so, the latter will pass from your hands and fall on the floor. You remove the cloth, and show that your wrists are still tied together. EXPLANATION.--When your hands are covered, move your elbows out, which will separate your wrists, push the second finger of your right hand between them, and with it pull the bight of the cord through the bandage round your wrists, slip it over one hand, and when your assistant pulls the cord it will pass off clear of your hands. CIGARETTE PAPERS AND SERVIETTES Screw three cigarette papers up into pellets and cover each of them with a folded serviette. Then lift the serviette on your right with your left hand (to show that the pellet is still there) and transfer it to your right, holding it with your thumb on top and fingers underneath, and re-cover the pellet. As you do this nip the pellet between the tips of your first and second fingers in such a way that it does not show in front of them as you withdraw your hand palm upwards. Then raise the centre serviette with your left hand, transfer it to your right, as before, and re-cover the pellet, and as you do so, drop the pellet concealed between your fingers under it. Then raise the third serviette with your left hand, transfer it to your right, re-cover the pellet, and, in doing so, nip the latter between your fingers, as you did the first one. Then say: "There are three pellets on the table covered by serviettes. I command the one here (pointing to the one on your left) to travel invisibly to the centre serviette." Turn the serviette over, and show the pellet has gone. Then lift the centre serviette with your left hand, and show the two pellets under it. Transfer it to your right hand, and, in replacing it, drop the concealed pellet. Then say: "We have now two pellets under the centre serviette, and one under this one" (pointing to the one on your left). "I command this one to join its fellows." Lift the serviette as you speak, and show the pellet has gone; lift up the centre serviette, and the three pellets will be found together. FOUR CIGARETTE PAPERS This is a variation of the previous trick. Roll up five cigarette papers into pellets. Conceal one at the root of the left thumb, and form a square with the others on the table. Show your hands empty (the concealed pellet will not be observed if properly held), and cross your hands over the pellets on the table. With the tips of your right fore and second fingers nip one of the pellets on your left, and at the same time drop the pellet concealed in your left hand between the two on your right. Move both hands away quickly, and one of the pellets on your left will appear to have travelled invisibly under your right hand. Again cross your hands, passing your right hand under the left, and as you do so drop the pellet concealed between your fingers, covering it at once with the left hand. Then nip the remaining pellet with your right first and second fingers, as before, and, on lifting your hands, all four pellets will appear on your right. You can get rid of the remaining pellet by dropping it on the floor, or on your lap if you are sitting at the table. A HINDOO SWINDLE This effect is practically unknown to the Western Conjurer, but has been one of the stock-in-trade among magicians in India for years. It involves a principle (that of transfer) which is capable of extensive development in the use of modern magic. REQUISITES.--(1) A piece of brittle unglazed earthenware. (A piece of substance akin to thin flowerpot is used in India.) (2) A stick of specially prepared soft charcoal. A piece of earthenware is given, upon which a spectator is requested to write his initials with a piece of charcoal supplied. The correct preparation of this charcoal was conveyed to me by a Hindoo, and is as follows: Procure a piece of boxwood or beech, the former for preference, place it in the fire until reduced to a red glowing mass, remove it with tongs and immediately place it into a thick jar and cover up very tightly till cool. The earthenware is taken by the performer and crushed up under his heel. The spectator is then asked to wave his right hand over the broken pieces, and upon the palm being turned upwards the absolute initials in all detail are found imprinted upon his hand. PRESENTATION.--Hand the piece of earthenware to the spectator, together with the charcoal; request that his initials shall be written on the earthenware in a space marked the size of the tip of the index finger. After this has been done, you take it back between the thumb and index finger of the right hand, the finger over the initials exerting a firm pressure which has the effect of transferring the writing to the latter. Then place the earthenware under your heel and crush it. Now request the spectator to wave his right hand over the pieces. After this has been done for a few seconds, boldly take hold of the hand (your index finger firmly pressing upon its palm) and suggest that the hand is not quite over the pieces, suiting the action to the word by slightly pulling the hand forward; this has the effect of re-transferring the reversed initials on to the spectator's palm, to be discovered a little later upon the hand being turned over. THE ELUSIVE MATCH--A CAPITAL IMPROMPTU TRICK EFFECT.--A match apparently thrown away persists in reappearing in closed hand. REQUISITES.--A box of ordinary safety matches, together with an extra match top, broken off about half an inch long. PRESENTATION.--First conceal the extra match top between the tips of the index and second finger of the right hand. Now give the box of matches to a spectator, and request that the tops of three of the matches be broken off about half an inch long and handed to you. You then place these upon the table and proceed to pick them up one at a time with the right hand, and throw them into the left (each time closing that hand) as follows: The first is thrown in quite fairly, the second one is also thrown in but is secretly accompanied by the one which you have previously concealed at the finger-tips, the third one you pick up and apparently throw away, but really retaining it at the finger-tips as above mentioned. You now open the left hand and throw three match tops on to the table instead of the supposed two; apparently the one thrown away has secretly travelled back to the left hand. This trick can be repeated about three times without fear of detection, as you always have a fourth match top in readiness at the finger-tips. Properly worked it proves a very bewildering little trick. HERCAT, Of the Egyptian Hall, Queen's Hall, Shaftsbury Theatre, Lyceum Theatre, The Tivoli, Crystal Palace, &c., _Illusionist, Ventriloquist, Comedian, & Author,_ CAN BE ENGAGED FOR EVENING PARTIES, 'AT HOMES,' &c., IN HIS REFINED & ORIGINAL ENTERTAINMENT. SEND FOR CIRCULAR. LESSONS IN SLEIGHT OF HAND and VENTRILOQUISM. _Permanent Address_:-- Care of 'THE ERA,' 5 Tavistock Street, Strand, London. W.C. Dean's 6d. Champion Handbooks. _Crown 8vo. Profusely illustrated._ *Cricket and How to Play.* By BOB ABEL. *Draughts.* By W. PATTERSON. *Indian Clubs, Dumb-Bells, and Sword Exercises.* With Diagrams. By the late Prof. HARRISON. *Rowing, Sculling, Punting, and Yachting.* By "Straw Hat." *Art of Attack and Defence.* By Major ELLIOTT. *The Handbook of Boxing.* By JOHN C. EARL. *Gymnastics.* By Sergt.-Major S. G. NOAKES. *Rugby Football.* By "Straw Hat." *Association Football.* By "Straw Hat." *Pocket Cricket Scoring Book.* Stiff Cover. *Billiards.* By W. MITCHELL. Edited by A. W. COOPER. Dean's 1/- Champion Handbooks. _Crown 8vo. Illustrated._ *Amateur Cycling.* Embracing every branch of this agreeable pastime. By G. LACY HILLIER and W. G. H. BRAMSON. New Edition, revised by F. TAYLOR. *Cricket.* By R. ABEL. Eight Illustrations from Photographs. *Fishing.* By ARTHUR KENT and G. C. DAVIES. *Chess.* A Manual for Beginners. By H. E. BIRD. *Billiards.* By W. MITCHELL. Edited by A. W. COOPER. *Rowing.* By "Straw Hat." *Indian Clubs and Dumb-Bells.* By Professor HARRISON. *Boxing and Attack and Defence.* By J. C. EARL and Major W. J. ELLIOTT. *Golf.* By J. MCBAIN and W. FERNIE. *Football--Rugby and Association.* By "Straw Hat." *Lawn Tennis.* By "Straw Hat." *Parlour Games.* By F. G. GREEN. *Hercat's Card Tricks and Conjuring up-to-date.* *Tableaux Vivants and Living Waxworks.* By G. J. GOODRICK. *Pocket Cricket Scoring Book.* Stiff Cover. *Hercat's Latest Sleights.* *Hercat's Ventriloquist.* *Hercat's Card Tricks.* *Hercat's Conjuring.* *Hercat's Chapeaugraphy.* Guide-Books & Useful Books. Dean's Sixpenny Guide and Useful Books. _Crown 8vo. Fancy Covers in Colours. Illustrated._ *Aquaria, Gold Fish, &c.* By EDWARD BAIRSTOW. *Canaries:* How to Breed, Rear, and Keep. By J. SABIN. With Appendix by KARL RUSS. *Poultry.* By E. BROWN. Illustrated. *Rabbits and their Habits.* By J. ROGERS. *Cheap & Choice Cookery.* By Mrs. H. P. WHITCOMBE. *Fruit Figures,* and How to Make Them. By CHARLES GILBERT. Illustrated with Diagrams. *Double-Check Washing Books* (Dean's Perforated). Each for twenty-six weeks. Ladies' Washing Book. *County Courts,* whether for Debt or Damage; for Plaintiff or Defendant (Guide to). By W. H. C. PAYNE, Barrister-at-Law. *Landlords, Tenants and Lodgers* (Laws respecting). By J. BISHOP. *Language of Flowers.* By MAUD DEAN. Also a pocket edition. By H. G. ADAMS. *Washing Day.* How to avoid its troubles and perform its work. By JULIA FISHER. *Cats:* Handbook to their classification and Diseases, with Chapter on Training. By Dr. GORDON STABLES, M. D. *Parrots and their Treatment.* By MARRIOTT. New and Enlarged Edition. *Ferneries and Aquaria.* Their Construction and Management. By GEORGE EGGETT, Sen. *Bird and Animal Stuffing.* By JAMES GARDNER and CECIL H. BISSHOP. Fully illustrated. *Silkworms.* A complete Treatise on the Mulberry-leaf and Oak-leaf Silkworms. By M. EDWARDES. Illustrated. *How to make a Will.* By a London Solicitor. DEAN'S SHILLING PLAYS. DEAN'S PLAYS FOR YOUNG ACTORS AND HOME PERFORMANCE. _Size 7-1/2 by 5-1/2 inches. Bound gilt edges, fancy illustrated cover._ _The figures after the titles denote number of characters in each Play._ M _male_; F _female_. *Beauty and the Beast.* By Miss CORNER, Illustrated by N. WESTRUP. 18th Edition. (M 2, F 4.) *Whittington and his Cat.* By Miss CORNER. 12 illustrations by ALFRED CROWQUILL. 11th Edition. (M 6, F 3.) *Cinderella and the Glass Slipper.* By Miss CORNER. 9 illustrations by BEALE. 12th Edition. (M 2, F 5.) *Puss in Boots; or, The Miller's Favourite Son.* By Miss CORNER. 6 illustrations by NOYES LEWIS and G. PRIOR. 6th Edition. (M 8, F 5.) *Children in the Wood.* By Miss CORNER. Illustrated by F. HOLMS. 15th Edition. (M 5, F 2.) *Sing a Song of Sixpence.* By C. M. WHELPTON. (M 9, F 7.) *Princess Olone San.* By AMY WHINYATES. (M 3, F 5.) *Little Bluebell and the Will o' the Wisp.* A play in 3 Acts for little children. By AIMEE. Illustrated by N. WESTRUP. 4th Edition. (M 10, F 4.) *Prince Bulbo.* Dramatised from Thackeray's "Rose and the Ring." By AMY WHINYATES. Illustrated by ARTHUR HITCHCOCK. 3rd Edition. (M 6, F 7.) *Gabrielle; or The Red Cap of Liberty.* By AMY WHINYATES. With 4 illustrations and chromo cover. (M 7, F 3.) *Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.* By AMY WHINYATES. 4th Edition. (M 3, F 5.) *The Astrologer's Spell.* A Persian sensational drama. By AVERALL. (M 4, F 4.) *Little Dewdrop and Jack Frost.* (M 2, F 3.); and *Fairy Rosebud and the Enchanted Maypole.* By AMY WHINYATES. With 4 illustrations each, by A. BEALE. (M 3, F 7.) 4th Edition. *Sir Rupert and Cecily; or the Young Cavalier.* By AMY WHINYATES. With 2 illustrations by C. ANDRE. (M 4, F 2). *Blue Beard.* By AMY WHINYATES. With 4 illustrations by JOHN PROCTOR. (M 4, F 3.) *The Princess and the Pirate.* By AMY WHINYATES. (M 7, F 5, and Supers.) *The Queen of Hearts.* By B'Ar. A Fairy Play in 3 Acts. (M 6, F 4, and Supers.) *King Lear.* By F. SPENCER. Abridged edition, adapted for children. (M 11, F 3, Knights, Soldiers and Attendants.) *The Plum Cake.* By Miss C. M. WHELPTON. (M 10, F 10.) *The Royal Red Rose.* In 3 Acts. By AMY WHINYATES. (M 10, F 6.) *The Sleeping Beauty.* By E. B. BAYLY. (M 7, F 10.) *Ali Baba.* By AMY WHINYATES. (M 5, F 3.) *The Yellow Dwarf.* By AMY WHINYATES. (M 3, F 5.) Books for Elocutionists & Plays. SIXPENNY CHARACTER SKETCHES AND COMEDIETTAS. _Humorous, Satirical and Pathetic._ _The figures after each Play denote the number of characters in it._ M _male_; F _female_. *Men's Wrongs--Women's Rights*--By JULIA CHANDLER. *Rummy Fares.* A Cabman's Story. By ROBERT OVERTON. *A Terrible Race.* A Sporting Ballad for Recitation. By CAMPBELL RAE-BROWN. *Bill Muggins.* By ROBERT OVERTON. *Me & Bill.* By ROBERT OVERTON. *A Domestic Syndicate.* By KATE FREILLIGRATH KROEKER. *The Amateur Stage.* By BENJAMIN CLAYTON. A Capital Handbook for Amateurs. *A Blue Book for Sale.* By M. BEETHAM-EDWARDS. (M 2, F 3.) *The Two Clerks.* A Musical Comedietta. By GEORGE J. GOODRICH. (M 4, F 3.) *Two of Eve's Daughters.* By FRANCIS W. MOORE. (M 2, F 3.) SIXPENNY PLAYS FOR YOUNG ACTORS. M _males_; F females. *Puss in Boots: or, The Miller's Favourite Son.* By Miss CORNER. (M 8, F 5.) *Prince Bulbo.* Dramatised from Thackeray's "Rose and the Ring." By AMY WHINYATES. (M 6, F 7.) *Jack's Ashore.* A Sailor Play. By MAUD HODGES. (M 8.) *The True Story of Catherine Parr.* By ELSA D'ESTERRE KEELING. (M 2, F 6.) *How Matilda, First Queen of England, was Wooed and Won.* By ELSA D'ESTERRE KEELING. In 4 Acts (M 6, F 7, and Supers.) *The Amateur Stage.* By BENJAMIN CLAYTON. *Aladdin.* By AMY WHINYATES. (M 3, F 5.) *Beauty and the Beast.* By Miss CORNER. Illustrated by N. WESTRUP. 18th Edition. (M 2, F 4.) Dean's Shilling Books for Elocutionists. _Crown 8vo._ *Queer Fish.* Character Sketches. By ROBERT OVERTON. _7th Edition_, with preface by Mrs. STIRLING. *A Round Dozen.* Character Sketches. By R. OVERTON. _4th Edition._ *Speech Studies.* Studies of Poems, with Recitations, Anecdote Sketches, and Articles connected with Elocution. By EDWIN DREW. *Sylvia's Ride for Life,* and other Original Ballads for Recitation and the Fireside. By FREDERICK G. WEBB. *Ryder's Last Race,* and other Humorous Ballads for Recitation. By CAMPBELL RAE BROWN. Author of "Kissing Cup's Race." *Rhymes of the Times;* Serious Ballads for Recitation. By CAMPBELL RAE BROWN. *Con O'Donnell,* and other Ballads. By E. OWENS BLACKBURNE. *Elocution made Easy.* By EDITH HERAUD, Elocutionist. *Ten Minutes.* Short Prose Tales and Recitations. By ROBERT OVERTON. *Dean's Children's Recitations,* Compiled by MAUD DEAN. _Limp cloth._ *Humorous Pieces.* By FRANCIS W. MOORE. *Tableaux Vivants and Living Waxworks,* with directions for stage management. By G. J. GOODRICK. *Waterworks.* By ROBERT OVERTON. *The Record Reciter.* By ROBERT OVERTON. *The Child's Prize Reciter.* Compiled by M. DEAN. Dean's 2/6 Plays and Reciters. *The Overton Entertainer.* By ROBERT OVERTON. *Humorous Plays.* By FRANCIS W. MOORE. Dean's 6d. Reciters. _Limp Cloth 6d. each._ *Only a Little Brown Sparrow, and other Recitations for Children.* Compiled by MAUD DEAN. *Poetry for Children.* Compiled by MAUD DEAN. *Humorous Pieces*, Series I. By FRANCIS W. MOORE. " " " II. " " " " " III. " " *Holiday Yarns.* By ROBERT OVERTON. *A Bald Bold Man.* " " *The Child's Recitation Book.* Mrs. FAYLE. *Half a Dozen.* By ROBERT OVERTON. *Five Favourites.* " " [Illustration: Hamley's Conjuring Tricks] Established 1760 The most reliable and up-to-date firm in the world for Conjuring Tricks, Puzzles, Novelties, &c. COIN TRICKS. [Illustration] BOXES OF TRICKS. [Illustration] 1/4, 2/9, 5/10, 5/6 Cabinet. 11/-, 15/9, 22/-, 5/11 post free post free. Larger Sizes--30/-, 42/-, 63/-. Carriage on receipt. [Illustration] 1/- per box. 1/3 post free. [Illustration] 2/10, 5/10, 10/5, 20/5, 43/-, JOKES. Assorted and 64/-, post free. 1/-, post free 1/3 Puzzles, 2/6, " " 2/10 2/10, 5/10, [Illustration] 11/-, 22/- Splendid fun each, post free. Write for Illustrated Catalogue. 35 NEW OXFORD STREET, W.C. | 29 Ludgate Hill, E.C. 200 & 202 Regent St., W. BRANCHES: | 510a & 512 Oxford Street, W. | 59 Knightsbridge, S.W. | 86 & 87 High Holborn, W.C. TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE List of changes from the printed edition (in parentheses the original text): p. 5: "Hindu" changed to "Hindoo" to match the text (A Hindu Swindle) p. 7: "--a Laughable Trick" added to Contents entry. (The Rejected Recruits) p. 8: question mark added to Contents entry. (What are Matches Made of) p. 8: changed "of" into "in" in Contents entry. (An Experiment of Gravity) p. 9: "someone" changed to "some one". (request someone to select a card) p. 20: closing quote removed. (Which leaves five." The suit) p. 22: "anyone" changed to "any one". (that anyone is at liberty) p. 24: closing quote added. (You moved ---- cards. When you) p. 29: word "a" added. (requesting spectator) p. 30: duplicated "the" removed. (pick up the the bowl) p. 35: "someone" changed to "some one". (Ask someone to examine) p. 44: missing period added. (Fig 4) p. 49: "multiply" changed to "divide". (add 10, multiply by 2) p. 51: added missing minus sign in the displayed subtraction. (30) p. 52: period changed to comma (3 + 5 = 8. 9 - 8 = 1) p. 67: missing period added. (Fig 25) p. 72: "scissor's" changed into "scissors'" (the scissor's bows) p. 73: changed hyphen into space. (CIGARETTE-PAPER) (cigarette-papers) p. 82: "Eves'" changed into "Eve's". (Two of Eves' Daughters) p. 84: missing "l" added. (Ludgate Hi l) p. 84: missing "i" added. (H gh Holborn) ... and some apparently missing or hardly visible periods and slashes added in the advertisement pages. 
34375	----	generously made available by the Library of Congress) [Illustration] HOCVS POCVS IVNIOR. _The Anatomie of_ LEGERDEMAIN. _OR_, The Art of Iugling set forth in his proper colours, fully, plainly, and exactly, so that an ignorant person may thereby learn the full perfection of the same, after a little practise. Vnto each Tricke is added the figure, where it is needfull for instruction. _The second Edition, with many additions._ Prestat nihili quam nihil facere. [Illustration] _LONDON_, Printed by _T. H._ for _R. M._ 1635. [Illustration] To the Reader. _COurteous Reader, doe you not wonder? if you doe not, well you may, to see so slight a Pamphlet so quickly spent; but lightly come, and lightly goe; it's a Iuglers terme, and it well befits the subiect. Would you know whence it first came? why, from =Bartholomew= Fayre: would you know whither it's bent? for the Fayre againe; it's a stragler, a wanderer, and as I said, as it lightly comes, so it lightly goes; for it meanes to see not onely =Bartholomew= Fayre, but all the Fayres in the Kingdome also, and therefore in the front, =Hiccius Doccius= is the Post-master, and what he wants there, I'le give him here, a word or two of command, a terme of art, not so much substantiall as circumstantiall, =Celeriter, vade=, over hedges and ditches, thorow thicke and thin, to come to your Fayres. Rome for a Iugler: all in post, yet with a desire to give you full satisfaction. If you like it, then buy it and reade it, if otherwise, leave it for them that list._ Farewell. [Illustration] _The Art of_ LEGERDEMAINE Discovered. _The originall of =Legerdemaine=, and how it came first into this Kingdome._ IT came first into the Kingdome by certain Ægyptians, that were transported hither, who growing to numerous multitudes, dispersed themselues thorow most parts of the Kingdome: who being most expert in this art, and in Palmestrie, cousened the people in all parts wheresoeuer they came. Now diuers vagrant English joyning with them in time learnt both their language and cousening delusions, whereby at length they were discovered, and thereupon the next ensuing Parliament, there was a statute enacted: that whosoeuer should transport an Egyptian, should have a Fine imposed upon him; Moreouer, that whosoever should assume unto themselves the names of Ægyptians, it should be imputed unto them as fellonie, in so high a degree, that they might not haue their Booke granted unto them, which statute was put in execution, and since that time our Kingdome hath beene well disburdened of those Ægyptian Iuglers. _The Definition of the Art of =Legerdemain=, with its principall parts._ _LEgerdemaine_ is an operation, whereby one may seeme to worke wonderfull, impossible, and incredible things by agility, nimblenesse, and slightnesse of hand. The parts of this Art are principally two. The first is in the conveyance of Balls, Cards, Dice, Money, &c. The second is in Confederacie. _The end of the Art of =Legerdemaine=._ THe end of this Art is either good or bad, accordingly as it is used: Good, and lawfull when it is used at Festivals, and merry meetings to procure mirth: especially if it be done without desire of estimation above what we are. Bad, and altogether unlawfull when it is used on purpose, to cozen, deceive, or for vaine glory to esteemed above what is meet and honest. _The Definition, or description of the Operator._ FIrst, hee must be one of an impudent and audacious spirit, so that hee may set a good face upon the matter. Secondly, he must have a nimble and cleanly conveance. Thirdly, he must have strange termes, and emphaticall words, to grace and adorne his actions, and the more to astonish the beholders. Fourthly, and lastly, such gesture of body as may leade away the spectators eyes from a strict and diligent beholding his manner of conveyance. _Of the Play of the Balls._ THe Operator thus qualified must have his Implements of purpose to play withall: and first he must have three Cups, made of brasse, or Crooked lane plate: [Illustration] These Cups must be all of one sise, and the bottome of each of them must bee set a little within the cup; marke the following figure, for thereby they are truely represented, both in forme and bignesse: it is noted with the letter B. Also he must have foure Bals, made of Corke about the bignesse of small Nutmegs. First, he must practise to hold these Cork balls, two or three of them at once in one hand. The best place, and the readiest to hold one ball is betweene the ball of the thumbe, and the palme of the hand; but if you hold more than one at one time, betweene your fingers towards the bottoms. The place to hold a great ball is betweene your two middle fingers. Remember in your play alwaies to keep the palme of your hand downeward: After you have once learned to hold these balls handsomely, you may worke divers strange, and delightfull feats. [Sidenote: Some I have seene sit with their Codpiece open, others play standing with a budget hanging before them, but all comes to one end. Some feats may with more grace be performed stãding then sitting. The manner of holding the cups will conceale the ball that you retein in your hand.] But whether you seeme to cast your ball in the ayre, or into your mouth, or into your other hand, yet still retaine it in the same hand, still remembring to keepe the palme of your hand downeward, and out of sight. Now to begin: He that is to play must sit on the farther side of a Table, which must be covered with a carpet: partly to keepe the balls from rolling away, and partly to keepe them from ratling: likewise hee must set his hat in his lap, or sit in such manner as that hee may receive any thing into his lap, and let him cause all his spectators to sit downe: Then let him draw his foure balls, and lay three of them upon the table, (and retain the fourth in his right hand) and say, Gentlemen, here are three bals you see, 1. _Meredin_, 2. _Benedic_, and 3. _Presto Iohn_, then let him draw his cups and hold them all three in his right hand also, saying, Here are also three Cups, saying, See there's nothing in them, neither have they any false bottoms: [Illustration] Then say, See I will set them all on a row, and clap them all on a row, & in clapping them downe, convey the ball that you reteined under the middlemost cup, saying as you set them downe, Nothing there, there, nor there. Then shew your hands, and say, Gentlemen, you see here is nothing in my hands, and say, Now to begin, and take up with your right hand one of the three bals that you layed downe, and say this is the first, and with that seeme to put it into your left hand, and presently shut your left hand, and being shut, clap it unto your eare, saying, This is for the purging of the braine, _Presto_ bee gone, then move both the utmost cups (noted with A, and B.) with both your hands, saying, And there is nothing there nor there, and in the clapping them downe, conveigh the ball in your right hand under the Cup noted B. [Illustration] Then with your right hand take up the second ball, and seeme to put it into the left hand (but reteine it) shutting your left hand in due time: then clap your left hand unto your mouth, seeme to suppe the ball out of your hand, and make a face as if you swallowed it, then say, _Presto_, and that's gone you see, and with your right hand move the cup noted A, saying, And there is nothing, and in clapping it downe convey the ball you reteined, under it, so have you conveyed into each cup a ball. [Illustration] Then with your right hand take up the third Ball, and seeme to put it into your left hand, shutting it in due time, and then reach it out from you saying, _vade_, _couragious_, and open your hand, and blow a blast, looking up as if you saw it flying away, and say _passa couragious_, and that's gone: then take up the cups one after another, and say, neverthelesse Gentlemen, there is one, there is two, and there is all three againe: Then cover them and say, see you Gentlemen, I will cover them all againe. Then say now for the first, then with your right hand take up the first cup, & with your left hand take up the ball that is under it, saying, see, I take him out, and in setting downe the cup againe, convey the ball in your right hand under it, then with your right hand take the ball out of your left hand, seeme to put it into your pocket (but retaine it) saying, _vade_, that's gone into my pocket you see, then take up with your right hand the second cup, and with your left hand take the ball from under it, and say, see, I take this out fairely also, and in setting downe the cup, convey the ball that you retained under it, and then with your right hand take the ball out of your left, and seeme to put it into your pocket, (but retaine it) saying, _Iubeo_, and that's gone into my pocket: then with your right hand take up the third and last cup, and with your left hand take the ball from under it, and say, here I take my last out, and in setting downe the cup, convey the ball that is in your right hand under it, and then with your right hand take the ball out of your left hand, and seeme to put it into your pocket (but retaine it) and say _vade_, 'tis gone into my pocket; [Illustration] then take up your cups orderly, saying, Gentlemen, here is one you see, here is two, and here is all three again; and in setting downe the last cup noted _A_ convey the ball that you retained in your hand under it. [Illustration] Then take up one of the three bals with your right hand, and seeme to put it under the cup _B_, but retaine it, and then say by the powder of experience, _Iubeo_, come away when I bid you under this cup _A_, then take up _B_, and say, see you sirs, hee scornes to tarry under this cup, but is crept under here: then take the cup _A_. and they will wonder how it came thither. Then say Gentlemen, and you see here is but one, and in setting it downe, convey that in your right hand under it, then with your right hand take up the second Ball, and seeme to put it into your left hand, shutting your left hand in due time: [Illustration] then hold your said left hand from off you, and pronounce these words with a _Revoca stivoca_ (open your hand tossing it up) that's gone, then take up the cup A, and say, see here they are got both together; Then say here are but two, and in setting it down, convey the ball you retained in your right hand under it. [Illustration] Then with your right hand take up the third ball, and seeme to put it into your left hand, and shutting it in due time, saying, this is my last Ball, _vade passa couragious_, (open your hand then, tossing it up, and staring after it) and that's gone you see, then take up the cup A, and say, here they are all three againe. Set your cups then all on a row againe, and under one of them, as D, conveigh your fourth ball which you retained in your hand, and lay the other three balls by. [Illustration] Then with your right hand take up the first ball, and seeme to put it into your left hand, shutting your said left hand in due time, then as if you were at dice, cast your left hand at the cup D, and blow after it, saying, _vade pas_, and 'tis gone, then take up the cup noted A, and clap it upon the cup D, and in clapping it on, convey the ball you retained in your right hand upon the top of the cup D. [Illustration] Then take up the second ball with your right hand, and seeme to put it into your left, shutting it in due time, and as you did before: now in like manner seeme to make the same to vanish with a word of command, then take up the cup C, and clap it upon the cup A, and in clapping it on, convey the ball you retained in your right hand, upon the top of the cup noted A, [Illustration] So then you have conveyed under each cup a ball, then take up the third ball, seeming to vanish it as the two former, but retaine it, then shew them under each cup one, which will be very strange. Then take one cup in your right hand, and clap it upon another, saying, see Gentlemen I will set you one cup upon another, and in clapping it on, convey the ball you retained in your right hand upon the top of the lowermost cup: marke the figure following. [Illustration] Then take up one ball, and seeme to cast it in the ayre, and staring after it, say, _vade_, that's gone, then with your right hand take up the uppermost cup, say, see here he is crept betweene my cups, and in clapping it downe againe, convey the ball that you retained under it. [Illustration] Then with your right hand take up the second ball, and seeme to put it into your left hand, shutting it in due time: then open your left hand, tossing it, say, _vade_, and that's gone, then with your right hand take up the uppermost cup, and say, doe you see Gentlemen, they are snug'd like a yong man and a Maid in bed together, and in setting it down, convey the ball that you retain. [Illustration] Then with your right hand take up the third ball, and seeme to put it in your left hand, but retain it, shutting your left hand in due time: then hold it from you, and then open your hand, tossing it up, and gaping after it, say, _Mountifilede_, mount, thats gone, and then take up the cup and say, here are all three againe. Then cover them againe, and say single is nothing, then clap the third cup upon them, saying, but double is somewhat. [Illustration] Then may you seeme to pull all the three corks out of the top of the upper cup, causing them to vanish one after another, as I have sufficiently taught you before, which may be performed by that one ball that you reteine in your right hand. And lastly, take the uppermost cup, and set it down first by it selfe, then with both hands nimbly hosting the two other cups, shuffle them one upon another, and the bals will not fall out, and so it will be thought that you have pulled the three bals out of the bottomes of the two uppermost cups. I could teach you to vary these feats a hundred wayes, but I leave that to those that intend to follow the trade. _How to make a great Ball seeme to come through a Table into a Cup._ SEt one of your cups upon a Table, and take a good big stoole-ball out of your pocket, and say, clapping your hand with the ball in it under the Table, My masters would you not think it a pretty trick that I should make this ball come thorow the table into the cup: [Illustration] Then some one or other will take up the cup to see if it be so; then holding the ball betweene your two middle fingers of your right hand, stare him in the face, and say nay but you must not move my cup out of its place, while I have said my words of command: with that set your cup in its former place, and in setting it downe nimbly, convey the ball under it, and say, _Hei Fortuna nunquam credo, vade couragious_: Now see (say) if it be there or not, which when they see they will imagine was conjured into it by vertue of your words. _Other very pretty tricks with Bals._ REtaine one small ball in your hand, and lay three other small bals upon the table: then with your right hand take up one of the three bals, and put into your left hand, saying, There is one, then take up the second, and put that into your left hand also, and therewith likewise put the ball you retained in your right hand, saying, And there is two (yet you know there is three already) and shut your hand in due time: then take up the third ball in your right hand, and clap your right hand unto the upper part of your left arme, retaining the ball firmely pronounce these words: _Iubeo celeriter_, come all into my hand when I bid you. Then withdraw your right hand (holding the palm thereof downward) saying, That's gone Gentlemen: then open your left hand, and say, Here are all three together, and lay them downe on the Table. _Another._ TAke up one of the bals in your right hand, & put it into your left, holding it firmely between your forefinger and thumbe of your said left hand. Then with your forefinger and thumbe of your right hand (but be nimble) seeme to pull one ball out of another, which you may doe by slipping the ball that you retained in your right hand betweene the forefinger and thumb of the said hand, saying, Thus by activity have I learn'd to do, out of one little ball for to make two: and all of a bignesse, then lay all foure balls upon the table. _Another._ VVIth your right hand take up one of the balls, and seeme to put it into the left, but retain it, shutting your left hand in due time, and say, There is one: then hold your hand from you. Then with your right hand take up another, saying, Here I take another. Then pronounce these words, _Mercus mercurius_ by the powder of experience, _Iubeo_; then open your left hand, saying, That's gone, and then open your right hand and shew them both together. _How to make a stone seeme to vanish out of your hand._ YOu must have a stone of a reasonable bignesse, such as you may well hide in your hand, sitting in such manner as I have formerly said, that you may receive any thing into your lappe, take this stone out of your pocket, saying, You see, Gentlemen, here is a stone, a miraculous stone: Will you have it vanish, _vade_, or go away invisible; which being said, withdraw your hand to the side of the table letting the stone slip down into your lap, in which time stare about you, saying, chuse you whether. Then reach out your hand and say: _Fortuna variabilis, lapis inestimabilis Iubeo, vade, vade, couragius_. Open your hand then tossing it up, and blow a blast, and look up, saying, Do you see it is gone. Your looking up will make them to looke up, in which time you may take the stone againe in the other hand, and slip it into your pocket. _Another._ TAke your stone againe out of your pocket, saying, here it is once againe, and I will give it unto any of you to hold, and reach your hand out unto them, and opening your hand, say Loe here it is. Then when any one is about to take it, withdraw your hand to the side of the table, and make your conveyance as before, in which time say, But you must promise mee to take it quickly: [Sidenote: By agility and nimblenesse of hand you may make a piece of a Hares skin to stir and run about you as a live creature, and at last to vanish away, which will bee imagined to be some Familiar that you deale withall.] Then will hee say, I will, then reach your hand being shut, out unto him againe, and while hee striveth, thinking to take it quickly, hold fast and say, _Vade couragious, celeriter vade_: in which time you may take up the stone in the other hand, and hold it from you. Then open your hand and say, loe, If you can hold a pretty Lasse no faster, when you have her, I will not give a pin for your skill. _How to make a Card vanish, and finde it againe in a Nut._ TAke what card you will, pill the printed paper from off it, and roll it hard up, and make a hole in a nut, and take out the kernell, and then thrust in the card, afterwards stop the hole of the Nut neatly with waxe, this Nut you must have in readinesse about you, and when you are in your play, call for such a card as you inclosed in your Nut, or else haue one in a readinesse, and say, You see Gentlemen, here is such a card: then wet it, and pill off the printed side, roll it up, and the usuall manner conuey it away: Then take your Nut out of your pocket, and giue it unto one, and say, Cracke that Nut, and tell mee if you can finde the card there, which being found, will bee thought very strange. Then haue another such like Nut, but filled with Inke, and stopped after the same manner that your other Nut was, and giue that unto another, and bid him cracke it, and see what he can finde in that, and so soone as he hath cracked it, all the inke will run about his mouth, which will move more mirth and laughter than the former. _How to seeme to eate a Knife._ DEsire any one of your spectators to accommodate you with a Knife, which when you haue gotten, hold it in such manner as that you may cover the whole knife with both your hands, the end of the haft excepted, and set the point of it unto your eye, and say, some body strike it in with his fist, but no body will, because it is so dangerous a thing: then set your hands upon the edge of the Table, and looking about you, say, why what will no body strike it in, in which time let the knife slip downe into your lap. Then nimbly make as if you chopt it hastily into your mouth, or to hold it in one hand, and strike it in with the other (but nimbly) then make two or three sowre faces, saying, some drinke, some drinke: or else you may say, now some one put his finger in my mouth, and pull it out againe; some will say haply you will bite me, say, no I will assure you. Then when he hath put his finger into your mouth, he will pull it out, & say, here is nothing, (this time is sufficient to conuey the Knife out of your lap into your pocket) say againe, why, you have your finger out againe, did you thinke to pull the knife out? if that should be in my mouth, it would kill mee. The knife is here in my pocket, and with that take it out, and deliver it againe. _How to rap a Wag on the knuckles._ TAke a ball and lay it on the Table, and holding a knife in one hand by the blade, desire some body to take the Ball that is upon the Table, & lay it upon the haft of the knife, pretending that you will blow it thence invisibly, and when he is laying it on, take him a good rap on the knuckles. _How to seeme to swallow a long pudding made of Tinne._ THis Pudding must be made of Tin, it consisteth of twelve little hoops made Tape-wise, so that they may almost fall one thorow another, and have a piece of Canvas tyed over the biggest end thereof, to the end it may not hurt your teeth by hastily clapping it into your mouth. The figure whereof followeth, and is marked with the letters A A. [Illustration] hold this Pudding (for so it is called) privately in your left hand with the Canvas end uppermost, and with your right hand take a Ball out of your pocket, and say, _If there be any Mayd that hath lost her maiden-head or old woman that's halfe out of conceit with her selfe, because her neighbours deeme her not so yong as she would willingly seeme to be, let her come unto mee, for this ball is present remedy_; then seeme to put the Ball into your left hand, but let it flip into your lap, and clap your pudding into your mouth, which will bee thought to be the Ball you shewed them: Then incline your head, and open your mouth, and the pudding will slip downe at its full length, which with your right hand you may strike up into your mouth again: do thus three or foure times one after another, and the last time you may discharge your mouth of it into your hand, and clap it into your lap without any suspition, so that you make two or three sowre faces after it, as if it stucke in your throat, and if you practise to smite easily with your fist on each side of your throat, the Pudding will seeme to chinke as if it were lying in your throat. Then say thus, they swallow puddings in high Dutch land, they slip downe their throats before their teeth can take possession of them. _How to seeme to cut ones nose halfe off._ FOr the effecting of this feate, you must have a knife for the nonce, made with a gap in the midst of the blade, as it is demonstrated in the following figure noted with the letter A. [Illustration] [Sidenote: Note that in such feats as this, it were necessarie to have a piece of spunge with some sheepes bloud in it to be retained privately.] You must conceale the notch with your finger, and then wring it over the fleshie part of your nose, and your nose will seeme as it were halfe cut off with the knife. _How to seeme to pull a rope through your nose._ YOu must have likewise for the effecting of this delusion, an Implement on purpose. The figure wherof followeth. It may bee made of two elder sticks, thrusting out the pith, and afterward glued together, the ends whereof must have a piece of corke cut hollow and glued over them: then must there be a little whipcord put thorow them, the ends whereof must come out at two holes made on the outward side of each elder sticke. [Illustration] Put this Trinket over the fleshie part of your nose, then pul one end of the rope, and afterwards the other, and it will be thought that the rope commeth quite thorow your nose. _How to make a pile of Counters seeme to vanish thorow a Table._ YOu must have for the performing of this feate, divers counters having holes cut out of the midst of them, then they must be glued together so many of them as they may make a case sufficient to containe a Die: then glue one whole counter upon the top of them, and have a boxe made of white Tinne to fit them, but let it be deeper than the glued pile of Counters; also make a cover for this boxe. First, put into the boxe three loose counters, then put in the glued pile of counters with the hole upper-most, then put into the hole a Die, and lastly three other loose whole Counters, and cover it. Draw this boxe of Counters, and say, Gentlemen, here is a boxe of Barbarie gold, it was left me as a Legacie by a deceased friend, upon condition I should employ it well and honestly. Now sirs it was my fortune as I was travelling, to be benighted, and so forced to seeke for lodging, and as it happened, I tooke into an house of entertainment, where calling for my Ostesse, I drew my stocke, and said, what must I give you mine Ostesse for my meat, drinke, and lodging this night? My friend, quoth she, you must give me three French Crownes; with that I uncovered my boxe and set it upon the Table (it must be done with the mouth of the box downward) tooke my boxe from off the counters, and delivered her three from the top, saying, there they are; and casting my eye aside, I spyed a pretty lasse coming downe the staires; Sweet heart, said I to her, what shall I give thee to lie with thee this night? she replied, sir, for three French Crownes you shall: then I thrust my boxe forward, and delivered her three from the bottome, saying, there they are. [Sidenote: If you lift the Boxe a little from the Table bearing it from you, the three loose counters will come forth.] But now said I to my Ostesse, Ostesse, what will you say if with a tricke I have, I make these six Crownes to fetch all the rest thorow the Table? Sir, quoth my Ostesse, you shall have your meat, drink, and lodging for nothing, and said the Lasse, thou shalt lie with me for nothing. Then I uncovered them, saying, but first let us see whether they be here or no, and shew them, covering them againe. Then (taking to those six Counters in my hand, other loose Counters I have readie in my lap) I knocke my hand under the Table, saying _Virtute lapidis, miraculosi lapidis, jubeo vade, celeritate vade_. Then I mingle my Counters as if they came tumbling thorow the Table into my hand, afterward throw them on the Table, saying, there be the Counters, then I take the boxe up, pressing the sides of it with my fore finger and thumbe (which will keep the glued pile of Counters from slipping out) and let slip the glued Counters into my lap, and say there is none but a Die, casting the emptie box unto them, who shall have all now, my Ostesse or I? [Illustration] A, the figure of the Box, BB the lid of the Box, C the pile of Counters glued together, E the hole for the Die, D the Die. _How to seeme to put a ring through ones cheeke._ YOu must have two rings made of brasse, silver, or what you will, of one bignesse, colour, and likenesse saving that one must have a notch cut through it as it is represented by the figure following noted with X [Illustration] The other must be whole without a notch; shew the whole Ring, and conceale that which hath the notch, and say, now I will put this ring thorow my cheeke, and privily slip the notch one over one side of your mouth, and nimbly convey the whole Ring into your sleeve, or conceale it in your right hand: then take a small sticke which you may have in readinesse, and slip the whole Ring over it, holding your hand over it about the middle thereof, and bid somebody hold both the ends of the sticke fast, and say, see this Ring here in my cheeke, it turnes round, and indeed it will seeme to turn round if you stroake it nimbly with your fingers: and while you perceive them to fasten their eies intentively upon that Ring, upon a sudden whip it out, and smite upon the sticke therewith instantly, concealing it, and whirling the other Ring, you hold your hand over round about the sticke, and it wil be thought that you have brought that Ring upon the stick which was before upon your cheeke. _How to seeme to thrust a bodkin into your forehead._ YOu must have two bodkins, the one made like unto the other to outward appearance, but let the blade of the one be made to slip up into the haft: let the other be a true Bodkin: Conceale the false one, and shew the true, after that you have shewed it, convey it into your lap. Then take up the false one, and reclining your head, make as if you thrust it very stifly, making an ill favoured face all the while. If you hold a peece of spunge in your hand filled with some sheeps bloud, pressing it out, the bodkin being in your forehead as it were up to the hilt, it will cause the more astonishment and admiration among the beholders. Instantly put up your bodkin, and take your handkercher, and wipe off the bloud, and say, _Iubeo vade vulnus à fronte_. _How to put a Locke upon ones mouth._ YOu must have a Locke made for the nonce, the figure whereof followeth, the one side of its bow must be immoveable, as that marked with A: the other side is noted with B, and must be pinned to the bodie of the locke, as may appeare at E, I say it must be so pinned that it may play to and againe with ease. This side of the bow must have a legge as C, and then turn into the Locke; this bending must have two notches filed on the inner side, which must be so ordered that the one may locke or hold the two sides of the bow as close together at the top as may be, the other notch to hold the said parts of the bows a proportionable distance asunder, that being lockt upon the cheeke, it may neither pinch too hard, nor yet hold it so sleightly that it may be drawne off; [Illustration] let there be then a key fitted unto it to unlocke it, as may appeare at B. And lastly, let the bows have divers notches filed in them, so the place of the partition when the locke is shut home will be least of all suspected. By this figure and directions you may fit your selfe of such a Locke if so be you are desirous of it. _The use of it._ YOu may cause someone to hold one tester edgelong betweene his teeth: Take also another tester and with your left hand proffer to set it edgelong betweene a second mans teeth, pretending that your intent is to turne both into whether of their mouthes they shall desire, and that by vertue of your words and circumstances which he shall no sooner essay to do, but you holding your locke privately in your right hand with your fore finger over the legge C, may presently slip it over the left side his cheeke, and single locke it, which you may do by pressing your said finger a little downe after some store of intreaties: the Locke having hung on a while, produce your key by some device (as by a confederate or some carelesse person) and unlocke it, but immediately double locke it, for it will seeme a true locke, nor after sight be suspected for other. _How to make it freeze by the fire side._ THis feate cannot be performed at every time, but onely in Winter, and at such times as snow may be had, and he that will shew it must have in readinesse an handfull of salt. The time serving, and the partie provided, let him call for a Ioynt-stoole, a quart pot, an handfull of snow, a little water, and a short staffe or sticke, first let him powre a little water upon the top of the stoole, and upon it let him see the quart pot, and put the snow into the pot, the salt also, but privately, then let him hold the pot fast with his left hand, and take the short sticke in his right, and therewith churne the snow and salt in the pot as if one should churme for butter, and in halfe a quarter of an houre the pot will freeze so hard to the stoole, that you can scarcely with both hands pull it off from the stoole: there's a naturall reason may be given for this, which he thats a scholler need not be told, and for a common Iugler I would not have so wise as to know, therefore I omit it. _How to breath fire out of your mouth._ THe performance of this tricke consisteth in the rowling up of the towe. After you have made a rowle in readinesse, call for a pipe of Tobacco, light it, and take a whiffe or two, you may stop it downe with the one end of your rowle of tow, retaining it priuately in your hand: then deliuer the Pipe to some body else, and conuey the tow into your mouth: then blow gently, and smoake and fire will come forth of your mouth, which you may continue as long as you please by putting in more tow as it consumeth. _How to draw ribbins of any colour out of your mouth, and to deliver it by the yard._ YOu must prouide you diuers sorts of Ribbins, some blacke, some blew, some greene, some yellow: measure it, and at the end of euery yard make a slip knot, then rowle each coloured ribben into a ball by it selfe, and dispose them about you, that you may know readily which to take in an instant. When you are called upon for so many yards of such a colour, conuey a ball of the same into your mouth, and draw it out, remembring how many knots haue slipped at your teeth, then cut it off and deliuer it. _How to make two bels come into one hand, having put into each hand one._ THis feate must be performed with three bels, you must put one bell into your left sleeue, then put one Bell into one hand, and another Bell into the other hand (they must be little morris bels) withdraw your hands, and privily conuey the bell in your left hand, into your right hand: Then stretch both your hands abroad, and bid two folkes hold your hands fast, but first shake your hands and say, doe you heare them. The bell that is in your sleeve will not be knowne by the ratling, but that it is in your hand: Then say, hee now that is the arrantest Whoremaster or Cuckold of you both, shall have both the bels, and the other shall have none at all: open your hands then, and shew them, and it will be thought that you deale by art magicke. _How to make a Iugling booke, or a booke for Waggery._ YOu must provide a paper book in octavo, of what thicknesse you please; first turne over seaven leaves of it, and then upon both the open sides, draw or paint the pictures of flowers, then turne over seaven leaves more, and paint the very same; do thus untill you have turned the book once quite over: Then unto the farther painted leafes, past a little stay of paper or parchment one directly over another: Then turne over the booke againe, and having turned every sixt leafe, draw the picture of flower de luces, and then paste stayes of parchment upon them as you did upon the first; but these stayes must all of them be a little lower than the former. Then turne over the booke againe, and after the fift leafe, thorowout the booke is turned, paint horns, do thus untill you have painted the book full of pictures, onely let there be one part of the leaves faire paper: having thus finished the booke, when you use it, hold it in your left hand, and with your right hand, your thumb set upon the parchment stayes, shew them orderly and nimbly, but with a bold and audacious countenance, for that must be the grace of all your trickes: say, this booke is not painted thus as some of you may suppose, but it is of such a property, that whosoever bloweth on it, it wil give the representation of whatsoever he is naturally addicted unto, and then turne the booke, and say, see it's all faire paper. _Bonus Genius =or= Nuntius invisibilis, =or= Hiccius Doccius as my senior cals it._ YOu must have the figure of a man made of wood, about the bignesse of your little finger, as may appeare by the figure noted C D, the head whereof noted with A, must bee made to take off and put on at pleasure, by meanes of a wyer that is in the necke, marked with B: also you must have a cloth cap with a little hole in the crowne of it, as F: This cap must have a little bagge within to convey the head into. The bag must be neatly made, that it may not easily be perceived; shew your man unto the company, saying, see you here gentlemen, this I call my _Bonus Genius_, then shew his cap, saying, and this is his coat, say moreover, look now as stedfastly on him as you can, neuerthelesse I wil cousin you, for therefore am I come. [Illustration] Then hold your cap aboue your face, and take your man in your right hand, and put his head thorow the hole of the cap, as you may see at F, saying, now hee is ready to goe of any message I have to send him; to _Spain_, _Italy_, or whither I will: but he must haue somewhat to beare his charges, with that pul out your right hand from under the cap, and therwith the body, (but privately) putting your right hand into your pocket, as it you fet for money, where you must leaue the bodie, and take out your hand, & say, there is three crowns: Now be gone then, turn the head about, and say, but he will looke about him before he goes. Then say (setting your forefinger upon his crowne) iust as I thrust my finger downe, so he shall vanish, and therewith by the assistance of your left hand that is under the cap, conuey his head into the little bag within the cap: then turne your cap about, and say, see here he is gone: then take your cap, and hold it up againe, drawing the head out of the little bag, & say, _hei genius meus velocissimus, ubi_, & whistle. Then thrust the head up thorow the hole of the cap, and holding the head by the wyer, turne it about; then presently put head and cap into your pocket. _Boxes to change Graine._ MAke one boxe of Wood, Tinne, or Brasse: let the bottome fall a quarter of an inch into the boxe, and glue thereon a laying of Barlie or such like graine: draw the boxe with the bottome downewards, and say, Gentlemen, I met a Countrie man going to buy Barlie, and I told him I would sell him a penniworth, also I would multiplie one graine into so many bushels as hee should need, then cast a barlie corne into your boxe, and cover it with a hat, and in the covering it, turne the bottom upside down: then cause some bodie to blow on the hat, then uncover it, and they will think strangely of it. You may make another boxe of wood like unto a bell to hold so much just as your former box will, and make a bottome unto this boxe of shooe sole leather, to thrust into the bottome of the bell: then fill it with barlie, and thrust up the leather bottome, for it will keepe the barlie from falling out take this box out of your pocket, and set it down gently upon the table, and say, I will now cause all the barlie to goe out of my measure into my bell, then with a hat cover the boxe that hath the barlie glewed unto it, and in covering it, turne it with the barlie downeward: then say, first let us see whether there be nothing under the bell, and clap it hard downe upon the table, so the weight of the barlie will thrust the bottome downe; then bid some one blow hard on the hat, then take it up, where they will see nothing but an emptie measure, then take up the bell, and all the barlie will poure out. Sweep it then presently into your hat or lap, lest their busie prying may chance to discover your leather bottome. _How to vanish a glasse full of Beere._ [Sidenote: Your finger tops must be rubd a little with some greene soft waxe, and so you may doe it cleanlily.] TAke a low glasse, fill it reasonable full of Beere, and take a sixpence and lay it downe upon the table, and set the glasse of Beere upon it, and dipping your finger into the Beere, say, whether is the sixpence in, or under the glasse. Some will say perhaps, it is under: then say, let's see, and take up at once both sixe pence and glasse (hold the glasse so that both your hands may quite hide it) and let the glass slip plum downe into your lap, then make as if you threw it away, looking up after it. Then seeme to blow your nose, and let fall the sixpence upon the table, saying, I am glad I have got my mony againe: but now (say) what's become of the glasse? Then seeme to take it out of your pocket, saying, I am a good fellow, and would not willingly lose my liquor, then drinke it up. This is an excellent tricke if it be swiftly and neatly performed. Though you spill a part of the Beere, it is no matter, neither is it any disgrace unto it, besides you may put it off very well. _How to seeme to cut off a mans head, it is called the decollation of =Iohn Baptist=._ YOu must have a table with two good wide holes towards one end, also a cloth on purpose to cover the table with, so that the said covering may hang to the ground round about the table; also this covering must have two holes made in it even with the holes of the table, you must also have a platter of wood for the purpose, having a hole in the bottom to fit also unto the holes of the table, and it must, as also the table, be made to take in two pieces: having these in readinesse, you must have two boyes; the one must lie along upon the table with his backe upward, and he must put his head thorow the one hole of the table, cloth and all; the other must sit under the table and put his head thorow the other hole of the table, then put the platter about his neck, to make the sight more dreadfull to behold, you may forme some loome about the neckes of them, making small holes in them as it were veins, and besmeare it over with sheepes bloud, putting some bloud also and little bits of liver into the platter, and set a chafing-dish of coales before the head, strewing some brimstone upon the coales; for this will make the head seem so pale and wan, as if in very deed it were separated from the body. [Illustration] The head may fetch a gaspe or two, and it will be better. Let no body bee present while you doe this, neither when you have given entrance, permit any to be medling, nor let them tarry long. _How to make the face of a Childe to appeare in a pot of water._ YOu must get a ball made of wood, and upon one halfe or side of it, there must the face of a childe be artificially carued: on the backe side of this face there must bee made a hole, but not very deepe; this hole must be filled with Lead, to the end that it may (the ball being cast into the water) sway the face uppermost: then paint it livelie with oyle colours, and it is done. Note that it ought not to be full so big as a tenis ball. Call for a wine quart pot filled with faire water up to the necke, having your face in a readinesse, concealed in your right hand, take the pot in your left hand, and set it on the Table, and say, see you Gentlemen, here is nothing in the pot but water, with that clap down the pot lid with your right hand, and in clapping it down, slip the face into the pot, this you may doe without any the lest suspition. Then cause them all to stand off, and if they please, to marke you as narrowly as they can: with that put your hand into your pocket, and seeme to take out a handfull of powder, and to strew it over the pot, saying, _Surge celeriter_, by the powder of Experience, _surge_, then bid them look what is there. After the same manner may you make a Toade to appeare, which will cause no small admiration. _Advice whereby you may drinke a Tunnell full of drink, and afterwards seeme to poure the same all out of your sleeve againe._ YOu must get a double Tunnell, that is, two Tunnels sodered one within the other, so that you may at the little end poure a quantitie of wine, water, or any liquor. This Tunnell you must have readie filled before hand with whatsoever liquor you please: call for some of the same kinde: then draw your Tunnell, and setting your middle finger unto the bottome of it, bid some body, or else do you your selfe poure it full, and drinke it up before them, and turne the broad end of the Tunnell downeward, saying, Gentlemen, all is gone, and in a trice turne your selfe about, and in turning, pronounce some tearmes of art, withdraw your finger from the narrow end, and let all the liquor out that was betweene the Tunnels, and it will be thought to be that which you drunke out of the Tunnell, and so you may perswade them that it is the very same. _How to seeme to make a tooth drop out with a touch._ YOu must have some great tooth in a readinesse, as the tooth of a Hog, a Calfe, or of an Horse; this you must retain privately in your right hand, and with the same hand take out of your pocket a small corke bal, and having used some Rhetorick to perswade them that it is of some excellent property, incline your head, and therewith touch some one of your farther teeth, and immediately let the tooth that you held in your hand drop downe, saying, and this is the fashion of Mountebanks, Touch and take. _Another conceit to procure laughter._ TAke your ball in one hand, and the tooth in the other, and stretch your hands as farre as you can one from the other, and if any will, lay a quart of wine with him that you will not withdraw your hands, and yet will make both of them come into either hand which they please: It is no more to do, than to lay one downe upon the Table, and turne your selfe round, and take it up with the other hand, and your wager is won, and it will move no small laughter to see a foole so lose his money. _How to make two or three egges dance upon a staffe._ PRovide a good thick staffe about two yards long, three parts wherof ought to be made scoope-wise, or halfe hollow, like a basting ladle, the fourth part must serue for the handle. At the end of the scoope must be made a hole, and therein put a broad pin about the length of an egge, and it is done. Rest the handle of this staffe against your right thigh, and hold it with your right hand neere to the beginning of the scoope; lay an egge then into the scoope of the staffe, and turne your selfe round, bearing the staffe now up, and anon downe, with the scoope side of it alwayes upward, so the eg will tumble from one end of the scoop unto the other, and not fall out. After the same manner may you make two or three egges by a little practice to wamble one after another. _A merry conceit_ DEliver one peece of money with your left hand unto one and to a second person another, and offer a third to another, for he seeing the other receive money, will not lightly refuse it: when he offereth to take it, you may rap him on the fingers with a knife, or somewhat else held in your right hand, saying that you knew by vertue of your _bonus genius_, that hee meant to have kept it from you. _How to knit an hard knot upon a handkercher, and to seeme to undo the same with words._ MAke one plaine loose knot, with the two corner ends of a handkercher, and seeming to draw the same very hard, hold fast the body of the said handkercher (neere to the knot) with your right hand, pulling the contrary end with the left hand, which is the corner of that which you hold. Then cloze up handsomely the knot, which will bee yet somewhat loose, and pull the handkercher so with your right hand, as the left hand end may be neere to the knot: then will it seeme to be a true and firme knot. And to make it appeare more assuredly to be so indeed, let a stranger pull at the end which you hold in your left hand, whilest you hold fast the other in your right hand; and then holding the knot with your fore-finger and thumbe, and the nether part of your handkercher with your other fingers, as you hold a bridle when you would with one hand slip up the knot and lengthen your reines. This done, turne your handkercher over the knot with the left hand, in doing whereof, you must suddenly slip out the end or corner, putting up the knot of your handkercher with your fore-finger and thumbe, as you would put up the foresaid knot of your bridle. Then deliver the same (covered and wrapt within the midst of your handkercher) to one to hold fast, and after the pronunciation of some words of Art, and wagers laid, take the handkercher and shake it, and it will be loose. _A notable feat of Fast and Loose; namely, to pull three beadstones from off a Cord, while you hold fast the ends thereof, without removing of your hands._ TAke two litle whipcords of two foot long a piece, double them equally, so as there may appeare foure ends. Then take three great beadstones, the hole of the one of them being bigger than the rest; and put one beadstone upon the eye or bought of the one cord, and another on the other cord: then take the stone with the greatest hole, and let both the bowts be hidden therein: which may be the better done, if you put the eye of the one into the eye of the other. Then pull the middle bead upon the same, being doubled over his fellow, and so will the beads seeme to be put over the two cords without partition, for holding fast in each hand the two ends of the two cords, you may tosse them as you lift, and make it seeme manifest to the beholders, which may not see how you have done it, that the beadstones are put upon the cord without fraud: Then must you seeme to adde more effectuall binding of those beadstones to the string, and make one halfe of a knot with one of the ends of each side, which is for no other purpose, but that when the Bead stones be taken away, the cords may be seene in the case which the beholders suppose them to be in before. For when you have made your halfe knot (which in any wise you may not double to make a perfect knot) you must deliver into the hands of some stander by, those two cords, namely, two ends evenly set in one hand, and two in the other, and then with a wager and tearmes of Art, begin to pull off your Bead-stones, which if you handle nimbly, and in the end cause him to pull his two ends, the two cords will shew to be placed plainly, and the Bead-stones to have come thorow the cords. _To burne a threed, and to make it whole againe with the ashes thereof._ TAke two Threeds or small Laces, of one foot in length a piece: rowle up one of them round, which will be then of the quantity of a pease, bestow the same betweene your left fore-finger and your thumb. Then take the other threed and hold it forth at length, betwixt the fore-finger and thumb of each hand, holding all your fingers daintily, as yong Gentlewomen are taught to take up a morsel of meat. Then let one cut asunder the same threed in the middle; when that is done, put the tops of your two thumbs together, and so shall you with lesse suspition receive the piece of threed which you hold in your right hand unto your left, without opening your left finger and thumb, then holding these two pieces as you did the same before it was cut, let these two be cut also asunder in the midst, and they conveyed as before, untill they be cut verie short, and then rowle all those ends together, and keep that ball of short threeds before the other in your left hand, & with a knife thrust out the same into a candle, where you may hold it untill the said ball of short threeds be burnt to ashes. Then pull backe the knife with your right hand, and leave the ashes with the other ball betwixt the fore finger and thumbe of your left hand, and with the two thumbs and two fore-fingers together, seeming to take paines to rub the ashes, untill your threed be renued, and draw out that threed at length, which you kept all this while betwixt your fore-finger and thumbe. If you have Legerdemain to bestow the same ball of threed, and to change it from place to place betwixt your two fingers (as may be easily done) then will it seeme very strange. _To cut a Lace asunder in the midst, and to make it whole againe._ PRovide a piece of the Lace which you meane to cut, or at the least a patterne like the same, one inch and a halfe long, and keeping it double privily in your left hand, betwixt some of your fingers neare to the tops thereof take the other Lace which you meane to cut, which you may hang about ones necke, & draw downe your said left hand to the bought thereof: and putting your owne piece a little before the other (the end or rather the middle whereof, you must hide betwixt your fore-finger and thumb) making the eye or bought which shall be seene of your patterne, let some stander by cut the same asunder, and it will be surely thought that the other Lace is cut; which with words and rubbing and chafing it, you shall seeme to renew and make whole againe. This, if it be wel handled, will seeme miraculous. _How to seeme suddenly to melt a piece of Coyne with words._ YOu must have a boxe made of brasse or Crooked Lane plate, a double boxe, and not above five quarters of an inch deepe: in the midst must be the bottome, and both ends must have covers to come over them. This boxe might be so neatly made, that each lid might have a small bolt artificially contrived (which though I could make my selfe neither by words nor figures I can describe) whereby the lids of the boxe might be lockt fast on, that none but master Iugler himselfe knows readily to open. In one end of this boxe have alwayes in readinesse a resemblance of moulten silver which you may easily make by mixing an equall quantitie of linfoyl and quicksilver together, which you shall thus do: First put your linfoyl in a crucible or Goldsmiths melting pot, melt it, and then take it from the fire, and put in your quicksilver, and stirre both well together, and it is done. Now the one end of your box being readie furnished herewith, borrow a piece of coine of some one in the companie, willing him to give it some private marke whereby he may know it againe to be his owne, then put it into the other end of the box, in the bottome whereof you may have a little waxe to keepe it from ratling. Thus you may seeme by vertue of words to melt his monie, and afterwards to give it againe to the partie whole as you received it from him. _A device whereby you may draw sundrie liquors out of one seeming vessell, all which shall be put in at one hole, and all drawne out of another._ YOu must cause a vessell of an indifferent bignesse to be made in forme of a Tunne, having two partitions, so there will be three severall parts: A B signifieth the first, C D the second, and E F the third, upon the top of this Tunne must bee fast nailed a piece of wood turned round as G H, in the center whereof must be erected a stile, whose top must be made into a screw, in this wood must also be made three holes towards the circumpherence, each hole having a pipe inserted into it, which may extend themselues one of either into each vessell, as you may see by the figure. I K signifieth the first pipe which reacheth into the first part A B, L M, the second pipe that extendeth it selfe into the second part noted C D. N O the third pipe that extendeth it selfe into the third part E F, each part also must have his vent, else you can neither fill nor emptie it, these are marked with the letters P Q R, upon the top of the aforesaid wood must be fastned a piece of liquored leather having three holes in it answerable unto the holes of the wood, then upon the wood must be scrued another snout whereby to fill each vessell with a severall liquor, V the snouts S T a brasse plate whereunto the snout is sodered, W the scrue that scrueth this snout upon the stile in the turned wood G H. [Illustration] Lastly, each vessell must have its pipe whereout you may draw the conteined liquor which you may see in the figure, and then must there be scrued over them another plate with a taper vessell, so by turning it about from one hole to another you may deliver each liquor apart whether of them you please. _A very strange tricke whereby you may seeme to cut a piece of Tape into foure parts, and make it whole againe with words._ TAke a piece of narrow white tape about two or three yards long; first present it to view to any that may desire it, then tie both the ends of it together, and take one side of it in one hand, and the other in the other hand, so that the knot may be about the midst of one side, and using some circumstantiall words to beguile your spectators, turn one hand about towards your selfe, and the other from you, so shall you twist the tape once, then clap the ends together, and then if you slip your fore-finger and thumbe of every hand betweene the tape almost as one would hold a skeine of threed to be wound, this will make one fold or twist as may appeare in the first figure, where A signifieth the twist or fold. B the knot, then in like manner make a second fold about the line DC, as you may see by the second figure, where B signifieth the knot, C the first fold, A the second fold. Hold then your fore-finger and thumbe of your left hand upon the second twist, and upon the knot also, and the fore-finger and thumbe of your right hand upon the first fold C, and desire some one of your spectators to cut all asunder with a sharpe knife at the crosse line ED. When it is cut, hold still your left hand, and let all the ends fall you hold in your right hand, for there will be a shew of eight ends, foure aboue and foure below, and so the string will be thought to be cut into foure parts, as may be seene by the third figure; then gather up the ends that you let fall into your left hand, and deliver two of the ends (seeming to take them at randome) unto two severall persons, bidding them to hold them fast, still, keeping your left hand fingers upon the twists or folds: [Illustration] then with your right and left hand seeme to tumble and whaf all the ends together that you had in your left hand, twist out all the slips or pieces which are three, as you may see at A and B in the third figure; twist them all, I say, into a little ball, and conceale it betweene some of your fingers of your left hand, and crumble thereof on another confused heape: and after some words said, with your right hand deliver this confused heape unto one of the company, bidding him to hold it fast, saying, _Hulla passa quicke couragious fiat coniunctio_: Then bid them looke on it, who while they are greedily looking after the event, you may with ease convey the ball or roll of ends into your pocket, so will it be thought you have made it whole by vertue of your words. An excellent tricke if it be gracefully handled and a tricke that cost mee more trouble to finde than all the rest; this I have gone purposely to obserue, but returned as wise as I went. _A device how to multiply one face, and make it seeme to be an hundred or a thousand._ THis feate must be performed by a looking-glasse made for the nonce, the figure whereof I have fully described, with the manner of making it, which is thus: First make an hoope or phillet of wood, horn, or such like, about the widenesse of an halfe-crowne piece, in the circumference; the thicknesse of this hoope or phillet let be about a quarter of an inch. In the middle of this hoope fasten a bottome of wood or brasse, and bore in a decent order divers small holes about the bignesse of small pease, or phitches, then upon the one side of this bottome let in a piece of Christall glasse, and fasten it in the hoope close to the bottome; then take a quantitie of quicksilver, and prepare it after this manner: Take, I say, a quantitie as an ounce or two of quicksilver, and put to it a little salt, and stirre them well together, then put to them some whitewine vineger, and wash or stirre all together with a woodden slice, then powre away the vineger, and wash away the salt with faire water made warme, then powre away the water, and put the quicksilver into a piece of white leather, and binde it up hard, and so twist or straine it out into an earthen panne and it will be very bright and pure, then put so much of this prepared quicksilver into the philet or foresaid hoope as will cover the bottome; then let into the hoope another piece of christal glasse fitted thereto, and sement the sides, that the quicksilver may not runne out, and it is done. The figure whereof I have here under set; A representeth the one side that giveth the forme of one face to the beholders B the other side that multiplieth the beholders face, so oft as there are holes in the middle bottome, the use hereof I shall not insist upon, since he that is verst in the former feats will better conceive of himselfe to use it, then my words can either direct or assist him. [Illustration] _Of divers pretty iugling knacks._ THere are many feats able to beguile the simple, as to deliver meale, pepper, ginger, or any powder out of your mouth after the eating of bread, which is done by retaining any of these things stuffed in a little paper or bladder, conveyed into your mouth, and grinding the same with your teeth. _Item_, a rush thorow a piece of a trencher, having three holes, and at the one side the rush appearing out in the second, at the other side in the third hole, by reason of an hollow place made betwixt them both, so as the slight consisteth in the turning of the piece of trencher. _Feats by conveyance of money:_ THe best place to dispose of a piece of money, is in the palme of the hand, and the best piece for conveyance is a tester, but with practice all will be alike. _A notable tricke to transforme a Counter into a Groat._ TAke a Groat, or some lesse peece of money, and grinde it very thinne at the one side, and take two Counters and grind them, the one on the one side, the other on the other side; glew the smooth side of the Groat to the smooth side of one of the Counters, ioyning them so close together as may be, specially at the edges, which may be so filed, as they shall seeme to be but one piece; to wit, one side a counter, the other side a groat. Then take a little greene waxe, and lay it upon the smooth side of the one counter, as it do not much discolour the groat; and so will that counter with the groat cleave together, as though they were glewed, and being filed even with the groat and the other counter, it will seem so like a perfect entire counter, that though a stranger handle it, he shall not bewray it; then having a little touched your forefinger and the thumb of your right hand with soft wax, take therewith this counterfeit counter, and lay it downe openly upon the palme of your left hand, in such sort as an Auditor layeth downe his counters, wringing the same hard, so as you may leave the glewed counter with the groat apparantly in the palme of your left hand, and the smooth side of the waxed counter will sticke fast upon your thumb, by reason of the waxe wherewith it is smeared, and so may you hide it at your pleasure, provided alwayes that you lay the waxed side downward, and the glewed side upward: then close your hand, and in or after the closing thereof turn the piece, and so instead of a counter (which they suppose to bee in your hand) you shall seeme to have a groat, to the admiration of the beholders, if it be well handled. _An excellent feat to make a twopeny piece lye plaine in your hand, and to be passed from thence when you lift._ PVt a little red waxe (but not too thinne) upon the naile of your longest finger, and let a stranger put a twopeny piece into the palme of your hand, and shut your fist suddenly, and convey the twopeny piece upon the wax, which with use you may so accomplish, as no man shall perceive it. Then say, _Ailif, casil, zaze, hit, mel_, and suddenly open your hand, holding the tips of your fingers rather lower than higher than the palme of your hand, and the beholders will wonder where it is become. Then shut your hand suddenly againe, and lay a wager whether it be there or no; and you may either leave it there, or take it away with you at your pleasure. _How to transforme any one small thing into another forme by folding of paper._ TAke a sheet of paper and fold, or double the same, so as one side be a little longer than the other: Then put a Counter betweene the two leaves of the paper up to the middle of the top of the fold, holding the same so as it be not perceived, and lay a groat on the outside thereof, right against the Counter, and fold it downe to the end of the longer side: and when you unfold it againe, the groat will be where the Counter was, and the counter where the groat was; so as some will suppose that you have changed the money into a counter, and with this many feats may be done. _How to convey money out of one of your hands into the other by =Legerdemain=._ FIrst, you must hold open your right hand, and lay therein a Tester, or some big piece of money, then lay thereupon the top of your long left finger, and use some words of Art, & upon the sudden, slip your right hand from your finger, wherewith you held downe the Tester, and bending your hand a very little, you shall retain the Tester still therein, and suddenly drawing your right hand thorow your left, you shall seeme to have left the Tester there, specially when you shut in due time your left hand. Which that it may more plainly appeare to be truly done, you may take a knife, and seeme to knocke against it, so as it shall make a great sound: but instead of knocking the piece in the left hand (where none is) you shall hold the point of the knife fast with the left hand, and knocke against the tester held in the other hand, and it wil be thought to hit against the money in the left hand. Then after some words of Art pronounced, open your hand, and when nothing is seene, it will be wondered at how the Tester was removed. _How to make a six pence seeme to fall thorow a Table._ YOu must have an Handkercher about you, having a Counter neatly sewed in one of the corners of it: take it out of your pocket, and desire some bodie to lend you a tester, and seeme to wrap it up in the midst of the Handkercher, but retaine it in your hand, and in stead of so doing, wrap the corner in the middest that hath the counter sewed in it, and then bid them feele if it be not there, which they will imagine to bee no other than the tester that they lent you. Then bid them lay it under a hat upon the Table, and call for a Basin of water, hold it under the Table, and knocke, saying, _Vade_, come quicke, and then let the sixpence fall out of your hand into the water. Then take up the hat, and take the handkercher and shake it, saying, that's gone, then shew them the money in the Basin of water. _How to seeme to blow sixpence out of another mans hand._ TAke a sixpence, blow on it, and clap it presently into one of your spectators hands, bidding them to hold it fast: Then aske of him if he be sure he have it, then to be certaine, he will open his hand and look. Then say to him nay, but if you let my breath go off, I cannot do it. Then take it out of his hand againe, and blow on it, and staring him in the face, clap a piece of horne in his hand, and retaine the sixpence, shutting his hand your selfe. Bid him hold his hand downe, and slip the tester betweene one of his cuffes. Then take the stone that you shew feats with, and hold it unto his hand, saying, _By vertue hereof, I will and command the money to vanish you hold in your hand, vade_, now see: when they have looked, then will they thinke that it is changed by the vertue of your stone. Then take the horne againe, and seeme to cast it from you, retaining it, and say, _vade_, and anon, say you have your money againe: He then will begin to marvell, and say, I have not, say then to him again, you have, and I am sure you have it: Is't not in your hands? if it be not there, turne downe one of your sleeves, for it is in one I am sure, where when he findeth it, he will not a little wonder. _How to deliver to one man one sixpence, and to another another sixpence, and to make both the testers come into one mans hand._ [Sidenote: Your finger must be rubd with waxe, so you may delude him without any suspition. The hard pressing of the money in the hand, will seeme that the money is in the hand when it is not, for a moment therefore be quick.] DEliver into one mans hand two testers even set instead of one, shutting his hand immediatly: then take another tester, and have in readinesse a piece of horne cut even with it. Clap the said tester into his right hand with the horne under it, staying the tops of your two middlemost fingers stiffe upon the tester; so bending his hand a little downward, draw your fingers toward you, and they will slip the tester out of his hand, and shut his hand presently, who feeling the piece of horne, will imagine it is the tester: then say, he that kissed a pretty wench last in a corner, shal have both Testers in his hand, & the other shall have none. This may also be performed without a peece of horne, wringing one tester in the palme of the hand, and taking it away with your thumbe being waxed; for the hard wringing the money in the hand will make the partie beleeve he hath it, when he hath it not. _Conveyance of Cards and Dice._ THere are a multitude of delightful feats which may be performed by an orderly placing, facing, shuffling, and cutting of cards usually played withall. Also a number of other strange feats may bee shewed by cards and dice, such as may be purposely made. The cards may be made halfe of one print and halfe of another; so by holding them divers wayes sundrie things may be presented each contrary to other. For example, with foure of the same Cards purposely made, and holding them accordingly, you shall present eight severall things. Now for the Dice the cunning is in forging them, and a readie retaining or throwing two among three, or one with two: they must, I say, be forged bigger towards one side than the other, so that the weight of one side may draw up the other. Other some may be made flatter being furnished with such like. And having learned to retaine them handsomely and readily, you may have the game at command, and know before-hand what will be your cast, and so vie upon it too. Moreover, for the Cards there are divers other tricks, of which those that are cheaters make continuall practice, as nipping them, turning up one corner, marking them with little spots, placing glasses behinde those that are gamesters, and in rings for the purpose, dumbe shoes of some standers by. But I will not stand on discovering these, for in this our cousening age there are too many so expert herein, that they maintaine themselves better than many an honest man with a lawfull trade and calling. Onely take this by the way, Those that have money in their purses, let them beware of Carding and Dicing, lest they wish they had when it is too late. As for my owne part, Ile never play for that I am sure of already: if any will play with mee upon other tearmes, I am sure I shall loose nothing by the bargaine. _Of Confederacie._ SOme there are that have said I writ not sufficiently of this part in the former Edition; I rather thinke the cause was they thought they had too litle for their money. Neverthelesse I will to give every one their desired content, and deliver my minde more fully herein, and it may be which I most desire they may learne to avoid the company of roaving gamesters, cheaters, I meane that frequent the high-wayes, and principall Townes and places of resort thereabouts; for they are of the same manner though for a worser end. First therefore by this word Confederacie is meant, a kinde of Combination, or making an agreement or covenanting among sundrie persons for the accomplishment of one and the selfe same businesse: understand me aright, All these being very well knowne each to other (at least the designe as may appeare by their agreement therabout) do so estrange themselues as if they had never seene each other before. And to the end that they might performe their designe, not giving any the least suspition to any of the beholders, I will give you an instance or two whereby I shall give you sufficient information for the more ready conceiving of every particular in this nature when and wheresoever you see them performed. _How to cast a peece of money away, and to finde it in another mans mouth, pocket, or purse._ THe Iugler cals for some one piece of coine, as a tester or a shilling of any one in the company, he willeth him to marke it with what marke he will, then he taketh it and casteth it away, and commeth to his confederate (who is furnished before-hand with the like piece of coine marked with the very same marke) and bids him deliver the money out of his pocket, purse, or if hee say the word, his mouth; for this is concluded of before-hand. Now this confederate to make the matter seeme more strange, wil begin to fume and fret, asking how he should come by it, till having found the marke, he will confesse it be none of his, wondering at his skill how he should send it hither: and all the rest be taken with a reall admiration of his extraordinarie cunning. _How by the sound of a Counter philliped to tell what side is uppermost, whether crosse or pyle._ THe Iugler draws a Counter out of his pocket, and saith to the company, See here is a Counter, take it who please, and let them phillip it up, and I will by my cunning tell you whether crosse or pyle be uppermost by the very sound for you shall hood-winke me. Now there are three, foure, or more confederates in the place, who seeming strangers as well as the rest will be very importunate to have the philliping it, and before one of these shall have it, who by some signe of the fingers or countenance (foreknowne to the Iugler) do give him information after he is demanded. Of the same nature is that tricke formerly mentioned in the booke, and called The decollation of _Iohn Baptist_. To make one dance naked is a tricke of the same nature, for the partie beforehand is agreed to do it, and also the manner and circumstances: So that the Iugler to blind the people pronounceth sundrie words to such a person, he then begins to rave like a madde man, and put his clothes off with a kinde of violent carelesnesse, though, God knows, the party knows as well what he doth as your selfe that reade it. After the same manner shall you know what money another hath in his purse, and casting money into a pond, and finding it under a stone or threshold in another place. Also to make a piece of money to leape out of a cup and run to another, by meanes of a small haire fastened to the money, which haire the confederate guideth, with a multitude of such like strange feats, which may seeme impossible in the iudgement of the common people to be effected without the assistance of the devill or some familiar, which for to nominate is neither needfull, nor will my occasions permit so much leisure as to do it. _How to make a bellowing noyse like an oxe, of a dogge and cat fighting together, or of two mastiffes fighting together._ THis I saw once or twice performed, and to my knowledge not above. It was a lusty young fellow that did it with a cloth cast over his head which reached downe to his feet, all was to beguile the people, for he pretended that this sound came out of his belly; he had a full and strong voice, and had practised a good while, and another man of the like making may easily do as much. For his nostrils he stopt with his forefinger and thumbe, and closed the other part of his hand over his mouth as I saw him once uncased. Another man I saw at the same time, eate halfe a dozen quicke charcoale, but this is not to be attempted by every one: For some cannot eate their meat very hot; others there are that cannot away with meat except it be boyling hot, and they are of that disposition, I should have said rather constitution, that they will not sticke to take meat as it is boyling out of a pot with their bare hands, and yet feele no extraordinary heat. I have here set downe, kinde Reader, not onely all usuall feates that either my selfe have seene or heard of, but divers others also which I am sure were never in print, nor as yet performed by any I could ever heare of except my selfe, and all to give thee thy full content: and take thus much from me, If thou rightly understand this, there is not a tricke that any Iugler in the world can shew thee, but thou shalt bee able to conceive after what manner it is performed, if he do it by slight of hand, and not by an unlawfull and detested means. That there are such it is not to be doubted of, that do worke by unlawfull meanes, and have besides their owne natural endowments the assistance of some familiar, whereby they many times effect such miraculous things as may well be admired by whom soever shall either behold or heare tell of them. I could give an instance in one whose father while he lived was the greatest Iugler in _England_, and used the assistance of a familiar; he lived a Tinker by trade, and used his feates as a trade by the by; he lived, as I was informed, alwayes betotterd, and dyed, for ought I could heare, in the same estate. I could here, as I have instanced in this man, so give you his name, and where he liveth, but because he hath left the bad way, and chose the better, because he hath amended his life, and betooke himselfe to an honest calling, I will rather reioyce at his good, then do him any the least disgrace by naming him to have beene such a one. If here be any aske my name, let them know I am not bound to tell them. If they aske why I have writ this pamphlet, Tis to delight them: let them excuse me for the one, and thanke me for the other: and it may be, if time will give so much leasure, I shall hereafter spend my wits upon some better subiect. _FINIS._ Transcriber's Notes The book from which this e-text was transcribed bears the inscription "Bequest of Harry Houdini April 1927". The Library of Congress Online Catalog lists Harper as author of this work, however WorldCat lists the book as printed by Thomas Harper for Ralph Mab. It seems that Mab was a stationer (arguably the publisher) and Harper the printer, not the author. Italic text is marked _thus_. Normal text denoting emphasis within italic headings and sections is marked =thus=. Words which start with two capital letters are printed with large or ornamented initial "drop capitals" in the original. Irregular spelling, capitalisation and hyphenation are as per the original. Spacing around punctuation has been regularised. Unclear or missing punctuation corrected without note. Long-s in the original replaced with regular s. Sidenotes and illustrations have been moved to the nearest sentence break i.e. period, colon or semi-colon. Missing letters have been restored as follows: "The Definition, or description of the Operator" [T in "The" added] "Then say thus, they swallow puddings" [p in "pudding" added] "moment therefore be quick" [f in "therefore" added] "and called The decollation of _Iohn Baptist_" [a in "Baptist" added] Likely printer errors were noted as follows but not corrected: "should churme for butter, and" ["churme" should be "churne"?] "quantitie of linfoyl and quicksilver" and "put your linfoyl in a crucible" ["linfoyl" should be "tinfoyl"?] 
36659	----	Magic In which are given clear and concise explanations of all the well-known illusions, as well as many new ones _by_ ELLIS STANYON Philadelphia The Penn Publishing Company 1910 COPYRIGHT 1901 BY THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY Contents CHAP. PAGE I. INTRODUCTION 11 II. PRINCIPLES OF SLEIGHT OF HAND APPLICABLE TO SMALL OBJECTS 26 III. TRICKS WITH COINS 33 IV. TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS 57 V. TRICKS WITH BALLS 93 VI. HAT TRICKS 114 VII. ANTI-SPIRITUALISTIC TRICKS 127 VIII. AFTER DINNER TRICKS 142 IX. MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS 159 X. STAGE TRICKS 209 XI. SHADOWGRAPHY 228 Preface The art of pretended magic dates back to the remotest antiquity. It has been known under various names, such as White Magic, Conjuring, Natural Magic, and Prestidigitation. Jannes and Jambres, the magicians of Pharaoh, contended against Moses and Aaron. In the British Museum there is an Egyptian papyrus, which contains an account of a magical seance given by a thaumaturgist named Tchatcha-em-ankh before King Khufu, B.C., 3766. In this manuscript it is stated of the magician: "He knoweth how to bind on a head which hath been cut off, and he knoweth how to make a lion follow him as if led by a rope." The decapitation trick is thus no new thing, while the experiment with the lion, unquestionably a hypnotic feat, shows hypnotism to be old. The temples of Egypt, Greece and Rome were veritable storehouses of magic and mystery. The pagan priesthood attained a wonderful proficiency in optical illusions. In the Middle Ages magic was greatly in vogue. Later on Nostradamus conjured up the vision of the future king of France for the benefit of the lovely Marie de Medicis. This illusion was accomplished by the aid of mirrors adroitly secreted amid hanging draperies. Reginald Scott, in 1584, in Discoverie of Witchcraft, enumerates the stock feats of the conjurers of his day. The list includes "swallowing a knife; burning a card and reproducing it from the pocket of a spectator; passing a coin from one pocket to another; converting money into counters, or counters into money; conveying money into the hand of another person; making a coin pass through a table, or vanish from a handkerchief; tying a knot, and undoing it 'by the power of words'; taking beads from a string, the ends of which are held fast by another person; making corn to pass from one box to another; turning wheat into flour 'by the power of words'; burning a thread and making it whole again; pulling ribbons from the mouth; thrusting a knife into the head or arm; putting a ring through the cheek; and cutting off a person's head and restoring it to its former position." A number of these feats, in an improved form, survive to this day. In the early part of the eighteenth century conjuring made considerable progress. Men of education and address entered the profession, thereby elevating it from the charlatanry of the strolling mountebank to the dignity of a theatrical performance. The nobility of Paris flocked to the opera house to see the great Pinetti perform. Following him came Torrini, Comte, Bosco, Philippe, and finally the king of conjurers, Robert-Houdin. In the year 1844, Houdin inaugurated his Fantastic Evenings at the Palais Royal, Paris, and a new era dawned for magic. He reformed the art by suppressing the suspiciously-draped tables of his predecessors, substituting for these "clumsy confederate boxes" light and elegant tables and little gueridons, undraped. He went still further in his innovations by adopting the evening dress of everyday life, instead of the flowing robes of many of the magicians of the old régime. His tricks were of a different order, sounding the death knell of double-bottomed boxes, and apparatus which was too evidently designed for the magical disappearance and reappearance of objects. Houdin has well earned the title of "The Father of Modern Conjuring," and his autobiography makes fascinating reading. Since Houdin's time, conjuring has made rapid strides. The wide dissemination of literature on the subject and the consequent exposés have stimulated magicians to invent new tricks, or improve old ones. The study of magic in addition to being a fascinating amusement has a pedagogical value, admitted by all professors of psychology; it sharpens the mental faculties, especially those of observation and attention. A comprehensive but concise manual on the subject of up-to-date tricks will be welcomed by the student. I take pleasure in introducing to American readers, Professor Ellis Stanyon's capital manual on sleight-of-hand. Professor Stanyon is one of the most prolific as well as one of the cleverest living writers, on the subject of legerdemain. He has done much to popularize the fascinating art of white magic. His excellent chapter on "After-Dinner Tricks" is particularly recommended as being within the province of almost any amateur who possesses a modicum of personal address and a fair amount of digital dexterity. I have supplemented the work with chapters on "Shadowgraphy," and "Stage Illusions," also a number of tricks which have proved "drawing cards" in the hands of American conjurers, like the late Alexander Herrmann, and living artists like Kellar, Elliott, Plate, Robinson, Fox, Powell, etc. In the preparation of the additional matter, I am indebted for many valuable hints to those dexterous and clever performers, Doctor Elliott, Adrian Plate and William E. Robinson, who are especially noted as inventive minds in the realm of pure sleight-of-hand. HENRY RIDGELY EVANS, Washington, D.C. Magic CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION There are one or two leading principles to be borne in mind by any one taking up the study of magic. The first and foremost is, Never tell the audience what you are going to do before you do it. If you do, the chances of detection are increased tenfold, as the spectators, knowing what to expect, will the more readily arrive at the true method of bringing about the result. It follows as a natural consequence that you must never perform the same trick twice in the same evening. It is very unpleasant to have to refuse an encore; and should you be called upon to repeat a trick study to vary it as much as possible, and to bring it to a different conclusion. There will generally be found more ways than one of working a particular trick. It is an axiom in conjuring that the best trick loses half its effect on repetition. Should a hitch occur in the carrying-out of the programme by the accidental dropping of an article, or from any other cause, above all things do not get confused, but treat the matter as a good joke, and meet the difficulty with a smile, making use of some such expression as the following: "Well, you see I put it down there to show that it would go. It is perfectly solid and does not stick." By this means, instead of spoiling the entertainment, you add greatly to the amusement of the spectators. Do not cultivate quick movements, at the same time it will never do to be painfully slow; but endeavor to present your tricks in an easy-going, quiet, graceful manner. It is generally understood that "the quickness of the hand deceives the eye," but this is entirely erroneous. It is impossible for the hand to move quicker than the eye can follow, as can be proved by experiment. The deception really lies in the method of working the trick, and in the ability of the performer in misdirection, as will be seen from a perusal of the following pages. A little well-arranged talk as an introductory to an entertainment will be found to put you on good terms with your audience. A few words, something like the following, will suffice: "Ladies and Gentlemen, with your kind attention I shall endeavor to amuse you with a series of experiments in legerdemain. In doing so I wish it to be distinctly understood that I shall do my best to deceive you, and upon the extent to which I am able to do so will depend my success." At the close of an entertainment a little speech, of which the following is an example, will be found to prove a good finish: "Ladies and Gentlemen, in concluding my entertainment I have only to say that, apart from deceiving you, which was but a secondary consideration, if I have been able to afford you some slight amusement I feel amply rewarded." In concluding these remarks I must enforce upon the novice the necessity for constant practice, without which the clearest instruction would be useless. This applies, not only to conjuring, but equally well to any form of amusement, so the would-be magician may congratulate himself on the fact that the difficulties to surmount are not in excess of those of any other form of entertainment. Before proceeding to describe the various tricks it will be well to notice one or two appliances of general utility. THE DRESS.--The usual attire of the modern magician is the conventional evening dress, but I have known performers of the present day to adopt various fancy costumes. Where the ordinary dress coat is used, each tail is provided with a large pocket, known as a profonde, the mouth of which is on a level with the knuckles, and slopes slightly to the side. These pockets, which are usually seven inches square, are lined with buckram, and sewn on rather full, to keep them constantly open. They are used to contain "loads" for hat tricks, etc., also to vanish articles, such as watches, eggs, or balls. In addition to these pockets, two others, known as pochettes, are used on the trousers. These are sewn on rather full at the back of the thigh, on a level with the knuckles, and covered by the tails of the coat; they are useful to contain rings, coins, or other small articles required in the course of the performance. There are also two pockets known as breast pockets, one in each side of the coat. These should be of a size large enough to contain a dinner plate, and should be made with the bottom sloping a little toward the back, to prevent articles placed in them from falling out. The opening should be in a perpendicular position one and a half inches from the edge of the coat. These are loaded with rabbits, doves, etc., or any large or cumbersome article required for magical production. In the case of fancy costumes the pockets, if required, must be arranged as the attire permits. If you perform in a dinner jacket, the ordinary side pockets can be used for producing or vanishing the articles. The breast pockets, as already described, can be retained. THE TABLE.--There are a great many tricks which can be performed without the aid of a special table; in fact, tables of any description are very secondary articles in the stage settings of conjurers of the present day. Where they are employed they are usually of the small round tripod pattern, fancifully made for show, and are used only for the purpose of an ordinary table. Tables with traps and other mechanical appliances are almost, if not entirely, out of date, no performer with any pretensions to originality making use of them. A neat little table can be made from a piece of board eighteen inches in diameter, covered with red baize, and hung with fancy fringe to taste; the legs taking the form of an ordinary music stand. The under-side of the table is fitted with a brass plate holding a pin, about two inches long, to fit the socket of the stand. This forms one of the most compact tables possible, and is greatly in vogue, as the stand can be folded up into a small compass, and placed, together with the top, in a black canvas case for traveling. Two of these tables will occupy very little more room than one, and they look well in pairs. They will generally be found to afford sufficient convenience for an evening's entertainment. THE SERVANTE.--This is a secret shelf behind the performer's table, on which are placed articles to be magically produced in various ways. It is also used to vanish articles as occasion may require. In the absence of a specially prepared table a servante can be readily devised by pulling out the drawer at the back of any ordinary table about six inches, and throwing a cloth over the whole, the cloth being pushed well into the drawer so as to form a pad to deaden the sound of any article dropped into it. If a table with a drawer cannot be obtained, a servante, which will answer every purpose, can be arranged by throwing a cloth over the table and pinning it up behind in the form of a bag. In the case of the small round tripod tables, a small drawer, made from a cigar box, can be attached to the under side of them, and pulled out as required. The fringe decorating the edge of the table will conceal the presence of the drawer; but if the whole of the under side of the table, drawer included, be painted black, it cannot be detected at a few paces. There are various forms of portable servantes for fixing to the back of a table or chair. A description of one for use on a chair will be sufficient to give a clear idea of the construction of others, which can be arranged as required by the ingenuity of the performer. A piece of one-half inch board, seven inches by five inches, is covered with green baize, and slightly padded on one side with cotton wool, to prevent injury to any fragile article that may come in contact with it in the course of the performance. To this is screwed an iron frame (Fig. 1) of the same dimensions as the board. The frame, which carries a network as shown, is screwed to the board in such a way that it will fold up flush with the same, the whole being, when closed, under one inch in thickness. The frame carrying the network is prevented from opening too far by an iron bar screwed to the back of the woodwork, the sides of the frame being extended under this as shown. The board is fitted with two brass eyelets for attaching it to the top rail of an ordinary chair by means of two screw eyes or stout pins. To conceal the servante throw a fancy cloth over the back of the chair. [Illustration: Fig. 1.--The Servante] THE WAND.--This is a light rod about fifteen inches long and one-half inch in diameter, usually of ebony, with ivory tips; a plain rod, however, will answer the purpose equally well. The use of the wand is regarded by the uninitiated as a mere affectation on the part of the performer, but such is far from being the case. Its uses are legion. In addition to the prestige derived from the traditional properties of the wand, which has been the mystic emblem of the magician's power from time immemorial, it is absolutely necessary for the successful carrying-out of many experiments, as will be seen in the course of the present work. For instance, having palmed a coin, say in the right hand, you lower that hand and take up the wand, which effectually conceals, in a perfectly natural manner, the presence of the coin. The wand is now passed once or twice over the left hand, which is supposed to contain the coin, and on opening the hand the coin will be found to have vanished. It will thus be seen that the wand is of the utmost importance. [Illustration: Fig. 2.--Placing of Tables] CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS.--The arrangement of the stage is now to be considered by the amateur. If the performance is to be given in a parlor, a space must be curtained off at one end large enough to accommodate the magic tables, and allow sufficient room between them and the audience to enable the conjurer to execute the various exchanges, etc., necessary to the successful accomplishment of particular tricks. When called upon to give an entertainment in a house, where there are two adjoining parlors, separated by folding-doors, the magician can seat his audience in the front parlor, and use the back one for the stage, the folding-doors making an admirable substitute for a curtain. Now as to the placing of the tables (Fig. 2). It is customary for the large table to occupy the centre of the room, beneath or just back of the chandeliers, flanked by two small tripod tables or gueridons. A couple of wax tapers in silver or brass holders, placed on the centre table, gives a fine effect to the whole. The amateur must take care that there are no bright lights behind his tables, or worse still a mirror. Behind the scenes provide a table to hold the apparatus to be used in the various experiments. In arranging tricks for the programme very little information should be afforded the inquisitive spectator as to the real nature of the illusion to be performed; this caution being in accordance with the conjurer's axiom: Never tell your audience beforehand what you are about to do. For example, if you are to exhibit the "rising-cards" call it on your programme the "Cabalistic Cards," or the "Cards of Cagliostro." This will give no clue to the trick. And so with other illusions. Robert Heller, a clever entertainer, described his experiments somewhat as follows: 1. With a watch. 2. With thirty pieces of silver. 3. With a candle. 4. Mocha. The late Alexander Herrmann--"Alexander the Great"--was equally non-communicative. "Thirty minutes with Herrmann," "A bouquet of mystical novelties," etc., sufficed to describe a dozen or more brilliant feats of legerdemain. Arrange your magical novelties in groups, _e.g._: two or three coin tricks, three or four handkerchief tricks, etc., and not a coin trick, then an illusion with a handkerchief, followed by another feat with a coin. Lead up to the best trick in each group with several smaller feats of a more or less similar nature. This is well illustrated in the "Magical production of flowers," explained in Chapter IX. In addition to the programmes intended for distribution among the spectators, the performer must have a private programme of his own, stuck up in a conspicuous place behind the scenes. Upon this stage-programme is a list of the tricks to be performed during the evening, with the articles used in each trick. This is to prevent confusion. It is impossible for the performer or his assistant to always keep in mind the multifarious articles that go with each magical feat. When you retire behind the scenes after each group of tricks, you consult the "prompt-programme" to see that you have everything in readiness for the next series of illusions--for example an egg secreted under your vest, or a coin in your pocket. On one occasion, I saw the celebrated Herrmann completely bewildered and nonplussed because he did not have such a little thing as a pin stuck in the lapel of his coat, intended for use in the cornucopia and flower trick. This occasioned an awkward hesitation injurious to the effective performance of the feat. Herrmann had failed to examine his prompt-programme behind the scenes, hence his embarrassing situation. Each trick should have an appropriate verbal accompaniment, technically known as the "patter," or boniment, written underneath it, which should in every case be learned off by heart. This, especially to the beginner, is a necessity, and very few, if any, of the best performers work otherwise. Having once become accustomed to a programme, it should never be changed, in its entirety, for a new one. If it be desired to vary the mode of procedure, this is best done by the introduction of a new trick and the removal of an old one. By such means the performer saves himself a lot of trouble and anxiety, and is just as likely to give satisfaction from the point of view of an audience. This is the custom of professional performers, who very rarely alter their programmes; it also accounts in a large measure for their skill. It is a weakness with young performers to endeavor to crowd too many tricks into the time allotted to their part. This is a mistake, and is bound to lead to disastrous results. Each trick requires its proper time, which is best found by experiment, and the entertainment should be arranged accordingly. "A little and good" is better than "a lot and bad." A word or two as to nervousness may not be out of place. If the performer can bring himself to imagine, for the time being, at any rate, that he is the most wonderful individual in creation, his success is assured; that is, if everything has been rehearsed in private, and he knows his part thoroughly. A dull, nervous, or morose performer, however clever he may be, is sure to make the spectators feel uncomfortable, and thus spoil their enjoyment; therefore always endeavor to cultivate a cheerful manner, even under difficulties, and you will find your audience similarly affected. Apart from taking every advantage for repartee, always avoid being personal, and every possible opportunity for increasing the effect of a trick, the performer should be totally oblivious of all his surroundings and think only of himself and what he is doing. Once this is acquired, nervousness will be forever dispelled. Not a little benefit may be derived from attending entertainments given by other conjurers, and every opportunity of so doing should be taken. In this way, by listening attentively to the remarks of other auditors, you will gain many points, not only as to how a trick may be improved, but also as to what movements in the execution of the same are unnecessary or awkward, and consequently to be avoided. Under these circumstances you will be able to realize the full force of Burns's well-known words, "to see ourselves as others see us." CHAPTER II PRINCIPLES OF SLEIGHT OF HAND APPLICABLE TO SMALL OBJECTS PALMING.--The first thing the neophyte will have to do will be to learn palming, _i.e._, the art of holding small objects, such as coins, balls, nuts, corks, etc., concealed in the hand by a slight contraction of the palm. [Illustration: Fig. 3.--Palming Coin] Practise first with a coin. A half dollar is the most convenient size, and is the coin generally preferred by conjurers, as its milled edge affords a ready grip to the palm. Lay the coin on the right hand as shown in Fig. 3. Then slightly contract the palm by pressing the ball of the thumb inward, moving the coin about with the forefinger of the left hand until you find it is in a favorable position to be gripped by the fleshy portions of the hand. Continue to practise this until you can safely turn the hand over without any fear of letting the coin fall. When you can accomplish this with ease, lay the coin on the tips of the second and third fingers, steadying it with the thumb as in Fig. 4. Then moving the thumb aside, to the right, bend the fingers, and pass the coin up along the side of the thumb into the palm, which should open to receive it, and where, if you have followed the previous instructions, you will find no difficulty in retaining it. [Illustration: Fig. 4.--Palming Coin] As soon as you can do this with the hand at rest, practise the same movement with the right hand in motion toward the left, as if you really intended to place the coin in that hand. To get this movement perfect, it is advisable to work in front of a mirror. Take the coin in the right hand and actually place it in the left several times; then study to execute the same movement exactly, with the exception that you retain the coin in the right hand by palming. When appearing to transfer a coin, or any small object, from the right hand into the left, the left hand should rise in a natural manner to receive it. The right hand, in which is the palmed coin, should fall to the side; and the left hand should be closed as if it actually contained the coin, and should be followed by the eyes of the performer. This will have the effect of drawing all eyes in that direction, and in the meantime the right hand can drop the coin into the profonde, or otherwise dispose of it as may be necessary for the purpose of the trick. Let it be distinctly understood once for all that when you desire to draw the attention of the audience in a certain direction you must look fixedly in that direction yourself. The student who desires to become a finished performer should palm the various objects, with equal facility, either in the right or in the left hand. When you can hold a coin properly, as described, practise with a small lemon, a watch, or any other objects of similar size. In this case, however, owing to the greater extent of surface, it will not be found necessary to press the object into the palm, but simply to close the fingers round it, in the act of apparently placing it in the left hand. LE TOURNIQUET.--This pass is generally known by this name, so I will not depart from its time-honored title. Hold the coin between the fingers and thumb of the left hand (Fig. 5), and then appear to take it in the right by passing the thumb under and the fingers over the coin. Under cover of the right hand the coin is allowed to fall into the fingers of the left, where by a slight contraction it may be held between the first and second joints, or it may be allowed to fall into the palm proper. The right hand must be closed and raised as if it really contained the coin, and be followed by the eyes of the performer; the left falling to the side, and if necessary dropping the coin into the profonde. This pass should be performed equally well from either hand. [Illustration: Fig. 5 Le Tourniquet] THE FINGER PALM.--Lay a coin on the fingers as shown in Fig. 6. Then in the act of apparently placing it in the left hand, raise the forefinger slightly, and clip the coin between it and the second finger. The left hand must now close as if it contained the coin, and be followed by the eyes of the performer, while the right hand disposes of the coin as may be necessary. [Illustration: Fig. 6.--The Finger Palm] [Illustration: Fig. 7.--Application of the Finger Palm] Following is an illustration of the way in which this sleight can be employed with good effect. Place a candle on the table to your left, and then execute the pass as above described. The thumb of the right hand should now close on the edge of the coin nearest to itself and draw it back a little; and at the same time the candle should be taken from the candle-stick between the thumb and fingers of the same hand, (Fig. 7). The left hand, which is supposed to contain the coin, should now be held over the candle and opened slowly, the effect to the spectators being that the coin is dissolved into the flame. Both hands should at this point be shown, back and front, as the coin, owing to its peculiar position, cannot be seen at a short distance. You now take the upper part of the candle in the left hand; then lower the right hand to the opposite end and produce the coin from thence, the effect being that the money is passed through the candle, from one end to the other. TO CHANGE A COIN.--Sometimes, in order to bring about a desired result, it is necessary to change, or in conjurers' parlance to "ring," a borrowed and marked coin for a substitute of your own. There are many ways of effecting this, but having once mastered the various "palms" the student will readily invent means for himself. The following, however, is the one generally adopted by conjurers: Borrow a coin and have it marked. Then take it between the fingers and thumb of the left hand, as in "Le Tourniquet" (Fig. 5), having previously secreted the substitute in the palm of the right. Now take the coin in the right hand, and in doing so drop the substitute into the palm of the left, which you immediately close, and remark, "You have all seen me take the coin visibly from the left hand. I will now make it return invisibly." Saying this, you appear to throw the coin into the left hand, really palming it, and showing your own, which every one takes to be the original borrowed one. You now proceed with the trick in question, disposing of the marked coin as may be necessary. CHAPTER III TRICKS WITH COINS MAGICAL PRODUCTION OF A COIN.--Come forward with a coin palmed in the right hand. Draw attention to the left hand, showing it back and front as empty, and, as if in illustration of what you say, give the palm a smart slap with the right hand, leaving the coin behind, and slightly contracting the fingers so as to retain it; now show the right hand empty, pulling up the sleeve with the left hand which masks the presence of the coin, then close the left, and after one or two passes over it with the right hand, produce the coin. A NEW COIN FOLD.--Take a piece of paper four inches by five inches, place a coin on it and fold the top of the paper down over the coin to within one inch of the bottom. Then fold the right hand side of the paper under the coin, treating the left hand side in a similar way. You must now fold the bottom one inch of paper under the coin and you will, apparently, have wrapped it securely in the paper; but really it is in a kind of pocket, and will readily slip out into either hand at pleasure. Allow several persons in the audience to feel the coin through the paper, then take it from the left hand to the right, letting the coin slip out into the left hand, which picks up a plate from the table. You now burn the paper in the flame of a candle, and, dropping the ashes on the plate, the coin is found to have disappeared. A pretty effect can be obtained if, instead of using a piece of ordinary paper for the above, you make use of a piece of "flash" paper, which when placed in the flame of a candle vanishes entirely, leaving no trace behind. COIN AND CANDLE.--Repeat the last trick, using "flash" paper for the same and dispensing with the plate. When about to burn the paper in the flame of the candle, stand with the left hand, which contains the coin, holding the right lappet of your coat. After the flash show the hand empty, then take hold of the right lappet of the coat with the right hand, and in doing so let the coin drop from the left hand into it. The left hand immediately takes hold of the left lapel, and both hands pull the coat open as if to show that the coin is not concealed there. It is now a simple matter, but very effective, to lower the right hand over the candle and produce the coin apparently from the flame. THE INVISIBLE FLIGHT.--Hold the coin between the fingers and thumb of the left hand, looking at it yourself. From this position appear to take it in the right hand by passing the thumb under and the fingers over the coin. The coin is really allowed to drop into the fingers of the left hand, which contract slightly so as to retain it; the right hand is closed as if it really contained the coin and is followed by the eyes of the performer. The palm of the left hand can now be shown casually, when it will appear empty, the coin being held between the first and second joints of the fingers, which are slightly curled. The left hand is now closed and the piece apparently passed from the right hand into it; the left hand is then slowly opened, disclosing the coin lying on the palm. The reader will have noticed that up to this point no duplicate coins have been used, nor has it been necessary to exchange one coin for another. This forms what may be termed legitimate sleight of hand, and is to be recommended; but sometimes for the sake of effect it is really necessary to use a duplicate coin, and I will now mention one or two instances. For the following tricks a duplicate coin is prepared with a very small hook attached to one side about one-quarter inch from its edge. This coin is placed in the performer's right vest pocket, and is obtained by means of the following trick. VANISH FOR DUPLICATE.--Holding the coin you have been using in your right hand, you appear to place it in the left; instead of doing so, however, you palm it. Close the left hand as if it contained the coin, and then say that you will pass it from that hand into your waistcoat pocket; show the hand empty and then with the same hand take the duplicate coin from the pocket. The other coin, you will remember, remains palmed in the right hand. TO PASS A COIN THROUGH THE BODY.--In continuation of the preceding trick you place the left hand (holding the hooked coin) behind the body and attach the coin to the back between the shoulders, remarking:--"I shall next undertake a very difficult experiment, which consists in passing the coin right through my body, commencing from behind, up into my left hand" (as you say this you extend the hand closed). Some one is almost sure to remark that the coin may be in the hand already, to which you reply:--"Pardon me, no, I would not deceive you by so mean an expedient. See, the left hand is perfectly empty. If you prefer it I will use the other hand, which is also quite empty." You should have been holding the right hand, in which is the palmed coin, well extended and open, with the back toward the audience. The right hand will in nine cases out of ten be chosen, but should you be called upon to use the left you will have recourse to the method employed in the "Magical Production of Coin" at the head of this chapter, to get the coin into the left hand. Should the right hand be chosen, you may, with some caution, remark:--"Well, it's just as well to have the right one, but still I left it to you." All that remains for you to do now is to make believe, in the most dramatic manner possible, that the coin is travelling up the body, along the arm, and into the chosen hand, whence you let it fall on to a table or chair. Should the coin fall on the ground, you will be careful not to expose the one on your back when picking it up. SWALLOWING ILLUSIONS.--Having secured the coin again, appear to place it in the mouth, palming it, and producing it from the bottom of the vest. Repeat this pass, and remark:--"This time, by way of variation, we will stop the coin when it gets half way down and give it a sharp push" (strike your chest rather violently with both hands), "which will have the effect of sending it right through the body again." You now turn round and show the coin sticking on your back. COIN AND LEMONS.--Still keeping the coin palmed from the last trick, remove the one from your back and hold it between the forefinger and thumb of the left hand, from which you take it as in the "Invisible Flight." This time, however, you do actually take it with the right hand, and at the same time let fall from the right hand the coin concealed therein. The left hand now contains a coin, but will be thought to be empty. This movement is employed here to satisfy the spectators that you are working with one coin only, you having, without apparent design, shown both hands empty, with the exception of the piece you are using. You now lay the hooked coin down on the table and go behind the scenes for three lemons and a knife, which have been placed there in readiness on a plate. One of the lemons has a slit cut in it, into which you insert the coin you have carried off. Coming forward with the lemons on the plate, you force the choice of the one with the coin in the following manner:--"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have here three lemons. I only require one for the purpose of my trick and I will ask you to decide which it shall be. Which of the three do you prefer, the right or the left, or the one behind?" (The one behind is the prepared one.) If the one behind is chosen take it and proceed. If the right or the left is chosen throw it to the person making the selection, with the remark, "Thank you, I hope you will find it sweet." You will now have two left and you continue:--"I have now only two lemons. Which one shall I take, the right or the left?" If the prepared one is chosen take it and proceed with the trick. If the other one is chosen take it with the remark:--"Very good, then I will use the one that remains for the purpose of the trick." You now force the knife into the lemon, inserting it in the slit already made, and give it to some one to hold high in the air. Now pick up the coin from the table and vanish it by one or other of the means already described (a good method is given in the next trick), and then have the fruit cut open and the coin disclosed. The above form of ambiguous questioning can be used in any trick where it is essential that a particular article be chosen. You can avoid going behind the scenes by adopting the following ruse: Go to the wing, and extending your hand, in which is the coin, behind it, call out loudly to your assistant--"Bring me those lemons, please." In drawing attention to the fruit it is perfectly natural for you to extend your hand behind the wing and thus dispose of the coin. THE POCKET VANISH.--Take a coin in the right hand and make believe to place it in the left, really palming it. The left hand is closed as if it contained the coin and held away from the body. The right hand pulls back the sleeve slightly as if to show that the coin has not been vanished in that direction. This movement brings the right hand over the outside breast pocket of the coat, into which the coin is allowed to fall unperceived. The coin is now vanished from the left hand in the orthodox manner and both hands are shown empty. Should you desire to regain possession of the coin, have the outside pocket made communicating with an inside one on the same side of the coat; when, having shown the right hand unmistakably empty, you produce the coin thence, in a magical manner. The preceding list of coin tricks has been arranged in combination, the one to follow the other in a natural manner, for an entertainment, as actually presented to an audience. I cannot, however, leave the subject of coin tricks without making mention of several other very deceptive experiments, which will doubtless be new to the majority of my readers. TO PASS A COIN INTO AN ORDINARY MATCHBOX HELD BY ONE OF THE SPECTATORS.--Prepare a matchbox as follows:--Push open the sliding portion about one inch. Then fix between the top of the slide and the back end of the box a coin, the greater part of which is overhanging the box, the whole being out of sight of the casual observer. Arranged thus, give the box to some one to hold with instructions that when you count three the box is to be closed smartly. This will have the effect of jerking the coin into the box. You now take a duplicate coin and vanish it by means of the "Pocket Vanish," or any other convenient method, counting "One! two! three!" when, acting according to your instructions, the person will close the box, and the coin will be heard to fall inside. COIN, WINE-GLASS, AND PAPER CONE.--This very pretty and amusing table trick consists in causing a coin placed under a wine-glass, the whole being covered with a paper cone, to disappear and return as often as desired. The following arrangements are necessary:--Take a wine-glass, and, having placed a little gum all round its edge, turn it over on a sheet of white paper, and when dry cut away the paper close to the glass. Obtain a Japanese tray and on it lay a large sheet of paper similar to that covering the mouth of the glass, and stand the glass, mouth downward, on it. Make a paper cone to fit over the glass and you are ready to present the illusion. Borrow a penny and lay it on the large sheet of paper by the side of the wine-glass; cover the glass with the paper cone, and place the whole over the coin. Command the penny to disappear, and on removing the cone it will seem to have done so, as the paper over the mouth of the glass, being the same color as that on the tray, effectually conceals the coin. To cause it to reappear you replace the cone and carry away the glass under it. This can be repeated as often as desired. To make the experiment more effective, use colored paper, which shows up against the coin more than white. COINS, HAT, AND PLATE.--In this experiment a number of borrowed and marked coins are passed invisibly into a hat covered with a plate. Obtain a small metal box large enough to contain half a dozen coins of the kind you intend to use. This box should be enamelled white and have an opening in one side large enough for the coins to pass through. A common pill-box would answer the purpose, but a metal one is preferable. Place a little wax on the top of the box and leave it, with the plate, on a table at the rear of the stage. Borrow a silk hat, which leave on your table. Then obtain the loan of six marked coins, which you change for six of your own, as you go back to the stage. Drop the latter coins into a tumbler, or lay them in some other conspicuous position on the table, and go to the rear of the stage for the plate. Introduce the marked coins into the box, and attach it by means of the wax to the under side of the plate. Come forward, and having shown the hat to be quite empty, place the plate over it, being careful to note the position of the hole in the side of the box. You now take the coins from the glass and appear to place them in the left hand, really palming them in the right, which forthwith drops them into a little box containing sawdust placed on the servante. The coins are retained in the right hand by a slight contraction of the fingers, as in "The Invisible Flight." They should be held in the hand at the base of the thumb and jerked into position in the act of apparently passing them from one hand to the other. The pass called "Le Tourniquet" is a better one for a number of coins. The noise of the coins as they fall into the hand is quite natural, as it would be almost impossible to actually take them in silence. Now pick up the hat with the right hand, holding it at arm's length; vanish the money from the left hand in the usual way, at the same time tilting the hat slightly in the right direction, when the coins will be heard to fall inside. TO VANISH A MARKED COIN FROM A TUMBLER AND CAUSE IT TO APPEAR IN A SMALL BOX, WRAPPED IN PAPER, IN THE CENTRE OF A LARGE BALL OF WOOL.--For this very surprising trick you will require to make the following preparations:--Procure a tumbler having a slit cut flush with, and parallel to, the bottom, which should be flat. The opening should be just large enough to allow a half dollar dropped into the tumbler to slip through into your hand. (See Fig. 8.) [Illustration: Fig. 8.--Prepared Tumbler] Obtain a small metal box large enough to take the coin easily, also a flat tin tube about three inches long and just wide enough for the half dollar to slide through it. Place one end of this tube inside the box and close the lid on it, keeping it in position by passing an elastic band over the box. You now wrap the box in paper and wind a quantity of wool round it until you get a large ball with the end of the tube projecting about one inch. Place the ball thus prepared on a table at the rear of the stage and you are ready to perform. Show the tumbler, and draw attention to the fact that it is an ordinary one by filling it with water from a jug, which can be done by placing the forefinger round the slit. Return the water to the jug and borrow a half dollar, which has been marked by the owner, allowing him to actually drop it into the glass. Cover the tumbler with a handkerchief, shaking it continually to prove that the coin is still there, and then place it down on your table, securing the coin through the slit as you do so. Going to the back of the stage for the ball of wool, you insert the coin into the tube and withdraw the latter, when the action of the elastic band closes the box. Bring the ball forward in a large glass basin and have the wool unwound, disclosing the box; on this being opened the marked coin will be found within. TO VANISH A NUMBER OF COINS FROM A PLATE IN A SHEET OF FLAME.--Place a tea-plate near the rear edge of your table, and a sheet of "flash" paper, large enough to cover the plate, in front of it. You must also have another plate on the servante and you are then ready to commence. After performing any trick in which a number of coins have been used, throw them on the plate, carelessly dropping several on the table. Take up the plate in one hand and the piece of paper in the other, and holding the plate just behind the table, and over that on the servante, apparently sweep the loose coins on to the plate you are holding, really letting all fall on the hidden one, under cover of the paper, which you immediately place over the plate in your hand. Every one will now suppose the money to be on the plate which, with studied carelessness, you bring forward just over the flame of a candle burning on the table. The paper ignites and disappears in a sheet of flame, and the plate is found empty. PROGRAMME AND COIN.--The effect of this experiment, which is an improvement on the old "programme and ring" trick, as no stage assistant is required, is as follows:--The performer borrows a marked half dollar from a stranger in the audience, immediately handing it to a gentleman to examine the mark, date, and other items. While this is being done the performer obtains the loan of a programme, which he tears in half, laying one half on his table. The gentleman is now requested to place the coin in the half of the programme held by the performer, who wraps it up and gives it to him to hold. He now goes to his table for a piece of sealing-wax, which he passes several times over the packet held by the gentleman, when immediately it is found transformed into a packet of three envelopes, made from the programme, all gummed and sealed one inside the other, with the marked half dollar in the smallest one. As the gentleman cannot see how it is done the performer repeats the trick for his benefit with the other half of the programme, but the result is the same. This time, however, the gentleman is requested to take the last envelope to the owner of the money, that he may open it and satisfy himself that it actually contains his own coin. The six envelopes are now rolled up and given to the gentleman to hand to the lady, to keep as a souvenir of the entertainment, but before he has proceeded far the performer tells him he has dropped one of them (he has not really done so), and, failing to find it, he very naturally begins to count those in his hand, when he discovers to his astonishment that he holds the programme restored. _Explanation._--After the performer has borrowed the half dollar, in the act of handing it to the gentleman for examination, he adroitly changes it for one of his own bearing the mark of a cross, which mark is of course taken for that of the owner of the coin. The performer now asks for the loan of a programme, and while one is being procured he drops the actual borrowed coin into the smallest of the three envelopes which are placed one inside the other in the right profonde. To facilitate the introduction of the coin a tin tube, with a rather wide mouth, just large enough for the coin to pass through, is placed in the smallest envelope. After the coin has been introduced this tube is withdrawn, left in the pocket, and the envelopes closed. [Illustration: Fig. 9.--Packet of Three Envelopes] The flaps of the envelopes are sealed with wax beforehand and prepared with the best gum arabic, which is allowed to dry hard. They are moistened with the tongue just as you are about to commence the trick, and if cut as in Fig. 9, can be closed all together while in the pocket. This packet is laid on the table under cover of the half of the programme used in the second stage of the trick. To commence the trick the performer palms a similar packet of envelopes containing another half dollar marked in exactly the same way as the one he handed to the gentleman, and, it is hardly necessary to remark, being of the same appearance, and bearing the same date. When rolling up the programme the performer retains it and hands the gentleman the packet of envelopes; and when going to his table for the wax leaves the half of the programme and the half dollar thereon. By the time the first coin is taken from the envelopes the packet containing the actual borrowed coin will be dry and ready for use. The remaining portion of the trick will now be understood. When the performer goes for the other half of the programme he takes the packet of envelopes with it and substitutes it as before, and the trick proceeds as described. When collecting the six envelopes for the final effect the performer palms a duplicate programme which has been lying on his table behind some object, and substitutes this as before when handing the gentleman the envelopes to take to the lady. FILTRATED COIN.--Borrow a half dollar from one of the company, wrap it up in a handkerchief, and request some one to hold it over a glass of water on the table. Hey, presto! The coin is dropped into the glass and heard to jingle. When the handkerchief is removed the half dollar has disappeared, having been apparently dissolved in the water. Placing your hand under the table you produce the coin, which you declare has passed through the glass and table-top. This exceedingly effective trick is accomplished by means of a glass disk of the same diameter as a half dollar. The modus operandi is as follows: Borrow a half dollar and while holding it in your hand throw a handkerchief over it. Under cover of the handkerchief exchange the coin for the glass disk which you have concealed in your palm. Now get some one to hold the disk by its edges through the handkerchief, directly over the glass of water. Pronounce your magical phrase, and command your volunteer assistant to drop the half dollar (disk) into the glass. The disk will be precipitated into the glass with a jingle that exactly simulates the falling of a genuine coin, and will adhere to the bottom of the glass, where it will not be seen. You may even pour out the water, but the disk, thanks to the power of suction, will remain in the same position, firmly attached to the drinking glass, which of course must have a flat bottom. A ginger-ale or beer glass of small diameter comes in handy for this capital trick. After sufficient palaver, the genuine half-dollar may be reproduced from under the table or from the pocket of the volunteer assistant. THE PENETRATING COIN.--This coin trick may be performed anywhere, and requires no special preparation. A borrowed Derby hat is placed upon the mouth of a tumbler, (Fig. 10). Three half dollars are now borrowed and tossed into the hat, whereupon one of the coins is seen to penetrate the crown of the hat, and drop visibly and audibly into the tumbler beneath. It is thus explained. In the act of placing the hat on the glass, secretly and without jingling, slip a coin of your own between the rim of the glass and the hat. The weight of the latter will retain the coin in position, which of course is on the side of the hat farthest from the spectators. The dropping of the borrowed coins in the hat will disturb the balance of the secret half-dollar, causing it to fall into the tumbler. It is hardly necessary to remind the student that the fourth coin must be gotten rid of unbeknown to the audience, otherwise the effect of the experiment will be destroyed. In putting the hat in position two hands may be used. This will greatly facilitate the placing of the coin on the rim of the tumbler. You should lay stress on the fact that it is necessary to get the hat evenly on the glass. As simple as this trick seems in explanation, it is nevertheless wonderfully illusive, and can be recommended to the amateur as worthy of his repertoire, especially for the parlor, or club room. [Illustration: Fig. 10.--Penetrating Coin] An excellent coin trick, to be used in conjunction with the preceding illusion, is the following: The performer shows a coin and forthwith proceeds to pass it into the hat by way of the crown. That there may be no doubt as to the actual passing of the coin it is left sticking half way through the hat; a final push and it is heard to fall inside. The coin used is a trick one constructed as follows: A groove is first turned round its extreme edge deep enough to conceal a small india-rubber band. It is next cut in half across its diameter. A hole is drilled in the centre of one half in which is inserted a needle point. In the other half a slot is cut to admit the needle. The two halves are now placed together and kept in position by passing the band round the groove afore mentioned. (See Fig. 11.) This coin has a distinct advantage over the older form in which the one half only was used, in so far that it may at the outset be shown as an ordinary coin. When giving the final push it is, of course, withdrawn and palmed. [Illustration: Fig. 11.--Trick Coin] COIN IN THE BOTTLE.--With a coin grooved and prepared as above and cut into three pieces, but minus the needle point, the amateur can perform the deceptive trick of the half-dollar in the bottle. You first borrow a half dollar from a spectator, and secretly exchange it for your "folding-coin." Exhibit the bottle, which should be of clear glass, preferably, and demonstrate the impossibility of passing a coin into its neck. Then grasp the mouth of the bottle in the manner depicted in Fig. 12, the coin being concealed from the spectators by your fingers. Bend the coin and insert it in the neck of the bottle, after which give the mouth of the bottle a violent blow with the palm of the hand. The coin will enter the bottle, and expand as soon as it passes the neck. You may now pass the bottle for inspection, without any one being able to discover the secret of the trick. A clever amateur with the aid of a very fine metal saw and a file can manufacture the folding coin for himself. [Illustration: Fig. 12.--Coin in Bottle] CHAPTER IV TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS PEREGRINATIONS OF A HANDKERCHIEF.--For the following series of experiments you will require three fifteen inch silk handkerchiefs (the best material for making these is fine quality sarcenet), an ordinary small sliding match-box, a candle in a candlestick, and a conjuring wand; also a false finger and a conjuring pistol, hereafter described. You prepare for the series of tricks by rolling up one of the handkerchiefs very small and pushing it into the back of the match-box, which you open about one inch for the purpose; another is rolled up and placed behind the collar on the left hand side of the neck; and the last is loaded into the false finger and placed in the right hand trousers pocket. You are now ready to commence. HANDKERCHIEF AND CANDLE.--"Ladies and Gentlemen, the following experiment was suggested to me at the age of twelve while studying chemistry. I then learned that all matter was indestructible. Proof of this, as you are well aware, is afforded with an ordinary candle. You may light the candle at one end and let it burn to the other, but you do not destroy the matter of which it is composed. What really takes place is the formation of new substances, as hydrogen, carbon, water, etc., which any of the text-books on chemistry will explain. I will, however, give you one striking illustration:"-- Pick up the match-box and light the candle; then close the box, pushing the handkerchief into the right hand, and throw the box down on the table. Take the candle from the candle-stick and place it in the right hand, which masks the presence of the handkerchief. You now appear to take something from the flame of the candle with the left hand, which you close as if it really contained an article. Open the hand slowly, looking surprised to find you have failed, and remark:--"Well--really I cannot understand this. I am generally successful with this trick. Oh! I know what is the matter. You see, I am using the left hand; if you do things left-handed they cannot possibly be right. I will try the right hand." Saying this, you place the candle in the left hand and immediately produce the handkerchief from the flame with the right, closing the hand as before. It now only remains for you to open the hand and develop the silk slowly. TO VANISH A HANDKERCHIEF AND PRODUCE IT FROM YOUR COLLAR.--Place your wand under your left arm. Take the handkerchief and roll it up small, using both hands. Affect to place the handkerchief in the left hand, really palming it in the right, and take your wand from under the arm in the same hand. Vanish the handkerchief from the left hand, and take the one from your collar, immediately placing it in the right hand to mask the presence of the one already there, and lay the wand down on the table. TO PASS A HANDKERCHIEF INTO THE POCKET OF A SPECTATOR.--Obtain the assistance of a young gentleman from the audience, and ask him to let you have the loan of the outside breast pocket of his coat. Much fun is generally caused by his removing his own pocket handkerchief and sundry other curious articles. Place both handkerchiefs, which have all the time remained in the right hand, in his pocket (you, of course, are supposed to be using one only), and stand as far away as the limits of the stage will allow, and say:--"Now, sir, do you think it possible for me to remove the handkerchief from your pocket without coming a step nearer to you than I am at present." He will probably look confused, and hardly know whether to say Yes or No. Whatever he may say is all the same to you, and you remark:--"My dear sir, do not look like that; your face is calculated to upset me altogether. I scarcely know what I am doing. What I really intended to do was to pass the handkerchief from my hands into your pocket." You now take the handkerchief from his pocket, where, unknown to the spectators and probably the gentleman himself, one still remains. You will now vanish the handkerchief as in the last trick, and let the gentleman take the one from his pocket, which will seem to be the same. Take the handkerchief from him, place it in the right hand, which again conceals the one in the palm, and lay the wand down on the table. TO FIRE A HANDKERCHIEF INTO A GENTLEMAN'S HAIR.--For the purpose of this trick you will have to make use of what is known as a conjuring pistol, which, being in constant use in magical surprises, I will describe. It consists of an ordinary pistol fitted with a conical tin tube eight inches long. The mouth of this tube is about two inches in diameter and is supplied with a tin cup one and one-half inches deep, having its outer edge turned over all round so as to afford a ready grip to the palm. The conical tube is fitted with an inner tube to keep it firm on the barrel of the pistol. (See Fig. 13.) [Illustration: Fig. 13.--Conjuring Pistol] Taking up the pistol, you place the two handkerchiefs, which look like one, in the cup; push them well down and remark:--"I shall now fire direct at the gentleman's head, and after the shot the handkerchief will be found firmly embedded in his hair, and will, not unlikely, be seen protruding from each of his ears. It just depends on the force of the shot, you know, and I need hardly say I loaded the pistol myself, and am totally ignorant of fire-arms. Are you ready, sir? then good-bye!" Place the "muzzle" of the pistol in the left hand while you shake hands with the gentleman. In taking the pistol back into the right hand to fire it, you leave the cup behind in the left hand, and at the instant you pull the trigger, you drop it into your pocket on the left side. When discharging the pistol you will, of course, stand with your right side to the audience. You now ask the gentleman to take the handkerchief from his hair, telling him it is just behind his left ear (of course it is not really there); and while he is trying to find it you stand with your hands in your trousers pockets, telling him to make haste, you cannot wait all the evening, etc. When he has tried some time and failed to find it you take your hands from your pockets, having got the false finger into position between the second and third fingers. Showing the hands back and front (the addition of an extra finger will not be noticed), you pass them several times over the head of the gentleman, then lowering the hands on to his head you detach the finger and draw out the handkerchief. The false finger is laid down on the table under cover of the handkerchief. The finger is made of thin spun brass painted flesh color; it is quite hollow from tip to root, and is shaped for fitting between the second and third fingers, (Fig. 14). It can be used in many tricks with handkerchiefs, and is really an indispensable accessory. This concludes the series alluded to in the beginning of this chapter. I will now describe a number of handkerchief tricks complete in themselves. [Illustration: Fig. 14.--False Finger] THE HANDKERCHIEF CABINET.--This very useful piece of apparatus should be in the repertoire of every amateur magician, as it is available for producing, changing, or vanishing a handkerchief. Its secret lies in the fact that it contains two drawers, bottom to bottom, the lower one being hidden by a sliding panel. When standing on the table the top drawer only is visible, and the cabinet looks the picture of innocence, but if turned over and stood on its opposite end, the sliding panel falls, exposing the hidden drawer, and hiding that which for the time being is at the bottom, (Fig. 15). The cabinet is about two inches square by four inches high. If required for production you proceed as follows:--Having placed a silk handkerchief in the concealed drawer, introduce the cabinet, take out the empty drawer, and give it for examination. Replace the drawer, secretly turn over the cabinet, and place it on your table. You now go through any form of incantation you please, open the drawer and take out the handkerchief. If you desire to vanish a handkerchief you will have it placed in the drawer by one of the spectators, and while going to the table turn over the box. When the drawer is opened the handkerchief will have disappeared. [Illustration: Fig. 15.--Handkerchief Cabinet] Should you wish to change one handkerchief for another you will beforehand conceal say a red handkerchief in the cabinet; then taking a white one, have it deposited in the upper drawer, turn over the cabinet as before, pull out the now uppermost drawer, and produce the red handkerchief. From the foregoing description it will be obvious that the cabinet is capable of being used in conjunction with many tricks. THE HANDKERCHIEF VANISHER.--One of the best appliances for causing the disappearance of a handkerchief may be made from a small celluloid ball as follows:--Obtain a ball one and three-fourth inches in diameter, which will take three small silk handkerchiefs if desired, and cut a one inch hole in any part of its surface. On the side of the ball opposite the opening fix a loop of flesh-colored thread, long enough to pass easily over the thumb, and to suspend the ball on the back of the hand so that it does not hang too low. When required for use the ball is taken up secretly under cover of the handkerchief, and the thumb of the left hand is passed through the loop. Then, while appearing to roll up the handkerchief, it is worked through the opening into the ball, which is instantly pushed over to the back of the left hand under cover of the right. The palms of the hands are now shown empty, when the handkerchief will seem to have vanished entirely. When using the vanisher you will, of course, stand with your right side to the audience. It is well to be provided with two or three of these accessories, in different sizes. MAGICAL PRODUCTION OF HANDKERCHIEFS.--The performer comes on the stage showing both hands empty, back and front. He then pulls up both sleeves and immediately produces a white silk handkerchief, about eighteen inches square, which he passes for examination. Then by simply shaking the handkerchief he obtains from it about half a dozen other colored ones about fifteen inches square. The colored handkerchiefs are then caused to vanish by simply rolling them up in the hands, being immediately afterwards reproduced, all tied together by the corners, from the white one. The necessary preparations for the trick are as follows:--A slit one half inch long is made in the seam of the trousers at the right knee, and two of the colored handkerchiefs, each having a minute piece of blackened cork tied to one corner, are pushed into this slit, the corks being left protruding to enable the performer to instantly draw them out. Two handkerchiefs of different colors are placed in the pochette on the left side. A fifth handkerchief, also prepared with a piece of cork, is placed in the front of the vest, the cork protruding through the watch-chain hole. It may seem impossible, but the silk may be drawn through this hole very rapidly, and quite easily, as will be found by experiment. A sixth handkerchief is contained in the false finger (previously described), which should be placed in the right hand trousers pocket. As the handkerchiefs are produced they are thrown over the back of a chair fitted with a network servante (Fig. 1, page 18), behind the top rail of which are suspended two vanishers of the kind already described; also the ball of six duplicate handkerchiefs all tied together by the corners. The trick is worked as follows:--The white handkerchief is rolled up into a small compass and tied with a piece of silk just strong enough to hold it. It is then placed in the hollow of the arm at the elbow, the arm being bent slightly so as to retain it in that position. When pulling back the sleeves the performer secretly obtains possession of the handkerchief, breaks the thread, and develops it slowly. Having had the handkerchief examined, and while holding it by two corners, spread it over the knee as if drawing attention to the fact that it is empty. Then, in the act of raising it, shaking it the whole of the time, pull the two colored ones through the seams, and while developing these take the two from the pochette on the left side. Place the white handkerchief in the left hand to conceal the colored ones, and throw the other two over the back of the chair. Now produce the two in the left hand in a similar manner, and throw them over the chair with the two already there. Then take the white handkerchief by two corners, and while turning it round to show both sides, seize the piece of cork at the buttonhole of the vest, and produce the fifth handkerchief, throwing both over the back of the chair. For the production of the last handkerchief a little patter is desirable. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I dare say you will wonder where I get these handkerchiefs. The other evening I overheard two gentlemen conversing in the boxes. One said to the other, 'Don't you see where he gets those handkerchiefs? They came down his sleeve.' The other said, 'Oh! no, they don't. He takes them from his pockets, for I saw him.'" Saying this you thrust the hands into the pockets by way of illustration, and fix the finger in position. Then withdraw the hands, placing the palms together, and continue:--"Now, I wish to prove to you that both of these gentlemen were wrong. If the handkerchief comes down the sleeve you will be sure to see it. If it comes from the pocket you will also see it. My hands are perfectly empty" (show hands). "Now watch closely and see if you can detect me." You now bring the hands together, reverse the finger, and shake out the handkerchief; and when laying it with the others on the chair, drop the finger into the servante. To cause the disappearance of the handkerchiefs proceed as follows:--Take up three of the colored ones, at the same time secretly obtaining one of the vanishers, and, with an up and down motion of the hands work them into the ball. Then pass the ball to the back of the hand, and show the palms empty. When taking up the other three handkerchiefs drop the vanisher into the servante, secure the other one, and proceed as before. Then take up the white handkerchief, again disposing of the vanisher into the servante, and securing the ball of six tied together. Finally wave the white handkerchief up and down, and gradually work out the colored ones, one after another. COLOR-CHANGING HANDKERCHIEFS.--The effect of this trick, which is one of the best in the whole category of sleight of hand feats, is as follows:--Three white handkerchiefs are pushed into a paper tube, and as they come out at the opposite end they are seen to be dyed respectively red, yellow, and green. The paper is then unrolled and torn in half, when the white handkerchiefs are found to have vanished entirely. [Illustration: Fig. 16.--Handkerchief Fitted with Brass Tube] To perform the trick you must be provided with a piece of drawing-paper ten inches by eight inches (a leaf from a plain drawing-book will answer the purpose admirably), three very fine white silk handkerchiefs fifteen inches square, and three colored ones of the same size and texture. The last of the colored handkerchiefs to appear at the end of the tube is prepared as follows:--Take a piece of one and one quarter inches brass tubing, three inches long, and insert it in the middle of one side of the handkerchief (Fig. 16), by covering it with a piece of silk of the same color. This piece of silk is extended beyond the tube, as shown, to form a kind of pocket. To prepare for the trick push the body of the handkerchief into the brass tube at the end A, and the other two colored ones on the top of it. The piece of paper is laid on the table with the tube of handkerchiefs under its rear edge. The three white handkerchiefs are then laid across the paper. To perform the trick stand on the left of your table and take up the paper with the right hand, the left hand keeping the white handkerchiefs in front of the tube of colored ones. Draw attention to the fact that the paper is unprepared, then lay it on the table in such a manner that it again conceals the tube, and take up the white handkerchiefs. Show the handkerchiefs, remarking that they are of the ordinary description, and then lay them on the table. Pick up the paper, and with it the colored handkerchiefs, which are held behind it with the thumb of the right hand. You now form the paper into a tube round the colored handkerchiefs and hold it in the left hand. Pick up the white handkerchiefs one at a time, place them in the left hand with the tube, and remark:--"I will now pass the white handkerchiefs through the cylinder, first, however, showing you that it is perfectly empty." As you say this you take the handkerchiefs in the right hand, and as if to illustrate what you say, place them near the mouth of the tube. This gives you the opportunity of dropping the colored handkerchiefs into the white ones. The cylinder is now shown empty, and the white handkerchiefs are pushed into one end of it; care being taken to introduce the colored ones first, and to keep them out of sight of the audience. You now grasp the brass tube tightly through the paper and press the white handkerchiefs into it. This, of course, pushes out the colored handkerchiefs, which appear at the other end of the cylinder, the white ones being concealed in the body of the last colored one. When performing the trick it is necessary to be careful to insert the right end of the brass tube into the paper cylinder, otherwise the experiment would not be successful. The following is the method of presenting the above trick, with appropriate "patter": "For the purpose of my next experiment I shall make use of this square-looking piece of paper, in which you can see there is nothing concealed, not even a trap-door. Well, if there was anything concealed from your view, you would be sure to see it." Laying the paper down and taking up the handkerchiefs, you continue, "In addition to the paper, I propose to make use of these three pieces of silk, or silk in pieces, commonly known as art white squares. I am afraid, however, some people would prefer to call them subdued white; possibly dirty white, if it were not for the liberty of the thing, but I know they call them art white in the stores, because I suppose they find they sell better." Laying the handkerchiefs down, you take up the paper with the tube behind it, and, prior to forming the cylinder, remark:--"This experiment was suggested to me while in England traveling on the underground railway. I always travel by that line when possible, being fond of scenery. One day I had occasion to take a return single from Portland Road to King's Cross; and while passing through those tunnels I noticed that my linen changed color considerably, which suggested to me this illustration. With the piece of paper I will form a kind of tube or tunnel to represent for the time being one of those cavities on the underground railway." Make the tube and continue:--"There it is, as free from deception as I am. I will now take the handkerchiefs" (take up the handkerchiefs from the table) "and pass them through the cylinder" (drop the colored handkerchiefs into the white ones and show the tube empty), "first, however, showing you that it is perfectly empty. Then, having satisfied you that there are no trains on the line, I will pass the handkerchiefs through the tunnel." As the colored handkerchiefs appear at the opposite end of the tube, remark:--"I may say that I have been getting my living for some considerable time by conjuring. You will now notice that I am beginning to dye by it." MECHANICAL "PULL" FOR VANISHING A HANDKERCHIEF.--The construction of this contrivance is very simple, and it is absolutely instantaneous in its action, the quickest eye being unable, even at close quarters, to detect the flight of the handkerchief. It consists of two straps, one for each arm, which are buckled on just above the elbows. One of the straps carries what is known to mechanics as a "lazy" pulley, working freely in all directions, and provided with a shield, so that the cord cannot possibly leave the wheel; and the other carries a metal "D" loop. A cord is tied to the "D" loop, passed over the back, round the pulley on the left arm, back again and down the right sleeve; the end of the cord being furnished with a loop to receive a handkerchief. The apparatus must be attached to the arms underneath the shirt, and when in such a position that the arms may be moved about freely, the loop should be in the centre of the back, as shown in Fig. 17. [Illustration: Fig. 17.--Mechanical "Pull" for Vanishing Handkerchief--(a) Leather Strap; (b) Brass Plate; (c) Pivot; (d) Brass Hinge; (e) Pulley in Shield; (L) Left Arm; (R) Right Arm] To enable the artist to obtain possession of this loop, a black thread is passed through it, doubled and carried down the right sleeve, the two ends hanging out of the cuff so as to be readily found by the fingers. Having found the thread, the performer pulls it down until the loop appears, which is forthwith passed round the thumb, the thread being broken and allowed to fall on the floor. The act of pulling the cord to secure the loop will pull the elbows close to the sides, where they must be kept until the handkerchief is to disappear. Having placed the handkerchief through the loop, which should be of catgut, being semi-transparent, push it into the glass tube as described in the next trick, and place the hands one over each end. To cause the handkerchief to disappear all that is necessary is to move the elbows away from the sides while making a quick up and down motion with the glass cylinder, slightly lifting the base of the right hand from the edge of the glass to allow the silk to pass up the sleeve. In moving the elbows away from the sides a pull of from three feet to four feet is put on the cord, the handkerchief flying up the sleeve and finally occupying a position in the centre of the performer's back. THE FLYING HANDKERCHIEF.--This is a very surprising trick, and a favorite with the most noted prestidigitateurs. It depends chiefly for its effect on the "Mechanical Pull." (Fig. 17.) For its execution you must be provided with six small silk handkerchiefs (two red, two yellow, and two green), also two glass cylinders of the kind used for gas. The idea of the trick is to cause a red silk handkerchief placed in the centre of one of the glass tubes, the ends being covered with the hands, to disappear, and be found between a yellow and a green handkerchief previously tied together, rolled up into the shape of a ball, and placed in the other cylinder. It is accomplished thus: Three of the handkerchiefs, one of each color, are tied together by the corners, the red being in the centre. They are then rolled up into the shape of a ball so that the red one cannot be seen, and thus prepared, are laid on the table behind the other red handkerchief. The performer now takes the two remaining handkerchiefs, one yellow and one green, and ties them together, rolling them up to look as near like the duplicate ball as possible. Holding this ball in the right hand, he takes up the red handkerchief, and with it the ball of three. He then takes the red handkerchief in his right hand, passing the ball into the left, and forthwith pushing it into the glass cylinder on the table. Under cover of the red handkerchief, however, the balls are exchanged and that of three is actually placed in the tube. While going for the other cylinder, which should be on a table at the rear of the stage, the performer has ample time to dispose of the ball of two, and to get down the "pull." When introducing the cylinder remark:--"You see, Ladies and Gentlemen, that the tubes are of the most ordinary description and perfectly free from preparation; in fact, you can see right through them. I hope you will not be able to see through me quite so easily." The red handkerchief is then inserted in the cylinder, being previously passed through the loop, whence it is caused to vanish as described. The handkerchiefs are then taken from the tube on the table, unrolled and shaken out; when, by some unaccountable means, the red one will appear to have tied itself between the other two. BRASS TUBE TO PRODUCE, VANISH, OR CHANGE A HANDKERCHIEF.--This is really an indispensable piece of apparatus and should be in the repertoire of every wizard. It consists of a piece of one and one-half inches of brass tubing four inches long, with two caps of the same metal to close the ends. A handkerchief is inserted in the tube and the caps are immediately placed on; but notwithstanding this, the handkerchief disappears, or can be changed to another of a different color. [Illustration: Fig. 18.--Brass Tube for Handkerchief Tricks] The apparatus really consists of four pieces, the tube and the two caps, with the addition of a cup, one and one-half inches deep, made to fit easily into either end of the tube, and provided with a flange as in the magic pistol already described, to enable the performer to palm it off, (See Fig. 18). This cup is not provided with a bottom, but is fitted with a piece of three-quarter inch tape fixed at each side, in the centre of the tube, in such a manner that a loop hangs down flush with, and forming a bottom common to, either end of the cup (as at A). The method employed in changing say a white handkerchief for a red one being explained, the other uses of the tube will be apparent. Load a red handkerchief into the cup at the end A, and place it under your vest, or in the right-hand trousers pocket. Give the tube and caps for examination, and while they are out of your hands, get possession of the cup and palm it in your right hand. Take back the tube with the left hand, pass it into the right, and over the cup; and fit the cap to the opposite end. Turn over the tube, and with the right hand apparently place the white handkerchief into it (the handkerchief really goes into the cup and pushes the red one into the tube, reversing the tape). Now place the right hand over the cup, reverse the tube, and remark:--"As the cap has been on this end the whole of the time, it has not been possible for the handkerchief to escape in that direction. We will now place a cap on the opposite end of the tube and we have the handkerchief secure." Saying this, reverse the tube, palming off the cup while doing so; and while holding the tube in the same hand, to hide the palm, fit on the cap. Give the tube to some one to hold and drop the cup into the profonde, or otherwise dispose of it at the earliest opportunity. On removing the caps the handkerchief will be found to have changed color. At this point a good combination trick can be worked by the use of two duplicate handkerchiefs as follows:--Have a duplicate red handkerchief hanging over a chair, on the back of which is suspended a network servante. Another duplicate white handkerchief should be in readiness in the back of a match-box for producing from the flame of a candle as previously described. When handing the gentleman the tube which is supposed to contain the white handkerchief, you take up the red one from the back of the chair, and at the same time dispose of the palmed cup by dropping it into the servante. The red handkerchief is now vanished by sleight of hand, or can be fired from the magic pistol, and eventually found in the brass tube. To account for the disappearance of the white handkerchief you may remark:--"Oh, I dare say the white handkerchief has jumped out of the tube to make room for the red one. It has probably found its way into the candle on the table." To conclude the trick you light the candle and produce the handkerchief from the flame. The tube can be used in many ways in combination with other tricks, but I must leave these to the ingenuity of the performer. To my friend, Adrian Plate, a wonderfully clever manipulator of cards and handkerchiefs, I am indebted for the following new handkerchief tricks, invented and performed by him, and for the first time explained. DISAPPEARING HANDKERCHIEF.--Obtain a small red silk handkerchief, also a loose piece of silk of the same color about one and one-half inches square. Keep this piece at the corner of the handkerchief with thumb and first finger. Rub the handkerchief between both hands until you have succeeded in getting it into small compass, taking care that the small piece is at the top. Retain the handkerchief in the right hand and with left hand pull up the right sleeve. Now with right hand pull up the left sleeve, but leave the handkerchief in the bend of the left arm, where it will be hidden by the folds of the sleeve, taking care, however, that the small piece of red silk protrudes from closed right hand, deluding the spectators into the belief that the handkerchief is still in your hand,--for do they not see the corner of it? Now rub the hands together and roll the piece into a small pellet, and palm it between the bend of the thumb and first finger. Slap your hands together, and show both sides. This is a most effective illusion, and will deceive even the conjurers. [Illustration: Fig. 19.--For Vanishing Handkerchief] Another clever disappearing trick with a handkerchief is the following:--Take a piece of flesh-colored thread, and place it about the right hand, in the manner depicted in the illustration, (Fig. 19). The dotted lines represent the thread on the outside of the hand. With this simple device, a silk handkerchief can be apparently placed in the left hand, when in reality it is stuck between the loop in the right hand. The right hand can be freely moved. Vanish a handkerchief in above manner from the left hand, and by grabbing in the air with your right hand you reproduce the handkerchief. [Illustration: Fig. 20.--Handkerchief Clamp] [Illustration: Fig. 21.--Handkerchief Trick] HANDKERCHIEF FROM TISSUE PAPER.--Take a small bit of soft copper wire, covered with cotton (_e.g._, a piece of insulated telegraph wire), and construct a clamp about the size shown in the diagram, (Fig. 20). A small red silk handkerchief about ten inches square is folded as compactly as possible and placed between the clamps. By pressing the wire the handkerchief is kept securely fastened. Place the fake on your table, the handkerchief pointing toward yourself, (Fig. 21). Now take a piece of white tissue paper, four and one-half by seven inches, and lay it over the handkerchief. This arrangement of course is effected before the performance begins. With your left hand pick up the tissue paper, and with the latter the fake containing the handkerchief. Now take the paper in your right hand, which under cover of paper secures the clasp (part A of fake) between the first and second fingers. The handkerchief is now on the inside of the right hand, while the hand is perfectly free in its movements. Exhibit both sides of the paper and smooth it out. All you have to do now is to crumble the sheet of paper, work out the handkerchief from the fake and insert the ball of paper into wire clamp. Then show the handkerchief to the audience, and drop the fake into your pochette. [Illustration: Fig. 22.--Handkerchief Trick] [Illustration: Fig. 23.--Handkerchief Trick] THE NEW CYLINDERS AND HANDKERCHIEF TRICK.--For this capital trick you must provide yourself with two glass cylinders closed at one end. They may be procured from conjuring depots, or constructed out of lamp chimneys, by cementing glass disks at the ends of the chimneys. However, the student will find it more satisfactory to purchase these cylinders from some reliable dealer in magical apparatus. Preferably they should have rounded bottoms, as depicted in the illustration. The effect of the trick is as follows:--On your table are two cylinders. In front of each lies a handkerchief, one yellow, the other red. Now pick up the left-hand handkerchief (yellow) and place it in the right-hand cylinder, and the right-hand handkerchief (red) in the left-hand cylinder, (Fig. 22). Lay the cylinders once more on the table, and make a little speech about the rapidity with which articles sometimes change places, under the influence of atmospheric electricity. Pick up the cylinders, one in each hand, and move the hands quickly apart. In the same moment the handkerchiefs change places like a flash of lightning. The secret of this very clever illusion will become apparent on consulting the diagram, (Fig. 23). The cylinders have little holes in the bottoms. A strong silk thread is run through them and looped about the handkerchiefs. A few trials will have to decide the proper length of this thread. The explanation of this feat is simplicity itself, but the effect is very bewildering upon an audience. It is one of Plate's cleverest tricks and is performed by him with artistic finish. THE HANDKERCHIEF BURNED AND RESTORED.--A clever trick is the "Handkerchief burned and restored." It was a favorite with the late Alexander Herrmann, who performed it in the most artistic and graceful manner. It is a trick of pure sleight of hand, and requires no apparatus or elaborate preparation, for which reason it is to be highly commended to those who delight in digital experiments. Says Edwin Sachs, the eminent English authority on legerdemain:--"If I wanted to test a conjurer's ability, I should give him this trick to perform." And yet it is made up of the simplest elements. By attention to the rudiments of palming, etc., it becomes easy of execution. You commence operations by requesting the loan of a lady's handkerchief. Take care to borrow one that is devoid of lace, or special ornamentation--in other words a plain, white one. You come down among the audience and extract a lemon from the hair or whiskers of some gentleman, or better still from a lady's muff. Casually exhibit the lemon, holding it beneath the nose of one of the spectators, remarking:--"It is a genuine lemon, as you perceive." Borrow the handkerchief, then wheeling about toss the lemon to your assistant on the platform. Now request some gentleman to stand up and rub the handkerchief between his hands. Advance toward the stage, but suddenly wheeling about, look at your volunteer assistant, with well simulated alarm on your face. "My dear sir," you remark, "what are you doing to that handkerchief? You are rubbing it the wrong way. Kindly examine it." Much to his surprise, he finds it in small pieces. You then take the pieces, expostulating vehemently all the while with the gentleman, for having spoiled your trick, likewise the lady's handkerchief. The more comedy you inject into this little scene, the better. Finally you remark, "I will show you, sir, how to restore the handkerchief." Pass the pieces back to him, with the request that he rub them gently from "North to South"; whichever way he performs the absurd movement, you cry: "Here, here! Stop that! I said from North to South, and you are rubbing from East to West. Let us see what you have done now." He shows the results of his handiwork, but instead of the pieces there is now one long strip of linen. Take this from him, and observe, with a melancholy air: "It is no use trying. I see that you will never make a magician. Kindly take your seat, sir, and study the points of the compass, before you again presume to enter the magic circle." Offer the strip to the owner of the handkerchief, saying that it is no fault of yours that it has been ruined. She will naturally refuse to accept it. Then remark: "Very well, the only thing I can do is to buy you a new one, next bargain-counter day, but in the meantime let us see what we can do with this mutilated mouchoir." Return to the stage, pick up the lemon, which has been placed on the table by your assistant, and announce that you will shoot the strip of linen into the lemon. Load it into your funnel-pistol and fire at the lemon. Then cut open the fruit and take out the dummy handkerchief. Start towards the lady as if to return it, but stop suddenly and remark, "This handkerchief smells rather strong of lemon. Shall I perfume it for you, madam?" Without waiting for an answer place the handkerchief on a plate and pour perfume over it, but accidentally put on too much. Pick it up, and show it wet. Say you will dry it a little before returning it. Light a candle, and while holding the handkerchief over the flame it ignites. Drop it on the plate and offer it to the owner. Of course she will refuse to accept it. Smother the fire and again offer the burned remnants to the lady, making all sorts of excuses for the accident. As she again rejects your offer, say that you will put the ashes in a paper for her. Lay the plate on the stage, and go to your table for a piece of newspaper. In the meantime your assistant creates a small diversion by endeavoring to pick up the hot plate and place it on the table. Several times he burns (or pretends to burn) his fingers, dropping the plate, but finally succeeds. By this time you have come forward with the piece of newspaper. Roll up the ashes in the paper, and remark, "Here, madam, is what is left of your handkerchief. I present it to you as a small souvenir of the entertainment. What, you won't receive it?" Tear open the paper and take out the handkerchief fully restored. Present it to the lady with your best compliments, and you will be greeted with applause. The following is the secret of this ingenious trick: Take a lemon and prepare it by cutting a plug-shaped piece out of one end. Now dig out all the pulp. Stuff an old handkerchief or piece of square linen into the lemon, after which replace the plug and secure it with pins. Palm the lemon in your right hand, holding the lapel of your coat the better to conceal the fruit as you come down among the audience. Under the waistband of your vest, on the left side, you have secreted a bundle of about a dozen pieces of white muslin--say, three inches square--and on the right side a strip of about three inches wide and a yard long. On your table have a double piece of newspaper, about a foot square, pasted together on three sides, so that it forms a sort of bag, but appears like a single thickness. Also have on the table two plates, a magic pistol, a perfume bottle filled with alcohol, a candle and a candle-stick. After producing the lemon from the gentleman's whiskers, take the lady's handkerchief in the left hand. As you turn toward the stage to throw the lemon tuck the handkerchief under your vest in the middle and pull out the pieces and long strip from under the vest. Give the pieces to the gentleman who is to assist you, but retain the slip. A judicious use of the wand will enable you to better conceal the palmed linen, and to effect the several changes in an indetectible manner. While explaining to the gentleman how to restore the handkerchief, substitute the pieces for the long strip and give him that to hold. Get rid of the pieces in your profonde. All is now plain sailing until you arrive at the incident of the newspaper. While your assistant is working with the supposedly hot plate, you will have ample opportunity for stuffing the original handkerchief into the paper bag, smoothing it out as flat as you can. Wrap up the ashes, and finally tear open the paper through the outer thickness. The ashes will be concealed by the inner cover. Crumple up the paper and throw it carelessly on the stage. Some performers go behind the scenes to obtain the paper, and effect the concealment of the original handkerchief, but this is unnecessary, besides it detracts from the effect of the experiment. The diversion created by your assistant with the hot plate will afford you ample opportunity to get the handkerchief into the paper. CHAPTER V TRICKS WITH BALLS CREATION, MANIPULATION, MULTIPLICATION, AND ANNIHILATION OF BILLIARD BALLS.--For the series of tricks hereafter described, you will require two solid billiard balls, and a case to contain one of the balls, consisting of two hemispheres of thin spun brass hinged together. When closed this case will represent a solid ball, but when open and held in the hand with the thumb over the hinge, will appear as two balls. The balls, together with the case, should be enameled red. When about to present the trick, come forward with the case containing a solid ball in the left breast pocket, and the other solid ball under the left armpit. CREATION.--Pull up the right sleeve and then the left one, which gives you the opportunity of taking the ball in the right hand unperceived. You now execute what is known as the "Change-over Palm" to show both hands empty, and then produce the ball from the back of the right hand. This palm is made as follows: Having gotten the ball into the right hand draw attention to the left with the fingers of the right, showing it back and front. When doing this you will be standing with your right side toward the audience. Now make a sharp half turn to the right and show the right hand in the same manner. This you will be able to do, as when making the turn the palms of the hands very naturally pass over each other, and the ball is transferred from the palm of the right hand to that of the left. The ball is now found on the back of the right hand. [Illustration: Fig. 24.--Revolving Ball] MANIPULATION.--The amount of manipulation possible with a single ball is considerable, and limited only by the dexterity of the performer. The principles of sleight of hand as described in Chapter II. will, with few exceptions, be found equally adaptable to this branch of the mystic art. For the benefit, however, of those of my readers who have not hitherto made sleight of hand a study, I append a few examples. 1. Having obtained the ball from the back of the right hand, place it between the two forefingers, (Fig. 24). Then twist the fingers round and round, which will cause the ball to revolve with them. This produces a very pleasing and puzzling effect, and is to all appearance a feat of dexterity. It requires, however, very little practice. [Illustration: Fig. 25.--Ball in Position on Right Hand] 2. Close the right hand and place the ball on the top, (Fig. 25). From this position appear to take it in the left hand, really allowing it to sink down into the palm of the right, where it is retained. Vanish the ball from the left hand in the usual manner, and produce it from the left elbow. 3. Roll the ball between the palms of the hands as if you were trying to make it smaller. When the left hand is underneath, seem to close it over the ball, really palming it in the right hand. The left hand is now brought down rather smartly on the back of the head, and the ball produced from the mouth. 4. Place the ball between the teeth and, apparently, give it a smart rap with the right hand as if to force it into the mouth. The ball, however, is palmed in the right hand, and immediately taken from the back of the head. When producing the ball, pass it up the back and over the top of the head, and let it fall into the left hand. 5. Appear to take the ball from the left hand, as in "Le Tourniquet" with a coin. Then apparently pass it through the left knee, producing it from underneath. 6. Throw the ball several times from one hand to the other, and finally, when appearing to throw it into the right hand, palm it in the left. Vanish the ball; place the left hand to the nose; and let the ball fall into the right hand. To all appearances it actually comes from the nose. 7. Stand with the left side to the audience, and throw the ball into the air several times. At the third time palm it in the left hand; the effect being that the ball is vanished into thin air. Now perform the "Change-over Palm," described above, and find the ball at the back of the right knee. 8. Apparently transfer the ball from the right hand to the left, really palming it. Place the palm of the right hand (containing the ball) on the right breast, and thence extend it over in the direction of the left sleeve. In the act of doing this, the ball leaves the palm and is held between the forearm and the body; the hand, turned palm toward the audience, then pulls up the sleeve. You then blow on the left hand to vanish the ball, and show the hand empty. To regain possession of the ball, all that is necessary is to reverse the motion of the arm, when the ball will find its way into the palm of the hand, and can be produced as fancy suggests. If the ball is not produced, the above forms an excellent final vanish to any billiard-ball trick. If used as a vanish, after having regained possession of the ball, you stand with the hands one on each lappet of the coat, bow, and retire. This pass, which I have found practical in every way, was given to me by Mr. George Newman, a very clever amateur conjurer. The following explanations will to some extent be given in the "vernacular," it being assumed that the student has become familiar with the various passes. MULTIPLICATION.--You must now obtain possession of the trick ball, which can be done by means of the following ruse. Appear to place the ball in the left hand, vanish, and take it from the left breast pocket. In doing so you take out the trick ball, leaving the solid one behind. For two balls.--Take the trick ball in the left hand, and, waving the hand up and down, open the shell, placing the thumb over the joint, when you will appear to have two balls in the left hand. To show these as two solid balls, one in each hand, take the ball out of the case, which forthwith close. This can easily be done under cover of the right hand. Draw attention to the ball in the left hand, and remark, "One, and this one" (ball in right hand) "make two." As you say this you appear to place the ball in the left hand, really opening the case to represent two balls, and palming the solid one in the right hand. For three balls.--Produce the ball you have palmed from behind the left knee, and really place it with the two others (case open) in the left hand. Wave the left hand up and down, and under cover of the movement allow the solid ball to slip into the case. Then produce the ball previously left in the breast pocket, and you will seem to have passed a ball up your sleeve. For four balls.--Draw attention to the two balls now in the left hand (case open, with a solid ball in one half) and remark, "Two, and this one" (ball in right hand) "make three." Saying which, you apparently place the ball in the left hand, really palming it as before, and dropping the ball out of the case under the cover of the right hand. You now find the palmed ball at the left elbow, and really place it with the other three in the left hand. You will now appear to hold four solid balls. ANNIHILATION.--Appear to take a ball in the right hand, really allowing one to fall into the case. Vanish this ball in the act of throwing it to the audience. You now actually take another solid ball in the right hand and exclaim, "I will vanish this one into thin air. Watch me." Actually throw the ball into the air several times, and while doing this lower the left hand, and drop the solid ball out of the case into the profonde, making a movement that the audience cannot fail to notice. Thinking they have caught you, some one is sure to remark, "I saw him put one in his pocket that time." To which you will reply, "Oh, no, I did not put any in my pocket. I would not deceive you in such a manner. Two and one" (the one in the right hand) "make three." You now really place the ball in the left hand. Again appear to take a ball in the right hand, letting it fall into the case as before. Then vanish it in the act of apparently throwing it into the air. Wave the left hand up and down, and under cover of the movement close the case, which will dispose of the third ball. Finally, make believe to take this last ball in the right hand, standing with your right side to the spectators. Instead of doing this, however, the case is opened, under cover of the right hand, and the solid ball extracted. The right hand is then closed over the ball so that it cannot be seen, and the left hand quietly places the case in the profonde. It is well to again let this movement be suspected. Then, looking at the right hand, remark: "I have now only to dispose of this last ball." At this point some one is almost sure to say, "Oh! but I saw you put it in your pocket." You will then cause considerable amusement to the spectators, and bring derision on the party with the voice, by showing the ball in the right hand. To cause the disappearance of the last ball make use of the pass described under Example 8 (p. 97). BILLIARD BALLS AND BASINS.--For the purpose of this trick you will require two small basins and two tea plates. The plates are to act as covers for the basins. In addition to these paraphernalia you will require two india-rubber balls to match in size and color the ordinary billiard balls. The effect of the illusion is as follows:--The two basins are shown empty, and each is covered with a plate. In the course of the preceding billiard-ball trick, or a portion of the same, two balls are vanished, afterward appearing in the basins. To prepare for the trick, place one of the basins, containing one of the balls, on the table, and cover it with one of the plates. On the top of this plate place the other basin, containing the second ball, covering the same with the remaining plate. When about to present the illusion, you take the top plate in the left hand, and the basin in the right, fingers inside and thumb out. This enables you to grasp the ball, and conceal it in the fingers, while holding the basin so that the inside can be inspected. Place the basin on the floor, retaining the ball in the fingers, and immediately take the plate in the right hand, which again conceals the ball. Show the left hand empty, also both sides of the plate. Then pass the plate back into the left hand, taking the ball with it, and show both sides of the right hand. Cover the basin with the plate and in doing so secretly introduce the ball. You must now go through the same movements with the other plate, ball, and basin, and the trick is practically finished. All that remains for you to do now is to vanish two balls and find them in the basins. The india-rubber balls are essential for silence when dropped into the basin. Ordinary wooden balls would rattle and thus betray their presence. COLOR-CHANGING BILLIARD BALLS.--There is a very old trick similar to what I am about to describe, known as the "Chameleon Balls." In this form of the trick the ball is caused to change by palming on, or off, as occasion may require, half shells of different colors. I will now explain a method of producing a result analogous to the old trick, but brought about by entirely different means. The necessary accessories are a red, a black, and a white billiard ball, all solid. Place the white ball in the profonde, and the black one in the pochette, on the left side. Having arrived at the point in Annihilation (p. 100) where all the balls have been disposed of with the exception of the last solid one, you throw this in the air as if to vanish it in that direction. While all eyes follow the ball in its upward flight you lower the left hand and take the white ball from the profonde, palming it. In doing this you would of course stand with the right side to the audience. THE CHANGE TO WHITE.--Make a half turn to the right and take the red ball in the fingers of the left hand, in which you have the white ball palmed. Then show the right hand back and front. Now take the visible red ball in the fingers of the right hand, and, at the same instant, make the "Change-over Palm." This brings your right side again to the auditorium and enables you to show the left hand empty. To execute the change you place the red ball in the fingers of the left hand, and then stroke it with the palm of the right; palming the red ball and leaving in place of it the white one. Again make the "Change-over Palm" showing the hands empty, with the exception of the white ball. THE CHANGE TO BLACK.--You take the ball in the right hand, and turning to the left bring it down rather smartly on the table, to prove its solidity. This gives you the opportunity of dropping the red ball into the profonde and taking the black one from the pochette. To change the white ball to black you will proceed as in the previous change, disposing of the palmed white ball at the earliest opportunity, or it can be produced with good effect from the bottom of the trousers. Then lay both balls down on the table. To appreciate and thoroughly understand the effect of the above, it is necessary to actually practice the various movements with the balls in front of a mirror. THE DIMINISHING BILLIARD BALLS.--The trick under notice has for its effect the apparent diminution of an ordinary billiard ball, first to half its original size, secondly to one-quarter its original size, and finally to a very small ball, with which several amusing passes are made, and which afterward disappears entirely. [Illustration: Fig. 26.--Trick Balls] In this case a trick ball is used of a size equal to half that of the ordinary one, and hollowed out so as to contain a solid ball of a diameter equal to half that of itself, (Fig. 26). The hollow ball must be so constructed that the small one pinches slightly into it, but can be instantly released by simply passing the ball of the thumb over it. A duplicate of this small ball should be placed in the right hand waistcoat pocket for use in the latter part of the trick. The trick ball is placed in the left pochette, whence it is obtained and used according to the instructions given in the "Color-changing Balls." To produce the smallest size, hold the trick ball in the left hand, having previously loosened the small one, and in the act of stroking it with the right hand, palm off the hollow ball, and dispose of it as soon as possible. With the small ball you now execute the pass as described under Example 4 on p. 96. Then actually place the ball in the mouth, pretend to swallow it, and produce the one from the vest pocket, which will appear to be the same. You now seem to place the ball in the left hand, really palming it; then bring the left hand down with apparent force on the top of the head, showing the ball between the teeth. Here raise the right hand as if to take the ball from the mouth, but really push it back and show the palmed one. Then repeat the same pass, but this time actually let the ball fall from the mouth into the left hand, the right disposing of the palmed ball into the profonde. I have seen a series of passes, including the above, performed with two eggs in place of the small balls, but unless the performer be endowed with a colossal cavity between the upper and lower jaws, I should not advise him to attempt this. THE HANDKERCHIEF BALL.--This forms a very good introduction to a billiard ball trick, all that is required being a ball of the usual size, hollowed out so as to take a handkerchief, with an opening one inch in diameter on the surface. This ball is suspended behind the top rail of a chair by means of a pin. After performing any trick in which a handkerchief has been employed, carelessly throw it over the back of the chair while you roll up your sleeves. If you do not care to roll up the sleeves, perform any small trick before proceeding with the present one, otherwise it might be too palpable that the handkerchief was thrown over the chair for a purpose. Then take up the handkerchief (secretly securing the ball) and gradually work it into the ball, being careful to keep the ball out of sight as much as possible until the handkerchief has totally disappeared. Finally throw the ball into the air, which can safely be done providing it and the handkerchief are both of the same color, which would not admit of the hole being observed. At this point, should you desire to proceed with a billiard ball trick, you can do so by changing the hollow ball for a solid one in the same manner that you changed the solid ball for the trick one in the "Multiplying Billiard Balls." THE DISSOLVING BILLIARD BALL.--This forms an excellent conclusion to a billiard ball trick. A glass tumbler three parts filled with water is given to a gentleman to hold. A ball is then covered with a handkerchief and given to the gentleman with a request that he will hold it over the glass and at the word "three" will allow it to fall into the water. This is done, and upon the handkerchief being removed from the tumbler, nothing remains but the fluid, which is perfectly transparent, the ball having apparently been dissolved therein. The secret of this lies in the fact that the performer is provided with a half shell of clear glass. This shell is secretly slipped over the ball in the act of covering it with the handkerchief, and when handing it to the gentleman the solid ball is palmed away by the performer. The gentleman is not at all likely to discover that he holds only a half ball, as, being hampered with the glass of water, he is effectually prevented from making an examination. It is well to be provided with a tumbler the bottom of which is shaped somewhat to fit the form of the shell, and ornamented slightly, but this latter feature is not absolutely necessary. FANCY SLEIGHT WITH A SMALL BALL.--A small ball is generally used for this pass, but it is applicable to any object that can be conveniently placed in the mouth. In effect it is as follows: A ball, for instance, is rubbed into the left elbow and passed thence up into the hand. The hand is then brought down rather smartly on the back of the head, the ball being immediately afterward taken from the mouth. The sleight is thus executed: The performer takes the ball in his right hand and commences to rub it into his left elbow. At this point he apparently meets with an accident, dropping the ball on the floor. The dropping of the ball, however, apart from being an accident, is absolutely essential to the success of the illusion. After having picked up the ball and while still in a stooping position with his back toward the spectators, the performer quickly throws it into his mouth, immediately facing round and drawing attention to the right hand the fingers of which must seem to close round the object. The rubbing at the elbow is again commenced and the right hand eventually shown empty. The performer then makes a sign indicative that the ball has passed up into the left hand, which is then brought down with apparent force on the back of the head. The ball in the mouth is then revealed, when it will appear to have actually traveled to that position. This sleight can very well be introduced at the close of the Diminishing Billiard Balls. I am indebted to Mr. Ross Conyears, an exceedingly dexterous magician, for the above. ROUGE ET NOIR.--This pretty trick consists of causing two balls, one red and one black, wrapped in pieces of paper and placed in borrowed hats, to change places at command. The diameter of the balls should be four and one-half inches. The solution of the problem lies in the construction of the papers with which the balls are covered. They are arranged thus: Take two pieces of newspaper and paste them together all round the edges, having previously inserted between them a layer of red glazed paper of the same shade as the ball. The other one is prepared in exactly the same way, but contains a layer of black glazed paper to represent the black ball. The two balls are now wrapped in the papers, care being taken to cover the red ball with the paper containing the black layer, and vice versa. After this has been done the performer feigns a slip, mixing up the packages, and thereby confusing the audience as to the relative positions of the balls. As if to satisfy them on this point he tears a small hole in the outer covering of one of the parcels, exposing say the layer of black paper. The parcel is then placed in the hat on the supposition that it contains the black ball. The other package is now treated in the same manner, after which the supposed transposition of the balls will be easily understood. BALL, HANDKERCHIEF, AND TUMBLER.--This is a very good combination trick, and as such will serve as an example for the arrangement of others. A billiard ball is placed in a small tumbler, which is in turn wrapped in a piece of newspaper and deposited in a borrowed hat. The performer then takes a small silk handkerchief and rolls it up in his hands, when it is seen to have become transformed into a billiard ball. The glass is then taken from the hat, and, on the paper being removed, is found to contain the handkerchief. The ball, handkerchief, and tumbler, together with the piece of paper, are then caused to vanish, one at a time, from the hands of the performer, who immediately afterward produces them from the hat. The modus operandi is as follows:--A duplicate tumbler containing a handkerchief, and wrapped in paper, must be secretly introduced into the hat prior to the commencement of the trick. (See Hat Tricks.) The tumbler containing the ball and wrapped in paper is then placed in the hat. The performer now takes up a duplicate handkerchief, and under cover of the same the hollow ball already described. The handkerchief is worked into the ball, which is shown in due course, and laid on the table, opening downward. The duplicate tumbler is then removed from the hat, and found to contain the handkerchief. These articles, including the piece of paper, are then laid on the table by the side of the ball. The performer now goes to the hat, and, under pretense of moving it further away, turns it over, thus proving, in conjurer's logic, that it is empty. This can easily be done by taking the hat fingers inside and thumb out, the fingers being inserted in the top of the tumbler. The performer then returns to the table and proceeds to dispose of the articles thereon. The piece of paper rolled up, and the ball, are caused to vanish by any of the means already explained. To cause the disappearance of the glass you must be provided with a handkerchief, silk by preference, consisting of two handkerchiefs sewn together round the edges, in the centre of which is fixed a disk of cardboard of the same size as the top of the tumbler. The tumbler being covered with this handkerchief, the performer, as if to satisfy the spectators that it is still there, strikes it several times on the back of a chair, and under cover of the movement allows the glass to fall into the network servante. The handkerchief, however, owing to the presence of the disk, still appears to contain the glass, the ultimate disposal of which will now be readily understood. In conclusion, the performer takes the handkerchief lying on the table and vanishes it by palming in the ordinary way; the right hand being immediately dived into the hat and the handkerchief produced. The other articles should be removed one at a time, not forgetting to crumple the paper into a ball before taking it out. CHAPTER VI HAT TRICKS The uses to which that piece of headgear, the much abused silk hat, lends itself in "l'art magique" are almost innumerable. The chief, however, and the one immediately under consideration, is the production therefrom of a host of heterogeneous articles, of which the following list will give an idea: _Fifty yards of sash ribbon, eight inches wide._--The ribbon should be folded over and over, in large pleats, so that it can be readily taken from the hat. _Two dozen fancy cardboard boxes, three and three-fourth inches by two and one-half inches by two and one-half inches._--These are made to fold flat, the size of the parcel when ready for introduction being five inches by three and three-fourth inches by one and one-half inches. _Two hundred flowers, known as spring flowers._--Each flower when closed is very little thicker than brown paper, but immediately on being released expands to the size of a full-brown tulip. One hundred of these flowers, when closed, can easily be hidden in the hand. _A string of sausages._--These, it is hardly necessary to remark, are imitation, being made in silk of the required color. _A bundle of wood._--This is made hollow, consisting of a cardboard case with pieces of wood glued on the outside and on one end, the other being left open. It is usually filled with baby linen, together with a feeding-bottle containing milk. _One hundred yards of narrow, colored ribbon._--This is made in coils, machine rolled, similar to that used for telegraph purposes. A coil of this ribbon can very well be placed in the bottom of the sham bundle of wood. When producing the coil it should be unrolled from the centre. _Four pound weight of playing cards._--These make a tremendous show when strewn about the stage. A good plan, also, is to have a number joined together in a long string by means of cotton. _A cannon ball._--This is usually made in zinc, five inches in diameter, hollow, and provided with a sliding lid. It can be filled with various soft goods, such as handkerchiefs, ribbons, etc., also sweets and bonbons for distribution. _A solid wooden cannon ball._--This should have a three-quarter inch hole, two inches deep, bored in it toward the centre, for facility in introducing it into the hat. _A barber's pole, about thirty feet long and four inches to five inches thick at the base._--This is made with stout colored paper, and pulls out from the centre. If the pole be constructed of red, white, and blue paper the performer, when introducing the trick, may announce that he is about to erect the American Colors at the North Pole. [Illustration: Fig. 27.--Bowl of Gold Fish] _A bowl of gold fish._--This really consists of two bowls, one within the other. The space between the two contains the water and fish, which are inserted through a hole in the bottom of the outer bowl, the latter being afterward corked. The inside bowl is filled with bonbons, etc. (Fig. 27). The fish used are imitation, being made from pieces of carrot cut to shape. _A large cage containing a live canary._--The cage, which is telescopic in action, the upper part sliding down into the lower, is nearly twice the height of the hat, and when once taken out cannot be put back. This is owing to the fact that the seed boxes, which in their normal position are on the inside, revolve on spring pivots, as the cage is withdrawn, thus making it impossible to return it to the hat until they are replaced. _Twenty pint tumblers, ruby and green._--These are made in celluloid and fit one in the other. They are all of the same size, but being very thin occupy very little more space than a single one. _Six champagne bottles._--These are not quite so substantial as they look, being merely half-bottles in thin metal, japanned black, and decorated with labels taken from the genuine article. A bottle with a horizontal division in the centre, the upper part containing wine, and the lower part a tumbler, is generally introduced with the shells. _A small rabbit._ _A Chinese doll._--Obtain a doll's head, five inches in diameter, from any Oriental store, and drape it with a silk skirt. If a hole be cut in the top of the head it can be utilized in the same manner as the cannon ball. _A skull which rises spontaneously from the hat._--This is a model in papier-maché, and being hollow, is very serviceable. It is caused to rise from the hat by means of a black thread, which is carried through a staple in the flies immediately over the performer's table, thence through another staple behind the wings, and down to the assistant. It is not my intention to give directions for making these goods, as they can be bought at a very small cost from any of the dealers in magical apparatus. I have found by experience that this is the best course to pursue. Amateur work is, as a rule, very commendable, but scarcely so as regards conjuring, clumsy and ill-made apparatus being absolutely useless, and consequently dear at any price. Apart from this I have another, and what I believe to be a more important object in view, viz., that of giving instruction in the actual working of the trick. It will be at once obvious to the reader that the chief element in the magical production of articles from a borrowed hat, is the manner in which they are secretly introduced, as, should this be detected, the trick would fail ignominiously. The main secret lies in the combination of the looks and gestures of the performer to misdirect the audience. The articles for the most part are introduced under cover of natural movements, quickness being of little or no avail. I will now describe one or two methods employed to effect this desideratum. LOADING.--Under this heading I shall endeavor to give the working of a hat trick as actually presented to an audience, using for the purpose articles selected from the preceding list. The following preparations must be made:-- A small rabbit is placed in the right hand profonde, and a billiard ball and a small dinner plate are laid on the table. [Illustration: Fig. 28.--Double Wire Loop] A packet of one hundred spring flowers, secured by a band of tissue paper, must be in the hands of the assistant at the right wing; and another similar packet must be placed in the profonde on the left side. The sash ribbon, folded as instructed, is tied round the fancy boxes together with the string of sausages, with black tape. The parcel is suspended behind the back of a chair by means of a pin and a double loop of florist's wire (Fig. 28), the tape being passed through the small loop, which is then hung on the pin. This leaves the large loop, the use of which will be noted in due course, sticking up over the back of the chair, where, however, it is quite invisible at a few paces. The twenty pint tumblers are wrapped up in a piece of colored sash-ribbon and tied round with tape to which is attached a loop of wire. Thus prepared they are placed in the capacious breast pocket on the left side, the loop projecting so that the thumb of the right hand can be passed through it and the package withdrawn. The bundle of wood, containing the coil of ribbon, baby linen, and feeding bottle, must be in readiness on the servante at the back of a second chair. The skull, cannon ball, or globe of gold fish, whichever the performer intends to use, is located on the servante at the back of the table. The next thing to do is to obtain the loan of a hat, and having done so, it is well to perform a preliminary experiment with the same. A very good one is that known as THE MAGNETIZED HAT.--The performer places his hand, perfectly empty, on the crown of the hat, which forthwith adheres to the palm, and in this position it can be moved about and turned over in any direction. The finger tips are then used in place of the palm with the same result. Finally, a silk handkerchief is thrown over the hat, and the palm of the hand placed thereon, but the effect is still the same. [Illustration: Fig. 29.--Apparatus for Magnetized Hat] This seeming impossibility is accomplished with the aid of the little piece of apparatus illustrated in Fig. 29. It consists of a brass plate fitted with two bent pins as shown, the whole being painted black. The pins should be situated so that by placing the two middle fingers between them the hat can be raised. The working of the trick will now be readily understood. The clip must be pressed into the crown of the hat while returning with it to the stage, the pin on the left of the figure being inserted first. The clip is removed, with the handkerchief, in the final stage of the trick. The ball and plate are now given for examination, and while all attention is riveted on these two articles, ample opportunity will be found to introduce the rabbit unobserved, which should be done while amongst the audience. The hat is then covered with the plate, in which condition it is carried back to the stage, and placed on the table. The performer now takes the ball, and vanishes it by palming; appearing to pass it through the plate into the hat. The plate is then removed, and the ball taken from the hat with the right hand, followed immediately by the rabbit. The hat is now taken in the left hand, and the rabbit handed to the assistant at the wings with the right. The assistant takes the rabbit, and at the same time, under cover of the wing, gives the performer the packet of flowers; the hat being immediately placed in the right hand to conceal their presence. While drawing attention to the outside of the hat, the tissue paper is broken with the fingers, and the flowers are released. They are then shaken out slowly on to a large sheet of black alpaca, which should be spread over the stage to receive them. While this is being done, the package is obtained from the profonde, the hat being changed over into the left hand, and the second load thus introduced. When the flowers have all been shaken from the hat, take it in the right hand, fingers inside and thumb out, and approach the chair (this should be on your right) on which is the bundle of ribbons, etc. Take the top of the chair in the hand holding the hat, and in doing so, push the forefinger through the loop of wire. Now move the chair away a few paces, and when removing the hand from the back bring away the load, which will fall into the hat unobserved. Leave the hat on the chair, and take up the alpaca containing the flowers, putting it on one side. Up to this point, no one will suspect that the hat contains anything, as what you have done has been but natural in the preparation of the stage for the next trick. The boxes are now taken from the hat and placed on the table, followed by the sausages. When removing the latter, some amusement may be caused by referring to them as "an indefinable, condimental amalgamation of membranaceous disintegrations." The ribbon is next pulled from the hat in long lengths with the right hand, and when the hand contains a large quantity, the thumb is slipped through the wire loop attached to the tumblers in the breast pocket. These are introduced when inserting the hand to take out the next length of ribbon. The introduction of the tumblers cannot be detected, owing to the presence of the ribbon in which they are wrapped. When the whole of the ribbon has been extracted, it is thrown over the back of the chair, behind which is the bundle of wood. The tumblers are now taken from the hat, and placed on the table. The performer then takes up the ribbon from the chair, and makes an effort to return it to the hat, thereby drawing attention to its great bulk, and remarking, "Now, how do you suppose I am going to get home with this? Why, I shall require at least two cabs." It is needless to say that under cover of the ribbon the bundle of wood is introduced into the hat. The baby linen, feeding bottle, and coil, are now produced, and finally the wood itself. It is usual when taking the ribbon from the hat to spin it out on the wand. Holding the hat by the brim, fingers inside and thumb out, the performer lowers it for an instant to the rear edge of the table, and by inserting the middle finger of the hand into the hole in the cannon ball scoops it up into the hat, which is forthwith raised and placed crown downward on the table. This movement should be executed with the left hand while the right lays the bundle of wood down on the table, and, if necessary, makes room for the next production. The fish bowl, or skull, would of course be worked in a similar manner. * * * * * From the foregoing it will be seen that with a little expenditure of ingenuity and trouble a hat trick can be carried on to an almost indefinite period. It should not, however, in any case exceed fifteen minutes. I have taken the preceding list simply as an illustration of the way in which the various movements are combined to appear natural and thus avoid detection, also as a basis on which the student may arrange a hat trick of his own. Any articles can, of course, be substituted for those given, or the list may be supplemented by others, or cut down as occasion may require. An amount of sang froid and boldness, only acquired from years of actual practice, is necessary to execute a good hat trick faultlessly; but this should not disconcert the reader, as it is only in accordance with what must be expected in the acquisition of an art. TO PRODUCE A NUMBER OF EGGS FROM A HAT HELD CROWN UPWARD.--For this purpose you must be provided with a black linen bag, oval in shape, and large enough to contain the required number of eggs. To one end of this bag is sewn an ordinary tie clip, the other end being cut off and provided with a piece of elastic so that eggs placed therein cannot come out unless pressure be applied with the hand. The bag is loaded into the hat by one or other of the methods described, and attached to the lining of the same by means of the clip. Under these circumstances the production of the eggs from the inverted hat will be an easy matter. The eggs used should be blown ones. The bag should be allowed to remain in the hat after the last egg has been taken from it, and removed later under cover of some other article. CHAPTER VII ANTI-SPIRITUALISTIC TRICKS THE CLIMBING RING.--The performer having obtained the loan of a lady's ring, passes it over the end of his wand, which he then holds in a perpendicular position. The ring now commences to climb up the wand very slowly, stopping or descending at command; finally it jumps right off the wand and is caught by the performer, who immediately hands it back to the lady. This pretty experiment depends entirely upon a black silk thread, about twice the length of the wand, to which it is fixed at the uppermost end. The means by which the thread is attached may vary, but a good plan is to make a very small knot in the end of the thread, which is then passed through a fine slit cut in the end of the wand, the knot making all secure. The thread is then passed down the side of the wand, in which position it will not be noticed. The ring is now dropped over the wand, and consequently over the thread, by the manipulation of which it may be caused to rise or fall, or, in response to a sharp tug, to jump right off the wand. The wand is usually held in the left hand, while the right, in which is the end of the thread, holds the lapel of the coat, when all that is necessary to obtain the desired result is to move the left hand to or from the body as required. THE MYSTERIOUS NAME.--This is a capital trick, and one that can be introduced at any time. The performer borrows a visiting card from any stranger in the company, and, holding it between the thumb and the second finger of the hand, he waves it about very slowly, at the same time asking some one to call out the name of any celebrity. This having been done the card is almost immediately handed back to the owner, who finds the selected name written thereon. This ingenious trick is accomplished with the aid of a small accessory in the shape of a thimble, to the end of which is attached a small piece of pencil about a quarter of an inch in length. This thimble having been placed on the forefinger of the hand, it will be found, by experiment, that the name may very easily be written on the back of a card held as instructed. Prior to, and immediately after the trick, the thimble may be palmed as instructed elsewhere. A NEW POSTAL TRICK.--This is very useful, as it can be employed in conjunction with any trick where a word, message, total of sum, etc., is to be produced in a magical manner. An ordinary postcard is handed to a spectator with a request that he will tear a small piece from one corner, and having done so, hand both portions back to the performer. The corner is laid on the table and the card torn up into small pieces which are then placed in the magic pistol (see p. 61), and fired at a borrowed hat. The card is afterward produced from the hat covered with writing, and fully restored with the exception of the corner, which on being fitted to the card is found to correspond in every way. The trick is accomplished with the aid of a second card prepared with the necessary writing, and from which a corner has been removed. This card is secretly introduced into the hat when returning with it to the stage. The performer, having palmed the portion missing from the card in the hat, makes an exchange when laying the corner on the table. The plain card is then torn into fragments, and together with its corner is placed in the pistol, which is then fired at the hat. It is well to place a piece of paper in the mouth of the cone to receive the torn pieces of card, as by this means the danger of dropping any on the floor is obviated. An additional effect may be obtained by having previously placed in the body of the pistol a piece of paper containing a powder for producing colored fire, when, after having disposed of the cup containing the torn card, you appear to overhear a remark to the effect that you have put something in your pocket, to which you reply, "No, I certainly did not put anything in my pocket. See, here is the paper containing the card" (really the package of colored fire). The package of powder is then laid on a plate and fired, after which the card is removed from the hat. NEW SLATE TRICKS.--Under this heading will be noticed several methods, all of recent invention, for performing the well-known slate trick. FIRST METHOD.--Two ordinary school slates are given into the hands of a spectator, who, after making a careful examination, ties them together with stout cord, in which condition they are placed in the cabinet. Writing is immediately heard, and when it ceases the slates are at once handed out to the performer, who on separating them finds the required message. The secret lies in the fact that the medium is provided with two small wooden wedges; also an umbrella rib, to which at one end is fitted a minute piece of pencil. All he has to do, therefore, is to force the wedges between the slates on one side until sufficient space is provided for the insertion of the rib, when the writing of the message will be found an easy matter. SECOND METHOD.--In this case the two slates, after examination, may be actually screwed together with iron bolts, but in spite of this precaution writing is obtained as before. Under these circumstances the performer is provided with a piece of prepared chalk--not the conventional commodity as sold by every chemist, but prepared by coating a piece of steel, about the size of a pea, with chalk paste, which is then allowed to dry. The piece of chalk is placed between the two slates, which are then bolted together and put into the cabinet; when, under the influence of a powerful horseshoe magnet passed over the outside of one slate as required, the prepared chalk will produce the spirit writing. THIRD METHOD (ONE SLATE ONLY).--After examination the slate is held by the performer above his head, when almost immediately writing is heard; and on the slate being turned round it is found to contain the desired message. The slate, a small one for preference, is provided with a loose vulcanite flap covering one side, and concealing the writing which is already there. The performer hands the slate round for examination (keeping the flap in position by means of the fingers), and asks a spectator to initial it in one corner to satisfy himself that it is not exchanged. This having been done, and while returning to the stage, the performer removes the flap under cover of his body and places it in the vest, or in the large pocket in the breast of the coat. He then holds the slate above his head, fingers in front and thumbs behind. The sound of writing is produced by scratching with one thumb on the back of the slate, and when this has been continued long enough the message is revealed. FOURTH METHOD (ONE SLATE ONLY).--In this instance the slate, which is an ordinary one, is shown to be clean on both sides, in which condition it is given to a spectator to hold. The performer then takes a pistol and, at a few paces, fires direct at the slate, on which, immediately after the report, the message is discovered. To produce this startling effect all that is necessary is to write the message on the slate with glycerine just before commencing the trick, and to load the pistol with a small charge of powder, on the top of which is placed a quantity of powdered chalk. THE SPIRIT HANDKERCHIEF.--The effect of this trick, which is exceptionally good, is as follows:--Several knots having been tied in a large silk handkerchief borrowed from a member of the audience, it is thrown on the floor of the stage when it immediately begins to act as if it were a live snake, twisting and twirling about in every conceivable form. The performer passes his wand over, under, and all round the handkerchief, thus proving to the satisfaction of the most astute that there are no connections. It is hardly necessary to say, however, that in spite of such convincing proof to the contrary, connection is actually made with the handkerchief, and it is done in the following manner:--A fine black silk thread is stretched across the stage from one wing to the other, the ends being in the hands of two assistants. Having obtained the loan of the handkerchief, the performer, standing behind the thread, takes it diagonally by two corners and twists it up rope fashion. He then ties three knots in it, one a little below the centre, one a little above the centre, and the third at one end. While this is being done the assistants raise the thread round which the last knot, forming the head of the snake, is actually tied; but owing to the thread being invisible this will pass unobserved. Having made the last knot the performer drops the handkerchief on the floor, when its emulation of a live snake will depend entirely on the adroit manner in which the assistants manipulate the thread. Finally, it should be made to jump into the hand of the performer, who should at once hand it, with the knots still tied, to the owner. This is managed by the assistant at one end dropping the thread and the other one pulling it clear of the handkerchief. THE MYSTERIOUS COMMUNICATION.--This trick, which is a very good one, is performed by a method very little known. The effect is as follows:--Any person writes on a piece of paper any word or series of words to form a short sentence, and having done so, folds the paper and puts it in his pocket. At this stage the performer introduces a reel of telephonic wire, the end of which, containing a loop, is handed to the writer, with a request that he will place the loop over the ball of the left thumb. This having been done, the performer places the reel against his forehead, and, after a few seconds' thought, writes the message, or an answer thereto, on the blackboard. To obtain this result, all that is necessary is to be provided with a piece of paper smeared over on one side with white wax, or common washing soap; also a slab of plate glass by way of writing board. The paper is placed on the glass, waxed side downward, in which condition the assistant takes it to a gentleman in the audience. When writing on the paper a very faint impression, invisible to any one who does not actually look for it, is obtained on the glass. In the act of taking the glass back from his assistant the performer obtains the desired cue. The use of the wire is optional, but, of course, it adds much to the effect of the trick. THE GREAT DICTIONARY TRICK (NEW METHOD).--This is an improvement on the old trick under this name, as any dictionary may be used, whereas formerly the trick depended entirely upon a dictionary composed of one page repeated throughout. The effect is as follows: The performer hands a sealed envelope to a spectator, asking him to take care of it, and not break the seal until requested. A dictionary is then given for examination, after which a lady inserts in it, at any page, a playing card. A counter bearing a number, say twenty-seven, is taken from a bag containing fifty, all numbered differently; the dictionary is opened at the page containing the card, and due note is taken of the twenty-seventh word indicated by the counter, and which is, we will suppose, "Magic." The gentleman is next requested to open the envelope, and on doing so finds to his astonishment that it contains a card on which is written "Magic, n, sorcery; enchantment," in exact accordance with the word chosen, apparently by chance, from the dictionary. The seeming mystery is easily explained. Obtain a new twenty-five cent pocket dictionary, and, having opened it somewhere about the middle, bend the covers right back until they touch each other. Any new book used thus will ever afterward, unless otherwise maltreated, open readily at the same page. After the dictionary has been examined the performer allows it to fall open at this page, into which he secretly introduces a playing card previously palmed in his right hand. The book is then closed. The performer, still holding the book, gives a card, identical in every respect with the other one, to a lady, with a request that she will insert it between the leaves in any position and push it right into the book. The performer, of course, takes care that the two cards do not clash. In this condition the dictionary is laid on the table. A small bag, preferably of silk, is next introduced, from which the performer takes a handful of counters numbered from one to fifty and gives them for examination, after which they are returned to the bag. Any person is now allowed to place his hand in the bag and remove one counter, but it is needless to say, however careful he may be, the number chosen will be twenty-seven, which is accounted for by the fact that the bag is provided with a division through its entire length, forming two pockets, one of which contains the counters numbered one to fifty, and the other, fifty counters all bearing the same number, _i. e._, twenty-seven. The dictionary is now opened by the performer at his own page, which every one will take to be the one chosen by the lady; some one is asked to note the twenty-seventh word on that page as indicated by the counter, the trick being brought to a conclusion as already described. The performer can always ensure the left-hand page of the opening being read, by holding the book, with the card, in such a position that the twenty-seventh word on the right-hand page cannot be seen. Care must also be taken not to expose the duplicate card. By way of variation the chosen word may be produced with the sympathetic ink, or it may be revealed by the method employed in "A New Postal Trick." For the above trick, in the form described, I am indebted to Mr. Maurice Victor, a most skilful exponent of sleight of hand. LONG-DISTANCE SECOND SIGHT.--Two performers, usually a lady and a gentleman, are required for this séance. The gentleman introduces the lady, who is then escorted by a committee, chosen from the audience, to a room in a different part of the house, in which she is secured under lock and key. Several of the committee then guard the room, while the others return to the concert-hall and give the performer the following particulars:--Time shown by any watch (not necessarily the proper time); initials of any person in the room; any number of four figures; any word of four or five letters; number of cigarettes in any case, and kind of case; amount of money in any purse, and kind of purse. After this has been done a member of the committee takes pen, ink, and paper to the lady, who immediately writes down the time, initials, number, etc.; these, on examination, are found to be correct, although she has never left the room, neither has the performer left the stage, and no connection of any description exists between them. This inexplicable performance is thus accomplished: The performer is provided with a small writing pad, three and one-half inches by two inches, consisting of a piece of cardboard, on which are held, by means of two elastic bands, several cigarette papers. This pad, together with a small piece of soft lead pencil, is placed in the right-hand trousers pocket. As the various items are called out, the performer stands with his right hand in the pocket, a perfectly natural attitude, and appears to be thinking deeply; but he is really writing down the particulars, one under the other, on the cigarette paper, which, with a little practice, can be done quite legibly. He then tears off the paper and rolls it into a small ball between the fingers. A piece of plain paper is now obtained from any member of the audience, in order to prove that a prepared piece is not used, and together with a fountain pen, supplied by the performer, is taken, by one of the committee, to the lady. While the paper is being obtained the performer has ample time to remove the cap from the pen, and, before placing it on the opposite end of the pen in the place provided for it, he inserts in it the small ball of paper, which is thus secretly carried to the lady. On receipt of the pen and paper the lady requests to be left alone for a few seconds, as otherwise she will not be able to obtain the aid of "the spirits," and in the absence of the committeeman she takes a hairpin, and with it extracts the ball of paper from the pen, reads, and writes out the required information. It is necessary that the order in which the various items are called out should be known alike to the performer and medium, as otherwise the "time" might be mistaken for the "number," and other errors might occur. A number of letters to indicate the various kinds of purses and cigarette cases, as "L" for leather, "S" for silver, etc., should also be agreed on between the two parties. It will be obvious that the above trick is subject to much variation according to the taste of the performer, and may be elaborated if desired. A throw of dice; a person's age; or the name of a selected card (write "8 D" for eight of diamonds, etc.) may be substituted for any of the items given above. CHAPTER VIII AFTER DINNER TRICKS In introducing to my readers a series of simple, but effective, tricks in magic, I would state that it has been my life study to popularize the art of sleight of hand, simply because, at the outset, I was impressed with the idea that, while having no desire to emulate the skilled professional magician, certain very novel and entertaining tricks were within the reach of all persons possessed with the least desire to amuse their friends. Every one is not musical; every one cannot sing or recite; but every one can, with but little practice, learn to perform the following tricks, and thus put themselves in a position to brighten what might otherwise prove to be a dull evening. THE CHINESE CROSS.--The only properties required for this excellent little trick are six stout straws of the kind used for lemonade, and the small metal accessory shown at A in Fig. 30. The straws are fashioned into the form of a cross as shown in the figure, which is about half the actual size. It will be observed that pins are passed longitudinally, through the three straws at each extremity of the structure; this is done with a view to keeping it perfectly flat, otherwise the binding where the two pieces intersect would not be effectual. The piece of metal is next pushed into the centre straw at the foot of the cross in such a manner that it will not readily fall out, and so as to be entirely covered with the exception of the sharp needle point. The cross is laid on the palm of the left hand; the right hand makes a few passes over it, when it is suddenly seen to stand erect, and to rise or fall at command. [Illustration: Fig. 30.--Chinese Cross] The method of working is as follows:--The cross is laid on the hand in such a manner that its foot, carrying the metal fake, point upward, comes in contact with the base of the middle finger; the point is now inserted in the hard flesh at the base of the said finger, when it will be found that to cause the cross to lie flat on the hand the fingers must be bent at an angle of about sixty degrees to the palm. If the hand be now straightened out very slowly the cross will rise gradually until it assumes a perpendicular position--or ninety degrees. By a slight movement of the fingers, practically imperceptible, and if noticed at all raising no suspicion, the cross is caused to rise and fall as often as desired. In view of the possibility of the cross being "snatched" by a person overanxious to discover the secret, care should be taken to see that the metal fake is attached to the hand more firmly than to the centre straw. Perhaps the better way would be to work the trick with the fake attached to the hand from the commencement, then the cross may be given for examination at any time. THE FLOATING METAL DISC.--Here a metal disc about the size of a quarter is caused to sink or swim at command in water contained, for convenience, in a shallow glass tray. The secret in this case depends upon duplicity; in reality there are two discs, the one an exact duplicate of the other in appearance, but considerably lighter in weight. Aluminium and zinc are alike in appearance and afford the necessary disparity in weight. The zinc disc is given for examination, and a member of the audience is requested to float it on the water; he, of course, fails. On receiving back the zinc disc the performer "rings" it for that in aluminium and proceeds to surprise the company. I have arranged a special sleight of hand change for the trick as follows:--You carry a handkerchief in the left breast pocket and the aluminium disc palmed in the left hand. On receiving back the zinc disc in the right hand, you forthwith seem to place it in the left hand, really palming it and showing its prototype. The right hand now takes the handkerchief from the pocket and proceeds to dry what seems to be the wet zinc disc. This latter action gives an excuse for the transfer of the disc from one hand to the other, while the handkerchief effectually conceals the "palm." The disc is now floated. The handkerchief and the zinc disc are now transferred in a careless manner to the left hand, which forthwith returns the handkerchief (handkerchief only) to the pocket. The performer is now in a position, at the conclusion of the floating, to repeat the exchange above, dry the disc, and once more hand it for examination. It is not absolutely necessary to give the metal for examination a second time, in which case the duplicate may, after the first "change," be disposed of entirely under cover of returning the handkerchief to the pocket. When apparently wiping the disc dry be careful that it is never once completely hidden from view, or an exchange may be suspected. THE BALANCED COINS.--No particular dexterity is necessary to perform the trick I am about to describe, although considerable care must be exercised for its successful execution. The performer, having obtained the loan of three pennies, lays them in a row on the palm of the left hand, in which position they may be inspected by all present. He then, with the thumb and second finger of right hand, grasps the edges of the outermost coins and raises all into a perpendicular position. The trick is performed with the actual borrowed coins; the secret depends upon the introduction of a little accessory in the shape of a thin strip of wood one-quarter of an inch wide, and in length about one-sixteenth of an inch longer than the combined diameter of the three coins. At the commencement this strip of wood is held concealed in the left hand, being held between the base of the thumb and the first joint of the middle finger. The performer receives the coins in the right hand, then transfers them to the left hand, secretly placing them in the required position: the coins effectually hide the strip of wood and all may be examined. Now by grasping the coins, together with the strip of wood, (as explained above) no difficulty will be found in securing the desired effect. In conclusion the coins are again laid carefully in the left hand, then tossed with apparent carelessness into the right hand and forthwith handed to the owner. The strip of wood is of course "palmed" in the left hand (as described above) in the act of tossing the coins into the right hand. MUTILATED CIGARETTE PAPER.--A pretty little trick of an impromptu nature, in which a cigarette paper having been torn into a number of pieces, the pieces being rolled up into a little ball, is afterwards found completely restored. FIRST METHOD.--The performer is smoking a cigarette; this is an indispensable condition of the trick. By the side of the cigarette, on the right, concealed between the lips, is a little paper ball made from a duplicate whole paper. When presenting the trick, as when smoking in the ordinary way, the cigarette is occasionally taken between the forefinger and thumb of the right hand; experiment will also show that the little paper ball may be removed and replaced, quite secretly, by holding it between the finger and thumb of same hand. (See Fig. 31.) Thus prepared, the performer hands packet of papers to a gentleman, with a request that he will take one, mutilate it, and roll up the fragments into the form of a little ball. While this is being done the performer casually shows both hands empty, occasionally removing the cigarette from his mouth, and finally securing duplicate ball. Now, under the pretense of showing the gentleman the proper way to roll the paper, he takes it between the finger and thumb of the left hand, and having rolled it about a little, passes it over to right hand, where, under cover of the manipulations, it is passed to the rear, the duplicate whole paper taking its place. (See Fig. 32.) The performer now returns the paper (the whole one) to the gentleman with the right hand, and forthwith, with the same hand, takes cigarette from mouth, thus concealing duplicate ball between fingers (see Fig. 31) without exciting suspicion. Finally the torn pieces are placed in the mouth when returning cigarette, and kept there until an opportunity arrives for removing them in secret. [Illustration: Fig. 31.--Cigarette Trick] SECOND METHOD.--This is no less interesting than the method described above. In this case the packet of cigarette papers is prepared beforehand by rolling up one into a little ball, and fixing it on the underside, near the edge at one end, of the second in order from the top. Thus prepared, the performer removes the packet from his pocket, and tearing off top paper, hands same to a gentleman with a request that he will tear it into small pieces. Says the performer, "I will take one and show you what I mean; tear it as I do." Saying this, he removes second paper, and with it the duplicate ball. While tearing the paper the little ball is kept concealed between the forefinger and thumb, by no means a difficult matter, and occasionally passed from one hand to the other that the hands may be shown empty alternately. When the tearing is complete, the performer screws up paper with the remark, "Now roll the pieces into a little ball like this--thank you, that will do nicely." While giving these instructions he passes his torn paper to the rear, where it is completely concealed by being pressed tightly between first joint of finger and thumb; the duplicate ball being presented at the extreme tips of same fingers. (See Fig. 32.) [Illustration: Fig. 32.--Cigarette Trick] Continuing, the performer remarks, "Now please take this little ball and give me yours." This is done, care being taken not to expose secreted ball. Performer now accuses gentleman of retaining one of his pieces; this of course leads to an examination, whereupon the gentleman and all present are surprised to find the paper completely restored. Finally the performer unfolds the pieces of gentleman's paper, with which he also mingles his own, with the remark, "You evidently don't quite understand the trick, sir." TO READ THE WHOLE OF THE CARDS IN A PACK JUST SHUFFLED (NEW METHOD).--The performer gives pack of cards to be shuffled, and when returned places them behind his back and calls out the name of a card. He brings the card forward and throws it on the table, and continues in this manner to name every card in the pack. The secret is exceedingly simple. A second pack of cards, prearranged in a given order, is substituted, as hereafter explained, for the pack shuffled by the audience. All the performer has to do then to make the trick a success is to acquire a thorough knowledge of the order of the cards in the prepared pack. The order of the fifty-two cards can be learned in five minutes by the aid of the following mnemonic: _Five Kings wanted (one ten), six Knaves. For (four) twenty-three (two three) ladies (queen) or eighty-nine (eight nine) slaves (seven)._ The above gives the order of the values of the cards only; the suits must, of course, follow in regular sequence, say: Diamonds, clubs, hearts, spades. Example: On the table, face upward, place the five of diamonds, on this the king of clubs, on this the ace of hearts, on this the ten of spades, on this again the six of diamonds; and so on throughout the pack. Thus arranged, the pack may be cut to any extent without disturbing the order of the cards. The exchange of packs is carried out under cover of a natural movement, as follows:--Performer receives the shuffled pack in the left hand and forthwith places it behind his back, resting the hand on the hip. The right hand is now placed to the rear, ostensibly for the sole purpose of removing the handkerchief from the left tail pocket, with which the performer is subsequently blindfolded; the right hand, however, first relieves the left hand of the shuffled pack and carefully lowers it into the pocket containing the handkerchief and prepared pack; these two latter are then removed together, the cards being placed in the left hand and the handkerchief brought to the front. Performer now requests some member of the audience to blindfold him in order to preclude the possibility of his obtaining assistance from mirrors or other reflecting surfaces. As he makes the request he turns round, thereby casually drawing attention to the cards still in the left hand, and which all present will readily believe to be those shuffled. The solution will now be clear, but various little additions will, doubtless, suggest themselves in the working of the trick. For instance, the performer may undertake to pick out any card called for, which, with a little practice, will be seen to be easy of accomplishment. If the card asked for is out he will state the fact. In making this reference I would state that the above doggerel rhyme has been arranged, quite recently, by myself. It will be seen that it gives a totally different order of the cards, a much-needed variation, from the now hackneyed rhyme which for ages has appeared in all works on card conjuring. [Illustration: Fig. 33.--Balancing Knives] BALANCING FEATS.--Take three dessert knives and arrange them in triangular fashion upon three tumblers. Upon the triangular space formed by the intersection of the knife blades, deposit a water bottle, and upon the mouth of the bottle an apple, (Fig. 33). It seems quite an impossible feat, but it is readily accomplished. [Illustration: Fig. 34.--Balancing Forks] Another curious experiment in equilibrium is the following: Take a couple of forks and arrange them with their prongs one set over the other, and stick a silver dollar between the middle prongs, thus uniting the two forks. This accomplished, place the coin flat on the rim of a tumbler, pushing it outward until the two circumferences touch externally. The coin with appendent forks will remain balanced much to the surprise of the company, (Fig. 34). You may follow this up by pouring the water steadily from the glass into a second glass, without disturbing the money or the forks, which remain in equilibrio. The above clever feats may properly be performed at the dinner-table after dessert has been brought on. WALNUT SHELLS AND PEA.--This is an excellent table trick, and can be performed at close quarters without much fear of detection. The only articles required for the execution of the trick are three half walnut shells and a pea. The three shells are laid in a row on the table, the pea being placed under the centre one, from which position it disappears and is ultimately found under either of the end ones at the will of the performer. The table used must be covered with a cloth of some kind. The secret lies in the pea, which is fashioned from a piece of india-rubber, but unless closely inspected cannot be distinguished from the ordinary everyday article. When presenting the trick the pea is actually placed under the middle shell. The shells are then, each in turn, commencing from the one on the left, pushed up the table about three inches. When moving the middle one the pea, owing to its nature and the concavity of the shell, will be found to work its way out, when it is instantly seized with the thumb and middle finger. This, however, cannot be suspected, as the hand retains a perfectly natural position. The third shell is then moved into a line with the other two. The pea can now be caused to appear under either of the shells at pleasure, all that is necessary being to leave it on the table immediately behind the shell in the act of raising the same. In effect this trick is identical with that known as "Thimble Rigging," which it is therefore needless to describe, but the secret is much prettier and calculated to deceive more thoroughly. THE RESTORED CUT.--This is a very interesting little trick, and is especially suitable for an after-dinner surprise. The performer takes a needle containing about a yard of thread, and passes it through an apple. The cord is then pulled backward and forward, after which the apple is cut in half with a table knife; both portions are shown, the cord having to all intents and purposes been severed. The two portions are then united and the cord is pulled backward and forward as before. The performer prepares for the trick by passing the needle in at the side of the apple and bringing it out at the end opposite the stalk, in which condition it is laid on the table. When about to present the trick the performer takes up both articles, which if held properly will appear to be separate, and announces that he is about to pass the thread through the apple. He apparently does so, but really inserts the needle at the point where it came out, passing it to the opposite side. The thread is now pulled backward and forward, when it will appear to actually traverse the centre of the fruit. The apple is then cut in half, at right angles to the cord, which under the circumstances will remain uninjured. The parts are now handed round for inspection, care being taken to keep them together at the bottom, after which they are replaced and the cord shown to be intact. At the conclusion of the trick the thread should be withdrawn from the fruit and given for examination; this also prevents the discovery of the secret by any inquisitive spectator. THE GARTER TRICK.--This is a very old trick, and from its title will be recognized at once as common to the sharps who frequent race-courses. It is not, however, generally known, and as it forms a good table trick a description of it may not be out of place. It is usually performed with a piece of stiff half-inch tape; an ordinary inch tape measure will answer the purpose admirably. The tape is folded in half and coiled round and round on the table until it is almost impossible to tell for certain which is the loop proper, _i.e._, the point at which the tape was doubled. (See Fig. 35.) The bystander is then requested to place the point of his penknife in the loop, but however careful he may be in his selection he will fail, as the performer is able to pull the tape clear of the knife in all cases. The secret lies in the fact that the tape is not folded exactly in half, one end being left shorter than the other by about three inches. When uncoiling the tape, if the knife be actually placed in the loop, and both ends are pulled from the point A, it will not come away; but if the short end be passed round to the left and both ends pulled from the point B, it will be found to come clear of the knife. All the performer has to do, therefore, is to watch and see if the knife is really placed in the loop or otherwise, and to act accordingly. The short end is carried round under cover of the fingers while twisting the tape. [Illustration: Fig. 35.--Garter Trick] Fig. 35 is arranged for clearness, but in actual practice the tape would receive many more twists, which would also be of a more intricate nature. CHAPTER IX MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS FLASH PAPER.--Having had occasion several times during the course of the present work to make use of "flash paper," I will now describe the manner in which it is prepared. It is not, however, practical to manufacture it at home, as it can be obtained in large quantities at a very small cost. A mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids, one part of the former to two of the latter, is made, and allowed to stand for twelve hours before using. The experiment should be made in the open air. Ordinary tissue paper is then immersed in the fluid for a few seconds, after which it is taken out and washed well in clear water, until all trace of the acid has been removed. This can be ascertained by the use of blue litmus paper, which when dipped into the water will betray the presence of the acid by turning red. The paper should then be dried in a warm atmosphere, but not near a fire, and it is ready for use. Flash handkerchiefs are prepared in a similar manner. For this purpose take a piece of fine cambric, wash it well in hot water to remove all grease and other impurities, and then treat it in the same way as the paper. A NEW FIRE FLASH.--This forms a very good opening trick. The performer steps on the stage and, in what appears to be a careless manner, picks up a piece of paper from the floor, rolls it up in his hands, and throws it in the air, where it disappears in a flame, leaving no trace behind. To produce this effect you must obtain some very fine glass tubing about the thickness of a darning needle, and having broken off several pieces about an inch long, fill them with sulphuric acid. This can be done with the aid of a long piece of india-rubber tubing, the acid being drawn into the glass by suction. The ends of the tube are then sealed hermetically in the flame of a spirit lamp. You must next prepare a powder composed of equal parts of chlorate of potass and powdered lump sugar. Wrap a very small quantity of this powder--about as much as will lie on a penny--together with one of the acid tubes in a piece of flash paper, and all is ready. When rolling up the paper in the hands the tube is broken; the acid escapes and fires the powder, which in turn sets fire to the paper and produces the desired result. CAUTION.--To prevent accidents never prepare the papers or even mix the powder, until actually required for use. CONJURER'S AMMUNITION.--The magic pistol described on p. 61 is usually loaded with a small charge of powder. This is excellent for stage purposes, but hardly suitable for the drawing-room, where some objection might be taken to the employment of powder, even in a small quantity. The pistol, however, need not be discarded, as it can still be used in a manner that will in no way detract from the charm of the trick. Load the pistol with a piece of flash paper, place a percussion cap on the nipple, and pull the trigger. The paper will take fire and be thrown from the pistol, vanishing in a sheet of flame at the opposite end of the room. Again, the pistol need not be loaded at all, but just as you are about to fire you appear to understand that the ladies object, and remark--"Oh! I see the ladies object to the report--well in that case I will use the pistol as an air-gun." Saying this, you remove the conical tube and blow through it to cause the supposed transmission. SMOKE FROM TWO EMPTY PIPES.--Two empty and clean clay pipes are passed round for examination and proved ostensibly to be unprepared. The bowls are then placed one over the other, when the performer, by simply inserting one of the stems in his mouth, commences to blow clouds of smoke from the pipes. The solution of the mystery is as follows:--A few drops of hydrochloric acid (spirits of salts) are placed in one of the pipes, while the other is similarly treated with ammonia. The union of the two chemicals produces a thick vapor, which has all the appearance of smoke produced from tobacco. A good combination trick may be formed by preparing a glass tumbler and the bottom of a tea plate, as above described; the plate is then placed over the tumbler, the whole being covered with a handkerchief. The smoke so mysteriously produced from the pipes may now be caused, apparently by some occult means, to find its way into the closed tumbler. FIRE-EATING TRICK.--This, although a very startling trick, is quite harmless, and can be performed by any one. Small balls of fire are placed in the mouth and, apparently, swallowed, being immediately afterward produced from the ears, or any part of the body that fancy may suggest. The balls are small pieces of camphor cut to shape, and are lighted in the flame of a candle. They should be tossed from one hand to the other, and finally into the mouth, which should forthwith be closed. This, of course, extinguishes the balls, which should be secretly removed at the earliest opportunity. The reproduction of the balls of fire is managed with the aid of the acid tubes mentioned on p. 160, which, together with a small quantity of the powder, should be wrapped up in flash paper, and deposited about the person as required. The best effect, however, is obtained by producing them from behind the ears; it is also a very convenient method, as the tubes are not so likely to be prematurely fractured. EXPLODING SOAP-BUBBLES.--This is a novelty, and will be found to produce a very good effect. The bubbles are blown in the usual way with an ordinary clay pipe, the only preparation necessary being that the bowl of the pipe must be filled with cotton-wool soaked in gasolene. Bubbles blown with a pipe thus prepared will be found to explode in a flame when approached with a light. THE TUBE AND BALL.--This is a very ingenious trick, and well worth the attention of the most fastidious performer. It can be used in several ways. The apparatus consists of a piece of one and one-half inch brass tubing about seven inches long, with a cap of the same metal fitting loosely over one end; also two billiard balls about the size of the diameter of the tube. The audience, however, are not supposed to know of the existence of more than one ball. (See Fig. 35.) The tube and cap, together with the ball, are given for examination, attention being drawn to the fact that the ball will readily pass through the tube. After examination the tube is stood on one end on the table and covered with the cap. The operator then takes the ball and vanishes it by means of sleight of hand, when, on the tube being raised, it has to all appearance been passed underneath. [Illustration: Fig. 36.-Tube and Ball] The secret lies in the fact that there is a very small dent in the side of the tube at the centre; also that one of the balls--that given for examination--is slightly smaller than the other. The small ball runs freely through the tube, but the large one will not pass the centre on account of the indentation. On receiving back the tube the performer secretly drops the large ball into it, which, owing to the force of the fall, is pinched in the centre and will not fall out. In this condition the tube can be turned about in all directions and will still appear empty. When placing it on the table the performer is careful to bring it down rather smartly on the end at which the ball was introduced, when, owing to the concussion, the ball is released and falls on the table. The tube can be used to cause the disappearance of a ball in the following manner:--Place the ball on a tea plate and cover it with the tube, which in turn cover with a second plate. By reversing the position of the structure the ball falls into the tube, where it is retained in the manner described, and after a little more twisting and turning, to add to the general confusion, the plates are removed and the ball is proved to have disappeared. The ball can of course be reproduced if desired; or if two tubes are used it may be, apparently, passed from one to the other. In this case, however, it is suggested that round discs of wood be used in place of the plates, as the latter would be likely to get fractured in the act of bringing the tube down with sufficient force to dislodge the ball. THE UBIQUITOUS THIMBLE.--This is one of the prettiest sleight of hand tricks in existence, and requires very little practice. For the purpose of the trick, in its entirety, the performer must be provided with two thimbles exactly alike; but very many surprising passes can be made with one thimble only. The idea of the trick proper is to cause a thimble placed on the forefinger of the right hand to disappear and be found on the corresponding finger of the left hand, without the hands approaching each other. It is usual, however, in the first place, to execute a number of passes with one thimble only, as by this means the audience will be the less likely to suspect the introduction of the second one. The main thing necessary is to acquire the knack of holding a thimble in the fleshy portion of the hand at the root of the thumb, in which position it can be placed, or removed at pleasure, by simply bending the forefinger. (See Figs. 37 and 38.) This sleight must be executed with equal facility with both hands. [Illustration: Fig. 37.--Thimble Trick] When about to present the trick the performer comes forward with a thimble on the forefinger of the right hand, the second one being in the left-hand trousers pocket. He now appears to place the thimble in the left hand, but really, when the right hand is in motion toward the left, it is palmed as described. The left hand is then brought down with some force on the head and the thimble produced from the mouth on the forefinger of the right hand. This can be done with perfect ease, as, so long as the hand is kept in motion during the recovery of the thimble, there is no fear of the movement being detected. [Illustration: Fig. 38.--Thimble at Root of Thumb] The thimble is then apparently placed in the mouth, really being palmed as before, and afterward produced from the bottom of the vest. While doing this the performer stands with the left hand in the trousers pocket and palms the second thimble. Both hands are now held palms away from the spectators, and kept in continual motion. Under cover of this the right-hand thimble is palmed, and that in the left hand produced, when it will appear to have been passed from one hand to the other. This can be repeated as often as desired. Finally the second thimble should be secretly disposed of, and the trick brought to a conclusion with a pass performed with the one only. An additional effect may be obtained by the use of two thimbles, one fitting over the other. These should be made in thin metal so as to be, in point of size, as near alike as possible. The two thimbles, which appear as one only, are placed on the forefinger of the right hand, and covered with a small paper cone, with the remark, "You see the cone just fits the thimble; I will now show you a rather extraordinary experiment with the same." The cone is then removed, with slight pressure at the base, and placed on the table on the supposition that it is empty, but it really contains the uppermost thimble. The one left on the finger is then vanished, under cover of a throwing movement toward the cone, which is then removed by the apex and the thimble discovered. While all attention is drawn to the table the duplicate thimble is dropped into the profonde. THE MYSTERIOUS TAMBOURINE.--It is generally understood that, should the silk hat go out of fashion, conjurers would be at a loss for a suitable article wherewith to work the numerous "production" tricks. Should such a calamity ever befall the profession the mysterious tambourine will, to some extent, come to the rescue. The apparatus consists of two nickel-plated brass rings, eight inches in diameter and one inch deep; the one fitting easily over the other. (See Fig. 39.) The tambourine is constructed by placing a sheet of paper between the two rings, and pressing the upper one down over the lower, the edges of the paper being afterward trimmed round with scissors. Thus prepared it is shown back and front. [Illustration: Fig. 39.--Tambourine Trick] The prestidigitateur then makes a small hole in the centre of the paper with his wand, and immediately commences to twist out yard after yard of colored paper ribbon, sufficient being obtained to fill a large clothes basket. If the performer desires to add to the effect of the trick the production of the ribbon may be preceded by that of a number of handkerchiefs, also a quantity of spring flowers and other articles of a like nature. Finally a rabbit or a large bird cage containing a live bird may be produced from the pile of ribbon. The explanation is very simple. The tambourine is put together at the rear edge of the table, and when taking it up prior to trimming the edges, the coil, which was on the servante or suspended at the back of the table, is brought away under cover of the paper and pressed into the ring. The back of the colored coil should be rubbed over with chalk to match the white paper used in the construction of the tambourine, which can then be shown back and front, but will still appear empty. The flowers should be done up in three packets of twenty each and laid on the coil, being covered with the handkerchiefs, which should be folded up neatly. The packet is then tied together with thin cotton, which can easily be broken when required. The rabbit is in readiness in the profonde on the right side, and is introduced into the ribbon when picking it up from the floor. The cage, which should be a folding one, is suspended behind the back of a chair, over which the ribbon would be thrown while performing a simple trick with one of the handkerchiefs. In the act of taking the ribbon from the chair opportunity would be found for introducing the cage unobserved. THE BRAN AND DOVE PLATES.--The trick about to be described, in its primary form, consists of changing a quantity of bran or flour into a live dove. It can, however, like the tambourine, be made available for the production of various articles, and is especially suitable for the magical distribution of bonbons, sweets, etc. The performer comes forward with an ordinary soup plate filled to overflowing with bran, a portion of which is scattered over the stage to prove its genuineness. The bran is then covered with a second plate, which on being removed reveals a live dove, the bran having entirely disappeared. The explanation is as follows:--One of the plates is fitted with a tin lining, enamelled white on the inside to represent the china. (See Fig. 40.) The supposed bran is really this tin lining turned upside down with bran gummed all over it; a handful of loose bran being thrown on the top. It is hardly necessary to say that the dove is already in the plate concealed by the bran shape. The false heap of bran is now covered with the second plate, and while talking the performer, in a careless way, turns the plates over several times, finally placing them on the table in such a manner that the one that was formerly uppermost shall now be at the bottom. All he has to do now is to remove the uppermost plate and take out the dove. The inside of the bottom plate should now be shown, when it will appear perfectly empty. [Illustration: Fig. 40.--Trick Plate] In place of the dove the plate may be loaded with sweets and small toys, for distribution; or with a list of articles similar to those produced from the tambourine. If a coil of ribbon be used it should be a colored one, with one side rubbed over with chalk so that the inside of the plate may be shown prior to its production. By using two pairs of these plates, and being provided with two doves exactly alike, the bran in one may be made to, apparently, change places with the dove in the other. THE WANDERING STOUT.--The feat bearing this title consists of causing a glass of stout to pass through the crown of a borrowed hat. Having obtained the loan of two hats, the performer places them on the table mouth to mouth, and stands the glass of stout on the crown of the uppermost one, covering it with a paper cylinder of the same height as itself. On removing the cylinder it is shown to be perfectly empty, the glass being immediately taken from the lower hat. For the performance of the trick the operator must be provided with a glass three and one-fourth inches high by two and one-half inches in diameter at the mouth, tapering very slightly toward the bottom. The kind known as picnic glasses will be found the most suitable. In addition to the glass and the paper cylinder a piece of glass tubing of the same height as the tumbler, and large enough to pass easily over the same, will also be required. This piece of tubing must be blackened on the inside to within one inch of the top, and finished with a little white paint to represent froth, when, thus prepared, it will readily pass for a glass containing stout. The paper cylinder, containing the sham glass, being on the table, the performer comes forward with a bottle of stout and fills the tumbler. He then takes up the cylinder and passes his wand right through it, as if to prove that it has not undergone any preparation, after which he places it over the glass of stout. He then puts the glass, still covered with the cylinder, into one of the hats, with the remark "I will now cause the tumbler to pass from one hat to the other," then, as if struck with a sudden thought, changes his mind, saying, "No, perhaps it would be more effective if I place the hats one over the other, and pass the glass through the crown of the uppermost one." Saying this he, apparently, takes the tumbler, still under cover of the cylinder, from the hat, and places it in the required position. Really, however, the stout was left behind, the cylinder and counterfeit glass alone being removed. Now, in order to satisfy the spectators that the stout is actually on the crown of the hat, the performer lifts the cylinder and exposes the sham glass, which every one believes to be the genuine article. The cover is then replaced and the tumbler commanded to pass into the lower hat, after which it is again raised, together with the counterfeit, and the wand passed through it as before. The hats are then separated and the glass is produced from the lower one. A CRYSTAL WATER MYSTERY.--Chemical tricks, as a rule, do not meet with much favor at the hands of professional conjurers. The reason is pretty clear, as, in the majority of cases, the modus operandi is too palpable. The one here described, however, owing to the number of changes produced, is an exceptionally good one, and is to be found in the repertoire of the leading performers of the day. [Illustration: Fig. 41.--Water Trick] Four empty glass tumblers, together with a glass jug full of water, are arranged on a tray as shown in Fig. 41. Water poured from the jug into-- No. 1, is seen to be clear. No. 2, changes to stout. No. 3, is seen to be clear. No. 4, again changes to stout. Nos. 1 and 2 mixed equal stout. Nos. 3 and 4 mixed equal water. Nos. 1 and 2 put back into the jug give all stout. Nos. 3 and 4 put back into the jug give all water, as at first. The explanation, although by no means obvious, is very simple. Glass No. 1 is perfectly clean. No. 2 contains a small portion of pyrogallic acid, about the size of a pea. No. 3 is prepared with half a teaspoonful of sulphuric acid. No. 4 contains the same quantity of pyrogallic acid as No. 2. The jug contains clear water, into which a teaspoonful of sulphate of iron is dropped just before the trick is commenced. The iron should not be placed in the water until actually required for use, as the solution changes rapidly to a yellow color, in which condition it would not very well pass for water. For the same reason the jug should be removed immediately after the trick. Some performers prefer to use the following chemicals in place of those enumerated above. I will give them in the same order, and then the magician may choose for himself. Glass No. 1, as before, is quite clean; No. 2 contains a few drops of muriated tincture of iron; No. 3, a teaspoonful of a saturated solution of oxalic acid; and No. 4 is prepared in the same manner as No. 2. A teaspoonful of tannic acid should be added to the water in the jug prior to the commencement of the experiment. I myself always use the sulphuric acid, as I believe it produces the best result, but in the case of a spill it is very dangerous, and on this account the latter method is to be preferred. The changes, in either case, are quite instantaneous, hence the trick produces a most extraordinary effect. THE WIZARD'S BREAKFAST.--The magical production of steaming hot coffee has always been a favorite trick with the juveniles, especially when the beverage is handed round for their consumption, and various pieces of apparatus have been designed for effecting this purpose. The most up-to-date method, however, is the one hereafter described: Two boxes, without lids, sizes about twelve inches by eight inches by eight inches, usually fitting one within the other for convenience in traveling, and containing respectively cuttings of blue and white paper, are introduced to the audience. Two pint goblets, in metal, are then filled, one with blue and the other with white paper from the boxes, after which they are covered with small silk handkerchiefs. On removing the handkerchiefs the blue and the white papers are found to have been transformed respectively into hot coffee and hot milk. The performer then pours a portion of each fluid into a breakfast cup, and makes a motion as if throwing the whole over the audience, when nothing falls but a shower of blue and white paper cuttings, every vestige of the coffee and milk having disappeared. [Illustration: Fig. 42.--Trick Tumbler] There are in reality four goblets employed in the trick, two of which, containing the fluids, are concealed in the boxes unknown to the spectators. These two are provided with shallow trays fitting loosely within them at the top, each tray being filled with paper of the required color. (See Fig. 42.) When presenting the trick the performer comes forward with the box containing the white paper, and throwing a handful in the air, calls out, "Out in the cold," which remark is perfectly justifiable, as the paper gives a faithful representation of falling snow. Placing this box on the table, and taking up that containing the blue paper, he scatters a handful over the stage with the remark, "This is the same as the white, only the wind blue it." He now takes one of the goblets from the table and appears to fill it with white paper, but really, while in the box, an exchange is made for the one containing the milk, which, owing to the presence of the shallow tray, will appear to be full of paper. This is then covered with a handkerchief, after which the second goblet is treated in like manner. The shallow trays have each a piece of wire projecting from their upper edge to enable the performer to remove them under cover of the handkerchiefs. The handkerchiefs are thrown in a careless manner over the sides of the boxes, into which, if sufficient paper has been provided, the trays may be allowed to fall. [Illustration: Fig. 43.--Cup and Saucer] The cup and saucer will next require our attention. These are of metal in imitation of the genuine article, the saucer being made double, with a small hole in the centre of its upper side, for a purpose that will presently appear. The cup is provided with a perpendicular division nearly in the centre, a small hole being drilled in the bottom of that side next to the handle. (See Fig. 43.) The front and larger side is filled with a mixture of blue and white paper cuttings, and thus prepared, together with the saucer, it is placed on the table. When pouring the coffee and milk into the cup the performer takes care that it goes into the space provided with the small hole, through which it immediately runs into the body of the saucer. It is usual to bring the trick to a conclusion by apparently throwing the fluid over the audience as already described, but should the performer be provided with a number of small cups and a tray, that portion of the beverage not used may be handed round as refreshments. THE HYDROSTATIC TUBE.--This is a trick of comparatively recent invention. It requires very careful handling, and the performer must be possessed of almost superhuman nerve to present it successfully to a critical audience. It produces, however, a most extraordinary effect, and on this account is to be recommended. A piece of paper is placed at the bottom of a glass tube or chimney used for gas, which is then filled with water, while the top of the tube is covered with a second piece of paper. The right hand is then placed on the top paper and the position of the tube reversed. The papers are then, each in turn, removed, but the water does not fall from the cylinder; on the contrary, it remains suspended without visible means of support. The papers are now replaced, and the top one is pierced with a hatpin, when, on the pin being withdrawn, the water at once falls into a basin placed ready to receive it under the tube. This surprising result is due entirely to a well-known natural law, viz., the pressure of the atmosphere, and is nothing more nor less than a modification of the old schoolboy trick of keeping a glass of water inverted by means of a sheet of paper. The new arrangement will, however, require special explanation. Each end of the cylinder is fitted with a glass cap, grooved to fit into and over it at the same time; this is necessary to avoid slipping. The ends of the tube, also the edges of the caps, must be ground, so that the point of juncture shall be air-tight. One of the caps has a small hole drilled through the centre. (See Fig. 44.) When about to present the trick the two glass caps are laid on the bottoms of two upturned tumblers, where they are quite invisible. The performer then draws attention to two square pieces of paper, which he dips into the water contained in the bowl, afterward laying them down on the glass tumblers, and over the glass discs. He next shows the tube, passing his wand through it to prove that it has not undergone any preparation. Then taking one of the papers, and at the same time secretly securing one of the discs (not the one with the hole in it), he places it at the bottom of the tube, which is forthwith stood on the palm of the left hand. The tube is then filled with water and covered with the remaining piece of paper and glass cap. [Illustration: Fig. 44.--Hydrostatic Tube] The position of the tube is then reversed, after which it is taken by the centre and both papers are removed. The water will not run out from the small hole in the bottom cap owing to the fact that no air can get in at the top. The glass caps being absolutely invisible, the water will now appear to be suspended in the tube without any natural means of support. The papers are again placed on the ends of the tube, where, being wet, they readily adhere. The hands are now placed one on each end and the tube is reversed; this is necessary to bring the cap with the hole in it to the top. The top paper is then pierced with the hatpin, which, passing through the hole in the cap, gives the impression that there cannot be anything but the paper covering the ends of the tube. When the pin is withdrawn the air rushes into the tube, and, as a natural consequence, the paper and disc fall from the bottom, liberating the water. The bowl should be half full of water when the cap falls, to avoid fracture of the glass. The cap is then brought away from the top of the tube under cover of the piece of paper, and both are dropped into the bowl, when the tube can be once more given for examination. THE HYDROSTATIC TUMBLER.--This trick, which is similar in principle to that immediately preceding it, is preferred by some as being less cumbersome; it is also easier to work and consequently entails less anxiety on the part of the performer. The effect, however, although pretty, is not quite so startling. The necessary apparatus consists of a glass tumbler with a small hole drilled in the side one inch from the bottom, the mouth of which must be fitted with a glass cap in the same manner as the tube in the preceding trick. (See Fig. 45.) [Illustration: Fig. 45.--Hydrostatic Tumbler] The performer having drawn attention to the tumbler, also a small piece of paper, dips the latter into a bowl of water, and lays it down over the glass cap. The tumbler, held with the thumb covering the small hole, is then filled with water from the bowl, and covered with the piece of paper under which, unknown to the audience, is the glass disc. The glass is then inverted and the paper withdrawn, the water remaining suspended without visible means of support. The tumbler can now be turned about in any direction, without the least fear of the water escaping, so long as the thumb is kept over the small hole in its side. It can also be stood on the table, the hand being removed entirely; the water cannot escape through the small hole owing to the presence of the cap. The tumbler is once more raised and inverted, when the performer undertakes to cause the water to fall at any given number counted by the audience. This last effect, which adds considerably to the trick, is brought about by very simple means; all the performer has to do is to remove the thumb covering the small hole, when the air rushes in and causes the disc to fall. The bowl, as before, should be half full of water, to provide a cushion for the falling disc, which under these circumstances will not be injured, nor its presence detected. PAPER CONE, WATCH, RABBIT, AND BOXES.--The effect of this excellent stage trick is as follows: A watch is borrowed and dropped into a conical paper bag held by one of the spectators. The performer then loads the magic pistol with a small silk handkerchief; this he fires in the direction of the bag, after which the bag is opened and found to contain the handkerchief, the watch having disappeared. Attention is next drawn to a box, which has been hanging over the head of the performer from the commencement of the entertainment, and which on being opened is found to consist of a nest of six boxes, the smallest of which contains a rabbit with the borrowed watch tied round its neck. The main secret of the trick lies in the paper bag, which is really double, consisting of two pieces of paper gummed together round the edges, the corner of one piece being removed, as in Fig. 46. [Illustration: Fig. 46--Paper Cone] At the commencement of the trick a small silk handkerchief is hidden between the two pieces of paper. When making the bag it must be so arranged that the corner at which is the opening is at the top. Under cover of the point of the bag the handkerchief is removed from its place of concealment and dropped into the bag proper, the double side being immediately pulled over to the opposite side of the bag to again conceal the handkerchief. If the bag is well made, and this side well creased over, a casual glance into its interior will reveal nothing suspicious. In this condition the bag is given to a spectator to hold, and he is then requested to drop the watch into it, which he does, as he thinks, into the bag proper, but really the watch falls into the position previously occupied by the handkerchief. The top of the bag is then folded over. The performer now loads a duplicate handkerchief into the pistol, and, having disposed of it in the usual way, fires in the direction of the bag. He then unfolds the bag and shakes out the handkerchief, being careful to hold the watch so that it does not fall at the same time. He then crumples up the paper in his hands, and in the act of doing so tears out the watch, which is forthwith palmed, the paper being thrown away. The box, which should be suspended with two cords over pulleys, is then lowered; and when taking it in his hands to place it on the table the performer is able to secretly attach the watch to a swivel hook which is hanging on the side most remote from the audience. This swivel hook is attached to the ribbon round the rabbit's neck, the arrangement being as follows:--The ribbon is tied round the rabbit, which is then placed in the smallest box, the ribbon being allowed to hang outside the box when the lid is closed. The box is then placed in the next larger one, the ribbon still being allowed to hang outside. This is continued until the ribbon is left hanging on the outside of the last box. The solution will now be clear. As the boxes are removed one after the other the watch is suspended behind that last exposed; and when the rabbit is taken out it will be impossible to tell that the watch was not actually removed from the same box. THE MAGICAL PRODUCTION OF FLOWERS.--Whenever possible, it is always best to lead up to an elaborate trick with a succession of smaller illusions of the same nature. This is well illustrated in the "Marvelous production of Flowers," which in good hands is a most pleasing and mysterious experiment. Flower tricks always take well, especially with the feminine part of the audience, and ambitious amateurs should strive to have at least one good illusion of this character on their programmes. The magician comes forward, with the announcement, "Ladies and gentlemen, I notice that in my hurry I have neglected to provide myself with the customary buttonhole bouquet, but, fortunately, I have here a quantity of magic seed capable of producing a rose garden if required." Show a small box, which is supposed to contain the seed, while in reality it is empty. "You see I have only to place a single seed here in my buttonhole and after breathing on it a moment, to supply the necessary heat, I touch it with my wand and instantly we have a beautiful rose. Now, if some gentleman will kindly loan me a silk hat for a moment, I will show you a method by which bouquets may be produced while you wait. I only have to place the hat over this glass goblet, which, you see, is quite free from deception, and here we have a handsome bouquet." Remove the hat and find the goblet still empty. "How is this? Ah, I remember now, I neglected to put any of the magic seed in the goblet. I will just put in a pinch of various kinds and try again." Place hat over the glass again and instantly raise it, and discover a large bouquet. "You perceive the seed acts instantaneously." While saying this brush the hat carefully and walk down as if to return it, still holding the box of seed. Once among your audience you exclaim, "What is that? You don't believe me? Why, see here; by just putting a pinch of the seed into this hat and breathing on it, thus, I will produce bouquets for all present." Show hat nearly full of small bouquets and distribute them. Then return hat saying: "I thank you, sir, for the use of your hat, which seems particularly fitted for raising flowers." Now for the explanation:--To prepare for producing a flower in the buttonhole, take a piece of black elastic cord about a foot in length and put one end of it through the centre of an artificial rose, from which the stem has been removed, knotting the end to keep it from slipping through. Pass the other end through the buttonhole, also through a small hole made in the coat just behind the buttonhole, and then down and fasten to the suspender button on the back of your trousers. Draw the flower away from the buttonhole and conceal it under the left armpit, and as you touch the spot with the wand raise the left arm slightly, freeing the flower, which will instantly fly to the buttonhole. [Illustration: Fig. 47.-Production of Flowers] After borrowing the hat place it over the glass, as above, and after removing let the brim rest on the table a second while looking at the glass. During this brief time slip your finger into the little cardboard tube which serves as a handle to the bouquet, which lies on the shelf at the back of your table and just beneath the hat. By closing the fingers the bouquet is brought into the hat. (See fig. 47). This takes only a fraction of a second, and as all are looking for the bouquet in the glass the movement is entirely invisible. As soon as the hat is "loaded" raise it quite a distance above the table and hold it there while you pretend to put the seed in the glass. As soon as the bouquet is shown in the glass, let the hat rest on the table as before, and introduce the small bouquets, which are tied together with a weak thread and are provided with a tube like the large bouquet. When you appear to put the seed in the hat, break the thread and shake up the bouquets loosely, and they will nearly fill the hat. Of course you must keep your eyes fixed on the goblet while loading the hat, and never allow yourself to glance toward the left hand which holds the hat, as that would give your audience a hint that something was going on in that quarter. [Illustration: Fig. 48.--Production of Rose-Bushes] We now come to the production of rose-bushes from flower-pots which contain nothing but a small quantity of white sand. It is Kellar's most famous illusion. Two small tables, draped within a foot or more above the floor, are seen on the conjurer's stage. On each table is a miniature stand on which are flower-pots, (Fig. 48). After the pots have been examined by the spectators, the performer places them on the stands, and plants seeds in them. A pasteboard cone, open at both ends, is exhibited, and placed for a second over flower-pot No. 1. When it is removed a green sprig is seen, which the magician declares has just sprouted. He then places the cone over flower-pot No. 2. Removing it a full grown rose-bush appears, covered with buds and roses in full bloom. A second rose-bush is then produced from flower-pot No. 1. The roses are culled and presented to the ladies in the audience. The following is an explanation of the trick: [Illustration: Fig. 49.-Table for Flower Trick] The tables are open at the back, the drapery not extending completely around them. Attached to the leg of each table is a small shelf, which is of course concealed by the drapery, (Fig. 49). The bushes are stumps, to the branches of which are tied the roses. Each bush has as a base a circular piece of lead, which fits into the flower-pot. The bushes are suspended inside of the cones, (Fig. 49 A) which are placed on the secret shelves above described. The performer covers the first pot with the cone in his hand, and drops from his palm the green sprig which sticks into the sand. As attention is being called to the sprout, the magician drops the empty cone, just shown, down behind the table over the prepared cone and rose-bush and brings them up under cover. The loaded cone fits closely into the empty one, but as an additional security is held in place by the fingers of the performer. He goes to the second table and places the cone over the flower-pot. The rose-bush is allowed to drop into the pot, the thread which fastens it having been detached. The bush is now shown. As soon as the cone is removed the hand naturally and carelessly drops behind with it over the next prepared cone on the shelf, and the performer produces a rose-bush from the first flower-pot. He now has three cones, one inside of the other. To facilitate the picking up of the cones in succession the back part of each table top is cut out in crescent shape. [Illustration: Fig. 50.--Magic Incubation] MAGIC INCUBATION.--To produce a quantity of eggs from an empty handkerchief is a favorite experiment with magicians. It is a modification of the old egg-bag trick, but far more effective and but little known. The materials used are easily procured:--a blown egg, to which is attached a piece of thread, and a silk handkerchief. Fasten the egg to the handkerchief by means of the thread, as shown in Fig. 50. Spread out the handkerchief, when exhibiting the trick, and show that both sides are free from preparation. To do this you must keep the egg concealed in your right hand, and at the moment let it fall in the position depicted in the illustration, (Fig. 50). The thread will hold it in the centre of the handkerchief. But remember to keep the handkerchief waving slightly, otherwise the impact of the falling egg against it might betray the secret of the trick. It is hardly necessary to say that the "egg-side" of the handkerchief is turned toward yourself. Explain to the audience that you are going to magically produce an egg. Take the right hand corner of the handkerchief in your mouth and hold the left corner with your left hand. Now place the forefinger of the right hand against the upper part of the handkerchief, the side facing yourself, and fold the handkerchief over, grasping the two upper corners with your left hand. Next hold the lower corners with your right hand and bring the handkerchief to a horizontal position. Tilt one end of it over a hat and an egg will be seen to fall, (Fig. 51). Shake out the handkerchief and repeat the above described operation of producing eggs until the hat is apparently full, after which you may turn it over and show it empty. This trick neatly executed never fails to elicit well deserved applause from the audience. Perhaps a better way to conclude the trick would be to show that the hat really contained a number of eggs, which of course must be loaded into it prior to commencing the trick. The best way to do this is to have the eggs in a black silk bag which you conceal inside your vest. After having borrowed the hat and while your back is turned to the spectators during your journey to the stage, slip the bag full of eggs into the hat. Then begin your handkerchief feat. It is a weak point, in my opinion, to show the hat empty, after having apparently placed so many eggs into it. Some acute spectator is apt to jump to the conclusion that there was but one egg used during the experiment. [Illustration: Fig. 51.--Incubation Trick] THE WIZARD'S OMELET.--The recipes for making a magical omelet are numerous and varied. Some magicians produce the eggs from the mouth of a negro assistant following the example of Alexander Herrmann, and make the omelet in a borrowed hat. I once saw a clown in a French circus produce an omelet in a small frying-pan, without using eggs at all--or more properly speaking, without the apparent use of eggs. He stirred his wand about in the pan, holding the latter over a spirit lamp, and presently turned out into a dish an excellent omelet, smoking hot and very palatable. He cut up the omelet and passed it around among the audience. Those who partook of it pronounced it to be delicious and worthy of the chef of the Hotel Grand. This is the way the trick is accomplished: There is no preparation about the frying-pan; that is all fair and square, as well as round. It may be examined by the spectators ad libitum. Not so the magic wand, which is hollow and filled with the contents of several eggs. One end of the wand has an opening which is stopped up with a piece of butter. When the pan is heated the butter melts and the beaten-up eggs run out of the wand and are speedily metamorphosed into an omelet. The stirring of the pan with the wand, supposed to be a part of the conjurer's performance, is really necessary to the trick. The wand is usually made of tin. It must be an exact imitation of the wooden wand used during the course of the entertainment. THE WONDERFUL PRODUCTION OF RIBBONS AT THE FINGER-TIPS.--This is an excellent little trick and one very suitable as an introduction to a complete "production" trick, where objects of ever-increasing size, in a compressed condition, are produced under cover of similar objects, of a smaller size, but displayed to the best advantage. The performer having shown both hands unmistakably empty, commences to pull yard after yard of real colored silk ribbon from the extreme tips of the fingers. The secret depends upon the little accessory illustrated in Fig. 52. This is a shield made to fit the second finger of the right hand, provided with a lid to keep the four coils in position, also with a corresponding number of slots on the front through which the ribbon may be withdrawn. Each piece of ribbon should be about two yards long and of a width to readily pass the slot. Ribbon drawn from the apparatus when in position, see Fig. 53, will seem to come from the finger-tips. [Illustration: Fig. 52.--The Accessory] After a quantity of ribbon has been produced in this manner, the magician may very well bring out a larger supply from his vest under cover of gathering up the mass of material. An excellent winding up of the trick would be the production of a dove from breast pocket. [Illustration: Fig. 53.--Production of Ribbon] JAPANESE BIRD VANISH.--The old Mouchoir du Diable, or Devil's Handkerchief, for vanishing small objects will be known to the majority of my readers: at the best it was but a clumsy expedient for producing a magical disappearance, and on that account was very little, if ever used. The New Devil's Handkerchief, as used by Japanese conjurers to cause the disappearance of a bird, will, on the contrary, I feel sure, be found of practical utility to the magical fraternity. In practice it is merely held by the four corners, ostensibly in the most careless manner possible, and any object as an egg, ball, orange, bird, etc., dropped into the bag thus formed instantly disappears, the handkerchief being immediately shaken out and both sides shown. [Illustration: Fig. 54.--Bag for Vanishing] This seeming prodigy is thus explained.--Two handkerchiefs, preferably of soft silk and rather large (neck handkerchiefs for instance), are sewn together all round their edges, with the exception of a portion at one corner as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 54. The handkerchiefs are also sewn together from the said corner to the centre as further indicated by the dotted lines in the figure. A bag is thus formed into which the object is actually dropped. The introduction of the object into the bag is facilitated by the insertion of a couple of whalebone strips in the silk at the mouth of the bag. These strips keep the mouth of the bag closed until pressure be applied at their ends, when the bag will open, receive the object, and, on the pressure being removed, will close again, keeping all secure. NEW FIRE TRICK.--The writer is indebted to Mr. Martinka for this novel experiment. A thin glass tube, in the end of which is secured a small piece of metallic potassium, is pasted between two pieces of tissue paper. So prepared the paper is shown from both sides, being apparently a plain piece of white paper. This is rolled into a cylinder, not unlike an exaggerated cigarette. The performer opens his mouth to show that nothing is concealed there, and then proceeds to blow through the paper tube, when the far end bursts into a flame of more or less intensity. _Explanation._--While pretending to blow through the paper cylinder, the performer brings some saliva into the glass tube. When blown through the tube, the saliva comes in contact with the potassium, which ignites and sets fire to the paper. To produce a larger flame and sparks, a small piece of gun cotton, sprinkled with powdered aluminum can be placed near the end of the tube. The potassium metal has to be kept in a bottle and covered with kerosene. Whenever required for the trick a piece is cut off with a knife. Care must be taken not to make the mistake of putting the wrong end of the tube in the mouth. When the paper bursts into flame it is crumpled into a ball and dropped on a plate. The thin glass tube is crushed into small bits by the above operation, and is not seen by the audience. THE RING ON THE WAND.--A very pretty and graceful parlor trick is the ring on the wand. Suspend a plain gold ring to the centre of a handkerchief by means of a short piece of silk thread. Come forward with the handkerchief in your pocket, and borrow a ring as much like your own as possible. Pretend to wrap up this ring in your handkerchief, but substitute for it the fake ring. Give the handkerchief with ring in it to some one to hold and ask him if he still feels the ring contained therein. He will reply in the affirmative. You now get your wand from a table. While doing this take the opportunity to slip the borrowed ring which you have in your hand over one end of the wand, keeping it concealed. Approaching the individual who holds the handkerchief request him to place it over the middle of your wand which you hold horizontally by its centre, having slid your hand (with the concealed ring) along its smooth surface. Now request two spectators to hold either end of the wand tightly. Explain that you will cause the ring in the handkerchief to appear upon the wand, despite the fact that the latter is firmly held by two persons. Remove your hand from the wand and take hold of the handkerchief. With a hey presto, give the handkerchief a quick jerk and shake it out. The borrowed ring on the wand will spin around in lively fashion, as if it had really left the handkerchief and by some magical means appeared upon the wand. Your handkerchief with the fake ring attached must be pocketed as speedily as possible. It might be well to borrow a plain white handkerchief from some one in the audience and exchange it for your prepared handkerchief. [Illustration: Fig. 55.--Silk Handkerchief] [Illustration: Fig. 56.--Fake on Finger] DISAPPEARING GLASS OF WATER.--This clever illusion is a favorite with many performers, and is particularly adapted to drawing-room entertainments. It was invented by Colonel Stodare, originator of the famous "Sphinx" trick. Since Stodare's time many improvements have been made in it, one idea, emanating from the fertile brain of Dr. Elliott. Stitch two silk handkerchiefs, preferably of a dark color, together in the manner shown in the diagram (Fig. 55), having first inserted in the triangular space between them a disc of thin tin, of the same diameter as the mouth of the glass used. Now to the middle of the under surface of the tin fake solder a little band of tin just large enough to snugly fit over the tip of the second or index finger of your left hand, (Fig. 56). This constitutes Elliott's improvement. Exhibit the handkerchief to the spectators, calling attention to the fact that it contains nothing. Twist it rope fashion, and pull it through your left hand, thereby demonstrating that nothing could possibly be concealed in it. This you are enabled to accomplish by grasping the tin fake and retaining it in the right hand. Finally shake out the handkerchief, releasing the disc, which will now fall to the centre of the handkerchief and be kept in position by the triangular stitching. At the rear end of your table you have a glass filled with water. Spread the handkerchief over the glass, bringing the tin shape over the mouth of the same. Lift up the fake, and under cover of the handkerchief lower the glass upon the shelf behind the table. The handkerchief, distended by the tin disc, will present the appearance of having the glass of water under it. Now step forward as though holding the glass of water. Place the left hand beneath the handkerchief, and quickly insert the index finger into the little band soldered beneath the disc, the right hand bearing down at the time to facilitate matters. To an audience it will seem that you hold the glass of water on the palm of your left hand, presenting a very illusory appearance indeed, (Fig. 57). To vanish the glass completely all you have to do is to catch one corner of the handkerchief with your right hand, give it a sudden flick in the air, which releases the hold of the finger of the left hand, when lo and behold! the glass of water has melted away. To reproduce it, take a duplicate glass of water from your coat-tail pocket. "But!" says the dubious reader. Ah, we are coming to that! There is no danger of spilling the water, for the mouth of your glass is tightly closed with a rubber cover. All you have to do is to remove the cover before exhibiting the glass. [Illustration: Fig. 57.--Handkerchief in Position] ANTI-GRAVITY WAND.--The use of the wand has been sufficiently explained to the student. In calling attention to the fact of its being endowed with peculiar properties, similar to the magic wand of Bulwer's "Coming Race," the conjurer might execute a few tricks with it as a prologue to his programme. The "Anti-gravity wand," invented by that clever magician, Dr. Elliott, would prove useful in the above instance, (Fig. 58). It consists of a piece of brass tubing made to correspond with the performer's ordinary wand but with square ends. In one end of this tubing is inserted a cylindrical lead weight made to fit nicely. At each end of the weight is glued a piece of felt, so as to prevent noise while the fake is working. With this trick wand you can apparently defy the law of gravity. It is divided internally into three compartments, two small ones at either end, and a larger one in the centre, by means of the partitions, which do not, however, extend completely across the wand. A quantity of quicksilver is inserted in the wand and the ends sealed up. In the normal condition, this will remain in the central space, but if the wand is tilted either way, the mercury will flow into the little pocket at the lower end. Should this end be laid upon the table, the weight of the fluid metal would more than counterbalance the remaining portion of the wand, and it would therefore be suspended apparently in space. By reversing the wand, the other end would perform a like phenomenon. [Illustration: Fig. 58.--Anti-Gravity Wand] CHAPTER X STAGE TRICKS This is a chapter devoted to stage illusions, dependent mainly for their effects upon ingenious mechanical appliances, and not to skilful manipulation of the performer. Most conjuring exhibitions conclude with some large illusion. They add zest to the entertainment. One of our leading conjurers, Kellar, makes a specialty of them. He presents them with fine scenic effects. AËRIAL SUSPENSION.--The trick of the aërial suspension, presented by Herrmann under the name of the "Slave Girl's Dream," has been, and still remains a great favorite with many conjurers. In this experiment a lady floats in the air with no apparent support but that afforded by a pole upon which her right arm rests. While suspended in this fashion she is draped in various pleasing costumes, finally awakening from her pretended mesmeric trance under the passes of the magician, and bowing herself off the stage. The explanation is as follows:--The lady's body is encased in a strong framework of finely tempered steel, into a socket of which the pole enters and is rigidly fixed. [Illustration: Fig. 59.--The Harness] Figure 59 very correctly represents the harness worn by the lady in performing this trick and the manner in which it is attached to the rigid pole. This frame is composed of the finest steel, and when belted and strapped on the body makes it perfectly rigid, so far as any side motion is concerned. At A is a hinge, which is operated by ratchet and pawl, and this bears nearly the whole strain of the lady's weight, which, in a horizontal position, is about 1,500 pounds, or about ten times the actual weight. At the centre of the curved steel bar is a plain hinge. This is intended to allow the lady to use her right thigh and knee in walking on and off the stage. [Illustration: Fig. 60.--Harness Adjusted] Figure 60 shows the position of harness and poles after being adjusted, the drapery being dispensed with in order to show the working of the trick. The upright pole on which rests the lady's right hand is a substantial affair, and is securely fitted into a hole in the platform. On the top there is a hole, into which fits a stout slot in the short bar, as shown in Fig. 59. This short bar is concealed by a sort of flap, which appears to be a portion of the lady's costume, tacked on at the shoulder. The pole at her left has nothing to do with the trick, and is only introduced to distract the attention of the audience. The left-hand pole and stool are removed, and the beautiful slave girl is suspended, as shown in Fig. 61, the whole strain coming on the pole and the steel work of the harness. [Illustration: Fig. 61.--Girl Suspended] The performer now lifts the lady into a horizontal position (Fig. 61), where she is maintained by a check which drops into one of the teeth of the ratchet at A. While in this aërial sleep she is adorned in various costumes. Finally she is placed in the first position, and awakes from her supposed mesmeric slumber. Herrmann improved this apparatus by causing the lady to assume the horizontal position without his intervention. This was accomplished by machinery beneath the stage, a sort of windlass affair worked by a stage assistant. The well-known Fakir of Ooloo still further improved this trick by knocking both poles away. Says Arprey Vere on this subject: "What, then, will you ask, becomes of all the machinery? The two poles were seemingly taken away. The poles used consisted of brass bars. The calcium light beamed upon the figure of the sleeping lady, while the rest of the stage was comparatively dark. Thus, when the conjurer apparently took away the only support the figure had, the audience did not and could not perceive that he really took away the brass case of the secured pole, leaving another, the actual pole on which the framework was fixed, and which was of the same color as the drapery of the stage. It was for the purpose of deceiving the eyes of the audience that the pole was encased in a brass shell in the first instance. He refixed the case before the stage was relit, and the lady woke up from her sham mesmeric trance." [Illustration: Fig. 62.--Girl in Horizontal Position] NEW VANISHING PERFORMER ILLUSION.--The writer is indebted to Mr. William E. Robinson, for many years assistant to the late Alexander Herrmann, for this simple but remarkably effective illusion called by him the "Vanishing Performer." The effect of the trick is as follows: The performer standing upon a stool, placed in front of a screen, holds up a shawl in front of himself. Hey presto! a pistol is fired, the shawl is dropped, and the magician is seen to have melted away into thin air, as it were. Presently he comes running down the centre aisle of the theatre. The principal requisite in the arrangement of this trick is a large screen, which should be decorated in panels on each fold, and be a threefold one. In the centre fold the panel must be hinged, so as to open, and made to fit nicely the better to conceal its existence from the audience. This panel must be about twelve inches above the base of the screen, and if possible have spring hinges. This screen should be preferably of a dark color. When the magician steps on the stool he out-stretches his arms and hooks the shawl on a fine thread, which is placed across the stage at the right height. He leaves the shawl suspended so that the ends hang over, giving the appearance of the performer's fingers being under them. Under this cover he quickly steps off the stool and goes through the panel in the screen at the back. As the shawl does not reach to the ground, the performer's legs and shoes would be seen by the audience. To obviate this a piece of stuff the same color as the screen is used as a kind of carpet on which the affair takes place, and when this reaches to about twelve inches from the screen, the edge is turned up about twelve inches. The conjurer in getting off the stool steps down behind this carpet. A pistol is fired, and the performer, or his assistant, pulls the end of the thread, which thus breaks and causes the shawl to drop, as if first let go from the hands. The shawl should be about six feet square. It should rest about nine inches from the stage when hung up. Practice to let as few seconds as possible elapse between the moment of suspending the shawl and dropping it. The reappearance of the performer is easily accounted for. THE BLUE ROOM.--One of the cleverest illusions performed with the aid of mirrors is that known as the "Blue Room," which has been exhibited in this country by Kellar. It is the joint invention of Prof. John Henry Pepper, of Ghost illusion fame, and James J. Walker, both of England. It was patented in the United States by the inventors. The object of the apparatus is to render an actor, or some inanimate thing, such as a chair, table, suit of armor, etc., visible or invisible at will. "It is also designed," says the specification in the patent office, "to substitute for an object in sight of the audience the image of another similar object hidden from direct vision without the audience being aware that any such substitution has been made. For this purpose employ a large mirror--either an ordinary mirror or for some purposes, by preference, a large plate of plate-glass--which is transparent at one end, and more and more densely silvered in passing from this toward the other end. Mount this mirror or plate so that it can, at pleasure, be placed diagonally across the stage or platform. As it advances the glass obscures the view of the actor or object in front of which it passes, and substitutes the reflection of an object in front of the glass, but suitably concealed from the direct view of the audience. [Illustration: Fig. 63.--Graduated Mirror] [Illustration: Fig. 64.--Diagram for Blue Room] "When the two objects or sets of objects thus successively presented to the view are properly placed and sufficiently alike, the audience will be unaware that any change has been made. In some cases, in place of a single sheet of glass, two or more sheets may be employed. "In the drawings, Fig. 63 represents a plan view, and Fig. 64 an elevation, of a portion of the mirror, designed to show its graduated opacity. "_a_ is a stage. It may be in a lecture-room or theater. _b b_ are the seats for the audience in front of the stage. _c c_ is a small room--eight or ten feet square and eight high will often be sufficiently large; but it may be of any size. It may advantageously be raised and approached by two or three steps from the stage _a_. "_d_ is a vertical mirror, passing diagonally across the chamber _c_ and dividing it into two parts, which are exact counterparts the one of the other. The mirror _d_ is so mounted that it can be rapidly and noiselessly moved diagonally across the chamber in the path represented by the dotted line _d1_, and be withdrawn whenever desired. This can conveniently be done by running it in guides and upon rollers to and from a position where it is hidden by a screen, _e_, which limits the view of the audience in this direction. "In consequence of the exact correspondence of the two parts of the chamber _c_, that in front and that behind the mirror, the audience will observe no change in appearance when the mirror is passed across. "The front of the chamber is partially closed at _cx_ by a shield or short partition-wall, either permanently or whenever required. This is done in order to hide from direct view any object which may be at or about the position _c1_. "The illusions may be performed in various ways--as, for example, an object may, in the sight of the audience, be passed from the stage to the position _c2_, near the rear short wall or counterpart shield _f_, diagonally opposite to and corresponding with the front corner shield _cx_, and there be changed for some other. This is done by providing beforehand a dummy at _c´_, closely resembling the object at _c2_. Then when the object is in its place, the mirror is passed across without causing any apparent change. The object, when hidden, is changed for another object externally resembling the first, the mirror is withdrawn, and the audience may then be shown in any convenient way that the object now before them differs from that which their eyesight would lead them to suppose it to be. "We prefer, in many cases, not to use an ordinary mirror, _d_, but one of graduated opacity. This may be produced by removing the silvering from the glass in lines; or, if the glass be silvered by chemical deposition, causing the silver to be deposited upon it in lines, somewhat as represented by Fig. 63. Near one side of the glass the lines are made fine and open, and progressively in passing toward the other side they become bolder and closer until a completely-silvered surface is reached. Other means for obtaining a graduated opacity and reflecting power may be resorted to. "By passing such a graduated mirror between the object at _c2_ and the audience, the object may be made to fade from the sight, or gradually to resolve itself into another form." Hopkins in his fine work on "Magic, stage illusions, etc.," thus describes one of the many effects which can be produced by the Blue Room apparatus. The curtain rises, showing "the stage set as an artist's studio. Through the centre of the rear drop scene is seen a small chamber in which is a suit of armor standing upright. The floor of this apartment is raised above the level of the stage and is approached by a short flight of steps. When the curtain is raised a servant makes his appearance and begins to dust and clean the apartments. He finally comes to the suit of armor, taking it apart, cleans and dusts it, and finally reunites it. No sooner is the suit of armor perfectly articulated than the soulless mailed figure deals the servant a blow. The domestic, with a cry of fear, drops his duster, flies down the steps into the large room, the suit of armor pursuing him, wrestling with him, and kicking him all over the stage. When the suit of armor considers that it has punished the servant sufficiently, it returns to its original position in the small chamber, just as the master of the house enters, brought there by the noise and cries of the servant, from whom he demands an explanation of the commotion. Upon being told, he derides the servant's fear, and, to prove that he was mistaken, takes the suit of armor apart, throwing it piece by piece upon the floor." [Illustration: Fig. 65.--Diagram of Blue Room] It is needless, perhaps, to explain that the suit of armor which becomes endowed with life has a man inside of it. When the curtain rises a suit of armor is seen in the Blue Room, at H, (Fig. 65). At I is a second suit of armor, concealed behind the proscenium. It is the duplicate of the visible one. When the mirror G is shoved diagonally across the room, the armor at H becomes invisible, but the mirror reflects the armor concealed at I, making it appear to the spectators that the suit at H is still in position. An actor dressed in armor now enters behind the mirror, removes the suit of armor at H, and assumes its place. When the mirror is again withdrawn, the armor at H becomes endowed with life. Again the mirror is shoved across the apartment, and the actor replaces the original suit of armor at H. It is this latter suit which the master of the house takes to pieces and casts upon the floor, in order to quiet the fears of the servant. This most ingenious apparatus is capable of many novel effects. Those who have witnessed Prof. Kellar's performances will bear witness to the statement. When the illusion was first produced in England, a sketch was written for it by the famous Burnand, editor of "Punch." It was entitled "Curried Prawns." A plethoric old gentleman who had been indulging in a midnight dish of curried prawns goes to bed, and is visited by a soul-terrifying nightmare. Mephistopheles suddenly appears to him, and introduces him to the mysteries of the nether world. [Illustration: Fig. 66.--Levitation Act] [Illustration: Fig. 67.--Top View of Apparatus] [Illustration: Fig. 68.--Side View of Apparatus] LEVITATION.--The performer places a board on the tops of two chairs. A lady is laid on the board, and pretended mesmeric passes made over her by the magician. The chairs are now removed one after the other, and the lady is seen floating in the air (Fig. 66). The performer then walks completely around her. In order to show still more conclusively that she is not supported by any arrangement of wires, etc., he passes a large solid iron hoop, previously given for inspection to the spectators, over her; beginning at her head. This seeming miracle, vaunted as a Hindoo mystery, is accomplished in the following manner: The board, A, A (Fig. 67), upon which the lady reclines, is about three feet distant from the back scene. This background is provided with a slit through which an assistant pushes three iron rods (_c_, _d_, _e_), beneath the board. Another important part of the apparatus is a small car, to which the rods are attached, the construction of which is explained in Fig. 67 and Fig. 68, which gives a side view of the car. Nos. 1 and 2 are the wheels on which the car is propelled. The iron bars, of which only one is shown in the diagram, run in front over a roller, 3, and at the back between two rollers, 4 and 5, so that the assistant can easily push the bars under the board, c, which holds the lady. The extreme ends of the bars, at the back, are counterbalanced in order to equalize the weight. To enable the performer to go behind the floating lady, also to pass the hoop about her, the assistant pulls away the iron bar at one end. As soon as the performer and the hoop have cleared the first bar, it is pushed back into place again, and the next bar withdrawn, allowing free passage to the third bar, which is also withdrawn, after the centre bar has been pushed back. The arms of the lady overhanging the board and her dress conceal effectually the iron bars from view of the audience. THE SARATOGA TRUNK MYSTERY.--A lady is put into a bag and locked in a trunk, on top of which a gentleman takes a seat. Two assistants hold a cloth in front of the trunk for a few seconds. On taking away the cloth the lady is seen sitting on the trunk while inside of it, after unlocking the same, is found the gentleman tied in the bag. The actors in this illusion have to work with extreme quickness. The bag in which the lady is tied has at the bottom a false seam, made of wide stitches, so that when one end of the thread is pulled the whole comes out easily leaving the bottom of bag open. [Illustration: Fig. 69.--Section of Trunk] [Illustration: Fig. 70.--Frame of Trunk] In this way the lady escapes from the bag without injuring the ties in any way. The lid of the trunk is prepared so that one section of it opens inward (Fig. 69 h). The frame (Fig. 70) is solid, whereas the strip F which runs across the top can be pushed sideways. To open the trunk the strip F is pushed aside, which releases a concealed mechanism that keeps the false panel shut. The gentleman opens the panel, in the manner above described, whereupon the lady gets out of the trunk. She assists the gentleman to get into the bag, and closing the panel, takes her seat on the top of the trunk. CHAPTER XI SHADOWGRAPHY The idea of projecting silhouettes with the hands on a wall or illuminated screen is an old one, but it has been brought to great perfection by the celebrated French conjurer and juggler, M. Félician Trewey, and his English confrères, David Devant, Ellis Stanyon, and Hilliar. Notable among the American exhibitors of shadowgraphy is Clivette, the "Man in Black," whose clever fingers have added many new and amusing figures to the already long list. The above named artists enact little pantomimic scenes, such as a fisherman in a boat, going through the usual evolutions of a disciple of Izaak Walton; a policeman making love to a servant girl; a concierge quarreling with a belated lodger; a lover serenading his sweetheart, etc. These shadows are best made on a screen, which is illuminated by "a single lamp inclosed in a projecting apparatus throwing very divergent rays. The lens must consequently be of very short focus. The electric light or oxyhydrogen lamp necessary in a theatre may be replaced at the amateur's house by a lamp, or better, by a wax candle." Various little accessories such as pieces of cardboard, fashioned to represent head-gear and the like, are used in the formation of many of the more elaborate figures. The use of such material is depicted in the illustrations. Makers of magical apparatus manufacture these accessories, but the clever amateur can cut them out from sheets of cardboard without going to the expense of purchasing them. A cheap and easy way of manufacturing a silhouette of a friend is to have him pose in front of a sheet of paper hung against a wall which is illuminated by a candle. All you have to do is to outline with a pencil the shadow cast by his face, and afterward fill in the white space with black paint or crayon. The famous Levater constructed an ingenious device for making silhouettes. It is thus described in his work on physiognomy: "The shadow is projected upon a fine paper, well oiled and dried, and placed behind a piece of plate-glass supported in a frame secured to the back of the chair. Behind this glass the artist stands, and holding the frame with one hand, draws with the other." A candle furnished the necessary light. During the French Revolution, it was a dangerous thing to possess a likeness of the martyred King Louis XVI. The scions of the nobility, resident in Paris in disguise, living, as it were, in the shadow of the guillotine, carefully hid all souvenirs of the king and royal family, until better days should dawn. To be found in possession of a portrait of the ill-fated Louis meant denunciation and death. Finally a clever wood carver of royalist persuasion succeeded in fashioning a cane which would throw a silhouette upon a wall--a likeness of Louis XVI. He drove a great trade among the aristocrats, who carried these walking sticks about with impunity, flourishing them under the very noses of the revolutionists. Nobody could possibly suspect a cane. Chessmen were also made on similar principles. When the tables were turned and Louis XVIII came to his own again, it was a dangerous thing to indulge in Napoleonic relics. A carver in wood, possibly an old soldier of the Imperial Guard, constructed a silhouette cane for the suppressed Bonapartists. The illustrating of books and magazines with silhouette pictures has recently come into vogue. It is especially popular in Paris, where the famous caricaturist Caran d'Ache, has done much to elevate the art. After working at silhouettes for some time, he conceived the clever idea of cutting figures out in zinc and casting them upon an illuminated screen; fashioning them in sections so that they could be made to work by means of cords operated by assistants. His first exhibition was given at the Chat Noir, a café much frequented by artists and literary men. Finally a special representation was gotten up at the Theatre d'Application, and crowds flocked to see the silhouettes. M. d'Ache is very successful in representing military scenes. He projects upon the screen the battles and triumphal marches of the Emperor Napoleon. [Illustration: PARROT] [Illustration: TWO FOXES FIGHTING] [Illustration: VULTURE] [Illustration: COUNTRYMAN] [Illustration: PIGEON] [Illustration: RHINOCEROS] [Illustration: BULL] [Illustration: FOX EATING RABBIT] [Illustration: SQUIRREL] [Illustration: BUTCHER] [Illustration: JOCKEY] [Illustration: MEPHISTOPHELES] [Illustration: GRIMACER] [Illustration: CLOWN] [Illustration: GOAT] [Illustration: SHEEP] [Illustration: TIGER] [Illustration: BEAR] [Illustration: ELEPHANT] [Illustration: RABBITS] [Illustration: PREACHER] [Illustration: FISHERMAN] [Illustration: SNUFF TAKER] [Illustration: BULL DOG] [Illustration: SPIDER] [Illustration: DANCING GIRL] [Illustration: RABBIT (2 METHODS)] [Illustration: GRIMACER] [Illustration: THE SWAN] _POPULAR HAND-BOOKS_ Some books are designed for entertainment, others for information. ¶ This series combines both features. The information is not only complete and reliable, it is compact and readable. In this busy, bustling age it is required that the information which books contain shall be ready to hand and be presented in the clearest and briefest manner possible. ¶ These volumes are replete with valuable information, compact in form and unequalled in point of merit and cheapness. They are the latest as well as the best books on the subjects of which they treat. No one who wishes to have a fund of general information or who has the desire for self-improvement can afford to be without them. ¶ They are 6 × 4-1/2 inches in size, well printed on good paper, handsomely bound in green cloth, with a heavy paper wrapper to match. Cloth, each 50 cents THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY 923 Arch Street, Philadelphia ETIQUETTE By Agnes H. Morton There is no passport to good society like good manners. ¶ Even though one possess wealth and intelligence, his success in life may be marred by ignorance of social customs. ¶ A perusal of this book will prevent such blunders. It is a book for everybody, for the social leaders as well as for those less ambitious. ¶ The subject is presented in a bright and interesting manner, and represents the latest vogue. LETTER WRITING By Agnes H. Morton Why do most persons dislike to write letters? Is it not because they cannot say the right thing in the right place? This admirable book not only shows by numerous examples just what kind of letters to write, but by directions and suggestions enables the reader to become an accomplished original letter writer. ¶ There are forms for all kinds of business and social letters, including invitations, acceptances, letters of sympathy, congratulations, and love letters. QUOTATIONS By Agnes H. Morton A clever compilation of pithy quotations, selected from a great variety of sources, and alphabetically arranged according to the sentiment. ¶ In addition to all the popular quotations in current use, it contains many rare bits of prose and verse not generally found in similar collections. ¶ One important feature of the book is found in the characteristic lines from well known authors, in which the familiar sayings are credited to their original sources. EPITAPHS By Frederic W. Unger Even death has its humorous side. ¶ There are said to be "sermons in stones," but when they are tombstones mere is many a smile mixed with the moral. ¶ Usually churchyard humor is all the more delightful because it is unconscious, but there are times when it is intentional and none the less amusing. ¶ Of epitaphs, old and new, this book contains the best. It is full of quaint bits of obituary fancy, with a touch of the gruesome here and there for a relish. PROVERBS By John H. Bechtel The genius, wit, and spirit of a nation are discovered in its proverbs, and the condensed wisdom of all ages and all nations is embodied in them. ¶ A good proverb that fits the case is often a convincing argument. ¶ This volume contains a representative collection of proverbs, old and new, and the indexes, topical and alphabetical, enable one to End readily just what he requires. THINGS WORTH KNOWING By John H. Bechtel Can you name the coldest place in the United States or tell what year had 445 days? Do you know how soon the coal fields of the world are likely to be exhausted, or how the speed of a moving train may be told? What should you do first if you got a cinder in your eye, or your neighbor's baby swallowed a pin? This unique, up-to-date book answers thousands of just such interesting and useful questions. A DICTIONARY OF MYTHOLOGY By John H. Bechtel Most of us dislike to look up a mythological subject because of the time required. ¶ This book remedies that difficulty because in it can be found at a glance just what is wanted. ¶ It is comprehensive, convenient, condensed, and the information is presented in such an interesting manner that when once read it will always be remembered. ¶ A distinctive feature of the book is the pronunciation of the proper names, something found in few other works. SLIPS OF SPEECH By John H. Bechtel Who does not make them? The best of us do. ¶ Why not avoid them? Any one inspired with the spirit of self-improvement may readily do so. ¶ No necessity for studying rules of grammar or rhetoric when this book may be had. It teaches both without the study of either. ¶ It is a counsellor, a critic, a companion, and a guide, and is written in a most entertaining and chatty style. HANDBOOK OF PRONUNCIATION By John H. Bechtel What is more disagreeable than a faulty pronunciation? No other defect so clearly shows a lack of culture. ¶ This book contains over 5,000 words on which most of us are apt to trip. ¶ They are here pronounced in the clearest and simplest manner, and according to the best authority. ¶ It is more readily consulted than a dictionary, and is just as reliable. PRACTICAL SYNONYMS By John H. Bechtel A new word is a new tool. ¶ This book will not only enlarge your vocabulary, but will show you how to express the exact shade of meaning you have in mind, and will cultivate a more precise habit of thought and speech. ¶ It will be found invaluable to busy journalists, merchants, lawyers, or clergymen, and as an aid to teachers no less than to the boys and girls under their care. READY MADE SPEECHES By George Hapgood, Esq. Pretty much everybody in these latter days, is now and again called upon "to say a few words in public." ¶ Unfortunately, however, but few of us are gifted with the power of ready and graceful speech. ¶ This is a book of carefully planned model speeches to aid those who, without some slight help, must remain silent. ¶ There is a preliminary chapter of general advice to speakers. AFTER-DINNER STORIES By John Harrison The dinner itself may be ever so good, and yet prove a failure if there is no mirth to enliven the company. ¶ Nothing adds so much zest to an occasion of this kind as a good story well told. ¶ Here are hundreds of the latest, best, brightest, and most catchy stories, all of them short and pithy, and so easy to remember that anyone can tell them successfully. ¶ There are also a number of selected toasts suitable to all occasions. TOASTS By William Pittenger Most men dread being called upon to respond to a toast or to make an address. ¶ What would you not give for the ability to be rid of this embarrassment? No need to give much when you can learn the art from this little book. ¶ It will tell you how to do it; not only that, but by example it will show the way. ¶ It is valuable not alone to the novice, but to the experienced speaker, who will gather from it many suggestions. THE DEBATER'S TREASURY By William Pittenger There is no greater ability than the power of skillful and forcible debate, and no accomplishment more readily acquired if the person is properly directed. ¶ In this little volume are directions for organizing and conducting debating societies and practical suggestions for all who desire to discuss questions in public. ¶ There is also a list of over 200 questions for debate, with arguments both affirmative and negative. PUNCTUATION By Paul Allardyce Few persons can punctuate properly; to avoid mistakes many do not punctuate at all. ¶ A perusal of this book will remove all difficulties and make all points clear. ¶ The rules are plainly stated and freely illustrated, thus furnishing a most useful volume. ¶ The author is everywhere recognized as the leading authority upon the subject, and what he has to say is practical, concise, and comprehensive. ORATORY By Henry Ward Beecher Few men ever enjoyed a wider experience or achieved a higher reputation in public speaking than Mr. Beecher. ¶ What he had to say on this subject was born of experience, and his own inimitable style was at once both statement and illustration of his theme. ¶ This volume is a unique and masterly treatise on the fundamental principles of true oratory. CONVERSATION By J. P. Mahaffy Some people are accused of talking too much. But no one is ever taken to task for talking too well. ¶ Of all the accomplishments of modern society, that of being an agreeable conversationalist holds first place. Nothing is more delightful or valuable. To suggest what to say, just how and when to say it, is the general aim of this work, and it succeeds most admirably in its purpose. READING AS A FINE ART By Ernest Legouvé The ability to read aloud well, whether at the fireside or on the public platform, is a fine art. ¶ The directions and suggestions contained in this work of standard authority will go far toward the attainment of this charming accomplishment. ¶ The work is especially recommended to teachers and others interested in the instruction of public school pupils. SOCIALISM By Charles H. Olin Socialism is "in the air." ¶ References to the subject are constantly appearing in newspapers, magazines, and other publications. ¶ But few persons except the socialists themselves have more than a dim comprehension of what it really means. ¶ This book gives in a clear and interesting manner a complete idea of the economic doctrines taught by the best socialists. JOURNALISM By Charles H. Olin What is news, how is it obtained, how handled, and how can one become a Journalist? ¶ These questions are all answered in this book, and detailed instructions are given for obtaining a position and writing up all kinds of "assignments." ¶ It shows what to avoid and what to cultivate, and contains chapters on book reviewing, dramatic criticism and proofreading. VENTRILOQUISM By Charles H. Olin Although always a delightful form of entertainment, Ventriloquism is to most of us more or less of a mystery. ¶ It need be so no longer. ¶ This book exposes the secrets of the art completely, and shows how almost anyone may learn to "throw the voice" both near and far. ¶ Directions for the construction of automatons are given as well as good dialogue for their successful operation. ¶ Fully illustrated. CONUNDRUMS By Dean Rivers Conundrums sharpen our wits and lead us to think quickly. ¶ They are also a source of infinite amusement and pleasure, whiling away tedious hours and putting everyone in good humor. ¶ This book contains an excellent collection of over a thousand of the latest, brightest, and most up-to-date conundrums, to which are added many Biblical, poetical, and French conundrums. MAGIC By Ellis Stanyon There is no more delightful form of entertainment than that afforded by the performances of a magician. ¶ Mysterious as these performances appear, they may be very readily learned if carefully explained. ¶ This book embraces full and detailed descriptions of all the well known tricks with coins, handkerchiefs, hats, flowers, and cards, together with a number of novelties not previously produced or explained. ¶ Fully illustrated. HYPNOTISM By Edward H. Eldridge, A.M. There is no more popular or interesting form of entertainment than hypnotic exhibitions, and everyone would like to know how to hypnotize. ¶ By following the simple and concise instructions contained in this complete manual anyone may, with a little practice, readily learn how to exercise this unique and strange power. WHIST By Cavendish Twenty-third Edition "According to Cavendish" is now almost as familiar an expression as "according to Hoyle." ¶ No whist player, whether a novice or an expert, can afford to be without the aid and support of Cavendish. No household in which the game is played is complete without a copy of this book. ¶ This edition contains all of the matter found in the English publication and at one-fourth the cost. PARLOR GAMES By Helen E. Hollister "What shall we do to amuse ourselves and our friends?" is a question frequently propounded on rainy days and long winter evenings. ¶ This volume most happily answers this question, as it contains a splendid collection of all kinds of games for amusement, entertainment, and instruction. ¶ The games are adapted to both old and young, and all classes will find them both profitable and interesting. ASTRONOMY: The Sun and His Family By Julia MacNair Wright Can you tell what causes day and night, seasons and years, tides and eclipses? Why is the sky blue and Mars red? What are meteors and shooting stars? ¶ These and a thousand other questions are answered in a most fascinating way in this highly interesting volume. Few books contain as much valuable material so pleasantly packed in so small a space. ¶ Illustrated. BOTANY: The Story of Plant Life By Julia MacNair Wright The scientific study of Botany made as interesting as a fairy tale. ¶ It is better reading than such tales, because of the profit. ¶ Each chapter is devoted to the month of the year in which plants of that month are in evidence. Not only is the subject treated with accuracy, but there is given much practical information as to the care and treatment of plants and flowers. ¶ Illustrated. FLOWERS: How to Grow Them By Eben E. Rexford Every woman loves flowers, but few succeed in growing them. With the help so clearly given in this book no one need fail. ¶ It treats mainly of indoor flowers and plants--those for window gardening; all about their selection, care, soil, air, light, warmth, etc. ¶ The chapter on table decoration alone is worth the price of the book. ¶ While the subject of flowers is quite thoroughly covered, the style used is plain, simple, and free from all technicalities. DANCING By Marguerite Wilson A complete instructor, beginning with the first positions and steps and leading up to the square and round dances. ¶ It contains a full list of calls for all of the square dances, and the appropriate music for each figure, the etiquette of the dances, and 100 figures for the german. ¶ It is unusually well illustrated by a large number of original drawings. ¶ Without doubt the best book on the subject. ASTROLOGY By M. M. Macgregor If you wish to obtain a horoscope of your entire life, or if you would like to know in what business or profession you will best succeed, what friends you should make, whom you should marry, the kind of a person to choose for a business partner, or the time of the month in which to begin an enterprise, you will find these and hundreds of other vital questions solved in this book by the science of Astrology. PHYSIOGNOMY By Leila Lomax How can we judge whether a man may be trusted to handle money for us? ¶ How can a woman analyze a man who would marry her? ¶ Partly by words, partly by voice, partly by reputation, but more than all by looks--the shape of the head, the set of the jaw, the line of the mouth, the glance of the eye. ¶ Physiognomy as explained in this book shows clearly how to read character with every point explained by illustrations and photographs. GRAPHOLOGY: How to Read Character from Handwriting By Clifford Howard Do you know that every time you write five or six lines you furnish a complete record of your character? Anyone who understands Graphology can tell by simply examining your handwriting just what sort of a person you are. ¶ There is no method of character reading that is more interesting, more trustworthy, and more valuable than that of Graphology, and it is the aim of this volume to enable anyone to become a master of this most fascinating art. 
42723	----	[Illustration: Harry Houdini] _Frontispiece_] THE UNMASKING _OF_ ROBERT-HOUDIN _BY_ HARRY HOUDINI [Illustration] _NEW YORK_ _THE PUBLISHERS PRINTING CO._ _1908_ _Copyright, 1906_ _Copyright, 1907_ _Copyright, 1908_ _By HARRY HOUDINI_ _Entered at Stationer's Hall, London, England_ _All rights reserved_ Composition, Electrotyping and Printing by The Publishers Printing Company New York, N.Y., U.S.A. Dedication _This Book is affectionately dedicated to the memory of my father, Rev. M. S. Weiss, Ph.D., LL.D., who instilled in me love of study and patience in research_ CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION, 7 CHAPTER I. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF ROBERT-HOUDIN, 33 II. THE ORANGE-TREE TRICK, 51 III. THE WRITING AND DRAWING FIGURE, 83 IV. THE PASTRY COOK OF THE PALAIS ROYAL, 116 V. THE OBEDIENT CARDS--THE CABALISTIC CLOCK--THE TRAPEZE AUTOMATON, 141 VI. THE INEXHAUSTIBLE BOTTLE, 176 VII. SECOND SIGHT, 200 VIII. THE SUSPENSION TRICK, 222 IX. THE DISAPPEARING HANDKERCHIEF, 245 X. ROBERT-HOUDIN'S IGNORANCE OF MAGIC AS BETRAYED BY HIS OWN PEN, 264 XI. THE NARROWNESS OF ROBERT-HOUDIN'S "MEMOIRS," 295 INTRODUCTION This book is the natural result of the moulding, dominating influence which the spirit and writings of Robert-Houdin have exerted over my professional career. My interest in conjuring and magic and my enthusiasm for Robert-Houdin came into existence simultaneously. From the moment that I began to study the art, he became my guide and hero. I accepted his writings as my text-book and my gospel. What Blackstone is to the struggling lawyer, Hardee's "Tactics" to the would-be officer, or Bismarck's life and writings to the coming statesman, Robert-Houdin's books were to me. To my unsophisticated mind, his "Memoirs" gave to the profession a dignity worth attaining at the cost of earnest, life-long effort. When it became necessary for me to take a stage-name, and a fellow-player, possessing a veneer of culture, told me that if I would add the letter "i" to Houdin's name, it would mean, in the French language, "like Houdin," I adopted the suggestion with enthusiasm. I asked nothing more of life than to become in my profession "like Robert-Houdin." By this time I had re-read his works until I could recite passage after passage from memory. Then, when Fate turned kind and the golden pathway of success led me into broader avenues of work, I determined that my first tour abroad should be dedicated to adding new laurels to the fame of Robert-Houdin. By research and study I would unearth history yet unwritten, and record unsung triumphs of this great inventor and artiste. The pen of his most devoted student and follower would awaken new interest in his history. [Illustration: Robert-Houdin in his prime, immediately after his retirement. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Alas for my golden dreams! My investigations brought forth only bitterest disappointment and saddest of disillusionment. Stripped of his self-woven veil of romance, Robert-Houdin stood forth, in the uncompromising light of cold historical facts, a mere pretender, a man who waxed great on the brainwork of others, a mechanician who had boldly filched the inventions of the master craftsmen among his predecessors. "Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, Ambassador, Author and Conjurer, Written by Himself," proved to have been the penwork of a brilliant Parisian journalist, employed by Robert-Houdin to write his so-called autobiography. In the course of his "Memoirs," Robert-Houdin, over his own signature, claimed credit for the invention of many tricks and automata which may be said to have marked the golden age in magic. My investigations disproved each claim in order. He had announced himself as the first magician to appear in regulation evening clothes, discarding flowing sleeves and heavily draped stage apparatus. The credit for this revolution in conjuring belonged to Wiljalba Frikell. Robert-Houdin's explanation of tricks performed by other magicians and not included in his repertoire, proved so incorrect and inaccurate as to brand him an ignoramus in certain lines of conjuring. Yet to the great charm of his diction and the romantic development of his personal reminiscences later writers have yielded unquestioningly and have built upon the historically weak foundations of his statements all the later so-called histories of magic. For a time the disappointment killed all creative power. With no laurel wreath to carve, my tools lay idle. The spirit of investigation languished. Then came the reaction. There was work to be done. Those who had wrought honestly deserved the credit that had been taken from them. In justice to the living as well as the dead the history of the magic must be revised. The book, accepted for more than half a century as an authority on our craft, must stand forth for what it is, a clever romance, a well-written volume of fiction. That is why to-day I offer to the profession of magic, to the world of laymen readers to whom its history has always appealed, and to the literary savants who dip into it as a recreation, the results of my investigations. These, I believe, will show Robert-Houdin's true place in the history of magic and give to his predecessors, in a profession which in each generation becomes more serious and more dignified, the credit they deserve. [Illustration: Frontispiece of "Hocus Pocus," Second Edition, 1635, one of the earliest works on magic. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] My investigations cover nearly twenty years of a busy professional career. Every hour which I could spare from my professional work was given over to study in libraries, to interviews with retired magicians and collectors, and to browsing in old bookstores and antique shops where rare collections of programs, newspapers, and prints might be found. [Illustration: John Baptist Porta, the Neapolitan writer on magic. From an old woodcut in the Harry Houdini Collection.] In order to conduct my researches intelligently, I was compelled to pick up a smattering of the language of each country in which I played. The average collector or proprietor of an old bookshop is a canny, suspicious individual who must accept you as a friend before he will uncover his choicest treasures. As authorities, books on magic and kindred arts are practically worthless. The earliest books, like the magician stories written by Sir John Mandeville in 1356, read like prototypes of to-day's dime novels. They are thrilling tales of travellers who witnessed magical performances, but they are not authentic records of performers and their work. One of the oldest books in my collection is "Natural and Unnatural Magic" by Gantziony, dated 1489. It is the author's script, exquisite in its German chirography, artistic in its illuminated illustrations, but worthless as an historical record, though many of the writer's descriptions and explanations of old-time tricks are most interesting. Early in the seventeenth century appeared "Hocus Pocus," the most widely copied book in the literature of magic. The second edition, dated 1635, I have in my library. I have never been able to find a copy of the first edition or to ascertain the date at which it was published. A few years later, in 1658, came a very important contribution to the history of magic in "Natural Magick in XX. Bookes," by John Baptist Porta, a Neapolitan. This has been translated into nearly every language. It was the first really important and exhaustive work on the subject, but, unfortunately, it gives the explanation of tricks, rather than an authentic record of their invention. In 1682, Simon Witgeest of Amsterdam, Holland, wrote an admirable work, whose title reads "Book of Natural Magic." This work was translated into German, ran through many an edition, and had an enormous sale in both Holland and Germany. [Illustration: Frontispiece from Simon Witgeest's "Book of Natural Magic" (1682), showing the early Dutch conception of conjuring. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] In 1715, John White, an Englishman, published a work entitled "Art's Treasury and Hocus Pocus; or a Rich Cabinet of Legerdemain Curiosities." This is fully as reliable a book as the earlier "Hocus Pocus" books, but it is not so generally known. Richard Neve, who was a popular English conjurer just before the time of Fawkes, published a book on somewhat similar lines in 1715. Germany contributed the next notable works on magic. First came Johann Samuel Halle's "Magic or the Magical Power of Nature," printed in Berlin, in 1784. One of his compatriots, Johann Christian Wiegleb, wrote eighteen books on "The Natural Magic" and while I shall always contend that the German books are the most complete, yet they cannot be accepted as authorities save that, in describing early tricks, they prove the existence of inventions and working methods claimed later as original by men like Robert-Houdin. English books on magic were not accepted seriously until the early part of the nineteenth century. In Vol. III. of John Beckmann's "History of Inventions and Discoveries," published in 1797, will be found a chapter on "Jugglers" which presents interesting matter regarding magicians and mysterious entertainers. I quote from this book in disproving Robert-Houdin's claims to the invention of automata and second-sight. About 1840, J. H. Anderson, a popular magician, brought out a series of inexpensive, paper-bound volumes, entitled "A Shilling's Worth of Magic," "Parlor Magic," etc., which are valuable only as giving a glimpse of the tricks contemporary with his personal successes. In 1859 came Robert-Houdin's "Memoirs," magic's classic. Signor Blitz, in 1872, published his reminiscences, "Fifty Years in the Magic Circle," but here again we have a purely local and personal history, without general value. [Illustration: John White, an English writer on magic and kindred arts in the early part of the eighteenth century. Only portrait in existence and published for the first time since his book was issued in 1715. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Thomas Frost wrote three books relating to the history of magic, commencing about 1870. This list included "Circus Life and Circus Celebrities," "The Old Showmen and the Old London Fairs," and "Lives of the Conjurers." These were the best books of their kind up to the time of their publication, but they are marked by glaring errors, showing that Frost compiled rather than investigated, or, more properly speaking, that his investigations never went much further than Morley's "Memoirs of Bartholomew Fair." Charles Bertram who wrote "Isn't it Wonderful?" closed the nineteenth-century list of English writers on magic, but his work is marred by mis-statements which even the humblest of magicians could refute, and, like Frost, he drew heavily on writers who preceded him. So far, in the twentieth century, the most notable contribution to the literature of magic is Henry Ridgely Evans' "The Old and the New Magic," but Mr. Evans falls into the error of his predecessors in accepting as authoritative the history of magic and magicians furnished by Robert-Houdin. He has made no effort whatever to verify or refute the statements made by Robert-Houdin, but has merely compiled and re-written them to suit his twentieth-century readers. [Illustration: Frontispiece from Richard Neve's work on magic, showing him performing the egg and bag trick about 1715. Photographed from the original in the British Museum by the author.] [Illustration: Signor Antonio Blitz, author of "Fifty Years in the Magic Circle" (1872). Original negative of this photograph is in the Harry Houdini Collection.] The true historian does not compile. He delves for facts and proofs, and having found these he arrays his indisputable facts, his uncontrovertible proofs, to refute the statements of those who have merely compiled. That is what I have done to prove my case against Robert-Houdin. I have not borrowed from the books of other writers on magic. I have gone to the very fountain head of information, records of contemporary literature, newspapers, programmes and advertisements of magicians who preceded Robert-Houdin, sometimes by a century. It would cost fully a million dollars to forge the collection of evidence now in my hands. Men who lived a hundred years before Robert-Houdin was born did not invent posters or write advertisements in order to refute the claims of those who were to follow in the profession of magic. These programmes, advertisements, newspaper notices, and crude cuts trace the true history of magic as no romancer, no historian of a single generation possibly could. They are the ghosts of dead and gone magicians, rising in this century of research and progress to claim the credit due them. [Illustration: Philip Astley, Esq., an historical circus director, a famous character of Bartholomew Fair days, and author of "Natural Magic" (1784). From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Charles Bertram (James Bassett), the English author and conjurer, who wrote "Isn't it Wonderful?" Born 1853, died Feb. 28th, 1907. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Often when the bookshops and auction sales did not yield fruit worth plucking, I had the good fortune to meet a private collector or a retired performer whose assistance proved invaluable, and the histories of these meetings read almost like romances, so skilfully did the Fates seem to juggle with my efforts to secure credible proof. To the late Henry Evans Evanion I am indebted for many of the most important additions to my collection of conjuring curios and my library of magic, recognized by fellow-artistes and litterateurs as the most complete in the world. Evanion was an Englishman, by profession a parlor magician, by choice and habit a collector and savant. He was an entertainer from 1849 to the year of his death. For fifty years he spent every spare hour at the British Museum collecting data bearing on his marvellous collection, and his interest in the history of magic was shared by his excellent wife who conducted a "sweet shop" near one of London's public schools. While playing at the London Hippodrome in 1904 I was confined to my room by orders of my physician. During this illness I was interviewed by a reporter who, noticing the clippings and bills with which my room was strewn, made some reference to my collection in the course of his article. The very day on which this interview appeared, I received from Henry Evanion a mere scrawl stating that he, too, collected programmes, bills, etc., in which I might be interested. I wrote at once asking him to call at one o'clock the next afternoon, but as the hour passed and he did not appear, I decided that, like many others who asked for interviews, he had felt but a passing whim. That afternoon about four o'clock my physician suggested that, as the day was mild, I walk once around the block. As I stepped from the lift, the hotel porter informed me that since one o'clock an old man had been waiting to see me, but so shabby was his appearance, they had not dared send him up to my room. He pointed to a bent figure, clad in rusty raiment. When I approached the old man he rose and informed me that he had brought some clippings, bills, etc., for me to see. I asked him to be as expeditious as possible, for I was too weak to stand long and my head was a-whirl from the effects of la grippe. [Illustration: Last photograph of Henry Evans Evanion, conjurer and collector, taken especially for this book in which he was deeply interested. Died June 17th, 1905. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] With some hesitancy of speech but the loving touch of a collector he opened his parcel. "I have brought you, sir, only a few of my treasures, sir, but if you will call--" I heard no more. I remember only raising my hands before my eyes, as if I had been dazzled by a sudden shower of diamonds. In his trembling hands lay priceless treasures for which I had sought in vain--original programmes and bills of Robert-Houdin, Phillippe, Anderson, Breslaw, Pinetti, Katterfelto, Boaz, in fact all the conjuring celebrities of the eighteenth century, together with lithographs long considered unobtainable, and newspapers to be found only in the files of national libraries. I felt as if the King of England stood before me and I must do him homage. Physician or no physician, I made an engagement with him for the next morning, when I was bundled into a cab and went as fast as the driver could urge his horse to Evanion's home, a musty room in the basement of No. 12 Methley Street, Kennington Park Road, S.E. [Illustration: Very rare and extraordinarily fine lithograph of Robert-Houdin, which he gave only to his friends. It depicts him among his so-called inventions. His son, Emile, doing second sight, is behind him. The writing and drawing figure is on his left. On his right under the clockwork is a drawing which, on close examination of the original, shows the suspension trick. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] In the presence of his collection I lost all track of time. Occasionally we paused in our work to drink tea which he made for us on his pathetically small stove. The drops of the first tea which we drank together can yet be found on certain papers in my collection. His wife, a most sympathetic soul, did not offer to disturb us, and it was 3:30 the next morning, or very nearly twenty-four hours after my arrival at his home, when my brother, Theodore Weiss (Hardeen), and a thoroughly disgusted physician appeared on the scene and dragged me, an unwilling victim, back to my hotel and medical care. Such was the beginning of my friendship with Evanion. In time I learned that some of his collection had been left to him by James Savren, an English barber, who was so interested in magic that at frequent intervals he dropped his trade to work without pay for famous magicians, including Döbler, Anderson, Compars Herrmann, De Liska, Wellington Young, Cornillot, and Gyngell. From these men he had secured a marvellous collection, which was the envy of his friendly rival, Evanion. Savren bequeathed his collection to Evanion, and bit by bit I bought it from the latter, now poverty stricken, too old to work and physically failing. These purchases I made at intervals whenever I played in London, and on June 7th, 1905, while playing at Wigan, I received word that Evanion was dying at Lambeth Infirmary. After the show, I jumped to London, only to find that cancer of the throat made it almost impossible for him to speak intelligibly. I soon discovered, however, that his chief anxiety was for the future of his wife and then for his own decent burial. When these sad offices had been provided for, he became more peaceful, and when I rose to leave him, knowing that we had met probably for the last time, he drew forth his chiefest treasure, a superb book of Robert-Houdin's programmes, his one legacy, which is now the central jewel in my collection. Evanion died ten days later, June 17th, and within a short time his good wife followed him into the Great Unknown. [Illustration: Poster used by James Savren. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Even more dramatic was my meeting with the widow of Frikell, the great German conjurer. I had heard that Frikell and not Robert-Houdin was the first magician to discard cumbersome, draped stage apparatus, and to don evening clothes, and I was most anxious to verify this rumor, as well as to interview him regarding equally important data bearing on the history of magic. Having heard that he lived in Kötchenbroda, a suburb of Dresden, I wrote to him from Cologne, asking for an interview. I received in reply a curt note: "Herr verreist," meaning "The master is on tour." This, I knew, from his age, could not be true, so I took a week off for personal investigation. I arrived at Kötchenbroda on the morning of April 8th, 1903, at 4 o'clock, and was directed to his home, known as "Villa Frikell." Having found my bearings and studied well the exterior of the house, I returned to the depot to await daylight. At 8:30 I reappeared at his door, and was told by his wife that Herr Frikell had gone away. I then sought the police department from which I secured the following information: "Dr." Wiljalba Frikell was indeed the retired magician whom I was so anxious to meet. He was eighty-seven years old, and in 1884 had celebrated his golden anniversary as a conjurer. Living in the same town was an adopted daughter, but she could not or would not assist me. The venerable magician had suffered from domestic disappointments and had made a vow that he would see no one. In fact he was leading a hermit-like life. Armed with this information, I employed a photographer, giving him instructions to post himself opposite the house and make a snap shot of the magician, should he appear in the doorway. But I had counted without my host. All morning the photographer lounged across the street and all morning I stood bareheaded before the door of Herr Frikell, pleading with his wife who leaned from the window overhead. With that peculiar fervency which comes only when the heart's desire is at stake, I begged that the past master of magic would lend a helping hand to one ready to sit at his feet and learn. I urged the debt which he owed to the literature of magic and which he could pay by giving me such direct information as I needed for my book. [Illustration: The Author standing in front of Villa Frikell at Kötchenbroda, Germany, where the master magician, Wiljalba Frikell, spent the last years of his life. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Frau Frikell heard my pleadings with tears running down her cheeks, and later I learned that Herr Frikell also listened to them, lying grimly on the other side of the shuttered window. At length, yielding to physical exhaustion, I went away, but I was still undaunted. I continued to bombard Herr Frikell with letters, press clippings regarding my work, etc., and finally in Russia I received a letter from him. I might send him a package containing a certain brand of Russian tea of which he was particularly fond. You may be sure I lost no time in shipping the little gift, and shortly I was rewarded by the letter for which I longed. Having decided that I cared more for him than did some of his relatives, he would receive me when next I played near Kötchenbroda. With this interview in prospect, I made the earliest engagement obtainable in Dresden, intending to give every possible moment to my hardly-won acquaintance. But Fate interfered. One business problem after another arose, concerning my forthcoming engagement in England, and I had to postpone my visit to Herr Frikell until the latter part of the week. In the mean time, he had agreed to visit a Dresden photographer, as I wanted an up-to-date photograph of him and he had only pictures taken in his more youthful days. On the day when he came to Dresden for his sitting, he called at the theatre, but the attachés, without informing me, refused to give him the name of the hotel where I was stopping. [Illustration: Last photograph of Herr and Frau Frikell, taken especially for this work. Frikell died Oct. 8th, 1903, the day after this photograph was taken. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] After the performance I dropped into the König Kaffe and was much annoyed by the staring and gesticulations of an elderly couple at a distant table. It was Frikell with his wife, but I did not recognize them and, not being certain on his side, he failed to make himself known. That was mid-week, and for Saturday, which fell on October 8th, 1903, I had an engagement to call at the Villa Frikell. On Thursday, the Central Theatre being sold out to Cleo de Merode, who was playing special engagements in Germany with her own company, I made a flying business trip to Berlin, and on my return I passed through Kötchenbroda. As the train pulled into the station I hesitated. Should I drop off and see Herr Frikell, or wait for my appointment on the morrow? Fate turned the wheel by a mere thread and I went on to Dresden. So does she often dash our fondest hopes! My appointment for Saturday was at 2 P.M., and as my train landed me in Kötchenbroda a trifle too early I walked slowly from the depot to the Villa Frikell, not wishing to disturb my aged host by arriving ahead of time. I rang the bell. It echoed through the house with peculiar shrillness. The air seemed charged with a quality which I presumed was the intense pleasure of realizing my long cherished hope of meeting the great magician. A lady opened the door and greeted me with the words: "You are being waited for." I entered. He was waiting for me indeed, this man who had consented to meet me, after vowing that he would never again look into the face of a stranger. And Fate had forced him to keep that vow. Wiljalba Frikell was dead. The body, clad in the best his wardrobe afforded, all of which had been donned in honor of his expected guest, was not yet cold. Heart failure had come suddenly and unannounced. The day before he had cleaned up his souvenirs in readiness for my coming and arranged a quantity of data for me. On the wall above the silent form were all of his gold medals, photographs taken at various stages of his life, orders presented to him by royalty--all the outward and visible signs of a vigorous, active, and successful life, the life of which he would have told me, had I arrived ahead of Death. And when all these were arranged, he had forgotten his morbid dislike of strangers. The old instincts of hospitality tugged at his heart strings, and his wife said he was almost young and happy once more, when suddenly he grasped at his heart, crying, "My heart! What is the matter with my heart? O----" That was all! There we stood together, the woman who had loved the dear old wizard for years and the young magician who would have been so willing to love him had he been allowed to know him. His face was still wet from the cologne she had thrown over him in vain hope of reviving the fading soul. On the floor lay the cloths, used so ineffectually to bathe the pulseless face, and now laughing mockingly at one who saw himself defeated after weary months of writing and pleading for the much-desired meeting. I feel sure that the personal note struck in these reminiscences will be forgiven. In no other way could I prove the authoritativeness of my collection, the thoroughness of my research, and the incontrovertibility of the facts which I desire to set forth in this volume. THE UNMASKING OF ROBERT-HOUDIN CHAPTER I SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF ROBERT-HOUDIN Robert-Houdin was born in Blois, France, December 6th, 1805. His real name was Jean-Eugene Robert, and his father was Prosper Robert, a watchmaker in moderate circumstances. His mother's maiden name was Marie Catherine Guillon. His first wife was Josephe Cecile Eglantine Houdin, whose family name he assumed for business reasons. He was married the second time to Françoise Marguerite Olympe Naconnier. His death, caused by pneumonia, occurred at St. Gervais, France, on June 13th, 1871. [Illustration: Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin. Photograph taken--about 1868. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Barring the above facts, which were gleaned from the register of the civil authorities of St. Gervais, all information regarding his life previous to his first public appearance in 1844 must be drawn from his own works, particularly from his autobiography, published in the form of "Memoirs." Because of his supreme egotism, his obvious desire to make his autobiography picturesque and interesting rather than historically correct, and his utter indifference to dates, exact names of places, theatres, books, etc., it is extremely hard to present logical and consistent statements regarding his life. Such discrepancies arise as the mention of three children in one chapter and four in another, while he does not give the names of either wife, though he admits his obligation to both good women. According to his autobiography, Jean-Eugene Robert was sent to college at Orleans at the tender age of eleven, and remained there until he was eighteen. He was then placed in a notary's office to study law, but his mechanical tastes led him back to his father's trade, watchmaking. While working for his cousin at Blois, he visited a bookshop in search of Berthoud's "Treatise on Clockmaking," but by mistake he was given several volumes of an old encyclopædia, one of which contained a dissertation on "Scientific Amusements," or an exposition of magic. This simple incident, he asserts, changed the entire current of his life. At eighteen, he first turned his attention to magic. At forty, he made his first appearance as an independent magician or public performer. On page 44 of his "Memoirs," American edition, Robert-Houdin refers to this book as an encyclopædia, but several times later he calls it "White Magic." In all probability it was the famous work by Henri Decremps in five volumes, known as "La Magie Banche Dévoilée," or "White Magic Exposed." This was written by Decremps to injure Pinetti, and it exposed all the latter's tricks, including the orange tree, the vaulting trapeze automaton, and in fact the majority of the tricks later claimed by Robert-Houdin as his own inventions. In 1828, while working for M. Noriet, a watchmaker in Tours, Jean-Eugene Robert was poisoned by improperly prepared food, and in his delirium started for his old home in Blois. He was picked up on the roadside by Torrini, a travelling magician, who nursed him back to health in his portable theatre. Just as young Jean recovered Torrini was injured in an accident, and his erstwhile patient remained to nurse his benefactor and later to help Torrini's assistant present the programme of magic by which they made their living. His first public appearance as the representative of Torrini was made at Aubusson. [Illustration: The only Robert-Houdin poster showing his complete stage setting. This lithograph was made in France. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Programme for the opening of Robert-Houdin's theatre in Paris. Reproduced from the American edition of his "Memoirs."] [Illustration: Robert-Houdin's favorite lithograph for advertising purposes. Used on the majority of his posters and in the original edition of his "Memoirs." From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Torrini was an Italian whose real name was Count Edmond de Grisy. He was a contemporary of Pinetti. In all probability, during the long summer of their intimate companionship, Torrini not only initiated his fascinated young guest into his own methods of performingtricks, but also into the secrets of Pinetti's tricks. In his "Memoirs," Robert-Houdin makes no secret of the fact that both Comus and Pinetti, together with their tricks, were topics of conversation between himself and Torrini. [Illustration: A very rare, and possibly the only, programme in existence, chronicling Robert-Houdin's first appearance before Queen Victoria, July 19th, 1848. The original, now in the Harry Houdini Collection, was presented to James Savren by Robert-Houdin.] [Illustration: Poster used by Robert-Houdin during an Easter engagement at the St. James Theatre, London. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] When Torrini was able to resume his performances, Jean-Eugene returned to his family in Blois. During the next few years he mixed amateur acting with his daily labor, leaning more and more toward the profession of public entertainer. But his ambitions along this line were nipped in the bud by marriage. Mademoiselle Houdin, whose father was a celebrated watchmaker in Paris, visited old friends in Blois, their native town, and became the fiancée of young Robert. As the new son-in-law was to share the elder Houdin's business and naturally wished to secure such benefits as might accrue from so celebrated a family of watch and clock makers, he applied to the council of state and secured the right to annex "Houdin" to his name, Jean-Eugene Robert, and thereafter was known only as Robert-Houdin. His life between 1838 and 1844 was divided between reading every work obtainable on magic, and his duties in his father-in-law's shop, where he not only made and repaired clocks, but built and repaired automata of various sorts. His family shared with him many financial vicissitudes, and about 1842-43 his first wife died, leaving him with three young children to raise. Earlier in his "Memoirs" he speaks of having four children, so it is more than likely that one died before his wife. He married again soon, and though he gives his second wife great credit as a helpmate he does not state her name. [Illustration: Robert-Houdin as he appeared to the English critics. Reproduced from the _Illustrated London News_, December 23d, 1848.] [Illustration: ROBERT HOUDIN'S SOIREES FANTASTIQUES Poster used in 1848 in London by Robert-Houdin. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] By this time he had acquired more than passing fame as a repairer of automata, and in 1844 he mended Vaucanson's marvellous duck, one of the most remarkable automata ever made. Doubtless other automata found their way to his workshop and aided him in his study of a profession which he still hoped to follow. During these discouraging times he was often assisted financially by one Monsieur G----, who either advanced money on his automata or bought them outright. In the same year, 1844, he retired to a suburb of Paris, and there, he asserts, he built his famous writing and drawing figure. [Illustration: Poster for the Emile-Houdin benefit at St. James's Theatre in 1848. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] The next year, 1845, he was assisted by Count de L'Escalopier, a devotee of conjuring and automata, who advanced the money to fit up and furnish a small theatre in the Palais Royal. Robert-Houdin went about the work of decorating and furnishing this theatre with a view to securing the most dramatic and brilliant effects, surrounding his simple tricks with a setting that made them vastly different from the same offerings by his predecessors. He was what is called to-day an original producer of old ideas. On June 25th, 1845, he gave his first private performance before a few friends. On July 3d of the same year his theatre of magic was opened formally to the public. The programme of this performance is shown on page 37. It will be noted that the famous writing and drawing figure was not then included in Robert-Houdin's répertoire, nor does it ever appear on any of his programmes. He exhibited it at the quinquennial exhibition in 1844, received a silver medal for it, and very soon sold it to the late P. T. Barnum, who exported it to America. [Illustration: Poster used by Robert-Houdin when he played at Sadler's Wells, London, in 1853. He never refers to this engagement in his writings because he was not proud of having appeared in a second-class theatre, while his rival, Anderson, held the fashionable audiences at the St. James's, where Robert-Houdin had worn out his welcome. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] This question naturally arises: If Robert-Houdin built the original writing and drawing figure, why could he not make a duplicate and include it in his programme? Surely it was one of the most remarkable of the automata which he claims as the creations of his brain and hands. In 1846 he claims to have invented second sight, and at the opening of the season in 1847 he presented as his own creation the suspension trick. During the interim he played an engagement in Brussels which was a financial failure. In 1848 the Revolution closed the doors of Parisian theatres, Robert-Houdin's among the rest, and he returned to clockmaking and automata building, until he received from John Mitchell, who had met with great success in managing Ludwig Döbler and Phillippe, an offer to appear in London at the St. James's Theatre. This engagement was a brilliant success and for the first time in his career Robert-Houdin reaped big financial returns. Later Robert-Houdin toured the English provinces under his own management and made return trips to London, but his tour under Mitchell was the most notable engagement of his career. [Illustration: Robert-Houdin's grave, in the cemetery at Blois, France. From a photograph taken by the author, especially for this work, and now in the Harry Houdini Collection.] In 1850, while playing in Paris, he decided to retire, and to turn over his theatre and tricks to one Hamilton. A contemporary clipping, taken from an English newspaper of 1848, goes to prove that Hamilton was an Englishman who entered Robert-Houdin's employ. Hamilton signed a dual contract, agreeing to produce Robert-Houdin's tricks as his acknowledged successor and to marry Robert-Houdin's sister, thus keeping the tricks and the theatre in the family. During the next two years Robert-Houdin spent part of his time instructing his brother-in-law in all the mysteries of his art. In July, 1852, he played a few engagements in Germany, including Berlin and various bathing resorts, and then formally retired to his home at St. Gervais. Here he continued to work along mechanical and electrical lines, and in 1855 he again came into public notice, winning awards at the Exhibition for electrical power as applied to mechanical uses. In 1856, according to his autobiography, he was summoned from his retirement by the Government to make a trip to Algeria and there intimidate revolting Arabs by the exhibition of his sleight-of-hand tricks. These were greatly superior to the work of the Marabouts or Arabian magicians, whose influence was often held responsible for revolts. What Robert-Houdin received for performing this service is not set forth in any of his works. He spent the fall of 1856 in Algeria. [Illustration: Bas-relief on Robert-Houdin tombstone. From a photograph taken by the author, especially for this work, and now in the Harry Houdini Collection.] From the date of his return to St. Gervais to the time of his death, June 13th, 1871, Robert-Houdin devoted his energies to improving his inventions and writing his books, though, as stated before, it was generally believed by contemporary magicians that in the latter task he entrusted most of the real work to a Parisian journalist whose name was never known. He was survived by a wife, a son named Emile, and a step-daughter. Emile Houdin managed his father's theatre until his death in 1883, when the theatre was sold for 35,000 francs. The historic temple of magic still stands under the title of "Théâtre Robert-Houdin," under the management of M. Melies, a maker of motion picture films. [Illustration: The last photograph taken of Robert-Houdin and used as the frontispiece for the original French edition of his "Memoirs," published in 1868.] During my investigations in Paris, I was shocked to find how little the memory of Robert-Houdin was revered and how little was known of France's greatest magician. In fact, I was more than once informed that Robert-Houdin was still alive and giving performances at the theatre which bears his name. Contemporary magicians of Robert-Houdin and men of high repute in other walks of life seem to agree that Robert-Houdin was an entertainer of only average merit. Among the men who advanced this theory were the late Henry Evanion of whose deep interest in magic I wrote in the introduction, Sir William Clayton who was Robert-Houdin's personal friend in London, Ernest Basch who saw Robert-Houdin in Berlin, and T. Bolin of Moscow, Russia, who bought all his tricks in Paris and there saw Robert-Houdin and studied his work as a conjurer. Robert-Houdin's contributions to literature, all of which are eulogistic of his own talents, are as follows: "Confidence et Révélations," published in Paris in 1858 and translated into English by Lascelles Wraxall, with an introduction by R. Shelton Mackenzie. "Les Tricheries des Grecs" (Card-Sharping Exposed), published in Paris in 1861. "Secrets de la Prestidigitation" (Secrets of Magic), published in Paris in 1868. "Le Prieuré" (The Priory, being an account of his electrically equipped house), published in Paris in 1867. "Les Radiations Lumineuses," published in Blois in 1869. "Exploration de la Rétinue," published in Blois, 1869. "Magic et Physique Amusante" (oeuvre posthume), published in Paris in 1877, six years after Robert-Houdin's death. In his autobiography, Robert-Houdin makes specific claim to the honor of having invented the following tricks: The Orange Tree, Second Sight, Suspension, The Cabalistic Clock, The Inexhaustible Bottle, The Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal, The Vaulting Trapeze Automaton, and the Writing and Drawing Figure. His fame, which has been sung by writers of magic without number since his death, rests principally on the invention of second sight, suspension, and the writing and drawing automaton. It is my intention to trace the true history of each of these tricks and of all others to which he laid claim as inventor, and show just how small a proportion of the credit was due to Robert-Houdin and how much he owed to magicians who preceded him and whose brain-work he claimed as his own. CHAPTER II THE ORANGE-TREE TRICK Robert-Houdin, on page 179 of the American edition of his "Memoirs," thus describes the orange-tree trick, which he claims as his invention: "The next was a mysterious orange-tree, on which flowers and fruit burst into life at the request of the ladies. As the finale, a handkerchief I borrowed was conveyed into an orange purposely left on the tree. This opened and displayed the handkerchief, which two butterflies took by the corners and unfolded before the spectators." On page 245 of the same volume he presents the programme given at the first public performance in the Théâtre Robert-Houdin, stating: "The performance will be composed of entirely novel Experiments invented by M. Robert-Houdin. Among them being The Orange-Tree, etc." Now to retrace our steps in the history of magic as set forth in handbills and advertisements of earlier and contemporaneous newspaper clippings describing their inventions. Under the title of "The Apple-Tree" this mechanical trick appeared on a Fawkes programme dated 1730. This was 115 years before Robert-Houdin claimed it as his invention. In 1732, just before Pinchbeck's death, it appeared on a programme used by Christopher Pinchbeck, Sr., and the younger Fawkes. In 1784 it was included in the répertoire of the Italian conjurer, Pinetti, in the guise of "Le Bouquet-philosophique." In 1822 the same trick, but this time called "An Enchanted Garden," was featured by M. Cornillot, who appeared in England as the pupil and successor of Pinetti. [Illustration: Diagram of the orange-tree trick, from Wiegleb's "The Natural Magic," published in 1794.] The trick was first explained in public print by Henri Decremps in 1784 when his famous exposé of Pinetti was published under the title of "La Magie Blanche Dévoilée," and in 1786-87 both Halle and Wiegleb exposed the trick completely in their respective works on magic. That Robert-Houdin was an omnivorous reader is proven by his own writings. That he knew the history and tricks of Pinetti is proven by his own words, for in Chapter VI. of his "Memoirs" he devoted fourteen pages to Pinetti and the latter's relations with Torrini. Now to prove that the tree tricks offered by Fawkes, Pinchbeck, Pinetti, Cornillot, and Robert-Houdin were practically one and the same, and to tell something of the history of the four magicians who featured the trick before Robert-Houdin had been heard of: [Illustration: Christopher Pinchbeck, Sr. This is the oldest and rarest authentic mezzotint in the world pertaining to the history of magic. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Clipping from the London _Daily Post_ of November 30th, 1728. Used by Christopher Pinchbeck before he joined Fawkes. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Unquestionably, the real inventor of the mysterious tree was Christopher Pinchbeck, who was England's leading mechanical genius at the close of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth. He was a man of high repute, whose history is not that of the charlatan, compiled largely from tradition, but it can be corroborated by court records, biographical works, and encyclopædias, as well as by contemporaneous newspaper clippings. [Illustration: Advertisement from the London _Daily Post_ during 1730, showing the orange tree as offered by the senior Fawkes, just previous to his death. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] According to Vol. XLV. of the "Dictionary of National Biography," edited by Sidney Lee and published in 1896 by Smith, Elder & Co., 15 Waterloo Place, London: "Christopher Pinchbeck was born about 1670, possibly in Clerkenwell, London. He was a clockmaker and inventor of the copper and zinc alloy called after his name. He invented and made the famous astronomico-musical clock. In Appleby's _Weekly Journal_ of July 8th, 1721, it was announced that 'Christopher Pinchbeck, inventor and maker of the astronomico-musical clock, is removed, from St. George's Court (now Albion Place) to the sign of the "Astronomico-Musical Clock" in Fleet Street, near the Leg Tavern. He maketh and selleth watches of all sorts and clocks as well for the exact indication of the time only as astronomical, for showing the various motions and phenomena of planets and fixed stars.' Mention is also made of musical automata in imitation of singing birds and barrel organs for churches, as among Pinchbeck's manufactures. "Pinchbeck was in the habit of exhibiting collections of his automata at fairs, sometimes in conjunction with a juggler named Fawkes, and he entitled his stall 'The Temple of the Muses,' 'Grand Theatre of the Muses,' or 'Multum in Parvo.' The _Daily Journal_ of August 27th, 1729, announced that the Prince and Princess of Wales went to the Bartholomew Fair to see his exhibition, and there were brief advertisements in _The Daily Post_ of June 12th, 1729, and the _Daily Journal_ of August 22d and 23d, 1729. There is still a large broadside in the British Museum (1850 c. 10-17) headed 'Multum in Parvo,' relating to Pinchbeck's exhibition, with a blank left for place and date, evidently intended for use as a poster. He died November 18th, 1732; was buried November 21st, in St. Denison's Church, Fleet Street. "In a copy of the _Gentlemen's Magazine_, printed 1732, page 1083, there is an engraved portrait by I. Faber, after a painting by Isaac Wood, a reproduction of which appears in 'Britten's Clock and Watch Maker,' page 122. His will, dated November 10th, 1732, was proved in London on November 18th." [Illustration: A very rare mezzotint of Christopher Pinchbeck, Jr., combining the work of Cunningham, the greatest designer, and William Humphrey, the greatest portrait etcher of his day. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] During one of his engagements at the Bartholomew Fair, Pinchbeck probably met Fawkes, the cleverest sleight-of-hand performer that magic has ever known, and the two joined forces. Pinchbeck made all the automata and apparatus thereafter used by Fawkes, and, in Fawkes, he had a master-producer of his tricks. Christopher Pinchbeck never appeared on the program used by Fawkes, save as the maker of the automata or apparatus, but directly after the death of the elder Fawkes, and a few months before his own, the elder Pinchbeck appeared with the son of his deceased partner, and was advertised as doing "the Dexterity of Hand" performance. This indicates that he was inducting young Fawkes into all the mysteries of the profession at which the two elder men, as friends and business partners, had done so well. Christopher Pinchbeck was survived by two sons, Edward and Christopher, Jr. Edward, the elder, succeeded to his father's shop and regular business. He was born about 1703, and was well along in years when he entered into his patrimony, which he advertised in _The Daily Post_ of November 27th, 1732, as follows: "The toys made of the late Mr. Pinchbeck's curious metal are now sold only by his son and sole executor, Mr. Edward Pinchbeck." This announcement settles forever the oft-disputed question as to whether the alloy of copper and zinc which bears the name of Pinchbeck was invented by Christopher Pinchbeck, Sr., or by his son Christopher, Jr. All newspaper and magazine descriptions of the automata invented by the elder Pinchbeck indicate that his hand was as cunning as his brain was inventive, for they showed the most delicate mechanism, and included entire landscapes with figures of rare grace in motion. [Illustration: The best portrait of Isaac Fawkes in existence. The original, now in the Harry Houdini Collection, is supposed to have been engraved by Sutton Nichols. It is said that there is only one more of these engravings extant.] "Christopher, the second son of Christopher Pinchbeck the elder," continues the biographical sketch, "was born about 1710 and possessed great mechanical ingenuity. While the elder son, Edward, was made executor and continued his father's trade in a quiet, conservative fashion, the younger son struck out along new lines and became even more famous as an inventor than his brilliant father had been. [Illustration: An early Fawkes advertisement, clipped from a London paper of 1725. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] "He was a member and at one time president of the Smeatonian Society, the precursor of the Institution of Civil Engineers. In 1762 he devised a self-acting pneumatic brake for preventing accidents to the men employed in working wheel-cranes. In _The Gentlemen's Magazine_ for June, 1765, page 296, it is recorded that Messrs. Pinchbeck and Norton had made a complicated astronomical clock for the Queen's house, some of the calculations of the wheel having been made by James Ferguson, the astronomer. There is no proof that Pinchbeck and Norton were ever in partnership, and there are now two clocks answering to the description at Buckingham Palace, one by Pinchbeck, with four dials and of a very complicated construction, and another by Norton. [Illustration: A clipping from the _Daily Post_, London showing that Fawkes combined forces with Powel, the famous Bartholomew Fair puppet man. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] "Pinchbeck took out three patents: the first (No. 892), granted 1768, was for an improved candlestick with a spring socket for holding the candle firmly, and an arrangement whereby the candle always occupied an upright position, however the candlestick might be held. In 1768 (patent No. 899) he patented his nocturnal remembrancer, a series of tablets with notches, to serve as guides for writing in the dark. His snuffers (No. 1119) patented 1776, continued to be made in Birmingham until the last forty years or so, when snuffers began to go out of use. In 1774 he presented to the Society of Arts a model of a plough for mending roads. Pinchbeck's name first appears in the London directory in 1778, when it replaced that of Richard Pinchbeck, toyman, of whom nothing is recorded. "Christopher Pinchbeck, Jr., was held in considerable esteem by George III., and he figures in Wilkes' London Museum (ii-33) in 1770 in the list of the party who called themselves the King's friends. He died March 17th, 1783, aged 73, and was buried in St. Martin's-in-the-Fields. His will, which was very curious, is printed in full in _The Horological Journal_ of November, 1895. One of his daughters married William Hebb, who was described as 'son-in-law and successor of the late Mr. Pinchbeck at his shop in Cockspur Street' (imprinted on Pinchbeck's portrait), whose son Christopher Henry Hebb (1772-1861) practised as a surgeon in Worcester. There is in existence a portrait of Christopher Pinchbeck the younger, by Cunningham, engraved by W. Humphrey." The mezzotints of the Pinchbecks, father and son, herewith reproduced, are extremely rare, and when I unearthed them in Berlin I felt myself singularly favored in securing two such treasures of great value to the history of magic. S. Wohl, the antiquarian and dealer from whom they were purchased, acquired them during a tour of old book and print shops in England, and thought them portraits of one and the same person; but by studying the names of the artists and the engravers on the two pictures, it will be seen that they set forth the features of father and son, as indicated by the biographical notes quoted above. Of the early history of Fawkes, whose brilliant stage performance lent to the Pinchbeck automata a new lustre, little is known. It is practically impossible to trace his family history. His Christian name was never used on his billing nor published in papers or magazines, and after repeated failures I was about to give up the task of discovering it, when in 1904, aided by R. Bennett, the clerk of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields Parish Church, Trafalgar Square, London, England, I came upon the record of his burial. This record, which I found after many days' search among musty, faded parchments, showed that his Christian name was Isaac, and that he died May 25th or 29th, 1731, and was buried in St. Martin's-in-the-Fields Parish Church. [Illustration: Clipping from the London _Post_ during 1728, showing the oldest evidence procurable of the original "Two a Night" performance. From the Harry Houdini Collection: At FAWKES's Booth in the Upper Moorfields, will be presented the following Entertainments, First his Famous Posture-Master, that for his wonderful dexterity of Body exceeds all Europe. 2. The Musical Temple of Arts, with two moving Pictures, the one a Concert of Musick, the other the Siege and Bay of Gibraltar, being the finest Piece of Clock-work in the World. 3d. Another Machine with three moving Pictures, the first represents the Hill of Parnassus, with Apollo and the Nine Muses playing on various Instruments of Musick, with next a beautiful View of a River, with Swans and other Fowls and Fish, sporting as tho' Alive. The last gives a Prospect of the New Palace Yard, with the whole Procession of the late Coronation of their preseat Majesties marching from the Hall to the Abbey, Note, Half the Performance can't be express'd in this advertisement. Note, We show twice every Evening, the First beginning at Five, the other at Seven.] The records further show that he was buried in the church vault, the coffin being carried by six men. Prayers were said in the church, candles were used, and the great bell was tolled. As the fees amounted to £6 12s., a goodly sum for those days, all signs indicate that the funeral was on a scale more costly and impressive than the ordinary. Fawkes was worth at his death £10,000, which was considered an enormous sum in those days. Every penny of this he made performing at the fairs. The earliest announcements of Fawkes' performance in my collection are dated 1702 and include advertisements headed "Fawkes and Powel," "Fawkes and Phillips," and "Fawkes and Pinchbeck." Powel was the famous puppet man, Phillips a famous posture master (known to-day as contortionist), and Pinchbeck was the greatest of mechanicians. Fawkes seems to have possessed a singular gift for picking out desirable partners. [Illustration: Clipping from the London _Post_, February 7th, 1724, in which Fawkes announces his retirement and offers to teach his tricks to all comers. Below this announcement is the advertisement of Clench, famous as an imitator and an instrumentalist.] From this mass of evidence I am producing various clippings. By a peculiar coincidence one of these I believe offers the most authentic and earliest record of "two a night" performances in England. In my collection are a number of other clippings from the press of the same year, in April and May, 1728, but none of them says "twice a night," therefore I judge that the custom of giving two performances in a night was tried previously to April, 1728, and then abandoned, or after the first of May. [Illustration: Clipping from the London _Daily Post_ of August, 1735, in which Fawkes advertises his admission price as twelvepence. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] In the London _Post_ of February 7th, 1724, Fawkes announced an exhibition "in the Long Room over the piazza at the Opera House in the Haymarket." At this time he also advertised the fact that he was about to retire and was exposing all his tricks. The clipping of that date from my collection has the following foot-note: "Likewise he designs to follow this business no longer than this season; so he promises to learn any lady or gentleman his fancies in dexterity of hand for their own diversion." When Fawkes was not in partnership with some puppet showman, he always advertised his own puppets as "A court of the richest and largest figures ever shown in England, being as big as men and women!" His admission charges varied, but 12 pence seemed his favorite figure. About six years before his death he had his own theatre in James Street, near the Haymarket, in which he exhibited for months at a time before and after fairs. [Illustration: Clipping from the London _Post_, showing that young Fawkes collaborated with Pinchbeck and together they offered the orange-tree trick in 1732. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] I reproduce a clipping from my collection showing Fawkes' last program. Here it will be seen that his first trick was causing a tree to grow up in a flower-pot on the table, and bear fruit in a minute's time. In _The Gentlemen's Magazine_, that oft-quoted and most reliable periodical, of February 15th, 1731, readers were informed that the Algerian Ambassadors witnessed Fawkes' performance. [Illustration: Clipping from the London _Post_, August 16th, 1736, when young Fawkes was playing alone. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] At their request he showed them "a prospect of Algiers, and raised up an apple-tree which bore ripe fruit in less than a minute's time, which several of the company tasted of." Fawkes, too, had a son, and thus the partnership and the friendship which had existed between the elder Fawkes and the elder Pinchbeck were carried on by the second generation. All of the marvellous apparatus made by Pinchbeck the elder, for Fawkes, may have been bequeathed by the latter to his son, but, in 1732, Pinchbeck the elder and Fawkes the younger were in a booth together, and Pinchbeck was advertised as doing "the dexterity of hand" performances. After Christopher Pinchbeck, Sr., died, young Fawkes started out on his own account. In 1746, according to an advertisement in my collection, a Fawkes and a Pinchbeck were together again, so the son of Pinchbeck must have joined the younger Fawkes for exhibition purposes. The accompanying clippings from contemporary publications trace the history of young Fawkes, and prove that the tree which bore fruit in a minute's time was still on his programme. [Illustration: Reproduction of page 1226 of Hone's "Every-Day Book" in the Harry Houdini Collection. This is a portrait of Fawkes, engraved on a fan by Setchels in 1721 or 1728. Fans like these were distributed at the Bartholomew Fair.] For many years it was supposed that only one portrait of Fawkes was in existence, but it now seems that three were made. I publish them all, something which no one has ever before been able to do. One was taken from a Setchels fan published about 1728, although some authorities say 1721. It appeared in Hone's "Every-Day Book," page 1226. Another, I believe, was engraved by Sutton Nicols, as Hone mentions it in his description of Fawkes. In the fan engraving, it will be noticed that there appears a man wearing a star on his left breast. It is said that this is Sir Robert Walpole, who was Prime Minister while Fawkes was at the height of his success, and who was one of the conjurer's great admirers. Hogarth also placed Fawkes in one of his engravings as the frontispiece of a most diverting brochure on "Taste," in which he belittles Burlington Gate. This makes the third portrait from my collection herewith reproduced. According to an article contributed by Mons. E. Raynaly in the _Illusionniste_ of June, 1903, the orange tree next appeared in the répertoire of a remarkable peasant conjurer, whose billing Mons. Raynaly found among "Affiches de Paris." This performer was billed as the Peasant of North Holland, and gave hourly performances at the yearly fairs at Saint-Germain. It is more than possible that he purchased this trick from Fawkes or Pinchbeck, having seen it at the Bartholomew Fair in England. He featured the orange tree as follows: "He has a Philosophical Flower Pot, in which he causes to grow on a table in the presence of the spectators trees which flower, and then the flowers fall, and fruit appears absolutely ripe and ready to be eaten." His posters are dated 1746-47 and 1751. The next programme on which the mysterious tree appears is a Pinetti handbill, dated in London, 1784, when the following announcement was made: "Signore Pinetti will afterwards present the assembly with a Tree called Le Bouquet-philosophique composed of small branches of an orange-tree, the leaves appearing green and natural. He will put it under a bottle, and at some distance, by throwing some drops of water of his own composition, the leaves will begin to change and the bouquet will produce natural flowers and various fruits." [Illustration: Masquerade and opera at Burlington Gate. Reproduction of Hogarth's engraving entitled "Taste," belittling the artistic taste of London. This caricature verifies the Fawkes advertisement, reproduced on page 64, for here the conjurer is pictured leaning from the window of the "long room" and calling attention to his performances. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Pinetti is one of the most fascinating and picturesque figures in the history of magic. His full name was Joseph Pinetti de Willedal, and, like Pinchbeck and Fawkes, he was a man of parts and readily made friends with the nobility. In fact, there is some question as to whether he did not come of a noble family. He was born in 1750 in Orbitelle, a fortified town once claimed by Tuscany. What can be gleaned regarding his early history goes to prove that his family connections were excellent and his education of the best. One of his portraits, reproduced herewith, shows a half-crown of laurel decorating the frame, and on one side of the bust is a globe, while in the rear of the picture is a stack of books. This would establish his claim that he was once a professor of physics and geography. In fact, the legend beneath the portrait, being translated from the French, runs: "I. I. Pinetti Willedal de Merci, Professor and Demonstrator of Physics, Chevalier of the Order of St. Philipe, Geographical Engineer, Financial Counselor of H.R.H. Prince of Linbourg Holstein, Born in Orbitelle in 1750." [Illustration: A wood-cut used by Pinetti during his engagement at Hamburg, Germany, in October, 1796. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] As it has so often happened in the history of savants and students, there ran in Pinetti's blood a love of the mysterious with that peculiar strain of charalatanism which went to make up the clever performer in old-time magic. Evidently he resigned his duties as a professor for the more picturesque life of the travelling magician, and he is first heard from in this capacity in the French provinces in 1783. His fame quickly carried him to Paris, where in 1784 he appeared before the court of Louis XVI. His arrival was most opportune, for just then all Paris and, for that matter, all Europe had been aroused to a new interest in magic by the brilliant Cagliostro. [Illustration: The only authentic portrait of Pinetti in existence, the only known copy extant being in the Harry Houdini Collection.] From Paris he went to London, playing at the Haymarket and creating a sensation equal to that which he made in France. Later he toured Germany, playing in Berlin and Hamburg. Next he went back to his native land, Italy, but later returned to Germany for a second engagement. In 1789 he appeared in Russia and never left that country. There he married a Russian girl, daughter of a carriage manufacturer. They had two children. Pinetti would have left enormous wealth, but in his later years he became interested in ballooning, the sensation of the hour, and spent his entire fortune on balloon experiments. He died in Bartichoff, Volhinie, aged fifty years. [Illustration: Henri Decremps, the French author who exposed and endeavored to ruin Pinetti, but succeeded only in immortalizing him.] Pinetti was a man of rare inventive genius and almost reconstructed the art of conjuring, so numerous were his inventions. For half a century after his death his successors drew upon Pinetti's inventions and répertoire for their programmes. Naturally such ability aroused bitter jealousies, especially as Pinetti made no attempt to conciliate his contemporaries, either magicians or writers on magic. He issued one book, whose title-page reads: "Amusements Physiques et Differentes Expériences Divertissements, Composées et Executées, tant à Paris que dans les diverses Courts de l'Europe. Par M. Joseph Pinetti de Willedal, Romain, Chevalier de l'Ordre Mérite de Saint-Phillipe, Professeur de Mathématiques et de Physiques, Protégé par toute la Maison Royale de France, Pensionnaire de la Cour de Prusse, etc., 1785." The work, however, was not a clear and lucid explanation of his methods and tricks. In fact some of his contemporaries claimed that he deliberately misrepresented his methods of performing tricks. Among these writers was Henri Decremps, a brilliant professor of mathematics and physics in Paris, who proceeded to expose all of Pinetti's tricks in the book referred to in the preceding chapter, "La Magie Blanche Dévoilée." This work was in five volumes and was so popular in its day that it was translated into nearly every modern language. The following explanation of the trick is taken from page 56 of the English translation, entitled "The Conjurer Unmasked": "The branches of the tree may be made of tin or paper, so as to be hollow from one end to the other in order that the air which enters at the bottom may find its exit at the top of the branch. These branches are so adjusted that at intervals there appear twigs made from brass wire, but the whole so decorated with leaves made from parchment that the ensemble closely resembles nature. "The end of each branch is dilated to contain small pieces of gummed silk or very fine gold-beater's skin, which are to catch the figures of the flowers and fruit when the latter expand by the air driven through the branches to which they were fastened by a silk thread. [Illustration: Decremps's signature written by himself on the last page of a copy of his book now in the Harry Houdini Library.] "The tree or nosegay is then placed on a table, through which runs a glass tube to supply air from beneath the stage, where a confederate works this end of the trick, and causes the tree to 'grow' at the prearranged signal." Later it was described as being accomplished entirely by springs, and real oranges were first stuck on the tree by means of pegs or pins, and the leaves were so secured around them that at first appearance they could not be seen. Then a piston was used to spread all the leaves, another that forced the blossom up through the hollow branches, etc. Pinetti's personality was almost as extraordinary as his talents. A handsome man who knew how to carry himself, acquiring the graces and the dress of the nobility, he became rather haughty, if not arrogant, in his bearing. He so antagonized his contemporaries in the fields of magic and literature that he was advertised as much by his bitter enemies as by his loving friends. Many of his methods of attracting attention to himself were singularly like those employed by modern press agents of theatrical stars. He never trusted to his performances in theatres and drawing-rooms to advertise his abilities, but demonstrated his art wherever he appeared, from barber-shops to cafés. Perhaps the best pen pictures of Pinetti and his methods are furnished by E. G. Robertson in his "Memoirs." Robertson was a contemporary of Pinetti, and, like him, a pioneer in ballooning. His "Memoirs," written in the French language, were published in 1831. The following extracts from this interesting book tell much of Pinetti's life in Russia and of his professional history as tradition and actual acquaintance had presented it to M. Robertson: "Pinetti had travelled a great deal and for a long time had enjoyed a great European reputation. He had done everything to attain it. There was never a man that carried further the art of the 'charlatisme.' When he arrived in a town where he intended to give a show, he took good care to prepare his public by speeches, which would keep it in suspense. In St. Petersburg great and incredible examples of mystification and of prestidigitation were told about him. "One day he went to a barber-shop to get shaved, sat down in the chair, had the towel tied around his neck, and laid his head back ready for the lather. The barber left him in this position to get hot water, and when he returned, guided by force of habit, he applied the lather where the chin should be, but he found feet, arms, hands, and body in a coat, but no head! Such lamentations! No more head! What could it mean? He opened the door, and, frightened to death, ran away. Pinetti then went to the window and called the barber back. He had put his head in his coat in such a clever way, covering it with his handkerchief, that the surprise and the fright of the barber were quite natural. Of course this barber did not fail to spread over the whole town that he had shaved a man who could take his head off and on to his wish. [Illustration: Frontispiece of Pinetti's book, "Amusements Physiques," published in Paris, 1785, one of the first treasures of the Evanion Collection purchased by the author.] [Illustration: Pinetti's autograph, written by him on the back of the frontispiece, reproduced on page 78. Original in the Harry Houdini Collection.] "Pinetti met in a summer-garden a young Russian who sold small cakes. He bought a few cakes, bit into them, and complained of finding a hard substance. The youth protested, but Pinetti opened the cake before him and found inside a gold piece. The magician pocketed the gold piece, bought another cake, then a third cake, and in each case found a new gold piece inside. He tried to buy the rest of the cakes. The passers-by had in the mean time come round the seller, and everybody wanted to buy as well. The market seemed to be all right, a ducat for a kopeck! Twelve francs for a cent! The young man refused to sell any more, hurried away, and when alone opened the cakes that were left. He found only the substances of which the cakes were made--nothing else. He had two left, so he hurried back to offer these to Pinetti. Pinetti bought them from him, opened them and showed in each one the gold piece, which the young man could not find in the two dozen cakes which he had spoilt. The poor boy bit his lips and looked at Pinetti with wondering, frightened eyes. This little adventure was advertised here, there, and everywhere, and was told in the clubs and in the society gatherings, and very soon the name of Pinetti gave the key to the enigma, and Pinetti was in demand by everybody. "When Pinetti came on the stage, he had the knack of attracting members of the nobility around his table, by letting them learn some small secrets. This would render them confederates in working his tricks. He would appear in rich suits, embroidered in gold, which he changed three and four times in the evening. He would not hesitate to deck himself in a quantity of foreign decorations. In Berlin it was told how Pinetti would go through the streets, in a carriage drawn by four white horses. He was clad in fine embroidery and decorated with medals of all nations. Several times it happened that, as he passed by, the soldiers would call arms and salute, taking him for a prince. One day the King of Prussia rode out in his modest carriage drawn by two horses. Ahead of him drove the supposed prince. When the King witnessed the mistake made by his soldiers, he made inquiries as to the rank of this man to whom his men were paying such honor, then gave the Cavalier Pinetti twenty-four hours to get beyond Prussia's borders." [Illustration: Reproduction of a handbill distributed on the streets of London in September, 1822. The orange-tree trick is on the bill under the name of "Enchanted Garden." From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Whatever may be said of Pinetti's charlatanism, it must be admitted that he gave to the art of conjuring a great impetus which was felt for several generations. It is not remarkable, therefore, that when the French magician Cornillot appeared in London in 1822 he announced himself as the pupil and successor of Pinetti. This was when Robert-Houdin was seventeen years of age, twenty-three years before he made his professional début, and on Cornillot's programme we find another version of the now famous and almost familiar tree trick. As will be seen from the accompanying reproduction of a Cornillot handbill, the tree now appears as "An Enchanted Garden," and, if the wording of the bill is to be believed, Cornillot had improved the trick and was using more than one tree or plant. Cornillot remained in England for some time and is classed among the conjurers of good repute. Another bill in my collection shows that he played at the Theatre of Variety, Catherine Street, Strand, in October, 1823. He was then assisted by several singers and dancers, including the famous Misses Hamilton and Howe, pupils of M. Corri. In his company was also an Anglo-Chinese juggler, who, in addition to feats of juggling, "swallows an egg, a sword, and a stone, a la Ramo Samee." To sum up the evidence against Robert-Houdin in this particular trick: Four magicians of high repute gave public performances before Robert-Houdin knew and operated the orange-tree trick. Three eminent writers exposed it clearly and accurately. Robert-Houdin, as an indefatigable student of the history of magic, must have known of the trick and its _modus operandum_. He may have purchased it from Cornillot, or as a clever mechanician he had only to reproduce the trick invented by his predecessors, train his confederate in its operation--and--by his cleverly written autobiography--attempt to establish his claim to its invention. CHAPTER III THE WRITING AND DRAWING FIGURE In his "Memoirs" Robert-Houdin eulogizes the various automata which he claims to have invented. The picturesque fashion in which he describes the tremendous effort put forth ere success crowned his labors would render his arguments most convincing--if stern historical facts did not contradict his every statement. One of the most extraordinary mechanical figures which he exploits as his invention was the writing and drawing figure, which he exhibited at the Quinquennial Exhibition in 1844, but never used in his public performances, though he asserts that he planned to exhibit it between performances at his own theatre. This automaton, he says, laid the foundation of his financial success and opened the way to realizing his dream of appearing as a magician. [Illustration: Writing and drawing figure claimed by Robert-Houdin as his invention. From Manning's Robert-Houdin brochure.] On page 196 of his "Memoirs," American edition, he starts his romantic description of its conception and manufacture. According to this he had just planned what promised to be the most brilliant of his mechanical inventions when financial difficulties intervened. He was obliged to raise two thousand francs to meet a pressing debt. He applied to the ever-convenient Monsieur G----, who had bought automata from him before. He described the writing and drawing figure minutely to his patron, who immediately agreed to advance two thousand five hundred francs, and if the figure was completed in eighteen months, two thousand five hundred francs more were to be paid for it, making five thousand francs in all. If the figure was never completed, then Monsieur G---- was to reimburse himself for the amount advanced by selecting automatic toys from Robert-Houdin's regular stock. After liquidating his debt, Robert-Houdin retired to Belleville, a suburb of Paris, where for eighteen months he worked upon the figure, seeing his family only twice a week, and living in the most frugal fashion. He employed a wood-carver to make the head, but the result was so unsatisfactory that in the end he was obliged, not only to make all the complicated machinery which operated the figure, but to carve the head itself, which, he adds, in some miraculous fashion, resembled himself. This resemblance, however, cannot be traced in existing cuts of the figure. The chapter devoted to this particular automaton is so diverting that I quote literally from its pages, thus giving my readers an opportunity to take the true measure of the writer and the literary style of his "Memoirs." Here is his description of his moment of triumph: "I had only to press a spring in order to enjoy the long-waited-for result. My heart beat violently, and though I was alone I trembled at the mere thought of this imposing trial. I had just laid the first sheet of paper before my writer and asked him this question: 'Who is the author of your being?' I pressed the spring, and the clockwork started--began acting. I dared hardly breathe through fear of disturbing the operations. The automaton bowed to me, and I could not refrain from smiling on it as on my own son. But when I saw the eyes fix an attentive glance on the paper--when the arm, a few seconds before numb and lifeless, began to move and trace my signature in a firm hand--the tears started in my eyes and I fervently thanked Heaven for granting me success. And it was not alone the satisfaction I experienced as an inventor, but the certainty I had of being able to restore some degree of comfort to my family, that caused my deep feeling of gratitude. "After making my Sosia repeat my signature a thousand times, I gave it this question: 'What o'clock is it?' The automaton, acting in obedience to the clock, wrote, 'It is two in the morning.' This was a timely warning. I profited by it and went straight to bed." [Illustration: Specimens of penmanship executed by the Droz writing automaton in 1796 and 1906 respectively. From the brochure issued by the Society of History and Archæology, Canton of Neuchatel, Switzerland.] Robert-Houdin injects a little humor into this chapter, for he relates that as Molière and J. J. Rousseau consulted their servants, he decided to do likewise; so early the next morning he invited his portress and her husband, Auguste, a stone-mason, to be present at the first performance of the figure. The mason's wife chose the question, "What is the emblem of fidelity?" The automaton replied by drawing a pretty little greyhound, lying on a cushion. The stone-mason wished to see the works, saying: "I understand about that sort of thing, for I have always greased the vane on the church steeple, and have even taken it down twice." When the work was completed, according to page 208 of the American edition of his "Memoirs," he returned to Paris, collected the remaining two thousand five hundred francs due him from Monsieur G----, to whom he delivered the figure, and two thousand francs more on an automatic nightingale made for a rich merchant of St. Petersburg. Incidentally he mentions that during his absence his business had prospered, but he fails to state who managed it for him, and here is where I believe credit should be given Opre, the Dutch inventor, who was unquestionably Robert-Houdin's assistant for years. In 1844 he claims to have borrowed the writing and drawing figure from the obliging Monsieur G---- to exhibit it at the Quinquennial Exposition, where it attracted the attention of Louis Philippe and his court, thus insuring its exhibitor the silver medal. At this point Robert-Houdin deliberately drops the writing and drawing figure, leaving his readers to believe that it was returned to its rightful owner, Monsieur G----, but, unfortunately for his claims, another historian steps in here to cast reflections on Monsieur G---- 's ownership of the figure. This writer is the world's greatest showman, the late P. T. Barnum, who purchased the figure at this same exposition of 1844, paying for it a goodly sum, and this incident is one of the significant omissions of the Robert-Houdin "Memoirs." Either Robert-Houdin sold the figure to Mr. Barnum for Monsieur G----, or such a person as Monsieur G---- never existed, for in his own book Mr. Barnum writes: "When I was abroad in 1844 I went to Paris expressly to attend the 'Quinquennial Exposition'--an exhibition then held every five years. I met and became well acquainted with a celebrated conjurer, as he called himself, Robert-Houdin, but who was not only a prestidigitateur and legerdemain performer, but a mechanic of absolute genius. I bought at the exposition the best automaton he exhibited and for which he obtained a gold medal. I paid a round price for this most ingenious little figure, which was an automaton writer and artist. It sat on a small table, pencil in hand; and, if asked, for instance, for an emblem of 'fidelity,' it would instantly draw the picture of a handsome dog; if love was wanted, a cupid was exquisitely pencilled. The automaton would also answer many questions in writing. I took this curiosity to London, where it was exhibited for some time at the Royal Adelaide Gallery, and then I sent it across the Atlantic to my American Museum, where it attracted great attention from the people and the press. During my visit, Houdin was giving evening legerdemain performances, and by his pressing invitation I frequently was present. He took great pains, too, to introduce me to other inventors and exhibitors of moving figures, which I liberally purchased, making them prominent features in the attractions of the American Museum." [Illustration: The late P. T. Barnum, the world's greatest showman, who bought the writing and drawing figure from Robert-Houdin, and wrote at length of the French conjurer in his autobiography. Born July 5, 1810. Died April 7, 1891. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: The figure of Cupid as executed by the Droz drawing figure. From the brochure issued by the Society of History and Archæology, Canton of Neuchatel, Switzerland.] Barnum then continued to describe Robert-Houdin's greatness and his cleverness in the use of electricity. The showman was always a welcome guest at the magician's house, and he relates how, at luncheon time, Robert-Houdin would touch a knob and through the floor would rise a table, laden with inviting viands. These details in the Barnum book make it all the more inexplicable that Robert-Houdin should omit all mention of the great showman's name in his "Memoirs." [Illustration: Hanger advertising the Professor Faber talking machine, exhibited by P. T. Barnum during 1873 in his museum department. This automaton was the first talking figure. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Just at this time the amusement-seeking public seemed greatly interested in automata, so it was only natural that Barnum, great showman that he was, should scour Europe for mechanical figures. Soon after he purchased the writing and drawing figure claimed by Robert-Houdin, he brought to America a talking figure invented by Professor Faber of Vienna, to which he refers most entertainingly in his address to the public dated 1873: "The Museum department contains 100,000 curiosities, including Professor Faber's wonderful talking machine, costing me $20,000 for its use for six months; also the National Portrait Gallery of one hundred life-size paintings, including all the Presidents of the United States, etc.; John Rogers' groups of historic statuary; almost an endless variety of curiosities, including numberless automaton musicians, mechanicians, and moving scenes, etc., etc., made in Paris and Geneva." It can be imagined how wonderful this talking machine must have been when Barnum gave it special emphasis, selecting it from the hundreds of curios he had on exhibition. As this talking machine is probably forgotten, I will reproduce the bill used at the time of its appearance in London, England. When Barnum was in London in 1844, with Gen. Tom Thumb, who was then performing at the Egyptian Hall, he first saw the automatic talking machine and engaged it to strengthen his show. Thirty years later Prof. Faber's nephew was the lecturer who explained to the American public the automaton's mechanism and also the performer who manipulated the machine. Barnum always speaks of the talking automaton as being a life-size figure, but the pictures used for advertising purposes show that it was only a head. The fate of both the talking automaton and the writing and drawing figure is shrouded in mystery. If they were in the Barnum Museum when the latter was swept by fire in 1865, they were destroyed. If they had been taken back to Europe, they may now be lying in some cellar or loft, moth-eaten and dust-covered, ignominious end for such ingenious brain-work and handicraft. So much for the claims of Robert-Houdin. Now to disprove them. The earliest record of a writing figure I have found is in the "Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines," compiled by Andrew Ure, M.D., and published in New York in 1842 by Le Roy Sunderland, 126 Fulton Street. On page 83, under the heading of "Automaton," is this statement: "Frederick Von Knauss completed a writing machine at Vienna in the year 1760. It is now in the model cabinet of the Polytechnic Institute, and consists of a globe two feet in diameter, containing the mechanism, upon which sits a figure seven inches high and writes, upon a sheet of paper fixed to a frame, whatever has been placed beforehand upon a regulating cylinder. At the end of each line it raises and moves its hand sideways, in order to begin a new line." [Illustration: Portrait and autograph of Pierre Jacquet-Droz. Born 1721, died 1790. From the brochure issued by the Society of History and Archæology, Canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.] This does not answer the description of the figure which Robert-Houdin claims, but it is interesting as showing that mechanical genius ran along such lines almost a hundred years before Robert-Houdin claims to have invented the famous automaton. The writing and drawing figure claimed by Robert-Houdin as his original invention can be traced back directly to the shop door of Switzerland's most noted inventor, Pierre Jacquet-Droz, who with his son, Henri-Louis, laid the foundation of the famous Swiss watch-and music-box industry. In the latter part of the eighteenth century, probably about 1770, the Jacquet-Drozes turned out a drawing figure which also inscribed a few set phrases or titles of the drawings. In mechanism, appearance, and results it tallies almost exactly with the automaton claimed by Robert-Houdin as originating in his brain. The Jacquet-Droz figure showed a child clad in quaint, flowing garments, seated at a desk. The Robert-Houdin figure was modernized, and showed a court youth in knee breeches and powdered peruque, seated at a desk. The Jacquet-Droz figure drew a dog, a cupid, and the heads of reigning monarchs. The Robert-Houdin figure, made seventy-five years later, by some inexplicable coincidence drew a dog as the symbol of fidelity, a cupid as the emblem of love, and the heads of reigning monarchs. The history of the Jacquet-Drozes is written in the annals of Switzerland as well as the equally reputable annals of scientific inventions, and cannot be refuted. Pierre Jacquet-Droz was born July 28th, 1721, in a small village, La-Chaux-de-Fonds, near Neuchâtel, Switzerland. According to some authorities, his father was a clock-maker, but the brochure issued by "Société d'Histoire et d'Archéologie" of the city of Neuchâtel, which has recently acquired many of the Jacquet-Droz automata, states that he was the son of a farmer and was sent to a theological seminary at Basle. Here the youth's natural talent for mechanics overbalanced his interest in "isms" and "ologies," and he spent every spare moment at work with his tools. On his return to his native town he turned his attention seriously to clock- and watch-making, constructing a marvellous clock with two peculiar hands which, in passing each other, touched the dial and rewound the clock. [Illustration: Henri-Louis Jacquet-Droz, son of Pierre Jacquet-Droz, and the superior of his father as a mechanician. Born Oct. 13th, 1752, died November 15th, 1791. From the Jaquet-Droz brochure, issued by the Neuchâtel Society of History and Archæology.] At this time his work attracted the attention of Lord Keith, Governor of Neuchâtel, then a province of Prussia, who induced the young inventor to visit the court of Ferdinand VI. of Spain, providing the necessary introductions. Pierre Jacquet-Droz remained for some time in Madrid and made a clock of most complicated pattern. This was a perpetual calendar. For hands, he utilized artificial sunbeams, shooting out from the sun's face which formed the dial, to denote the hours, days, etc. With the money received from the Spanish monarch he returned to Switzerland to find that his son, Henri-Louis, had inherited his remarkable inventive gifts. He sent his boy to Nancy to study music, drawing, mechanics, and physics. During his son's absence in all probability he produced the first of the marvellous automata which made the Jacquet-Drozes famous the modern world over, namely, the writing figure. With the return of Henri-Louis Jacquet-Droz from college commenced what may be termed the golden age of mechanics in Switzerland. Associated with father and son were the former's pupils or apprentices, Jean-Frédéric Leschot, Jean-David Maillardet, and Jean Pierre Droz, a blood relation who afterward became director of the mint at Paris and a mechanician of rare talent. Jean Pierre Droz is credited with having invented a machine for cutting, stamping, and embossing medals on the face and on the edges at one insertion. [Illustration: Jean-Frédéric Leschot. Born 1747, died 1824. Portrait published by Société des Arts de Genève. Presented to the author by Mons. Blind (Magicus) of Geneva.] The output of this shop and its staff of gifted workers included the first Swiss music box, the singing birds which sprang from watches and jewel caskets, the drawing figure which was an improvement on the writing figure, the spinet player, and the grotto with its many automatic animals of diminutive size but exquisite workmanship. Years were spent in perfecting the various automata, and none of them have been equalled or even approached by later mechanicians and inventors. Henri-Louis Jacquet-Droz was conceded to be the superior of his father, Pierre Jacquet-Droz. In a German encyclopædia which I found at the King's Library, Munich, it is stated that when Vaucanson, celebrated as the inventor of "The Flute Player," "The Mechanical Duck," "The Talking Machine," etc., saw the work of the younger Droz, he cried loudly, "Why, that boy commences where I left off!" According to the brochure issued by the Society of History and Archæology, Canton of Neuchâtel, and an article contributed by Dr. Alfred Gradenwits to _The Scientific American_ of June 22d, 1907, the writing and drawing figures are made and operated as follows: [Illustration: The Jacquet-Droz writing automaton. From the brochure issued by the Society of History and Archæology, Canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.] "The writer represented a child of about four years of age, sitting at his little table, patiently waiting with the pen in his hand until the clockwork is started. He then sets to work and, after looking at the sheet of paper before him, lifts his hand and moves it toward the ink-stand, in which he dips the pen. The little fellow then throws off an excess of ink and slowly and calmly, like an industrious child, begins writing on the paper the prescribed sentence. His handwriting is careful, conscientiously distinguishing between hair strokes and ground strokes, always observing the proper intervals between letters and words and generally showing the sober and determined character of the handwriting usual at the time in the country of Neuchâtel. In order, for instance, to write a T, the writer begins tracing the letter at the top, and after slightly lifting his hand halfway, swiftly traces the transversal dash, and continues writing the original ground stroke. "How complicated a mechanism is required for insuring these effects will be inferred from the illustration, in which the automaton is shown with its back opened. In the first place a vertical disk will be noticed having at its circumference as many notches as there are letters and signs. Behind this will be seen whole columns of cam-wheels, each of a special shape, placed one above another, and all together forming a sort of spinal column for the automaton. "Whenever the little writer is to write a given letter, a pawl is introduced into the corresponding notch of the disk, thus lifting the wheel column and transmitting to the hand, by the aid of a complicated lever system and Cardan joints arranged in the elbow, the requisite movements for tracing the letter in question. The mechanism comprises five centres of motion connected together by chains. [Illustration: View of the mechanism which operates the Jacquet-Droz writing automaton. From the brochure issued by the Society of History and Archæology, Canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.] "In the 'Draftsman,' the mechanism is likewise arranged in the body itself, as in the case of the 'Writer.' The broad chest thus entailed also required a large head, which accounts for the somewhat bulky appearance of the two automatons. With the paper in position and a pencil in hand, the 'Draftsman' at first traces a few dashes and then swiftly marks the shadows, and a dog appears on the paper. The little artist knowingly examines his work, and after blowing away the dust and putting in a few last touches, stops a moment and then quickly signs, 'Mon Toutou' (My pet dog). The motions of the automaton are quite natural, and the outlines of his drawings extremely sharp. The automaton when desired willingly draws certain crowned heads now belonging to history; for example, a portrait of Louis XV., of Louis XVI., and of Marie Antoinette." [Illustration: Clipping from the London _Post_, 1776, advertising the writing and drawing figures, exhibited by their inventor, Mr. Jacquet-Droz. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] The automata made by the Jacquet-Drozes and their confrères were exhibited in all the large cities of Great Britain and Continental Europe. According to the programmes and newspaper notices in my collection, Henri-Louis Jacquet-Droz acted as their first exhibitor. As proof I am reproducing a Droz programme from the London _Post_, dated 1776. In support of this advertisement, note what the same paper says in what is probably a criticism of current amusements: [Illustration: Heads of King George and Queen Charlotte, executed in their presence by the Jacquet-Droz drawing figure in 1774. From the brochure issued by the Society of History and Archæology, Canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.] "This entertainment consists of three capital mechanical figures and a pastoral scene, with figures of an inferior size. The figure on the left-hand side, a beautiful boy as large as life, writes anything that is dictated to him, in a very fine hand. The second on the right hand, of the same size, draws various landscapes, etc., etc., which he finishes in a most accurate and masterly style. The third figure is a beautiful young lady who plays several elegant airs on the harpsichord, with all the bass accompaniments; her head gracefully moving to the tune, and her bosom discovering a delicate respiration. During her performance, the pastoral scene in the centre discovers a variety of mechanical figures admirably grouped, all of which seem endued, as it were, with animal life, to the admiration of the spectator. The last curiosity is a canary bird in a cage, which whistles two or three airs in the most natural manner imaginable. Upon the whole, the united collection strikes us as the most wonderful exertion of art which ever trod before so close on the heels of nature. The ingenious artist is a young man, a native of Switzerland." The inventory of Jacquet-Droz, Jr., dated 1786, quotes the "Piano Player" as valued at 4,800 livres, the "Drawing Figure" at 7,200 livres, while the "Writer" had been ceded to him by his father for 4,800 livres, in consideration of certain improvements and modifications which Henri-Louis Jacquet-Droz made in the original invention. This shows that while the elder Droz did not die until 1790, his son controlled the automata previous to this date, for exhibition and other purposes. During his later years Henri-Louis Jacquet-Droz was induced to take the automata to Spain. His tour was under the direction of an English manager, who, possibly for the purpose of securing greater advertisement, announced the figures as possessed of supernatural power. This brought them under the ban of the Inquisition, and Jacquet-Droz was thrown into prison. Eventually he managed to secure his freedom, and, breathing free air once more, like the proverbial Arab, he silently folded his tent and stole away, leaving the automata to their fate. Henri-Louis Jacquet-Droz died in Naples, Italy, in 1791, a year after his father's death. [Illustration: A de Philipsthal programme of 1803 before the writing and drawing figure came under his control. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Poster used, March 22nd, 1811, by de Philipsthal and Maillardet during their partnership, on which the writing and drawing figure is featured. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] The English manager, however, tarried in Spain. The figures were "tried" and as they proved motionless the case was dropped. The Englishman then claimed the automata as his property and sold them to a French nobleman. Their owner did not know how to operate them, so their great value was never realized by his family. After his death, during a voyage to America, they lay neglected in the castle of Mattignon, near Bayonne. After changing hands many times, about 1803 they passed into the hands of an inventor named Martin, and were controlled by his descendants for nearly a hundred years. One of his family, Henri Martin, of Dresden, Germany, exhibited them in many large cities, and advertised them for sale at 15,000 marks in the _Muenchener_ Blaetter of May 13th, 1883. After Martin's death, his widow succeeded in disposing of them to Herr Marfels, of Berlin, who had them repaired with such good results that in the fall of 1906 he sold them for 75,000 francs, or about $15,000, to the Historical Society of Neuchâtel. In April, 1907, the writing figure, the drawing figure, and the spinet player were on exhibition in Le Locle, Chaux-de-Fonds, and Neuchâtel. So far we have traced only the original writing and drawing figure. This has been done purely to show that even if Robert-Houdin had been capable of building such an automaton, he would not have been its real inventor, but would merely have copied the marvellous work of the Jacquet-Drozes. Now to trace the figure which in 1844 he claimed as his invention. With the fame of the Neuchâtel shop spreading and the demand for Swiss watches increasing, Maillardet and Jean Pierre Droz, apprentices or perhaps partners of Pierre Jacquet-Droz and Henri-Louis Jacquet-Droz, removed to London and there set up a watch factory. About this time Maillardet invented a combination writing and drawing figure which was pronounced by experts of the day slightly inferior to the work of the two Jacquet-Drozes. However, it must have been worthy of exhibition, for it appeared at intervals for the next fifty years in the amusement world, particularly in London. At first Maillardet was not its exhibitor nor was his name ever mentioned on the programmes and newspaper notices, but later his name appeared as part owner and exhibitor. As the Swiss watches had created a veritable sensation and were snatched up as fast as produced, it is quite likely that he had no time to play the rôle of showman. The figure first appeared in London in 1796, when the London _Telegraph_ of January 2nd carried the advertisement reproduced on the next page. Haddock had no particular standing in the world of magic, and it is more than likely that he rented the automata which he exhibited, or merely acted as showman for the real inventors. [Illustration: Haddock advertisement in the London _Telegraph_, January, 1796, in which he features the writing automaton as an androide. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Clipping from the London _Telegraph_ in March, 1812, proving the partnership of de Philipsthal and Maillardet in an "Automatical Theatre." The Mr. Louis mentioned in the advertisement as assistant engineer later secured possession of the writing and drawing figure. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] In quite a few works on automata, notably Sir David Brewster's "Letters on Natural Magic," Collinson is quoted as having interviewed Maillardet as the inventor of the combination writing and drawing figure. _The Franklin Journal_ of June, 1827, published in Philadelphia, Pa., credits this figure to Maillardet and gives the following description: "It was the figure of a boy kneeling on one knee, holding a pencil in his hand, with which he executed not only writing but drawings equal to those of the masters. When the figure began to work, an attendant dipped the pencil in ink, and fixed the paper, when, on touching a spring, the figure wrote a line, carefully dotting and stroking the letters." The Robert-Houdin figure did not kneel, but this change could be made by a mechanician of ordinary ability. [Illustration: A Louis programme of April 3rd, 1815, in which the writing and drawing figure is advertised as a juvenile artist. It also features a bird of paradise automaton which Robert-Houdin claimed to have invented thirty years later. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] The writing and drawing figure does not reappear on amusement programmes in my collection until 1812, when it was featured by De Philipsthal, the inventor of "Phantasmagoria." The nature of the inventions grouped under this title can best be judged from the reproduction of a De Philipsthal programme, dated 1803-04, and reproduced in the course of this chapter. All evidence goes to prove, however, that De Philipsthal did not control the writing and drawing figure exclusively, but that it was the joint property of himself and his partner, Maillardet. One of their joint programmes is also reproduced. Wherever De Philipsthal appears as an independent entertainer, the writing and drawing figure is missing from his billing. Later the writing and drawing automaton came into the possession of a Mr. Louis, who, as it will be seen from the billing, acted as assistant engineer to De Philipsthal and Maillardet. Louis evidently controlled the wonderful little automaton in the years 1814-15. The last De Philipsthal programme in my possession is dated Summer Theatre, Hull, September 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th, 1828, when he advertises only "rope dancers and mechanical peacock," and features "special uniting fire and water" and "firework experiments." He must have died between that date and April, 1829, for a programme dated at the latter time announces a benefit at the Théâtre Wakefield for the widow and children of De Philipsthal, "the late proprietor of the Royal Mechanical and Optical Museum." This benefit programme contains no allusion to the writing and drawing figure, which goes to prove that it had not been his property, or it would have been handed down to his estate. In May, 1826, an automaton was exhibited at 161 Strand, a bill regarding which is reproduced. This mechanical figure, however, should not be confounded with the original and genuine writing and drawing figure. It seems to have lacked legitimacy and, from what I can learn from newspaper clippings, was worked like "Zoe," with a concealed confederate, or, like the famous "Psycho" featured by Maskelyne, it was worked by compressed air. This bill is interesting solely because I believe that this fake automaton exhibited at 161 Strand was the first figure of the sort foisted on the public after the Baron Von Kemplen chess-player, which is described in Halle's work on magic, published in 1784. [Illustration: Poster announcing a benefit for the widow and children of de Philipsthal at Wakefield, in April, 1829, which proves that writing and drawing figure formed no part of the estate left by the deceased showman. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Handbill advertising the fake automatic artist, exhibited also at 161 Strand, London, May 7th, 1826. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] In 1901, while in Germany, I saw a number of these automaton artists, all frauds. The figure sat in a small chair before an easel, ready to draw portraits in short order. The figure was shown to the audience, then replaced on the chair, whereupon a man under the platform would thrust his arm through the figure and draw all that was required of the automaton. The fake was short-lived, even at the yearly fairs, and now has sunk too low for them. During this interim, that is between 1821 and 1833, the famous little figure seems to have been in the possession of one Schmidt, who, according to the programmes in my collection, exhibited it regularly. In 1833 Schmidt is programmed in London, playing at the Surrey Theatre, when the writing and drawing figure is one of twenty-four automatic devices. A program, which, judging from its printing, is of a still later date, announces Mr. Schmidt and the famous figure at New Gothic Hall, 7 Haymarket, for a short period previous to the removal of the exhibit to St. Petersburg. The dates of other programmes in my collection can be judged only from the style of printing which changed at different periods of the art's development. Some of these indicate that the writing and drawing figure was on exhibition during the early 40's in London at Paul's Head Assembly Rooms, Argyle Rooms, Regent Street, etc. It is more than likely, according to Robert-Houdin's own admission regarding his study of automata and his opportunities to repair those left at his shop, that at some time the writing and drawing figure was brought to Paris to be exhibited, needed repairing, and thus reached his shop. Whether it was bought by Monsieur G----, whose interest in automata is featured in Robert-Houdin's "Memoirs," and brought to Robert-Houdin to repair, or whether Robert-Houdin bought it for a song, and repaired it to sell to advantage to his wealthy patron, cannot be stated, but I am morally certain that Robert-Houdin never constructed, in eighteen months, a complicated mechanism on which the Jacquet-Drozes spent six years of their inventive genius and efforts. Modern mechanicians agree that such a performance would have been a physical impossibility, even had Robert-Houdin been the expert mechanician he pictured himself. [Illustration: Programme used by Mr. Schmidt in 1827, when he had possession of the writing and drawing figure. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Poster used by Mr. Schmidt in advertising the writing and drawing figure in London just before his departure for St. Petersburg, Russia. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] To sum up the evidence: The writing and drawing figure as turned out by the Jacquet-Drozes was known all over Europe. It is not possible that a man so well read and posted in magic and automata as Robert-Houdin did not know of its existence and mechanism. And if Robert-Houdin had invented the same mechanism it is hardly possible that his design would have run in precisely the same channel as that of Jacquet-Droz and Maillardet, in having the figure draw the dog, the cupid, and the heads of monarchs. In those days humble mechanicians, however well they were known in their own trade, were not exploited by the public press. Nor did they employ clever journalists to write memoirs lauding their achievements. And so it happened that for years the names of Jacquet-Droz and Maillardet were unsung; their brainwork and handicraft were claimed by Robert-Houdin, who had mastered the art of self-exploitation. To-day, after a century and a half of neglect, the laurel wreath has been lifted from the brow of Robert-Houdin, where it never should have been placed, and has been laid on the graves of the real inventors of the writing and drawing figure, Pierre Jacquet-Droz and Henri-Louis Jacquet-Droz and Jean-David Maillardet. CHAPTER IV THE PASTRY COOK OF THE PALAIS ROYAL Concerning this trick, which Robert-Houdin claims as his invention, he writes on page 79 of his "Memoirs," American edition: "The first was a small pastry cook, issuing from his shop door at the word of command, and bringing, according to the spectator's request, patties and refreshments of every description. At the side of the shop, assistant pastry cooks might be seen rolling paste and putting it in the oven." By means of handbills, programmes, and newspaper notices of magical and mechanical performances, this trick in various guises can be traced back as far as 1796. Nine reputable magicians offered it as part of their repertoire, and at times two men presented it simultaneously, showing that more than one such automaton existed. The dates of the most notable programmes or handbills selected from my collection are as follows: 1, Haddock, 1797. 2, Garnerin, 1815. 3, Gyngell, 1816 and 1823. 4, Bologna, 1820. 5, Henry, 1822. 6, Schmidt, 1827. 7, Rovere, 1828. 8, Charles, 1829. 9, Phillippe, 1841. In 1827 Schmidt and Gyngell joined forces, yet both before and after this date each performer had the wonderful little piece of mechanism on his programme. In 1841, four years before Robert-Houdin appeared as a public performer, Phillippe created a sensation in Paris, presenting among other automata "Le Confiseur Galant." In 1845, when Robert-Houdin included "The Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal" in his initial programme at his own theatre in Paris, Phillippe was presenting precisely the same trick at the St. James Theatre, London. Of this goodly company, however, Rovere and Phillippe deserve more than passing notice, as both were the contemporaries of Robert-Houdin, and Rovere was his personal friend. Both also appear in Robert-Houdin's "Memoirs." The trick appears first, not as a confectioner's shop with small figures at work, but as a fruitery, then again as a Dutch Coffee-House and a Russian Inn, from which ten sorts of liquor are served. Finally, in 1823, it is featured under the name that later made it famous, the Confectioner's Shop. Haddock, the Englishman who had the writing and drawing figure in his possession for some time, featured the fruitery on his programmes dated 1796. One of his advertisements from the London _Telegraph_ is reproduced on page 106, in connection with the history of the writing and drawing figure, but for convenience I am quoting here Haddock's own description of the fruitery trick, which was even more complicated than the famous Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal: [Illustration: A Bologna poster of 1820 which features an automatic distiller who draws eight different liquors from one cask. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] "A model of the neat rural mansion, and contains the following figures: First, the porter, which stands at the gate, and on being addressed, rings the bell, when the door opens, the fruiteress comes out, and any lady or gentleman may call for whatever fruit they please, and the figure will return and bring the kind required, which may be repeated and the fruit varied as often as the company orders: it will likewise receive flowers, or any small article, carry them in, and produce them again as called for. As the fruits are brought out, they will be given in charge of a watch-dog, which sits in front of the house, and on any person taking or touching them will begin to bark, and continue to do so until they are returned. The next figure belonging to this piece is the little chimney-sweeper, which will be seen coming from behind the house, will enter the door, appear at the top of the chimney, and give the usual cry of 'Sweep' several times, descend the chimney, and come out with his bag full of soot." In 1820, Haddock's programme, including the fruitery, appears with only a few minor changes as the répertoire of Bologna, a very clever conjurer who afterward became the assistant of Anderson, the Wizard of the North, and who made most of the latter's apparatus. On the Bologna programme, for a performance to be given at the Great Assembly Room, Three Tuns Tavern, the shop trick is described thus: "A curious Mechanical Fruiterer and Confectioner's Shop, kept by Kitty Comfit, who will produce at Command such Variety of Fruit and Sweetmeats as may be asked for." The marvellous little shop does not appear again on programmes of magic until 1815, when Garnerin features it as "The Dutch Coffee-House." On the programme used by Garnerin in that year for a benefit which he gave for the General Hospital at Birmingham, England, it is featured as No. 10: "A Dutch Coffee-House, a very surprising mechanical piece, in which there is the figure of a Girl, six inches high, which presents, at the Command of the Spectators, ten different sorts of Liquors." [Illustration: A Garnerin poster of 1815, advertising "A Dutch Coffee House," whose automatic hostess serves refreshments at command. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] This programme is of such historical value that I reproduce it in full. It will show that this particular mechanical trick is by no means the most important feature of Garnerin's répertoire. In fact his fame is based on his ballooning, and he is said to have been the inventor of the parachute. The ascension of the nocturnal balloon, also scheduled on this programme, is an imitation of the one which Garnerin arranged in honor of Bonaparte's coronation in 1805. On that occasion the balloon started at Paris and descended in Rome, a distance of five hundred miles which was covered in twenty-two hours. Garnerin was a contemporary of both Pinetti and Robertson and was with them in Russia when Pinetti dissipated his fortune in balloon experiments. In their correspondence, both Pinetti and Robertson spoke slightingly of Garnerin, but the Frenchman's programmes all indicate that he was not only a successful aëronaut, but a magician who could present a diverting entertainment. [Illustration: A Gyngell poster of 1816, featuring the Russian Inn, with service of various kinds of liquor. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] In 1816 the elder Gyngell featured the trick on his programmes as "The Russian Inn," and in 1823 he changed it to "The Confectioner's Shop." These programmes are reproduced as the most convincing evidence against the claims of Robert-Houdin. The Gyngell family is one of the most interesting in the history of magic. The Christian name of the founder of the family I have never been able to ascertain, though programmes give the initial as G. He was celebrated as a Bartholomew Fair conjurer. His career started about 1788, and his contemporaries were Lane, Boaz, Ball, Jonas, Breslaw, and Flocton. At one time Gyngell and Flocton worked together, and Thomas Frost in his book, "The Lives of Conjurers," claims that at Flocton's death Gyngell received a portion of the former's wealth. [Illustration: The original Gyngell, a portrait reproduced from the book on magic written by this famous Bartholomew Fair conjurer. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Associated with him in his performances were his brother, two sons, and a daughter. The latter was not only a clever rope-dancer but a musician of more than ordinary ability and she often constituted the entire "orchestra." On Gyngell's programme offered in 1827 he proves himself a great showman, for he features Herr Schmidt's "Mechanical Automatons, Phantasmagoria, a laughing sketch entitled Wholesale Blunders, his son on the flying wire, during which he would throw a somersault through a balloon of real fire, a broadsword dance by Miss Louise and Master Gyngell, and Miss Louise's performance on the tight rope, clowned by Master Lionel." On a programme used in Hull, October 29th, 1827, a lottery was featured as follows: "On which occasion the first hundred persons paying for the gallery will be entitled by ticket to a chance of a Fat Goose, and the same number in the pit to have the same chance for a fat turkey. To be drawn for on the stage, in the same manner as the State Lottery." According to Thomas Frost, Gyngell died in 1833 and was buried in the Parish Church, Camberwell. His children, however, continued the work so excellently planned by their father. The programmes herewith reproduced I purchased from Henry Evanion, who secured them directly from the last of the Gyngell family, as the accompanying letter, now a part of my collection, will show: DOVER, February 10th, 1867. MR. EVANION: DEAR SIR--Yours of the 5th inst. I received just as I was leaving Folkestown, and it was forwarded from Guilford. I am sorry I have not one of my old bills with me, neither do I think any of my family could find one at home. I may have some among my old conjuring things, and when I return to Guilford I will look them over and send you what I can find. I was sorry I was not at home when you were in Guilford, for I feel much pleasure in meeting a responsible professional. I am not certain when I shall return, but most likely not for six weeks. I will keep your address; so should you change your residence, write to me about that time. I was looking over some old papers some time last summer, and found a bill of my father's, nearly 60 years ago, when his great trick was cutting off the cock's head and restoring it to life again. And a great wonder it was considered and brought crowded rooms. I was Master Gyngell, the wonderful performer on the slack wire; and now in my 71st year I am lecturer, pyrotechnist, and high-rope walker, for I did that last summer. My life has been a simple one of ups and downs. I am, dear sir, yours truly, J. D. G. GYNGELL. [Illustration: A Gyngell programme of 1823, advertising "A Confectioner's Shop," whose attendant will serve automatically any sort of confectionery demanded. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] The signature of this letter, "J. D. G. Gyngell," clears up considerable uncertainty regarding the names of the two Gyngell sons. At times the clever young tight-rope performer has been spoken of as Joseph, and at others as Gellini. It is quite probable that the two names were really part of one, and the full baptismal name was "Joseph D. Gellini." It was as Gellini Gyngell that he met Henry Evanion at Deal, February 20th, 1862, when the latter was performing as a magician at the Deal and Walmer Institute, while Gellini Gyngell gave an exhibition of fireworks and a magic-lantern display on the South Esplanade. A fine notice of both performances was published in the Deal _Telegram_ of February 23d, when the hope was expressed that Gyngell's collection, taken among those who enjoyed his outdoor performance, repaid him for his admirable entertainment. Gyngell was landlord of the Bowling Green Tavern at this time, and travelled as an entertainer only at intervals. The next appearance of the trick is in a book published by M. Henry, a ventriloquist, who played London and the provinces from 1820 to 1828. During an engagement at the Adelphia Theatre, London, which according to the programme was about 1822, Henry published a book entitled "Conversazione; or, Mirth and Marvels," in which he interspersed witty conversation with descriptions of his various tricks. On page 11 he thus describes the automaton under consideration: [Illustration: Reproduction of a rare old colored lithograph in three sections. This section represents Gyngell. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] "Illusion Third. A curious mechanical trick; an inn, from which issues the hostess for orders, upon receiving which, she returns into the inn and brings out the various liquors as called for by the audience, and at last waiting for the money, which, having received, goes in and shuts the door. Mr. Henry says he has produced the inn in preference to palaces, though more stupendous and magnificent, thinking, as a certain author wrote, the heartiest welcome is to be found at the inn." In the same year Henry issued a challenge open to the whole world, defying any performer to equal his manipulation of the cup and ball trick. He also employed as an adjunct of his conjuring performances Signor de Fedori of Rome, an armless wonder, who used his feet to play the drum, violin, and triangle. A contemporary of Henry was Charles, the great ventriloquist, who varied his performance as did all ventriloquists of his day, by presenting "Philosophical and Mechanical Experiments" to make up a two-hour-and-a-half performance. Charles made several tours of the English provinces, and played in London at intervals. On a London programme which is undated, but which announces M. Charles as playing at Mr. Wigley's Large Room, Spring Gardens, the second automaton on his list is described as "The Russian Inn, out of which comes a little Woman and brings the Liquor demanded for." Two of his programmes dated Theatre Royal, Hull, April, 1829, now in my collection, carry a pathetic foot-note written in the handwriting of the collector through whom they came into my possession: "The audiences on both the evenings were extremely small, and the money was refunded." By referring to the chapter on the writing and drawing figure, Chapter III, Page 113, a Schmidt programme of 1827 will be found, in which he features "The Enchanted Dutch Coffee-House, an elegant little building. On the traveller ringing the bell, the door opens, the hostess attends and provides him with any liquor he may call for." [Illustration: A Charles poster dated about 1829 in which the Russian Inn and its obedient little figure are featured. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Schmidt seems to have confined his exhibitions to London and the provinces and was often connected with other magicians, including Gyngell and Buck. The latter was an English conjurer, best known as the man who was horribly injured when presenting "The Gun Delusion." This consisted of having a marked bullet shot at the performer, who caught it between his teeth on a plate, or on the point of a needle or knife. Some miscreant loaded the gun with metal after Buck had it prepared for the trick, and the unfortunate performer's right cheek was literally shot away. In 1828 Jules de Rovere, a French conjurer, whose fame rests principally on the fact that he coined the new title "prestidigitator," appeared at the Haymarket Theatre, London, and also toured the English provinces. A clipping from the Oxford _Herald_ of that year includes this description of his automaton: "One of the clowns vanishes from the box, and instantly at the top of the hall a little lady, in a little hotel brilliantly illuminated, gives out wines and liquors to them who ask for them, without any apparent communication with the artiste, and yet the lady is only six inches high." In the late 30's Rovere made his headquarters in Paris, and there he and Robert-Houdin met. The latter refers to this meeting on page 153 of his "Memoirs," when writing of the misfortunes which had overtaken Father Roujol, whose shop had once been headquarters for conjurers: "Still I had the luck to form here the acquaintance of Jules de Rovere, the first to employ a title now generally given to fashionable conjurers." And after Rovere, Phillippe, who is by far the most important presenter of the Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal, as bearing upon Robert-Houdin's claims. For Phillippe's early history we must depend largely upon Robert-Houdin's "Memoirs." According to these, Phillippe started life as a confectioner or maker of sweets, and his real name was Phillippe Talon. According to an article published in _L'Illusionniste_ in January, 1902, he was born in Alias, near Nîmes, December 25th, 1802, and died in Bokhara, Turkey, June 27th, 1878. [Illustration: Reproduction of pastel portrait of Phillippe. Only known likeness of the conjurer in existence. Made for him by a Vienna artist. Original now in the Harry Houdini Collection.] Like many a genius and successful man, his early history was written in a minor key. According to Robert-Houdin his sweets did not catch the Parisian fancy, and he went to London, where at that time French bonbons were in high favor. But for some reason he failed in London, and went on to Aberdeen, Scotland, where he was very soon reduced to sore straits. In his hour of extremity his cleverness saved the day. In Aberdeen at the same time was a company of actors almost as unfortunate as himself. They were presenting a pantomime which the public refused to patronize. The young confectioner approached the manager of the pantomime and suggested that they join forces. In addition to the regular admission to the pantomime each patron was to pay sixpence and receive in return a paper of mixed sugar plums and a lottery ticket by which he might gain the first prize of the value of five pounds. In addition, Talon promised not only to provide the sweets free of cost to the management, but to present a new and startling feature at the close of the performance. The novel announcement crowded the house, the pantomime and the bonbons alike found favor, but the significant feature of the performance was young Talon's appearance in the finale in the rôle of "Punch," for which he was admirably made up. He executed an eccentric dance, at the finish of which he pretended to fall and injure himself. In a faint voice he demanded pills to relieve his pain, and a fellow-actor brought on pills of such enormous size that the audience stopped sympathizing with the actor and began to laugh. But the pills all disappeared down the dancer's throat, for Talon was not only an able confectioner and an agile dancer, but a sleight-of-hand performer. From that hour he exchanged the spoon of the confectioner for the wand of the magician. The fortunes of both the pantomime and Phillippe, as he now called himself, improved. Quite probably he remained with the pantomime company until the close of the season and then struck out as an independent performer. [Illustration: Poster used by Phillippe during his engagement at the Strand Theatre, London, 1845-46. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Another story which is gleaned from a biography of John Henry Anderson, the Wizard of the North, tells how Phillippe started his career as a pastry cook in the household of one Lord Panmure, and I quote this literally from the Anderson book, because I believe it to be truthful, as material gathered from Anderson literature has proved to be: "It was at this time that he came in contact with a person who afterward, under the designation of M. Phillippe, became celebrated in France as a magician. Phillipee (for so was he named in Scotland) was originally a cook in the services of the late Lord Panmure. Leaving that employment, he settled down and remained for a number of years in Aberdeen. He heard of the fame of the youthful magician, was induced to visit his 'temple,' and was struck with his performances; and having made the acquaintance of Mr. Anderson, he solicited from him and obtained an insight into his profession, and fac-similes of his then humble apparatus. Phillippe improved to such a degree upon the knowledge he thus acquired that, leaving England for France, he earned the reputation of being one of the most accomplished magicians ever seen in the country." The date of his initial performance is not known, but he must have remained in Scotland, perfecting his act, for the earliest Phillippe programme in my collection is dated February 3d, 1837, when he opened at Waterloo Rooms, Edinburgh, and announced: "The high character which Mons. Phillippe has obtained from the Aberdeen, Glasgow, Greenock and Paisley Press, being the only four towns in Britain where he has made his appearance, is a sufficient guarantee to procure him a visit from the inhabitants of this enlightened Metropolis, where talent had always been supported when actually deserved." [Illustration: Phillippe and his Scotch assistant, Domingo. The latter became famous as a magician under the name of Macallister, introducing in America Phillippe's gift show. From a lithograph in the Harry Houdini Collection.] Evidently, however, Phillippe made rapid progress, for a programme dated Saturday, April 21st, 1838, shows that his last daytime or matinée performance in Waterloo Rooms was given under the patronage of such members of the nobility as the Right Honorable Lady Gifford, the Right Honorable Lady H. Stuart Forbes, etc. In an Edinburgh programme, dated probably 1837, he is shown as performing his tricks, clad in peculiar evening clothes, knickerbockers and waistcoat matching, with a mere suggestion of the swallow-tail coat. In his 1838 bill he is shown clad in the flowing robes of the old-time magician, and he advertises the Chinese tricks, notably the gold-fish trick, which demanded voluminous draperies. According to Robert-Houdin, Phillippe built a small wooden theatre in Glasgow. Humble as this building was, however, it brought a significant factor into Phillippe's life. This was a young bricklayer named Andrew Macallister who had a natural genius for tricks and models, and who became Phillippe's apprentice, later appearing as Domingo, his assistant on the stage, wearing black make-up. In either Edinburgh or Dublin Phillippe met the Chinese juggler or conjurer who taught him the gold-fish trick and the secret of the Chinese rings. Armed with these two striking tricks, Phillippe determined to satisfy his yearning to return to his native land, and in 1841 he appeared at the Salle Montesquieu, Paris. Later, the Bonne-Nouvelle, a temple of magic, was opened for Phillippe in Paris, and there he enjoyed the brilliant run to which Robert-Houdin refers in his "Memoirs." Phillippe was an indefatigable worker and traveller, and one brilliant engagement followed another. During the 40's he appeared, according to my collection of programmes, all over Continental Europe, and in most of his programmes this paragraph is featured: "PART III. "An unexpected present at once gratuitous and laughable, composed of twelve prizes, nine lucky and three unfortunate, in which the general public will participate." He also continued to distribute bonbons from an inexhaustible source, probably a cornucopia, calling this trick "a new system of making sweetmeats, or Le Confiseur Moderne." During his first engagement in Vienna he had painted for advertising purposes a pastel portrait, showing him clad in his magician's robes at the finale of the gold-fish trick. From this picture his later cuts were made. By some mistake he left the original pastel in Vienna, where I bought it at a special sale for my collection. It remains an exquisite piece of color work, even at this day. So far it is the only real likeness of Phillippe I have been able to unearth. In 1845-46 he was at the height of his popularity in London, where he had a tremendous run. In June, 1845, we find him playing at the St. James Theatre, under Mitchell's direction, and on September 29th, under his own management, he moves to the Strand, where he is still found in January of 1846. During all this time he featured The Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal under the title of "Le Confiseur Galant." [Illustration: 1. Cuisine de Parafaragamus; 2. Le Chapelier de 1943; 3. Le Paon magique; 4. La Bouteille enchantée; 5. La Chaîne hydonstaine; 6. La Tête infernale; 7. Le Chapeau merveilleux; 8. L'Arlequin savant; 9. Le Confiseur galant et le Liquoriste impromptu; 10. Le Bassin de Neptune ou les poissons d'or et la ménagerie prodigieuse; 11. �clairage de tout le théâtre improvisé par un coup de pistolet. Reproduction of a large lithograph showing all of Phillippe's tricks, including "Le Confiseur Galant" scheduled as No. 9. From the original lithograph dated 1842 now in the Harry Houdini Collection.] As proofs that Phillippe used the pastry-cook trick both before and during Robert-Houdin's career as a magician, I offer several programmes containing accurate descriptions of the automaton, and also a page illustration from a current publication dated Paris, 1843, which shows the confectioner or pastry-cook standing in the doorway of his house, while the key explaining the various tricks reads: "No. 9. Le Confiseur galant et le Liquoriste impromptu." Robert-Houdin devotes nearly an entire chapter to the history of Phillippe and a description of his tricks and automata, yet curiously forgets to mention the pastry cook, which he later claims as his own invention. Ernest Basch, formerly of Basch Brothers, conjurers, and the richest manufacturer of illusions in the world, claims that the original trick is now in his possession. Herr Basch is located in Hanover, Germany, where he builds large illusions only. The wonderful mechanical house passed to Basch by a bequest on the death of Baron von Sandhovel, a wealthy resident of Amsterdam, Holland. Von Sandhovel had bought the trick from the heirs of Robert-Houdin on the death of the latter, because he believed it to be the brain and handwork of Opre, a Dutch mechanician of great talent. Ernest Basch shares this belief, and with other well-read conjurers thinks that Opre was Robert-Houdin's assistant and built most of his automata, including The Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal, The Windmill or Dutch Inn, Auriel and Debureau, The French Gymnasts, The Harlequin, and The Chausseur. Opre was a man of ability, but lacked presence and personality properly to present his inventions. So far I have found his name in three places only: On the frontispiece of a Dutch book on magic, published in Amsterdam; in Ernest Basch's correspondence about conjurers; and on page 77 of Robert-Houdin's "Memoirs," when he speaks of Opre as the maker of the Harlequin figure which Torrini asked Robert-Houdin to repair during their travels. [Illustration: Ernest Basch and "Le Confiseur Galant," which he claims is the original Robert-Houdin "Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal." From a photograph in the Harry Houdini Collection.] With such convincing proof, some of which was contemporary, that other men had exhibited The Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal in its identical or slightly different guise, it was daring indeed of Robert-Houdin to claim it as his own invention. [Illustration: David Leendert Bamberg, of the second generation of the Bamberg family. Born 1786; died 1869. The above daguerrotype was presented to the author by Herr Ernest Basch, and is the only one in existence.] The most direct information regarding Opre comes through that eminent family of conjurers known as the Bambergs of Holland. At this writing, "Papa" (David) Bamberg, of the fourth generation, is prominent on the Dutch stage, and his son Tobias David, known as Okito, of the fifth generation, is a cosmopolitan magician, presenting a Chinese act. According to the family history, traceable by means of handbills, programmes, and personal correspondence, the original Bamberg (Eliazar) had a vaulting figure in his collection of automata in 1790, fifty years before Robert-Houdin became a professional entertainer. This figure was made by Opre, to whom all conjurers of that time looked for automata and apparatus. David Leendert Bamberg, of the second generation, who also had the vaulting figure, was the intimate friend and confidant of Opre and was authority for the statement that Opre's son sold in Paris the various automata made by his father, which later Robert-Houdin claimed as his own invention. It may be noted that Robert-Houdin never invented a single automaton after he went on the stage in 1845, and as Opre died in 1846, the coincidence is nothing if not significant. CHAPTER V THE OBEDIENT CARDS--THE CABALISTIC CLOCK--THE TRAPEZE AUTOMATON _The Obedient Cards._ To trace here the history of three very common tricks claimed by Robert-Houdin as his own inventions would be sheer waste of time, if the exposure did not prove beyond doubt that in announcing the various tricks of his répertoire as the output of his own brain he was not only flagrant and unscrupulous, but he did not even give his readers credit for enough intelligence to recognize tricks performed repeatedly by his predecessors whom they had seen. Not satisfied with purloining tricks so important that one or two would have been sufficient to establish the reputation of any conjurer or inventor, he must needs lay claim to having invented tricks long the property of mountebanks as well as reputable magicians. The tricks referred to are the obedient card, the cabalistic clock, and the automaton known as Diavolo Antonio or Le Voltigeur au Trapèze. [Illustration: Card trick as featured by Anderson in 1836-37. From a poster in the Harry Houdini Collection.] The obedient-card trick, mentioned on page 245 of the American edition of his "Memoirs," as "a novel experiment invented by M. Robert-Houdin," can be found on the programme of every magician who ever laid claim to dexterity of hand. Whether they accomplished the effect by clock-work or with a black silk thread or a human hair, the result was one and the same. It has also been worked by using a fine thread with a piece of wax at the end. The wax is fastened to the card, and the thread draws it up. The simplest method of all is to place the thread over and under the cards, weaving it in and out as it were, and then, by pulling the thread, to bring the different cards selected into view. So common was the trick that its description was written in every work on magic published from 1784 to the date of Robert-Houdin's first appearance, and in at least one volume printed as early as 1635. The majority of French encyclopædias described the trick and exposed it according to one method or another, and Robert-Houdin admits having been a great reader of encyclopædias. The trick first appears in print in various editions of "Hocus Pocus," twenty in all, starting with 1635. The majority contain feats with cards, showing how to bring them up or out of a pack with a black thread, a hair spring, or an elastic. In 1772 the rising-card trick was shown in Guyot's "Physical and Mathematical Recreations," also in the Dutch or Holland translations of the same work. In 1791 it was minutely explained by Hofrath von Eckartshausen, who wrote five different books on the subject of magic. The fourth, being devoted principally to the art of the conjurer, was entitled "Die Gauckeltasche, oder vollständiger Unterricht in Taschenspieler u. s. w.," which translated means "The Conjurer's Pocket or Thorough Instructions in the Art of Conjuring." The title was due to the fact that in olden days conjurers worked with the aid of a large outside pocket. The five books, published under the general title of "Aufschlüsse zur Magie," bear date of Munich, Germany. On page 138 of the third edition of Gale's "Cabinet of Knowledge," published in London in 1800, will be found a description of the rising-card trick as done with pin and thread, and the same book shows how it is accomplished with wax and a hair. This book seems to have been compiled from Philip Breslaw's work on magic, "The Last Legacy," published in 1782. Benton, who published the English edition of Decremps' famous work on magic, exposing Pinetti's répertoire, also described the trick. "Natural Magic," by Astley, the circus man, and Hooper's "Recreations," in four volumes, published in 1784, expose the same trick. [Illustration: CONJURER UNMASKED OR _the Art of Sleight of hand_ Reproduction of frontispiece in Breslaw's book on magic, "The Last Legacy," published in 1782. Original in the Harry Houdini Collection.] As to magicians who performed the trick, their names are legion, and only a few of the most prominent conjurers will be mentioned in this connection. [Illustration: J. H. Anderson's birth place as drawn by him from memory. The following is written under the sketch in his own handwriting: "A rough sketch of the farm house called 'Red Stanes,' on the estate of Craigmyle, Parish of Kincardine O'Neil, Aberdeenshire. The house was built by my grandfather, John Robertson, in the year 1796, and in it I was born on the 15th day of July, 1814. John Henry Anderson." Photographed from the original now in the possession of Mrs. Leona A. Anderson, by the author.] The man who obtained the best effects with this trick was John Henry Anderson, who startled the world of magic and amusements by his audacity, in 1836, nine years before Robert-Houdin trod the stage as a professional entertainer. Anderson was born in Kincardine, Scotland, in 1814, and started his professional career as an actor. He must have been a very poor one, too, for he states that he was once complimented by a manager for having brought bad acting to the height of perfection. [Illustration: John Henry Anderson, wife and son, from a rare photograph taken in 1847 or 1848. Said to be an especially good likeness of Mrs. Anderson and the only one extant. Photograph loaned by Mrs. Leona A. Anderson, daughter-in-law of the "Wizard of the North."] [Illustration: Very rare poster of 1838 in which John Henry Anderson is billed as "The Great Magician." From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Cover design of Anderson's book, exposing the Davenport Brothers; now a very rare book. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Anderson was first known as the Caledonian magician, then assumed the title of the Wizard of the North, which he said was bestowed on him by Sir Walter Scott. Thomas Frost belittles this statement, on the grounds that Scott was stricken with paralysis in 1830. However, Anderson became famous in 1829, so he should be given the benefit of the doubt. He was the greatest advertiser that the world of magic has ever known, and he left nothing undone that might boom attendance at his performances. He started newspapers, gave masked balls, and donated thousands of dollars to charities. He was known in every city of the world, and, when so inclined, built his own theatres. He sold books on magic during his own performances, and would sell any trick he presented for a nominal sum. His most unique advertising dodge was to offer $500 in gold as prizes for the best conundrums written by spectators during his performances. To make this scheme more effective, he carried with him his own printing-press and set it up back of the scenes. While the performance was under way, the conundrums handed in by the spectators were printed, and, after the performance, any one might buy a sheet of the questions and puns at the door. As every one naturally wanted to see his conundrum in print, Anderson sold millions of these bits of paper. In 1852, while playing at Metropolitan Hall, New York City, he advertised his conundrum contest and sold his book of tricks, etc., and such notables as Jenny Lind and General Kossuth entered conundrums. He was among the first performers to expose the Davenport Brothers, whose spiritualistic tricks and rope-tying had astonished America. Directly on witnessing a performance and solving their methods, Anderson hurried back to England and exposed the tricks. To sum up his history, he stands unique in the annals of magic as a doer of daring things. He rushed into print on the slightest pretext, was a hard fighter with his rivals and aired his quarrels in the press, and he was a game loser when trouble came his way. Not a brilliant actor or performer, he yet had the gift of securing excellent effects in his _mise en scène_. He made and lost several fortunes, generally recouping as quickly as he lost. He was burned out several times, the most notable fire being that of Covent Garden, London, in 1856. He was liked in spite of his eccentricities, but when he died, February 3d, 1874, his fortune was small. [Illustration: Anderson billing of 1838, featuring obedient cards as "Napoleon's Trick." From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Jacobs poster, featuring "The Travelling Card." From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Anderson had numerous imitators, including M. Jacobs, "Barney" Eagle, and E. W. Young, all of whom used the rising-or obedient-card trick. They copied not only his tricks, but the very names he had used and the style of his billing. All three of these men were professional magicians before Robert-Houdin appeared, and Anderson was his very active contemporary. A Jacobs bill is here reproduced, showing the card trick featured among other attractions. The lithograph of Jacobs used in this connection is an actual likeness and I believe it to be as rare as it is timely. [Illustration: Lithograph used by E. W. Young, who copied all of John Henry Anderson's billing and featured the obedient-card trick. This setting shows how cumbersome was the apparatus employed by magicians before Wiljalba Frikell proved that he could score with apparently no apparatus. Original in the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Frontispiece from Eagle's book, in which he exposes Anderson's gun delusion. Said by Henry Evanion, who knew Eagle, to be a fine likeness. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Young's name has been handed down in history because he made money on Anderson's reputation, by the boldest of imitations, assuming the title of Wizard of the North with his own name in small type. One of his bills is also reproduced. Barnedo or "Barney" Eagle is the man of the trio of the imitators who deserves more than passing notice. He became Anderson's bitterest enemy, and their rivalry made money for the printers. Eagle could neither read nor write, but having a quick brain he hired a clever writer to indite his speeches and duplicated Anderson's show so closely that Anderson's pride was hurt. He therefore decided to expose Eagle, and thousands of bills, constituting a virulent attack upon his imitator, were distributed. One of these is reproduced. It is so rare that I doubt whether another is in existence. [Illustration: An Anderson poster, exposing "Barney" Eagle's tricks. Only bill of this sort in existence. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Window poster issued by Anderson to belittle his imitator "Barney" Eagle and show how the latter secured royal patronage. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] As Eagle had advertised that he was patronized by royalty, Anderson had another bill printed, showing Eagle playing before the King at the Ascot race-track, and an assistant passing the hat in mountebank fashion. In revenge, Eagle had a book published, in which he exposed Anderson's best drawing trick, The Gun Delusion, in which the magician allowed any one from the audience to shoot a gun at him using marked bullets. These bullets were caught in his mouth or on the point of a knife. This trick became as common as the obedient-card trick. In the face of such overwhelming evidence, Robert-Houdin's claim to having invented the obedient-card trick is nothing short of farcical. [Illustration: A "Barney" Eagle poster on which the obedient-card trick is featured as "The Walking Cards." From the Harry Houdini Collection.] _The Cabalistic or Obedient Clock_ There might be said to exist a very reasonable doubt as to the exact date at which Robert-Houdin produced the cabalistic clock which he included among his other doubtful claims to inventions. On page 250 of the American edition of his "Memoirs" he has the Cabalistic Clock on his opening programme for July 3d, 1845, but in the appendix of the French edition he states that the clock first made its appearance at the opening of the season of 1847. In nearly all his statements he is equally inaccurate. The mysterious clock might be termed the obedient clock, for the trick consists in causing the hand or hands to obey the will of the conjurer or the wishes of the audience. The hands will point to a figure, move with rapidity, or as slowly as possible, or in time to music. In fact the performer has full control of the hands--he can make them do his every bidding. The mysterious clock is a trick as old as the obedient-card trick, if not older. It was explained according to various methods in books before Robert-Houdin's appearance on the stage. In fact, the majority of old-time conjuring books explain mysterious clocks carefully. Before electricity was introduced, magnets were employed, but the earliest method was to make use of thread wound about the spindle of the clock hand, and that method is still the very best used to-day, owing to its simplicity. The clock, on being presented to the audience, may be hung or placed in the position best suited to the particular method by which it is being "worked." It shows a transparent clock face, such as you see in any jewelry shop. Some magicians utilize only one hand, which permits the easy use of electricity or magnet, while others employ two and even three hands. When more than one hand is used the hours and minutes are indicated simultaneously and, if cards are pasted on the clock face, the largest hand is used to find the chosen cards. The clock may be placed on a pedestal, in an upright position, or hung in midair on two ribbons or strings. It can be hung on a stand made expressly for the purpose, on the style of a music stand, or it can be swung in a frame. In fact, as stated before, it is usually placed so as to facilitate the method of working. [Illustration: M. Jacobs, magician, ventriloquist, and bold imitator of John Henry Anderson. From a rare lithograph now in the Harry Houdini Collection.] When the cabalistic clock is taken off the hook or the stand on which it is placed, and handed to one of the spectators to hold, the latter places the hand on the pin in the centre of the glass face, and revolves it. The arrow or hand is worked by a counterweight, controlled by the performer, who has it fixed before he hands it to the innocent spectator. The clock can be purchased from any reliable dealer of conjuring apparatus, in almost any part of the world. For a clock worked by counterweight the hand of thin brass is prepared in the centre, where there is a weight of peculiar shape which has at the thin or tapering end a small pin. This pin is fixed permanently to the weight and can be revolved about the small plate on which it is riveted. Through this plate there is a hole, exactly in the centre. This hand has all this covered with a brass cap, and, to make the arrow point to any given number, you simply move the weight with your thumb. The pin clicks and allows you to feel it as it moves from one hole to another. With very little practice you can move this weight, while in the act of handing it to some one to place it on the centre of the clock face; and when spun, the weight, of its own accord, will land on the bottom, causing the hand to point where it is forced by the law of gravity. The plate on which the weight is fastened is grooved or milled, so that it answers to the slightest movement of your thumb. When the clock is on the stage and the hand moves simply by the command of the performer or audience, it is manipulated by an assistant behind the scenes, either by the aid of electricity or by an endless thread which is wrapped about the spindle and runs through the two ribbons or strings that hold the clock in midair. Some conjurers work the clock so arranged as to make a combination trick; first by having it worked by the concealed confederate; then, taking the clock off the stand and bringing it down in the midst of the audience. But for this trick you can use only one hand. [Illustration: The above diagram exposes the magic clock trick, as offered in the time of Hofrath von Eckartshausen, a German writer on magic in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries. Fig. 15 shows the clock in position for the trick, hung against the rear wall or "drop." Gaily-colored ribbons hide thin leather tubes through which run two sets of stout silk thread or catgut, connecting with the hour and minute hands. The thread then passes through the two iron rings, p and o in Figures 17 and 19, which are screwed to the ceiling; thence to the hidden confederate, who manipulates the clock hands as the hour and minute are announced by magician or spectator. Fig. 16 shows the two faces of the clock, with the fine connecting rod around which the string is wound to manipulate the hands. This mechanism is hidden by a flat brass band which encircles the edges of the two transparent faces. From Eckartshausen's "The Conjurer's Pocket," edition of 1791.] Years ago when I introduced this trick in my performance, I called a young man on my stage and asked him to place the hand on the spindle. It would then revolve and stop at any number named. But first I made him inform the audience the number he had chosen, which gave me time to fix the weight with my thumb. I then gave him the hand, but he was a skilled mechanic, and possibly knew the trick. Instead of holding the clock by the ring at the top, which was there for that purpose, he grasped the dial at the bottom, causing the number 6 instead of 12 to be on top. When the hand started to turn, of course it would have stopped at the wrong number. I managed to escape humiliation by pretending I was afraid he would break the clock by letting it fall, so took it away from him, holding it myself. [Illustration: Newspaper clipping of 1782, showing that Katterfelto used the cabalistic clock. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Reproduction of rare engraving of Johann Nep. Hofzinser, who invented the clock worked by a counter-weight, and who was one of the world's greatest card tricksters. Original in the Harry Houdini Collection.] The mechanic walked off the stage winking at me in the most roguish manner. Robert-Houdin worked The Mystic Bell trick in connection with The Clock. This was manipulated in the same way. The bell was worked with thread, pulling a small pin, which in turn caused the handle to fall against the glass bell. Naturally, having electricity at his command at that time, he made use of that force whenever it suited his fancy. I am positive that Robert-Houdin presented the electrical clock, because T. Bolin, of Moscow, visited Paris and bought the trick from Voisin, the French manufacturer of conjuring apparatus. The trick which Robert-Houdin presented, according to his claims, was with the clock hanging in midair to prove that it was not electrically connected, but the truth of the matter is that the strings which held the clock suspended in midair concealed the wires through which his electrical current ran. In my library of old conjuring books the thread method is ably described by Hofrath von Eckartshausen, mentioned earlier in this chapter. In fact in the pictorial appendix of this work he gives this trick prominence by minutely illustrating the same. He makes use of two hands, and to make the trick infallible he explains that the best way would be to use two glass disks, have them held together by a brass rim, and your threads will work with absolute certainty. The spectators imagine that they are seeing only one glass clock. Johann Conrad Gutle, the well-known delver after secrets of natural magic, also explains several cabalistic clock tricks in his book published in 1802. [Illustration: Reproduction of a triple colored lithograph. This section features Breslaw in stage costume. Original in the Harry Houdini Collection.] I am reproducing herewith a number of programmes describing the effect of the trick and proving that it was no novelty when Robert-Houdin "invented" it. In fact the trick was so common that only the supreme egotism of the man can explain his having introduced it into the pages of his book as an original trick. The mysterious clock worked by the counterweight, which has been described, is credited as having been the invention of Johann Nep. Hofzinser. [Illustration: Katterfelto, the bombastic conjurer, who is famous for having sold sulphur matches in 1784, before the Lucifer match is supposed to have been discovered. Reproduced from a rare copy of "The European Magazine," dated June, 1783, now in the Harry Houdini Collection.] In an advertisement, published in the _London Post_ of May 23d, 1778, included in my collection, this announcement, among others of much interest, will be found: "PART II.--Breslaw will exhibit many of his newly invented deceptions with a grand apparatus and experiments and particularly the Magic Clock, Sympathetic Bell, and Pyramidical Glasses in a manner entirely new." In 1781, while showing at Greenwood's Rooms, Haymarket, London, Breslaw heavily advertised, "Particularly an experiment on a newly invented mechanical clock will be displayed, under the direction of Sieur Castinia, just arrived from Naples, the like never attempted before in this metropolis." There is every reason to believe that Katterfelto, the greatest of bombastic conjurers, used the electrical clock in his performances, as he made a feature of the various late discoveries, and in his programme of 1782 he advertises "feats and experiments in Magnetical, Electrical, Optical, Chymical, Philosophical, Mathematical, etc., etc." Among implements and instruments or articles mentioned I found Watches, Caskets, Dice, Cards, Mechanical Clocks, Pyramidical Glasses, etc., etc. Gyngell, Sr., the celebrated Bartholomew Fair conjurer, whose career started about 1788, had on his early programmes, "A Pedestal Clock, so singularly constructed that it is obedient to the word of command." On the same programme (Catherine Street Theatre, London, February 15th, 1816) I find "The Russian Inn," "The Confectioner's Shop," and "The Automaton Rope Vaulter." This programme is reproduced in full in Chapter IV. Without devoting further space to Robert-Houdin's absurd claim to having invented this clock, we will proceed to discuss his claims to the automaton rope walker, which he called a trapeze performer. _The Trapeze Automaton_ Though "Diavolo Antonio" or "Le Voltigeur Trapeze" was not a simple trick, but a cleverly constructed automaton, worked by a concealed confederate, it was a common feature on programmes long before Robert-Houdin claimed it as his invention. Yet with the daring of one who believes that all proof has been destroyed, he announces on page 312 of the American edition of his "Memoirs" that he invented "The Trapeze Performer" for his season of 1848. In the illustrated appendix of his French edition he states that the figure made its first appearance at his Paris theatre, October 1st, 1849. He thus describes the automaton: [Illustration: Copy of a poster used by Robert-Houdin to advertise his trapeze performer. This proves how accurately he duplicated the Pinetti figure, even to the arrangement of floral garlands. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] "The figure is the size of an infant, and I carry the little artist on my arm in a box. I put him on the trapeze and ask him questions, which he answers by moving his head. Then he bows gracefully to the audience, turning first this way, then that; suspends himself by his hands and draws himself up in time to the music. He also goes through the motions of a strong man, hangs by his head, hands, and feet, and with his legs making the motions of aërial telegraphy." [Illustration: Reproduction of an illustration in "Aufschlüsse zur Magie," by Hofrath von Eckartshausen, showing the automatic rope vaulter as exhibited in 1784 by Pinetti. Original in the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: A Bologna bill of 1812, featuring the automatic rope dancers. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Decremps in his exposé, "The Conjurer Unmasked," published in 1784, thus describes the automaton and its work: "Our attention was next called to observe an automaton figure, that vaulted upon a rope, performing all the postures and evolutions of the most expert tumblers, keeping exact time to music. By seeing Mr. Van Estin wind up the figures, and being shown the wheels and levers contained in the body of the automaton, caused us to believe it moved by its own springs, when Mr. Van Estin thus explained the deception: 'To make a figure of this kind depends a great deal on the proportion and the materials with which it is composed: The legs and thighs are formed out of heavy wood, such as ash or oak; the body of birch or willow, and made hollow, and the head, for lightness, of papier-maché. The figure is joined by its hands to a bar of iron, that passes through a partition, and is turned by a confederate; the arms are inflexible at the elbows, but move freely at the shoulders by means of a bolt that goes through the body; and the thighs and legs move in the same manner at the hips and knees, and are stayed by pieces of leather to prevent them from bending in the wrong way. The bar is covered with hollow twisted tubes, and ornamented with artificial flowers, so as no part of it can be seen to turn; the confederate by giving the handle a quarter of a turn to the left, the automaton, whose arms are parallel to the horizon, lift themselves by little and little, till they become vertical and parallel to the rest of the body; if in following the same direction, the other part of the body moves forward; and by watching the motions through a hole, he seizes the instant that a leg passes before the bar, to leave the automaton astride; afterward he balances it by jerks, and causes it to take a turn around, keeping time with the music as if it was sensible of harmony. "N.B.--Three circumstances concur here to favor the illusion: First, by the assistance of a wire, the confederate can separate the bar from the automaton, which, falling to the ground, persuades one it loses itself by real machinery. Secondly, in winding up the levers shown in the body, confirms the spectators in the idea that there is no need of a confederate. Thirdly, the tubes that are twisted around the bar, except where the automaton is joined to it, seem to be the rope itself, and being without motion, as is seen by the garlands which surround them, it cannot be suspected that the bar turns in the inside, from whence it is concluded that the figure moves by its own machinery." According to one of de Philipsthal's advertisements, page 103, the trapeze automaton which he featured was six feet in height. But Pinetti programmes show that he had a smaller figure known as the rope vaulter. This is probably the trick exposed in Decremps' book. On page 108 will be found a Louis programme of 1815, on which a figure is thus featured: "TWO ELEGANT AUTOMATA As large as nature, the one representing a beautiful POLONNESE, the other a little boy. Nothing can surpass the admirable construction of these Pieces. The large figure seems almost endowed with human Faculties, exhibiting the usual feats of a Rope-Dancer, in the fullest imitation of life. The small Figure is invested with equally astonishing powers of action. To such ladies as are spectators it must be a very pleasing circumstance that these exertions do not excite those disagreeable sensations which arise from the sight of Figures fraught with life, performing feats attended with so much danger." By referring to page 113 the reader will find a Schmidt programme, dated 1827, on which the figure is featured as follows: "THE ROPE DANCER, Whose surprising performances surpass, in agility, attitudes, and evolutions, every Professor of the art, keeping correct time to the music of the machinery." A Gyngell programme, dated 1823, which is reproduced in the chapter devoted to "The Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal," page 125, reads as follows: "Two automatons, one of which will execute wonderful feats on the tight rope, and the other dance a characteristic hornpipe." As Gyngell figured in the amusement world from 1788 to 1844, the little figure must have been tolerably well known to the magic-loving public of England by the time Robert-Houdin appeared in London in 1848. [Illustration: A de Philipsthal programme of 1806 on which both the automatic tight-rope performer and the magnetic clock were featured. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: A Thiodon bill of 1825, in which he claims the invention of a figure that could be lifted on or off the stage or pole. This was twenty-five years before Robert-Houdin claimed the same invention. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] A magician named York, who appeared in London in 1844, the year before Robert-Houdin made his professional début, featured under date of January 29th "two automatons, one of which will execute wonderful feats on the Tight Rope, and the other dance a characteristic Hornpipe." Bologna announced for his performance at the Sans Pareil Theatre, Strand, London, under date of March 18th, 1812, "The Two Automaton Rope Dancers from St. Petersburg, whose Feats of Agility were never equalled, and cannot be surpassed, will perform together in a style of Excellence hitherto unknown in this country." De Philipsthal also featured a pair of automatic tight-rope performers from 1804 until his death; and in the early 30's the figures were exhibited by his widow. By referring to Chapter III. a De-Philipsthal programme of 1806 is reproduced as evidence. From 1825 to 1855 J. F. Thiodon played London and the provinces, advertising on his programmes: "FOURTH PIECE.--The Wonderful and Unrivalled Automaton on the Flying Rope. The only one of this construction in the Kingdom; and forms a more extraordinary Novelty from the circumstances of its not being fastened on the Rope by the Hands, like others hitherto exhibited. The Rope will be in continual Motion, and the Figure will sit perfectly easy and in a graceful attitude while on the Swing, and perform the most surprising Evolutions, scarcely to be distinguished from a Living Performer, as it moves with the utmost Correctness, without any apparent Machinery." From this overwhelming evidence it can be argued beyond doubt that if Robert-Houdin even constructed the automaton he merely copied figures presented by both his predecessors and his contemporaries, and he was fully aware of the existence of several such automata when he advertised his as an original invention. They were made by many mechanicians. In the illustrated appendix of the French edition of his "Memoirs" he goes further; he deliberately misrepresents the mechanism of the figure and insinuates that the automaton is a self-working one. This is not true, as it was worked by a concealed confederate, as described above by Decremps. Robert-Houdin even used the garlands of flowers to hide the moving bars as Pinetti and others of his predecessors had done. The truth was not in him. CHAPTER VI THE INEXHAUSTIBLE BOTTLE While Robert-Houdin claims to have invented "The Inexhaustible Bottle" for a special programme designed to create a sensation at the opening of his season of 1848, in the illustrated appendix of the original French edition of his "Memoirs" he states that it had its premier presentation December 1st, 1847. These discrepancies occur with such frequency that it is difficult to refute his claims in chronological order. Perhaps he adopted this method intentionally, to confuse future historians of magic, particularly concerning his own achievements. In order to emphasize the brilliancy of this trick, Robert-Houdin turned boastful in describing it. On page 348 of the American edition of his "Memoirs," he states that the trick had created such a sensation and was so much exploited in the London newspapers that the fame of his inexhaustible bottle spread to the provinces, and on his appearance in Manchester with the bottle in his hand the workmen who made up the audience nearly mobbed him. In fact, the description of this scene is the most dramatic pen-picture in his "Memoirs." The truth, sad to state, is that the bottle trick did not create the sensation he claims for it in London, nor did the press eulogize it. It was classed with other ordinary tricks, and twenty London papers bear mute testimony to this fact. In a complete collection of press clippings regarding his first London appearance, only four of the London papers mention the trick. _The Times_, the great conservative English paper, in reviewing Robert-Houdin's performance in its issue of May 3d, 1847, ignored the trick entirely. The four London papers which made mention of the bottle trick, and then only in a passing comment, were _The Chronicle_, _The Globe_, _The Lady's Newspaper_, and _The Court Journal_. Any one acquainted with the two last-named periodicals will know that they rarely reach the hands of the humble artisans in Manchester. _Punch_, London's great comic paper, gave the trick some space, however. The trick of pouring several sorts of liquors from the same bottle has been presented in various forms and under different names. To prove the futility of Robert-Houdin's claims I will explain the mystery of this trick, which is of an interesting nature. To all intents and purposes the bottle used looks like glass; but it is invariably made of tin, heavily japanned. Ranged around the central space, which is free from deception, are five compartments, each tapering to a narrow-mouthed tube which terminates about an inch or an inch and a half from within the neck of the bottle. A small pinhole is drilled through the outer surface of the bottle into each compartment, the holes being so placed that when the bottle is grasped with the hand in the ordinary way, the performer covers all but one of the pinholes with his fingers and thumb. The centre section is left empty, but the other compartments are filled with a funnel which has a tapering nozzle made specially for this purpose. The trick is generally started by proving to the audience that the bottle is empty. It is then filled with water, which is immediately poured out again, all this time the five pinholes being covered tightly with the hand or fingers which are holding the bottle. When a liquor is called for, the performer raises the finger over the air-hole above that particular liquor, and the liquor will flow out. When a large number of liquors may be called for, the performer has one compartment filled with a perfectly colorless liquor, which he pours into glasses previously flavored with strong essences. Certain gins and cordials can be simulated in this fashion. Various improvements have been made in this bottle trick. For instance, after the bottle has yielded its various sorts of liquors, it is broken, and from the bottle the performer produces some borrowed article which has been "vanished" in a previous trick and then apparently forgotten. This may have been a ring, glove, or handkerchief, which will be discovered tied around the neck of a small guinea-pig or dove taken from the broken bottle. This is accomplished by having the bottle especially constructed. Its compartments end a few inches above the bottom of the bottle and the portion below having a wavy or cracked appearance, is made to slip on and off. The conjurer goes through the motions of actually breaking the bottle by tapping it near the bottom with a small hammer or wand, and the appearance of the guinea-pig or lost article causes surprise, so that the pretended breaking of the bottle passes unnoticed. Again, this bottle can be genuine, with no loose bottom at all, and a small article can be inserted, but this makes a great deal of trouble, and the effect is not greatly increased. In doing the trick thus, I was always compelled to have an optician cut the bottom from the bottle, and then at times even he would break it. To explain further how the article is "loaded" into the bottle, the performer borrows several articles, for example a ring and two watches. He will place the ring and watches into a funnel at the end of a large horse-pistol, and shoot them at the target. The two watches appear on the target or in a frame or any place that he may choose. In obtaining the articles, he may have wrapped them up in a handkerchief which he has hidden in the front of his vest. Alexander Herrmann was exceptionally clever in making this exchange, his iron nerve and perpetual smile being great aids in the trick. The performer now places the duplicate handkerchief on the table in full view of the audience, and walks to another table for a gun. While reaching for this gun, he places the original articles which he borrowed behind his table on a servante, so that his hidden assistant may reach for them, place the two watches on the "turn-about target," tie the ring on the neck of the guinea-pig, shove him into the bottle, and insert the false bottom. The trick is then ready in its entirety. The magician calls for something to use as a target, and the assistant responds with the revolving target or frame. When the conjurer shoots, the two watches appear on the target or in the frame. This part of the trick is accomplished by having the centre of the target revolve, or, if the frame is used, by having a black velvet curtain pulled up by rapid springs or strong rubbers. While all this is going on, some one has brought on the stage the loaded bottle, and as no attention is called to this, by the time the watches have been restored to the owners the conjurer introduces the bottle trick, pours out the various liquors, and eventually breaks the bottle and reproduces the borrowed article tied about the neck of the guinea-pig or dove. Many names have been given to this trick. The old-time magicians who remained for months in one theatre had to change their programmes frequently, so for one night they would present the bottle without breaking it, and on the next they would break the bottle, so as to vary the trick. This bottle trick originated in "The Inexhaustible Barrel." The first trace that I can find of this wonderful barrel is in "Hocus Pocus, Jr., The Anatomie of Legerdemain," written by Henry Dean in 1635 (Second Edition). On page 21 is described a barrel with a single spout, from which can be drawn three different kinds of liquors. This was worked precisely on the same principle as was the inexhaustible bottle trick centuries later, by shutting up the air-holes of compartments from which liquors were not flowing. Its first public appearance, according to the data in my collection, clipped from London papers of 1707 and 1712, was when the "famous water-works of the late ingenious Mr. Henry Winstanly" were exhibited by his servants for the benefit of his widow; and the exhibition included a view of "the Barrel that plays so many Liquors and is broke in pieces before the Spectators." In 1780 Dr. Desaguliers presented in London a performance entitled "A Course of Experimental Philosophy wherein the Principles of Mechanics, Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, and Optics are proved and demonstrated by more than 300 Experiments." In the course of these lectures he produced a sort of barrel, worked by holding the fingers over the air-holes. He also exposed the real source of strength of the notorious strong man of his day, John Carl von Eckeberg, who allowed horses to pull against him, permitted heavy stones to be broken on his bare chest, and who broke heavy ropes simply by stretching or straightening his knees. These lectures and exposés made Dr. Desaguliers so famous that he has been given considerable space in Sir David Brewster's "Letters on Natural Magic," published in London in 1851, in which book the various deceptions used by strong men are fully described. In fact the book is one that should be in every conjurer's library. The old Dutch books explain the barrel trick, and in 1803 Charles Hutton, professor of Woolwich Royal Academy, translated four books from Ozanam and Montucla, exposing quite a number of old conjuring tricks. The barrel trick will be found on page 94 of Volume II. The first use of "The Inexhaustible Bottle" by modern conjurers I found in an announcement of Herr Schmidt, a German performer, who for a time controlled the original writing and drawing figure, as will be found by reference to Chapter III., which is devoted to the history of that automaton. The programme published in that chapter is dated 1827, and does not include the famous bottle, because it was no longer a novelty in Herr Schmidt's répertoire; but the advertisement reproduced herewith, dated 1821, schedules the bottle trick thus: "The Bottle of Sobriety and Inebriety, proving the inutility of a set of decanters, when various liquors can be produced by one." Thus Schmidt antedated Houdin's offering of the trick by more than a quarter of a century. [Illustration: A Schmidt programme of 1821, featuring the "Bottle of Sobriety and Inebriety." From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Next the bottle turned up in 1835 in London, where it was presented by a German who styled himself "Falck of Koenigsberg, Pupil of the celebrated Chevalier Pinnetty," and who introduced the programme with which Döbler made such a sensation in 1842. [Illustration: Poster used by Falck of Koenigsberg in 1835, featuring the trick of exchange of wine. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Mr. Falck opened at the Queen's Bazaar, Oxford Street, London, November 8th, 1835. Before opening, however, he gave a private performance for the press, and received quite a number of notices. A half-column clipping in my collection, dated November 4th, 1835, which I think is cut from _The Chronicle_ or _The Globe_, mentions the trick among other effects like "Flora's Gift," "The Card in the Pocket," etc., and adds that the "exchange of wine was so that if once in Mr. Falck's company, we should not wish to exchange it, for he poured three sorts of wine, Port, Sherry, and Champagne, out of one bottle. Then he put them together, and from such a mixture produced sherry in one glass, and port in another." From this notice it will be seen that Falck had "The Inexhaustible Bottle," and had some method of returning all the liquors not drunk back into the bottle and then pouring out two different kinds of liquor. Perhaps he resorted to chemicals, but one thing is evident--the bottle was used for six different kinds of liquors at one and the same time. [Illustration: Poster used by Phillippe during his Edinburgh engagement in 1838, featuring "The Infernal Bottle." From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Phillippe from 1836 to 1838 featured "An Infernal Bottle" trick, also "The Inexhaustible Bottle" trick. The trick also was seen on programmes used by John Henry Anderson, the Wizard of the North, in the same years. According to these programmes Phillippe and Anderson showed the bottle empty, filled it with water, and then served five different liquors. On April 30th, 1838, Anderson thus announced the trick on a programme used at Victoria Rooms, Hull: "Handkerchiefs will be borrowed from three gentlemen; the magician will load his mystic gun, in which he will place the handkerchiefs; he will fire a bottle containing wine, the bottle will be broken and the handkerchiefs will appear." Programmes in my collection show that Anderson presented the trick, serving various sorts of liquors, when he played London in 1840, but little attention was drawn to the wonderful bottle. In 1842 Ludwig Döbler, Germany's best-beloved magician, came to London and featured what he termed "The Travelling Bottle." [Illustration: Reproduction of a political cartoon in _Punch_, published during Anderson's London engagement, April, 1843, proving that the "Inexhaustible Bottle Trick" was used by Anderson before Robert-Houdin was a professional entertainer. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Ludwig Döbler in his prime, taken about 1839. The original of this rare picture was discovered by the author in a small print shop in Moscow, Russia. It is now a part of his Collection.] Ludwig Leopold Döbler was born in Vienna in 1801. He was the best-beloved magician who ever trod the stage. He started life as an engraver of metals, but his fancy turned to necromancy. He gave his best performances in his native city. In 1841 he was touring Holland, and in a letter now in my possession, which he wrote to a director and editor in Vienna under date of March 15th, 1842, he informs his friend that he has sent all his baggage to London from Amsterdam, and is on a visit to Paris. He regrets that he has not all of his apparatus with him, but has given several performances, and mentions the fact that "to-morrow I am engaged to give a performance in the private parlor of Rothschild and then by the Count Montaliset, minister of the King's mansions." He also informs his friend that he expects to visit Paris the next season and build his own theatre. He states a fact most interesting to all magicians, namely, that he has rented the St. James Theatre in London for two thousand francs ($400) a night, or more than $2,400 rent for one week. Döbler drew such big audiences and made so much money that he refused to give private performances, only breaking this rule when presenting his show before H. M. Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort. [Illustration: A Döbler programme from the Evanion collection, dated 1842, now in the possession of the author.] He played the provinces, then went over to Dublin, where, although unable to speak English, he was a veritable sensation. In 1844 Döbler played a return date at the St. James Theatre, London, and this time he had Anderson as a rival at the Théâtre Royal Adelphia. Döbler amassed a fortune very rapidly; in fact he retired in 1847, and never again appeared on the stage. He always explained his early retirement by saying: "The public loves me, and I want it to always love me. I may return and be a failure, so it is best to know just when to stop." He died in a little village near Tunitz, on April 17th, 1864, when one of God's noblemen was laid to rest. "The Travelling Bottle" alluded to by Döbler in his programmes was nothing more or less than "The Inexhaustible Bottle." The following excerpt from the London _Chronicle_ during Döbler's engagement at the St. James Theatre, April, 1842, is illuminating: [Illustration: Döbler's farewell programme in verse, used when he played his last engagement in the Josephstadter Theatre, Vienna. Original given by Döbler personally to Henry Evanion; now in the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Ludwig Döbler in his prime, offering his most popular trick, "The Creation of Flowers." From a rare lithograph in the Harry Houdini Collection.] "D�BLER--ST. JAMES THEATRE.--Among the illusions that more particularly struck our fancy was one entitled 'The Travelling Bottle,' where Herr Döbler, filling a common bottle with water, transformed this water into a collection of wines of all countries, amicably assembled together in one receptacle, and he fills out first a glass of sherry, then one of port, then one of champagne, and so on." The critic then describes how the bottle was broken, and the borrowed handkerchief was found inside the bottle. [Illustration: Döbler programme with illustrations of his tricks, used during his engagement at the St. James Theatre, London. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Probably because of the prominence which Herr Döbler gave to this trick it attracted more attention when Anderson presented it during his London run of 1843. He announced it as "Water vs. Wine, or Changing Water into Different Liquids--Sherry, Port, Champagne, Gin, Milk, Rum, and Water." [Illustration: Programme used by Macallister at the Bowery Theatre, August 11th, 1852, during his second engagement in New York City. Featuring the "Magic Bottle" from which twenty-two kinds of liquor could be drawn. Careful reading will unearth Macallister's ill-will toward Anderson. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] The London _Sun_ of April 18th, 1843, says: "Mr. Anderson, besides the feats by which his reputation was established in his former exhibitions in the metropolis, performed with perfect ease and success some of greater difficulty than those by which Herr Döbler astonished the world, such as serving several kinds of wines from the same bottle." _The Morning Advertiser_ (London) of the same date said: "With the utmost ease he produced from an empty bottle wine, water, port, sherry, and champagne, and immediately afterward, under a blaze of wax and gas, he broke the same bottle and produced from it half a dozen cambric handkerchiefs, which had previously been deposited under lock and key at a considerable distance." [Illustration: Andrew Macallister as he appeared during his engagement in the United States. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Macallister, the Scotch brick-mason, who became the pupil and assistant of Phillippe, as described in the chapter on "The Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal," also claimed the bottle trick as his invention. I have been unable to obtain any of the early programmes used by Macallister, but I am reproducing the one he utilized during his engagement at the Bowery Theatre, New York City, in 1852. This was not his first appearance in New York, however. In December, 1848, and January, 1849, he played at the same theatre, and announced that he had just concluded a successful engagement at the Grand Theatre Tacon, Havana, Cuba. [Illustration: The original Compars Herrmann, who was Robert-Houdin's very active rival during the latter's first engagement in London. Best portrait now in existence, and only one showing Herrmann in his prime. Original photograph loaned for this work by James L. Kernan, of Baltimore, Md., U. S. A.] Although Macallister claims to have invented "The Inexhaustible Bottle" trick, it is more likely that, having been connected so long with Phillippe, he knew the secret several years before Robert-Houdin appeared in public. But as Macallister also claimed to have invented the peacock and the harlequin automata, both of which are recognized as the inventions of his predecessors, his claim cannot be given serious consideration. He advertised to produce twenty-two kinds of liquors from one bottle, and therefore he must have utilized the essence glasses in connection with the bottle. What must have been Robert-Houdin's feeling when, on arriving in London in 1848, he found another magician, Compars Herrmann, heavily advertised at the Théâtre Royal, and already offering each and every trick included by the Frenchman in his répertoire. Even the much-vaunted bottle was in Herrmann's list of tricks. No one seems able to tell where Compars Herrmann obtained the tricks he used, but he must be given credit for never advertising them as his own inventions. His record in this respect was clean throughout his life as a mysterious entertainer. The programme presented by Herrmann at the Théâtre Royal during Robert-Houdin's opening week at the St. James Theatre is herewith reproduced. Herrmann remained some time in London, playing at the Adelphia, then at the Royal Princess, and finally at the Surrey Theatre. A bill used by Herrmann at the Princess is reproduced on page 232. It evidently proved satisfactory to the public and he used it without change for many years. [Illustration: Billing used by Compars Herrmann when he played in opposition to Robert-Houdin on the latter's arrival in London. This shows that Herrmann duplicated all of Robert-Houdin's tricks. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Probably the most notable warfare waged over the honor of having invented this trick arose between Robert-Houdin and Henri Robin, who were contemporaries. [Illustration: A Herrmann programme dated April, 1848, showing that Herrmann presented the inexhaustible bottle two months before Robert-Houdin appeared in London.] [Illustration: Henri Robin, generally conceded to have been the most polished conjurer in the history of magic. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Robin, whose right name was Dunkell, was of Holland birth and died in Paris in 1874. He was at his prime about 1839-40, when he toured the Continent. He was popular in London, Paris, and both the English and French provinces. A polished man, famous for the elegance of his speech and manners, he conducted his performance and all his business in a quiet, conservative fashion. In both Paris and London, he had playhouses named temporarily in his honor, Salle de Robin, and at one time in London he also appeared at the Egyptian Hall. He published his own magazine, _L'Almanach d'Cagliostro_, an illustrated periodical which was quite pretentious. Robin presented all the tricks and automata that Robert-Houdin claimed as his original inventions, and in the famous controversy, Robert-Houdin came out second best. Robin proved that he had used the bottle trick before Robert-Houdin did, by showing back numbers of his magazine, whose illustrations pictured Robin performing the trick at his theatre in Milan, Italy, July 6th, 1844, or three years before Robert-Houdin presented it in Paris. Robin, however, never wrote an autobiography nor any exhaustive work dealing with the history of magic, while Robert-Houdin did. The latter set forth his claims over other magicians so skilfully that for more than half a century the intelligent and thoughtful reading public has been deceived and has accepted his statements as authoritative. According to an article published in _L'Illusionniste_, scientists to this day, in explaining the law of physics as operated by the use of air-holes in the inexhaustible bottle, refer to it as the "Robert-Houdin bottle," when in reality the honor of its invention belongs to some obscure mechanic or magician whose name must remain forever unsung by writers on magic. CHAPTER VII SECOND SIGHT Evidently second sight was the foundation-stone of Robert-Houdin's success. Reading between the lines of his autobiography, one finds that this was the trick which carried him into the salons of fashion and royalty. Before he introduced second sight into his répertoire, his tricks were so commonplace that they did not arouse the interest of the court circle, whose approval furnished the seal of success. This trick of second sight he claims body and soul, as the favorite child of his brain. He even goes as far as to relate a story to prove that the trick came to him in the form of an inspiration. I quote directly from the American edition of his "Memoirs," page 255: "My two children were playing one day in the drawing-room at a game they had invented for their own amusement; the younger had bandaged his elder brother's eyes and made him guess the objects that he touched, and when the latter happened to guess right they changed places. This simple game suggested to me the most complicated idea that ever crossed my mind. Pursued by the notion, I ran and shut myself in my workshop, and was fortunately in that happy state when the mind follows easily the combinations traced by fancy. I rested my head in my hands, and in my excitement laid down the first principles of second sight." [Illustration: Robert-Houdin and his son Emile, presenting second sight. Here the bell is used as it was by Henri Robin. From an illustration in the original French edition of the Robert-Houdin "Memoirs."] Then, picking up the long idle quill of Baron Munchausen, he proceeds to explain the methods by which he perfected the trick and trained his son. To the layman these methods read most entertainingly. To the experienced conjurer or his humblest assistant they appeal as absurd and impossible, a sheer waste of time, of which a man who reproduced the tricks of his predecessors as rapidly as Robert-Houdin did, would not be guilty. [Illustration: Robert and Haidee Heller from photographs taken at the time that they were presenting second sight according to the Robert-Houdin method by an electric code. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] He claims to have trained the eye and memory of his son, by leading the latter past shop windows, and after allowing him one glance, demanding the names of articles seen at this single glance. When the boy could mention forty things after passing the window, his education was pronounced good. Robert-Houdin also tells in his "Memoirs" of spending hours with his son in poring over an enormous collection of coins, medals, etc., which severe lesson helped them both in future performances. To the conjurer, this tale is farcical. Not only was there no need of forcing the boy to become a coin expert, but the task was one which could not be accomplished in the brief time which Robert-Houdin allowed himself for perfecting the trick. The only knowledge required about coins is to recognize a coin when you see it. Some one may hand a coin of peculiar stamp, and the operator must signal to his medium the metal and all he knows about it. Of course, if both know the various coins, then they can understand each other with less signaling than if the coins were unfamiliar to either. Inaudi, the French calculator, can look at a blackboard filled with numbers for a few seconds, then turn his back upon them and add the entire amount that he has just seen and memorized. But let the reader understand that Inaudi is peculiarly gifted by nature, while second sight is a trick in which the person on the stage known as the medium is assisted by words, signs, prearranged movements, or articles or figures in rotation, which to the layman have the appearance of being unprepared. At a familiar cue, however, the operator touches articles that have been memorized, a ring, a watch, a scarf-pin, a lady's fan, an opera glass, all in rotation. At a snap of the fingers the medium will know that the articles are to be named in consecutive order, and only after the snap of the fingers or another cue agreed upon. [Illustration: Programme used by Robert Heller in 1851-52, when he was about eighteen years of age. Probably the only programme of this date in existence. Now in the Harry Houdini Collection.] Robert-Houdin presented the trick for the first time at his own theatre, February 12th, 1846. Unquestionably at this time he employed the speaking code, wherein the answer is contained in the question asked of the medium by the performer. As he describes scene after scene in which he and his son participated, it is almost possible for a conjurer or any one interested in magic to follow his code. Apparently the amusement-loving public became familiar with his speaking code, for three years later, according to the illustrated appendix of the French edition of his "Memoirs," he adopted a code of signals, which he states was especially arranged to confuse those whom he terms his "fearless discoverers." A mysterious bell was used in this connection, but he admits that it mattered not whether the bell struck or was silent, his son could name the object under consideration or answer the question. While Robert-Houdin asserts that he did not employ electricity for working his silent code, investigations make it almost certain that this was the method used. It is known throughout the world of conjuring that in 1850-51 Robert Heller (William Henry Palmer) reproduced Robert-Houdin's entire répertoire of tricks, with the exception of the suspension, and all worked precisely by Robert-Houdin's methods. In the second-sight trick, which he first presented with a young man as the medium, then later with Miss Haidee Heller, the medium was seated on a sofa fully equipped with wires and electric batteries. Heller's second sight was worked with both the speaking and silent codes. His confederate was concealed behind the scenes watching Heller through a peep-hole, or possibly he used another, seated in the audience, and had the wires strung under his chair, arranging the signal button so that it could be easily reached on the arm or front part of the seat. The receiving instrument was attached to the sofa on which the medium was seated. The latter would be silently informed as to what was being shown and would answer all questions. As proof that these statements are not mere hearsay, the Heller sofa can now be seen in the possession of Mr. Francis J. Martinka, of New York; and Dr. W. Golden Mortimer, who once presented "Mortimer's Mysteries," a show on the style of Heller's performance, furnishes the information that when Heller died in Philadelphia, November 28th, 1878, he engaged the dead magician's chief assistant, an expert electrician named E. J. Dale, who had acted as secret confederate, assisting the medium. [Illustration: Poster used by Robert Heller during his Boston engagement in 1853. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] After travelling with Mortimer some time, Dale eventually returned to England, and retired from the profession. He opened a large shop in London under the firm name of H. & E. J. Dale, Manufacturing Electricians, 4 Little Britain, E. C., in October, 1882. It was the easiest thing imaginable for Robert-Houdin to have his theatre arranged with secret confederates and wires back of the scenes, where a man with powerful opera-glasses could stand. The place being small, he could look all over the room and see the minutest article. When not making use of the talking code, the simplest method employed by second-sight artists is to have a confederate in the audience, with either an electrical push button or a pneumatic bulb, who gives the medium the signal. This is received by a miniature piston, which requires only a small hole in the stage, while the medium has a matching hole in the sole of his shoe. This allows the piston to touch the sole of the foot whenever the confederate presses the bulb or pushes the button. [Illustration: The author at the long-neglected grave of Robert Heller, in Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, U. S. A. From a photograph in the Harry Houdini Collection.] From this array of facts it will be seen that second sight is and always has been a matter of well-drilled phrases or signals, prearranged rotation of articles, well-built apparatus or well-trained confederates, but never a feat of actual thought-transferrence. Some of Robert-Houdin's ardent supporters insist that in claiming the invention or discovery of second sight, the French conjurer was merely an unconscious plagiarist, having stumbled upon, quite by accident, a trick which he did not know that others had offered before him. Such a statement is illogical and absurd. Books of magic to which Robert-Houdin had access and which he admits having read describe the trick in a more or less crude form. Pinetti, whose tricks were fully described to Robert-Houdin by his old friend Torrini, used the second-sight mystification with excellent effect. Robert-Houdin could not have been ignorant of its existence as a trick. In making the claim to its discovery in his "Memoirs" he simply trusted to the ignorance of the reading public in the history of magic. According to programmes and newspaper clippings in my collection, Philip Breslaw was the first conjurer to feature second sight in his performance. Breslaw was a clever German who so established himself in the hearts of amusement-loving Englishmen that he remained in England for forty years, dying in Liverpool in 1803. In 1781, while playing at Greenwood's Rooms, Haymarket, London, he announced as Part One of his entertainment: "Mr. Breslaw will exhibit his new magical deceptions, Letters, Medals, Dice, Pocket pieces, Rings, etc., etc., and particularly communicate the thoughts of any person to another without the assistance of speech or writing." Pinetti comes next as an eminent presenter of second sight. Between these two well-known conjurers there may have been various unimportant, unchronicled performers who made use of Breslaw's trick, but they have no place in the history of magic. The trick appeared on a Pinetti programme at the Royal Haymarket, London, England, December 1st, 1784, almost sixty-two years before Robert-Houdin presented it as his original invention. [Illustration: Clipping from the London _Post_, December 1st, 1784, in which Pinetti featured second sight. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] The London _Morning Post and Daily Advertiser_ of December 1st, 1784, contains the above advertisement, reproduced from my collection. The talking code employed by Pinetti was not original with him, as it dates back to the automaton worked by a concealed confederate who controlled the piston for the mechanical figure or pulled the strings to manipulate the dancing coins or moving head. It was novel only in its application to the supposed thought-transferrence by a human being instead of an automaton. This code is described by various reliable authors. On page 388, Volume III. of Hooper's "Recreations," edition 1782, it is stated that the confederate worked the apparatus from another room. "By certain words, previously agreed on, make it known to the confederate," is the advice given to would-be conjurers. Beckman in his "History of Inventions" relates that he knew an exhibitor of a "talking figure" whose concealed confederate was cued to answer certain questions, the answers being given in the manner of putting the question, also by different signs. These instructions will be found on page 311 of Volume II., edition of 1817. [Illustration: Reproduction of front and back of original handbill distributed on London streets in 1831, to advertise Master M'Kean. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Decremps undertook to expose Pinetti's method of working the second-sight trick in his famous book, but in this attempt he scored one of the few failures which marked the bitter fight he waged against Pinetti. In his book "La Magie Blanche Dévoilée" (White Magic Exposed), first edition, 1784, he offers on page 40 "Les Cartes dévinées, les yeux bandés" (The Divination of Cards with the Eyes Blindfolded). In this feat Decremps explains that Pinetti would allow cards to be drawn, then a lady (Signora Pinetti) would appear on the stage, would be blindfolded, and would name all the cards that were drawn. Decremps explains the prearranged pack of cards for this trick, also outlining the manner of giving the medium the cue for certain phrases. For instance, while explaining to the audience that he will not speak at all, in the very sentences addressed to the spectators he informs the medium which cards have been selected. Pinetti's code must have been clever, as Decremps was unable to explain the entire second-sight act. He has omitted the principal part of the mystification, that is, naming the articles held up for the performer to see. That the card trick was only one test of his second-sight performance, and that Pinetti's medium did not retire after naming the cards, are facts shown by the following clipping from one of his announcements: "Signora Pinetti will have the special honor and satisfaction of exhibiting various experiments of new discovery, no less curious than seemingly incredible, particularly that of her being seated in one of the front boxes with an handkerchief over her eyes, and guess at everything imagined and proposed to her by any person in the company." Third on the list of second-sight performers, according to the data in my collection, was Louis Gordon M'Kean, who created a sensation at the Egyptian Hall Bazaar, Piccadilly, London, in 1831, or fifteen years before Robert-Houdin, according to his claims, "discovered" second sight. Young M'Kean was featured as possessing double, not second, sight, and one of his bills is reproduced on page 212. Another programme in my collection, dated the Théâtre Scarboro, Friday evening, August 4th, 1837, announces "For a limited engagement of three nights the Three Talented Highlanders and most extraordinary Second-Sighted Young Highlanders." [Illustration: Decoration on the broadside used to advertise a young Dutchwoman who created a sensation in the early part of the eighteenth century. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] These lads, I believe, were three brothers, one the original M'Kean, or the latter working in conjunction with two other boys trained to the tricks in order to secure more impressive results. The trio appeared eight years before Robert-Houdin became a professional entertainer. Holland also contributed a successful performer of second-sight tricks, the medium in this case being a Dutchwoman who created a profound sensation while touring Germany in the early part of the eighteenth century. The billing used at the yearly fairs is an enormous poster which would be unintelligible if reduced to a size suitable for reproduction. It is now a part of my collection and reads as follows: [Illustration: Reproduction of original billing matter used by the mysterious lady who offered second sight in the United States in 1841-42-43. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Reproduction of the cut used on the mysterious lady's handbills, distributed in America in 1841. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] "The Holland Maid, Twenty Years of Age, from Amsterdam, whose powers, both in her residence there and in all other places to which she has gone, have excited great astonishment and much applause, and she will also in this place endeavor to obtain the same tribute of public applause. She will after the exhibition place herself before the eyes of all the spectators on the outside and gravely stand thereon and at all times give an answer of assurance to any one present to whom her judgment in all questions gives the most accurate response. She contrives also by her acuteness to discover and reply to the least thought, not until then explored. She guesses the age of every one, whether they be married or not; how many children they have, of what sex, and whether they be living or dead at the present time, etc. She does the like for any one having a chance in the lottery, as to what is its number, and what will be its share of gains. She also guesses at every one of the most different sorts of coin, and even at the year with which they were stamped. She guesses at every number which any one shall secretly set down, even though it amount to upward a million. She moreover tells exactly whether any one be in the Army, under how many Monarchs he has served, in how many battles he has been engaged, and whether he has ever been wounded and how many wounds he has received. By throwing the Dice, she will every time exactly tell the very number of spots which may have been determined on." This wordy announcement is signed by W. Sahm, of Holland. In my collection there is also an interesting handbill advertising the tour of "The Mysterious Lady" who offered second-sight tricks in the eastern part of the United States in 1842-43. Her name was never stated on the programmes, but the latter, together with a clipping dated Boston, February 20th, 1843, will suffice to prove my claim that she was offering second-sight before Robert-Houdin did, and therefore could not be copying his trick. She also appeared in England fully a year before Robert-Houdin "discovered" second sight. Henri Robin and his wife featured second sight in Italy just when Robert-Houdin first offered it in Paris. It is barely possible that they antedated Robert-Houdin in the production of this trick, for I have in my collection a brochure entitled "Album des Soirées de M. et Mme. Robin," which contains an engraving of the couple offering second-sight, a short poem in honor of Mme. Robin's remarkable gifts as a second-sight artist, and a poem generally eulogistic of M. Robin's talents dated distinctly February 7th, 1846. Robert-Houdin presented second-sight for the first time, according to his own "Memoirs," on February 12th, 1846. [Illustration: Second sight as offered by M. and Mme. Robin, in which Robin employed the bell and the goblet. From the latter she sipped liquor, claiming it tasted like the wine secretly named by a spectator. Robin's stage was equipped with electrical appliances. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] To prove the utter folly of Robert-Houdin's claims to having trained his son's eye and memory by patient effort so as to have a mutual transferrence of thought, I will next show that animals had been trained for years to do tricks by secret signals before the alleged "discovery" of second sight. Two rare old bills in my collection advertise the marvellous "mind-reading" performances of a goose and a blindfolded dog respectively. The first, dated 1789, announces that a Mr. Beckett, a trunk-maker of No. 31 Haymarket, is exhibiting "a Learned Goose, just lately arrived from abroad. "It performs the following tricks: performing upon cards, money, and watches, telling the time of the month, year, and date, also the value of any piece either English or foreign, distinguishing all sorts of colors and (most prodigiously and certainly unbelieving to those who know the intellects of a goose) she tells the number of ladies and gentlemen in the company or any person's thoughts; any lady or gentleman drawing a card out of the pack, though ever so secret, the Goose, blindfolded at the same time, will find out the card they drew. Admittance two shillings each person." The second bill features Don Carlo, the Double-Sighted dog, which gave an exhibition of his mysterious skill at the Pavillion by special command, before King William and the royal family on December 17th, 1831. This dog was blindfolded and could present almost in duplicate the second-sight tests offered by the Highland lad who five days later gave a similar exhibition before the royal family at the same place. [Illustration: Rare poster announcing the performance of the learned goose, one of the first of the second-sight animal artists. Traced from the original poster in the British Museum by the author.] [Illustration: Billing used for Don Carlos, the double-sighted dog. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] This proof regarding the use of animals as "mediums" is offered not to belittle the human mediums, but to prove that from start to finish, from the day that Breslaw offered the trick to the present moment, when a number of skilful so-called mind-readers still mystify the public, some sort of speaking or signal code has been used. Robert-Houdin used both the speaking and the signal code, but so did Breslaw, and all evidence points to the fact that Robert-Houdin merely improved upon the trick employed by Breslaw, Pinetti, and others among his predecessors in magic, by utilizing the newly found assistant to the magician, electricity. In his tiny theatre it would have been entirely feasible to have had electric wires run from all points of the auditorium to the stage, thus doing away with both the speaking and ordinary signal codes, even the pneumatic tube. For this improvement, and this alone, should Robert-Houdin be given credit. Nearly all magicians improve or redress tricks or apparatus handed down to them by their predecessors, but Robert-Houdin was not willing to admit that he owed anything to his predecessors. CHAPTER VIII THE SUSPENSION TRICK In chapters XVI. and XVII. of the American edition of his "Memoirs," Robert-Houdin states that he closed his theatre during the months of July, August, and September, 1847, and devoted his time to producing new tricks for the coming season. He chronicles as the result of these labors the following additions to his répertoire: "The Crystal Box," "The Fantastic Portfolio," "The Trapeze Tumbler," "The Garde Française," "The Origin of Flowers," "The Crystal Balls," "The Inexhaustible Bottle," "The Ethereal Suspension," etc. Had these inventions really been original with the man who claimed them as the result of his own brain-work and handicraft, three years would not have sufficed to bring them to the perfection in which they were presented at that time. It is not always the actual work that makes a trick a success, nor the material from which it is constructed, but it takes time to plan a new trick; and then after you have worked out the idea, it takes more time to make it practical. The same piece of apparatus may have to be made dozens of times, in as many shapes, before it is presentable. Therefore, when Robert-Houdin claims to have invented and built with his own hands the tricks mentioned in the list given above, it is time to prove the improbability and falsity of his statements. [Illustration: A Robert-Houdin poster on which his complete repertoire appears, under date of June 14th, 1852. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Poster used by Robert-Houdin during his first London engagement, featuring suspension. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Inventions are a matter of evolution, but as the tricks which Robert-Houdin presented in his new répertoire were not new, he was able to offer them as the result of three months' work. To the expert mechanician or builder of conjuring apparatus his claim is farcical. The majority of the tricks mentioned require skilled hands and infinite patience, if they work in a way that will completely deceive the public. Particularly is this true of the first suspension apparatus such as Robert-Houdin must have used. This included a steel corset or frame for the subject, and both the corset and the supporting rods had to be strong, invisible to the audience, and still be perfect in mechanism. Robert-Houdin, with characteristic ambiguity, does not refer to a complicated mechanism, but lays stress on his ability to keep his tricks up-to-date and in line with popular movements of the hour. In writing of the suspension trick, he gives the impression that but for the sensation created by the use of ether as an anæsthetic he would never have thought out the new trick. His own words as presented on page 312 of the American edition of his "Memoirs" are reproduced in this connection: "It will be remembered that in 1847 the insensibility produced by inhaling ether began to be applied to surgical operations; all the world talked about the marvellous effect of this anæsthetic and its extraordinary results. In the eyes of the people it seemed much akin to magic. Seeing that the surgeons had invaded my domain, I asked myself if this did not allow me to make reprisals. I did so by inventing my ethereal suspension, which I believe was far more surprising than any result obtained by my surgical brethren. This trick was much applauded, and I am bound to say that my arrangements were excellently made. This was the first time that I tried to direct the surprise of my spectators by gradually heightening it up to the next moment, when, so to speak, it exploded." While Robert-Houdin, in his "Memoirs," claims to have invented the trick for the season of 1847-48, in the illustrated appendix of the French edition he states that the first production of the trick, with improvements, was in October, 1849. The improvement consisted of working the trick with a stool upon a platform, when, previous to this date, he had used only the ordinary platform and rod. During the course of researches covering many years, during which I visited national libraries in various countries, the first trace of the suspension trick was discovered in the writings of Ian Batuta, who flourished about the thirteenth century. He mentions two conjurers who performed before the court of the Mogul in Delhi. One of the men assumed the form of a cube and rose into the air, where he remained suspended. The other man then took off his shoe, struck it against a rock, and it also rose and hung in midair, close to the suspended conjurer or human cube. On being touched on the neck, the cube descended to the ground, and the conjurer resumed his natural form. The historical verity of this tale cannot be determined, and it may be classed with the familiar story which crops up periodically, describing the ball of cord thrown into the air for a youth to climb into the clouds. Once out of sight, the youth is said to draw the cord up after him; then presently a leg falls from the unseen heights, then another, followed by an arm, a rib or two, and so on until the entire body is scattered upon the ground, the head coming last with the neck standing upward. At the command of the magician, the body seems to crawl together, so runs the tale, and eventually the youth stands up to be examined by the astonished populace. [Illustration: Reproduction of an engraving in an old German Encyclopædia in the Harry Houdini Collection, which credits to the Chinese the trick of climbing into the air and having the body fall down piecemeal and being set together again.] These stories belong in the very first of the travellers' tales. In 1356 Sir John Mandeville, called by some authorities "the Father of English Prose," after travelling thirty-four years, published a book detailing some of his marvellous "witnessings." Though many of his stories are absolutely impossible, yet so popular did his works become that, barring the Scriptures, more copies and manuscripts of the books containing his various "Magician Stories" have been handed down to posterity and exist to-day than any works of his contemporaries. Still, Mandeville did not mention this suspension trick, which is sometimes attributed to the Chinese and sometimes to the Hindoos. In Cologne, Germany, I purchased an encyclopædia, published in 1684, from which I reproduce a double-page engraving, which shows the Chinese magicians doing the tricks previously accredited, in the stories of travellers, to Hindoo conjurers. In "Lives of the Conjurers," Thomas Frost describes the suspension trick as offered about 1828 or 1829 at Madras by an old Brahmin with no better apparatus than a piece of plank with four legs. This he had formed into a stool, and upon it, in a little brass socket, he placed a hollow bamboo stick in a perpendicular position. Projecting from the stick was a kind of crutch, covered with a piece of common hide. These properties he carried with him in a bag, which was shown to all those who desired to witness his exhibition. The servants of the household then held a blanket before him, and, when it was withdrawn, he was discovered poised in midair about four feet from the ground, in a sitting posture, with the outer edge of one hand merely touching the crutch, while the fingers deliberately counted beads, and the other hand and arm were held in an upright position. The blanket was again held up before him, and the spectators caught a gurgling sound, like that occasioned by wind escaping from a bladder or tube. When the screen or blanket was again withdrawn, the conjurer was standing on the ground. [Illustration: The Brahmin suspension as shown in an illustration found in Robin's l'Almanach de Cagliostro.] The mystery was supposed to have been solved when Sheshal, commonly known as "the Brahmin of the Air," exhibited the trick in 1832 in Madras. It was observed that his stool was ornamented with two inlaid stars, and it was suggested that one of these might conceal a socket for a steel rod, passing through the bamboo, and that another rod, screwed to the perpendicular one and concealed by the piece of hide, might be connected with a mechanism of the same metal, passing up the sleeve and down the back, and forming a circular seat. This conjecture probably was not far from the truth, for while Frost is by no means the greatest of authorities on magic and magicians, in this particular instance I believe that his explanation of the trick is correct. The next authentic early information I have gathered regarding suspension concerns that wonderful performer who called himself Ching Lau Lauro. Presumably he was a Chinaman, and from the programmes in my collection he evidently appeared first in England, in 1828, when he was engaged to perform between scenes of various plays, including "Tom and Jerry," at the Coburg. I reproduce on page 231 one of Ching Lau Lauro's programmes. About 1833, or possibly a year earlier, he cut out some of his singing, and introduced the suspension with which he closed his performance. At this time he gave the entire programme. According to his programmes, in some places he excluded the public from the gallery, so I judge that his suspension was accomplished by the use of the iron rod from the back, which would have been in plain sight from the gallery. The stage would not permit the suspension to be worked out of range of the gallery gods. [Illustration: Ching Lau Lauro handbill featuring suspension in 1832. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: A Compars Herrmann programme of 1848 in which suspension is featured. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] When Robert-Houdin went to London in 1848 he found in the field of magic a clever rival, Compars Herrmann; a few months later came John Henry Anderson, the Wizard of the North. Both of these men presented the suspension trick in precisely the same manner claimed by Robert-Houdin as his original invention of 1847. Neither Anderson nor Herrmann claimed the honor of having invented the trick, and it is more than likely that the mechanician who made their apparatus for the suspension trick made the one used by Robert-Houdin also. Herrmann, like Robert-Houdin, called the trick ethereal suspension. Anderson gave it the title of "Chloriforeene Suspension," as the reproduction of an Anderson lithograph on page 234 will prove. During precisely the same period of time a brilliantly successful German conjurer, Alexander, was presenting the same trick in America, where he remained as a professional entertainer for ten years. In my collection, together with corroborative handbills and programmes, there will be found this statement from Alexander: "The suspension was at first produced by me in 1845 or 1846, after reading in an Oriental annual, edited by several officers of the Indian Army, the trick of a fakir who made a companion sit in the air by using a bamboo stick. My trick had no success, because the sitting was too near the ground. I then made him stand in the air, and the effect was marvellous." My meeting with Alexander, of which this correspondence was the result, marked an era in my search for material for this volume. Having read in a small book on magic, dated 1896, that a man named Heimburger, who had travelled in America as "Alexander the Conjurer," was living in his native town of Münster, in Westphalia, I determined to secure an interview with him if possible. [Illustration: "Suspension Chloriforeene," as presented by Anderson and his son, from a lithograph used by him on his return from the Continent, December, 1848. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] On March 17th, 1903, while playing in Cologne, I boarded an express train and arrived in Münster bright and early. From the city directory I learned that one Heimburger resided in Krumpentippen, 16. Hailing a passing droschke I was soon carried to my destination, where a bright-faced German girl opened the door and ushered me, without formality, into the presence of the man to whom I desired to pay my respects. An old man, bent with years, snow-white of beard and gray of head, came forward slowly to greet me. Finding that he was quite deaf, I raised my voice and fairly trumpeted my mission, adding that I felt especially honored to stand in the presence of the only magician who, up to that date, had ever appeared at the White House, Washington, by request of the President of the United States, my native land. Alexander had been asked to entertain President Polk and his guests on several occasions, and the fact that I knew this seemed to please the old conjurer and pave the way to a pleasant and profitable interview. In a few moments we were sitting side by side, and he was adding to my store of information by relating the most fascinating experiences, stories of fellow-magicians long since dead, and tales which he could corroborate by his own collection of bills, programmes, etc., his diary, and his personal correspondence. He had known Robert-Houdin, Frikell, Bosco, Count Pererilli, John Henry Anderson, Blitz, the original Bamberg of Amsterdam, Compars Herrmann, and many lesser lights among the old-time magicians. Robert-Houdin had told him personally that being pressed for time he had entrusted the writing of his "Memoirs" to a Parisian journalist. [Illustration: Mrs. Leona A. Anderson, daughter-in-law of John Henry Anderson, as she appeared with him in the suspension trick about 1868. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] As he warmed up to these reminiscences, he held me spellbound. Had he risen from the grave to tell of his contemporaries, he could not have riveted my attention more securely. Here was a man of eighty-four, whose memory quickened at the coming of one interested in his beloved art, whose eye brightened with each fresh detail of a long and successful professional life, and who, in fifty years of retirement, had not only written a book, but had kept in touch with the world of magic, giving me information which the most exhaustive encyclopædia could not yield, answering questions on topics never yet discussed in dusty parchments and fading scripts. It was like having the history of magic unrolled before my eager eyes, in a living, palpitating, human scroll. It had been my intention to remain but a few hours in Münster, but the old master held me as if hypnotized and the hours fairly drifted past. Letter after letter, clipping after clipping, token after token, he spread before my fascinated eyes; and I allowed him to speak without question or interruption of any sort. Early in our interview he had remarked that he was beginning to feel old and that only the impetus of my presence was responsible for his unusual strength of speech. For over seventy years he had been collecting books on conjuring and kindred topics, which he was able to read in English, French, Spanish, and German. The dinner hour found us still engrossed in conversation, and Frau Heimburger extended a most hospitable and cordial invitation for me to join the family circle. But my hunger was purely mental, and the true savor of the meal was the reminiscent chat of Herr Heimburger, who, from his post at the head of his household, looked as hale and hearty as if he had found the Elixir of Life which so many of his charlatan predecessors claimed to have "discovered." [Illustration: Alexander Heimburger, a veteran conjurer who presented the suspension trick in 1845-46 during his American tour. From a photograph in the Harry Houdini Collection.] In 1904 I paid the old master a second visit. To his professions of pleasure at meeting me once more, he added the gift of several rare programmes now in my collection, and when our hands met in a farewell clasp he told me that he had set all things in order and was ready for the coming of the Grim Reaper. Soon after that visit, however, I received a card with the following melancholy message: MY DEAR FRIEND--Have not been very well of late, and have been expecting my last days. All preparations have been made and Death the Visitor arrived, but instead of calling for me, he has taken away my beloved wife. I am not capable of writing more. God be with you. From your old friend, ALEXANDER HEIMBURGER. Alexander Heimburger or, as he was billed, Alexander the Conjurer, was born December 4th, 1818. From 1844 to 1854 he toured North and South America, returning to his native country with the intention of there following his calling as a professional entertainer. But his fame had preceded him, and, as his fortune was large, his souvenirs and tales of travel many and interesting, he was taken up by the world of fashion and lionized. This practically closed his career as a conjurer, for in those days magicians occupied no such reputable position in the professional world as they do to-day, and to have returned to his stage work would have closed the doors of aristocracy to him. He married one of Münster's prettiest girls, who bore him six children, two sons and four daughters. So he passed the remainder of his days, living modestly but comfortably on the money he had amassed in America, entertained by a large circle of appreciative friends, and well content to live thus, far from the madding crowd in which the professional entertainer must move. While the recollections of his public career and his meetings with other magicians, as well as notable men in other walks of life, were fresh, he wrote his book, "Der Moderne Zauberer" (The Modern Magician), which he claims, with much justice, is rated as one of the gems of German literature, as well as the best book ever written by a conjurer. It is built from extracts from his diary and is on the style of Sig. Blitz's book, but is far more diversified and interesting. [Illustration: Alexander Heimburger, known in conjuring as Alexander the Conjurer, from a quaint illustration in "The North American," published in Mexico.] His scrap-book also told a most romantic tale of vicissitudes. A half-page article in the New York _Tribune_, dated October, 1845, showed Alexander arrayed in a Chinese costume, and producing huge bowls of water, flowers, and various sorts of heavy articles. This proves conclusively that Ching Ling Foo was not the first conjurer to offer this Chinese trick in America, as it is generally supposed. Alexander added that all the old-timers would change their programmes by introducing the Chinese tricks, and, to verify his statement, readers need only to see the following files in Astor Library, New York City: New York _Herald_, New York _Tribune_, and New York _Evening Gazette_ of November 6th, 1845. Herr Alexander had arrived in New York almost penniless, after a disastrous tour of other American cities. He tried to hire Niblo's Garden, but was informed that the auditorium was never opened in winter. Through the intercession of Mrs. Niblo, however, he finally secured it at a rental of twenty dollars per night. He opened to a small house and for three nights did not even pay expenses, but the fourth night witnessed a change in his fortunes and for three months he played literally to standing room. Then because he had no new tricks to offer, and his pride forbade his presenting his old répertoire until receipts grew lighter, he closed his New York season. While playing in Saratoga, Alexander was approached by the late P. T. Barnum, who was accompanied by Gen. Tom Thumb. Alexander declined Mr. Barnum's offer because he thought to join the Barnum staff of entertainers would injure his professional rating. Barnum's admission fee was 25 cents, while Alexander charged 50 cents and $1. About this time the fame of Alexander attracted the attention of no less a personage than S. F. B. Morse, of telegraphic fame; and Alexander had on his programme one trick which mystified Morse, who honestly believed that the conjurer had discovered some new law of nature that might be of service to scientists. [Illustration: Alexander Heimburger presenting the suspension trick during his engagement in Brazil. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Alexander called this trick "The Spirit Bell," and, worked by one method or another, it has been used by many magicians. Some employ a thread and hook, causing the clapper to strike by pulling the thread which runs through an innocent-looking ribbon on which the bell hangs. Others use an electric magnet. Herr Alexander placed his bell on top of a fancy case which he could set anywhere, and the bell would ring at command. The secret was a small bird, trained to jump from one rung of a tiny ladder to another, at word of command or the waving of a stick or wand which the bird could see from its point of imprisonment. Every time that it jumped from one rung to another, it would pull down a step which was so arranged that by the smallest overweight it would release a catch, which in turn would throw the hammer against the glass. When the bird stepped off, the hammer would again come back to its original position and be ready for the second blow. This bird he bought from a street fortune-teller, who had trained it to go up different steps of a ladder and select envelopes containing variously printed fortunes. Alexander enjoyed personal acquaintance with President Polk, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Calhoun, and their fellow-statesmen in the United States. Through his friendship with President Polk he carried to the West Indies and Brazil letters so influential that the aristocracy in these countries opened its doors to him. He was welcomed at the palace of Dom Pedro, and has in his possession letters from both the King and his consort, dated 1850. So much for the history of a man who was brave enough to admit that he developed the suspension trick from principles laid down by humble Indian fakirs. The crudest method used for accomplishing the suspension trick consisted of a steel corset, an iron rod painted to resemble wood, and a platform. The steel rod was fitted into a special place in the corset, also in the platform. This method was improved, first to make it a self-raising suspension, then eventually with a steel rod from the back of the stage, eliminating the use of both rods under the arms. Spectators and reviewers commented on the rigid, almost painful, carriage of Robert-Houdin's son during the performance, which they laid to the effect of ether. Unquestionably Robert-Houdin used this crude corset-and-rod method of working the trick. The fumes of ether which reached the audience, he admits, were caused by pouring a little ether over hot irons in the wings. But whatever the method employed by Robert-Houdin to secure the effects of "suspension éthéréenne," he was merely introducing a century-old trick, which other contemporary magicians were also exhibiting. The name of the real maker of the apparatus may never be known, but some clever mechanician supplied Robert-Houdin, Compars Herrmann, and John Henry Anderson with precisely the same method of working the trick, at precisely the same time. Robert-Houdin alone was audacious enough to claim the invention as his own. CHAPTER IX THE DISAPPEARING HANDKERCHIEF Supreme egotism and utter disregard for the truth may be traced in all of Robert-Houdin's writings, but they reached a veritable climax when he indited chapter XVI. of his "Memoirs." During the course of this chapter he described the so-called invention and first production of the disappearing-handkerchief trick. According to the American edition of his "Memoirs," page 303, he received a command to appear before Louis Philippe and his family at St. Cloud in November, 1846. During the six days intervening between the official invitation and his appearance before the royal family, he arranged a trick from which, he states, he had every reason to expect excellent results. On page 305 he goes even further in his claims and announces: "All my tricks were favorably received, and the one I had invented for the occasion gained me unbounded applause." He then gives the following description of the trick and its performance: "I borrowed from my noble spectators several handkerchiefs, which I made into a parcel, and laid on the table. Then, at my request, different persons wrote on the cards the names of places whither they desired their handkerchiefs to be invisibly transported. "When this had been done, I begged the King to take three of the cards at hazard, and choose from them the place he might consider most suitable. "'Let us see,' Louis Philippe said, 'what this one says: "I desire the handkerchiefs to be found beneath one of the candelabra on the mantelpiece." That is too easy for a sorcerer; so we will pass to the next card: "The handkerchiefs are to be transported to the dome of the Invalides." That would suit me, but it is much too far, not for the handkerchiefs, but for us. Ah, ah!' the King added, looking at the last card, 'I am afraid, M. Robert-Houdin, I am about to embarrass you. Do you know what this card proposes?' "'Will your Majesty deign to inform me?' "'It is desired that you should send the handkerchiefs into the chest of the last orange-tree on the right of the avenue.' "'Only that, Sire? Deign to order, and I shall obey.' "'Very good, then; I should like to see such a magic act: I, therefore, choose the orange-tree chest.' "The King gave some orders in a low voice, and I directly saw several persons run to the orange-tree, in order to watch it and prevent any fraud. "I was delighted at this precaution, which must add to the effect of my experiment, for the trick was already arranged, and the precaution hence too late. "I had now to send the handkerchiefs on their travels, so I placed them beneath a bell of opaque glass, and, taking my wand, I ordered my invisible travellers to proceed to the spot the King had chosen. "I raised the bell; the little parcel was no longer there, and a white turtle-dove had taken its place. "The King then walked quickly to the door, whence he looked in the direction of the orange-tree, to assure himself that the guards were at their post; when this was done, he began to smile and shrug his shoulders. "'Ah! M. Robert-Houdin,' he said, somewhat ironically, 'I much fear for the virtue of your magic staff.' Then he added, as he returned to the end of the room, where several servants were standing, 'Tell William to open immediately the last chest at the end of the avenue, and bring me carefully what he finds there--if he does find anything.' "William soon proceeded to the orange-tree, and, though much astonished at the orders given him, he began to carry them out. "He carefully removed one of the sides of the chest, thrust his hand in, and almost touched the roots of the tree before he found anything. All at once he uttered a cry of surprise as he drew out a small iron coffer eaten by the rust. "This curious find, after having been cleaned from the mould, was brought in and placed on a small ottoman by the King's side. "'Well, M. Robert-Houdin,' Louis Philippe said to me, with a movement of impatient curiosity, 'here is a box; am I to conclude it contains the handkerchiefs?' "'Yes, Sire,' I replied with assurance, 'and they have been there, too, for a long period.' "'How can that be? The handkerchiefs were lent you scarce a quarter of an hour ago.' "'I cannot deny it, Sire; but what would my magic powers avail me if I could not perform incomprehensible tricks? Your Majesty will doubtless be still more surprised when I prove to your satisfaction that this coffer as well as its contents was deposited in the chest of the orange-tree sixty years ago.' [Illustration: Reproduction of a very rare pastel portrait of Cagliostro. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] "'I should like to believe your statement,' the King replied with a smile; 'but that is impossible, and I must, therefore, ask for proofs of your assertion.' "'If your Majesty will be kind enough to open this casket they will be supplied.' "'Certainly; but I shall require a key for that.' "'It only depends on yourself, Sire, to have one. Deign to remove it from the neck of this turtle dove, which has just brought it to you.' "Louis Philippe unfastened a ribbon that held a small rusty key with which he hastened to unlock the coffer. The first thing that caught the King's eye was a parchment, on which he read the following statements: "'This day, the sixth of June, 1786, this iron box, containing six handkerchiefs, was placed among the roots of an orange tree by me, Balsamo, Count of Cagliostro, to serve in performing an act of magic which will be executed on the same day sixty years hence before Louis Philippe of Orléans and his family.' "'There is, decidedly, witchcraft about this,' the King said, more and more amazed. 'Nothing is wanting, for the seal and signature of the celebrated sorcerer are placed at the foot of this statement, which, Heaven pardon me, smells strongly of sulphur.' "At this jest the audience began to laugh. "'But,' the King added, taking out of the box a carefully sealed packet, 'can the handkerchiefs, by possibility, be in this?' "'Indeed, Sire, they are; but, before opening the parcel, I would request your Majesty to notice that it, also, bears the impression of Cagliostro's seal.' "This seal, once rendered so famous by being placed on the celebrated alchemist's bottles of elixir and liquid gold, I had obtained from Torrini, who had been an old friend of Cagliostro's. "'It is certainly the same,' my royal spectator answered, after comparing the two seals. Still, in his impatience to learn the contents of the parcel, the King quickly tore open the envelope, and soon displayed before the astonished spectators the six handkerchiefs, which, a few moments before, were still on my table." While the use of the Cagliostro seal really formed no part of the trick, its possession by Robert-Houdin goes to show how indefatigably he collected conjuring curios and how quick he was to utilize any part of his collection, and score thereby a brilliant showing. Cagliostro seals were by no means rare. This prince of charlatans had seals, like adventures, in great variety; and in this connection, it is not out of place to tell something of Cagliostro and thus explain why the parchment bearing his seal created such a sensation at St. Cloud. Cagliostro has no match in the annals of magic. Not a conjurer in the sense of being a public entertainer, he yet mystified and bewitched his thousands. Something of a physician, more of an alchemist, and altogether a charlatan, he left behind him a trail of brilliant chicanery, daring adventure, and ignominious failure and undoing unequalled in the history of Europe. [Illustration: Reproduction of a rare portrait of Seraphinia Feliciani, Comtesse de Cagliostro, wrongfully called Lorenzo in the Encyclopædia Britannica. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Cagliostro was born Joseph Balsamo, in Palermo, Italy, June 8th, 1743. His parents were in humble circumstances and he started his career as a novice in the Convent of Benfratelli, from which he was expelled for incorrigibility. Then he plunged into a life of dissipation and cleverly planned, ofttimes brilliantly executed crimes. He fled Palermo after forging theatre tickets and a will, and duping a goldsmith out of sixty pieces of gold. At Messina he fell in with an alchemist named Althotas, a man of some learning who spoke a variety of languages. These two adventurers travelled in Egypt, and when Althotas died Cagliostro went to Naples and Rome, where he married a beautiful girdle-maker named Seraphinia Feliciani. This woman shared both his triumphs and his disgrace. In 1776 they arrived in London, where he announced himself as the Count di Cagliostro. The title was assumed, the name was borrowed from his mother's side of the house. Here for the first time Cagliostro announced himself also a worker of miracles or wonders. He exhibited two mysterious substances, "Materia Prima," with which he transmuted all baser metals into gold, and "Egyptian Wine," with which he claimed to prolong life. His wife, who was just past twenty, he declared was more than sixty, her youthful appearance being due to the use of his elixir. He founded a spurious Egyptian rite in connection with the Masonic order which has been recognized as a blot upon Masonic history, and he claimed thousands of Masonic dupes. All over the Continent he and his beautiful wife travelled, now healing the poor for nothing, now duping the rich, but always living in a most picturesque, voluptuous fashion. He dipped into spiritualism and mesmerism, but wherever he went his converts followed after. [Illustration: Very rare Testot handbill printed about 1800, presented by Testot to Henry Evanion. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] In 1789, while in Rome, he was seized by that invincible power, the Holy Inquisition, and was condemned to death. Later Pope Pius VI. changed the sentence to life imprisonment. Confinement made him more daring than ever. He asked for a confessor, and when a Capuchin monk was permitted to enter his cell in this capacity Cagliostro endeavored to choke him and escape in his robes. The monk fought for his life so effectually that it was he, and not Cagliostro, who escaped. Cagliostro was literally buried alive in a subterranean dungeon, as punishment for his final offence, and his wife immured herself in a Roman convent, where she died in 1794. [Illustration: Testot programme, featuring "Cabalistic Art" in 1826. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] In Paris, perhaps, Cagliostro enjoyed his greatest triumphs of charlatanism, and it is not remarkable that the appearance of his seal in the midst of Robert-Houdin's trick should seem almost uncanny to the royal family. But to return to the disappearing-handkerchief trick. Robert-Houdin did not invent this trick. It was presented by a number of conjurers before Robert-Houdin was known in the world of magic. Robert-Houdin simply employed the trick familiar to both his predecessors and contemporaries and redressed it to tickle the fancy of his royal patron. In England this trick was known among old conjurers as "The Ne Plus Ultra of the Cabalistic Art." In 1826 one M. Félix Testot, who claimed to be a compatriot of Robert-Houdin, presented the trick in the British provinces, and one of his bills I am reproducing because it shows that the trick he offered the provincial Britons and the trick which Robert-Houdin offered the royal family at St. Cloud were identical. It also proves that London had seen the trick; and what London had seen, Paris, including Robert-Houdin, had heard of. [Illustration: Marriot programme featuring "Cabalistic Art" in 1831, or fifteen years before Robert-Houdin claims to have invented the disappearing handkerchief trick. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] A programme used by "The Celebrated Mr. Marriot, Professor of Recreative Philosophy," in 1831, contains word for word the announcement of the trick used on Testot's bill, which goes to show that a popular test was to have articles passed from the Adelphia Theatre to the gun which was being watched by a sentinel. [Illustration: Jefferini handbill, dated 1833, in which he announces that any article will be made to fly 500 miles a minute.] February 22d, 1833, found a Mr. Jefferini at the Royal Clarence Theatre, Liverpool Street, King's Cross, Liverpool. He agreed to make "an article fly at the rate of five hundred miles an hour, from King's Cross to the Centre of Greece." The original Buck featured on his programme a similar trick which he called "The Loaf Trick." On a bill dated October 26th, 1840, it is announced as follows: "Watch in a loaf. The magician will command any gentleman's watch to disappear. It will be found in a loaf at any baker's shop in Town." The senior Ingleby changed the trick somewhat, sending out to any market for a shoulder of mutton, which, on being cut, would yield up a card previously drawn by some spectator. He thus describes his trick in his book "Whole Art of Legerdemain," published in London in 1815: "TRICK FOUR. "To cut out of a Shoulder of Mutton a Card which one of the Company had previously drawn out of the Pack. [Illustration: Only known portrait of the clever English conjurer, Buck. From an engraving in the Harry Houdini Collection.] "Having desired a person to draw a Card out of several which you hold to him, and to remember it, which he promises to do, you tell him it shall be in a shoulder of mutton which you will send for. "Accordingly you desire a servant to go to the butcher's and bring one. When brought, it is examined, and then ordered to be put down to roast. After performing some tricks, you recollect the shoulder of mutton, which is immediately brought half-roasted, and after cutting it for some time you at length find the card, and produce it. [Illustration: Ingleby handbill, dated 1808. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] "Explanation: "Having forced a card on one of the company, your confederate has an opportunity, when the mutton is sent to be roasted, of conveying a thin duplicate of that card folded into a narrow compass into the fleshy part near the shank, which can be easily done by means of a sharp penknife. "This trick, though remarkably simple, has created universal astonishment at the Minor Theatre, where it was frequently exhibited by Mr. Ingleby." [Illustration: Frontispiece from Ingleby's book, "Whole Art of Legerdemain," said to be an excellent likeness of the conjurer-author. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] The method of performing the trick was so familiar to conjurers of Robert-Houdin's time and earlier that Henry Evans Evanion was able to describe it to me from actual witnessings. Acting on his explanation, on my return to America I offered the trick, without any great amount of preparation and without a hitch, at a matinée entertainment given by a secret organization. I will describe precisely how this was done, and allow my readers to judge of the similarity of the trick offered years ago by humble travelling magicians whose names have been written most faintly in the annals of conjuring, and the much-vaunted trick "invented" by Robert-Houdin for the entertainment of his sovereign. The hall in which the matinée was given was located in Harlem, Borough of Manhattan, New York City, and I had decided that the handkerchiefs which were to make the flying journey should be "desired" by some one present to appear under the top step of the winding staircase in the Statue of Liberty, which is located in New York Harbor. This meant a half-hour ride from the hall to the boat in a Subway train; then a run across New York Harbor to the Statue. These boats left the dock on the hour and the half-hour, so I timed my performance to fill just half an hour, starting with some sleight-of-hand, the egg-bag trick, and swallowing a package of needles and bringing them up threaded, which latter trick was introduced into magical performances in Europe by K. K. Kraus in 1816. [Illustration: Reproduction of a rare Buck handbill, dated 1844. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Just before 3:30 o'clock I borrowed three handkerchiefs and tied them together for easier handling. I had three handkerchiefs, similarly tied together, under my vest, and just at 3:30, I switched the two sets of handkerchiefs, so that the handkerchiefs furnished by the spectators were under my vest and the bogus handkerchiefs in my hand. First I dropped the bogus handkerchiefs on the table-trap, picking up the opaque glass cover with which they were to be hidden, and, by a carefully rehearsed bit of carelessness, dropped and broke it. Then, leaving the bogus handkerchiefs on the table trap, I stepped toward the wings, apparently to secure another glass bell or cover. To all intents and purposes, I did not pass from the view of the audience, for fully half of my body was on the stage, but as my assistant handed me a new glass cover, he deftly extracted the real handkerchiefs from under my vest. Then, while I returned to the stage with my patter and description of the flight the handkerchiefs were about to make, my assistant, with the handkerchiefs in his pocket, walked unnoticed from the door, and, once out of sight, ran madly to the Subway station. There he boarded an express and reached the boat landing just in time to catch the 4 o'clock boat. At the Statue, my brother and a tinsmith were waiting for him. The handkerchiefs were placed in the tin box, securely soldered, and then this box was placed inside a second iron box, which was locked. The "plant" was then taken upstairs and hidden under the top step. In the mean time, with my thoughts following my assistant every step of his trip, I was playing out my end of the game. The audience was supplied with blank cards on which they might write the name of the place where the handkerchiefs should reappear. This, of course, took some time, and when the cards, each folded to hide the writing thereon, were collected in a hat, I shook them up thoroughly, and then turned them out upon a plate, deftly adding, on the top, three cards which I had concealed in my hand. This was sleight-of-hand purely, and I next picked out those three prepared cards on each of which was written "Can you send the handkerchiefs under the top step of the Statue of Liberty?" Explaining that I had in my hand three cards chosen at haphazard, I wished the final choice to be made by a disinterested party. A baby was finally chosen to select the card. Naturally, I refused even to take the slip of paper from the baby's hand, and one of the lodge members read the question. Murmurs of surprise and incredulity echoed from all over the hall. The test was too difficult! I then announced that if the audience would select its own committee, making sure to pick out men who could not be bribed, I would accompany them, and we would surely return with the handkerchiefs, sealed in double boxes, as found under the famous stairway. As an elaborate course luncheon was to be served, the committee had time to act, and away we went, leaving the lodge to its feast. So much time had been lost in selecting the committee that we reached the wharf just in time to catch the 5 o'clock boat. On landing I received a prearranged signal from my assistants that all was well, and as I watched my committee dash up the stairs I knew that their quest would be rewarded. When the committee and the writer returned to the lodge-room, a mechanic was required to pry open the box. There lay the identical handkerchiefs furnished by my spectators, who could hardly believe their eyes. On other occasions I have asked my audience to select a spokesman, who in a loud voice would announce the point at which the handkerchiefs would be found, and then my man, waiting just outside the door, would mount his bicycle and pedal like mad for the hiding-place, naturally outstripping any committee appointed. But the first method, that of selecting the place beforehand and having all arrangements made, even to the three prepared cards, is safest and is probably the one used by Robert-Houdin to deceive the French monarch. I doubt if he even had three different cards prepared, as he claims. I believe he exaggerated his feat, for that would have been taking long chances. For this trick I claim not an iota of originality. I simply fitted it to the time, the place, and the audience, and that I believe is all Robert-Houdin did when he "invented" the disappearing handkerchief trick for the amusement of his sovereign. CHAPTER X ROBERT-HOUDIN'S IGNORANCE OF MAGIC AS BETRAYED BY HIS OWN PEN Statements in Robert-Houdin's various works on the conjurer's art corroborate my claim that he was not a master-magician, but a clever purloiner and adapter of the tricks invented and used by his predecessors and contemporaries. Whenever, in these books, he attempts to explain or expose a trick which was not part of his répertoire, he betrays an ignorance which would be impossible in a conjurer versed in the finer and more subtle branches of his art. Neither do these explanations show that he was clever enough as a mechanic to have invented the apparatus which he claimed as his handiwork. He states that practice and still more practice are essential, yet no intelligent performer, amateur or professional, can study my collection of Robert-Houdin programmes, handbills, and press notices without realizing that his répertoire contained little or no trace of what should be the foundation of successful conjuring, sleight-of-hand. Changing his fingers over the various air-holes of the inexhaustible bottle was as near as he ever came to sleight-of-hand, even when he was in the height of his success. According to the press notices he had a pleasing stage presence, and also dressed and set forth his tricks richly, but it must be borne in mind that then, as often to-day, the man sent by an editor to criticise a conjurer's performance knew little or nothing about the art and could not institute comparisons between different magicians. To-day Robert-Houdin would shine as an exhibitor of illusions or mechanical toys. A pistol shot, a puff of smoke--and his confederate or assistant has done the real work behind the scenes. His lack of finesse as a sleight-of-hand performer is nowhere more clearly shown than in his own writings. On page 37 of his French exposé of the secrets of magic, entitled "Comment on Devient Sorcier" (page 51 of the English translation by Professor Hoffmann, "The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic"), he thus naïvely describes his masterpiece of coin-palming: "I myself practised palming long and perseveringly, and acquired thereat a very considerable degree of skill. I used to be able to palm two five-franc pieces at once, the hand, nevertheless, remaining as freely open as though it held nothing whatever." An amateur of his own day would have blushed to admit that he could palm but two coins. Men like T. Nelson Downs, "The Koin King," think nothing of palming twenty five-franc or silver dollars, or forty half-dollars, and even this record has been broken. Even two writers who contributed to the translation and editing of his works, R. Shelton Mackenzie and Professor Hoffmann (Angelo J. Lewis), and who have drawn rich royalties for the same, apologize for his flagrant mis-statements, which, they realize, any man or woman with but a slight knowledge of conjuring must recognize. His first contribution to the history of magic was his "Memoirs"; and while he does not feature exposures of tricks in this work, he offers, in passing, explanations of tricks and automata presented by other magicians. For the most part these explanations are obviously incorrect, and so prove that he was ignorant of certain fundamental principles of the art in which he claimed to have shone. In the introduction of the American edition, published in 1850, Mr. Mackenzie, the editor, thus apologizes for one of Robert-Houdin's most flagrant mistakes in tracing the history of magic: "One error which M. Houdin makes must not be passed over. His account of M. de Kempelen's celebrated automaton chess-player (afterward Maëlzel's) is entirely wrong. This remarkable piece of mechanism was constructed in 1769, and not in 1796; it was the Empress Maria-Theresa of Austria who played with it, and not Catherine II. of Russia; it was in 1783 that it first visited Paris, where it played at the Café de la Regence; it was not taken to London until 1784, and again in 1819; it was brought to America in 1825, by M. Maëlzel, and visited our principal cities, its chief resting-place being Philadelphia; M. Maëlzel's death was in 1838, on the voyage from Cuba to the United States, and not, as M. Houdin says, on his return to France; and the automaton, so far from being taken back to France, was sold by auction here, finally purchased by the late Dr. J. K. Mitchell, of Philadelphia, reconstructed by him, and finally deposited in the Chinese Museum (formerly Peale's), where it was consumed in the great fire which destroyed the National Theatre (now the site of the Continental Hotel, corner of Ninth and Chestnut Streets), and, extending to the Chinese Museum, burnt it down on July 5th, 1854. An interesting account of the Automaton Chess-Player, written by Prof. George Allen, of this city, will be found in 'The Book of the First American Chess Congress,' recently published in New York." Signor Blitz, in his book "Fifty Years in the Magic Circle," corroborates the Mackenzie correction, by telling how he saw Maëlzel in Havana, Cuba, where the famous German met his professional Waterloo, first in small audiences, then in the death of his faithful confederate, Schlomberg. Finally, broken in health and spirit, Maëlzel sailed from Havana for Philadelphia, but death overtook him at sea. His body was consigned to the ocean's depths, and his few effects were sold to liquidate the cost of passage and other debts. That Robert-Houdin should make an error concerning a world-famous automaton the history of which could be traced through contemporary periodicals and libraries, is almost inconceivable and proves the carelessness with which he gathered and presented facts. His inability to grasp the principles on which other performers built their tricks is shown most clearly when he attempts to describe and explain the performances of the Arabian mountebanks whom he saw during his stay in Algiers. These tricks have been handed down from one generation to another, and now that Arabian conjurers and acrobats are imported for hippodrome and vaudeville performances in all civilized countries, the tricks described by Robert-Houdin are familiar to the general public. They are also copied by performers of other nationalities, and can be seen in circus side-shows and at fairs, as well as in the better grade of houses. Having worked on the same bill with genuine Arabian performers, I know just how the tricks are accomplished. Robert-Houdin undertakes to explain these tricks in chapter XXII. of the American edition of his "Memoirs." So long as he quotes reliable authorities like the _Journal des Sciences_, the explanations are correct. Directly he attempts an independent exposure, he strikes far from the correct explanation. On page 424 he states: "In the following experiment, two Arabs held a sabre, one by the hilt, the other by the point; a third then came forward, and after raising his clothes so as to leave the abdomen quite bare, laid himself flat on the edge of the blade, while a fourth mounted on his back, and seemed to press the whole weight of his body on him. "This trick may be easily explained. "Nothing proves to the audience that the sabre is really sharpened, or that the edge is more cutting than the back, although the Arab who holds it by the point is careful to wrap it up in a handkerchief--in this, imitating the jugglers who pretend they have cut their fingers with one of the daggers they use in their tricks. "Besides, in performing this trick, the invulnerable turned his back on the audience. He knew the advantage to be derived from this circumstance; hence, at the moment when about to lay himself on the sabre, he very adroitly pulled back over his stomach that portion of his clothing he had raised. Lastly, when the fourth actor mounted on his back, he rested his hands on the shoulders of the Arabs who held the sabre. The latter apparently maintained his balance, but, in reality, they supported the whole weight of his body. Hence, the only requirement for this trick is to have the stomach more or less pressed in, and I will explain presently that this can be effected without any danger or injury." [Illustration: A Rannin lithograph, showing him doing the sword-walking act which Robert-Houdin claimed to have been a fraud. Rannin is still working in Germany, imitated by many, equalled by none. From a photograph in the Harry Houdini Collection.] In this explanation Robert-Houdin is entirely wrong. The real secret of lying on top of a sharp-edged razor, sword, or sabre rests on the fact that the performer does actually lie upon it in a perfectly motionless position. Were he to move but the width of a hair, backward or forward or sidewise, the weapon would slice his body, resulting in instant death or horrible mutilation. I have watched cheap performers of this class of work, in dime museums or fairs, walk up a ladder of sharp swords which I had previously held in my hand. They would place the foot down with infinite precision and then press it into place. This position will not result in cutting, but let the performer slip or slide and the flesh would be cut instantly. I have also seen an acrobat, working in a circus, select two razors in first-class condition, place them on a socket with the edges of the razors uppermost, and with his bare hands he would do what is known as a hand-stand on the keen edges of the blades. This trick of absolute balance is acquired by persistent practice from youth up. Again Robert-Houdin errs wofully in comparing the sabre-swallower to the swallower of broken bottle-heels and stones. Sabre-swallowing is one trick, swallowing pebbles and broken glass belongs in quite a different class. And when I say this I do not mean powdered glass, but pieces of glass first broken, then chewed, and finally swallowed. On page 426 Robert-Houdin puts the two tricks in the same class, as follows: "When the trick of swallowing bottle-heels and pebbles was to be done, the Aïssaoua really put them in his mouth, but I believe, I may say certainly, that he removed them at the moment when he placed his head in the folds of the Mokadem's burnous. However, had he swallowed them, there would have been nothing wonderful about this, when we compare it with what was done some thirty years back in France by a mountebank called 'the Sabre-Swallower.' "This man, who performed in the streets, threw back his head so as to form a straight line with his throat, and really thrust down his gullet a sabre, of which only the hilt remained outside his mouth. "He also swallowed an egg without cracking it, or even nails and pebbles, which he caused to resound, by striking his stomach with his fist. "These tricks were the result of a peculiar formation in the mountebank's throat, but, if he had lived among the Aïssaoua, he would have assuredly been the leading man of the company." The sabre-swallower never releases his hold on the weapon. The pebble and bottle-heel swallower does--but brings them up again, by a system of retching which results from long practice. The Japanese have an egg-swallowing trick in which they swallow either small-sized ivory balls or eggs, and reproduce them by a retching so unnoticeable that they could easily show the mouth empty. This trick dates back to the offerings of that celebrated water-spouter, Blaise Manfrede, or de Manfre, who travelled all over Europe. This man could swallow huge quantities of water and then eject it in streams or in small quantities or fill all sorts of glasses. In fact this one trick made him famous. _The European Magazine_, London, March, 1765, pages 194-5, gives a most diverting description of his trick, taken from an old letter, and here quoted: "I have seen, at the September fair in Francfort, a man who professed drinking fifty quarts of water in a day, and indeed proved that he was capable of executing what he pretended to. I saw him perform frequently, and remember it as well as if it was but yesterday. He said he was an Italian; he was short and squat, his chest, face, forehead, eyes, and mouth very large. He pretended to be fifty years old, though he did not seem forty. [Illustration: Blasius de Manfre or Blaise Manfrede, from a rare old woodcut in the Harry Houdini Collection.] "He was called the famous Blaise Manfrede, a native of Malta. At Francfort he frequently performed three times a day: for, besides his performances twice a day on the public stage (which nobody approached without paying), he attended private houses when called upon by great people. "He called for a large bucket of fair warm water, and twenty little glass bottles, flat like cupping glasses, so that they could stand topside turvy. Some of these he filled with water, plunging them into the bucket with a good deal of ceremony, and usually swallowed two or three to wash his mouth and gargle his throat. He threw up the water again immediately, to shew the spectators that he had no drugs between his teeth, whence he could be suspected to derive any advantage. "After this plausible prelude, he made an Italian harangue, which I cannot acquaint you with the merits of, because I am a stranger to the language.... After his harangue he usually took off two dozen of his little bottles, which he filled from the bucket, and a moment afterwards returned the liquor through his mouth. But what is most extraordinary is that this water, which he threw out with violence, appeared red like wine. And when he had discharged it into two different bottles, it was red in one and russet like beer in the other; as soon as he shifted the bottles to the contrary sides, they changed their complexion respectively to that of wine or beer, and so successively so long as he continued vomiting; in the mean time, I observed that the water grew less discolored in proportion as he continued to discharge. This was the first act. Then he ranged his two dozen of bottles opposite to him on a table, and exposed to everybody's view. Then he took an equal number of bottles, plunged them anew into the bucket, swallowed them too, and returned them in water very transparent, rose-water, orange-flower-water, and brandy. "I have smelt the several odours of his liquors; nay, I have seen him set fire to a handkerchief dipt in that which smelt like brandy, and it burnt blue like spirituous liquors.... Nay, he frequently promised at Venice to give the water back again in milk and oil. But I think he did not keep his word. In short, he concluded this scene with swallowing successfully thirty or forty glasses of water, always from the same bucket, and after having given notice to the company by his man (who served as an interpreter) that he was going to disembogue, he threw his head back, and spouting out the fair water, he made it spring up with an impetuosity like that of the strongest _jet d'eau_. This last feat delighted the people infinitely more than all the rest, and during the month he was at Francfort numbers from all parts came to see this slovenly exercise. Though he repeated it more than once a day he had more than four hundred spectators at a time. Some threw their handkerchiefs, and some their gloves upon the stage, that he might wet them with the water he had cast up, and he returned them differently perfumed, sometimes with rose-water, sometimes with orange-flower-water, and sometimes with brandy." Another famous juggler and water-spouter was Floram Marchand, whose picture is herewith reproduced. Judging from his dress, he antedated Manfrede. Bell's _Messenger_ of July 16th, 1816, tells of a sword-swallower whose work is extremely pertinent to this discussion, and the clipping is quoted verbatim: [Illustration: Floram Marchand. From an old, undated English publication in the Harry Houdini Collection.] "The French papers give a curious account of one James de Falaise, a Norman, about fifty years of age, living in the Rue St. Honoré. It is said that this extraordinary man will swallow whole walnuts, shell and all, a tobacco pipe, three cards rolled together, a rose with all its leaves, long stalk, and thorns, a living bird, and a living mouse, and, lastly, a live eel. Like to the Indian jugglers, he swallows the blade of a sabre about thirteen inches long of polished steel. This operation he performs very slowly, and with some precaution; though he evinces no symptom of pain. After every solid body that he swallows, he always takes a small dose of wine expressly prepared for him. He does not seem to make any effort to kill the living animals that he takes in his mouth, but boasts that he feels them moving in his stomach." [Illustration: Position taken by the subject in the Indian basket trick before he is covered by the sheet.] In my collection is the handbill of a stone-swallower who exhibited at No. 10 Cockspur Street, London, charging an admission fee of half-a-crown. [Illustration: Indian fakir seated in the basket after the subject has been "vanished."] These performers actually swallowed the water, stones, pebbles, etc., and retched them up again so cleverly and at such carefully selected instants that the audience did not know that the disgorging had been accomplished. Swallowing glass was a different matter, and the modern human ostriches have all wound up at city hospitals where surgeons have removed broken glass, knife blades, and other foreign matter by means of an operation. I quote the above instances simply to prove that the stones were actually swallowed and then disgorged, and not hidden, as Robert-Houdin claims, in the folds of the Mokadem's burnous. In this one chapter alone Robert-Houdin quotes six authorities in explaining the tricks he witnessed, which fact only strengthens my belief that he borrowed his tricks, as well as his explanations, from able and graphic writers on the art of magic. The next work descriptive of the conjurer's art offered by Robert-Houdin was "Les Secrets de la Prestidigitation et de la Magie." Under the title of "The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic; or, How to Become a Wizard," it was translated and edited by Professor Hoffmann and published in 1878 by George Routledge & Co., London and New York. Absolutely no originality is displayed in this book, and the majority of the tricks explained can be found in French books of a similar character which appeared before Robert-Houdin turned author. The proof of this statement can be found by reading any of the following works upon which Robert-Houdin patently drew for his material: "Nouvelle Magie Blanche Dévoilée et Cours Complet de Prestidigitation," in two volumes, by J. N. Ponsin, published in Paris in 1853; "Grande Initiation au vraie Pratique des Célèbres Physiciens-Prestidigitateurs," Paris, 1855; "Nouveau Manuel Complet Sorciers, les scènes de Ventriloquie exécutées et communiquées par M. Conte, Physicien du Roi," Paris, 1837; "Anciens et Nouvaux Tours d'Escamotage," of which there are innumerable editions; "Le Manuel des Sorciers. Recréations Physiques, Mathématiques, Tours de Cartes et de Gibecière; suivre, des Jeux de Société," Paris, 1802. [Illustration: Position of the "vanished" Hindoo while concealed in the basket. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] His third work, "Magie et Physique Amusante," translated by Professor Hoffmann under the title of "The Secrets of Stage Conjuring," and published in English in 1881, is marred by an almost continuous strain of mis-statements, incorrect explanations, and downright falsification. On page 17 of the American edition Robert-Houdin starts his dramatic tale of inventing a detector lock by which he protected a rich neighbor, M. de l'Escalopier, from robbery, and incidentally in return secured funds with which to open his theatre in the Palais Royal. In his "Mémoirs" Robert-Houdin states that the opening of the theatre was made possible by the invention of the writing and drawing automaton whose history has been traced in chapter III. The reader can choose between the two stories. One is as plausible as the other. But to return to the detector lock. Count or M. De l'Escalopier having complained grievously to his humble neighbor, the watchmaker Robert-Houdin, that he and his family were being robbed, begged that the latter suggest some means of catching the thief. Robert-Houdin then recalled a childish device by which he had caught his school-fellows in the act of pilfering his desk, etc., and he proposed to the Count that the same device, elaborated to meet the strength of a full-grown man, be attached to his wealthy patron's desk. As first planned, the detector lock was to shoot off a pistol on being tampered with, and then brand the hand of the thief with nitrate of silver. Count de l'Escalopier objected to branding a man for life, so Robert-Houdin substituted for the nitrate of silver a sort of cat's claw which would clamp down on the robber's hand and draw blood. The Count deposited ten thousand francs in his desk and caught the robber, his confidential servant, red-handed. The ten thousand francs he presented to Robert-Houdin as a reward for stopping the thefts. A charming tale this makes, but, unfortunately for Robert-Houdin's claims to originality, the detector lock was not a novelty in his day. The lock which would first alarm the household by setting off a pistol and then brand the thief's hand, is described by the Marquis of Worcester in his book "Centurie of Inventions." As locks and locksmithing form my hobby, while in England I purchased the entire set of patent-books, to add to a collection of locks and fastenings from every known country of the world. In the introduction of the first book of patents for inventions relating to locks, latches, bolts, etc., from A.D. 1774 to 1866, the following quotation will be found: "The Marquis of Worcester in his 'Centurie of Inventions' thus describes the first detector lock invented, A.D. 1640, by some mechanical genius of that day: 'This lock is so constructed that, if a stranger attempts to open it, it catches his hand as a trap catches a fox, though not as far as maiming him for life, yet so far marketh him that if suspected he might easily be detected.'" It appears that to this lock was fitted a steel barb which, if a certain tumbler was overlifted in the act of picking or otherwise, was projected against the hand of the operator by a spring. I have seen such a lock as this in the collection of Hobbs, Hart & Co., London, who have had it in their possession many years. In every respect it answers the description of the invention claimed by Robert-Houdin as his own. Chapter VII. of "Secrets of Stage Conjuring" is devoted to Robert-Houdin's very incorrect explanation of the famous Indian Basket Trick. Even his own translator, Professor Hoffmann, takes issue with Robert-Houdin, as will be seen by reading his foot-note on page 104: "We will not venture to question the fact vouched for by so high an authority as Robert-Houdin, that the Indian Basket Trick may sometimes be performed after the manner above described, but we doubt very much whether such is the usual or customary method." [Illustration: A Ramo Samee handbill, featuring his stone-swallowing act. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] [Illustration: Handbill used by the original Indian jugglers in England during 1818, in which the sword-swallowing trick is featured. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Robert-Houdin states that the child is placed in the basket, and the Indian fastens down the lid with leather straps. To facilitate this operation, he rests his knees against the basket, and the bottom of the latter thus being turned toward the audience, the boy slips out through a cunningly contrived trap and quickly conceals himself under the robe of the magician, whose attitude favors this concealment. As the basket trick is the Hindoo magician's most wonderful offering, a truthful account of his methods of performing the same may be interesting. In the first place, Robert-Houdin's explanation is impossible and unreasonable because the Hindoo magician does not wear flowing robes in which the child could be concealed. Every Hindoo performer I have ever seen wore short trousers and was barefooted. The correct method of performing the trick, which has been handed down through generations of Hindoos, is as follows: The boy subject is placed in a net in which he is firmly tied, after having had his big toes and thumbs fastened down with bandages. Then, with many a grunt and a groan, he is lifted into the basket. The subject, however, pretends that the basket is too small, so he is really seated on one side and keeps his back in the air. This is done to give the appearance eventually that it was impossible for him to crouch down or around the basket. The lid of the basket is now placed on his back, and a large sheet is thrown over the entire apparatus, which conceals from the audience every movement made by the subject. Now commences the Hindoo "patter," in reality yells, groans, and incantations, while the magician and his assistant strike the basket with swords or canes, stamp on the ground, gnash their teeth, etc. Gradually the cover of the basket sinks until the basket seems empty, to the spectators at least. The fakir now takes off the cover of the basket, leaving the sheet over it, however. Then he jumps into the presumably empty basket, stamps all around, and takes out the net in which are found the turban worn by the subject and the thumb tie. To prove further that the basket is still empty, the fakir seats himself in the basket, as shown in the illustration. The lid of the basket is now replaced, and under this friendly cover the sheet is taken off and the basket tied up. Now commences the true Hindoo magic. The magician is a real actor. He apparently adjures Mahomet. He gets very angry and with fierce looks, ejaculations, and muttered curses he grabs up a sword or cane and jabs it through different parts of the basket. During all this time the subject, who is something of a contortionist, is wriggling about on the bottom of the basket, keeping out of reach of the sword, and in fact often guiding its thrusts between his legs, as every movement on the part of the fakir has been carefully thought out and rehearsed in advance. By this time the fakir has convinced his audience that the basket is empty. To be sure he has not allowed any spectators to come too near him or the basket, nor has any hand save his touched it, but his clever acting almost persuades even an intelligent or sceptical onlooker that the basket is empty. With the lid of the basket replaced, this time above the friendly sheet, and the basket tied, he resumes his weird incantations. He screams and runs back and forth, playing on a small instrument with a hideous tone which is a cross between the whistle of a locomotive with a cold, and a sawed-off and hammered-down flute in which has been inserted a tin whistle. As this nerve-racking music holds the spectators under its awful spell, the basket begins to rock, the contortionist-subject gradually raises himself inside the basket, and when the noise is at its height he straightens up in the basket and raises it with his back as far as it will go. To the uninitiated it actually appears as if he had returned to an empty basket in his original position. The trick is a marvellous deception, but only a Hindoo can exhibit it with success, for no white person would ever indulge in the screechings, imbecilities, and contortions which are the spectacular and convincing features of the trick. Sometimes the trick is varied. Instead of the subject being found in his original position he is seen running toward the crowd as from a distance. This is accomplished by having two subjects, one in the basket and one hidden on the outskirts of the crowd, who are "doubles" or at least who show a marked resemblance and are dressed exactly alike. The earliest programmes of Hindoo jugglers in my collection are dated 1818. The "Mr. Ramosamee" featured on this bill later split his name thus, "Ramo Samee," and was engaged to perform alone between the acts of "The Broken Heart" at the Garrick Theatre, London. From Ramo Samee, Continental and British magicians learned the trick of juggling brass balls. On page 135 Professor Hoffmann, in a foot-note, commends Robert-Houdin for the very impartial manner in which he approaches the question of spiritualism and spiritualistic manifestations, in his day a comparative novelty: "In default of absolute certainty, he wisely reserves his opinion. Where, however, as in the case of the Davenport Brothers, he had an opportunity of personally observing the alleged 'phenomena,' he has neither difficulty in penetrating nor hesitation in denouncing the imposture. We venture to believe that any of the so-called spiritualistic manifestations which had come under the test of Robert-Houdin's examination would have met a similar fate." With this commendation I cannot agree. Robert-Houdin once had all the leeway he wished at a most remarkable manifestation and made no attempt to hide the fact that he was baffled by the "phenomena." The "Memoirs of Marquis de Mirville" contain a Robert-Houdin letter in which he admits that he could find no explanation of tests just witnessed. The letter, translated from "Die Magie des XIX. Jahrhunderts von Uriarte," 1896, published in Berlin, Germany, by Heusers Verlag, is herewith quoted: "I returned from the séance as greatly astonished as it was possible for me to be, and I am thoroughly convinced that it was entirely out of the possibility, and no chance whatever, that it was either by accident or practised trickery to produce such wonderful materializations. Robert-Houdin, May 18th, 1847." He further shows his ignorance of séances as offered in his times, by his attempt to describe the methods employed by the Davenport Brothers, to whom he devotes chapter XIII., which might be described as a chapter of errors. These picturesque American entertainers, the Davenport Brothers, hailed from Buffalo, N. Y., U.S.A. Ira Erastus was born September 17th, 1839, and William Henry, February 1st, 1841. They fairly startled the world by their so-called manifestations of spiritualism during the 60's, and were alternately lauded and reviled for their performances. [Illustration: The Davenport Brothers in their prime, from photographs furnished by them to the contemporary press, now in the Harry Houdini Collection.] Both were below medium height, rather handsome men, and, as will be seen from the accompanying engraving, looked much alike. Their career, which started in America, ran from about 1853 to the early 70's. They made a trip to Europe in 1864, remaining until August, 1869. Both married abroad; Ira a daughter of France, Mlle. Louise Toulet, and William Henry a Polish girl, Miss Matilda Mag. On the whole, their foreign tour was most profitable, though in some cities they paid a high price for their notoriety. In England they waged bitter warfare with John Henry Anderson, Tolmaque, and Professor Redmond. On the occasion of their Paris opening at the Salle Herz they claimed that the hoodlum element mobbed the theatre and broke up their performance at the instigation of Henri Robin, who was playing in opposition. Hamilton, who had succeeded to the management of Robert-Houdin's theatre, in a letter published after witnessing their initial performance announced that he shared this belief; but as Robert-Houdin and Henri Robin were bitter rivals, I believe Hamilton's letter was the result of two things: first the intense ill-will he harbored against Robin, and second, as he had Robert-Houdin as his mentor, he was really ignorant of the Davenport methods and therefore not in a position to defend them. The letter, which is given in full, appeared in _Gazette des �trangers_, Paris, September 27th, 1865: "Messrs. Davenport: Yesterday I had the pleasure of being present at the séance you gave, and I came away from it convinced that jealousy alone was the cause of the outcry raised against you. The phenomena produced surpassed my expectations, and your experiments were full of interest to me. I consider it my duty to add that these phenomena are inexplicable; and the more so by such persons as have thought themselves able to guess your supposed secret, and who are, in fact, far indeed from having discovered the truth. Hamilton." [Illustration: The cabinet trick offered by the Davenport Brothers. From an old print in the Harry Houdini Collection.] After their return to America the Davenport Brothers retired from public life, purchased a farm, and rested on their laurels and a corpulent bank account. One of them is said to have admitted that all their work was skilful manipulation and not spiritualistic manifestations. Nevertheless, their names will live so long as spiritualism is talked of or cabinet effects tolerated by the public. The trick as offered by the Davenport Brothers consisted of their being tied hand and foot at opposite ends of the cabinet, which was hung with musical instruments, bells, etc. The two men slipped in and out of the ropes without delay or apparent damage to the ropes, and musical instruments were played with arms presumably in bondage. Robert-Houdin, in attempting to expose the trick, makes two flagrant errors. First he claims that "by dint of special practice on the part of our mediums, the thumb is made to lie flat in the hand, when the whole assumes a cylindrical form of scarcely greater diameter than the wrist"; and second that the Davenport Brothers had trained themselves to see in the dark. [Illustration: Announcement used by the Davenport Brothers on their return to London, England, after their tour of the Continent in April, 1868. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] As releasing myself from fastenings of all sorts, from ropes to strait-jackets, has been my profession for twenty years, I am in a position to contradict Robert-Houdin's first claim positively. I have met thousands of persons who claimed that the rope, as well as the handcuff trick, was accomplished by folding the hand together or making the wrist larger than the hand, but never have I met men or women who could make their hands smaller than their wrists. I have even gone so far as to have iron bands made and press my hands together, hoping eventually to make my hands smaller than my wrists, but this has failed, too. Even if the entire thumb were cut away, I believe it would still be impossible to slip a rope that was properly bound around the wrist. You may take any cuff of the adjustable make, or a ratchet cuff, place it about a small woman's wrist, and you will find that even she will be unable to slip her wrists. I do not mean by this any hand-cuff that will not come to any size, or the common cuffs which when locked will lock only to a certain size, but I mean a cuff that can be locked and adjusted to any size of wrist. In rope-tying, the principal trick is to allow yourself to be tied according to certain methods of crossing your hands or wrists, so that by eventually straightening your hands you have made enough room to allow them to slip out very easily. It is not always the size of the wrist that counts. It is the manner of holding your hands when the knots are being tied. The gift of seeing in the dark, with which Robert-Houdin endowed the Davenports, is equally preposterous. Professor Hoffmann defends Robert-Houdin by citing instances of prisoners who had been confined in cells for an indefinite period and who had learned to see in the dark. This is quite true, but they did not alternate daylight and darkness. Eminent opticians and oculists inform me that the faculty of seeing in the dark cannot be acquired by parties like the Davenports, who spent most of their time in the light. While the Davenports were pioneers in rope-tying and cabinet séances, had Robert-Houdin been the clever sleight-of-hand performer and inventor he claims to have been, these tricks would have been clear and solvable to him. But as he obviously joined the ranks of the amazed and bewildered masses, making only a futile attempt to explain the performances, he convicts himself of ignorance regarding his own art. A man who has made a fortune in the world of magic and who desires to hand down to posterity a clean record of his attainments will be clever enough and manly enough to avoid any attempt to explain that which he does not understand. By his flagrant mis-statements regarding the tricks of his predecessors and contemporaries, Robert-Houdin, however, convicts himself of ignorance regarding the fundamental principles of magic, and arouses in the minds of broad, intelligent readers doubts regarding his claims to the invention of the various tricks and automata which he declares to have been the output of his brain, the production of his own deft hands. CHAPTER XI THE NARROWNESS OF ROBERT-HOUDIN'S "MEMOIRS" The charm of true memoirs lies far beyond the printed pages, in the depth and breadth of the writer's soul. The greatest of all autobiographies are those which detail not only the lives of the men who penned them, but which abound in diverting anecdotes and character studies of the men and women among whom the writer moved. They are not autobiographies alone, but vivid, broad-minded pen-pictures of the period in which the writer was a vigorous, respect-compelling figure. Memoirs written with a view to settling old scores seldom live to accomplish their ends. The narrowness and pettiness of the writer, which intelligent reading of history is bound to disclose, destroy all other charms which the book may possess. At personal exploitation Robert-Houdin is a brilliant success. As a writer of memoirs he is a wretched failure. Whenever he writes of himself, his pen seems fairly to scintillate. Whenever he refers to other magicians of his times, his pen lags and drops on the pages blots which can emanate only from a narrow, petty, jealous nature. Even when he writes of his own family, this peculiar trait of petty egotism may be read between the lines. He mentions the name of his son �mile, apparently because the lad shared his stage triumphs. His other children he never mentions by name. The second wife, who, he grudgingly admits, stood valiantly by him in his days of poverty and disappointment, he does not honor by so much as stating her name before marriage. Rather, he refers to her as a person whom he was constrained to place in charge of his household in order that he might continue his experiments and his work on automata. A less gracious tribute to wifely devotion was never penned. But it is in dealing with contemporary magicians or those whose handiwork in bygone years he cleverly purloined and proclaimed as his original inventions, that the petty jealousy of the man comes to the surface. Whenever he desires to claim for himself credit due a predecessor in the world of magic, he either ignores the man's very existence or writes of his competitor in such a manner that the latter's standing as man and magician is lowered. Not that he makes broad, sweeping statements. Rather, he indulges in the innuendo which is far more dangerous to the party attacked. He never strikes a pen-blow which, because of its brutality, might arouse the sympathy of his readers for the object of his attack. Here, in the gentle art of innuendo and belittling, if not in the conjurer's art, Robert-Houdin is a master. [Illustration: Wiljalba Frikell in his youth, showing the peculiar costume worn by conjurers at that time. The author secured this portrait a few weeks before Frikell's death and sent it to the veteran conjurer, who was amazed to learn that this print was in existence. Now in the Harry Houdini Collection.] In writing his "Memoirs" he deliberately ignores Compars Herrmann, Henri Robin, Wiljalba Frikell, M. Jacobs, and P. T. Barnum, all of whom he knew personally. He might have written most entertainingly of these men, but in each case he had an object in avoiding reference to the acquaintance. P. T. Barnum knew the true history of the writing and drawing figure, as reference to chapter III. of this book will show. Frikell was the pioneer in dispensing with cumbersome stage draperies. Robert-Houdin claimed this innovation as the product of his own ingenuity. Compars Herrmann was playing in London when Robert-Houdin made his English début under Mitchell's direction, and was presenting, trick for trick, the répertoire claimed by Robert-Houdin as original with him. Henri Robin disputed Robert-Houdin's claim to having invented the inexhaustible bottle, and proved his case, as will be seen by reference to chapter VIII. Jacobs was one of Anderson's cleverest imitators and a rival of Robert-Houdin in the English provinces. The adroit manner in which Robert-Houdin flays Pinetti, Anderson, and Bosco would arouse admiration were his pen-lashings devoted to men who deserved such treatment. Under existing circumstances--his debt to Bosco and Pinetti, whose tricks he filched remorselessly, and the fact that Anderson's popularity outlived his own in England--his efforts to belittle these men are unworthy of one who called himself a man and a master magician. The truly great and successful man rises above petty jealousy and personalities. This, Robert-Houdin could not do, even when he sat pen in hand, in retirement, with the fear of competition removed. It seems almost incredible that Robert-Houdin should ignore Henri Robin in his "Memoirs," for Robin was one of the most interesting characters of that day. He still stands in magic's history as the Chesterfield of conjuring, a man of many gifts, charming address, and broad education. Even in his dispute with Robert-Houdin regarding the invention of the inexhaustible bottle, he never forgot his dignity, but proved his case by that most potent of arguments, a well-edited magazine published under his direction, in which an illustration showed him actually performing the trick in 1844, or a full three years before it appeared on Robert-Houdin's programme. Robert-Houdin was indebted to Robin for another trick, the Garde Française, introduced by Robert-Houdin in October, 1847. Henri Robin had precisely the same figure, doing precisely the same feats, in the garb of an Arab. An illustration from Robin's magazine, _L'Almanach Cagliostro_, shows Robin offering this figure in March, 1846, or a year and seven months before it was presented by Robert-Houdin. Yet the only reference made by Robert-Houdin to this popular and gifted contemporary is in "The Secrets of Stage Conjuring" where he remarks slightingly that Robin spoiled Mr. Pepper's business by giving a poor imitation of the latter's ghost show. Again, in ignoring Herrmann, he proves his narrowness of mind, his utter unwillingness to admit any ability in his rivals. Compars Herrmann was no ordinary trickster or mountebank, but a conjurer who remained in London almost a year, playing the very best houses, and later scoring equal popularity in the provinces. He was decorated by various monarchs and was famous for his large gifts to charities. Even the present generation, including theatre-goers and students of magic, remembers the name of Herrmann, when Robert-Houdin is forgotten or would be but for his cleverly written autobiography. Wiljalba Frikell, to whom should go the credit of cutting out heavy stage draperies, never claimed the innovation as a carefully planned conceit, but as an accident. His paraphernalia were destroyed in a fire, but he desired to live up to his contract and give a performance as announced. He therefore offered sleight-of-hand, pure and simple, with the aid of a few tables, chairs, and other common properties which were absolutely undraped. He was also compelled to don regulation, severely plain, evening clothes. The absence of draperies, which naturally aid a conjurer in attaining results, created so pleasing a sensation that Frikell never again draped his stage nor wore fancy raiment. Had Robert-Houdin told the truth about his so-called innovation, he must have given Frikell credit, wherefore he conveniently ignores Frikell completely. It is entirely characteristic of Robert-Houdin that he did not openly assail Pinetti in the pages of his "Memoirs." With cleverness worthy of a better cause, he quotes the bitter verbal attack as issuing from the lips of the friend and mentor of his youth, Signor Torrini. The major portion of chapter VI., pages 92 to 104 inclusive, American edition of his autobiography, is devoted to assailing Pinetti's abilities as a conjurer and his reputation as a man. Granted that Pinetti did put Torrini to shame on the Neapolitan stage, such revenge for a wholesale duplication of the magician's tricks might be termed almost human and natural. Had a minor magician, amateur or professional, dogged the footsteps of Robert-Houdin, copying his tricks, the entire répertoire upon which he depended for a livelihood, thus endangering his future, I doubt that even the author of "Confidences d'un Prestidigitateur" would have hesitated to unmask and undo his rival. In fact, by reference to the editorial note, foot of page 421, American edition of Robert-Houdin's "Memoirs," it will be seen that in 1850 Robert-Houdin appealed to the law for protection in just such a case. An employee was sent to prison for two years, as judgment for selling to an amateur some of his master's secrets. [Illustration: Bartolomeo Bosco in his prime. From an engraving in the Harry Houdini Collection.] But in attacking Pinetti, Robert-Houdin goes a step too far and falsifies, not directly but by innuendo, when he permits the impression to go forth that Pinetti was hounded and ruined both financially and professionally by Torrini, as is set forth on page 104. He pictures Torrini as dogging the footsteps of Pinetti through all Italy and finally driving him in a state of abject misery to Russia, where he died in the home of a nobleman, who sheltered him through sheer compassion. Robert-Houdin must have known this was absolutely untrue, for he quotes Robertson, who published Pinetti's true experiences in Russia. Pinetti took a fortune with him to Russia, acquired more wealth there, and then lost his entire financial holdings through his passion for balloon experiments, as is set forth in chapter II. of this book. Then, to show his own inconsistency, after picturing Pinetti in his "Memoirs" as a charlatan, a conjurer of vulgar, uncouth pretensions rather than as a good showman of real ability, Robert-Houdin is forced to admit on page 25 of "Secrets of Magic" that later conjurers employed Pinetti programmes as a foundation upon which their performances were built! Even here, however, Robert-Houdin fails to acknowledge an iota of the heavy debt which he personally owed the despised Chevalier Pinetti. Robert-Houdin devotes the greater part of chapter X., American edition of his autobiography, to belittling Bosco, a conjurer whose popularity all over Europe was long-lived. First, he pictures Bosco as a most cruel creature who literally tortured to death the birds used in his performances. Here, as in his attack on Pinetti, Robert-Houdin throws the responsibility for criticism on the shoulders of another. His old friend Antonio accompanies him to watch Bosco's performance, and it is Antonio throughout the narrative who inveighs against Bosco's cruelty and Antonio who insists upon leaving before the performance closes, because the cruelty of the conjurer nauseates him. At that time no society for the protection of animals existed, and, even if it had, I doubt whether Bosco's performance would have come under the ban. Certain magicians of to-day employ many of Bosco's tricks in which birds and even small animals are used, but the conjuring is so deftly done that the public of 1907, like that of 1838, thinks it is all sleight-of-hand work and that the birds are neither hurt nor killed. Even in Bosco's time the bird trick was not in his répertoire exclusively. All English magicians employed it. Apparently the head of the fowl was amputated, but often in reality it was tucked under the wing, and the head and neck of another fowl was shown by sleight-of-hand. Quite probably the Parisian public did not consider Bosco cruel. Robert-Houdin and his friend Antonio, being versed in sleight-of-hand and conjuring methods, read cruelty between the deft movements. Certain it is that the name of Bosco has not been handed down to posterity by other writers as a synonym of cruelty. The animus of Robert-Houdin's attack on Bosco is evident at every point of the narrative. Now he accuses him of bad taste in appearing in the box-office. Again he suggests that the somewhat impressive opening of Bosco's act savors of both charlatanism and burlesque, when in reality the secret of showmanship consists not of what you really do, but what the mystery-loving public thinks you do. Bosco undoubtedly secured precisely the effect he desired, because Robert-Houdin devotes more than a page to a most unnecessary attempt to explain away what he considered Bosco's undeserved popularity. Bosco was not only a clever magician, but a man of many adventures, so that his life reads like a romance. This soldier of fortune, Bartolomeo Bosco, was born of a noble Piedmont family, on January 11th, 1793, in Turin, Italy. From boyhood he showed great ability as a necromancer, but at the age of nineteen he was forced to serve under Napoleon I. in the Russian campaign. He was a fusilier in the Eleventh Infantry, and at the battle of Borodino was injured in an engagement with Cossacks. Pierced by a lance, he lay upon the ground apparently dead. A Cossack callously roamed among the dead and dying, rifling pockets and belts. When he came to the form of Bosco, that youth feigned death, knowing that resistance to the ghoul meant a death wound. But while the Cossack robbed the Italian soldier, the latter stealthily raised his unwounded arm and by sleight-of-hand rifled the well-filled pockets of the ghoul, which fact was not discovered by the Cossack until he was far from the field of the dead and dying, where he had left one of the enemy considerably better off, thanks to Bosco's conjuring gifts. Later Bosco was sent captive to Siberia, where he perfected his sleight-of-hand while amusing fellow-prisoners and jailers. In 1814 he was released and returned to his native land, where he studied medicine, but eventually decided to become a public entertainer. He was not only a clever entertainer, but a good business man, and he planned each year on saving enough money to insure a life of ease in his old age. But events intervened to ruin all his well-laid plans. The sins of his youth brought their penalty. An illegitimate son, Eugene, became a heavy drag upon the retired magician, who was compelled to pay large sums to the young man in order to prevent his playing in either France or Germany or assuming the name of Bosco. In a German antiquary's shop at Bonn on the Rhine I found an agreement in which Bosco agreed to pay this youth five thousand francs for not using the name of Bosco. This agreement is too long for reproduction in this volume, but unquestionably it is genuine and tells all too eloquently the troubles which beset Bosco in his old age. Eugene was said to be the superior of his famous father in sleight-of-hand, but he was wild and given to excesses. Women and wine checked what might have been a brilliant professional career. Disabled, poverty-stricken, and respected by none, he soon disappeared from the conjuring world, and according to Carl Willman in the "Zauberwelt" he died miserably in Hungary in 1891. [Illustration: Only photograph of Madame Bosco, given to the author by Mrs. Mueller, Madame Bosco's niece, at the funeral of Wiljalba Frikell.] [Illustration: The author at the grave of Bosco. From a photograph in the Harry Houdini Collection.] In the mean time, Bosco and his wife lived in poverty in Dresden, where the once brilliant conjurer died March 2nd, 1863. His wife died three years later and was interred in the grave with her husband in a cemetery on Friedrichstrasse. There was nothing on the tombstone to indicate the double interment, and I discovered the fact only by investigating the municipal and cemetery records. Here I also learned that the grave had merely been leased, and as the lease was about to expire the bones of the great conjurer and his faithful wife might soon be disinterred and reburied in a neglected corner of the graveyard devoted to the poor and unclaimed dead. To prevent this, I purchased the lot and tombstone, and presented the same to the Society of American Magicians, of which organization, at the present writing, I am a member. A man of noble birth and brilliant attainments was the original Bosco, and his name became a by-word all over the Continent as the synonym, not of cruelty, but of clever deception, yet never has posterity put the name of a great performer to such ignoble uses. For who has not heard the cry of the modern Bosco, "Eat-'em-alive"? To-day I can close my eyes and summon two visions. First I see myself standing bareheaded before a neglected grave in the quiet cemetery on Friedrichstrasse, Dresden, the sunlight pouring down upon the tombstone which bears not only the cup-and-balls and wand, insignia of Bosco's most famous trick, but this inscription: "Ici repose le célèbre Bartolomeo Bosco.--Né à Turin le 11 Janvier, 1793; décédé à Dresden le 2 Mars, 1863." The history of this clever conjurer, with all its lights and shadows, sweeps before me like a mental panorama. The second vision carries me into the country, to the fairs of England and the side-shows of America: "Bosco! Bosco! Eat-'em-alive Bosco. You can't afford to miss this marvel. Bosco! Bosco!" Follow me into the enclosure and gaze down into a den. There lies a half-naked human being. His hair is long and matted, a loin cloth does wretched duty as clothing. Torn sandals are on his feet. The eulogistic lecturer dilates upon the powers of this twentieth-century Bosco, but you do not listen. Your fascinated gaze is fixed on various hideous, wriggling, writhing forms on the floor of the den. Snakes--scores of them! Now the creature, half-animal, half-human, glances up to make sure that attention is riveted upon him, then grasps one of the serpents in his hideous hands and in a flash bites off its head. The writhing body falls back to the ground. You grip the railing in a sudden faintness. Has your brain deceived your eyes, or your eyes your brain? If you are a conjurer you try to convince yourself that it is all a clever sleight-of-hand exhibition, but in your heart you know it is not true. This creature, so near a beast, has debauched his manhood for a few paltry dollars, and in dragging himself down has dragged down the name of a worthy, a brilliant, a world-famous performer. Of the twentieth-century Boscos there are, alas, many. You will find them all over the world, in street carnivals, side-shows, fair-booths, and museums, and why the public supports such debasing exhibitions I have never yet been able to understand. I have seen half-starved Russians pick food from refuse-barrels. I have seen besotted Americans creep out from low dives to draw the dregs of beer-barrels into tomato cans. I have seen absinthe fiends in Paris trade body and soul to obtain their beloved stimulant. I have heard morphine fiends in Russia promise to exhibit the effect of the needle in return for the price of an injection. But never has my soul so risen in revolt as at sight of this bestial exhibition with which the name of Bosco, a nobleman and a conjurer of merit, has been linked. [Illustration: Anderson's opening programme at the Strand Theatre, Christmas week, 1848, showing that he duplicated the tricks offered by Robert-Houdin, who, in his "Memoirs," claims that Anderson's programme was stale and uninteresting by comparison with his own.] Even more despicable than his attack upon Bosco is Robert-Houdin's flaying of John Henry Anderson. In this he is both unmanly and untruthful. Hinging his attack on his surprise at the press methods and advertising adopted in England as opposed to the less spectacular means employed in France, he insinuates that Anderson's entire success was built not upon merit, ability, originality, or diversified programmes, but solely upon sensational advertising. On page 325 of the American edition of his "Memoirs" Robert-Houdin writes thus of his competitor: "On my arrival in England a conjurer of the name of Anderson, who assumed the title of Great Wizard of the North, had been performing for a long period at the little Strand Theatre. "This artist, fearing, doubtlessly, that public attention might be divided, tried to crush the publicity of my performances; hence he sent out on London streets a cavalcade thus organized: "Four enormous carriages, covered with posters and pictures representing all sorts of witchcraft, opened the procession. Then followed four-and-twenty merry men, each bearing a banner on which was painted a letter a yard in height. "At each cross-road the four carriages stopped side by side and presented a bill some twenty-five yards in length, while all the men (I should say letters), on receiving the word of command, drew themselves up in a line, like the vehicles. "Seen in front the letters formed this phrase: THE CELEBRATED ANDERSON ! ! ! While on the other side of the banners could be read: THE GREAT WIZARD OF THE NORTH. [Illustration: Handbill used by Anderson in Germany. January, 1848, when Robert-Houdin claimed that he was playing in the English provinces. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] "Unfortunately for the Wizard, his performances were attacked by a mortal disease; too long a stay in London had ended by producing satiety. Besides, his repertory was out-of-date, and could not contend against the new tricks which I was offering. What could he present to the public in opposition to the second sight, the suspension, and the inexhaustible bottle? Hence he was obliged to close his theatre and start for the provinces, where he managed, as usual, to make excellent receipts, owing to his powerful means of notoriety." In the first place, Robert Houdin insinuates that when they played in opposition John Henry Anderson's répertoire was stale and uninteresting. Is it possible that Robert-Houdin could not read Anderson's bills, or were his statements deliberate falsehoods, emanating from a malicious, wilful desire to injure Anderson? What did Anderson have to offer in opposition to Robert-Houdin's much-vaunted Suspension, Second Sight, and Inexhaustible Bottle? Consult the Anderson programme, reproduced, and you will find that the great Wizard of the North duplicated the French conjurer's répertoire. "The Ethereal Suspension" of Robert-Houdin's programme was "Suspension Chloroforeene" on Anderson's. Second Sight appeared on both bills. "The Inexhaustible Bottle" had wisely been dropped by Anderson because he had been using it in one form or another for ten years preceding the date of Robert-Houdin's appearance in London, as is proven in chapter IX. of this book. Therefore, if Anderson's programme was passé and uninteresting, so also must have been the one offered by Robert-Houdin! [Illustration: Poster used by Anderson during his closing week at the Strand Theatre, London, January 11th, 1848. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Second, John Henry Anderson was not in London when Robert-Houdin arrived there in May, 1848. He was on the Continent, and a bill reproduced will show that he was in Germany in January, 1848, and did not open at the Strand Theatre until December 26th, 1848. Then it was Robert-Houdin who had just returned from the provinces, not Anderson. Anderson had been playing the capitals of Europe. Robert-Houdin had been in Manchester, England. Robert-Houdin again skilfully twists the truth to suit his own ends. He actually states that Anderson, returning from a tour of the provinces, used a new poster, a caricature of the famous painting, "Napoleon's Return from Elba": "In the foreground Anderson was seen affecting the attitude of the great man; above his head fluttered an enormous banner bearing the words 'The Wonder of the World'; while, behind him and somewhat lost in the shade, the Emperor of Russia and several other monarchs stood in a respectful posture. As in the original picture, the fanatic admirers of the Wizard embraced his knees, while an immense crowd received him triumphantly. In the distance could be seen the equestrian statue of the Iron Duke, who, hat in hand, bowed before him, the Great Wizard; and lastly, the very dome of St. Paul's bent towards him most humbly. "At the bottom was the inscription, RETURN OF THE NAPOLEON OF NECROMANCY. "Regarded seriously, this picture would be found a puff in very bad taste; but as a caricature it is excessively comic. Besides, it had the double result of making the London public laugh and bringing a great number of shillings into the skilful puffer's pockets." [Illustration: Eugene Bosco, son of the original Bosco. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] Reference to my collection of Anderson programmes and press clippings proves that while on the Continent his performances had created such a sensation that, according to the ethics and etiquette of his profession, Anderson was quite justified in assuming the title of "The Napoleon of Necromancy" and in depicting even kings and noblemen admiring his abilities as a conjurer. But, alas, Robert-Houdin had played only before English and French monarchs, not before the other crowned heads of Europe, including the Czar of Russia and the German Kaiser! It required weeks and months of browsing in old book- and print-shops, national libraries, and rare collections on my part to prove that Anderson had really played these engagements, when his bitter rival, Robert-Houdin, his heart eaten with jealousy until his sense of honor and truth was hopelessly blunted, was claiming that Anderson had just returned from a trip in the English provinces. It will be noted by reference to the Anderson programme that he had been engaged only for the Christmas holidays, but despite Robert-Houdin's claim that he was a failure and was obliged to close and seek new fields of conquest in the provinces, Anderson's engagement was extended. He remained at the Strand until January 11th, 1848, then after a brief provincial tour he actually returned to London and played to big receipts. Again and again he appeared in London. Far from being the unpopular, forgotten ex-magician pictured by Robert-Houdin, he performed with great success at the St. James Theatre, London, in 1851. Robert-Houdin appeared in London for the last time in 1853, but in 1865 "the despised and forgotten Anderson" was there again, creating a furor in his exposure of the Davenport Brothers. [Illustration: John Henry Anderson as he appeared in his later years. From a cut in the Harry Houdini Collection.] Robert-Houdin might have been justified in criticising Anderson's sensational advertising methods, for these were entirely opposed to the more elegant and conservative methods employed by the French conjurer. But certainly he was not justified in picturing his rival as one who had passed his prime, whose popularity had waned, whose répertoire no longer attracted the public. For, in addition to duplicating Robert-Houdin's entire répertoire, Anderson offered tricks of which Robert-Houdin knew nothing, and for years to come he constantly reconstructed his programmes, keeping them strictly up-to-date. Anderson did die a poor man, but this was not because the amusement-loving public had wearied of him. A popular performer, like so many of his class he did not know how to invest his huge earnings. It is known that he gave $20,000 to various charities, while no record of Robert-Houdin's charities exists. He was burned out several times. He lost money through a bad contract made for his Australian tour. Certain investments dropped in value because of the Civil War in the United States, during which England sympathized with the South. Finally, during his American tour after the Civil War, Anderson played the Southern States, then steeped in bitterness toward the North, and was unfortunate enough to bill himself as "The Great Wizard of the North." This roused the Southern prejudice to white heat, he was almost mobbed, and was finally driven from that section of the country. He went into bankruptcy, November 19th, 1866, and died at Darlington, County Durham, England, Feb. 3rd, 1874. His remains were interred, in accordance with his dying request, at Aberdeen, Scotland. So ends the true history of Robert-Houdin. The master-magician, unmasked, stands forth in all the hideous nakedness of historical proof, the prince of pilferers. That he might bask for a few hours in public adulation, he purloined the ideas of magicians long dead and buried, and proclaimed these as the fruits of his own inventive genius. That he might be known to posterity as the king of conjurers, he sold his birthright of manhood and honor for a mere mess of pottage, his "Memoirs," written by the hand of another man, who at his instigation belittled his contemporaries, and juggled facts and truth to further his egotistical, jealous ambitions. But the day of reckoning is come. Upon the history of magic as promulgated by Robert-Houdin the searchlight of modern investigation has been turned. Credit has been given where it belongs, to those magicians who preceded Robert-Houdin and upon whose abilities and achievements Robert-Houdin built his unearned, unmerited fame. The dust of years has been swept from names long forgotten, which should forever shine in the annals of magic. Thus end, also, my researches, covering almost two decades of time, researches in which my veneration for old-time magicians grew with each newly discovered bit of history; researches during which my respect for the profession of magic has grown by leaps and bounds. And the fruits of these researches I now lay before the only true jury, the great reading public. My task is finished. * * * * * Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: Inventions and and Discoveries=> Inventions and Discoveries {pg 14} from his autobigraphy=> from his autobiography {pg 34} is supposed so have been engraved=> is supposed to have been engraved {pg 59 illustration caption} is his autobiography=> in his autobiography {pg 89 illustration caption} woudn=> wound {pg 160} perfomances=> performances {pg 187} though as far as maiming him for life=> though not as far as maiming him for life {pg 281} the frontispiese=> the frontispiece {pg 48 illustration caption} 
435	----	MIRACLE MONGERS AND THEIR METHODS A COMPLETE EXPOSE' OF THE MODUS OPERANDI OF FIRE EATERS, HEAT RESISTERS, POISON EATERS, VENOMOUS REPTILE DEFIERS, SWORD SWALLOWERS, HUMAN OSTRICHES, STRONG MEN, ETC. BY HOUDINI AUTHOR OF "THE UNMASKING OF ROBERT HOUDIN," ETC. AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED TO MY LIFE'S HELPMATE, WHO STARVED AND STARRED WITH ME DURING THE YEARS WE SPENT AMONG "MIRACLE MONGERS" My Wife PREFACE "All wonder," said Samuel Johnson, "is the effect of novelty on ignorance." Yet we are so created that without something to wonder at we should find life scarcely worth living. That fact does not make ignorance bliss, or make it "folly to be wise." For the wisest man never gets beyond the reach of novelty, nor can ever make it his boast that there is nothing he is ignorant of; on the contrary, the wiser he becomes the more clearly he sees how much there is of which he remains in ignorance. The more he knows, the more he will find to wonder at. My professional life has been a constant record of disillusion, and many things that seem wonderful to most men are the every-day commonplaces of my business. But I have never been without some seeming marvel to pique my curiosity and challenge my investigation. In this book I have set down some of the stories of strange folk and unusual performers that I have gathered in many years of such research. Much has been written about the feats of miracle-mongers, and not a little in the way of explaining them. Chaucer was by no means the first to turn shrewd eyes upon wonder-workers and show the clay feet of these popular idols. And since his time innumerable marvels, held to be supernatural, have been exposed for the tricks they were. Yet to-day, if a mystifier lack the ingenuity to invent a new and startling stunt, he can safely fall back upon a trick that has been the favorite of pressagents the world over in all ages. He can imitate the Hindoo fakir who, having thrown a rope high into the air, has a boy climb it until he is lost to view. He can even have the feat photographed. The camera will click; nothing will appear on the developed film; and this, the performer will glibly explain, "proves" that the whole company of onlookers was hypnotized! And he can be certain of a very profitable following to defend and advertise him. So I do not feel that I need to apologize for adding another volume to the shelves of works dealing with the marvels of the miracle-mongers. My business has given me an intimate knowledge of stage illusions, together with many years of experience among show people of all types. My familiarity with the former, and what I have learned of the psychology of the latter, has placed me at a certain advantage in uncovering the natural explanation of feats that to the ignorant have seemed supernatural. And even if my readers are too well informed to be interested in my descriptions of the methods of the various performers who have seemed to me worthy of attention in these pages, I hope they will find some amusement in following the fortunes and misfortunes of all manner of strange folk who once bewildered the wise men of their day. If I have accomplished that much, I shall feel amply repaid for my labor. HOUDINI. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. Fire worship.--Fire eating and heat resistance.--The Middle Ages.--Among the Navajo Indians.--Fire-walkers of Japan.--The Fiery Ordeal of Fiji II. Watton's Ship-swabber from the Indies.-Richardson, 1667.--De Heiterkeit, 1713.--Robert Powell, 1718-1780.--Dufour, 1783.--Quackensalber, 1794 III. The nineteenth century.--A "Wonderful Phenomenon."--"The Incombustible Spaniard, Senor Lionetto," 1803.--Josephine Girardelli, 1814.--John Brooks, 1817.--W. C. Houghton, 1832.--J. A. B. Chylinski, 1841.--Chamouni, the Russian Salamander, 1869.--Professor Rel Maeub, 1876. Rivelli (died 1900) IV. The Master--Chabert, 1792-1859 V. Fire-eating magicians. Ching Ling Foo and Chung Ling Soo.--Fire-eaters employed by magicians: The Man-Salamander, 1816.-Mr. Carlton, Professor of Chemistry, 1818.--Miss Cassillis, aged nine, 1820. The African Wonder, 1843.--Ling Look and Yamadeva die in China during Kellar's world tour, 1877.--Ling Look's double, 1879.--Electrical effects, The Salambos.--Bueno Core.--Del Kano.--Barnello.--Edwin Forrest as a heat-resister--The Elder Sothern as a fire-eater.--The Twilight of the Art VI. The Arcana of the fire-eaters: The formula of Albertus Magnus.--Of Hocus Pocus.--Richardson's method.--Philopyraphagus Ashburniensis.--To breathe forth sparks, smoke and flames.--To spout natural gas.--Professor Sementini's discoveries.--To bite off red-hot iron.--To cook in a burning cage.--Chabert's oven.--To eat coals of fire.--To drink burning oil.--To chew molten lead.--To chew burning brimstone.--To wreathe the face in flames.--To ignite paper with the breath.--To drink boiling liquor and eat flaming wax VII. The spheroidal condition of liquids.--Why the hand may be dipped in molten metals.--Principles of heat resistance put to practical uses: Aldini, 1829.--In early fire-fighting.--Temperatures the body can endure VIII. Sword-swallowers: Cliquot, Delno Fritz, Deodota, a razor-swallower, an umbrella-swallower, William Dempster, John Cumming, Edith Clifford, Victorina IX. Stone-eaters: A Silesian in Prague, 1006; Francois Battalia, ca. 1641; Platerus' beggar boy; Father Paulian's lithophagus of Avignon, 1760; "The Only One in the World," London, 1788; Spaniards in London, 1790; a secret for two and six; Japanese training.--Frog-swallowers: Norton; English Jack; Bosco; the snake-eater; Billington's prescription for hangmen; Captain Veitro.--Water spouters; Blaise Manfrede, ca. 1650; Floram Marchand, 1650 X. Defiers of poisonous reptiles: Thardo; Mrs. Learn, dealer in rattle-snakes.--Sir Arthur Thurlow Cunynghame on antidotes for snake-bite.--Jack the Viper.--William Oliver, 1735.--The advice of Cornelius Heinrich Agrippa, (1480-1535).--An Australian snake story.--Antidotes for various poisons XI. Strongmen of the eighteenth century: Thomas Topham (died, 1749); Joyce, 1703; Van Eskeberg, 1718; Barsabas and his sister; The Italian Female Sampson, 1724; The "little woman from Geneva," 1751; Belzoni, 1778-1823 XII. Contemporary strong people: Charles Jefferson; Louis Cyr; John Grun Marx; William Le Roy.--The Nail King, The Human Claw-hammer; Alexander Weyer; Mexican Billy Wells; A foolhardy Italian; Wilson; Herman; Sampson; Sandow; Yucca; La Blanche; Lulu Hurst.--The Georgia Magnet, The Electric Girl, etc.; Annie Abbott; Mattie Lee Price.--The Twilight of the Freaks.--The dime museums CHAPTER ONE FIRE WORSHIP.--FIRE EATING AND HEAT RESISTANCE.--IN THE MIDDLE AGES.--AMONG THE NAVAJO INDIANS.--FIRE-WALKERS OF JAPAN.--THE FIERY ORDEAL OF FIJI. Fire has always been and, seemingly, will always remain, the most terrible of the elements. To the early tribes it must also have been the most mysterious; for, while earth and air and water were always in evidence, fire came and went in a manner which must have been quite unaccountable to them. Thus it naturally followed that the custom of deifying all things which the primitive mind was unable to grasp, led in direct line to the fire-worship of later days. That fire could be produced through friction finally came into the knowledge of man, but the early methods entailed much labor. Consequently our ease-loving forebears cast about for a method to "keep the home fires burning" and hit upon the plan of appointing a person in each community who should at all times carry a burning brand. This arrangement had many faults, however, and after a while it was superseded by the expedient of a fire kept continually burning in a building erected for the purpose. The Greeks worshiped at an altar of this kind which they called the Altar of Hestia and which the Romans called the Altar of Vesta. The sacred fire itself was known as Vesta, and its burning was considered a proof of the presence of the goddess. The Persians had such a building in each town and village; and the Egyptians, such a fire in every temple; while the Mexicans, Natches, Peruvians and Mayas kept their "national fires" burning upon great pyramids. Eventually the keeping of such fires became a sacred rite, and the "Eternal Lamps" kept burning in synagogues and in Byzantine and Catholic churches may be a survival of these customs. There is a theory that all architecture, public and private, sacred and profane, began with the erection of sheds to protect the sacred fire. This naturally led men to build for their own protection as well, and thus the family hearth had its genesis. Another theory holds that the keepers of the sacred fires were the first public servants, and that from this small beginning sprang the intricate public service of the present. The worship of the fire itself had been a legacy from the earliest tribes; but it remained for the Rosicrucians and the fire philosophers of the Sixteenth Century under the lead of Paracelsus to establish a concrete religious belief on that basis, finding in the Scriptures what seemed to them ample proof that fire was the symbol of the actual presence of God, as in all cases where He is said to have visited this earth. He came either in a flame of fire, or surrounded with glory, which they conceived to mean the same thing. For example: when God appeared on Mount Sinai (Exod. xix, 18) "The Lord descended upon it in fire." Moses, repeating this history, said: "The Lord spake unto you out of the midst of fire" (Deut. iv, 12). Again, when the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses out of the flaming bush, "the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed" (Exod. iii, 3). Fire from the Lord consumed the burnt offering of Aaron (Lev. ix, 24), the sacrifice of Gideon (Judg. vi, 21), the burnt offering of David (1 Chron. xxxi, 26), and that at the dedication of King Solomon's temple (Chron. vii, 1). And when Elijah made his sacrifice to prove that Baal was not God, "the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust and the water that was in the trench." (1 Kings, xviii, 38.) Since sacrifice had from the earliest days been considered as food offered to the gods, it was quite logical to argue that when fire from Heaven fell upon the offering, God himself was present and consumed His own. Thus the Paracelsists and other fire believers sought, and as they believed found, high authority for continuing a part of the fire worship of the early tribes. The Theosophists, according to Hargrave Jennings in "The Rosicrucians," called the soul a fire taken from the eternal ocean of light, and in common with other Fire-Philosophers believed that all knowable things, both of the soul and the body, were evolved out of fire and finally resolvable into it; and that fire was the last and only-to-be-known God. In passing I might call attention to the fact that the Devil is supposed to dwell in the same element. Some of the secrets of heat resistance as practiced by the dime-museum and sideshow performers of our time, secrets grouped under the general title of "Fire-eating," must have been known in very early times. To quote from Chambers' "Book of Days": "In ancient history we find several examples of people who possessed the art of touching fire without being burned. The Priestesses of Diana, at Castabala, in Cappadocia, commanded public veneration by walking over red-hot iron. The Herpi, a people of Etruria, walked among glowing embers at an annual festival held on Mount Soracte, and thus proved their sacred character, receiving certain privileges, among others, exemption from military service, from the Roman Senate. One of the most astounding stories of antiquity is related in the 'Zenda-Vesta,' to the effect that Zoroaster, to confute his calumniators, allowed fluid lead to be poured over his body, without receiving any injury." To me the "astounding" part of this story is not in the feat itself, for that is extremely easy to accomplish, but in the fact that the secret was known at such an early date, which the best authorities place at 500 to 1000 B.C. It is said that the earliest recorded instance, in our era, of ordeal by fire was in the fourth century. Simplicius, Bishop of Autun, who had been married before his promotion, continued to live with his wife, and in order to demonstrate the Platonic purity of their intercourse placed burning coals upon their flesh without injury. That the clergy of the Middle Ages, who caused accused persons to walk blindfold among red-hot plowshares, or hold heated irons in their hands, were in possession of the secret of the trick, is shown by the fact that after trial by ordeal had been abolished the secret of their methods was published by Albert, Count of Bollstadt, usually called Albertus Magnus but sometimes Albertus Teutonicus, a man distinguished by the range of his inquiries and his efforts for the spread of knowledge. These secrets will be fully explained in the section of this history devoted to the Arcana of the Fire-Eaters (Chapter Six). I take the following from the New York Clipper-Annual of 1885: The famous fire dance of the Navajo Indians, often described as though it involved some sort of genuine necromancy, is explained by a matter-of-fact spectator. It is true, he says, that the naked worshipers cavort round a big bonfire, with blazing faggots in their hands, and dash the flames over their own and their fellows' bodies, all in a most picturesque and maniacal fashion; but their skins are first so thickly coated with a clay paint that they cannot easily be burned. An illustrated article entitled Rites of the Firewalking Fanatics of Japan, by W. C. Jameson Reid, in the Chicago Sunday Inter-Ocean of September 27th, 1903, reveals so splendid an example of the gullibility of the well-informed when the most ordinary trick is cleverly presented and surrounded with the atmosphere of the occult, that I am impelled to place before my readers a few illuminating excerpts from Mr. Reid's narrative. This man would, in all probability, scorn to spend a dime to witness the performance of a fire-eater in a circus sideshow; but after traveling half round the world he pays a dollar and spends an hour's time watching the fanatical incantations of the solemn little Japanese priests for the sake of seeing the "Hi-Wattarai"--which is merely the stunt of walking over hot coals--and he then writes it down as the "eighth wonder of the world," while if he had taken the trouble to give the matter even the most superficial investigation, he could have discovered that the secret of the trick had been made public centuries before. Mr. Reid is authority for the statement that the Shintoist priests' fire-walking rites have "long been one of the puzzling mysteries of the scientific world," and adds "If you ever are in Tokio, and can find a few minutes to spare, by all means do not neglect witnessing at least one performance of 'Hi-Wattarai' (fire walking, and that is really what takes place), for, if you are of that incredulous nature which laughs with scorn at so-called Eastern mysticism, you will come away, as has many a visitor before you, with an impression sufficient to last through an ordinary lifetime." Further on he says "If you do not come away convinced that you have been witness of a spectacle which makes you disbelieve the evidence of your own eyes and your most matter-of-fact judgment, then you are a man of stone." All of which proves nothing more than that Mr. Reid was inclined to make positive statements about subjects in which he knew little or nothing. He tells us further that formerly this rite was performed only in the spring and fall, when, beside the gratuities of the foreigners, the native worshipers brought "gifts of wine, large trays of fish, fruit, rice cakes, loaves, vegetables, and candies." Evidently the combination of box-office receipts with donation parties proved extremely tempting to the thrifty priests, for they now give what might be termed a "continuous performance." Those who have read the foregoing pages will apply a liberal sprinkling of salt to the solemn assurance of Mr. Reid, advanced on the authority of Jinrikisha boys, that "for days beforehand the priests connected with the temple devote themselves to fasting and prayer to prepare for the ordeal. . . . The performance itself usually takes place in the late afternoon during twilight in the temple court, the preceding three hours being spent by the priests in final outbursts of prayer before the unveiled altar in the inner sanctuary of the little matted temple, and during these invocations no visitors are allowed to enter the sacred precincts." Mr. Reid's description of the fire walking itself may not be out of place; it will show that the Japs had nothing new to offer aside from the ritualistic ceremonials with which they camouflaged the hocus-pocus of the performance, which is merely a survival of the ordeal by fire of earlier religions. "Shortly before 5 o'clock the priests filed from before the altar into some interior apartments, where they were to change their beautiful robes for the coarser dress worn during the fire walking. In the meantime coolies had been set to work in the courtyard to ignite the great bed of charcoal, which had already been laid. The dimensions of this bed were about twelve feet by four, and, perhaps, a foot deep. On the top was a quantity of straw and kindling wood, which was lighted, and soon burst into a roaring blaze. The charcoal became more and more thoroughly ignited until the whole mass glowed in the uncertain gloom, like some gigantic and demoniacal eye of a modern Prometheus. As soon as the mass of charcoal was thoroughly ignited from top to bottom, a small gong in the temple gave notice that the wonderful spectacle of 'Hi-Wattarai' was about to begin. "Soon two of the priests came out, said prayers of almost interminable length at a tiny shrine in the corner of the enclosure, and turned their attention to the fire. Taking long poles and fans from the coolies, they poked and encouraged the blaze till it could plainly be seen that the coal was ignited throughout. The whole bed was a glowing mass, and the heat which rose from it was so intense that we found it uncomfortable to sit fifteen feet away from it without screening our faces with fans. Then they began to pound it down more solidly along the middle; as far as possible inequalities in its surface were beaten down, and the coals which protruded were brushed aside." There follows a long and detailed description of further ceremonies, the receiving of gifts, etc., which need not be repeated here. Now for the trick itself. "One of the priests held a pile of white powder on a small wooden stand. This was said to be salt--which in Japan is credited with great cleansing properties--but as far as could be ascertained by superficial examination it was a mixture of alum and salt. He stood at one end of the fire-bed and poised the wooden tray over his head, and then sprinkled a handful of it on the ground before the glowing bed of coals. At the same time another priest who stood by him chanted a weird recitative of invocation and struck sparks from flint and steel which he held in his hands. This same process was repeated by both the priests at the other end, at the two sides, and at the corners. "Ten minutes, more or less, was spent in various movements and incantations about the bed of coals. At the end of that time two small pieces of wet matting were brought out and placed at either end and a quantity of the white mixture was placed upon them. At a signal from the head priest, who acted as master of ceremonies during the curious succeeding function, the ascetics who were to perform the first exhibition of fire-walking gathered at one end of the bed of coals, which by this time was a fierce and glowing furnace. "Having raised both his hands and prostrated himself to render thanks to the god who had taken out the 'soul' of the fire, the priest about to undergo the ordeal stood upon the wet matting, wiped his feet lightly in the white mixture, and while we held our breaths, and our eyes almost leaped from their sockets in awe-struck astonishment, he walked over the glowing mass as unconcernedly as if treading on a carpet in a drawing-room, his feet coming in contact with the white hot coals at every step. He did not hurry or take long steps, but sauntered along with almost incredible sang-froid, and before he reached the opposite side he turned around and sauntered as carelessly back to the mat from which he had started." The story goes on to tell how the performance was repeated by the other priests, and then by many of the native audience; but none of the Europeans tried it, although invited to do so. Mr. Reid's closing statement is that "no solution of the mystery can be gleaned, even from high scientific authorities who have witnessed and closely studied the physical features of these remarkable Shinto fire-walking rites." Many who are confronted with something that they cannot explain take refuge in the claim that it puzzles the scientists too. As a matter of fact, at the time Mr. Reid wrote, such scientists as had given the subject serious study were pretty well posted on the methods involved. An article under the title The Fiery Ordeal of Fiji, by Maurice Delcasse, appeared in the Wide World Magazine for May, 1898. From Mr. Delcasse's account it appears that the Fijian ordeal is practically the same as that of the Japanese, as described by Mr. Reid, except that there is very little ceremony surrounding it. The people of Fiji until a comparatively recent date were cannibals; but their islands are now British possessions, most of the natives are Christians, and most of their ancient customs have become obsolete, from which I deduce that the fire-walking rites described in this article must have been performed by natives who had retained their old religious beliefs. The ordeal takes place on the Island of Benga, which is near Suva, the capital of Fiji, and which, Mr. Delcasse says, "was the supposed residence of some of the old gods of Fiji, and was, therefore, considered a sacred land." Instead of walking on the live coals, as the Japanese priests do, the Fijians walk on stones that have been brought to a white heat in a great fire of logs. The familiar claim is made that the performance puzzles scientists, and that no satisfactory solution has yet been discovered. We are about to see that for two or three hundred years the same claims have been made by a long line of more or less clever public performers in Europe and America. CHAPTER TWO WATTON'S SHIP-SWABBER "FROM THE INDIES."--RICHARDSON, 1667--DE HEITERKEIT, 1713.--ROBERT POWELL, 1718-1780.--DUFOUR, 1783.--QUACKENSALBER, 1794. The earliest mention I have found of a public fire-eater in England is in the correspondence of Sir Henry Watton, under date of June 3rd, 1633. He speaks of an Englishman "like some swabber of a ship, come from the Indies, where he has learned to eat fire as familiarly as ever I saw any eat cakes, even whole glowing brands, which he will crush with his teeth and swallow." This was shown in London for two pence. The first to attract the attention of the upper classes, however, was one Richardson, who appeared in France in the year 1667 and enjoyed a vogue sufficient to justify the record of his promise in the Journal des Savants. Later on he came to London, and John Evelyn, in his diary, mentions him under date of October 8th, 1672, as follows: I took leave of my Lady Sunderland, who was going to Paris to my Lord, now Ambassador there. She made me stay dinner at Leicester House, and afterwards sent for Richardson, the famous fire-eater. He devoured brimstone on glowing coals before us, chewing and swallowing them; he melted a beere-glass and eate it quite up; then taking a live coale on his tongue he put on it a raw oyster; the coal was blown on with bellows till it flamed and sparkled in his mouthe, and so remained until the oyster gaped and was quite boil'd. Then he melted pitch and wax with sulphur, which he drank down as it flamed: I saw it flaming in his mouthe a good while; he also took up a thick piece of iron, such as laundresses use to put in their smoothing-boxes, when it was fiery hot, held it between his teeth, then in his hand, and threw it about like a stone; but this I observ'd he cared not to hold very long. Then he stoode on a small pot, and, bending his body, tooke a glowing iron with his mouthe from betweene his feete, without touching the pot or ground with his hands, with divers other prodigious feats. The secret methods employed by Richardson were disclosed by his servant, and this publicity seems to have brought his career to a sudden close; at least I have found no record of his subsequent movements. About 1713 a fire-eater named De Heiterkeit, a native of Annivi, in Savoy, flourished for a time in London. He performed five times a day at the Duke of Marlborough's Head, in Fleet Street, the prices being half-a-crown, eighteen pence and one shilling. According to London Tit-Bits, "De Heiterkeit had the honor of exhibiting before Louis XIV., the Emperor of Austria, the King of Sicily and the Doge of Venice, and his name having reached the Inquisition, that holy office proposed experimenting on him to find out whether he was fireproof externally as well as internally. He was preserved from this unwelcome ordeal, however, by the interference of the Duchess Royal, Regent of Savoy." His programme did not differ materially from that of his predecessor, Richardson, who had antedated him by nearly fifty years. By far the most famous of the early fire-eaters was Robert Powell, whose public career extended over a period of nearly sixty years, and who was patronized by the English peerage. It was mainly through the instrumentality of Sir Hans Sloane that, in 1751, the Royal Society presented Powell a purse of gold and a large silver medal. Lounger's Commonplace Book says of Powell: "Such is his passion for this terrible element, that if he were to come hungry into your kitchen, while a sirloin was roasting, he would eat up the fire and leave the beef. It is somewhat surprising that the friends of REAL MERIT have not yet promoted him, living as we do in an age favorable to men of genius. Obliged to wander from place to place, instead of indulging himself in private with his favorite dish, he is under the uncomfortable necessity of eating in public, and helping himself from the kitchen fire of some paltry ale-house in the country." His advertisements show that he was before the public from 1718 to 1780. One of his later advertisements runs as follows: SUM SOLUS Please observe that there are two different performances the same evening, which will be performed by the famous MR. POWELL, FIRE-EATER, FROM LONDON: who has had the honor to exhibit, with universal applause, the most surprising performances that were ever attempted by mankind, before His Royal Highness William, late Duke of Cumberland, at Windsor Lodge, May 7th, 1752; before His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, at Gloucester House, January 30th, 1769; before His Royal Highness the present Duke of Cumberland, at Windsor Lodge, September 25th, 1769; before Sir Hans Sloane and several of the Royal Society, March 4th, 1751, who made Mr. Powell a compliment of a purse of gold, and a fine large silver medal, which the curious may view by applying to him; and before most of the Nobility and Quality in the Kingdom. He intends to sup on the following articles: 1. He eats red-hot coals out of the fire as natural as bread. 2. He licks with his naked tongue red-hot tobacco pipes, flaming with brimstone. 3. He takes a large bunch of deal matches, lights them altogether; and holds them in his mouth till the flame is extinguished. 4. He takes a red-hot heater out of the fire, licks it with his naked tongue several times, and carries it around the room between his teeth. 5. He fills his mouth with red-hot charcoal, and broils a slice of beef or mutton upon his tongue, and any person may blow the fire with a pair of bellows at the same time. 6. He takes a quantity of resin, pitch, bees'-wax, sealing-wax, brimstone, alum, and lead, melts them all together over a chafing-dish of coals, and eats the same combustibles with a spoon, as if it were a porringer of broth (which he calls his dish of soup), to the great and agreeable surprise of the spectators; with various other extraordinary performances never attempted by any other person of this age, and there is scarce a possibility ever will; so that those who neglect this opportunity of seeing the wonders performed by this artist, will lose the sight of the most amazing exhibition ever done by man. The doors to be opened by six and he sups precisely at seven o'clock, without any notice given by sound of trumpet. If gentry do not choose to come at seven o'clock, no performance. Prices of admission to ladies and gentlemen, one shilling. Back Seats for Children and Servants, six pence. Ladies and children may have a private performance any hour of the day, by giving previous notice. N. B.--He displaces teeth or stumps so easily as to scarce be felt. He sells a chemical liquid which discharges inflammation, scalds, and burns, in a short time, and is necessary to be kept in all families. His stay in this place will be but short, not exceeding above two or three nights. Good fire to keep the gentry warm. This shows how little advance had been made in the art in a century. Richardson had presented practically the same programme a hundred years before. Perhaps the exposure of Richardson's method by his servant put an end to fire-eating as a form of amusement for a long time, or until the exposure had been forgotten by the public. Powell himself, though not proof against exposure, seems to have been proof against its effects, for he kept on the even tenor of his way for sixty years, and at the end of his life was still exhibiting. Whatever the reason, the eighteenth century fire-eaters, like too many magicians of the present day, kept to the stereotyped programmes of their predecessors. A very few did, however, step out of the beaten track and, by adding new tricks and giving a new dress to old ones, succeeded in securing a following that was financially satisfactory. In this class a Frenchman by the name of Dufour deserves special mention, from the fact that he was the first to introduce comedy into an act of this nature. He made his bow in Paris in 1783, and is said to have created quite a sensation by his unusual performance. I am indebted to Martin's Naturliche Magie, 1792, for a very complete description of the work of this artist. Dufour made use of a portable building, which was specially adapted to his purposes, and his table was spread as if for a banquet, except that the edibles were such as his performance demanded. He employed a trumpeter and a tambour player to furnish music for his repast--as well as to attract public attention. In addition to fire-eating, Dufour gave exhibitions of his ability to consume immense quantities of solid food, and he displayed an appetite for live animals, reptiles, and insects that probably proved highly entertaining to the not overrefined taste of the audiences of his day. He even advertised a banquet of which the public was invited to partake at a small fee per plate, but since the menu consisted of the delicacies just described, his audiences declined to join him at table. His usual bill-of-fare was as follows: Soup--boiling tar torches, glowing coals and small, round, super-heated stones. The roast, when Dufour was really hungry, consisted of twenty pounds of beef or a whole calf. His hearth was either the flat of his hand or his tongue. The butter in which the roast was served was melted brimstone or burning wax. When the roast was cooked to suit him he ate coals and roast together. As a dessert he would swallow the knives and forks, glasses, and the earthenware dishes. He kept his audience in good humor by presenting all this in a spirit of crude comedy and, to increase the comedy element, he introduced a number of trained cats. Although the thieving proclivities of cats are well known, Dufour's pets showed no desire to share his repast, and he had them trained to obey his commands during mealtime. At the close of the meal he would become violently angry with one of them, seize the unlucky offender, tear it limb from limb and eat the carcass. One of his musicians would then beg him to produce the cat, dead or alive. In order to do this he would go to a nearby horse-trough and drink it dry; would eat a number of pounds of soap, or other nauseating substance, clowning it in a manner to provoke amusement instead of disgust; and, further to mask the disagreeable features--and also, no doubt, to conceal the trick--would take the cloth from the table and cover his face; whereupon he would bring forth the swallowed cat, or one that looked like it, which would howl piteously and seem to struggle wildly while being disgorged. When freed, the poor cat would rush away among the spectators. Dufour gave his best performances in the evening, as he could then show his hocus-pocus to best advantage. At these times he appeared with a halo of fire about his head. His last appearance in Paris was most remarkable. The dinner began with a soup of asps in simmering oil. On each side was a dish of vegetables, one containing thistles and burdocks, and the other fuming acid. Other side dishes, of turtles, rats, bats and moles, were garnished with live coals. For the fish course he ate a dish of snakes in boiling tar and pitch. His roast was a screech owl in a sauce of glowing brimstone. The salad proved to be spider webs full of small explosive squibs, a plate of butterfly wings and manna worms, a dish of toads surrounded with flies, crickets, grasshoppers, church beetles, spiders, and caterpillars. He washed all this down with flaming brandy, and for dessert ate the four large candles standing on the table, both of the hanging side lamps with their contents, and finally the large center lamp, oil, wick and all. This leaving the room in darkness, Dufour's face shone out in a mask of living flames. A dog had come in with a farmer, who was probably a confederate, and now began to bark. Since Dufour could not quiet him, he seized him, bit off his head and swallowed it, throwing the body aside. Then ensued a comic scene between Dufour and the farmer, the latter demanding that his dog be brought to life, which threw the audience into paroxysms of laughter. Then suddenly candles reappeared and seemed to light themselves. Dufour made a series of hocus-pocus passes over the dog's body; then the head suddenly appeared in its proper place, and the dog, with a joyous yelp, ran to his master. Notwithstanding the fact that Dufour must have been by all odds the best performer of his time, I do not find reference to him in any other authority. But something of his originality appeared in the work of a much humbler practitioner, contemporary or very nearly contemporary with him. We have seen that Richardson, Powell, Dufour, and generally the better class of fire-eaters were able to secure select audiences and even to attract the attention of scientists in England and on the Continent. But many of their effects had been employed by mountebanks and street fakirs since the earliest days of the art, and this has continued until comparatively recent times. In Naturliche Magie, in 1794, Vol. VI, page 111, I find an account of one Quackensalber, who gave a new twist to the fire-eating industry by making a "High Pitch" at the fairs and on street corners and exhibiting feats of fire-resistance, washing his hands and face in melted tar, pitch and brimstone, in order to attract a crowd. He then strove to sell them a compound--composed of fish glue, alum and brandy--which he claimed would cure burns in two or three hours. He demonstrated that this mixture was used by him in his heat resistance: and then, doubtless, some "capper" started the ball rolling, and Herr Quackensalber (his name indicates a seller of salves) reaped a good harvest. I have no doubt but that even to-day a clever performer with this "High Pitch" could do a thriving business in that overgrown country village, New York. At any rate there is the so-called, "King of Bees," a gentleman from Pennsylvania, who exhibits himself in a cage of netting filled with bees, and then sells the admiring throng a specific for bee-stings and the wounds of angry wasps. Unfortunately the only time I ever saw his majesty, some of his bee actors must have forgotten their lines, for he was thoroughly stung. CHAPTER THREE THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.--A "WONDERFUL PHENOMENON."--"THE INCOMBUSTIBLE SPANIARD, SENOR LIONETTO," 1803.--JOSEPHINE GIRARDELLI, 1814.--JOHN BROOKS, 1817.--W. C. HOUGHTON, 1832.--J. A. B. CHYLINSKI, 1841.--CHAMOUNI, THE RUSSIAN SALAMANDER, 1869.--PROFESSOR REL MAEUB, 1876.--RIVALLI (died 1900). In the nineteenth century by far the most distinguished heat-resister was Chabert, who deserves and shall have a chapter to himself. He commenced exhibiting about 1818, but even earlier in the century certain obscurer performers had anticipated some of his best effects. Among my clippings, for instance, I find the following. I regret that I cannot give the date, but it is evident from the long form of the letters that it was quite early. This is the first mention I have found of the hot-oven effect afterwards made famous by Chabert. WONDERFUL PHENOMENON A correspondent in France writes as follows: "Paris has, for some days, rung with relations of the wonderful exploits of a Spaniard in that city, who is endowed with qualities by which he resists the action of very high degrees of heat, as well as the influence of strong chemical reagents. Many histories of the trials to which he has been submitted before a Commission of the Institute and Medical School, have appeared in the public papers; but the public waits with impatience for the report to be made in the name of the Commission by Professor Pinel. The subject of these trials is a young man, a native of Toledo, in Spain, 23 years of age, and free of any apparent peculiarities which can announce anything remarkable in the organization of his skin; after examination, one would be rather disposed to conclude a peculiar softness than that any hardness or thickness of the cuticle existed, either naturally or from mechanical causes. Nor was there any circumstance to indicate that the person had been previously rubbed with any matter capable of resisting the operation of the agents with which he was brought in contact. This man bathed for the space of five minutes, and without any injury to his sensibility or the surface of the skin, his legs in oil, heated at 97 degrees of Reaumur (250 degrees of Fahrenheit) and with the same oil, at the same degree of heat, he washed his face and superior extremities. He held, for the same space of time, and with as little inconvenience, his legs in a solution of muriate of soda, heated to 102 of the same scale, (261 1/2 degrees Fahr.) He stood on and rubbed the soles of his feet with a bar of hot iron heated to a white heat; in this state he held the iron in his hands and rubbed the surface of his tongue. He gargled his mouth with concentrated sulphuric and nitric acids, without the smallest injury or discoloration; the nitric acid changed the cuticle to a yellow color; with the acids in this state he rubbed his hands and arms. All these experiments were continued long enough to prove their inefficiency to produce any impression. It is said, on unquestionable authority, that he remained a considerable time in an oven heated to 65 degrees or 70 degrees, (178-189 degrees Fahr.) and from which he was with difficulty induced to retire, so comfortable did he feel at that high temperature. It may be proper to remark, that this man seems totally uninfluenced by any motive to mislead, and, it is said, he has refused flattering offers from some religious sectaries of turning to emolument his singular qualities; yet on the whole it seems to be the opinion of most philosophical men, that this person must possess some matter which counteracts the operation of these agents. To suppose that nature has organized him differently, would be unphilosophic: by habit he might have blunted his sensibilities against those impressions that create pain under ordinary circumstances; but how to explain the power by which he resists the action of those agents which are known to have the strongest affinity for animal matter, is a circumstance difficult to comprehend. It has not failed, however, to excite the wonder of the ignorant and the inquiry of the learned at Paris." This "Wonderful Phenomenon" may have been "the incombustible Spaniard, Senor Lionetto," whom the London Mirror mentions as performing in Paris in 1803 "where he attracted the particular attention of Dr. Sementeni, Professor of Chemistry, and other scientific gentlemen of that city. It appears that a considerable vapor and smell rose from parts of his body when the fire and heated substances were applied, and in this he seems to differ from the person now in this country." The person here referred to was M. Chabert. Dr. Sementeni became so interested in the subject that he made a series of experiments upon himself, and these were finally crowned with success. His experiments will receive further attention in the chapter "The Arcana of the Fire-Eaters." A veritable sensation was created in England in the year 1814 by Senora Josephine Girardelli, who was heralded as having "just arrived from the Continent, where she had the honor of appearing before most of the crowned heads of Europe." She was first spoken of as German, but afterwards proved to be of Italian birth. Entering a field of endeavor which had heretofore been exclusively occupied by the sterner sex, this lady displayed a taste for hot meals that would seem to recommend her as a matrimonial venture. Like all the earlier exploiters of the devouring element, she was proclaimed as "The Great Phenomena of Nature"--why the plural form was used does not appear--and, doubtless, her feminine instincts led her to impart a daintiness to her performance which must have appealed to the better class of audience in that day. The portrait that adorned her first English handbill, which I produce from the Picture Magazine, was engraved by Page and published by Smeeton, St. Martins Lane, London. It is said to be a faithful representation of her stage costume and setting. Richardson, of Bartholomew Fair fame, who was responsible for the introduction of many novelties, first presented Girardelli to an English audience at Portsmouth, where her success was so pronounced that a London appearance was arranged for the same year; and at Mr. Laston's rooms, 23 New Bond Street, her performance attracted the most fashionable metropolitan audiences for a considerable time. Following this engagement she appeared at Richardson's Theater, at Bartholomew Fair, and afterwards toured England in the company of Signor Germondi, who exhibited a troupe of wonderful trained dogs. One of the canine actors was billed as the "Russian Moscow Fire Dog, an animal unknown in this country, (and never exhibited before) who now delights in that element, having been trained for the last six months at very great expense and fatigue." Whether Girardelli accumulated sufficient wealth to retire or became discouraged by the exposure of her methods cannot now be determined, but after she had occupied a prominent position in the public eye and the public prints for a few seasons she dropped out of sight, and I have been unable to find where or how she passed the later years of her life. I am even more at a loss concerning her contemporary, John Brooks, of whom I have no other record than the following letter, which appears in the autobiography of the famous author-actor-manager, Thomas Dibdin, of the Theaters Royal, Covent Garden, Drury Lane, Haymarket and others. This one communication, however, absolves of any obligation to dig up proofs of John Brooks' versatility: he admits it himself. To Mr. T. Dibdin, Esq. Pripetor of the Royal Circus. May 1st, 1817. Sir: I have taken the Liberty of Riting those few lines to ask you the favour if a Greeable for me to Come to your House, as i Can do a great many different things i Can Sing a good Song and i Can Eat Boiling hot Lead and Rub my naked arms With a Red hot Poker and Stand on a Red hot sheet of iron, and do Diferent other things.--Sir i hope you Will Excuse me in Riting I do not Want any thing for my Performing for i have Got a Business that will Sirport me I only want to pass a Way 2 or 3 Hours in the Evening. Sir i hope you Will Send me an Answer Weather Agreeple or not. I am your Humble Servant, J. B. Direct to me No. 4 fox and Knot Court King Street Smithfield. JOHN BROOKS. We shall let this versatile John Brooks close the pre-Chabert record and turn our attention to the fire-eaters of Chabert's day. Imitation may be the sincerest flattery, but in most cases the victim of the imitation, it is safe to say, will gladly dispense with that form of adulation. When Chabert first came to America and gave fresh impetus to the fire-eating art by the introduction of new and startling material, he was beset by many imitators, or--as they probably styled themselves--rivals, who immediately proceeded, so far as in them lay, to out-Chabert Chabert. One of the most prominent of these was a man named W. C. Houghton, who claimed to have challenged Chabert at various times. In a newspaper advertisement in Philadelphia, where he was scheduled to give a benefit performance on Saturday evening, February 4th, 1832, he practically promised to expose the method of poison eating. Like that of all exposers, however, his vogue was of short duration, and very little can be found about this super-Chabert except his advertisements. The following will serve as a sample of them: ARCH STREET THEATRE BENEFIT OF THE AMERICAN FIRE KING A CARD.--W. C. Houghton, has the honor to announce to the ladies and gentlemen of Philadelphia, that his BENEFIT will take place at the ARCH STREET THEATRE, on Saturday evening next, 4th February, when will be presented a variety of entertainments aided by the whole strength of the company. Mr. H. in addition to his former experiments will exhibit several fiery feats, pronounced by Mons. Chabert an IMPOSSIBILITY. He will give a COMPLETE explanation by illustrations of the PRINCIPLES of the EUROPEAN and the AMERICAN CHESS PLAYERS. He will also (unless prevented by indisposition) swallow a sufficient quantity of phosphorus, (presented by either chemist or druggist of this city) to destroy THE LIFE OF ANY INDIVIDUAL. Should he not feel disposed to take the poison, he will satisfactorily explain to the audience the manner it may be taken without injury. In our next chapter we shall see how it went with others who challenged Chabert. A Polish athlete, J. A. B. Chylinski by name, toured Great Britain and Ireland in 1841, and presented a more than usually diversified entertainment. Being gifted by nature with exceptional bodily strength, and trained in gymnastics, he was enabled to present a mixed programme, combining his athletics with feats of strength, fire-eating, poison-swallowing, and fire-resistance. In The Book of Wonderful Characters, published in 1869 by John Camden Hotten, London, I find an account of Chamouni, the Russian Salamander: "He was insensible, for a given time, to the effects of heat. He was remarkable for the simplicity and singleness of his character, as well as for that idiosyncrasy in his constitution, which enabled him for so many years, not merely to brave the effects of fire, but to take a delight in an element where other men find destruction. He was above all artifice, and would often entreat his visitors to melt their own lead, or boil their own mercury, that they might be perfectly satisfied of the gratification he derived from drinking these preparations. He would also present his tongue in the most obliging manner to all who wished, to pour melted lead upon it and stamp an impression of their seals." A fire-proof billed as Professor Rel Maeub, was on the programme at the opening of the New National Theater, in Philadelphia, Pa., in the spring of 1876. If I am not mistaken the date was April 25th. He called himself "The Great Inferno Fire-King," and his novelty consisted in having a strip of wet carpeting running parallel to the hot iron plates on which he walked barefoot, and stepping on it occasionally and back onto the hot iron, when a loud hissing and a cloud of steam bore ample proof of the high temperature of the metal. One of the more recent fireproofs was Eugene Rivalli, whose act included, besides the usual effects, a cage of fire in which he stood completely surrounded by flames. Rivalli, whose right name was John Watkins, died in 1900, in England. He had appeared in Great Britain and Ireland as well as on the Continent during the later years of the 19th century. The cage of fire has been used by a number of Rivalli's followers also, and the reader will find a full explanation of the methods employed for it in the chapter devoted to the Arcana of the Fire-eaters, to which we shall come when we have recorded the work of the master Chabert, the history of some of the heat-resisters featured on magicians' programmes, particularly in our own day, and the interest taken in this art by performers whose chief distinction was won in other fields, as notably Edwin Forrest and the elder Sothern. CHAPTER FOUR THE MASTER--CHABERT, 1792-1859. Ivan Ivanitz Chabert, the only Really Incombustible Phenomenon, as he was billed abroad, or J. Xavier Chabert, A.M., M.D., etc., as he was afterwards known in this country, was probably the most notable, and certainly the most interesting, character in the history of fire-eating, fire-resistance, and poison eating. He was the last prominent figure in the long line of this type of artists to appeal to the better classes and to attract the attention of scientists, who for a considerable period treated his achievements more or less seriously. Henry Evanion gave me a valuable collection of Chabert clippings, hand-bills, etc., and related many interesting incidents in connection with this man of wonders. It seems quite impossible for me to write of any historical character in Magic or its allied arts without recalling my dear old friend Evanion, who introduced me to a throng of fascinating characters, with each of whom he seemed almost as familiar as if they had been daily companions. Subsequently I discovered an old engraving of Chabert, published in London in 1829, and later still another which bore the change of name, as well as the titles enumerated above. The latter was published in New York, September, 1836, and bore the inscription: "One of the most celebrated Chemists, Philosophers, and Physicians of the present day." These discoveries, together with a clue from Evanion, led to further investigations, which resulted in the interesting discovery that this one-time Bartholomew Fair entertainer spent the last years of his life in New York City. He resided here for twenty-seven years and lies buried in the beautiful Cypress Hills Cemetery, quite forgotten by the man on the street. Nearby is the grave of good old Signor Blitz, and not far away is the plot that holds all that is mortal of my beloved parents. When I finally break away from earthly chains and restraints, I hope to be placed beside them. During my search for data regarding Chabert I looked in the telephone book for a possible descendant. By accident I picked up the Suburban instead of the Metropolitan edition, and there I found a Victor E. Chabert living at Allenhurst, N. J. I immediately got into communication with him and found that he was a grandson of the Fire King, but he could give me no more information than I already possessed, which I now spread before my readers. M. Chabert was a son of Joseph and Therese Julienne Chabert. He was born on May 10th, 1792, at Avignon, France. Chabert was a soldier in the Napoleonic wars, was exiled to Siberia and escaped to England. His grandson has a bronze Napoleon medal which was presented to Chabert, presumably for valor on the field of battle. Napoleon was exiled in 1815 and again three years later. Chabert first attracted public notice in Paris, at which time his demonstrations of heat-resistance were sufficiently astonishing to merit the attention of no less a body than the National Institute. To the more familiar feats of his predecessors he added startling novelties in the art of heat-resistance, the most spectacular being that of entering a large iron cabinet, which resembled a common baker's oven, heated to the usual temperature of such ovens. He carried in his hand a leg of mutton and remained until the meat was thoroughly cooked. Another thriller involved standing in a flaming tar-barrel until it was entirely consumed around him. In 1828, Chabert gave a series of performances at the Argyle Rooms in London, and created a veritable sensation. A correspondent in the London Mirror has this to say of Chabert's work at that time: "Of M. Chabert's wonderful power of withstanding the operation of the fiery element, it is in the recollection of the writer of witnessing, some few years back, this same individual (in connection with the no-less fire-proof Signora Girardelli) exhibiting 'extraordinary proofs of his supernatural power of resisting the most intense heat of every kind.' Since which an IMPROVEMENT of a more formidable nature has to our astonished fancy been just demonstrated. In the newspapers of the past week it is reported that he, in the first instance, refreshed himself with a hearty meal of phosphorus, which was, at his own request, supplied to him very liberally by several of his visitors, who were previously unacquainted with him. He washed down (they say) this infernal fare with solutions of arsenic and oxalic acid; thus throwing into the background the long-established fame of Mithridates. He next swallowed with great gout, several spoonfuls of boiling oil; and, as a dessert to this delicate repast, helped himself with his naked hands to a considerable quantity of molten lead. The experiment, however, of entering into a hot oven, together with a quantity of meat, sufficient, when cooked, to regale those of his friends who were specially invited to witness his performance, was the chef-d'oeuvre of the day. Having ordered three fagots of wood, which is the quantity generally used by bakers, to be thrown into the oven, and they being set on fire, twelve more fagots of the same size were subsequently added to them, which being all consumed by three o'clock, M. Chabert entered the oven with a dish of raw meat, and when it was sufficiently done he handed it out, took in another, and remained therein until the second quantity was also well cooked; he then came out of the oven, and sat down, continues the report, to partake, with a respectable assembly of friends, of those viands he had so closely attended during the culinary process. Publicly, on a subsequent day, and in an oven 6 feet by 7, and at a heat of about 220, he remained till a steak was properly done, and again returned to his fiery den and continued for a period of thirty minutes, in complete triumph over the power of an element so much dreaded by humankind, and so destructive to animal nature. It has been properly observed, that there are preparations which so indurate the cuticle, as to render it insensible to the heat of either boiling oil or melted lead; and the fatal qualities of certain poisons may be destroyed, if the medium through which they are imbibed, as we suppose to be the case here, is a strong alkali. Many experiments, as to the extent to which the human frame could bear heat, without the destruction of the vital powers, have been tried from time to time; but so far as recollection serves, Monsieur Chabert's fire-resisting qualities are greater than those professed by individuals who, before him, have undergone this species of ordeal." It was announced some time ago, in one of the French journals, that experiments had been tried with a female, whose fire-standing qualities had excited great astonishment. She, it appears, was placed in a heated oven, into which live dogs, cats, and rabbits were conveyed. The poor animals died in a state of convulsion almost immediately, while the Fire-queen bore the heat without complaining. In that instance, however, the heat of the oven was not so great as that which M. Chabert encountered. Much of the power to resist greater degrees of heat than can other men may be a natural gift, much the result of chemical applications, and much from having the parts indurated by long practice; probably all three are combined in this phenomenon, with some portion of artifice. In Timbs' Curiosities of London, published in 1867, I find the following: At the Argyle Rooms, London, in 1829, Mons. Chabert, the Fire-King, exhibited his powers of resisting poisons, and withstanding extreme heat. He swallowed forty grains of phosphorus, sipped oil at 333 degrees with impunity, and rubbed a red-hot fire-shovel over his tongue, hair, and face, unharmed. On September 23d, on a challenge of L50, Chabert repeated these feats and won the wager; he next swallowed a piece of burning torch; and then, dressed in coarse woolen, entered an oven heated to 380 degrees, sang a song, and cooked two dishes of beef steaks. Still, the performances were suspected, and in fact, proved to be a chemical juggle. Another challenge in the same year is recorded under the heading, "Sights of London," as follows: We were tempted on Wednesday to the Argyle Rooms by the challenge of a person of the uncommon name of J. Smith to M. Chabert, our old friend the Fire King, whom this individual dared to invite to a trial of powers in swallowing poison and being baked! The audacity of such a step quite amazed us; and expecting to see in the competitor at least a Vulcan, the God of all Smiths, was hastened to the scene of strife. Alas, our disappointment was complete! Smith had not even the courage of a blacksmith for standing fire, and yielded a stake of L50, as was stated, without a contest, to M. Chabert, on the latter coming out of his oven with his own two steaks perfectly cooked. On this occasion Chabert took 20 grains of phosphorus, swallowed oil heated to nearly 100 degrees above boiling water, took molten lead out of a ladle with his fingers and cooled it on his tongue; and, besides performing other remarkable feats, remained five minutes in the oven at a temperature of between 300 and 400 degrees by the thermometer. There was about 150 persons present, many of them medical men; and being convinced that these things were fairly done, without trickery, much astonishment was expressed. The following detailed account of the latter challenge appeared in the Chronicle, London, September, 1829. THE FIRE KING AND HIS CHALLENGER.--An advertisement appeared lately in one of the papers, in which a Mr. J. Smith after insinuating that M. Chabert practised some juggle when he appeared to enter an oven heated to five hundred degrees, and to swallow twenty grains of phosphorus, challenged him to perform the exploits which he professed to be performing daily. In consequence M. Chabert publicly accepted Mr. J. Smith's challenge for L50, requesting him to provide the poison himself. A day was fixed upon which the challenge was to be determined, and at two o'clock on that day, a number of gentlemen assembled in the Argyle-rooms, where the exhibition was to take place. At a little before three the fire-king made his appearance near his oven, and as some impatience had been exhibited, owing to the non-arrival of Mr. J. Smith, he offered to amuse the company with a few trifling experiments. He made a shovel red-hot and rubbed it over his tongue, a trick for which no credit, he said, was due, as the moisture of the tongue was sufficient to prevent any injury arising from it. He next rubbed it over his hair and face, declaring that anybody might perform the same feat by first washing themselves in a mixture of spirits of sulphur and alum, which, by cauterising the epidermis, hardened the skin to resist the fire. He put his hand into some melted lead, took a small portion of it out, placed it in his mouth, and then gave it in a solid state to some of the company. This performance, according to his account, was also very easy; for he seized only a very small particle, which, by a tight compression between the forefinger and the thumb, became cool before it reached the mouth. At this time Mr. Smith made his appearance, and M. Chabert forthwith prepared himself for mightier undertakings. A cruse of oil was brought forward and poured into a saucepan, which was previously turned upside down, to show that there was no water in it. The alleged reason for this step was, that the vulgar conjurors, who profess to drink boiling oil, place the oil in water, and drink it when the water boils, at which time the oil is not warmer than an ordinary cup of tea. He intended to drink the oil when any person might see it bubbling in the saucepan, and when the thermometer would prove that it was heated to three hundred and sixty degrees. The saucepan was accordingly placed on the fire, and as it was acquiring the requisite heat, the fire-king challenged any man living to drink a spoonful of the oil at the same temperature as that at which he was going to drink it. In a few minutes afterwards, he sipped off a spoonful with greatest apparent ease, although the spoon, from contact with the boiling fluid, had become too hot for ordinary fingers to handle. "And now, Monsieur Smith," said the fire-king, "now for your challenge. Have you prepared yourself with phosphorus, or will you take some of mine, which is laid on that table?" Mr. Smith, walked up to the table, and pulling a vial bottle out of his pocket, offered it to the poison-swallower. Fire-king--"I ask you, on your honor as a gentleman, is this genuine unmixed poison?" Mr. Smith--"It is, upon my honor." Fire-king--"Is there any medical gentleman here who will examine it?" A person in the room requested that Dr. Gordon Smith, one of the medical professors in the London University, would examine the vial, and decide whether it contained genuine phosphorus. The professor went to the table, on which the formidable collection of poisons--such as red and white arsenic, hydrocyanic acid, morphine and phosphorus--was placed, and, examining the vial, declared, that, to the best of his judgment, it was genuine phosphorus. M. Chabert asked Mr. Smith, how many grains he wished to commence his first draught with. Mr. Smith--"Twenty grains will do as a commencement." A medical gentleman then came forward and cut off two parcels of phosphorus, containing twenty grains each. He was placing them in the water, when the fire-king requested that his phosphorus might be cut into small pieces, as he did not wish the pieces to stop on their way to his stomach. The poisons were now prepared. A wine-glass contained the portion set aside for the fire-king--a tumbler the portion reserved for Mr. Smith. The Fire-king--"I suppose, gentlemen, I must begin, and to convince you that I do not juggle, I will first take off my coat, and then I will trouble you, doctor (speaking to Dr. Gordon Smith), to tie my hands together behind me. After he had been bandaged in this manner, he planted himself on one knee in the middle of the room, and requested some gentleman to place the phosphorus on his tongue and pour the water down his throat. This was accordingly done, and the water and phosphorus were swallowed together. He then opened his mouth and requested the company to look whether any portion of the phosphorus remained in his mouth. Several gentlemen examined his mouth, and declared that there was no phosphorus perceptible either upon or under his tongue. He was then by his own desire unbandaged. The fire-king forthwith turned to Mr. Smith and offered him the other glass of phosphorus. Mr. Smith started back in infinite alarm--'Not for worlds, Sir, not for worlds; I beg to decline it.' The Fire-king--"Then wherefore did you send me a challenge? You pledged your honor to drink it, if I did; I have done it; and if you are a gentleman, you must drink it too." Mr. Smith--"No, no, I must be excused: I am quite satisfied without it." Here several voices exclaimed that the bet was lost. Some said there must be a confederacy between the challenger and the challenged, and others asked whether any money had been deposited? The fire-king called a Mr. White forward, who deposed that he held the stakes, which had been regularly placed in his hands, by both parties, before twelve o'clock that morning. The fire-king here turned round with great exultation to the company, and pulling a bottle out of his pocket, exclaimed, "I did never see this gentleman before this morning, and I did not know but that he might be bold enough to venture to take this quantity of poison. I was determined not to let him lose his life by his foolish wager, and therefore I did bring an antidote in my pocket, which would have prevented him from suffering any harm." Mr. Smith said his object was answered by seeing twenty grains of genuine phosphorus swallowed. He had conceived it impossible, as three grains were quite sufficient to destroy life. The fire-king then withdrew into another room for the professed purpose of putting on his usual dress for entering the oven, but in all probability for the purpose of getting the phosphorus out of his stomach. After an absence of twenty minutes, he returned, dressed in a coarse woolen coat, to enter the heated oven. Before he entered it, a medical gentleman ascertained that his pulse was vibrating ninety-eight times a minute. He remained in the oven five minutes, during which time he sung Le Vaillant Troubadour, and superintended the cooking of two dishes of beef steaks. At the end of that time he came out, perspiring profusely, and with a pulse making one hundred and sixty-eight vibrations in a minute. The thermometer, when brought out of the oven, stood at three hundred and eighty degrees; within the oven he said it was above six hundred. Although he was suspected of trickery by many, was often challenged, and had an army of rivals and imitators, all available records show that Chabert was beyond a doubt the greatest fire and poison resister that ever appeared in London. Seeking new laurels, he came to America in 1832, and although he was successful in New York, his subsequent tour of the States was financially disastrous. He evidently saved enough from the wreck, however, to start in business, and the declining years of his eventful life were passed in the comparative obscurity of a little drug store in Grand Street. As his biographer I regret to be obliged to chronicle the fact that he made and sold an alleged specific for the White Plague, thus enabling his detractors to couple with his name the word Quack. The following article, which appeared in the New York Herald of September 1st, 1859, three days after Chabert's death, gives further details of his activities in this country: We published among the obituary notices in yesterday's Herald the death of Dr. Julian Xavier Chabert, the "Fire King," aged 67 years, of pulmonary consumption. Dr. C. was a native of France, and came to this country in 1832, and was first introduced to the public at the lecture room of the old Clinton Hall, in Nassau Street, where he gave exhibitions by entering a hot oven of his own construction, and while there gave evidence of his salamander qualities by cooking beef steaks, to the surprise and astonishment of his audiences. It was a question to many whether the Doctor's oven was red-hot or not, as he never allowed any person to approach him during the exhibition or take part in the proceedings. He made a tour of the United States in giving these exhibitions, which resulted in financial bankruptcy. At the breaking out of the cholera in 1832 he turned Doctor, and appended M.D., to his name, and suddenly his newspaper advertisements claimed for him the title of the celebrated Fire King, the curer of consumption, the maker of Chinese Lotion, etc. While the Doctor was at the height of his popularity, some wag perpetrated the following joke in a newspaper paragraph: "During some experiments he was making in chemistry last week, an explosion took place which entirely bewildered his faculties and left him in a condition bordering on the grave. He was blown into a thousand atoms. It took place on Wednesday of last week and some accounts state that it grew out of an experiment with phosphoric ether, others that it was by a too liberal indulgence in Prussic acid, an article which, from its resemblance to the peach, he was remarkably fond of having about him." The Doctor was extensively accused of quackery, and on one occasion when the Herald touched on the same subject, it brought him to our office and he exhibited diplomas, certificates and medical honors without number. The Doctor was remarkable for his prolific display of jewelry and medals of honor, and by his extensive display of beard. He found a rival in this city in the person of another French "chemist," who gave the Doctor considerable opposition and consequently much trouble. The Doctor was famous, also, for his four-horse turnouts in Broadway, alternating, when he saw proper, to a change to the "tandem" style. He married an Irish lady whom he at first supposed to be immensely rich, but after the nuptials it was discovered that she merely had a life interest in a large estate in common with several others. The Doctor, it appears, was formerly a soldier in the French Army, and quite recently he received from thence a medal of the order of St. Helena, an account of which appeared in the Herald. Prior to his death he was engaged in writing his biography (in French) and had it nearly ready for publication. Here follows a supposedly humorous speech in broken English, quoted from the London Lancet, in which the Doctor is satirized. Continuing, the articles says: "The Doctor was what was termed a 'fast liver,' and at the time of his death he kept a drug store in Grand Street, and had very little of this world's goods. He leaves three children to mourn his loss, one of them an educated physician, residing in Hoboken, N. J. Dr. C. has 'gone to that bourne whence no traveller returns,' and we fervently trust and hope that the disembodied spirits of the tens of thousands whom he has treated in this sphere will treat him with the same science with which he treated them while in this wicked world." CHAPTER FIVE FIRE-EATING MAGICIANS: CHING LING FOO AND CHUNG LING SOO.--FIRE-EATERS EMPLOYED BY MAGICIANS: THE MAN-SALAMANDER, 1816; MR. CARLTON, PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY, 1818; MISS CASSILLIS, AGED NINE, 1820; THE AFRICAN WONDER, 1843; LING LOOK AND YAMADEVA DIE IN CHINA DURING KELLAR'S WORLD TOUR, 1872; LING LOOK'S DOUBLE, 1879.--ELECTRICAL EFFECTS, THE SALAMBOS.--BUENO CORE.--DEL KANO.--BARNELLO.--EDWIN FORREST AS A HEAT-REGISTER.--THE ELDER SOTHERN AS A FIRE-EATER.--THE TWILIGHT OF THE ART. Many of our most noted magicians have considered it not beneath their dignity to introduce fire-eating into their programmes, either in their own work or by the employment of a "Fire Artist." Although seldom presenting it in his recent performances, Ching Ling Foo is a fire-eater of the highest type, refining the effect with the same subtle artistry that marks all the work of this super-magician. Of Foo's thousand imitators the only positively successful one was William E. Robinson, whose tragic death while in the performance of the bullet-catching trick is the latest addition to the long list of casualties chargeable to that ill-omened juggle. He carried the imitation even as far as the name, calling himself Chung Ling Soo. Robinson was very successful in the classic trick of apparently eating large quantities of cotton and blowing smoke and sparks from the mouth. His teeth were finally quite destroyed by the continued performance of this trick, the method of which may be found in Chapter Six. The employment of fire-eaters by magicians began a century ago; for in 1816 the magician Sieur Boaz, K. C., featured a performer who was billed as the "Man-Salamander." The fact that Boaz gave him a place on his programme is proof that this man was clever, but the effects there listed show nothing original. In 1818 a Mr. Carlton, Professor of Chemistry, toured England in company with Rae, the Bartholomew Fair magician. As will be seen by the handbill reproduced here, Carlton promised to explain the "Deceptive Part" of the performance, "when there is a sufficient company." In 1820 a Mr. Cassillis toured England with a juvenile company, one of the features of which was Miss Cassillis, aged nine years, whose act was a complete reproduction of the programme of Boaz, concluding her performance with the "Chinese Fire Trick." A Negro, Carlo Alberto, appeared in a benefit performance given by Herr Julian, who styled himself the "Wizard of the South," in London, on November 28th, 1843. Alberto was billed as the "Great African Wonder, the Fire King" and it was promised that he would "go through part of his wonderful performance as given by him in the principal theaters in America, in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, etc." A later number on the same bill reads: "The African Wonder, Carlo Alberto, will sing several new and popular Negro melodies." Collectors of minstrel data please take notice! In more recent times there have been a number of Negro fire-eaters, but none seems to have risen to noticeable prominence. Ling Look, one of the best of contemporary fire performers, was with Dean Harry Kellar when the latter made his famous trip around the world in 1877. Look combined fire-eating and sword-swallowing in a rather startling manner. His best effect was the swallowing of a red-hot sword.[1] Another thriller consisted in fastening a long sword to the stock of a musket; when he had swallowed about half the length of the blade, he discharged the gun and the recoil drove the sword suddenly down his throat to the very hilt. Although Look always appeared in a Chinese make-up, Dean Kellar told me that he thought his right name was Dave Gueter, and that he was born in Buda Pesth. Yamadeva, a brother of Ling Look, was also with the Kellar Company, doing cabinet manifestations and rope escapes. Both brothers died in China during this engagement, and a strange incident occurred in connection with their deaths. Just before they were to sail from Shanghai on the P. & O. steamer Khiva for Hong Kong, Yamadeva and Kellar visited the bowling alley of The Hermitage, a pleasure resort on the Bubbling Well Road. They were watching a husky sea captain, who was using a huge ball and making a "double spare" at every roll, when Yamadeva suddenly remarked, "I can handle one as heavy as that big loafer can." Suiting the action to the word, he seized one of the largest balls and drove it down the alley with all his might; but he had misjudged his own strength, and he paid for the foolhardy act with his life, for he had no sooner delivered the ball than he grasped his side and moaned with pain. He had hardly sufficient strength to get back to the ship, where he went immediately to bed and died shortly afterward. An examination showed that he had ruptured an artery. Kellar and Ling Look had much difficulty in persuading the captain to take the body to Hong Kong, but he finally consented. On the way down the Yang Tse Kiang River, Look was greatly depressed; but all at once he became strangely excited, and said that his brother was not dead, for he had just heard the peculiar whistle with which they had always called each other. The whistle was several times repeated, and was heard by all on board. Finally the captain, convinced that something was wrong, had the lid removed from the coffin, but the body of Yamadeva gave no indication of life, and all save Ling Look decided that they must have been mistaken. Poor Ling Look, however, sobbingly said to Kellar, "I shall never leave Hong Kong alive. My brother has called me to join him." This prediction was fulfilled, for shortly after their arrival in Hong Kong he underwent an operation for a liver trouble, and died under the knife. The brothers were buried in Happy Valley, Hong Kong, in the year 1877. All this was related to me at the Marlborough-Blenheim, Atlantic City, in June, 1908, by Kellar himself, and portions of it were repeated in 1917 when Dean Kellar sat by me at the Society of American Magicians' dinner. In 1879 there appeared in England a performer who claimed to be the original Ling Look. He wore his make-up both on and off the stage, and copied, so far as he could, Ling's style of work. His fame reached this country and the New York Clipper published, in its Letter Columns, an article stating that Ling Look was not dead, but was alive and working in England. His imitator had the nerve to stick to his story even when confronted by Kellar, but when the latter assured him that he had personally attended the burial of Ling, in Hong Kong, he broke down and confessed that he was a younger brother of the original Ling Look. Kellar later informed me that the resemblance was so strong that had he not seen the original Ling Look consigned to the earth, he himself would have been duped into believing that this was the man who had been with him in Hong Kong. The Salambos were among the first to use electrical effects in a fire act, combining these with the natural gas and "human volcano" stunts of their predecessors, so that they were able to present an extremely spectacular performance without having recourse to such unpleasant features as had marred the effect of earlier fire acts. Bueno Core, too, deserves honorable mention for the cleanness and snap of his act; and Del Kano should also be named among the cleverer performers. One of the best known of the modern fire-eaters was Barnello, who was a good business man as well, and kept steadily employed at a better salary than the rank and file of his contemporaries. He did a thriving business in the sale of the various concoctions used in his art, and published and sold a most complete book of formulas and general instructions for those interested in the craft. He had, indeed, many irons in the fire, and he kept them all hot. It will perhaps surprise the present generation to learn that the well-known circus man Jacob Showles was once a fire-eater, and that Del Fugo, well-known in his day as a dancer in the music halls, began as a fire-resister, and did his dance on hot iron plates. But the reader has two keener surprises in store for him before I close the long history of the heat-resisters. The first concerns our great American tragedian Edwin Forrest (1806-1872) who, according to James Rees (Colley Cibber), once essayed a fire-resisting act. Forrest was always fond of athletics and at one time made an engagement with the manager of a circus to appear as a tumbler and rider. The engagement was not fulfilled, however, as his friend Sol Smith induced him to break it and return to the legitimate stage. Smith afterwards admitted to Cibber that if Forrest had remained with the circus he would have become one of the most daring riders and vaulters that ever appeared in the ring. His adventure in fire-resistance was on the occasion of the benefit to "Charley Young," on which eventful night, as the last of his acrobatic feats, he made a flying leap through a barrel of red fire, singeing his hair and eyebrows terribly. This particular leap through fire was the big sensation of those days, and Forrest evidently had a hankering to show his friends that he could accomplish it--and he did. The second concerns an equally popular actor, a comedian this time, the elder Sothern (1826-1881). On March 20, 1878, a writer in the Chicago Inter-Ocean communicated to that paper the following curiously descriptive article: Is Mr. Sothern a medium? This is the question that fifteen puzzled investigators are asking themselves this morning, after witnessing a number of astounding manifestations at a private seance given by Mr. Sothern last night. It lacked a few minutes of 12 when a number of Mr. Sothern's friends, who had been given to understand that something remarkable was to be performed, assembled in the former's room at the Sherman House and took seats around a marble-top table, which was placed in the center of the apartment. On the table were a number of glasses, two very large bottles, and five lemons. A sprightly young gentleman attempted to crack a joke about spirits being confined in bottles, but the company frowned him down, and for once Mr. Sothern had a sober audience to begin with. There was a good deal of curiosity regarding the object of the gathering, but no one was able to explain. Each gentleman testified to the fact Mr. Sothern's agent had waited upon him, and solicited his presence at a little exhibition to be given by the actor, NOT of a comical nature. Mr. Sothern himself soon after appeared, and, after shaking hands with the party, thus addressed them: "Gentlemen, I have invited you here this evening to witness a few manifestations, demonstrations, tests, or whatever you choose to call them, which I have accidentally discovered that I am able to perform. "I am a fire-eater, as it were. (Applause). "I used to DREAD the fire, having been scorched once when an innocent child. (A laugh.) Mr. Sothern (severely)--"I HOPE there will be no levity here, and I wish to say now that demonstrations of any kind are liable to upset me, while demonstrations of a particular kind may upset the audience." Silence and decorum being restored, Mr. Sothern thus continued: "Thirteen weeks ago, while walking up Greenwich Street, in New York, I stepped into a store to buy a cigar. To show you there is no trick about it, here are cigars out of the same box from which I selected the one I that day lighted." (Here Mr. Sothern passed around a box of tolerable cigars.) "Well, I stepped to the little hanging gas-jet to light it, and, having done so, stood contemplatively holding the gas-jet and the cigar in either hand, thinking what a saving it would be to smoke a pipe, when, in my absent-mindedness, I dropped the cigar and put the gas-jet into my mouth. Strange as it may appear, I felt no pain, and stood there holding the thing in my mouth and puffing till the man in charge yelled out to me that I was swallowing his gas. Then I looked up, and, sure enough, there I was pulling away at the slender flame that came from the glass tube. "I dropped it instantly, and felt of my mouth, but noticed no inconvenience or unpleasant sensation whatever. "'What do you mean by it?' said the proprietor. "As I didn't know what I meant by it I couldn't answer, so I picked up my cigar and went home. Once there I tried the experiment again, and in doing so I found that not only my mouth, but my hands and face, indeed, all of my body, was proof against fire. I called on a physician, and he examined me, and reported nothing wrong with my flesh, which appeared to be in normal condition. I said nothing about it publicly, but the fact greatly surprised me, and I have invited you here to-night to witness a few experiments." Saying this, Mr. Sothern, who had lit a cigar while pausing in his speech, turned the fire end into his mouth and sat down, smoking unconcernedly. "I suppose you wish to give us the fire-test," remarked one of the company. Mr. Sothern nodded. There was probably never a gathering more dumbfounded than that present in the room. A few questions were asked, and then five gentlemen were appointed to examine Mr. Sothern's hands, etc., before he began his experiments. Having thoroughly washed the parts that he proposed to subject to the flames, Mr. Sothern began by burning his arm, and passing it through the gas-jet very slowly, twice stopping the motion and holding it still in the flames. He then picked up a poker with a sort of hook on the end, and proceeded to fish a small coil of wire from the grate. The wire came out fairly white with the heat. Mr. Sothern took the coil in his hands and cooly proceeded to wrap it round his left leg to the knee. Having done so, he stood on the table in the center of the circle and requested the committee to examine the wrappings and the leg and report if both were there. The committee did so and reported in the affirmative. While this was going on, there was a smile, almost seraphic in its beauty, on Mr. Sothern's face. After this an enormous hot iron, in the shape of a horseshoe, was placed on Mr. Sothern's body, where it cooled, without leaving a sign of a burn. As a final test, a tailor's goose was put on the coals, and, after being thoroughly heated, was placed on Mr. Sothern's chair. The latter lighted a fresh cigar, and then coolly took a seat on the goose without the least seeming inconvenience. During the last experiment Mr. Sothern sang in an excellent tone and voice, "I'm Sitting on the Stile, Mary." The question now is, were the fifteen auditors of Mr. Sothern fooled and deceived, or was this a genuine manifestation of extraordinary power? Sothern is such an inveterate joker that he may have put the thing upon the boys for his own amusement; but if so, it was one of the nicest tricks ever witnessed by yours truly, ONE OF THE COMMITTEE. P. S.--What is equally marvellous to me is that the fire didn't burn his clothes where it touched them, any more than his flesh. P. C. (There is nothing new in this. Mr. Sothern has long been known as one of the most expert jugglers in the profession. Some years ago he gained the soubriquet of the "Fire King!" He frequently amuses his friends by eating fire, though he long ago ceased to give public exhibitions. Probably the success of the experiments last night were largely owing to the lemons present. There is a good deal of trickery in those same lemons.--Editor Inter-Ocean.) Which suggests that the editor of the Inter-Ocean was either pretty well acquainted with the comedian's addiction to spoofing, or else less susceptible to superstition than certain scientists of our generation. The great day of the Fire-eater--or, should I say, the day of the great Fire-eater--has passed. No longer does fashion flock to his doors, nor science study his wonders, and he must now seek a following in the gaping loiterers of the circus side-show, the pumpkin-and-prize-pig country fair, or the tawdry booth at Coney Island. The credulous, wonder-loving scientist, however, still abides with us and, while his serious-minded brothers are wringing from Nature her jealously guarded secrets, the knowledge of which benefits all mankind, he gravely follows that perennial Will-of-the-wisp, spiritism, and lays the flattering unction to his soul that he is investigating "psychic phenomena," when in reality he is merely gazing with unseeing eyes on the flimsy juggling of pseudo-mediums. [1] I never saw Ling Look's work, but I know that some of the sword swallowers have made use of a sheath which was swallowed before the performance, and the swords were simply pushed into it. A sheath of this kind lined with asbestos might easily have served as a protection against the red-hot blade. CHAPTER SIX THE ARCANA OF THE FIRE-EATERS: THE FORMULA OF ALBERTUS MAGNUS.--OF HOCUS POCUS.--RICHARDSON'S METHOD.--PHILOPYRAPHAGUS ASHBURNIENSIS.--TO BREATHE FORTH SPARKS, SMOKE, AND FLAMES.--TO SPOUT NATURAL GAS.--PROFESSOR SEMENTINI'S DISCOVERIES.--TO BITE OFF RED-HOT IRON.--TO COOK IN A BURNING CAGE.--CHABERT'S OVEN. TO EAT COALS OF FIRE.--TO DRINK BURNING OIL.--TO CHEW MOLTEN LEAD.--TO CHEW BURNING BRIMSTONE.--TO WREATHE THE FACE IN FLAMES.--TO IGNITE PAPER WITH THE BREATH.--TO DRINK BOILING LIQUOR AND EAT FLAMING WAX. The yellow thread of exposure seems to be inextricably woven into all fabrics whose strength is secrecy, and experience proves that it is much easier to become fireproof than to become exposure proof. It is still an open question, however, as to what extent exposure really injures a performer. Exposure of the secrets of the fire-eaters, for instance, dates back almost to the beginning of the art itself. The priests were exposed, Richardson was exposed, Powell was exposed and so on down the line; but the business continued to prosper, the really clever performers drew quite fashionable audiences for a long time, and it was probably the demand for a higher form of entertainment, resulting from a refinement of the public taste, rather than the result of the many exposures, that finally relegated the Fire-eaters to the haunts of the proletariat. How the early priests came into possession of these secrets does not appear, and if there were ever any records of this kind the Church would hardly allow them to become public. That they used practically the same system which has been adopted by all their followers is amply proved by the fact that after trial by ordeal had been abolished Albertus Magnus, in his work De Mirabilibus Mundi, at the end of his book De Secretis Mulierum, Amstelod, 1702, made public the underlying principles of heat-resistance; namely, the use of certain compounds which render the exposed parts to a more or less extent impervious to heat. Many different formulas have been discovered which accomplish the purpose, but the principle remains unchanged. The formula set down by Albertus Magnus was probably the first ever made public: the following translation of it is from the London Mirror: Take juice of marshmallow, and white of egg, flea-bane seeds, and lime; powder them and mix juice of radish with the white of egg; mix all thoroughly and with this composition annoint your body or hand and allow it to dry and afterwards annoint it again, and after this you may boldly take up hot iron without hurt. "Such a paste," says the correspondent to the Mirror, "would indeed be very visible." Another early formula is given in the 1763 edition of Hocus Pocus. Examination of the different editions of this book in my library discloses the fact that there are no fire formulas in the second edition, 1635, which is the earliest I have (first editions are very rare and there is only one record of a sale of that edition at auction). From the fact that this formula was published during the time that Powell was appearing in England I gather that that circumstance may account for its addition to the book. It does not appear in the German or Dutch editions. The following is an exact copy: HOW TO WALK ON A HOT IRON BAR WITHOUT ANY DANGER OF SCALDING OR BURNING. Take half an ounce of samphire, dissolve it in two ounces of aquaevitae, add to it one ounce of quicksilver, one ounce of liquid storax, which is the droppings of Myrrh and hinders the camphire from firing; take also two ounces of hematitus, a red stone to be had at the druggist's, and when you buy it let them beat it to powder in their great mortar, for it is so very hard that it cannot be done in a small one; put this to the afore-mentioned composition, and when you intend to walk on the bar you must annoint your feet well therewith, and you may walk over without danger: by this you may wash your hands in boiling lead. This was the secret modus operandi made use of by Richardson, the first notably successful fire artist to appear in Europe, and it was disclosed by his servant.[1] Hone's Table Book, London, 1827, page 315, gives Richardson's method as follows: It consisted only in rubbing the hands and thoroughly washing the mouth, lips, tongue, teeth and other parts which were to touch the fire, with pure spirits of sulphur. This burns and cauterizes the epidermis or upper skin, till it becomes as hard and thick as leather, and each time the experiment is tried it becomes still easier. But if, after it has been very often repeated the upper skin should grow so callous and hard as to become troublesome, washing the parts affected with very warm water, or hot wine, will bring away all the shrivelled or parched epidermis. The flesh, however, will continue tender and unfit for such business till it has been frequently rubbed over with the same spirit. This preparation may be rendered much stronger and more efficacious by mixing equal quantities of spirit of sulphur, sal ammoniac, essence of rosemary and juice of onions. The bad effects which frequently swallowing red-hot coals, melted sealing wax, rosin, brimstone and other calcined and inflammable matter, might have had upon his stomach were prevented by drinking plentifully of warm water and oil, as soon as he left the company, till he had vomited it all up again. This anecdote was communicated to the author of the Journal des Savants by Mr. Panthot, Doctor of Physics and Member of the College at Lyons. It appeared at the time Powell was showing his fire-eating stunts in London, and the correspondent naively added: Whether Mr. Powell will take it kindly of me thus to have published his secret I cannot tell; but as he now begins to drop into years, has no children that I know of and may die suddenly, or without making a will, I think it a great pity so genteel an occupation should become one of the artes perditae, as possibly it may, if proper care is not taken, and therefore hope, after this information, some true-hearted ENGLISHMAN will take it up again, for the honor of his country, when he reads in the newspapers, "Yesterday, died, much lamented, the famous Mr. Powell. He was the best, if not the only, fire-eater in the world, and it is greatly to be feared that his art is dead with him." After a couple of columns more in a similar strain, the correspondent signs himself Philopyraphagus Ashburniensis. In his History of Inventions, Vol. III, page 272, 1817 edition, Beckmann thus describes the process: The deception of breathing out flames, which at present excites, in a particular manner, the astonishment of the ignorant, is very ancient. When the slaves in Sicily, about a century and a half before our era, made a formidable insurrection, and avenged themselves in a cruel manner, for the severities which they had suffered, there was amongst them a Syrian named Eunus--a man of great craft and courage; who having passed through many scenes of life, had become acquainted with a variety of arts. He pretended to have immediate communication with the gods; was the oracle and leader of his fellow-slaves; and, as is usual on such occasions confirmed his divine mission by miracles. When heated by enthusiasm and desirous of inspiring his followers with courage, he breathed flames or sparks among them from his mouth while he was addressing them. We are told by historians that for this purpose he pierced a nut shell at both ends, and, having filled it with some burning substance, put it into his mouth and breathed through it. This deception, at present, is performed much better. The juggler rolls together some flax or hemp, so as to form a ball about the size of a walnut; sets it on fire; and suffers it to burn until it is nearly consumed; he then rolls round it, while burning, some more flax; and by these means the fire may be retained in it for a long time. When he wishes to exhibit he slips the ball unperceived into his mouth, and breathes through it; which again revives the fire, so that a number of weak sparks proceed from it; and the performer sustains no hurt, provided he inspire the air not through the mouth, but the nostrils. By this art the Rabbi Bar-Cocheba, in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, made the credulous Jews believe that he was the hoped-for Messiah; and two centuries after, the Emperor Constantius was thrown into great terror when Valentinian informed him that he had seen one of the body-guards breathing out fire and flames in the evening. Since Beckmann wrote, the method of producing smoke and sparks from the mouth has been still further improved. The fire can now be produced in various ways. One way is by the use of a piece of thick cotton string which has been soaked in a solution of nitre and then thoroughly dried. This string, when once lighted, burns very slowly and a piece one inch long is sufficient for the purpose. Some performers prefer a small piece of punk, as it requires no preparation. Still others use tinder made by burning linen rags, as our forefathers used to do. This will not flame, but merely smoulders until the breath blows it into a glow. The tinder is made by charring linen rags, that is, burning them to a crisp, but stopping the combustion before they are reduced to ashes. Flames from the lips may be produced by holding in the mouth a sponge saturated with the purest gasoline. When the breath is exhaled sharply it can be lighted from a torch or a candle. Closing the lips firmly will extinguish the flame. A wad of oakum will give better results than the sponge. Natural gas is produced as simply. A T-shaped gas pipe has three or four gas tips on the cross-piece. The long end is placed in the mouth, which already holds concealed a sponge, or preferably a ball of oakum, saturated with pure gasoline. Blowing through the pipe will force the gas through the tips, where it can be ignited with a match. It will burn as long as the breath lasts. In a London periodical, The Terrific Record, appears a reprint from the Mercure de France, giving an account of experiments in Naples which led to the discovery of the means by which jugglers have appeared to be incombustible. They first gradually habituate the skin, the mouth, throat and stomach to great degrees of heat, then they rub the skin with hard soap. The tongue is also covered with hard soap and over that a layer of powdered sugar. By this means an investigating professor was enabled to reproduce the wonders which had puzzled many scientists. The investigating professor in all probability, was Professor Sementini, who experimented with Lionetto. I find an account of Sementini's discoveries in an old newspaper clipping, the name and date of which have unfortunately been lost: Sementini's efforts, after performing several experiments upon himself, were finally crowned with success. He found that by friction with sulphuric acid deluted with water, the skin might be made insensible to the action of the heat of red-hot iron; a solution of alum, evaporated till it became spongy, appeared to be more effectual in these frictions. After having rubbed the parts which were thus rendered in some degree insensible, with hard soap, he discovered, on the application of hot iron, that their insensibility was increased. He then determined on again rubbing the parts with soap, and after that found that the hot iron not only occasioned no pain but that it actually did not burn the hair. Being thus far satisfied, the Professor applied hard soap to his tongue until it became insensible to the heat of the iron; and having placed an ointment composed of soap mixed with a solution of alum upon it, burning oil did not burn it; while the oil remained on the tongue a slight hissing was heard, similar to that of hot iron when thrust into water; the oil soon cooled and might then be swallowed without danger. Several scientific men have since repeated the experiments of Professor Sementini, but we would not recommend any except professionals to try the experiments. Liquid storax is now used to anoint the tongue when red-hot irons are to be placed in the mouth. It is claimed that with this alone a red-hot poker can be licked until it is cold. Another formula is given by Griffin, as follows: 1 bar ivory soap, cut fine, 1 pound of brown sugar, 2 ounces liquid storax (not the gum). Dissolve in hot water and add a wine-glassful of carbolic acid. This is rubbed on all parts liable to come in contact with the hot articles. After anointing the mouth with this solution rinse with strong vinegar. No performer should attempt to bite off red-hot iron unless he has a good set of teeth. A piece of hoop iron may be prepared by bending it back and forth at a point about one inch from the end, until the fragment is nearly broken off, or by cutting nearly through it with a cold chisel. When the iron has been heated red-hot, the prepared end is taken between the teeth, a couple of bends will complete the break. The piece which drops from the teeth into a dish of water will make a puff of steam and a hissing sound, which will demonstrate that it is still very hot. The mystery of the burning cage, in which the Fire King remains while a steak is thoroughly cooked, is explained by Barnello as follows: Have a large iron cage constructed about 4 x 6 feet, the bottom made of heavy sheet iron. The cage should stand on iron legs or horses. Wrap each of the bars of the cage with cotton batting saturated with oil. Now take a raw beefsteak in your hand and enter the cage, which is now set on fire. Remain in the cage until the fire has burned out, then issue from the cage with the steak burned to a crisp. Explanation: On entering the cage the performer places the steak on a large iron hook which is fastened in one of the upper corners. The dress worn is of asbestos cloth with a hood that completely covers the head and neck. There is a small hole over the mouth through which he breathes. As soon as the fire starts the smoke and flames completely hide the performer from the spectators, and he immediately lies down on the bottom of the cage, placing the mouth over one of the small air holes in the floor of the same. Heat always goes up and will soon cook the steak. I deduce from the above that the performer arises and recovers the steak when the fire slackens but while there is still sufficient flame and smoke to mask his action. It is obvious that the above explanation covers the baker's oven mystery as well. In the case of the oven, however, the inmate is concealed from start to finish, and this gives him much greater latitude for his actions. M. Chabert made the oven the big feature of his programme and succeeded in puzzling many of the best informed scientists of his day. Eating coals of fire has always been one of the sensational feats of the Fire Kings, as it is quite generally known that charcoal burns with an extremely intense heat. This fervent lunch, however, like many of the feasts of the Fire Kings, is produced by trick methods. Mixed with the charcoal in the brazier are a few coals of soft white pine, which when burnt look exactly like charcoal. These will not burn the mouth as charcoal will. They should be picked up with a fork which will penetrate the pine coals, but not the charcoal, the latter being brittle. Another method of eating burning coals employs small balls of burned cotton in a dish of burning alcohol. When lifted on the fork these have the appearance of charcoal, but are harmless if the mouth be immediately closed, so that the flame is extinguished. In all feats of fire-eating it should be noted that the head is thrown well back, so that the flame may pass out of the open mouth instead of up into the roof, as it would if the head were held naturally. To drink burning oil set fire to a small quantity of kerosene in a ladle. Into this dip an iron spoon and bring it up to all appearance, filled with burning oil, though in reality the spoon is merely wet with the oil. It is carried blazing to the mouth, where it is tipped, as if to pour the oil into the mouth, just as a puff of breath blows out all the flame. The process is continued until all the oil in the ladle has been consumed; then the ladle is turned bottom up, in order to show that all the oil has been drunk. A method of drinking what seems to be molten lead is given in the Chambers' Book of Days, 1863, Vol. II, page 278: The performer taking an iron spoon, holds it up to the spectators, to show that it is empty; then, dipping it into a pot containing melted lead, he again shows it to the spectators full of the molten metal; then, after putting the spoon in his mouth, he once more shows it to be empty; and after compressing his lips, with a look expressive of pain, he, in a few moments, ejects from his mouth a piece of lead impressed with the exact form of his teeth. Ask a spectator what he saw, and he will say that the performer took a spoonful of molten lead, placed it in his mouth, and soon afterwards showed it in a solid state, bearing the exact form and impression of his teeth. If deception be insinuated, the spectator will say. "No! Having the evidence of my senses, I cannot be deceived; if it had been a matter of opinion I might, but seeing, you know, is believing." Now the piece of lead, cast from a plaster mould of the performer's teeth, has probably officiated in a thousand previous performances, and is placed in the mouth between the gum and the cheek, just before the trick commences. The spoon is made with a hollow handle containing quicksilver, which, by a simple motion, can be let run into the bowl, or back again into the handle at will. The spoon is first shown with the quicksilver concealed in the handle, the bowl is then dipped just within the rim of the pot containing the molten lead, but not into the lead itself, and, at the same instant the quicksilver is allowed to run into the bowl. The spoon is then shown with the quicksilver (which the audience takes to be the melted lead) in the bowl, and when placed in the mouth, the quicksilver is again allowed to run into the handle. The performer, in fact, takes a spoonful of nothing, and soon after exhibits the lead bearing the impression of the teeth. Molten lead, for fire-eating purposes, is made as follows: Bismuth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 oz. Lead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 oz. Block tin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 oz. Melt these together. When the metal has cooled, a piece the size of a silver quarter can be melted and taken into the mouth and held there until it hardens. This alloy will melt in boiling water. Robert-Houdin calls it Arcet's metal, but I cannot find the name elsewhere. The eating of burning brimstone is an entirely fake performance. A number of small pieces of brimstone are shown, and then wrapped in cotton which has been saturated with a half-and-half mixture of kerosene and gasoline, the surplus oil having been squeezed out so there shall be NO DRIP. When these are lighted they may be held in the palm of any hand which has been anointed with one of the fire mixtures described in this chapter. Then throw back the head, place the burning ball in the mouth, and a freshly extinguished candle can be lighted from the flame. Close the lips firmly, which will extinguish the flame, then chew and pretend to swallow the brimstone, which can afterwards be removed under cover of a handkerchief. Observe that the brimstone has not been burned at all, and that the cotton protects the teeth. To add to the effect, a small piece of brimstone may be dropped into the furnace, a very small piece will suffice to convince all that it is the genuine article that is being eaten. To cause the face to appear in a mass of flame make use of the following: mix together thoroughly petroleum, lard, mutton tallow and quick lime. Distill this over a charcoal fire, and the liquid which results can be burned on the face without harm.[2] To set paper on fire by blowing upon it, small pieces of wet phosphorus are taken into the mouth, and a sheet of tissue paper is held about a foot from the lips. While the paper is being blown upon the phosphorus is ejected on it, although this passes unnoticed by the spectators, and as soon as the continued blowing has dried the phosphorus it will ignite the paper. Drinking boiling liquor is accomplished by using a cup with a false bottom, under which the liquor is retained. A solution of spermaceti in sulphuric ether tinged with alkanet root, which solidifies at 50 degrees F., and melts and boils with the heat of the hand, is described in Beckmann's History of Inventions, Vol. II., page 121. Dennison's No. 2 sealing wax may be melted in the flame of a candle and, while still blazing, dropped upon the tongue without causing a burn, as the moisture of the tongue instantly cools it. Care must be used, however, that none touches the hands or lips. It can be chewed, and apparently swallowed, but removed in the handkerchief while wiping the lips. The above is the method practiced by all the Fire-Eaters, and absolutely no preparation is necessary except that the tongue must be well moistened with saliva. Barnello once said, "A person wishing to become a Fire-Eater must make up his or her mind to suffer a little at first from burns, as there is no one who works at the business but that gets burns either from carelessness or from accident." This is verified by the following, which I clip from the London Globe of August 11th, 1880: Accident to a Fire-Eater. A correspondent telegraphs: A terrible scene was witnessed in the market place, Leighton Buzzard, yesterday. A travelling Negro fire eater was performing on a stand, licking red-hot iron, bending heated pokers with his naked foot, burning tow in his mouth, and the like. At last he filled his mouth with benzolene, saying that he would burn it as he allowed it to escape. He had no sooner applied a lighted match to his lips than the whole mouthful of spirit took fire and before it was consumed the man was burned in a frightful manner, the blazing spirit running all over his face, neck and chest as he dashed from his stand and raced about like a madman among the assembled crowd, tearing his clothing from him and howling in most intense agony. A portion of the spirit was swallowed and the inside of his mouth was also terribly burnt. He was taken into a chemist's shop and oils were administered and applied, but afterwards in agonizing frenzy he escaped in a state almost of nudity from a lodging house and was captured by the police and taken to the work-house infirmary, where he remains in a dreadful condition. REMEMBER! Always have a large blanket at hand to smother flames in burning clothing--also a bucket of water and a quantity of sand. A siphon of carbonic water is an excellent fire extinguisher. The gas of gasoline is heavier than air, so a container should never be held ABOVE a flame. Keep kerosene and gasoline containers well corked and at a distance from fire. Never inhale breath while performing with fire. FLAME DRAWN INTO THE LUNGS IS FATAL TO LIFE. So much for the entertaining side of the art. There are, however, some further scientific principles so interesting that I reserve them for another chapter. [1] Such disloyalty in trusted servants is one of the most disheartening things that can happen to a public performer. But it must not be thought that I say this out of personal experience: for in the many years that I have been before the public my secret methods have been steadily shielded by the strict integrity of my assistants, most of whom have been with me for years. Only one man ever betrayed my confidence, and that only in a minor matter. But then, so far as I know, I am the only performer who ever pledged his assistants to secrecy, honor and allegiance under a notarial oath. [3] Barnello's Red Demon. CHAPTER SEVEN THE SPHEROIDAL CONDITION OF LIQUIDS.--WHY THE HAND MAY BE DIPPED IN MOLTEN METALS.--PRINCIPLES OF HEAT-RESISTANCE PUT TO PRACTICAL USES: ALDINI, 1829.--IN EARLY FIRE-FIGHTING. TEMPERATURES THE BODY CAN ENDURE. The spheroidal condition of liquids was discovered by Leidenfrost, but M. Boutigny was the first to give this singular subject careful investigation. From time out of mind the test of letting a drop of water fall on the face of a hot flat-iron has been employed to discover whether it may safely be used. Everybody knows that if it is not too hot the water will spread over the surface and evaporate; but if it is too hot, the water will glance off without wetting the iron, and if this drop be allowed to fall on the hand it will be found that it is still cool. The fact is that the water never touches the hot iron at all, provided the heat is sufficiently intense, but assumes a slightly elliptical shape and is supported by a cushion of vapor. If, instead of a flat-iron, we use a concave metal disk about the size and shape of a watch crystal, some very interesting results may be obtained. If the temperature of the disk is at, or slightly above, the boiling point, water dropped on it from a medicine dropper will boil; but if the disk is heated to 340 degrees F., the drop practically retains its roundness--becoming only slightly oblate--and does not boil. In fact the temperature never rises above 206 degrees F., since the vapor is so rapidly evaporated from the surface of the drop that it forms the cushion just mentioned. By a careful manipulation of the dropper, the disk may be filled with water which, notwithstanding the intense heat, never reaches the boiling point. On the other hand, if boiling water be dropped on the superheated disk its temperature will immediately be REDUCED to six degrees below the boiling point; thus the hot metal really cools the water. By taking advantage of the fact that different liquids assume a spheroidal form at widely different temperatures, one may obtain some startling results. For example, liquid sulphurous acid is so volatile as to have a temperature of only 13 degrees F. when in that state, or 19 degrees below the freezing point of water, so that if a little water be dropped into the acid, it will immediately freeze and the pellet of ice may be dropped into the hand from the still red-hot disk. Even mercury can be frozen in this way by a combination of chemicals. Through the action of this principle it is possible to dip the hand for a short time into melted lead, or even into melted copper, the moisture of the skin supplying a vapor which prevents direct contact with the molten metal; no more than an endurable degree of heat reaches the hand while the moisture lasts, although the temperature of the fusing copper is 1996 degrees. The natural moisture of the hand is usually sufficient for this result, but it is better to wipe the hand with a damp towel. In David A. Wells' Things not Generally Known, New York, 1857, I find a translation of an article by M. Boutigny in The Comptes Rendus, in which he notes that "the portion of the hands which are not immersed in the fused metal, but are exposed to the action of the heat radiated from its surface, experience a painful sensation of heat." He adds that when the hand was dampened with ether "there was no sensation of heat, but, on the contrary, an agreeable feeling of coolness." Beckmann, in his History of Inventions, Vol. II., page 122, says: In the month of September, 1765, when I visited the copper works at Awested, one of the workmen, for a little drink money, took some of the melted copper in his hand, and after showing it to us, threw it against the wall. He then squeezed the fingers of his horny hand close together, put it for a few minutes under his armpit, to make it sweat, as he said; and, taking it again out, drew it over a ladle filled with melted copper, some of which he skimmed off, and moved his hand backwards and forwards, very quickly, by way of ostentation. While I was viewing this performance, I remarked a smell like that of singed horn or leather, though his hand was not burnt. The workmen at the Swedish melting-house showed the same thing to some travellers in the seventeenth century; for Regnard saw it in 1681, at the copper-works in Lapland. My friend Quincy Kilby, of Brookline, Mass., saw the same stunt performed by workmen at the Meridan Brittania Company's plant. They told him that if the hand had been wet it would have been badly scalded. Thus far our interest in heat-resistance has uncovered secrets of no very great practical value, however entertaining the uses to which we have seen them put. But not all the investigation of these principles has been dictated by considerations of curiosity and entertainment. As long ago as 1829, for instance, an English newspaper printed the following: Proof against Fire--On Tuesday week an experiment was made in presence of a Committee of the Academy of Sciences at Paris, by M. Aldini, for the purpose of showing that he can secure the body against the action of flames so as to enable firemen to carry on their operations with safety. His experiment is stated to have given satisfaction. The pompiers were clothed in asbestos, over which was a network of iron. Some of them, it was stated, who wore double gloves of amianthus, held a red-hot bar during four minutes. Sir David Brewster, in his Letters on Natural Magic, page 305, gives a more detailed account of Aldini, from which the natural deduction is that the Chevalier was a showman with an intellect fully up to the demands of his art. Sir David says: In our own times the art of defending the hands and face, and indeed the whole body, from the action of heated iron and intense fire, has been applied to the nobler purpose of saving human life, and rescuing property from the flames. The revival and the improvement of this art we owe to the benevolence and the ingenuity of the Chevalier Aldini of Milan, who has travelled through all Europe to present this valuable gift to his species. Sir H. Davy had long ago shown that a safety lamp for illuminating mines, containing inflammable air, might be constructed of wire-gauze, alone, which prevented the flame within, however large or intense, from setting fire to the inflammable air without. This valuable property, which has been long in practical use, he ascribed to the conducting and radiating power of the wire-gauze, which carried off the heat of the flame, and deprived it of its power. The Chevalier Aldini conceived the idea of applying the same material, in combination with other badly conducting substances, as a protection against fire. The incombustible pieces of dress which he uses for the body, arms, and legs, are formed out of strong cloth, which has been steeped in a solution of alum, while those for the head, hands, and feet, are made of cloth of asbestos or amianthus. The head dress is a large cap which envelops the whole head down to the neck, having suitable perforations for the eyes, nose, and mouth. The stockings and cap are single, but the gloves are made of double amianthus cloth, to enable the fireman to take into his hand burning or red-hot bodies. The piece of ancient asbestos cloth preserved in the Vatican was formed, we believe, by mixing the asbestos with other fibrous substances; but M. Aldini has executed a piece of nearly the same size, 9 feet 5 inches long, and 5 feet 3 inches wide, which is much stronger than the ancient piece, and possesses superior qualities, in consequence of having been woven without the introduction of any foreign substance. In this manufacture the fibers are prevented from breaking by action of steam, the cloth is made loose in its fabric, and the threads are about the fiftieth of an inch in diameter. The metallic dress which is superadded to these means of defence consists of five principal pieces, viz., a casque or cap, with a mask large enough to leave a proper space between it and the asbestos cap; a cuirass with its brassets; a piece of armour for the trunk and thighs; a pair of boots of double wire-gauze; and an oval shield 5 feet long by 2 1/2 feet wide, made by stretching the wire-gauze over a slender frame of iron. All these pieces are made of iron wire-gauze, having the interval between its threads the twenty-fifth part of an inch. In order to prove the efficacy of this apparatus, and inspire the firemen with confidence in its protection, he showed them that a finger first enveloped in asbestos, and then in a double case of wire-gauze, might be held a long time in the flame of a spirit-lamp or candle before the heat became inconvenient. A fireman having his hand within a double asbestos glove, and its palm protected by a piece of asbestos cloth, seized with impunity a large piece of red hot iron, carried it deliberately to the distance of 150 feet, inflamed straw with it, and brought it back again to the furnace. On other occasions the fireman handled blazing wood and burning substances, and walked during five minutes upon an iron grating placed over flaming fagots. In order to show how the head, eyes, and lungs are protected, the fireman put on the asbestos and wire-gauze cap, and the cuirass, and held the shield before his breast. A fire of shavings was then lighted, and kept burning in a large raised chafing-dish; the fireman plunged his head into the middle of the flames with his face to the fuel, and in that position went several times round the chafing-dish for a period longer than a minute. In a subsequent trial, at Paris, a fireman placed his head in the middle of a large brazier filled with flaming hay and wood, and resisted the action of the fire during five or six minutes and even ten minutes. In the experiments which were made at Paris in the presence of a committee of the Academy of Sciences, two parallel rows of straw and brushwood supported by iron wires, were formed at the distance of 3 feet from each other, and extended 30 feet in length. When this combustible mass was set on fire, it was necessary to stand at a distance of 8 or 10 yards to avoid the heat. The flames from both the rows seemed to fill up the whole space between them, and rose to the height of 9 or 10 feet. At this moment six firemen, clothed in the incombustible dresses, and marching at a slow pace behind each other, repeatedly passed through the whole length between the two rows of flame, which were constantly fed with additional combustibles. One of the firemen carried on his back a child eight years old, in a wicker-basket covered with metallic gauze, and the child had no other dress than a cap made of amianthine cloth. In February, 1829, a still more striking experiment was made in the yard of the barracks of St. Gervais. Two towers were erected two stories high, and were surrounded with heaps of inflamed materials consisting of fagots and straw. The firemen braved the danger with impunity. In opposition to the advice of M. Aldini, one of them, with the basket and child, rushed into a narrow place, where the flames were raging 8 yards high. The violence of the fire was so great that he could not be seen, while a thick black smoke spread around, throwing out a heat which was unsupportable by spectators. The fireman remained so long invisible that serious doubts were entertained of his safety. He at length, however, issued from the fiery gulf uninjured, and proud of having succeeded in braving so great a danger. It is a remarkable result of these experiments, that the firemen are able to breathe without difficulty in the middle of the flames. This effect is owing not only to the heat being intercepted by the wire-gauze as it passes to the lungs, in consequence of which its temperature becomes supportable, but also to the singular power which the body possesses of resisting great heats, and of breathing air of high temperatures. A series of curious experiments were made on this subject by M. Tillet, in France, and by Dr. Fordyce and Sir Charles Blagden, in England. Sir Joseph Banks, Dr. Solander, and Sir Charles Blagden entered a room in which the air had a temperature of 198 degrees Fahr., and remained ten minutes; but as the thermometer sunk very rapidly, they resolved to enter the room singly. Dr. Solander went in alone and found the heat 210 degrees, and Sir Joseph entered when the heat was 211 degrees. Though exposed to such an elevated temperature, their bodies preserved their natural degree of heat. Whenever they breathed upon a thermometer it sunk several degrees; every expiration, particularly if strongly made, gave a pleasant impression of coolness to their nostrils, and their cold breath cooled their fingers whenever it reached them. On touching his side, Sir Charles Blagden found it cold like a corpse, and yet the heat of his body under his tongue was 98 degrees. Hence they concluded that the human body possesses the power of destroying a certain degree of heat when communicated with a certain degree of quickness. This power, however, varies greatly in different media. The same person who experienced no inconvenience from air heated to 211 degrees, could just bear rectified spirits of wine at 130 degrees, cooling oil at 129 degrees, cooling water at 123 degrees, and cooling quicksilver at 118 degrees. A familiar instance of this occurred in the heated room. All the pieces of metal there, even their watch-chains, felt so hot that they could scarcely bear to touch them for a moment, while the air from which the metal had derived all its heat was only unpleasant. M. Duhamel and Tillet observed, at Rochefoucault in France, that the girls who were accustomed to attend ovens in a bakehouse, were capable of enduring for ten minutes a temperature of 270 degrees. The same gentleman who performed the experiments above described ventured to expose themselves to still higher temperatures. Sir Charles Blagden went into a room where the heat was 1 degree or 2 degrees above 260 degrees, and remained eight minutes in this situation, frequently walking about to all the different parts of the room, but standing still most of the time in the coolest spot, where the heat was above 240 degrees. The air, though very hot, gave no pain, and Sir Charles and all the other gentlemen were of opinion that they could support a much greater heat. During seven minutes Sir C. Blagden's breathing continued perfectly good, but after that time he felt an oppression in his lungs, with a sense of anxiety, which induced him to leave the room. His pulse was then 144, double its ordinary quickness. In order to prove that there was no mistake respecting the degree of heat indicated by the thermometer, and that the air which they breathed was capable of producing all the well-known effects of such a heat on inanimate matter, they placed some eggs and a beef-steak upon a tin frame near the thermometer, but more distant from the furnace than from the wall of the room. In the space of twenty minutes the eggs were roasted quite hard, and in forty-seven minutes the steak was not only dressed, but almost dry. Another beef-steak, similarly placed, was rather overdone in thirty-three minutes. In the evening, when the heat was still more elevated, a third beef-steak was laid in the same place, and as they had noticed that the effect of the hot air was greatly increased by putting it in motion, they blew upon the steak with a pair of bellows, and thus hastened the dressing of it to such a degree, that the greatest portion of it was found to be pretty well done in thirteen minutes. Our distinguished countryman, Sir F. Chantrey, has very recently exposed himself to a temperature still higher than any which we have mentioned. The furnace which he employs for drying his moulds is about 14 feet long, 12 feet high, and 12 feet broad. When it is raised to its highest temperature, with the doors closed, the thermometer stands at 350 degrees, and the iron floor is red hot. The workmen often enter it at a temperature of 340 degrees, walking over the iron floor with wooden clogs, which are of course charred on the surface. On one occasion Sir F. Chantrey, accompanied by five or six of his friends, entered the furnace, and, after remaining two minutes, they brought out a thermometer which stood at 320 degrees. Some of the party experienced sharp pains in the tips of their ears, and in the septum of the nose, while others felt a pain in their eyes. CHAPTER EIGHT SWORD-SWALLOWERS: CLIQUOT, DELNO FRITZ, DEODATA, A RAZOR-SWALLOWER, AN UMBRELLA-SWALLOWER, WILLIAM DEMPSTER, JOHN CUMMING, EDITH CLIFFORD, VICTORINA. It has sometimes been noted in the foregoing pages, that fire-eaters, finding it difficult to invent new effects in their own sphere, have strayed into other fields of endeavor in order to amplify their programmes. Thus we find them resorting to the allied arts of poison-eating, sword-swallowing and the stunts of the so-called Human Ostrich. In this connection I consider it not out of place for me to include a description of a number of those who have, either through unusual gifts of nature or through clever artifice, seemingly submitted to tests which we have been taught to believe were far and away beyond the outposts of human endurance. By the introduction of these thrills each notable newcomer has endeavored to go his predecessors one better, and the issue of challenges to all comers to match these startling effects has been by no means infrequent, but I fail to discover a single acceptance of such a challenge. To accomplish the sword-swallowing feat, it is only necessary to overcome the nausea that results from the metal's touching the mucous membrane of the pharynx, for there is an unobstructed passage, large enough to accommodate several of the thin blades used, from the mouth to the bottom of the stomach. This passage is not straight, but the passing of the sword straightens it. Some throats are more sensitive than others, but practice will soon accustom any throat to the passage of the blade. When a sword with a sharp point is used the performer secretly slips a rubber cap over the point to guard against accident. It is said that the medical fraternity first learned of the possibility of overcoming the sensitiveness of the pharynx by investigating the methods of the sword-swallowers. Cliquot, who was one of the most prominent sword-swallowers of his time, finally "reformed" and is now a music hall agent in England. The Strand Magazine (1896) has this to say of Cliquot and his art: The Chevalier Cliquot (these fellows MUST have titles) in the act of swallowing the major part of a cavalry sword 22 inches long. Cliquot, whose name suggests the swallowing of something much more grateful and comforting than steel swords, is a French Canadian by birth, and has been the admitted chief in his profession for more than 18 years. He ran away from his home in Quebec at an early age, and joined a travelling circus bound for South America. On seeing an arrant old humbug swallow a small machete, in Buenos Ayres, the boy took a fancy to the performance, and approached the old humbug aforesaid with the view of being taught the business. Not having any money, however, wherewith to pay the necessary premium, the overtures of the would-be apprentice were repulsed; whereupon he set about experimenting with his own aesophagus with a piece of silver wire. To say the preliminary training for this sort of thing is painful, is to state the fact most moderately; and even when stern purpose has triumphed over the laws of anatomy, terrible danger still remains. On one occasion having swallowed a sword, and then bent his body in different directions, as an adventurous sensation, Cliquot found that the weapon also had bent to a sharp angle; and quick as thought, realizing his own position as well as that of the sword, he whipped it out, tearing his throat in a dreadful manner. Plainly, had the upper part of the weapon become detached, the sword swallower's career must infallibly have come to an untimely end. Again, in New York, when swallowing 14 nine-inch bayonet swords at once, Cliquot had the misfortune to have a too sceptical audience, one of whom, a medical man who ought to have known better, rushed forward and impulsively dragged out the whole bunch, inflicting such injuries upon this peculiar entertainer as to endanger his life, and incapacitate him for months. In one of his acts Cliquot swallows a real bayonet sword, weighted with a cross-bar, and two 18-lib. dumb bells. In order to vary this performance, the sword-swallower allows only a part of the weapon to pass into his body, the remainder being "kicked" down by the recoil of a rifle, which is fixed to a spike in the centre of the bar, and fired by the performer's sister. The last act in this extraordinary performance is the swallowing of a gold watch. As a rule, Cliquot borrows one, but as no timepiece was forthcoming at the private exhibition where I saw him, he proceeded to lower his own big chronometer into his aesophagus by a slender gold chain. Many of the most eminent physicians and surgeons in this country immediately rushed forward with various instruments, and the privileged few took turns in listening for the ticking of the watch inside the performer's body. "Poor, outraged nature is biding her time," remarked one physician, "but mark me, she will have a terrible revenge sooner or later!" Eaters of glass, tacks, pebbles, and like objects, actually swallow these seemingly impossible things, and disgorge them after the performance is over. That the disgorging is not always successful is evidenced by the hospital records of many surgical operations on performers of this class, when quantities of solid matter are found lodged in the stomach. Delno Fritz was not only an excellent sword-swallower, but a good showman as well. The last time I saw him he was working the "halls" in England. I hope he saved his money, for he was a clean man with a clean reputation, and, I can truly say, he was a master in his manner of indulging his appetite for the cold steel. Deodota, an Italian Magician, was also a sword-swallower of more than average ability. He succumbed to the lure of commercialism finally, and is now in the jewelry business in the "down-town district" of New York City. Sword-swallowing may be harmlessly imitated by the use of a fake sword with a telescopic blade, which slides into the handle. Vosin, the Paris manufacturer of magical apparatus, made swords of this type, but they were generally used in theatrical enchantment scenes, and it is very doubtful if they were ever used by professional swallowers. It is quite probable that the swords now most generally used by the profession, which are cut from one piece of metal-handle and all--were introduced to show that they were free from any telescoping device. Swords of this type are quite thin, less than one-eighth of an inch thick, and four or five of them can be swallowed at once. Slowly withdrawing them one at a time, and throwing them on the stage in different directions, makes an effective display. A small, but strong, electric light bulb attached to the end of a cane, is a very effective piece of apparatus for sword swallowers, as, on a darkened stage, the passage of the light down the throat and into the stomach can be plainly seen by the audience. The medical profession now make use of this idea. By apparently swallowing sharp razors, a dime-museum performer, whose name I do not recall, gave a variation to the sword-swallowing stunt. This was in the later days, and the act was partly fake and partly genuine. That is to say, the swallowing was fair enough, but the sharp razors, after being tested by cutting hairs, etc., were exchanged for dull duplicates, in a manner that, in better hands, might have been effective. This chap belonged to the great army of unconscious exposers, and the "switch" was quite apparent to all save the most careless observers. His apparatus consisted of a fancy rack on which three sharp razors were displayed, and a large bandanna handkerchief, in which there were several pockets of the size to hold a razor, the three dull razors being loaded in this. After testing the edge of the sharp razors, he pretended to wipe them, one by one, with the handkerchief, and under cover of this he made the "switch" for the dull ones, which he proceeded to swallow in the orthodox fashion. His work was crude, and the crowd was inclined to poke fun at him. I have seen one of these performers on the street, in London, swallow a borrowed umbrella, after carefully wiping the ferrule, and then return it to its owner only slightly dampened from its unusual journey. A borrowed watch was swallowed by the same performer, and while one end of the chain hung from the lips, the incredulous onlookers were invited to place their ears against his chest and listen to the ticking of the watch, which had passed as far into the aesophagus as the chain would allow. The following anecdote from the Carlisle Journal, shows that playing with sword-swallowing is about as dangerous as playing with fire. DISTRESSING OCCURRENCE On Monday evening last, a man named William Dempster, a juggler of inferior dexterity while exhibiting his tricks in a public house in Botchergate, kept by a person named Purdy, actually accomplished the sad reality of one of those feats, with the semblance only of which he intended to amuse his audience. Having introduced into his throat a common table knife which he was intending to swallow, he accidentally slipped his hold, and the knife passed into his stomach. An alarm was immediately given, and surgical aid procured, but the knife had passed beyond the reach of instruments, and now remains in his stomach. He has since been attended by most of the medical gentlemen of this city; and we understand that no very alarming symptoms have yet appeared, and that it is possible he may exist a considerable time, even in this awkward state. His sufferings at first were very severe, but he is now, when not in motion, comparatively easy. The knife is 9 1/2 inches long, 1 inch broad in the blade, round pointed, and a handle of bone, and may generally be distinctly felt by applying the finger to the unfortunate man's belly; but occasionally, however, from change of its situation it is not perceptible. A brief notice of the analogous case of John Cumming, an American sailor, may not be unacceptable to our readers. About the year 1799 he, in imitation of some jugglers whose exhibition he had then witnessed, in an hour of intoxication, swallowed four clasp knives such as sailors commonly use; all of which passed from him in a few days without much inconvenience. Six years afterward, he swallowed FOURTEEN knives of different sizes; by these, however, he was much disordered, but recovered; and again, in a paroxysm of intoxication, he actually swallowed SEVENTEEN, of the effects of which he died in March, 1809. On dissection, fourteen knife blades were found remaining in his stomach, and the back spring of one penetrating through the bowel, seemed the immediate cause of his death. Several women have adopted the profession of sword-swallowing, and some have won much more than a passing fame. Notable among these is Mlle. Edith Clifford, who is, perhaps, the most generously endowed. Possessed of more than ordinary personal charms, a refined taste for dressing both herself and her stage, and an unswerving devotion to her art, she has perfected an act that has found favor even in the Royal Courts of Europe. Mlle. Clifford was born in London in 1884 and began swallowing the blades when only 15 years of age. During the foreign tour of the Barnum & Bailey show she joined that Organization in Vienna, 1901, and remained with it for five years, and now, after eighteen years of service, she stands well up among the stars. She has swallowed a 26-inch blade, but the physicians advise her not to indulge her appetite for such luxuries often, as it is quite dangerous. Blades of 18 or 20 inches give her no trouble whatever. In the spring of 1919 I visited the Ringling Bros., and the Barnum & Bailey Show especially to witness Mlle. Clifford's act. In addition to swallowing the customary swords and sabers she introduced such novelties as a specially constructed razor, with a blade five or six times the usual length, a pair of scissors of unusual size, a saw which is 2 1/2 inches wide at the broadest point, with ugly looking teeth, although somewhat rounded at the points, and several other items quite unknown to the bill-of-fare of ordinary mortals. A set of ten thin blades slip easily down her throat and are removed one at a time. The sensation of her act is reached when the point of a bayonet, 23 1/2 inches long, fastened to the breech of a cannon, is placed in her mouth and the piece discharged; the recoil driving the bayonet suddenly down her throat. The gun is loaded with a 10 gauge cannon shell. Mlle. Clifford's handsomely arranged stage occupied the place of honor in the section devoted to freaks and specialties. Cliquot told me that Delno Fritz was his pupil, and Mlle. Clifford claims to be a pupil of Fritz. Deserving of honorable mention also is a native of Berlin, who bills herself as Victorina. This lady is able to swallow a dozen sharp-bladed swords at once. Of Victorina, the Boston Herald of December 28th, 1902, said: By long practice she has accustomed herself to swallow swords, daggers, bayonets, walking sticks, rods, and other dangerous articles. Her throat and food passages have become so expansive that she can swallow three long swords almost up to the hilts, and can accommodate a dozen shorter blades. This woman is enabled to bend a blade after swallowing it. By moving her head back and forth she may even twist instruments in her throat. To bend the body after one has swallowed a sword is a dangerous feat, even for a professional swallower. There is a possibility of severing some of the ligaments of the throat or else large arteries or veins. Victorina has already had several narrow escapes. On one occasion, while sword-swallowing before a Boston audience, a sword pierced a vein in her throat. The blade was half-way down, but instead of immediately drawing it forth, she thrust it farther. She was laid up in a hospital for three months after this performance. In Chicago she had a still narrower escape. One day while performing at a museum on Clark Street, Victorina passed a long thin dagger down her throat. In withdrawing it, the blade snapped in two, leaving the pointed portion some distance in the passage. The woman nearly fainted when she realized what had occurred, but, by a masterful effort, controlled her feelings. Dropping the hilt of the dagger on the floor, she leaned forward, and placing her finger and thumb down her throat, just succeeded in catching the end of the blade. Had it gone down an eighth of an inch farther her death would have been certain. CHAPTER NINE STONE-EATERS: A SILESIAN IN PRAGUE, 1006; FRANCOIS BATTALIA, ca. 1641; PLATERUS' BEGGAR BOY; FATHER PAULIAN'S LITHOPHAGUS OF AVIGNON, 1760; "THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD," LONDON, 1788; SPANIARDS IN LONDON, 1790; A SECRET FOR TWO AND SIX; JAPANESE TRAINING.--FROG-SWALLOWERS: NORTON; ENGLISH JACK; BOSCO, THE SNAKE-EATER; BILLINGTON'S PRESCRIPTION FOR HANGMEN; CAPTAIN VEITRO.--WATER-SPOUTERS: BLAISE MANFREDE, ca. 1650; FLORAM MARCHAND, 1650. That the genesis of stone-eating dates back hundreds of years farther than is generally supposed, is shown by a statement in Wanley's Wonders of the Little World, London, 1906, Vol. II, page 58, which reads as follows: Anno 1006, there was at Prague a certain Silesian, who, for a small reward in money, did (in the presence of many persons) swallow down white stones to the number of thirty-six; they weighed very near three pounds; the least of them was of the size of a pigeon's egg, so that I could scarce hold them all in my hand at four times: this rash adventure he divers years made for gain, and was sensible of no injury to his health thereby. The next man of this type of whom I find record lived over six hundred years later. This was an Italian named Francois Battalia. The print shown here is from the Book of Wonderful Characters, and is a reproduction from an etching made by Hollar in 1641. Doctor Bulwer, in his Artificial Changeling, tells a preposterous story of Battalia's being born with two pebbles in one hand and one in the other; that he refused both the breast and the pap offered him, but ate the pebbles and continued to subsist on stones for the remainder of his life. Doctor Bulwer thus describes his manner of feeding: His manner is to put three or four stones into a spoon, and so putting them into his mouth together, he swallows them all down, one after another; then (first spitting) he drinks a glass of beer after them. He devours about half a peck of these stones every day, and when he clinks upon his stomach, or shakes his body, you may hear the stones rattle as if they were in a sack, all of which in twenty-four hours are resolved. Once in three weeks he voids a great quantity of sand, after which he has a fresh appetite for these stones, as we have for our victuals, and by these, with a cup of beer, and a pipe of tobacco, he has his whole subsistence. From a modern point of view the Doctor "looks easy." The Book of Wonderful Characters continues: Platerus speaks of a beggar boy, who for four farthings would suddenly swallow many stones which he met with by chance in any place, though they were big as walnuts, so filling his belly that by the collision of them while they were pressed, the sound was distinctly heard. Father Paulian says that a true lithophagus, or stone-eater, was brought to Avignon in the beginning of May, 1760. He not only swallowed flints an inch and a half long, a full inch broad, and half an inch thick, but such stones as he could reduce to powder, such as marble, pebbles, etc., he made up into paste, which to him was a most agreeable and wholesome food. Father Paulian examined this man with all the attention he possibly could, and found his gullet very large, his teeth exceedingly strong, his saliva very corrosive, and his stomach lower than ordinary. This stone eater was found on Good Friday, in 1757, in a northern inhabited island, by some of the crew of a Dutch ship. He was made by his keeper to eat raw flesh with his stones; but he never could be got to swallow bread. He would drink water, wine, and brandy, which last liquor gave him infinite pleasure. He slept at least twelve hours a day, sitting on the ground with one knee over the other, and his chin resting on his right knee. He smoked almost all the time he was not asleep or not eating. Some physicians at Paris got him blooded; the blood had little or no serum, and in two hours time it became as fragile as coral. He was unable to pronounce more than a few words, such as Oui, Non, Caillou, Bon. "He has been taught," adds the pious father, evidently pleased with the docility of his interesting pupil, "to make the sign of the cross, and was baptized some months ago in the church of St. Come, at Paris. THE RESPECT HE SHOWS TO ECCLESIASTICS AND HIS READY DISPOSITION TO PLEASE THEM, afforded me the opportunity of satisfying myself as to all these particulars; and I AM FULLY CONVINCED THAT HE IS NO CHEAT." Here is the advertisement of a stone-eater who appeared in England in 1788. An Extraordinary Stone-Eater The Original STONE-EATER The Only One in the World, Has arrived, and means to perform this, and every day (Sunday excepted) at Mr. Hatch's, trunk maker, 404 Strand, opposite Adelphi. STONE-EATING and STONE-SWALLOWING And after the stones are swallowed may be heard to clink in the belly, the same as in a pocket. The present is allowed to be the age of Wonders and Improvements in the Arts. The idea of Man's flying in the Air, twenty years ago, before the discovery of the use of the balloon, would have been laughed at by the most credulous! Nor does the History of Nature afford so extraordinary a relation as that of the man's eating and subsisting on pebbles, flints, tobacco pipes and mineral excrescences; but so it is and the Ladies and Gentlemen of this Metropolis and its vicinity have now an opportunity of witnessing this extraordinary Fact by seeing the Most Wonderful Phenomenon of the Age, who Grinds and Swallows stones, etc., with as much ease as a Person would crack a nut, and masticate the kernel. This Extraordinary Stone-eater appears not to suffer the least Inconvenience from so ponderous, and to all other persons in the World, so indigestible a Meal, which he repeats from twelve at noon to seven. Any Lady or Gentleman may bring Black Flints or Pebbles with them. N. B.--His Merit is fully demonstrated by Dr. Monroe, who in his Medical Commentary, 1772, and several other Gentlemen of the Faculty. Likewise Dr. John Hunter and Sir Joseph Banks can witness the Surprising Performance of this most Extraordinary STONE-EATER. Admittance, Two shillings and Six pence. A Private Performance for five guineas on short notice. A Spanish stone-eater exhibited at the Richmond Theater, on August 2nd, 1790, and another at a later date, at the Great Room, late Globe Tavern, corner of Craven Street, Strand. All of these phenomenal gentry claimed to subsist entirely on stones, but their modern followers hardly dare make such claims, so that the art has fallen into disrepute. A number of years ago, in London, I watched several performances of one of these chaps who swallowed half a hatful of stones, nearly the size of hen's eggs, and then jumped up and down, to make them rattle in his stomach. I could discover no fake in the performance, and I finally gave him two and six for his secret, which was simple enough. He merely took a dose of powerful physic to clear himself of the stones, and was then ready for the next performance. During my engagement in 1895 with Welsh Bros. Circus I became quite well acquainted with an aged Jap of the San Kitchy Akimoto troupe and from him I learned the method of swallowing quite large objects and bringing them up again at will. For practice very small potatoes are used at first, to guard against accident; and after one has mastered the art of bringing these up, the size is increased gradually till objects as large as the throat will receive can be swallowed and returned. I recall a very amusing incident in connection with this old chap. In one number of the programme he sat down on the ring bank and balanced a bamboo pole, at the top of which little Massay went through the regular routine of posturings. After years spent in this work, my aged friend became so used to his job that he did it automatically, and scarcely gave a thought to the boy at the top. One warm day, however, he carried his indifference a trifle too far, and dropped into a quiet nap, from which he woke only to find that the pole was falling and had already gone too far to be recovered, but the agility of the boy saved him from injury. As my knowledge of Japanese is limited to the more polite forms, I cannot repeat the remarks of the lad. Until a comparatively recent date, incredible as it may seem, frog-swallowers were far from uncommon on the bills of the Continental theaters. The most prominent, Norton, a Frenchman, was billed as a leading feature in the high-class houses of Europe. I saw him work at the Apollo Theater, Nuremberg, where I was to follow him in; and during my engagement at the Circus Busch, Berlin, we were on the same programme, which gave me an opportunity to watch him closely. One of his features was to drink thirty or forty large glasses of beer in slow succession. The filled glasses were displayed on shelves at the back of the stage, and had handles so that he could bring forward two or three in each hand. When he had finished these he would return for others and, while gathering another handful, would bring up the beer and eject it into a receptacle arranged between the shelves, just below the line of vision of the audience. Norton could swallow a number of half-grown frogs and bring them up alive. I remember his anxiety on one occasion when returning to his dressing-room; it seems he had lost a frog--at least he could not account for the entire flock--and he looked very much scared, probably at the uncertainty as to whether or not he had to digest a live frog. The Muenchen October Fest, is the annual fair at that city, and a most wonderful show it is. I have been there twice; once as the big feature with Circus Carre, in 1901, and again in 1913, with the Circus Corty Althoff. The Continental Circuses are not, like those of this country, under canvas, but show in wooden buildings. At these October Fests I saw a number of frog-swallowers, and to me they were very repulsive indeed. In fact, Norton was the only one I ever saw who presented his act in a dignified manner. Willie Hammerstein once had Norton booked to appear at the Victoria Theater, New York, but the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals would not allow him to open; so he returned to Europe without exhibiting his art (?) in America. In my earlier days in the smaller theaters of America, before the advent of the B. F. Keith and E. F. Albee theaters, I occasionally ran across a sailor calling himself English Jack, who could swallow live frogs and bring them up again with apparent ease. I also witnessed the disgusting pit act of that degenerate, Bosco, who ate living snakes, and whose act gave rise to the well-known barkers' cry HE EATS 'EM ALIVE! If the reader wishes further description of this creature's work, he must find it in my book, The Unmasking of Robert Houdin, for I cannot bring myself to repeat the nauseating details here. During an engagement in Bolton, Eng., I met Billington, the official hangman, who was convinced that I could not escape from the restraint he used to secure those he was about to execute. Much to his astonishment, I succeeded in releasing myself, but he said the time consumed was more than sufficient to spring the trap and launch the doomed soul into eternity. Billington told me that he had hardened himself to the demands of his office by killing rats with his teeth. During my engagement at the Winter Garten, Berlin, Captain Veitro, a performer that I had known for years in America, where he worked in side shows and museums, came to Berlin and made quite a stir by eating poisons. He appeared only a few times, however, as his act did not appeal to the public, presumably for the reason that he had his stomach pumped out at each performance, to prove that it contained the poison. This may have been instructive, but it possessed little appeal as entertainment, and I rarely heard of the venturesome captain after that. Years ago I saw a colored poison-eater at Worth's Museum, New York City, who told me that he escaped the noxious effects of the drugs by eating quantities of oatmeal mush. Another colored performer took an ordinary bottle, and, after breaking it, would bite off chunks, crunch them with his teeth, and finally swallow them. I have every reason to believe that his performance was genuine. The beer-drinking of Norton was a more refined version of the so-called water-spouting of previous generations, in which the returning was done openly, a performance that could not fail to disgust a modern audience. To be sure, in the days of the Dime Museum, a Negro who returned the water worked those houses; but his performance met with little approval, and it is years since I have heard of such an exhibition. The first water-spouter of whom I find a record was Blaise Manfrede or de Manfre, who toured Europe about the middle of the seventeenth century. An interesting account of this man may be found in my book The Unmasking of Robert Houdin. A pupil of Manfrede's, by the name of Floram Marchand, who seems to have been fully the equal of his master, appeared in England in 1650. The following description of Marchand's performance is from The Book of Wonderful Characters, edition of 1869, page 126: In the summer of 1650, a Frenchman named Floram Marchand was brought over from Tours to London, who professed to be able to "turn water into wine," and at his vomit render not only the tincture, but the strength and smell of several wines, and several waters. He learnt the rudiments of this art from Bloise, an Italian, who not long before was questioned by Cardinal Mazarin, who threatened him with all the miseries that a tedious imprisonment could bring upon him, unless he would discover to him by what art he did it. Bloise, startled at the sentence, and fearing the event, made a full confession on these terms, that the Cardinal would communicate it to no one else. From this Bloise, Marchand received all his instruction; and finding his teacher the more sought after in France, he came by the advice of two English friends to England, where the trick was new. Here--the cause of it being utterly unknown--he seems for a time to have gulled and astonished the public to no small extent, and to his great profit. Before long, however, the whole mystery was cleared up by his two friends, who had probably not received the share of the profits to which they thought themselves entitled. Their somewhat circumstantial account runs as follows. To prepare his body for so hardy a task, before he makes his appearance on the stage, he takes a pill about the quantity of a hazel nut, confected with the gall of an heifer, and wheat flour baked. After which he drinks privately in his chamber four or five pints of luke-warm water, to take all the foulness and slime from his stomach, and to avoid that loathsome spectacle which otherwise would make thick the water, and offend the eye of the observer. In the first place, he presents you with a pail of luke-warm water, and sixteen glasses in a basket, but you are to understand that every morning he boils two ounces of Brazil thin-sliced in three pints of running water, so long till the whole strength and color of the Brazil is exhausted: of this he drinks half a pint in his private chamber before he comes on the stage: you are also to understand that he neither eats nor drinks in the morning on those days when he comes on the stage, the cleansing pill and water only excepted; but in the evening will make a very good supper, and eat as much as two or three other men who have not their stomachs so thoroughly purged. Before he presents himself to the spectators, he washes all his glasses in the best white-wine vinegar he can procure. Coming on the stage, he always washes his first glass, and rinses it two or three times, to take away the strength of the vinegar, that it may in no wise discolour the complexion of what is represented to be wine. At his first entrance, he drinks four and twenty glasses of luke-warm water, the first vomit he makes the water seems to be a full deep claret: you are to observe that his gall-pill in the morning, and so many glasses of luke-warm water afterwards, will force him into a sudden capacity to vomit, which vomit upon so much warm water, is for the most part so violent on him, that he cannot forbear if he would. You are again to understand that all that comes from him is red of itself, or has a tincture of it from the first Brazil water; but by degrees, the more water he drinks, as on every new trial he drinks as many glasses of water as his stomach will contain, the water that comes from him will grow paler and paler. Having then made his essay on claret, and proved it to be of the same complexion, he again drinks four or five glasses of luke-warm water, and brings forth claret and beer at once into two several glasses: now you are to observe that the glass which appears to be claret is rinsed as before, but the beer glass not rinsed at all, but is still moist with the white-wine vinegar, and the first strength of the Brazil water being lost, it makes the water which he vomits up to be of a more pale colour, and much like our English beer. He then brings his rouse again, and drinks up fifteen or sixteen glasses of luke-warm water, which the pail will plentifully afford him: he will not bring you up the pale Burgundian wine, which, though more faint of complexion than the claret, he will tell you is the purest wine in Christendom. The strength of the Brazil water, which he took immediately before his appearance on the stage, grows fainter and fainter. This glass, like the first glass in which he brings forth his claret, is washed, the better to represent the colour of the wine therein. The next he drinks comes forth sack from him, or according to that complexion. Here he does not wash his glass at all; for the strength of the vinegar must alter what is left of the complexion of the Brazil water, which he took in the morning before he appeared on the stage. You are always to remember, that in the interim, he will commonly drink up four or five glasses of the luke-warm water, the better to provoke his stomach to a disgorgement, if the first rouse will not serve turn. He will now (for on every disgorge he will bring you forth a new colour), he will now present you with white wine. Here also he will not wash his glass, which (according to the vinegar in which it was washed) will give it a colour like it. You are to understand, that when he gives you the colour of so many wines, he never washes the glass, but at his first evacuation, the strength of the vinegar being no wise compatible with the colour of the Brazil water. Having performed this task, he will then give you a show of rose-water; and this indeed, he does so cunningly, that it is not the show of rose-water, but rose-water itself. If you observe him, you will find that either behind the pail where his luke-warm water is, or behind the basket in which his glasses are, he will have on purpose a glass of rose-water prepared for him. After he has taken it, he will make the spectators believe that he drank nothing but the luke-warm water out of the pail; but he saves the rose-water in the glass, and holding his hand in an indirect way, the people believe, observing the water dropping from his fingers, that it is nothing but the water out of the pail. After this he will drink four or five glasses more out of the pail, and then comes up the rose-water, to the admiration of the beholders. You are to understand, that the heat of his body working with his rose-water gives a full and fragrant smell to all the water that comes from him as if it were the same. The spectators, confused at the novelty of the sight, and looking and smelling on the water, immediately he takes the opportunity to convey into his hand another glass; and this is a glass of Angelica water, which stood prepared for him behind the pail or basket, which having drunk off, and it being furthered with four or five glasses of luke-warm water, out comes the evacuation, and brings with it a perfect smell of the Angelica, as it was in the rose-water above specified. To conclude all, and to show you what a man of might he is, he has an instrument made of tin, which he puts between his lips and teeth; this instrument has three several pipes, out of which, his arms a-kimbo, a putting forth himself, he will throw forth water from him in three pipes, the distance of four or five yards. This is all clear water, which he does with so much port and such a flowing grace, as if it were his master-piece. He has been invited by divers gentlemen and personages of honour to make the like evacuation in milk, as he made a semblance in wine. You are to understand that when he goes into another room, and drinks two or three pints of milk. On his return, which is always speedy, he goes first to his pail, and afterwards to his vomit. The milk which comes from him looks curdled, and shows like curdled milk and drink. If there be no milk ready to be had, he will excuse himself to his spectators, and make a large promise of what he will perform the next day, at which time being sure to have milk enough to serve his turn, he will perform his promise. His milk he always drinks in a withdrawing room, that it may not be discovered, for that would be too apparent, nor has he any other shift to evade the discerning eye of the observers. It is also to be considered that he never comes on the stage (as he does sometimes three or four times in a day) but he first drinks the Brazil water, without which he can do nothing at all, for all that comes from him has a tincture of the red, and it only varies and alters according to the abundance of water which he takes, and the strength of the white-wine vinegar, in which all the glasses are washed. CHAPTER TEN DEFIERS OF POISONOUS REPTILES: THARDO; MRS. LEARN, DEALER IN RATTLESNAKES.--SIR ARTHUR THURLOW CUNYNGHAME ON ANTIDOTES FOR SNAKE-BITE.--JACK THE VIPER.--WILLIAM OLIVER, 1735.--THE ADVICE OF CORNELIUS HEINRICH AGRIPPA, (1486-1535).--AN AUSTRALIAN SNAKE STORY.--ANTIDOTES FOR VARIOUS POISONS. About twenty-two years ago, during one of my many engagements at Kohl and Middleton's, Chicago, there appeared at the same house a marvelous "rattle-snake poison defier" named Thardo. I watched her act with deep interest for a number of weeks, never missing a single performance. For the simple reason that I worked within twelve feet from her, my statement that there was absolutely no fake attached to her startling performance can be taken in all seriousness, as the details are still fresh in my mind. Thardo was a woman of exceptional beauty, both of form and feature, a fluent speaker and a fearless enthusiast in her devotion to her art. She would allow herself to be repeatedly bitten by rattle-snakes and received no harm excepting the ordinary pain of the wound. After years of investigation I have come to the belief that this immunity was the result of an absolutely empty stomach, into which a large quantity of milk was taken shortly after the wound was inflicted, the theory being that the virus acts directly on the contents of the stomach, changing it to a deadly poison. It was Thardo's custom to give weekly demonstrations of this power, to which the medical profession were invited, and on these occasions she was invariably greeted with a packed house. When the moment of the supreme test came, an awed silence obtained; for the thrill of seeing the serpent flash up and strike possessed a positive fascination for her audiences. Her bare arms and shoulders presented a tempting target for the death-dealing reptile whose anger she had aroused. As soon as he had buried his fangs in her expectant flesh, she would coolly tear him from the wound and allow one of the physicians present to extract a portion of the venom and immediately inject it into a rabbit, with the result that the poor creature would almost instantly go into convulsions and would soon die in great agony. Another rattle-snake defier is a resident of San Antonio, Texas. Her name is Learn, and she once told me that she was the preceptor of Thardo. This lady deals in live rattle-snakes and their by-products--rattle-snake skin, which is used for fancy bags and purses; rattle-snake oil, which is highly esteemed in some quarters as a specific for rheumatism; and the venom, which has a pharmaceutical value. She employs a number of men as snake trappers. Their usual technique is to pin the rattler to the ground by means of a forked stick thrust dexterously over his neck, after which he is conveyed into a bag made for the purpose. Probably the cleverest of her trappers is a Mexican who has a faculty of catching these dangerous creatures with his bare hands. The story goes that this chap has been bitten so many times that the virus no longer has any effect on him. Even that most poisonous of all reptiles, the Gila monster, has no terrors for him. He swims along the shore where venomous reptiles most abound, and fearlessly attacks any and all that promise any income to his employer. In a very rare book by General Sir Arthur Thurlow Cunynghame, entitled, My Command in South Africa, 1880, I find the following: The subject of snake bites is one of no small interest in this country. Liquid ammonia is, par excellence, the best antidote. It must be administered immediately after the bite, both internally, diluted with water, and externally, in its concentrated form. The "Eau de luce" and other nostrums sold for this purpose have ammonia for their main ingredient. But it generally happens in the case of a snake bite that the remedy is not at hand, and hours may elapse before it can be obtained. In this case the following treatment will work well. Tie a ligature tightly ABOVE the bite, scarify the wound deeply with a knife, and allow it to bleed freely. After having drawn an ounce of blood, remove the ligature and ignite three times successively about two drams of gunpowder right on the wound. If gunpowder be not at hand, an ordinary fusee will answer the purpose: or, in default of this, the glowing end of a piece of wood from the fire. Having done this, proceed to administer as much brandy as the patient will take. Intoxicate him as rapidly as possible, and, once intoxicated, he is safe. If, however, through delay in treatment, the poison has once got into circulation no amount of brandy will either intoxicate him or save his life. An odd character, rejoicing in the nick-name of Jack the Viper, is mentioned on page 763 of Hone's Table Book, 1829. In part the writer says: Jack has traveled, seen the world, and profited by his travels; for he has learned to be contented. He is not entirely idle, nor wholly industrious. If he can get a crust sufficient for the day, he leaves the evil of it should visit him. The first time I saw him was in the high noon of a scorching day, at an inn in Laytonstone. He came in while a sudden storm descended, and a rainbow of exquisite majesty vaulted the earth. Sitting down at a table, he beckoned the hostess for his beer, and conversed freely with his acquaintance. By his arch replies I found that I was in company with an original--a man that might stretch forth his arms in the wilderness without fear, and like Paul, grasp an adder without harm. He playfully entwined his fingers with their coils and curled crests, and played with their forked tongues. He had unbuttoned his waistcoat, and as cleverly as a fish-woman handles her eels, let out several snakes and adders, warmed by his breast, and spread them on the table. He took off his hat, and others of different sizes and lengths twisted before me; some of them, when he unbosomed his shirt, returned to the genial temperature of his skin; and some curled around the legs of the table, and others rose in a defensive attitude. He irritated and humored them, to express either pleasure or pain at his will. Some were purchased by individuals, and Jack pocketed his gains, observing, "A frog, or a mouse, occasionally, is enough for a snake's satisfaction." The Naturalist's Cabinet says, that "In presence of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, while the philosophers were making elaborate dissertations on the danger of the poison of vipers, taken inwardly, a viper catcher, who happened to be present, requested that a quantity of it might be put into a vessel; and then, with the utmost confidence, and to the astonishment of the whole company, he drank it off. Everyone expected the man instantly to drop down dead; but they soon perceived their mistake, and found that, taken inwardly, the poison was as harmless as water." William Oliver, a viper catcher at Bath, was the first who discovered that, by the application of olive oil, the bite of the viper is effectually cured. On the first of June, 1735, he suffered himself to be bitten by an old black viper; and after enduring the agonizing symptoms of approaching death, by using olive oil he perfectly recovered. Vipers' flesh was formerly esteemed for its medicinal virtues, and its salt was thought to exceed every other animal product in giving vigor to a languid constitution. According to Cornelius Heinrich Agrippa (called Agrippa of Nettesheim), a German philosopher, and student of alchemy and magic, who was born in 1486, and died in 1535, "if you would handle adders and snakes without harm, wash your hands in the juice of radishes, and you may do so without harm." Even though it may seem a digression, I yield to the temptation to include here an extraordinary "snake story" taken from An Actor Abroad, which Edmund Leathes published in 1880: I will here relate the story of a sad death--I might feel inclined to call it suicide--which occurred in Melbourne shortly before my arrival in the colonies. About a year previous to the time of which I am now writing, a gentleman of birth and education, a Cambridge B. A., a barrister by profession and a literary man by choice, with his wife and three children emigrated to Victoria. He arrived in Melbourne with one hundred and fifty pounds in his pocket, and hope unlimited in his heart. Poor man! He, like many another man, quickly discovered that muscles in Australia are more marketable than brains. His little store of money began to melt under the necessities of his wife and family. To make matters worse he was visited by a severe illness. He was confined to his bed for some weeks, and during his convalescence his wife presented him with another of those "blessings to the poor man," a son. It was Christmas time, his health was thoroughly restored, he naturally possessed a vigorous constitution; but his heart was beginning to fail him, and his funds were sinking lower and lower. At last one day, returning from a long and solitary walk, he sat down with pen and paper and made a calculation by which he found he had sufficient money left to pay the insurance upon his life for one year, which, in the case of his death occurring within that time, would bring to his widow the sum of three thousand pounds. He went to the insurance office, and made his application--was examined by the doctor--the policy was made out, his life was insured. From that day he grew moody and morose, despair had conquered hope. At this time a snake-charmer came to Melbourne, who advertised a wonderful cure for snake-bites. This charmer took one of the halls in the town, and there displayed his live stock, which consisted of a great number of the most deadly and venomous snakes which were to be found in India and Australia. This man had certainly some most wonderful antidote to the poison of a snake's fangs. In his exhibitions he would allow a cobra to bite a dog or a rabbit, and, in a short time after he had applied his nostrum the animal would thoroughly revive; he advertised his desire to perform upon humanity, but, of course, he could find no one would be fool enough to risk his life so unnecessarily. The advertisement caught the eye of the unfortunate emigrant, who at once proceeded to the hall where the snake charmer was holding his exhibition. He offered himself to be experimented upon; the fanatic snake-charmer was delighted, and an appointment was made for the same evening as soon as the "show" should be over. The evening came; the unfortunate man kept his appointment, and, in the presence of several witnesses, who tried to dissuade him from the trial, bared his arm and placed it in the cage of an enraged cobra and was quickly bitten. The nostrum was applied apparently in the same manner as it had been to the lower animals which had that evening been experimented upon, but whether it was that the poor fellow wilfully did something to prevent its taking effect--or whatever the reason--he soon became insensible, and in a couple of hours he was taken home to his wife and family--a corpse. The next morning the snake-charmer had flown, and left his snakes behind him. The insurance company at first refused payment of the policy, asserting that the death was suicide; the case was tried and the company lost it, and the widow received the three thousand pounds. The snake-charmer was sought in vain; he had the good fortune and good sense to be seen no more in the Australian colonies. As several methods of combating the effects of poisons have been mentioned in the foregoing pages, I feel in duty bound to carry the subject a little farther and present a list of antidotes. I shall not attempt to educate my readers in the art of medicine, but simply to give a list of such ordinary materials as are to be found in practically every household, materials cited as antidotes for the more common poisons. I have taken them from the best authorities obtainable and they are offered in the way of first aid, to keep the patient alive till the doctor arrives; and if they should do no good, they can hardly do harm. The first great rule to be adopted is SEND FOR THE DOCTOR AT ONCE and give him all possible information about the case without delay. Use every possible means to keep the patient at a normal temperature. When artificial respiration is necessary, always get hold of the tongue and pull it well forward in order to keep the throat clear, then turn the patient over on his face and press the abdomen to force out the air, then turn him over on the back so that the lungs may fill again, repeating this again and again till the doctor arrives. The best stimulants are strong tea or coffee; but when these are not sufficient, a tablespoon of brandy, whisky, or wine may be added. Vegetable and mineral poisons, with few exceptions, act as efficiently in the blood as in the stomach. Animal poisons act only through the blood, and are inert when introduced into the stomach. Therefore there is absolutely no danger in sucking the virus from a snake bite, except that the virus should not be allowed to touch any spot where the skin is broken. The following list of antidotes is taken largely from Appleton's Medical Dictionary, and Sollmann's A Manual of Pharmacology, Philadelphia, 1917, pages 56 and 57, and has been verified by comparison with various other authorities at the library of the Medical Society of the County of New York: Arsenic Induce vomiting with a dessert-spoonful of ground mustard in tepid water. Also put the finger in the throat to induce retching. When the stomach has been emptied, give the patient all the milk he can take. Aconite Induce vomiting as above. Also give active purgative. Stimulate with strong tea or coffee. Keep the patient roused. Alcohol Same as for aconite. Belladonna Same as for aconite. Bitter-sweet Same as for aconite. Blue vitriol Induce vomiting as in arsenic. Then give milk, or white of egg, or mucilage. Cantharides Induce vomiting. Give soothing drinks. NO OIL. Rub abdomen with camphor, or camphorated oil. Chloral Same as for aconite. Camphor Same as for aconite. Conium (Hemlock) Same as for aconite. Carbolic Acid White of egg in water, or olive oil, followed by a large quantity of milk. Calomel Give white of egg, followed by milk, or flour gruel. Corrosive Sublimate Same as for calomel. Croton Oil Induce vomiting. Also give strong purgative AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Stimulate with strong tea or coffee. Colocynth Same as for croton oil. Ergot Same as for aconite. Food cooked in a copper vessel Same as for blue vitriol. Fish poison Same as for croton oil. Gases Plenty of fresh air. Inhale ammonia (not too strong). Artificial respiration if necessary. Stimulate with strong tea or coffee. Green coloring matter Same as for arsenic. Hellebore Same as for aconite. Hyoscyamus Same as for aconite. Iodine Give starch. Lobelia Same as for aconite. Lead Same as for calomel. Matches Induce vomiting. Give magnesia and mucilage. NO OIL. Mercury Same as for calomel. Morphine Spasms may be quieted by inhaling ether. Nitric Acid Induce vomiting. Give Carbonate of Magnesia, or lime-water. Nitrate of Silver Give common salt in water, or carbonate of soda in solution, followed by milk, or white of egg. Nux Vomica Same as for aconite. Oxalic Acid Same as for nitric acid. Opium Same as for morphine. Prussic Acid Not much can be done, as fatal dose kills in from three to five minutes. Dilute ammonia given instantly might save life. Paris Green Same as for arsenic. Phosphorus Same as for matches. Rough on Rats Same as for arsenic. Strychnin Same as for morphine. Sulphuric Acid Strong soap-suds. Toadstool Same as for morphine. Turpentine Same as for morphine. Tin Same as for nitrate of silver. Verdigris Same as for arsenic. Vermilion Same as for calomel. White vitriol Same as for nitrate of silver. Zinc Same as for nitrate of silver. For Snake-bite The best general treatment for snake-bite is to tie a ligature tightly ABOVE the wound, then suck out as much of the virus as possible. Give the patient large quantities of whisky or brandy, to induce intoxication. Incise the wound with a red-hot nail, or knitting needle. Keep the patient intoxicated till the doctor arrives. For Burns All burns are more painful when exposed to the air. For lesser burns a cloth saturated with a strong solution of bicarbonate of soda (common cooking soda) laid on the burn is probably best. This is soothing and keeps out the air. For burning clothes Do not allow the victim to run about, for that increases the flames. Throw her-- these accidents usually occur to women--on the floor and smother the flames with a blanket, rug, or large garment. Then, if the burns are severe, place her in a bath at a temperature of 100 degrees or over, keeping her there till the doctor arrives. Give stimulants. Do not touch the burns more than is absolutely unavoidable. For Burns of Acids Dash cold water on the burns, then cover with lime-water and sweet oil, or linseed oil. For Burns of Caustic Alkalies Apply vinegar. Glass, coarse or Give the patient large quantities of bread powdered crumbs, and then induce vomiting. Ivy poison Wash at once with soap and water; using scrubbing brush. Then lay on cloths saturated with strong solution bicarbonate of soda. Give cooling drinks. Keep the patient quiet and on a low diet. CHAPTER ELEVEN STRONG MEN OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY: THOMAS TOPHAM (died, 1749); JOYCE, 1703; VAN ECKENBERG, 1718; BARSABAS AND HIS SISTER; THE ITALIAN FEMALE SAMPSON, 1724; THE "LITTLE WOMAN FROM GENEVA," 1751; BELZONI, 1778-1823. Bodily strength has won the admiration--I might almost say, the worship--of mankind from the days of Hercules and his ten mythical labors, to the days of Sandow with his scores of actual achievements. Each generation has produced its quota of strongmen, but almost all of them have resorted to some sort of artifice or subterfuge in order to appear superhumanly strong. That is to say, they added brain to their brawn, and it is a difficult question whether their efforts deserve to be called trickery or good showmanship. Many of the tricks of the profession were laid bare by Dr. Desaguliers over a hundred and fifty years ago and have been generally discarded by athletes, only to be taken up and vastly improved by women of the type of The Georgia Magnet, who gave the world of science a decided start about a generation ago. I shall have more to say of her a little further on. The jiu jitsu of the Japanese is, in part, a development of the same principles, but here again much new material has been added, so that it deserves to be considered a new art. The following, from Dr. Desaguliers' Experimental Philosophy, London, 1763, Vol. 1, page 289, contrasts feats of actual strength with the tricks of the old-time performers: Thomas Topham, born in London, and now about thirty-one years of age, five feet ten inches high, with muscles very hard and prominent, was brought up a carpenter, which trade he practiced till within these six or seven years that he has shewed feats of strength; but he is entirely ignorant of any art to make his strength appear more surprising; Nay, sometimes he does things which become more difficult by his disadvantageous situation; attempting and often doing, what he hears other strong men have done, without making use of the same advantages. About six years ago he pulled against a horse, sitting on the ground with his feet against two stumps driven into the ground, but without the advantage represented by the first figure, Plate 19; for the horse pulling against him drew upwards at a considerable angle, such as is represented in the second figure in that plate, when hN is the line of traction, which makes the angle of traction to be NhL: and in this case his strength was no farther employed than to keep his legs and thighs straight, so as to make them act like the long arm of a bended lever, represented by Lh, on whose end h the trunk of his body rested as a weight, against which the horse drew, applying his power at right angles to the end l of the short arm of said lever, the center of the motion being a L at the bottom of the stumps l, o (for to draw obliquely by a rope fastened at h is the same as to draw by an arm of a lever at l L, because l L is a line drawn perpendicularly from the center of motion to the line of direction hN) and the horse not being strong enough to raise the man's weight with such disadvantage, he thought he was in the right posture for drawing against a horse; but when in the same posture he attempted to draw against two horses, he was pulled out of his place by being lifted up, and had one of his knees struck against the stumps, which shattered it so, that even to this day, the patella or knee-pan is so loose, that the ligaments of it seem either to be broken or quite relaxed, which has taken away most of the strength of that leg. But if he had sat upon such a frame as is represented in the first figure, (Plate 19) he might (considering his strength) have kept his situation against the pulling of four strong horses without the least inconvenience. The feats which I saw him perform, a few days ago, were the following: 1. By the strength of his fingers (only rubbed in coal-ashes to keep them from slipping) he rolled up a very strong and large pewter-dish. 2. He broke seven or eight short and strong pieces of tobacco-pipe with the force of his middle finger, having laid them on the first and third finger. 3. Having thrust under his garter the bowl of a strong tobacco-pipe, his legs being bent, he broke it to pieces by the tendons of his hams, without altering the bending of his leg. 4. He broke such another bowl between his first and second finger, by pressing his fingers together side-ways. 5. He lifted a table six feet long, which had half a hundred weight hanging to the end of it, with his teeth, and held it in a horizontal position for a considerable time. IT IS TRUE THE FEET OF THE TABLE RESTED AGAINST HIS KNEES; BUT AS THE LENGTH OF THE TABLE WAS MUCH GREATER THAN ITS HEIGHT, THAT PERFORMANCE REQUIRED A GREAT STRENGTH TO BE EXERTED BY THE MUSCLES OF HIS LOINS, THOSE OF HIS NECK, THE MASSETER AND TEMPORAL (MUSCLES OF THE JAWS) BESIDES A GOOD SET OF TEETH. 6. He took an iron kitchen-poker, about a yard long, and three inches in circumference, and holding it in his right hand, he struck upon his bare left arm, between the elbow and the wrist till he bent the poker nearly to a right angle. 7. He took such another poker, and holding the ends in his hands, and the middle against the back of his neck, he brought both ends of it together before him; and, what was yet more difficult, he pulled it almost straight again: because the muscles which separate the arms horizontally from each other, are not so strong as those that bring them together. 8. He broke a rope of about two inches in circumference which was in part wound about a cylinder of four inches diameter, having fastened the other end of it to straps that went over his shoulders; but he exerted more force to do this than any other of his feats, from his awkwardness in going about it: as the rope yielded and stretched as he stood upon the cylinder, so that when the extensors of his legs and thighs had done their office in bringing the legs and thighs straight, he was forced to raise his heels from their bearings, and use other muscles that are weaker. But if the rope had been so fixed, that the part to be broken had been short, it would have been broken with four times less difficulty. 9. I have seen him lift a rolling stone of about 800 lib. with his hand only, standing in a frame above it, and taking hold of a chain that was fastened to it. By this I reckon that he may be almost as strong again as those who are generally reckoned as the strongest men, they generally lifting no more than 400 lib. in that manner. The weakest men who are in health and not too fat, lift about 125 lib. having about half the strength of the strongest. (N.B. This sort of comparison is chiefly in relation to the muscles of the loins; because in doing this one must stoop forward a little. We must also add the weight of the body to the weight lifted. So that if the weakest man's body weighs 150 lib. that added to 125 lib. makes the whole weight lifted by him 275 lib. Then if the stronger man's body weighs also 150 lib. the whole weight lifted by him will be 550 lib. that is, 400 lib. and the 150 lib. which his body weighs. Topham weighs about 200 lib. which added to the 800 lib. that he lifts, makes 1000 lib. But he ought to lift 900 lib. besides the weight of his body, to be as strong again as a man of 150 lib.-weight who can lift 400 lib. Now as all men are not proportionably strong in every part, but some are stronger in the arms, some in the legs, and others in the back, according to the work and exercise which they use, we can't judge of a man's strength by lifting only; but a method may be found to compare together the strength of different men in the same parts, and that too without straining the persons who try the experiment. Here follows a long description of a machine for the above purpose. Topham was not endowed with a strength of mind equal to the strength of his body. He was married to a wanton who rendered existence so insupportable that he committed suicide before he was forty years of age, on August 10th, 1749.[1] About the year 1703 there appeared in London a native of Kent, by the name of Joyce, who won the name of a second Samson by a series of feats of strength that to the people of that day seemed little short of superhuman. Dr. Desaguliers, in his Experimental Philosophy, gives the following account of Joyce and his methods. About thirty years ago one Joyce,[2] a Kentish man, famous for his great strength (tho' not quite so strong as the King of Poland, by the accounts we have of that Prince) shewed several feats in London and the country, which so much surprised the spectators, that he was by most people called the second Sampson.[3] But tho' the postures which he had learned to put his body into, and found out by practice without any mechanical theory, were such as would make a man of common strength do such feats as would appear surprising to everybody that did not know the advantages of those positions of the body; yet nobody then attempted to draw against horses, or raise great weights, or to do anything in imitation of him; because, as he was very strong in the arms, and grasped those that try'd his strength that way so hard, that they were obliged immediately to desire him to desist, his other feats (wherein his manner of acting was chiefly owing to the mechanical advantages gained by the position of his body) were entirely attributed to his extraordinary strength. But when he had gone out of England, or had ceased to shew his performances, for eight or ten years; men of ordinary strength found out the way of making such advantage of the same postures as Joyce had put himself into, as to pass for men of more than common strength, by drawing against horses, breaking ropes, lifting vast weights, &c. (tho' they cou'd in none of the postures really perform so much as Joyce; yet they did enough to amaze and amuse, and get a great deal of money) so that every two or three years we have a new SECOND SAMPSON. Some fifteen years subsequent to Joyce's advent, another so-called Samson, this time a German named John Charles Van Eckenberg, toured Europe with a remarkable performance along the same lines as Joyce's. Dr. Desaguliers saw this man and has this to say of him: After having seen him once, I guessed at his manner of imposing on the multitude; and being resolved to be fully satisfied in the matter, I took four very curious persons with me to see him again, viz. the Lord Marquis of Tullibardine, Dr. Alexander Stuart, Dr. Pringle, and a mechanical workman, who used to assist me in my courses of experiments. We placed ourselves in such a manner round the operator, as to be able to observe nicely all that he did, and found it so practicable that we performed several of his feats that evening by ourselves, and afterwards I did most of the rest as soon as I had a frame made to fit in to draw, and another to stand in and lift great weights, together with a proper girdle and hooks. Dr. Desaguliers illustrates Van Eckenberg's methods in a very exhaustive set of notes and plates, which are too technical and voluminous to repeat here, but I will quote sufficiently from them to make the modus operandi clear. The figures will be found on plate 19. Figs. 1 and 2 have already been explained. In breaking the rope one thing is to be observ'd, which will much facilitate the performance; and that is to place the iron eye L, (Fig. 3) thro' which the rope goes, in such a situation, that a plane going thro' its ring shall be parallel to the two parts of the rope; because then the rope will in a manner be jamm'd in it, and not slipping thro' it, the whole force of the man's action will be exerted on that part of the rope which is in the eye, which will make it break more easily than if more parts of the rope were acted upon. So the eye, tho' made round and smooth, may be said in some measure to CUT THE ROPE. And it is after this manner that one may break a whip cord, nay, a small jack-line with one's hand without hurting it; only by bringing one part of the rope to cut the other; that is, placing it so round one's left hand, that by a sudden jerk, the whole force exerted shall act on one point of the rope. B is a feather bed upon which the performer falls. The posture of Fig. 4 Plate 19 (where the strong man having an anvil on his breast or belly, suffers another man to strike with a sledge hammer and forge a piece of iron, or cut a bar cold with chizzels) tho' it seems surprising to some people, has nothing in it to be really wondered at; for sustaining the anvil is the whole matter, and the heavier the anvil is, the less the blows are felt: And if the anvil was but two or three times heavier than the hammer, the strong man would be killed by a few blows; for the more matter the anvil has, the more INERTIA and the less liable it is to be struck out of its place; because when it has by the blow receiv'd the whole MOMENTUM of the hammer, its velocity will be so much less than that of the hammer as it has more matter than the hammer. Neither are we to attribute to the anvil a velocity less than the hammer in a reciprocal proportion of their masses or quantities of matter; for that would happen only if the anvil was to hang freely in the air (for example) by a rope, and it was struck horizontally by the hammer. Thus is the velocity given by the hammer distributed to all parts of a great stone, when it is laid on a man's breast to be broken; but when the blow is given, the man feels less of the weight of the stone than he did before, because in the reaction of the stone, all the parts of it round about the hammer rise towards the blow; and if the tenacity of the parts of the stone, is not stronger than the force with which it moves towards the hammer, the stone must break; which it does when the blow is strong, and struck upon the centre of gravity of the stone. In the 6th Fig. of Plate 19, the man IHL (the chairs IL, being made fast) makes so strong an arch with his backbone and the bones of his legs and thighs, as to be able not only to sustain one man, but three or four, if they had room to stand; or, in their stead, a great stone to be broken with one blow. In the 6th and 7th Fig. of the same plate, a man or two are raised in the direction CM, by the knees of the strong man IHL lying upon his back. A trial will suffice to show that this is not a difficult feat for a man of ordinary strength. Wanley [4] enumerates thirty men of might, each of whom was famous in his time. Notable among them was Barsabas, who first made a reputation in Flanders, where he lifted the coach of Louis XIV, which had sunk to the nave in the mud, all the oxen and horses yoked to it having exerted their strength in vain. For this service the king granted him a pension, and being soon promoted, he at length rose to be town-major of Valenciennes. Barsabas entering one day a farrier's shop in a country village, asked for horse shoes, the farrier showed him some, which Barsabas snapped in pieces as if they had been rotten wood, telling the farrier at the same time that they were too brittle, and good for nothing. The farrier wanted to forge some more, but Barsabas took up the anvil and hid it under his cloak. The farrier, when the iron was hot, could not conceive what had become of his anvil, but his astonishment was still increased when he saw Barsabas deposit it in its place with the utmost ease. Imagining that he had got the devil in his shop, he ran out as fast as he could, and did not venture to return till his unwelcome visitor had disappeared. Barsabas had a sister as strong as himself, but as he quitted his home very young, and before his sister was born, he had never seen her. He met with her in a small town of Flanders, where she carried on a rope manufactury. The modern Sampson bought some of her largest ropes which he broke like pack-thread, telling her they were very bad.--"I will give some better," replied she, "but will you pay a good price for them?"--"Whatever you choose," returned Barsabas, showing her some crown pieces. His sister took them, and breaking two or three of them said, "Your crowns are as little worth as my ropes, give me better money." Barsabas, astonished at the strength exhibited by this female, then questioned her respecting her country and family, and soon learned that she belonged to the same stock. The dauphin being desirous to see Barsabas exhibit some of his feats, the latter said, "My horse has carried me so long that I will carry him in my turn." He then placed himself below the animal and raising him up, carried him more than fifty paces, and then placed him on the ground without being the least hurt. Barsabas' sister was not unique in her century. I quote from a magazine called The Parlor Portfolio or Post-Chaise Companion, published in London in 1724: To be seen, at Mr. John Syme's, Peruke maker, opposite the Mews, Charing Cross, the surprising and famous Italian Female Sampson, who has been seen in several courts of Europe with great applause. She will absolutely walk, barefoot, on a red-hot bar of iron: a large block of marble of between two and three thousand weight she will permit to lie on her for some time, after which she will throw it off at about six feet distance, without using her hands, and exhibit several other curious performances, equally astonishing, which were never before seen in England. She performs exactly at twelve o'clock, and four, and six in the afternoon. Price half-a-crown, servants and children a shilling. From the spelling, I judge that the person who selected this lady's title must have been more familiar with the City Directory than with the Scriptures. In Edward J. Wood's Giants and Dwarfs, London, 1868, I find the following: A newspaper of December 19th, 1751, announces as follows: At the new theatre in the Haymarket, this day, will be performed a concert of musick, in two acts. Boxes 3s., pit 2s., gallery 1s. Between the acts of the concert will be given, gratis, several exercises of rope-dancing and tumbling. There is also arrived the little woman from Geneva, who, by her extraordinary strength, performs several curious things, viz. 1st. She beats a red-hot iron that is made crooked straight with her naked feet. 2ndly. She puts her head on one chair, and her feet on another, in an equilibrium, and suffers five or six men to stand on her body, which after some time she flings off. 3rdly. An anvil is put on her body, on which two men strike with large hammers. 4thly. A stone of a hundred pounds weight is put on her body, and beat to pieces with a hammer. 5thly. She lies down on the ground, and suffers a stone of 1500 pounds weight to be laid on her breasts, in which position she speaks to the audience, and drinks a glass of wine, then throws the stone off her body by mere strength, without any assistance. Lastly, she lifts an anvil of 200 pound weight from the ground with her own hair. To begin exactly at six o'clock. At present the stunt with the two chairs and the six men is being exhibited as a hypnotic test. Giovanni Battista Belzoni, the famous Egyptian archeologist, who was a man of gigantic stature, began his public career as a strongman at the Bartholomew Fair, under the management of Gyngell, the conjuror, who dubbed him The Young Hercules. Shortly afterward he appeared at Sadler's Wells Theater, where he created a profound sensation, under the name of The Patagonian Samson. The feature of his act was carrying a pyramid of from seven to ten men in a manner never before attempted. He wore a sort of harness with footholds for the men, and when all were in position he moved about the stage with perfect ease, soliciting "kind applause" by waving a flag. He afterwards became a magician, and after various other ventures he finally landed in Egypt, where his discoveries were of such a nature as to secure for him an enviable position in "Who's Who in Archeology." [1] Interesting accounts of Topham's career may be found in Wonders of Bodily Strength, New York, 1873, a translation from the French of Depping, by Charles Russell; Sir David Brewster's, Letters on Natural Magic; London, 1838; Wanley's Wonders of the Little World, London, 1806; Wilson's Wonderful Characters, London, 1821, (but not in the reprint of 1869). [2] Or William Joy. [3] This is the spelling used by Joyce, Eckenberg and others, for the Samson of the Bible. [4] Wonders of the little World, by Nathaniel Wanley, London, 1806. Vol. I., page 76. CHAPTER TWELVE CONTEMPORARY STRONG PEOPLE: CHARLES JEFFERSON; LOUIS CYR; JOHN GRUN MARX; WILLIAM LE ROY.--THE NAIL KING, THE HUMAN CLAW-HAMMER; ALEXANDER WEYER; MEXICAN BILLY WELLS; A FOOLHARDY ITALIAN; WILSON; HERMAN; SAMPSON; SANDOW; YUCCA; LA BLANCHE; LULU HURST.--THE GEORGIA MAGNET, THE ELECTRIC GIRL, ETC.; ANNIE ABBOTT; MATTIE LEE PRICE.--THE TWILIGHT OF THE FREAKS. THE DIME MUSEUMS. Feats of strength have always interested me greatly, so that in my travels around the world I have made it a point to come in contact with the most powerful human beings of my generation. The one among these who deserves first mention is Charles Jefferson, with whose achievements I became quite familiar while we were working in the same museum many years ago. I am convinced that he must have been the strongest man of his time at lifting with the bare hands alone. He had two feats that he challenged any mortal to duplicate. One was picking up a heavy blacksmith's anvil by the horn and placing it on a kitchen table; for the other he had a block of steel, which, as near as I can remember, must have been about 14 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 7 inches thick. This block lay on the floor, and his challenge was for anyone to pick it up with bare hands. I noticed that it required unusually long fingers to grasp it, since one could get only the thumb on one side. Though thousands tried, I never saw, or heard, of anyone else who could juggle his anvil or pick up the weight. True, I saw him surreptitiously rub his fingers with resin, to assist in the gripping, but that could have been only of slight assistance to the marvelous grip the man possessed. It is generally conceded that Louis Cyr was, in his best days, the strongest man in the known world at all-round straight lifting. Cyr did not give the impression of being an athlete, nor of a man in training, for he appeared to be over-fat and not particularly muscular; but he made records in lifting which, to the best of my knowledge, no other man has been able to duplicate. John Grun Marx, a Luxemberger, must have been among the strongest men in the world at the time I knew him. We worked on the same bill several times; but it was at the Olympia, in Paris, that he shone supreme as a strongman--and at the same time as a weak one. For, in spite of his sovereign strength, Mars was no match for a pair of bright eyes; all a pretty woman had to do was to smile and John would wilt. And--Paris was Paris. Marx's strength was prodigious, and he juggled hundreds, and toyed with thousands, of pounds as a child plays with a rattle. He must have weighed in the neighborhood of three hundred pounds, and he walked like a veritable colossus. In fact, he reminded me of a two-footed baby elephant. Always good-natured, he made a host of friends both in the profession and out of it. After years of professional work he settled down as landlord of a public house in England, where, finally, he was prostrated by a mortal illness. Wishing to die in his native city, he returned to Luxemberg. He did not realize that he was bereft of his enormous strength, and those about him humored him: the doctor and the nurses would pretend that he hurt them when he grasped their hands. He died almost forgotten except by his brother artists, but they (myself among them) built a monument to this good-natured Hercules, whose only care was to entertain. Among the strongmen that I met during my days with the museums, one whom I found most interesting was William Le Roy, known as The Nail King and The Human Claw-Hammer, whose act appealed to me for its originality. So far as I could learn, it had never been duplicated. Le Roy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, October 3rd, 1873. He was about 5 feet 10 inches in height, and well set up. The inordinate strength of his jaws, teeth, and neck, enabled him to push a nail, held between his teeth, through a one-inch board; or to nail together, with his teeth, two 3/4-inch boards. He could draw with his teeth a large nail that had been driven completely through a two-inch plank. Then he would screw an ordinary two-inch screw into a hardwood plank with his teeth, pull it out with his teeth, and then screw it into the plank again and offer $100 to any man who could pull it out with a large pair of pincers which he proffered for the purpose. When he had performed these stunts in various positions, he would bend his body backward till his head pointed toward the floor, and in that position push a nail through a one-inch board held perpendicularly in a metal frame. I saw no chance for trickery in Le Roy's act. Another nail act was that of Alexander Weyer, who, either by superior strength or by a peculiar knack, could hold a nail between the middle fingers of his right hand with the head against the palm, and drive it through a one-inch board. But since this act did not get him very far either on the road to fame, or toward the big money--he turned to magic and finally became one of the leading Continental magicians, boasting that he was one of the few really expert sleight-of-hand magicians of the world. I met Weyer at Liege, Belgium, where we had an all-night match with playing cards. He admitted that there were some tricks he did not know, but he claimed that after once seeing any magician work he could duplicate the tricks. On this occasion, however, he was unable to make the boast good. Another clever performer of those days was Mexican Billy Wells, who worked on the Curio platform. His act was the old stone-breaking stunt, already explained, except that he had the stones broken on his head instead of on his body. He protected his head with a small blanket, which he passed for examination, and this protection seemed excusable, considering that he had to do at least seven shows a day. A strong man from the audience did the real work of the act by swinging the heavy sledge-hammer on the stone, as shown in the accompanying illustration. Usually the stone would be riven by a single blow; but if it was not, Wells would yell, "Harder! harder! hit harder!" until the stone was broken. The last I saw of Billy was during one of my engagements at the Palace Theater, New York. He was then soliciting orders for some photograph firm, the halcyon days of his big money having faded to a memory. But he had been a good showman and his was one of the best liked working acts in the Curio, as the dime-museum profession was called. Of all the acts of this nature that I have ever seen I think the most foolhardy was that of an under-sized Italian who lay on his back on the floor and let fall from his hands, extended upward at arm's length heavy weights upon his chest--the silly fool! I said as much to him--and some other things too. His act had little entertainment to show as compared with the pain and danger involved. I do not know what became of him, but I can guess. Among the museum attractions of those years was a man named Wilson who had the incredible chest expansion of twenty-one inches. This man would allow a strong leather strap, about the size of a trunk-strap, to be buckled round his chest; and then, inflating his lungs, would break it with very little apparent exertion. An imitator, named Herman, worked the side shows for a long time with a similar act, and was fairly successful, although his expansion was only about sixteen inches. The last time I heard of Wilson, he was working in the shipyards at Newport News, Virginia. Another "Samson," a German, among other sensational feats, such as breaking coins with his fingers, used to flex his muscles and break a dog-chain that had been fastened round the biceps of his right arm. While he was performing at the Aquarium, in London, he issued a challenge. Sandow, then a youth without reputation, accepted the challenge, went upon the stage, defeated him, and, since Samson's act had been the talk of the town, thus brought himself into instant notice, the beginning of a career in which he rose to the top of his profession. After several successful years on the stage, Sandow settled down in London, where I last heard of him as conducting a school of instruction in health and strength methods. In the tradition of the "Female Sampsons" noted in Chapter Eleven, I recall two strong-women who were notably good; Yucca, who lifted a horse by means of a harness over the shoulders; and La Blanche, who toyed with heavy articles in a most entertaining way. I remember these ladies particularly because both were remarkably good talkers--and I am referring to conversational quality, not to volume. Lulu Hurst--known variously as The Georgia Magnet, The Electric Girl, The Georgia Wonder, etc.--created a veritable sensation a generation ago by a series of feats which seemed to set the law of gravitation at defiance. Her methods consisted in utilizing the principles of the lever and fulcrum in a manner so cleverly disguised that it appeared to the audience that some supernatural power must be at work. Although she was exposed many times, her success was so marked that several other muscular ladies entered her province with acts that were, in several instances, superior to the original. One of the cleverest of these was Annie Abbott, who, if I remember rightly, also called herself The Georgia Magnet. She took the act to England and her opening performance at the Alhambra is recorded as one of the three big sensations of the London vaudeville stage of those days. The second sensation was credited to the Bullet-Proof Man. This chap wore a jacket that rifle bullets, fired point-blank, failed to penetrate. The composition of this jacket was a secret, but after the owner's death the garment was ripped open and found to contain-ground glass! The third sensation I must, with all due modesty, (business of bowing) claim for myself. The Magnet failed to attract after about forty-eight hours, for a keen-witted reporter discovered her methods and promptly published them. The bullet detainer also lasted only a short time only. When my opening added a third sensational surprise, one of the London dailies asked, "Is this going to be another Georgia Magnet fiasco?" That they were gunning for me is proved by the fact that the same newspaper investigator who exposed the Magnet, came upon the stage of the Alhambra at my press performance--the same stage where the unhappy Dixie lode-stone had collapsed--and though he brought along an antique slave iron, which he seemed to think would put an end to my public career on the spot, I managed to escape in less than three minutes. When I passed back his irons, he grinned at me and said, "I don't know how you did it, but you did!" and he shook me cordially by the hand. Some twenty-six years ago I was on the bill with Mattie Lee Price, who, though less well known, was in many ways superior to either Miss Hurst or Miss Abbott. For a time she was a sensation of the highest order, for which thanks were largely due to the management of her husband, a wonderful lecturer and a thorough showman. I think his name was White. He "sold" the act as no other man has sold an act before or since. We worked together at Kohl and Middleton's, Chicago, and the following week at Burton's Museum, Milwaukee; but when we made the next jump I found that White was not along. They had had a family squabble, the other apex of the triangle being a circus grafter who "shibbolethed" at some of the "brace games," which at that time had police protection, so far as that could be given. He had interfered between the couple, and was, I am sorry to say, quite successful as an interferer; but he was a diabolical failure when he attempted to duplicate White's work as lecturer, and the act, after playing a date or two, sank out of sight and I have heard nothing more of her professionally. Lately I have learned that she died in London in 1900 and is buried in Clements Cemetery, Fulham. This was one of the most positive demonstrations I have ever seen of the fact that showmanship is the largest factor in putting an act over. Miss Price was a marvelous performer, but without her husband-lecturer she was no longer a drawing card, and dropped to the level of an ordinary entertainer even lower, for her act was no longer even entertaining. In Chapter Eleven we read Dr. Desaguliers' analysis of the mechanics of what may be called strongmanship. Similar investigations have attended the appearance of more recent performers. For instance, reviewing one of Lulu Hurst's performances, the New York Times, of July 13th, 1884, said: The "Phenomenon of the Nineteenth Century," which may be seen nightly at Wallack's, is not so much the famous Georgia girl, with her mysterious muscle, as is the audience which gathers to wonder at her performance. It is a phenomenon of stupidity, and it only goes to show how willingly people will be fooled, and with what cheerful asininity they will help on their deceivers. Then follows a description of her performance, which was far from successful, thanks to the efforts of one of the committee, a man described as "Mr. Thomas Johnson, a powerfully-built engraver connected with the Century magazine." Mr. Johnson had evidently caught her secret, and he got the better of her in all the tests in which he was allowed to take part. A disclosure of the methods employed in a few of her "tests" will serve to convince the reader of the fact that she possessed no supernormal power, the same general principles shown here being used throughout her performance. These explanations are taken from the French periodical La Nature, in which Mr. Nelson W. Perry thus sums up the attitude of the public in regard to this class of performance: "Electricity is a mysterious agent; therefore everything mysterious is electric." Of the performance of the Electric Girl this magazine says: It is a question of a simple application of the elementary principles of the laws of mechanics, chapter of equilibrium. We propose to point out here a certain number of such artifices and to describe a few of the experiments, utilizing for this purpose the data furnished by Mr. Perry, as well as those resulting from our own observations. One of the experiments consists in having a man or several men hold a cane or a billiard cue horizontally above the head, as shown in Fig. 1. On pushing with one hand, the girl forces back two or three men, who, in unstable equilibrium and under the oblique action of the thrust exerted, are obliged to fall back. This first experiment is so elementary and infantile that it is not necessary to dwell upon it. In order to show the relative sizes of the persons, the artist has supposed the little girl to be standing on a platform in the first experiment, but in the experiment that we witnessed this platform was rendered useless by the fact that the girl who performed them was of sufficient height to reach the cue by extending her arms and standing on tiptoes. Next we have a second and more complex experiment, less easily explained at first sight. Two men (Fig. 2) take a stick about three feet in length, and are asked to hold it firmly in a vertical position. The girl places her hand against the lower end of the stick, in the position shown, and the two men are invited to make the latter slide vertically in the girl's hand, which they are unable to do, in spite of their conscientious and oft-repeated attempts. Mr. Perry explains this exercise as follows: The men are requested to place themselves parallel to each other, and the girl, who stands opposite them, places the palm of her hand against the stick and turned toward her. She takes care to place her hand as far as possible from the hands of the two men, so as to give herself a certain leverage. She then begins to slide her hand along the stick, gently at first, and then with an increasing pressure, as if she wished to better the contact between the stick and her hand. She thus moves it from the perpendicular and asks the two men to hold it in a vertical position. This they do under very disadvantageous conditions, seeing the difference in the length of the arms of the lever. The stress exerted by the girl is very feeble, because, on the one hand, she has the lever arm to herself, and, on the other, the action upon her lever arm is a simple traction. When she feels that the pressure exerted is great enough, she directs the two men to exert a vertical stress strong enough to cause the stick to descend. They then imagine that they are exerting a VERTICAL stress, while in reality their stresses are HORIZONTAL and tend to keep the stick in a vertical position in order to react against the pressure exerted at the lower end of the stick. There is evidently a certain vertical component that tends to cause the stick to descend, but the lateral pressure produces a sufficient friction between the hand and the stick to support this vertical force without difficulty. Mr. Perry performed the experiment by placing himself upon a spring balance and assuming the role of the girl, with two very strong men as adversaries. All the efforts made to cause the stick to slide in the open hand failed, and the excess of weight due to the vertical force always remained less than twenty-five pounds, despite the very determined and sincere stresses of the two men, who, unbeknown to themselves, were exerting their strength in a HORIZONTAL direction. In the experiment represented in Fig. 3, which recalls to mind the first one (Fig. 1), the two men are requested to hold the stick firmly and immovable, but the slightest pressure upon the extremity suffices to move the arms and body of the subject. Such pressure in the first place is exerted but slightly, and the stresses are gradually increased. Then, all at once, when the force exerted horizontally is as great as possible, and the men are exerting their strength in the opposite direction in order to resist it, the girl abruptly ceases the pressure WITHOUT WARNING and exerts it in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION. Unprepared for this change, the victims lose their equilibrium and find themselves at the mercy of the girl, and so much the more so in proportion as they are stronger and their efforts are greater. The experiment succeeds still better with three than with two men, or with one man. The experiment represented in Fig. 4, where it concerns the easy lifting of a very heavy person, the trick is no less simple. Out of a hundred persons submitted to the experiment, ninety-nine, knowing that the experimenter wishes to lift them and cause them to fall forward, grasp the seat or arms of the chair, and, in endeavoring to resist, make the whole weight of their body bear upon their feet. If they do not do so at the first instant, they do so when they are conscious of the attempts of the girl to raise the seat, and they help therein unconsciously. The experimenter, therefore, needs only to exert a horizontal thrust, without doing any lifting, and such horizontal thrust is facilitated by taking the knees as points of support for her elbows. As soon as a slight movement is effected, the hardest part of the work is over, for it is only necessary for the girl to cease to exert her stresses in order to have the chair fall back or move laterally in one direction or the other. At all events, the equilibrium is destroyed, and, before it is established again, it requires but little dexterity to move the subject about in all directions without a great expenditure of energy. The difficulty is not increased on seating two men, or three men, upon each other's knees (as shown in Fig. 4), since, in the latter case, the third acts as a true counter-poise to the first, and the whole pretty well resembles an apparatus of unstable equilibrium, whose centre of gravity is very high and, consequently, so much more easily displaced. All these experiments require some little skill and practice, but are attended with no difficulty, and, upon the whole, do not merit the enthusiastic articles that have given the "electric" or "magnetic" girl her European reputation. Strong people, whether tricksters or genuine athletes, or both, we shall probably have always with us. But with the gradual refinement of the public taste, the demand for such exhibitions as fire-eating, sword-swallowing, glass-chewing, and the whole repertoire of the so-called Human Ostrich, steadily declined, and I recall only one engagement of a performer of this type at a first-class theater in this country during the present generation, and that date was not played. There was still a considerable demand for these people in the dime museums, until the enormous increase in the number of such houses created a demand for freaks that was far in excess of the supply, and many houses were obliged to close because no freaks were obtainable, even at the enormous increase in salaries then in vogue. The small price of admission, and the fact that feature curios like Laloo or the Tocci Twins drew down seven or eight hundred dollars a week, show that these houses catered to a multitude of people; and not a few of the leading managers of to-day's vaudeville, owe their start in life to the dime museum. Among the museums that were veritable gold mines, I might mention Epstein's of Chicago; Brandenberg's of Philadelphia; Moore's of Detroit and Rochester; The Sackett and Wiggins Tour; Kohl and Middleton's; Austin and Stone's of Boston; Robinson of Buffalo; Ans Huber's, Globe, Harlem, Worth's, and the Gayety of New York. The dime museum is but a memory now, and in three generations it will, in all probability, be utterly forgotten. A few of the acts had sufficient intrinsic worth to follow the managers into vaudeville, but these have no part in this chronicle, which has been written rather to commemorate some forms of entertainment over which oblivion threatens to stretch her darkening wings. 
32492	----	ENDLESS AMUSEMENT: A COLLECTION OF NEARLY 400 ENTERTAINING EXPERIMENTS IN VARIOUS BRANCHES OF SCIENCE; INCLUDING ACOUSTICS, ELECTRICITY, MAGNETISM, ARITHMETIC, HYDRAULICS, MECHANICS, CHEMISTRY, HYDROSTATICS, OPTICS; WONDERS OF THE AIR-PUMP; ALL THE POPULAR TRICKS AND CHANGES OF THE CARDS, &c., &c. TO WHICH IS ADDED, A COMPLETE SYSTEM OF PYROTECHNY; OR, THE ART OF MAKING FIRE-WORKS. THE WHOLE SO CLEARLY EXPLAINED AS TO BE WITHIN THE REACH OF THE MOST LIMITED CAPACITY. With Illustrations. FROM THE SEVENTH LONDON EDITION. PHILADELPHIA: LEA AND BLANCHARD. 1847. CONTENTS. Page Aces, the convertible 117 Æolipiles 60 Aigrettes 185 Air-pump 77 bottles broken by 77 glass broken by 77 hand fixed by 77 water boiled by 78 bubbles, vegetable 78 electrified 98 Alarum 147 Alphabet, changes of, in square Yards 59 Apparition, armed 126 Atmosphere, to show the Pressure of 137 Aurora Borealis, electric 91 Bacchus, animated 81 Ball, electrified 97 electric 99 Balloon, artificial 81 electric 96 Cases in Fire-works 184 Balloons, Paper, to construct 42 in Fire-works, to load with Stars, Serpents, &c. 184 Balls, dancing 93 Barley, the Awn of, an Hydrometer 157 Bell, magic 79 Bladder, exploded 80 cemented 81 Blue, to change to White 35 Bodies, two inodorous, become pungent by Mixture 145 Body, combustible, to ignite by reflection 57 Bottle, magic 48 enchanted 59 Bronzing, the Art of 133 Bubble, exploding 13 Bubbles, aërial 78 Burning-glasses, account of two 32 Busts, talking 61 Butterflies, to take Impressions of on Paper 134 Cameleon Spirit 23 Camera Obscura, to construct 16 Camphor, electrified 100 Candle lighted by electricity 84 Bombs 84 Card, divining 107 numerical 108 hit upon by guess 109 found by the Point of a Sword 109 changed by Word of Command 109 in the Ring 112 in the Mirror 113 in the Opera-glass 113 discovered by the throw of a Die 115 under the Handkerchief 117 to tell that a person has touched 117 in the Pocket-book 118 in the Egg 118 discovered by the Touch or Smell 119 Cards, magnetic 71 Amusements with 101 Points on three, to name, &c. 101 to tell how many taken from a Pack 102 to name several fixed on 104 to name the Rank of, drawn from a Piquet Pack 104 to tell the Numbers of any two 105 three 106 four confederate 108 to separate the two Colours of a Pack of, at one Cut 114 metamorphosed 114 Number of, told by their Weight 116 to change, that several persons have drawn from the Pack 116 inverted 119 transmutable 119 convertible 120 Cascade, magical 50 musical 148 of fire, to represent 151 Cement, never-yielding 37 Changes on twelve Bells 58 Charcoal for Fire-works 164 Chase, magic 88 Coins, to take impressions of 44 Compositions for Fire-works, method of mixing 168 Concerto, solar 62 Cork heavier than Lead 81 Correspondence, secret 18, 25 by music 20 Coruscations, artificial 136 Cotton electrified 92 Crackers, to make 169 Cylinder, illuminated 91 Dance, magic 86 Dancer, hydraulic 49 Detonating works 190 Girdle 190 Balls 191 Tape 191 Cards 191 Dial, magnetic 71 Dodecahedron in Fire-works 187 Duplicates, ten 102 Earthquake, artificial 22, 86, 187 Eclipse of the Sun, to observe 129 Egg, to form Figures on, in Relief 35 Eggs, white of, contains an Alkali 144 Electric effects of a Russian climate 30 Electricity, experiments in 83 Resin lighted by 95 Spirits ignited by 95 Eolian Harp, to make 137 Exhalations, subaqueous 137 Explosion, brilliant, under Water 54 Explosion, magical 86 electric 98 Feather, animated 83 Feathers heavier than Lead 79 Figures, two, one blows out, and the other re-lights a Candle 39 Fire produced by the mixture of two cold Liquids 13 from Cane 136 Fire-pumps in Fire-works 186 Fire-works in miniature 27 imitative 149 Art of making 163 aquatic 192 Flash of Lightning, to resemble on entering a Room 37 Flower, to produce the Appearance of, from its Ashes 149 Flowers, restored 26 to diversify the Colours of 141 Fountain, fiery 44 globular 48 illuminated 51 which acts by the Heat of the Sun 52 magic 80 electrical 87 Fountains, Chinese, in Fire-works 187 Fruit, withered, restored 78 Fulminating Powders 33 more powerful 34 Gold 40 Mercury 54 Gas Bubbles, exploding 160 Ghastly Appearance, to give to Persons in a Room 35 Glass, so to fill with Water that it cannot be removed without spilling the whole 38 Gold Chain, old, to make look like new 43 to give Silver the Colour of 43 Guinea, penetrative 132 Gunpowder 165 exploded by reflection 125 Brimstone and Charcoal, to meal for Fire-works 165 Halo, artificial 80 Horn, to make Moulds of 134 to soften 134 Hour of the Day or Night told by a suspended Shilling 152 Hydrogen Gas, to procure 159 to fill a Bladder with 159 Illuminations, artificial 22 chemical 36 Illusion, alternate 146 Incendiary, unconscious 88 Indromacus 103 Ink, invisible 23 Gold, Silver, Yellow, Red, Green, Violet, and Grey 24, 25 secret Correspondence by Means of 25 golden 41 white 42 Iron, transformed into Copper 36 Silver 36 melted in a Moment and run into Drops 37 or Steel, to soften 135 Ivory, to cast Figures in Imitation of 134 Kings, the four inseparable 116 Kite, electric 87 Lamp to burn twelve Months without replenishing 29 Chronometer 46 Landscape, artificial 66 to draw correctly 67 Lead, metallic, produced from the Powder 141 Leech, a Prognosticator of Weather 157 Leyden Phial 94 Light, rays of 143 refraction of 144 travelling of 145 Lightning, artificial 14 its wonderful Nature 144 to guard against 153 Liquor that shines in the Dark 40 luminous 41 Luminaries, miraculous 89 Magic Lantern, Experiment with the 62 Glasses to paint 63 solar 60 Magnetism, Experiments in 70 Memory, artificial 158 Microscope, Experiment for the 145 Mirror, Magician's 124 perspective 124 distorting 126 oracular 152 Mirrors, magical 53 deforming 123 igniting 125 Money augmented by optical Illusion 15 melted in a Walnut-shell 40 Mortars, in Fire-works 184 Neptune in his Chariot 198 Number, to tell any, privately fixed on 45 without asking questions 45 divisible by 9, &c. 55 Numbers, to find the difference of two, &c. 56 Objects, three, discernible only with both Eyes 15 Oil upon Water, and Water upon Oil, curious Effects of 161 and Water, Experiments with 161 Opaque Bodies, seemingly transparent 121 Box made transparent 130 Opera-glass, diagonal 129 Oracle, inanimate 61 Orrery, magnetic 72 electrical 92, 99 Palace, enchanted 120 Parties, three magical 110 Paradox, dioptrical 127 Pass, how to make the 107 Perspective-glass, divining 111 Phantom 126 Phial of the four Elements 48 Philosophical Candle 37 Phosphorus Match Bottles 34 inflammable 53 Phosphorus, illuminated 97 Picture, magic 13 Pictures of Birds, to make, with their natural Feathers 132 Pieces, transposable 131 Plants, remarkable Properties in 138 Plaster of Paris cast, to take from a Person's Face 135 Pomatum, to make, with Wax and Water 36 Portrait, miraculous 85 Powder, which catches Fire when exposed to the Air 39 Prints, to remove Stains from 38 Prospect, boundless 57 Prospects, illuminated 68 Pyrotechny, a complete system of 163 Rain and Hail, artificial 28 Gauge, to make 142 Rainbow, artificial 60 Reflector, magnifying 16 Ring, to suspend by a Thread after the Thread has been burnt 35 on the Finger, to name, &c. 49 Roman Candles, in Fire-works 186 Rocket Stars 173 to fix one on the Top of another 174 Rockets 170 Method of rolling 170 Composition for 171 to drive 171 Decorations for 172 Caduceous 175 Honorary 175 which form an arch in rising 176 to make several rise together 176 to fix several on the same Stick 177 to fire without Sticks 178 Scrolls for 179 Stands for 179 Table 179 Water 192 Rose, changeable 41 Resin lighted by Electricity 95 Salt, exploding 127 Saltpetre for Fire-works 164 Saltpetre, to pulverize for Fire-works 164 Sealing-wax spun into Threads by Electricity 100 Sea-fight, &c. in Aquatic Fire-works 196 Serpents, for Fire-works, to make 169 Shillings, a Person having an even number of in one Hand, and an odd Number in the other, to tell in which Hand the odd or even Number is 17 Shock, inconceivable 88 Shower, mercurial 80 fiery 90 Silver-plate, to give a Lustre to 44 extracted from a gilded Ring 135 Sky-rockets 170 to fire under Water 198 Sound, travelling of 141, 142 Sparks, electric 93 in choked Cases 167 Sparrows, Experiments with 82 Spectre on the Table 64 Spider, artificial 84 Spirit, Cameleon 23 Spots in the Sun's Disk, to show 128 Spur-fire 166 Square Yards, to contain the Changes of the Alphabet 59 Squares, Magic 55 Squibs, to make 169 Stars, with Points, in Fire-works 188 Steam, Power of 31 Steel or Iron, to soften 135 Stone, floating 78 Storm at Sea, to represent by the Magic Lantern 63 Sulphur for Fire-works 163 Sun, fixed, with a transparent Face 189 Sun's Rays, Effects of, on different coloured Cloths 146 Swans and Ducks in Aquatic Fire-works 199 Tantalus, Cup of 85 Thunder, artificial 14, 15 Touch-paper, to make 167 Transcolorations, curious 29, 30 Transmutations, magical 35 Travelling of Sound 141, 142 Light 145 Tree, Silver 27 Tree, Lead 27 Iron 55 sublimated 139 Tube, Magic 123 Tulip, Experiment with 140 Vacuum, illuminated 90 Vase, Magic 110 Vessel, Magic 21 that lets Water out of the Bottom as soon as the Mouth is uncorked 39 Verse, Magic 74 Viper, Experiment with 82 Visual Nerves, singular Impression on, by a luminous Object 160 by looking through differently-coloured Glasses 161 Volcano, artificial 22 Wand, magnetic 70 mercurial 79 Watch Dial, to tell by one the Hour when a Person intends to rise 17 mysterious 70 Lamp 140 Water gilding on Silver 43 which gives Silver a Gold Colour 43 to give any Metal a Gold Colour 43, 44 Sun 50 illuminated 96 colder than Ice 127 Experiment with a Glass of 135 beautifully transparent 142 Power of 143 in Steam 158 Pressure of 143 Mass of, contained in the Sea 145 Rockets 192 Wheels, horizontal 193 Pipes in Fire-works 193 Mines 194 Fire Globes 194 Balloons, odoriferous 195 Fire Fountains 200 Weather, to foretel 140 Table 162 Wheels, self-moving 79, 94 in Fire-works 180 single vertical 180 horizontal 181 plural 182 spiral 182 Balloon 183 double spiral 183 illuminated spiral 183 Winter, changed to Spring 26 Writing, mysterious 26 illuminated 28 burnt, restored 129 in the Dark, to make luminous 139 on Glass by the Rays of the Sun 148 ENDLESS AMUSEMENT. _To produce Fire by the Mixture of two cold Liquids._ Take half a pound of pure dry nitrate, in powder; put it into a retort that is quite dry; add an equal quantity of highly rectified oil of vitriol, and, distilling the mixture in a moderate sand heat, it will produce a liquor like a yellowish fume; this, when caught in a dry receiver, is _Glauber's Spirits of Nitre_; probably the preparation, under that name, may be obtained of the chemists, which will of course save much time and trouble. You then put a drachm of distilled oil of cloves, turpentine, or carraways, in a glass vessel; and if you add an equal quantity, or rather more, of the above spirit, though both are in themselves perfectly cold, yet, on mixing them together, a great flame will arise and destroy them both, leaving only a little resinous matter at the bottom. _The Exploding Bubble._ If you take up a small quantity of melted glass with a tube, (the bowl of a common tobacco-pipe will do,) and let a drop fall into a vessel of water, it will chill and condense with a fine spiral tail, which being broken, the whole substance will burst with a loud explosion, without injury either to the party that holds it, or him that breaks it; but if the _thick_ end be struck, even with a hammer, it will not break. _The Magic Picture._ Take two level pieces of glass, (plate glass is the best,) about three inches long and four wide, exactly of the same size; lay one on the other, and leave a space between them by pasting a piece of card, or two or three small pieces of thick paper, at each corner. Join these glasses together at the edges by a composition of lime slaked by exposure to the air, and white of an egg. Cover all the edges of these glasses with parchment or bladder, except at one end, which is to be left open to admit the following composition. Dissolve, by a slow fire, six ounces of hogs'-lard, with half an ounce of white wax; to which you may add an ounce of clear linseed oil. This must be poured in a liquid state, and before a fire, between the glasses, by the space left in the sides, and which you are then to close up. Wipe the glasses clean, and hold them before the fire, to see that the composition will not run out at any part. Then fasten with gum a picture or print, painted on very thin paper, with its face to one of the glasses, and, if you like, you may fix the whole in a frame. While the mixture between the glasses is cold, the picture will be quite concealed, but become transparent when held to the fire; and, as the composition cools, it will gradually disappear. _Artificial Lightning._ Provide a tin tube that is larger at one end than it is at the other, and in which there are several holes. Fill this tube with powdered resin; and when it is shook over the flame of a torch, the reflection will produce the exact appearance of lightning. _Artificial Thunder._ Mix two drachms of the filings of iron, with one ounce of concentrated spirit of vitriol, in a strong bottle that holds about a quarter of a pint; stop it close, and in a few minutes shake the bottle; then taking out the cork, put a lighted candle near its mouth, which should be a little inclined, and you will soon observe an inflammation arise from the bottle, attended with a loud explosion. To guard against the danger of the bottle bursting, the best way would be to bury it in the ground, and apply the light to the mouth by means of a taper fastened to the end of a long stick. _Another way._ Mix three ounces of saltpetre, two ounces of salt of tartar, and two ounces of sulphur; roll the mixture up into a ball, of which take a quantity, about the size of a hazel-nut, and, placing it in a ladle or shovel over the fire, the explosion will resemble a loud clap of thunder. You will produce a much more violent commotion if you double or treble the quantity of the last experiment; suppose you put two or three ounces of the mixture into the shovel. For fear of accidents, it should not be done in the house, but by placing the shovel over a chafing-dish of very hot coals, in the open air, standing a great distance off. Common prudence will dictate the necessity of using great care in the above experiments, as an accident will soon happen if a person does not get out of the way before the composition explodes. _Money augmented by an Optical Illusion._ In a large drinking-glass of a conical shape, (small at the bottom and wide at the top,) put a shilling, and let the glass be half full of water; then place a plate on the top of it, and turn it quickly over, that the water may not escape. You will see on the plate a piece of coin of the size of half-a-crown; and a little higher up another the size of a shilling. It will add to the amusement this experiment affords, by giving the glass to any one in company, (but who, of course, has not witnessed your operations,) and, desiring him to throw away the water, but save the pieces, he will not be a little surprised at finding only one. _Three objects discernible only with both Eyes._ If you fix three pieces of paper against the wall of a room at equal distances, at the height of your eye, placing yourself directly before them, at a few yards' distance, and close your right eye, and look at them with your left, you will see only two of them, suppose the first and second; alter the position of your eye, and you will see the first and third: alter your position a second time, you will see the second and third, but never the whole three together; by which it appears, that a person who has only one eye can never see three objects placed in this position, nor all the parts of one object of the same extent, without altering his situation. _To construct the Camera Obscura._ Make a circular hole in the shutter of a window, from whence there is a prospect of some distance; in this hole place a magnifying glass, either double or single, whose focus is at the distance of five or six feet; no light must enter the room but through this glass. At a distance from it, equal to its focus, place a very white pasteboard, (what is called a Bristol board, if you can procure one large enough, will answer extremely well;) this board must be two feet and a half long, and eighteen or twenty inches high, with a black border round it: bend the length of it inward to the form of part of a circle, whose diameter is equal to double the focal distance of the glass. Fix it on a frame of the same figure, and put it on a moveable foot, that it may be easily placed at that distance from the glass, where the objects appear to the greatest perfection. When it is thus placed, all the objects in front of the window will be painted on the paper in an inverted position, with the greatest regularity, and in the most natural colours. If you place a swing looking-glass outside the window, by turning it more or less, you will have on the paper all the objects on each side the window. If, instead of placing the looking-glass outside the window, you place it in the room above the hole, (which must then be made near the top of the shutter,) you may have the representation on a paper placed horizontally on a table, and draw at your leisure all the objects reflected. Observe, the best situation is directly north; and the best time of the day is noon. _The Magnifying Reflector._ Let the rays of light that pass through the magnifying glass in the shutter be thrown on a large concave mirror, properly fixed in a frame. Then take a third strip of glass, and stick any small object on it; hold it in the intervening rays at a little more than the focal distance from the mirror, and you will see on the opposite wall, amidst the reflected rays, the image of that object, very large, and beautifully clear and bright. _To tell by a Watch Dial the Hour when a Person intends to rise._ The person is told to set the hand of his watch at any hour he pleases, which hour he tells you; and you add in your mind 12 to it. You then desire him to count privately the number of that addition on the dial, commencing at the next hour to that at which he intends to rise, and including the hour at which he has placed the hand, which will give the answer: for example. A intends to rise at 6, (this he conceals to himself;) he places the hand at 8, which he tells B, who, in his own mind, adds 12 to 8, which makes twenty. B then tells A to count twenty on the dial, beginning at the next hour to that at which he proposes to rise, which will be 5, and counting backwards, reckoning each hour as one, and including in his addition the number of the hour the hand is placed at, the addition will end at 6, which is the hour proposed; thus, The hour the hand is placed at is 8 The next hour to that which A intends to rise at is 5, which counts for 1 Count back the hours from 5, and reckon them at 1 each, there will be 11 hours, viz., 4, 3, 2, 1, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 11 ---- Making 20 _A person having an even Number of Shillings in one Hand, and an odd Number in the other, to tell in which hand the odd or even Number is._ You desire the person to multiply the number in his right hand by an odd figure, and the number in his left by an even one; and tell you if the products, added together, be odd or even. If even, the even number is in the right hand; if odd, the even number is in the left. For instance, I. Number in the right In the left hand _odd_ 7 hand is _even_ 18 Multiply by 2 Multiply by 3 ---- ---- Product 14 Product 54 ---- Add the Product of the left hand 14 ---- Which produces a total of 68 II. Number in the right In the left hand _even_ 18 hand is _odd_ 7 Multiply by 2 Multiply by 3 ---- ---- Product 36 Product 21 Add the Product of the left hand 36 ---- Which produces a total of 57 _Secret Correspondence._ [Illustration: Fig. 1.] To carry on a correspondence without the possibility of the meaning of the letter being detected, in case it should be opened by any other person, has employed the ingenuity of many. No method will be found more effectual for this purpose, or more easy, than the following. Provide a piece of square card or pasteboard, and draw a circle on it, which circle is to be divided into 27 equal parts, in each of which parts must be written _one_ of the capital letters of the alphabet, and the &, as in the figure. Let the centre of this circle be blank. Then draw another circle, also divided into 27 equal parts, in each of which write one of the small letters of the alphabet, and the &. This circle must be cut round, and made exactly to fit the blank space in the centre of the large circle, and must run round a pivot or pin. The person with whom you correspond must have a similar dial, and at the beginning of your letter you must put the capital letter, and at the end the small letter, which answer to each other when you have fixed your dial. Suppose what you wish to communicate is as follows: _I am so watched I cannot see you as I promised; but I will meet you to-morrow in the park, with the letters, &c._ You begin with the letter _T_, and end with the letter _m_, which shows how you have fixed the dial, and how your correspondent must fix his, that he may decipher your letter. Then, for _I am_, you write _b uf_, and so of the rest, as follows. _T b uf lh pumrvayx b rvugghm lyy rhn ul b ikhfblyx vnm b pbee fyym rhn mh-fhkkhp bg may iukd pbma may eymmykl, tw. m._ _Another Way._ Take two pieces of card, pasteboard, or stiff paper, through which you cut long squares at different distances. One of these you keep yourself, and the other you give to your correspondent. You lay the pasteboard on a paper, and, in the spaces cut out, write what you would have understood by him only; then fill the intermediate spaces with any words that will connect the whole together, and make a different sense. When he receives it, he lays his pasteboard over the whole, and those words which are between crotchets [ ] form the intelligence you wish to communicate. For example: suppose you want to express these word, "_Don't trust Robert: I have found him a villain._" "[Don't] fail to send my books. I [trust] they will be ready when [Robert] calls on you. [I have] heard that you have [found] your dog. I call [him a villain] who stole him." You may place a pasteboard of this kind three other ways--the bottom at top--the top at bottom, or by turning it over; but in this case you must previously apprize your correspondent, or he may not be able to decipher your meaning. _Secret Correspondence by Music._ Form a circle like Fig. 2, divided into twenty-six parts, with a letter of the alphabet written in each. The interior of the circle is moveable, like that in Fig. 1, and the circumference is to be ruled like music-paper. Place in each division a note different in figure or position. [Illustration: Fig. 2.] [Illustration: Music Piece] Within the musical lines place the three keys, and on the outer circle the figures to denote time. Then get a ruled paper, and place one of the keys (suppose _ge-re-sol_) against the time 2-4ths, at the beginning of the paper, which will inform your correspondent how to place his circle. You then copy the notes that answer to the letters of the words you intend to write, in the manner expressed above. _The Magic Vessel._ On the bottom of a vessel, lay three pieces of money, the first at A, the second at B, and the third at C, Fig. 3. Then place a person at D, where he can see no farther into the vessel than E. You tell him, that by pouring water in the vessel you will make him see three different pieces of money; and bid him observe, that you do not convey any money in with the water. But be careful that you pour the water in very gently, or the pieces will move out of their places, and thereby destroy the experiment. [Illustration: Fig. 3.] When the water rises up to F, the piece at A will be visible; when it reaches G, both A and B will be visible; and when it comes up to H, all three pieces will be visible. _Artificial Earthquake and Volcano._ Grind an equal quantity of fresh iron filings with pure sulphur, till the whole be reduced to a fine powder. Be careful not to let any wet come near it. Then bury about thirty pounds of it a foot deep in the earth, and in about six or eight hours the ground will heave and swell, and shortly after send forth smoke and flames like a burning mountain. If the earth is raised in a conical shape, it will be no bad miniature resemblance of one of the burning mountains. _Artificial Illuminations._ A very pleasing exhibition may be made with very little trouble or expense, in the following manner: Provide a box, which you fit up with architectural designs cut out on pasteboard; prick small holes in those parts of the building where you wish the illuminations to appear, observing, that in proportion to the perspective, the holes are to be made smaller; and on the near objects the holes are to be made larger. Behind these designs thus perforated, you fix a lamp or candle, but in such a manner that the reflection of the light shall only shine through the holes; then placing a light of just sufficient brilliance to show the design of the buildings before it, and making a hole for the sight at the front end of the box, you will have a very tolerable representation of illuminated buildings. The best way of throwing the light in front, is to place an oiled paper before it, which will cast a mellow gleam over the scenery, and not diminish the effect of the illumination. This can be very easily planned, both not to obstruct the sight, nor be seen to disadvantage. The lights behind the picture should be very strong; and if a magnifying glass were placed in the sight hole, it would tend greatly to increase the effect. The box must be covered in, leaving an aperture for the smoke of the lights to pass through. The above exhibition can only be shown at candle-light; but there is another way, by fixing small pieces of gold on the building, instead of drilling the holes; which gives something like the appearance of illumination, but by no means equal to the foregoing experiment. N.B. It would be an improvement, if paper of various colours, rendered transparent by oil, were placed between the lights behind and the aperture in the buildings, as they would then resemble lamps of different colours. _The Cameleon Spirit._ Put into a decanter volatile spirit, in which you have dissolved copper filings, and it will produce a fine blue. If the bottle be stopped, the colour will disappear; but when unstopped, it will return. This experiment may be often repeated. _Invisible Ink._ Put litharge of lead into very strong vinegar, and let it stand twenty-four hours. Strain it off, and let it remain till quite settled; then put the liquor in a bottle. You next dissolve orpiment in quick lime water, by setting the water in the sun for two or three days, turning it five or six times a-day. Keep the bottle containing this liquor well corked, as the vapour is highly pernicious if received into the mouth. Write what you wish with a pen dipped in the first liquor; and, to make it visible, expose it to the vapour of the second liquor. If you wish them to disappear again, draw a sponge or pencil, dipped in aqua fortis, or spirit of nitre, over the paper; and if you wish them to re-appear, let the paper be quite dry, and then pass the solution of orpiment over it. _Another._ Dissolve bismuth in nitrous acid. When the writing with this fluid is exposed to the vapour of liver of sulphur, it will become quite black. _Another._ Dissolve green vitriol and a little nitrous acid in common water. Write your characters with a new pen. Next infuse small Aleppo galls, slightly bruised in water. In two or three days, pour the liquor off. By drawing a pencil dipped in this second solution over the characters written with the first, they will appear a beautiful black. _Invisible Gold Ink._ Put as much gold in as small a quantity of aqua regia as will dissolve it, and dilute it with two or three times the quantity of distilled water. Next dissolve, in a separate vessel, fine pewter in aqua regia, and when it is well impregnated, add an equal quantity of distilled water. Write your characters with the first solution: let it dry in the shade. To make them visible, draw a pencil or sponge, dipped in the second solution, over the paper, and the characters will appear of a purple colour. _Invisible Silver Ink._ Dissolve fine silver in aqua fortis; and after the dissolution, add some distilled water in the same manner as in the gold ink. What is written with the above ink will remain invisible for three or four months, if kept from the air; but may be easily read in an hour, if exposed to the fire, air, or sun. _Invisible Yellow Ink._ Steep marigold flowers seven or eight days in clear distilled vinegar. Press the flowers and strain the liquor, which is to be kept in a bottle well corked. If you would have it still more clear, add, when you use it, some pure water. To make the characters visible, which you write with this ink, pass a sponge over the paper, dipped in the following solution: Take a quantity of flowers of pansy, or the common violet, bruise them in a mortar with water, strain the liquor in a cloth, and keep it in a bottle. _Invisible Red Ink._ To the pure spirit of vitriol or nitre, add eight times as much water. Use the above solution of violets to make visible the characters written with this ink. _Invisible Green Ink._ Dissolve salt of tartar, clean and dry, in a sufficient quantity of river water. Use the violet solution to render it visible. _Another Invisible Green Ink._ Dissolve zaffre, in powder, in aqua regia, for twenty-four hours. Pour the liquor off, and the same quantity of common water, and keep it in a bottle well corked. This ink will not be visible till exposed to the fire or the sun; and will again be invisible when it becomes cold. _Invisible Violet Ink._ Express the juice of lemons, and keep it in a bottle well corked. Use the violet infusion to make the writing visible. _Invisible Grey Ink._ Mix alum with lemon-juice. The letters written with this ink will be invisible till dipped in water. * * * * * We now present our readers with a variety of amusing experiments, which may be performed by the foregoing inks; and they will, probably, suggest others equally amusing and useful. _A Secret Correspondence by means of Invisible Ink._ A person wishing to carry on a correspondence with another, and who is fearful of having his letter opened, or intercepted, can adopt the following plan: Write any unimportant matter with common ink, and let the lines be very wide apart: then between these lines write the communication you wish to make, with any of the above invisible inks you can most readily procure. Your correspondent is to be previously apprized of the method of making the characters visible: and writing in common ink will serve to lull the suspicions of those who might intercept the letter, and who, not finding any thing important in it, will either forward or keep it. In either case there can be no danger, as the writing will not be visible without the proper application. _The Mysterious Writing._ Write on a piece of paper with common ink any question; then underneath it write the answer either in invisible silver ink, or the invisible green ink, made with zaffre and aqua regia, described in pages 24 and 25. You give this paper to your friend, and tell him to place it against the wall, or on his dressing-table, keeping the door locked, that he may be sure no person has entered his room: he will next day find the answer written on it. _The Restored Flowers._ Make a bouquet of artificial flowers; the leaves should be formed of parchment. Dip the roses in the red invisible ink, the jonquilles in the yellow, the pinks in the violet, and the leaves in the green ink. They will all appear white; and you show them to the company, observing, that you will restore them to their natural colours, and desiring any person to fix any private mark on them he pleases, that he may be sure there is no deception. You then, unperceived by the company, dip them in the revivifying liquor, used to make the yellow ink visible, described in page 24, and, drawing them gently out, that the liquor may drop, and the flowers have time to acquire their colours, you present them to the company, who will see, with surprise, that they each appear in their natural colours. _Winter changed to Spring._ Take a print that represents winter, and colour those parts which should appear green, with the second green invisible ink, described in page 25; observing, of course, the usual rules of perspective, by making the near parts deeper in colour than the others. The other objects must be painted in their natural colours. Then put the print into a frame with a glass, and cover the back with a paper that is pasted only at its extremities. When this print is exposed to a moderate fire, or the warm sun, the foliage, which appeared covered with snow, will change to a pleasing green; and if a yellow tint be thrown on the lighter parts before the invisible ink is drawn over it, this green will be of different shades. When it is exposed to the cold, it will again resume its first appearance of winter. _The Silver Tree._ Dissolve an ounce of fine silver in three ounces of strong aqua fortis, in a glass bottle. When the silver is dissolved; pour the aqua fortis into another glass vessel, (a decanter will be best,) with seven or eight ounces of mercury, to which add a quart of common water; to the whole add your dissolved silver, and let it remain untouched. In a few days the mercury will appear covered with a number of little branches of a silver colour. This appearance will increase for a month or two, and will remain after the mercury is entirely dissolved. _The Lead Tree._ A more modern invention, and an easier method by far than the above, is the following: To a piece of zinc fasten a wire, crooked in the form of the worm of a still; let the other end of the worm be thrust through a cork. You then pour spring water into a phial or decanter, to which you add a small quantity of sugar of lead; thrust the zinc into the bottle, and with the cork at the end of the wire fasten it up. In a few days the tree will begin to grow, and produce a most beautiful effect. _To produce beautiful Fire-works in Miniature._ Put half a drachm of solid phosphorus into a large pint Florence flask; holding it slanting, that the phosphorus may not break the glass. Pour upon it a gill and a half of water, and place the whole over a tea-kettle lamp, or any common tin lamp, filled with spirit of wine. Light the wick, which should be almost half an inch from the flask; and as soon as the water is heated, streams of fire will issue from the water by starts, resembling sky-rockets; some particles will adhere to the sides of the glass representing stars; and will frequently display brilliant rays. These appearances will continue at times till the water begins to simmer, when immediately a curious aurora borealis begins, and gradually ascends, till it collects to a pointed flame; when it has continued half a minute, blow out the flame of the lamp, and the point that was formed will rush down, forming beautiful illuminated clouds of fire, rolling over each other for some time, which disappearing, a splendid hemisphere of stars presents itself: after waiting a minute or two, light the lamp again, and nearly the same phenomenon will be displayed as from the beginning. Let the repetition of lighting and blowing out the lamp be made for three or four times at least, that the stars may be increased. After the third or fourth time of blowing out the lamp, in a few minutes after the internal surface of the flask is dry, many of the stars will shoot with great splendour, from side to side, and some of them will fire off with brilliant rays; these appearances will continue several minutes. What remains in the flask will serve for the same experiment several times, and without adding any more water. Care should be taken, after the operation is over, to lay the flask and water in a cool, secure place. _Artificial Rain and Hail._ Make a hollow cylinder of wood; let it be very thin at the sides, about eight or ten inches wide, and two or three feet diameter. Divide its inside into five equal parts, by boards of five or six inches wide, and let there be between them and the wooden circle, a space of about one-sixth of an inch. You are to place these boards obliquely. In this cylinder put four or five pounds of shot that will easily pass through the opening. When turned upside down, the noise of the shot going through the various partitions will resemble rain; and if you put large shot, it will produce the sound of hail. _Illuminated Writing._ It is well known that if any words are written on a wall with solid phosphorus, the writing will appear as if on fire; but it is necessary to give this caution, lest accidents should occur. In using it, let a cup of water be always near you; and do not keep it more than a minute and a half in your hand, for fear the warmth of your hand should set it on fire. When you have written a few words with it, put the phosphorus into the cup of water, and let it stay a little to cool; then take it out, and write with it again. _A Lamp that will burn Twelve Months without replenishing._ Take a stick of phosphorus, and put it into a large dry phial, not corked, and it will afford a light sufficient to discern any object in a room when held near it. The phials should be kept in a cool place, where there is no great current of air, and it will continue its luminous appearance for more than twelve months. _Curious Transcolorations._ Put half a table-spoonful of syrup of violets and three table-spoonfuls of water into a glass; stir them well together with a stick, and put half the mixture into another glass. If you add a few drops of acid of vitriol into one of the glasses and stir it, it will be changed into a crimson; put a few drops of fixed alkali dissolved into the other glass, and when you stir it, it will change to green. If you drop slowly into the green liquor, from the side of the glass, a few drops of acid of vitriol, you will perceive crimson at the bottom, purple in the middle, and green at the top; and by adding a little fixed alkali dissolved, to the other glass, the same colours will appear in different order. _Another._ If you put a tea-spoonful of a liquor composed of copper infused in acid of vitriol, into a glass, and add two or three table-spoonfuls of water to it, there will be no sensible colour produced; but if you add a little volatile alkali to it, and stir it, you will perceive a very beautiful blue colour. Add a little acid of vitriol, the colour will instantly disappear upon stirring it; and by adding a little fixed alkali dissolved, it will return again. _Another._ Put half a tea-spoonful of a liquor composed of iron infused in acid of vitriol, into half a glass of water; and add a few drops of phlogisticated alkali, and a beautiful Prussian blue will appear. _Curious Account of the Electric Effects of a Russian Climate._ Mr. Æpinus in a letter to Dr. Guthrie, relates the following phenomena, which took place in Russia, when a severe frost had continued for several weeks. Mr. Æpinus was sent for to the palace to see an uncommon phenomenon. On going into the apartment of Prince Orloff, he found him at his toilet, and that every time his valet drew the comb through his hair, a strong crackling noise was heard; and on darkening the room, sparks were seen following the comb in great abundance, while the prince himself was so completely electrified, that strong sparks could be drawn from his hands and face; nay, he was even electrified when he was only powdered with a puff. A few days after, he was witness to a more striking effect of the electric state of a Russian atmosphere. The Grand Duke of Russia sent for him one evening in the twilight, and told him, that having briskly drawn a flannel cover off a green damask chair in his bed-chamber, he was astonished at the appearance of a strong bright flame that followed; but considering it as an electrical appearance, he had tried to produce a similar illumination on different pieces of furniture, and could then show him a beautiful and surprising experiment. His highness threw himself on his bed, which was covered with a damask quilt, laced with gold; and, rubbing it with his hands in all directions, the young prince, who had then reached his twelfth year, appeared swimming in fire, as at every stroke flames arose all around him, darted to the gold-laced border, ran along it, and up to that of the bed, and even to the very top. While he was showing this experiment, Prince Orloff came into the room, with a sable muff in his hand, and showed us, that by only whirling it five or six times round his head in the air, he could electrify himself so strongly, as to send out sparks from all the uncovered parts of his body. _Astonishing Power of Steam._ If you put a small quantity of water into a tea-kettle, and place it on the fire, it will disappear in a short time, having escaped in the steam. But if its escape be prevented by stopping up the spout and crevices, it will force its way by bursting the vessel in which it was confined. If the steam of boiling water be at liberty, the water never attains more than a certain degree of heat; but if confined in a close vessel, the additional fire not escaping, the power of the steam is increased, it re-acts upon the water, and raises the heat so much higher, that it would keep lead in a melting state; and so penetrating, that it would soften the marrow-bone of an ox, in a few minutes. There is an instrument contrived for the foregoing purposes, called Papin's Digester, from the name of its inventor, and from its digestive powers on substances exposed to its action. It is a very strong vessel, made of copper, fitted with a thick close cover, and fastened down by several strong screws, so as to render it steam-tight in great degrees of heat. To render it safe, while being used, there is a valve on the cover, to let out the steam, when it is too violent; this valve is kept down by a steel-yard, with a weight moveable upon it, to regulate the degrees of the steam within. The following account of an accident with one of these instruments, will give some idea of the great force of steam. Mr. Papin (the inventor) having fixed all things right, and included about a pint of water, with two ounces of marrow-bone, he placed the vessel horizontally between the bars of the grate, about half-way into the fire. In three minutes he found it raised to a great heat, and perceiving the heat in a very short time become more raging, stepped to a side-table for an iron to take the digester out of the fire, when it suddenly burst with the explosion of a musket. It was heard at a considerable distance, and actually shook the house. The bottom of the vessel that was in the fire gave way; the blast of the expanded water blew all the coals out of the fire into the room, the remainder of the vessel flew across the room, and, hitting the leaf of an oak table, an inch thick, broke it all in pieces, and rebounded half the length of the room back again. He could not perceive the least sign of water, though he looked carefully for it; the fire was quite extinguished, and every coal black in an instant. The following accident was attended with more fatal consequences. A steam-engine was repairing at Chelsea, and, as the workmen were endeavouring to discover the defect, the boiler suddenly exploded, and a cloud of steam rushing out at the fracture, struck one of the men who was near it, like a blast of lightning, and killed him in a moment; when his companions endeavoured to take off his clothes, the flesh came off with them from the bones. _Account of the Wonderful Effects of two immense Burning-Glasses._ Mr. de Tschirnhausen constructed a burning-glass, between three and four feet in diameter, and whose focus was rendered more powerful by a second one. This glass melted tiles, slates, pumice-stone, &c., in a moment; pitch, and all resins, were melted even under water; the ashes of vegetables, wood, and other matters, were converted into glass; indeed, it either melted, calcined, or dissipated into smoke, every thing applied to its focus. Mr. Parker, of Fleet-street, made a burning-glass, three feet in diameter; it was formed of flint glass, and when on its frame, exposed a surface of 2 feet 8-1/2 inches to the solar rays. It had a small glass fitted to it, to converge the rays, and heighten the effect. The experiments made by it were more powerful and accurate than those performed by any other glass. The following is a brief epitome of its astonishing power. --------------------------------------+-------+-------+ Substances melted, with their weight; |Weight | Time | and the Time in Seconds, which | in | in | they took in melting. |Grains.|Seconds| --------------------------------------+-------+-------+ Pure gold | 20 | 4 | ---- silver | 20 | 3 | ---- copper | 33 | 20 | ---- platina | 10 | 3 | Nickel | 16 | 3 | A cube of bar-iron | 10 | 12 | --------- cast-iron | 10 | 3 | --------- steel | 10 | 12 | Scoria of wrought-iron | 12 | 2 | Kearsh | 10 | 3 | Cauk, or terra ponderosa | 10 | 7 | A topaz, or chrysolite | 3 | 45 | An oriental emerald | 2 | 25 | Crystal pebble | 7 | 6 | White agate | 10 | 30 | Oriental flint | 10 | 30 | Rough cornelian | 10 | 75 | Jasper | 10 | 25 | Onyx | 10 | 20 | Garnet | 10 | 17 | White rhomboidal spar | 10 | 60 | Zeolites | 10 | 23 | Rotten-stone | 10 | 80 | Common slate | 10 | 2 | Asbestos | 10 | 10 | Common lime-stone | 10 | 55 | Pumice-stone | 10 | 24 | Lava | 10 | 7 | Volcanic clay | 10 | 60 | Cornish moor-stone | 10 | 60 | --------------------------------------+-------+-------+ _Fulminating Powder._ This powder is made by rubbing together, in a hot marble mortar, with a wooden pestle, three parts, by weight, of nitre, two of mild vegetable alkali, and one of flowers of sulphur, till the whole is accurately mixed. If a drachm of this powder be exposed to a gentle heat, in an iron ladle, till it melts, it will explode with a noise as loud as the report of a cannon. _A more powerful fulminating Powder._ The most wonderful instance of chemical detonation is formed by the combination of volatile alkali with silver. Gunpowder, or fulminating gold, are not to be compared with this invention, and the great danger attending its manufacture prevents us from giving a methodical account of its preparation to our readers, particularly as it can be purchased, properly prepared, of the chemists. The slightest agitation or friction is sufficient to cause its explosion. When it is once obtained, it can no longer be touched with safety. The falling of a few atoms of it, from a small height, produces an explosion; a drop of water falling on it has the same effect. No attempt, therefore, can be made to enclose it in a bottle, but it must be let alone in the capsule, wherein, by evaporation, it obtains this terrible property. To make this experiment with safety, no greater quantity than a grain of silver should be used; the last process of drying should be made in a metallic vessel, and the face of the operator defended by a mask with strong glass eyes. _To make the Phosphorus Match Bottles._ Nothing more is necessary for this purpose, than to drop small pieces of dry phosphorus into a common phial; gently heat it till it melts; and then turn the bottle round, that it may adhere to the sides. The phial should be closely corked; and when used, a common brimstone match is to be introduced, and rubbed against the sides of the phial: this inflames the match when it is brought out of the bottle. Though there is no danger in phosphorus, till friction, or fire, is applied, yet persons cannot be too cautious in the use of it, as instances have been known of one of these bottles catching fire in the pocket, and very much endangering the person who carried it; likewise, if carelessly used, small particles are apt to get under the nails, or on the hand; and if, by accident, they are held to the fire, or rubbed together, a flame will presently kindle. _To make a Ring suspend by a Thread, after the Thread has been burned._ Soak a piece of thread in urine, or common salt and water. Tie it to a ring, not larger than a wedding-ring. When you apply the flame of a candle to it, it will burn to ashes, but yet sustain the ring. _To form Figures in relief on an Egg._ Design on the shell any figure or ornament you please, with melted tallow, or any other fat oily substance; then immerse the egg into very strong vinegar, and let it remain till the acid has corroded that part of the shell which is not covered with the greasy matter: those parts will then appear in relief, exactly as you have drawn them. _To give a ghastly Appearance to Persons in a Room._ Dissolve salt in an infusion of saffron and spirits of wine. Dip some tow in this solution, and, having set fire to it, extinguish all other lights in the room. _To change Blue to White._ Dissolve copper filings in a phial of volatile alkali; when the phial is unstopped, the liquor will be blue; when stopped, it will be white. _Magical Transmutations._ Infuse a few shavings of logwood in common water, and when the liquor is sufficiently red, pour it into a bottle. Then take three drinking-glasses, and rinse one of them with strong vinegar; throw into the second a small quantity of pounded alum, which will not be observed if the glass has been recently washed, and leave the third without any preparation. If the red liquor in the bottle be poured into the first glass, it will appear of a straw colour; if into the second, it will pass gradually from bluish-grey to black, when stirred with a key, or any piece of iron, which has been previously dipped in strong vinegar. In the third glass, the red liquor will assume a violet tint. _To make Pomatum with Water and Wax._ Water and wax are two substances that do not naturally unite together; therefore, to those who witness the following process, without knowing the cause, it will have the appearance of marvellous. Put into a new glazed earthen pot, six ounces of river water and two ounces of white wax, in which, you must previously conceal a strong dose of salt of tartar. If the whole be then exposed to a considerable degree of heat, it will assume the consistence of pomatum, and may be used as such. _Iron transformed into Copper._ Dissolve blue vitriol in water, till the water is well impregnated with it; and immerse into the solution small plates of iron, or coarse iron filings. These will be attacked and dissolved by the acid of the vitriol, while the copper naturally contained in the vitriol will be sunk and deposited in the place of the iron dissolved. If the piece of iron be too large for dissolving, it will be so completely covered with particles of copper, as to resemble that metal itself. _Iron transformed into Silver._ Dissolve mercury in marine acid, and dip a piece of iron into it, or rub the solution over the iron, and it will assume a silver appearance. It is scarcely necessary to say, that these transmutations are only apparent, though to the credulous it would seem that they were actually transformed. _Chemical Illuminations._ Put into a middling-sized bottle, with a short wide neck, three ounces of oil or spirit of vitriol, with twelve ounces of common water, and throw into it, at different times, an ounce or two of iron filings. A violent commotion will then take place, and white vapours will arise from the mixture. If a taper be held to the mouth of the bottle, these vapours will inflame and produce a violent explosion, which may be repeated as long as the vapours continue. _The Philosophical Candle._ Provide a bladder, into the orifice of which is inserted a metal tube, some inches in length, that can be adapted to the neck of a bottle, containing the same mixture as in the last experiment. Having suffered the atmospheric air to be expelled from the bottle, by the elastic vapour produced by the solution, apply the orifice of the bladder to the mouth of the bottle, after carefully squeezing the common air out of it, (which you must not fail to do, or the bladder will violently explode.) The bladder will thus become filled with the inflammable air, which, when forced out against the flame of a candle, by pressing the sides of the bladder, will form a beautiful green flame. _To make the appearance of a Flash of Lightning, when any one enters a Room with a lighted Candle._ Dissolve camphor in spirit of wine, and deposit the vessel containing the solution in a very close room, where the spirit of wine must be made to evaporate by strong and speedy boiling. If any one then enters the room with a lighted candle, the air will inflame, while the combustion will be so sudden, and of so short a duration, as to occasion no danger. _To melt Iron in a Moment and make it run into Drops._ Bring a bar of iron to a white heat, and then apply to it a roll of sulphur. The iron will immediately melt and run into drops. This experiment should be performed over a basin of water, in which the drops that fall down will be quenched. These drops will be found reduced into a sort of cast-iron. _Never-yielding Cement._ Calcine oyster-shells, pound them, sift them through a silk sieve, and grind them on porphyry till they are reduced to the finest powder. Then take the whites of several eggs, according to the quantity of the powder; and having mixed them with the powder, form the whole into a kind of paste. With this paste join the pieces of china, or glass, and press them together for seven or eight minutes. This cement will stand both heat and water, and will never give way, even if the article should, by accident, fall to the ground. _To remove Stains and Blemishes from Prints._ Paste a piece of paper to a very smooth clear table, that the boiling water used in the operation may not require a colour which might lessen its success. Spread out the print you wish to clean upon the table, and sprinkle it with boiling water; taking care to moisten it throughout by very carefully applying a very fine sponge. After you have repeated this process five or six times, you will observe the stains or spots extend themselves; but this is only a proof that the dirt begins to be dissolved. After this preparation, lay the print smoothly and carefully into a copper or wooden vessel, larger than the size of the print. Then cover it with a boiling ley of potash, taking care to keep it hot as long as possible. After the whole is cooled, strain off the liquor, take out the print with care, spread it on a stretched cord, and when half dry, press it between leaves of white paper, to prevent wrinkles. By this process, spots and stains of any kind will be effectually removed. _To so fill a Glass with Water, that it cannot be removed without spilling the whole._ This is a mere trick, but may afford some amusement. You offer to bet any person that you will so fill a glass with water that he shall not move it off the table without spilling the whole contents. You then fill the glass, and, laying a piece of paper or thin card over the top, you dexterously turn the glass upside down on the table, and then drawing away the paper, you leave the water in the glass, with its foot upwards. It will therefore be impossible to remove the glass from the table without spilling every drop. _Two Figures, one of which blows out and the other re-lights a Candle._ Make two figures, of any shape or materials you please; insert in the mouth of one a small tube, at the end of which is a piece of phosphorus, and in the mouth of the other a tube containing at the end a few grains of gunpowder; taking care that each be retained in the tube by a piece of paper. If the second figure be applied to the flame of a taper, it will extinguish it; and the first will light it again. _A vessel that will let Water out at the Bottom, as soon as the Mouth is uncorked._ Provide a tin vessel, two or three inches in diameter, and five or six inches in height, having a mouth about three inches in width; and in the bottom several small holes, just large enough to admit a small needle. Plunge it in water with its mouth open, and when full, while it remains in the water, stop it very closely. You can play a trick with a person, by desiring him to uncork it; if he places it on his knee for that purpose, the moment it is uncorked the water will run through at the bottom, and make him completely wet. _A Powder which catches Fire when exposed to the Air._ Put three ounces of rock alum, and one ounce of honey or sugar, into a new earthen dish, glazed, and which is capable of standing a strong heat; keep the mixture over the fire, stirring it continually till it becomes very dry and hard; then remove it from the fire, and pound it to a coarse powder. Put this powder into a long-necked bottle, leaving a part of the vessel empty; and, having placed it in a crucible, fill up the crucible with fine sand, and surround it with burning coals. When the bottle has been kept at a red heat for about seven or eight minutes, and no more vapour issues from it, remove it from the fire, then stop it with a piece of cork; and, having suffered it to cool, preserve the mixture in small bottles well closed. If you unclose one of these bottles, and let fall a few grains of this powder on a bit of paper, or any other very dry substance, it will first become blue, then brown, and will at last burn the paper or other dry substance on which it has fallen. _Fulminating Gold._ Put into a small long-necked bottle, resting on a little sand, one part of fine gold filings, and three parts of aqua regia, (nitro-muriatic acid.) When the gold is dissolved, pour the solution into a glass, and add five or six times the quantity of water. Then take spirit of sal ammoniac or oil of tartar, and pour it drop by drop into the solution, until the gold is entirely precipitated to the bottom of the glass. Decant the liquor that swims at the top, by inclining the glass; and, having washed it several times in warm water, dry it at a moderate heat, placing it on paper capable of absorbing all the moisture. If a grain of this powder, put into a spoon, (it should be an iron one,) be exposed to the flame of a candle, it will explode with a very loud report. _To melt a piece of Money in a Walnut-shell, without injuring the shell._ Bend any thin coin, and put it into half a walnut-shell; place the shell on a little sand, to keep it steady. Then fill the shell with a mixture made of three parts of very dry pounded nitre, one part of flowers of sulphur, and a little saw-dust well sifted. If you then set light to the mixture, you will find, when it is melted, that the metal will also be melted at the bottom of the shell, in form of a button, which will become hard when the burning matter round it is consumed: the shell will have sustained very little injury. _A Liquid that Shines in the Dark._ Take a bit of phosphorus, about the size of a pea; break it into small parts, which you are to put into a glass half full of very pure water, and boil it in a small earthen vessel, over a very moderate fire. Have in readiness a long narrow bottle, with a well-fitted glass stopper, and immerse it, with its mouth open, into boiling water. On taking it out, empty the water, and immediately pour in the mixture in a boiling state; then put in the stopper, and cover it with mastich, to prevent the entrance of the external air. This water will shine in the dark for several months, even without being touched; and, if it be shaken in dry warm weather, brilliant flashes will be seen to rise through the middle of the water. _Luminous Liquor._ Put a little phosphorus, with essence of cloves, into a bottle, which must be kept closely stopped. Every time the bottle is unclosed, the liquor will appear luminous. This experiment must be performed in the dark. _The changeable Rose._ Take a common full-blown rose, and, having thrown a little sulphur finely pounded into a chafing-dish with coals, expose the rose to the vapour. By this process the rose will become whitish; but if it be afterwards held some time in water, it will resume its former colour. _Golden Ink._ Take some white gum arabic, reduce it to an impalpable powder, in a brass mortar; dissolve it in strong brandy, and add a little common water to render it more liquid. Provide some gold in a shell, which must be detached, in order to reduce it to a powder. When this is done, moisten it with the gummy solution, and stir the whole with a small hair-brush, or your finger; then leave it for a night, that the gold may be better dissolved. If the composition become dry during the night, dilute it with more gum water, in which a little saffron has been infused; but take care that the gold solution be sufficiently liquid to flow freely in a pen. When the writing is dry, polish it with a dry tooth. _Another way._ Reduce gum ammoniac into powder, and dissolve it in gum arabic water, to which a little garlic juice has been added. This water will not dissolve the ammonia so as to form a transparent liquid; for the result will be a milky liquor. With the liquor form your letters or ornaments on paper or vellum, with a pen or fine camels'-hair brush; then let them dry, and afterwards breathe on them some time, till they become moist; then apply a few bits of leaf gold to the letters, which you press down gently with cotton wool. When the whole is dry, brush off the superfluous gold with a large camels'-hair brush, and, to make it more brilliant, burnish with a dog's tooth. _White Ink, for Writing on black Paper._ Having carefully washed some egg-shells, remove the internal skin, and grind them on a piece of porphyry. Then put the powder into a small vessel of pure water, and when it has settled at the bottom, draw off the water, and dry the powder in the sun. This powder must be preserved in a bottle; when you want to use it, put a small quantity of gum ammoniac into distilled vinegar, and leave it to dissolve during the night. Next morning the solution will appear exceedingly white; and if you then strain it through a piece of linen cloth, and add to it the powder of egg-shells, in sufficient quantity, you will obtain a very white ink. _To construct Paper Balloons._ Take several sheets of silk paper; cut them in the shape of a spindle; or, to speak more familiarly, like the coverings of the sections of an orange; join these pieces together, into one spherical or globular body, and border the aperture with a ribbon, leaving the ends, that you may suspend them from the following lamp. Construct a small basket of very fine wire, if the balloon is small, and suspend it from the aperture, so that the smoke from the flame of a few leaves of paper, wrapped together, and dipped in oil, may heat the inside of it. Before you light this paper, suspend the balloon in such a manner, that it may, in a great measure, be exhausted of air, and as soon as it has been dilated, let it go, together with the wire basket, which will serve as ballast. _Water-Gilding upon Silver._ Take copper-flakes, on which pour strong vinegar; add alum and salt in equal quantities; set them on a fire, and when the vinegar is boiled, till it becomes one-fourth part of its original quantity, throw into it the metal you design to gild, and it will assume a copper colour. Continue boiling it, and it will change into a fine gold colour. _A Water which gives Silver a Gold Colour._ Take sulphur and nitre, of each an equal quantity; grind them together very fine, and put them into an unglazed vessel; cover and lute it well; then set it over a slow fire for 24 hours; put what remains into a strong crucible, and let it dissolve; put it into a phial, and whatever silver you anoint with it will have a gold colour. _To make an old Gold Chain appear like new._ Dissolve sal ammoniac in urine, boil the chain in it, and it will have a fine gold colour. _To give Silver the Colour of Gold._ Dissolve in common aqua fortis as much silver as you please. To eight ounces of silver, take four ounces of hepatic aloes, six ounces of turmeric, and two ounces of prepared tutty, that has been several times quenched in urine. Put these to the solution of the silver; they will dissolve, but rise up in the glass like a sponge; this glass must therefore be large, to prevent running over. Then draw it off, and you will have ten ounces of silver as yellow as gold. _A Water to give any Metal a Gold Colour._ Take fine sulphur and pulverize it; then boil some stale spring water; pour it hot upon the powder, and stir it well together; boil it again, and pour into it an ounce of dragon's blood. After it is well boiled, take it off, and filter it through a fine cloth; pour this water into a matrass, (a chemical vessel,) after you have put in what you design to colour; close it well, and boil it a third time, and the metal will be a fine gold colour. _Another way._ Take hepatic aloes, nitre, and Roman vitriol, of each equal quantities; and distil them with water, in an alembic, till all the spirits are extracted; it will at last yield a yellowish water, which will tinge any sort of metal of a gold colour. _To give Silver-plate a Lustre._ Dissolve alum in a strong ley, and scum it carefully; then mix it up with soap, and wash your silver utensils with it, using a linen rag. _The Fiery Fountain._ If twenty grains of phosphorus, cut very small, and mixed with forty grains of powder of zinc, be put into four drachms of water, and two drachms of concentrated sulphuric acid be added thereto, bubbles of inflamed phosphoretted hydrogen gas will quickly cover the whole surface of the fluid in succession, forming a real fountain of fire. _To take Impressions of Coins, Medals, &c._ Cut fish-glue, or isinglass, into small pieces, immerse it in clear water, and set it on a slow fire; when gradually dissolved, let it boil slowly, stirring it with a wooden spoon, and taking off the scum. The liquor being sufficiently adhesive, take it off the fire, let it cool a little, and then pour it on the medal or coin you wish to copy, having first rubbed the coin over with oil. Let the composition lay about the thickness of a crown-piece on the medal. Then set it in a moderate air, neither too hot nor too cold, and let it cool and dry. When it is dry, it will loosen itself; you will find the impression correct, and the finest strokes expressed with the greatest accuracy. You may give a most pleasing effect to the composition, by mixing any colour with it, red, yellow, blue, green, &c., and if you add a little parchment size to it, it will make it harder and better. This size is made by gently simmering the cuttings of clear white parchment in a pipkin, with a little water, till it becomes adhesive. _To tell a Person any Number he may privately fix on._ When the person has fixed on a number, bid him double it and add four to that doubling; then multiply the whole by 5; to the product let him add 12, and multiply the amount by 10. From the total of all this, let him deduct 320, and tell you the remainder; from which, if you cut off the two last figures, the number that remains will be what he fixed upon. For instance, Suppose the number chosen is 7 Which doubled 14 Add 4 to it, and it will make 18 Multiply 18 by 5, gives 90 To which add 12, is 102 Multiply that by 10, makes 1020 From which deducting 320, the remainder is 700 And by striking off the two ciphers, it becomes the number thought on 7 _To tell any Number a Person has fixed on, without asking him any Questions._ You tell the person to choose any number from 1 to 15; he is to add 1 to that number, and triple the amount. Then, 1. He is to take the half of that triple, and triple that half. 2. To take the half of the last triple, and triple that half. 3. To take the half of the last triple. 4. To take the half of that half. Thus, it will be seen, there are four cases where the half is to be taken; the three first are denoted by one of the eight following Latin words, each word being composed of three syllables; and those that contain the letter i refer to those cases where the half cannot be taken without a fraction; therefore, in those cases, the person who makes the deduction is to add 1 to the number divided. The fourth case shows which of the two numbers annexed to every word has been chosen; for if the fourth half can be taken without adding 1, the number chosen is in the first column; but if not, it is in the second. _The words._ _The numbers they denote._ Mi-se-ris 8 0 Ob-tin-git 1 9 Ni-mi-um 2 19 No-ta-ri 3 11 In-fer-nos 4 12 Or-di-nes 13 5 Ti-mi-di 6 14 Te-ne-ant 15 7 For example: Suppose the number chosen is 9 To which is to be added 1 ---- 10 The triple of that number is 30 The half of which is 15 The triple of that half must be 45 And the half of that[A] 23 The triple half of that half 69 The half of that[A] 35 And the half of that half[A] 18 [A] At all these stages, 1 must be added, to take the half without a fraction. While the person is performing the operation, you remark, that at the second and third stages he is obliged to add 1; and, consequently, that the word _ob-tin-git_, in the second and third syllables of which is an i, denotes that the number must be either 1 or 9; and, by observing that he cannot take the last half without adding 1, you know that it must be the number in the second column. If he makes no addition at any one of the four stages, the number he chose must be 15, as that is the only number that has not a fraction at either of the divisions. _The Lamp Chronometer._ Figure 4 represents a chamber lamp, A, consisting of a cylindrical vessel made of tin, in the shape of a candle, and is to be filled with oil. This vessel should be about three inches high and one inch diameter, placed in a stand, B. The whole apparatus, of lamp and stand, can be purchased, ready-made, at any tin-shop in London. To the stand, B, is fixed the handle C, which supports the frame D, about 12 inches high, and four inches wide. This frame is to be covered with oiled paper, and divided into 12 equal parts by horizontal lines, at the end of which are written the numbers for the hours, from 1 to 12, and between the horizontal lines, and diagonals, divided into halves, quarters, &c. On the handle C, and close to the glass, is fixed the style or hand E. [Illustration: Fig. 4.] Now, as the distance of the style from the flame of the lamp is only half an inch, then, if the distance of the frame from the style be six inches, while the float that contains the light descends by the decrease on the oil, one inch, the shadow of the style of the frame will ascend 12 inches, being its whole length, and show by its progression, the regular increase of the hours, with their several divisions. You must be careful always to burn the same oil, which must be the best; and the wick must never vary in size; if these precautions are not attended to, the dial never can be accurate. _The Phial of the Four Elements._ Take a phial, six or seven inches long, and about three quarters of an inch in diameter. In this phial put, first, glass coarsely powdered; secondly, oil of tartar per deliquum; thirdly, tincture of salt of tartar; and lastly, distilled rock oil. The glass and the various liquors being of different densities, if you shake the phial, and then let it rest a few moments, the three liquors will entirely separate, and each assume its place; thus forming no indifferent resemblance of the four elements, earth, fire, water, and air: the powdered glass (which should be of some dark colour) representing the earth; the oil of tartar, water; the tincture, air; and the rock oil, fire. _The Magic Bottle._ Take a small bottle, the neck of which is not more than the sixth of an inch in diameter. With a funnel, fill the bottle quite full of red wine, and place it in a glass vessel, similar to a show-glass, whose height exceeds that of the bottle about two inches; fill this vessel with water. The wine will shortly come out of the bottle, and rise in the form of a small column to the surface of the water; while at the same time, the water, entering the bottle, will supply the place of the wine. The reason of this is, that as water is specifically heavier than wine, it must hold the lower place, while the other rises to the top. An effect equally pleasing will be produced, if the bottle be filled with water, and the vessel with wine. _The Globular Fountain._ Make a hollow globe, of copper or lead, and of a size adapted to the quantity of water that comes from a pipe (hereafter mentioned) to which it is to be fixed, and which may be fastened to any kind of pump, provided it be so constructed, that the water shall have no other means of escape than through the pipe. Pierce a number of small holes through the globe, that all tend towards its centre, and annex it to the pipe that communicates with the pump. The water that comes from the pump, rushing with violence into the globe, will be forced out at the holes, and form a very pleasing sphere of water. _The Hydraulic Dancer._ Procure a little figure made of cork, which you may dress as your fancy dictates. In this figure place a small hollow cone made of thin leaf brass. When the figure is placed on a jet d'eau, that plays in a perpendicular direction, it will be suspended on the top of the water, and perform a great variety of amusing motions. If a hollow ball of very thin copper, of an inch diameter, be placed on a similar jet, it will remain suspended, turning round, and spreading the water all about it. _A Person having put a Ring an one of his Fingers, to name the Person, the Hand, the Finger, and the Joint on which it is placed._ Let a third person double the number of the order in which he stands who has the ring, and add 5 to that number; then multiply that sum by 5, and to the product add 10. Let him next add 1 to the last number, if the ring be on the right hand, and 2 if on the left, and multiply the whole by 10: to the product of this he must add the number of the finger, (counting the thumb as the first finger,) and multiply the whole again by 10. Let him then add the number of the joint, and, lastly, to the whole join 35. He is then to tell you the amount of the whole, from which you are to subtract 3535, and the remainder will consist of four figures; the first of which will express the rank in which the person stands, the second the hand, (number 1 signifying the right, and 2 the left,) the third number the finger, and the fourth the joint.--For example: Suppose the person who stands the third in order has put the ring upon the second joint of the thumb of his left hand; then, The double of the rank of the third person is 6 To which add 5 ____ 11 Multiply the sum by 5 ____ 55 To which add 10 And the number of the left hand 2 ____ 67 Which being multiplied by 10 ____ 670 To which add the number of the thumb 1 ____ 671 And multiply again by 10 ____ 6710 Then add the number of the joint 2 And lastly the number 35 ____ 6747 From which deducting 3535 ____ The remainder is 3212 ____ Of which, as we have said, the 3 denotes the third person, the 2 the left hand, the 1 the thumb, and the last 2 the second joint. _The Water Sun._ Provide two portions of a hollow sphere, that are very shallow; join them together in such a manner that the hollow between them be very narrow. Fix them vertically to a pipe from whence a jet proceeds. Bore a number of small holes all around that part where the two pieces are joined together. The water rushing through the holes will form a very pleasing water sun, or star. _The Magical Cascade._ Procure a tin vessel, shaped like Fig. 5, about five inches high and four in diameter, with a cover, C, closed at top. To the bottom of this vessel, let the pipe D E be soldered. This pipe is to be ten inches long, and half an inch in diameter, open at each end, and the upper end must be above the water in the vessel. To the bottom also fix five or six small tubes, F, about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. By these pipes, the water in the vessel is to run slowly out. [Illustration: Fig. 5.] Place this machine in a tin basin, G H, with a hole in the middle, about a quarter of an inch in diameter. Fix to the tube D E, any sort of ornament that will keep the machine firm on the basin, observing, that these supports are sufficiently long to leave about a quarter of an inch between the end of the tube and the orifice in the basin; and let there be a vessel under the basin to catch the water that runs out. As the small pipes discharge more water into the basin than can run out of the central orifice, the water will rise in the basin above the lower end of the pipe, and prevent the air from getting into the vessel, by which the water will cease to flow from the small pipes. But as the water continues to flow from the basin, the air will have liberty again to enter the vessel by the tube, and the water will again flow from the small pipes, and alternately stop and flow, while any water remains in the vessel. As you can guess when the pipes will flow, and when they will stop, you may so manage it, that they will appear to act by word of command. _The illuminated Fountain, that plays when the Candles are lighted, and stops when they are extinguished._ Provide two cylindrical vessels, A B and C D, as in Fig. 6. Connect them by four tubes open at each end, as H I, &c., so that the air may descend out of the higher into the lower vessel. To these tubes fix candlesticks, and to the hollow cover, E F, of the lower vessel, fit a tube, K, reaching almost to the bottom of the vessel. At G let there be an aperture with a screw, whereby water may be poured into C D, which, when filled, must be closed by the screw. [Illustration: Fig. 6.] When the candles are lighted, the air in the upper cover and contiguous pipes will be thereby rarefied, and the jet from the small tube, K, will begin to play: as the air becomes more rarefied, the force of the jet will increase, and it will continue to play till the water in the lower vessel is exhausted. As the motion of the jet is caused by the heat of the candles, when they are extinguished the fountain will stop. _A Fountain which acts by the heat of the Sun._ In the annexed engraving, Fig. 7, G N S is a thin hollow globe of copper, eighteen inches diameter, supported by a small inverted basin, placed on a stand with four legs, A B C D, which have between them, at the bottom, a basin of two feet diameter. Through the leg C passes a concealed pipe, which comes from G, the bottom of the inside of the globe. This pipe goes by H V, and joins the upright pipe _u_ I, to make a jet, as I. The short pipe, _u_ I, which goes to the bottom, has a valve at _u_, under the horizontal pipe H V, and another valve at T, above that Horizontal pipe, under the cock at K. The use of this cock is to keep the fountain from playing in the day, if you think proper. The north pole N of the globe has a screw that opens a hole, whereby water is poured into the globe. [Illustration: Fig. 7.] The machine being thus prepared, and the globe half filled with water, put it in an open place, when the heat of the sun rarefying the air as it heats the copper, the air will press strongly against the water, which, coming down the pipe, will lift up the valve at V, and shut the valve at u. The cock being opened, the water will spout out at I, and continue to play a long while, if the sun shines. _Inflammable Phosphorus._ Take the meal of flour of any vegetable, put it into an iron pan over a moderate fire, and keep it stirring with an iron spoon till it changes to a black powder; to one part of this add four parts of raw alum. Make the whole into a fine powder; put it again into the iron pan, and keep stirring it till it almost catches fire, to prevent its forming into lumps, as it is apt to do when the alum melts; in which case it must be broken again, stirred about, and accurately mixed with the flour, till it emits no more fumes, and the whole appears a fine black powder. Put this powder in a clean dry phial with a narrow neck, filling it to about one-third of the top. Then stop the mouth of the phial with loose paper, so as to let the air pass freely through it, and leave room for the fumes to come through the neck. Place the phial in a crucible, encompassed on all sides with sand, so that it may not touch any part of the crucible, but a considerable space everywhere left between. The phial must be covered up with sand, leaving only a small part bare, by which you can discern whether the powder is ignited. In this state, the crucible is to be surrounded with coals, kindled slowly till it is well heated on all sides, and then the fire is to be raised, till the crucible and every thing in it is red-hot; keep it in this state an hour; after this, the fire still burning as fiercely, close up the orifice of the phial with wax, to exclude the air. Leave it to cool, and you will find in it a black dusty coal formed of the flour and alum. Shake a small quantity of this out of the phial into the cool air, and it will immediately take fire, but will not burn any thing. Keep the bottle dry, as even the air will spoil it effectually. _The Magical Mirrors._ Make two holes in the wainscot of a room, each a foot high and ten inches wide, and about a foot distant from each other. Let these apertures be about the height of a man's head, and in each of them place a transparent glass in a frame, like a common mirror. Behind the partition, and directly facing each aperture, place two mirrors enclosed in the wainscot, in an angle of forty-five degrees.[B] These mirrors are each to be eighteen inches square: and all the space between them must be enclosed with pasteboard painted black, and well closed, that no light can enter; let there be also two curtains to cover them, which you may draw aside at pleasure. When a person looks into one of these fictitious mirrors, instead of seeing his own face he will see the object that is in front of the other; thus, if two persons stand at the same time before these mirrors, instead of each seeing himself; they will reciprocally see each other. There should be a sconce with a lighted candle, placed on each side of the two glasses in the wainscot, to enlighten the faces of the persons who look in them, or the experiment will not have so remarkable an effect. [B] That is, half-way between a line drawn perpendicularly to the ground and its surface. _To cause a brilliant Explosion under Water._ Drop a piece of phosphorus, the size of a pea, into a tumbler of hot water; and, from a bladder furnished with a stop-cock, force a stream of oxygen directly upon it. This will afford a most brilliant combustion under water. _Fulminating Mercury._ Dissolve 100 grains of mercury by heat, in an ounce and a half of nitric acid. This solution being poured cold upon two measured ounces of alcohol previously introduced into any convenient glass vessel, a moderate heat is to be applied, till effervescence is excited. A white fume then begins to appear on the surface of the liquor, and the powder will be gradually precipitated when the action ceases. The precipitate is to be immediately collected on a filter, well washed with distilled water, and cautiously dried in a heat not exceeding that of a water-bath. Washing the powder immediately is material, because it is liable to the re-action of the nitric acid; and, while any of the acid adheres to it, it is very subject to the action of light. From 100 grains of mercury, about 130 of the powder are obtained. This powder, when struck on an anvil with a hammer, explodes with a sharp stunning noise, and with such force as to indent both hammer and anvil. Three or four grains are sufficient for one experiment. _The Iron Tree._ Dissolve iron filings in aqua fortis, moderately concentrated, till the acid is saturated; then add to it gradually, a solution of fixed alkali, (commonly called oil of tartar per deliquum.) A strong effervescence will ensue, and the iron, instead of falling to the bottom of the vessel, will afterwards rise so as to cover the sides, forming a multitude of ramifications heaped one upon the other, which will sometimes pass over the edge of the vessel, and extend themselves on the outside, with all the appearance of a plant. _To make any Number divisible by Nine, by adding a Figure to it._ If (for example) the number named be 72,857, you tell the person who names it to place the number 7 between any two figures of that sum, and it will be divisible by 9; for if any number be multiplied by 9, the sum of the figures of the product will be either 9, or a number divisible by 9. _Arithmetical Squares._ An arithmetical magical square consists of numbers so disposed in parallel and equal lines, that the sum of each, taken any way of the square, amounts to the same. Any five of these sums taken in a right line make 65. You will observe that five numbers in the diagonals A to D, and B to C, of the magical square, answer to the ranks E to F, and G to H, in the natural square, and that 13 is the centre number of both squares. _A Natural Square._ _A Magical Square._ A G B A B +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| |11|24| 7|20| 3| +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | 6| 7| 8| 9|10| | 4|12|25| 8|16| +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ E |11|12|13|14|15| F |17| 5|13|21| 9| +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ |16|17|18|19|20| |10|18| 1|14|22| +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ |21|22|23|24|25| |23| 6|19| 2|15| +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ C H D C D To form a magical square, first transpose the two ranks in the natural square to the diagonals of the magical square; then place the number 1 under the central number 13, and the number 2 in the next diagonal downward. The number 3 should be placed in the same diagonal line; but as there is no room in the square, you are to place it in that part it would occupy if another square were placed under this. For the same reason, the number 4, by following the diagonal direction, falling out of the square, it is to be put into the part it would hold in another square, placed by the side of this. You then proceed to numbers 5 and 6, still descending; but as the place 6 should hold is already filled, you then go back to the diagonal, and consequently place the 6 in the second place under the 5, so that there may remain an empty space between the two numbers. The same rule is to observed, whenever you find a space already filled. You proceed in this manner to fill all the empty cases in the angle where the 15 is placed: and as there is no space for the 16 in the same diagonal, descending, you must place it in the part it would hold in another square, and continue the same plan till all the spaces are filled. This method will serve equally for all sorts of arithmetical progressions composed of odd numbers; even numbers being too complicated to afford any amusement. _To find the Difference between two Numbers, the greatest of which is unknown._ Take as many nines as there are figures in the smallest number, and subtract that sum from the number of nines. Let another person add that difference to the largest number, and, taking away the first figure of the amount, add it to the last figure, and that sum will be the difference of the two numbers. For example: Robert, who is 22, tells George, who is older, that he can discover the difference of their ages; he therefore privately deducts 22 from 99, and the difference, which is 77, he tells George to add to his age, and to take away the first figure from the amount, and add it to the last figure, and that last sum will be the difference of their ages. Thus, the difference between Robert's age and 99, is 77 To which George adding his age 35 ---- The sum will be 112 ---- 12 1 ---- Then by taking away the first figure, 1, } and adding it to the last figure, 2, } 13 the sum is } Which added to Robert's age 22 ---- Gives George's age, which is 35 _The Boundless Prospect._ Take a square box, about six inches long and twelve high, or of any other proportionate dimensions. Cover the inside with four flat pieces of looking-glass placed perpendicular to the bottom of the box. Place at the bottom any objects you please, as a piece of fortification, a castle, tents, soldiers, &c. On the top, place a frame of glass shaped like the bottom of a pyramid, as in Fig. 8, and so formed as to fit on the box like a cover. The four sides of this cover are to be composed of ground glass, or covered inside with gauze, so that the light may enter, and yet the inside be invisible, except at the top, which must be covered with transparent glass: when you look through this glass, the inside will present a pleasing prospect of a boundless extent; and, if managed with care, will afford a deal of amusement. [Illustration: Fig. 8.] _To set Fire to a combustible Body by Reflection._ Place two concave mirrors at about twelve feet distance from each other, and let the axis of each be in the same line. In the focus of one of them place a live coal, and in the focus of the other some gunpowder. With a pair of strong bellows keep blowing the coal, and notwithstanding the distance between them, the powder will presently take fire. The mirror may be either made of glass, metal, or pasteboard gilt. _To find the Number of Changes that may be rung on Twelve Bells._ Multiply the numbers from 1 to 12 continually into each other, as follow: and the last product will give the number required. 1 2 -- 2 3 -- 6 4 -- 24 5 ---- 120 6 ---- 720 7 ----- 5,040 8 ------ 40,320 9 ------- 362,880 10 --------- 3,628,800 11 ---------- 39,916,800 12 ----------- 479,001,600 _To find how many square Yards it would require to write all the Changes of the Twenty-four Letters of the Alphabet, written so small, that each Letter should not occupy more than the hundredth part of a square Inch._ By adopting the plan of the preceding article, the changes of the twenty-four letters will be found to be 62,044,840,173,323,943,936,000. Now, the inches in a square yard being 1,296, that number multiplied by 100 gives 129,600, which is the number of letters each square yard will contain; therefore, if we divide the above row of figures, (the number of changes,) by 129,600, the quotient, which is 478,741,050,720,092,160, will be the number of yards required to contain the above mentioned number of changes. But as all the 24 letters are contained in every permutation, it will require a space 24 times as large, _viz._, 11,849,785,210,282,211,840. Now, as the surface of the whole globe only contains 617,197,435,008,000 square yards, it would require a surface 18,620 times as large as the earth to contain them. _The Enchanted Bottle._ Fill a glass bottle with water to the beginning of the neck; leave the neck empty, and cork it. Suspend this bottle opposite a concave mirror, and beyond its focus, that it may appear reversed. Place yourself still further distant from the bottle; and instead of the water appearing, as it really is, at the bottom of the bottle, the bottom will be empty, and the water seen at the top. If the bottle be suspended with the neck downwards, it will be reflected in its natural position, and the water at the bottom, although in reality it is inverted, and fills the neck; leaving the bottom vacant. While the bottle is in this position, uncork it, and let the water run gradually out: it will appear, that while the real bottle is emptying, the reflected one is filling. Care must be taken that the bottle is not more than half or three parts full, and that no other liquid is used but water, as in either of these cases the illusion ceases. _The Solar Magic Lantern._ Make a box, a foot high, eighteen inches wide, and about three inches deep. Two of the opposite sides of this box must be quite open, and in each of the other sides let there be a groove wide enough to admit a stiff paper or pasteboard. You fasten the box against a window, on which the sun's rays fall direct. The rest of the window should be closed up, that no light may enter. Next provide several sheets of stiff paper, blacked on one side. On these papers cut out such figures as your fancy may dictate; place them alternately in the grooves of the box, with their blacked sides towards you, and look at them through a large and clear glass prism; and if the light be strong, they will appear painted with the most lively colours. If you cut on one of these papers the form of a rainbow, about three-quarters of an inch wide, you will have a very good representation of the natural one. For greater convenience, the prism may be placed on a stand on the table, made to turn round on an axis. _The Artificial Rainbow._ Opposite a window into which the sun shines direct suspend a glass globe, filled with clean water, by means of a string that runs over a pulley, so that the sun's rays may fall on it. Then drawing the globe gradually up, you will observe, when it comes to a certain height, and by placing yourself in a proper situation, a purple colour in the glass; and by drawing it up gradually higher, the other prismatic colours, blue, green, yellow, and red, will successively appear; after which, the colours will disappear, till the globe is raised to about fifty degrees, when they will again appear, but in an inverted order, the red appearing first, and the blue or violet last; on raising the globe a little higher, they will totally vanish. _The Æolipiles._ The æolipile is a small hollow globe of brass, or other metal, in which a slender neck or pipe is inserted. This ball, when made red-hot, is cast into a vessel of water, which will rush into its cavity, then almost void of air. The ball being then set on the fire, the water, by the rarefaction of the internal air, will be forced out in steam by fits, with great violence, and with strange noise. If to the necks of two or more of these balls, there be fitted those calls that are used by fowlers and hunters, and the balls placed on the fire, the steam rushing from them will make such a horrible noise, that it will astonish any person who is ignorant of the contrivance. _The Talking Busts._ Procure two busts of plaster of Paris; place them on pedestals, on the opposite sides of the room. Let a thin tube, of an inch diameter, pass from the ear of one head through the pedestal, under the floor, and go up to the mouth of the other; taking care that the end of the tube that is next the ear of the one head, be considerably larger than that end which comes to the mouth of the other. Now, when a person speaks quite low into the ear of one bust, the sound is reverberated through the length of the tube, and will be distinctly heard by any one placing his ear to the mouth of the other. It is not necessary that the tube should come to the lips of the bust. If there be two tubes, one going to the ear, and the other to the mouth of each head, two persons may converse together, by whispers, without the knowledge of any person who may stand in the middle of the room. _The Inanimate Oracle._ Place a bust on a pedestal in the corner of a room, and let there be two tubes, as in the preceding article, one to go from the mouth, and the other from the ear, through the pedestal and the floor to an under apartment; there may be also wires, that go from the under jaw and the eyes of the bust, by which they may be easily moved. A person being placed in the room underneath, and applying his ear to one of the tubes at a signal given, will hear any question asked, and can immediately reply, by applying his mouth to the tube which communicates below, at the same time moving the eyes by the wire, to accompany his speech. _The Solar Concerto._ In a large case, similar to what is used for dials and spring clocks, the front of which, or at least the lower part, must be of glass, covered on the inside with gauze, place a barrel organ, which when wound up is prevented from playing by a catch that takes a toothed wheel at the end of the barrel. To one end of this catch join a wire, at the end of which is a flat circle of cork, of the same dimensions with the inside of a glass tube, in which it is to rise and fall. This tube must communicate with a reservoir that goes across the front part of the bottom of the case, which is to be filled with spirits, such as is used in thermometers. This case being placed in the sun, the spirits will be rarefied by the heat, and, rising in the tube, will lift up the catch or trigger, and set the organ in play; which will continue as long as it is kept in the sun; for the spirits cannot run out of the tube, that part of the catch to which the circle is fixed being prevented from rising beyond a certain point, by a check placed over it. Care must be taken to remove the machine out of the sun before the organ runs down, that its stopping may be evidently affected by the cold. In winter it will perform when placed before the fire. CURIOUS EXPERIMENTS WITH THE MAGIC LANTERN. The construction of this amusing optical machine is so well known, that to describe it would be superfluous; particularly as it can now be purchased at a very reasonable expense, at any of the opticians': but as many persons who have a taste for drawing might not be pleased with the designs to be had at the shops, or might wish to indulge their fancy in a variety of objects, which to purchase would become expensive, we here present our readers, in the first place, with the method of drawing them, which will be succeeded by a plain description of some very diverting experiments. _Of Painting the Glasses._ You first draw on a paper, the size of the glass, the subject you mean to paint; fasten this at each end of the glass with paste, or any other cement, to prevent it from slipping. Then with some very black paint mixed with varnish, draw with a fine camels'-hair pencil, very lightly, the outlines sketched on the paper, which, of course, are reflected through the glass. Some persons affirm that those outlines can be more readily traced with japan writing ink, and a common pen with a fine nib; but this, even if it succeeds in making a delicate black outline, is sure to be effaced by damp or wet. It would improve the natural resemblance, if the outlines were drawn with a strong tint of each of the natural colours of the object; but in this respect you may please your own fancy. When the outlines are dry, colour and shade your figures; but observe, to temper your colours with strong white varnish. A pleasing effect will be produced, if you leave strong lights in some parts of the drapery, &c., without any colours. The best colours for this purpose are transparent ones; opaque or mineral colours will not do. The following are in most repute. For Pink and crimson Lake or carmine. Blue Prussian blue. Green Calcined verdigris, or distilled ditto. Yellow Gamboge. _To represent a Storm at Sea._ Provide two strips of glass, whose frames are thin enough to admit both strips freely into the groove of the lantern. On one of these glasses paint the appearance of the sea from a smooth calm to a violent storm. Let these representations run gradually into each other, as in Fig. 9, and you will of course observe, that the more natural and picturesque the painting is, the more natural and pleasing will be the reflection. [Illustration: Fig. 9.] [Illustration: Fig. 10.] On the other glass, Fig. 10, paint various vessels on the ocean, observing to let that end where the storm is, appear in a state of violent commotion, and the vessels as if raised on the waves in an unsettled position, with heavy clouds about them. You then pass the glasses slowly through the groove, and when you come to that part where the storm is supposed to begin, move them gently up and down, which will give the appearance of the sea and vessels being agitated; increase the motion till they come to the height of the storm. You will thus have a very natural representation of the sea and ships in a calm and storm; and as you gradually draw the glasses back, the tempest will subside, the sky appear clear, and the vessels glide gently over the waves. By the means of two or three glasses, you may also represent a battle on land, or a naval engagement, with a variety of other pleasing experiments. _To produce the appearance of a Spectre on a Pedestal in the middle of a Table._ Enclose a small magic lantern in a box, Fig. 11, large enough to contain a small swing dressing-glass, which will reflect the light thrown on it by the lantern in such a way, that it will pass out at the aperture made at the top of the box; which aperture should be oval, and of a size adapted to the cone of light to pass through it. There should be a flap with hinges, to cover the opening, that the inside of the box may not be seen. [Illustration: Fig. 11.] There must be holes in that part of the box which is over the lantern, to let the smoke out; and over this must be placed a chafing-dish of an oblong figure, large enough to hold several lighted coals. This chafing-dish, for the better carrying on the deception, may be enclosed in a painted tin box, about a foot high, with a hole at top, and should stand on four feet, to let the smoke from the lantern escape. There must also be a glass planned to rise up and down in the groove _a b_, and so managed by a cord and pulley, _c d e f_, that it may be raised up and let down by the cord coming through the outside of the box. On this glass, the spectre, (or any other figure you please,) must be painted in a contracted or equal form, as the figure will reflect a greater length than it is drawn. When you have lighted the lamp in the lantern, and placed the mirror in a proper direction, put the box on a table, and, setting the chafing-dish in it, throw some incense, in powder, on the coals. You then open the trap door and let down the glass in the groove slowly, and when you perceive the smoke diminish, draw up the glass, that the figure may disappear, and shut the trap door. This exhibition will afford a deal of wonder; but observe, that all the lights in the room must be extinguished; and the box should be placed on a high table, that the aperture through which the light comes out may not be seen. There are many other pleasing experiments which may be made with the magic lantern, but the limits of our work will not permit us to specify them, without excluding many other equally interesting subjects of a different nature. _The Artificial Landscape._ Procure a box, as in Fig. 12, of about a foot long, eight inches wide, and six inches high, or any other dimensions you please, so they do not greatly vary from these proportions. At each of its opposite ends, on the inside of this box, place a piece of looking-glass that shall exactly fit: but at that end where the sight hole A is, scrape the quicksilver off the glass, through which the eye can view the objects. [Illustration: Fig. 12.] Cover the box with gauze, over which place a piece of transparent glass, which is to be well fastened in. Let there be two grooves at each of the places C D E F, to receive two printed scenes, as follow: On two pieces of pasteboard, let there be skilfully painted, on both sides, any subject you think proper, as woods, bowers, gardens, houses, &c.; and on two other boards, the same subjects on one side only, and cut out all the white parts: observe also, that there ought to be in one of them some object relative to the subject, placed at A, that the mirror placed at B may not reflect the hole on the opposite side. The boards painted on both sides are to slide in the grooves C D E F, and those painted on one side are to be placed against the opposite mirrors A and B; then cover the box with its transparent top. This box should be placed in a strong light, to have a good effect. When it is viewed through the sight hole, it will present an unlimited prospect of rural scenery, gradually losing itself in obscurity; and be found well worth the pains bestowed on its construction. _To draw, easily and correctly, a Landscape, or any other Object, without being obliged to observe the Rules of Perspective, and without the Aid of the Camera Obscura._ [Illustration: Fig. 13.] Procure a box of pasteboard, A B C D, Fig. 13, of about a foot and a half long, and made in the shape of a truncated pyramid, whose base, B D F G, is eight inches wide, and six inches high. Fix to the other end of it a tube of four or five inches long, and which you can draw out from the box more or less. Line the inside of the box with black paper, and place it on a leg or stand of wood, H, and on which it may be elevated or depressed by the hinge I. Take a small frame of wood, and divide it at every inch by lines of black silk drawn across it, forming forty-eight equal parts; divide these into still smaller equal parts, by lines of finer silk:[C] fix this frame at the end of B D, as the base of the pyramid. Provide a drawing-paper, divided into the same number of parts as in the frame, by lines, lightly drawn in pencil. It is not material of what size these divisions are; that will depend entirely on the size you propose to draw the objects by this instrument. Place this instrument opposite a landscape, or any other object that you want to draw, and fix the leg firmly on, or in the ground, that it may not shake; then turning it to the side you choose, raise or incline it, and put the tube further in or out, till you have gained an advantageous view of the object you intend to draw. Place your eye, E, by the instrument, which you have adjusted to the height of your eye, and, looking through the tube, carefully observe all that is contained in each division of the frame, and transpose it to the corresponding division in your paper; and if you have the least knowledge in painting or even drawing, you will make a very pleasing picture, and one in which all the objects will appear in the most exact proportion. By the same method you may draw all sorts of objects, as architecture, views, &c., and even human figures, if they remain some time in the same attitude, and are at a proper distance from the instrument. [C] The different thicknesses of the silk serve to distinguish more readily the corresponding divisions. _Illuminated Prospects._ Provide yourself with some of those prints that are commonly used in optical machines, printed on very thin white paper; taking care to make choice of such as have the greatest effect from the manner in which the objects are placed in perspective. Place one of these on the borders of a frame, and paint it carefully with the most lively colours, making use of none that are terrestrial. Observe to retouch those parts several times where the engraving is strongest,[D] then cut off the upper part or sky, and fix that on another frame. [Illustration: Fig. 14.] [Illustration: Fig. 15.] The prints being thus prepared, place them in a box, A B C D, Figs. 14 and 15, the opening to which, E F G H, should be a little less than the print. Cover this opening with a glass, and paint all the space between that and the prints, which should be about two or three inches, black. The frame that contains the sky should be about an inch behind the other. In the back part of this box, which is behind the prints, and which may be about four inches deep, place four or five small candlesticks to hold wax lights, and cover that part entirely with tin, that it may be the more luminous. When the print is placed between the wax lights and the opening in the front of the box, and there is no other light in the room, the effect will be highly pleasing; especially if the lights are at a sufficient distance from each other, and not too strong, that they may not occasion any blots in the print. Those prints that represent the rising or setting of the sun will have a very picturesque appearance. Such as represent conflagrations have also a striking effect. There should be two grooves for the print next the glass, that you may insert a second subject before you draw away the first; and that the lights in the back of the box may not be discovered. You must not, thinking to make the print more transparent, cover it with varnish; for that will prevent the gradation of the colours from being visible. The frame should enter the side of the box by a groove, that a variety of subjects may be introduced. [D] When you colour a print, place it before you, against a piece of glass, in a position nearly erect, that it may be enlightened by the sun. You may also colour both sides of the print. EXPERIMENTS IN MAGNETISM. _The Magnetic Wand._ Bore a hole three-tenths of an inch in diameter, through a round stick of wood; or get a hollow cane about eight inches long, and half an inch thick. Provide a small steel rod, and let it be very strongly impregnated with a good magnet: this rod is to be put in the hole you have bored through the wand, and closed at each end by two small ends of ivory that screw on, different in their shapes, that you may better distinguish the poles of the magnetic bar. When you present the north pole of this wand to the south[E] pole of a magnetic needle, suspended on a pivot, or to a light body swimming on the surface of the water, (in which you have placed a magnetic bar,) that body will approach the wand, and present that end which contains the south end of the bar: but if you present the north or south end of the wand to the north or south end of the needle, it will recede from it. [E] For the more clearly explaining this, it is to be observed, that the two ends of a magnet are called its poles. When placed on a pivot, in just equilibrium, that end which turns to the north is called the north pole, and the other end the south pole. _The Mysterious Watch._ You desire any person to lend you his watch, and ask him if it will go when laid on the table. He will, no doubt, say it will; in which case, you place it over the end of the magnet, and it will presently stop. You then mark the precise spot where you placed the watch, and, moving the point of the magnet, you give the watch to another person, and desire him to make the experiment; in which he not succeeding, you give it to a third (at the same time replacing the magnet) and he will immediately perform it. This experiment cannot be effected, unless you use a very strongly impregnated magnetic bar, (which may be purchased at the opticians',) and the balance of the watch must be of steel, which may be easily ascertained by previously opening it, and looking at the works. _The Magnetic Dial._ Procure a circle of wood or ivory, about 5 or 6 inches diameter, which must turn quite free on a stand with a circular border; on the ivory or wood circle fix a pasteboard, on which you place, in proper divisions, the hours, as on a dial. There must be a small groove in the circular frame, to receive the pasteboard circle; and observe, that the dial must be made to turn so free, that it may go round without moving the circular border in which it is placed. Between the pasteboard circle and the bottom of the frame, place a small artificial magnet, that has a hole in its middle. On the outside of the frame, place a small pin, which serves to show when the magnetic needle is to stop. This needle must turn quite free on its pivot, and its two sides should be in exact equilibrium. Then provide a small bag, with five or six divisions, like a lady's work-bag, but smaller. In one of these divisions put small square pieces of pasteboard, on which are written the numbers from 1 to 12. In each of the other divisions put twelve or more similar pieces, observing that all the pieces in each division must be marked with the same number. The needle being placed upon its pivot, and turned quickly about, it will necessarily stop at that point where the north end of the magnetic bar is placed, and which you previously know, by the situation of the small pin in the circular border. You then present to any person that division of the bag which contains the several pieces on which is written the number opposite to the north end of the bar, and tell him to draw any one he pleases. Then placing the needle on the pivot, you turn it quickly about, and it must necessarily stop at that particular number. _The Magnetic Cards._ Draw a pasteboard circle; you then provide yourself with two needles, similar to those used in the foregoing experiment, (which you must distinguish by some private mark,) with their opposite points touched with the magnet. When you place that needle whose pointed end is touched, on the pivot described in the centre of the circle, it will stop on one of the four pips, against which you have placed the pin in the frame; then take the needle off, and, placing the other, it will stop on the opposite point. Having matters thus arranged, desire a person to draw a card from a piquet pack, offering that card against which you have placed the pin of the dial, which you may easily do, by having a card a little longer than the rest. If he should not draw it the first time, as he probably may not, you must make some excuse for shuffling them again, such as letting the cards fall, as if by accident, or some other manoeuvre, until he fix on the card. You then tell him to keep it close, and not let it be seen. Then give him one of the two needles, and desire him to place it on the pivot, and turn it round, when it will stop at the colour of the card he chose; then taking that needle off, and exchanging it, unperceived, for the other, give it to a second person, telling him to do the same, and it will stop at the name of the identical card the first person chose. _The Magnetic Orrery._ Construct a round box, Fig. 16, about eight inches diameter, and half an inch deep. On the bottom fix a circular pasteboard drawn like the figure. You are likewise to have another pasteboard, drawn exactly the same, which must turn freely in the box, by means of an axis placed on a pivot, one end of which is to be fixed in the centre of the circle. On each of the seven smaller circles on the pasteboard, which you have fixed at the bottom of the box, place a magnetic bar, two inches long, in the same direction with the diameters of those circles, and their poles, in the situations expressed in the figure. There must be an index like the hour hand of a dial, fixed on the axis of the central circle, by which the pasteboard circle in the box may be turned about; also a needle (forming in the figure the other hand) that will turn freely on the axis, without moving the circular pasteboard. In each of the places where the word _question_ is, write a different question; and in each of the seven circles where the planetary signs are, write two answers to each question; observing, that there must only be seven words in each question: for instance, In division No. 1, of the circle G, which stands opposite question No. 1, write the first word of the first answer. In the division No. 2, of the next circle, write the second word; and so on to the last, which will be in the seventh division of the seventh circle. [Illustration: Fig. 16.] In the eighth division of the first circle, write the first word of the second answer; in the ninth, the second word of the same answer; and so on to the fourteenth division of the seventh circle, which must contain the last word of that answer. The same must be done for all the seven questions, and to each of these must be assigned two answers, the words of which are to be dispersed through the seven circles. At the centre of each of these circles place a pivot, and have two sets of magnetic needles like the hands of a watch, the pointed end of one set being north, and the other south. Now, the index of the central circle being directed to any one of the questions, if you place one of the two magnetic needles on each of the seven lesser circles, they will fix themselves according to the directions of the bars on the corresponding circles at the bottom of the box, and consequently point to the seven words that compose the answer. If you place one of the other needles on each circle, it will point to the words that are diametrically opposite to those of the first answer, the north pole being in the place of the south pole of the other. You therefore present this orrery to any person, and desire him to choose one of the questions there written. You then set the index of the central circle to that question; and, putting one of the needles on each of the seven circles, you turn it about, and when they all settle, the seven words they point to compose the answer. The moveable needle, whose point in the figure stands at September, is to place against the names of the months; and when the party has fixed upon a question, you place that needle against the month in which he was born, which will make the ceremony appear a sort of magic divination. The planetary signs are merely intended to aid this deception, and give it the appearance of astrology. _The Magic Verse._ The eight words which compose this Latin verse, "_Tot sunt tibi dote, quot coeli sidera, virgo,_"[F] being privately placed in any one of the different combinations of which they are susceptible, and which are 40,320 in number, to tell the order in which they are placed. [F] "Thy charms, O, Virgin! are as numerous as the stars of heaven." Provide a box that shuts with hinges, and is eight inches long, three wide, and half an inch deep, Fig. 17. Have eight pieces of wood, about one-third of an inch thick, two inches long, and one and a half wide, which will therefore, when placed close together, exactly fill the box. In each of these pieces or tablets place a magnetic bar, with their poles, as is expressed in Fig. 18. The bars being covered over, write on each of the tablets, in the order they then stand, one of the words of the foregoing Latin verse. [Illustration: Fig. 17.] [Illustration: Fig. 18.] [Illustration: Fig. 19.] On a very thin board of the same dimensions with the box, draw the eight circles, Fig. 19, A B C D E F G H, whose centres should be exactly over those of the eight tablets in the box, when the board is placed upon it. Divide each of those circles into eight parts, as in the figure, and in each of those divisions write one of the words of the Latin verse, and in the precise order expressed in the plate, so that when the board is placed over the box, the eight touched needles placed at the centre of the circles may be regulated by the poles of the bars in the box, and consequently the word that the needle points to in the circle will be the same with that inscribed on the tablet. Cover the board with a glass, to prevent the needles from rising off their pivots, as is done in the sea-compass. Over the board place four plates of glass, I L M N, Fig. 17, which will give the machine the figure of a truncated pyramid, of eight inches high. Cover it with a glass, or rather a board, in which are placed two lenses, O, of eight inches focus, and distant from each other about half an inch. Line the four plates of glass that compose the sides with very thin paper, that will admit the light, and at the same time prevent the company from seeing the circles on the board. These preparations being made, you give the box to any one, and tell him to place the tablets, on which the words are written privately, in what position he thinks proper, then to close the box, and, if he please, to wrap it up in paper, seal it, and give it to you. Then placing the board with the pyramid upon it, you immediately tell him the order in which the tablets are placed, by reading the words to which the needles on the circles point. INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS WITH THE AIR-PUMP. We shall not occupy the time of our readers by describing the form and nature of the air-pump; since those persons whose circumstances will enable them to have it, can purchase it properly made at an optician's, at less expense, and with far less trouble, than they can construct, or cause it to be constructed, themselves. _Bottles broken by Air._ Take a square bottle of thin glass, and of any size. Apply it to the hole of the air-pump, and exhaust the air. The bottle will sustain the weight of the external air as long as it is able, but at length it will suddenly burst into very small particles, and with a loud explosion. An opposite effect will be produced, if the mouth of a bottle be sealed so close that no air can escape; then place it in the receiver, and exhaust the air from its surface. The air which is confined within the bottle, when the external air is drawn off, will act so powerfully as to break the bottle into pieces. _Glass broken by Air._ Lay a square of glass on the top of an open receiver, and exhaust the air. The weight of the external air will press on the glass, and smash it to atoms. _The Hand fixed by Air._ If a person hold his hand on an open receiver, and the air be exhausted, it will be fixed as if pressed by a weight of sixty pounds. _Water boiled by Air._ Take water made so warm that you can just bear your hand in it, but that has not been boiled; put it under the receiver, and exhaust the air. Bubbles of air will soon be seen to rise, at first very small, but presently become larger, and will be at last so great, and rise with such rapidity, as to give the water the appearance of boiling. This will continue till the air is let into the receiver, when it will instantly cease. _Aërial Bubbles._ Take a stone, or any heavy substance, and putting it in a large glass with water, place it in the receiver. The air being exhausted, the spring of that which is in the pores of the solid body, by expanding the particles, will make them rise on its surface in numberless globules, which resemble the pearly drops of dew on the tops of the grass. The effect ceases when the air is let into the receiver. _The floating Stone._ To a piece of cork tie a small stone that will just sink it; and, putting it in a vessel of water, place it under the receiver. Then exhausting the receiver, the bubbles of air will expand from its pores, and, adhering to its surface, will render it, together with the stone, lighter than water, and consequently they will rise to the surface, and float. _Withered Fruit restored._ Take a shrivelled apple, and, placing it under the receiver, exhaust the air. The apple will immediately be plumped up, and look as fresh as when first gathered: for this reason, that the pressure of the external air being taken off, the air in the apple extends it, so much indeed that it will sometimes burst. If the air be let into the receiver, the apple will be restored to its pristine shrivelled state. _Vegetable Air-Bubbles._ Put a small branch of the tree with its leaves, or part of a small plant, in a vessel of water, and, placing the vessel in the receiver, exhaust the air. When the pressure of the external air is taken off, the spring of that contained in the air-vessels of the plant, by expanding the particles, will make them rise from the orifices of all the vessels for a long time together, and produce a most beautiful appearance. _The Mercurial Wand._ Take a piece of stick, cut it even at each end with a penknife, and immerse it in a vessel of mercury. When the air is pumped out of the receiver, it will at the same time come out of the pores of the wood, through the mercury, as will be visible at each end of the stick. When the air is again let into the receiver, it falls on the surface of the mercury, and forces it into the pores of the wood, to possess the place of the air. When the rod is taken out, it will be found considerably heavier than before, and that it has changed its colour, being now all over of a bluish hue. If cut transversely, the quicksilver will be seen to glitter in every part of it. _The Magic Bell._ Fix a small bell to the wire that goes through the top of the receiver. If you shake the wire, the bell will ring while the air is in the receiver; but when the air is drawn off, the sound will by degrees become faint, till at last not the least noise can be heard. As you let the air in again, the sound returns. _Feathers heavier than Lead._ At one end of a fine balance, hang a piece of lead, and at the other as many feathers as will poise it; then place the balance in the receiver. As the air is exhausted, the feathers will appear to overweigh the lead, and when all the air is drawn off, the feathers will preponderate, and the lead ascend. _The self-moving Wheel._ Take a circle of tin, about ten inches in diameter, or of any other size that will go into the receiver, and to its circumference fix a number of tin vanes, each about an inch square. Let this wheel be placed between two upright pieces on an axis, whose extremities are quite small, so that the wheel may turn in a vertical position with the least possible force. Place the wheel and axis in the receiver, and exhaust the air. Let there be a small pipe with a cock; one end of the pipe to be outside the top of the receiver, and the other to come directly over the vanes of the wheel. When the air is exhausted, turn the cock, and a current will rush against the vanes of the wheel, and set it in motion, which will increase, till the receiver is filled with air. _The Artificial Halo._ Place a candle on one side of the receiver, and let the spectator place himself at a distance from the other side. Directly the air begins to be exhausted, the light of the candle will be refracted in circles of various colours. _The Mercurial Shower._ Cement a piece of wood into the lower part of the neck of an open receiver, and pour mercury over it. After a few strokes of the pump, the pressure of the air on the mercury will force it through the pores of the wood in the form of a beautiful shower. If you take care that the receiver is clear and free from spots or dust, and it is dry weather, it will appear like a fiery shower, when exhibited in a dark room. _Magic Fountain._ Take a tall glass tube, hermetically sealed both at top and bottom, by means of a brass cap screwed on to a stop-cock, and place it on the plate of the pump. When the air is exhausted, turn the cock, take the tube off the plate, and plunge it into a basin of mercury or water. Then the cock being again turned, the fluid, by the pressure of the air, will play upon the tube in the form of a beautiful fountain. _The Exploded Bladder._ Take a glass pipe open at both ends, to one of which tie fast a wet bladder, and let it dry. Then place it on the plate of the pump. While the air presses the bladder equally on both sides, it will lie even and straight; but as soon as the air is exhausted, it will press inwards, and be quite concave on the upper side. In proportion as the air is exhausted, the bladder will become more stretched; it will soon yield to the incumbent pressure, and burst with a loud explosion. To make this experiment more easy, one part of the bladder should be scraped with a knife, and some of its external fibres taken off. _The Cemented Bladder._ Tie the neck of the bladder to a stop-cock, which is to be screwed to the plate of the pump, and the air exhausted from the bladder; then turn the stop-cock, to prevent the re-entrance of the air, and unscrew the whole from the pump. The bladder will be transformed into two flat skins, so closely applied together, that the strongest man cannot raise them half an inch from each other; for an ordinary-sized bladder, of six inches across the widest part, will have one side pressed upon the other with a force equal to 396 pounds' weight. _Cork heavier than Lead._ Let a large piece of cork be pendent from one end of a balance beam, and a small piece of lead from the other; the lead should rather preponderate. If this apparatus be placed under a receiver on the pump, you will find that when the air is exhausted, the lead, which seemed the heaviest body, will ascend, and the cork outweigh the lead. Restore the air, and the effect will cease. This phenomenon is only on account of the difference of the size in the two objects. The lead, which owes its heaviness to the operation of the air, yields to a lighter because a larger substance when deprived of its assistance. _The animated Bacchus._ Construct a figure of Bacchus, seated on a cask; let his belly be formed by a bladder, and let a tube proceed from his mouth to the cask. Fill this tube with coloured water or wine, then place the whole under the receiver. Exhaust the air, and the liquor will be thrown up into his mouth. While he is drinking, his belly will expand. _The Artificial Balloon._ Take a bladder containing only a small quantity of air, and a piece of lead to it, sufficient to sink it, if immersed in water. Put this apparatus into a jar of water, and place the whole under a receiver. Then exhaust the air, and the bladder will expand, become a balloon lighter than the fluid in which it floats, and ascend, carrying the weight with it. _Curious Experiments with a Viper._ Many natural philosophers, in their eagerness to display the powers of science, have overlooked one of the first duties of life, humanity; and, with this view, have tortured and killed many harmless animals, to exemplify the amazing effects of the air-pump. We, however, will not stain the pages of this little work by recommending any such species of cruelty, which in many instances can merely gratify curiosity; but as our readers might like to read the effect on animals, we extract from the learned Boyle an account of his experiment with a viper. He took a newly-caught viper, and, shutting it up in a small receiver, extracted the air. At first, upon the air being drawn away, the viper began to swell; a short time after it gasped and opened its jaws; it then resumed its former lankness, and began to move up and down within the receiver, as if to seek for air. After a while, it foamed a little, leaving the foam sticking to the inside of the glass; soon after, the body and neck became prodigiously swelled, and a blister appeared on its back. Within an hour and a half from the time the receiver was exhausted, the distended viper moved, being yet alive, though its jaws remained quite stretched; its black tongue reached beyond the mouth, which had also become black in the inside: in this situation it continued for three hours; but on the air being re-admitted, the viper's mouth was presently closed, and soon after opened again; and these motions continued some time, as if there were still some remains of life. It is thus with animals of every kind; even minute microscopical insects cannot live without air. _Experiments with Sparrows._ Count Morozzo placed successively several full-grown sparrows under a glass receiver, inverted over water. It was filled with atmospheric air, and afterwards with vital air. He found, First.--That in _atmospheric_ air, HOURS MIN. The first sparrow lived 3 0 The second sparrow lived 0 3 The third sparrow lived 0 1 The water rose in the vessels eight lines during the life of the first; four during the life of the second; and the third produced no absorption. Second.--In _vital_ air or _oxygen_, HOURS MIN. The first sparrow lived 5 23 The second 2 10 The third 1 30 The fourth 1 10 The fifth 0 30 The sixth 0 47 The seventh 0 27 The eighth 0 30 The ninth 0 22 The tenth 0 21 The above experiments elicit the following conclusions:--1. That an animal will live longer in vital than in atmospheric air.--2. That one animal can live in air, in which another has died.--3. That, independently of air, some respect must be had to the constitution of the animal; for the sixth lived 47 minutes, the fifth only thirty.--4. That there is either an absorption of air, or the production of a new kind of air, which is absorbed by the water as it rises. AMUSING EXPERIMENTS IN ELECTRICITY. _The Animated Feather._ Electrify a smooth glass tube with a rubber, and hold a small feather at a short distance from it. The feather will instantly fly to the tube, and adhere to it for a short time; it will then fly off, and the tube can never be brought close to the feather till it has touched the side of the room, or some other body that communicates with the ground. If, therefore, you take care to keep the tube between the feather and the side of the room, you may drive it round to all parts of the room without touching it; and, what is very remarkable, the same side of the feather will be constantly opposite the tube. While the feather is flying before the smooth tube, it will be immediately attracted by an excited rough tube or a stick of wax, and fly continually from one tube to the other, till the electricity of both is discharged. _The Candle lighted by Electricity._ Charge a small coated phial, whose knob is bent outwards so as to hang a little over the body of the phial; then wrap some loose cotton over the extremity of a long brass pin or wire, so as to stick moderately fast to its substance. Next roll this extremity of the pin, which is wrapped up in cotton, in some fine powdered resin; then apply the extremity of the pin or wire to the external coating of the charged phial, and bring, as quickly as possible, the other extremity, that is wrapped round with cotton, to the knob; the powdered resin takes fire, and communicates its flame to the cotton, and both together burn long enough to light a candle. Dipping the cotton in oil of turpentine will do as well, if you use a larger sized jar. _Candle Bombs._ Procure some small glass bubbles, having a neck about an inch long, with very slender bores, by means of which a small quantity of water is to be introduced into them, and the orifice afterwards closed up. This stalk being put through the wick of a burning candle, the flame boils the water into a steam, and the glass is broken with a loud explosion. _The Artificial Spider._ Cut a piece of burnt cork, about the size of a pea, into the shape of a spider; make its legs of linen thread, and put a grain or two of lead in it to give it more weight. Suspend it by a fine line of silk between an electrified arch and an excited stick of wax; and it will jump continually from one body to the other, moving its legs at the same time, as if animated, to the great surprise of the unconscious spectator. _The Miraculous Portrait._ Get a large print (suppose of the king) with a frame and glass. Cut the print out at about two inches from the frame all round; then with thin paste fix the border that is left on the inside of the glass, pressing it smooth and close; fill up the vacancy, by covering the glass well with leaf-gold or thin tin-foil, so that it may lie close. Cover likewise the inner edge of the bottom part of the back of the frame with the same tin-foil, and make a communication between that and the tin-foil in the middle of the glass; then put in the board, and that side is finished. Next turn up the glass, and cover the fore-side with tin-foil, exactly over that on the back part; and when it is dry, paste over it the panel of the print that was cut out, observing to bring the corresponding parts of the border and panel together, so that the picture will appear as at first, only part of it behind the glass, and part before. Lastly, hold the print horizontally by the top, and place a little moveable gilt crown on the king's head. Now, if the tin-foil on both sides of the glass be moderately electrified, and another person take hold of the bottom of the frame with one hand, so that his fingers touch the tin-foil, and with the other hand attempt to take off the crown, he will receive a very smart blow, and fail in the attempt. The operator, who holds the frame by the upper end, where there is no tin-foil, feels nothing of the shock, and can touch the face of the king without danger, which he pretends is a test of his loyalty. _The Cup of Tantalus._ You place a cup of any sort of metal on a stool of baked wood or a cake of wax. Fill it to the brim with any liquor; let it communicate with the branch by a small chain; and when it is moderately electrified, desire a person to taste the liquor, without touching the cup with his hands, and he will instantly receive a shock on his lips. The motion of the wheel being stopped, you taste the liquor yourself, and desire the rest of the company to do so; you then give your operator (who is concealed in an adjoining room) the signal, and he again charges the cup; you desire the same person to taste the liquor a second time, and he will receive a second shock. _Magical Explosion._ Make up some gunpowder, in the form of a small cartridge, in each end of which put a blunt wire, so that the ends inside of the cartridge be about half an inch off each other; then join the chain that proceeds from one side of the electrifying battery, to the wire at the other end, the shock will instantly pass through the powder, and set it on fire. _Artificial Earthquake._ In the middle of a large basin of water, lay a round wet board. On the board place any kind of building, made of pasteboard, of separate pieces, and not fastened together. Then, fixing a wire that communicates with the two chains of the electrifying battery, so that it may pass over the board and the surface of the water, upon making the explosion, the water will become agitated as in an earthquake, and the board, moving up and down, will overturn the structure, while the cause of the commotion is totally concealed. _The Magic Dance._ From the middle of the brass arch suspend three small bells. The two outer bells hang by chains, and the middle one by a silk string, while a chain connects it with the floor. Two small knobs of brass, which serve as clappers, hang by silk strings, one between each two bells. Therefore, when the two outer bells communicating with the conductor are electrified, they will attract the clappers and be struck by them. The clappers being thus loaded with electricity, will be repelled, and fly to discharge themselves upon the middle bell, after which they will be again attracted by the outer bells; and thus, by striking the bells alternately, the ringing may be continued as long as the operator pleases. You next suspend a plate of metal from the same part of the arch to which the bells are connected; then, at the distance of a few inches from the arch, and exactly under it, place a metal stand _of the same size_. On the stand place several figures of men, animals, or what you please, cut in paper, and pretty sharply pointed at each extremity. When the plate that hangs from the arch is electrified, the figures will dance with astonishing rapidity, and the bells will keep ringing, to the no small entertainment of the spectators. _The Electrical Fountain._ Suspend a vessel of water from the middle of the brass arch, and place in the vessel a small tube. The water will be one continued stream; and if the electrification be strong, a number of streams will issue, in form of a cone, the top of which will be at the extremity of the tube. This experiment may be stopped and renewed almost instantly, as if at the word of command. _The Electric Kite._ Make a small cross of two light strips of cedar, the arms so long as to reach to the four corners of a large thin silk handkerchief, when extended; tie the corners of the handkerchief to the extremities of the cross; and you have the body of the kite, which being properly accommodated with a tail, loop, and string, will rise in the air like those made of paper; but this being silk, it is more adapted to bear the wet and wind of a thunder gust, without tearing. To the top of the upright stick of the cross is to be fixed a very sharp-pointed wire, rising a foot or more above the wood. To the end of the twine is to be tied a silk ribbon, and where the silk and twine join, a key may be fastened. This kite is to be raised when a thunder-storm appears to be coming on; and the person who holds the string must stand within a door or window, or under some cover, so that the silk ribbon may not be wet; and care must be taken that the twine do not touch the frame of the door or window. As soon as any of the thunder clouds come over the kite, the pointed wire will draw the electric fire from them, and the kite, with all the twine, will be electrified, while the loose filaments of the twine will stand out every way, and be attracted by an approaching finger. When the rain has wetted the kite and twine, so that it can conduct the electric fire freely, you will find it stream out plentifully from the key, on the approach of your knuckle. At this key an electric phial may be charged; and from electric fire thus obtained, spirits may be kindled, and all the other electric experiments performed which are usually done by the help of a rubbed glass or tube; and thereby the identity of the electric matter with that of lightning completely demonstrated. _The Magic Chase._ On the top of a finely-pointed wire, rising perpendicularly from the conductor, let another wire, sharpened at each end, be made to move freely, as on a centre. If it be well balanced, and the points bent horizontally, in opposite directions, it will, when electrified, turn very swiftly round, by the re-action of the air against the current which flows from off the points. These points may be nearly concealed, and the figures of men and horses, with hounds, and a hare, stag, or fox, may be placed upon the wires, so as to turn round with them, when they appear as if in pursuit. The chase may be diversified, and a greater variety of figures upon them, by increasing the number of wires proceeding from the same centre. _The Unconscious Incendiary._ Let a person stand upon a stool made of baked wood, or upon a cake of wax, and hold a chain which communicates with the branch. On turning the wheel he will become electrified; his whole body forming part of the prime conductor; and he will emit sparks whenever he is touched by a person standing on the floor. If the electrified person put his finger, or a rod of iron, into a dish containing warm spirits of wine, it will be immediately in a blaze; and if there be a wick or thread in the spirit, that communicates with a train of gunpowder, he may be made to blow up a magazine, or set a city on fire, with a piece of cold iron, and at the same time be ignorant of the mischief he is doing. _The Inconceivable Shock._ Put in a person's hand a wire that is fixed on to the hook that comes from the chain, which communicates with one side of the battery, and in his other hand put a small wire with a hook at the end of it, which you direct him to fix on to a hook which comes from the other chain. On attempting to do this, he will instantly receive a shock from his body, without being able to guess the cause. Care should be taken that the shock be not too strong; and regard should be had to the constitution and disposition of the party, as a shock that would hardly affect one person, might be productive of very serious consequences to another. Much entertainment may be derived from concealing the chain that communicates with that which proceeds from the outside of the battery, under a carpet, and placing the wire that communicates with the chain from the inside, in such a manner that a person may put his hand on it without suspicion, at the same time that his feet are upon the other wire. The whole company may be made to partake of the shock, by joining hands, and forming a circle. The experiment may also be varied if they tread upon each other's toes, or lay their hands upon each other's heads. It might happen, by the latter method, that the whole company would be struck to the ground; but it will be productive of no danger, and very little inconvenience; on the contrary, it has happened that they have neither heard nor felt the shock. * * * * * To exhibit the five following amusements in electricity, the room in which they are performed must be darkened. _The Miraculous Luminaries._ You must previously prepare the following phosphorus: Calcine common oyster-shells, by burning them in the fire for half an hour; then reduce them to powder; of the clearest of which take three parts, and of flowers of sulphur one part; put the mixture into a crucible, about an inch and a half deep. Let it burn in a strong fire for rather better than an hour; and when it is cool, turn it out and break it in pieces; and, taking those pieces into a dark place, scrape off the parts that shine brightest, which, if good, will be a white powder. Then construct a circular board, of three or four feet diameter, on the centre of which draw in gum-water, or any adhesive liquid, a half-moon, of three or four inches diameter, and a number of stars round it, at different distances, and of various magnitudes. Strew the phosphorus over the figures, to the thickness of about a quarter of an inch, laying one coat over the other. Place this board behind a curtain; and when you draw the curtain up or back, discharge one electrifying jar or phial over each figure, at the distance of about an inch, and they will become illuminated, exhibiting a very striking resemblance of the moon and stars; and will continue to shine for about half an hour, their splendour becoming gradually more faint. _The Fiery Shower._ On the plate put a number of any kind of seeds, grains of sand, or brass dust. The conductor being strongly electrified, those light particles will be attracted and repelled by the plate suspended from the conductor, with amazing rapidity, so as to exhibit a perfect fiery shower. Another way is by a sponge that has been soaked in water. When this sponge is first hung to the conductor, the water will drop from it very slowly; but when it is electrified, the drops will fall very fast, and appear like small globes of fire, illuminating the basin into which they fall. _The Illuminated Vacuum._ Take a tall receiver that is very dry, and fix through the top of it, with cement, a blunt wire; then exhaust the receiver, and present the knob of the wire to the conductor, and every spark will pass through the vacuum in a broad stream of light, visible through the whole length of the receiver, let it be as tall as it will. This generally divides into a variety of beautiful rivulets, which are continually changing their course, uniting and dividing again in the most pleasing manner. If a jar be discharged through this vacuum, it presents the appearance of a very dense body of fire, darting directly through the centre of the vacuum, without touching the sides; whereas, when a single spark passes through, it generally goes more or less to the side, and a finger placed on the outside of the glass will draw it wherever a person pleases. If the vessel be grasped by both hands, every spark is felt like the pulsation of a large artery; and all the fire makes towards the hands. This pulsation is even felt at some distance from the receiver, and a light is seen between the hand and the glass. All this while, the pointed wire is supposed to be electrified positively; if it be electrified negatively, the appearance is astonishingly different; instead of streams of fire, nothing is seen but one uniform luminous appearance, like a white cloud, or the _milky way_ in a clear star-light night. It seldom reaches the whole length of the vessel, but generally appears only at the end of the wire, like a lucid ball. If a small phial be inserted in the neck of a small receiver, so that the external surface of the glass be exposed to the vacuum, it will produce a very beautiful appearance. The phial must be coated on the inside; and while it is charging, at every spark taken from the conductor into the inside, a flash of light is seen to dart at the same time from every part of the external surface of the phial, so as to quite fill the receiver. Upon making the discharge, the light is seen to run in a much closer body, the whole coming out at once. _The Illuminated Cylinder._ Provide a glass cylinder, three feet long, and three inches diameter; near the bottom of it fix a brass plate, and have another brass plate, so contrived that you may let it down the cylinder, and bring it as near the first plate as you desire. Let this cylinder be exhausted and insulated, and when the upper part is electrified, the electric matter will pass from one plate to the other, when they are at the greatest distance from each other that the cylinder will admit. The brass plate at the bottom of the cylinder will also be as strongly electrified as if it were connected by a wire to the prime conductor. The electric matter, as it passes through this vacuum, presents a most brilliant spectacle, exhibiting sparkling flashes of fire the whole length of the tube, and of a bright silver hue, representing the most lively exhalations of the aurora borealis. _The Electric Aurora Borealis._ Make a Torricellian vacuum[G] in a glass tube, about three feet long, and hermetically sealed.[H] Let one end of this tube be held in the hand, and the other applied to the conductor; and immediately the whole tube will be illuminated from one end; and when taken from the conductor will continue luminous, without interruption, for a considerable time, very often about a quarter of an hour. If, after this, it be drawn through the hand either way, the light will be uncommonly brilliant, and, without the least interruption, from one end to the other, even to its whole length. After this operation, which discharges it in a great measure, it will still flash at intervals, though it be held only at the extremity, and quite still; but if it be grasped by the other hand at the same time, in a different place, strong flashes of light will dart from one end to the other. This will continue for twenty-four hours, and often longer, without any fresh excitation. Small and long glass tubes, exhausted of air, and bent in many irregular crooks and angles, will, when properly electrified, exhibit a very beautiful representation of vivid flashes of lightning. [G] A Torricellian vacuum is made by filling a tube with pure mercury and then inverting it, in the same manner as in making a barometer; for as the mercury runs out, all the space above will be a true vacuum. [H] A glass is hermetically sealed by holding the end of it in the flame of a candle, till it begin to melt, and then twisting it together with a pair of pincers. _The Electrical Orrery._ By the motion of circulating points, we may in some measure imitate the revolutions of the heavenly bodies, forming what is called the _Electrical Orrery_. Let a single wire, with the extremities pointed and turned, be nicely balanced on a point; fix a small glass ball over its centre to represent the sun. At one extremity of the wire, let a small wire be soldered perpendicularly, and on this balance another small wire with its ends pointed and turned, and having a small pith ball in its centre, to represent the earth, and a smaller ball of the same kind at one of the angles, for the moon. Let the whole be supported upon a glass pillar, and be conducted by a chain proceeding from the prime conductor to the wire supporting the glass ball. Now, when the machine is put in motion, the wires will turn round, so that the ball representing the earth will move round the central ball, and the little ball at the angle of the smaller wire will at the same time revolve about the earth. _The Electrified Cotton._ Take a small lock of cotton, extended in every direction as much as can conveniently be done, and by a linen thread about five or six inches long, or by a thread drawn out of the same cotton, tie it to the end of the prime conductor; then set the machine in motion, and the lock of cotton, on being electrified, will immediately swell, by repelling its filaments from one another, and will stretch itself towards the nearest conductor. In this situation let the cylinder be kept in motion, and present the end of your finger, or the knob of a wire, towards the lock of cotton, which will then immediately move towards the finger, and endeavour to touch it; but take with the other hand a pointed needle, and present its point towards the cotton, a little above the end of the finger, and the cotton will be observed immediately to shrink upwards, and move towards the prime conductor. Remove the needle, and the cotton will come again towards the finger. Present the needle, and the cotton will shrink again. _The Electric Sparks._ When the prime conductor is situated in its proper place, and electrified by whirling the cylinder, if a metallic wire, with a ball at its extremity, or the knuckle or a finger be presented to the prime conductor, a spark will be seen to issue between them, which will be more vivid, and will be attended with a greater or less explosion, according as the ball is larger. The strongest and most vivid sparks are drawn from that end or side of the prime conductor which is farthest from the cylinder. The sparks have the same appearance whether they be taken from the positive or negative conductor; they sometimes appear like a long line of fire reaching from the prime conductor to the opposed body, and often (particularly when the spark is long, and different conducting substances in the line of its direction) it will have the appearance of being bent to sharp angles in different places, exactly resembling a flash of lightning. The figure of a spark varies with the superficial dimensions of the part from which it is taken. If it be drawn from a ball of two or three inches in diameter, it will have the appearance of a straight line; but if the ball from which it is drawn be much smaller, as half an inch in diameter, it will assume the zig-zag appearance above mentioned. _Dancing Balls._ Take a common tumbler or glass jar, and having placed a brass ball in one of the holes of the prime conductor, set the machine in motion, and let the balls touch the inside of the tumbler; while the ball touches only one point, no more of the surface of the glass will be electrified, but by moving the tumblers about, so as to make the ball touch many points successively, all the points will be electrified, as will appear by turning down the tumbler over a number of pith or cork balls placed on a table. These balls will immediately begin to fly about. _The Leyden Phial._ When a nail or piece of thick brass wire, &c., is put into a small apothecary's phial, and electrified, remarkable effects follow; but the phial must be very dry or warm. Rub it once beforehand with your finger, on which put some pounded chalk. If a little mercury, or a few drops of spirit of wine, be put into it, the experiment succeeds the better. As soon as this phial and nail are removed from the electrifying glass, or the prime conductor, to which it has been exposed, is taken away, it throws out a stream of flame so long, that with this burning-machine in your hand, you may take about sixty steps in walking about your room. When it is electrified strongly, you may take it into another room, and there fire spirits of wine with it. If, while it is electrifying, you put your finger, or a piece of gold which you hold in your hand, to the nail, you receive a shock which stuns your arms and shoulders. A tin tube, or a man placed upon electrics, is electrified much stronger by these means than in the common way. When you present this phial and nail it to a tin tube, fifteen feet long, nothing but experience can make a person believe how strongly it is electrified. Two thin glasses have been broken by the shock of it. It appears extraordinary, that when this phial and nail are in contact with their conducting or non-conducting matter, the strong shock does not follow. _The Self-moving Wheel._ The self-moving wheel is made of a thin round plate of window-glass, seventeen inches in diameter, well gilt on both sides, to within two inches of the circumference. Two small hemispheres of wood are then fixed with cement, to the middle of the upper and under sides, centrally opposite, and in each of them a thick strong wire, eight or ten inches long, making together the axis of the wheel. It turns horizontally on a point at the lower end of its axis, which rests on a bit of brass, cemented within a glass salt-cellar. The upper end of its axis passes through a hole in a thin brass plate, cemented to a long and strong piece of glass, which keeps it six or eight inches distant from any non-electric, and has a small ball of wax or metal on its top. In a circle on the table which supports the wheel, are fixed twelve small pillars of glass, at about eleven inches distance, with a thimble on the top of each. On the edge of the wheel is a small leaden bullet, communicating by a wire with the upper surface of the wheel; and about six inches from it is another bullet, communicating, in like manner, with the under surface. When the wheel is to be charged by the upper surface, a communication must be made from the under surface with the table. When it is well charged it begins to move. The bullet nearest to a pillar moves towards the thimble on that pillar, and, passing by, electrifies it, and then pushes itself from it. The succeeding bullet, which communicates with the other surface of the glass, more strongly attracts that thimble, on account of its being electrified before by the other bullet; and thus the wheel increases its motion, till the resistance of the air regulates it. It will go half an hour, and make, one minute with another, twenty turns in a minute, which is six hundred turns in the whole, the bullet of the upper surface giving in each turn twelve sparks to the thimbles, which make seven thousand two hundred sparks, and the bullet of the under surface receiving as many from the thimble, these bullets moving in the time nearly two thousand five hundred feet. The thimbles should be well fixed, and in so exact a circle, that the bullets may pass within a very small distance of each of them. If instead of two bullets you put eight, four communicating with the upper surface, and four with the under surface, placed alternately, (which eight, at about six inches distance, complete the circumference,) the force and swiftness will be greatly increased, the wheel making fifty turns in a minute; but then it will not continue moving so long. _Resin ignited by Electricity._ Wrap some cotton wool, containing as much powdered resin as it will hold, about one of the knobs of a discharging-rod. Then having charged a Leyden jar, apply the naked knob of the rod to the external coating, and the knob enveloped by the cotton to the ball of the wire. The act of discharging the jar will set fire to the resin. A piece of phosphorus or camphor wrapped in cotton wool, and used in the same way, will be much more easily inflamed. _Spirits ignited by Electricity._ Hang a small ball with a stem to the prime conductor, so that the ball may project below the conductor. Then warm a little ardent spirit, by holding it a short time over a candle in a metallic spoon; hold the spoon about an inch below the ball, and set the machine in motion. A spark will soon issue from the ball and set fire to the spirits. This experiment may be varied different ways, and may be rendered very agreeable to a company of spectators. A person, for instance, standing upon an electric stool, and communicating with the prime conductor, may hold the spoon with the spirits in his hand, and another person, standing upon the floor, may set the spirits on fire, by bringing his finger within a small distance of it. Instead of his finger he may fire the spirits with a piece of ice, when the experiment will seem much more surprising. If the spoon be held by the person standing upon the floor, and the insulated person bring some conducting substance over the surface of the spirit, the experiment succeeds as well. _The Electric Balloon._ Two balloons, made of the allantoides of a calf, are to be filled with hydrogen gas, of which each contains about two cubic feet. To each of these is to be suspended, by a silken thread about eight feet long, such a weight as is just sufficient to prevent it from rising higher in the air; they are connected, the one with the positive, the other with the negative conductor, by small wires about 30 feet in length; and being kept nearly 20 feet asunder, are placed as far from the machine as the length of the wires will admit. On being electrified, these balloons will rise up in the air as high as the wire will allow, attracting each other, and uniting as it were into one cloud, gently descending. _The Illuminated Water._ Connect one end of a chain with the outside of a charged phial, and let the other end lie on the table. Place the end of another piece of chain at the distance of about a quarter of an inch from the former; and set a glass decanter of water on these separated ends. On making the discharge, the water will appear perfectly luminous. The electric spark may be rendered visible in water, in the following manner:--Take a glass tube of about half an inch in diameter, and six inches long; fill it with water, and to each extremity of the tube adapt a cork, which may confine the water; through each cork insert a blunt wire, so that the extremities of the wires within the tube may be very near one another; then, on connecting one of these wires with the coating of a small charged phial, and touching the other wire with the knob of it, the shock will pass through the wires, and cause a vivid spark to appear within their extremities within the tube. The charge in this experiment must be very weak, or there will be danger of bursting the tube. _The Electrified Ball._ Place an ivory ball on the prime conductor of the machine, and take a strong spark, or send the charge of a Leyden phial through its centre, and the ball will appear perfectly luminous; but if the charge be not sent through the centre, it will pass over the surface of the ball and singe it. A spark made to pass through a ball of box-wood, not only illuminates the whole, but makes it appear of a beautiful crimson, or rather a fine scarlet colour. _Illuminated Phosphorus._ Put some of Canton's phosphorus into a clear glass phial, and stop it with a glass stopper, or a cork and sealing-wax. If this wire be kept in a darkened room (which for this experiment must be very dark) it will give no light; but let two or three strong sparks be drawn from the prime conductor, when the phial is kept about two inches distant from the sparks, so that it may be exposed to that light, and this phial will receive the light and afterwards will appear illuminated for a considerable time. This powder may be stuck upon a board by means of the white of an egg, so as to represent figures of planets, letters, or any thing else, at the pleasure of the operator, and these figures may be illuminated in the dark, in the same manner as the above described phial. A beautiful method of expressing geometrical figures with the above powder, is to bend small glass tubes, of about the tenth part of an inch diameter, in the shape of the figure desired, and then to fill them with the phosphoric powder. These may be illuminated in the manner described; and they are not so subject to be spoiled, as the figures represented upon the board frequently are. _The Luminous Writing._ Small pieces of tin-foil may be stuck on a flat piece of glass, so as to represent various fanciful figures. Upon the same principle is the word LIGHT produced, in luminous characters. It is formed by the small separations of the tin-foil pasted on a piece of glass fixed in a frame of baked wood. To use this, the frame must be held in the hand, and the ball presented to the conductor. The spark will then be exhibited in the intervals composing the word, from whence it passes to the hook, and thence to the ground by a chain. The brilliancy of this is equal to that of the spiral tubes. _The Electric Explosion._ Take a card, a quire of paper, or the cover of a book; and keep it close to the outside coating of a charged jar: put one knob of the discharging-rod upon the card, quire of paper, &c., so that, between the knob and coating of the jar, the thickness of that card or quire of paper only is interposed; lastly, by bringing the other knob of the discharged rod near the knob of the jar, make the discharge, and the electric spark will pierce a hole (or perhaps several) quite through the card or quire of paper. This hole has a bur raised on each side, except the card, &c., be pressed hard between the discharging-rod and the jar. If this experiment be made with two cards instead of one, which, however, must be kept very little distant from one another, each of the cards, after the explosion, will be found pierced with one or more holes, and each hole will have burs on both surfaces of each card. The hole, or holes, are larger or smaller, according as the card, &c., is more damp or more dry. It is remarkable, that if the nostrils are presented to it, they will be affected with a sulphurous, or rather a phosphoric smell, just like that produced by an excited electric. If, instead of paper, a very thin plate of glass, resin, sealing-wax, or the like, be interposed between the knob of the discharging-rod and the outside coating of the jar, on making the discharge, this will be broken in several pieces. _Electrified Air._ Fix two or three pointed needles into the prime conductor of an electrical machine, and set the glass in motion so as to keep the prime conductor electrified for several minutes. If now, an electometer be brought within the air that is contiguous to the prime conductor, it will exhibit signs of electricity, and this air will continue electrified for some time, even after the machine has been removed into another room. The air, in this case, is electrified positively; it maybe negatively electrified by fixing the needles in the negative conductor while insulated, and making a communication between the prime conductor and the table, by means of a chain or other conducting substance. The air of a room may be electrified in another way. Charge a large jar, and insulate it; then connect two or more sharp-pointed wires or needles, with the knob of the jar, and connect the outside coating of the jar with the table. If the jar be charged positively, the air of the room will soon become positively electrified likewise; but if the jar be charged negatively, the electricity communicated by it to the air will also become negative. A charged jar being held in one hand, and the flame of an insulated candle held in the other being brought near the knob of the jar, will also produce the same effect. _Another Electric Orrery._ (See page 92.) From the prime conductor of an electric machine suspend six concentric hoops of metal at different distances from each other, in such a manner as to represent in some measure the proportional distances of the planets. Under these, and at a distance of about half an inch, place a metallic plate, and upon this plate, within each of the hoops, a glass bubble blown very thin and light. On electrifying the hoops, the bubbles will be immediately attracted by them, and will continue to move round the hoops as long as the electrification continues. If the electricity be very strong, the bubbles will frequently be driven off, run hither and thither on the plate, making a variety of surprising motions round their axis; after which they will return to the hoop, and circulate as before; and if the room be darkened, they will all appear beautifully illuminated with electric light. _The Electric Ball._ Provide a ball of cork about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, hollowed out in the internal part by cutting it in two hemispheres, scooping out the inside, and then joining them together with paste. Having attached this to a silk thread between three and four feet in length, suspend it in such a manner that it may just touch the knob of an electric jar, the outside of which communicates with the ground. On the first contact it will be repelled to a considerable distance, and after making several vibrations, will remain stationary; but if a candle be placed at some distance behind it, so that the ball may be between it and the bottle, the ball will instantly begin to move, and will turn round the knob of the jar, moving in a kind of ellipsis as long as there is any electricity in the bottle. This experiment is very striking, though the motions are far from being regular; but it is remarkable that they always affect the elliptical rather than the circular form. _To spin Sealing-wax into Threads by Electricity._ Stick a small piece of sealing-wax on the end of a wire, and set fire to it. Then put an electrical machine in motion, and present the wax just blown out at the distance of some inches from the prime conductor. A number of extremely fine filaments will immediately dart from the sealing-wax to the conductor, on which they will be condensed into a kind of net-work resembling wool. If the wire with the sealing-wax be stuck into one of the holes of the conductor, and a piece of paper be presented at a moderate distance from the wax, just after it has been ignited, on setting the machine in motion, a net-work of wax will be formed on the paper. The same effect, but in a slighter degree, will be produced, if the paper be briskly rubbed with a piece of elastic gum, and the melting sealing-wax be held pretty near the paper immediately after rubbing. If the paper thus painted, as it were, with sealing-wax be gently warmed by holding the back of it to the fire, the wax will adhere to it, and the result of the experiment will thus be rendered permanent. _The Electrified Camphor._ A beautiful experiment of the same nature is made with camphor. A spoon holding a piece of lighted camphor is made to communicate with an electrified body, as the prime conductor of a machine; while the conductor continues electrified by keeping the machine in motion, the camphor will throw out ramifications, and appear to shoot like a vegetable. AMUSEMENTS WITH CARDS. Many of the following recreations are performed by arithmetical calculations, and may therefore be considered as connected with science; but as it has been the aim of this work to unite amusement with instruction, some experiments on this subject are introduced, the performance of which depends on dexterity of hand. As this is only to be acquired by practice, and, after all, is merely a mechanical operation, the study of it will produce little useful knowledge, though it may afford much entertainment; but as it must be gratifying to know the method by which they are performed by those persons skilled in such manoeuvres, who publicly exhibit them to the astonishment of the spectator, they are presented to our readers, that when they recognize them at any of these exhibitions, their eyes may not be in danger of deceiving their judgment. _To tell the Number of Points on Three Cards, placed under Three different Parcels of Cards._ You first premise that the ace counts for eleven; the court cards ten each; and the others according to the number of their pips. You then propose to any person in company to choose three cards, and to place over each as many as will make the number of the points of that card, fifteen; take the remaining cards, and, under the appearance of looking for a particular card, count how many there are, and by adding sixteen to that number, you will have the amount of the pips on the three cards. For example: Suppose a person choose a seven, a ten, and an ace; then over the seven he must place eight cards; over the ten, five cards; and over the ace, four cards. In this instance there will remain twelve cards; to which if you add sixteen it will make twenty-eight, which is the amount of the pips on the three cards. _The Ten Duplicates._ Select any twenty cards; let any person shuffle them; lay them by pairs on the board, without looking at them. You next desire several persons, (as many persons as there are pairs on the table,) each to look at different pairs and remember what cards compose them. You then take up all the cards in the order they lay, and replace them with their faces uppermost on the table, according to the order of the letters in the following words: M U T U S 1 2 3 4 5 D E D I T 6 7 8 9 10 N O M E N 11 12 13 14 15 C O C I S 16 17 18 19 20 (These words convey no meaning.)--You will observe, that they contain ten letters repeated, or two of each sort. You therefore ask each person which row or rows the cards he looked at are in; if he say the first, you know they must be the second and fourth, there being two letters of a sort (two U's) in that row; if he say the second and fourth, they must be the ninth and nineteenth, (two I's,) and so of the rest. This amusement, which is very simple, and requires very little practice, will be found to excite, in those who are unacquainted with the key, the greatest astonishment. The readiest way is to have a fac-simile of the key drawn on a card, to which you refer. _To tell how many Cards a Person takes out of a Pack, and to specify each Card._ To perform this, you must so dispose a PIQUET pack of cards, that you can easily remember the order in which they are placed. Suppose, for instance, they are placed according to the words in the following line, _Seven Aces, Eight Kings, Nine Queens, and Ten Knaves;_ and that every card be of a different suite, following each other in this order: spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds. Then the eight first cards will be the seven of spades, ace of clubs, eight of hearts, king of diamonds, nine of spades, queen of clubs, ten of hearts, and knave of diamonds, and so of the rest. You show that the cards are placed promiscuously, and you offer them with their backs upward to any one, that he may draw what quantity he pleases; you then dexterously look at the card that precedes and that which follows those he has taken. When he has carefully counted the cards, which is not to be done in your presence, (and, in order to give you time for recollection, you tell him to do it twice over, that he may be certain,) you then take them from him, mix them with the pack, shuffle, and tell him to shuffle. During all this time you recollect, by the foregoing line, all the cards he took out; and as you lay them down, one by one, you name each card. Unless a person has a most excellent memory, he had better not attempt the performance of the above amusement, as the least forgetfulness will spoil the whole, and make the operator appear ridiculous. _A Hundred different Names being written on the Cards, to tell the particular Name any Person thought of._ Write on ten cards a hundred different names, observing that the last name on each card begins with one of the letters in the word INDROMACUS, which letters, in the order they stand, answer the numbers 1 to 10, thus: I N D R O M A C U S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 On ten other cards write the same names, with this restriction, that the first name on every card must be taken from the first of the other cards, whose last name begins with I; the second name must be taken from that whose last name begins with N; and so of the rest. Then let any person choose a card out of the first ten, and after he has fixed on a name, give it to you again, when you carefully note the last name, by which you know the number of that card. You then take the other ten cards, and, after shuffling them, show them to the person, and ask if he sees the name he chose, and when he answers in the affirmative, you look to that name which is the same in number from the top with the number of the card he took from the other parcel, and that will be the name he fixed on. Instead of ten cards there may be twenty to each parcel, by adding duplicates to each card; which will make it appear more mysterious, and will not at all embarrass it, as you have only to remember the last name on each card. Instead of names you may write questions on one of the parcels, and answers on the other. _Several different Cards being fixed on by different Persons, to name that on which each Person fixed._ There must be as many different cards shown to _each person_, as there are cards to choose; so that, if there are three persons, you must show three cards to each person, telling the first to retain _one_ in his memory. You then lay those three cards down, and show three others to the second person, and three others to the third. Next take up the first person's cards, and lay them down separately, one by one, with their faces upwards; place the second person's cards over the first, and the third over the second's, so that there will be one card in each parcel belonging to each person. You then ask each of them in which parcel his card is, and by the answer you immediately know which card it is; for the first person's will always be the first, the second person's the second, and the third person's the third in that parcel where each says his card is. This amusement may be performed with a single person, by letting him fix on three, four, or more cards. In this case you must show him as many parcels as he is to choose cards, and every parcel must consist of that number, out of which he is to fix on one; and you then proceed as before, he telling you the parcel that contains each of his cards. _To name the Rank of a Card that a Person has drawn from a Piquet Pack._ The rank of a card means whether it be an ace, king, queen, &c. You therefore first fix a certain number to each card; thus you call the king four, the queen three, the knave two, the ace one, and the others according to the number of their pips. You then shuffle the cards, and let a person draw any one of them; then turning up the remaining cards, you add the number of the first to that of the second, the second to the third, and so on, till it amounts to ten, which you then reject, and begin again; or if it be more, reject the ten, and carry the remainder to the next card, and so on to the last; and to the last amount add four, and subtract that sum from ten, if it be less, or from twenty, if it be more than ten, and the remainder will be the number of the card that was drawn; as for example, if the remainder be two, the card drawn was a knave; if three, a queen, and so on. _To tell the Amount of the Numbers of any two Cards drawn from a common Pack._ Each court card in this amusement counts for ten, and the other cards according to the number of their pips. Let the person who draws the cards add as many more cards to each of those he has drawn as will make each of their numbers twenty-five. Then take the remaining cards in your hand, and, seeming to search for some card among them, tell them over to yourself, and their number will be the amount of the two cards drawn. For example.--Suppose the person has drawn a ten and a seven, then he must add fifteen cards to the first, to make the number twenty-five, and eighteen to the last, for the same reason; now fifteen and eighteen make thirty-three, and the two cards themselves make thirty-five, which deducted from fifty-two, leave seventeen, which must be the number of the remaining cards, and also of the two cards drawn. You may perform this amusement without touching the cards, thus: Let the person who has drawn the two cards deduct the number of each of them from twenty-six, which is half the number of the pack, and after adding the remainders together, let him tell you the amount, which you privately deduct from fifty-two, the total number of all the cards, and the remainder will be the amount of the two cards. _Example._--Suppose the two cards to be as before, ten and seven; then the person deducting ten from twenty-six, there remain sixteen, and deducting seven from twenty-six, there remain nineteen; these two remainders added together make thirty-five, which you subtract from fifty-two; and there must remain seventeen for the amount of the two cards, as before. _To tell the Amount of the Numbers of any Three Cards that a Person shall draw from the Pack._ After the person has drawn his three cards, draw one yourself and lay it aside, for it is necessary that the number of the remaining cards be divisible by three, which they will not be in a pack of fifty-two cards, if only three be drawn. The card you draw, you may call the confederate, and pretend it is by the aid of that card you discover the amount of the others. Then tell the party to add as many more to each of his cards as will make its number sixteen, which is the third part of the remaining forty-eight cards; therefore, suppose he has drawn a ten, a seven, and a six; then, to the first he must add six cards, to the second nine, and to the third ten, which together make twenty-five, and the four cards drawn being added to them make twenty-nine. You then take the remaining cards, and, telling them over, as in the last amusement, you find their number to be twenty-three, the amount of the three cards the person drew. This amusement may also be performed without touching the cards, thus:--When the party has drawn his three cards, and you have drawn one, let him deduct the number of each of the cards he has drawn from seventeen, which is one-third of the pack after you have drawn your card; and let him tell you the amount of the several remainders, to which you privately add one to the card you drew, and, deducting that amount from fifty-two, (the whole number of the cards,) the remainder will be the amount of the three cards drawn. _Example._--Suppose the three cards to be ten, seven, and six, as before; then, each of those numbers subtracted from seventeen, the remainders will be respectively, seven, ten, and eleven, which, added together, make twenty-eight, to which the single card you drew being reckoned as one, and added, makes twenty-nine; and that number deducted from fifty-two, leaves twenty-three, which is the amount of the three cards the party drew. * * * * * The following amusements principally depend on dexterity of hand; and, as what is termed _making the pass_, will be necessary to be acquired, to enable the operator to perform many of them, we subjoin the following explanation of this term: _How to make the Pass._--Hold the pack of cards in your right hand, so that the palm of your hand may be under the cards: place the thumb of that hand on one side of the pack; the first, second, and third fingers on the other side, and your little finger between those cards that are to be brought to the top, and the rest of the pack. Then place your left hand over the cards in such a manner that the thumb may be at C, the fore-finger at A, and the other fingers at B, as in the following figure: +----------------+ +----------------+ | _Bottom._ | | _Top._ | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | | _Thumb._ | | | | 3 | | | | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | |_Little Finger._| | | +----------------+ +----------------+ C The hands and the two parts of the cards being thus disposed, you draw off the lower cards, confined by the little finger and the other parts of the right hand, and place them, with an imperceptible motion, on the top of the pack. But before you attempt any of the tricks that depend on _making the pass_, you must have great practice, and be able to perform it so dexterously and expeditiously, that the eye cannot detect the movement of the hand; or you may, instead of deceiving others, expose yourself. _The Long Card._--Another stratagem, connected with the performance of many of the following tricks, is what is termed the _Long Card_; that is, a card, either a trifle longer or wider than the other cards, not perceptible to the eye of the spectator, but easily to be distinguished by the touch of the operator. _The Divining Card._ Provide a pack in which there is a long card; open it at that part where the long card is, and present the pack to a person in such a manner that he will naturally draw that card. You then tell him to put it into any part of the pack, and shuffle the cards. You take the pack, and offer the same card in like manner to a second or third person, taking care that they do not stand near enough to see the card each other draws. You then draw several cards yourself, among which is the long card, and ask each of the parties if his card be among those cards, and he will naturally say _yes_, as they have all drawn the same card. You then shuffle all the cards together, and, cutting them at the long card, you hold it before the first person, so that the others may not see it, and tell him that is his card. You then put it in the pack, shuffle it, cut it again at the same card, and hold it to the second person. You can perform this recreation without the long card, in the following manner: Let a person draw any card, and replace it in the pack. You then _make the pass_, (see p. 107,) and bring that card to the top of the pack, and shuffle them, without losing sight of that card. You then offer that card to a second person, that he may draw it, and put it in the middle of the pack. You _make the pass_, and shuffle the cards a second time in the same manner, and offer the card to a third person, and so again to a fourth or fifth. _The Four Confederate Cards._ A person draws four cards from the pack, and you tell him to remember one of them. He then returns them to the pack, and you dexterously place two under and two on the top of the pack. Under the bottom ones you place four cards of any sort, and then, taking eight or ten from the bottom cards, you spread them on the table, and ask the person if the card he fixed on be among them. If he say _no_, you are sure it is one of the two cards on the top. You then pass those two cards to the bottom and, drawing off the lowest of them, you ask if that is not his card. If he again say _no_, you take up that card, and bid him draw his card from the bottom of the pack. If, on the contrary, he say his cards _are_ among those you _first_ drew from the bottom, you must dexterously take up the four cards you put under them, and, placing those on the top, let the other two be the bottom cards of the pack, which you are to draw in the manner before described. _The Numerical Cards._ Let the long card be the sixteenth in the pack of piquet cards. Take ten or twelve cards from the top of the pack, and, spreading them on the table, desire a person to think on any one of them, and to observe the number it is from the first card. Make the pass at the long card, which will then be at the bottom. Then ask the party the number his card was at, and, counting to yourself from that number to sixteen, turn the cards up, one by one, from the bottom. Then stop at the seventeenth card, and ask the person if he has seen his card, when he will say _no_. You then ask him how many more cards you shall draw before his card appears; and when he has named the number, you draw the card aside with your finger, turn up the number of cards he proposed, and throw down the card he fixed on. _The Card found out by the Point of the Sword._ When a card has been drawn, you place it under the long card, and by shuffling them dexterously, you bring it to the top of the pack. Then lay or throw the pack on the ground, observing where the top card lies. A handkerchief is then bound round your eyes, which ought to be done by a confederate, in such a way that you can see the ground. A sword is put into your hand, with which you touch several of the cards, as if in doubt, but never losing sight of the top card, in which at last you fix the point of the sword, and present it to the party who drew it. _The Card hit upon by the Guess._ Spread part of the pack before a person, in such way that only one court card is visible; and so arrange it, that it shall appear the most prominent and striking card. You desire him to think on one; and observe if he fix his eye on the court card. When he tells you he has determined on one, shuffle the cards, and, turning them up one by one, when you come to the court card tell him that is the one. If he does not seem to fix his eye on the court card, you should not hazard the experiment; but frame an excuse for performing some other amusement; neither should it be attempted with those who are conversant with these sort of deceptions. _The Card changed by Word of Command._ You must have two cards of the same sort in the pack, (say the king of spades.) Place one next the bottom card, (say seven of hearts,) and the other at top. Shuffle the cards without displacing those three, and show a person that the bottom card is the seven of hearts. This card you dexterously slip aside with your finger, which you have previously wetted, and, taking the king of spades from the bottom, which the person supposes to be the seven of hearts, lay it on the table, telling him to cover it with his hand. Shuffle the cards again, without displacing the first and last card, and, shifting the other king of spades from the top to the bottom, show it to another person. You then draw that privately away, and, taking the bottom card, which will then be the seven of hearts, you lay that on the table, and tell the second person (who believes it to be the king of spades) to cover it with his hand. You then command the cards to change places; and when the two parties take off their hands and turn up the cards, they will see, to their great astonishment, that your commands are obeyed. _The Three Magical Parties._ Offer the long card to a person, that he may draw it, and replace it in any part of the pack he pleases. _Make the pass_, and bring that card to the top. Next divide the pack in three parcels, putting the long card in the middle heap. You then ask the person which of the three heaps his card shall be in. He will, probably, say the middle; in which case you immediately show it to him. But if he say either of the others, you take all the cards in your hand, placing the parcel he has named over the other two, and observing to put your little finger between that and the middle heap, at the top of which is the card he drew. You then ask at what number in that heap he will have his card appear. If, for example, he say the sixth, you tell down five cards from the top of the pack, and then, dexterously making the pass, you bring the long card to the top, and tell it down as the sixth. _The Magic Vase._ Construct a vase of wood, or pasteboard, see Fig. 20. On the inside let there be five divisions; two of them, _c d_, to be large enough to admit a pack of cards each; and the other three, _e f g_, only large enough to contain a single card. Place this vase on a bracket, L, which is fastened to the partition M. Fix a silken thread at H, the other end of which passes down the division _d_, and, over the pulley I, runs along the bracket L, and goes out behind the partition M. [Illustration: Fig. 20.] Take three cards from the piquet pack, and place one of them in each of the divisions _e f g_, making the silk thread or line go under each of them. In the division _c_ put the remainder of the pack. You then get another pack of cards, at the top of which are to be three cards, the same as those in the three small divisions: and, making the pass, bring them to the middle of the pack. Let them be drawn by three persons; let them shuffle all the cards; after which place the pack in the division _d_, and tell the parties that the cards they drew will rise at their command, separately, from the vase. A confederate behind the partition then gently drawing the line, the three cards will then gradually appear from the vase; then taking the cards from _c_, you show that those three are gone from the pack. The vase must be placed so high that the company cannot see the inside. _The Divining Perspective Glass._ Procure a small perspective-glass, wide enough, where the object-glass is placed, to hold the following table: +-------+--------+--------+ | 1,131 | 10,132 | 19,133 | | 2,231 | 11,232 | 20,233 | | 3,331 | 12,332 | 21,333 | +-------+--------+--------+ | 4,121 | 13,122 | 22,123 | | 5,221 | 14,222 | 23,223 | | 6,321 | 15,322 | 24,323 | +-------+--------+--------+ | 7,111 | 16,112 | 25,113 | | 8,211 | 17,212 | 26,213 | | 9,311 | 18,312 | 27,313 | +-------+--------+--------+ Take a pack of twenty-seven cards; give them to a person, bid him fix, on one, shuffle them, and return them to you. Arrange the twenty-seven cards in three parcels, by laying one down, alternately, on each parcel; but before you lay each card down, show it to the person, without seeing it yourself. When you have completed the three parcels, ask him at what number, from one to twenty-seven, he will have his card appear, and in which heap it then is. You then look at the heap through your glass; and if the first of the three numbers, which stands against the number it is to appear at, be one, put that heap at top; if the number be at two, put it in the middle; and if it be three, put it at the bottom. Next divide the cards into three heaps, in the same manner, a second and third time, and his card will be at the number he chose. _Example._--Suppose the person wishes his card to be the twentieth from the top; and the first time of making the heaps, he says it is in the third heap; you then look at the table in the perspective, and you see that the first figure is two; you, therefore, put that heap in the middle of the pack. The second and third times, you in like manner put the heap in which he says it is, at bottom; the number each time being three. Then looking at the pack with your glass, as if to discover which the card was, you lay the cards down, one by one, and the twentieth will be the card fixed on. _The Card in the Ring._ Get a ring, made of any metal, in which is set a large transparent stone or piece of glass, to the bottom of which is fastened a small piece of black silk; under the silk is to be the figure of a small card; and the silk must be so constructed that it may be either drawn aside or spread, by turning the stone round. You then cause a person to draw the same sort of card as that at the bottom of the ring; and tell him to burn it in the candle. Now, the ring being so constructed that the silk conceals the card underneath it, you first show him the ring, that he may see it is not there, and tell him you will make it appear; then rubbing the ashes of the card on the ring, you manage to turn the stone or glass dexterously round, and exhibit to him the small card at the bottom. _The Card in the Mirror._ Provide a mirror, either round or oval, the frame of which must be at least as wide as a card, and the glass must be wider than the distance between the frame, by at least the width of a card. The glass in the middle must be made to move in two grooves, and so much of the quicksilver must be scraped off, as is equal to the size of a common card. You then paste over the part where the quicksilver is rubbed off, a piece of pasteboard, on which is a cord, that must exactly fit the space, which must at first be placed behind the frame. Fix this mirror against a partition, through which two strings are to go, by which an assistant in an adjoining room can easily move the glass in the grooves, and make the card appear or disappear at pleasure. Or it may be done without an assistant, if a table be placed against the partition, and a string from the glass be made to pass through a leg of it, and communicate with a small trigger, which you may easily push down with your foot, and at the same time wiping the glass with your handkerchief, under the pretence that the card may appear more conspicuous; which will also serve most effectually to disguise the operation. Having every thing thus arranged, you contrive to make a person draw the same sort of card as that fixed to the mirror; if you do not succeed in this with a stranger, make some pretence for shuffling the cards again, and present the pack to a confederate, who, of course, will draw the card you wish, and who is to show it to two or three persons next to him, under the pretence that it might slip his memory. This card you place in the middle of the pack, then _make the pass_, and bring it to the bottom. Direct the person to look for his card in the mirror, which the confederate behind the partition is to draw slowly forward; or if you perform the operation yourself, press the trigger with your foot, and the card will appear as if placed between the glass and the quicksilver. While the glass is drawing forward, you slide off the card from the bottom of the pack, and convey it away. _The Card in the Opera Glass._ Procure an opera-glass, two inches and a half long; the tube to be made of ivory, so thin that it may appear transparent. Place it in a magnifying glass, of such a power, and at such a distance, that a card, three-quarters of an inch long, may appear like a common-sized card. At the bottom of the tube lay a circle of black pasteboard, to which fasten a small card, with the pips, or figures, on both sides, and in such a manner, that by turning the table, either side of the glass may be visible. You then offer two cards to two persons, similar to the double card in the glass. You put them in the pack again, or convey them to your pocket; and after a few flourishing motions you tell the persons you have conveyed their cards into the glass; then you show each person his card in the glass, by turning it in the proper position. You may easily induce the parties to draw the two cards you wish, by placing them first on the top of the pack, and then, by making the pass, bringing them to the middle. When you can make the pass in a dexterous manner, it is preferable to the long card, which obliges the operator to change the pack frequently, as, if the same card is always drawn, it may excite suspicion. _To separate the two Colours of a Pack of Cards by one Cut._ To perform this amusement, all the cards of one colour must be cut something narrower at one end than the other. You show the cards, and give them to any one, that he may shuffle them; then holding them between your hands, one hand being at each extremity, with one motion you separate the hearts and diamonds from the spades and clubs. _The Metamorphosed Cards._ In the middle of a pack place a card that is something wider than the rest, which we will suppose to be the knave of spades, under which place the seven of diamonds, and under that the ten of clubs. On the top of the pack put cards similar to these, and others on which are painted different objects, _viz._: First card A bird Second A seven of diamonds Third A flower Fourth Another seven of diamonds Fifth A bird Sixth A ten of clubs Seventh A flower Eighth Another ten of clubs; then seven or eight indifferent cards, the knave of spades, which is the wide card, the seven of diamonds, the ten of clubs, and the rest any indifferent cards. Two persons are to draw the two cards that are under the wide card, which are the seven of diamonds and the ten of clubs. You take the pack in your left hand, and open it at the wide end, as you open a book, and tell the person who drew the seven of diamonds to place it in that opening. You then blow on the cards, and, without closing them, instantly bring the card which is at top, and on which a bird is painted, over that seven of diamonds. To do this dexterously, you must wet the middle finger of your left hand, with which you are to bring the card to the middle of the pack. You then bid the person look at his card, and when he has remarked the change, to place it where it was before. Then blow on the cards a second time, and, bringing the seven of diamonds, which is at the top of the pack, to the opening, you bid him look at his card again, when he will see it is that which he drew. You may do the same with all the other painted cards, either with the same person, or with him who drew the ten of clubs. The whole artifice consists in bringing the card at the top of the pack to the opening in the middle, by the wet finger, which requires no great practice. Observe, not to let the pack go out of your hands. _To discover the Card which is drawn, by the Throw of a Die._ Prepare a pack of cards, in which there are only six sorts of cards. Dispose these cards in such manner that each of the six different cards shall follow each other, and let the last of each suite be a long card. The cards being thus disposed, it follows, that if you divide them into six parcels, by cutting at each of the long cards, those parcels will all consist of similar cards. Let a person draw a card from the pack, and let him replace it in the parcel from whence it was drawn, by dexterously offering that part. Cut the cards several times, so that a long card be always at bottom. Divide the cards in this manner into six heaps, and giving a die to the person who drew the card, tell him that the point he throws shall indicate the parcel in which is the card he drew; then take up the parcel and show him the card. _To tell the Number of the Cards by their Weight._ Take a parcel of cards, suppose forty, among which insert two long cards; let the first be, for example, the fifteenth, and the other the twenty-sixth from the top. Seem to shuffle the cards, and then cutting them at the first long card, poise those you have cut off in your left hand, and say, "There should be here fifteen cards." Cut them again at the second long card, and say, "There are here only eleven cards." Then poising the remainder, you say, "Here are fourteen cards." _The Four Inseparable Kings._ Take the four kings, and behind the last of them place two other cards, so that they may not be seen. Then spread open the four kings to the company, and put the six cards at the bottom of the pack. Draw one of the kings, and put it at the top of the pack. Draw one of the two cards at the bottom, and put it towards the middle. Draw the other, and put it at some distance from the last, and then show that there remains a king at bottom. Then let any one cut the cards, and as there remains three kings at bottom, they will then be altogether in the middle of the pack. _To change the Cards which several Persons have drawn from the Pack._ On the top of the pack put any card you please--suppose the queen of clubs; make the pass, bring that card to the middle of the pack, and offer it to a person to draw. Then, by cutting the cards, bring the queen again to the middle of the pack. Make the pass a second time, bring it to the top, and shuffle the cards without displacing those on the top. Make the pass a third time, bring it to the middle of the pack and offer it to a second person to draw, who must be at a proper distance from the first person, that he may not perceive it is the same card. After the like manner let five persons draw the same card. Shuffle the pack without losing sight of the queen of clubs, and, laying down four other cards with the queen, ask each person if he see his card there? They will all reply, "Yes," as they all drew the queen of clubs. Place four of those cards on the pack, and, drawing the queen privately away, you approach the first person, and showing him that card, so that the others cannot see it, ask if that be his card; then patting it on the top of the pack, blow on it, or give it a stroke with your hand, and show it in the same manner to the second person, and so of the rest. _The Card discovered under the Handkerchief._ Let a person draw any card from the rest, and put it in the middle of the pack; you make the pass at that place, and the card will consequently be at top; then placing the pack on the table, cover it with a handkerchief; and, putting your hand under it, take off the top card, and after seeming to search among the cards for some time, draw it out. This amusement may be performed by putting the cards in another person's pocket, after the pass is made. Several cards may also be drawn and placed together in the middle of the pack, and the pass then made. _The Convertible Aces._ On the ace of spades fix, with soap, a heart, and on the ace of hearts a spade, in such a manner that they will easily slip off. Show these two aces to the company; then, taking the ace of spades, you desire a person to put his foot upon it, and as you place it on the ground, draw away the spade. In like manner you place the seeming ace of hearts under the foot of another person. You then command the two cards to change their places; and that they obey your command, the two persons, on taking up their cards, will have ocular demonstration. A deception similar to this is sometimes practised with one card, suppose the ace of spades, over which a heart is pasted lightly. After showing a person the card, you let him hold one end of it, and you hold the other, and while you amuse him with discourse, you slide off the heart. Then laying the card on the table, you bid him cover it with his hand; you then knock under the table, and command the heart to turn into the ace of spades. _To tell the Card that a Person has touched with his Finger._ This amusement is to be performed by confederacy. You previously agree with your confederate on certain signs, by which he is to denote the suite, and the particular card of each suite; thus: if he touch the first button of his coat, it signifies an ace; if the second, a king, &c.; and then again, if he take out his handkerchief, it denotes the suite to be hearts; if he take snuff, diamonds, &c. These preliminaries being settled, you give the pack to a person who is near your confederate, and tell him to separate any one card from the rest, while you are absent, and draw his finger once over it. He is then to return you the pack, and while you are shuffling the cards, you carefully note the signals made by your confederate; then turning the cards over one by one, you directly fix on the card he touched. _The Card in the Pocket-book._ A confederate is previously to know the card you have taken from the pack, and put into your pocket-book. You then present the pack to him, and desire him to fix on a card, (which we will suppose to be the queen of diamonds,) and place the pack on the table. You then ask him the name of the card, and when he says the queen of diamonds, you ask him if he be not mistaken, and if he be sure that the card is in the pack: when he replies in the affirmative, you say, "It might be there when you looked over the cards, but I believe it is now in my pocket;" then desire a third person to put his hand in your pocket, and take out your book, and when it is opened the card will appear. _The Card in the Egg._ Take a card, the same as your long card, and, rolling it up very close, put it in an egg, by making a hole as small as possible, and which you are to fill up carefully with white wax. You then offer the long card to be drawn, and when it is replaced in the pack, you shuffle the cards several times, giving the egg to the person who drew the card, and while he is breaking it, you privately withdraw the long card, that it may appear, upon examining the cards, to have gone from the pack into the egg. This may be rendered more surprising by having several eggs, in each of which is placed a card of the same sort, and then giving the person the liberty to choose which egg he thinks fit. This deception may be still further diversified, by having, as most public performers have, a confederate, who is previously to know the egg in which the card is placed; for you may then break the other eggs, and show that the only one that contains a card is that in which you directed it to be. _The Card discovered by the Touch or Smell._ You offer the long card, or any other that you know, and as the person who has drawn it holds it in his hand, you pretend to feel the pips or figure on the under side, by your fore-finger; or you sagaciously smell to it, and then pronounce what card it is. If it be the long card, you may give the pack to the person who drew it, and leave him at liberty either to replace it or not. Then taking the pack, you feel immediately whether it be there or not, and, shuffling the cards in a careless manner, without looking at them, you pronounce accordingly. _The Inverted Cards._ Prepare a pack of cards, by cutting one end of them about one-tenth of an inch narrower than the other; then offer the pack to any one, that he may draw a card; place the pack on the table, and observe carefully if he turn the card while he is looking at it; if he do not, when you take the pack from the table, you offer the other end of it for him to insert that card; but if he turn the card, you then offer him the same end of the pack. You afterwards offer the cards to a second or third person, for them to draw or replace a card in the same manner. You then let any one shuffle the cards, and, taking them again into your own hand, as you turn them up one by one, you easily perceive by the touch which are those cards that have been inverted, and, laying the first of them down on the table, you ask the person if that card be his; and if he say _no_, you ask the same of the second person; and if he say _no_, you tell the third person it is his card; and so of the second or third cards. You shall lay the pack on the table after each person has drawn his card, and turn it dexterously in taking it up, when it is to be turned, that the experiment may not appear to depend on the cards being inverted. _The Transmuted Cards._ In a common pack of cards let the ace of hearts and nine of spades be something larger than the rest. With the juice of lemon draw over the ace of hearts a spade, large enough to cover it entirely, and on each side draw four other spades. Present the pack to two persons, so adroitly, that one of them shall draw the ace of hearts, and the other the nine of spades, and tell him who draws the latter, to burn it on a chafing-dish. You then take the ashes of that card, put them into a small metal box, and give it to him that has the ace of hearts, that he may himself put that card into the box and fasten it. Then put the box for a short time on the chafing-dish, and let the person who put the card in it take it off, and take out the card, which he will see is changed into the nine of spades. _The Convertible Cards._ To perform this amusement you must observe, that there are several letters which may be changed into others, without any appearance of the alteration, as the _a_ into _d_, the _c_ into _a_, _e_, _d_, _g_, _o_, or _q_; the _i_ into _b_, _d_, or _l_; the _l_ into _t_; the _o_ into _a_, _d_, _g_, or _q_; the _v_ into _y_, &c. Take a parcel of cards, suppose twenty, and on one of them write with juice of lemon or onion, or vitriol and water, the word law, (these letters should not be joined;) and on the other, with the same ink, the words _old woman_; then holding them to the fire, they both become visible. Now, you will observe, that by altering the _a_ in the word _law_ into _d_, and adding _o_ before the _l_, and _oman_ after the _w_, it becomes _old woman_. Therefore you make those alterations with the invisible ink, and let it remain so. On the rest of the cards you write any words you think fit. Present the cards in such manner to two persons, that one of them shall draw the word _law_, and the other the words _old woman_. You then tell the person who drew the word _law_, that it shall disappear, and the words on the other card shall be written in its place; and, that you may not change the cards, desire each of the parties to write his name on his card. Then putting the cards together, and holding them before the fire, as if to dry the names just written, the word _law_ will presently change into _old woman_. _The Enchanted Palace._ On the six-sided plane A B C D E F, Fig. 21, draw six semi-diameters; and on each of these place perpendicularly two plane mirrors, which must join exactly at the centre, and which, placed back to back, must be as thin as possible. Decorate the exterior boundary of this piece, (which is at the extremity of the angles of the hexagon,) with six columns, that at the same time serve to support the mirrors by grooves formed on their inner sides. Add to these columns their entablatures, and cover the edifice in whatever manner you please. In each one of these six triangular spaces, contained between two mirrors, place little figures of pasteboard, in relief, representing such subjects, as, when seen in an hexagonal form, will produce an agreeable effect. To these add small figures of enamel, and take particular care to conceal by some object that has no relation to the subject, the place where the mirrors join, which, as before observed, all meet in the common centre. [Illustration: Fig. 21.] When you look into any one of the six openings of this palace, the objects there contained, being reflected six times, will seem entirely to fill up the whole of the building. This illusion will appear very remarkable, especially if the objects chosen are properly adapted to the effect which the mirrors are intended to produce. If you place between two of these mirrors part of a fortification, as a curtain, and two demi-bastions, you will see an entire citadel with six bastions; or if you place part of a ball-room, ornamented with chandeliers and figures, all these objects being here multiplied, will afford a very pleasing prospect. _Opaque Bodies seemingly Transparent._ Within the case A B C D, place four mirrors O P Q R, Fig. 22, so disposed, that they may each make an angle of 45 degrees, that is, that they may be half-way inclined from the perpendicular, as in the figure. In each of the two extremities A B, make a circular overture; in one of which fix the tube G L, in the other the tube M F, and observe, that in each of these is to be inserted another tube, as H and I. [_Observe._ These four tubes must terminate in the substance of the case, and not enter the inside, that they may not hinder the effect of the mirrors. The four-fold reflection of the rays of light from the mirrors, darkens in some degree the brightness of the object; some light is also lost by the magnifying power of the perspective. If, therefore, instead of the object-glass at G, and concave eye-glass at F, plain glasses were substituted, the magnifying power of the perspective will be taken away, and the object appear brighter.] [Illustration: Fig. 22.] Furnish the first of these tubes with an object-glass at G, and a concave eye-glass at F. You are to observe, that in regulating the focus of these glasses with regard to the length of the tube, you are to suppose it equal to the line G, or visual pointed ray, which entering at the aperture G is reflected by the four mirrors, and goes out at the other aperture F, where the eye-glass is placed. Put any glass you please into the two ends of the moveable tubes H and L; and lastly, place the machine on stand E, moveable at the point S, that it may be elevated or lowered at pleasure. When the eye is placed at F, and you look through the tube, the rays of light that proceed from the object T, passing through the glass G, are successively reflected by the mirrors O P Q and R to the eye at F, and there point the object T in its proper situation, and these rays appear to proceed directly from that object. The two moveable tubes H and I, at the extremity of which a glass is placed, serve only to disguise the illusion, for they have no communication with the interior of the machine. This instrument being moveable on the stand E, may be directed to any object; and if furnished with proper glasses, will answer the purpose of common perspective. The two moveable tubes, H and I, being brought together, the machine is directed towards any object; and, desiring a person to look at the end F, you ask him if he sees that object distinctly. You then separate the two moveable tubes, and, leaving space between them sufficiently wide to place your hand or any other solid body, you tell him that the machine has the power of making objects visible through the most opaque body; and as a proof, you desire him to look at the same object, when to his great surprise he will see it as distinctly as if no solid body interposed. This experiment is the more extraordinary as it is very difficult to conceive how the effect is produced; the two arms of the case appearing to be made for the purpose of supporting the perspective-glass; and to whatever object it be directed, the effect is still the same. _The Deforming Mirrors._ If a person look in a concave mirror placed perpendicularly to another, (that is, supposing one mirror to be laid on the floor, and the other attached to the ceiling,) his face will appear entirely deformed. If the mirror be a little inclined, so as to make an angle of 80 degrees, (that is, one-ninth part from the perpendicular,) he will then see all the parts of his face, except the nose and forehead. If it be inclined to 60 degrees; (that is, one-third part,) he will appear with three noses and six eyes: in short, the apparent deformity will vary at each degree of inclination, and when the glass comes to 45 degrees, (that is, half-way down,) the face will vanish. If, instead of placing the two mirrors in this situation, they are so disposed that their junction may be vertical, then different inclinations will produce other effects, as the situation of the object relative is quite different. _The Magic Tube._ Procure a small tube of glass, whose canal is extremely narrow, and open at both ends; let one end of it be plunged in water, and the water within the tube will rise to a considerable height above the external surface: or if two or more tubes be immersed in the same fluid, the one with a narrow canal, and the other wider, the water will ascend higher in the former than the latter. _The Magician's Mirror._ Construct a box of wood, of a cubical shape, A B C D, Fig. 23, of about fifteen inches every way. Let it be fixed to the pedestal P, at the usual height of a man's head. In each side of this box let there be an opening, of an oval form, ten inches high, and seven wide. In this box place two mirrors, A D, with their backs against each other. Let them cross the box in a diagonal line, and in a vertical position. Decorate the openings in the side of this box with four oval frames and transparent glasses, and cover each with a curtain so contrived as all to draw up together. [Illustration: Fig. 23.] Place four persons in front of the four sides, and at equal distances from the box, and then draw them up that they may see themselves in the mirrors, when each of them, instead of his own figure, will see that of the person next to him, but who will appear to him to be placed on the opposite side. Their confusion will be the greater, as it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for them to discover the mirrors concealed in the box. The reason of this phenomenon is evident; for though the rays of light may be turned aside by a mirror, yet they always _appear_ to proceed in right lines. _The Perspective Mirror._ Provide a box, A B C D, Fig. 24, of about two feet long, 15 inches wide, and 12 inches high. At the end A C, place the concave mirror, the focus of whose parallel rays is 18 inches from the reflecting surface. At I L place a pasteboard, blacked, in which a hole is cut, sufficiently large to see on the mirror H the object placed at B E F D. Cover the top of the box, from A to I, close, that the mirror H may be entirely darkened. The other part, I B, must be covered with glass, under which is placed a gauze, or oiled paper, to prevent the inside from being seen. Make an aperture at G, near the top of the side E B, beneath which, on the inside, place in succession, paintings of vistas, landscapes, figures, &c., so that they may be in front of the mirror H. Let the box be placed that the objects may be strongly illuminated by the sun, or by wax-lights placed under the enclosed part of the box A I. By this simple construction, the objects placed at G D will be thrown into their natural perspective, and if the subjects be properly chosen and well executed, the appearance will be both wonderful and pleasing. [Illustration: Fig. 24.] _Gunpowder Exploded by Reflection._ Place two concave mirrors at about 12 or 15 feet distance from each other, and let the axis of each be in the same line. In the focus of one of them place a live coal, and in the focus of the other place some gunpowder. With a pair of double bellows, which make a continual blast, keep constantly blowing the coal, and notwithstanding the distance between them, the powder will presently take fire. _The Igniting Mirrors._ The rays of a luminous body placed in the focus of concave mirror, being reflected in parallel lines, and a second mirror being placed diametrically opposite to the first, will set fire to a combustible body, by collecting those rays in the focus. _The Armed Apparition._ If a person with a drawn sword place himself before a large concave mirror, but further from it than its focus, he will see an inverted image of himself in the air, between him and the mirror, of a less size than himself. If he steadily present the sword towards the centre of the mirror, an image of the sword will come out from it, point to point, as if to fence with him; and by his pushing the sword nearer, the image will appear to come nearer to him, and almost to touch his breast. If the mirror be turned 45 degrees, or one-eighth round, the reflected image will go out perpendicularly to the direction of the sword presented, and apparently come to another person placed in the direction of the motion of the image, who, if he be unacquainted with the experiment, and does not see the original sword, will be much surprised and alarmed. _The Phantom._ You inform a person that at a certain hour, and in a certain place, he shall see the apparition of a deceased friend, (whose portrait you possess.) In order to produce this phantom, there must be a door which opens into an apartment to which there is a considerable descent. Under that door you are to place the portrait, which must be inverted and strongly illuminated, that it may be brightly reflected by the mirror, which must be large and well polished. Then having introduced the incredulous spectator at another door, and placed him in the proper point of view, you suddenly throw open the door, when to his great surprise he will view the apparition of his friend. _The Distorting Mirror._ Opticians sometimes grind a glass mirror concave in one direction only, or longitudinally; it is in fact a concave portion of a cylinder, the breadth of which may be considered that of the mirror. A person looking at his face in this mirror, in the direction of its concavity, will see it curiously distorted in a very lengthened appearance; and by turning the cylindrical mirror a quarter round, his visage will appear distorted another way, by an apparent increase in width only. If in a very near situation before it, you put your finger on the right hand side of your nose, it will appear the same in the mirror; but if in a distant situation, somewhat beyond the centre of concavity, you again look at your face in the mirror, your finger will appear to be removed to the other side of your nose. _Water colder than Ice._ Put a lump of ice into an equal quantity of water, heated to 176 degrees, the result will be, that the fluid will be no hotter than water just beginning to freeze; but if a little sea salt be added to the water, and it be heated only to 166 or 170, a fluid will be produced _colder than the ice was at first_. _Exploding Salt._ If a small quantity of powdered charcoal and hyper-oxymuriate of potash be rubbed together in a mortar, an explosion will be produced, and the charcoal inflamed. Three parts of this salt, and one of sulphur, rubbed together in a mortar, produce a violent detonation. If struck with a hammer on an anvil, there is an explosion like the report of a pistol. When concentrated sulphuric acid is poured upon this salt, there is a considerable explosion; it is thrown about to a great distance, sometimes with a red flame; and there is exhaled a brown vapour, accompanied with a strong odour. _Dioptrical Paradox._ Construct a machine similar to that in Fig. 25. Its effect will be, that a print, or an ornamented drawing, with any object, such as an ace of diamonds, &c. in the centre F, will be seen as an ace of clubs when placed in the machine, and viewed through a single plane glass only, contained in the tube E. The glass in the tube F, which produces this surprising change, is somewhat on the principle of the common multiplying glass, as represented at G, which, by the number of its inclined surfaces, and from the refractive power of the rays proceeding from the objects placed before it shows it in a multiplied state. The only difference is, that the sides of this glass are flat, and diverge upwards from the base to a point in the axis of the glass like a cone; it has six sides, and each side, from its angular position to the eye, has the property of refracting from the border of the print F, such a portion of it (designedly placed there) as will make a part in the composition of the figure to be represented; for the hexagonal and conical figure of this glass prevents any part of the ace of diamonds being seen; consequently the ace of clubs being previously and mechanically drawn in the circle of refraction in six different parts of the border, at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and artfully disguised in the ornamental border, by blending them with it, the glass in the tube at E will change the appearance of the ace of diamonds, F, into the ace of clubs, G. In the same manner many other prints undergo similar changes, according to the will of an ingenious draughtsman who may design them. The figure of the glass is shown at H. [Illustration: Fig. 25.] _To show the Spots in the Sun's Disk by its Image in the Camera Obscura._ Put the object-glass of a ten or twelve feet telescope into the scioptric ball, and turn it about till it be directly opposite the sun. Then place the pasteboard mentioned in page 16, in the focus of the lens, and you will see a clear bright image of the sun, about an inch diameter, in which the spots on the sun's surface will be exactly described. As this image is too bright to be seen with pleasure by the naked eye, you may view it through a lens whose focus is at six or eight inches distance, which, while it prevents the light from being offensive, will, by magnifying both the image and the spot, make them appear to greater advantage. _The Diagonal Opera Glass._ By the diagonal position of a plane mirror, a curious opera-glass is constructed, by which any person may be viewed in a theatre or public company without knowing it. It consists only in placing a concave glass near the plane mirror, in the end of a short round tube, and a convex glass in a hole in the side of the tube, then holding the end of the tube with the glass to the eye, all objects next to the hole in the side will be reflected so as to appear in a direct line forward, or in a position at right angles to the person's situation who is looked at. Plane glasses, instead of a convex and concave, may be used; in this case the size of the object will not be increased, but it will appear brighter. _To observe an Eclipse of the Sun, without Injury to the Eye._ Take a burning-glass, or spectacle-glass, that magnifies very much; hold it before a book or pasteboard, twice the distance of its focus, and you will see the round body of the sun, and the manner in which the moon passes between the glass and the sun, during the whole eclipse. _The Burnt Writing restored._ Cover the outside of a small memorandum book with black paper, and in one of its inside covers make a flap, to open secretly, and observe there must be nothing over the flap but the black paper that covers the book. Mix soot with black or brown soap, with which rub the side of the black paper next the flap; then wipe it clean, that a white paper pressed against it will not receive any mark. Provide a black-lead pencil that will not mark without pressing hard on the paper. Have likewise a small box, about the size of a memorandum book, and that opens on both sides, but on one of them by a private method. Give a person a pencil and a slip of thin paper, on which he is to write what he thinks proper; you present him the memorandum book at the same time, that he may not write on the bare paper. You tell him to keep what he writes to himself, and direct him to burn it on the iron plate laid on a chafing-dish of coals, and give you the ashes. You then go into another room to fetch your magic box, before described, and take with you the memorandum book. Having previously placed a paper under the flap in the cover of the book, when he presses hard with the pencil, to write on his paper, every stroke, by means of the stuff rubbed on the black paper, will appear on that under the flap. You therefore take it out, and put it into one side of the box. You then return to the other room, and taking a slip of black paper, you put it into the other side of the box, strewing the ashes of the burnt paper over it. Then shaking the box for a few moments, and at the same time turning it dexterously over, you open the other side, and show the person the paper you first put in, the writing on which he will readily acknowledge to be his. If there be a press or cupboard that communicates with the next room, you need only put the book in the press, and your assistant will open it, and put the paper in the box, which you presently after take out, and perform the rest of the amusement as before. There may likewise be a flap on the other cover of the book; and you may rub the paper against that with red lead. In this case you give the person the choice of writing either with a black or red pencil; and present him the proper side of the book accordingly. _The Opaque Box made Transparent._ Make a box three or four inches long, and two or three wide, and have a sort of perspective-glass, the bottom of which is the same size with the box, and slides out, that you may privately place a paper on it. The sides of this perspective are to be of glass, covered on the inside with fine paper. Let a person write on a slip of paper, putting your memorandum book under it, as in the last amusement; then give him the little box, and let him put what he has written into it. In the mean time you put the memorandum book into the press, where the perspective is already placed. Your assistant then takes the paper out of the book, and puts it at the bottom of the perspective; which you presently take out of the press, and direct the person to put the little box that contains the paper under it. You then look in at the top of the perspective, and feigning to see through the top of the box, you read what is written on the paper at the bottom of the perspective. With this perspective box you may perform another amusement, which is, by having in a bag twelve or more ivory counters, numbered, which you show to the company, that they may see all the numbers are different. You tell a person to draw any one of them, and keep it close in his hand. You then put the bag in the press, when your assistant examines the counters, and sees which is wanting, and puts another of the same number at the bottom of the perspective, which you then take out, and placing the person's hand close to it, look in at the top, and pretending to see through his hand, you name the number on the counter in it. _The Transposable Pieces._ Take two guineas and two shillings, and grind part of them away, on one side only, so that they may be but half the common thickness; and observe, that they must be quite thin at the edge; then rivet a guinea and a shilling together. Lay one of these double pieces, with the shilling upwards, on the palm of your hand, at the bottom of your three first fingers, and lay the other piece with the guinea upwards in the like manner, in the other hand. Let the company take notice in which hand is the guinea, and in which is the shilling. Then as you shut your hands, you naturally turn the pieces over, and when you open them again, the shilling and the guinea will appear to have changed their places. _The Penetrative Guinea._ Provide a large tin box, of the size of a large snuff-box, and in this place eight other boxes, which will go easily into each other, and let the least of them be of a size to hold a guinea. Each of these boxes should shut with a hinge, and to the least of them there must be a small lock, that is fastened with a spring, but cannot be opened without a key;--observe, that all these boxes must shut so freely, that they may be all closed at once. Place these boxes in each other, with their tops open, in the drawer of the table on which you make your experiments; or, if you please, in your pocket, in such a manner that they cannot be displaced. Then ask a person to lend you a new guinea, and desire him to mark it, that it may not be changed. You take this piece in one hand, and in the other you have another of the same appearance, and putting your hand into the drawer, you slip the piece that is marked into the least box, and shutting them all at once, you take them out; then showing the piece you have in your hand, and which the company suppose to be the same that was marked, you pretend to make it pass through the box, and dexterously convey it away. You then present the box, for the spectators do not yet know there are more than one, to any person in company, who, when he opens it, finds another, and another, till he comes to the last, but that he cannot open without the key, which you then give him, and retiring to a distant part of the room, you tell him to take out the guinea himself, and see if it be that which he marked. This amusement may be made more surprising, by putting the key into the snuff-box of one of the company, which you may do by asking him for a pinch of snuff, and at the same time conceal the key, which must be very small, among the snuff; and when the person, who is to open the box, asks for the key, you tell him that one of the company has it in his snuff-box. This part of the amusement may likewise be performed by means of a confederate. _To make Pictures of Birds with their Natural Feathers._ First take thin board or panel, of deal or wainscot, well seasoned, that it may not shrink; then paste white paper smoothly on it, and let it dry; if the colour of the wood show through, paste a second paper over it. When the paper is dry, get ready any bird that you would represent, and draw the outline as exact as you can on the papered panel. You then paint the ground-work, stump of a tree, the bill and legs, their proper colour, with water-colours, leaving the body to be covered with its own natural feathers. In the space you have left for the body, you lay on very thick gum-water, letting each coat dry before you lay on another, and so continuing until the gum is as thick as a shilling. Then take the feathers off the bird; and, as you proceed, draw a camels'-hair pencil, dipped in gum-water, over the coat of gum that you have laid on the paper, that it may more readily adhere. As you strip the bird, you must fix the feathers in their proper places on the board, and you shave the shafts or stems of the larger feathers, that they may lie flat. The most ready way to perform the operation, is to provide yourself with a pair of steel pliars to take up and lay on the feathers with. You should prepare some small leaden weights to lay on the feathers, that they may more readily adhere to, and lie flat on, the gum. The part where the eye is must be supplied by a small piece of paper, coloured and shaped like one; or you may, probably, be able to get a glass bead that will answer the purpose better. In order that the feathers may lie smooth and regular, when the whole is perfectly dry, lay a book, or a flat board, with a weight on it. _The Art of Bronzing._ Bronzing is that process by which figures of plaster-of-paris, wood, &c. are made to have the appearance of copper or brass. The method is as follows: Dissolve copper filings in aqua fortis. When the copper has impregnated the acid, pour off the solution, and put into it some pieces of iron, or iron filings. The effect of this will be to sink the powder to the bottom of the acid. Pour off the liquor, and wash the powder in successive quantities of fresh water. When the powder is dry, it is to be rubbed on the figure with a soft cloth, or piece of leather; but observe, that previously to the application of the bronze powder, a dark blackish sort of green is first to be laid on the figure: and if you wish the powder to adhere stronger, mix it with gum-water, lay it on like paint, with a camels'-hair brush, or previously trace the parts to be bronzed with gold size, and when nearly dry, rub the powder over it. _Method of taking the Impression of Butterflies on Paper._ Clip the wings off the butterfly, lay them on clean, in the form of a butterfly when flying. Spread some thick clean gum-water on another piece of paper, press it on the wings, and it will take them up; lay a piece of white paper over it, and rub it gently with your finger, or the smooth handle of a knife. The bodies are to be drawn in the space which you leave between the wings. _To soften Horn._ To one pound of wood-ashes, add two pounds of quick lime; put them into a quart of water. Let the whole boil till reduced to one-third. Then dip a feather in, and if, on drawing it out, the plume should come off, it is a proof that it is boiled enough; if not, let it boil a little longer. When it is settled, filter it off, and in the liquor thus strained put in shavings of horn. Let them soak for three days; and, first anointing your hands with oil, work the horn into a mass, and print or mould it into any shape you please. _To make Moulds of Horn._ If you wish to take the impression of any coin, medal, &c., previously anoint it with oil; then lay the horn shavings over it in its softened state. When dry, the impression will be sunk into the horn; and this will serve as a mould to re-produce, either by plaster-of-paris, putty and glue, or isinglass and ground egg-shells, the exact resemblance of the coin or medal. _To cast Figures in Imitation of Ivory._ Make isinglass and strong brandy into a paste, with powder of egg-shells, very finely ground. You may give it what colour you please; but cast it warm into your mould, which you previously oil over. Leave the figure in the mould till dry, and you will find, on taking it out, that it bears a very strong resemblance to ivory. _To extract the Silver out of a Ring that is thick gilded, so that the Gold may remain entire._ Take a silver ring that is thick gilded. Make a little hole through the gold into the silver; then put the ring into aqua fortis, in a warm place: it will dissolve the silver, and the gold will remain whole. _To soften Iron or Steel._ Either of the following simple methods will make iron or steel as soft as lead: 1. Anoint it all over with tallow; temper it in a gentle charcoal fire, and let it cool of itself. 2. Take a little clay, cover your iron with it, temper it in a charcoal fire. 3. When the iron or steel is red-hot, strew hellebore on it. 4. Quench the iron or steel in the juice or water of common beans. _To take a Plaster-of-Paris Cast from a Person's Face._ The person must lie on his back, and his hair be tied behind. Into each nostril put a conical piece of paper, open at each end to allow of breathing. The face is to be lightly oiled over, and the plaster being properly prepared is to be poured over the face, (taking care that the eyes are shut,) till it is a quarter of an inch thick. In a few minutes the plaster may be removed. In this a mould is to be formed, from which a second cast is to be taken, that will furnish casts exactly like the original. _Curious Experiment with a Glass of Water._ Saturate a certain quantity of water in a moderate heat, with three ounces of sugar; and when it will no longer receive that, there is still room in it for two ounces of salt of tartar, and after that for an ounce and a drachm of green vitriol, nearly six drachms of nitre, the same of sal-ammoniac, two drachms and a scruple of alum, and a drachm and half of borax. _To make Artificial Coruscations._ There is a method of producing artificial coruscations, or sparkling fiery meteors, which will be visible, not only in the dark but at noon-day, and that from two liquors actually cold. The method is this:--Fifteen grains of solid phosphorus are to be melted in about a drachm of water: when this is cold, pour upon it two ounces of oil of vitriol; let these be shaken together in a large phial, and they will at first heat, and afterwards will throw up fiery balls in great number, which will adhere like so many stars to the sides of the glass, and continue burning a considerable time; after this, if a small quantity of oil of turpentine be poured in without shaking the phial, the mixture will of itself take fire, and burn very furiously. The vessels should be large and open at the top. _Another Method._ Artificial coruscations may also be produced by means of oil of vitriol and iron, in the following manner:--Take a glass vessel capable of holding three quarts: put into this three ounces of oil of vitriol, and twelve ounces of water, then warming the mixture a little, throw in at several times two ounces, or more, of clear iron filings: upon this, an ebullition and white vapours will arise; then present a lighted candle to the mouth of the vessel, and the vapour will take fire, and afford a bright fulmination or flash; like lightning. Applying the candle in this manner several times, the effect will always be the same; and sometimes the fire will fill the whole body of the glass, and even circulate to the bottom of the liquor; at others, it will only reach a little down its neck. The great caution to be used in making this experiment, is the making the vapour of a proper heat; for if made too cold few vapours will arise; and, if made too hot, they will arise too fast, and will only take fire in the neck of the glass, without any remarkable coruscation. _To produce Fire from Cane._ The Chinese rattans, which are used, when split, for making cane chairs, will, when dry, if struck against each other, give fire; and are used accordingly in some places, in lieu of flint and steel. _To make an Eolian Harp._ This instrument may be made by almost any carpenter: it consists of a long narrow box of very thin deal, about five or six inches deep, with a circle in the middle of the upper side, of an inch and a half in diameter, in which are to be drilled small holes. On this side, seven, ten, or more strings, of very fine gut, are stretched over bridges at each end, like the bridges of a fiddle, and screwed up or relaxed with screw pins. The strings must be all tuned to one and the same note, and the instrument be placed in some current of air, where the wind can pass over its strings with freedom. A window, of which the width is exactly equal to the length of the harp, with the sash just raised to give the air admission, is a proper situation. When the air blows upon these strings, with different degrees of force, it will excite different tones of sounds; sometimes the blast brings out all the tones in full concert, and sometimes it sinks them to the softest murmurs. _To show the Pressure of the Atmosphere._ Invert a tall glass or jar in a dish of water, and place a lighted taper under it: as the taper consumes the air in the jar its pressure becomes less on the water immediately under the jar; while the pressure of the atmosphere on the water _without_ the circle of the jar remaining the same, part of the water in the dish will be forced up into the jar, to supply the place of the air which the taper has consumed. Nothing but the pressure of the atmosphere could thus cause part of the water to rise within the jar, above its own level. _Subaqueous Exhalation._ Pour a little clear water into a small glass tumbler, and put one or two small pieces of phosphoret of lime into it. In a short time, flashes of fire will dart from the surface of the water, and terminate in ringlets of smoke, which will ascend in regular succession. _Remarkable Properties in certain Plants._ Plants, when forced from their natural position, are endowed with a power to restore themselves. A hop-plant, twisting round a stick, directs its course from south to west, as the sun does. Untwist it, and tie it in the opposite direction, it dies. Leave it loose in the wrong direction, it recovers its natural direction in a single night. Twist a branch of a tree so as to invert its leaves, and fix it in that position; if left in any degree loose, it untwists itself gradually, till the leaves be restored to their natural position. What better can an animal do for its welfare? A root of a tree meeting with a ditch in its progress, is laid open to the air; what follows? It alters its course like a rational being, dips into the ground, surrounds the ditch, rises on the opposite side of its wonted distance from the surface, and then proceeds in its original direction. Lay a wet sponge near a root exposed to the air; the root will direct its course to the sponge; change the place of the sponge, the root varies its direction. Thrust a pole into the ground at a moderate distance from a climbing plant; the plant directs its course to the pole, lays hold of it, and rises on its natural height. A honeysuckle proceeds in its course, till it be too long for supporting its weight, and then strengthens itself by shooting into a spiral. If it meet with another plant of the same kind, they coalesce for mutual support; the one screwing to the right, the other to the left. If a honeysuckle twig meet with a dead branch, it screws from the right to the left. The claspers of briony shoot into the spiral, and lay hold of whatever comes in their way, for support. If, after completing a spiral of three rounds, they meet with nothing, they try again, by altering their course. _Flowers curiously affected by the Sun and the Weather._ The petals of many flowers expand in the sun, but contract all night, or on the approach of rain; after the seeds are fecundated the petals no longer contract. All the trefoil may serve as a barometer to the husbandman; they always contract their leaves on an impending storm. _Easy Method of obtaining Flowers of different Colours from the same Stem._ Scoop out the pith from a small twig of elder, and having split it lengthwise, fill each of the parts with small seeds that produce flowers of different colours, but that blossom nearly at the same time. Surround them with earth; and then tying together the two bits of wood, plant the whole in a pot filled with earth, properly prepared. _A Luminous Bottle, which will show the Hour on a Watch in the Dark._ Throw a bit of phosphorus, of the size of a pea, into a long glass phial, and pour boiling oil carefully over it, till the phial is one-third filled. The phial must be carefully corked, and when used should be unstopped, to admit the external air, and closed again. The empty space of the phial will then appear luminous, and give as much light as an ordinary lamp. Each time that the light disappears, on removing the stopper it will instantly re-appear. In cold weather the bottle should be warmed in the hands before the stopper is removed. A phial thus prepared may be used every night for six months. _To make Luminous Writing in the Dark._ Fix a small piece of solid phosphorus in a quill, and write with it upon paper; if the paper be carried into a dark room, the writing will appear beautifully luminous. _The Sublimated Tree._ Into a large glass jar inverted upon a flat brick tile, and containing near its top a branch of fresh rosemary, or any other such shrub, moistened with water, introduce a flat thick piece of heated iron, on which place some gum benzoin, in gross powder. The benzoin, in consequence of the heat, will be separated, and ascend in white fumes, which will at length condense, and form a most beautiful appearance upon the leaves of the vegetable. _Easy and curious Methods of foretelling Rainy or Fine Weather._ If a line be made of good whipcord, that is well dried, and a plummet affixed to the end of it, and then hung against a wainscot, and a line drawn under it, exactly where the plummet reaches, in very moderate weather it will be found to rise above it before rain, and to sink below when the weather is likely to become fair. But the best instrument of all, is a good pair of scales, in one of which let there be a brass weight of a pound, and in the other a pound of salt, or of saltpetre, well dried; a stand being placed under the scale, so as to hinder it falling too low. When it is inclined to rain, the salt will swell, and sink the scale: when the weather is growing fair, the brass weight will regain its ascendancy. _Contrivance for a Watch Lamp, perfectly safe, which will show the Hour of the Night, without any trouble, to a person lying in Bed._ It consists of a stand, with three claws, the pillar of which is made hollow, for the purpose of receiving a water candlestick of an inch diameter. On the top of the pillar, by means of two hinges and a bolt, is fixed on a small proportionate table, a box of six sides, lined with brass, tin, or any shining metal, nine inches deep, and six inches in diameter. In the centre of one of these sides is fixed a lens, double convex, of at least three inches and a half diameter. The centre of the side directly opposite to the lens is perforated so as to receive the dial-plate of the watch, the body of which is confined on the outside, by means of a hollow slide. When the box is lighted by a common watch-light, the figures are magnified nearly to the size of those of an ordinary clock. _Curious Experiment with a Tulip._ The bulb of a tulip in every respect resembles buds, except in their being produced under ground, and include the leaves and flower in miniature, which are to be expanded in the ensuing spring. By cautiously cutting in the early spring, through the concentric coats of a tulip root, longitudinally from the top to the base, and taking them off successively, the whole flower of the next summer's tulip is beautifully seen by the naked eye, with its petals, pistal, and stamina. _The Travelling of Sound experimentally proved._ There is probably no substance which is not in some measure a conductor of sound; but sound is much enfeebled by passing from one medium to another. If a man, stopping one of his ears with his finger, stop the other also by pressing it against the end of a long stick, and a watch be applied to the opposite end of the stick, or a piece of timber, be it ever so long, the beating of the watch will be distinctly heard; whereas, in the usual way, it can scarcely be heard at the distance of fifteen or eighteen feet. The same effect will take place if he stops both his ears with his hands, and rest his teeth, his temple, or the gristly part of one of his ears against the end of a stick. Instead of a watch, a gentle scratch may be made at one end of a pole or rod, and the person who keeps his ear in close contact with the other end of the pole, will hear it very plainly. Thus, persons who are dull of hearing, may, by applying their teeth to some part of a harpsichord, or other sounding body, hear the sound much better than otherwise. If a person tie a strip of flannel about a yard long, round a poker, then press with his thumbs and fingers the ends of the flannel into his ears, while he swings the poker against an iron fender, he will hear a sound very like that of a large church bell. _To produce Metallic Lead from the Powder._ Take one ounce of red lead, and half a drachm of charcoal in powder, incorporate them well in a mortar, and then fill the bowl of a tobacco-pipe with the mixture. Submit it to an intense heat, in a common fire, and when melted, pour it out upon a slab, and the result will be metallic lead completely revived. _To diversify the Colours of Flowers._ Fill a vessel of what size or shape you please, with good rich earth, which has been dried and sifted in the sun, then plant in the same a slip or branch of a plant bearing a white flower, (for such only can be tinged,) and use no other water to water it with, but such as is tinged with red, if you desire red flowers; with blue, if blue flowers, &c. With this coloured water, water the plant twice a day, morning and evening, and remove it into the house at night, so that it drink not of the morning or evening dew for three weeks. You will then experience, that it will produce flowers, not altogether tinctured with that colour wherewith you watered it, but partly with that, and partly with the natural. _How far Sound travels in a Minute._ However it may be with regard to the theories of sound, experience has taught us, that it travels at about the rate of 1142 feet in a second, or nearly thirteen miles in a minute. The method of calculating its progress is easily made known: when a gun is discharged at a distance, we see the fire long before we hear the sound; if, then, we know the distance of the place, and know the time of the interval between our first seeing the fire, and then hearing the report, this will show us exactly the time the sound has been travelling to us. For instance, if the gun be discharged a mile off, the moment the flash is seen I take a watch and count the seconds till I hear the sound; the number of seconds is the time the sound has been travelling a mile. _Easy Method of making a Rain Gauge._ A very simple rain gauge, and one which will answer all practical purposes, consists of a copper funnel the area of whose opening is exactly ten square inches: this funnel is fixed in a bottle, and the quantity of rain caught is ascertained by multiplying the weight in ounces by 173, which gives the depth in inches and parts of an inch. In fixing these gauges, care must be taken that the rain may have free access to them: hence the tops of buildings are usually the best places. When the quantities of rain collected in them at different places are compared, the instruments ought to be fixed at the same heights above the ground at both places, because at different heights the quantities are always different, even at the same place. _To make beautiful Transparent coloured Water._ The following liquors, which are coloured, being mixed, produce colours very different from their own. The yellow tincture of saffron, and the red tincture of roses, when mixed, produce a green. Blue tincture of violets, and brown spirit of sulphur, produce a crimson. Red tincture of roses, and brown spirits of hartshorn, make a blue. Blue tincture of violets, and blue solution of copper, give a violet colour. Blue tincture of cyanus, and blue spirit of sal-ammoniac coloured, make green. Blue solution of Hungarian vitriol, and brown ley of potash, make yellow. Blue solution of Hungarian vitriol, and red tincture of roses, make black; and blue tincture of cyanus, and green solution of copper, produce red. _Curious Experiment on Rays of Light._ That the rays of light flow in all directions from different bodies, without interrupting one another, is plain from the following experiment:--Make a little hole in a thin plate of metal, and set the plate upright on a table, facing a row of lighted candles standing near together; then place a sheet of paper or pasteboard at a little distance from the other side of the plate; and the rays of all the candles, flowing through the hole, will form as many specks of light on the paper as there are candles before the plate; each speck as distinct and large as if there were only one candle to cast one speck; which shows that the rays do not obstruct each other in their motions, although they all cross in the same hole. _The Power of Water._ Let a strong small iron tube of twenty feet in height be inserted into the bung-hole of a cask, and the aperture round so strongly closed, that it shall be water-tight; pour water into the cask till it is full, through the pipe; also continue filling the pipe till the cask bursts, which will be when the water is within a foot of the top of the tube. In this experiment the water, on bursting the vessel, will fly about with considerable violence. _The Pressure of Water._ The pressure of water may be known to every one who will only take the trouble to look at the cock of a water-butt when turned: if the tub or cistern be full, the water runs with much greater velocity through the cock, and a vessel will be filled from it in a shorter time than when it is only half-full, although the cock, in both cases, is equally replete with the fluid during the time the vessel is filling. From this also is understood, how a hole or leak, near the keel of a ship, admits the water much quicker, and with greater violence, than one of the same size near what the mariners call the water's edge. _Refraction of Light._ In the middle of an empty basin put a piece of money, and then retire from it till the edge of the basin hides the piece from your sight: then keep your head steady, let another person fill the basin gently with water; as the water rises in the basin the money will come in view; and when of a sufficient height in the basin, the whole of the piece will be in sight. _Wonderful Nature of Lightning._ If two persons, standing in a room, looking different ways, and a loud clap of thunder, accompanied with zigzag lightning, happen, they will both distinctly see the flash at the same time; not only the illumination, but the very form of the lightning itself, and every angle it makes in its course will be as distinctly perceptible, as though they had both looked directly at the cloud from whence it proceeded. If a person happened at that time to be looking on a book, or other object, which he held in his hand, he would distinctly see the form of the lightning between him and the object at which he looked. This property seems peculiar to lightning, as it does not apply to any other kind of fire whatever. _To show that the White of Eggs contains an Alkali._ Add to a wine-glass half full of tincture of red cabbage a small quantity of the white of an egg, either in a liquid state or rendered concrete by boiling. The tincture will lose its blue colour and become changed to green, because the white of the egg contains soda. _Two Inodorous Bodies become very Pungent and Odorous by Mixture._ When equal parts of muriate of ammonia and unslaked lime, both substances destitute of odour, are intimately blended together in a mortar, a very pungent gas (ammonia) becomes evolved. _Interesting Experiment for the Microscope._ The embryo grain of wheat, at the time of blossoming, being carefully taken out of the husk, will be found to have a small downy tuft at its extremity, which, when viewed in a microscope, greatly resembles the branches of thorn, spreading archwise, in opposite directions. By expanding a few of the grains, and selecting the most perfect, a very pretty microscopic object will be obtained for preservation. _The Travelling of Light._ Light travels at the rate of a hundred and fifty thousand miles in a single second; and it is seven minutes in passing from the sun to the earth, which is nearly a distance of seventy millions of miles. Such is the rapidity with which these rays dart themselves forward that a journey they thus perform in less than eight minutes, a ball from the mouth of a cannon would not complete in several weeks! But the minuteness of the particles of light are still several degrees beyond their velocity; and they are therefore harmless, because so very small. A ray of light is nothing more than a constant stream of minute parts, still flowing from the luminary, so inconceivably little, that a candle in a single second of time, has been said to diffuse several hundreds of millions more particles of light, than there could be grains in the whole earth, if it were entirely one heap of sand. The sun furnishes them, and the stars also, without appearing in the least to consume, by granting us the supply. Its light is diffused in a wide sphere, and seems inexhaustible. _Calculation of the Mass of Water contained in the Sea._ If we would have an idea of the enormous quantity of water which the sea contains, let us suppose a common and general depth of the ocean; by computing it at only 200 fathoms, or the tenth part of a mile, we shall see that there is sufficient water to cover the whole globe to the height of 503 feet of water; and if we were to reduce this water into one mass, we should find that it forms a globe of more than sixty thousand miles diameter. _Different Degrees of Heat imbibed from the Sun's Rays by Cloths of different Colours._ Walk but a quarter of an hour in your garden, when the sun shines, with a part of your dress white, and a part black; then apply your hand to them alternately, and you will find a very great difference in their warmth. The black will be quite hot to the touch, and the white still cool. Try to fire paper with a burning-glass; if it be white, you will not easily burn it; but if you bring the focus to a black spot, or upon letters, written or printed, the paper will immediately be on fire under the letters. Thus, fullers and dyers find black cloths, of equal thickness with white ones, and hung out equally wet, dry in the sun much sooner than the white, being more readily heated by the sun's rays. It is the same before a fire, the heat of which sooner penetrates black stockings than white ones, and so is apt sooner to burn a man's shins. Also beer much sooner warms in a black mug set before the fire than a white one, or in a bright silver tankard. Take a number of little square pieces of cloth from a tailor's pattern card, of various colours; say black, deep blue, lighter blue, green, purple, red, yellow, white, and other colours, or shades of colours; lay them all out upon the snow in a bright sun-shiny morning; in a few hours, the black being warmed most by the sun will be sunk so low as to be below the stroke of the sun's rays; the dark blue almost as low; the lighter blue not quite so much as the dark; the other colours less, as they are lighter; and the quite white remain on the surface of the snow, as it will not have entered it at all. _Alternate Illusion._ With a convex lens of about an inch focus, look attentively at a silver seal, on which a cipher is engraved. It will at first appear cut in, as to the naked eye; but if you continue to observe it some time, without changing your situation, it will seem to be in relief, and the lights and shades will appear the same as they did before. If you regard it with the same attention still longer, it will again appear to be engraved: and so on alternately. If you look off the seal for a few moments, when you view it again, instead of seeing it, as at first, engraved, it will appear in relief. If, while you are turned towards the light, you suddenly incline the seal, while you continue to regard it, those parts that seemed to be engraved will immediately appear in relief: and if, when you are regarding these seemingly prominent parts, you turn yourself so that the light may fall on the right hand, you will see the shadows on the same side from whence the light comes, which will appear not a little extraordinary. In like manner the shadows will appear on the left, if the light fall on that side. If instead of a seal you look at a piece of money, these alterations will not be visible, in whatever situation you place yourself. _Alarum._ Against the wall of a room, near the ceiling, fix a wheel of twelve or eighteen inches diameter; on the rim of which place a number of bells in tune, and, if you please, of different sizes. To the axis of this wheel there should be fixed a fly to regulate its motion; and round the circumference there must be wound a rope, to the end of which is hung a weight. Near to the wheel let a stand be fixed, on which is an upright piece that holds a balance or moveable lever, on one end of which rests the weight just mentioned; and to the other end must hang an inverted hollow cone, or funnel, the aperture of which is very small. This cone must be graduated on the inside, that the sand put in may answer to the number of hours it is to run. Against the upright piece, on the side next the cone, there must be fixed a check, to prevent it from descending. This stand, together with the wheel, may be enclosed in a case, and so contrived, as to be moved from one room to another with very little trouble. It is evident, from the construction of this machine, that when a certain quantity of the sand is run out, the weight will descend, and put the wheel in motion, which motion will continue till the weight comes to the ground. If the wheel be required to continue longer in motion, two or more pulleys may be added, over which the rope may run. _Musical Cascade._ Where there is a natural cascade, near the lower stream, but not in it, let there be placed a large wheel, equal to the breadth of the cascade: the diameter of this wheel, for about a foot from each end, must be much less than that of the middle part; and all the water from the cascade must be made to fall on the ends. The water that falls on the wheel may pass through pipes, so that part of it may be made occasionally to pass over or fall short of the wheel, as you would have the time of the music quicker or slower. The remaining part of the wheel, which is to be kept free from the water, must consist of bars, on which are placed stops that strike against the bells: these stops must likewise be moveable. It is evident from the construction of this machine, that the water falling on the floats at the end of the wheel, will make the stops, which are adapted to different tunes, strike the notes of those tunes on the respective bells. Two or three sets of bells may here be placed on the same line, when the cascade is sufficiently wide. Where there is not a natural cascade, one may be artificially constructed, by raising part of the ground, wherever there is a descent of water; whether it be a stream that supplies a reservoir or fountain, or serves domestic uses; or if it be refuse water that has already served some other purpose. _Writing on Glass by the Rays of the Sun._ Dissolve chalk in aqua fortis, to the consistence of milk, and add to that a strong solution of silver. Keep this liquor in a glass decanter well stopped. Then cut out from a paper the letters you would have appear, and paste the paper on the decanter, which you are to place in the sun, in such a manner that its rays may pass through the spaces cut out of the paper, and fall on the surface of the liquor. The part of the glass through which the rays pass will turn black, and that under the paper will remain white. You must observe not to move the bottle during the time of the operation. _To produce the Appearance of a Flower from its Ashes._ Make a tin box, with a cover that takes off. Let this box be supported by a pedestal of the same metal, and on which there is a little door. In the front of this box is to be a glass. In a groove, at a small distance from this glass, place a double glass, made in the same manner as described in p. 13, (_Magic Picture._) Between the front and back glasses place a small upright tin tube, supported by a cross piece. Let there be also a small chafing-dish placed in the pedestal. The box is to be opened behind. You privately place a flower in the tin tube, but not so near the front glass as to be in the least degree visible, and presenting one that resembles it to any person, desire him to burn it on the coals in a chafing-dish. You then strew some powder over the coals, which may be supposed to aid the ashes in producing the flower; and put the chafing-dish in the pedestal under the box. As the heat by degrees melts the composition between the glasses, the flower will gradually appear, but when the chafing-dish is taken away, and the powder of the ashes is supposed to be removed, the flower soon disappears. You may present several flowers, and let the person choose any one of them. In this case, while he is burning the flower, you fetch the box from another apartment, and at the same time put in a corresponding flower, which will make the experiment still more surprising. _Imitative Fire-works._ Take a paper that is blacked on both sides, or instead of black, the paper may be coloured on each side with a deep blue, which will be still better for such as are to be seen through transparent papers. It must be of a proper size for the figure you intend to exhibit. In this paper cut out with a penknife several spaces, and with a piercer make a number of holes, rather long than round, and at no regular distance from each other. To represent revolving pyramids and globes, the paper must be cut through with a penknife, and the space cut out between each spiral should be three or four times as wide as the spirals themselves. You must observe to cut them so that the pyramid or globe may appear to turn on its axis. The columns that are represented in pieces of architecture, or in jets of fire, must be cut in the same manner, if they are to be represented as turning on their axis. In like manner may be exhibited a great variety of ornaments, ciphers, and medallions, which, when properly coloured, cannot fail of producing the most pleasing effect. There should not be a very great diversity of colours, as they would not produce the most agreeable appearance. When these pieces are drawn on a large scale, the architecture or ornaments may be shaded; and, to represent different shades, pieces of coloured paper must be pasted over each other, which will produce an effect that would not be expected from transparent paintings. Five or six pieces of paper pasted over each other will be sufficient to represent the strongest shades. To give these pieces the different motions they require, you must first consider the nature of each piece; if, for example, you have cut out the figure of the sun, or of a star, you must construct a wire wheel of the same diameter with these pieces; over this wheel you paste a very thin paper, on which is drawn, with black ink, the spiral figure. The wheel thus prepared, is to be placed behind the sun or star, in such a manner that its axis may be exactly opposite the centre of either of these figures. This wheel may be turned by any method you think proper. Now, the wheel being placed directly behind the sun, for example, and very near to it, is to be turned regularly round, and strongly illuminated by candles placed behind it. The lines that form the spiral will then appear, through the spaces cut out from the sun, to proceed from its centre to its circumference, and will resemble sparks of fire that incessantly succeed each other. The same effect will be produced by the star or by any other figure where the fire is not to appear as proceeding from the circumference of the centre. These two pieces, as well as those that follow, may be of any size, provided you observe the proportion between the parts of the figure and the spiral, which must be wider in larger figures than in small. If the sun, for example, have from six to twelve inches diameter, the width of the strokes that form the spiral need not be more than one-twentieth part of an inch, and the spaces between them, that form transparent parts, about two-tenths of an inch. If the sun be two feet diameter, the strokes should be one-eighth of an inch, and the space between, one quarter of an inch; and if the figure be six feet diameter, the strokes should be one quarter of an inch and the spaces five-twelfths of an inch. These pieces have a pleasing effect, when represented of a small size, but the deception is more striking when they are of large dimensions. It will be proper to place those pieces, when of a small size, in a box quite closed on every side, that none of the light may be diffused in the chamber: for which purpose it will be convenient to have a tin door behind the box, to which the candlesticks may be soldered, and the candles more easily lighted. The several figures cut out should be placed in frames, that they may be put, alternately, in a groove in the forepart of the box; or there may be two grooves, that the second piece may be put in before the first is taken out. The wheel must be carefully concealed from the eye of the spectator. Where there is an opportunity of representing these artificial fires by a hole in the partition, they will doubtless have a much more striking effect, as the spectator cannot then conjecture by what means they are produced. It is easy to conceive that by extending this method, wheels may be constructed with three or four spirals, to which may be given different directions. It is manifest also that, on the same principle, a great variety of transparent figures may be contrived, and which may be all placed before the spiral lines. _To represent Cascades of Fire._ In cutting out cascades, you must take care to preserve a natural inequality in the parts cut out; for if, to save time, you should make all the holes with the same pointed tool, the uniformity of the parts will not fail to produce a disagreeable effect. As these cascades are very pleasing when well executed, so they are highly disgusting when imperfect. These are the most difficult pieces to cut out. To produce the apparent motion of these cascades, instead of drawing a spiral, you must have a slip of strong paper, of such length as you judge convenient. In this paper there must be a greater number of holes near each other, and made with pointed tools of different dimensions. At each end of the paper, a part of the same size with the cascade must be left uncut; and towards those parts the holes must be made at a greater distance from each other. When the cascade that is cut out is placed before the scroll of paper just mentioned, and it is entirely wound upon the roller, the part of the paper that is then between being quite opaque, no part of the cascade will be visible; but as the winch is gently turned, and regularly round, the transparent part of the paper will give to the cascade the appearance of fire that descends in the same direction; and the illusion will be so strong, that the spectators will think they see a cascade of fire; especially if the figure be judiciously cut out. _The Oracular Mirror._ Provide a round mirror of about three inches in diameter and whose frame is an inch wide. Line the under part of the frame, in which holes are to be cut, with very thin glass; behind this glass let a mirror of about two inches diameter be placed, which is to be moveable, so that by inclining the frame to either side, part of the mirror will be visible behind the glass on that side. Then take Spanish chalk, or cypress vitriol, of which you make a pencil, and with this you may write on a glass, and rub it off with a cloth, and by breathing on the glass, the writing will appear and disappear several times. With this pencil write on one side of the mirror, before it is put in the frame, the word _yes_, and on the other side, _no_; and wipe them off with a cloth. You propose to a person to ask any question of this mirror that can be answered by the words _yes_ or _no_. Then turning the glass to one side, and putting your mouth close to it, as if to repeat the question softly, you breathe on it, and the word yes or no will immediately appear. This mirror will serve for many other agreeable amusements. _The Hour of the Day or Night told by a suspended Shilling._ However improbable the following experiment may appear, it has been proved by repeated trials: Sling a shilling or sixpence at the end of a piece of thread by means of a loop. Then resting your elbow on a table, hold the other end of the thread betwixt your fore-finger and thumb, observing to let it pass across the ball of the thumb, and thus suspend the shilling into an empty goblet. Observe, your hand must be perfectly steady; and if you find it difficult to keep it in an immoveable posture, it is useless to attempt the experiment. Premising, however, that the shilling is properly suspended, you will observe, that when it has recovered its equilibrium, it will for a moment be stationary: it will then of its own accord, and without the least agency from the person holding it, assume the action of a pendulum, vibrating from side to side of the glass, and, after a few seconds, will strike the hour nearest to the time of day; for instance, if the time be twenty-five minutes past six, it will strike six; if thirty-five minutes past six, it will strike seven; and so on of any other hour. It is necessary to observe, that the thread should lie over the pulse of the thumb, and this may in some measure account for the _vibration_ of the shilling; but to what cause its striking the precise hour is to be traced, remains unexplained; for it is no less astonishing than true, that when it has struck the proper number, its vibration ceases, it acquires a kind of rotatory motion, and at last becomes stationary, as before. _Of Lightning, and the best Method of guarding against its mischievous Effects._ Experiments made in electricity first gave philosophers a suspicion, that the matter of lightning was the same with the electric matter. Experiments afterwards made on lightning obtained from the clouds by pointed rods, received into bottles, and subjected to every trial, have since proved this suspicion to be perfectly well founded; and that, whatever properties we find in electricity, are also the properties of lightning. This matter of lightning, or of electricity, is an extreme subtle fluid, penetrating other bodies, and subsisting in them, equally diffused. When, by any operation of art or nature, there happens to be a greater proportion of this fluid in one body than in another, the body which has most will communicate to that which has least, till the proportion becomes equal, provided the distance between them be not too great; or, if it be too great, till there be proper conductors to convey it from one to the other. If the communication be through the air, without any conductor, a bright light is seen between the bodies, and a sound is heard. In small experiments, we call this light and sound the electric spark and snap; but in the great operations of nature, the light is what we call _lightning_, and the sound (produced at the same time, though generally arriving later at our ears than the light does in our eyes) is, with its echoes, called _thunder_. If the communication of this fluid be by a conductor, it may be without either light or sound, the subtle fluid passing in the substance of the conductor. If the conductor be good, and of sufficient bigness, the fluid passes through it without hurting it. If otherwise, it is damaged or destroyed. All metals, and water, are good conductors. Other bodies may become conductors by having some quantity of water in them, as wood and other materials used in building, but not having much water in them, are not good conductors, and therefore are often damaged in the operation. Glass, wax, silk, wool, hair, feathers, and even wood perfectly dry, are non-conductors: that is, they resist instead of facilitating the passage of this subtle fluid. When this fluid has an opportunity of passing through two conductors, one good and sufficient, as of metal, the other not so good, it passes in the best, and will follow in any direction. The distance at which a body charged with this fluid will discharge itself suddenly, striking through the air into another body that is not charged, or not so highly charged, is different according to the quantity of the fluid, the dimensions and form of the bodies themselves, and the state of the air between them. This distance, whatever it happens to be between any two bodies, is called their striking _distance_, as, till they come within that distance of each other, no stroke will be made. The clouds have often more of this fluid in proportion than the earth: in which case, as soon as they come near enough, (that is, within the striking distance,) or meet with a conductor, the fluid quits them and strikes into the earth. A cloud fully charged with this fluid, if so high as to be beyond the striking distance from the earth, passes quietly without making noise or giving light, unless it meet with other clouds that have less. Tall trees and lofty buildings, as the towers and spires of churches, become sometimes conductors between the clouds and the earth; but, not being good ones, that is, not conveying the fluid freely, they are often damaged. Buildings that have their roofs covered with lead, or other metal, and spouts of metal continued from the roof into the ground to carry off the water, are never hurt by lightning, as, whenever it falls on such a building, it passes in the metals and not in the walls. When other buildings happen to be within the striking distance from such clouds, the fluid passes in the walls, whether of wood, brick, or stone, quitting the wall only when it can find better conductors near them, as metal rods, bolts, and hinges of windows or doors, gilding on wainscot, or frames of pictures, the silvering on the backs of looking-glasses, the wires for bells, and the bodies of animals, so containing watery fluids. And in passing through the house it follows the direction of these conductors, taking as many in its way as can assist in its passage, whether in a straight or crooked line, leaping from one to the other, if not far distant from each other, only rending the wall in the spaces where these partial good conductors are too distant from each other. An iron rod being placed on the outside of a building, from the highest part continued down into the moist earth, in any direction, straight or crooked, following the form of the roof or other parts of the building, will receive the lightning at its upper end, attracting it so as to prevent its striking any other part; and, affording it a good conveyance into the earth, will prevent its damaging any part of the building. A small quantity of metal is found able to conduct a quantity of this fluid. A wire no higher than a goose-quill has been known to conduct (with safety to the building, as far as the wire was continued) a quantity of lightning that did prodigious damage both above and below it; and probably larger rods are not necessary, though it is common in America to make them of half an inch, some three-quarters, or an inch, diameter. The rod may be fastened to the wall, chimney, &c., with staples of iron. The lightning will not leave the rod (a good conductor) to pass into the wall (a bad conductor) through those staples. It would rather, if any were in the wall, pass out of it into the rod, to get more readily by that conductor into the earth. If the building be very large and extensive, two or more rods may be placed in different parts, for greater security. Small ragged parts of clouds, suspended in the air between the great body of clouds and the earth, (like leaf gold in electrical experiments,) often serve as partial conductors for the lightning, which proceeds from one of them to another, and by their help comes within the striking distance to the earth or a building. It therefore strikes, through those conductors, a building that would otherwise be out of the striking distance. Long sharp points communicating with the earth, and presented to such parts of clouds, drawing silently from them the fluid they are charged with, they are then attracted to the cloud, and may leave the distance so great as to be beyond the reach of striking. It is therefore that we elevate the upper end of the rod, six or eight feet above the highest part of the building, tapering it gradually to a fine sharp point, which is gilt, to prevent its rusting. Thus the pointed rod either presents a stroke from the cloud, or if a stroke be made, conducts it to the earth, with safety to the building. The lower end of the rod should enter the earth so deep as to come at the moist part, perhaps two or three feet; and if bent when under the surface, so as to go in a horizontal line six or eight feet from the wall, and then bent again downwards three or four feet, it will prevent damage to any of the stones of the foundation. A person apprehensive of danger from lightning, happening during the time of thunder to be in a house not so secured, will do well to avoid sitting near the chimney, near a looking-glass, or any gilt pictures or wainscot; the safest place is in the middle of the room, (so it be not under a metal lustre suspended by a chain,) sitting in one chair and laying the feet up in another. It is still safer to bring two or three mattresses or beds into the middle of the room, and, folding them up double, place the chair upon them; for they, not being so good conductors as the walls, the lightning will not choose an interrupted course through the air of the room and the bedding, when it can go through a continued better conductor, the wall. But where it can be had, a hammock or swinging-bed, suspended by silk cords equally distant from the walls on every side, and from the ceiling and floor above and below, affords the safest situation a person can have in any room whatever; and what, indeed, may be deemed quite free from danger of any stroke by lightning. _The Leech, a Prognosticator of the Weather._ Confine a leech in a large phial, three parts filled with rain water, regularly changed twice a week, and placed on a window frame, fronting the north. In fair and frosty weather it lies motionless, and rolled up in a spiral form, at the bottom of the glass: but prior to rain or snow, it creeps up to the top, where if the rain will be heavy and of some continuance, it remains a considerable time; if trifling, it quickly descends. Should the rain or snow be accompanied with wind, it darts about its habitation with amazing celerity, and seldom ceases until it begins to blow hard. If a storm of thunder or lightning be approaching, it is exceedingly agitated, and expresses its feelings in violent convulsive starts, at the top of the glass. It is remarkable that however fine and serene the weather may be, and not the least indication to change, either from the sky, the barometer, or any other cause whatsoever, yet, if the animal ever shift its position, or move in a desultory manner, so certain will the coincident results occur, within thirty-six hours, frequently within twenty-four, and sometimes in twelve; though its motions chiefly depend on the fall and duration of the wet, and the strength of the wind. _The Awn of Barley an Hydrometer._ The awn of barley is furnished with stiff points, which, like the teeth of a saw, are all turned towards the point of it; as this long awn lies upon the ground, it extends itself in the moist air of night, and pushes forward the barley-corn, which it adheres to in the day; it shortens as it dries; and, as these points prevent it from receding, it draws up its pointed end, and thus, creeping like a worm, will travel many feet from the parent stem. That very ingenious mechanic philosopher, Mr. Edgworth, once made on this principle a wooden automaton: its back consisted of soft fir-wood, about an inch square, and four feet long, made of pieces cut the cross-way in respect to the fibres of the wood, and glued together; it had two feet before, and two behind, which supported the back horizontally, but were placed with their extremities, which were armed with sharp points of iron, bending backwards. Hence, in moist weather, the back lengthened, and the two foremost feet were pushed forwards; in dry weather the hinder feet were drawn after, as the obliquity of the points of the feet prevented it from receding. _The Power of Water when reduced to Vapour by Heat._ Whatever force water may have while its parts remain together, is nothing, if compared to the almost incredible power with which its parts are endued, when they are reduced to vapour by heat. Those steams which we see rising from the surface of boiling water, and which to us appear feeble, yet, if properly conducted, acquire immense force. In the same manner as gunpowder has but small effect, if suffered to expand at large, so the steam issuing from water is impotent, where it is permitted to evaporate into the air; but where confined in a narrow compass, as, for instance, where it rises in an iron tube shut up on every side, it there exerts all the wonders of its strength. _Muschenbrook_ has proved by experiment, that the force of gunpowder is feeble when compared to that of rising steam. A hundred and forty pounds of gunpowder blew up a weight of thirty thousand pounds: but, on the other hand, a hundred and forty pounds of water, converted by heat into steam, lifted a weight of seventy-seven thousand pounds; and would lift a much greater, if there were means of giving the steam more heat with safety; for the hotter the steam the greater is its force. _Artificial Memory._ In travelling along a road, the sight of the more remarkable scenes we meet with, frequently puts us in mind of the subjects we were thinking or talking of when we last saw them. Such facts, which were perfectly familiar, even to the vulgar, might very naturally suggest the possibility of assisting the memory, by establishing a connexion between the ideas we wish to remember, and certain sensible objects, which have been found from experience to make a permanent impression on the mind. It was said, that a person contrived a method of committing to memory the sermons which he was accustomed to hear, by fixing his attention, during the different heads of the discourse, on different compartments of the roof of the church, in such a manner as, that when he afterwards saw the roof, or remembered the order in which its compartments were disposed, he recollected the method which the preacher had observed in treating his subject. This contrivance was perfectly analogous to the topical memory of the ancients; an art which, whatever be the opinion we entertain of its use, is certainly entitled, in a high degree, to the praise of ingenuity. Suppose you fix in your memory the different apartments in some very large building, and that you had accustomed yourself to think of these apartments always in the same invariable order. Suppose further, that, in preparing yourself for a public discourse, in which you had occasion to treat of a great variety of particulars, you were anxious to fix in your memory the order you proposed to observe in the communication of your ideas. It is evident, that by a proper division of your subject into heads, and by connecting each head with a particular apartment, (which you could easily do, by conceiving yourself to be sitting in the apartment while you were studying the part of your discourse you mean to connect with it,) the habitual order in which these apartments occurred to your thoughts, would present to you in the proper arrangement, and without any effort on your part, the ideas of which you were to treat. It is also obvious, that very little practice would enable you to avail yourself of this contrivance, without any embarrassment or distraction of your attention. _To procure Hydrogen Gas._ Provide a phial with a cork stopper, through which is thrust a piece of tobacco-pipe. Into the phial put a few pieces of zinc, or small iron nails; on this pour a mixture, of equal parts of sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol) and water, previously mixed in a tea-cup, to prevent accidents. Replace the cork stopper, with a piece of tobacco-pipe in it; the hydrogen gas will then be liberated through the pipe into a small steam. Apply the flame of a candle or taper to this steam, and it will immediately take fire, and burn with a clear flame until all the hydrogen in the phial be exhausted. In this experiment the zinc or iron, by the action of the acid, becomes oxygenized, and is dissolved, thus taking the oxygen from the sulphuric acid and water; the hydrogen (the other constituent part of the water) is thereby liberated, and ascends. _To fill a Bladder with Hydrogen Gas._ Apply a bladder, previously wetted and compressed, in order to squeeze out all the common air, to the piece of tobacco-pipe inserted in the cork stopper of the phial, (as described in the experiment above.) The bladder will thus be filled with hydrogen gas. _Exploding Gas Bubbles._ Adapt the end of a common tobacco-pipe to a bladder filled with hydrogen gas, and dip the bowl of the pipe into soap-suds, prepared as if for blowing up soap bubbles; squeeze out small portions of gas from the bladder into the soap-suds, and the bubbles will ascend into the air with very great rapidity, until they are out of sight. If a lighted taper or candle be applied to the bubbles as they ascend from the bowl of the pipe, they will explode with a loud noise. _Another Method._ Put a small quantity of phosphorus and some potash, dissolved in water, into a retort; apply the flame of a candle or lamp to the bottom of the retort, until the contents boil. The phosphuretted hydrogen gas will then rise, and may be collected in receivers. But it, instead of receiving the gas into a jar, you let it simply ascend into water, the bubbles of gas will then explode in succession, as they reach the surface of the water, and a beautiful white smoke will be formed, which rises slowly and majestically to the ceiling. If bits of phosphorus are kept some hours in hydrogen gas, phosphorized hydrogen gas is produced: and if bubbles of this gas are thrown up into the receiver of an air-pump, previously filled with oxygen gas, a brilliant bluish flame will immediately fill the jar. _Singular Impression on the visual Nerves by a Luminous Object._ If, while sitting in a room, you look earnestly at the middle of a window, a little while, when the day is bright, and then shut your eyes, the figure of the window will still remain in your eye, and so distinct that you may count the panes. A remarkable circumstance attending this experiment is, that the impression of forms is better retained than that of colours; for, after the eyes are shut, when you first discern the image of the window, the panes appear dark, and the cross-bars of the sashes, with the window frames and walls, appear white and bright; but if you still add to the darkness of the eyes, by covering them with your hand, the reverse instantly takes place--the panes appear luminous, and the cross-bars dark; and by removing the hand, they are again reversed. _Curious Effects of Oil upon Water, and Water upon Oil._ Fasten a piece of pack-thread round a tumbler, with strings of the same from each side, meeting above it in a knot at about a foot distance from the top of the tumbler. Then putting in as much water as will fill about one-third part of the tumbler, lift it up by the knot, and swing it to and fro in the air; the water will keep its place as steadily in the glass as if it were ice. But pour gently in upon the water about as much oil, and then again swing it in the air as before, the tranquillity before possessed by the water will be transferred to the surface of the oil, and the water under it will be violently agitated. _Another curious Experiment with Oil and Water._ Drop a small quantity of oil into water agitated by the wind; it will immediately spread itself with surprising swiftness upon the surface, and the oil, though scarcely more than a tea-spoonful, will produce an instant calm over a space several yards square. It should be done on the windward side of the pond or river, and you will observe it extend to the size of nearly half an acre, making it appear as smooth as a looking-glass. One remarkable circumstance in this experiment is the sudden, wide, and forcible spreading of a drop of oil on the surface of the water; for if a drop of oil be put upon a highly polished marble table, or a looking-glass, laid horizontally, the drop remains in its place, spreading very little, but when dropped on water it spreads instantly many feet round, becoming so thin as to produce the prismatic colours for a considerable space, and beyond them so much thinner as to be invisible, except in its effect in smoothing the waves at a much greater distance. It seems as if a repulsion of its particles took place as soon as it touched the water, and so strong as to act on other bodies swimming on the surface, as straw, leaves, chips, &c., forcing them to recede every way from the drop, as from a centre, leaving a large clear space. _Remarkable Effects on the visual Nerves, by looking through differently-coloured Glasses._ After looking through green spectacles, the white paper of a book will, on first taking them off, appear to have a blush of red; and after looking through red glasses, a greenish cast. This seems to intimate a relation between green and red, not yet explained. _Weather Table._ --------------------+---------------------+------------------------ NEW AND FULL MOON. | SUMMER. | WINTER. --------------------+---------------------+------------------------ If the new or full | | moon enters into | | the first or last | | quarter of the | | hour of 12 at noon | Very rainy | Snow and rain. | | If between the | | hours of | | (P.M.) 2 and 4 | Changeable | Fair and mild. 4 and 6 | Fair | Fair. 6 and 8 | { Fair, if wind | { Fair and frosty, if | { at N.W. | { wind at N. or N.E. | { Rainy, if wind | { Rain or snow, if S. | { at S. or S.W. | { or S.W. 8 and 10 | Ditto | Ditto. 10 | Fair | Fair and frosty. (A.M.) 2 | Ditto | { Hard frost, unless | | { wind S.S.W. 2 and 4 | Cold, with frequent | | showers | 4 and 6 | Rain | Ditto, ditto. 6 and 8 | Wind and Rain | Stormy weather. 8 and 10 | Changeable | { Cold and rain, if | | { wind N.; snow if E. 10 and 12 | Frequent showers | Cold, with high wind. --------------------+---------------------+----------------------- A COMPLETE SYSTEM OF PYROTECHNY; OR THE ART OF MAKING FIRE-WORKS. In the art of making fire-works, great attention must be paid to the well-mixing of the materials--without which all labour is thrown away; to the purity of the articles; and to the proper quantities of each. Sulphur, to be good, must be of a high colour, and crack and bounce when held in the hand. For small fire-works, such as may be bought in the flour will be found quite good enough, but for the larger kinds, the lump brimstone ground is preferable. _Benzoin_ is used in fire-works, more for its pleasant scent than any material use for the purposes of fire. It may be procured at the chemists, ready for use. The oil is also used in wet composition, for stars, &c. _Of Sulphur, or Brimstone._ Sulphur is by nature the food of fire, and one of the principal ingredients in gunpowder, and in almost all compositions of fire-works; therefore, great care ought to be taken of its being good, and brought to the highest perfection. Now, to know when the sulphur is good, you are to observe that it be of a high yellow; and if, when held in one's hand, it crackles and bounces, it is a sign that it is fresh and good: but as the method of reducing brimstone to a powder is very troublesome, it is better to buy the flour ready made, which is done in large quantities, and in great perfection; but when a great quantity of fire-works is to be made, it is best to use the lump brimstone ground, in the same manner as gunpowder. _Of Saltpetre._ Saltpetre being the principal ingredient in fire-works, and a volatile body by reason of its aqueous and aërial parts, is easily rarefied by fire; but not so soon when foul and gross, as when purified from its gross and earthy parts, which greatly retard its velocity; therefore, when any quantity of fire-works is intended to be made, it would be necessary first to examine the saltpetre; for if it be not well cleansed from all impurities, and of a good sort, your works will not have their proper effect. _To pulverize Saltpetre._ Take a copper kettle, the bottom being spherical, and put into it fourteen pounds of refined saltpetre, with two quarts or five pints of clean water; then put the kettle on a slow fire, and when the saltpetre is dissolved, if any impurities arise, skim them off, and keep constantly stirring it with two large spatulas, till all the water exhales; and when done enough, it will appear like white sand, and as fine as flour; but if it should boil too fast, take the kettle off the fire, and set it on some wet sand, which will prevent the nitre from sticking to the kettle. When you have pulverized a quantity of saltpetre, be careful to keep it in a dry place. _To prepare Charcoal for Fire-works._ Charcoal is a preservative, by which the saltpetre and brimstone are made into gunpowder, by preventing the sulphur from suffocating the strong and windy exhalation of the nitre. There are several sorts of wood made use of for this purpose; some prefer hazel, others willow, and others alder. The method of burning the wood is this: cut it in pieces of two or three feet long, then slit each piece in four parts; scale off the bark and hard knots, and dry them in the sun, or in an oven; then make in the earth a square hole, and line it with bricks, in which lay the wood crossing one another, and set it on fire; when thoroughly lighted, and in a flame, cover the whole with boards, and fling earth over them close, to prevent the air from getting in, yet so as not to fall among the charcoal; and when it has lain thus for twenty-four hours, take out the coals and lay them in a dry place for use. It is to be observed, that charcoal for fire-works must always be soft and well burnt, which may be bought ready done. _Of Gunpowder, &c._ Gunpowder being a principal ingredient in fire-works, it will not be improper to give a short definition of its strange explosive force, and cause of action, which, according to Dr. Shaw's opinion of the chemical cause of the explosive force of gunpowder, is as follows:--"Each grain of gunpowder consisting of a certain proportion of sulphur, nitre, and coal, the coal presently taking fire, upon contact of the smallest spark; at which time both the sulphur and the nitre immediately melt, and by means of the coal interposed between them, burst into flame; which spreading from grain to grain, propagates the same effect almost instantaneously, whence the whole mass of powder comes to be fired; and as nitre contains a large proportion both of air and water, which are now violently rarefied by the heat, a kind of fiery explosive blast is thus produced, wherein the nitre seems, by its aqueous and aërial parts, to act as bellows to the other inflammable bodies (sulphur and coal) to blow them into a flame, and carry off their whole substance in smoke and vapour." _How to meal Gunpowder, Brimstone, and Charcoal._ There have been many methods used to grind these ingredients to a powder for fire-works, such as large mortars and pestles made of ebony, and other hard woods; but none of these methods have proved so effectual and speedy as the last invention, that of the mealing table. This table is made of elm, with a rim round its edge four or five inches high; and at the narrow end is a slider which runs in a groove and forms part of the rim; so that when you have taken out of the table as much powder as you conveniently can, with a copper shovel, you may sweep all clean out at the slider. When you are going to meal a quantity of powder, observe not to put too much on the table at once; but when you have put in a good proportion, take a muller and rub it therewith till all the grains are broken; sift it in a lawn sieve, that has a receiver and top to it; and that which does not pass through the sieve, return again to the table and grind it more, till you have brought it all fine enough to go through the sieve. Brimstone and charcoal are ground in the same manner as gunpowder, only the muller must be made of ebony, for these ingredients being harder than powder, would stick in the grain of the elm and be very difficult to grind; and as the brimstone is apt to stick and clog to the table, it would be best to keep one for that purpose only, by which means you will always have your brimstone clean and well ground. _Spur Fire._ This fire is the most beautiful of any composition yet known. As it requires great trouble to bring it to perfection, particular care must be paid to the following instructions. They are made generally in cases about six inches long, but not driven very hard. CHARGE. lb. oz. CHARGE. lb. oz. Saltpetre 4 0 } { Saltpetre 1 0 Sulphur 2 0 } or { Sulphur 0 8 Lamp-black 1 8 } { Lamp-black 4 quarts. This composition is very difficult to mix. The saltpetre and brimstone must be first sifted together, and then put into a marble mortar, and the lamp-black with them, which you work down by degrees with a wooden pestle, till all the ingredients appear of one colour, which will be something greyish, but very near black; then drive a little into a case for trial, and fire it in a dark place; and if the sparks, which are called stars or pinks, come out in clusters, and afterwards spread well without any other sparks, it is a sign of its being good, otherwise, not; for if any drossy sparks appear, and the stars not full, it is then not mixed enough; but if the pinks are very small, and soon break, it is a sign that you have rubbed it too much. This mixture, when rubbed too much, will be too fierce, and hardly show any stars; and, on the contrary, when not mixed enough, will be too weak, and throw out an obscure smoke, and lumps of dross, without any stars. The reason of this charge being called the spur fire is, because the sparks it yields have a great resemblance to the rowel of a spur, from whence it takes its name. As the beauty of this composition cannot be seen at so great a distance as brilliant fire, it has a better effect in a room than in the open air, and may be fired in a chamber without any danger; it is of so innocent a nature, that, although an improper phrase, it may be called a cold fire; and so extraordinary is the fire produced from this composition, that, if well made, the sparks will not burn a handkerchief when held in the midst of them; you may hold them in your hand while burning, with as much safety as a candle; and if you put your hand within a foot of the case, you will feel the sparks fall like drops of rain. _To make Touch Paper._ Dissolve in some spirits of wine or vinegar, a little saltpetre; then take some purple or blue paper, wet it with the above liquor, and when dry it will be fit for use. When you paste this paper on any of your works, take care that the paste does not touch that part which is to burn. The method of using this paper is, by cutting it into slips, long enough to go once round the mouth of the serpent, cracker, &c. When you paste on these slips, leave a little, above the mouth of the case, not pasted; then prime the case with meal-powder (see p. 165) and twist the paper to a point. _Of such Ingredients as show themselves in Sparks, when rammed into choked Cases._ The set colours of fire produced by sparks are divided into four sorts, viz., the black, white, grey, and red; the black charges are composed of two ingredients, which are meal-powder and charcoal; the white of three, viz., saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal; the grey of four, viz., meal-powder, saltpetre, brimstone, and charcoal; and the red of three, viz., meal-powder, charcoal, and saw-dust. There are, besides these four regular or set charges, two others which are distinguished by the names of compound and brilliant charges; the compound charge being made of many ingredients, such as meal-powder, saltpetre, brimstone, charcoal, saw-dust, sea-coal, antimony, glass-dust, brass-dust, steel-filings, cast-iron, tanners' dust, &c., or any thing that will yield sparks; all which must be managed with discretion. The brilliant fires are composed of meal-powder, saltpetre, brimstone, and steel-dust; or with meal-powder, and steel-filings only. _Of the Method of mixing Compositions._ The performance of the principal part of fire-works depends much on the compositions being well mixed; therefore, great care ought to be taken in this part of the work, particularly in the composition for sky-rockets. When you have four or five pounds of ingredients to mix, which is a sufficient quantity at a time, (for a larger proportion will not do so well,) first put the different ingredients together, then work them about with your hands, till you think they are pretty well incorporated: after which, put them into a lawn sieve with a receiver and top to it; and if, after it is sifted, any should remain that will not pass through the sieve, grind it again till fine enough; and if it be twice sifted it will not be amiss; but the compositions for wheels and common works are not so material, nor need be so fine. But in all fixed works, from which the fire is to play regular, the ingredients must be very fine, and great care taken in mixing them well together: and observe, that, in all compositions wherein are steel or iron filings, the hands must not touch; nor will any works which have iron or steel in their charge, keep long in damp weather, without being properly prepared, according to the following directions:-- It may sometimes happen, that fire-works may be required to be kept a long time, or sent abroad; neither of which could be done with brilliant fires, if made with filings unprepared; for this reason, that the saltpetre being of a damp nature, it causes the iron to rust, the natural consequence of which is, that when the works are fired, there will appear but very few brilliant sparks, but instead of them a number of red and drossy sparks; and besides, the charge will be so much weakened, that if this should happen to wheels, the fire will not be strong enough to force them round; to prevent such accidents, prepare your filings after the following manner:--Melt in a glazed earthen pan some brimstone over a slow fire, and when melted, throw in some filings, which keep stirring about till they are covered with brimstone; this you must do while it is on the fire; then take it off, and stir it very quick till cold, when you must roll it on a board with a wooden roller, till you have broken it as fine as corn powder; after which, sift from it as much of the brimstone as you can. There is another method of preparing filings, so as to keep two or three months in winter; this may be done by rubbing them between the strongest sort of brown paper, which has been previously moistened with linseed oil. N.B. If the brimstone should take fire, you may put it out, by covering the pan close at top. It is not of much consequence what quantity of brimstone you use, provided there is enough to give each grain of iron a coat; but as much as will cover the bottom of a pan of about one foot diameter, will do for five or six pounds of filings. Cast-iron for gerbes will be preserved by the above method. _To make Crackers._ Cut some stout cartridge-paper into pieces three inches and a half broad, and one foot long; one edge of each of these pieces fold down lengthwise about three-quarters of an inch broad; then fold the double edge down a quarter of an inch, and turn the single edge back half over the double fold; open it, and lay all along the channel, which is formed by the foldings of the paper, some meal-powder; then fold it over and over till all the paper is doubled up, rubbing it down every turn; this being done, bend it backwards and forwards, two inches and a half or thereabouts, at a time, as often as the paper will allow; hold all these folds flat and close, and with a small pinching cord, give one turn round the middle of the cracker, and pinch it close; bind it with packthread, as tight as you can; then in the place where it was pinched, prime one end, and cap it with touch-paper. When these crackers are fired, they will give a report at every turn of the paper; if you would have a great number of bounces, you must cut the paper longer, or join them after they are made; but if they are made very long before they are pinched, you must have a piece of wood with a groove in it, deep enough to let in half the cracker; this will hold it straight while it is pinching. _To make Squibs and Serpents._ First make the cases, of about six inches in length, by rolling slips of stout cartridge-paper three times round a roller, and pasting the last fold; tying it near the bottom as tight as possible, and making it air-tight at the end, by sealing-wax. Then take of gunpowder half a pound, charcoal one ounce, brimstone one ounce, and steel-filings half an ounce, (or in like proportion,) grind them with a muller, or pound them in a mortar. Your cases being dry and ready, first put a thimble-full of your powder, and ram it hard down with a ruler; then fill the case to the top with the aforesaid mixture, ramming it hard down in the course of filling, two or three times; when this is done point with touch-paper, which should be pasted on that part which touches the case, otherwise it is liable to drop off. _Sky-Rockets._ Rockets being of the fire-works most in use, we shall give them the preference in description. As the performance of rockets depends much upon their moulds, they should be made according to the following proportions:--Taking the diameter of the orifice, its height should be equal to six diameters and two-thirds: the choke, one diameter and one-third of this model, will serve for every rocket from 4 oz. to 6 lb.--For instance:--suppose the diameter of a rocket of 1 lb. be 1-1/2 inch, then its length being 6 diameters and two-thirds, the length of the case must be 10-1/3 inches, and the choke 2-1/4 inches. Your rammer must have a collar of brass, to prevent the wood from splitting. _Method of rolling Rocket Cases._--The cases must be made of the strongest cartridge-paper, and rolled dry. The case of a middling-sized rocket will take up paper of four or five sheets thick; having cut your papers to a proper size, and the last sheet with a slope at one end, fold down one end, and lay your former on the double edge, and when you have rolled on the paper within two or three turns, lay the next sheet on that part which is loose, and roll it all on. Then, in order to roll the case as hard as possible, place it on a table, and with a smooth board roll it for some time forwards on the table, till it becomes quite hard and firm. This must be done with every sheet. You have next to choke the case; for which purpose draw your former a little distance from the bottom, then, with a cord, once round the case, pull it rather easy at first, and harder, till you have closed the end. To make it easy, you may dip the ends of the inner sheets in water before rolling, then bind it with small twine. Having thus pinched and tied the case so as not to give way, put it into the mould without its foot, and with a mallet drive the former hard on the end-piece, which will force the neck close and smooth. This done, cut the case to its proper length, allowing from the neck to the edge of the mouth half a diameter, which is equal to the height of the nipple; then take out the former, and drive the case over the piercer with a long rammer, and the vent will be of a proper size. Having formed your cases, we will now proceed to the description of the ingredients necessary for the rocket. _Of mixing the Composition._--The performance of the principal part of fire-works depends much on the compositions being well mixed; therefore, great care must be taken in this part of the work, particularly for the composition for sky-rockets. When you have four or five pounds of ingredients to mix, which is a sufficient quantity at a time, (for a large proportion will not do so well,) first put the different ingredients together, then work them about with your hands, till you think they are pretty well incorporated; after which, put them into a lawn sieve with a receiver and top to it; and if, after it is sifted, any remains that will not pass through the sieve, grind it again till it is fine enough; and if it be twice sifted it will not be amiss; but the compositions for wheels and common works are not so material, nor need be so fine. But in all fixed works, from which the fire is to play regular, the ingredients must be very fine, and great care taken in mixing them well together; and observe, that in all compositions wherein are iron filings, the hand must not touch them; nor will any works which have iron or steel in their charge keep long in damp weather. _To drive or ram Rockets._--Rockets are filled hollow, otherwise they would not ascend, and there is not a part that requires greater attention than this stage of the process. One blow more or less with the mallet will spoil the ascent. The charge of rockets must always be driven above the piercer, and on it must be rammed a thin head of clay; through the middle of which bore a small hole to the composition, that when the charge is burnt to the top, it may communicate its fire through the hole to the stars in the head. To a rocket of four ounces, give to each ladle-full of charge 16 strokes; to a rocket of 1 lb., 28; to a 2-pounder, 36; to a 4-pounder, 42; and to a 6-pounder, 56; but rockets of a larger sort cannot be driven well by hand, but must be rammed with a machine made in the same manner as those for driving piles. The method of ramming wheel cases, or any other sort in which the charge is driven solid, is the same as sky-rockets. When you load the heads of your rockets with stars, rains, serpents, crackers, scrolls, or any thing else, according to your fancy, remember always to put a ladle-full of meal-powder into each head, which will be enough to burst the head and disperse the stars, or whatever it contains. _Decorations for Sky-rockets._--Sky-rockets may be decorated according to fancy. Some are headed with stars of different sorts, such as tailed, brilliant, white, blue, and yellow stars, &c. Some with gold and silver rains; others with serpents, crackers, fire-scrolls, and marrons; and some with small rockets and other devices, as the maker pleases. LENGTH OF ROCKET-STICKS. For rockets of 6 lb. 0 oz. the stick must be 14 ft. 10 in. long 4 0 12 10 2 0 9 4 1 0 8 2 0 8 6 6 0 4 5 3 Having your sticks ready, cut on one of the flat sides at the top a groove the length of the rocket, and as broad as the stick will allow; then on the opposite flat side cut two notches, for the cord which ties on the rocket to lie in; one of these notches must be near the top of the stick, and the other facing the neck of the rocket; the distance between these notches may be easily known, for the top of the stick should always touch the head of the rocket. When your rockets and sticks are ready, lay the rockets in the grooves in the sticks, and tie them on. We will now proceed to the charge for sky-rockets. ROCKETS OF FOUR OUNCES. lb. oz. Meal-powder 1 4 Saltpetre 0 4 Charcoal 0 2 ROCKETS OF EIGHT OUNCES. lb. oz. Meal-powder 1 0 Saltpetre 0 4 Brimstone 0 3 Charcoal 0 1-1/2 ONE POUND. lb. oz. Meal-powder 2 0 Saltpetre 0 8 Brimstone 0 4 Charcoal 0 2 Steel-filings 0 1-1/2 SKY-ROCKETS IN GENERAL. lb. oz. Saltpetre 4 0 Brimstone 1-1/2 0 Charcoal 1 12 Meal-powder 0 2 LARGE SKY-ROCKETS. lb. oz. Saltpetre 4 0 Meal-powder 1 0 Brimstone 1 0 ROCKETS OF A MIDDLING SIZE. lb. oz. Meal-powder 1 0 Charcoal 1 0 Saltpetre 3 0 Sulphur 2 0 ROCKET STARS. WHITE STARS. lb. oz. Meal-powder 0 4 Saltpetre 0 12 Sulphur vivum 0 6 Oil of spike 0 2 Camphor 0 5 BLUE STARS. lb. oz. Meal-powder 0 8 Saltpetre 0 4 Sulphur 0 2 Spirits of wine 0 2 Oil of Spike 0 2 VARIEGATED STARS. lb. oz. Meal-powder 0 3-1/2 Saltpetre 0 4 Sulphur vivum 0 2 Camphor 0 2 BRILLIANT STARS. lb. oz. Saltpetre 0 8-1/2 Sulphur 0 1-1/2 Meal-powder 0 0-3/4 Worked up with spirits of wine only. COMMON STARS. lb. oz. Saltpetre 1 0 Brimstone 0 4 Antimony 0 4-3/4 Isinglass 0 0-1/2 Camphor 0 0-1/4 Spirits of wine 0 0-1/4 TAILED STARS. lb. oz. Meal-powder 0 2 Brimstone 0 2 Saltpetre 0 2 Charcoal (coarsely ground) 0 0-3/4 STARS OF A FINE COLOUR. lb. oz. Sulphur 0 1 Meal-powder 0 1 Saltpetre 0 1 Camphor 0 0-1/4 Oil of turpentine 0 0-1/4 RAINS. GOLD RAIN FOR SKY-ROCKETS. lb. oz. Saltpetre 0 8 Brimstone 0 2 Glass-dust 0 1 Antimony 0 0-3/4 Brass-dust 0 0-1/4 Saw-dust 0 0-1/4 SILVER RAIN. lb. oz. Saltpetre 0 8 Brimstone 0 2 Charcoal 0 4 Steel-dust 0 0-1/4 _To fix one Rocket on the top of another._--When sky-rockets are fixed one on the top of another, they are called _towering rockets_, on account of their mounting so very high. Towering rockets are made after this manner: Fix on a pound rocket a head without a collar; then take a four-ounce rocket, which may be headed or bounced, and rub the mouth of it with meal-powder wetted with spirit of wine: this done, put it in the head of a large rocket with its mouth downwards; but before it is put in, stick a bit of quick-match in the hole of the clay of the pound rocket, which match should be long enough to go a little way up the bore of the small rocket, to fire it when the large rocket is burnt out. As the four-ounce rocket is too small to fill the head of the other, roll round it as much tow as will make it stand upright in the centre of the head: the rocket being thus fixed, paste a single paper round the opening of the top of the head of the large rocket. The large rocket must have only half a diameter of charge rammed above the piercer; for, if filled to the usual height, it would turn before the small one takes fire, and entirely destroy the intended effect: when one rocket is headed with another, there will be no occasion for any blowing powder; for the force with which it goes off will be sufficient to disengage it from the head of the first fired rocket. The sticks for these rockets must be a little longer than for those headed with stars, rains, &c. _Caduceous Rockets._--They are such as, in rising, form two spiral lines, by reason of their being placed obliquely, one opposite to the other; and their counterpoise in the centre, which causes them to rise in a vertical direction. Rockets for this purpose must have their ends choked close, without either head or bounce; for a weight at the top would be a great obstruction to their mounting. No caduceous rockets ascend so high as single, because of their serpentine motion, and likewise the resistance of air, which is much greater than two rockets of the same size would meet with if fired singly. The sticks for this purpose must have all their sides equal, and the sides should be equal to the breadth of a stick proper for a sky-rocket of the same weight as those you intend to use, and made to taper downwards as usual, long enough to balance them, one length of a rocket from the cross stick, which must be placed from the large stick six diameters of one of the rockets, and its length seven diameters; so that each rocket, when tied on, may form, with the large stick, an angle of 60 degrees. In tying on the rockets, place their heads on the opposite side of the cross stick; then carry a leader from the mouth of one into that of the other. When these rockets are to be fired, suspend them between two hooks, or nails, then burn the leader through the middle, and both will take fire at the same time. Rockets of 1 lb. are a good size for this use. _Honorary Rockets._--These are the same as sky-rockets, except that they carry no head nor report, but are closed at top, on which is fixed a cone; then on the case, close to the top of the stick, is tied on a two-ounce case, about five or six inches long, filled with a strong charge, and pinched close at both ends; then in the reverse side, at each end, bore a hole in the same manner as in tourbillons, to be presently described; from each hole carry a leader into the top of the rocket. When the rocket is fired, and arrived to its proper height, it will give fire to the case at top; which will cause both rocket and stick to spin very fast in their return, and represent a worm of fire descending to the ground. There is another method of placing the small case, which is by letting the stick rise a little above the top of the rocket, and tying the case to it, so as to rest on the rocket: these rockets have no cones. A third method by which they are managed is this: in the top of a rocket fix a piece of wood, in which drive a small iron spindle; then make a hole in the middle of the small case, through which is put the spindle; then fix on the top of it a nut, to keep the case from falling off; when this is done, the case will turn very fast, without the rocket: but this method does not answer so well as either of the former. _To make a Rocket form an Arch in rising._--Having some rockets made, headed according to fancy, and tied on their sticks, get some sheet tin, and cut it into round pieces about three or four inches diameter; then on the stick of each rocket, under the mouth of the case, fix one of these pieces of tin 16 inches from the rocket's neck, and support it by a wooden bracket, as strong as possible: the use of this is, that when the rocket is ascending, the fire may play with greater force on the tin, which will divide the tail in such a manner that it will form an arch as it mounts, and will have a very good effect when well managed; if there is a short piece of port fire, of a strong charge, tied to the end of the stick, it will make a great addition; but this must be lighted before the rocket is fired. _To make several Rockets rise together._--Take six, or any number of sky-rockets, of any size; then cut some strong packthread into pieces of three or four yards long, and tie each end of these pieces to a rocket in this manner: Having tied one end of the packthread round the body of one rocket, and the other end to another, take a second piece of packthread, and make one end of it fast to one of the rockets already tied, and the other end to a third rocket, so that all the rockets, except the two on the outside, will be fastened to the two pieces of packthread: the length of thread from one rocket to the other may be what the maker pleases; but the rockets must be all of a size, and their heads filled with the same weight of stars, rains, &c. Having thus done, fix in the mouth of each rocket a leader of the same length; and when about to fire them, hang them almost close; then tie the ends of the leaders together, and prime them; this prime being fired, all the rockets will mount at the same time, and divide as far as the strings will allow; and this division they keep, provided they are all rammed alike, and well made. They are sometimes called chained rockets. _To fix several Rockets to the same Stick._--Two, three, or six sky-rockets, fixed on one stick, and fired together, make a grand and beautiful appearance; for the tails of all will seem but as one of an immense size, and the breaking of so many heads at once will resemble the bursting of an air-balloon. The management of this device requires a skilful hand; but if the following instructions be well observed, even by those who have not made a great progress in this art, there will be no doubt of the rockets having the desired effect. Rockets for this purpose must be made with the greatest exactness, all rammed by the same hand, in the same mould, and filled with the same proportion of composition: and after they are filled and headed, must all be of the same weight. The stick must also be well made (and proportioned) to the following directions; first, supposing the rockets to be half-pounders, whose sticks are six feet six inches long, then if two, three, or six of these are to be fixed on one stick, let the length of it be nine feet nine inches; then cut the top of it into as many sides as there are rockets, and let the length of each side be equal to the length of one of the rockets without its head; and in each side cut a groove (as usual;) then from the grooves plane it round, down to the bottom, where its thickness must be equal to half the top of the round part. As their thickness cannot be exactly ascertained, we shall give a rule, which generally answers for any number of rockets above two; the rule is this: that the stick at top must be thick enough, when the grooves are cut, for all the rockets to lie, without pressing each other, though as near as possible. When only two rockets are to be fixed on one stick, let the length of the stick be the last given proportion, but shaped after the common method, and the breadth and thickness double the usual dimensions. The point of poise must be in the usual place (let the number of rockets be what it will;) if sticks made by the above directions should be too heavy, plane them thinner; and if too light, make them thicker; but always make them of the same length. When more than two rockets are tied on one stick, there will be some danger of their flying up without the stick, unless the following precaution is taken: For cases being placed on all sides, there can be no notches for the cord which ties on the rockets to lie in: therefore, instead of notches, drive a small nail in each side of the stick, between the necks of the cases, and let the cord, which goes round their necks, be brought close under the nails; by this means the rockets will be as secure as when tied on singly. The rockets being thus fixed, carry a quick-match, without a pipe, from the mouth of one rocket to the other; this match being lighted will give fire to all at once. Though the directions already given may be sufficient for these rockets, we shall here add an improvement on a very essential part of this device, which is, that of hanging the rockets to be fired; for before the following method was contrived, many attempts proved unsuccessful. Instead, therefore, of the old and common manner of hanging them on nails or hooks, make use of the following contrivance: Have a ring made of strong iron wire, large enough for the stick to go in as far as the mouths of the rockets; then have another ring supported by a small iron, at some distance from the post or stand to which it is fixed; then have another ring fit to receive and guide the small end of the stick. Rockets thus suspended will have nothing to obstruct their fire; but when they are hung on nails or hooks, in such a manner that some of their mouths or against or upon a rail, there can be no certainty of their rising in a vertical direction. _To fire Rockets without Sticks._--You must have a stand, of a block of wood, a foot diameter, and make the bottom flat, so that it may stand steady: in the centre of the top of this block draw a circle two inches and a half diameter, and divide the circumference of it into three equal parts; then take three pieces of thick iron wire, each about three feet long, and drive them into the block, one at each point made on the circle; when these wires are driven in deep enough to hold them fast and upright, so that the distance from one to the other is the same at top as at bottom, the stand is complete. The stand being thus made, prepare the rockets thus: Take some common sky-rockets of any size, and head them as you please; then get some balls of lead, and tie to each a small wire two or two feet and a half long, and the other end of each wire tie to the neck of a rocket. These balls answer the purpose of sticks, when made of a proper weight, which is about two-thirds the weight of the rocket; but when they are of a proper size, they will balance the rocket in the same manner as a stick, at the usual point of poise. To fire these, hand them one at a time, between the tops of the wires, letting their heads rest on the point of the wires, and the balls hang down between them: if the wires should be too wide for the rockets, press them together till they fit; and if too close, force them open; the wires for this purpose must be softened, so as not to have any spring, or they will not keep their position when pressed close or opened. _Scrolls for Rockets._--Cases for scrolls should be made four or five inches in length, and their interior diameters three-eighths of an inch: one end of these cases must be pinched quite close before beginning to fill; and when filled, close the other end; then in the opposite sides make a small hole at each end, to the composition, as in tourbillons, and prime them with wet meal-powder. You may put in the head of the rocket as many of these cases as it will contain: being fired, they turn very quick in the air, and form a scroll or spiral line. They are generally filled with a strong charge, as that of serpents or brilliant fire. _Stands for Rockets._--Care must be taken, in placing the rockets, when they are to be fired, to give them a vertical direction at their first setting out; which may be managed thus: Have two rails of wood, of any length, supported at each end by a perpendicular leg, so that the rails may be horizontal, and let the distance from one to the other be almost equal to the length of the sticks of the rockets intended to be fired; then in the front of the top rail drive square hooks at eight inches distance, with their points turned sidewise, so that when the rockets are hung on them, the points will be before the sticks, and keep them from falling or being blown off by the wind; in the front of the rail at bottom must be staples, driven perpendicularly under the hooks at top; through these staples put the small ends of the rocket-sticks. Rockets are fired by applying a lighted port-fire to their mouths. _Table-Rockets._--Table-rockets are designed merely to show the truth of driving, and the judgment of a fire-worker; they having no other effect, when fired, than spinning round in the same place where they began, till they are burnt out, and showing nothing more than a horizontal circle of fire. The method of making these rockets is thus:--Have a cone turned out of hard wood two inches and a half in diameter, and as much high; round the base of it drive a line; on this line fix four spokes, each two inches long, so as to stand one opposite the other; then fill four nine-inch one-pound cases with any strong composition, within two inches of the top: these cases are made like tourbillons, and must be rammed with the greatest exactness. The rockets being filled, fix their open ends on the short spokes; then in the side of each case bore a hole near the clay; all these holes, or vents, must be so made that the fire of each case may act the same way; from these vents carry leaders to the top of the cone, and tie them together. When the rockets are to be fired, set them on a smooth table, and light the leaders in the middle, and all the cases will fire together and spin on the point of the cone. These rockets may be made to rise like tourbillons, by making the cases shorter, and boring four holes in the under side of each at equal distances; this being done they are called _double tourbillons_. _Note._--All the vents in the under side of the cases must be lighted at once, and the sharp point of the cone cut off; at which place make it spherical. WHEELS. Wheel-cases are made to any length; which must always depend on the size of the wheel, but must not exceed the length of each angle. Charge for wheel-cases, from 2 oz. to 4 lb. lb. oz. Meal-powder 4 0 Saltpetre 1 0 Brimstone 0 8 Charcoal 0 4 The filings in this composition may be varied by using a portion of sea-coal, glass-dust, saw-dust, &c., or a combination of the whole. SLOW FIRE FOR WHEELS. lb. oz. Saltpetre 0 4 Brimstone 0 2 Meal-powder 0 1-1/2 or, 1 oz. of brimstone may be used with 1 oz. of antimony. DEAD FIRE FOR WHEELS. oz. dr. Saltpetre 4-1/4 0 Brimstone 0-1/4 0 Lapis-caliminaris 0 2 Antimony 0 2 _Single Vertical Wheels._--There are different sorts of vertical wheels; some having their fells of a circular form, others of an hexagonal, octagonal, or decagonal form, or of any number of sides, according to the length of the cases you design for the wheel; the spokes being fixed in the nave, nail slips of tin, with their edges turned up so as to form grooves for the cases to lie in; form the end of one spoke to that of another; then tie the cases in the grooves head to tail, in the same manner as those on the horizontal water-wheel; so that the cases, successively taking fire from one another, will keep the wheel in an equal rotation. Two of these wheels are very often fired together, one on each side of a building, and both lighted at the same time, and all the cases filled alike, to make them keep time together; as they will, if made by the following directions: In all the cases of both wheels, except the first, on each wheel drive two or three ladlesful of slow fire, in any part of the case; but be careful to ram the same quantity in each case; and in the end of one of the cases, on each wheel, you may ram one ladleful of dead-fire composition, which must be very lightly driven; you may also make many changes of fire by this method. Let the hole in the nave of the wheel be lined with brass, and made to turn on a smooth iron spindle. On the end of this spindle let there be a nut, to screw off and on; when you have put the wheel on the spindle, screw on the nut, which will keep the wheel from flying off. Let the mouth of the first case be a little raised. Vertical wheels are made from ten inches to three feet diameter, and the size of the cases must differ accordingly; four-ounce cases will do for wheels of 14 or 16 inches diameter, which is the proportion generally used. The best wood for wheels of all sorts is a light and dry beech. _Horizontal Wheels._--They are best when their fells are made circular; in the middle of the top of the nave must be a pintle, turned out of the same piece as the nave, two inches long, and equal in diameter to the bore of one of the cases of the wheel; there must be a hole bored up the centre of the nave, within half an inch of the top of the pintle. The wheel being made; nail at the end of each spoke (of which there should be six or eight) a piece of wood, with a groove cut in it to receive the case. Fix these pieces in such a manner that half the cases may incline upwards and half downwards, and that, when they are tied on, their heads and tails may come very nearly together: from the tail of one case to the mouth of the other carry a leader, which should be secured with pasted paper. Besides these pipes, it will be necessary to put a little meal-powder within the pasted paper, to blow off the pipe, that there may be no obstruction to the fire from the cases. By means of these pipes the cases will successively take fire, burning one upwards and the other downwards. On the pintle fix a case of the same sort as those on the wheel; this case must be fired by a leader from the mouth of the last case on the wheel, which case must play downwards: instead of a common case in the middle, you may put a case of Chinese fire, long enough to burn as long as two or three of the cases on the wheel. Horizontal wheels are often fired two at a time, and made to keep time like vertical wheels, only they are made without any slow or dead fire; 10 or 12 inches will be enough for the diameter of wheels with six spokes. _Spiral Wheels._--They are only double horizontal wheels, and made thus: the nave must be about six inches long, and rather thicker than the single sort; instead of the pintle at top, make a hole for the case to be fixed in, and two sets of spokes, one set near the top of the nave, and the other near the bottom. At the end of each spoke cut a groove wherein you tie the cases, there being no fell: the spokes should not be more than two inches and a half long from the naves, so that the wheel may not be more than eight or nine inches diameter; the cases are placed in such a manner, that those at top play down, and those at bottom play up; but let the third or fourth case play horizontally. The case in the middle may begin with any of the others; six spokes will be enough for each set, so that the wheel may consist of 12 cases, besides that on the top: the cases six inches each. _Plural Wheels._--Plural wheels are made to turn horizontally, and to consist of three sets of spokes, placed six at top, six at bottom, and four in the middle; which last must be a little shorter than the rest: let the diameter of the wheel be 10 inches: the cases must be tied on the ends of the spokes in grooves cut on purpose, or on pieces of wood nailed on the ends of the spokes, with grooves cut in them as usual: in clothing these wheels, make the upper set of cases play obliquely downwards, the bottom set obliquely upwards, and the middle set horizontally. In placing the leaders, they must be managed so that the cases may burn thus, viz., first up, then down, then horizontal, and so on with the rest. But another change may be made, by driving in the end of the eighth case two or three ladlesful of slow fire, to burn till the wheel has stopped its course; then let the other cases be fixed the contrary way, which will make the wheel run back again; for the case at top you may put a small gerbe; and let the cases on the spokes be short, and filled with a strong brilliant charge. _Illuminated Spiral Wheel._--First have a circular horizontal wheel made two feet diameter, with a hole quite through the nave; then take three thin pieces of deal, three feet long each, and three-fourths of an inch broad each: nail one end of each of these pieces to the fell of the wheel, at an equal distance from one another, and the other end nail to a block with a hole in its bottom, which must be perpendicular to that in the block of the wheel, but not so large. The wheel being thus made, have a loop planed down very thin and flat; then nail one end of it into the fell of the wheel, and wind it round the three sticks in a spiral line from the wheel to the block at top; on the top of this block fix a case of Chinese fire; on the wheel you may place any number of cases, which must incline downwards, and burn two at a time. If the wheel should consist of ten cases, you may let the illuminations and Chinese fire begin with the second cases. The spindle for this wheel must be a little longer than the cone, and made very smooth at top, on which the upper block is to turn, and the whole weight of the wheel to rest. _Double Spiral Wheels._--For these wheels, the block or nave must be as long as the height of the worms, or spiral lines, but must be made very thin, and as light as possible. In this block must be fixed several spokes, which must diminish in length, from the wheel to the top, so as not to exceed the surface of a cone of the same height. To the ends of these spokes nail the worms, which must cross each other several times: close these worms with illuminations, the same as those on the single wheels; but the horizontal wheel you may clothe as you like. At the top of the worm place a case of spur-fire, or an amber light. _Balloon Wheels._--They are made to turn horizontally: they must be made two feet diameter, without any spokes, and very strong, with any number of sides. On the top of a wheel range and fix in pots, three inches diameter and seven inches high each, as many of these as there are cases on the wheel: near the bottom of each pot make a small vent; into each of these vents carry a leader from the tail of each case; load some of the pots with stars, and some with serpents, crackers, &c. As the wheels turn, the pots will successively be fired, and throw into the air a great variety of fires. BALLOON CASES. You must have an oval former, turned of smooth wood; then paste a quantity of brown or cartridge-paper, and let it lie till the paste has soaked all through; this done, rub the former with soap or grease, to prevent the paper from sticking to it; then lay the paper on in small slips, till you have made it one-third of the thickness of the shell intended. Having thus done, set it to dry; and when dry, cut it round the middle, leaving about one inch not cut, which will make the halves join much better than if quite separated. When you have some ready to join, place the halves even together, and let that dry; then lay on paper all over as before, everywhere equal. When the shell is thoroughly dry, burn a vent at top with a square iron. Shells that are designed for stars only, may be made quite round, and the thinner they are at the opening the better; for if they are too strong, the stars are apt to break at the bursting of the shell. Balloons must always be made to go easy into the mortars. MORTARS. These mortars must be made of pasteboard, with a small copper chamber at bottom, in which the powder is to be placed, on which the balloon is to be put. In the centre of the bottom of this chamber make a small hole a little down the foot: the hole must be met by another of the same size as the foot. Then putting a quick-match, or touch-string, of touch-paper, into the hole, your mortar will be ready to be fired. _To load Air Balloons with Stars, Serpents, &c., &c._--When you fill your shells, you must first put in the serpents, rains, &c., or whatever they are composed of, then the blowing powder; but the shells must not be quite filled. All those things must be put in at the fuse-hole, but marrons being too large to go in at the fuse-hole, must be put in before the inside shall be joined. When the shells are loaded, glue and drive in the fuses very tight. The number and quantities of each article for the different shells are as follows: BALLOONS ILLUMINATED. oz. Meal-powder 1 Corn-powder 0-1/2 Powder for the mortar 2 1 oz. driven or rolled stars, or as many as will fill the shell. BALLOONS OR SERPENTS. oz. Meal-powder 1 Corn-powder 1 Powder for the mortar 2-1/2 _Aigrettes._ Mortars to throw aigrettes are generally made of pasteboard, of the same thickness as balloon mortars, and two diameters and a half long in the inside from the top of the foot: the foot must be made of elm without a chamber, but flat at top, and in the same proportions as those for balloon mortars; these mortars must also be bound round with a cord: sometimes eight or nine of these mortars, of about three or four inches diameter, are bound all together, so as to appear but one; but when they are made for this purpose, the bottom of the foot must be of the same diameter as the mortars, and only half a diameter high. The mortars being bound well together, fix them on a heavy solid block of wood. To load these mortars, first put on the inside bottom of each a piece of paper, and on it spread one ounce and a half of meal and corn-powder mixed; then tie the serpents up in parcels with quick-match, and put them in the mortar with their mouths downwards; but take care the parcels do not fit too tight in the mortars, and that all the serpents have been well primed with powder wetted with spirit of wine. On the top of the serpents in each mortar lay some paper or tow; then carry a leader from one mortar to the other all round, and then from all the outside mortars into that in the middle: these leaders must be put between the cases and the sides of the mortar, down to the powder at bottom: in the centre of the middle mortar fix a fire-pump, or brilliant fountain, which must be open at bottom, and long enough to project out of the mouth of the mortar; then paste papers on the tops of all the mortars. Mortars thus prepared are called a _nest of serpents_. When these mortars are to be fired, light the fire-pump, which when consumed will communicate to all the mortars at once by means of the leaders. For mortars of 8, 9, or 10 inches diameter, the serpents should be made in one and two-ounce cases, six or seven inches long, and fired by a leader brought out of the mouth of the mortar, and turned down on the outside, and the end of it covered with paper, to prevent the sparks of the other works from setting it on fire. For a six-inch mortar, let the quantity of powder for firing be two ounces; for an eight-inch, two ounces and three-quarters; and for a ten-inch, three ounces and three-quarters. Care must be taken in these, as well as small mortars, not to put in the serpents too tight, for fear of bursting the mortars. These mortars may be loaded with stars, crackers, &c. If the mortars, when loaded, are sent to any distance, or liable to be much moved, the firing powder should be secured from getting amongst the serpents, which would endanger the mortars, as well as hurt their performance. To prevent this, load the mortars thus: First put in the firing powder, and spread it equally about; then cut a round piece of blue touch-paper, equal to the exterior diameter of the mortar, and draw on it a circle equal to the interior diameter of the mortar, and notch it all round as far as that circle: then paste that part which is notched, and put it down the mortar close to the powder, and stick the pasted edge to the mortar: this will keep the powder always smooth at bottom, so that it may be moved or carried anywhere without receiving damage. The large single mortars are called _pots des aigrettes_. FIRE-PUMPS, OR ROMAN CANDLES. Cases for fire-pumps are made like those for tourbillons; only they are pasted instead of being rolled dry. Having rolled and dried your cases fill them: first put in a little meal-powder and then a star, on which ram, lightly, a ladle or two of composition, then a little meal-powder, and on that a star; then again composition, and so on till you have filled the case. Stars for fire-pumps should not be round, but must be made either square, or flat and circular with a hole through the middle: the quantity of powder for throwing the stars must increase as you come near the top of the case; for, if much powder be put at the bottom, it will burst the case. The stars must differ in size in this manner: let the star which you put in first be a little less than the bore of the case; but let the next star be a little larger, and the third star a little larger than the second, and so on: let them increase in diameter till within two of the top of the case, which two must fit in tight. As the loading of fire-pumps is somewhat difficult, it will be necessary to make two or three trials before you depend on their performance. When you fill a number of pumps, take care not to put in each an equal quantity of charge between the stars, so that when they are fired they may not throw up too many stars together. Cases for fire-pumps should be made very strong, and rolled on 4 or 8-ounce formers, 10 or 12 inches long each. CHARGE. lb. oz. lb. oz. Saltpetre 5 0 Saltpetre 5 0 Brimstone 1 0 Brimstone 2 0 Meal-powder 1-1/2 0 Meal-powder 1 8 Glass-dust 1 0 Glass-dust 1 8 AN ARTIFICIAL EARTHQUAKE. Mix the following ingredients to a paste, with water; bury it in the ground, and in a few hours the earth will break open in several places: lb. oz. Sulphur 4 0 Steel-dust 4 0 _Chinese Fountains._ To make a Chinese fountain, you must have a perpendicular piece of wood, seven feet long, and two inches and a half square. Sixteen inches from the top, fix on the front a cross piece one inch thick, and two and a half broad, with the broad side upwards; below this, fix three more pieces of the same width and thickness, at sixteen inches from each other; let the bottom rail be five feet long, and the others of such a length as to allow the fire-pumps to stand in the middle of the intervals of each other. The pyramid being thus made, fix in the holes made in the bottom rail five fire-pumps, at equal distances; on the second rail, place four pumps; on the third, three; on the fourth, two; and on the top of the post, one; but place them all to incline a little forward, that, when they throw out the stars, they may not strike against the cross-rails. Having fixed your fire-pumps, clothe them with leaders, so that they may all be fired together. _The Dodecahedron,_ So called because it nearly represents a twelve-sided figure, is made thus: First have a ball turned out of some hard wood, 14 inches diameter; divide its surface into 14 equal parts, from which bore holes one inch and a half diameter, perpendicular to the centre, so that they may all meet in the middle: then let there be turned in the inside of each hole a female screw; and to all the holes but one must be made a round spoke five feet long, with four inches of the screw at one end to fit the holes; then in the screw-end of all the spokes bore a hole five inches long, which must be bored slanting, so as to come out at one side, a little above the screw; from which cut a small groove along the spoke within six inches of the other end, where make another hole through to the other side of the spoke. In this end fix a spindle, on which put a small wheel of three or four sides, each side six or seven inches long; these sides must have grooves cut in them large enough to receive a two or four-ounce case. When these wheels are clothed, put them on the spindles, and at the end of each spindle put a nut, to keep the wheel from falling off. The wheels being thus fixed, carry a pipe from the mouth of the first case on each wheel, through the hole in the side of the spoke, and from thence along the groove, and through the other hole, so as to hang out at the screw-end about an inch. The spokes being all prepared in this manner, you must have a post, on which you intend to fire the work, with an iron screw in the top of it, to fit one of the holes in the ball: on the screw fix the ball; then in the top hole of the ball put a little meal-powder and some loose quick-match: then screw in all the spokes; and in one side of the ball bore a hole, in which put a leader, and secure it at the end, and the work will be ready to be fired. By the leader the powder and match in the centre is fired, which will light the match at the ends of the spokes all at once, whereby all the wheels will be lighted at once. There may be an addition to this piece, by fixing a small globe on each wheel, or one on the top wheel only. A grey charge will be proper for the wheel-cases. _Stars with Points._ These stars are made of different sizes, according to the work for which they are intended; they are made with cases from one ounce to one pound, but in general with four-ounce cases, four or five inches long: the case must be rolled with paste, and twice as thick as that of a rocket of the same bore. Having rolled a case, pinch one end of it quite close; then drive in half a diameter of clay; and when the case is dry, fill it with composition two or three inches to the length of the cases with which it is to burn: at top of the charge drive some clay; as the ends of these cases are seldom pinched, they would be liable to take fire. Having filled a case, divide the circumference of it at the pinched end close to the clay, into five equal parts; then bore five holes with a gimblet about the size of the neck of a common four-ounce case, into the composition; from one hole to the other carry a quick-match, and secure it with paper: this paper must be put on in the manner of that on the end of wheel-cases, so that the hollow part, which projects from the end of the case, may serve to receive a leader from any other work, to give fire to the points of the stars. These stars may be made with any number of points. _Fixed Sun with a transparent Face._ To make a sun of the best kind, there should be two rows of cases, which should show a double glory, and make the rays strong and full. The frame or sun-wheel must be made thus: have a circular flat nave made very strong, 12 inches diameter; to this fix six strong flat spokes; on the front of these fix a circular fell, five feet diameter; within which, fix another fell, the length of one of the sun-cases less in diameter; within this fix a third fell, whose diameter must be less than the second by the length of one case and one-third. The wheel being made, divide the fells into so many equal parts as there are to be cases, (which may be done from 24 to 44:) at each division fix a flat iron staple: these staples must be made to fit the cases, to hold them fast on the wheel; let the staples be so placed, that one row of cases may lie in the middle of the intervals of the other. In the centre of the block of the sun drive a spindle, on which put a small hexagonal wheel, whose cases must be filled with the same charge as the cases of the sun; two cases of this wheel must burn at a time, and begin with those on the fells. Having fixed on all the cases, carry pipes of communication from one to the other, and from one side of the sun to the wheel in the middle, and from thence to the other side of the sun. These leaders will hold the wheel steady while the sun is fixing up, and will also be a sure method of lighting both cases of the wheel together. A sun thus made is called a _brilliant sun_, because the wood-work is entirely covered with fire from the wheel in the middle, so that there appears nothing but sparks of brilliant fire; but if you would have a transparent face in the centre, you must have one made of pasteboard of any size. The method of making a face is, by cutting out the eyes, nose, and mouth, for the sparks of the wheel to appear through; but instead of this face, you may have one painted on oil paper, or Persian silk, strained tight on a hoop; which hoop must be supported by three or four pieces of wire at six inches distance from the wheel in the centre, so that the light of it may illuminate the face. By this method may be shown, in the front of the sun, VIVAT REGINA, cut in pasteboard, or Apollo, painted in silk; but, for a small collection, a sun with a single glory and a wheel in front will be most suitable. Half-pound cases, filled ten inches with composition, will be a good size for a sun of five feet diameter; but, if larger, the cases must be greater in proportion. DETONATING WORKS. WATERLOO CRACKERS. Take a slip of cartridge-paper, about three-quarters of an inch in width, paste and double it; let it remain till dry, and cut it into two equal parts in length, (No. 1 and 2,) according to the following pattern: +-----------------+---+-------+--------+ | No. 1. Glass. | S | Glass.| No. 2. | +-----------------+---+-------+--------+ Take some of the glass composition, and lay it across the paper as in the pattern, and put about a quarter of a grain of fulminating silver in the place marked S, and while the glass composition is moist, put the paper marked No. 2, over the farthest row of glass. Over all, paste twice over the part that covers the silver a piece of paper; let it dry, and when you wish to explode it, take hold of the two ends and pull them sharply from each other, and it will produce a loud report. DETONATING GIRDLE. Procure a piece of girth from 12 to 18 inches in length. Double it, and fold it down about 1-1/2 inch, similar to the fold of a letter, and then turn back one end of the girth, and it will form two compartments. Then take some gum and dissolve it in water; boil it till it is quite melted, and very thick; add coarse powdered glass, sufficient to make it into a very thick paste; place two upright rows of the glass composition in the inside of one of the folds, about as wide as the thickness of a lath, and as high as a half-crown laid flat; and when they are dry, sew the first fold together on the edge, and then the second at the opposite end, so that one end may be open. Then, in the centre of the two rows, put about a grain of fulminating silver, and paste a piece of cotton or silk over it. Make a hole at each end of the girdle, and hang it to a hook in the door-post, and the other hook on the door, observing to place the silk part so that it may come against the edge of the door when opened, which will cause a report as loud as a small cannon. The fulminating silver may be purchased at any of the operating chemists. DETONATING BALLS. Procure some glass globes, between the size of a pea and a small marble, in which there must be a small hole; put into it half a grain of fulminating silver. Paste a piece of paper carefully over the ball to prevent the silver from escaping. When you wish to explode one put it on the ground, and tread hard upon it, and it will go off with a loud noise. These balls may be made productive of much amusement in company, by placing a chair lightly on them; for whoever sits down upon them will cause them to explode. These globes may be procured at the barometer-makers. THE DETONATING TAPE. Is made of binding, about three-eighths of an inch in width. Observe the same directions as given for the girdle; you may either explode it yourself, by taking hold of each end, and rolling the ends from each other sharply, or give one end to another, and pull together. DETONATING CARDS. Take a piece of card about three-fourths of an inch in breadth and 12 in length; slit it at one end, and place in the opening a quarter of a grain of fulminating silver; close the edges down with a little paste, and when dry you may use it by lighting the end in a candle. Having given the method by which these loud reports are produced, we shall mention some other effects to be produced by the silver, capable of affording much amusement. For instance, by placing about a quarter of a grain of the silver in the midst of some tobacco in a pipe, or between the leaves of a cigar, and closing the end again, to prevent the powder from falling out; when lighted, it causes a loud explosion; for heat, as well as friction, will equally do. Or, take one-third of the grain of fulminating silver; fold it up in a small piece of paper, and wrap it up in another piece, and paste it round a pin. These pins stuck in the wick of a candle make a very loud noise. Fulminating silver may be also used in the following manner:--Put half a grain in a piece of glass-paper, and enclose it in a piece of foil; put it then at the bottom or side of a drawer, and on opening or shutting it, it will immediately go off. Put a quarter of a grain of fulminating silver into a piece of paper, and place in the snuffers when quite cold; when the candle is snuffed, it will go off. AQUATIC FIRE-WORKS. Works that sport in the water are much esteemed by most admirers of fire-works, particularly water-rockets; and as they seem of a very extraordinary nature to those who are unacquainted with this art, they merit a particular explanation. _Water-Rockets._ They may be made from four ounces to two pounds. If larger, they are too heavy; so that it will be difficult to make them keep above water without a cork float, which must be tied to the neck of the case; but the rockets will not dive so well with as without floats. Cases for these are made in the same manner and proportion as sky-rockets, only a little thicker of paper. When you fill those which are driven solid, put in first one ladleful of slow fire, then two of the proper charge, and on that one or two ladles of sinking charge, then the proper charge, then the sinking charge again, and so on, till you have filled the case within three diameters; then drive on the composition one ladleful of clay; through which make a small hole to the charge; then fill the case, within half a diameter, with corn-powder, on which turn down two or three rounds of the case in the inside; then pinch and tie the end very tight; having filled the rockets, (according to the above directions,) dip their ends in melted resin or sealing-wax, or else secure them well with grease. When you fire those rockets, throw in six or eight at a time; but, if you would have them all sink, or swim, at the same time, you must fill them with an equal quantity of composition, and fire them together. _Pipes of Communication for Water._ They may be used under water, but must be a little thicker in the paper than those for land. Having rolled a sufficient number of pipes, and kept them till dry, wash them over with drying oil, and set them to dry; but when you oil them, leave about an inch and a half at each end dry, for joints; as, if they were oiled all over, when you come to join them, the paste will not stick where the paper is greasy: after the leaders are joined, and the paste dry, oil the joints. These pipes will lie many hours under water, without receiving any damage. _Horizontal Water-Wheels._ To make horizontal wheels for the water, first get a large wooden bowl without a handle; then have an eight-sided wheel, made of a flat board 18 inches diameter, so that the length of each side may nearly be seven inches: in all the sides cut a groove for the cases to lie in. This wheel being made, nail it on the top of the bowl; then take four eight-ounce cases, filled with a proper charge, each about six inches in length. Now, to clothe the wheel with these cases, get some whitish-brown paper, and cut it into slips; being pasted all over on one side, take one of the cases, and roll one of the slips of paper about an inch and a half on its end, so that there will remain about two inches and a half of the paper hollow from the end of the case: tie this case on one of the sides of the wheel, near the corners of which must be holes bored, through which put the packthread to tie the cases: having tied on the first case at the neck and end, put a little meal-powder in the hollow paper; then paste a slip of paper on the end of another case, the head of which put into the hollow paper on the first, allowing a sufficient distance from the tail of one to the head of the other, for the pasted paper to bend without tearing: tie on the second case as you did the first, and so on with the rest, except the last, which must be closed at the end, unless it is to communicate to any thing on the top of the wheel, such as fire-pumps or brilliant fires, fixed in holes cut in the wheel, and fired by the last or second case, as the fancy directs: six, eight, or any number, may be placed on the top of the wheel, provided they are not too heavy for the bowl. Before trying on the cases, cut the upper part of all their ends, except the last, a little shelving, that the fire from one may play over the other, without being obstructed by the case. Wheel-cases have no clay driven in their ends, nor pinched, but are always left open, only the last, or those which are not to lead fire, which must be well secured. _Water-Mines._ For water-mines you must have a bowl with a wheel on it, made in the same manner as the water-wheel; only in its middle there must be a hole, of the same diameter as that of the intended mine. These mines are tin pots, with strong bottoms, and a little more than two diameters in length: the mine must be fixed in the hole in the wheel, with its bottom resting on the bowl; then loaded with serpents, crackers, stars, small water-rockets, &c., in the same manner as pots of aigrettes; but in their centre fix a case of Chinese fire, or a small gerbe, which must be lighted at the beginning of the last case on the wheel. These wheels are to be clothed as usual. _Fire Globes for the Water._ Bowls for water-globes must be very large, and the wheels on them of ten sides: on each side nail a piece of wood four inches long; and on the outside of each piece cut a groove, wide enough to receive about one-fourth of the thickness of a four-ounce case: these pieces of wood must be nailed in the middle of each face of the wheel, and fixed in an oblique direction, so that the fire from the cases may incline upwards: the wheel being thus prepared, tie in each groove a four-ounce case filled with a grey charge; then carry a leader from the tail of one case to the mouth of the other. Globes for these wheels are made of two in hoops, with their edges outwards, fixed one within the other, at right angles. The diameter of these hoops must be rather less than that of the wheel. Having made the globe, drive in the centre of the wheel an iron spindle which must stand perpendicular, and its length be four or six inches more than the diameter of the globe. The spindle serves for an axis, on which is fixed the globe, which must stand four or six inches from the wheel; round one side of each hoop must be soldered little bits of tin, two inches and a half distance from each other; which pieces must be two inches in length each, and only fastened at one end, the other ends being left loose, to turn round the small port-fires, and hold them on: these port-fires must be made of such a length as will last out the cases on the wheel. There need not be any port-fires at the bottom of the globe within four inches of the spindle, as they would have no effect but to burn the wheel: all the port-fires must be placed perpendicularly from the centre of the globe, with their mouths outwards, and must be clothed with leaders, so as all to take fire with the second case of the wheel; and the cases must burn two at a time, one opposite the other. When two cases of a wheel begin together, two will end together; therefore the two opposite end cases must have their ends pinched and secured from fire. The method of firing such wheels is, by carrying a leader from the mouth of one of the first cases to that of the other; and the leader being burnt through the middle, will give fire to both at the same time. _Odoriferous Water-Balloons._ They are made in the same manner as air-balloons, but very thin of paper, and in diameter one inch and three-fourths, with a vent of half an inch diameter. The shells being made, and quite dry, fill them with any of the following compositions, which must be rammed in tight: these balloons must be fired at the vent, and put into a bowl of water. Odoriferous works are generally fired in rooms. _Composition I._ Saltpetre two ounces, flour of sulphur one ounce, camphor half an ounce, yellow amber half an ounce, charcoal-dust three-fourths of an ounce, salt of Benzoin half an ounce, all powdered very fine and well mixed. II. Saltpetre twelve ounces, meal-powder three ounces, frankincense one ounce, myrrh half an ounce, camphor half an ounce, charcoal three ounces, all moistened with the oil of spike. III. Saltpetre two ounces, sulphur half an ounce, antimony half an ounce, amber half an ounce, cedar raspings one-fourth of an ounce, all mixed with the oil of roses and a few drops of bergamot. IV. Saltpetre four ounces, sulphur one ounce, saw-dust of juniper half an ounce, saw-dust of cypress one ounce, camphor one-fourth of an ounce, myrrh two drachms, dried rosemary one-fourth of an ounce, all moistened a little with the oil of roses. N.B. Water-rockets may be made with any of the above compositions, with a little alteration, to make them weaker or stronger, according to the size of the cases. _A Sea-fight with small Ships and a Fire-ship._ Having procured four or five small ships, of two or three feet in length, make a number of small reports, which are to serve for guns. Of these range as many as you please on each side of the upper decks; then at the head and stern of each ship fix a two-ounce case, eight inches long, filled with a slow port-fire composition; but take care to place it in such a manner that the fire may fall in the water, and not burn the rigging; in these cases bore holes at unequal distances from one another, but make as many in each case as half the number of reports, so that one case may fire the guns on one side, and the other those on the opposite. The method of firing the guns is, by carrying a leader from the holes in the cases to the reports on the decks; you must make these leaders very small, and be careful in calculating the burning of the slow fire in the regulating cases, that more than two guns be not fired at a time. When you would have a broadside given, let a leader be carried to a cracker placed on the outside of the ship; which cracker must be tied loose, or the reports will be too slow: in all the ships put artificial guns at the port-holes. Reports for these and similar occasions are made by filling small cartridges with grained powder, pinching them close at each end, and, when used, boring a hole in the side, to which is placed a match or leader for firing them. Having filled and bored holes in two port-fires, for regulating the guns in one ship, make all the rest exactly the same; then, when you begin the engagement, light one ship first, and set it a sailing, and so on with the rest, sending them out singly, which will make them fire regularly, at different times, without confusion; for the time between the firing of each gun will be equal to that of lighting the slow fires. The fire-ship may be of any size, and need not be very good, for it is always lost in the action. To prepare a ship for this purpose, make a port-fire equal in size with those in the other ships, and place it at the stern; in every port place a larger port-fire, filled with a very strong composition, and painted in imitation of a gun, and let them all be fired at once by a leader from the slow fire, within two or three diameters of its bottom; all along both sides, on the top of the upper deck, lay star-composition about half an inch thick and one broad, which must be wetted with thin size, then primed with meal-powder, and secured from fire by pasting paper over it; in the place where you lay this composition, drive some little tacks with flat heads, to hold it fast to the deck; this must be fired just after the sham guns, and when burning will show a flame all round the ship: at the head take up the decks, and put in a tin mortar loaded with crackers, which mortar must be fired by a pipe from the end of the slow fire: the firing of this mortar will sink the ship, and make a pretty conclusion. The regulating port-fire of this ship must be lighted at the same time with the first fighting ship. Having prepared all the ships for fighting, we shall next proceed with the management of them when on the water. At one end of the pond, just under the surface of the water, fit two running blocks, at what distance you choose the ships should fight; and at the other end of the pond, opposite to each of these blocks, under the water, fix a double block; then on the land, by each of the double blocks, place two small windlasses; round one of them turn one end of a small cord, and put the other end through one of the blocks; then carry it through the single one at the opposite end of the pond, and bring it back through the double block again, and round the other windlass: to this cord, near the double block, tie as many small strings as half the number of the ships, at any distance; but these strings must not be more than two feet long each: make fast the loose end of each to a ship, just under her bowsprit; for if tied to the keel, or too near the water, it will overset the ship. Half the ships being thus prepared, near the other double block fix two more windlasses, to which fasten a cord, and to it tie the other half of the ships as before: when you fire the ships, pull in the cord with one of the windlasses, to get all the ships together; and when you have set fire to the first, turn that windlass which draws them out, and so on with the rest, till they are all out in the middle of the pond; then, by turning the other windlass, you will draw them back again; by which method you may make them change sides, and tack about backwards and forwards at pleasure. For the fire-ship fix the blocks and windlasses between the others, so that when she sails out she will be between the other ships: you must not let this ship advance till the guns at her ports take fire. _To fire Sky-Rockets under Water._ You must have stands made as usual, only the rails must be placed flat instead of edgewise, and have holes in them for the rocket-sticks to go through; for if they were hung upon hooks, the motion of the water would throw them off: the stands being made, if the pond be deep enough, sink them at the sides so deep, that, when the rockets are in, their heads may just appear above the surface of the water; to the mouth of each rocket fix a leader, which put through the hole with a stick; then a little above the water must be a board, supported by the stand, and placed along one side of the rockets; then the ends of the leaders are turned up through holes made in this board, exactly opposite the rockets. By this means you may fire them singly or all at once. Rockets may be fired by this method in the middle of a pond, by a Neptune, a swan, a water-wheel, or any thing else you choose. _Neptune in his Chariot._ To represent Neptune in his chariot, you must have a Neptune (made of wood, or basket-work) as big as life, fixed on a float large enough to bear his weight; on which must be two horses' heads and necks, so as to seem swimming. For the wheels of the chariot, there must be two vertical wheels of black fire, and on Neptune's head a horizontal wheel of brilliant fire, with all its cases, to play upwards. When this wheel is made, cover it with paper or pasteboard, cut and painted like Neptune's coronet; then let the trident be made without prongs, but instead of them, fix three cases of a weak grey charge, and on each horse's head put an eight-ounce case of brilliant fire, and on the mouth of each fix a short case, of the same diameter, filled with the white flame composition enough to last out all the cases on the wheels: these short cases must be open at bottom, that they may light the brilliant fires; for the horses' eyes put small port-fires, and in each nostril put a small case half filled with grey charge, and the rest with port-fire composition. If Neptune is to give fire to any building on the water, at his first setting out, the wheels of the chariot, and that on his head, with the white flame on the horses' heads, and the port-fires in their eyes and nostrils, must all be lighted at once; then from the bottom of the white flames carry a leader to the trident. As Neptune is to advance by the help of a block and cord, you must manage it so as not to let him turn about, till the brilliant fires on the horses and the trident begin; for it is by the fire from the horses (which plays almost upright,) that the building, or work, is lighted, which must be thus prepared. From the mouth of the case which is to be first fired, hang some loose quick-match to receive the fire from the horses. When Neptune is only to be shown by himself, without setting fire to any other works, let the white flames on the horses be very short, and not to last longer than one case of each wheel, and let two cases of each wheel burn at a time. _Swans and Ducks in Water._ If you would have swans or ducks discharge rockets into the water, they must be made hollow, and of paper, and filled with small water-rockets, with some blowing powder to throw them out; but if this is not done, they may be made of wood, which will last many times. Having made and painted some swans, fix them on floats; then in the places where their eyes should be, bore holes two inches deep, inclining downwards, and wide enough to receive a small port-fire; the port-fire cases for this purpose must be made of brass, two inches long, and filled with a slow bright charge. In the middle of one of these cases make a little hole; then put the port-fire in the eye-hole of the swan, leaving about half an inch to project out; and in the other eye put another port-fire, with a hole made in it: then in the neck of the swan, within two inches of one of the eyes, bore a hole slantwise, to meet that in the port-fire; in this hole put a leader, and carry it to a water-rocket, that must be fixed under the tail with its mouth upwards. On the top of the head place two one-ounce cases, four inches long each, driven with brilliant fire; one of these cases must incline forwards, and the other backwards: these must be lighted at the same time as the water-rocket; to do which, bore a hole between them in the top of the swan's head, down to the hole in the port-fire, to which carry a leader: if the swan is filled with rockets, they must be fired by a pipe from the end of the water-rocket under the tail. When you set the swan a swimming, light the two eyes. _Water Fire-Fountains._ To make a fire-fountain for the water, first have a float made of wood, three feet diameter; then in the middle fix a round perpendicular post, four feet high, and two inches diameter; round this post fix three circular wheels made of thin wood, without any spokes. The largest of these wheels must be placed within two or three inches of the float, and must be nearly of the same diameter. The second wheel must be two feet two inches diameter, and fixed at two feet distance from the first. The third wheel must be one foot four inches diameter, and fixed within six inches of the top of the post: the wheels being fixed, take 18 four or eight-ounce cases of brilliant fire, and place them round the first wheel with their mouths outwards, and inclining downwards; on the second wheel place 13 cases of the same, and in the same manner as those on the first; on the third, place eight more of these cases, in the same manner as before, and on the top of the post fix a gerbe; then clothe all the cases with leaders, so that both they and the gerbe may take fire at the same time. Before firing this work, try it in the water, to see whether the float is properly made, so as to keep the fountain upright. THE END. MISCELLANEOUS WORKS IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF LITERATURE, PUBLISHED BY LEA AND BLANCHARD. ACTON'S MODERN COOKERY, with cuts, 12mo, cloth. AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY, by Prince Charles Bonaparte, in 4 vols. folio, half bound, colored plates. AMERICAN MILITARY LAW AND PRACTICE OF COURTS MARTIAL, by Lieut. O'Brien, U. S. A., 1 vol. 8vo, cloth or law sheep. ANSTED'S ANCIENT WORLD, OR PICTURESQUE SKETCHES OF CREATION, 1 vol. 12mo, numerous cuts. ADDISON ON CONTRACTS, 1 large vol. 8vo, law sheep. ARNOTT'S ELEMENTS OF PHYSICS, 1 vol. 8vo, sheep, with many wood-cuts. BOZ'S COMPLETE WORKS, in 8 vols. 8vo, extra cloth, with numerous plates. Same work, common edition, in paper, 9 parts, price $3 50. Same work in 3 large vols., good paper, fancy cloth, price $3 75. BENTHAMIANA: Extracts from Bentham, in 1 vol. 12mo. BROWNE'S RELIGIO MEDICI, 1 vol. 12mo, extra cloth. BOLMAR'S FRENCH SERIES, consisting of-- A Selection of One Hundred Perrin's Fables, with a Key to the Pronunciation. A Series of Colloquial Phrases. The First Eight Books of Fenelon's Telemachus. Key to the same. A Treatise on all the French Verbs, Regular and Irregular. The whole forming five small volumes, half bound to match. BUTLER'S ATLAS OF ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY, 8vo, half bound. BUTLER'S GEOGRAPHIA CLASSICA, 1 vol. 8vo. BIRD'S NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, 1 vol. with many cuts. BRIGHAM ON MENTAL CULTIVATION, &c., 12mo, cloth. BRIDGEWATER TREATISES. The whole complete in 7 vols. 8vo, various bindings: containing-- ROGET'S ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY, in 2 vols, with many cuts. KIRBY ON THE HISTORY, HABITS, AND INSTINCT OF ANIMALS, 1 vol. with plates. PROUT ON CHEMISTRY. CHALMERS ON THE MORAL CONDITION OF MAN. WHEWELL ON ASTRONOMY. BELL ON THE HAND. KIDD ON THE PHYSICAL CONDITION OF MAN. BUCKLAND'S GEOLOGY, 2 vols. with numerous plates and maps. Roget, Buckland, and Kirby are sold separate. BROUGHAM ON THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, 1 vol. paper. BOY'S TREASURY OF SPORTS AND PASTIMES, 1 vol. 18mo, crimson cloth, 400 illustrations. BARNABY RUDGE, by "Boz," paper or cloth. BROWNING'S HISTORY OF THE HUGUENOTS, 1 vol. 8vo. BREWSTER'S TREATISE ON OPTICS, 1 vol. 12mo, cuts. BABBAGE'S "FRAGMENT," 1 vol. 8vo. CAMPBELL'S LIVES OF THE LORD CHANCELLORS, 7 vols. crown 8vo, extra cloth. CHIMES, by Dickens, plates, 18mo, fancy cloth. CHRISTMAS STORIES--The Chimes, Carol, Cricket on the Hearth, and Battle of Life, together with Pictures from Italy, by Dickens, 1 vol 8vo, paper, price 37-1/2 cents. COMPLETE COOK, paper, price only 25 cents. COMPLETE CONFECTIONER, paper, 25 cents. COMPLETE FLORIST, paper, 25 cents. COMPLETE GARDENER, paper, 25 cents. CURIOSITY SHOP, by "Boz," paper or doth. CÆSAR'S COMMENTARIES, 1 vol. 18mo, neat cloth; being vol. I. of Schmitz and Zumpf's Classical Series for Schools. CAMPBELL'S COMPLETE POETICAL WORKS, in 1 vol. crown 8vo, cloth gilt or white calf, plates. COOPER'S NAVAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, complete in 1 vol. 8vo, cloth, with plates and maps. COOPER'S NOVELS AND TALES, in 23 vols, sheep gilt, 12mo, or 47 vols. paper. COOPER'S SEA TALES, 6 vols. 12mo, cloth. COOPER'S LEATHER STOCKING TALES, 5 vols. 12mo, cloth. CARPENTER'S COMPARATIVE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY, with numerous wood-cuts, (preparing). CARPENTER'S ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY, with 300 wood-cuts, (preparing). CROLY'S HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, to be complete in 3 vols., (at press). CLATER ON THE DISEASES OF HORSES, by Skinner, 1 vol. 12mo. CLATER'S CATTLE AND SHEEP DOCTOR, 1 vol. 12mo, cuts. CAMPBELL'S FREDERIC THE GREAT, 2 vols. 12mo, extra cloth. DON QUIXOTE, with numerous illustrations by Johannot; 2 vols., 8vo, cloth, or half morocco. DAVIDSON, MARGARET, Memoirs of and Poems, in 1 vol. 12mo, paper 50 cents, or extra cloth. DAVIDSON, LUCRETIA, Poetical Remains, 1 vol. 12mo, paper 50 cents, or extra cloth. DAVIDSON, Mrs., Poetry and Life, in 1 vol. 12mo, paper 50 cents, or extra cloth. DANA ON CORALS, 1 vol. royal 4to, with Atlas of Plates, (at press). DOMBEY AND SON, by Dickens, 1 vol. 8vo, with 16 plates, price 50 cents. Same work, fine edition, 40 plates, extra cloth. DOG AND SPORTSMAN, by Skinner, plates, 1 vol. 12mo, cloth. DUNGLISON ON HUMAN HEALTH, 1 vol. 8vo, cloth or sheep. ENCYCLOPÆDIA OF GEOGRAPHY, in 3 octavo vols. many cuts and maps, various bindings. ENCYCLOPÆDIA AMERICANA, 14 vols. 8vo, various bindings. Vol. 14, bringing the work up to 1846, sold separate. EAST'S KING'S BENCH REPORTS, edited by G. M. Wharton, 16 vols. in 8, large 8vo, law sheep. EDUCATION OF MOTHERS, 1 vol. 12mo, cloth or paper. ENDLESS AMUSEMENT, neat 18mo, crimson cloth, with cuts. FIELDING'S SELECT WORKS, in 1 vol. 8vo, cloth, or 4 parts, paper. FRANCATELLI'S MODERN FRENCH COOK, in 1 vol. 8vo, with many cuts. FOWNES' RECENT WORK ON CHEMISTRY, second edition, by Bridges, 1 vol. 12mo, many cuts, sheep or extra cloth. GRAHAME'S COLONIAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, 2 vols. 8vo, a new edition. GRAHAM'S ELEMENTS OF CHEMISTRY, 1 vol. large 8vo, many cuts, (new edition, in press). GIESELER'S ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, 3 vols. 8vo. GRIFFITHS' CHEMISTRY OF THE FOUR SEASONS, 1 vol. 12mo, many cuts. GRIFFITH'S MEDICAL BOTANY, 1 vol. large 8vo, extra cloth, nearly 400 cuts. GROTE'S HISTORY OF GREECE, to form a neat 12mo series. HAWKER ON SHOOTING, Edited by Porter, with plates and cuts, 1 vol. 8vo, beautiful extra cloth. HERSCHELL'S TREATISE ON ASTRONOMY, 1 vol. 12mo, cuts and plates. HALE'S ETHNOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE U. S. EXPLORING EXPEDITION, 1 vol. royal 4to, extra cloth. HEMANS' COMPLETE POETICAL WORKS, in 7 vols. 12mo. HEMANS' MEMOIRS, by her Sister, 1 vol. 12mo. HOLTHOUSE'S LAW DICTIONARY, by Penington, 1 vol. large 12mo, law sheep. HILLIARD ON REAL ESTATE, new and much Improved Edition, 2 large vols. 8vo, law sheep. HILL ON TRUSTEES, by Troubat, 1 large vol. 8vo, law sheep. INGERSOLL'S HISTORY OF THE LATE WAR, 1 vol. 8vo. IRVING'S ROCKY MOUNTAINS, 2 vols. 12mo, cloth. JOHNSON'S DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, by Landreth, 1 vol. large royal 12mo, 650 pages, many cuts. KNAPP'S TECHNOLOGY, OR CHEMISTRY APPLIED TO THE ARTS AND TO MANUFACTURES. Translated by Ronalds, Edited by Johnson. Vol. I., with numerous illustrations. KEBLE'S CHRISTIAN YEAR, in 32mo, extra cloth. Illuminated title. KIRBY AND SPENCE'S ENTOMOLOGY, 1 large 8vo vol. with plates, plain or colored. LOVER'S IRISH STORIES, 1 vol. royal 12mo, with cuts, extra cloth. Same work, paper, price 50 cents. LOVER'S RORY O'MORE, 1 vol. royal 12mo, with cuts, extra cloth. Same work, paper, price 50 cents. Same work, 8vo, price 25 cents. LOVER'S SONGS AND BALLADS, 12mo, paper, 25 cents. LIGHTS, SHADOWS, &c., of Whigs and Tories, 1 vol. 12mo. LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS, eighth edition, 1 vol. 18mo, colored plates, crimson cloth, gilt. LANDRETH'S RURAL REGISTER, for 1848, royal 12mo, many cuts, price 15 cents. Copies for 1847 still on sale. LOVES OF THE POETS, by Mrs. Jamieson, 12mo. MARSTON, OR THE SOLDIER AND STATESMAN, by Croly, 8vo, sewed, 50 cents. MACKINTOSH'S DISSERTATION ON ETHICAL PHILOSOPHY, 1 vol. 8vo, cloth. MOORE'S HISTORY OF IRELAND, in 2 vols. 8vo, cloth. Second volume sold separate. MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT, by "Boz," cloth or paper. MULLER'S PHYSICS AND METEOROLOGY, 1 vol. large 8vo, 2 colored plates, and 550 wood-cuts. MILLWRIGHT'S AND MILLER'S GUIDE, by Oliver Evans, in 1 vol. 8vo, sheep, many plates. METCALF ON CALORIC, 1 vol. 8vo, (at press). MILL'S HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES, AND CHIVALRY, in one octavo volume. MILL'S SPORTSMAN'S LIBRARY, 1 vol. 12mo, extra cloth. NARRATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES' EXPLORING EXPEDITION, by Captain Charles Wilkes, U. S. N., in 6 vols. 4to, $60; or 6 vols. imperial 8vo, $25, with very Numerous and Beautiful Illustrations, on wood, copper, and steel; or 5 vols. 8vo, $10, with over three hundred wood-cuts and maps. NIEBUHR'S HISTORY OF ROME, complete, 2 large vols. 8vo. NICHOLAS NICKLEBY, by "Boz," cloth or paper. OLIVER TWIST, by "Boz," cloth or paper. PICCIOLA,--The Prisoner of Fenestrella, illustrated edition, with cuts, royal 12mo, beautiful crimson cloth. Same work, fancy paper, price 50 cents. PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST, 1 vol. 18mo, neat crimson cloth, with cuts. POPULAR VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY, by Carpenter, 1 vol. 12mo, many cuts. PICKWICK CLUB, by "Boz," cloth or paper. RUSH'S COURT OF LONDON, 1 vol. 8vo. RANKE'S HISTORY OF THE POPES OF ROME, 1 vol. 8vo, cloth. RANKE'S HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION IN GERMANY, to be complete in 1 vol. 8vo. RANKE'S HISTORY OF THE OTTOMAN AND SPANISH EMPIRES, 8vo, price 50 cents. ROGERS' POEMS, a splendid edition, Illustrated, imperial 8vo. ROGET'S OUTLINES OF PHYSIOLOGY, 1 vol. 8vo. ROSCOE'S LIVES OF THE KINGS OF ENGLAND, a 12mo Series to match Miss Strickland's Queens. STRICKLAND'S LIVES OF THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND, 12 vols. 12mo, cloth or paper. (This work is now complete.) Same work, crown 8vo, extra cloth, two vols. in one; large type, and fine paper, beautiful crimson cloth. SELECT WORKS OF TOBIAS SMOLLETT, cloth or paper. SIMPSON'S OVERLAND JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD, crown 8vo, extra cloth. Same work, 2 parts, paper, price $1 50. SIBORNE'S WATERLOO CAMPAIGN, with maps, 1 vol. large 8vo. SCHMITZ AND ZUMPT'S CLASSICAL SERIES FOR SCHOOLS, in neat 18mo volumes, in cloth. STABLE TALK AND TABLE TALK, FOR SPORTSMEN, 1 volume, 12mo. SPENCE ON THE JURISDICTION OF THE COURT OF CHANCERY, vol. I., large 8vo, law sheep. Vol. II., embracing the Practice, (nearly ready). SMALL BOOKS ON GREAT SUBJECTS; a neat 18mo series, price 25 cents each:-- No. 1. "PHILOSOPHICAL THEORIES AND PHILOSOPHICAL EXPERIENCE." No. 2. "ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN PHYSIOLOGY AND INTELLECTUAL SCIENCE." No. 3. "ON MAN'S POWER OVER HIMSELF TO PREVENT OR CONTROL INSANITY." No. 4. "AN INTRODUCTION TO PRACTICAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY." No. 5. "A BRIEF VIEW OF GREEK PHILOSOPHY UP TO THE AGE OF PERICLES." No. 6. "A BRIEF VIEW OF GREEK PHILOSOPHY FROM THE AGE OF SOCRATES TO THE COMING OF CHRIST." No. 7. "CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE IN THE SECOND CENTURY." No. 8. "AN EXPOSITION OF VULGAR AND COMMON ERRORS, ADAPTED TO THE YEAR OF GRACE 1845." No. 9. "AN INTRODUCTION TO VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY, WITH REFERENCES TO THE WORKS OF DE CANDOLLE, LINDLEY, &c." No. 10. "ON THE PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL LAW." No. 11. "CHRISTIAN SECTS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY." No. 12. "PRINCIPLES OF GRAMMAR," &c. Or the whole done up in three volumes, extra cloth. TAYLOR'S MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE, Edited with respect to American Practice, by Griffith, 1 vol. 8vo. TAYLOR'S TOXICOLOGY, by Griffith, 1 vol. 8vo, (nearly ready). TRAILL'S OUTLINES OF MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE, 1 small vol. 8vo, cloth. TRIMMER'S GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY, 1 vol. 8vo, cloth, many cuts. THOMSON'S DOMESTIC MANAGEMENT OF THE SICK ROOM, 1 vol. 12mo, extra cloth. TOKEAH, by Sealsfield, price 25 cents. VIRGILII CARMINA, 1 neat 18mo vol., extra cloth, being vol. II. of Schmitz and Zumpt's Classical Series. WALPOLE'S LETTERS, in 4 large vols. 8vo, extra cloth. WALPOLE'S NEW LETTERS TO SIR HORACE MANN, 2 vols. 8vo. WALPOLE'S MEMOIRS OF GEORGE THE THIRD, 2 vols. 8vo. WHITE'S UNIVERSAL HISTORY, a new and Improved work for Schools, Colleges, &c., with Questions by Professor Hart, in 1 vol. large 12mo, extra cloth, or half bound. WEISBACH'S PRINCIPLES OF THE MECHANICS OF MACHINERY AND ENGINEERING, vol. I, with five hundred cuts. WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, Life of, by Roscoe, 1 vol. 12mo, extra cloth or fancy paper. WHEATON'S INTERNATIONAL LAW, 1 vol. large 8vo, law sheep, or extra cloth, third edition, much improved. WRAXALL'S POSTHUMOUS MEMOIRS, 1 vol. 8vo, extra cloth. WRAXALL'S HISTORICAL MEMOIRS, 1 vol. 8vo, do. do. YOUATT ON THE HORSE, &c., by Skinner, 1 vol. 8vo, many cuts. YOUATT ON THE DOG, with plates, 1 vol. crown 8vo, beautiful crimson cloth. YOUATT ON THE PIG, 1 vol. 12mo, extra cloth, with cuts. Same work in paper, price 50 cents. Together with numerous works in all departments of Medical Science, Catalogues of which can be had on application. * * * * * THE AMERICAN ENCYCLOPÆDIA. BROUGHT UP TO 1847. THE ENCYCLOPÆDIA AMERICANA: A POPULAR DICTIONARY OF ARTS, SCIENCES, LITERATURE, HISTORY, POLITICS, AND BIOGRAPHY, IN FOURTEEN LARGE OCTAVO VOLUMES OF OVER SIX HUNDRED DOUBLE COLUMNED PAGES EACH. For sale very low, in various styles of binding. Some years having elapsed since the original thirteen volumes of the ENCYCLOPÆDIA AMERICANA were published, to bring it up to the present day, with the history of that period, at the request of numerous subscribers, the publishers have just issued a SUPPLEMENTARY VOLUME (THE FOURTEENTH), BRINGING THE WORK UP TO THE YEAR 1847. EDITED BY HENRY VETHAKE, LL.D. Vice-Provost and Professor of Mathematics in the University of Pennsylvania, Author of "A Treatise on Political Economy." In one large octavo volume of over 650 double columned pages. The numerous subscribers who have been waiting the completion of this volume can now perfect their sets, and all who want A REGISTER OF THE EVENTS OF THE LAST FIFTEEN YEARS, FOR THE WHOLE WORLD, can obtain this volume separately: price Two Dollars uncut in cloth, or Two Dollars and Fifty cents in leather, to match the styles in which the publishers have been selling sets. Subscribers in the large cities can be supplied on application at any of the principal bookstores; and persons residing in the country can have their sets matched by sending a volume in charge of friends visiting the city. "This volume is worth owning by itself, as a most convenient and reliable compend of recent History, Biography, Statistics, &c., &c. The entire work forms the cheapest and probably now the most desirable Encyclopædia published for popular use."--_New York Tribune._ "The Conversations Lexicon (Encyclopædia Americana) has become a household book in all the intelligent families in America, and is undoubtedly the best depository of biographical, historical, geographical, and political information of that kind which discriminating readers require."--_Silliman's Journal._ "This volume of the Encyclopædia is a Westminster Abbey of American reputation. What names are on the roll since 1833!"--_N. Y. Literary World._ "The work to which this volume forms a supplement, is one of the most important contributions that has ever been made to the literature of our country. Besides condensing into a comparatively narrow compass, the substance of larger works of the same kind which had preceded it, it contains a vast amount of information that is not elsewhere to be found, and is distinguished, not less for its admirable arrangement, than for the variety of subjects of which it treats. The present volume, which is edited by one of the most distinguished scholars of our country, is worthy to follow in the train of those which have preceded it. It is a remarkably felicitous condensation of the more recent improvements in science and the arts, besides forming a very important addition to the department of Biography, the general progress of society, &c., &c."--_Albany Argus._ * * * * * CAMPBELL'S LORD CHANCELLORS. NOW COMPLETE. LIVES OF THE LORD CHANCELLORS AND KEEPERS OF THE GREAT SEAL OF ENGLAND. FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE REIGN OF KING GEORGE IV., BY JOHN LORD CAMPBELL, A.M., F.R.S.E. Now complete in seven handsome crown octavo volumes. _Bringing the work to the death of Lord Eldon, 1838._ "The volumes teem with exciting incidents, abound in portraits, sketches, and anecdotes, and are at once interesting and instructive. The work is not only historical and biographical, but it is anecdotical and philosophical. Many of the chapters embody thrilling incidents, while as a whole, the publication may be regarded as of a high intellectual order."--_Inquirer._ * * * * * MURRAY'S ENCYCLOPÆDIA OF GEOGRAPHY. THE ENCYCLOPÆDIA OF GEOGRAPHY, COMPRISING A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE EARTH, PHYSICAL, STATISTICAL, CIVIL, AND POLITICAL. EXHIBITING ITS RELATION TO THE HEAVENLY BODIES, ITS PHYSICAL STRUCTURE, THE NATURAL HISTORY OF EACH COUNTRY, AND THE INDUSTRY, COMMERCE, POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS, AND CIVIL AND SOCIAL STATE OF ALL NATIONS. BY HUGH MURRAY, F.R.S.E., &c. Assisted in Botany by Professor HOOKER--Zoology, &c., by W. W. SWAINSON--Astronomy &c., by Professor WALLACE--Geology, &c., by Professor JAMESON. REVISED, WITH ADDITIONS, BY THOMAS G. BRADFORD. THE WHOLE BROUGHT UP, BY A SUPPLEMENT, TO 1843. _In three large octavo volumes,_ VARIOUS STYLES OF BINDING. This great work, furnished at a remarkably cheap rate, contains about NINETEEN HUNDRED LARGE IMPERIAL PAGES, and is illustrated by EIGHTY-TWO SMALL MAPS, and a colored MAP OF THE UNITED STATES, after Tanner's, together with about ELEVEN HUNDRED WOOD-CUTS, executed in the best style. * * * * * SCHOOL BOOKS. BIRD'S NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. NOW READY. ELEMENTS OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, BEING AN EXPERIMENTAL INTRODUCTION TO THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. ILLUSTRATED WITH OVER THREE HUNDRED WOOD-CUTS. BY GOLDING BIRD, M.D., Assistant Physician to Guy's Hospital. FROM THE THIRD LONDON EDITION. In one neat volume. "By the appearance of Dr. Bird's work, the student has now all that he can desire in one neat, concise, and well-digested volume. The elements of natural philosophy are explained in very simple language, and illustrated by numerous wood-cuts."--_Medical Gazette._ "A volume of useful and beautiful instruction for the young."--_Literary Gazette._ "We should like to know that Dr. Bird's book was associated with every boys' and girls' school throughout the kingdom."--_Medical Gazette._ "This work marks an advance which has long been wanting in our system of instruction. Mr. Bird has succeeded in producing an elementary work of great merit."--_Athenæum._ * * * * * HERSCHELL'S ASTRONOMY. A TREATISE ON ASTRONOMY, BY SIR JOHN F. W. HERSCHELL, F. R. S., &c. WITH NUMEROUS PLATES AND WOOD-CUTS. A NEW EDITION, WITH A PREFACE AND A SERIES OF QUESTIONS, BY S. C. WALKER. In one volume, 12mo. * * * * * BREWSTER'S OPTICS. ELEMENTS OF OPTICS, BY SIR DAVID BREWSTER. WITH NOTES AND ADDITIONS, BY A. D. BACHE, LL.D. Superintendent of the Coast Survey, &c. In one volume, 12mo., with numerous wood-cuts. * * * * * MULLER'S PHYSICS AND METEOROLOGY. NOW READY. PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICS AND METEOROLOGY, BY J. MULLER, Professor of Physics at the University of Freiburg. ILLUSTRATED WITH NEARLY FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD, AND TWO COLORED PLATES. In one octavo volume. TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. In laying the following pages before the public, it seems necessary to state that the design of them is to render more easily accessible a greater portion of the general principles of Physics and Meteorology than is usually to be obtained, without the sacrifice of a greater amount of time and labour than most persons can afford, or are willing to make. The subjects of which this volume treats are very numerous--more numerous, in fact, than at first sight it would seem possible to embrace in so small a compass. The Author has, however, by a system of the most judicious selection and condensation, been enabled to introduce all the most important facts and theories relating to Statics, Hydrostatics, Dynamics, Hydrodynamics, Pneumatics, the Laws of the Motions of Waves in general, Sound, the Theory of Musical Notes, the Voice and Hearing, Geometrical and Physical Optics, Magnetism, Electricity and Galvanism, in all their subdivisions, Heat and Meteorology, within the space of an ordinary middle-sized volume. Of the manner in which the translator has executed his task, it behoves him to say nothing; he has attempted nothing more than a plain, and nearly literal version of the original. He cannot, however, conclude this brief introductory note without directing the attention of his Readers to the splendid manner in which the Publishers have illustrated this volume. _August, 1847._ "The Physics of Muller is a work, superb, complete, unique: the greatest want known to English Science could not have been better supplied. The work is of surpassing interest. The value of this contribution to the scientific records of this country may be duly estimated by the fact, that the cost of the original drawings and engravings alone has exceeded the sum of 2000£."--_Lancet_, March, 1847. "The plan adopted by Muller is simple; it reminds us of the excellent and popular treatise published many years since by Dr. Arnott, but it takes a much wider range of subjects. Like it, all the necessary explanations are given in clear and concise language, without more than an occasional reference to mathematics; and the treatise is most abundantly illustrated with well-executed wood engravings. "The author has actually contrived to comprise in about five hundred pages, including the space occupied by illustrations, Mechanics, the Laws of Motion, Acoustics, Light, Magnetism, Electricity, Galvanism, Electro-Magnetism, Heat, and Meteorology. "Medical practitioners and students, even if they have the means to procure, have certainly not the time to study an elaborate treatise in every branch of science: and the question therefore is, simply, whether they are to remain wholly ignorant of such subjects, or to make a profitable use of the labours of those who have the happy art of saying or suggesting much in a small space. "From our examination of this volume, we do not hesitate to recommend it to our readers as a useful book on a most interesting branch of science. We may remark, that the translation is so well executed, that we think the translator is doing himself injustice by concealing his name."--_London Medical Gazette_, August, 1847. * * * * * GRAHAM'S CHEMISTRY. NEARLY READY. ELEMENTS OF CHEMISTRY, INCLUDING THE APPLICATIONS OF THE SCIENCE IN THE ARTS. BY T. GRAHAM, F. R. S., &c. SECOND AMERICAN, FROM THE SECOND LONDON EDITION. EDITED AND REVISED BY ROBERT BRIDGES, M.D., Professor of Chemistry in the Franklin Medical College, Philadelphia. In one large octavo volume, with numerous wood-engravings. This edition will be found enlarged and improved, so as to be fully brought up to a level with the science of the day. * * * * * ARNOTT'S PHYSICS. ELEMENTS OF PHYSICS; OR, NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, GENERAL AND MEDICAL. WRITTEN FOR UNIVERSAL USE, IN PLAIN, OR NON-TECHNICAL LANGUAGE. BY NIELL ARNOTT, M.D. A NEW EDITION, BY ISAAC HAYS, M.D. Complete in one octavo volume, with nearly two hundred wood-cuts. This standard work has been long and favourably known as one of the best popular expositions of the interesting science it treats of. It is extensively used in many of the first seminaries. * * * * * ELEMENTARY CHEMISTRY, THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL, BY GEORGE FOWNES, Ph.D., Chemical Lecturer in the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, &c., &c. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS. EDITED, WITH ADDITIONS, BY ROBERT BRIDGES, M.D., Professor of General and Pharmaceutical Chemistry in the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, &c., &c. SECOND AMERICAN EDITION. In one large duodecimo volume, sheep, or extra cloth, with nearly two hundred wood-cuts. The character of this work is such as to recommend it to all colleges and academies in want of a text-book. It is fully brought up to the day, containing all the late views and discoveries that have so entirely changed the face of the science, and it is completely illustrated with very numerous wood engravings, explanatory of all the different processes and forms of apparatus. Though strictly scientific, it is written with great clearness and simplicity of style, rendering it easy to be comprehended by those who are commencing the study. It may be had well bound in leather, or neatly done up in strong cloth. Its low price places it within the reach of all. _Extract of a letter from Professor Millington, of William and Mary College, Va._ "I have perused the book with much pleasure, and find it a most admirable work; and, to my mind, such a one as is just now much needed in schools and colleges. * * * All the books I have met with on chemistry are either too puerile or too erudite, and I confess Dr. Fownes' book seems to be the happiest medium I have seen, and admirably suited to fill up the hiatus." Though this work has been so recently published, it has already been adopted as a text-book by a large number of the higher schools and colleges throughout the country, and many of the Medical Institutions. As a work for the upper classes in academies and the junior students of colleges, there has been but one opinion expressed concerning it, and it may now be considered as THE TEXT-BOOK for the Chemical Student. * * * * * POPULAR SCIENCE. KIRBY AND SPENCE'S ENTOMOLOGY, FOR POPULAR USE. AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY, OR, ELEMENTS OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF INSECTS; COMPRISING AN ACCOUNT OF NOXIOUS AND USEFUL INSECTS, OF THEIR METAMORPHOSES, FOOD, STRATAGEMS, HABITATIONS, SOCIETIES, MOTIONS, NOISES, HYBERNATION, INSTINCT, &c., &c. With Plates, Plain or Colored. BY W. KIRBY, M.A., F.R.S., AND W. SPENCE, ESQ., F.R.S. FROM THE SIXTH LONDON EDITION, WHICH WAS CORRECTED AND MUCH ENLARGED. In one large octavo volume, extra cloth. "We have been greatly interested in running over the pages of this treatise. There is scarcely, in the wide range of natural science, a more interesting or instructive study than that of insects, or one that is calculated to excite more curiosity or wonder. "The popular form of letters is adopted by the authors in imparting a knowledge of the subject, which renders the work peculiarly fitted for our district school libraries, which are open to all ages and classes."--_Hunt's Merchants' Magazine._ * * * * * JOHNSON AND LANDRETH ON FRUIT, KITCHEN, AND FLOWER GARDENING. A DICTIONARY OF MODERN GARDENING, BY GEORGE WILLIAM JOHNSON, ESQ. Author of the "Principles of Practical Gardening," "The Gardener's Almanac," &c. WITH ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY WOOD-CUTS. EDITED, WITH NUMEROUS ADDITIONS, BY DAVID LANDRETH, OF PHILADELPHIA. In one large royal duodecimo volume, extra cloth, of nearly Six Hundred and Fifty double columned Pages. This edition has been greatly altered from the original. Many articles of little interest to Americans have been curtailed or wholly omitted, and much new matter, with numerous illustrations, added, especially with respect to the varieties of fruit which experience has shown to be peculiarly adapted to our climate. Still, the editor admits that he has only followed in the path so admirably marked out by Mr. Johnson, to whom the chief merit of the work belongs. It has been an object with the editor and publishers to increase its popular character, thereby adapting it to the larger class of horticultural readers in this country, and they trust it will prove what they have desired it to be, an Encyclopædia of Gardening, if not of Rural Affairs, so condensed and at such a price as to be within reach of nearly all whom those subjects interest. * * * * * GRAHAME'S COLONIAL HISTORY. HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. FROM THE PLANTATION OF THE BRITISH COLONIES TILL THEIR ASSUMPTION OF INDEPENDENCE. SECOND AMERICAN EDITION, ENLARGED AND AMENDED, WITH A MEMOIR BY PRESIDENT QUINCY. IN TWO LARGE OCTAVO VOLUMES, EXTRA CLOTH, WITH A PORTRAIT. This work having assumed the position of a standard history of this country, the publishers have been induced to issue an edition in smaller size and at a less cost, that its circulation may be commensurate with its merits. It is now considered as the most impartial and trustworthy history that has yet appeared. A few copies of the edition in four volumes, on extra fine thick paper, price eight dollars, may still be had by gentlemen desirous of procuring a beautiful work for their libraries. * * * * * ANSTED'S ANCIENT WORLD. JUST ISSUED. THE ANCIENT WORLD, OR, PICTURESQUE SKETCHES OF CREATION, BY D. T. ANSTED, M. A., F.R.S, F.G.S., &c. PROFESSOR OF GEOLOGY, IN KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON. In one very neat volume, fine extra cloth, with about One Hundred and Fifty Illustrations. The object of this work is to present to the general reader the chief results of Geological investigation in a simple and comprehensive manner. The author has avoided all minute details of geological formations and particular observations, and has endeavoured as far as possible to present striking views of the wonderful results of the science, divested of its mere technicalities. The work is printed in a handsome manner, with numerous illustrations, and forms a neat volume for the centre table. "As a resume of what is at present known on the subject of fossil remains, it is worthy to be a companion to the author's 'Descriptive Geology,' a work of which we have spoken in the highest terms. This volume is illustrated in the style of all Van Voorst's Natural History works, and that is sufficient recommendation. Our extracts will convey a notion of the style of the work, which is, like all that Professor Ansted has written, clear and pointed.--_Athenæum._ * * * * * CHEMISTRY OF THE FOUR SEASONS, SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, AND WINTER. AN ESSAY, PRINCIPALLY CONCERNING NATURAL PHENOMENA, ADMITTING OF INTERPRETATION BY CHEMICAL SCIENCE, AND ILLUSTRATING PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE. BY THOMAS GRIFFITHS, Professor of Chemistry in the Medical College of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, &c. In one large royal 12mo. volume, with many Wood-Cuts, extra cloth. "Chemistry is assuredly one of the most useful and interesting of the natural sciences. Chemical changes meet us at every step, and during every season, the winds and the rain, the heat and the frosts, each have their peculiar and appropriate phenomena. And those who have hitherto remained insensible to these changes and unmoved amid such remarkable, and often startling results, will lose their apathy upon reading the Chemistry of the 'Four Seasons,' and be prepared to enjoy the highest intellectual pleasures. Conceived in a happy spirit, and written with taste and elegance, the essay of Mr. Griffiths cannot fail to receive the admiration of cultivated minds; and those who have looked less carefully into nature's beauties, will find themselves led on step by step, until they realize a new intellectual being. Such works, we believe, exert a happy influence over society, and hence we hope that the present one may be extensively read."--_The Western Lancet._ * * * * * PHILOSOPHY IN SPORT, MADE SCIENCE IN EARNEST; BEING AN ATTEMPT TO ILLUSTRATE THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, BY THE AID OF THE POPULAR TOYS AND SPORTS OF YOUTH. FROM THE SIXTH AND GREATLY IMPROVED LONDON EDITION. In one very neat royal 18mo. volume, with nearly one hundred illustrations on wood. Fine extra crimson cloth. "Messrs. Lea & Blanchard have issued, in a beautiful manner, a handsome book, called 'Philosophy in Sport, made Science in Earnest.' This is an admirable attempt to illustrate the first principles of Natural Philosophy, by the aid of the popular toys and sports of youth. Useful information is conveyed in an easy, graceful, yet dignified manner, and rendered easy to the simplest understanding. The book is an admirable one, and must meet with universal favour."--_N. Y. Evening Mirror._ * * * * * ENDLESS AMUSEMENT. JUST ISSUED. ENDLESS AMUSEMENT, A COLLECTION OF NEARLY FOUR HUNDRED ENTERTAINING EXPERIMENTS IN VARIOUS BRANCHES OF SCIENCE, INCLUDING ACOUSTICS, ARITHMETIC, CHEMISTRY, ELECTRICITY, HYDRAULICS, HYDROSTATICS, MAGNETISM, MECHANICS, OPTICS, WONDERS OF THE AIR PUMP, ALL THE POPULAR TRICKS AND CHANGES OF THE CARDS, &c., &c. TO WHICH IS ADDED, A COMPLETE SYSTEM OF PYROTECHNY, OR THE ART OF MAKING FIRE-WORKS: THE WHOLE SO CLEARLY EXPLAINED AS TO BE WITHIN REACH OF THE MOST LIMITED CAPACITY. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. FROM THE SEVENTH LONDON EDITION. In one neat royal 18mo. volume, fine extra crimson cloth. "It contains everything that can please the grave or the gay. It is 'endless amusement,' and the publishers might have added, instruction. What a help to a dull gathering, or what an able adjunct to a children's party! It may be introduced to the scientific or to the family circle, and to each it will give instruction and pleasure. It is filled with illustrations. We shall give extracts from it occasionally."--_Lady's Book._ * * * * * SOMERVILLE'S PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. BY MARY SOMERVILLE. AUTHOR OF "CONNECTION OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES," ETC. _In one neat royal 12mo. volume, extra cloth._ CONTENTS.--Geology--Form of the Great Continent--Highlands of the Great Continent--Mountain Systems of the Great Continent--Africa--American Continent--Low Lands of South America--Central America--North America--Greenland--Australia--The Ocean--Springs--European Rivers--African Rivers--Asiatic Rivers--River Systems of North America--Rivers of South America--Lakes--The Atmosphere--Vegetation--Vegetation of the Great Continent--Flora of Tropical Asia--African Flora--Australian Flora--American Vegetation--Distribution of Insects--Distribution of Fishes--Distribution of Reptiles--Distribution of Birds--Distribution of Mammalia--Distribution, Conditions and Future Prospects of the Human Race. While reading this work we could not help thinking how interesting, as well as useful, geography as a branch of education might be made in our schools. In many of them, however, this is not accomplished. It is to be hoped that this defect will be remedied; and that in all our educational institutions Geography will soon be taught in the proper way. Mrs. Somerville's work may, in this respect, be pointed to as a model.--_Tait's Edinburgh Magazine_, September, 1848. * * * * * READINGS FOR THE YOUNG. FROM THE WORKS OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. _In two very handsome 18mo. volumes, with beautiful plates, done up in crimson extra cloth._ Messrs. Lea & Blanchard deserve the thanks of all the little people in the land for these delightful volumes, which are as agreeable to read as they are attractive in appearance.--_N. Y. Literary World._ * * * * * TALES AND STORIES FROM HISTORY. BY AGNES STRICKLAND, AUTHOR OF "LIVES OF THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND," ETC. _In one handsome royal 18mo. volume, crimson extra cloth, with illustrations._ In these pretty tales from the legendary and authentic history of England and Continental Europe, Miss Strickland has hit a happy mean in presenting to the mind of youth, fact in its most fascinating, and fiction in its least objectionable garb. It is a little work which will be dog's eared, and pored over with absorbing interest by the school-boy.--_Balt. Patriot._ * * * * * The above works will be found admirable reading books for schools.--Lea & Blanchard also publish the following, which are suitable to advanced classes. A POPULAR TREATISE ON VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY. By W. B. Carpenter, M. D. In one royal 12mo. volume, with wood-cuts. THE ANCIENT WORLD; OR, PICTURESQUE SKETCHES OF CREATION. By D. T. Ansted, M. A., F. R. S., F. G. S. In one royal 12mo. volume, with 150 wood-cuts. THE CHEMISTRY OF THE FOUR SEASONS, SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN AND WINTER; an Essay principally concerning Natural Phenomena admitting of interpretation by Chemical Science, and illustrating passages of Scripture. By Thomas Griffiths. In one large royal 12mo. volume, with 60 wood-cuts. * * * * * BOY'S TREASURY OF SPORTS. THE BOY'S TREASURY OF SPORTS, PASTIMES AND RECREATIONS. WITH FOUR HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS. BY SAMUEL WILLIAMS. IS NOW READY. In one very neat volume, bound in extra crimson cloth; handsomely printed and illustrated with engravings in the first style of art, and containing about six hundred and fifty articles. A present for all seasons. PREFACE. This Illustrated Manual of "Sports, Pastimes, and Recreations," has been prepared with especial regard to the Health, Exercise, and Rational Enjoyment of the young readers to whom it is addressed. Every variety of commendable Recreation will be found in the following pages. First, you have the little Toys of the Nursery; the Tops and Marbles of the Play-ground; and the Balls of the Play-room, or the smooth Lawn. Then, you have a number of Pastimes that serve to gladden the fireside; to light up many faces right joyfully, and make the parlour re-echo with mirth. Next, come the Exercising Sports of the Field, the Green, and the Play-ground; followed by the noble and truly English game of Cricket. Gymnastics are next admitted; then, the delightful recreation of Swimming; and the healthful sport of Skating. Archery, once the pride of England, is then detailed; and very properly followed by Instructions in the graceful accomplishment of Fencing, and the manly and enlivening exercise of Riding. Angling, the pastime of childhood, boyhood, manhood, and old age, is next described; and by attention to the instructions here laid down, the lad with a stick and a string may soon become an expert Angler. Keeping Animals is a favourite pursuit of boyhood. Accordingly, we have described how to rear the Rabbit, the Squirrel, the Dormouse, the Guinea Pig, the Pigeon, and the Silkworm. A long chapter is adapted to the rearing of Song Birds; the several varieties of which, and their respective cages, are next described. And here we may hint, that kindness to Animals invariably denotes an excellent disposition: for, to pet a little creature one hour, and to treat it harshly the next, marks a capricious if not a cruel temper. Humanity is a jewel, which every boy should be proud to wear in his breast. We now approach the more sedate amusements--as Draughts and Chess: two of the noblest exercises of the ingenuity of the human mind. Dominoes and Bagatelle follow. With a knowledge of these four games, who would pass a dull hour in the dreariest day of winter; or who would sit idly by the fire? Amusements in Arithmetic, harmless Legerdemain, or sleight-of-hand, and Tricks with Cards, will delight many a family circle, when the business of the day is over, and the book is laid aside. Although the present volume is a book of amusements, Science has not been excluded from its pages. And why should it be? when Science is as entertaining as a fairy tale. The changes we read of in little nursery-books are not more amusing than the changes in Chemistry, Optics, Electricity, Magnetism, &c. By understanding these, you may almost become a little Magician. Toy Balloons and Paper Fireworks, (or Fireworks _without_ Fire,) come next. Then follow Instructions for Modelling in Card-Board; so that you may build for yourself a palace or a carriage, and, in short, make for yourself a little paper world. Puzzles and Paradoxes, Enigmas and Riddles, and Talking with the Fingers, next make up plenty of exercise for "Guess," and "Guess again." And as you have the "Keys" in your own hand, you may keep your friends in suspense, and make yourself as mysterious as the Sphynx. A chapter of Miscellanies--useful and amusing secrets--winds up the volume. The "Treasury" contains upwards of four hundred Engravings; so that it is not only a collection of "secrets worth knowing," but it is a book of pictures, as full of prints as a Christmas pudding is of plums. It may be as well to mention that the "Treasury" holds many new games that have never before been printed in a book of this kind. The old games have been described afresh. Thus it is, altogether, a new book. And now we take leave, wishing you many hours, and days, and weeks of enjoyment over these pages; and we hope that you may be as happy as this book is brimful of amusement. TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES 1. Passages in italics are surrounded by _underscores_. 2. Images have been moved from the middle of a paragraph to the closest paragraph break. 3. The words coeli, manoeuvre and manoeuvres uses an "oe" ligature in the original. 4. The fractional numbers are represented by a hyphen and a forward slash. For example, 3-1/2 represents three and a half. 5. The following misprints have been corrected: "umlimited" corrected to "unlimited" (page 67) "immerged" corrected to "immersed" (page 124) "shil ing" corrected to "shilling" (page 133) "where-ever" corrected to "wherever" (page 148) "sttll" corrected to "still" (page 149) "mattrasses" corrected to "mattresses" (page 156) 6. Other than the corrections listed above, printer's inconsistencies in spelling, punctuation, and hyphenation, have been retained. 
50903	----	SLEIGHT OF HAND A Practical Manual of Legerdemain for Amateurs & Others EDWIN SACHS [Illustration] Dover Publications, Inc. New York Published in Canada by General Publishing Company, Ltd., 30 Lesmill Road, Don Mills, Toronto, Ontario. This Dover edition, first published in 1980, is an unabridged republication of the second, greatly enlarged, edition of the work as published by L. Upcott Gill, London, 1885. _International Standard Book Number: 0-486-23911-X Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 79-54184_ Manufactured in the United States of America Dover Publications, Inc. 180 Varick Street New York, N. Y. 10014 CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 PART I. DRAWING-ROOM MAGIC. 4 I.--PALMING 5 II.--TRICKS WITH COINS 9 III.--TRICKS WITH COMMON OBJECTS 39 IV.--TRICKS WITH CUPS AND BALLS 54 V.--TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS 62 VI.--CHINESE TRICKS 70 VII.--TRICKS AT TABLE 77 VIII.--TRICKS WITH CARDS 88 PART II.--GRAND, OR STAGE MAGIC. 149 IX.--GENERAL REMARKS 149 X.--THE TABLE AND DRESS 156 XI.--SLEIGHTS AND PROPERTIES FOR GENERAL USE 163 XII.--TRICKS WITH CARDS 186 XIII.--TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS AND GLOVES 210 XIV.--TRICKS WITH COINS 232 XV.--MISCELLANEOUS 257 XVI.--THE CORNUCOPIAN HAT 346 XVII.--TRICKS WITH WATCHES AND LIVE STOCK 361 XVIII.--SHAM MESMERISM, CLAIRVOYANCE, &C. 378 XIX.--FINAL INSTRUCTIONS 392 PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. It is always a matter for self-congratulation on the part of an author to be called upon to furnish a Preface to a second or subsequent edition of some "bantling of his brain." In the present instance the task is more satisfactory than usual, the author not coming before the reader empty-handed. Since the publication of the first edition, conjurors have not been idle, and numerous new methods for producing magical surprises have been invented. Such of these as are suitable or worthy--for, in their haste to be novel, many have failed to be satisfactory--the author has incorporated; and, by a thorough revision of the work, he has placed before the aspiring conjuror, written up to date, all that it is possible for him to know in the region of SLEIGHT OF HAND. E. S. LONDON, _April_, 1885. SLEIGHT OF HAND INTRODUCTION. "It is as pleasant to be cheated as to cheat," is a maxim that must have been framed expressly for conjuring, for the more completely one is deceived by its medium (and, be it said, by its medium alone) the better one is pleased. The date of the origin of conjuring, as we now understand the art, is not known, but there must have been proficients in the practice of it as early as the time of Chaucer; for that ancient writer speaks of one Coll Tregetour (Tregetour signifying a juggler) producing a windmill from beneath a walnut shell. There is doubtless some slight exaggeration in this statement, or else modern wizards are far behind those of early days--an hypothesis I cannot accept. In the superstitious lands of the East, jugglery was doubtless at the bottom of the many manifestations that were mixed up with religion, and the wily priests made the best (or worst) uses of its influence on the uncultivated mind. When we consider the effect that is even now produced on the minds of an enlightened audience by a skilful manipulator, the wonderment of people who were but half civilised, and who were taught to believe in spirits, is scarcely a matter for surprise. Although superstition has not died out--if, indeed, it ever _will_ die out--there are now very few people who attribute the successes of a conjuror to any other agency than that of his own skill; always excepting that of the everlasting "confederate," who, as the reader of the following pages will discover, exists, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, only in the imagination of the spectator. Formerly, conjurors appeared clothed in long robes and tall, pointed hats, both covered with mystic signs and symbols; Robert Houdin, whom we may consider the father of modern conjuring, being the first to perform in the now conventional evening dress. This innovation had the effect of increasing the genuineness of the performance, as it was an easy matter to conceal large articles beneath a flowing robe, such as had been previously worn; but the close-fitting dress suit affords no means of concealment--to the minds of an audience, at any rate. Houdin was the means of elevating the art in the eyes of the public, besides investing it with nearly all that it possesses of the graceful; and, as it has undergone still more improvement since his time, it has now become a pursuit well worthy the attention of anyone inclined to follow it up, as much for the amusement of himself as of others. Besides its power of amusing, conjuring affords an immense amount of instruction to its student, and is useful in inculcating coolness, precision, and an endless amount of resource, which will always stand one in good stead on the world's wide and ever-changing stage. It is my intention to give, in the following pages, such instruction as shall enable the merest tyro to become an adept in the art of Legerdemain, providing that a due degree of attention is given and a reasonable amount of practice undertaken. Practice, indeed, is what is required in order to achieve success in any pursuit or amusement, whatever its nature may be, and without it the best of instruction is given in vain. For this reason, I must exhort such of my readers as may seek to amuse their friends through the medium of what I shall impart to them to devote as much time as they can spare to practice at the outset, in order that they may acquire a neat method of manipulation, which is the keystone of success in a conjuror, and which, once attained, will never leave them. If to this delicacy of manipulation is added a suavity of manner, accompanied by a never-failing cool daring, then the perfection of a conjuror is attained. Magic may safely be divided into two parts, Drawing-room Magic and Grand Magic. As it is in the family circle that every amateur conjuror mostly exhibits his attainments, I shall first treat of drawing-room magic; indeed, it is absolutely necessary to be a master of that branch, in order to undertake grand magic successfully. The success of the conjuror who can perform only on the stage, far removed from all inquisitorial interference, will be but of short duration. I find it has been the case with most amateurs, who rarely find opportunities for performing on a stage, that their greatest successes have been achieved in the drawing-room. The very first thing a conjuror must procure is a conjuring-wand--an implement that is always supposed by the audience to be for show only; and for such they must always be made to think it is. It is, however, an absolutely indispensable article, both to beginner and proficient, as it serves as an auxiliary to the concealment of any article in the hand, as will be explained hereafter. For the present, all the learner has to do is to procure a round stick of ebony, about 18in. long, fitted with ivory, silver, or brass ferrules (not caps) countersunk at each end, and to trust to me to its being necessary. It is best to have the wand made to suit the taste, as those sold at conjuring-shops are invariably too short. Any walking-stick manufacturer will make it. PART I. DRAWING-ROOM MAGIC. This derives its chief beauty from the fact that it is almost entirely dependent on pure sleight of hand, a fact which audiences are never slow to appreciate. The most familiar objects are dealt with, and are made to vanish and re-appear in unexpected places, as though they really were disembodied and reinstated. The amateur will find, after a few years' experience, that the impromptu performances he may, from time to time, be called upon to give in the drawing-rooms of his acquaintances, will be much more satisfactory to both himself and his audiences than the more pretentious affairs given upon stages, which call for a great deal of management, apart from ability, to render them successes. When once the performer has attained the credit of being better than the ordinary ruck, it will become incumbent upon him to keep up the level of skill by means of practice, as wonder must follow wonder in ever-increasing proportion. Coins, from being so readily procurable, and from their adaptability, are deservedly favourite media, and with them I shall first deal. For all general purposes, a well-conditioned florin will be found the best coin for the beginner; although, of course, he must, in time, be able to manipulate slippery half-crowns and pennies with equal ease. Florins, as a rule, are more readily procurable in these days, but few half-crowns being coined in comparison with them. But as the conjuror must be provided against all emergencies, I shall give directions for the best method of treatment for each coin. The means adopted for the temporary concealment of a coin in the hand is known as Palming, and I shall commence Drawing-room Magic with a description of the various methods. CHAPTER I. PALMING. THE PALM PROPER--THE FINGER PALM--THE THUMB PALM--THE REVERSE PALM. [Illustration: FIG. 1.] [Illustration: FIG. 2.] [Illustration: FIG. 3.] _Method 1. The Palm Proper._--Hold the coin firmly between the thumb on the one side and the middle and third fingers on the other, the first and little fingers taking up graceful positions, as it were, to cover the movement about to be made (Fig. 1). Remove the thumb to its ordinary position of repose, and, at the same instant, let the two fingers (second and third) press the coin into the palm of the hand, half way down the root of the thumb, the muscles of which must be brought to bear against the edge of the coin, so that it is held firmly and forms a bridge over the hollow of the hand (Fig. 2). A backward and forward swing should be given to the hand whilst the coin is being palmed, as it not only covers the movement, but also facilitates the operation in a marked degree. In pressing the coin home, it will be found that the third finger will be more used than the middle one. The instant the palm is effected, the hand must be made to assume the most natural position possible under the circumstances, the little finger being well thrown out, after the dainty manner ladies affect when holding a cup, so as to give the hand breadth. Some beginners think that in holding the hand perfectly flat they are effecting a very beautiful palm; but this is not the case, as can be seen at once by looking at the hand without any coin in its palm. That is the model the conjuror must copy: any unnatural position at once betrays the fact that something unusual is going on. For this method, the florin will be found the best coin, its edge affording a better hold than that of any other piece. _Method 2. The Finger Palm._--The coin is held between the thumb and forefinger, and the latter then slid aside, so that the coin rests upon the side of the middle finger. The forefinger then takes the place of the thumb, and the coin is held as in Fig. 3. The action is simplified if the coin is held in the first instance between the thumb and middle finger, but it looks awkward and suspicious. This method will be found particularly adapted for concealing coins of the size of a shilling and less. Larger coins should not be treated thus, except in emergencies, when anything is allowable. _Method 3. The Thumb Palm._--This palm is not generally known, which is to be wondered at, for it is a very safe and easy one. The coin is simply held between the thumb and forefinger, and then slid to the root of the latter, where it is held, as in Fig. 4. The only objection to this palm is that it keeps the thumb a close prisoner, to the manifest loss of grace, but it is exceedingly useful for large and slippery coins, such as half-crowns, pennies, and crowns. [Illustration: FIG. 4.] [Illustration: FIG. 5.] _Method 4._--Two, three, and four coins may be palmed by the first method, but the method shown at Fig. 5 is the safer. There is a rather unnatural disposition of the thumb about it, but the fingers are left free play. [Illustration: FIG. 6.] _Method 5. Reverse Palm._--It is sometimes required of the performer to show that his hands do not contain any coin. If a coin is palmed in one of them, he must first exhibit the other open in a very ostentatious manner, and, whilst the audience is momentarily engaged in looking at it, press the coin, by means of the thumb, through the fingers of the hand in which it is held, so that it protrudes at the back, and cannot be seen from the front (Fig. 6). Some performers have brought this palm to a great state of perfection. One very telling effect is to pretend to throw the coin away. For this purpose, it is held between the tips of the first finger and thumb, whilst lying upon the side of the middle finger. As the action of throwing is imitated, the forefinger is slid over the coin, the thumb being removed, and the coin thus made to protrude at the back of the hand. Other fanciful methods of palming exist, but they will be of no practical use to the conjuror, so I have omitted descriptions of them. CHAPTER II. TRICKS WITH COINS. TRICK FOR PALM PRACTICE--HOW TO "PASS" A COIN INVISIBLY--HOW TO CHANGE A COIN--THE USE OF THE WAND IN PALMING--TO PASS A MARKED COIN THROUGH A TABLE--METHOD FOR CONCEALING MANY COINS--THE AERIAL VISIT AND JOURNEY--TO "PASS" SEVERAL COINS--HINTS ON PRACTICE--TO CAUSE A COIN TO VANISH FROM A HANDKERCHIEF--ON BORROWING A HANDKERCHIEF--THE DANCING COIN--A MYSTERY WITHIN A MYSTERY--TO CAUSE A FLORIN AND A PENNY TO CHANGE PLACES--TO PICK A MARKED COIN FROM A NUMBER, BLINDFOLDED--THE MARRIAGE--TO INVISIBLY EXTRACT A COIN FROM OUT OF A GLASS OF WATER--TO PASS PENNIES INTO A BOTTLE--TO CAUSE EXPOSED COINS TO CHANGE PLACES--TO "SLEEVE" COINS--HINTS ON MARKING COINS--THE BEST COINS TO USE. The uses of the palm will make themselves manifest in every trick in which money is used as a medium, but the beginner can astonish his friends, and, at the same time, make himself perfect, by any of the following minor tricks: (_a_) Throw the coin backwards and forwards, from hand to hand, three or four times, in a careless manner, always taking care that the left hand is shut well over each time the coin is contained in it; and then make a feint of throwing, but, in reality, palm the coin after the method that best suits its size. The hand (in most cases it would be the left, as the majority of conjurers palm with the right; with left-handed people it would be, of course, reversed) which is supposed to receive the coin must be closed smartly, so as to make a noise similar to that caused by a coin thrown into the palm. This is effected by the ends of the two middle fingers striking the fleshy part of the thumb (Fig. 7). If this is properly executed, the illusion is perfect, and all eyes will be directed to the left hand, when the coin can be quietly placed in a side or tail pocket, to which receptacle it may afterwards be made to pass from the left hand, where it is supposed to be, in a magical manner. I would recommend the beginner to practice this movement sedulously in private, as it teaches quick and neat palming, and will prove a most useful auxiliary to many important tricks. By "passing" a coin from place to place "in a magical manner" is implied the act of _pretending_ to do so; it being an accepted axiom amongst conjurers never to "pass" anything invisibly to any given spot until the article is already safely located there. This practice will, of course, commend itself to all as avoiding untoward mistakes. To "pass" a coin from the hand, wave the wand over it, and say whatever you think will go down best with the particular audience you have before you. A sharp rap on the knuckles will complete the operation, but always take care to show the hand empty, otherwise the trick is spoilt. If the wand is not handy, pretend to rub the coin away between the fingers, or affect to give it to one of the audience. (See Figs. 8 and 9 for an effective method.) [Illustration: FIG. 7. (The dotted line represents the coin palmed in the right hand.)] [Illustration: FIG. 8.] [Illustration: FIG. 9.] (_b_) Have a coin palmed in the left hand, and borrow a similar one from the audience, and have it well marked (always have coins marked where possible, "to prevent changing"). Make a movement as though you placed the marked coin in the left hand, but in reality palm it. At the same time, open the left hand, and the coin that has been snugly concealed there will look as if it had just left the right hand. By this means a change is effected which you can utilise according to circumstances. By fidgeting about among the audience, you may be able to place the marked coin under one of them; the other coin being held by someone who is directed to hold it "very high, sir, very high, so that everyone can see it"--the real object being to keep him from examining it too closely. By standing the holder of the coin on a chair, an opportunity for slipping the palmed coin into his pocket presents itself, and should be taken advantage of. The marked coin being once safely hidden, it is an easy matter to palm the unmarked one (which, of course, the audience has been led to believe is the marked one) and make it "pass" invisibly to wherever the other may be. The conjuror's own coin should always be provided with a very distinct mark--a cross is invariably a safe one to employ--as it is rarely that one meets with people who can refrain from instituting an illicit investigation so soon as the conjuror's back is turned. When the holder of the coin is seen to be surreptitiously examining it for the mark, the conjuror should not prevent him, but call the attention of the audience to the fact, and ask if the mark be visible. The holder, seeing the cross, will answer in the affirmative; he not being aware, of course, that the borrowed coin was possibly marked with a very different sign. This incident will add to the effectiveness of the trick. In tricks _a_ and _b_ the wand will be found very useful. It should always be carried under the arm, after the manner in which soldiers carry their canes; and when any palm has been effected, and the coin has to remain concealed in the hand, the wand should be taken in the hand containing the coin. Beginners, especially, will find this of great assistance, as in the case of a somewhat defective palm the coin can be pressed well home by clenching the wand hard. Besides this, the fact of carrying a wand in the hand keeps the idea of the coin being there from the minds of the audience; and the mind is what the conjuror has to deceive. (_c_) Have a coin palmed in the right hand (Palm No. 2), and procure a similar one, marked, which hold up to the audience by the left hand. Pretend to take it in the right, but let it fall into the hollow of the left hand (Figs. 8 and 9); the unmarked coin in the right hand being exhibited. In order to effect this daring change naturally and without detection, the thumb of the right hand must be passed through the ring formed by the thumb and forefinger of the left and the coin held between them, and the fingers closed well over the coin, which will appear to be grasped by them. Now place the left hand under the table, the right hand remaining above. Covered by the action of bringing it on the table, execute Palm No. 1 with the right hand, but keep the fingers formed as though they still held the coin, which you then pretend to lay on the table with a sharp "click." This "click" is made by the coin in the left hand, under the table, in order that the illusion may be perfect. The right hand will then affect to rub the coin through the table, and eventually the one in the left hand, which has in reality never been out of it, will be produced. The noise of rubbing is also made by the coin under the table, only it must not be continued too long; and care must be taken that the two hands act in perfect unison, as it will not do for the noise to continue when the action of rubbing with the right hand has ceased. This trick is not so difficult as it looks on paper, and is very effective. The whole trick consists in pretending to take the marked coin from the fingers of the left hand without doing so. (_d_) Conceal a number of coins in the left hand. As a quantity cannot be easily palmed, they must be held in the hand with the wand. If that is not handy, hold the flap of the coat; but care should be taken that the wand _is_ at hand for this trick. Borrow a hat, taking it in the right hand (in which a solitary coin is palmed), and transfer it rapidly to the left in such a manner that the crown is always towards the audience, and the fingers holding the coins are inside. The coins must not be jingled, or the trick will be exposed. Tell one of the audience that he must be very rich if he can afford to carry money about in such strange places as you perceive he does. Surprise will, of course, be expressed on his part, when you will fumble about in his hair, and eventually find the coin which you have had palmed. This is a much better method of commencing than merely saying, "I have here a shilling." It is sure to amuse the audience, and put you on a good footing with them; besides which, it is always well to mingle as much with them as possible, as then people go home and say, "Oh! he came right down among us, and found money in people's heads," &c. Also take care to find the money in an elegant and inoffensive manner. Having spun the coin in the air, in order to show that it is a real one, retire to the end of the room, as far away as you can, if the room is small, and hold the hat, still in the left hand, before you, with the crown towards the audience. With the coin in the right hand, make a pass at the hat, palming the coin (Palm No. 2), and letting one from the left hand fall. You will then appear to have passed the coin from the right hand into the hat, by way of the crown. Should the coin by accident fall on a soft place in the hat, and make no noise in so doing, shake the hat about to show that the coin really is inside, or no one will know what is supposed to have taken place. Now advance a step or two, looking cautiously forward as if you saw something in the air, and suddenly make a dart out with the right hand, at the same time bringing the coin to the extreme ends of the fingers. The idea conveyed is that the coin has been caught in the air (Fig. 10). Pass it through the hat, letting another fall from the left hand, and shaking the hat so as to ensure the two that have been dropped jingling together, and find another in the air a little farther on. Proceed in this way till all the coins in the left hand are exhausted (varying the proceedings by occasionally finding one at your elbow or foot), and then show the hat with coins to the audience, a member of which will doubtless have "just one more" seated on the tip of the nose, which coin is put into the hat in the ordinary way. The beginner should use shillings, seven or eight only in number, for this trick, although larger coins are certainly more effective at a distance. It is best to use two palms, viz., the finger palm when the coin is to be caught in the air or in the flame of a candle (a very pretty effect), as it is more readily brought to the ends of the fingers from that position; and either of the others (No. 1 for choice), when the coin is to be found on the body or elsewhere. It is as well to occasionally pretend to put the coin into the hat in the ordinary way, instead of through the crown. Some conjurors object altogether to passing through the crown; but this is merely a matter of fancy. It sometimes happens that the person in whose hair you find the first piece will, from his being a "funny man," or otherwise privileged person, ask you to give him back his property. Acquiesce at once with his request, of course after your own manner, which will be to palm the coin, and pretend to give it to him, much to his discomfiture. In borrowing the hat, be sure that it hides the left hand in the act of being taken, so that any accidental exposure of the coins held there, which might occur through inexperience, will be covered. Also observe the greatest caution in dropping only one coin into the hat at the first pass. After the first coin has fallen, it does not matter if two or more are accidentally let fall at once, as the error could not be detected; but at the commencement it would be simply fatal to do so. Under cover of the hat it is easy to separate one coin from the rest for the first drop. If the number of coins is very limited, you must give the hat a short, sharp shake, which will serve in lieu of letting one fall; but only do this now and then. This trick will be treated in an enlarged form, under the head of "Grand Magic." When any number of coins are required for any other trick, they should always be collected in this manner, it being a most effective method. Always take a step in advance each time a coin is found. For this reason the performer should stand well to the right on the stage on commencing. [Illustration: FIG. 10.] (_e_) The following makes an excellent "follow" to the preceding trick: Suppose that you have sixteen coins in all in the hat; conceal four of them in one hand. If the hat is then held by the same hand, it will not be noticed that it contains any coins. Now ask someone to count the coins in the hat, and, of course, there will be twelve. Take four of these away, and give them to be held by another person. Hold the hat high in the air, and tell the person who has the remaining eight coins to drop them into it when you have counted "three." Watch the action of his hand narrowly, and, as the eight coins fall, release the four concealed in the hand which holds the hat so that they all fall exactly together. The great thing to avoid is the sound of two distinct drops, which would be fatal. Leaving the hat, covered with a handkerchief if you please, in the hands of your temporary assistant, who will, of course, be enjoined to "hold it very high," you take the four coins just previously given to be held, and "pass" them invisibly into the hat, where, of course, twelve coins will be found. The method for passing used is the same as that depicted at Fig. 7, with the difference that the coins are not palmed. They must be held in the fingers loosely (Fig. 11) so that when the false movement of placing them in the outstretched palm is made they will come together with a clash, which is highly necessary for the success of the pass. The hand actually containing the coins must instantly seize the wand, which article will then cause the magic journey from left hand to hat to be made. Be careful that the counting of the coins is done in a very deliberate manner, and in a loud voice, so that everyone in the room knows how many coins are supposed to be in the hat before you pass the rest into it. If this is not done, the effect of the trick is lost. [Illustration: FIG. 11.] Here let me advise my readers to assiduously practise quick palming, for which purpose I would recommend trick _a_ as a most effective exercise. So much depends upon a quick and secure palm, that too great a stress cannot be laid upon it. Indeed, I cannot too strongly impress the learner with the necessity of practising everything, to the minutest detail, in private, before venturing to perform before others. By so doing, much chagrin and disappointment will be averted. (_f_) The trick I am now about to describe will, I have no doubt, be known to many of my readers; but I ask no excuse for giving it here, as those who can claim a previous acquaintanceship with the trick will, perhaps, here learn a wrinkle or two worth knowing: Borrow a handkerchief. When I say "borrow a handkerchief," I do not mean simply borrow one without any comment. On the contrary, make a great fuss about never using your own handkerchief, &c.; and be particular to hand round all borrowed articles for inspection, to show that you "have no confederates." By making your audience thoroughly sick of looking at borrowed articles, they are more likely to pass over anything of your own that will not bear minute examination. This should be borne well in mind. Spread the handkerchief out upon the table, and place a coin, not heavier or larger than a shilling (borrowed and marked), in the centre of it. Beneath the nail of the middle finger of the right hand (which hand is immaterial, but for the purpose of illustration it is necessary to use the terms "right" and "left") you have a small piece of bees' wax (on no account cobblers' wax) which you have previously made tolerably adhesive by working it about. Place this finger on the coin, saying, "Now, in order that all may see that I do not for one instant move the coin from its position, I place this finger upon it," and, taking up one of the corners of the handkerchief in the other hand, fold it over the coin so as to well cover it, and press it down hard, allowing the wax to come off on the coin, and to cause a mutual adherence between it and the handkerchief. Fold the remaining three corners over one another with great deliberation, exhibiting a portion of the coin each time, to show that there is "no cheating." When all four corners are folded over, the handkerchief will still be in the shape of a square, but of course much smaller than it was at the commencement, and it will have an aperture running from the centre to each corner. Note the portion of the handkerchief to which the coin is stuck, and place the two hands, side by side, in the aperture formed by this portion and the one next to it (Fig. 12). If the hands are now separated briskly, and the sides of the handkerchief allowed to slide through the fingers, it stands to reason that, the coin being fast to the corner of the handkerchief, it will, when the corner is reached, find its way into the hand. The handkerchief must be shaken hard, as soon as the coin is safe in the hand, for effect. The operations of opening the handkerchief and shaking it must be practised until they can be compassed both smoothly and quickly in one movement. The trick is easy, but requires some little practice. Common soap is an excellent substitute for wax, but it has the disadvantage of being less portable. The beauty of the wax is that it can be so easily concealed beneath the nail, and comes off the coin cleanly. The coin successfully vanished from the handkerchief, it rests with the performer to reproduce it in what manner he pleases. If he has already found coins in the heads of the audience, the reproduction can be varied. For instance, if a tiny piece of wax be affixed to the flat end of the wand, and that end brought into contact with the coin whilst in the palm, and a little pressure used, the coin will adhere. Then, if the wand be passed rapidly behind a curtain, or inside the coat of one of the audience, a great effect can be caused by slowly producing the vanished article from its supposed place of concealment at the end of the wand. The trick can be further prolonged by having about 15in. of human hair, with a tiny bead of wax at the end, affixed to a waistcoat button. Affix the coin to the waxed end, and place it in a wineglass, in which it can be easily made to dance by slightly moving the glass or depressing the hair with the wand, which is supposed to be beating time. Such a combination of tricks, each one easy in itself, affords invaluable practice to the beginner. The conjuror, like the chess-player, must always see, in his mind's eye, two or three moves ahead, so that no hitch or hesitation occurs. For example, the instant the coin reaches the hand from the handkerchief, it must be palmed, the wand taken up, and the handkerchief ostentatiously given round for inspection to show that there is no hole in it, or for any other plausible reason. Perhaps you will only gain five seconds by this, but that is time enough to enable you to press the wand against the coin. You must not, after this, allow the least pause to occur, but at once seize someone, and have your wand inside his coat before he knows what you are about; for it must be remembered that, if the action is noticed, the coin will be noticed too, as it is in a tolerably conspicuous position at the end of the wand. Then, whilst you are rating the individual soundly for having endeavoured to spoil your trick by concealing the coin, and drawing universal attention to him, one hand will be busily employed in pressing the waxed end of the hair against the coin. The trick of dancing a coin in a glass is so well known that no one with any desire for a reputation as a prestidigitateur would introduce it by itself; but, in the illustration I have just given, the coin has been in such a variety of places and situations, that the idea of its being fixed to anything does not enter the minds of the audience. Half-a-minute's dancing is quite sufficient, and at the end of it the attention of the audience must be at once drawn into another groove by your showing the coin to be the veritable one marked some time since, the wax being removed by a finger nail. [Illustration: FIG. 12.] (_g_) Another very pretty trick is the following, although also well known. Procure (a "magical repository" will be found the best place to go to in the long run) a "nest" of round boxes, one fitting inside the other. If the outside one is of the size of a crown piece, and the inner one large enough to contain a shilling, the "nest" should consist of nine or ten boxes. Have the lids arranged in order, one within the other, and the bodies in the same manner, beside the lids. If you are performing with a retiring screen, the boxes can be arranged behind it. Lacking this, the next best plan is to have them at the bottom of a bag, which will stifle the noise made by shutting them. Borrow a marked coin, which you will exchange for a similar one in your palm (Palm No. 1). Give this to be held. Say, "Now, here I have a small box." But as you have purposely left the "small box" behind your screen or in your bag, as the case may be, you will have to go and fetch it. As soon as your hands are out of sight, pop the coin (which will be the marked one) into the smallest box, and shut all the lids down together. If you have to do this inside the bag, and consequently in full view of the audience, your face must bear an anxious and slightly annoyed expression, as if the box could not be found. As soon as the manoeuvre is executed, exclaim, as if much relieved, "Ah, here it is. Now, ladies and gentlemen," &c., &c. The operation of shutting all the boxes down at once is a very simple one if the lids are taken in one hand and the bodies in the other, the two halves meeting, as it were, half way. A little practice will soon show the futility of attempting to _turn_ the lids over on the bodies. Place the box in a prominent place (do not give it to be held, as a slight shake will reveal the fact that there is a coin already inside), and, taking the coin out of the handkerchief, "pass" it into the box, which now ask someone to open. Of course, box No. 2 will be found inside, at which you will say, "Dear me!" or make any other expression of surprise. Boxes Nos. 3, 4, and so on will in turn be revealed, amidst great amusement, and in the innermost one, which the performer must, on no account, open himself, the coin will be discovered. You cannot very well avoid allowing an examination of the boxes, but always take care that the lids are in one place and the boxes in another, and all in great confusion as to gradation of size, and at the earliest opportunity sweep them away. It is the fashion to perform this trick with a coin previously sewn in a handkerchief, which handkerchief is whisked in the air. The effect is decidedly good, if not spoilt (as it certainly will be, ever and anon) by a demand to examine the handkerchief, which demand, I need hardly say, it is impossible to accede to. This sort of thing the conjuror must never indulge in. Let him borrow and return his handkerchief like a man, and trust to his sleight of hand. (_h_) Palm a penny (Palm No. 1); borrow another, and a florin. Ask one of the audience to extend his or her hands (palms open and upwards) towards you; give the borrowed penny to be held by someone else, hold the florin at the ends of the fingers of the left hand, and execute the pass described in trick _c_, which will leave the florin in the palm of the left hand. The penny in the right hand must not, however, be actually exhibited, as is the coin in trick c, but be immediately placed in one of the outstretched hands before you. If the owner of them is at all restive, and anxious to see what is in his or her hand, or is a person you know or think you cannot trust, ask the nearest person to assist in the operation by holding the hand in one of his or her own. This, you will explain, is to show that you have no confederates. If the two parties are of opposite sexes, you can improve the occasion by some gentle sally about the gentleman being honoured by holding a lady's hand, &c. This operation concluded, the audience, including the holder of the coin, is, you may have no fear, under the impression that the florin is in the holder's hand. You have now to make believe to place the penny into the other outstretched hand. To do this, you must execute the same pass as before, only reversed; _i.e._, the right hand will hold the penny, and the left the palmed florin. This trick affords an instance where palming with both hands is a requisite accomplishment. If the performer is not able to palm with both hands, an opportunity must be made for getting the coin in the left hand back into the right. By repeating the change as before, you will be supposed to place the penny in the other hand of the holder, and, drawing particular attention to the exact position of the coins, command them to change places. This trick, so simple to look at, is one of the most difficult to perform of those yet described; for not only must the sleight of hand be well executed, but the whole demeanour of the performer must be impressive of the fact that he really is doing what he says he is, instead of exactly the reverse. Yet the impressiveness must not be too pointed, or the natural suspicion in human nature will be aroused. The "happy medium" is well hit if the performer, in giving the florin (in reality the penny), says, "Now, sir" (or "madam," as the case may be), "I will ask you to take great care of this coin for me. Conjurors are but poor people, and cannot well afford to lose money; for this reason I have given you the florin to hold in your right hand, it being the stronger." On giving the penny, you can say that "I would rather, for safety's sake, that it were along with the florin in the right hand, only, in that case, there would be no trick." In giving the coins into the holder's hands, it is highly essential that you close the latter rapidly, the coins being so covered by your own fingers during the operation that nothing is seen of them. Otherwise, it would be unnecessary to proceed further with the trick. The florin may be marked, but not so the penny, unless the audience insists upon it, as they sometimes will, at the instigation of Mr. Interference; in which case the pennies must be once more exchanged--a very simple matter--before the coins are returned to their owners. (_i_) Borrow or produce (it is immaterial, save for appearance, which you do) six to nine coins, and lay them, apart from each other, on a table or slab. Have one of the coins marked by several persons in the room (use the "no confederate" excuse), and placed along with the unmarked ones in a hat and the whole shaken up so as to be well mixed. Whilst this is being done, have yourself blindfolded. Placing your hand in the hat, feel every coin, and you will at once detect which is the marked one, by its warmth. The heat is imparted to it from the many hands through which it has passed. It is always advantageous to have the other coins lying on as cold a place as possible; but never turn back a tablecloth for the purpose of allowing them to lie on the bare mahogany, or a clue to the solution of the mystery will be given. Sometimes some clever people will pretend to put the marked shilling into the hat without doing so. This you can easily detect by counting the coins. Of course, you would not count them until you failed to find the marked one, as the trick should be performed as quickly as possible. No sleight of hand whatever is required; but it is a trick which never fails to excite the greatest wonderment whenever successfully performed. By allowing the audience to arrange the preliminaries, you disarm suspicion. The blindfolding, which is an innovation of my own, I find a great improvement. Of course, make the most of it. (_k_) Have a shilling palmed (Palm No. 1), and borrow another; also a handkerchief. Place the borrowed shilling in the handkerchief, which roll up very loosely, the coin from the palm being included in the folds, and as near the other one as possible without actually touching it. Place the whole in a hat, with one end of the handkerchief hanging out. Now borrow another shilling, which say you will pass invisibly into the handkerchief. Make a pass, and ask someone to shake the handkerchief into the hat, when the two coins will jingle together. This is a simple trick, and is capable of variation according to circumstances. (_l_) The trick I am now going to describe, as a drawing-room experiment with coins, surpasses, for simplicity and effect, all others. But its simplicity must not lead the learner to attempt it without having attained some proficiency in the foregoing tricks, for considerable neatness is required to execute it effectively. Procure a piece of glass of the size and thickness of a penny, and have the edges ground smooth, but not polished. This is best obtained from a lapidary--not an optician. Have it palmed in either hand (Palm No. 1). Borrow a penny, and, whilst it is being marked, ask one of the audience to half fill a wineglass, which has been well examined, with water. Always let the audience attend to such matters as these, as it tends to disarm suspicion, and also saves you trouble. You will, of course, not omit to make the most of there being no possible deception in the glass, which you will give a lady to hold by the stem or foot. Now borrow a white handkerchief, as coarse as you can procure it (do not ask for a coarse handkerchief, for that would be impolite, but say you want a gentleman's handkerchief, and then you can select which you prefer), and, taking the marked coin in the same hand as that in which the glass is palmed, spread the handkerchief over it. Approach the lady holding the wineglass, and affect to take up the coin, with the handkerchief, from the outside, by means of the disengaged hand, but in reality take up the glass, palming the coin (Palm No. 1). Now spread the handkerchief over the wineglass, with the supposed coin exactly above the latter, and within an inch of its rim. Let the holder of the wineglass grasp the coin (_i.e._, the counterfeit presentment thereof) with the thumb and forefinger of the disengaged hand, and keep it in the same position, with the understanding that at the word "three" it is to be allowed to fall into the glass (see Fig. 13). Take great care that the piece of glass is held exactly over the wineglass, and utter the word of command only when there is a dead silence. The jingling of the falling glass will, of course, be assumed by the audience to be that of the penny. You will now express your intention of invisibly extracting the coin from the glass. Use any cabalistic form you may choose, and, with a flourish of the wand from the wineglass towards your hand, exhibit the coin, and give it to be examined. Let the lady withdraw the handkerchief from the wineglass, which at once seize and show rapidly round. The glass at the bottom will not be perceived, and you must take an early opportunity of extracting it. Some tricks "take" in various degrees at different times, but this one never fails to throw the audience into a state of bewilderment. Always obtain possession of the wineglass as soon as you can after the completion of the trick, for people will sometimes feel to the bottom of it with their fingers, although without the faintest notion of what they are looking for. When you bewilder people, you must not be surprised if they do inexplicable things, and must prepare yourself for all emergencies. [Illustration: FIG. 13.] My reason for directing the performer to borrow a _penny_ for this trick is that it has, similarly with the circle of glass, no milled edge, and is of the size most convenient for the occasion. In extreme cases an eyeglass may be used, when, if it has a milled edge, as most of them have, it would be as well to borrow a florin; but in such instances there must be no dallying in showing the glass round after the trick, or the ribbed edge will infallibly be seen. I remember finding myself, on one occasion, without my piece of glass, and borrowed an eyeglass of one of the audience, under the pretext that the silken cord by which it was suspended was the very thing I required for a trick. I did some trivial thing with the cord, but forgot to return the glass for an hour or so, having in the interim forced it out of its frame (it was mounted in tortoiseshell), performed the trick, and replaced it. I knew that I should have to perform this particular trick, or have my reputation tarnished, so made a bold stroke for victory. Now I am never without the glass, and advise my readers to observe the same precaution. A port wine glass is the best to use, the piece of glass being liable to stick in the comparatively narrow sherry glass. Always give the wineglass to a lady to hold: ladies are less liable to attempt to conduct experiments after their own manner, or to make premature disclosures, either of which proceedings is embarrassing to the performer. The conjuring repositories supply a champagne tumbler, with a glass exactly the size of the interior of the bottom. This is an undoubted improvement, as the water may be poured out, if an examination be demanded, when the glass will still adhere to bottom of the tumbler, although the latter be turned upside down. This trick, when "worked" in conjunction with the nest of boxes, previously mentioned, makes an excellent combination. The nest can be used for any sized coin by the simple expedient of removing the very smallest boxes. (_m_) Take a penny, in good condition, and make, or have made, by a competent person, a groove, quite 3/16in. deep, all round the outer edge. This is very easily and most efficiently managed by means of a lathe; but, wanting that useful machine, a piercing-saw and flat needle-file will answer. When the groove is completed, with the piercing saw cut the penny into three pieces of equal width. Now take a very fine indiarubber band, obtainable at all shops where rubber goods are sold, and stretch it round the groove. The illustration shows the penny in three pieces, and also the band--actual size before being stretched. In putting on the band, commence with the centre piece, and then fit in the side pieces, the greatest care being necessary not to allow the band to get twisted. The result of these operations, when concluded, is that the penny can be folded up and made to occupy a space in width one-third of its usual diameter. When held at a little distance from the spectator, the incisions are not observable, especially before the penny is used for a trick, the issue of which, being unknown, does not lead the suspicions of the audience into any particular groove. As the act of folding causes a sharp strain to be put upon the band at the junctions, the groove at those points must be carefully filed, so as to completely do away with anything resembling a cutting edge, or a disaster may very easily occur. Invariably, before using, the band should be minutely examined, and, if the slightest signs of wear manifest themselves, it should be changed. [Illustration: FIG. 14.] The prepared coin (which need not necessarily be a penny) is generally used in conjunction with a bottle, into which it is made to pass, _viâ_ the mouth. In order to make the trick at all satisfactory, a marked penny should be borrowed, and exchanged, by any of the previously described methods, for the prepared one. A soda-water bottle has been previously handed round for examination, and this is taken in the left hand. With the right hand show that the penny is at least as broad again as the mouth of the bottle, and then, folding it up quickly whilst making a covering movement, and hidden by the body of the hand, let it fall through. Show the bottle round to the spectators, continually shaking it, as if to convince them that the coin is solid and real, but really to prevent the possibility of the slits being seen. The trick can now be finished in two ways, viz., the bottle may be broken, or the coin can be shaken out again. I fancy the breaking of the bottle is the more effective, as the shaking out method impresses too forcibly upon the mind of an intelligent company the fact that some mysterious, if ingeniously concealed, preparation exists in connection with the coin. But the performer in this instance, as in very many other cases, must be guided in his actions by the mental calibre of the spectators. To shake the coin from the bottle, the latter should be taken horizontally in the right hand, the fingers of the left hand closing round the mouth, leaving a hollow in the palm for the coin to fall into. A not too violent sweeping shake is then given, bringing the mouth of the bottle downwards, when the coin should pass into the left hand. Some little practice will be required to insure this operation being brought off at the first attempt. Having to shake the bottle three or four times looks unskilful, although it does not absolutely spoil the trick. I have directed the use of a soda-water bottle because it has sloping sides, which facilitate the operation of getting the penny out very considerably, and also because it is made of white glass. If a coloured bottle were used (which it must not be, if possibly avoidable), the spectators would suspect that a coin had somehow been concealed in the interior before the trick began. However the coin may be regained, whether by breaking the bottle or by shaking out, it must be immediately re-exchanged for the borrowed penny, which will then be returned. It is quite possible to have that coin palmed during the whole operation; but if the performer lacks the necessary skill for this, it should be carried in the ticket pocket of the coat. The conjuror should have every coat he wears (excepting his dress one) furnished with this ticket pocket, and it will be greatly to his advantage to have one on each side. It should not be too deep, so that coins and other articles may be speedily reached with certainty, and it should not have a covering flap. The penny can also be prepared by omitting the groove, employing instead holes, made completely through, across the slits, through which elastic is passed, and fastened. As, for this purpose, flat elastic is immeasurably superior to any other form, some trouble is entailed in making suitable slits through; but, once accomplished, the article is far better than one prepared in any other way. The elastic should run quite freely through the centre piece, and be fastened with glue to the outside pieces only, first being slightly stretched, to insure the whole being brought closely together. The grooved penny can be purchased at a much less cost than would be incurred in making it, and, in addition, is more likely to be correctly constructed. [Illustration: FIG. 15.] The following is a development of the use of the folding penny, which is even more startling than the foregoing, one or more pennies being made to pass into a bottle, which has been examined, and which has the mouth stopped by a large cork. In this case, the cork (Fig. 15) is a delusion and a snare. It is just 2in. long, and 1-1/16in. broad at the top, tapering to 15/16in. at the bottom. Viewed from the exterior, it is a cork; in reality, it is made of brass, with a thin veneer of cork glued on the outside. The measurements given include the cork skin. The bottom opens, flap-like, on a hinge, but is kept normally closed by means of a fine spiral spring, running the whole length of the inside, and soldered on the top and bottom. Protruding through a hole drilled in the top is a pin, which also runs the whole length of the interior (carried inside a small tube), and, when pressed, pushes open the bottom flap, thus allowing any contents there may be to fall out into the bottle. When the pressure upon the pin is removed, the power of the spring closes it again. This cork is charged with one or more folding pennies (three or four are generally used), and concealed in the hand, a genuine cork being handed for examination. The latter is changed for the "property" cork, which is then placed in the bottle, which must be white, and, of course, have a very wide mouth. The performer now produces some pennies, which he may "pass" into the bottle in any way he pleases. A good method is to use the two boxes described in "Grand Magic" as then the performer's hands are free. But the pass shown at Fig. 11 may be employed, the bottle being taken in the hand in which the coins are actually concealed. When the coins are being "passed," the bottle must, of course, be held in one hand or the other, and pressure given the pin by a finger at the proper moment. Where one coin only is used, it may be simply palmed, which method would also apply where the performer is skilful enough to palm several coins at once. In this case, the coins would merely be held in one hand, and the bottle in the other, and the coins thrown into the bottle. (_n_) A very pretty trick, though rather difficult to learn, is performed, with the aid of the Reverse Palm (Fig. 6), as follows: Borrow from two separate persons two coins of the same denomination. Take particular pains to have the marks quite distinct on each, so that the two are distinguishable from one another. There is no objection to the performer superintending the marking, in order to insure its being properly done. One coin, for instance, might have a single stroke marked upon it, or a cross, whilst the other could have a small circle or an initial. The numbers 1 and 2 could also be efficiently employed; and, for facility of description, I will now suppose them used. Palmed (Fig. 2), you have another coin of your own, similar to those borrowed. You place two chairs or settees a little distance apart, between yourself and the spectators. Take coin No. 1, and, standing behind one of the chairs, facing the company, act as though you tossed it upon the cushion. What you really do, however, is to palm the coin by the reverse palm, following the instructions on page 8, for throwing a coin away into the air; the coin that has been concealed in the palm being released, in its stead. This action must be assiduously practised until it can be performed with complete certainty and smoothness. Practise first tossing a coin on a chair from a distance of a couple of feet, and then imitate that action as nearly as possible whilst making the change. The toss must be made with a steady, smooth swing, neither too hurriedly nor too slowly executed. When the manoeuvre is finished, the palm of the hand must, of course, be towards the audience. A half, or whole, turn of the body must now be made, to enable the performer to get the coin from the back of the fingers to the palm proper. The way to ensure the safe execution of this is to put the thumb over the first finger, so that it grasps the coin, assisted by the middle finger. The first finger can then be drawn out of the way. With coin No. 1 in the palm, take coin No. 2, and repeat the changing operation, at the completion of which the state of affairs will be: On chair 1, duplicate coin (supposed by spectators to be coin No. 1); on chair 2, coin No. 1 (supposed by spectators to be coin No. 2); in performer's palm, coin No. 2. Any fanciful form of causing a magical change to take place may be gone into, and the performer then asks a spectator to examine the coin on chair 2, which is found to be coin No. 1. As only two coins are known to the spectators, it is taken for granted by them that the one on chair 1 is coin No. 2; but it will be as well for the performer to incidentally remark, "And, of course, there is coin No. 2," and then at once proceed to show the trick over again, "for the general satisfaction of those present." For this purpose, coin No. 1 is taken from the person who examined it, and ostensibly replaced upon chair 2. Instead, however, coin No. 2 is placed there. Under the plea of placing the chair a little closer, so that a better view may be obtained, the performer takes up duplicate coin from chair 1, and, in apparently replacing it, substitutes coin No. 1. The coins have thus been made to regain their old positions, and may now, of course, be freely examined, the performer not touching them again. If the performer feels any confidence in himself in this rather difficult trick, he may use three marked coins, when, by skilful manipulation, he may make all sorts of changes. By working changes with only two of the three at a time, he always has one lying dormant, which is not liable to inspection, and may, therefore, be the duplicate one. It is not advisable for him to prolong the trick, unless it be going very well. He must keep his wits about him, however, or he may find that he has forgotten the precise whereabouts of his own coin. A very bold, but remarkably effective, way of bringing about the final change is to pick the coin from the chair, and, instead of moving that closer, toss the coin into a lady's lap. The lady should be sitting upon the extreme verge of the other spectators, or else must be shielded by some article of furniture, or the coin palmed at the back of the hand is not unlikely to be seen. The very boldness of this action is, however, its chief safeguard, only there must be no sort of hesitation in its execution. A performer with large and muscular fingers can use half-crowns for the trick, but for the beginner shillings and halfpence will be sufficient. Copper coins are not so effective as silver; but an accidental exposure of a portion of them is not so readily perceived as is the case with the brighter metal--not that there is the least excuse for such exposure. Before returning the duplicate coin to the pocket, the performer may produce one or two other effects with the reverse palm. Let him borrow a hat, and a coin similar to the one concealed. Standing sideways to the company, let him have the duplicate palmed reversely in the hand that is farthest from the audience. Say it is the left hand. With the right hand place the hat into the left one, the thumb on the brim, the fingers inside. As the company have seen the palm of the left hand open, not the slightest suspicion will be entertained that it holds anything. The borrowed coin is now made to perform an ærial journey, being palmed. The performer's eye follows its imaginary flight, and then catches it in the hat, the coin in the left hand being of course released, when it will be heard to fall. After showing this coin, reverse palm the other, under cover of the hat, and repeat the operation. To do this, the performer must be able to palm equally well with either hand. If the trick be repeated, it should be varied each time by some such device as finding that the coin had taken refuge in a gentleman's hair, lady's handkerchief, &c., on its way to the hat. By the time the learner has proceeded thus far with success, he will have acquired a proficiency that will enable him to amuse a circle of friends for an hour or two by means of coin tricks alone, without much fear of detection, especially if the rule of rehearsing in private before exhibiting in public be adhered to. The security afforded by a good palm can scarcely be over-estimated, as it enables the performer to attempt the most barefaced impromptu experiments with comparative impunity. These impromptu interludes are always conducive to success, for the audience can generally discover originality. But, before taking a temporary leave of coins, I must put my readers up to a few wrinkles in connection with the use of the sleeve--a portion of the conjuror's attire which is but rarely employed, notwithstanding the popular exclamation of "Up his sleeve," which is usually made use of when the operator has vanished some trifle in the shape of a cauliflower or rabbit, for the reception of which articles the sleeve of a dress coat is so admirably adapted. No; the sleeve is only used when its coadjutorship is unsuspected; and, in the case of coins, only when the palm is suspected of containing the coin. So many people have a misty idea of palming, that one frequently hears whispered, "In his palm." Should the whisperer be wrong, of course you will at once prove him to be so by exhibiting your palms empty; but should he be right, you will then feign not to hear the whisper. Sometimes, though, the announcement is not made in a whisper, but in the form of a challenge to you, and this you must be prepared to meet. Suppose the coin _is_ palmed and you are challenged; you are close to or among the audience, and the challenger is importunate. Nothing remains but to sleeve the coin. This manoeuvre is executed by shooting the arm straight out, the palm open and downwards, with such force as will carry the coin up the sleeve. Of course, you must not stand in middle of the room shooting your arm out, or the audience will either divine what you are about or will think you are taking leave of your senses. The action must be covered by an advance towards the challenger, which must be done as boldly as if you had never even seen the coin, much less concealed it in your palm. As you advance, say something; for example, "What! in my palm, sir? I don't understand you. How can anything be in my palm? If you don't believe me, see for yourself." With this, make the shoot, and turn the hand over. Care must be taken that the arm is quite level, or the coin will slide gracefully on to the floor. You must not stop here, but say, "Perhaps you would like to see my other hand as well, sir" (show left hand, at same time allowing coin to fall back in the right, where palm it), "or maybe you think the coin is up my sleeve." Shake both arms vigorously, which, as the coin is again in your palm, you can do with impunity, and ask someone to feel your sleeves. An extra effect is given by your asserting that the cause of the gentleman's anxiety was that he himself had basely pilfered the coin, and wished to pass the odium on to you. With this remark, produce the coin from some part of his person. Barring the disturbance to the equilibrium of one's feelings of security whilst the performance is going on, this little interlude, promptly carried out, is as good as any set trick. Of course there must be no bungling. Should the sleeves be turned back, as they often will be, they must first be unrolled, with great deliberation. In such an instance you would, of course, show that your sleeves are guiltless of any deception, before exonerating the palm. Practice will enable you at once to perceive the nature of the objection about to be raised, so that ordinarily you can anticipate, and turn down one sleeve at least. It is not often that the exigency occurs, but it will infallibly do so at some time or other, so one must be prepared to meet it, or be looked upon as an impostor. A second method for sending a coin up the sleeve is to place it almost on the ends of the fingers (Fig. 16) palm upwards, and, turning the hand rapidly over, close it (Fig. 17). This will throw the coin up the sleeve, whereas the appearance is that it is enclosed in the hand. A third method is to hold the coin between the thumb and middle finger (Fig. 18) and "flip" it up the sleeve. A fourth method is to place the coin on the edge of the table and cover it with the ends of the fingers, which draw smartly back and shut, when the coin will be shot up the sleeve. This somewhat resembles the second method. A fifth method is to spin the coin high in the air, and as it descends make a "grab" at it as if catching, but in reality allow it to fall down the sleeve, keeping the hand shut as though holding it. This is one of the most thorough deceptions I know of. It is so perfect that the operator himself cannot see the coin enter the sleeve. I am quite aware that it seems improbable, but a trial will be conclusive on the point. A pleasing variety of the first method is to place a coin (the heavier the better) on the palm of the hand. Turn the hand over briskly, at the same time thrusting it well forward, and the coin will slide up the sleeve. In performing any of these tricks be careful to have the shirt cuff pulled well up and out of the way, and do not wear large links or solitaires, against which the coin will infallibly clink, if only for the simple reason that it is not wanted to do so. No one but a bungler would use the sleeve in his regular performances, except when driven by necessity; but it is highly essential for a conjuror to be perfect in all the minutiæ of his art, and he must practise them as the pianoforte-player practises the scales which he never plays to the public. [Illustration: FIG. 16.] [Illustration: FIG. 17.] [Illustration: FIG. 18.] In using marked coins, always take the greatest care that the marking is done in such a manner as to render it impossible for the coin not to be recognised on making its reappearance; and also let several people see the mark. It is very disheartening, when you have performed an elaborate trick, in which a Mr. Interference has given you no end of trouble, to hear the owner of the coin say that he cannot recognise his mark. I have seen people put some trivial mark on a coin in pencil, which would rub off immediately. It is also advisable to have a quantity of cheap coins by you. In such tricks as trick _d_, large, thin, and showy silver Turkish coins are the best. They possess every advantage; the milled edge gives a firm hold for the palm, whilst the substance of the coin allows of a large number being held in the hand. Besides this, thin coins give a good business-like clink; whilst a large coin is always more effective than a small one. Pennies plated over make very fair substitutes, and do not entail much loss of capital if kept aside ready for use, as they always should be, which can hardly be said to be the case with florins or half-crowns. CHAPTER III. TRICKS WITH COMMON OBJECTS. ON RAPIDITY AND DECEPTION--MISDIRECTION--A JAPANESE SUGAR TRICK--"FLY AWAY, JACK; FLY AWAY, JOHN: COME AGAIN, JACK; COME AGAIN, JOHN"--A "RISING BLADE"--TO RESTORE A PIECE OF COTTON THAT HAS BEEN CUT UP IN SMALL PIECES--TO PASS A RING FROM A HANDKERCHIEF ON TO A WAND HELD AT EACH END--A SECOND METHOD--A THIRD METHOD. I commence this, the second portion of drawing-room conjuring, with the decided hope that, before my readers attempt to follow me, they will have attained some proficiency in the art of palming and other little matters alluded to in my remarks concerning the treatment of coins. If such skill has been acquired, although in a small degree only, it will be of use in rendering the manipulation of other objects much easier. The prevailing idea with the public is that a conjuror moves things about from place to place before one's very eyes, but with such extreme rapidity as to avoid detection. This, I say, is the prevailing idea, and long may it continue to be so, since it is the very thing an audience is supposed to imagine. The learner, however, must, from the outset, dismiss such an impression from his mind as untenable, even for an instant. If he has a lurking opinion that a hand _can_ be moved without the motion being detected, let him practise at moving, say, a cork or a piece of sugar, a distance of only one short inch. Let him practise for a twelvemonth to begin with, and I will guarantee that at the end of that period he is no nearer the consummation of the feat than he was at the commencement. If time hangs heavily on his hands, let him go on practising, say, for five or ten years: the result will be precisely similar. No; conjuring is based upon more deceptive principles than mere rapidity of movement, although that, of course, enters largely into its composition. Articles are, indeed, transmitted from one place to another before the eyes of the audience, but it is always, as it were, _sub rosa_. This is the reason why conjurors say so much about the hand being quicker than the eye, &c. The audience is continually trying to detect movements which are never even attempted, the result being that other movements are conducted with impunity. The conjuror must start with the one principle firmly fixed in his mind that he is to deceive his audience in every way possible. At no time is he actually to do that which he says he is doing. Every look and gesture, besides every word, should tend to lead the mind into the wrong groove. MISDIRECTION is the grand basis of the conjuror's actions; and the more natural the performer's movements in this particular, the more complete will be his success. With each trick that requires it, I shall give hints for misdirecting the spectator's attention, although I am of opinion that every conjuror can best suit himself if he is only firmly impressed with the necessity for misdirection. The drawing-room conjuror must hold himself prepared to perform offhand with any article that may happen to present itself to view; although it is, of course, perfectly allowable for him to send for anything he may require. An article which one is tolerably certain to find in most houses is _Sugar._--Take four well-shaped pieces, of a medium size, and place them before you on a table, at which you will sit at your ease, in the form of a square, and about a foot from each other. Hatch up a long rigmarole about one piece being the Emperor of Japan, another his wife, another his daughter, and another his prime minister, or any other rubbish you please, so long as you bring it about that it is necessary that all four should assemble together in one place. In the country of which you are speaking, you will explain, it is the custom of Royalty to travel by telegraph, and invisible to the gaze of the "common herd." To illustrate how it is done, you will cover two of the four pieces, each with a separate hand, and, at the word "pass," make a slight movement as if throwing a piece from one hand to the other. On raising the hands, two pieces will be found under one, and none under the other. Repeat this operation (the minority always going over to the majority) until all four pieces are collected under one hand. The explanation of this really pretty, and, to the uninitiated, inexplicable trick, is, that you have a fifth piece of sugar palmed. If this piece be released, and that under the other hand palmed, the effect is the same as if an invisible journey had really been made. Supposing the five pieces of sugar to be represented by numerals, the various changes may be thus tabulated: _Left Hand._ _Right Hand._ 1.--Raise 1 and Drop 5 with 2. 2.--Drop 1 with 5 and 2 and Raise 3. 3.--Raise 4 and Drop 3 with 1, 5, and 2. 4.--Raise both hands and pocket 4. The rough and adhesive nature of sugar renders it very easy to palm. In palming, avoid all contraction of the muscles of the back of the hand, which is visible to the audience, or a clue to the solution of the trick will be given. If going out to a place where you are likely to be asked to exhibit your skill, be provided with a piece of sugar, and then ask for the requisite four pieces. If you are unprovided, then you must secure possession of the sugar basin, and secrete the extra piece as best you can. The extreme simplicity of this trick is only equalled by the astonishment of the audience, who are straining their eyes to catch a glimpse of the piece of sugar as it passes. I need hardly remark that they never succeed. [Illustration: FIG. 19.] [Illustration: FIG. 20.] _Knives_, I think I may say, are also tolerably common articles, and some good tricks are performed with them. Take a cheese knife and four tiny squares of paper. Stand facing your audience, however small it may be, and, wetting the papers separately, stick two on each side of the blade, taking care that the positions on both sides correspond as nearly as possible. Hold the knife before you in the fingers of the right hand (Fig. 19), and in such a position that only one side of the blade is visible. With the thumb and finger of the left hand remove the piece of paper nearest the handle, and, putting your hand behind your back, make a feint of throwing it away, without actually doing so. Now, with a rapid movement, cause the knife to describe a half circle in the air _still with the same side uppermost_; but the position of the hand will be slightly altered (Fig. 20), which will lead the audience to think that the knife has been actually turned over. Barely before the movement is completed a finger of the left hand must be upon the spot recently occupied by the piece of paper, as if taking off a second piece from the opposite side. The first piece, which has all the time been in the left hand, is thus made to do duty twice. The second time, it is dropped on the floor in full view of the audience, accompanied by the remark, "that makes the second piece." Now remove the other piece of paper, and repeat the manoeuvre executed with the first piece, taking the greatest care that only one side of the blade is visible, and that the finger of the left hand, with the concealed paper, is down upon the vacant spot before the spectators' eyes can rest there. Having ostensibly removed the fourth and last piece of paper, the knife is supposed to be empty, which you boldly declare to be the case, making a rapid backward and forward movement with the blank side to prove it. You then say you will cause the papers to re-appear upon the knife instantaneously. All you have to do is to put your hand behind your back and reverse the position of the knife so that the side of the blade with the two pieces of paper still remaining upon it is uppermost. Bringing the knife again to the front, make another quick backward and forward movement, saying, "Here are the papers back again on both sides as before," and then, without any further preliminaries, draw the blade through the fingers and cause the two papers to fall upon the floor. If this final movement is not executed, the audience will, when they have recovered their senses, point to the two papers which you dropped on the floor during the performance of the trick, and want to know why they are there and not on the knife. Continued rapidity of motion is what is required for the success of this trick. There must be no halting in the middle or hesitation of any kind, to avoid which practice in private will be essential, as, indeed, it will be with every trick worth doing at all. Borrow a _light_ penknife, and take care that it is not too sharp, and has a good deep notch at the haft. You are previously prepared with about two feet of very fine black silk, one end of which is attached to a button of your vest, the other end being furnished with a loop large enough to pass over a finger. This can either be wound round the button, or can hang loosely, with the free end looped up. I prefer the latter method, and have never found it lead to any inconvenience, which at first sight it appears extremely likely to do. Also borrow a hock or champagne bottle; pint size preferred. First send round the knife to be examined, and, whilst the examination is going on, get the loop of the silk over the end of one of the fingers of the left hand. When the knife is returned to you, and not before, give the bottle to be examined, and distract the attention of the audience by allusions to the "departed spirits" of the bottle, and admonitions to be sure and see that the bottom does not take out. By the time the bottle comes back you have slipped the loop over the blade of the knife and allowed it to catch in the notch, where cause it to remain. If the knife is a sharp one, extra caution must be observed, or the silk will be severed. This actually happened to me on one occasion, so I speak from direful experience. By sending the bottle away to be cleaned, I gained sufficient time to tie another loop in the silk, and went on as usual; but the incident was not a particularly cheerful one taken altogether--there was too much "glorious uncertainty" about it. Take the knife upside down, _i.e._, with the sharp edge of the blade uppermost, between the finger and thumb, hold the silk sufficiently taut to keep the loop in position by means of the other fingers, and drop the whole into the bottle. This must not be done with the bottle in a perpendicular position (in which case the loop will probably either break or slip off the knife), but with it inclined at an angle of about 45 deg. (Fig. 21). This will allow the knife to slide down at a safe speed and yet reach the bottom with a good "thud." Having satisfied yourself that everything is in order, hold the bottle perpendicularly in the left hand between the audience and yourself, and about breast high. Make use of any cabalistic nonsense you please, and then cause the knife to rise from the bottle by the action of moving it from you and towards the audience. The action of raising the bottle must be but sparsely indulged in, if at all, as it is easily noticed; not so the horizontal motion. When brought to the mouth of the bottle the knife quietly topples over on to the floor, whence allow it to be picked up by a spectator, who will not require much admonition to examine it. Also send the bottle round again; and get rid of the silk as soon as you can after the trick is done. It will be noticed that I have directed the performer to use a hock or champagne bottle. The reason for this will be obvious after once trying the experiment with a bottle having an abrupt shoulder, such as an ale bottle. The knife catches in it, and a vigorous jerk, which is as likely to cause a breakage as anything else, has to be resorted to to free it. The sides of hock and champagne bottles presenting an even surface the whole way up, that class of bottle is therefore to be preferred. By means of the foregoing three tricks I have seen a room full of intelligent people utterly bewildered. [Illustration: FIG. 21] The following trick I have never known to be discovered if only properly performed. For it you will require another exceedingly common object, viz.: _Cotton._--Take a piece of any colour, 12in. to 15in. long, and see that one of the audience is provided with a very sharp penknife. Double the cotton once, and have the bend cut quite through. Double again and have it cut, and repeat the operation until it is nothing but pieces, each barely a third of an inch long. Rub the pieces together in the fingers, and, after a short time, quietly draw out the cotton again as it was in the first instance. That is what you must ostensibly do: now for how to do it. First of all, have concealed between your finger and thumb a piece of cotton about the length above mentioned. This you must roll up small, and deliberately hold between your finger and thumb, or, better still, if the fingers be sufficiently large, between the tips of any two fingers, as they are more naturally kept together. Nobody will notice it if the hand is engaged in negligently holding the lappel of your coat, the wand, &c. I need hardly mention that the concealed piece must be of the same colour as that operated upon, as the production of a white in place of a black piece would scarcely be satisfactory. To ensure the success of this preliminary, some considerable manoeuvring has often to be gone through, and no small amount of tact exhibited. Where you are showing the trick for the first time, you can of course ask for any coloured cotton you please (always choose black when you have a choice), but it is such a fascinating trick that you will be called upon to perform it over and over again in the same house, or before the same people--which is quite as bad--and you will find that all kinds of ingenious devices will be brought to bear upon you. As a commencement, always carry in the corners of your waistcoat pockets two black and two white pieces, ready for emergencies. Each pocket will contain two pieces of the same colour, but differing in thickness, one in each corner. It is useless to carry other colours on the mere chance, as you are sure to be unprovided with the exact one required at the moment. When coloured cotton is produced, you must, by some means or other, get at the reel from which the cotton is taken. If driven right into a corner, you must go so far as to ask someone (always let it be the master or mistress of the house) to secretly obtain a piece for you; but this you will have to resort to on rare occasions only. Make all sorts of excuses so as to cause a delay, even going so far as to postpone the performance of the trick, but not before you have seen what colour you are likely to be favoured with. Your wits must do the rest. The reader must remember that I have taken extreme cases, and such as but rarely occur; but still they _do_ occur, and if I did not warn the beginner of pitfalls ahead, he would not think much of my teaching. In the ordinary way, he will be able to ask for any colour he pleases, which will of course be similar to that with which he is provided. We will suppose that everything has progressed favourably. Take the cotton to be cut between the thumb and forefinger of each hand, by the extreme ends, and, doubling it, let one hand hold the loop to be cut, the fingers of the other hand holding the ends. As soon as the knife has passed through the cotton, give it a "twitch," and bring the ends, of which there will now be four, quickly together, as if you had performed some very intricate manoeuvre. Of course, you have really done nothing at all, the movement being only a deceptive one to lead the spectators to believe that the secret of the trick consists in the way in which you twist or double the cotton. Have this in mind all through the trick, and keep up the deception. Continue to double the cotton, taking the greatest care that the ends all come neatly together, and that all the loops are cut through. Do everything with the greatest deliberation (except the delusive "twitch"), for there is no occasion for any hurry. When the cotton is cut so small that it will not double any more, commence to knead in the fingers, and gradually work the fragments behind the concealed piece, which must be brought to the front. This you will do without once removing the hands from the full view of the audience--in fact, under their very eyes. When you feel quite sure that everything is snug and secure, commence to unravel the whole piece, which will pass for the resuscitated original. People who have seen the trick performed before will sometimes suggest that the piece of cotton should be measured before being cut up. Allow this to be done with all the grace in the world (when you find that you cannot do otherwise), but, before operating upon it, roll it up in the fingers, either absently, whilst engaging the audience in conversation, or for the purpose of seeing if it is of the proper dimensions, and exchange it, unperceived, for the concealed piece, which will be cut up instead. Although it is not advisable to have the cotton measured first, yet, when it is done, it invariably adds lustre to the feat. The pieces must never be carelessly thrown away, but secreted in a pocket on the first opportunity that presents itself, and afterwards burnt. [Illustration: FIG. 22.] _Rings_ can be made use of in many tricks, both in the drawing-room and on the stage. The following will be found very neat and effective: Procure a metal imitation of a wedding-ring, and have it cut neatly through. Pass this ring under a single thread of your handkerchief near one of the corners. Borrow a lady's ring, which palm, under pretence of putting it in the handkerchief. (The best method for palming a ring is to hold it between two fingers at the roots.) This you will appear to have done if you give the false ring (under cover of the handkerchief) to be held by someone who is not the owner of the borrowed article. It is immaterial whether the genuine ring has a fancy head or not, as the back of it will usually be about the width of a wedding-ring. Take the wand in the hand, and, unperceived, slip the ring in your palm over it until it reaches the middle, still covered by the hand. Now ask two persons to hold the wand, one at either end, and lay the handkerchief containing the false ring (still held from the outside by the original holder) over it. If you now remove your hand, you will leave the ring on the wand still concealed by the handkerchief (Fig. 22). Take hold of the end of the handkerchief which hangs down below the wand, and instruct the person holding the false ring to leave go when you count "three." As soon as you are obeyed, draw the handkerchief smartly across the wand. This will cause the ring to spin round, and assist materially in inducing the audience to believe that it was actually conjured from the handkerchief on to the wand whilst the latter article was being held at either end by two people. A slight jerk will detach the false ring from the handkerchief, which you can send round to be examined. A hint I can give the learner is, never to ask a lady to lend you her wedding-ring or keeper. Many ladies are exceedingly superstitious, and feel embarrassed when asked, from not liking to refuse, and yet being unwilling to take their rings from their fingers. Always borrow a ring the back of which nearly, if not quite, matches your false article in substance. Procure a metal ring, similar to the one used in the last trick, of very soft brass, and, when you have cut it through, sharpen up the two ends to points with a file, or any other way you please. Borrow a lady's ring, and exchange it, as in last trick, putting the false one in a handkerchief, which have tied with tape or string in such a manner that the ring is contained in a bag. If the borrowed ring is narrow all round, you may make use of your nest of boxes (described in trick _g_, Chapter II.), if it has not been previously utilised in some other trick; it being a golden rule among conjurors never to use the same apparatus twice during the same evening. An apple (a potato, small loaf, &c., will do as well) can be used instead with effect, if a goodly slit be made in it, and the ring pushed in while you are taking it from your bag or from behind the screen. Show the apple round, boldly saying that everyone can see that there is no preparation about it, at the same time taking care that no one has time to decide either one way or the other from the rapidity with which you pass it about. Place it in a prominent position, and then take the handkerchief containing the false ring by the bag, allowing the ends to fall over and conceal your hands. Quickly unbend the ring, and, working one of the pointed ends through the handkerchief, draw it out, and _rub the place of exit between your fingers, so as to obliterate all traces of it_. All this you must do very quickly, and, dropping the handkerchief on the floor, say, "Without untying the string, I have abstracted the ring, which I now pass into that apple." Here make a pass. Take a knife in the hand holding the false ring (unless you have been clever enough to get rid of that article), and, showing the audience that the other hand is quite empty, proceed to cut open the apple slowly. When the knife touches the ring, allow it to "clink" upon it as much as possible, and call attention to the fact, as it is a great feature in the trick. Do not cut the apple completely through, but, taking it forward (on a plate is the best way), allow the owner of the ring to take it out with her own hand. Of course, the audience must not be allowed to handle the apple, and so discover the old slit. This trick should not be performed with the preceding one, but on another evening. The principal effect of the trick is the apparent abstraction of the borrowed ring from its confinement in the handkerchief in an incomprehensible manner, and you must, therefore, allow the audience to see that the ring undoubtedly _is_ tied up securely in the first instance. Another trick with a ring is performed by aid of the wand only. Borrow a good stout ring, a signet for example, and, holding it near the roots of the fingers of the right hand, pretend to pass it over the wand, but, in reality, let it slide along on the outside of it, and still keep it in the hand. The deception is assisted if the ring be first carelessly placed upon the wand, and taken off again, two or three times. Say to one of the audience, "Will you be so kind as to hold one end of the wand with either hand?" and, in stretching the wand out towards him, allow the left hand momentarily to pass close under the right, and let the ring fall into it--of course, unperceived. If you look at your hands whilst doing this, you are a lost man. You must look the addressee boldly in the face, and thereby divert attention to him--not that there is the slightest excuse for exposing the ring during its passage from one hand to the other. When the wand is firmly held at both ends, say something about the futility of strength in certain cases, and eventually show the ring in the left hand, and remove the right from the wand to show that it is empty. If relinquished at this stage, the trick is very incomplete, as the audience usually divine, or affect to divine, that the ring never was put upon the wand at all. It is a peculiarity of this trick that this remark is almost invariably made, so the conjuror must be prepared with something still more "staggering." Return the ring to its owner, and call attention to the fact that you have not cut it in any way (not that anyone will ever think that you would do so, but you must assume that this idea is prevailing in the minds of the audience), and secretly take from your pocket, or wherever it may be concealed, a thick metal (or gold) ring, which keep in the left hand. Borrow the ring again, and slide it over the wand with precisely the same movement which you used in the first instance, when you did _not_ put the ring on. This time you must appear to be very clumsy, and let the two hands come together so that everyone can see the action clearly, and snatch the left hand away sharply as if it contained the ring. You will doubtless see a number of heads lean towards each other, and hear a good deal of loud whispering, in which the words "left hand" will be conspicuous. Take no notice of this beyond looking as confused as possible, and the audience will think they have bowled you out at last. The strange part of it is that, in a trick of this kind, a spectator who fancies, rightly or wrongly, that he has discovered something, never attributes the fact to your want of skill, but to his own remarkable powers of perception. The effect of the ruse will be heightened if you allow a tiny portion of the false ring to catch the eye of one or more of the audience; or resort to any other artifice to induce them to believe that you really have the borrowed ring in the left hand, and have allowed the fact to transpire through carelessness. Now say that, the ring being securely on the wand, you mean to take it off as before, and give the two ends of the wand to be held. You will then appear to notice the incredulous looks and remarks of the audience for the first time, and stoutly deny that the ring is in the left hand, which, however, you decline to open. Allow the audience to argue the point with you, and, when one has said that he saw you take the ring in the left hand, and others have made a similar statement, pretend to give in, and say that you must admit that you are discovered; but, at the same time, you feel it incumbent on you to do something to retrieve your character. You will, therefore, pass the ring, now in the left hand, invisibly on to the wand. Make a pass with the left hand, and draw the right smartly away from the wand, causing the ring on it to spin round. The effect may be imagined. At the instant the right hand leaves the wand, the left should place the false ring (supposing one is used) in the pocket, as all manner of questions will be asked afterwards. The trick can be varied in many ways, by confusing the spectators. Peripatetic conjurors make a good deal of money by means of this trick, by betting that the ring is either on or off the wand. Manner has a great deal to do with the success of it. CHAPTER IV. TRICKS WITH CUPS AND BALLS. THE CUPS--THE BALLS--HOW TO CONCEAL A BALL--HOW TO SLIP A BALL UNDER A CUP UNPERCEIVED--HOW TO VANISH A BALL: PHASE ONE, PHASE TWO, PHASE THREE--THE MANUFACTORY--HOW TO INTRODUCE LARGE OBJECTS BENEATH THE CUPS--BAG FOR HOLDING ARTICLES--HINTS--TALK FOR THE TRICK. [Illustration: FIG. 23.] The variety of tricks performed with the aid of cups and balls take a prominent position in the repertory of every conjuror laying claim to any proficiency in pure sleight of hand. Three tin cups (or, rather, as they are always used in an inverted position, covers), rather more than 4in. in height, and some 3in. across the mouth, with the bottom concave, and two or three little rings near the mouth (Fig. 23) will be required. Also make, to commence with, four cork balls, blackened, either by burning or by colouration, each about the size of an ordinary bullet. The audience know of the existence of three balls only, the fourth being concealed by the conjuror between the roots of the third and middle fingers. The very first thing the learner must acquire is the knack of slipping the ball rapidly from the exposed (Fig. 24) to the concealed position (Fig. 25) in a secure manner. The ball is partly slid, partly rolled, partly dropped into the position, the thumb, with a slight motion, which, in time, will become quite an unconscious one, pressing it finally home. [Illustration: FIG. 24.] [Illustration: FIG. 25.] The action, which must be accompanied by the backward and forward swing used when palming coins, must be practised with both hands, the more awkward hand of the two being taught first. When tolerably perfect in this, practise getting the ball down to the tips of the fingers at the roots of which it is held, care being of course taken that no portion of it protrudes. The object of getting the ball into this position is, that it may be placed under any cup, raised ostensibly for some other purpose, without detection. As the cup is placed on the table, the ball held in the fingers is slid quietly under it. All conjurors do not use this method, some grasping the cup as low down as possible, and jerking it up and down, thus getting the ball inside direct from the concealed position (Fig. 25). This latter method is exceedingly neat, but is the more difficult one to accomplish. However, the learner may try for himself, and adopt the method which comes the easier to him. The ball is not taken in the tips of the fingers until the hand is about to grasp the cup, the major motion shielding the minor one. With the two movements described under his control, the learner should proceed thus: Place the three cups in a row, with a ball in front (_i.e._, towards the audience) of each, and explain that the cups are solid tin and are not provided with permeable bottoms. There is no objection to allowing an examination to be made, but it had better take place at the end of the trick, or much time will be wasted. Say that the tin cups are for the purpose of covering the balls, and place one cup over each to illustrate it. Now take up cup No. 1, and, whilst placing it down a few inches off, slip the concealed ball under it. Pick up ball No. 1, and vanish it by concealing it in the prescribed method (Fig. 25). You can pretend to throw it into the air, or affect to put it into the other hand (see Coins, Fig. 7), from which it will be "passed" by a rap from the wand, which article you will find a true friend when performing with the cups and balls, and which should be held in readiness under the arm. Repeat the operation with cups No. 2 and No. 3, each having a ball placed under it when shifted. Tell the audience that so well trained are the little balls, that, at your word of command, they will return from their invisible wanderings to their imprisonment beneath the cups, which you will then raise, and show the balls beneath. This is the first and simple phase. In the next, cup No. 1 is placed over a ball, and the concealed one slipped in with it. Take up another ball, and pretend to "pass" it through the cup, which raise, showing two balls together, and then replace, slipping concealed ball under along with the other two; and then "pass" the third ball through, which will bring all three balls under one cup. On putting cup No. 1 down, after exhibiting the three balls together, slip concealed ball under it, and pick up one of the three, which vanish. Then say it is as easy for you to abstract a ball from beneath a cup as it is for you to pass it to the inside. Put cup No. 2 over the two balls, and pretend to take one out by means of the wand, the concealed ball being exhibited as the one thus abstracted. "Pass" this through cup No. 1, which raise, showing the ball already there, and, on replacing it, slip under concealed ball. Recall the ball you vanished previously, and show it under cup No. 1, and then "pass" it back to cup No. 2, where the two balls still are; slip concealed ball under, and then "pass" ball from cup No. 1 to cup No. 2. The ball "passed" must in each instance be picked up and vanished, and not merely told to pass from one cup to another. The changes can be kept up for a long time if a ball be slipped under a cup whenever it is raised; but the performer must keep his head clear, or he will find himself getting into trouble by showing four balls at the same time. Phase 3 consists of piling the three cups one over the other, and passing the balls into what I may term the storeys thus formed. It is for this phase that the bottoms of the cups are made concave to receive the ball. If the bottom were flat, the ball would roll off at an awkward moment. Place cup No. 1, with concealed ball underneath, on the table, and, taking up a ball, "pass" it through. Put cup No. 2 over cup No. 1, concealed ball being sandwiched between the bottoms of the two. The slipping of a ball beneath a cup which is placed on the table is a very simple matter, but it requires considerable adroitness to slip one cleanly between two cups. It is only to be done with a sharp jerk, the ball being thus sent to the top of the cup, which is then rapidly placed over the other. Considerable practice will be required to attain this knack, but the pretty effect well repays any trouble. Even when taking the greatest care, the ball is very liable to become jammed between the sides of the cups instead of their bottoms. The noise made by the rattling of the ball in the cup is covered by that occasioned by one cup being placed over the other. Repeat the operation with the third cup, and then show the balls in their respective positions. Should a cup cant over to one side, it will be because the ball beneath, it is not in its place, but is jammed in between the two sides of the cups. In this case, care must be taken in removing the uppermost cup. If adroitly managed, the errant ball can be brought back to its proper position on the top of the lower cup by the action of withdrawing the upper one. This should be practised in private, so that the emergency may be met without difficulty when it occurs. The fourth phase consists in apparently manufacturing an inexhaustible quantity of balls beneath the cups. This is very easily managed by first covering each of the three balls with a cup openly. Take up cup No. 1, and put it down again a few inches off, with the concealed ball under it. Pick up ball No. 1, and pretend to put it in your pocket, but conceal it in the fingers; take up cup No. 2, and replace it, with concealed ball beneath it, and affect to put ball No. 2 into the pocket, but conceal as before. Repeat operation with cup and ball No. 3, and then recommence with cup No. 1. This phase can be prolonged at will. A number of balls can be carried in the pocket, and afterwards exhibited as the ones you have manufactured; but this is by no means necessary to the success of the trick. A most startling and amusing conclusion to a display with the cups and balls is the introduction of large balls, potatoes, oranges, lemons, apples, &c., beneath the cups. Care must be taken that these larger articles will go into the cups easily, or a _fiasco_ may result. The best balls are those made of fancy paper, as they are nice and light. A convenient place for keeping them ready for use is a shallow, oblong, open bag, made out of black silk or alpaca, and furnished with a bent pin at each end, and one in the middle. This bag you can affix to the tablecloth behind the table. In the absence of such a receptacle, the tablecloth can be pinned up, and so form an impromptu one; but this can hardly be arranged unperceived in front of an audience. In the absence of both cloth and bag, the articles to be conveyed inside the cups must be kept under the waistcoat, or in the pockets, but, in this case, the pockets must be side ones, and easily got at. The moment for introducing the large ball, orange, &c., into a cup is when the eyes of the audience are attracted towards any object just revealed to them. The orange, &c., must be taken by the left hand from its place of concealment whilst the right is engaged with the cup; and the instant the latter is raised, for the purpose of showing whatever may be under, it must be passed briskly--at the same time, in a manner not too marked--to the left hand, and the article slipped inside. The hands must remain together only sufficiently long to permit the completion of the manoeuvre, when the cup must be again held by the right hand only; the article inside being prevented from falling by having the little finger placed beneath it. Sometimes, I press the paper balls lightly into the cup, and am so enabled to hold the cup by the top, and to raise it from the table, to show that there is nothing under it. By bringing the cup down hard on the table, the ball will become disengaged. This method should only be used as a change. Supposing that you have an orange inside cup No. 1, place it gently and unconcernedly on the table whilst drawing attention, by means of your tongue, to cup No. 2. By the time cup No. 2 is raised, the left hand will contain, say, an apple, which will go inside the cup, and public attention drawn to cup No. 3, which, in its turn, will be raised, and tenanted with a potato. You can now either knock over all three cups, and reveal their contents, which has a very good effect, or continue the manufactory as with the cork balls, pretending to put the potatoes, oranges, &c., into the pocket. It will be only necessary to have one of each kind of article, although the audience will be led to believe that your pockets are crammed with them by the time you have finished. It is best to have four kinds, as by that means each cup has something different under it every time it is raised. It is not advisable, however, to fill the cups more than twice by this method. The performer must not have his head filled with the idea that his movements are noticed, for the eyes of the spectators are sure to be riveted on the article last revealed. Any hesitation will be attended with disastrous results, so the thing must be done with dash, or not at all. Every conjuror should endeavour to become perfect with the cups and balls, as they not only amuse and astonish audiences, but afford great practice to the learner. One very important thing in connection with this trick is the talk with which it is accompanied. The performer should be talking the whole time, explaining everything as he goes on; at the same time, he must not talk a lot of nonsense, which will only cause the audience to form a low estimate of his prestidigitatorial powers, but infuse his harangue with a little very mild humour. Something like the following, varied to suit the circumstances, will be to the point: "I have here three little tin cups, solid, and free from any trickery or deception, as you may see for yourselves." (Hand cups round.) "Kindly see that the bottoms do not take out. I have also three little cork balls, equally guileless with the cups. Madam, will you be so good as to squeeze one, and see that it is solid?" (Give a ball to a lady.) "Thank you. These little balls, ladies and gentlemen, are, you will be interested to hear, trained to a high degree of perfection, and are perfectly obedient to my will, as I will shortly show you. This cup, which you will perceive is perfectly empty, I place here on the table, and, taking up one of the balls, I simply say to it, 'Hey, presto! begone!' and it has vanished. The second little ball I take from beneath this cup, and command it to keep company with its predecessor. 'Fly!' and it has gone. The remaining ball I treat in the same manner. By the aid of my magic wand, I recall my little servants. See, here comes one, and, following my wand, it passes through into this cup" (tap a cup with the wand), &c., &c. It will be as well for the conjuror to study what he intends saying beforehand, in the early stages of his career, for he will find his wits sufficiently troubled to execute his tricks properly without requiring to think about his language. A little sleight, which may be introduced with effect, is the apparent throwing of one cup through the other. This illusion is effected by holding a cup, mouth upwards, lightly between the thumb and forefinger. The other hand then throws a second cup sharply into it. The lower cup is allowed to fall, and the second cup caught by the thumb and forefinger, the appearance being that one cup has passed completely through the other. CHAPTER V. TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS. BURNING A HANDKERCHIEF IN A SMALL WAY--HINTS ABOUT APPARATUS--HOW TO PULL A HANDKERCHIEF THROUGH THE LEG--THE KNOT UNTIED BY MAGIC--THE CONFECTIONER HANDKERCHIEF--FEATS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS. What conjurors would do without pocket handkerchiefs, I will not venture to suggest. Almost every trick has a handkerchief of some kind as a component part. Handkerchiefs are torn up, burnt up, tied into knots, made receptacles for money, and used in a variety of other ways; in fact, they are the conjuror's most faithful allies. _Burning a Handkerchief_ is usually made a stage trick, and belongs properly to Grand Magic; but there is a method which may be successfully tried in the confined limits of the drawing-room. I do not allude to the use of the "burning globe," which article entirely dispenses with the necessity for the display of anything approaching sleight of hand, with which I, in this book, have only to deal. By using mechanical tricks, many feats of sleight of hand are imitated; but then the apparatus cannot be shown round, and the audience goes away from the performance impressed with the idea that conjuring means exhibiting a certain number of cunningly-devised boxes, canisters, &c. I remember being present at an amateur conjuring entertainment, where tricks were exhibited that must have cost two hundred pounds, at least. The eye was perfectly bewildered with the array of electric clocks, drums, &c.; but every third trick failed at some point, which was not to be wondered at, seeing that the thing was got through as though against time. This sort of thing is not conjuring; although it would be bad for conjuring-trick manufacturers if everyone thought the same. Some apparatus one _must_ have; but only what is absolutely necessary. The difference between an apparatus conjuror and an adept at sleight of hand is as great as that between an organ-grinder and a skilled musician. To burn a handkerchief in what I may term a small way, be provided with a piece of cambric, or other material resembling a handkerchief, about four inches square. The best way is to cut up a cheap handkerchief that has been hemmed. Have this piece rolled up in the hand, and concealed by the act of holding the wand. Borrow a handkerchief, which carelessly roll up in the hands, as if judging as to its size, and get the piece mingled in its folds. Ask the owner if he or she has any objection to your burning the end of it. Say "Thank you," whether the answer be "Yes" or "No" (conjurors are often afflicted with a convenient hardness of hearing), and proceed at once to burn what is, in reality, your interpolated piece, but which will appear to the audience to be the handkerchief, at a candle. When you have burnt a tolerably large hole, put out the flame, and walk towards the owner of the handkerchief, as if about to return it to him, thanking him, at the same time, for the loan of it. If you had not permission to burn the handkerchief, the owner of it will probably now tell you so; and if he is at all testy on the point, so much the better for the success of your trick. Say that you really thought he said "Yes," are sorry for the mistake, which, however, cannot now be helped, &c. If, on the other hand, you had permission to do as you pleased, which a flattering, implicit faith in your abilities will frequently accord to you, you must affect to see in the person's looks an objection to take the handkerchief in a burnt state, and so, in either case, eventually set yourself the task of having to restore the injured article. This you can very simply do by rubbing it in your hands, and concealing the fictitious piece rolled up in the palm; or you can prolong the operation by folding the handkerchief in a piece of paper, omitting the burnt piece, and then pronouncing some cabalistic words over it, whilst it is held by someone in the audience. This is, perhaps, the better way of the two. If the beginner is afraid to trust to his own skill, and prefers using apparatus, he can procure many kinds of canisters, &c., for changing handkerchiefs, the working of which will be explained by the vendor, so there is no necessity to do so here. _To Pull a Handkerchief through the Leg._--This is a trick which will bear exhibition in any company. It recommends itself especially for drawing-room purposes. Take a very long handkerchief, and, seating yourself, pass the handkerchief (apparently) twice round the leg, just above the knee, and tie the two ends securely together, or have them tied for you. Take hold of a single thickness of the handkerchief, and jerk it sharply upwards, when it will appear to pass through the leg. The secret of the trick is thus explained: When you pass the ends below the leg, for the purpose of ostensibly crossing them, so as to bring them up on opposite sides, you rapidly make a bend in one, and pass the other firmly round it. By this means, a temporary junction is formed strong enough to bear a slight strain. By distending the sinews of the leg, the folds are compressed, and additional security is thus obtained. The ends are of course brought up again on the sides on which they descended, and the knot tied above the thigh--not beneath it. The formation of the bend and loop round it must be practised assiduously, for I do not know of any trick of the same magnitude requiring more skill in execution than this one. The hands should not remain an instant longer under the leg than one would require to merely cross the ends, and there must be no fidgeting observable. For performing this trick, Döbler (the original one) received a diamond ring from the Emperor of Russia. _To Untie a Knot by Word of Command._--Tie a knot with two ends of a handkerchief, but in such a manner that one end is always quite straight; in fact, one end should be tied _round_ the other, and not the two ends tied together. If you take the extreme end of the straight portion, anyone may pull as hard as he likes at it from the other side of the knot without making it any tighter, although you must lead him to believe that he is doing so. When he has pulled to his heart's content, take the knot in one hand and cover it with the rest of the handkerchief. Whilst doing so, work, with the concealed hand, the straight end through the folds of the other, but do not destroy the folds, which give to be held, of course under cover of the handkerchief. Command the knot to come undone, and then shake the handkerchief out. This is the groundwork of a trick on a much larger scale, which will be treated of in Grand Magic. It is a very effective little trick, and should never be despised. _To Find Sweetmeats in a Handkerchief._--For this pretty trick the performer will require a conical bag, made of fine calico, cambric, or any other substance resembling a handkerchief. The length of the bag should be about 5in.; and it must be furnished at the apex with a bent pin--a black one. The mouth must be fitted with two pieces of flat watch or crinoline spring, sewn in the stuff in such a manner as to keep the opening closed. This bag must be filled with sweets, and suspended, by means of the bent pin, on the edge of the table--out of view of the audience, as a matter of course. Borrow a handkerchief, and say that you will now find something that will please the juvenile portion of the audience. Wave the handkerchief mysteriously about, and then spread it out upon the table. Wave your hands over it, take it up delicately by the centre with one hand, and squeeze it with the other over a plate with which you will be provided. Naturally, nothing will come of it, so you repeat the operation, this time at a different part of the table. At the third or fourth attempt, the handkerchief should hang over that portion of the table where the bag is suspended, and when it is raised the bent pin should be included in the grasp. On squeezing the handkerchief this time, the hand should compress the ends of the springs, which will open, and allow the sweets to escape and fall upon the plate with a great clatter. Do not empty the bag at once, but give it two or three squeezes, allowing a little to fall out each time, which will greatly heighten the effect. When the bag is empty, the next thing to do is to remove it from the handkerchief. If a chair is handy, the bag can be dropped on it; but the best way is to boldly introduce the hand beneath the handkerchief, and, whilst calling attention to the sweets, hang it again on the edge of the table, which can easily be managed behind the handkerchief. The sweets used should be small round or oval ones, they being best suited for the purpose. There are many little feats performed with handkerchiefs hardly deserving the title of tricks, in the way of tying bows and knots, &c., by entirely unorthodox methods. They are too insignificant for performance alone; but they look very well when worked in with more important tricks. Besides (and it cannot be too often stated), conjurors should endeavour to know _everything_ connected with sleight of hand. In drawing-room circles, one is continually asked if one can do this, that, or the other; and it is quite as well to be able to reply in the affirmative, for it always tells detrimentally to fail in a little matter. The following feats will be found effective: _To Lengthen a Handkerchief._--Having borrowed a handkerchief, great amusement is caused when the performer observes that the article is not long enough, and expresses his intention of stretching it. This is done by taking the handkerchief by one corner in each hand, and, whilst twisting it up, gathering an inch or two in each palm. Stretch the arms wide apart, so that the handkerchief lies across the chest, without allowing any of the gathered-up portions of it to escape. Now give the handkerchief a turn or two in the air, and again stretch it across the chest, this time allowing about half an inch to escape out of the hands. Twist again and stretch, allowing a little more to escape, and repeat the operation until the extreme ends are reached. Imply by manner, as much as possible, that a deal of stretching is taking place, and the audience will be led to believe that the handkerchief has been extended at least six inches beyond its original length. _To Appear to Tie a Knob that will not Draw Tight._--This feat is also exceedingly diverting. The performer, apparently, goes through all the necessary formulæ for forming a knot; but, lo! when the ends are pulled out, no knot is seen. There are three ways of doing this. One is to pass one end behind the other, instead of through the loop, as usual, which must apparently be done. To do this neatly, one end must be held in each hand, the handkerchief twisted sharply up, and the hands then brought quickly together, which will cause a coil of about two turns to be formed. Pass the right end quickly round the back of the left, and then draw out both, as if tightening the knot. As you pull, the coil will bunch in the middle, as if a knot were really there, and increased tension will pull it out quite straight. The second method is thus performed: Lay one end of the handkerchief across the right hand, the major portion of it being on the outside, and the short end held down by the little finger only. With the left hand, take the hanging end, and, bringing it round on the inside, lay it over the other. Pass the left hand through the loop thus formed, take with it the uppermost end, and draw it through; but, just as you pull the two ends out straight, slip the thumb of the right hand under the inside bend of the lower end, and hold it between the finger and thumb. In the third method, commence by taking one end of the handkerchief in either hand. Pass the right hand over to the left side, in front of the left arm, which is kept perfectly still in front of the body, so that the handkerchief hangs on the left forearm in the shape of a loop. The second end must now be placed in the left hand, which thus detains both for the time being. Pass the right hand, now free, through the loop from the inside, and, reaching up with it, let it grasp its original end just placed in the left hand, and pull it through. This must be done with great deliberation, as the beauty of the sleight rests in the extreme slowness with which it can be executed, the secret lying, not in any quickness of fingers, but in the fact that the handkerchief ends are never looped one over the other, as would be the case if the right hand were passed through the loop from the outside, which the learner may at once discover by experiment. In pulling the end out, as though tying the knot, if it be retarded by the left thumb, a more natural appearance is given. This method is to be preferred to the foregoing, which, however, are useful as changes. _To Tie a Knot Instantaneously._--Take an end of the handkerchief in either hand between the thumb and forefinger, the end in the left hand pointing inwards, and that in the right hand outwards, the hands being held so that their backs are towards the company, the thumbs on top and the little fingers below. Open the fingers of each hand at the first and middle fingers, and then bring the hands together until they overlap a couple of inches, the right hand on the outside. This will bring the end of the handkerchief in either hand between the opened fingers of the opposite one. The fingers close on the ends, and the hands are at once separated, when the knot will be found to be tied. This may be first practised with a piece of stout string, and the learner must not be satisfied until he can tie the knot by merely bringing the fingers together for an instant, the knot being tied apparently by means of the mere collision of the two hands. It is astonishing what perfection can be attained by means of practice, the knot at last seeming to appear on the handkerchief, instead of being tied. _To Tie a Knot on the Wrist whilst Holding an End of the Handkerchief in either Hand._--Jerk the right hand towards the left one, so as to throw a loop in the handkerchief, through which dart the left hand, still holding its end, and the feat will be accomplished. It should be done in a _nonchalant_ manner, and without any ostentation. Practise first with a piece of string. The performance of the foregoing feats will be facilitated by the use of a silk handkerchief that is not too new, and it should always be first twisted, rope-fashion. CHAPTER VI. CHINESE TRICKS. A NEW MARBLE TRICK--FIRE-EATING--FINAL EFFECT--THE BUTTERFLY TRICK--THE FAN--HOW TO MAKE THE BUTTERFLIES--HOW TO KEEP THEM IN THE AIR. _Chinese Marble Trick._--Some years ago, there came over to England a few Chinese conjurors, who were seen by the public but very little, but who favoured me on several occasions with private views. Their skill lay chiefly in the performance of such delectable feats as swallowing sword-blades, tiny china cups, glass balls, and large leaden plummets. Although appreciating such tricks, I respectfully declined attempting to astonish my audiences by their means. There was, however, one little trick performed with four small marbles, which struck me as being something quite novel and quaint. Of the four marbles (little ivory balls are what I invariably use), one is concealed in the fingers, as in the cup and ball trick, unknown, of course, to the audience, who are supposed to know of the existence of three only. These three the performer puts into his mouth--one at a time, slowly, is the best way--to show that there is "no deception." He now forms his left hand into a fist, and holds it steadily in front of him, thumb upwards, as though holding a sword at rest. With the right hand he pretends to take a marble from the mouth, the concealed one being exhibited. The action of taking a marble from the mouth must be imitated exactly; and this is best done by rolling it along the lips until it travels from the roots of the fingers to their tips. The sleight must be quickly done, for the eyes of the audience are full upon the hand. Place the marble on the top of the left hand, _i.e._, on the doubled-up first finger, which, after a few seconds, open slightly, so as to allow the marble to disappear in the hand. With the right hand actually take a marble from the mouth, which will now contain two. Pretend to place this marble on the left hand, as you did the first one, but in reality conceal it. When the left hand is momentarily covered with the right, as it feigns to place a marble upon it, open the first finger, and, with the least possible jerk, bring the first marble again to the top. The audience will think that marble No. 1 is in the hand and marble No. 2 atop. After another short pause, allow the marble to again sink in the hand, thereby causing the idea that two marbles are concealed in it, and, with the right hand, affect to take another marble from the mouth, the concealed one being, of course, shown. Ostensibly, place this one on the left hand (deception as before), and allow it to disappear like its two supposed predecessors. At this stage, the state of affairs will be thus:--The right hand, presumably empty, contains one marble; the left hand contains presumably three, but in reality only one marble; the mouth, presumably empty, contains two marbles. The performer then proceeds as follows: Allow the marble in the left hand to sink until it is in the position for concealing at the roots of the fingers. If with the tips of the second or third fingers it can be pressed firmly home, so much the better, for the command to vanish can at once be given, and the hand opened--palm downwards, of course. If the marble cannot be secured in this way, the thumb must be brought into use in the usual way; but the hand must be waved about a little so as to cover the movement. The three marbles are now supposed to be _non est_. The performer can proceed to find the first of them in whatever manner he pleases. He may pretend to pick it from the table cloth, break it from the end of his wand, or find it in the possession of one of the audience; how, is quite immaterial. As each hand conceals a marble, it is also immaterial which one is used. This first marble is placed on the table, and another one found. This second one, instead of placing on the table, the performer affects to pass into his ear, concealing it as before, and after a few seconds, it appears at his lips, the one thence protruding being, of course, one of the two concealed in the mouth. Allow it to fall from the mouth, and then proceed to find the third marble, which pass, say, through the top of the head. The remaining marble in the mouth is then exhibited, and the three wanderers are recovered. If the marbles or ivory balls are not small, their presence in the mouth, when they are not supposed to be there, will be discovered. I always conceal one on each side of the mouth, between the lower gums and the cheek. Ivory balls are in every way preferable, as they do not strike cold to the teeth, and do not rattle much, both of which disagreeable properties are possessed by marbles. Any ivory-turner will supply the little balls very cheaply. The performer must study to execute this trick with the greatest possible delicacy, or--especially before ladies--it will become repulsive. The method of finding the balls after vanishing them should be varied, each one being found in a different way. The portion of the trick requiring the most practice is that in which the left hand is opened. The knack of concealing the ball held in it unobserved requires some little address. _Fire-eating._--This was another trick performed remarkably well by my Chinese. It is, I should think, one of the best-known in England, for every country fair has its fire-eater; but it is not everyone who knows how it is performed. In the first place, prepare some thick, soft string, by either boiling or soaking it in a solution of nitre (saltpetre). Take a piece, from 1in. to 2in. in length, and, after lighting it, wrap it in a piece of tow as large as an ordinary walnut. Conceal this piece under a heap of loose tow, the whole of which is put on a plate, and so exhibited to the audience. The string will burn very slowly indeed, and the very little smoke issuing from it will be quite smothered by the tow. Show the mouth empty, and then put a little tow into it. Commence chewing this, and, after a little time, put in some more. Repeat this three or four times, taking the chewed portion secretly away each time you put any fresh tow into the mouth, and in one of the bunches include the piece containing the burning string. Do not chew this about at all, in reality, although you will make great gestures as if so doing. Take a fan, and fan the ears, and presently take in a good breath at the nostrils, blowing it out at the mouth. This will cause some smoke to be ejected, the volume of which will increase as the breathings are kept up. Always be careful to draw in at the nostrils, and eject at the mouth; otherwise you will be choked. Renew the fannings (merely for effect), and, by continued breathings, the tow in the mouth will be brought into a glow, and one or two sparks will issue from the mouth. When this has continued sufficiently long, take in more tow, and so smother the burning string again, extracting the piece containing it under cover of a loose bunch. There need be no fear of burning the mouth, as, directly it is closed, the light becomes a mere spark. The trick causes great effect, not to say alarm on many occasions. A very pretty and laughable termination to the above trick is to pass, unperceived, into the mouth (under cover of a piece of tow, as usual) a little ball composed of a long band of coloured paper, about half an inch or so wide. Take this by the end, and draw it out through the teeth. Tightly rolled up, a ball may contain several yards of paper. It should be composed of three or four different colours, in lengths, each pasted to the other, for there must be no break. The end should have a piece of cotton attached to it, or it will be next to impossible to find it in the mouth. The cotton will adhere to some portion of the mouth, and so be easily found. These balls of paper are supplied at all conjuring shops, as is also an article known as the Barber's Pole. This consists of a spiral of paper, which shuts up into a very small compass, but assumes a great length on being merely twisted. A long pole appears to come out of the performer's mouth. _The Butterfly Trick._--Invisible at a short distance, very fine silk and hair are invaluable adjuncts to the conjurer's repertory, both in the drawing-room and on the stage. The celebrated and fascinating Japanese butterfly trick is performed with the aid of a piece of fine black silk or horsehair. The former is, in my opinion, immeasurably the superior of the two. Hair is most difficult to manipulate, from its springy nature, and requires a great deal of coaxing before it will condescend to be tied in a knot. In the butterfly trick, the performer sustains one or more butterflies, made from rice (or tissue) paper, in the air, by means of the current caused by the motions of a fan. When this trick was first brought out, "all the world wondered," for no one, even after long practice, could keep the paper butterfly hovering in a given space for a single moment. I tremble to think of the number of fans I destroyed in my early days over this trick, before I knew the secret of it. The fan used should be a very strong and large one, of the old shape--not the circular--and be composed of paper and wood only, so as to be free from superfluous weight. Affixed to the top waistcoat button, or any other convenient spot, have from 3ft. to 4ft. of the finest black silk floss or hair, with a knot at the free end. Have, also, a piece of crisp tissue (or rice) paper, and a pair of scissors. Let the audience examine the paper, and then proceed to cut out the rough form of a butterfly, explaining your action as you go on, giving the centre a twist or two, for the double purpose of forming a body to the insect, and concealing the knotted end of the silk or hair, which it is as well to have between the fingers before commencing operations, as it is not allowable to grope about for it in view of the audience. When finished, the butterfly's wings should have the appearance of being three parts extended, and should be slightly concave from beneath. A little care bestowed on its formation will be repaid by an increased steadiness when in the air. When all is ready, hold the butterfly in the air at the full stretch of the connecting medium, and fan pretty briskly with the other hand, not immediately underneath the paper, but from the body, and along the silk or hair, which must always be kept at a stretch, or nearly so, or control over the butterfly will be lost. Notwithstanding the aid of a connecting medium, there is more skill required to perform this trick really neatly than is generally supposed. After a time, practice will enable the performer to cause the butterfly to settle on a flower or on the edge of another fan, and also to sustain two in the air at one time, which has a very pretty effect indeed. When two butterflies are used, it will be found almost necessary to have two fans, one in each hand, and each insect must, of course, have a separate thread. Some use wax at the end of the connecting medium, but this is a bad plan, as it deters the performer from giving round the butterfly to be examined after performing the trick. Whilst cutting out and twisting up the paper, it is as well to call attention to the fact that the trick is performed by some people with the aid of a thread--an assistance which you will say you utterly despise, as will be perceived. This will totally disarm those people who may have bought the trick (it is sold universally), and are yet only tyros at performing it. There is a second method, in which two butterflies are joined by a thread or hair a few inches long. These do not require to be attached to the performer's person, the partnership being sufficient to enable him to keep them in mid-air. Speaking of the Chinese, it is a most noticeable thing that their methods of vanishing and concealing articles are the same as those practised by ourselves, which fully demonstrates the fact that there is only one proper way; for there is only one thing more highly improbable than that we learnt the _minutiæ_ of the art of conjuring, practised by us for centuries, from the Chinese, and that is that the Chinese learnt from us. It is only during the present century that we have been sufficiently familiar with the Chinese to borrow their ideas on magic, did we wish to do so. CHAPTER VII. TRICKS AT TABLE. HOW TO CAUSE A WINEGLASS WITH WINE IN IT TO VANISH--ITS STARTLING REPRODUCTION--FILTER TUMBLERS--HOW TO CAUSE A PLATE OR OTHER LARGE ARTICLE TO VANISH--HOW TO PERFORM THE CUP AND BALL TRICK WITH PLATES AND BREAD PELLETS--A DIE TRICK--MAGICAL SURGERY--A DESSERT OF CORKS--KNIFE-SWALLOWING MADE EASY: TWO METHODS. _To Vanish a Glass of Sherry._--When invited out to a dinner party, one usually leaves one's conjuring tricks at home; but in some instances, where, perhaps, one's fame has gone before, an unexpected call is made for an exhibition of skill. "Come, So-and-so, let us see some tricks," says the host, and "Hear, hear!" say the guests. You are, of course, quite unprepared, and beg to be excused, but in vain. You must acquiesce, or be voted a boor. In an absent manner, you place a glass of sherry to your lips, as though bracing yourself for the fray. The glass is half emptied (be careful about this), when a sudden movement is made as though you threw it up at the ceiling; but nothing is seen to ascend, though the glass, with the wine in it, has disappeared. After a short pause, to allow the general astonishment to take full effect, the missing article is discovered inside the coat of your immediate neighbour, with the wine in it unspilt. This startling effect is thus managed: Open the legs just a few inches, and in the disengaged hand hold a napkin or handkerchief. When the feigned movement of throwing the glass upwards is made, the article itself is left between the legs, and immediately covered with the napkin. It is, however, of the highest importance that the hand does not dwell an instant in leaving the glass behind, otherwise the movement will be discovered. The action must be swift, clean, and noiseless. To find the glass on the person of your neighbour, take it up, with the napkin with which you have covered it, with one hand, and, bringing yourself quite close to the party to be operated upon, whip it inside his coat with the other. Produce it very slowly from its supposed place of concealment, for extra effect. The success of the trick is greatly enhanced by its total unexpectedness, and the performer must take care not to reveal, by any word or gesture, what he is about to do. He should, however, immediately preceding the vanish, draw attention to himself by addressing the host, or otherwise engaging the conversation, lest he perform the trick and afterwards discover that no one saw it, for it is a trick that will not bear repetition. A tea or coffee cup, small size, can be treated after the same manner. _To Vanish a Plate._--This is considerably more ambitious than the preceding, and requires some confidence in one's powers. There are two methods, each differing only slightly from the other. In the one, the plate, which should be small, is taken in the hand, and apparently thrown up to the ceiling, but, instead, adroitly grasped by one leg, purposely extended, behind the knee, between the calf and the thigh. In the other method, the performer rises slightly from his seat, as if to make an extra vigorous throw, and the plate is slipped beneath him. Both methods are good; but it is essential to the success of either that the performer sits on the extreme outside of everyone else. Under any other circumstances, the requisite freedom of action cannot be obtained. So soon as the plate has disappeared, the conjuror should seize a napkin, wave it about, and find the plate in it. It must be distinctly understood that the leg which is to hold the plate during its concealment must be first brought round to the side of the chair on which the performer is sitting, and there doubled up slightly, so that there is just room to pass the plate between the calf and the thigh, which will then hold it tight. The learner must not expect to execute this vanish at the first attempt, but will require to practise considerably before arriving at anything like perfection of execution. A primitive method for vanishing a plate is to place the left hand slightly behind the body, and with it receive the plate from the right hand. In this method, which can only be used when the performer is standing, the plate must immediately be found in someone's coat. Books, straw mats, knives, and other large articles can be made to disappear by any of the foregoing methods. _To Pass a Fork or Spoon through a Tumbler._--The foregoing successfully performed, take up a tumbler carelessly, and remark to the host that you notice that he has some of the "patent filter tumblers." Ignorance of the fact will, of course, be expressed, and you then proceed to show that the tumbler you hold has a hole through the bottom, by apparently passing the handle of a spoon or fork, or any other suitable article, through it. This diverting optical illusion is thus performed: Take the tumbler (empty) in the left hand, near the bottom, not in the ordinary way, as if about to drink from it, but in such a manner that it lies along the hand, the mouth towards the wrist. Take the article to be passed through the tumbler in the right hand, and, after thrusting it once or twice against the bottom, pass it between the hand and the outside of the glass, allowing two or three inches to protrude beyond the ends of the fingers. This simple action causes it to appear that the spoon handle, skewer, &c., has been passed through the bottom of the tumbler. _Permeable Plates._--Following up the idea of the patent filter tumblers, you can mention that you notice that the host has also the last new plate. Hold up a plate to the light and say, "Yes, I can distinctly see through it." Laughter will, of course, ensue, and you will offer to prove your assertion. To do this, make up three bread-paste balls about the size of those used in the cup and ball trick, of which this one is, indeed, only a variety. You will have an extra one concealed in the fingers, of course. Now take two plates, one in each hand, upside down, and held in such a manner that the ball in the fingers is concealed. Place them on the table, about a foot apart, and, by opening the fingers, allow the concealed ball to remain under one plate. Vanish a ball as in the cups and balls, and find it under the plate, repeating the process with all three balls, the one concealed being dropped each time the plate is replaced after raising it to show the one just passed through it. Now say that it is as easy to perform the feat with another plate, and take up the second one in the hand containing the concealed ball. Supposing this to be, as it generally will be, the right hand, it will now be taking up the plate on your left. Cross the arms, and, with the left hand, take hold of the plate on your right hand, allowing the fingers to extend well beneath it. Call attention to the fact that under the left-hand plate there is nothing, whilst under the right-hand one there are three balls; and then place the left-hand plate upon the table, with concealed ball under it. Then command one ball from the right-hand plate to pass under the left-hand one. With the fingers seize one ball of the three, and raise both plates. Now bring back the arms to their original positions, in order that the left hand, which contains one ball concealed, may be brought to the single ball, which is supposed to have been transferred from the right-hand side. Replace both plates, allowing concealed ball to fall from the left hand, and take up another, in the fingers of the right hand. Command a ball to pass, and raise plates as before. Re-cross the arms, and repeat the operation, when all three balls will have apparently passed from one side to the other. Without crossing the hands this would not be possible, and the reason you give for so doing is to show that it does not matter which plate is used, both being equally permeable. The learner must bear in mind that in this, the second phase of the trick, the two plates are never relinquished simultaneously. The hand picking up a ball cannot quite quit all hold on the plate, or detection would ensue. The plate having a ball passed beneath it can be released for the time from the hand entirely. The ball remaining concealed at the end can be dropped in the lap under cover of the plate. It is always as well to have one's handkerchief lying carelessly in one's lap, as it comes in very useful for concealing small things. By taking some cork balls in his pocket, the conjuror will avoid the necessity for using balls made of bread. Such occasions as the one I have now assumed are the ones favourable for the introduction of the previously mentioned tricks with sugar and knives; and, if the performer has taken my advice, he will be provided with his disc of glass for the performance of the glass of water trick, also previously described. _Changing Dice._--It is also useful, on such occasions, to have in the pocket a pair of dice, rather smaller than those in general use, for the performance of the following trick. Place the dice, side by side, between the finger and thumb. This will leave two sides, back and front, open to view. Ask the spectators to note the numbers at the front, and then those at the back. Show each side two or three times, turning the hand over each time, and then give a slight twist with the finger and thumb, just sufficient to cause the dice to revolve the extent of one square only. This will bring different numbers to the back, whilst the front ones have apparently remained unaltered, as you will show, taking care to twist the dice back again to their original positions. The twist must be given as the hand is turned over, when it will be quite imperceptible to anyone. This is the first and simple phase of the trick; the second is more convincing still. It very frequently happens that someone says, "Ah! of course you turn them over." This you stoutly deny, and proceed at once to prove the fallacy of the idea that the dice move in your fingers. To do this, give the twist backward and forward each time the hand is turned over in what the spectators consider to be merely the preliminary to the actual trick. Then say, "Now, I will turn my hand over as slowly as possible, and ask some one to hold my fingers firmly so as to render it utterly impossible for me to move them." Of course, as the positions of the dice have been changed each time you turned your hand over, you have now only to keep them still to effect an alteration. This ruse invariably silences sceptics. The trick is also capable of further development if the dice be properly arranged. By placing the two fives face to face, the numbers will read one-three, three-one, six-four, four-six. Hold the dice in the fingers so as to cover one three-one and one six-four. The visible numbers will then be six-four and three-one. Suppose the six-four is on the top, the twist of the fingers will expose the hidden six-four at the bottom, and the hidden three-one at the top. The two numbers will then appear to have completely changed places. The fact that, in one instance, the four and the one are where the six and the three were previously will not be noticed if the performer is careful to always call the numbers the same, viz., "Here we have six-four on the top and three-one at the bottom; six-four" (turn over), "three-one" (turn back), "change" (turn over), "three-one on the top, six-four on the bottom." A fresh combination can at once be obtained by placing any other numbers face to face, so that they be the same unit. This variation will be found very effective and dumbfounding. _To Cut a Person's Arm with a Knife, through the Coat, without Injuring the Cloth._--Turning to his next-door neighbour, who, I need scarcely say, must not be a lady, the performer seizes a knife and asks him whether he would like to have his arm cut. A bloodthirsty slash in the air will add emphasis to the question. The person questioned will invariably decline, with thanks, and the performer then affects to think that the reason for the negative is an objection to having the coat cut, and not on the score of any pain to be inflicted. He assures his neighbour, with great emphasis and earnestness, that any injury necessarily done to the cloth will be immediately remedied, and that no traces of a cut will remain. When it is begun to be realised that the cloth is not to be cut, a joke is anticipated, and consent to the operation will soon be obtained, especially if the performer alters his manner, and becomes persuasive. It is necessary, in order to invest the trick with interest, to work up a state of apprehension to begin with, as it is but a small thing in execution, and requires filling out. When the necessary consent has been obtained, the performer places a napkin or handkerchief over the biceps of his neighbour, and, introducing the knife underneath, commences to saw away at the arm. Presently the patient will give a sudden start, and, if at all weak-minded, he will shout "Oh!" as well. On being questioned, he will explain that he distinctly felt the knife cut into his arm, which is, indeed, precisely the feeling communicated to him. The secret of the trick is simply a common pin, which, under cover of the napkin or handkerchief, the performer takes from his vest, or wherever it may be concealed, in the left hand. Both hands are introduced under the napkin, the right hand sawing away with the knife, with the blunt side against the coat. Great care must be taken to employ a new knife, as old ones frequently have their backs rather sharp, and the cloth might be cut in reality. Press pretty firmly with the knife, sufficiently to make the patient feel it, and then gradually push the pin through close beside it, pushing only when pressure is put upon the knife. In time it will work through the clothing--a quantity of which rather assists the illusion--and, entering the flesh slightly, will cause a sensation precisely as though the arm really were cut. The performer at once stops, and either sticks the pin into the napkin or in its former place of concealment, or else drops it on the floor. The trick may be repeated upon other patients; indeed, it is not easy to appreciate it unless it has been actually performed upon one. The pin need only be dropped when the performer notices looks of suspicion directed at his fingers. He has others concealed about him, naturally. Black pins should be used as being less likely to be seen, especially when dropped; although so common an object as a pin upon the floor, even if noticed, would scarcely excite suspicion. Still, it is always best to think of every contingency, and provide for it, or, haply, experience may teach the lesson in a harsh manner. _Corks_ are generally handy at a dinner table (at set dinners tricks would scarcely be introduced), and, being easily palmed, form excellent _media_ for small conjuring. The cork should be held by the tips of the first and fourth fingers, lengthwise, and it then palms right across the hand, the sharp edges (do not choose a ragged edged cork) giving a splendid hold, especially as the article is so light. Corks are very easily swallowed, being either placed (apparently) in the mouth by the hand palming them, or else put into the other hand first. Houdin used to regale himself at friends' houses by a dessert of corks, brought on in a sauce-boat or soup tureen, especially chosen because it concealed the hand when thrust in. The performer continually took out corks, dropping the ones palmed as he did so, until he had apparently eaten a dozen. A good deal of natural chewing should be indulged in, and the changes continually rung upon the various palms and passes taught in this book. Finally, the performer says he can eat no more, as he is full up. As evidence of this, he extracts from his ear the last cork he ate, and, after (apparently) replacing this in the bowl, he is taken with a spasm, and another cork is taken out of his mouth, the supposition being that it had been unable to find room below. It is, of course, rolled into the partially opened lips from the palm. It is quite open to the performer to reproduce a number of corks from his person in this way, when the company will imagine that he really secreted those he pretended to swallow. This effect will be heightened if the performer has gone to the dinner with half-a-dozen corks in his pocket. As a _finale_, he says: "The rest are here in my pocket," and produces them all at once, throwing them carelessly into the bowl. If he has performed the rest of the trick properly, the company will think him quite capable of secreting half-a-dozen corks in his pocket without being observed, no one dreaming for a moment of any previous arrangement. _Swallowing a Knife._--Performed after the following method, this illusion can be carried out most effectively: Taking a large knife--a carving-knife is not too large--the performer lays it in front of him, right and left. He turns up his coat sleeves, as far as they will go, and then, squaring his elbows, so as to bring the forearms across his body, he places his hands along the knife, one hand overlapping the other, so as to completely hide the knife from view. In the case of a large knife, some parts of it--the ends--will be hidden by the wrists. Nipping it with the thumbs, or with one thumb only, it is raised from the table, the hands keeping their somewhat constrained position upon it. One hand is now brought to the mouth, the other being raised, and an apparent attempt made to swallow, the hands appearing to tilt the knife down the throat. The performer, however, suddenly begins to choke, and the attempt is relinquished, the knife being laid upon the table again. It is, however, immediately raised again, as before, but the second attempt is no more successful than the first. The knife is once more taken in the hands, and, in the act of picking it up, is brought just beyond the edge of the table, and allowed to fall into the lap. It must be barely raised from the table, or else the drop will be observed. The hands are, for the third time, brought to the mouth, as before, when, of course, the swallowing is successfully accomplished. The performer has taken the precaution to have a napkin lying loosely upon his lap, in which the knife at once becomes hidden. The illusion is a very complete one, especially if the performer takes care to make each of his three movements of the hands to the mouth precisely the same, the knife being brought beyond the edge of the table at each abortive attempt, and not at the last one only. If the performer pleases, he may refrain from turning up his coat sleeves, and, when the trick is finished, show them to be empty. Everyone will suppose that the knife has gone down the sleeve, and it, perhaps, provides an extra effect to show that it has not done so. As the position of the hands is somewhat unusual, the performer should be explaining, during the performance of the trick, that the true secret of knife-swallowing lies in the steadiness with which the knife is passed down the throat, this steadiness being better given with two hands than with one. As soon as the trick is safely accomplished, the performer should get his legs well under the table, and, taking the knife with one hand, place it under his knees, where it must be gripped, or else stick it in his boot. The hand is supposed to be placed below merely to procure the napkin, which is instantly produced, and the performer's lips carelessly wiped with it. He can then push his chair away from the table, and, leaning back, so as to expose his lap, join in the conversation, or, better still, at once commence a fresh trick. The thoughts of the company diverted, the knife may presently be brought to light from under someone's coat, or the performer may simply secrete it in his napkin, and place them together upon the table. A smaller knife can be very effectively swallowed as follows: A cheese-knife is placed on the table, edge downwards, the left hand retaining it in that position by holding it near the point of the blade. It is then picked up by the right hand, the first and second fingers of which nip the back of the blade, close to the point, about half an inch of which is purposely left visible. The rest of the knife lies along the inside of the hand, the handle being concealed by the wrist. The handle is brought to the mouth, the knife being held upright, and the left hand, by means of gentle taps, thrusts it gradually downwards, until it wholly disappears down the throat. This illusion is managed within an inch or so of the end of a precisely similar knife to that supposed to be swallowed. This the performer has concealed between two fingers, and, when the knife is picked up, it is brought into position at the ends by means of the left hand, which is all the time busy helping the right one. The knife is, of course, at once dropped into the lap, the eyes of the company being fixed upon the little piece visible, which they naturally take to be the actual point of the knife. With the palm of the hand a few taps should be given the fragment, so as to cause it to slide out of sight, but still held between the fingers. The tapping is continued with the left hand, although it is performing upon nothing, the throat of the performer giving forth choking sounds, to assist the deception, until the knife may be fairly supposed to be swallowed. The fragment of knife is treated precisely as a coin held by the finger palm, and may be placed in the vest pocket, under the plea of getting out a toothpick. It should have its ragged edge nicely smoothed, so as not to cut the fingers. CHAPTER VIII. TRICKS WITH CARDS. THE VALUE OF CARD TRICKS--THE CARDS--WHERE TO PROCURE THEM--THE DOUBLE-HANDED PASS--SINGLE-HANDED PASSES--THE DIAGONAL PASS--THE FALSE SHUFFLE--TRICKS WITH PASS AND FALSE SHUFFLE--TO CAUSE A CARD TO SHOW ITSELF--THE ATTACHED CARD--THE CONGENIAL ACES--THE REVERSED CARD--THE TRAVELLING CARD--THE LADY'S OWN TRICK--A RAPID CHANGE PASS--METHODS FOR USING SAME--THE CHANGE--ITS USES--THE PALM--ON PALMING A SINGLE CARD--ON PALMING MANY CARDS--ON VANISHING A PACK--METHODS FOR USING THE PALM--TRICKS COMBINING PALM AND CHANGE PASS--THE SLIDE--ITS USES--THE FORCE--ON FORCING PACKS--LA CARTE G�N�RALE--SYMPATHETIC CARDS, OR "HOLD THEM TIGHT!"--HOW TO PASS A CARD THROUGH A PERSON--TO DIVINE A CARD THOUGHT OF--METHOD OF MAKING A CHOOSER THINK OF A CERTAIN CARD--A CARD MADE TO APPEAR ANYWHERE IN THE PACK--CARD BOXES--TRICKS WITH SAME--HOW TO THROW CARDS--THE REVOLUTION--PREPARED CARDS--CUT PACKS--LONG AND BROAD CARDS--PRICKED CARDS--CHAMELEON CARDS--METHODS AFFECTED BY BUATIER AND HOUDIN--HOUDIN'S SUPERIORITY--THE TRAVELLING CARDS--THE ASSEMBLY: METHODS FOR PALM, PASS AND CHANGE--THOUGHT-READING EXTRAORDINARY--GAME AT NAPOLEON--LIGHTNING CHANGE--CONCLUSION. Having shown the beginner what can be done with the ordinary objects of everyday use, I will now endeavour to instruct him in the skilful manipulation of cards. By his success or failure in this particular branch of legerdemain will his reputation as a conjuror be made or marred. Card tricks, more than anything else, demand sleight of hand pure and simple, and success with them can only be attained by assiduous practice. To the learner some of the following directions will at first appear impossible of execution, owing to the unaccustomed positions in which the fingers have to be placed; but a little resolution will soon overcome all obstacles, and when once success, however trifling, has been achieved, greater results will speedily follow. In conjuring, as in most things, everything that is at all worthy of accomplishment requires some little trouble; and the learner must, therefore, not be disheartened if his early efforts are not crowned with success commensurate with his wishes. There is no disguising the fact that card tricks which owe their accomplishment to sleight of hand (and they are the only ones worthy of the conjuror's consideration) are difficult--in many cases exceedingly so; but this fact ought only to make one extra energetic in mastering them. Amateur conjurors of every grade I have met with, but those skilful with cards I can count upon the fingers of one hand. Before everything, let me inform the reader of one fact, not by any means universally known, which is that the cards generally used by conjurors are considerably smaller than those in ordinary use.[A] I will not say that it is impossible to conjure successfully with ordinary cards, because I know of very clever conjurors who use the full-sized card, but they have strong hands; but the advantage of using smaller ones is so marked that anyone thinking seriously of practising sleight of hand should provide himself with some small-sized packs. Many use the French cards, but I find them far too flimsy for many things. The best are those made by nearly all the large English card manufacturers for conjuring purposes. Bancks Brothers, Glasshouse-street, London, are, perhaps, as good as anyone. Should the reader be unable to procure these small cards, he can provide very fair substitutes by having an ordinary pack shaved at the edges, and so reduced in size. To enumerate every card trick individually would necessitate a separate volume, so numerous are the varieties of changes capable of being introduced. All the teacher can do is to instruct in the general principles, by means of which the results are brought about, and to give illustrations of the actions of the same. Accident or design will enable the performer to vary his tricks in hundreds of ways. The chief things to be learnt at first are: 1. The pass. 2. The false shuffle. 3. The palm. 4. The change. 5. The slide. 6. The force. THE PASS. With the foremost of these, as the most important, I will first deal. The use of the pass is to transfer a given card from one portion of the pack to another. In nine tricks out of ten, a card is chosen and replaced in the centre of the pack, which is then shuffled. If this were in reality done without any previous interference on the performer's part, he would be at sea as to the position of the chosen card, and so rendered totally unable to find it when he wanted to do so. To avoid this _contretemps_ he, by means of the pass, brings the card either to the top or the bottom of the pack, and executes a shuffle which, although it appears to mingle all the cards, in reality leaves the chosen one in its original position. If a chosen card is placed in the centre of a pack, it divides it into two portions, and the effect of the pass is to reverse the positions of these portions, the upper one becoming the lower, and _vice versâ_. It will therefore be seen that if the card is to go to the top of the pack it must, when replaced, and before the pass is made, form the uppermost card of the lower portion, and when it is to go to the bottom it must form the bottom card of the upper portion. Except in very special instances, the card is usually required at the top, and this, for the sake of uniformity, I shall assume in my examples to be the case. [Illustration: FIG. 26.] [Illustration: FIG. 27.] For the purpose of learning the pass, it will not be necessary to assume that a card has been chosen, but let the learner take the pack in the _left_ hand. The little finger is inserted in the centre of the pack, thereby dividing it into two portions, the upper one of which must be held by the fingers as securely as the unusual circumstance will admit (Fig. 26).[B] The right hand is now brought across the left hand, as in Fig. 27, the _lower_ portion of the pack being held between the thumb at one end and the second and third fingers at the other. The state of affairs is now this: The upper hand holds the lower portion and the lower hand the upper. Now, in order to alter the positions of the two halves of the pack, the left hand must draw off, under cover of the right hand, the upper portion, and, working as though it were a hinge, replace it beneath the lower one, which is slightly raised by the right hand during the operation, so as to facilitate its execution. The cards should not be held in a horizontal position, but at an angle of fully 45 deg., or even more, the declension being towards the right hand. The movement should first be practised as slowly as possible, and with a few cards only. It will be time enough to increase the speed when a good action has been secured. One little point must be borne in mind, and that is that that half of the pack which was originally the lower one, and therefore held by the right hand, must always be kept hard against the root of the thumb of the left hand whilst the pass is being made, it working there as if hinged. At first the two halves, in passing each other, will make a scraping noise, sometimes very loud. This noise must be studiously avoided, as the pass must be noiseless as well as invisible. When making the pass before an audience, move the hands up and down or from side to side, to cover the movement. It is sometimes required to pass a single card from the very top of the pack to the very bottom. This can, of course, be done in the foregoing manner, but the quickest way is to simply press the fingers of the left hand (the hands being in position for the pass without the little finger inserted) on the top card, and then execute the hinge movement. This will pull the top card off and slip it to the bottom; but it is hopeless to expect to do this without some slight noise, although that can be almost nullified by immediately running the thumb sharply across the edges of the cards, and so causing a similar sound to be made. Such is the double-handed pass. [Illustration: FIG. 28.] [Illustration: FIG. 29.] [Illustration: FIG. 30.] There are also various single-handed passes, one or two of which, at times, come in very handy. They are very difficult to master, and are best learnt with two cards only at the very commencement. The neatest, and in every way most effective, is the following: Hold the pack by the ends of the fingers and thumb, the first and fourth fingers acting as supports, by being slightly bent under (Fig. 28), and allow a portion of the cards to drop from below (Fig. 29). This portion push back towards the thumb by means of the first and fourth fingers, until it will permit of the upper portion dropping down, and so becoming the lower (Fig. 30). The asterisk denotes the chosen card, which is passed from the centre to the top of the pack. Although three positions are here shown, in order to make the action of the pass clear, it must by no means be thought that there should be three distinct movements. When the beginner can execute from thirty to forty passes in the minute, he may consider himself tolerably proficient. It will assist the action if the fingers are well raised and the thumb held a little low, thereby causing a better fall to be made; also considerable swing should be given to the hand, to cover the shifting which takes place. With practice this pass can be made without detection. [Illustration: FIG. 31.] [Illustration: FIG. 32.] The pass shown at Figs. 31 and 32 is a fairly good one, but much more difficult than any other. The middle and third fingers are inserted in the pack, the bottom portion of which is held by the four fingers, two above and two below. The upper portion is held between the roots of the thumb and forefinger. The fingers draw out the lower portion and place it upon the upper one. This pass is useful when it is required to pass a card from the bottom to the top. Under most circumstances, the pass first described (Figs. 28, 29, and 30) is preferable, except when the top card has to be passed to the bottom, when the following method is sometimes adopted. Push off the top card, which is the one to be passed, by means of the thumb, until it lies well over the ends of the fingers. Stretch the fingers out straight, and the card will be drawn completely off the rest of the pack, which is quickly raised by means of the forefinger, and placed over the card. A good backward and forward swing will assist the action considerably. Experience has taught me, however, that the pass shown at Fig. 31, &c., is the best one for getting a card from the top to the bottom single-handed. The cards are so firmly gripped by the fingers that the pass may be executed, no matter what position the pack is held in, whether end on, sideways, or upside down. The beginner will find that the thumb has but little difficulty in dragging off the top card, especially if very slight pressure indeed be put upon it to commence with. If an examination is made of the root of the thumb, a line will be found to run half way round it, joining other lines on the inside, where the flesh is loosest. The card should be held just there. Matters will be greatly facilitated if the right hand, whilst placing the pack in the left, holds it for an instant. The thumb of the left hand then draws the card off an eighth of an inch, which will be quite sufficient to enable the card to be seized by it at the root. But the aid of the right hand should be dispensed with as soon as possible. The passing of cards by means of one hand only is not suspected by the general run of spectators, who are, however, always suspicious directly the two hands are brought together. [Illustration: FIG. 33.] The _learner_ should always use the double-handed pass, practising the single-handed ones in private, until he has attained that confidence in his skill which is afforded by frequent exhibitions before his friends, &c. An easy, but somewhat clumsy, single-handed pass is depicted at Fig. 33. The third finger is inserted in the pack, and the top portion held between it and the middle finger, the rest of the pack being between the first finger and thumb. The top portion is then twisted round in a semi-circle in the direction of the arrow, and so brought beneath what was originally the lower one. The objection to this pass is that it disarranges the cards a good deal. The best way of avoiding this is to move the hand towards the table whilst making the pass, so that the edges of the cards can be set square at once on its surface. The motion must be made as if it were merely intended to place the pack upon the table. THE DIAGONAL PASS. This is a very useful variety of the two-handed pass, by means of which cards placed simultaneously in different parts of the pack are at once brought together. Say, three cards have been selected by various spectators. The performer presents the pack to each in turn, requesting to have the card chosen placed in any portion of it. The chooser thereupon pushes the card between the others, which are not opened out by the performer, but merely presented in a compact body. The card is not permitted to be pushed quite home, the performer withdrawing the pack in time to prevent this. The pack is presented to the two other selectors of cards, and, when the three have all been placed in it, the performer apparently pushes them home with the right hand. What he actually does is thus described: Nip the three cards by the still protruding portions between the thumb and middle finger, across their width, and, in the act of pushing them into the pack, turn them obliquely sideways sufficiently to cause the right-hand top corners to project a quarter of an inch from the pack. The length of this projecting portion will be rather more than an inch, and is easily hidden from the spectators by means of the first and second fingers of the left hand. The top left-hand corner must be pushed down out of sight, and it will then be found that there are two considerable projections on the side and bottom of the pack. The right-hand one is hidden by the palm of the hand, and the lower one by the little finger. The pack, as it appears at this stage of the trick, held in the left hand (the right hand being removed for the sake of clearness), is shown at Fig. 34. [Illustration: FIG. 34.] As the cards are supposed to be pushed home along with the rest of the pack, it is advisable to actually remove the right hand for a short time, the performer commencing to say what he is about to do with the cards. When he subsequently brings the hands together again, for the purpose of making the pass, the thumb and second finger of the right hand should again nip the upper end of the pack. A simultaneous twisting movement is made with both hands, the right hand turning the pack to the right, whilst the left turns the three cards to the left, until they are clear of one another, when the motions are reversed, the three cards being placed either on the top or at the bottom, as the performer may desire. He will find it easier to place them at the bottom, as they come more naturally there. The position of the left hand remains the same throughout, the three cards being held in position by the pressure of the little finger at the lower right-hand corner. The making of the pass must be covered by a slight swinging movement of the two hands in any direction. Some performers, finding it rather difficult to push home several cards into the desired position simultaneously and neatly, make the pass each time a card is placed in the pack. It is open to the learner to adopt this method if he so pleases, but he is more liable to detection; besides which, the feature of the pass is the showing the cards all in different parts of the pack, and then apparently pushing them home at one and the same time. An alternative method is to push the cards down, with the projecting corner on the thumb side of the left hand, and then, by straightening the cards at once, leave half an inch or more of the whole width of the chosen cards projecting from the bottom of the pack, instead of having them diagonally across the pack, as is shown in illustration. A trial will show the learner that this method is an expeditious one, but my reasons against its use are twofold. Firstly, too much of the cards to be passed is exposed, and, secondly, the act of pushing them down is extremely likely to carry along with them indifferent cards intervening between two of them. This is especially likely to be the case with cards that are at all worn. The reason for this is that there is no stop to the body of the cards, which stop is provided, in the method shown at Fig. 34, by the little finger, during the whole of the operation. The act of pushing the cards transversely down, from the opposite side of the pack to that depicted, renders it impossible that the little finger can be in position on the lower side of the cards at the most critical time, the commencement, to prevent any but the desired ones from being pushed down. Its presence just at the corner seems to me to be very essential to the effective performance of the pass, combined with security from mishap. THE FALSE SHUFFLE. This the conjuror will find a very useful adjunct to the pass. There is nothing very difficult about it, but it is necessary to be somewhat bold in executing it. The two methods of shuffling in ordinary use are the perpendicular and the horizontal. The perpendicular is the most business-like, and I have no doubt that it is used by most of my male readers who are card-players. Ladies, I am aware, mostly patronise the horizontal shuffle, in which the cards are passed from right to left, or _vice versâ_, alternately over and under. To illustrate the perpendicular method, suppose the card to be at the bottom of the pack, just passed there, and it is desired to keep it in that position. By applying pressure with the fingers and thumb, the top and bottom cards will be retained in the left hand when the right hand draws away the rest of the pack, which is then shuffled over the two. The operation can be repeated hundreds of times without fear of a mistake. With the card at the top, the action is more complicated, though not difficult. The pressure with thumb and fingers must be made as before. This will bring the chosen card from the top to second from the bottom. Commence the shuffle a second time, and the card will be the bottom one of those held in the right hand, the one recently beneath it having been drawn off by the fingers of the left hand. It now remains to continue shuffling vigorously until the chosen card alone remains in the right hand, which then leaves it on the top of the pack in its original position. For this shuffle, which I prefer to any other, I have to thank myself. It is utterly impossible for the eye of anyone, be he the most practised conjuror, to follow the positions of the one card, even supposing that an opportunity for minute investigation were allowed, which it scarcely would be during a performance. When exhibiting before a select company of extra sharp people who have vague notions of false shuffles and passes, it is sometimes advisable to bring the chosen card to the top, with one card or more above it. You can then say, "Now, it is utterly impossible for me to know where the card is. You see it is neither at the bottom nor next to the bottom" (throw bottom card off), "nor is it at the top" (throw as many cards off the top as are above the chosen card). More than this the spectators can hardly expect you to do. In the horizontal shuffle, with the card at the top, draw the card off between the first and second fingers, and put all cards which are shuffled above it between the first finger and thumb. This will form two packs, divided by the first finger. The final movement in the shuffle is the replacing the lower half on the upper; but I prefer bringing this about by means of the pass. With the card at the bottom, one has merely to shuffle the cards in the ordinary way, just taking care that the bottom card is shuffled last by itself to the top, where it may be left; or it may equally easily be shuffled to the bottom again by simply retaining it in the hand last. This is the simplest shuffle of all, but it will not deceive enlightened people. I find it an excellent method to combine two methods of shuffling. Great rapidity of action should be studied; everything, however, being practised very slowly at first, until the proper method is secured. The false shuffle is very useful in covering the pass. The pass should be made, and the shuffle at once proceeded with, without allowing a fraction of a second to elapse. Leaving the beginner to overcome at his leisure the various difficulties connected with the mastery of single-handed passes, I will describe some tricks performed by the aid of the pass, assisted by the false shuffle alone, commencing with the most simple. Lest the reader should say, "Oh! but no person in his senses would be deceived by that simple thing," I will observe that he should endeavour to suit his audience to his skill. The learner should commence by allowing a card to be selected from the pack, which he then cuts near the centre, and requests the person who selected the card to place it upon the lower portion. He then replaces the upper portion, taking care to allow the little finger to intervene between the two, so as to be ready for the pass, which must be made on the first opportunity, and the pack handed to a spectator to hold. Now say that you will cause the card chosen to rise from the centre of the pack, where it is supposed to be, to the top, and then let the holder of the pack show that such has actually been done. By inserting the finger beneath the card before making the pass, it will be brought to the bottom of the pack, whither you can afterwards command it to go. In these instances the effect will be spoilt if any shuffling takes place; but, in most of the following, false shuffling should be resorted to, attention being called to the fact that the cards are well mingled, and that you, therefore, cannot possibly know the position of the chosen card in the pack. _To Cause a Card to Show itself on the Top of the Pack._--Bring the card to the top, and, holding the pack in the right hand, push it off with the thumb of the left hand about half an inch, and then throw the pack violently on the table or floor. The resistance of the air will cause the uppermost card (the chosen one) to turn completely over, without losing its position. The effect is very good indeed. _The Attached Card._--Bring the chosen card to the top, and give the pack to be held by one corner tolerably firmly, between the finger, and thumb. See that it is held neither too tightly nor too loosely, and then suddenly strike the cards upwards with the hand. Give a good strong blow, and all the cards, with the exception of the top one, will fly into the air, the chosen card remaining in the fingers. If the card is brought to the bottom, the cards must be struck downwards to the floor, which method certainly has the advantage of causing less litter. The effect is increased if two cards are chosen, one being brought to the top and the other to the bottom. The cards are then struck--only moderately hard in this instance--sideways, when the top and bottom cards will remain in the holder's fingers. _To Catch Two Cards in the Air, out from the Pack._--A better way with two cards is, after bringing one card to the top and one to the bottom, to take the pack firmly between your own thumb and fingers, and jerk it upwards. This will cause all the cards to fly towards the ceiling, except the top and bottom ones, in a bunch. Before the cards fall, you make a dash at them, and affect to catch the two chosen cards in the air out from the rest. This is a very finished illusion. The audience, having their eyes upon the pack, do not notice the two cards between the performer's fingers, but the dash at the pack must be made immediately. _The Congenial Aces._--Select from the pack the four aces (four cards of any other denomination would serve equally well, but aces are best for effect), and allow the pack to be thoroughly examined for the purpose of showing that there are no others contained in it. Give one ace to one person, another to a second person, and the remaining two to a third. Have the first ace placed at the top of the pack, the second at the bottom, and the third and fourth in what the audience will suppose to be the middle of the pack, but in reality between the top and bottom cards brought together by means of the pass. As you turn to the third person holding aces you pretend to open the pack in the middle, but in reality make the pass, but without bringing the two portions together again. The two remaining aces are thus innocently placed between the two already restored to the pack, which you instantly close up, whilst calling particular attention to the fact that you do so with all possible deliberation and slowness. Now command all four aces to join company in the centre of the pack. On the pack being opened, the command will be found to have been obeyed. The trick can be varied by placing a red ace in the centre and a black one on the top or bottom, and then causing them to change places by means of the pass. But the most startling change of all is when two aces of one colour are placed in the centre, and the two of the other colour, one on the top and one at the bottom, and then made to change places. The company cannot realise that this can possibly be accomplished in so brief a space of time; but it is simple enough. It should always be produced as a final effect, the performer saying, "Now I will show you something more remarkable still." He then places, say, the two red aces in the centre of the pack, and one black ace on the top and the other at the bottom. In order to convince the company thoroughly that things are as stated, the pack is turned over and opened slightly, fanwise. In showing the cards thus, it will be very easy to insert the little finger between the two red aces unperceived, and the double-handed pass is made in the act of turning the pack over. It is instantly placed in the hands of one of the company, who may be asked to blow upon it, or to perform any other operation equally unlikely to bring about any magical change, and then the cards can be examined without the performer approaching them again. But, in such cases, much depends upon how the pack is examined, and it should always be done under the performer's directions. For instance, he would say, "On the top was a black ace; will you please look at the top card now?--you will see that it is a red one. At the bottom was also a black ace; turn the pack over, please, and you will find a red one there also. In the centre were two red aces; kindly look there, and you will find the black ones." By this means, the whole of the company are informed of what has taken place, which would only be unsatisfactorily done if it were left in the hands of the temporary holder of the cards, who only thinks of satisfying his own curiosity. The single-handed pass (Fig. 28, &c.) may be employed in this trick to great advantage, whenever it is required to bring cards from the outsides to the centre. Where cards, already in the centre, have to be brought to the top or bottom, the insertion of the little finger is necessary, and so the double-handed pass has to be employed. In such cases, the employment of the pass depicted at Fig. 33 would be possible; but the performer would have to execute it in a more masterly manner than I have yet seen exhibited. For the first phase described, the single-handed pass (Fig. 28, &c.) is perfect. Two aces are placed, one at the top and the other at the bottom of the pack, and as the performer turns to the holder of the two others, he executes the pass, leaving the cards open, precisely as depicted at Fig. 30, turning the hand slightly downwards, so that the ace in the middle shall not be visible. It then appears to the spectators as if he had merely opened the cards slightly; and, when the two aces are inserted, the top half is allowed to fall to, and the pack given there and then into the hands of one of the audience. _The Reversed Card._--This is not at all a bad termination to a trick. Bring the chosen card to the top, and then pass it to the bottom with the two-handed slip pass previously described; but, in passing, cause it to turn upside down. This, it will be found on trial, is very easily managed by keeping the face of the card always against the pack. Now make the ordinary pass, and so bring the card to the middle, and then throw the pack along the table, when the chosen card will appear in the middle, face upwards. If you like, you may ask the audience whether the pack shall be reversed and the chosen card found face downwards, or _vice versâ_. It does not matter which is selected, as it is only necessary to turn the pack over before spreading it out, in order to bring about a reversal of affairs. _The Travelling Card._--By attaching a hair to a waistcoat button, and affixing the other end, by means of a tiny bead of wax, unperceived, to the chosen card, it can be made to walk out of the pack at the performer's command by a slight motion of the body. The cards should be spread face upwards upon the table, and the effect of one card disengaging itself from the rest is a very comical one. The waxed end of the hair should be held in a finger nail, so as to be at hand. Another method is to bring the card to the top, and then, holding the pack upright in one hand, with the faces of the cards towards the audience, pretend to pluck a hair from the head, and then to wind it rapidly round the pack with the disengaged hand. Pretend to pull at the imaginary hair, and, with the first and second fingers of the hand which holds the cards, work up the chosen card from the back. The effect is very comical. Two or three cards, selected by different people, may be treated in the same manner, when it is as well to come forward, after the first card has risen, and, making the pass, show that the chosen cards are not on the top. Before continuing, the pass must be again made to bring the cards back, the little finger having, of course, all the while divided the two halves of the pack. The trick should be practised before a looking-glass to ensure that the working of the fingers is not observed. It will be found necessary to allow the cards to well cover the finger roots. The performer should stand well away from the audience, and be certain that no one has a side view of his hand. _The Lady's Own Trick._--Say that you have now done quite sufficient yourself, and think it time someone else had a turn. Bring the card to any portion of the pack you please, so long as you know where it is. Take sixteen cards from various portions of the pack (you may have them selected if you please), taking care that the chosen card is included in the number, and arrange them in four divisions. Now, say that this trick must be done solely by a lady, and, giving your wand to one of the fair sex, ask her to point to any two divisions. The exact words you will use are, "Kindly tell me which two divisions I shall take." The word "take" is intentionally ambiguous, as, if one of the two divisions pointed at contains the chosen card, on which you are, of course, keeping a sharp eye, you will understand it to mean that you are to take those two and continue with them. If, on the other hand, they do not contain the card, you will assume that they are to be removed, and throw them aside accordingly. Two divisions will now remain, and you ask the lady to point to one of them, using the words, "Now, which do you prefer of the two?" This is, again, ambiguous, and you can do as you wish about taking or leaving the division pointed at. Four cards now remain, and you ask that two of them shall be selected, and, on two cards remaining, you repeat the request. If the chosen card is then pointed at, you allow it to be taken up; if the other, remove it, leaving the chosen card to be picked up by the chooser. You must endeavour to impress spectators with the idea that it is all sleight-of-hand, and _never do it twice_. Some tricks (not very many, though) will bear repetition, although it should always be avoided if possible. If there is no help for it, endeavour to vary the method as much as possible. [Illustration: FIG. 35.] Another very rapid single-handed pass is depicted at Fig. 35. As it is only useful for passing one or more cards from the top to the bottom, or, rather, from back to front, it is not in general use, but forms almost a separate trick by itself. The cards, which should not exceed twelve or fifteen in number, should be held at the top corners by the first finger and thumb, and the third finger inserted beneath the card to be brought to the front. This card is then, by means of the middle, third, and little fingers, which hold it, brought from behind and passed round the others, care being taken to bring all together evenly. In executing this pass, the pack is first held up with the faces of the cards towards the audience, and is then turned downwards for a moment. When the pack is again held up, it is seen that the front card (the bottom one) has changed. The trick can be thus worked: Place secretly at the back of the pack three of any denomination of card, say, the fours. At the front, place the other four, which suppose to be the four of clubs, and request one of the audience to say into which other suite the card shall change. You will know the order in which the three fours at the back are placed, so you will only have to place the third finger beneath the one named and pass it to the front. If it is the actual top card, you will bring it forward alone; but if it is the second or third, those above it must come forward as well. As this pass cannot be effected without noise, it is always best to pretend to pass the card chosen as the one into which the original four is to change from some cards held in the other hand. Ruffle these cards with the thumb and say, "Did you not hear it go?" The slight noise heard will be accounted for by the cards passing from one pack to the other. If a duplicate four of clubs is held at the bottom of the second pack, it can be exhibited as the one changed in the other pack. But the best trick performed by means of this pass is by the aid of two duplicate cards, say, the knave of clubs and the ace of hearts. A pack must be held in each hand. At the top of the right-hand pack put the ace, and at the bottom the knave. At the top of the left-hand pack put the knave, and at the bottom the ace. The cards at the top are placed there secretly; those at the bottom openly before the audience. Hold the faces of the packs towards the audience, and, calling particular attention to the positions of the cards, say that you will make them change places. Turn the packs face downwards, with a flourish, executing the pass with both hands, saying, "Presto! pass. Did you not see them go?" On holding the cards up again, it will be seen that the knave has gone over to the left-hand pack, and the ace to the right-hand one. This is very effective indeed. THE CHANGE. This, as a sleight-of-hand feat with cards, takes precedence, for bare-faced daring, of, perhaps, any other. It consists in deliberately exchanging a card held in one hand for another in the pack held in the other hand, and this in full view of the audience. Such a feat may appear at first sight impossible, but, with a little attention and practice, it will become as easy as any other, although it will always demand some care and address in execution. There are various methods by means of which the change is effected, of which the following three are perhaps the best. For simplification of description we will suppose that the ace of diamonds is to be exchanged for the ace of clubs. _First method_: Hold the pack, with the ace of clubs on the top, in the left hand, between the first finger and thumb. The other fingers should be so disposed under the pack as to leave a space between the first and middle fingers. This space, is for the reception of the card to be exchanged, in this instance the ace of diamonds, which is held between the first and middle finger of the right hand. To effect the change, bring the hands momentarily together, and place the ace of diamonds between the first and middle fingers of the left hand; the thumb and first finger of the right hand taking, at the same time, the ace of clubs from off the top of the pack. Just before executing the change, the thumb of the left hand should push the ace of clubs slightly off the pack, so that it may be in a favourable position for the finger and thumb of the right hand to seize. The action must, of course, be instantaneous and unaccompanied by the slightest hesitation or bungling. There must also be an auxiliary movement of the body from right to left, without which it is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to execute the change unperceived. The left hand must also be taken away from the other, at the same moment, the feat being practised until it can be accomplished in one movement, the hands not dwelling together for the most infinitesimal period of time. The learner should first practise by saying to himself, "Now here I have the ace of diamonds, and, by simply rubbing it on this table" (here give the body a half turn from right to left, and execute change), "I will transform it into the ace of clubs." This form of address should be used when exhibiting the change in this its most simple form before spectators. The chief principle to be engrafted on the mind is, that the first half of the change is performed with the right hand and the second half with the left--the two movements being interwoven, as it were, with the body swing. On no account must the hands be brought suddenly together and then parted as if something had been snatched away. This method is the one in general use, and, for ordinary purposes, I can scarcely recommend any other. By its means, it is as easy to exchange two, three, or more cards for others as a single card. The cut (Fig. 36) illustrating this change shows the two hands in actual contact. It will be seen that the actions of leaving the one card and taking the other are simultaneous. [Illustration: FIG. 36.] [Illustration: FIG. 37.] _Second Method_: By the first method it will be seen that the card first shown is left, after the change, at the bottom of the pack. This result is not always desirable. When the cards have to be, as is sometimes the case, changed back into their former positions, the card must be left at the top at each change. In this instance, the ace of diamonds must be held between the thumb and first finger of the right hand; the ace of clubs being, as before, at the top of the pack, and slightly pushed off by means of the thumb. On the hands being brought momentarily together, the ace of clubs is seized between the first and middle fingers of the right hand, the ace of diamonds being left on the top of the pack. The thumb of the left hand is utilised in detaining the ace of diamonds, which, without its use, would probably fall on the floor. The first finger of the left hand must be kept well out of the way, or it will interfere with the smooth passage of the cards. Fig. 37 represents this change just as the hands are brought together. Noise is more likely to be made by this change than by the preceding one, so care must be taken to avoid it as much as possible. The "three card trick," so much in vogue amongst card-sharpers in wheedling money out of the pockets of greenhorns, becomes very amusing when worked by means of this change. The usual shifting about of the cards upon the table must be executed in the most childishly simple manner, which will not much matter, as you will take care to speedily change the card to be found, for one on the top of the pack. When the spectators have amused themselves for some time in endeavouring to find out a card which is not there at all, you will change it back again. [Illustration: FIG. 38.] _Third Method_: Hold the pack in the left hand, with the ace of clubs at the top. Take the ace of diamonds in the right hand, between the first and middle fingers, and, bringing it briskly across the pack from front to back, take off the ace of clubs by means of the first finger and thumb, the ace of diamonds being left in its place. The little finger of the left hand should be curled up behind the cards, and so prevent more than the top one being removed, as will sometimes be the case if this precaution is not observed. This change is shown at Fig. 38. Besides the part it takes in regular set tricks, the change is of the utmost utility to the conjuror in cases of emergency, especially when he makes, as he infallibly must at various times, a mistake. On eventually producing a card which turns out to be a wrong one, the performer must not appear in the least discomfited, for that would commit him at once, but ask the chooser of the card if the one now exhibited really is what he or she states it to be. Of course, an affirmative will be received in reply, and the performer must say, "Well, I would not for worlds contradict you, but really I think in this case you are wrong. Will you, madam" (here give the card, rapidly changed in the transit to someone else), "say if this card is the seven of diamonds, which this gentleman says it is?" As it has been changed for the ten of hearts, or whatever the desired card may be, a laugh will ensue, and it will appear as if the climax of the trick had been arrived at, and no one will know that you intended doing anything else. One of the great arts in conjuring is that of turning all mistakes and unexpected occurrences to the best advantage, and a thorough knowledge of all the various artifices and dodges is necessary to accomplish this. THE PALM. "Palm a card!" exclaims the reader, "how can one possibly palm a card?" Not after the manner of a coin, certainly; but, after the proper method, the palming of a card--_i.e._, the concealing it unnoticed in the hand--is not at all difficult. It is as important as, and, next to the pass, more used than, the other sleights with cards, there being a continual demand for its assistance. To palm a card in the right hand, take it in the left, across the middle, and place it in the right, so that the top left-hand corner is against the inside of the little finger, and the bottom right-hand corner against the fleshy part of the thumb. This pressure is quite sufficient to hold the card, but other parts of the hand and fingers will render a slight assistance. This, unless one possessed an enormous hand, would be impossible of accomplishment with the ordinary playing-cards, hence the necessity for using those of smaller dimensions. When the learner can palm the card tolerably well, he should learn to secrete it from its position on the top of the pack, under which circumstances the palm is mostly used. The right hand must press upon the pack, and when it is felt that the card is in position it must be slid off sideways, not lifted. The hand containing the card should not be held unnaturally flat, but considerably curved, care being taken not to bend the corners of the card to any extent. The wand will, as usual, be of use here, as, if held between the finger and thumb, it will assist in disabusing the minds of the audience of the idea that anything is contained in the hand. It is not very likely that they will think so, for the idea that it is even possible to hold a card in the hand, without its being discovered, never occurs to anyone. The wand can also be held flat in the hand across the card, which is as good a way as any. Palming is not by any means confined to a single card, any number, up to a whole pack, being rendered invisible by this method. When two or more cards are to be palmed from the surface of the pack, they must be first slightly dislodged by the thumb of the hand holding them, and held a very little--not more than a quarter of an inch--above the others, just sufficient to enable the other hand to palm them rapidly without disturbing the pack. The palm is, of course, executed right in front of the audience, who never dream of what is going on. To entirely vanish a pack, take it in the right hand, across the back, lengthways, the thumb being at one end and the fingers at the other. Stand sideways to the audience, and, bringing the hands together, make a perpendicular swinging motion once or twice, as if about to toss the pack towards the ceiling. Make a final and vigorous toss, as if you had done so, and, with the left hand, press the cards into the right hand. The wand should be under the arm during this operation, in order that it may be at once seized by the thumb of the hand concealing the cards. If it be not handy, the lappel of the coat must be brought into requisition. It causes a good effect if the cards are afterwards found inside the coat of one of the audience, with whom you affect to be displeased thereat. You can also go down among the audience, and pretend to give someone the pack with the left hand, which must, of course, be so disposed as if it really contained the cards. To do this requires a little confidence, and care must be taken to hold the inside of the hand well towards the body, or detection may easily ensue when one is quite surrounded by eager, prying eyes. The simplest trick performed with the use of the palm is to ask someone to look at the top card on the pack held in your left hand, and to replace it. In the right hand you have a card palmed. Ask the name of the card just looked at, and, on being told it, affect surprise, and say that you fancy there must be some little mistake--you feel quite certain that the card is not what it is stated to be. Of course, the party who looked at the card, and who probably allowed it to be seen by others, will be positive, so you say that you will show that you are right. Bring the right hand over the cards in a similar manner to that employed when about to perform the third change (Fig. 38), and, with one movement, leave the one palmed on the top and pick it off again. The picking off will be done very slowly, to show that you really do take the top card. Finish up by palming the card originally looked at, and remarking that you cannot understand how the mistake occurred, "for here is the card in my pocket." Produce it from thence, the hand containing the card being merely plunged into the pocket, and slowly withdrawn, holding the card in the tips of the fingers. Another very effective method is to stand sideways to the audience, and hold the pack perpendicularly (the length being horizontal) in the left hand, with the faces visible. In the right hand have a few cards palmed, with the faces towards the hand. Suppose the seven of hearts to be at the bottom of the pack in the left hand. Say that you can change it by simply passing the hand across it, which you then do, leaving one behind. If two or three are left by accident it does not matter, the chief object aimed at being smoothness. Care will have to be taken to have the end of the fingers of the left hand protruding well, so as to be in readiness to take the card thus left on the seven of hearts. The motion of passing the right hand over the left should be an upward one, and the performer should practise to dwell as little as possible over the pack. The palm is also invaluable when anyone insists upon shuffling the pack, so as to make sure of mingling the cards well. The card secure in the performer's hand, the pack may be shuffled for a whole week without much harm being done. With the palm and the pass shown at Fig. 35 combined, a very pretty trick can be performed. It is somewhat similar to one already described. Take four cards of any denomination, and, cutting the pack into two halves, place one of the four at the bottom of one half. Place the remaining three at the top of the other half, which give to be held by a spectator, the three cards being previously palmed, and put on the top of the other cards, as you take them up to show the card at the bottom. Tell the person holding the cards, which are supposed to contain the three, to keep a very tight hold, and, tapping his pack with the wand, affect to take one of the cards away and pass it into your pack. Give a flourish, and pass one card to the front. The slight noise made by the pass will not signify if you say, "Ah! you heard it go?" Repeat this operation with each of the cards, when you will show all four at the bottom of your pack, whilst the three will be found to have vanished from the one given to be held by one of the audience. _The Royal Marriages._--This is a very pretty variety of the foregoing trick. Take the four queens from the pack, and place them on the table, remembering the order in which the suits run. Take the four kings (in the same order as the queens), and have them put in one portion of the pack, which you have divided as before. If the kings are placed in the centre, you can make the usual pass, palm them, and put them, unperceived, on the top of the other portion of the cards, and then let someone shuffle till he is tired. The trick now proceeds very much as before, except that you commence operations by placing one of the queens on the bottom of the pack held by you, which has the four kings on the top. The lady is then supposed to call for her husband, who, as in duty bound, arrives with all despatch. Then place another queen at the bottom, and cause another king to arrive; and so on until all have appeared. The effect of this trick will be lost if the king of clubs arrives to console the queen of hearts, and so on. They must come together in suits. As the pass employed in this trick becomes difficult to execute when many cards are held in the hands, eight or ten only should be taken up in the first instance, as eight will be added during the performance of the trick. THE SLIDE. [Illustration: FIG. 39.] This is a very simple, but not, therefore, any the less useful, little deception, which deserves to be brought more into use by conjurors than it is. It consists merely in sliding back, in a particular manner, the bottom card of a pack, with the fingers of one hand, so that the other hand may remove the one next to it, and yet appear to actually remove the bottom card. The particular method of holding the pack is shown at Fig. 39. The cards are taken, face downwards, in one hand, and the first and second fingers push back the bottom card to the extent of from half an inch to an inch. Damp a finger of the other hand, and apply it to the bottom of the pack, drawing away the last card but one instead of the last. Thus, if, as in the illustration, the seven of hearts is at the bottom, and the seven of clubs next it, the red card will be exhibited to the audience at the bottom of the pack, which is then turned over. The seven of hearts is then ostensibly taken from the bottom of the pack (the seven of clubs being taken instead), and then made to change, whilst covered by the hand of a spectator, from the heart to the club suit. This is the simplest form in which the deception can be employed. It is very useful in demonstrating to the audience that a chosen card is neither at the top nor the bottom of a pack, when it is actually at the bottom. A card or two can be taken from the top, and then a few from the bottom, the actual bottom card being slipped aside. After taking off cards in this manner, always ask whether you shall take any more away, and so disarm the suspicion that you know the position of the card, and have only removed a certain number of cards so as to ultimately reach it. Should anyone not be satisfied, but demand to have the pack turned over, you must comply, making the pass as you turn the cards over. This will bring another card to the bottom; but, if you do not remove the finger from between the two portions, the pass can afterwards be repeated, and the cards brought back to their former positions. This is a ruse which will naturally occur to most conjurors when performing. THE FORCE. This is the last of the elementary principles to be learnt, and in a highly important one. It is hardly a feat of sleight of hand, although requiring considerable practice and determination to carry out properly. The act of forcing a card consists in inducing the chooser of a card to select from those proffered by you any particular card you please. As will hereafter transpire, it is highly essential for some tricks that a particular card, and none other, be chosen. The best method is as follows: Have the card which you desire to have selected at the bottom of the pack, in which the finger is inserted ready for the pass. As you advance for the purpose of presenting the cards, make the pass and allow the middle finger to remain under what was the bottom card, now somewhere in the middle. Spread out the cards, keeping them in constant motion, and as the chooser's hand is put forward to select a card, the middle finger should run the desired card into it. This action must be performed as naturally as possible. There must be no distinct motion of _pushing_ the card into the hand, the cards being so manipulated that it always appears as if they were only just ready as the chooser's hand reaches them. Usually the difficulty of forcing a card is very small indeed, persons unacquainted with the ruse taking the first card that reaches their fingers with charming simplicity. In the event of a failure, do not appear in the least degree disconcerted, but "force" the card on some more tractable person, and then ask a third party to choose between the two cards selected. You will explain that your reason for having two cards chosen is to prove that you do not "force" any card, and then say, "Now, which card shall I take?" If the card you want is indicated, say, "This one, then, I am to use for my trick;" but if the other card is pointed at, then say, "This card I am to take away," and suit the action to the word. By this means you will appear to have given the audience a free choice, and at the same time obtained your own private ends. The beginner is sure to be nervous in forcing a card, and he must endeavour to overcome the feeling as quickly as possible. Some performers (I won't say conjurors) use what is called a "forcing pack," viz., a pack consisting entirely of cards of one particular kind, which will, of course, be that which is required for the trick. As, however, it is utterly impossible to allow such a pack to be examined, and highly disastrous to allow any number of the cards to fall or otherwise become seen, the conjuror should disdain to seek such adventitious aid as that afforded by a "forcing pack," the possession of which generally causes the appellation of "duffer" to attach itself to the owner. With a command of the foregoing "elementary principles" the performer may attempt anything with the cards, taking care, however, always to rehearse any new combination carefully, lest it prove too much for him in the hour of trial. As previously stated, tricks with cards are without end, and the conjuror may vary his causes and effects at will. I give, however, a few of the most favourite tricks, so as to afford an idea of what may be attempted by the learner. _La Carte Générale._--This is, perhaps, as pretty a trick as can well be conceived. Force a card, say the eight of hearts, have it replaced in the pack, and re-force it on someone else so far removed from the first chooser that the possibility of their seeing that they have both selected the same card is avoided. Have the card replaced in the pack and re-force, repeating the operation four, five, or six, or even more times, according to the size of the room and number of the audience. Now and then it is as well to pass the card to the top, palm it, and then have the pack shuffled by one of the audience, or, at least, to shuffle it yourself. When you have forced the card a sufficient number of times, bring it finally to the top of the pack, from which select haphazard a card. Show this card to one of the choosers, and ask if it was the one selected. A negative will of course be given. Look neither surprised nor satisfied, merely exclaiming "No?" inquiringly. Show the card in turn to each of the persons who selected, asking if it belongs to them. When you have completed the round, turn to the first chooser, changing the card unperceived for the one (the eight of hearts) on the top of the pack, and holding it in front of the person, face downwards, so that no one can see what it is, say, "Well, since this card belongs to nobody, will you kindly tell it to go away?" As the words "go away" are uttered, run the thumb sharply along the edges of the cards held in the left hand, and "flip" the eight of hearts with a finger of the right hand, so leading the audience to believe that some miraculous change had taken place. Now hold the eight of hearts to the person whom you addressed, saying, "Is not that your card?" On receiving, as you will, a reply in the affirmative, turn the card face downwards and proceed to the next chooser of a card, and so on, until all are satisfied. As all are supposed to have chosen different cards it is imagined that each card is invisibly changed for the next one required. Commence another trick immediately, or otherwise divert the attention of the audience, or the drawers of cards will begin to "compare notes," and so discover that they all drew the same card. Although this discovery does not actually spoil the trick, it diminishes the effect immensely. It adds to the effect of the trick if the performer pretends to place each card, as chosen, upon a table, or other prominent place. Upon each occasion, however, he must change the forced card for an indifferent one. The last time the eight of hearts is actually placed with the rest. The supposed chosen cards are then held up, fanwise, together, and the choosers asked if they do not see their cards amongst them. As they all see the eight of hearts, they reply in the affirmative, and thus the idea that only one card has been selected is very unlikely to be entertained. To effect this valuable addition to the trick, great facility with the change is absolutely necessary, as it has to be so frequently executed. _The Sympathetic Cards._--Palm a few (say, four) cards, and ask one of the audience to take any number, without any reference to their specification, from the pack. Suppose eight are taken: how many is quite immaterial. Borrow a handkerchief; and after satisfying all that there is nothing whatever in it, ask for the eight cards, to which number add, unperceived, those you have palmed, and place the whole in the handkerchief with great deliberation. Fold the handkerchief up, and ask someone to hold it very firmly. Now have some cards drawn from the pack. "Any number you please," you will say carelessly, taking particular care that neither more nor less than four are chosen, the "force" being here brought into play. You now ask the person who selected the first batch how many are in the handkerchief, and the answer in this instance will be eight. "Eight, and four I have here, will make twelve, will they not? Now, sir," addressing the party holding the handkerchief containing the cards, "please to keep a firm hold whilst I pass these four cards into the handkerchief to join the other eight." Make a movement as though you threw the cards towards the handkerchief, palming them, and then have the handkerchief opened and the cards counted. The beauty of the trick is that the audience apparently selects the number of cards in each instance, the idea of any previous calculation on your part taking place being thereby precluded. Be careful to call attention to the number of cards in the handkerchief, and to the number to be passed into it, or the effect of the trick will be lost. This trick is sometimes performed without a handkerchief, the cards being given to be held in the hand only. Which method is the better is purely a matter of opinion, and the learner may follow which he pleases. Do not allow the drawer of the second batch of cards to examine the faces of them, or it will be noticed that they did _not_ pass into the handkerchief, should anyone be 'cute enough to look for them. This possible _contretemps_ can be avoided by having duplicate cards palmed in the first instance, in which case the faces of the cards should be shown to the audience, who will be asked to remember them. This is decidedly an additional feature to the trick, but it entails far more trouble. It is for the learner to try these little things, and then retain or relinquish their use as he finds it assist or trouble him. Another way of performing this trick is to ask one of the company to count thirty cards from the pack, and then to cut them roughly into two parts. Taking one of the parts, ask a spectator to count them. Suppose the number is sixteen. Taking them momentarily in the hands, for the implied purpose of describing exactly what you wish done, you place the four palmed cards upon the sixteen, and then instruct the spectator to hold them very securely. Now count the other heap. There will be fourteen cards, which number you announce to be quite correct, sixteen and fourteen together making thirty. Pick the cards from the table, and, in giving them to someone to hold, palm off four, taking the wand in the hand to cover the constrained position of it. Now you command four cards to pass from the heap last picked up to the one first given to be held, and, when the cards are counted, this will be found to have taken place. The trick may be reversed with success; the ten heap having the palmed cards secretly put back, and given to be held again, the twenty cards heap having four abstracted before being finally parted with. The cards are then commanded to go back to their original places. This method will possibly be found more difficult than the first one, in which a handkerchief is used. _The Permeating Card._--Have a card chosen, and, bringing it to the top, palm it. Ask someone who is seated to hold the cards in two hands, over the head, holding the pack in the desired position, and about six inches beyond the person's reach. This will cause him to rise slightly from his seat, when you instantly slip the card beneath him, saying at the same, "No, don't stand up; pray be seated," and allow the pack to reach his hands. The attention of the audience must be directed to the pack, or the action of placing the card beneath the holder will, perhaps, be perceived. The manoeuvre requires a little care in execution, and it will be necessary to be as close as possible to the person operated upon, and at his side. Ask for the name of the card, and then command it to pass through the holder of the pack, who, on rising at your request, will find that he has been seated upon it. This trick usually causes much hilarity. _Divination of Thought._--This is an ambitious and daring experiment. Hold the cards upright, and fanwise, before one of the audience (a lady for choice), and run them rapidly from right to left, or _vice versâ_, in such a manner that only a very small portion of each card, one excepted, is visible. The bottom, or front, card is carefully concealed by the hand, so that it cannot be seen. The cards are run so rapidly across that it is impossible to recognise any of them by the very small portions of them exhibited by you; but one you allow to be very much exposed, and on that one you place a finger, and continue pushing the rest over in a rapid manner. Whilst thus running the cards across, you ask the lady to kindly think of any one of the cards she sees. As you take good care to show only one card, you may rest assured that that is the one thought of, although it is advisable, on being told that a card has been thought of, to inquire if it were actually seen in the pack. Keeping the finger on the card, turn the pack over, and then make the pass. The card can then be produced after any method the performer pleases, but he should first ask the name of the card (at which he has taken a glance), as there is considerable uncertainty about forcing a card upon a person's notice in this manner. In the event of the chooser naming a card other than that manipulated by the performer, he must at once look through the pack for it, and first palming it, boldly declare that it is not in the pack, which he will give to be inspected. The card named can then be produced from someone's pocket, &c. The method of passing the cards fanwise from side to side, so as to expose the face of one card only, should be practised in front of a looking-glass until the learner is perfect. Perfection is the only degree in which it is allowed to exhibit conjuring tricks, especially those with cards. _To Cause a Card to Appear in any Position in the Pack, Counting either from the Top or from the Bottom._--This, a very favourite diversion in card tricks, is capable of being performed in many ways, the best of which are given here. The method of procedure is to bring the card either to the top or the bottom of the pack, after due shuffling, &c., and then to ask one of the audience to name the position in which it is to appear. If you have brought the card to the bottom, then say, "At what number from the bottom shall the card appear?" It will not answer to count it from the top. Suppose the fifth card is decided upon, all you have to do is to slide back (Fig. 39) the bottom card, which is the selected one, and draw away the next card instead. When four have been thus extracted, draw away the card itself, and the trick is done. This is the only method used when the cards are counted from the bottom. In counting from the top proceed as follows: _Method 1_: Bring the card to the top and then make the pass in such a manner that the two halves of the pack are facing each other, after the method previously described in dealing with a single card. This will cause nothing but the backs of the cards to be visible at both top and bottom. Hold the pack in the left hand with the thumb turned underneath it, and the fingers curled round the front side. The selected card is at the bottom, and it is required to produce it fifth. (For the sake of simplicity, I will suppose that the card is required in this position in each of the methods given.) Count off, one by one, four cards from the top, and then, whilst affecting to examine the last one, or to recount those taken off "to make sure," thus drawing attention away from the left hand, turn the pack rapidly over. This will bring the chosen card atop, and you have then only to take it off and show it. The reversion of the pack must be very rapidly and quite noiselessly made, and care must be taken that the cards set evenly at the edges, or the audience will perceive that one half of them are reversed: and although the elucidation of the trick will not of necessity follow, yet it is just as well to avoid the discovery if possible. If the pack be at the same moment handed to one of the company, with a request to have the next card looked at, to see if it be the right one, the action of reversing will be less likely to be remarked. _Method 2_: Bring the card to the top, and hold the cards in the left hand as if about to deal them. Do not hold them quite squarely, but let the thumb push off the upper ones in such a manner that each card overhangs slightly the one beneath it. Now commence to take off apparently the top card, but in reality the one immediately beneath it. This is accomplished by exerting more power with the first finger of the right hand than with the thumb thereof, the thumb of the left hand at the same time putting sufficient pressure on to the top card to detain it in its position. The top card is taken off with much ostentation, when it is required for production. This deception is capable of immense development, if assiduously practised, it being possible to deceive those who actually know what is taking place. If the learner has this method at his command, he need never resort to any other, for he will never be discovered. This practice of dealing the second card in lieu of the first is a common dodge amongst card-sharpers, who are thereby able to retain all the good cards, which they have previously marked, for themselves. I strongly recommend the adoption of this method in preference to all others, but it must be well executed. _Method 3_: Bring the card to the top, and count the cards off in regular order one by one. As the first card removed (now the lowest of those dealt off) is the selected one, the fifth will naturally be a wrong card. You appear surprised, and say that you must have made some mistake in the counting. Gather up the five cards, the selected one being at the bottom, replace them on the top of the pack, and ask the chooser of the card to count them off himself. This time, the card will, of course, turn up in its proper place. This is the simplest of all the methods, and is now and then seen through; but not often. On counting the cards off for the first time, they must on no account be turned face upwards. If this were done, it would be at once perceived that the chosen card was on the top in the first instance. _Method 4_: Bring the card to the top, and hold the pack in the left hand, in a position similar to that shown at Fig. 38, the little finger being in this instance not curled up behind the cards. Place all four fingers of the right hand well over the top card, almost covering it, and the thumb well under the bottom card. Draw the hand sharply away, bringing with it the bottom card by means of the thumb, which it will be as well to damp a little unperceived. The rapid motion will prevent the audience from noticing what has actually taken place. When the time has arrived for so doing, show the chosen card very slowly indeed, or even ask one of the audience to remove it, to show that it really is in the desired position. In counting off the underneath cards, use a fair amount of rapidity, and be careful not to draw away more than one card at a time. The action of drawing off the cards must be made towards the body, and not outwards. _Method 5_: Bring the card to the centre of the pack, keeping the finger upon it, and, when you have counted off four cards, make the pass, thus bringing the card to the top. This method should only be used when some sharp person insists upon looking to see if the card is at the top or bottom of the pack. After bringing the card to any number from the top or bottom, you can offer to perform the still more surprising feat of causing it to appear at any place indicated by the insertion of a pen or paper knife between two cards. To perform this feat, which, by the way, is a variation of my own, hold the pack as in Fig. 39, face downwards, and, presenting the end to one of the audience, ask to have indicated the place in which the card is to appear. When this is done, hold the bottom portion by the finger and thumb of the left hand, across the cards; and insert the first finger of the right hand, which is, of course, holding the upper portion, into the space made by the instrument of indication, from the front. Ask whether the person is quite sure that the place indicated is the right one, and whether another would not be preferred. This is to show that it really does not matter what position is indicated. On receiving a reply in the affirmative, draw off the top half rapidly, bringing with it, by means of the ends of the fingers, as taught in describing the "slide," the bottom card also, and hold the whole up to the audience. This manoeuvre defies detection, and possesses the advantage of bearing a fair amount of repetition. Before commencing, it as well to show that the card is neither at the top nor the bottom. As it is at the bottom all the time, the slide will have to be brought into play, in order to enable another card to be drawn away from the bottom and exhibited. What lends great finish to the trick is the bringing the first finger over the ends of the upper cards, as by this means the slipped card can be immediately brought close against the others, and not allowed to stand out away from them, which would give the audience the idea that the trick had been clumsily performed, even if it did not afford a clue to the secret of it. _Card-boxes._--A well-known, but, when well executed, very effective, trick is performed with the aid of one or two boxes, known as "card-boxes." They are about half an inch deep, and sufficiently large to hold a card very easily indeed; that is to say, there is a good eighth of an inch to spare all round the card when it is in the box. The boxes are black inside, and are furnished with a thin piece of wood, also blackened, which is placed loosely within and fills up the entire interior space. This piece of wood is the secret of the box, for by its means a card is made to appear and disappear. Suppose that the box is wide open, and in the right-hand half is placed the card, whilst the left-hand half contains the piece of wood. If, on the box being closed (which movement must be rapidly executed, or the wood may unexpectedly fall out) the left-hand half is turned over on to the right-hand half, the card contained in the latter will necessarily be covered by the blackened piece of wood, and will appear to have vanished entirely when the box is re-opened. By simply turning the box over, the card will be made to appear. The trick is performed by means of a duplicate card, which can either be forced, and, after being placed in the box, made to return invisibly into the pack whilst the latter is being held by one of the audience, or the box may contain one of the duplicate cards in the first instance. The other one can then be forced, replaced in the pack, brought to the top, and palmed. The pack may then be examined, after the card has been shown to be in the box, to prove that it really has gone from it. The proper time for replacing the card in the pack is immediately after the person has finished the examination. You take the cards from him, and, placing the palmed card on the top of the pack, make the pass, and so bring it to the middle; you can then perform the operation of passing it invisibly from the box back again to the pack, where it will, of course, be found. Opinion is divided on the question of handing the box or boxes round for examination. If this is done, the trick decidedly attains lustre thereby, but, of course, the false wooden bottoms must be concealed about the performer's person, and slipped in whilst retiring to his table. In showing the boxes round with the false bottoms in them, keep a finger on the latter, and knock the boxes about a good deal with the wand to show they are solid, &c. In "passing" the card, either from box to pack, or _vice versâ_, make a great show of taking it from either place by means of the wand, on the end of which you seriously declare you can distinctly see it. Conjurors are able to make great capital out of doing simply nothing at all; and as it is impossible, when performing with nothing, to make any mistakes, then is the time to do the most extraordinary things. The trick with the boxes can be varied by having two duplicate cards of different denominations, one of each kind being concealed in a box. Say the cards are the six of clubs and king of hearts. Force these cards from the pack and place the drawn king in the box containing the six, and the drawn six in the box containing the king. You have only to turn the boxes over to effect the change, although you of course affect to bring it about by magical means. You may then remove one six and one king from the boxes, leaving one of each still concealed, and, placing them in the pack, bring them to the top, palming them and proceeding as directed for one card only. This makes a very pretty trick. The boxes are best purchased from a conjuring repository, where they can be obtained cheaply. _To Throw a Card._--In a large room, throwing cards from one end to the other has a very good effect. It is astonishing how few people can throw a card, seeing how easy the feat becomes with a little practice. But I suppose it is just this practice which stands in the way. The card should be held across its end, the end of the first finger just turning the outside corner. When in position for throwing, it should rest upon the middle finger, which will be curved slightly for the purpose. Bend the arm back until the card almost touches the chest, and then throw it with considerable force from you, taking care to give it a spin with the end of the first finger. If this spin, the secret of the feat, is not given, the card will not travel three yards, whereas a good thrower can send one thirty or forty. For long throws, ordinary heavy cards should be used, but care must be taken to elevate the trajectory, as such cards hurt severely when they strike the face with full force, and serious injury might result if one struck the eye. Mehây used to place one card across the back of the left hand, and flick it off with the first finger of the right. People with strong fingers may try this method, which will, however, never send the cards farther than eight or ten yards. Some throwers merely seize a corner of the card between the finger and thumb, whilst others hold it between the first and second fingers--the latter being a favourite method. _The Revolution._--This, as an interlude, has a very pretty effect. Take a full pack of ordinary cards, and throw them obliquely on the table, so that they spread nearly across it, each card resting upon the one next it. Run the eye along the cards, and see they are all even, as a break will spoil the feat. Place the hand well under the first (the lowest) card, taking care not to disturb the position of those immediately next to it, and turn it suddenly over in the direction of the other cards, which will, each in its turn, be made to reverse their positions on the table. The first card must be more pushed than lifted over; indeed, that end of it which is towards the other cards must always remain on the table as if hinged there. If they have turned over in good order, they may be turned back again by the same means. The success of the feat depends upon the neatness with which the cards are thrown down in the first instance. Simple as it appears, very few persons can execute it neatly, or with many cards. When the line is very long, considerable force will have to be applied in turning over the first card. The cards may also be spread in the shape of an arc, which has a still prettier effect, but considerable practice will be required in laying the cards out. A more difficult method still is to lay the cards along the forearm, and turn them over there. Many will be the spills, however, in practising this feat. _Prepared Cards._--Under the heading of "Sleight of Hand," the words "prepared cards" may seem out of place; but one of the chief articles in my creed is that a conjuror should know everything appertaining to his art. Besides this, many tricks with prepared cards require considerable sleight of hand in their performance; and not infrequently their introduction is the means of defeating an antagonistic and inquisitive element which will sometimes introduce itself into an audience, members of which possess just that "little knowledge" which is said to be "a dangerous thing." _Cut Packs._--In some instances, it is very useful to have the edges of the cards shaved off obliquely, so that one end is broader than the other. When a card is taken from the pack, the performer should watch and see if it is turned round whilst in the possession of the drawer. If it be not turned, then he must reverse the position of the pack before the card is returned to it. The cards may then be shuffled any number of times, and the performer will always be able to find the card by the fact of its broad end being where the other cards are narrow. This ruse is but little known among amateurs. It saves a good deal of passing, but it will not obviate the necessity for forcing. _Long and Broad Cards._--This, a most useful preparation, consists merely in having one or more cards in the pack a shade longer or broader than the others. I, myself, never use more than one card so prepared. When not forced, or otherwise actually in use itself, it is very useful to place over or beneath other chosen cards, which will, by its means, be easily found when wanted. My preference is in favour of a broad card, as opposed to a long one: it is more easily found by the finger when preparing to make the pass. As one cannot procure single cards longer or broader than others, it will be necessary to have the other cards shaved down a little, omitting, of course, those intended to be longer or broader than the rest. It is not necessary to go to a card manufacturer in order to have these operations of cutting and shaving performed; any stationer or card-plate engraver, who possesses a paper-cutting machine, will be able to do all that is desired. _Pricked Cards._--An excellent method for detecting given cards is to have them pricked in the corners, very nearly through, with a needle. The hole, or, more properly speaking, the indentation, should be made on the back of the card, so that the face presents a little mound to the touch. The card should be marked in each corner, so that it will not matter which end of it comes to hand first. When it is desired to mark more than one card in the same pack by this method, one card should have one hole in each corner, another card two holes, another card three holes in a triangular form, another card a line of holes along each end, and so on. It will, however, be seldom necessary to mark many. Card cheating is to this day often practised by this means, cards of value of a certain suit being detected by the dealer as he deals them out. _The Chameleon Card._--Have two cards chosen, and bring one to the top and one to the bottom. Take the pack, face upwards, and make the single card slip pass from top to bottom, reversing the card during the process. This will bring the two chosen cards back to back. Openly take them up by one corner, but show only one card. Ask the name of the other card, and, blowing on the two in the hand, turn them rapidly round, and thus show the one at the back. Replace the cards at once in the centre of the pack. Care will have to be taken that the cards are very even when back to back, or it will transpire that two cards are in the fingers, and not one only. This trick is sometimes performed with the aid of prepared cards, the two--duplicates of which must, in this instance, be "forced" from the pack--being gummed together back to back. Supposing the cards to be queen of hearts and ten of spades, the performer would thus proceed: Bring the ten to the top, and the queen to the bottom, unknown to the audience. Produce, as a single card, as if taken from the pack (you will, of course, have them concealed about you), the prepared cards, showing the audience the ten. In the left hand you will hold the pack, displaying the queen. Prepare for passing the ten (_vide_ Fig. 35), which is at the back, to the front, and then say, "Hey, presto, pass!" Turn the prepared cards rapidly round, and at the time execute the pass, when the change will have been effected. Palm the prepared cards, and give the pack round to be examined. This method is useful when the performer is able to execute the pass peculiar to the trick with one hand only. As this is a very pretty effect, which may be introduced in all manner of emergencies, two illustrations are given (see Figs. 40 and 41). [Illustration: FIG. 40.] [Illustration: FIG. 41.] A very excellent variety of this trick is that described by Houdin in his work on "Conjuring," and communicated to me by Professor Hoffmann, to whose research the conjuring world is not a little indebted. Most of us have seen the three cards forming a portion of the marvellous and heterogeneous pennyworth offered to the public by a versatile itinerant vendor. When spread open one way, the seven of spades only is visible, and on being shut up and opened the reverse way, graceful female figures or donkeys' heads meet the view; Houdin's trick is framed upon this model, but, of course, very much elaborated and improved. Indeed, it was a peculiarity of Houdin's that he never did touch anything without improving it. The directions for the trick under notice are as follows: Have a pack made with plain white backs, each card being divided by a line diagonally from corner to corner. Of the halves thus formed, one is to represent queen of spades, and the other the ten of hearts. On the back of each card paint the ace of clubs. Have a heap of cards near you, the three uppermost cards of which are duplicates of those in the prepared pack, arranged in an order which is known to you. If you prefer it, these cards can at first be forced from an ordinary pack, and then given to be held in the audience, which heightens the effect of the trick. Take one of the three cards--for example, the ten of hearts--and, after showing it to the audience, say that the fact of placing it with those held in your hand (the prepared pack) will change them all into tens of hearts. Taking care that the ten of hearts halves are farthest from you when the cards are held faces downwards, as they must be, place the card at the bottom, and, after a little nonsense, spread them all out fanwise, with the faces towards the audience. Close them again, and remove the ten of hearts. Then take up next card, the queen of spades, and place that at the bottom, having previously taken care to turn the pack round so as to bring the court card halves to the fore. Repeat the operation of opening the cards as before, and reclose them, discarding the queen. Now take up the ace of clubs and place it at the bottom, or anywhere else you please. Give the cards a flourish, so as to enable you to turn them completely over, and then open them once more, this time displaying the backs to the audience. It is as well to have the top card of the prepared pack quite plain at the back, as it is not always possible to avoid showing it whilst performing the trick. When the aces are shown, this card can be passed to the middle, where the absence of an ace on its centre will not be noticed. The beauty of this trick is considerably enhanced if the prepared pack be palmed, and another ordinary one shown round for examination. When this pack is returned to you, you place upon it the hand in which the prepared cards are palmed, and, saying, "Now I take a few cards from this pack," affect to do so. This at once disarms all suspicion of any preparation. There is no necessity for using more than eighteen or twenty prepared cards, and that number can easily be palmed with a little practice. Some advise changing the packs altogether, but this method I cannot recommend, as it entails a deal of extra trouble, without a commensurate meed of effect. In "Grand Magic," a method for changing packs of cards will be described in its place, and the learner can then choose for himself. When well executed, there is no prettier trick than the one described above. _The Travelling Cards._--This is a pretty trick, and one that is always much commented upon by spectators who have seen it neatly performed. The performer has a couple of cards chosen, which he brings to the top of the pack; then, addressing the company, he refers to the notion that the sleeve of the coat is employed by conjurors for their concealment. He deprecates the attempt, made by many performers, to deny the immense aid afforded by this portion of the attire, especially for the effective concealment of eggs, pigeons, cannon-balls, and other articles equally easy of manipulation (this as sarcastically as he pleases), and says he will now proceed to demonstrate, conclusively, in what way the sleeve is employed. "So far from there being any difficulty, ladies and gentlemen, in concealing cards, in the sleeve, for instance, it is a very easy matter to cause them to travel up or down with great rapidity, and invisibly. My waistcoat, as you see, contains nothing." The performer cannot very well unbutton and open his waistcoat before the company, so, to show it is empty, he places his hand inside, and performs the action of emptying sufficiently vigorously to dislodge anything that might be there. He next palms a dozen or more cards from the top of the pack, and then, extending the left arm, ruffles the edges of the remaining cards. This act, he explains, has had the effect of sending a card up his sleeve, and he affects to watch its progress. A jerk of the arm is made, the contraction being caused, the performer says, by the passage, by the card, of the elbow. Plunging the right hand into the vest, the cards palmed are dropped there, one card only, taken from the bottom, being slowly extracted. A second card is made to pass in the same way, and another indifferent card extracted. The performer now asks the choosers of the two cards on the top at what numbers they shall pass up the sleeve. This feat is easy of accomplishment, as the cards are taken from the bottom until the proper number has been reached. When the cards in the vest have been exhausted, more can be palmed, and the operation continued until all the pack has been employed; but this finish is by no means necessary to the success of the trick, which may be considered concluded when the two selected cards have been withdrawn, although it is as well to continue passing cards until no more are left in the vest. _The Assembly._--In this trick, four cards are laid separately on the table, in a row, and upon each card three more are placed from the pack, making four heaps of four cards each. The company themselves select one of the four heaps, which is found to consist entirely of the four cards that were only just previously laid upon the table, apart from each other, the remaining three heaps consisting of four different cards each. To accomplish this, the performer commences operations by picking out of the pack four cards of any one denomination, say, the knaves. This is far better than having four different cards selected, as the trick is one of startling effect, and four picture cards are better for the purpose, apart from the fact that no one in the company is called upon for an effort of memory. The performer gives the four knaves to one of the company, and seizes an opportunity for palming three cards. He now allows the four knaves to be placed upon the top of the pack, which he holds in the left hand, supplementing secretly the three palmed cards. He then proceeds to deal off the four topmost cards, one by one, placing them in a row, divided by a few inches, saying, as he does so, "Here I place one knave, here a second, here a third, here a fourth." After he has placed the fourth card, which will naturally be the only one of the four that is really a knave, upon the table, he pauses for a moment or two, and then turning it over remarks, pensively, "Ah! the knave of diamonds," or whichever it may be. This is really to let the spectators see the only knave there is, in order to convey the impression that all the rest are knaves also, they being led to fancy the performer looks at the suit of it for the purposes of the trick. The remaining three knaves are now, of course, on the top of the pack, the three palmed cards and one knave having been removed from above them. It is open to the performer to place these three at once on the top of the fourth knave, and this is generally done, but I do not at all advise it. Invariably make a pass at this point, so as to bring the three knaves to the centre of the pack, keeping the place where they are well defined by a finger, or by a break in the pack. I then place the three cards now on the top upon one of the three ordinary cards, emphasising the fact that they come from the top. I then open the pack a little lower down, and taking three cards from there, place them upon another ordinary card. The middle of the pack, where the three knaves are, is now reached unsuspiciously enough, and they are, of course, placed upon the fourth knave. Three more ordinary cards, from still deeper down in the pack, are placed upon the remaining ordinary card, as much deliberation being paid to this last card as to any other, or the conjuror's manner may reveal that he has accomplished what he wanted, however unknown its precise nature may be. The selection of a heap then proceeds precisely as described in _The Lady's Own Trick_, first two, and then one being removed. The four knaves are then shown together in the supposed selected heap. A second method depends upon the neat execution of the pass, and is to be commended because, each time three cards are placed upon one of the four lying upon the table, they are first shown to be ordinary mixed cards, and not knaves. Three cards are palmed, and placed upon top of the four knaves, as in the first method, and the three ordinary cards and one knave are placed in a row, as before. Three mixed cards are then taken from any part of the pack, their faces shown casually, and they are then put upon an ordinary card. This is gone through three times, the knave being left till the last. As if by mistake, the performer places the three cards, which he has shown to be mixed ones, upon the cards in his left hand, instead of upon the knave on the table. At this instant the three are passed to the bottom, the right thumb at once taking off the three knaves, as though they were the cards just placed there by mistake. On no account must the performer make any apology; he need merely say, "Oh! that's wrong; they must go here," and place the cards upon the knave. One must be perfect in making the pass before attempting this method; but it is very easy indeed to pass so few cards as three from top to bottom. A third method is also accomplished by means of the pass, and is preferred by many conjurors. The four cards are shown, and, as they are being put upon the pack, the little finger is passed between the third and fourth, three cards thus being above it. The insertion of the little finger is in all cases greatly facilitated if the cards are spread a little, fanwise, at the moment of placing them on the pack. The three topmost cards (knaves) are immediately passed to the bottom, leaving one knave on the top, and the little finger kept between them and the rest of the pack. This card is then placed upon the table, its face being accidentally (?) shown to the spectators, and three others (ordinary cards) successively laid beside it. Three ordinary cards, always taken from the top, are then placed upon each of the ordinary ones lying singly upon the table, the audience seeing their faces each time, and then the pass is made, bringing the three knaves from the bottom back again to the top. These three cards are then placed upon the other knave, which brings about the desired state of affairs. As these three knaves cannot be shown to be ordinary cards, as was each preceding set of three cards, I here recommend the conjuror to make use of a little ruse of mine. It is to take off from the pack four, instead of three, cards, the three knaves thus having an ordinary card beneath them. Holding the edges even, so that only the lowest card can be seen, the performer says, "Now I once more take three cards, and"--here he turns them over, and, spreading them slightly, discovers four cards, so he continues, "Oh! I see, I have taken one card too many." He then removes the underneath card, and places the remaining three upon the knave. To show the faces of three out of four heaps of cards and not those of a fourth, causes suspicion to be thrown upon the latter. By adopting the ruse described, this is ostensibly done; at any rate, sufficiently so to satisfy the spectators, which is all that is desired. A fourth method is bolder still, and calls for a masterly execution of the change. Matters progress precisely as in the second method, except that the three knaves are always slightly pushed off the top of the pack, ready to be exchanged at any moment. It is just as easy to change three cards as one by the method illustrated at Fig. 36. The fourth time is perhaps again the most favourable for the substitution, as the performer may cover the action of changing by handing the pack to be held. Holding the pack, with the knaves on the top, in the left hand, and the three ordinary cards in the right, he should turn round suddenly to someone on his extreme left, and somewhat behind him, when every opportunity will be afforded for executing the sleight. Or the act may be gone through by giving the last three cards to someone on the performer's left to place upon the remaining uncovered knave, when the same facility for an exchange will be afforded. Yet a fifth method remains, which is a very fine one indeed, if the performer should happen to be an adept at changing. To attempt this method, he must be absolutely perfect in this sleight. The four knaves are first thrown down upon the table, faces upwards. One is then taken in the right hand, and three cards put upon it from the top of the pack, held in the left hand. That is what the performer appears to do, but, in reality, as he approaches the pack with the knave, the change is effected, the knave being thereby placed at the bottom of the pack. As he executes the change, the performer says, "I will now take three more cards from the pack," and, under cover of the quite natural action of bringing the knave into proximity to the pack, the change, if only adroitly executed, will pass unnoticed. The three cards required are drawn off by means of the right thumb, and the heap of four placed at a corner of the table. A second knave is similarly treated, followed by a third. Three knaves are now at the bottom of the pack. The performer may now either make the pass, bringing the three knaves to the top, and then place them upon the fourth, or else he may say that he will take three cards from the bottom of the pack, to show that it is immaterial to him from whence they come. As the feat of changing three times in succession is materially assisted by some freedom of movement, it is as well to place the four heaps at the corners of the table, wide apart, the performer being thereby compelled, in the eyes of the company, to move about a good deal. The one great feature connected with this method is, that the four knaves are shown faces upwards, until the very moment of their being placed in a heap. In each of the last three methods, the selection of the knave heap proceeds as described in the first method. The five methods described give the conjuror his choice according to his greater facility with the pass, the palm, or the change; and he will also find that they are capable of far wider application, in connection with other card tricks. _Thought-reading._--Give the pack into the hands of a spectator, and allow one card to be secretly chosen. Replaced in the pack, it is passed to the top (or bottom), and a furtive glance taken at it, the palm being employed, if necessary. Let three cards be chosen in this manner, a fourth being forced, consequently previously known. The object of this diversion is in order that the last card selected may be placed in the pack by the chooser, and the cards immediately shuffled, which will distract attention from the fact that this was not done in the other cases, which, however, could be done after the performer had glanced at the card, if necessary, which it is not, as it draws out any trick too long to have the cards frequently shuffled. The performer must be careful to remember the cards, and by whom drawn. Taking the pack in his hand, he presents one end of it to a card drawer, explaining that he is about to give an exposition of thought-reading. Although there is no reason for failing, it is as well not to make this announcement any earlier, in case of anything going not quite rightly. The performer makes a great fuss about the necessity for looking full in the eyes of the person drawing the card, and pretends to arrive at the designation of the card by slow degrees, saying to himself, but audibly enough to be heard, for instance, "A red card--hearts--one, two, three, four, five, six, seven spots;" and then, loudly, "The seven of hearts." Every incidental occurrence in the behaviour of the persons whose thoughts are being read must be taken advantage of; a want of alacrity in obeying instructions, for example, tending to make the reading more difficult, the subject being even left for the time being, and returned to after other cards have been revealed. This trick has the advantage of bearing considerable repetition. A second method is as follows: The performer holds the cards in one hand, and presents them to a spectator to cut, with the injunction that the underneath card of the cut shall be removed, looked at, and remembered. It is immaterial how many cards are thus chosen. As they are selected they are replaced in the pack by the person choosing, the performer turning his head away, if necessary, whilst this is being done; or they may be put back together, and the pack shuffled by the company. Simply by placing one end of the pack in the chooser's hand, whilst holding the other end himself, the performer is enabled to name the cards as before. This phase of the trick is accomplished by means of a "cut force." Glancing at the bottom card, the performer makes the pass, keeping the two packets apart by means of the little finger. The card which the performer has seen is now at the bottom of the upper half, and the pack is presented for cutting. As the four fingers are along one side of the pack, and the thumb along the other, the cut must be made lengthwise; and, as the little finger keeps the pack open at the back, it must be made there. The person cutting will notice nothing. Whilst the card is being examined, the performer glances at the fresh bottom card, and, when the upper half of the pack is returned to him, once more makes the pass, and presents the cards to another person to be cut. Four cards are quite sufficient for the effect; but, if the performer can remember others, he is quite at liberty to increase the number. The finish of the trick will depend upon the performer's ability to simulate the possession of thought-reading powers. If he has been showing any card tricks previously, with success, he may commence this one by saying, "I have an idea that many here fancy I have a method for forcing certain cards upon persons, such cards being previously known to me. Now, in order to render such a proceeding quite impossible, I will ask this gentleman to shuffle the cards thoroughly, so that I cannot know the position of any one of them, and then have the cards cut haphazard." This explains why the cut is used, and at once makes the trick appear stupendously difficult. The "cut force" here described may be successfully employed for the purpose of reproducing cards that have been previously chosen, thought of, &c.; one of the company being made to cut the pack at the very spot where that card is situated, after shuffling, &c. If the company appears still sceptical about the powers of mind claimed by the performer, he may give a final convincing proof. Placing the pack entirely in the hands of the company, he desires them to select two or three cards. These cards are gathered by a spectator, and given to another to hold, and afterwards placed by him in the pack. The performer then presents his hand to each chooser, and reads the cards as before. Unless the performer can execute the change with certainty, he must not attempt this method, or ruinous exposure may await him. About the first portion of the trick all is fair and above board, the company selecting the cards as they please. The performer, taking the pack in his left hand, then says, "Now, in order that I may not get a sight of the cards, will some gentleman kindly gather them in his hand?" Whilst this is being done, the performer must watch narrowly whose card is placed first, whose second, &c. Taking the three cards from the hand of the collector, the performer turns to a spectator on his left, requesting him to hold them between his hands. As he turns, he makes the change, the three chosen cards being left at the bottom, and three indifferent ones removed from the top, and given to be held. Great caution is necessary to keep the cards well covered by the upper hand, so that the performer shall not see them--his actual anxiety, of course, being lest any one else should do so. By this time he has glanced at the bottom card, and, making the single card slip pass, sees the next also, and the third soon afterwards. Affecting to see mistrust in the faces of the company, the performer says that perhaps it would, after all, be better to have the three cards in the pack. For this purpose the pack is handed to the person holding the three cards, who is directed to shuffle them with the rest. The trick then proceeds as before. If the change is properly executed, the effect of this trick is extraordinary, because the three cards have, apparently, always been in full view of everyone; and even if the performer had accidentally seen the face of the lowest one, the others have certainly never been visible to him. _A Game at Napoleon._--The performer forces five cards in succession, as quickly as he can, and remembering the whole five. Practice in the preceding trick will enable him to accomplish this, at first, rather difficult task, in public, it being simple enough to remember five cards when one has nothing else on hand at the same time. It is best to force all five cards on one person, who retains them. If forced upon different people, they must be afterwards collected in one hand. Giving the pack to another of the company, the performer asks for any five cards to be given him. This done, he tells the holder of the forced cards that he is about to play a game at "Napoleon" with him. For the sake of effect, he may allow one half of the company to see his hand, the other half looking over the hand of his opponent. In this way, universal interest is excited. Should the opponent have a poor hand, the performer may give him the choice of saying how many tricks he will declare. Should the opponent have at all good cards, however, then the performer must say, "I declare first." What he declares will, of course, depend upon the cards; but, in nearly every case, he can go "Napoleon," one condition of the trick being, as he will explain just before playing the hand, that the opponent must play the cards as called for by the performer, who, of course, must not make his antagonist revoke. With this proviso, it is wonderful how often it is possible, even with the least promising cards, to win all five tricks; the cases in which four only are possible being very rare. A couple of sample hands will be instructive. FIRST HAND.--The opponent's cards are: [Ad] [10d] [Kh] [Jc] [7s] The performer's being: [Jd] [2d] [10s] [4s] [3h] He declares "Napoleon," and the hand is played as follows: 1. Performer plays [10s] and calls for [7s] 2. Do. [4s] Do. [Kh] 3. Do. [3h] Do. [Ad] 4. Performer plays [Jd] and calls for [10d] 5. Do. [2d] Do. [Jc] Had the performer's highest diamond been less than the opponent's ten, then only four tricks would have been possible. SECOND HAND.--The opponent's cards are: [Kc] [9c] [Qh] [Ad] [8s] The performer's being: [10c] [5c] [7h] [2h] [5d] He declares "four," and the hand is played as follows: 1. Performer plays [7h] and calls for [Qh] 2. Performer calls for [9c] and plays [10c] 3. Performer plays [2h] and calls for [Ad] 4. Do. [5d] Do. [Kc] 5. Do. [5c] Do. [8s] Should the opponent, by any chance, hold an overwhelmingly superior hand, such as, for instance, five high cards of one or two suits, and the performer low cards of the same suit or suits, the latter must say, as soon as he realises the state of affairs, "Ah! I see, I haven't the ghost of a chance against you with this hand; have I?" at the same time throwing down his cards, faces upwards, and demanding a fresh hand. Of course, the astonishing part of the trick to the spectators is the fact of the performer being able to call the opponent's hand, card for card, and no one cavils at the absurdity of permitting him to do so utterly regardless of the general rules of the game. The performer can, of course, make sure of winning the whole five tricks every time, if he prearranges to give a poor hand to his opponent; but a great deal of the fun lies in the fact of good cards falling to insignificant ones. If the performer arranges to have five fairly good cards, three of them of one suit, with a big one at their head, on the top of the pack, it may be as well, as, when he asks for five cards, they are sure to be given him from that position ninety-nine times in a hundred. Should the five cards drawn prove, by accident, the masters of them, then, of course, shuffle the pack before asking for a hand from it. Personally, I like as little prearrangement as possible about the trick. _The Lightning Change._--This is an effective trick of my own, and the outcome of practice at the single-handed pass shown at Figs. 31 and 32. The performer has several cards selected haphazard. How many is not material, but four or five will be sufficient. These he has placed in the pack in the ordinary way, and brought to the bottom; an extra card, not one of those chosen, being added last of all. The order in which the cards were replaced in the pack should be noted. The performer stands sideways to the audience, with the left arm extended, the pack being held in that hand perpendicularly, and not horizontally--the faces of the cards, and not the backs, visible. The thumb should lie well across the centre of the undermost card, and the performer should ascertain by feel that he has it in his grip before continuing the trick. The card that is exposed to view is the added one, and it conceals the first card gathered in of the chosen ones, which is naturally the undermost. The chooser of this card is requested to name it, when the performer informs the company that, if they watch closely enough, they will see the one card change into the other. Anyhow, if they are unable to see it, they will infallibly hear it. As this pass cannot be made noiselessly, the latter is a very necessary remark to make. The change is not effected with the hand held stationary--no pass ever is--a rapid movement, some six inches in extent, and somewhat circular, being made towards the body and back again. It is only a fraction of a second in duration, but by the time it is completed the pass must be accomplished. Each card is made to appear in turn, the performer taking care not to attempt the pass until he feels the card well gripped by the root of the thumb; otherwise, a fiasco may easily result. The pass may also be effected whilst turning the pack face downwards and back again very rapidly, but I do not find this method quite as good as the partially circular movement towards the body, the cards sometimes flying out of the fingers in a body, which is destructive to the success of the trick, and highly disconcerting to the performer. The feat is ostensibly exhibited as one of skill, and, when properly executed, invariably affords astonishment; for, although the company are apprised of the actual moment at which the cards change, and even hear the movement, they can see nothing of what takes place. This concludes the series of card tricks, and also the first part, Drawing-room Conjuring. I have not pretended to describe--and, indeed, the feat would be quite impossible--every trick capable of being performed with the various articles mentioned. Every conjuror who is what is popularly, if somewhat bluntly, termed "worth his salt," will find out little dodges and variations in the course of practice and exhibition; and I would advise no one who discovers a method for arriving at any given result which comes to him easier than any described by me, to follow my instructions in preference to his own ideas. This advice more particularly applies to card tricks. Conjuring, it must be borne in mind, is not like cricket, or rowing, or shooting, or anything else; there is no _legitimate_ means of arriving at anything through its medium. The wished-for result must be produced by fair means or by foul. Many tricks included in the first portion may be successfully introduced on the stage. This is essentially the case with the more showy card tricks. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote A: Since this was written, a great change has come over the fashion connected with playing-cards, the large, heavy card giving way rapidly to a smaller and more flexible article, the American round-cornered cards occupying a prominent place.] [Footnote B: Some conjurors (myself included) use the third finger, but the little finger is the better one to employ, as it is more removed from observation. It is more difficult at the commencement, the digit being so weak; but the better execution it ensures repays the extra trouble.] PART II.--GRAND, OR STAGE MAGIC. CHAPTER IX. GENERAL REMARKS. PREPARATION--WHERE, AND TO WHOM, TO GIVE ARTICLES TO BE HELD--ON THE PUNISHMENT OF MEDDLERS--ON THE REPETITION OF TRICKS--REHEARSING--"PATTER"--ADDRESS--IMPERTINENCE AND AUDACITY--ON PLAYING THE BUFFOON. The learner has now arrived at that point where he will quit the humble drawing-room, understood in its ordinary sense, and essay to grander flights on the stage. It is true that this stage may, after all, consist only of the back drawing-room, the front one serving as the auditorium; but, in a conjuring sense, it is a drawing-room no longer. It is the exclusive domain of the performer, in which he will work his spells of enchantment unmolested by busybodies indulged in too close a view. In this exclusiveness consists the main difference between the two branches of conjuring. In what may be aptly termed impromptu conjuring, the performer is greatly at the mercy of his audience, who may at any moment, if so disposed, seize upon him and wring from him his secrets. He is beset with difficulties on all sides, and must exhibit a total invulnerability. In stage performances, he has matters much more his own way. To a great extent, he can control circumstances, to which he is constantly liable to fall a victim when exhibiting in a humble way. He can so arrange matters that one effect follows another in a most natural manner--a state of affairs which it is almost impossible to bring about under any other system of arrangement. So far stage conjuring possesses its advantages; but, unless the conjuror has gone through a course of training such as has been set before him in the preceding chapters, he would be quite unable to avail himself of them. The performer, with a limited amount of skill in execution, could never succeed in true legerdemain on the stage, where it is far more difficult--in most cases impossible--to cover a mistake or clumsy movement. Everything must be reduced to an absolute certainty. To ensure this, the learner must engraft on his mind the single but important word "preparation." Effective preparation is the great secret of success in stage conjuring of any magnitude: without it, things are tolerably certain to result in what is expressively termed a "bungle." The reader will discover, as I progress, what is meant by "preparation" quite speedily enough, so I will not now enlarge on what will sometimes prove a somewhat tedious operation. I once asked a well-known conjuror how he liked conjuring for its own sake. "As far as conjuring itself goes," he said, "I could perform all night; but what settles me is the everlasting preparation." I must say, that my ideas on the point are marvellously like his. There are many axioms which belong equally to either branch of conjuring, and which it is well for the learner to bear in mind at the outset. By getting into the way of acting up to them from the first, they soon cease to be irksome, and so assist, instead of detain, when anything important is being undertaken. One important thing is to be careful to give borrowed articles to be held, when it is required to do so, in a part of the room as far removed from the owners of them as possible. This rule need not be observed when the article is not to be changed; but it is so seldom that this is the case, that the possibility of its occurring is hardly worth while considering. It can never do any harm to remove an article which is not to be changed far from its owner; but a great deal of harm may be done by substituting one article for another in such proximity to its lawful possessor that that individual is able to discover the fraud. If this care be not taken, the most perfect dexterity will be thrown away. In a large room, full of strangers, one can perpetrate the most barefaced deeds, such as giving a substituted ring, which is in every respect totally unlike the original borrowed one, to be held openly in the fingers. Neither the holder nor the owner of the ring will know that the article is not the one which was borrowed. Where possible, always give articles, when they are not too ponderous or awkward, into the custody of members of the weaker sex. Ladies, as a rule, have much less self-possession than men during performances, and, besides, are naturally anxious (and not without some success) to do everything that is asked of them in the most graceful and effective manner possible. These causes conduce to the result which the performer so much desires, viz., an absence of that inquisitiveness which ultimately leads to a private and premature examination of the article in custody. This axiom applies only when an article is to be held passively. Under no circumstances must the performer cause a lady to rise from her seat; rather let the trick be shorn of some of its effect. When the assistance of one of the audience is required, select an intelligent-looking man, who will not be likely, from either incompetency or malice, to act exactly contrarily to your directions. Unfortunately, a large number of block-heads and malicious persons, with intelligent and winning expressions of countenance, do exist. On meeting with either individual in a dangerous shape, make him look ridiculous by giving him something big and cumbersome to hold above the head, in a conspicuous position (such as when standing on a chair), and let him remain there during the whole of the trick, or even longer, if he will put up with it, selecting someone else to render you the assistance you require. Be careful not to allow it to be palpably seen that you are hoaxing the person, or offence may be given to more than one: and conjurors must always strive to keep their audiences in the best possible humour. Never perform a trick twice. If the performer is weak enough to give way on this point, he must expect to have the secrets of half of his tricks the common property of his audience in a very short time. Such interludes as swallowing an egg, orange, &c., and finding it at the elbow, point of the toe, or other unexpected place, one may repeat with tolerable frequency, although it is as well to vary the precise method a little each time. The reason such feats are comparatively safe to repeat is, that they come unexpectedly. If people knew that it was intended to vanish any particular article, they would keep a sharp look-out, and endeavour to discover what really became of it; but, as the performer is particularly careful not to warn his audience of what is about to be done, the movement is executed before anyone has had time to think. I wish to lay particular stress on the suicidal policy of performing the same trick twice during the same evening, as I know it is a weakness to which young beginners are much addicted. Conjurors must never fail; that is to say, they must never allow the audience to see that they have failed in arriving at any desired result. The surest method of avoiding this is to practise and rehearse everything, down to the minutest detail, in private, so as to be able to present it in its perfect form to the audience. The beginner feels a little awkward and stupid in rehearsing at first, but when he discovers, as he soon will, the necessity for it, he will soon become used to it. The great thing is to begin well, and this is best done if two persons commence studying together, in which case one will act as a critic to the other. My plan--and I recommend everyone else to adopt it--during the first six months, was to write down everything I had to do or say, accompanied by the most minute stage directions. Each hand and foot had its proper position at a given moment. Book in hand, my fellow-student would take up his position as audience, and keep me rigidly to my stage directions, besides giving such hints as seemed to him to be necessary. At first, this kind of thing feels somewhat irksome, but the good results derived will soon make themselves manifest, and compensate for all trouble. I have frequently spent a whole evening in getting perfect in a single trick, which would perhaps be rehearsed ten or twelve times. The properties of each trick should be written on a separate card. One thing of paramount importance is the talk to be used with each trick. At the outset, this should invariably be written out beforehand, and committed to memory, if not word for word, very nearly so. By this means, one is best able to avoid a repetition of any well-marked points, which would pall upon the audience, and cause them to fancy the performer before them to be a man of limited ideas. At the same time, great care must be taken to avoid making anything approaching a speech, which is even worse than saying nothing at all. People come to conjuring entertainments expecting to see sleight of hand performed, and not to listen to speeches, however beautiful they may be in themselves. What is wanted is something to accompany the trick, just as a pianoforte-player accompanies a singer. If this simile be borne in mind, the learner will not go far wrong. The only occasions on which nothing should be said are when some feats of dexterity--corresponding to the runs and scales of the expert vocalist--are being performed: a verbal accompaniment would only spoil them. On the other hand, a very poor trick can be made a good deal of by the introduction of a few lively sallies, mingled with allusions to topics of the day, which will be made to appear to bear upon the matter in hand. I shall give but very few examples in my descriptions of tricks, for I think that a conjuror should be, before everything else, original; and this he would not be if he only repeated what other people had to say. I hope the reader is impressed with the absolute necessity of being as well up in "patter" as in sleight of hand. Address in execution is another thing which cannot be too attentively studied. It is not enough that an orange is successfully vanished; the operation should be performed with all possible grace. This will naturally be impossible if the performer is not well up in his trick; but this he must not fail to be. The learner must study to acquire a manner that is neither hurried nor slow. Some tricks it is necessary to do with extra dash and rapidity; but the extra speed will never require to be sustained. As a general rule, audiences prefer a suave and easy style--one which appears free from the slightest exertion. Being in a hurry is the way to forget many little but telling points; whilst being too slow is the way to weary the audience. The worst possible style to adopt is that which impresses the audience with the idea that conjuring is nothing but a mere cheat--a swindle--from beginning to end. This impression is given when the performer wishes to appear extra sharp, and endeavours (to use a common idiom) to thrust everything down people's throats, whether they will or not. Always endeavour to impress spectators that they are being deceived by skilful manipulation, and not "bamboozled" by talk. Be careful not to substitute impertinence for impudence. Too many beginners err in this respect. They mistake the precise nature of the impudence required by the conjuror. A better name for it would be audacity. To be successful out of the ordinary way, the conjuror must be audacious and venturesome now and again, although it is as well not to tempt Fortune too much or too often: the jade may fail at an awkward pinch. The warning not to play with edged tools should be taken to heart by the conjuror. On no account play the buffoon, as I have seen conjurors do before now. When a laugh is raised, it should be with, and not at, the performer. Also, on raising a laugh at anyone's expense, let it be done in a polite and inoffensive manner, unless, of course, it be a punishment for previous misbehaviour. CHAPTER X. THE TABLE AND DRESS. THE TABLE: ITS HEIGHT--THE BODY--THE SHELF--THE LEGS--VANISHING AND CHANGING TRAPS--ON USELESS MECHANICAL ARRANGEMENTS--SIDE TABLES--HOW TO PASS ARTICLES DOWN TRAPS: VARIOUS METHODS--THE DRESS: POCKETS--THE VEST--HOW TO COMMENCE--INTRODUCTORY TRICKS. Of very important assistance in Grand Conjuring are the specially prepared tables, of which one, two, or three will be used, according to the size of the room. These tables differ from ordinary ones, in the first place, by being considerably higher, their height being from 2ft. 10in. to 3ft. This is to render it unnecessary for the performer to stoop when taking anything from or placing anything upon the table, as the action would take away a great deal from an effective execution of many things. The next important difference (unknown, however, to the audience) is that the body of the table is a hollow box, of which that side which is unseen by the spectators is perfectly open, and is furthermore provided with a protruding shelf, technically called the _servante_. This shelf is one of the conjuror's most invaluable assistants. It is always at hand to receive any article which it is desirable to get rid of, and is a patient holder of others which it may be required, at a particular moment, to produce from an invisible source, but which are too large to be concealed about the person. This shelf should be about 5in. or 6in. broad, and should have the ends either rounded or cut off obliquely. If this is not done, the shelf will be noticed by persons standing or seated at the extreme sides of the auditorium. The edge should be furnished with a small raised beading, to prevent articles from falling off. The depth of the body of the table should not exceed 6in., or it will excite suspicion and remark. If the shelf is fitted to the body of the table by means of hinges, it will be found a great convenience. It will never become mislaid or knocked about, and so be either missing or useless when most required; and it also enables one to use the body of the table as a means for conveying the bulk of the conjuring apparatus. The legs should be made to screw on and off, so as to increase the portability of the whole; but see that the worm of the screw is long and deep, or the table will be unsteady. But, if the back of the table is mysterious, the top of it is still more so. For the speedy, easy, and complete vanishing of objects, particularly solids, it has been found convenient to fit the tops of tables with spring traps, which, yielding to certain pressure, resume their position when it is removed. Judiciously used, these traps are very useful, and the results attained by their use are most bewildering. In a table 36in. by 18in. (a very convenient size) there should be a round trap, 3-1/2in. to 4in. in diameter, in each front corner, and an oblong trap, 9in. by 5in., in the centre. These traps are made of zinc; but I would recommend no one to attempt manufacturing them at home whilst they can be purchased so reasonably at conjuring trick repositories. I would certainly recommend having the table itself made, under personal supervision, by a carpenter, who will let the traps into the top of the table. The ordinary price for a 4in. trap is about 7s. 6d. There are many elaborate mechanical traps devised for changing articles, but I have never found them of much assistance in the hands of amateurs, so cannot conscientiously recommend them. There are also several methods for arranging piston rods, which work up and down by means of a string drawn by a confederate at the side or rear, or by electricity. But such assistance is so seldom required by the amateur conjuror, that I cannot recommend him to encumber his table with more than three traps. Everything beyond this he will find an unnecessary expense. The amateur will also find that his sphere will be continually changed, one day performing at this friend's house and the next day at another's. Hence he will be unable to produce the results which are attainable only by those who, like professional conjurors, have sole dominion over their stage and its surroundings at all times. As these chapters are written solely for the edification of amateurs, and not for the purpose of training up professionals, I shall not launch out into descriptions of things impossible to the great majority. When the size of the room permits of it, the performer should have, besides his oblong table in the centre, one or two small round tables at the sides. These tables should be of the same height as the large one, but only about 18in. in diameter. They should be provided with one round trap and a small _servante_. The border should have a deep fringe. The tops of all three tables should be covered with a check pattern, in order to hide the lines of the traps. On a perfectly plain surface these might be noticed. Do not forget to provide the smaller traps with bags to receive the articles passed through. An egg would make an unseemly mess inside the table, whilst an orange or a lemon would descend with a thud sufficiently loud to reveal to the audience what had taken place. The centre trap, being used almost exclusively for vanishing live stock, need not be furnished with a bag. Whilst on the subject of traps, I will describe the method for passing articles through them. Supposing an orange has to be made to disappear. After showing that it is a real orange and perfectly solid, &c., place it upon the trap, the spring of which must, of course, be strong enough to bear the weight without giving in the least. Turn up your sleeves very deliberately, and then place the hands around the orange as if about to take it up in them. Screened by the front hand, the rear one presses the trap down quickly, and the orange falls through, the hands being brought together as though holding it. Advance towards the audience a step or two and commence rubbing the hands together, gradually making the circumference of the hollow smaller and smaller until the orange appears to have been rubbed away. The action of vanishing the article must be assiduously practised, for the hands must not dwell perceptibly on the table, but appear to actually take up whatever they are supposed to. When pretending to rub it away, the eyes must be directed attentively to the hands as if interested in the experiment. When passing one article into another, as an egg into a lemon, place the lemon just in front of the trap, and, holding the egg in the rear hand, pass it down the trap under cover of the front hand, which will at the moment be just closing upon the lemon. The two hands then take the lemon, and, after rubbing it about a little, show it _minus_ the egg, which you will say is inside. In the drawing-room, without the table, the same results would have to be arrived at by means of "vesting." The present instance affords an excellent illustration of my remark that drawing-room conjuring is more difficult than grand conjuring. Another method for vanishing articles through traps is to fix a cord to the under side of the trap, and, by means of a tiny pulley and staples, bring it to a hole in the end of the table, on the outside of which a knot is tied. The article can be then placed upon the trap and covered with a hat, &c., and made to disappear by pulling the cord. It is better to have the cord belonging to the right-hand trap coming out at the left-hand side, and _vice-versâ_; otherwise the audience would be likely to notice the action of the hand pulling the cord, from its close proximity to the hat. By standing at that end of the table which is opposite to the hat, the performer can turn sideways, and point with his wand to the hat or tap it, when the action of pulling the string will be concealed by his body. In covering any article with a hat, be careful that the front or back part of it is towards the audience. The arch formed by the side brim of the hat of the present day enables one to see anything placed underneath it, and it must be admitted that it would be rather awkward if any of the audience saw the article suddenly drop into the body of the table. The uses of the large trap will be dilated upon at another time and place. The uses of the _servante_ being to hold things as occasion requires, they will make themselves manifest in due course. _Dress._--The conjuror's dress will command a great deal of consideration, the disposition and capacity of the pockets being of considerable importance. I will first take the coat, which will, of course, be a dress one. The whole of the inside of each breast of this should be one huge pocket, the opening of which is perpendicular instead of horizontal, and about two inches from the edges, so as to just escape observation. This enables large objects to be concealed, and yet easily got at. The tail pockets are not used in performing, so can be either entirely absent or else made in the usual way. One tail, however, should have a large pocket about five inches deep at the bottom, and right across its width. This pocket should be made very loose so as to be always open to a slight extent, for it will often have articles dropped into it at all sorts of odd times. Some conjurors have copper wire in the edge to keep it open when required. The vest is extremely important. It should be split right up the back and then re-joined by three bands of broad elastic. This is to enable one to put large articles in the breast without causing any unusual wrinkles or bulging. For vesting purposes, some have a strip of thin leather, about two inches broad, sewn round the bottom, inside, but I do not find this sufficiently safe. I usually have some fine elastic run in the hem by means of a bodkin. It should be tight enough to hold an egg (a heavy, slippery thing, and awkward when dropped) securely; but it must not pull the vest out of shape. The only extra pockets required in the trousers are one at each hip, covered by the tails of the coat. They should be about three inches long by one and a half in depth, and constructed so as to be always partly open. They are very handy for receiving such articles as coins, little balls, rings, pocket-knives, &c., which it is desirable that the audience should not see. Little pockets, of a similar nature, are sometimes used behind the lappel of the coat; but those in the trousers are far superior, as they are got at by the perfectly natural action of dropping the arm. The inside turn-up of the sleeve of the coat I have also seen similarly employed, but have not noticed any particular advantage to be derived therefrom. Starting now with his prepared tables and mysterious suit, and armed with a fair amount of manipulative skill, the learner ought to be able to bid defiance to the world, and to boldly attempt anything within his particular scope or province that he has seen anyone else do. Before commencing, always say a few words, to the effect that you are there to conjure, and not to make speeches; so you will not detain the audience with a history of conjuring from the year 1, but proceed to show them what can be done in the present year. In family circles, more talking should be done than in public places, where an impressive style should be cultivated. _Introductory Tricks._--Besides, by means of the few words the performer addresses the company before commencing, it is quite in order that he should introduce himself to the spectators magically; that is to say, give them at once some little evidence of his skill, without any formality of explanation. A well-used trick for this purpose is that of causing a flower to appear instantaneously at the button-hole. Just as the performer is about to step forward, he perceives that he has forgotten his flower, but explains that the omission is very soon rectified, as he notices a bouquet in the hands of a lady, or some flowers in a coiffure, or about a costume. Asking permission, and taking it at once, the wand is waved in the direction of the visible flowers, and the button-hole then touched with it, when instantly a flower appears. The flower is an imitation one, and is attached to a piece of elastic, which passes through the button-hole, and inside through the one next below, so that it may be fastened to a vest button, or elsewhere. When the performer comes on, the flower is concealed under the left armpit; so that, when the button-hole is touched with the wand, all that is necessary is to raise the arm slightly, when the flower, being released, flies instantly into position. Another common, but very effective, practice is to come on the stage with the gloves on. As they are taken off the hands, they melt away, apparently, for nothing more is ever seen of them. Elastic is again at the bottom of this, one end passing round the wrist of the glove, whilst the other is fastened round the biceps of the arm, or attached to the brace. The glove is removed, care being taken not to let it slip too soon, and, when held between the two palms, is allowed to go, when it flies, unperceived, up the sleeve. The performer must not dwell at all upon the fact that he is doing anything magical, but act as though his gloves were merely performing their usual evolutions on being taken off for the day. CHAPTER XI. SLEIGHTS AND PROPERTIES FOR GENERAL USE. HOW TO PRODUCE ARTICLES FROM THE WAND--ARTICLES PRODUCED FROM THE PERSONS OF THE COMPANY--VANISHING OBJECTS FROM THE HANDS--EXCHANGING ARTICLES--MESMERISING A DOVE--MARKING A CARD IN COURSE OF PERFORMING--PASSING HANDKERCHIEF OVER FLAME OF CANDLE--THE CONJUROR'S SHUFFLE--THE DEVIL'S HANDKERCHIEF--COIN HANDKERCHIEF--FLYING RING--MAGICIAN'S EGGS--PRODUCTIVE EGGS--COIN-VANISHING TUMBLER--MAGIC PLATEAU. _Sleights._--Often, in the description of a trick, the learner is told that a handkerchief, coin, egg, orange, or other article has to be made to disappear or appear by sleight of hand. In the descriptions here given, my own methods naturally appear in preponderance over those of others; but it is a mistake for conjurors to confine themselves arbitrarily to any such, whose soever they be, or whatever their nature. The peculiar means for magically vanishing or producing an article which has seemed to me to be most convenient under the conditions governing the particular trick under notice, I have always laid the most stress upon; but it is very likely that, were half a dozen experts to write upon the same tricks, they would each vary more or less in the precise means by which the same results were arrived at. This is only as it should be, the success of a conjuror, like that of an actor, depending, in a very great measure, upon his originality or individuality. The reader will notice that I frequently describe a trick, and then give one or more alternative ways of doing it, the last-named being usually methods I have seen adopted with success by other conjurors. In order to save endless repetition, I give here a few sleights which the learner should be incessantly practising, just as he would the pass or the palm. Some of the feats actually form small tricks in themselves, but are only introduced by the performer as suddenly inspired interpolations in the course of a trick, of which they may, as a fact, really form part. For the disappearance of a coin or coins, the various palms provide; the method described in connection with the cups and balls (page 55) suffices for the evanishment of marbles, nuts, and articles of that size; whilst the palming of cards has been specially treated. The other sleights which I have found most necessary are as follows: _To Produce an Egg, Orange, &c., from the Wand._--This daring feat is certainly one of the most wonder-inspiring description. The performer says, "I now require, for my trick, an egg. I presume none of the company happen to have such an article about them; and, as I have forgotten to provide it myself, I must make an appeal to my wand, which rarely fails me in such cases." Standing sideways to the audience, the performer holds his wand in the fingers, at arm's length, and then, suddenly running his hand along it, upwards, as though squeezing it, he produces, from the very top, the egg. As his sleeves are turned well up, and nothing has been visible in either hand, the mysterious appearance of the required article is quite inexplicable. It is thus managed. The egg may be either upon the shelf at the back of the table, or under the vest band. I prefer the latter place of concealment, because the performer is better able to carelessly show his hands quite empty just previous to the production of the article; whilst a longer time must elapse between the secretion of the article in the hand and the moment of its appearance on the top of the wand, if it be placed upon the shelf. Apart from this, going behind the table should always be avoided where possible. It is the easiest thing in the world to get down the article from the vest in the act of turning round. It should find its way at once to the very centre of the hand, the root of the thumb gripping it, and the fingers should either seize the coat flap, or the wand should be put into it. The _modus operandi_ may be simply described as follows: The wand is lying upon the table and the performer comes forward, showing, by rubbing them together in the act of speaking, that his hands are empty. When he has uttered the words "in such cases," he wheels round _to the left_, for the purpose of fetching the wand from the table, and when his back is fairly towards the audience, he gets down the egg in the right hand, which then seizes the coat flap. A very important matter must here be observed. The article vested must always be placed on that side of the body which is opposite to the hand that is to bring it down. If, in the present instance, the egg were upon the right side of the performer's body, taking his vest buttons as a central line, the act of getting it into the right hand could not be achieved without sticking out the elbow, which would at once reveal to the company that the performer was carrying out some manoeuvre with that hand, and, when he turned round, they would immediately fix their eyes upon it, and keep them there, to the serious detraction of the proceedings following. The golden rule must be followed of glueing, as it were, the upper arm and elbow to the side. Then the forearm and hand may do as they please, with impunity. The getting down of an article from the vest need occupy only a half-second of time, so the performer turns briskly to the table, his every visible action and look being, of course, concentrated upon the matter in hand--the fetching the wand from the table. With the right hand, containing the egg, holding the coat flap lightly and naturally, the wand is picked off the table with the left, the performer's right side being towards the company. Holding the wand for a few moments in the left hand, and looking at it amusingly, as though wondering quite as much as the company how it is going to accomplish its task, the right hand is brought boldly to the front, and the wand placed in the fingers. The back of the hand is, of course, towards the company. The fact of its containing a bulky article will naturally cause it to be somewhat curved, so it is necessary to cause it to look as flat as possible. This is best managed by straightening the fingers and bending the wrist outwards, the whole length of the fingers being thus presented to the view of the company. It will be found that the wand, pressing against the article in the hand, assists towards keeping it in its place there. In the case of an egg, care must be taken not to put on too much pressure. The wand must be held by its middle portion, and should not remain in the right hand for more than a couple of seconds, at the outside. It is then re-taken by the left hand, but by the lower end, the right hand simultaneously making the upward "squeeze;" the article being produced at the tips of the fingers, when they reach the top of the wand, it being allowed to drop from the palm into the bent fingers just previously. The illusion is complete when the sleight is performed with neatness and dash, the article appearing to actually come out of the wand, although everyone knows how impossible it is for it ever to have been there. An article so mysteriously produced should, by all means, be given for examination. It is surprising what very large-sized oranges can be produced by this means, when the performer has once acquired sufficient boldness. Audacity is the chief ingredient in the sleight, and the learner will acquire it by beginning with small-sized articles. Brilliantly-coloured articles, such as oranges, or perfectly white ones, as eggs, make the best appearance. _To Produce Articles from the Persons of the Company._--Here audacity plays a very important part indeed, as the performer goes in amongst the spectators and finds such oranges, eggs, lemons, &c., as he may want, in their hair and apparel. In the _Gant de Paris_ (page 228), I have seen a performer use an orange, a lemon, an egg, and a walnut, all of which he has found upon the company within a very few seconds of time. A description of how this is done will suffice as a guide to the learner how to proceed in all similar cases. The walnut should be palmed, and the lemon held in the same hand, the other hand holding the orange, both hands of course seizing the coat. The egg is vested. Coming on to the stage from behind, the performer proceeds rapidly into the very midst of the company, and says, "Can any one lend me a kid glove for a few minutes?" then, turning suddenly towards a male spectator--with long hair, if such a one be handy--"I beg your pardon, sir, but I see a something in your hair; what is it?" Whilst this is being said, a rapid dash is made at the addressee's hair, the orange being slid to the ends of the fingers, and produced with all slowness. It is given a second spectator to examine, who is discovered to have a lemon in his hair, or inside his coat. Whilst the lemon is being produced, and all eyes are intent upon it, the empty hand gets down the egg. This is found in the hair of a third person, whilst the walnut is discovered on the tip of the nose of a fourth. When the performer afterwards collects all four articles into his hands, it will never occur to the company that so much bulk could have been deliberately palmed by him in their very midst. As a matter of fact, it is easier to do these sort of things in the midst of a numerous and rather closely-packed company, than in the presence of a meagre and widespread one, and the performer should always go where the spectators are thickest. _How to Cause Large-sized Objects to Appear to Vanish from the Hands._--By large objects are meant eggs, oranges, ladies' handkerchiefs, gloves, small birds, &c. The sleight-of-hand conjuror should embrace every opportunity for a display of his skill, handkerchiefs being swallowed and reproduced elsewhere, and other articles thrown away or made to pass imperceptibly from out of the hand into thin air, nothing being left of them when the hand is opened. In order to bring about these things, all that the conjuror has to do is to adapt, to the altered circumstance of having larger articles to deal with, what he has been taught in connection with the palming and passing of coins. Take, first, the apparent placing of an article in the mouth, and swallowing it. The method adopted will vary, according to the size of the article. If it be a comparatively small one, such as a walnut, then the action depicted at Fig. 7 must be followed, the article being palmed in the right hand, the back of which must necessarily be turned towards the audience more than is shown in the sketch, by reason of the more bulky nature of its contents, and the fingers of the left hand rounded in a way suggestive of containing the article supposed to be put into them. The right hand then takes the wand, which, in these cases, must _always_ be carried under the right armpit. Should the article not be swallowed, the wand strikes the closed fingers of the left hand, which are simultaneously opened and shown to be empty. The success attending this method will depend solely and entirely upon the neatness with which the palm is executed, and the article apparently placed in the left hand. It must not be ostensibly thrown there, as is the case with a coin, but deliberately put in, the fingers of the right hand, after the execution of the palm, forming as though they actually held the article, those of the left hand closing around them, as if taking it firmly in charge. It is always as well to actually place the article in the left hand at least once, thereby silently impressing the company with what is to be done with it. The palming of a walnut is quite as easy as that of a coin, and the pass must be regarded as a very simple one to learn. Eggs, oranges, lemons, and solid articles of that size, must be treated according to the action shown at Figs. 8 and 9, facility in executing which will render the accomplishment of what is now described very easy. As the article is not a coin, it must not be held between finger and thumb, but made to rest upon the very tips of the fingers of the left hand, which is held perpendicularly for the purpose. It is thus very conspicuously in sight of everyone. It is allowed to rest there for a few seconds, when the right hand is brought suddenly in front of it, and the action gone through of taking it. At this instant, the orange (say) falls into the hollow of the left hand, which is immediately dropped to grasp the coat flap, whilst the right hand apparently puts the orange into the mouth, a muffled noise being made indicative of the mouth being full. Before the hand is removed, the mouth is closed, when it is as well to bulge one of the cheeks out with the tongue, and then make three or four desperate attempts (ultimately successful) at swallowing, accompanied by choking sounds. A smile should then illumine the face of the performer, who appears to have enjoyed the operation, and the orange, if it is wanted again, may be produced at the right elbow, or brought round from the back of the neck, rolled along by the tips of the fingers. A very effective sleight with which to quickly follow the foregoing is as follows: Place the wand under the left armpit, and hold the orange in the fingers of the left hand, as above described. Open the legs slightly, and then apparently take the orange in the right hand and smash it into the right leg, just above the knee. The orange must be apparently vigorously snatched out of the left hand, which at once mechanically finds its way to the wand, that article being grasped by the thumb only, the fingers and palm concealing the orange. The performer allows a second to elapse, and then, briskly taking the wand in the right hand, rolls the orange from behind his left thigh to the front. It does not in the least signify what the company fancy actually happened with the orange, so long as they are not allowed to suspect that it never left the left hand. Obliged to account for the phenomenon, the theories formed will be various, the majority polling for a tubular communication between sleeve and sleeve, viâ the performer's back. As the orange is apparently smashed into the leg, the performer will find it necessary to stoop slightly. This sleight should follow the preceding one before the spectators have begun to recover from their wonderment at seeing the orange apparently swallowed and then reproduced. A cigar, or article of the like shape, can be similarly treated if it be held in the left hand between the tips of the middle finger and thumb, the broad end being against the thumb. As the right hand covers it, in the act of apparently taking it, the broad end is allowed to fall against the root of the thumb, and the hand turned slightly over and then allowed to hang down at the side. A very little pressure on the part of the middle finger will suffice to keep the cigar in position. The right hand must conform itself as closely as possible to the shape it would assume if it actually contained a cigar. This sleight will come in handy in conjuring at table. A more complete method of vanishing is as follows: Take the article in the right hand, and hold the waistband of the vest by the left. Toss the orange, &c., twice or thrice in the air, and then whip it swiftly beneath the vest, which will be partly raised by the left hand. The two hands thus brought together should be closed one over the other, as if they contained something, which something you will then proceed to gradually rub away. As you have nothing whatever in the hands, you will be able to execute this portion of the deception with great confidence and ease. When you slip any article beneath the vest, the body should be partially turned from the audience. Quickly done, the movement will never be noticed, and it is one of the most perfect deceptions practised. The vest is never thought of by an audience as being a place for the concealment of articles, and so it escapes notice, and everyone wonders where the vanished article can have gone to. The vest is also an excellent place in which to carry such things as eggs, lemons, &c., which may be required during any trick. _To Change an Article._--This is executed very much after the manner of the preceding, with this exception: the left hand contains the article concealed, which is to be exchanged for whatever is held in the right. Say, for example, that the right hand holds an orange, which the audience, of course, examines. The left hand conceals, say, an apple. The orange is vested in the orthodox manner, and the hands brought together as directed, but this time they contain the apple. Rub them a little, and exhibit the apple, which can be brought back to its original shape--an orange--if the performer pleases. On no account must the conjuror inform the audience what he is about to do, or he may find the ideas of the spectators anticipate his actions, which is, to say the least, awkward. These actions of vanishing or exchanging can be done when one is actually surrounded by people; but the hands must be quick and must appear natural: for instance, when supposed to contain an orange they must not be compressed so as to barely leave space within them for a walnut. Nothing but careful practice will ensure a satisfactory result, for the least bungling will lead to detection. I need hardly say that it enhances one's reputation greatly if one can be said to have "changed a real orange into a real apple under our very eyes" without the aid of any gaudy boxes or canisters. By all means allow the orange to be squeezed and the apple to be eaten. _To Vanish Handkerchiefs._--Not being solid bodies, handkerchiefs will require different treatment, and present the greatest difficulties, which are fully compensated for by the superior effects produced. In the first place, the performer must be careful to borrow a lady's small handkerchief, if for the purpose of vanishing. In performing _The Knots_ (page 218) a small handkerchief is generally included amongst those borrowed. It is not used for the trick; but the performer says he is very fond of such handkerchiefs, and forthwith rolls it up in his hands, pops it into his mouth, and swallows it. Whilst the company are wondering, he suddenly pulls the handkerchief out of his leg. This is a most wonderful sleight, and one the conjuror must endeavour to become perfect in. He should begin with a small piece of muslin, which rolls up very tight and easily. This he takes between the two hands, the left hand below, with its back turned somewhat towards the company, and rolls it sharply round and round, until he feels that it is well balled. Then, with the right hand, he apparently takes it up, the left hand really retaining it by means of the thumb, and grasping the coat-flap, as in other cases, or the wand under left armpit. The right hand apparently conveys the handkerchief to the mouth, where the choking and swallowing performance is gone through. After a pause of a couple of seconds, the conjuror looks curiously down at his leg, and, pouncing at a spot in the rear of the thigh, just above the knee-joint, presses the handkerchief there, to enable the fingers to obtain a hold of a very small portion of it. It is then at once jerked forcibly away, when it will appear to the spectators precisely as though it had been pulled out through the cloth. The different movements must all follow one another with regularity and swiftness, and yet the performer must not appear to be hurrying himself in the least. If the handkerchief experimented upon be large, some risk is run of a portion appearing from the left hand. Even with small handkerchiefs this will, at times, occur; but if the performer carries out the movements of the right hand properly, the eyes of the company will be directed solely to that. The same sleight is employed in feigning to throw back a handkerchief to its owner, the action of throwing being employed instead of affecting to place the article in the mouth. In this case, it is as well to pivot round at once, vesting the handkerchief in so doing, and then at once inquiring, with empty hands, if the handkerchief arrived at its destination all right. It may be afterwards produced from the interior of a spectator's coat, by being whipped quickly in and then produced very slowly and at extended length. If this reproduction is to follow quickly, then do not vest, which is only done for the purpose of showing the hands empty. If the performer pleases, he may plunge his hand into his breast, and produce the handkerchief; but it will cause less wonderment, and no amusement at all. Small birds present considerable difficulty, the object being to conjure with the bird without injuring it. A bird cannot be palmed, like a walnut, nor can it be rolled up, like a handkerchief. But, strange to say, the very difficulty of the feat assists the performer. In the first place, the company never suspect that the bird is about to be made to disappear, unless the performer is weak enough to forewarn them; and, secondly, never having experimented, they do not suppose for an instant that the bird will be simply retained in the hand all the time, as it really is. All the conjuror has to do is to hold the bird in the right hand, outside the wings, and head downwards, the tail pointing up the wrist, and then affect to put it in the left hand, which is bulged so as to appear to hold it. The wand must be under the right armpit, and the right hand seizes it at once, the left hand being struck and opened, showing the bird to be flown. The sooner the bird is reproduced the better. The most unlikely, and therefore the best, place to produce it from is the bottom of the trouser--a lively course of speculation as to how it got there being thrown open to the company. If it be desired to get rid of the bird altogether, the performer must pivot round and vest. There is not much chance of the bird moving in that position, but, of course, it will be better for the performer to make an early exit, and relieve himself of the encumbrance. Doves are made to disappear by means of the shelf at the back of the table, or the pocket directed to be made at the bottom of the coat-tail. The shelf vanish is more open to suspicion, but I have, nevertheless, found it enormously successful, when properly managed. The performer, in the first instance, must not announce, by word or deed, that the disappearance is about to take place. Standing to the left (_his_ left, facing the audience) of the table, and slightly to the rear of it, he takes the dove in the right hand. Walking briskly past the table, at the back, he casts his eyes upwards, and just as he reaches the extreme corner of the table, makes a movement of tossing the bird into the air. It is, instead, placed gently (not dropped, or thrown) upon the end of the shelf, the brisk pace of the performer carrying him at once a good yard beyond the table, from which spot the dove is apparently cast into the air. The success of the sleight depends very much upon the exactness with which the performer imitates the actual throwing of a bird into the air, and the fearlessness with which it is conducted. Any symptom of a glance at the shelf would be fatal. The bearings must be taken whilst stationary, and the rest carried out with the eyes fixed earnestly on the ceiling. Rabbits and guinea pigs may be similarly treated; but large-sized rabbits are unsuited, since it is not easy to place them upon the shelf. When the pocket is used, supposing it to be in the right coat-tail, as it probably would be, the performer should stand with that side away from the audience, and ascertain, by means of the right hand, if the mouth of the pocket be open. Lean slightly over to the right, and then, taking the dove in the right hand, make a movement of casting it into the air, straight upwards, whither the eyes are directed. It is, of course, left in the pocket, head downwards. An attempt to place it there tail first would be likely to lead to disaster. As this sleight may be performed away from any table or chair, it is, of course, to be preferred. It is, undoubtedly, more difficult of accomplishment than the shelf vanish, requiring more neatness in depositing the bird; for, if the downward sweep be too vigorous, it will have the effect of disturbing the coat-tail, which will be momentarily seen, pushed out behind the performer, by the company, and the place of concealment thereby betrayed. It need hardly be pointed out that, in either case, the hand must grasp the bird firmly by the body, clasping the wings tightly down. If it be felt struggling in the pocket, the performer should bow himself off at once. _Mesmerising a Dove._--The apparent mesmerising of a dove makes, of itself, a capital effect, leading the audience to pay high respect to the necromantic powers of the conjuror. Also, it makes an admirable introduction to the vanish. The bird is taken in the right hand, outside the wings, and laid upon its back on the front edge of the table, so that the head just projects over. The beak is now taken in the left hand and the head turned backwards, as far as it will go. When held in that position for a few moments, the hands may be removed, when the bird will lie perfectly still. It will not always do this at the first, or even the second, attempt, but perseverance will always be rewarded with success. The performer must be as gentle as possible, and go slowly to work. We need not stay to discuss the reason for the singular phenomenon, it being sufficient for our purpose to know that the bird will lie still when placed in the proper position. The performer waves his hands over the bird, as though mesmerising it, and then he may take one of the feet in his fingers and actually raise the bird, by one of its legs, completely off the table. This will require the greatest delicacy and patience to accomplish, operations being discontinued the instant the bird shows any signs of fluttering. Anything approaching a jerk will rouse the bird, so the lift must be made as gradual and as imperceptible as possible. The reader will, doubtless, be able to appreciate the sensation that will be caused when, the mesmerising accomplished, the bird immediately afterwards vanishes from sight, no one knows whither. _To Exchange Borrowed Rings for Dummies._--With a single ring, and in a small way, this may be done by means of the finger palm (Fig. 3), the dummy being already held in the left hand, between the roots of the fingers, and a feint made of placing the borrowed one into it. (See "Tricks with Coins," _b_, p. 11). This does very well for the drawing-room, in which domain the following method may also be adopted when two or more rings are borrowed. Have the dummies screwed up in a piece of paper, which hold in the left hand, and cover with a precisely similar piece of paper, open. Into this latter place the borrowed rings, and screw up. All that is now necessary is to reverse the positions of the two parcels, the left hand carrying away the borrowed rings, the right taking the dummy ones, the paper containing which is, of course, not opened again during the trick. The same method should be adopted with large audiences when a borrowed watch and chain have to be exchanged; but the following method is far away the best to adopt on the stage with rings. For the purpose of collecting rings borrowed from the audience, the conjuror should provide himself with an ebony wand, rather thicker than an ordinary penholder, and about eight inches in length. If he be performing with an assistant, that person should do the collecting. Upon the wand are already placed the dummies, covered by the hand holding it by one of its ends. The wand is presented the persons lending the rings, who slide them on. The performer remains well up the stage, and, the assistant, turning towards him, changes the wand from one hand to the other, securing the borrowed rings under the latter, and spreading the dummies along the wand. This can be quickly effected, and the assistant at once turns round facing the company, presenting the wand, with dummy rings, to the performer, who takes it; the borrowed rings remaining in the assistant's hand, dropped at once to his side. The performer at once draws attention to himself, and the assistant makes off with the rings for whatever purpose may have been previously arranged. An assistant must be something of a conjuror to possess the necessary _sang froid_ for effecting the exchange without drawing attention to his movements, so the performer may have to execute it himself, in which case he would place the dummy rings in some conspicuous position, and pass behind the scenes momentarily on the strength of some plea, which would suggest itself according to the trick in course of performance. _How to Show the Hands Empty whilst still containing Coins._--In many tricks with money ("Hold them Tight!" for instance) it may be advisable, or even compulsory, by reason of the doubt of a spectator, to show that the coins are not in the hand, whilst they really are so. With a single coin to manage, the reverse palm will suffice. When two or more are in the hand the coins must be slid inside the doubled up fingers which hold the wand, placed across the hand. The really empty hand is opened, and the one containing the coins also, as far as the performer dare. Now, if he held the fingers doubled up without the wand in the hand, the spectators would know where the coins were; but, seeing the wand, the partial closing of the hand seems natural enough. Of course the hands are boldly thrust out, the performer saying the while, "It is pretty plain that I haven't the coins, for here are my two hands both wide open. Now sir, what have you done with them?" &c. Unblushing audacity is again the order of the day. A capital effect is made if, after showing the hands apparently empty, the coins are abstracted from the hair or beard of a spectator. One never knows when such a sleight may be wanted. When it is, it is as well to know what to do, so as to prevent exposure. _To Mark a Card, in the Course of Performing, so as to be able to Recognise it again._--This is a very useful little dodge, as by its means the machinations of the obnoxious person in this book denominated Mr. Interference may be defeated. It is only requisite when it becomes absolutely necessary to convince the company that you do not know the position of the card in the pack. It is necessary to get at least a portion of the card in the hand, when, from the upper side, an indentation is made in the card with the thumb nail, one of the fingers, on the under side, performing the office of pressure pad. The card need not be removed from the hand of the chooser, the performer merely touching it momentarily whilst explaining what he wishes done. It is as well to make the mark near the centre of the card, as then it is more easily found. After it has been made, the pack may be given the company, the card placed in it, and the whole well shuffled by anyone. The card will at once be recognised by the slight projection that has been made on the under side. Should a repetition of the ruse become necessary, the performer must either leave the card originally marked out of the pack, or else make two marks on the next; but it is better to leave the first one out. As the whole of the pack is not used--at least, not under my instructions--some spare cards are always lying unused upon the table. This spare heap is always exceedingly useful, as cards such as the one under notice may be placed in it, whilst others, which may be presently wanted, can lie upon the top, ready at hand. _To Pass a Handkerchief over the Flame of a Candle without Burning it._--This is a remarkable effect, which only requires confidence to ensure its successful execution. The performer has a lighted candle standing upon the table, and when in possession of a borrowed handkerchief for a trick, he introduces the sleight as an interlude. Grasping the handkerchief by one corner, in such a way as to spread it somewhat with the fingers, he holds it in front of the candle, and then draws it upwards and backwards, right over the flame, almost extinguishing the latter in so doing. The handkerchief should be an ordinary white one, and the flame will be seen by the spectators to be eating into it, apparently. There is not the least necessity to be in any hurry, the action of drawing the handkerchief over the flame being a steady and deliberate one. It may be repeated as often as the performer chooses, but not made anything of by him, the impression to be conveyed being that the power of placing a handkerchief in the flame of a candle without injuring it is one necessarily possessed by him, as a matter of course. This sleight will come in particularly _à propos_ if it precedes a trick in which a handkerchief is burned. It is not advisable to try the feat with a scented handkerchief, it being just possible that the spirit contained in the perfume might ignite. _The Conjuror's "Shuffle."_--Nearly all good conjurors preface their card tricks with an exhibition of shuffling, a process always conducted in the showiest manner possible, although, by the time it is completed, it is possible that the position of the cards has not been interfered with in the least. As the term "shuffling" is only employed for want of a better one, and it is merely a question of exhibiting skill, this does not signify. When a conjuror wishes to shuffle the cards, he adopts the specious method generally in use--if he can. According to whether he be a genuine adept, or only a performer of an inferior order, so will the phenomena exhibited to the spectator in this connection vary. In the one case, the performer, holding the cards in the two hands, suddenly opens them very wide apart, the cards spreading, after the manner of a comet's tail, from one hand to the other. For an instant they form an aerial arc, when, before they can fall to the ground, the hands are brought smartly together, collecting the cards by the action. This movement is repeated twice or thrice. This is what the genuine man does. The impostor ostensibly does a very great deal more, for he begins by parting and bringing the hands together again, as one does in playing the concertina, several times, the cards acting the part of the concertina perfectly. He then tosses the cards about from hand to hand in the most _nonchalant_ manner, the cards invariably following one another in an unbroken stream which assumes serpentine and other shapes, at the will of the performer. They are spread along the conjuror's arms, and over his chest, and are invariably gathered in again without a single one being allowed to fall. The feats performed appear to be nothing short of marvellous, until one becomes possessed of the interesting fact that the cards are all sewn together, so that the whole thing is merely child's play. Now, although I have seen conjurors with good reputations using these prepared cards, I entirely disagree with their use myself. In order to deceive the public, one must not be particular about the means employed; but here it is a question of one conjuror setting up to be vastly superior to others, the facts of the case being precisely the other way. As a matter of fact, these prepared cards are only used when the performer is so wanting in skill that he cannot execute the genuine shuffle. Looking, as I do, upon the use of these cards as being unworthy anyone but a music-hall performer, I never hesitate to expose the fraud whenever it is perpetrated. I shall, of course, describe nothing in connection with it, but pass on to the genuine article, which may be at once recognised by the noise accompanying its execution, the fraudulent method being quite noiseless. As the feat is really difficult of accomplishment, its study must be conducted by easy stages. The pack, which should be composed of small cards (the large English ones being very unsuitable), thirty or so in number, is held lengthwise in the right hand (left hand if the performer is very decidedly left-handed) by the thumb at one end, and the first, second, and third fingers at the other end, the body of the hand making an arch over the cards. The left hand is held out, a little lower than the elbow, in front of the body, with the fingers spread out, and slightly curled upwards, the first finger a great deal more than the rest. Now, if the cards be squeezed by the fingers and thumb of the right hand, they will bend thus, [downward curve]; but if, just as the pressure is put on, the fore finger of the left hand pushes the centre of the pack from below, the opposite curve will be taken, thus, [upward curve], which is the one wanted. With the cards thus bent, they must be held over the left hand, and more pressure then applied, when they will "squirt" into the left hand, their foremost ends striking against the up curled forefinger, and so being prevented from falling to the floor. In making the squeeze, it will be found that the middle and third fingers use more influence than does the first finger, which is merely an auxiliary at the commencement. The greatest power of all must be exerted by the thumb, which is always pushing the cards forwards with considerable force. The learner must content himself with merely "squirting" the cards from the right hand into the left, at a distance of two or three inches only. When he can do this easily and smoothly, and without dropping any on the floor, he may increase the distance to six or eight inches. This is about the greatest distance he will be able to attain by simple "squirting." In order to make a more effective show, he will have to give to the right hand an upward movement at the moment the cards are pouring from it. This will tend to increase the distance between each card, but as, at the same time, it kills the forward _momentum_, the cards would simply fall to the ground were they not prevented from so doing. To accomplish this, the left hand must follow them up quickly. For an instant of time they will poise in the air, and then commence to fall; but, at that moment, the left hand comes upward with a rapid sweep, bringing the cards together against the right hand. By not attempting too great a distance at first, the learner will progress more rapidly; and he should not be satisfied until he can compass a distance of two feet. Great experts can accomplish very much more than this. As proficiency is attained, the "shuffle" should be made more across the body, the direction being from the left hip towards the right shoulder, this being more showy. A very difficult, but highly effective, method is to make the "shuffle" the reverse way, _i.e._, downwards. The left hand is held nearly shoulder high and the cards "squirted" into it, the right hand sweeping downwards in the direction of the right hip. The performer must always direct his practice towards making the cards remain as long in the air as possible. To this end, the movement of the right hand must be exceedingly rapid, so that all the cards are visible to the spectators at once; and the longer the left hand dallies, the more rapid must be its motion towards the right hand. It must be distinctly understood that the two hands do not move simultaneously, there being two decided movements, one following the other. Old cards are useless for this feat, as they come off in batches, and have no spring. American cards are a trifle too thin, and are only good when new, whilst the regulation English whist card is too thick; therefore a medium thickness must be chosen. The finest quality cards will be found the cheapest to use, as they stand the strain better. Inferior cards soon become demoralised by the rough treatment to which the "shuffle" subjects them. After using a pack faces downwards for some time, turn it over, and use with the faces upwards, changing back again when the spring of the cards becomes weak. PROPERTIES.--Besides the auxiliary articles mentioned in connection with various tricks, there are some that are of general application which the conjuror should always have in readiness. They are here enumerated and described: _The Devil's Handkerchief._--The peculiar use of this article is that anything wrapped in it is made to disappear when the performer desires, by simply shaking out the handkerchief. The secret lies in the fact that there are two handkerchiefs, three of the four sides of which are sewn together, the fourth being left open, so as to form a bag. The article to be made to disappear is apparently placed under the handkerchief, but really into the bag, and it is usual to give this to be held by one of the spectators. Later on, the performer takes the two upper corners of the handkerchief, and, asking the spectator to loosen his hold, gives it a vigorous shake. The company look in the air, or upon the floor, expecting to see the object there, but of course it is at the bottom of the bag. Cards are successfully vanished in this manner, as also watches, eggs, and articles not more bulky than they. The handkerchiefs should be of a sombre colour, and have a decided pattern. This will tend to conceal the contour of the article inside the handkerchief after it has been made to disappear, although the performer invariably retires with it to the stage, out of harm's way. Some performers use handkerchiefs sewn up on all four sides, and having merely a slit, from four to six inches long, made in one handkerchief. _The Coin Handkerchief._--This is an ordinary coloured handkerchief, into one corner of which, by means of a small extra piece of stuff, is sewn a piece of metal (to avoid unnecessary sinking of capital) resembling a coin. The performer should have on hand three handkerchiefs prepared with pieces of metal to represent sixpences, shillings, and half-crowns. For the latter, a penny will do admirably, and it will also act for florins and pennies, the public not being able to appreciate the slight difference in size when felt or seen through the folds of a handkerchief. The shilling handkerchief will answer admirably for halfpennies. A borrowed coin is apparently folded in the handkerchief, which the performer has drawn carelessly from his pocket, and not had lying in state upon a table, but palmed instead, the dummy being presented in its place, and given to be held. The palmed coin is then secreted in the place to which it is presently to be magically transported. To cause the coin, supposed to be wrapped in the handkerchief, to disappear, the performer shakes it by one or two corners, as in the case of the _Devil's Handkerchief_. Each of the three prepared handkerchiefs should be of the same pattern, so that, if more than one are used on the same evening, no remark will be excited as to the appearance of a new property upon the scene. _The Flying Ring._--This is a dummy ring, attached to a piece of elastic passing up the sleeve, with the other end fastened to the brace, or elsewhere. On a ring being borrowed, it is apparently placed in a handkerchief, the _Flying Ring_ being substituted, and held by a spectator, of course through the handkerchief. At a given signal the ring is released and at once disappears up the performer's sleeve. _Magician's Eggs._--These are merely blown eggs, which should always be used when the employment of solid ones is not imperatively necessary. Their lightness enables the performer to palm them with considerable ease, and the same peculiarity renders them less liable to break; and, when they do, by chance, crack, no disconcerting emission of glutinous contents ensues. Besides this, a stock can always be kept on hand ready for any performance, which cannot be done with real eggs. Imitation eggs are made in indiarubber. These are of everlasting wear, bodily, but the exterior paint wants renewing occasionally, in order to maintain the resemblance to the real article, at no time any too exact. _Productive Eggs._--These are blown eggs containing lengthy slips of coloured paper, rolled up tightly. The introduction of the paper is thus managed. The egg blown and dried, a slit is made along one side with a piercing saw or fine file. A wire is then passed longitudinally through both thick and thin ends, one end of the paper inserted through the slit, and rolled up by means of the wire, twisted from the outside, until the egg is full. A piece of cotton is attached to the loose end of the paper, and the slit and holes in the ends of the egg closed up with plaster of Paris. At the conclusion of any trick in which real eggs have been used, one can be exchanged for a prepared egg, which is then broken, and the paper extracted, the piece of cotton at once showing where the loose end is to be found. Into a good-sized egg some fifty or sixty feet of paper may be secreted. The paper may be purchased at conjuring shops in large rolls; and the conjuror will find it better to prepare a quantity of eggs at a time. _The Coin-vanishing Tumbler._--This is an ordinary tumbler, with a horizontal slit at the side, on a level with the interior bottom, large enough to allow of the passage of a half-crown. If the tumbler be held in such a manner that a finger closes the slit, liquid may be poured into it. This should be done casually, and not professedly for the purpose of showing that there is nothing peculiar about the tumbler, such a suggestion being unnecessary and dangerous. The company would naturally say, "If there be really nothing wrong with it, why does he not place it in our hands for examination?" A coin placed in the tumbler may be got into the hand at any moment _viâ_ the slit, the top being covered with cards, &c., to prevent the exit of the coin that way: as if coins were in the habit of leaping out of tumblers into which they have been placed, and deceiving audiences! Nevertheless, an audience is invariably satisfied when inanimate articles are covered up, and so supererogatorily prevented from performing acts which are not possible to them. _The Magic Plateau._--This is a glass plateau, in form like a school slate, there being a broad fancy wood border, glass taking the place of the slate. The plateau is held like a tray in the hands of the performer, and coins are placed upon it, which disappear when it is waved in the air. The secret lies in the fact that the wooden border is undermined, and, when a sideways movement is given to the plateau, the coins disappear underneath. The plateau is then carried with that side in which the coins are concealed, downwards. It makes a trick of itself, but is more useful as an adjunct to other tricks. As it is advisable to have a very narrow frame, shillings should be used: in no case coins larger than a florin. The plateau is also of great use when the performer is desirous of changing several borrowed and marked coins for some of his own. Taking the plateau, with the marked coins upon it, in the right hand, he pretends to pour them off into the left hand, where the conjuror has his own coins concealed. The marked coins disappear under the frame, and the concealed ones are exhibited. When the reappearance of the coins on the plateau is desired, they may be shaken out of the frame as easily as they were sent there; but I do not advise this addition, as it is very likely to give a clue to the mystery. The article is not difficult of construction, and the fact of the greater part of the material being transparent glass, lends it a desirably innocent appearance. CHAPTER XII. TRICKS WITH CARDS. HOW TO VANISH AND RECOVER A PACK--THE EGYPTIAN POCKET; HOW TO MANUFACTURE CARDS--THE MISSING LINK--ASCENDING CARDS; VARIOUS METHODS--THE CARD-HOLDER--WHAT APPARATUS NOT TO USE--THE SALAMANDER CARD--A LEGITIMATE USE FOR "FORCING" PACKS--HERRMANN'S BOUQUET--A HUMAN HEN--THE HATCHED CARD--THE WAND, AND HOW TO MAKE IT--MORE ABOUT APPARATUS. Nearly every modern conjuror of any pretensions to skill commences with a card trick. There is something about a good card trick well executed that always takes with an intelligent audience. When a performer does not commence with the cards, it is generally because he does not possess skill enough to do anything effective with them, although he will generally make a virtue of necessity (at which conjurors are particularly apt), and give some totally different reason. _Vanishing a Pack._--When the time is limited, none should be wasted in preliminaries; but, when possible, the performer should always vanish the pack, by palming it, and find it either at the elbow or sole of the boot, or else in possession of one of the audience; or he can pretend to give it into the hands of a spectator, and then discover it some distance off, with someone else. To execute this properly, the cards should be palmed in the right hand, which affects to put them into the left hand. The right hand should take the wand or lappel of the coat, and the left be disposed, palm downwards, as though it held the pack. Such a little exhibition of skill makes a good impression at once, and puts the spectators on the alert from the very commencement. _The Egyptian Pocket._--One of the very best sleight-of-hand card tricks is that introduced by Herrmann, who, a few years ago, was such a favourite throughout Great Britain. He called it the Egyptian Pocket, though, for all the name implied, it might as well have been called the Nubian, Chinese, Japanese, or Brazilian Pocket. One of the audience took a pack round, and allowed four cards to be drawn from it. These cards were afterwards gathered in by the same person, who, after mounting the stage, placed them in the pack, which was then well shuffled. The pack he placed in his breast pocket, and then drew out, one by one, three cards of those selected in the audience as they were called for. The fourth card, however, he failed to find, and was told to search the pack for it. The search proving fruitless, he was told to manufacture the card, and, on expressing his ignorance of the proper method to pursue, was directed to blow into his pocket, where the missing card was then discovered. He was found, however, to have blown too hard, for his vest contained a perfect avalanche of cards; whilst his nose, on being squeezed, gave forth a stream of them, amidst roars of laughter. The method for performing this trick is as follows: Place upon your centre table two bulky packs of cards, and step forward with a third pack in your hands. Ask someone to assist you, and give him the pack in the shape of a fan, directing him to ask certain ladies, four in number, whom you will indicate with your wand, to select one card each. On this being done, take the pack from his hand, and direct him to receive the four cards, faces downwards, on the flat of one hand. Whilst this is being done, step on the stage, but never take your eye off the operations that are going on, for you must notice whose card is placed undermost, whose next, and so on. Request your volunteer assistant to kindly step on the stage, and, opening the pack in the middle, ask him to place the four cards inside. Close the pack, keeping the finger inserted where the cards were placed, ready for the pass, and inquire if the person on the stage with you possesses an inside breast pocket to his coat. If it is outside, it does not much matter, but the inside one is better for the trick. On receiving an answer in the affirmative, ask to have the pocket emptied. Whilst this is being done, sometimes amidst much amusement, by reason of the miscellaneous character of the contents of the pocket, make the pass, bringing the four cards to the top, and, opening the pack slightly, carelessly run the eye over them. It is always as well to know them, in case of an accident occurring. Palm them, and give the rest of the pack to your assistant to shuffle. Taking the pack back, replace the palmed cards upon it, re-palming the top card only, and bid your assistant place the pack in his pocket. Feel the outside of his pocket, under the pretence of seeing that everything is all right, but in reality to give the cards a bend, crosswise. This bend will cause the back of the uppermost card to be the first met with by a hand entering the pocket. Now inquire of the chooser of this said top card--which, as you have palmed the original top one, will be the third one gathered in--what the name of her card is. You will affect to do this haphazard, and not as though you selected that particular person to inquire of. On receiving a reply, desire your assistant to put his hand quickly--"very quickly indeed, sir"--into his pocket, and draw out a card. If you have arranged everything properly, this will be the desired card. Now ask the chooser of the second card what the name of hers is, and repeat the operation. Do the same with the first card, and then with the fourth. By thus apparently dodging from one lady on one side of the room to one on the other side, it will still more appear that you are indifferent whose is asked for. This last card will not, of course, be forthcoming, and after a few fruitless attempts to produce it, plunge the hand, in which the card is palmed, into the pocket, and draw out the pack, leaving behind the palmed card. The assistant looks through the pack, but does not find the card, and you say, "Well, sir, you must make one, I suppose." On hearing that he does not know how, say, "Oh! it is as simple as possible. Take this wand in your right hand, and open your coat with the left. Good. Now blow into your pocket." The card will be found there, and your assistant, thinking it is all over, will be about to retire, when you, having just palmed one of the packs from the table, detain him with the remark that, "Although you did the trick very well, sir, for the first time, yet, owing to your inexperience, you unfortunately blew a little too hard. See here, sir, what you have inside your vest!" You then plunge the hand containing the cards rapidly inside his vest and draw out one card only, then another, another, and so on, and finally say that, as you do not know how many more there are, he had better take them out himself. Whilst he is doing this, palm the other pack, and say, "Have you any more cards, sir? No! Excuse me, but will you allow me to finish my experiment?" You then place your hand to his nose, and, compressing the hand, cause the cards to shoot forth in a stream on to the floor. Immediately it is over, shake hands with your assistant, and say you are extremely obliged. This will ease his mind of the idea that you meant to make a fool of him. Sometimes, in drawing the cards from the pocket, the assistant will accidentally take them from the bottom, instead of from the top. In this case, they will be wrong cards, and you must say, "Ah! you don't do it quickly enough; this is the way," and, plunging your hand in the pocket, draw out the desired card, giving the pack, at the same time, a good bend, when you can allow the assistant to try again. About thirty cards will make the best pack for this trick, and great care must be taken that it does not contain two cards of a kind, for if one of these duplicates is chosen, and it is the fourth card, _i.e._, the one which is missing at the last, it (its duplicate) will be found in the pack when it is gone over, and all your blowing in the pocket performance, which is the great feature in the trick, will be knocked on the head. I have actually seen this occur. All the performer could do was to palm the card and pretend to pass it into the pocket, where, of course, the duplicate was found; but it was a very weak finish. _The Missing Link._--This is another very telling card trick, and one that has made the fame of more than one amateur conjuror. A card is chosen from the pack and torn into shreds. The pieces, with the exception of a single one, which is given into the custody of a spectator, are then put into a little box, piece of paper, &c., and made to disappear. The card is then found restored in some part of the audience, but it is noticed that a small portion of it is missing. The single piece, which was given to a spectator to hold, will be found to be of the very size and shape required, thus proving that the performer restored the actual card that was destroyed. For this trick, some slight prearrangement will be necessary. In the first place, a card (say, the six of hearts) must have a small piece torn out from one of its sides. This mutilated card must then be secreted in some out-of-the-way place in the auditorium, or, what is still better, in the pocket of one of the audience, of course some time before the performance begins. I once had it sewn up in the lining of a coat, and on another occasion inserted in the sole of a boot: but, in such instances as these, care must be taken that the article containing the card is to be worn on the evening of the performance, or a fiasco will result. It is, however, always worth while to run a little risk for the sake of increased effect. The small piece torn from the card is carefully kept, and, whilst the trick is being performed, should be on the table, concealed by any trifling object that may be upon it at the same time. "Force" (see instructions for "forcing") a card, exactly similar in every way to the one you have previously mutilated and concealed, and then ask the chooser to tear it up. Whilst this is being done, go to your table for your box or piece of paper, according to which you may elect to use, and bring with it, concealed in the fingers, the little piece of card. Then have the pieces, which should be reduced as nearly as possible to the size of your secreted piece, placed in the box or paper and, putting your fingers among them, affect to take out one piece, but, in reality, show the one you already had in your hand, and give it to a spectator to hold very tightly, or if he likes, to put it into his purse. If you have plenty of time on your hands, and wish to make extra fuss, you can have it put into an envelope and sealed by the audience, which certainly improves the effect. A very pardonable joke here comes in well. On giving the portion of the card to be held, say to the gentleman, "Will you kindly keep the piece, sir?" and then, affecting to notice reluctance in his looks, "No! then I must apply to a magistrate, who will, I have no doubt, bind you over to keep the _peace_ for six months or so, whilst I shall only trouble you for a bare six minutes." If you have had the pieces put in paper, you can roll it up into a ball and vanish by palming in the right hand, whilst affecting to place it in the left, after the manner previously described for vanishing objects. A box can be treated in the same manner, or you can give the trick extra finish by having two boxes exactly similar, one being filled with chocolate creams or other comfits, and exchanged for the one containing the torn-up card. The box should be a small round one, and can then be treated exactly as if it were a coin, and palmed. The pieces are then commanded to pass to wherever you have originally concealed the torn card, which will be found in due course. You exhibit it triumphantly, not affecting to notice the absence of a portion of it at first and, when you do make the discovery, you must appear overcome with bewilderment. Then suddenly remember the piece you have given to be held, and have it fitted to the card, which it will naturally make quite complete. Then, if you have used boxes, have the box supposed to contain the pieces opened by the lady who chose and tore up the card, and present her with it and its contents. Most conjurors leave the trick here, but, if the performer pleases, he can go still further, and render the card quite complete again. This is easily managed with the use of a card box (see p. 127), which can have a perfect card concealed in it. The incomplete card and piece are put in, and the box turned over. This latter phase is not absolutely necessary for the success of the trick. When, as is sometimes the case, it is found to be impossible to conceal the mutilated card satisfactorily in the audience, the card box will have to be used in the first instance. This trick is best introduced in the middle of a performance, when the production of the card from the person of one of the audience will look more genuine than it would if it took place at the commencement. _The Ascending Cards._--For this trick some little preparation is also necessary, and a certain amount of apparatus will be required. Three, four, or more cards are chosen, and then shuffled up in the pack, which is put into a metal or cardboard receptacle of the size of a pack of cards. At a word of command, the cards ascend, one by one, from the pack, without any apparent agency. The apparatus required for this trick consists of the case, which can either be made to conceal the cards entirely, or may have the front cut out so as to show the face of the foremost card, a small border being left for the purpose of preventing the cards from falling out. This case is divided into two divisions, the rearmost one being much smaller than the other, and just large enough to hold about ten cards. To the top of the dividing partition affix a piece of fine black silk, which allow to hang over the smaller division. Into this smaller division now introduce a card, which, as it is put in, must have the silk under it. Now introduce a second card, but pass the silk over this one instead of under it. Put in a third card with the silk under it, and a fourth with the silk over, continuing the operation according to the number of cards you intend performing with. When the silk is pulled, it will cause those cards which have it passed beneath them to ascend. The same effect would be caused without the intervention of intermediate cards, but then they would all rise at once, whereas the trick is to make them do so singly. The performer must have all this arranged before commencing, and also have the silk passed out either at the back (which is to be preferred, where possible) or the side of the stage, where an assistant is stationed, holding the end of it. If at the side, then a small staple or pulley must be fixed in the back of the table and the silk passed through it, otherwise a direct pull will not be obtained. The case holding the cards can either be made to fit in the neck of a decanter by means of a cork on the under side, or can be permanently fixed to a tall stand. I prefer the decanter myself, as an opaque stand always causes suspicions of mechanical assistance to arise in the minds of the audience. The decanter should be given for examination. The performer must force duplicate cards of those arranged in the small division of the card-case, of course taking no notice of those over which the silk passes, as they will never be exposed, and, asking the audience to remember the names of them, have them put in the pack and shuffled. The rest of the trick follows as a matter of course. The pack is placed in the larger front division of the case, and, as the chosen cards are called for, the assistant, who must have a view of the cards from his place of concealment, pulls the thread. A very commonly practised piece of humour is to include a knave in the forced cards, and to place two in the small rear division of the card-case. The one that is to appear first is put in upside down, court cards with one head only being used. It is upbraided for thus making its appearance, and it is replaced in the pack--still upside down--but in the front division. The second time, the other knave appears, right side up. The marvel of the audience is how the card managed to reverse itself in the pack. These card-cases can be procured from any of the vendors of conjuring apparatus. A better arrangement is the following, which enables the performer to have his case examined by the audience--always a great advantage. It will require a little construction on the part of the performer himself, unless he is more fortunate than I ever was, and can find someone to carry out his ideas for him. Instead of having the tin case made with partitions, let him have it quite plain, and just large enough to take from thirty-five to forty cards. This will bear any amount of examination, and a pack of cards should always be put in it before the audience, to show that it is entirely filled therewith, and so cannot possibly be made to contain any mechanical contrivance. The performer's little arrangement lies in a few cards, which, with others, are lying carelessly upon his table. These cards are prearranged with the silk exactly as just described for the small partition of the case, the end of the silk being affixed to the top of the undermost card. When the performer returns to his table with the pack, he should place it, whilst arranging his case in the decanter, with the loose prepared cards, which should then be picked up with it, the pack being undermost. The trick can then proceed as usual, and the case be handed round for examination afterwards. Great care must be taken not to disarrange the silk whilst picking up the cards, as any fault in this respect cannot possibly be remedied. The more simple and free from apparatus the method of performing this trick, the better it will be appreciated. A third method, quite original, which I have adopted with unvarying success, the performer, will, I expect, prefer to any of the foregoing. It is the only method which does not call for the forcing of the cards; and its general surroundings are so simple that I find conjurors themselves sometimes puzzled to explain how the result is brought about. The performer has the usual bottle, which it is, perhaps, as well to open before the company. It should be of perfectly clear glass, and some fluid should be left in to give it steadiness during the performance of the trick. The card-holder should have the front side open, a quarter-inch flange being left on each side, to prevent the cards from falling out, and the inside coloured black. The silk, by means of which the chosen cards are to be made to rise out of the pack, has a small round cloth-covered button attached to the free end, and this button must be lying upon the table, in a convenient position. The performer first comes forward, and gives the bottle and card-holder into the hands of the company for examination. The examination concluded, he takes the articles to the table, and, as soon as possible, drops the button into the bottle. He next fits the holder into the neck, taking care, as he does so, to cause the thread to pass over the top of it. He now brings forward his pack, which he gives up entirely into the hands of the company, who select three cards. As many people nowadays have some idea of the "force," this at once disarms suspicion in a remarkable manner, and puts off many knowing ones, who are sure to have seen the trick before, otherwise performed, it being a very favourite one with conjurors. The performer now takes the pack back to the table, getting a picture card to the front, as he does so. If he chooses, he may ask the selectors of the cards to mark them with pencil, and whilst this is being done, he goes with the pack to the table, where he places it carelessly into the holder, taking care that the thread passes over the top of the cards. It also passes over the front of them, but, as a picture card is in front, it is not seen, as it would be if a card with much white showing were there. For this same reason, the inside of the holder is coloured black. The three cards are now fetched from the audience, faces downwards, so that the performer, as he will explain, cannot see them. It will not assist him in the least if he does; but audiences invariably think an immense deal attaches to the fact of the performer seeing a card, and it is as well for all conjurors to conspire to keep up the delusion. Laying the cards first upon the table, he takes up one, and places it amongst those in the holder, some three or four from the front. As the card is pressed down, it takes the silk with it, care being taken to keep the latter as near the middle of the card as possible. The second card is now placed a few cards farther in the rear, and the third still farther back. It will be necessary to keep a finger of the disengaged hand upon the top of the card or cards in front of the one being placed into position, or the downward pressure will cause a corresponding, but premature, upward motion to be imparted to those already in position, which would spoil the trick at once. Whilst the cards are being thus placed in the pack, the performer must be careful to keep the company engaged in conversation. The trick then proceeds as usual; but, at the conclusion, the performer, seizing the bottle in one hand and the holder in the other, separates them, and comes rapidly forward to give them and the cards for examination. The assistant keeping firm hold of the thread, the button is drawn out of the bottle, and no trace remains of the medium by which the ascension was accomplished. I take some pride in this little arrangement, which, I need scarcely say, is not elsewhere made public. To force three or more cards, pass them all from the bottom to the centre together, and not one at a time. Always be very particular about showing round the decanter or bottle, the most innocent portion of the whole apparatus. Where convenient, it causes a good effect to have a bottle of champagne opened on purpose. Give some of the wine away, and use the bottle half emptied, saying that you must keep some of the spirits in it for your trick. _The Salamander Card._--A card is chosen and torn in halves. One half is given into the custody of the audience, and the other placed in a cleft stick or crayon-holder, and burnt over a candle. The ashes are put into a piece of paper, which is rolled up and made to vanish by sleight of hand, the method used being one which ought, by this time, to be familiar to the performer. A letter here arrives addressed to the performer, brought in by an attendant at the door by which the audience has entered. The performer asks one of the audience to open it for him, as he cannot stop in the middle of a trick. Inside the envelope, which is sealed, is found another, and, inside that, another; and so on until a fifth or sixth is reached. Inside the innermost of all that half of the card which was only an instant before burnt before the eyes of the audience is found, as is proved by fitting it to the portion in the custody of a spectator. This trick is thus managed: The cleft stick, which is an ordinary piece of firewood rounded and smoothed a little, has a cleft at each end. A metal crayon-holder, with double ends, also serves the purpose admirably. In one end, the performer has fixed the half of a card, which must be one of the pack from which the card is to be chosen, doubled up tolerably small. This end he conceals in his hand, and then has the half of the card which is to burnt doubled up and placed in the cleft in the other, retaining the stick in his hand all the time. On turning round to his attendant (who must know his part, and have rehearsed it once or twice) for a candle, he reverses the ends of the stick, and, removing the piece of card just placed in it, gives it to his attendant whilst in the act of taking the candle. If the attendant is not very proficient, the performer may go to the side and stretch the hand containing the abstracted piece of card behind the screen or curtain, and so effect the transfer. The attendant should stand with one hand open and the candlestick in the other (of course, out of sight). The performer will call out for the candle, but, receiving no answer, will go quickly to the side, where he will obtain it. The stick, with fictitious card in it, he must have in the other hand, which must be outstretched all the time, and never for an instant removed from the view of the audience. If this is not done, no suspicion will be attached to the fact of his going to the side. The instant the attendant receives the piece of card, he must slip it inside the small envelope, which will be arranged, in order with the others, beforehand (the outside one being already addressed, as a matter of course), and either take it round to the front himself or deliver it to the servant who is to take it into the room. Too much rapidity cannot be exercised in executing this portion of the trick. When once the letter is delivered, the performer has nothing more to do in the way of exerting his skill, but has merely to do a little talking, and eventually have the letter opened. Indeed, in this trick there is but little sleight of hand to be exhibited; but a bungler would nevertheless make an egregious muddle of it. It requires great neatness of execution. For instance, in turning round for the purpose of reversing the position of the stick in the hands, great care must be taken that no movement of the elbows is visible. The movement made must be confined to the arm below the elbow, or even to the wrists only. This movement of the wrists must be practised, as it is a highly essential one and has to be brought into use frequently. If any of the audience see the arms moving, they know, or surmise, that something is going on, even though they cannot divine what it is. Although not absolutely necessary, it is as well always to force a card for this trick. The card can then be doubled up with the pips outwards if the prepared end of the cleft stick contains a portion of a similar card. For frequent performances of this trick and _The Missing Link_, it will be advisable to have what I have previously described as (but condemned the open use of) "forcing packs," viz., packs the cards of which are all of one denomination and suite, as it will not do to tear up cards from ordinary packs. They are easily obtainable at conjuring repositories or card manufacturers. This trick is also exceedingly effective when a borrowed letter or other document is used instead of a card. In large public audiences, a bank note or other paper of value may be borrowed. It is easy to have a piece of a note of the "Bank of Elegance" in the concealed cleft, in imitation of a bank note. On important occasions the performer should always have three or four sticks prepared with various coloured papers, so as to be ready for any emergency. The preparation is trifling, and the sticks not used will do for another time. It is quite immaterial which way it is done, but sometimes I tell the person to whom I give the stick and candle not to burn the paper, but to "put it in the candle." When I notice that it is in a fair way to be burned I look in another direction, as if not noticing what is going on, and am horrified on turning round to find the paper destroyed. This answers best when the material burnt is a borrowed paper. Most conjurors perform this trick with the aid of a square wooden ladle, which possesses a movable flap similar to that of the "card box," and worked by twisting the handle round. This flap releases a fictitious paper, whilst it covers up the borrowed one. The excuse given for using this ladle is that the performer does not want the audience to suppose, as they would do if he handled it, that he changes the paper. This excuse is poor and weak, as it puts the idea of fictitious substitutions (the heart and soul of stage conjuring) into the heads of people who would otherwise never have dreamed of such a thing. The arrangement of the premises very often makes the employment of the envelopes one within the other impracticable. As a substitute method, I here give one of my own, which, whilst it is not as amusing as the first one, is far more wonderful and inexplicable to the company. Subsequently to borrowing a piece of paper or bank note from one of the company, the performer shows round a piece of glass tube, say four inches in length, having both ends hermetically sealed by being melted up. This piece of tube is folded in a piece of paper, and given into the custody of one of the company. The trick is gone through, as above described, except that the burnt paper is found restored inside the tube, which, of course, has to be broken before the contents can be recovered by their owner. This, on the face of it, is, of course, an utter impossibility; but it is thus accomplished. Glass-blowers, and those who have studied practical chemistry, know that to construct such a glass receptacle as that above described, all that is necessary is a piece of tube and a spirit lamp. The tube is held in the flame by the hands, and, as the glass melts it is drawn asunder, the result being that the two new ends thus formed collapse, and, cooling, take the form of points. Behind the scenes the assistant is provided with a piece of tube, eight or ten inches in length, one end of which has already been melted up. So soon as he receives the piece of paper from the performer he folds it up small, and pushes it down the tube as far as it will go. Then he melts this tube some three inches up, which will be far enough removed from the paper to keep it from being burned, and by this means the paper has become hermetically sealed inside a glass receptacle. If the assistant has had the necessary practice, the operation should not take long. When it is concluded, the assistant brings the glass on, and, under pretence of fetching away the candle, which the performer has placed upon the table, leaves it upon the shelf. The empty tube is upon the table, and the performer, in fetching it, takes with him, secretly, the one with the paper inside. This is very easily concealed in the hand if one end be pressed against the root of the thumb, the other end being pressed by the middle finger. The empty tube is shown, as also a piece of paper, in which it is ostensibly wrapped, the one with the paper inside being substituted. This substitution is effected by having the one tube concealed in the left hand, the empty tube being apparently transferred to it, but really palmed, as above directed. The right hand at once seizes the paper, and covers the tube in the left hand with it, and the wrapping-up is immediately proceeded with, as no further exposure may be permitted. If the performer prefers it, the assistant may wrap the prepared tube in paper, similar to that used by the performer, who then conceals the parcel under his vest. In this case, the empty tube is wrapped up by one of the company, the performer giving the parcel the necessary resemblance to the other (each should have twisted ends), and the exchange may be made subsequently. After the parcel has been opened, for the purpose of showing the tube with the paper inside, the performer must not approach it until the owner of the paper has broken it open with a hammer (the use of the wand for this purpose has less appearance of premeditation about it), and identified his property. I do not recommend the use of a card for this trick, as therein the spectators might find some explanation of its wonderful character. By employing a piece of a letter belonging to one of them, complete mystification is secured. The restored card may be reproduced from a candle, by way of variety. The performer has on his table two or more candles; on no account brought on purposely for the trick. It will not matter in the least how long they have been burning, so that a good portion of them be remaining. As though struck with a sudden inspiration, the performer suggests, in his happiest manner, that the destroyed article be found inside one of the candles. The company not objecting (spectators, anticipating amusement from them, never object to the conjuror's suggestions in these cases), the owner of the paper or chooser of the card is requested to say which candle shall be employed. One being pointed out, and extinguished, it is taken out of the candlestick and put upon the table, where the performer proceeds to cut it in two with a knife, affecting great pains in making the portions exactly equal. He now asks which half he shall take, and, when the person asked says, "the right" (or left) half, he must inquire, "Which right [or left]; mine or yours?" The chosen half is again cut in two, and one of the portions chosen, that portion being again divided. The pieces remaining will be an inch or so long, and one is selected of these. This the performer gives to the person most interested amongst the spectators, on a plate, along with a knife, and, when it is cut open, the paper or card is found inside. The way this is done is simplicity itself. The candles are all ordinary ones, so it really does not matter to the performer which is chosen, although he will do well to exhibit anxiety on the point, by way of effect. Neither does it matter to him which portion of the cut-up candle is eventually chosen, he having previously given off the piece of paper or card to the assistant, who has placed it in a small piece of candle, which the performer has safely secured under his vest whilst he is cutting up the chosen candle. When the last stage of the cutting is finished, the prepared piece is got down and exchanged in the usual manner for the innocent piece. It is then brought forward on the plate, and the remainder follows, as a matter of course. _The Obliging Bouquet._--This trick resembles to a great extent _The Ascending Cards_, and was one of Hermann's many masterpieces. As performed by him, it outshone, in exquisite neatness and effect, all other card tricks; but the amount of skill and daring necessary to carry it properly through is considerable, and persons of nervous or uncertain dispositions had better consider well before they attempt it. At the same time, those with the requisite skill and nerve may earn incalculable glory by including this trick occasionally in their programmes. The description of it (never before made public) is as follows: A bouquet of real flowers is handed to a lady in the audience, and three or four cards are then chosen from the pack. These cards are made to disappear. One by one they are then seen to rise from the bouquet, which is still held by the lady. As in _The Ascending Cards_, a case for holding cards is required, but in this instance it is made of zinc, and just large enough to take about eight cards. The outside is painted dark green. This case must be prepared beforehand, with cards, as described in _The Ascending Cards_, with the exception that human hair is substituted for silk. It is also as well either to have the intermediate cards, _i.e._, those over which the hair passes, fixed permanently, or else to have partitions of the same material as the case. The loose end of the hair should have a tiny bead of wax on it, and the case must be placed in the centre of the bouquet, in such a position that, although it is not visible from the outside, yet the cards will have a tolerably free passage for their ascent. If possible, bring the mouth of it just beneath two buds of roses, which will give to the slightest pressure, and allow the card to come up between them. The hair should hang down between the buds, passing between the stalks. The greatest care must necessarily be taken in arranging all this, and the trick rehearsed within an hour of its performance, to make sure of everything being safe. Bring the bouquet on, and, selecting the lady least likely to interfere with your arrangements (this selection should be made whilst you are on the stage performing other tricks), ask her to kindly hold the bouquet for you, calling attention to the fact that the flowers are real ones. If possible, always have the bouquet held in the front row of the audience, and take care that the hair is towards you all the time. Now "force" duplicate cards of those in the bouquet, and then cause them to vanish as you please. As looking the most skilful, I prefer palming to any other method, on all occasions. If, from knowing the cards as you "forced" them, you are aware who took particular cards, you can ask the person who chose the duplicate card of the first in the case, the name of it, and then desire that one to rise from the bouquet. On hearing the name of the card, or just before, advance to the bouquet, and ask the holder of it if she saw the fairies bring the cards to the flowers, or any other fanciful question you please, and then, under the pretence of having it held a little higher or lower, or a little more to the right or to the left, advance the hand to the bouquet, and so obtain possession of the end of the hair. A good deal of deceptive action must now be introduced, the wand being put into the hand holding the hair, which must then be pulled very slightly indeed, and if the card rises the strain can be continued. Just before the card shows itself, say, "No! I am afraid the fairies have been disobedient to-day." This will momentarily remove the interest of the audience from the bouquet, and attention will be directed to you, as if inquiring what will be done next. This is the opportunity you must seize for causing the card to rise, and then exclaim, "Ah! there is one, after all." Run the card up quickly, and take it out of the bouquet, or, if it appears to be very loose, allow the holder of the bouquet to remove it. If, at this juncture, you fancy your temporary assistant is at all suspicious, at once take the bouquet to someone else; but on no account take this step if all is going on well. Ask the name of the next card, which cause to rise in the same manner, and repeat the operation with the remaining card or cards. As the hair becomes gradually longer, you will be enabled to stand a little further off on each occasion. You must contrive to alter your attitude as often as possible, and also endeavour to look quite unconcerned. The best way to assume this by no means easy appearance, is to affect to be rather more amused at the ascension of the cards from the bouquet than the audience itself. One ticklish point is in ascertaining whether everything is in order. This never reveals itself until the first pull is made, when, if there is anything wrong, a jerk will be felt by the holder of the bouquet, and, in all likelihood, a clue to your secret will be given. If you only so much as fancy that anything is wrong, take hold of the bouquet with your disengaged hand, without taking it away from the holder of it, and have it held a trifle higher or lower. This will enable you to give a precautionary pull without allowing any strain to be felt. Such a thing as a hitch ought not to take place, for the previous arrangements should be so perfect as to do away with all possibility of such an occurrence. The cards all out of the case, inquire, for the sake of effect, if there are any more chosen ones that have not appeared, and then take the bouquet round, allowing people to smell at it, &c. This is really to enable you to remove the case from the bouquet, but ostensibly to show that the flowers are real. The best way of removing the case is through the stems of the flowers, and for this purpose it is made of zinc, it being a weighty metal. As it is a small affair, it can easily be palmed. The bouquet should be then presented to the lady who held it during the performance of the trick, with the request that the flowers should be examined to see if there be any preparation about them. Taking into consideration the difficulty in performing the trick, the desirability of having as small a case as possible, and the usual shortness of hair, it is advisable to force only three cards, although three or four hairs may be employed. When I first saw Herrmann perform this trick, I was simply appalled at the audacity required to perform it successfully; but experience has taught me that, with practice, it is as easy as many other tricks which are not one quarter so effective. The difficulties to be overcome are causing the first card to rise without being discovered, and removing the case. It will be found that if the bouquet is held a little lower (only a few inches) than the hand holding the hair, there will be less likelihood of any strain taking place. If the performer pleases, the chosen cards can be torn up or burnt in the first instance, but the destruction is a needless one. _The Hatched Card._--A chosen card is destroyed or made to disappear, and on an ordinary egg (selected from a number) being broken, it is found inside. Before describing the trick itself, I will give a unique method (Herrmann again) for obtaining the eggs. A rehearsed assistant will be required, and he must have in his mouth an egg, and, besides, either a portion (either end) of the shell of, or a wooden or porcelain imitation of, one. Under the vest band, and sustained by the elastic thereof, you have four more eggs concealed. You come on with your assistant, whose mouth is then empty, and, telling the audience that you will require an egg, ask him if he has taken the egg powder you gave him, and whether he thinks he can give you any eggs. On receiving his reply in the affirmative, tell him to fetch a plate. This he does, and, at the same time, pops the egg and real or imitation portion of shell into his mouth, all done in an instant, so as to avoid suspicion. He now takes up his position in the centre of the stage, a little "up," with the plate held before him and elbows close to his sides. You stand beside him, and place your rear hand upon his head. He then slowly exhibits the egg, which, with the forward hand, you then extract with seemingly immense difficulty. Whilst the forward hand is thus engaged, the rear one takes an egg from the vest, and you cross over behind the assistant, and are just about to take the plate from him when he exhibits the shell, which, to the audience, appears to be another egg. You exclaim, "What, another! you must have taken too much powder," and then advancing the forward (late the rear) hand, you slip the egg palmed in it half into your assistant's mouth, and then proceed to drag it forth with the same difficulty which attended the abstraction of the first one. The rear hand has by this time another egg in it, and you go round behind the assistant, only to find him exhibiting another egg, which you extract, as before. The process is repeated until all the eggs are gone. It is not advisable to use more than five eggs, for precautionary reasons, and that number is quite sufficient to excite wonder. The assistant must be careful not to allow the shell inside his mouth to be seen whilst you are removing an egg just "laid." If you can find anyone with a mouth capacious enough to contain two eggs (small ones will do), secure him as an inestimable treasure. No trick being more conducive to laughter than this one, extra care must be taken with it. The performer should move about in an easy and unostentatious manner, and endeavour, by word and mien, to keep up the impression that the whole of the trick lies in the assistant's mouth. The use of the extra egg end is not absolutely necessary, for the palming can begin with the first egg, the one originally in the mouth being kept there till the last, when it may be allowed to fall out into the performer's outstretched palms. Either method is effective. Show the eggs round on a plate, and have one selected with which to perform the succeeding trick. For that, the following apparatus will be necessary. Make, either of wood or metal (tin, brass, zinc, &c.), a hollow wand (open at one end, and closed at the other), painted or varnished on the outside, so as to resemble in every little particular the wand you ordinarily use. If the latter has ivory or brass tips, then your imitation wand must have the same. There is not the least necessity for running into any expense, for, by going to a working tinman or walking-stick maker, the thing can be obtained for a shilling. I much prefer wood to metal, and would recommend its use. This imitation need not be made of real ebony, although it should be of tolerably hard wood. Fitting inside there must be another piece of wood, an inch shorter than the interior of the wand itself, which should move up and down pretty easily, but not loosely. Commencing exactly 2in. from one end, cut a slit 1in. long, and, making a little peg of wood, or providing yourself with a small brass round-headed nail, which must be afterwards coloured to match the wand, drive it into the sliding piece of wood, which must be pushed up against the closed end of the wand at the time. By holding the wand at the closed end, and placing the thumb on the little peg, the sliding piece of wood can be made to move up and down as easily as can the pen or pencil inside an ivory holder. By making the slit the same length as the space left at the open end of the wand, the sliding piece will not protrude when the peg is pushed down by means of the thumb. The sliding piece should also be blackened all over, as, if left white, it might show through the slit or at the exposed end, which, however, should never be turned full towards the audience at any time. It is now open to you either to force a card or to have one selected haphazard. If the card is to be forced, then you can have the wand loaded beforehand. This is done by doubling up the card until it is only 1in. wide, rolling it up, and putting it into the wand, which you can then leave on the table handy. If the card is not to be forced, the wand must be behind, and the card chosen before the egg-laying performance (supposing you find your eggs in that way) takes place. Have only about twenty cards to select from, and let your assistant know what they are. They can be arranged in sequences or suits, for greater convenience. When your assistant retires, after producing the eggs, he takes the pack of cards with him; and whilst you are showing the eggs round he looks through the nineteen cards and finds out which one is missing. He then takes a duplicate of this, and puts it into the wand. For the sake of expedition, you should have a duplicate of each of the twenty cards in readiness. I remember once finding myself without a duplicate of a selected card, and I had actually to go forward and, under the plea of placing it in an exposed position, "where everyone could see it," effect a change. I left a dummy card on the chair (the "exposed position,") face downwards, and carried off the chosen one in triumph, feeling very much relieved. This method of having a card or cards chosen from a pack, the cards of which are known, does not belong particularly to this trick, but can be used in many others. It is only worth while to take the trouble when your audience is a particularly sharp one, and not likely to be imposed upon by a "force." The egg and card both chosen, you may do what you please with the latter, so long as you get rid of it, and, taking the egg, which you have previously had minutely examined and held up to the light, to show that it is empty, upon a plate, give the plate to be held by a spectator, and then break the shell by means of the open end of your prepared wand. Immediately you are well through the shell, push the peg along by means of the thumb, and the rolled up card will be forced into the egg, whence have it extracted by a spectator. If you please, one of the audience may hold the egg whilst you break the shell. I need hardly mention that, before you bring your wand into play, you should make a fuss about passing the card into the egg. The reader, by this time, will take that as a matter of course. Always have a cloth or handkerchief handy in this trick for wiping egg and fingers. The preceding six card tricks, used judiciously, that is to say, not too frequently, should, with those described in "Drawing-room Magic" (_La Carte Générale_, for instance), last a conjuror a lifetime. They are the very best I have seen performed, for they combine sleight of hand with a minimum amount of apparatus; indeed, the articles I have directed to be used are hardly worthy of the name, the nearest approach to it being the card-cases and the hollow wand. There are a number of tricks sold in which cards rise from demons' heads, imitation plants, and pedestals; but these are all exceedingly expensive, and are nearly all worked by electricity. Besides this, there always seems to be an artificial effect about such things. For all the audience know, there may be a small boy concealed in the demon's head, or in the huge flower-pot in which the "Magic Rose Tree" is generally stood. At any rate, the idea of "sleight of hand" is not conveyed, and, if for that reason only, I will have none of them. CHAPTER XIII. TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS AND GLOVES. THE RESTORED HANDKERCHIEF: ITS VARIOUS MISFORTUNES--THE CONJUROR'S PISTOL--SUN AND MOON: A TOTAL ECLIPSE--THE DISSOLVING KNOTS--THE DECANTED HANDKERCHIEF--THE MELTING HANDKERCHIEFS--THE ELASTIC GLOVE: HOW TO ACCOMMODATE ALL SIZES. _The Restored Handkerchief._--This title will doubtless apply to many tricks with handkerchiefs, so, if the performer thinks it too general, he can find another of his own for this particular trick. Herrmann called it Le Mouchoir Serpent, from the fancied resemblance to a snake which the handkerchief was made to take at one stage of the trick. For it the performer must have prepared a lemon, with a small handkerchief inside. The way to operate on the lemon is as follows: Cut off one end--the apex is the best--and then, by means of a spoon, take out the whole of the interior, being careful to remove the inner white skin. Push in the handkerchief, replace the portion of lemon which you cut off, and sew it carefully on with yellow cotton or silk. The first lemon or two are rather tiresome to prepare, but after a time the job can be done very quickly and neatly. The method of sewing which should be adopted is that known as "under-sewing," and it will be necessary to guard against including the handkerchief itself in the stitching. As the handkerchief placed inside is meant to be subsequently destroyed, it need be of the very commonest description only. It can be obtained for three-halfpence. On the centre table have a small scent-bottle, with methylated spirits, a lighted candle, a common plate, and a knife. Concealed in the palm of one hand are about ten pieces of cambric, each about three inches square, and properly hemmed. Under the vest is a piece of cambric two inches broad and about four feet long, doubled, not rolled, up. Behind the scenes are a couple of pieces of thin wrapping paper about nine inches square. In the hand not occupied by the pieces conceal the prepared lemon, and advance to the audience. Pretend to see something in a gentleman's hair, and, after fumbling in it, produce the lemon. Let several persons smell at the fruit, taking care to present the better-looking end, in case your sewing has not been very successful. Of course, the lemon must not leave your hand, except to be tossed once or twice in the air, to show that it is real. Place this lemon on a side table, and there leave it, with the sewn-up end from the audience. Now borrow a small handkerchief, the smaller the better but do not take one that is much ornamented with lace. Turn to a gentleman, and, whilst asking him to stand up, roll the handkerchief up carelessly in the hand, and, working it round the bundle of pieces which you have concealed, bring it underneath and let the pieces appear at the top. This can be done in an instant whilst you are talking with the person whom you wish to assist you. Give the bundle of pieces, which the audience will think is the handkerchief, to him, with instructions to rub it gently in the hands. You have, in the meantime, taken care to keep the exchanged handkerchief well concealed in the palm. Retire to the stage, and, whilst mounting it, vest the handkerchief and take in its place the doubled-up long piece, which keep concealed by means of the wand. Ask your assistant how he is getting on, and explain that you wish him to rub the handkerchief so small that it can be passed inside the lemon. After a little rubbing has taken place, ask him to open the handkerchief out, to see if it is any smaller. Of course, when he attempts to do so, it will drop about in pieces, to everyone's astonishment. Affect great annoyance, and advance, saying that the trick is now spoilt all through the handkerchief being _rubbed the wrong way_. Collect the pieces together, and, rolling them up, exchange them in the hand for the long piece. This exchange may at first seem very daring and difficult, but, if care is taken always to have the piece or pieces concealed well down in the hand before the substituted article is removed, there need be no fear of detection; only the performer must go right at it, and not falter in the least. Give the long piece to your assistant, and tell him to rub it this time with the left hand. Whichever way he rubs you must say is the wrong one, and finally ask him to give you one of the pieces that you may show him what you mean. In his attempt to give you one of the supposed pieces, he will unroll the long piece amidst much laughter. After suggesting that the gentleman pays for the destroyed handkerchief, rub it up in the hands and "pass" it into the lemon. For this purpose, it may be rolled up on the table, and passed down a trap. Instead of "passing" with the hands, it is in every way neater and more effective to use a conjuring pistol, which is loaded with the handkerchief and then fired. This pistol will have to be provided with a large tin funnel, so constructed that the tube portion, which must fit the barrel of the pistol closely, extends for a long way inside the funnel. When a handkerchief, or similar article, is rammed into the funnel, care is taken that it goes around the tube so that, on the pistol, which has been previously loaded, being fired, the flash passes harmlessly down the tube. The mouth of the funnel must never, by any chance, be seen by the audience. These pistols, which are exceedingly useful at all times, can be purchased at conjuring repositories; but it is easy for anyone possessing an ordinary pistol to have it fitted with a funnel by a tinman. Suppose the long piece either "passed" or fired out of the pistol, take the lemon and cut it open with the knife, and pull out the handkerchief that was already in it. Pretend to advance for the purpose of returning it to its owner, but suddenly discover that it smells of lemon. Say that you will put some scent on it, and, placing it upon the plate, saturate it with spirits from your bottle. Whilst advancing a step or two, to inquire if it is enough, your stage attendant enters and quietly sets light to the spirits with the candle. You turn back and nearly burn your fingers, and start aside horror-stricken. A slight scene now takes place between you and your attendant, who insists that you told him to set fire to the handkerchief. Run down to the audience with the plate and its blazing contents, asking the owner of the handkerchief to take it in its present state. Turn back and drop it on the floor of the stage, and then go behind the scenes, where quickly take the original borrowed handkerchief from the vest, and wrap it in one of the two pieces of paper (it will add to the effect if you scent the handkerchief a little), which hold in the hand covered by the second piece of paper, open. During your absence your attendant has been dancing about, affecting to burn his fingers, &c. When the handkerchief is nearly burnt out, snatch up the remains of it quickly and pop it into the open piece of paper, roll it up rapidly and exchange for the real handkerchief in paper, vesting it at once, or a severe burn may ensue. This is done whilst hurrying towards the owner of the handkerchief, to whom you say that you have done the best you can, and are sorry that you have only the ashes of the handkerchief to offer; but that if she will leave her address, you will forward a new one in the morning, &c. Finally, you have the supposed ashes blown upon, and then tear open the paper, revealing the handkerchief. If you have scented it, call attention to the fact. If I wanted to test a conjuror's ability, I should give him this trick to perform. No duffer could ever get half way through it; and yet, by attention to the rudiments of palming, &c., it becomes easy enough. There can be no two opinions about the effect produced. The principal portions should be rehearsed with your attendant. A very amusing variation to this trick is the following: Purchase two cheap sunshades of a precisely similar pattern. They should be small, and the covers of light alpaca. From one carefully strip the cover, so as to leave the ribs bare, and, at the end of each rib, fasten a piece of cambric exactly similar to those used in the rubbing-away episode. This sunshade have lying upon the shelf at the back of the table, rolled up in paper. In one of the large side pockets have concealed the cover, rolled up and tied with very fine thread, that may be easily broken. Upon the table have lying a piece of paper similar to that in which the sunshade upon the shelf is wrapped. At the opening of the trick, show this sunshade round, and then proceed to wrap it up in paper, on the table. You will always have some extra sheets, and behind one of these the one sunshade is exchanged for the other. Give it to be held in the company. Then borrow a hat, and secretly introduce the cover, placing the hat on a side table. When the trick has proceeded as far as the discovery of the small pieces in the hands of the spectator who is rubbing the handkerchief, place them in the pistol and fire at the sunshade held in the company. Great amusement ensues when the bare ribs are discovered, with the pieces of cambric flying from them. These are then taken off, and the trick proceeded with, as before described, the cover being discovered in the hat at any convenient period. Break the thread, and shake it out well before bringing to view, so as not to suggest any idea of its ever having been rolled up tightly into small bulk. _Sun and Moon._--This is another amusing trick, in which handkerchiefs are destroyed and restored in a most lavish manner. Beyond the preparation of a couple of handkerchiefs, and the use of a conjuring pistol, no apparatus is required, if the trick be performed after the following method, which is according to my own arrangement, and in keeping with my belief in sleight of hand as opposed to apparatus. Purchase three common coloured cotton handkerchiefs, all of precisely the same pattern, and from the centre of one of them cut a circular piece some three or four inches in diameter. Replace this with a white piece, so that you have a coloured handkerchief with a white centre. Take a white handkerchief, and cut from its centre a circular piece just a trifle smaller than that from the coloured handkerchief, which latter then sew in the centre of the white handkerchief. A friend of yours in the audience should have the second of the coloured handkerchiefs in his pocket, and receive instructions to the effect that, when you ask for a handkerchief in a particular manner (you can easily arrange a sort of by-word between yourselves), he is to offer this particular handkerchief, which you tardily accept. This is one of the very rare occasions on which I permit myself to have a confederate in the audience; and I only do it because (1) a really capital trick would otherwise be impossible of performance, and (2) because it is not at all necessary that your confederate should know anything about the trick. I always say that it is necessary for me to have in such-and-such a trick a coloured handkerchief, _merely for effect_, and it is rarely that people bring coloured handkerchiefs with them, so, to avoid disappointment, &c., &c. If the person who officiates be a dullard, he will be none the wiser, and if he be a relative, as he should be, he is tolerably safe. Coloured handkerchief No. 3 you have rolled up in a piece of paper and placed in your capacious breast pocket. Besides these, you must have in the palm of one hand an ordinary white handkerchief concealed. The two prepared handkerchiefs already described are done up in paper in the shape of a ball and placed upon the shelf at the back of the table, on the top of which are lying a few loose sheets of paper similar to that in which the handkerchiefs are wrapped. Also on the table are two plates, some methylated spirits, a lighted candle, two pairs of scissors, or else two sharp knives, and a funnel pistol. Advance to the audience, with the white handkerchief concealed in the palm, and borrow two handkerchiefs--one a white one, at hazard, except that you endeavour to let it be one somewhat similar to your own, and the other, the coloured one, from your friend. Exchange the white handkerchief for your own, as in the preceding trick, and vest it, and then give both white and coloured handkerchiefs to be held by separate persons. Each handkerchief should be held horizontally by the two hands, one holding the very centre of it, and the other grasping it a few inches away. Give the scissors or knives to two other persons, and bid them mark the handkerchiefs. At first some hesitation will be shown at cutting the handkerchiefs, but you must say there is no fear. From the position in which each handkerchief is held, it will be incumbent on anyone cutting between the hands of the person holding it to take a piece clean out of the centre. When this cutting is over (you might do it yourself, only it looks more genuine and creates more fun to have it done by the audience), say that there will be no mistaking the handkerchiefs now, for they are marked with a vengeance. Now take the mutilated coloured handkerchief and the white piece, and put them on one plate, the the mutilated white handkerchief and coloured piece being put on the other. Pour spirits on both, and set fire to them. When they are well ablaze, pretend to discover that you have made the mistake of mixing the colours, and endeavour (fruitlessly, of course) to take out the burning pieces. Remark that it is a very bad job, as you had hoped to have shown a specimen of your skill, but now everything is spoilt through your forgetfulness. Your stage attendant can attend to the burning of the handkerchiefs, if you so please, in which case you can give him a good blowing up, and threaten to discharge him on the spot. The more penitent he can manage to look, the better it will be for the effect of the trick. Take the ashes, and put them in a piece of the paper which is on the table, and, whilst affecting to put this in a second piece, exchange it for the prepared handkerchiefs in paper on the shelf. This method is very easy, and is thus performed: Stand at the end of the table, and, with the hand that is nearest the audience, raise a piece of paper partly from the table, but not so much as to enable the audience to see under it, and behind this temporary screen the exchange can be effected by means of the rear hand with impunity, providing it is done quickly but not hurriedly, and with the eyes turned towards the audience, to whom the performer is impressively descanting on the many vicissitudes which chequer a conjuror's career. Directly the two parcels are safely exchanged, go forward and give the paper to be held by one of the audience. An ordinary pistol can now be let off, or a word of command given, and the paper then opened. Affecting not to notice that there is anything wrong, you proceed to return the handkerchiefs to their respective owners. Laughter will, of course, ensue, and you will then appear to be overwhelmed with confusion. Borrow a hat, put the handkerchiefs in it and take them out again, and finally drop one on the floor. The action of stooping to pick it up will enable you to bring the opening of the hat against your breast, and you must seize this opportunity of slipping the roll from the breast pocket into it. Go back to the table and place the hat upon it, and then, taking up the funnel pistol, ram the handkerchiefs into it, with the remark that you may as well get rid of them altogether. Fire the pistol, and then ask if anyone saw anything pass into the hat, as you fancy you did. Go to the hat and produce the roll, which open, and show the coloured handkerchief. Spread this out, to show that the centre is perfectly restored, and, whilst going forward with it, take the white handkerchief, unperceived, from the vest, and roll it up inside the coloured one. Then say, "Ah! but we have not the white handkerchief yet; well, perhaps we shall be able to find it." Rub the coloured handkerchief in the hands, with the white one inside, and, finally, open both and return to their owners. This finale is, perhaps, the most difficult part of the trick. Take care when the funnel pistol is fired that you either stand it upon its broad end, or else place it upon the table with the mouth from the audience. Although, to the audience, an enormous amount of destruction appears to be going on, such is not really the case, as two handkerchiefs only are destroyed in the trick. [Illustration: FIG. 42.] [Illustration: FIG. 43.] _The Knots._--I call this trick by a simple name, because extreme simplicity is its prevailing feature from beginning to end. The last few tricks described have all had apparatus, to some extent, as a component part; this one is all sleight of hand. In "Drawing-room Magic" (p. 65), I gave directions for untying a knot by word of command, and noted at the time that an enlargement of the trick would be given in "Grand Magic." We have now arrived at the enlargement. In the minor trick, the knot is tied in a peculiar fashion by the performer himself; now the knots are to be tied by various members of the audience, and it is this which gives the trick such a marvellous appearance. The performer advances, and begs the loan of several handkerchiefs. He takes two of those proffered, and, advancing towards one of the audience, presents just four inches (on no account more) of one end of each handkerchief, one being crossed over the other, with the request to have them tied together in a knot. The reason for crossing one end over is to induce the tyer to make either a "granny" or a reef knot, which are the knots easiest to undo--that is, after the conjuror's method. Fig. 42 shows a "granny" knot. The general appearance of a reef knot is somewhat the same, so it does not require a separate sketch, and the mode of proceeding will be in both cases similar. For convenience of description, I have depicted a dark-coloured and a white handkerchief, and the performer will do well to take this hint, and always, where possible, borrow handkerchiefs varying in colour or texture, in order that the sinuosities in the knots may be easily followed by the eye. As the performer wants a knot that is tied neither too loosely nor too tightly, he must keep his eye upon it whilst it is being tied. If it is loosely done, he must say, "Don't be afraid of tying it up tight, sir [or madam]; pull as hard as you like." In the event of a too literal acceptance of his words, he should take the handkerchiefs at once. Even when the knot is tied as hard as a stone, the performer takes it in the hands, and, with the remark, "Oh! this is not half tight enough yet," pretends to pull it up with all his force. What he really does is to take the small end of one handkerchief in one hand, and the body of the same handkerchief on the other side of the knot in the other. By pulling at these hard, and, where they do not give easily by wriggling them as well, the end of the handkerchief will be pulled out quite straight, as in Fig. 43. It will there be seen that the white handkerchief has been manipulated upon, and that the dark handkerchief is now really only tied _round it_. In some cases, the greatest difficulty arises through some malicious person tying an extremely hard knot. If the performer pulls too hard, he will, in all probability, rend the handkerchief without making things much better. In this case, he must endeavour, whilst borrowing another handkerchief, for the continuation of the trick, and under concealment of the same, to loosen the knot a little in the ordinary way, and then he can straighten the end openly later on, as though trying if all the knots were secure. It is not often that the amateur will, at the outset of his career, find much difficulty of this kind, for his audiences will not be of the antagonistic class. Suppose everything has gone favourably, the performer then takes another handkerchief, and has that tied on also, of course to a disengaged corner, and so goes on with four, five, or six, each knot being operated upon as soon as it is tied. If he notices that anyone is tying a reef knot, he should at once audibly remark upon it, as the public has a great idea that a reef knot is the most difficult to untie, whereas it is really the easiest of all. When anyone goes in for a multiplicity of twists, one end being wound round the other several times, let the performer rest easily in his shoes, for he has only to pull that end round which the other one is coiled, and five or six coils will make no difference; at the same time, he must appeal to the audience whether it is fair, &c., for effect. When the required number of handkerchiefs have been tied together, and all the knots have been operated upon _secundum artem_, the performer retires to the stage, and, taking a chair or low table (the chair for preference), proceeds to place the handkerchiefs in a pile upon it after the following manner: Knot No. 1 is held between the tips of the finger and thumb in such a manner that the main body of the straight end lies along the palm of the hand. The loose portion of the handkerchief is then opened out by the left hand and covered over the knot, which is placed, at the same time, upon the chair; whilst, under cover of the handkerchief, the little finger of the right hand is drawn up by a contraction of the hand as closely to the knot as possible, and there grasps firmly the main body of the straight end. By straightening out the hand again, the end will be pulled right out, and the handkerchiefs parted. All this must be done quickly. If the end, as it often will, requires two pulls to draw it clear, it is best to lift up the handkerchief, and exhibit the knot again, to show there is "no deception," or on any other plea, before giving the second pull. Proceed after the same manner with all the knots, each one being covered with a separate handkerchief, taking great care that none of them slip off the chair during the operation, or it will be shown that the knots are already undone. The handkerchiefs should either be trailed on the floor or hung over the back of the chair, where they will not become confused or get under the performer's feet, and so receive an undesired tug. For the purpose of diverting the attention of the audience during this operation, the performer should make some jocular remark concerning each knot. He should say something about having at length come to the "knotty point," and then describe each knot, whether correctly or incorrectly will not much matter. One, he must say, is the reef knot, another the Gordian knot, and another a weaver's knot. The last made will generally be a true lover's knot, about which the performer may remark, before small audiences, that it was a _knotty_ (naughty) person who tied it. The performer has only to wave his wand over the heap, or to blow upon it, and then lift off the handkerchiefs one by one. The beginner will do well to try only three knots as a commencement, and to have them tied by ladies, who, as before explained, are always the best to fly to in risky cases. Whilst the knots are being tied, hang the handkerchiefs already joined over one arm, where they will be out of the way of danger, and in the way of assisting the performer by concealing any covert proceedings on his part in untying obstinate knots. The knot depicted at Fig. 44 I have christened the _bête noire_ knot, and such the performer will find it whenever it is tied for him. If he does not put the ends of the handkerchiefs crossed into the hands of the person whom he requests to tie a knot, he will find the _bête noire_ appear with marvellous rapidity. When it or any other difficult knot appears, the only thing to be done is to untie it covertly, and do it up again after the matter described in "Drawing-room Magic." This may seem a very cool direction to give, but is the only one appropriate to the occasion, and the performer must make the best of a bad job. I have often untied a knot whilst mounting the steps of the stage, and had everything done up again by the time I reached the chair. The performer must practise by tying for himself the most intricate knots imaginable; or, if he learns with a companion, let the two tie knots for each other. Silk handkerchiefs are, as a rule, the best; they slip easily and do not tear readily, which latter quality is not the lesser advantage: it makes one very uncomfortable to have to return a handkerchief with one end hanging by a thread. This trick is one of the few which it is impossible to purchase. Let every conjuror be careful in his performance of it, and only give it "by request," or on special occasions, for it is worth half a dozen apparatus tricks put together. [Illustration: FIG. 44.] Although very good indeed, the following method, in which one handkerchief only is used, is not so effective as when several are employed. The performer takes a large handkerchief, and ties a single knot in it, near the centre. He does not pull this knot tight, but leaves a loop large enough to receive his hand, or, at least, several fingers. Holding this loop in one hand, and presenting the two ends, side by side, with the other, he has another knot tied upon the first one. Whilst passing to another person, one end is pulled out straight, of course whilst ostensibly tightening the knot, and another knot is then tied; the end before straightened is again pulled at, and another knot tied, and so on until the handkerchief is all knots. The performer takes a pull at the straight end to ensure its running easily, and also pulls it through as far as it will come without actually untying. He then covers the bunch of knots with the loose centre of the handkerchief, and gives the whole to be held in the hands of a spectator. As the trying of many knots will have caused the centre of the handkerchief to become tightened up, it will be necessary for the left hand to take some time in opening it nicely. The time thus gained is just sufficient to enable the right hand to work out the straight end through the many folds; the movement being naturally screened by the open portion of the handkerchief in the left hand. Ask the person to whom the bundle is given to hold, to feel that the knots are still there. He will feel the hardened folds, and will mistake them for the knots. Always borrow a handkerchief for this trick, or the audience will infallibly think that the knotted handkerchief is rapidly exchanged for another. If anyone starts tying a _bête noire_, you can stop him at once by saying that there will be no room for anyone else to tie a knot. This method is much easier than its forerunner, but, as before stated, it is not half so effective. _The Decanted Handkerchief._--The performer comes forward with an empty decanter, which is examined, and then completely covered with a cloth and given to a spectator to hold. The performer takes a second decanter, and places in it a handkerchief, also previously examined, and stands upon the stage. At the word of command, the handkerchief vanishes suddenly from the second decanter, which is not covered, and, on the cloth being removed from the first decanter by a spectator, the handkerchief is found inside. This pretty trick is thus performed: Procure two toilet water-bottles--by courtesy called decanters--with as wide necks as possible; also two silk handkerchiefs, precisely similar. Scarlet is a serviceable colour for the purpose; and the handkerchiefs should be of very fine material, in order that they may be rolled up into a very small space, and not more than 15 in. square--rather less, if anything. Behind the scenes the performer folds up one of the handkerchiefs small enough to be concealed under the fingers when they are holding the neck of the bottle. If three fingers are sufficient, so much the better; but even if four are used no uninitiated person would ever suspect that anything would be concealed in so audacious a manner, especially as not the least clue has been given by the performer as to what is to be subsequently performed. The bottle shown round, a cloth is produced and covered over it, the handkerchief concealed in the fingers being popped into the bottle during the process. As it should at once spread out, it is not advisable to "double" it up tightly in the act of folding, but rather to "bunch" it, as it will then spring open the more readily. The bottle should be completely wrapped up in the cloth, bottom and all, and the spectator into whose custody it is placed must be enjoined to place one hand on the top and another at the bottom. The performer now proceeds with his other bottle and the visible handkerchief. Around his left wrist he has attached a thick eyeglass cord, which passes up the sleeve, round the back, and down the right-hand sleeve, where it has a short hook attached. In order that it may be readily found, this hook should be fixed in the inside of the coat cuff. The performer shows round the handkerchief, leaving the second bottle on the table, and, as he turns to fetch that article, the hook is got down and fixed firmly into the _centre_ of the handkerchief. It is then pushed down the neck of the bottle by the performer, the pushing down being conducted in such a way as to suggest the extreme difficulty of getting the handkerchief into the bottle. The wand may here be used with effect to ram it down. Standing with his right side towards the audience, the performer holds out the bottle, and announces his intention of causing the handkerchief to fly from it into the one held by a spectator, the holder being enjoined to keep a good watch, &c. At the word "three" (counting "one, two, three," slowly, always adds to the effect, by preparing for a climax), the performer thrusts out both hands to their fullest extent, when the handkerchief will fly out of the bottle up the right sleeve, its passage being shielded by the right hand, which must, of course, be disposed preliminarily so as to afford a free course to the handkerchief. If the performer, holding the bottle in the right hand, presented his left side to the company, many spectators might be able to see the handkerchief fly up the sleeve. With the right side towards them, they only see it disappear suddenly from the bottle. The length of the cord will require adjustment, and it should be as short as the conjuror can conveniently manage without cramping the movement of the arms. Some performers use a piece of stout elastic, which certainly has the property of causing a self-acting, rapid disappearance; but when once the hook is in the handkerchief, and the latter in the bottle, a constant hold must be kept on the elastic to prevent a premature flight, which would at once destroy the trick. The spectator holding the bottle is asked to remove the cloth and examine the bottle as much as he pleases, and the performer then hands the second bottle for examination, which has not been done before. A trick so very easy of management, and yet so effective, should be a favourite one with amateurs. [Illustration: FIG. 45.] _The Melting Handkerchiefs._--The performer comes forward with a soup-plate in one hand and two silk handkerchiefs in the other. The plate, after being shown empty, is placed upon the ground, inverted, whilst the performer takes the handkerchiefs in his hands, and commences to roll them up in them. He rubs his hands together, and, on opening them, the handkerchiefs are found to have melted completely away. The soup-plate is then raised by one of the company, and the handkerchiefs are found beneath. The soup-plate portion of the trick is thus easily managed: The performer has balled up under the fingers of the hand holding the plate duplicate handkerchiefs of those he holds openly in the other hand. They are of very fine silk, and so are easily concealed. As he boldly shows the inside of the plate, where the fingers are, the spectators never suspect the presence of the handkerchiefs, or of anything else. As the plate is laid carelessly upon the floor, it is drawn a few inches towards the performer, the side that is towards the company scraping the ground. In this way the handkerchiefs are got underneath. The melting away of the handkerchiefs is accomplished with the aid of the plain-looking implement depicted at Fig. 45. It is constructed of wood, is hollow, and is blackened on the outside. Through the end is a hole, and through that is passed a piece of stout elastic, having a knot on the inside. On the side seam of the vest is sewn a ring, and the end of the elastic, after being passed through this, is brought round the back and left side, and fastened securely to a button in front. This great length is necessary for the facile performance of the trick. When at rest, the wooden holder rests against the ring on the vest. After the performer has finished placing the plate upon the floor, he retires to the stage, and stands sideways to the company. Supposing the holder to be on his right side, that side would be nearest the company. First of all, the sleeves are turned very far back, and then, under cover of the right forearm, the left hand seizes the holder, and, drawing it out of concealment, places it in the right hand, where the handkerchiefs are being held. The performer may get out the holder before this, if he pleases--the proper time for so doing being whenever a favourable opportunity presents itself--and keep it palmed in the right hand. The arm will always prevent the elastic being seen by the company. With his arms outstretched, and the hands together, the performer proceeds to gather in the handkerchiefs by slow degrees, the fingers of the left hand pushing them into the holder. When they are all pushed home, the hands are opened slightly, the left hand only being moved for this purpose, and the holder, thus released, flies back until stopped by the ring. The performer continues rubbing away the handkerchiefs, still supposed to be in his hand, and he must act as though they were being rolled into an ever-decreasing ball, the final kneading being done by the tips of the fingers of the right hand, working in the palm of the left hand. All that now remains is to have the plate lifted. The trick may be prolonged and varied if the performer has a second holder on his left side containing handkerchiefs of other colours to those first used. By getting this holder out and rolling up the handkerchiefs from under the plate, the new handkerchiefs may be got out and the old ones substituted. Or the trick may be done the other way round, and the change executed first, the second handkerchiefs being found under the plate. There is no reason why this trick should not be even more elaborated, and further changes of handkerchiefs made. This may be done by means of a holder, some four inches in length, open at each end, and connected with the elastic by a metal fork-shaped piece, upon which it swivels by means of a pin passing through the centre. Each side can contain handkerchiefs of different colours, the pin through the centre preventing their becoming mixed with one another, and a variety of changes made, which will be intensely bewildering to the spectators, especially as the performer each time gives the handkerchief for examination, and shows his hands empty. The perfect simplicity and completeness of the method of vanishing permits of its being repeated any number of times, each successive change or disappearance causing fresh wonderment. Care must, however, be taken, in each instance, that the handkerchiefs are pressed well home in the holder, as an exposed portion might be seen as it flashed under the coat; whilst there is still greater danger of its subsequently working out and becoming slowly visible to the company. If the great length of elastic which I have recommended were not employed, the performer would not be able to stretch his arms out to their full extent in front of him; and it is highly essential for effect that the hands should be as far removed from the body as possible. The ingenuity of the performer will enable him to employ the holder in many tricks in which handkerchiefs take part. _Le Gant de Paris._--For this trick, which will bring the performer's utmost skill into play, the following articles will be required: An orange, a lemon, and a walnut, all embowelled. The walnut contains a small kid glove, the lemon contains the walnut, and the orange the lemon. Besides these, the performer has a whole orange, lemon, and walnut, which he can either bring forward, or, for preference, find in persons' hair or on their noses. He has, also, concealed separately under the vest, a tiny glove, not more than three inches in length, and another quite ten inches long. These will be best manufactured at home under personal supervision, and they should be well made. The three fruits, produced or discovered, are placed in various positions on the table, or tables, care being taken that the lemon is situated conveniently near a trap. Opportunity must be taken for exchanging the orange for the prepared one. There are many ways for doing this. One, which is as good as any, is to give the perfect orange to the stage attendant, telling him to place it upon the table, and then at once engage the audience with something else. In going towards the table, the attendant effects the exchange. Other methods, such as having the prepared orange on the shelf, and exchanging it with the other whilst calling attention to the lemon--carrying it in the breast pocket, and exchanging it when the back is turned to the audience--will readily suggest themselves. It is impossible to set down any hard-and-fast rule for such _minutiæ_ as these. Sometimes the disposition of the stage, or of the audience, will necessitate the adoption of a method that would, under other circumstances, be impossible of introduction. The small glove is now brought down and kept concealed in the palm, and a kid glove, of the same colour as the one inside the prepared walnut shells, borrowed. Express your intention of making it pass inside the walnut, and observe that it is a little too large. Saying that you will make it a little smaller, proceed to rub it in the hand, and eventually exchange it for the tiny glove, which produce, and give to a gentleman to fit upon the hand. Of course, it will be too small, and you will inquire what size glove the gentleman wears. You affect to misunderstand him, and clap on ten sizes more. Thus, if eight and a half is said, you exclaim, "Eigh_teen_ and a half! That's a very large size, sir. But perhaps you think I can't make one so big. I will show you." It is sure to be explained that eight and a half, and not eighteen and a half, was the size mentioned, but you affect not to hear the correction, and proceed to rub up the small glove, having previously got down the large one. Make a great fuss of stretching, and finally produce the large glove, allowing the small one to drop inside it. The original borrowed glove in the meantime vest, if you have not done so already. Now proceed to the table, and, rolling up the large glove, with the little one inside it, tightly, pass it down a trap, and affect to rub it away into the walnut. Take up the walnut and vanish it by sleight of hand, pretending to pass it into the lemon, which get rid of, along with the nut, down a trap, and finally cut open the orange. Take out the lemon and cut that open, and produce the walnut. Ask one of the audience, on that side of the auditorium which is opposite to where the owner of the borrowed glove is seated, to open the walnut, at the same time getting down the borrowed glove from the vest. Take the glove from the walnut in one hand, and, pretending to place it in the other, whilst advancing towards the person from whom it was borrowed, effect an exchange. This must be done with all possible neatness and skill, or, at the last moment, the trick will fail. Supposing that you take the glove from the walnut with the left hand, the right should contain the borrowed glove. The left hand then makes a rapid movement towards the right, as if placing the glove in it. The glove in the left hand is in reality concealed, and the one in the right hand revealed. Half an hour's practice will make a wonderful difference in the execution of this pass, which will often have to be used, sometimes in cases of great emergency. On cutting open prepared oranges, lemons, &c., always be careful to throw the skins behind you, or elsewhere away from the view of the audience, who are not likely to be deeply impressed in favour of your skill after a close examination of the remains of the prepared articles. If the triple combination of orange, lemon, and walnut is at first too difficult, try the dual one of lemon and walnut only. It is still very effective, and there is far less to think about. If the performer is limited as to traps, the large glove can be fired at the walnut from the pistol tube. The variation is quite unimportant. CHAPTER XIV. TRICKS WITH COINS. THE INVISIBLE FLIGHT: THE GLASS--THE BOXES--OTHER APPARATUS USED IN THE TRICK--THE BANKER--HOW TO COLLECT MONEY--THE MONEY TUBE--THE MULTIPLYING TRAY--HOLD THEM TIGHT! OR, SKILL VERSUS STRENGTH--THE MONEY CHANGER--HINTS UPON MANNER--THE CRYSTAL PLATEAU--THE MONEY-PRODUCING CANDLE--THE FLIGHT--COIN AND WORSTED BALL TRICK. _The Invisible Transit._--This is a remarkably effective coin trick. Several coins are inclosed in a little box, which is stood in a position close to the audience. An empty tumbler is placed upon a chair or table far away on the stage, and the performer, abstracting the coins one by one from the box, "passes" them into the distant glass, into which they are heard to fall. On the glass being brought forward, the coins are poured from it, and the box into which they were put is found to be empty. The tumbler used should be coloured and opaque, or semi-opaque. Into it is fitted a zinc plate, depicted at Fig. 46. This plate is, it will be seen, divided into two unequal portions, which are then hinged together. B is an arm which, in the position shown in the sketch, prevents the flap C from opening; and E is a tiny pin fitted into C for the purpose of preventing the arm B going too far, and so becoming difficult to control. At D is a pin which, first connected with the arm B, runs through the plate, and then through the bottom of the tumbler. Underneath, it is provided with another arm (A, Fig. 47), the position of which should correspond with that of B. The pin D should be considerably larger than the holes (they should be round ones) in the glass and zinc plate, and those portions of it which are to pass through the said holes must be filed down to the necessary thinness. By this means two shoulders will be formed, which will prevent the plate from coming down too far, and thus keep a space clear between it and the bottom of the tumbler. This space should be about three-quarters of an inch in depth. The best method for fixing A to D is to have a tiny hole through the protruding end of the latter, through which a cross-pin can be passed. It will be seen that so long as the arm B is kept against the pin E, or anywhere near it, the flap C cannot possibly open, even though the tumbler be inverted. The shifting aside of the arm A will cause a simultaneous and equal movement on the part of B, and, when the glass is again inverted, whatever has been concealed in the space beneath C will fall out. [Illustration: FIG. 46.] [Illustration: FIG. 47.] The performer will also require two little boxes, resembling each other in every particular. If nothing else be at hand, then little fancy cardboard boxes may be used, but it is by far the best to have a couple turned out of some light wood. The turner should receive directions to turn them both out of the same length of wood, which should have some slight imperfection running through it, as this will cause each box to be naturally marked in a similar manner. Should one lid have a little knot in it and the other be without such a blemish, it can be faithfully imitated by making a hole in the wood and running a little shellac into it. The boxes should be turned as lightly as possible, consistent with strength, and should just admit a half-crown. The interior depth should be that of six half-crowns. One of these boxes the performer conceals under the vest band. The tumbler he loads with four or five half-crowns, placed in the space under C, and the arm B is turned into position against E. This glass is placed upon the table. In one outside trouser pocket is a half-crown. The preparations made, the performer advances with five other half-crowns and one of the little boxes, and gives the whole into the hands of a member of the audience, with the request to have the box examined and the coins placed in it. Whilst this is being done, the concealed box is got down from the vest into the left hand. The box, with the money in it, is taken by the right hand, and apparently put into the left. It is, however, palmed, and the empty box shown instead. The performer executes this movement as he is passing to another portion of the audience, to whom he will explain matters briefly. This passing about the room is highly essential in concealing many movements, and the conjuror's actions should be well mapped out beforehand, and not left to accident. As I am describing the trick, the money should be put in the box by someone on the conjuror's right. It then becomes natural for the performer to place the box in his left hand, in order to exhibit it to those on that side of the room. The learner will find, as he progresses, how highly important it is to pay attention to these apparently small, but by no means insignificant matters. The performer's motions should balance, as it were; and his great study should be to make actions that are absolutely indispensable to him appear to be perfectly natural, if not the only ones that could be suitable to the occasion. The empty box is then placed in the fingers of the right hand, in which the box containing the half-crowns is still concealed. The performer brings a chair close to the audience, and places upon it the empty box, first shaking the hand once or twice to show that the money is still inside. The coins rattling in the hidden box will appear to be in the one which is really empty. Care must be taken to keep the back of the hand towards the audience, and to allow it to hang down considerably, so as to do away with any possibility of an accidental exhibition of the palmed box. The performer now proceeds to his table, pocketing the box with coins as he does so in as noiseless a manner as possible. He then takes the tumbler in one hand, and, rattling it hard with his wand all the time, turns it upside down to show that it is empty. On turning it back again the rattling must be repeated. This rattling, the reader will readily comprehend, is for the purpose of covering the slight clinking of the coins that are confined within. It is a good plan to have a piece of baize or cloth on the bottom of the tumbler, inside. This will deaden the sound of the clinking when the tumbler is being replaced upon the table. The performer now returns to the little box, previously getting the half-crown from the pocket into his palm, and feigns to abstract one coin from it, the palmed coin being shown. This, with appropriate explanation, he "passes" into the tumbler, into which it is distinctly heard to fall. The whole of the coins are, one by one, abstracted from the box, and made to pass into the tumbler. The methods of extracting them should be varied. One can be taken out by means of the wand, another caught in mid-air, the next be found at the tip of someone's nose, and the next in somebody else's hair, whilst the last will probably be found attached either to the performer's elbow or to the sole of his boot. This variety of movement keeps the audience amused, and, consequently, distracts their attention, which might, perhaps, be employed in watching other matters somewhat too narrowly. The same system of variation should be observed in "passing" the coins, three or four different passes being brought into use. The last "pass" may be effectively made with the reverse palm, by the method described on page 8 for throwing the coin away. The palm can then be shown perfectly empty, the coin being recovered as the performer proceeds towards the glass. The mystery of the coins being heard to fall into the tumbler has yet to be explained. The explanation is, that the conjuror's stage assistant is concealed behind the scenes, in a position as proximate to the tumbler as possible, with another glass and some coins. The performer and assistant must have an understanding between them, and when the assistant hears the word given he drops one coin into the glass, allowing a short time for the supposed journey. The word "pass" is the one commonly used, and is the best, for the conjuror is using it all through the performance, and it does not, therefore, excite any particular attention. It is as well to vary the speed with which the coins travel. The first two should occupy from a second and a half to two seconds in travelling from hand to tumbler. The next the conjuror should say will take a little longer, it being a very old coin and, consequently, weak. Five seconds will be quite long enough for this, and the next can be despatched with the command, "Presto, pass!" This should arrive at its destination in half-a-second. If no arrangement on this head has been made beforehand, the performer must take care to speak loudly and distinctly. This co-operation of performer and assistant has already been explained in connection with _The Shower of Gold_. Sometimes, with the view, I imagine, of making the trick appear still more difficult, the tumbler is covered with a borrowed handkerchief, pocketbook, programme, &c. When this is done, the assistant must cover his glass with a handkerchief, and so cause the sound of the falling coins to be muffled. I have seen an assistant commit an absurd error of using only one coin. The sound caused by one coin falling upon others in a glass is very different to that of a coin falling into an empty glass. The use of the two little boxes in this trick is an idea of my own. Other conjurors invariably use a box with a hinged lid, which has a horizontal plate on a level with its upper rim. This plate has four slits in it, and into each slit is placed a half-crown. By an exceedingly ingenious mechanical arrangement, a coin is made to drop into the body of the box each time the lid is shut down. The performer affects to abstract one in the manner just described. The chief objection to this box is its great expense; otherwise, it is a very good piece of apparatus. Another piece of apparatus that is also frequently used in conjunction with the trick is what is called the Half-crown Wand. This is a hollow tin wand, with a sliding piston inside it. One end is divided into two parts, which are hinged. A half-crown, that has been cut into three portions, is concealed in this opening top, and by means of a complexity of hair springs, and the action of the piston, moved by the thumb from the outside, the three fragments are pushed out, and, ranging themselves side by side, cause the appearance of a half-crown on the end of a wand. All I can say about this piece of apparatus is, that it is a pity the inventor's ingenuity was not directed towards making something else. I believe, though, that the article sells well, as it does away with the last piece of sleight of hand left in the trick, and so gives lazy people and duffers a chance. _The Banker._--In "Drawing-room Magic," a method for collecting coins from the air, &c., and passing them into a hat through the crown, was explained. Before larger audiences, the trick is capable of being much more elaborated. Going down amongst the audience, the performer collects quantities of coins from the heads and persons of the audience. There are various methods of executing this. One is to keep a coin palmed, and then produce it from the hair, whiskers, beards, sleeves, elbows, &c., of different spectators, a motion of throwing it into the hat being made each time it is produced, and the hat shaken, to cause the resemblance of a coin falling into it. Another method, which I hardly like as well, although successfully adopted by some good performers, is to dip the hand into the hat, and gather some coins quickly in it. These coins are kept in the palm of the hand, and concealed by the two outside fingers, and the thumb pushes one forward as it is required for production. The coins, in this instance, are actually tossed in the air and caught in the hat, which is of itself a great advantage, but the chances of detection are considerable. Nevertheless, the effect is very fine when the conjuror moves rapidly about, picking coins indiscriminately from everyone around. It is possible to hold a great number of large coins in the hand without detection ensuing. The third method is somewhat similar. The coins are gathered in the hand from the hat, but, instead of being reproduced singly, they are all swept from the head of a spectator into the hat. Coins invariably drop on the floor when the latter method is adopted, and the conjuror is enabled to take a fresh dip into the hat unperceived, whilst busying himself about the recovery of his property. What I recommend is a happy mixture of all three methods. Whichever is adopted, the performer must be exceedingly rapid in his movements, never stopping in one place, and accompanying his movements with a running commentary, such as, "Ah, one more on your nose, sir. Thank you, sir, just a few in your hair. Madam, a little one hiding itself under your bow, and, I declare, another in your fan." A lady's muff, when handy, can be well employed. It should be taken in the hand containing the coins, which are allowed to run through into the hat. A good variation, too, is to snatch a hat from a person's head or elsewhere, and dropping a few coins into it, immediately toss them about, and then pour them into your own hat. The larger the audience, the better this money collecting will succeed. It is a great feature in a performance, and always takes well. A little piece of apparatus which, although I never use it myself, many find very useful for the magical production of coins, is what is known as the "money tube." This is a long flat tube of tin, japanned on the outside. It is just wide and deep enough to admit of the coins in use passing easily through it, and no more. At one end, on the outside, it is furnished with a broad flat hook, for the purpose of suspending the tube from a buttonhole or slit in the interior of the performer's vest or coat. The bottom end is furnished with a lever arrangement on the outside, which for half-crowns would be thus constructed: In length it would just exceed the width of a half-crown, and each end be furnished with a peg about a quarter of an inch long. In the centre is drilled a hole, and on the tube is a bifurcated projection, also with a hole through it. The lever is placed in its position, and a pin passed through it and the projection. A joint will thus be formed very similar in appearance to the centre joint of an umbrella rib. In the tube (exactly underneath the pegs, which must be towards the tube) pierce two holes, and under the upper half of the lever fix a small piece of spring, tolerably strong. The apparatus is then complete. The spring causes the upper half of the lever to rise, and, as a natural consequence, the lower half to be depressed. The lower peg thus prevents anything that may be in the tube from passing out at the end. So soon, however, as any pressure is put upon the upper half of the lever the lower peg rises and allows the coin to escape. The upper peg, descending at the same time, prevents the escape of any other coins that may be in the tube. The method for using the tube is to fix it securely under the vest or coat flap, with the bottom end all but exposed. When the performer requires a coin, all he has to do is to curl his fingers under the mouth of the tube, and press the upper portion of the lever, when a coin will fall into his hand. As the operation is invariably accompanied by a slight clattering, however careful the performer may be, the hat should always be shaken for the purpose of smothering the sound made by the tube. A small band of elastic on the coat or vest will serve to keep the tube steady. The lever lies transversely across the tube, and not straight along it. This enables the little pegs to pass into the triangular spaces left between two coins, the edges of which are touching. It is not advisable to produce many coins in a short space of time by this method, as the frequent repetition of the movement of the hand might easily be noticed. An effective continuation is to apparently cause the coins to pass through the crown the reverse way, _i.e._, from the inside to the outside. For this purpose, the performer must retire well up the stage, concealing, as he does so, several coins in the palm of the hand, one being shown at the ends of the fingers. The hat is held out, crown downwards, in the other hand, and the coin in the fingers then tossed high in the air. Whilst it is descending the thumb gets another coin in readiness, and as the coin in the air falls into the hat the one brought from concealment is put against the crown and instantly pulled sharply away from it. The effect is as if the coin thrown in the air had passed through the crown of the hat, and was caught by the performer as it came through. Considerable practice must be undertaken, as it is indispensable that the fall of the descending coin into the hat and the production of the fresh one at the crown be precisely simultaneous, otherwise the effect will be weakened, if not altogether spoilt. The hat must contain some coins at the commencement, otherwise the accumulation of those thrown into the air and subsequently caught in the hat, would, of course, be noticed. The effect is improved if the crown of the hat be turned slightly towards the audience at the moment when the coin is supposed to come through it. As the eyes of the spectators always follow the coin in the air, the slight motion of the thumb in getting a fresh coin in readiness is never perceived. Large coins tell best, and about six should be used. When the performer has sufficiently amused the audience in this way, he can proceed with the trick under notice. For it he will require--at least, he will find it advisable to have--an oval tray of japanned tin. To all appearances, the tray is only an ordinary one, but it has a double bottom, the space between the two bottoms being a little more than the thickness of a half-crown, or whatever coin the performer may be in the habit of using. The rims of the two bottoms are joined all round, with the exception of a portion at one end, which is left open to the extent of a little more than the width of the coin in use. Two strips of tin, soldered firmly in their places, extend from each side of this opening, in parallel lines, to the other end of the tray, and so form a passage between the two bottoms capable of receiving a quantity of coins, ranging in number according to the length of the tray or the will of the performer. When the tray is tilted to any extent, the open end being the one that is depressed, the coins will naturally slide out one after the other. If the space between the double bottoms is too deep, the rearmost coins will overlap those in front, and so cause an obstruction. The tray is loaded with (say) five coins, and so brought on. Fifteen (a few more or less will not matter) coins are then taken from the hat, and placed upon the tray, which is then put into the hands of a spectator, who must be enjoined to rise for the purpose, and to keep very steady, so as not to upset the coins. A boy's cap is then borrowed, and put into the hands of another spectator, who is placed in a position close to and facing the holder of the plate. In the absence of a cap, a handkerchief, held in the form of a bag, will answer as well, if care be taken to arrange it so that none of the coins can escape and fall to the ground. The performer retires to the stage, and explains that, when he counts "three," the holder of the tray is to pour, as rapidly as he can, the fifteen coins into the cap, the holder of which is directed to close the cap immediately this is done. As the performer has taken care to place the tray in the assistant's hands, with the opening from him, it follows that, when the fifteen coins are poured from the surface into the cap, the five from the concealed receptacle will accompany them. A very distinct mark should be made upon the tray so that the performer can readily distinguish one end from the other. When the cap is closed, the performer counts five more coins into his hand, and "passes" them into the cap, the holder of which is then requested to count out the coins upon the plate, to show that the number has been increased by five. All counting of coins should take place both before and afterwards, or the audience may fail to perceive what has been done. The trays sold at conjuring repositories are nearly always round; this is a bad shape, as there is nothing to induce the holder of the tray to tilt it as the performer desires. When it is oval, it is only natural to pour the coins off the narrow end. It is also impossible to notice from any distance if a round tray has been shifted, accidentally or otherwise. A couple of inches difference will cause the trick to fail, for the coins will not pour out; and some people who are in the secret are malicious enough to be capable of wilfully turning the tray round for the purpose of spoiling the trick. The name of "The Banker" is given to the trick, because the performer supposes the holder of the cap to be the banker, and he then shows how he pays in his money. The great effect of the trick is derived from the fact that the performer never approaches the custodians of the money after once giving it into their hands. _Hold them Tight!_--The performer takes a few coins--four half-crowns or florins will be found the most suitable--and also a strong white cotton handkerchief. He then asks the assistance of one of the spectators, stating his predilection for a very strong man. The more burly the volunteer, the better he will suit the conjuror's purpose. Seat him on a chair a little on one side, and facing the audience. Place the coins in the centre of the handkerchief, which then invert, and grasp the coins through it from the outside. This is done openly and deliberately, and the assistant is requested to hold the handkerchief firmly between the two hands a few inches below the coins. He is then asked if he thinks it possible for the performer to pull the coins through the handkerchief without making a hole, or to get them out without interfering with the assistant's hand. The answer will invariably be a negative one, and the performer then says, "Very good; that is your opinion. I will now see what the audience think about it." With this, the performer steps forward with the coins and the handkerchief, and explains to the audience that it is a trial of Strength _versus_ Skill between the strong man on the stage and himself. He then requests someone to place the coins in the handkerchief, so that there shall be fair play, the handkerchief being spread over the performer's left hand for the purpose. When the coins are placed in the handkerchief, they should be grasped through it by the thumb and first and second fingers. The performer then turns suddenly to the person on the stage, and says, "I trust you are not nervous, sir; you look very pale." This will cause everyone to look at once at the person addressed, who will, if under the glare of footlights or other strong gas, infallibly bear a pale appearance. But whether he looks pale or not will not matter, the diversion being made for the purpose of distracting the attention of the audience from the performer for a moment or two. Whilst all eyes are directed towards the assistant, the performer turns the coins over twice in the handkerchief, a fold of which is taken at each turn, and the coins thus enveloped. The coins are then grasped in the right hand, and a good shake given to the handkerchief for the purpose of straightening it as much as possible. The result of this manoeuvre is that the coins are simply hidden in a couple of folds on the _outside_ of the handkerchief, the supposition indulged in by the audience being that they are _inside_, and that the handkerchief has been merely inverted as before. This folding and turning is not easy to accomplish quickly and neatly. The coins must be held firmly, and the fingers then turn them over inwards, the thumb being raised to allow them to be pushed well under it. Before the fingers are removed, the thumb descends and nips securely that portion of the handkerchief pushed over with the coins by the fingers, and retains it whilst the second turn is being made, the same process being repeated. With the fold well made, the performer may venture to allow that portion of the handkerchief containing the coins to hang downwards, and even give a slight jerk to cause the coins to jingle. This will totally disarm suspicion. It is much easier to hold the handkerchief, with the coins, in one hand and make the folds with the other, but the proceeding is unbusinesslike and provocative of suspicion. The handkerchief is then put into the hands of the seated assistant, as before, the performer holding that portion containing the coins. A tremendous mock struggle ensues, the performer allowing himself to be pulled nearly over once or twice, which will cause him to remark that he has made a mistake this time, and has met with someone a little too strong for him. All the time he is working a finger into the folds, which he quietly undoes, and, under cover of the left hand, gets the coins out into the right. With this hand he takes his wand, which is held under the armpit during the trick, and continues pulling with the left. After a while, he says that it is no use, and, relinquishing his hold, asks to have his money given back to him. Of course, the assistant knows nothing about it; but the performer points out the fact that there is no hole in the handkerchief, consequently _he_ cannot have the coins. Under the plea of finding out where they are concealed, the performer taps with his wand on various portions of the assistant's person. When he reaches either the elbow or the knee, he allows the coins in the hand to rattle against the wand at each tap, and it will appear to the audience that they are concealed up the assistant's arm or leg. Grasping the sleeve or trouser, the performer turns it up a little, and rattles the coins out on the floor. If found in the trouser, the assistant should be asked to place his foot upon a chair. It is very easy to jerk the coins a few inches up the sleeve or trouser leg as it is being turned up; they will then fall out naturally. The reason I give directions for using a strong pocket handkerchief is because the continued pulling will sometimes cause a sharp-edged coin to cut through. I never use any but my own handkerchief, for this reason. There is another method of folding the coins in the handkerchief, which surpasses the one above described for neatness, and it may be executed in full view of the audience, with their eyes specially directed upon the performer's hands, instead of momentarily diverted. The coins, in this instance, are taken between the finger and thumb of the left hand, and held perpendicularly. With the right hand, the handkerchief is thrown over them. This the performer does close to his temporary assistant upon the chair; upon which he says, "That is all very well: you know that the coins are safe inside the handkerchief; but I must also convince the rest of the company." Suiting the action to the word, the performer advances a few paces, performing, as he does so, the following manoeuvre: With the right hand inverted, _i.e._, the palm turned upwards, the coins are seized between the first and middle fingers. Simultaneously the left hand is shifted a couple of inches backwards, and the right hand, turning over in that direction, places the coins once more between the left finger and thumb, but this time there are two thicknesses of the handkerchief intervening. That half of the handkerchief which is hanging on the side nearest to the company is now raised by the right hand, when the coins will be exposed to view. The act of shifting the left hand back a couple of inches has caused the fingers of the left hand to be covered by a false fold of those dimensions. The company, therefore, cannot see the said fingers, the performer making doubly sure by holding his hand as low as possible, without exciting suspicion. Now, after having shown the coins, if the performer merely turned back the half he had lifted, no particular result would be arrived at; but the learner, who is, of course, following me with coin and handkerchief in hand, will at once see that, if that half of the handkerchief which is hanging on the side nearer the performer be turned over along with the one that has been raised to show the coins, in the direction of the company, the result achieved is that the coins are on the outside of the handkerchief, but enveloped in the 2in. fold. This turning back of two halves, instead of one, being the vital part of the whole thing, must be done with great carelessness. Indeed, the action of turning the rear half over with the right hand is a mistake: all that is necessary is to drop the left hand with a good shake, when both halves will fall on the same side, as naturally as possible. These little things require a good deal of explanation, but it is a really very simple manoeuvre, which I divide into four distinct movements, viz.: First movement--placing the coins under handkerchief, in left hand; second movement--turning over coins with right hand, and seizing again with left thumb and finger (see Fig. 48); third movement--dropping left hand and raising front half of handkerchief with right hand; fourth movement--releasing handkerchief with right hand and shaking two halves over with left. When the fourth movement has been completed, the right hand should seize the handkerchief just below the coins, which can then be struck upon the left palm, carelessly, but hard, so as to indirectly convey the idea of their being contained in a bag, made by the handkerchief. There need be no fear of the fold becoming loose if the handkerchief be gripped firmly; and the boldness of the act will disarm suspicion. The very security of this fold renders it more difficult to work the coins out when the "trial of strength" comes on, and the assistant must be made to hold the handkerchief some distance away from the coins, so that the performer's hands have plenty of space to work in. Whilst the assistant is thus holding the handkerchief, it is a good plan to allow that part in which the coins are folded to hang down--whilst the sleeves are being turned back, for instance. This will keep up the impression of their being enclosed in a bag. [Illustration: FIG. 48.] _The Money Changer._--This trick is accomplished by means of the first deceptive fold described in _Hold them Tight!_ Its simple nature may cause it to appear easy of execution; but let not the learner foster this delusive idea, for the slightest bungle will spoil the trick, which depends entirely upon sleight of hand. In the left hand the performer has three pennies concealed. Three half-crowns and three pennies, all marked by various members of the audience, are then borrowed. The three half-crowns are first collected in the right hand, and given into the custody of one of the audience. The pennies are next collected, in the right hand also, and then the performer begs the further loan of a couple of handkerchiefs. Just as he is stepping forward to take the proffered articles, he says to one of the audience, "Would you kindly hold these pennies for an instant?" and, making a "pass" (Fig. 11) towards the left hand, exhibits and hands the coins therein concealed. The idea conveyed by the performer is that, the coins being in his way whilst borrowing the handkerchiefs, he wants to be rid of them for a short space of time. This covers the action of the pass, which might otherwise appear suspicious, as being unnecessary and meaningless. Take the first handkerchief in the right hand, and let the second hang over the left shoulder. Now go at once to the holder of the half-crowns, and, taking them from him, place them in the centre of the handkerchief, previously spread over the right hand, which contains the marked pennies. Turn briskly to another member of the audience, executing as you do so a single turn only of the coins in the handkerchief with the fingers of the right hand, the coins that are in the hand itself going over as well. Take that portion of the handkerchief which contains the coins in the left hand, grasping the whole securely. Remove the right hand from underneath, and with it grasp the handkerchief some four or five inches from the coins, and then reverse the positions of the hands, handkerchief and all, the right being above and the left below. The pennies which were recently in the right hand will now be in a bag, as it were, formed by the handkerchief. The half-crowns are still on the outside, hidden by one fold of the handkerchief, and held by the fingers of the left hand. Request the person to whom you have advanced to stand up, and inform him that you wish his right hand to take the place of yours, and that he is on no account to relax a firm hold for an instant, or to allow any coins either to enter or escape. As you say this, dance the coins two or three times up and down in the left hand, which hollow as much as possible, and the half-crowns will fall into it. Their clinking will not signify in the least, as it will be attributed to the coins in the handkerchief. Then give the handkerchief into the custody of the person selected, the left hand simultaneously finding its way to the handkerchief hanging from the left shoulder, which it takes. The same manoeuvre is then repeated, the handkerchief being spread over the left hand with the half-crowns in it, and the right eventually securing the substituted pennies. All that remains to be done is to command the coins in the handkerchiefs to change places, which feat is apparently accomplished. The great peril of the trick lies in the necessity of repeating the action of folding. To avoid detection, the performer must be always on the move, and endeavour by gesture and speech to continually direct the general attention of the audience to the persons whom he is addressing. The most dangerous person is he from whom the coins are taken before being put into the handkerchief. The best method for disarming him is to be very profuse with thanks for his kindness. By the time you have done thanking him, your object has been accomplished. It is strange what a trivial thing is required for the purpose of distracting the attention of the audience, whether collectively or individually, if the performer can only assume an appropriate expression of countenance. On the other hand, the least appearance of anything approaching to bewilderment only tends to make the audience doubly sharp. "Hallo!" they will think, "he is in a fix," and forthwith the minutest action is devoured. In this trick, the effect of manner will make itself manifest in a marked degree. It is evident that, if anyone in the audience fix his eyes intently upon the performer's hands from the commencement of the trick to the finish, never removing his gaze for an instant, he is bound to notice the turns that are made. Now, it is impossible for a conjuror even to keep his eye upon every member of his audience for the purpose of noticing who is and who is not watching him. The utmost he can do is to make such diversions as are best calculated to accomplish his ends in a general way. If anyone in the audience be particularly sharp, and will not be taken in, it cannot be helped. I make these remarks in this place because a good opportunity presents itself: they are of universal application. It is only another sermon on the old text, misdirection. It is as well to borrow either very thick handkerchiefs or else coloured ones for this trick. Thin white handkerchiefs will reveal the nature of the coins contained in them under certain conditions of light. The person who temporarily holds the substituted pennies should be enjoined to close his hand. This is to prevent him from whiling away the time by seeking for the marks. A person might do this merely out of curiosity, and without any malice whatever. When practising, it is best to commence with a single coin of each sort, then two, and finally three. Four coins would only make the trick more difficult, without increasing the effect. With one coin only, the trick is very poor; besides, it naturally appears to the audience to be more difficult for the performer to transmit a number of coins from one spot to another than to perform a like feat with a single coin. _The Crystal Plateau._--This is a very pretty, but almost unknown trick. Hanging by a couple of cords at the back of the stage is an oblong plateau, composed simply of a frame and a piece of glass. The performer borrows three marked florins or half-crowns, which he can either hold in his hand, or place in the little box described in _The Invisible Transit_. He calls attention to the plateau, the transparent nature of which seems to render any examination unnecessary, and announces that, not only will he cause the coins to invisibly leave his hand (or the box), but they shall do so one at a time, and affix themselves to the glass of the plateau. This is done, the coins appearing one after another upon the face of the plateau, from which the performer removes them, and hands them back to their owners. [Illustration: FIG. 49.] This fine effect is thus managed: The plateau (Fig. 49) is composed of two pieces of glass, one behind the other. The front piece is fixed firmly into the frame, but that in the rear is only loosely fastened. An indiarubber band, passing across the lower portion of the latter, keeps the two glasses close together at their lower edges, but at the top they are kept apart to the extent of about twice the thickness of a half-crown. From the upper part of the frame three spaces are cut out, wide enough to admit a coin, and deep enough to cause a coin dropped in from that point to fall between the two glasses. To keep the coins temporarily suspended, three holes are drilled through the rear glass, just below the places for the coins, and little pegs inserted therein. To each of these pegs is attached a thread, held in the hand of the assistant behind the scenes. The latter should be immediately in rear of the plateau, in order that he may get a straight pull. When the performer cries "Pass," one peg is pulled out, and the coin it supported falls between the two glasses. As these approach each other by degrees, the falling coin sticks fast about mid-way, appearing to the company--and, for that matter, to the performer, too, so perfect is the deception--to be stuck on the surface of the front glass, supposed by the company to be the only one. When all three coins have thus made their appearance, the performer proceeds to the plateau, and, placing a hat beneath it with one hand, opens the rear glass slightly out from the front one, the coins thus falling out. The marked coins have, of course, never left the performer's hand, three of his own having been placed in the little box, if that was used; and it is very easy for him to palm these in the hat, and produce the marked ones, as though taken from it. To pass them, one by one, from the hands, they must be held in the left hand, and palmed singly with the right. If the performer is skilful enough to palm them one over the other, so much the better, otherwise the palmed coin must be got rid of in the little trouser pocket each time, whilst the contents of the left hand are being exhibited. _The Money-producing Candle._--The performer commences by stating that the next trick will be performed with a quantity of shillings. He will want so many that the company can scarcely be able to supply them, so he will not put them to any trouble, especially as he has perfected a new invention by means of which money can be manufactured out of candles. He either borrows a hat, or takes a plate, which should be given for examination, and then approaches a candle, which has been burning for some time on the table. Turning up his sleeves, and indirectly showing both palms to be empty, he places his thumb on one side of the candle and the fingers on the other, near the bottom, and draws the hand upwards, as though squeezing the candle. Two or three quick movements are made, and then a shilling appears in the performer's fingers as though it had been taken out of the very flame. The coin is placed in the plate, or hat, and, after the palm has again been shown empty, a second shilling is squeezed out of the candle, _viâ_ the flame. This is repeated a great number of times, a quantity of shillings being produced, with which a trick should be subsequently performed, the candle experiment, in itself, being of insufficient length. [Illustration: FIG. 50.] The secret lies in the candle. This is a brass cylinder, covered with white paper (Fig. 50), a piece of candle being introduced into the top, and lighted. This introduction must be neatly done, and some wax from the candle scraped over the junction, so as to hide it. Inside the cylinder is a spiral spring arrangement, precisely similar to the cylindrical sovereign-holders sold, from which one coin at a time is extracted by a simultaneous pressing and drawing action. Such a holder, placed inside the imitation candle, with the opening downwards, would be the very thing (for sovereigns), provided an opening were made just below it sufficiently large to permit the insertion of a finger with which to withdraw the coin. The spiral spring continually presses the coins from above, keeping the lowest one always at the opening, it being prevented from falling by a narrow projecting rim inside, which leaves a large portion of the central space of the coin free to be acted upon by the inserted finger. The side of the candle upon which the opening is situated is, I need not say, turned away from the spectators, and, as the performer slides his hand slowly upwards, a finger brings away a coin--the movement being, of course, continued evenly, and no stoppage made at this particular moment. With a little practice, the coin can be extracted with wonderful facility. Before commencing, the performer should show that there is no preparation about the candlestick, by turning it upside down, and banging it upon the table. The candle is grasped by the hand, for the purpose of removal, over the spot where the opening is, and it may then be shown on all sides; but I do not advise that the performer should draw attention to the candle. No hint of a prepared candle should be given the spectators, who are not at all likely to think of such a thing unless it is suggested to them, particularly if the performer advances boldly, candle in one hand and candlestick in the other, and exhibits them. It will be found that an imitation candle to take shillings will have to be a fairly large one, so the conjuror must use his judgment, and have one for sixpences only, if his exhibition of an abnormally large candle be likely to draw suspicion towards it. For large stage performances a candle capable of taking florins might be used. The candle can be profitably used incidentally to vary the collection of money in the air (see page 14, &c.), a coin being now and again placed visibly into the hat, instead of "passed" magically through the crown, and a fresh one obtained from the candle, just as would be done from the money tube (see page 239). _The Flight._--This is a method for causing five coins to disappear. It is a very useful interlude when the performer is hard up for something to do, and when it is desirable to lengthen out the entertainment. Take five well-worn half-crowns (your own or borrowed; marked or not), stand sideways to the audience, right side to the front, and extend the left hand, palm upwards. Hollowing the hand slightly, place one coin upon the tip of each finger. Place the right hand upon the left, the corresponding fingers of each hand meeting at the tips, so that the coins are held firmly between them. Give the hands a half turn, so that the back of the right hand is towards the audience, and hold them in this position for a few moments, the eyes being directed upwards, as though the remainder of the trick were to be in connection with the ceiling. Give the hands two upward and downward sweeps, increasing in vehemence, and at the third bring the points of the fingers together. This will cause the coins to lap one over the other in tolerably good order, when they must be pushed firmly between the root and first joint of the right thumb, breadthwise (see Fig. 5). The action must be executed as the hands descend for the third time, and with such speed that the coins must be secure in position when the hands are brought up again, when they will affect to toss the coins hard up at the ceiling. This takes some little doing, as there must not be the slightest pause in the upward and downward swing. The coins can be reproduced from the person of the performer or from the audience, or they need not be reproduced at all. The feat is capable of being introduced into tricks where five coins are made to disappear. Unless each finger has an occupant, it does not look complete, so it is not advisable to introduce the variation where four coins, or fewer, are employed. _Coin and Worsted Ball Trick._--A very good trick indeed is performed with a ball of worsted and a coin. Have a flat metal tube broad enough to admit with ease the coin intended to be used, and wind round one end of it a quantity of worsted, so as to form a large ball, completely closing up one aperture, the other end being left open and protruding half an inch or so. Place this in a pocket or a bag, or behind a screen. You must have a duplicate coin palmed, which change with the borrowed one, and give to be held in a handkerchief. The coin would, of course, be marked. When the worsted ball is in a bag, or behind a screen, the coin must be dropped down the tube, which is then withdrawn, and the ball compressed in the hand so as to obliterate all traces of an opening. It is, however, a much neater way to have the ball and tube in the pocket (it will have to be a side pocket); another ball being sent round to be examined before anything is done. When the coin is in the prepared ball, and the tube withdrawn, it can be exchanged with the other. When this has been successfully accomplished, give the ball to be held high in the air, and, taking the substituted coin, "pass" it inside. Now have the ball placed in a tumbler, which is held by one person, whilst another pulls at the end of the worsted, and so unwinds it. In the centre will, of course, be found the borrowed article. CHAPTER XV. MISCELLANEOUS. ON APPARATUS, AND ITS USES AND ABUSES--HOUDIN'S DIE--ADDITIONAL EFFECT--NEW METHOD--THE GOLD-FISH TRICK: PISCICULTURE EXTRAORDINARY--THE BOWLS AND COVERS--THE CLOTH--WHERE TO CARRY THE BOWLS--HOW TO PRODUCE THEM--BAD AND GOOD INNOVATIONS--HOW TO CAUSE THE BOWLS TO DISAPPEAR--MISHAPS--GOLD FISH AND INK--THE GLOBE--THE LINING--THE LADLE--HOW TO FILL IT--THE CARD--THE TRICK IN A SMALL WAY--TRAVELS OF A GLASS OF WATER--GOLD! GOLD! EVERYWHERE--THE HEN FOR EVERY HOUSEHOLD--THE BEST BREEDS: NO. 1, NO. 2, AND NO. 3--HOW TO HATCH YOUR EGGS WITH DESPATCH--DECAPITATION NOT FATAL TO FOWLS--"KLING, KLANG"--HOW TO STAND FIRE--THE INTERCEPTED BULLET--THE WANDERING GINGER-BEER BOTTLE--THE PLUME AND THE SEED--COOKING MADE EASY: HAT VERSUS SAUCEPAN--A LITTLE ACCIDENT, AND HOW TO RECTIFY IT--THE FLAGS OF OLD ENGLAND--A NUT FOR BLACKSMITHS TO CRACK--THE DRAWER BOX--HOW TO MAKE IT--WHEN TO USE IT, AND WHEN NOT--THE CONE--BACCHUS' DOVECOTE--HOW TO PREPARE THE BOTTLE--HOW TO MESMERISE AND CAUSE A DOVE TO DISAPPEAR--THE WINE-DRINKING CRYSTAL BALL--BACCHUS' MAYPOLE--ON PROGRAMMES AND TITLES--HOW TO MAKE THE BOTTLE--THE ACCOMMODATING BOTTLE--HOW TO "WORK" IT SUCCESSFULLY--ANOTHER METHOD--THE MESMERIC SUSPENSION WAND: TWO METHODS--THE MAGI'S BRAZEN ROD--THE BALLS--HOW TO CHANGE THE RINGS--THE SHOWER OF PLUMES--THE FAIRY FLOWER--THE VASE. However great the respect which one may have for sleight of hand pure and simple, it is quite undeniable that a set performance is greatly improved by the occasional introduction of some neat-looking, but not gaudy, apparatus. Under this head need by no means be included self-acting machinery, during the performance of which the performer acts as a mere puppet. All the apparatus mentioned in this work will require adroit handling; and the conjuror will do well to practise as thoroughly with each article as he would towards the acquisition of a feat of sleight of hand. Apparatus seems to have a malicious pleasure in going wrong, always on the most critical occasions, and, for this reason, the majority of skilful performers feel most happy when using very little of it. One thing may be taken for granted, viz., that apparatus, exhibited without the assistance of sleight of hand, and plenty of it, causes the performer to degenerate into a mere showman--opening a box here, and taking off a lid there. In introducing apparatus, the performer must lay a very great deal of stress upon the sleight of hand portion of the business, as though therein lay the whole of the trick, the apparatus being a mere necessary evil in connection with it. By engaging the attention of the company with sleight of hand, it is drawn away from the apparatus, the spectators being so convinced of the performer's skill that they do not so readily accuse him of trusting to gaudy boxes and canisters for his effects. Some of the apparatus described can be made at home, but, as a general rule, it is cheaper and more satisfactory to buy it at a conjuring repository. Low prices are the order of the day; and, as the articles are made by experienced men, they must be superior to those manufactured by persons new to the business. _Houdin's Die Trick._--Although this trick, sold everywhere for a shilling, must be as well known as any, I have found it appreciated by certain audiences, which have, by the way, invariably been drawing-room ones. Before a boys' school, or large public audience, it would not be advisable to exhibit it. The trick consists in placing a die upon the uppermost of two hats, covering it with a cover, and causing it to pass through into the lower hat. The secret lies in a hollow false die, which has five sides only, and which fits over the real die like a cover. The actual cover used in the trick fits over the dummy die. The method of performance is extremely easy. Place the dummy die in the breast pocket, in a handy position, and give the real one to be examined with the cover. Whilst this is being done, borrow two hats, and take them to the centre table, slipping the false die from the pocket into one of them when your back is turned. Place the hat containing the dummy on the table, crown downwards, and invert the other one over it. Now take the die and place it upon the uppermost hat, and explain to the audience as follows: "Ladies and gentlemen,--You have all kindly examined the die and cover, and found that both are genuine and free from trickery. I now take this solid die and place it upon this hat; but before doing so I will show you that the hat has no hole through the crown. [Take up hat, and hold it before the light, and bang it about a little, then replace and put die upon it.] The trick I shall perform will be to cover the die with this cover, and, on again removing it, it will be found that the die will have passed through the hat into the one underneath, thus [tilt the top hat so as to cause the die to fall into the lower hat]. Now that I have explained what is to be done, I will proceed to do it." Take the dummy die out of the hat (being careful to keep the open part from the audience, and leaving the real die behind), and place it, with the opening downwards, upon the upper hat, which you have replaced. You can pretend to cut through the hat, all round the die, with a penknife, making a noise with the nail to imitate the sound of cutting, and then, placing the cover over the die, give it a rap with the wand. Grasp the cover very tightly near the bottom, and raise it, bringing away the dummy die as well. Hold it up to the spectators, and rattle the wand inside, and then turn out the real die from the hat on to the floor. Whilst doing this with one hand, the other should be passed behind the table, and the dummy allowed to slide out of the cover on to the shelf. This latter effect is invariably omitted by conjurors, and the trick, in my opinion, spoilt, as attention to it enables the performer to hand round the cover for inspection after the trick is performed, thereby totally upsetting those who, having purchased the trick, fancy they know all about it. I have frequently been asked by such people how I do the trick, they little thinking that the apparatus I use is exactly similar to their own. The die, cover, and dummy can be purchased so cheaply that it is scarcely worth while for the conjuror to manufacture his own. If he wishes to exercise his ingenuity, let him try the following method, which is an improvement on Houdin's old one only inasmuch as it is not so well known. Procure a die some four inches square, with dummy and cover complete. A smaller size can be used, but I give the most effective for the trick. Now take five pieces of cardboard, each the size of one side of the die, and join them together with hinges of linen, not all in a row, but with one in the centre and the four others on either side of it. Lay these upon the centre of a large coloured handkerchief, and place another handkerchief, of a precisely similar pattern, over it. Sew the two handkerchiefs and cardboard together through the centre piece of card only, and then sew the edges of the handkerchiefs together all round. The two handkerchiefs are made to pass as a single one only. Before commencing, the dummy must be placed, opening downwards, upon the shelf, and the handkerchief should be lying carelessly upon a chair or side table. Show the die and cover round, and borrow two hats. Take the cover and hats to the table, and whilst one hand is placing one hat over the other, as in the first method, the other should place the cover over the dummy die on the shelf, which must thus be picked up. Show the inside of cover (_i.e._, the inside of the dummy), and place it upon the uppermost hat. Now take the die and place it upon the table, a few inches only from the back. Spread the handkerchief over it, and whilst taking hold of the centre piece of card of the internal arrangement across the middle, with one hand, from the outside, pass the other hand underneath the handkerchief, and, under cover of the same, place the die upon the shelf. The hand holding the handkerchief will all the time appear to be holding the die in the air a few inches from off the table. Fold the handkerchief carefully up, and the five pieces of card will give an exact resemblance of a die folded up in a handkerchief, which idea is what you wish to convey to the minds of the audience. Place this carefully upon a side table, and then explain that you are about to pass the die from the handkerchief invisibly under the cover. Raise the cover--and, along with it, the dummy die--once more rattle the wand inside, and replace it. Then take the handkerchief carefully by two corners and suddenly give it a hard shake in the air. The die that is supposed to be inside will not, according to the expectations of the spectators, roll upon the floor, but you will show it to be on the top of the hat by raising the cover only, and revealing the dummy. Remove the dummy from the hat to the table with two hands, as if it were solid, and act as if you were about to return the two hats. You, however, take one of them, opening downwards, and, bringing the brim on a level with the top of the table, but overhanging the shelf considerably, pop the die inside it with the other hand, which instantly takes up the second hat, and you advance with both. Before you have progressed very far, however, you say that, perhaps, after all, the audience would prefer seeing the die back again; and it is very evident that so large an object must be somewhere. Of course, no one will object, and you replace the hats one over the other, the one containing the die being naturally the lower one. The trick then proceeds as before described, the dummy die being carefully lifted with two hands upon the uppermost hat, and the cutting operation gone through. The difficult portion of the trick is getting the die from the shelf into the hat. This should be well practised. _The Gold-fish Trick._--Of the first three questions asked a conjuror by a new acquaintance, one will infallibly be, "Can you do the gold-fish trick?" When it was first exhibited, it caused intense excitement, and, the secret being fairly well kept, the trick is but little known even now. The performer advances with a shawl or large handkerchief, and, after waving it about, he produces from it a large glass bowl full of water, in which gold-fish are complacently swimming. I have heard the wildest suggestions made in explanation of the trick. One says the bowls of water come up a trap door, regardless of the fact that the cloth does not reach the ground, consequently anything coming up through the floor must infallibly be seen at once. Another explains that the performer has the bowls empty about him, and has an indiarubber reservoir of water up his back, with a pipe coming down the sleeve. Where the fish come from is not explained. No one seems to be able to think of the real secret--an indiarubber cover. The bowls are flat, not more than two inches deep in the centre, resembling gigantic saucers made of glass. The indiarubber covers are made exactly the size of the rim of the bowls, and have a broad turn-under edge besides. The bowls are filled with water, the fish put in, and the covers are then stretched over. To put them on neatly and with dispatch two persons are required, as some force is necessary to pull the indiarubber out sufficiently far to enable it to go on the bowl. Deep, round-bellied bowls should be avoided, as the covers cannot get a good grip upon them. As, with ordinary care, there is no possible chance of a leakage taking place, the bowls can be placed anywhere the performer pleases, and in any position. The favourite places about the person are inside the vest, which will distend sufficiently if prepared with elastic behind, and inside the large breast pockets of the coat. Some conjurors, however, prefer placing the bowls simply under the armpits, inside the coat, and it is surprising how remarkably safe they are in such a position. They are certainly less liable to cause any extraordinary distension of the performer's person, and are far more easily got at. But this is a matter entirely for the consideration of the performer. Some go so far as to put a bowl up the back, which to me seems making the trick as difficult as possible. Wherever the bowls are put, they must be pushed well back, so that all the distension takes place behind, and the performer must necessarily always face the audience during the trick. A bowl is also sometimes placed upon the shelf of the table; but a far better place than this is the back of a chair, made opaque on purpose, where the bowl is held by means of two large wire hooks. As three bowls are generally sufficient for most audiences, one can always manage to carry a sufficient number about one's person. I usually have one in the vest and one in each breast pocket. To produce the bowls, the performer takes a cloth by two corners, and, after waving it about a short time for effect, he throws it over one shoulder, allowing it to hang well down in front of him. If the bowl is to be taken from the left side, then the cloth must cover that side most, and the left arm must be held out so as to allow the right arm room to work. With the right hand, take the bowl from its hiding place, and hold it horizontally under the cloth, which then draw off the shoulder by means of the other hand, and let it hang over the bowl. Now, with the disengaged hand, grasp the indiarubber cover firmly on the edge of the bowl, through the cloth, and remove it from the bowl with a backward motion. This wants some little doing, as, although it greatly heightens the effect to spill a _little_ water, it looks clumsy to three parts empty the bowl. Lay the cloth carelessly aside and take up a fresh one for each bowl. Some conjurors, Dr. Lynn amongst them, use only one cloth, which is provided with pockets, into which the covers are stowed away; but this is a totally unnecessary innovation, and often obliges the performer to fumble about before he can get the covers into the pockets. The idea that the audience think more of the trick if the bowls are all produced from one cloth is erroneous, for in most instances the fact is not noticed; and when the performer uses a fresh cloth for each bowl the spectators, when they give the subject any thought at all, attribute it to the cloths becoming wet and so disagreeable to use a second time. By using several cloths, greater freedom of action is obtained. An innovation by Herrmann was calculated to make the trick even more wonderful than it is in its ordinary form. Herrmann, after producing no fewer than four bowls, used to go right amongst the audience, and there, from a borrowed handkerchief, produce a fifth. This bowl was carried either in the vest or in a breast pocket, and its production was the more extraordinary by reason of the handkerchief being held across the performer's breast by one of the spectators. It may be safely asserted that no such feat of daring has ever been performed by any other conjuror. Few men possessed such indomitable pluck and nerve as Herrmann, who, during a performance, was to be deterred by nothing. He took the precaution of using a very shallow bowl with sharp sides and a very thin cover. The instant the cover was off, the handkerchief containing it was rolled up in the hand and carried off along with the bowl as if by accident, to be immediately returned to its owner, _minus the cover_. The most recent addition to the trick is causing the bowls to disappear after production. The simple method for doing this is to have a double handkerchief, as described in the die trick, with a circular piece of cardboard, the size of the bowl to be made to vanish, inside. The bowl is placed upon the table, and the handkerchief spread over it. As one hand raises the card the other hand places the bowl upon the shelf. The handkerchief is then brought forward with great care, and then shaken out in the midst of the audience. A piece of wet sponge is kept on the shelf, and this is squeezed when the performer goes forward with the supposed bowl. A far better method than this is to use a bowl the top of which is entirely of glass and made in one piece with the bowl, the water and fish being put in through a hole underneath, which is stopped with a cork or plug. It must not be quite filled with water, and when produced the surface must be held a little from the audience, so that the glass top cannot be noticed. When the bowl is to be vanished, all the performer has to do is to cover it with the cloth, and thence quietly put it back into his pocket or vest. It must, of course, be done quickly. Some ludicrous mishaps have occurred with carelessly covered bowls. One celebrated conjuror produced two bowls with the contents of a third distributed impartially about his person, saturating his clothes and filling his boots. Another performer, a very skilful amateur, accidentally threw the whole of the water from a bowl into a lady's lap, much to the discomfiture of both parties. Had due care been taken, these accidents could never have taken place. The bowls and covers can only be obtained at conjuring repositories. _Gold-fish and Ink Trick._--This is another instance of astonishing and inexplicable effect produced by most simple means. A large globe (not a bowl, such as is used in the foregoing trick), full of ink, is produced. The performer ladles out some of the ink and sends it round on a saucer for examination. He also dips a white card into the globe, and brings it out dripping with ink. After this, he merely spreads a handkerchief over the globe, and instantly removes it, when the ink is found to have disappeared and its place supplied by pure water and gold-fish. The preparation for this trick is as follows: Procure a piece of black silk, in width about four-fifths of the height of the globe, and sufficiently long to go once round it on the inside. Sew the two ends together, so that a broad band is formed. To any part of the top edge fasten a piece of thin wire, which blacken. With this silk line the inside of the globe, and then pour in water exactly to the height of the top of it. The wire must be turned over the edge of the globe a little, so as to be easily found. When the globe thus prepared is brought on, it is impossible to tell it from one full of ink. The ladle, which will be best procured at a conjuring repository, is not an ordinary one, but has a hollow handle communicating with the bowl by means of a tiny hole. This hole is made where the stem joins the bowl, and at the upper end of the handle is another small hole. The hollow handle is filled with ink, and a finger or thumb placed over the uppermost hole, thus preventing the fluid from running out. When the performer puts the ladle into the globe, as if dipping some ink out, the thumb or finger should be removed from the upper hole, and the ink will then flow from the handle into the bowl of the ladle. The methods for filling the handle with ink are various. One way is to fill the bowl of the ladle with ink, and then apply suction to the hole at the other end. This is a very simple method, but, unless the person who applies the suction has a decided taste for ink, it is not a pleasant one to adopt. Another method is to exhaust the air from the handle by means of suction, and then put the ladle in ink; but this is even worse than the other. The way I get over the difficulty is by making the upper hole, which is never seen, large enough to admit the nozzle of a very small syringe, by means of which article the ink can be injected into the handle with cleanliness and dispatch. In purchasing a ladle, care should be taken to procure as plain a one as possible. A fancy ladle excites suspicion. If the conjuror does not mind a little expense, he will possess a most perfect article if he purchase a cheap plated sauce ladle, and then have the handle and stem fitted with a hollow back. This will be entirely free from suspicion. The card which is dipped in the supposed ink is simply a piece of card, about an inch and a half wide and a few inches long, with about half of one side of it blackened with ink or paint. The white side is shown to the audience, and it is then turned over with the peculiar twist illustrated in "Drawing-room Magic," Figs. 19 and 20. It is then actually dipped into the water and brought out with the blackened side towards the audience. The water dripping from it will appear to the audience to be ink, and the deceptive twist can be again given to show that both sides are blackened. In apparently taking out ink with the ladle, and dipping the card in, care must be taken that the manner of the performer does not too forcibly impress upon the minds of the audience that he is over anxious they should believe there is actually ink in the globe. The ladling out and dipping the card in must be done tolerably briskly; for, if the audience have time, some of the members may suggest, what is only reasonable, that the performer should show the bowl round bodily. The trick is finished by a large, dark-coloured cloth or handkerchief being thrown over the globe, and instantly removed, the performer taking care to grasp the wire, which will, of course, be on his side of the globe, through the cloth, and so cause the silk lining to come away inside the cloth or handkerchief. I do not believe in introducing rock work into the globe, as it gives the audience the idea of something fixed, and they thus obtain a groundwork to start upon. Water and fish are enough to manufacture from ink, in all conscience. The trick is also very effective when performed in a small way with a tumbler. _The Ubiquitous Glass of Water: First Method._--Procure two small tumblers, exactly similar in size, shape, and appearance. Fill one with water, cover it with a tight-fitting indiarubber cover, and place it in the breast pocket or inside the vest. These little covers are easily procurable, as they are universally sold as covers for jam-pots. They cost about sixpence each. Have a small double handkerchief or cloth, containing a circular piece of card, the size of the mouth of the tumbler, with a few stitches through it to keep it in the centre. Show the empty tumbler, and then fill it with water. Cover it with the handkerchief, and affect to take it up, but place it on the shelf. Advance very carefully with the supposed glass of water, and either stumble on the floor and drop everything, or else pretend to place the glass in someone's hands. If you stumble you must take care to avoid injuring the concealed tumbler. The glass and water vanished, it is now your business to find them again. For this purpose, you call in the aid of a spectator (a youth preferred), whom you request to stoop. Over his back spread the cloth or handkerchief, and, grasping that portion containing the card, raise it gently. Hold it a short time in the air, and then say that you will throw it into someone's pocket, indicating the particular person. Shake out the handkerchief or cloth again and then desire the person indicated to examine his or her pocket. Of course nothing will be found, but you borrow the handkerchief, which will have been taken from the searcher's pocket during the examination, and, waving it about, get the tumbler into it from the pocket, according to the directions given for producing the bowls of water and fish. Remove the cover and produce the glass and water, saying that you knew you had passed them into the indicated pocket. The cover being small, it can be easily removed and the handkerchief returned. It improves the effect a great deal if a small piece of wet sponge can be introduced beneath the cloth whilst the glass, presumably found in the youth's back, is being held, and then squeezed in imitation of the spilling of water from the glass. The sponge can be carried at the mouth of one of the large breast pockets, and, if carefully disposed, need not make the performer uncomfortable by wetting him. I have even seen the sponge attached to the under side of the prepared cloth or handkerchief, which is an excellent plan if the performer is careful not to expose that side, as the sponge is always at hand, and there is no necessity to introduce the hand under the covering, compression from the outside being equally effective in exuding the water. Some performers think it necessary to go through certain actions for the purpose of convincing the company that the handkerchief does not contain a card or other shape. I must confess that I regard such actions as being decidedly supererogatory, for there is not the least foundation for assuming that the audience suspect the existence of any such thing; and for the performer to do anything indicative of an anticipation on his part that the company are likely to divine what is the true secret of the trick is highly suicidal. However, all are not of my opinion, so, if any beginner thinks he would like to be able to draw the handkerchief through the fingers previous to using, he can easily do so. All he will have to do will be to run a couple of stitches from two adjacent corners to the centre of the handkerchief, and inclose his card in the triangular space thus formed. As it is now loose, when the handkerchief is held by one of the opposite corners, the card falls to the extreme border, and the bulk of the handkerchief may be drawn through the hands. When the handkerchief is held by that side which forms the base of the triangle, the card falls at once into position in the centre. A copper or brass wire ring, being heavier than card, is perhaps more serviceable, as it more readily falls into position. _Second Method._--For this a special tumbler will be required. It is a large one, with perfectly straight sides, and is furnished with an outside cylindrical shell, also of glass, which is not discernible from the glass itself when in position. This outside shell must be sufficiently large to slip over the hand of the performer, so it will be seen that it is of considerable dimensions. This fact is always of value from the point of view of effectiveness: the larger the article the performer can manage to successfully manipulate, the better. The performer advances with the glass and shell together, and fills the former to the brim with water. He then places the whole on the rear edge of the table, and covers with the cloth. Grasping the shell, from the outside, with one hand, and placing the other hand below, the glass is slid gradually off the table, when it will drop through the shell into the hand of the performer, which places it upon the shelf. The more rapidity there is employed, the better. The performer comes forward with the shell inside the cloth, and allows the audience to feel its shape, and also taps it with the wand, to make the glass ring. He cannot allow the shell to be actually seen, as the absence of any water would be at once noticed; but the satisfying of the senses of touch and hearing will be sufficiently convincing. Retiring to about the centre of the stage, the performer thrusts one of his hands through the shell, from the bottom, and, whilst supporting the card shape with the fingers, allows the shell to glide down the arm, inside the coat sleeve. The handkerchief is then shaken out, and shown to be empty. In this case, the glass is not reproduced, the trick depending for effect upon the apparent bringing of a very large glass, full of water, amongst the audience, and causing it to vanish before their eyes. In the first method, there is no tapping of the sides of the glass when in the handkerchief, or any feeling of its shape, which is, of course, a very great feature of this method. The cuff must be gripped by the third and little fingers, when the arm may be dropped without any fear of the glass shell falling to the ground. _Third Method._--This method is, in every way, vastly superior to either of the preceding, and, in clever hands, becomes perfectly marvellous to the uninitiated. Only one tumbler is employed. This should be of a substantial character, and requires to be fitted with a flat glass top, exactly the size of the top of the tumbler. To the under side of this should be cemented a slightly smaller circular piece, the size of the interior circumference of the mouth of the tumbler. The glass top cannot now possibly shift from its position. This top the performer has concealed under his vest or in his breast pocket, so that it is readily at hand. Without so much as approaching a table or chair he has the tumbler filled, and, as he covers it with the cloth, he gets out his top and places it into position. With the supposed object of, say, placing the tumbler upon a chair, so that some plea be instituted for bending the body, the tumbler is removed from the cloth and put into the pocket at the bottom of the coat tail. The performer now goes through any performance he pleases with his shape and sponge, and, at the proper moment, produces the tumbler again. In doing this, however, he must get both hands under the cloth, so that he may secrete the top in one of them. It would not do to lift this off from the outside of the cloth, as its extra presence would be noticed. Its size enables it to be readily nipped between the joints of the fingers and root of the thumb. As the performer does not approach the table, it is impossible for the audience to imagine what has become of the glass, filled, as it is, with water. There is no doubt that this method calls for more skill in execution than does the first, but the effect is immeasurably superior. _To Invert a Glass of Water._--This is an effect which may either be accomplished separately, or may follow the third method of the preceding trick. The performer places the tumbler upon the table, fills it with water, and, in the act of shifting its position, places the lid, unperceived, upon it. He is provided with a half-sheet of note-paper, which he places upon the tumbler, and then, covering the whole with one hand, inverts the glass upon it. He then addresses the company, remarking that they are, no doubt, familiar with the schoolboy trick of holding an inverted tumbler of water, with merely a sheet of paper to keep the contents from falling to the ground. To illustrate this, the performer holds the tumbler by the base in the disengaged hand, and removes the one below. In the ordinary way the paper would fall to the ground; but the performer has taken care to allow it to become slightly wetted, so that it adheres to the glass top. The performer now proceeds: "This any schoolboy can do; but I dare say you do not think it possible for me to remove this paper and yet retain the water in the tumbler. However, I will show you that such a feat is possible." Taking the paper by an edge, the performer gradually removes it, all the time affecting to hold the tumbler with the greatest steadiness, and keeping his eyes rigidly fixed upon it, as though momentarily anticipating some catastrophe, to avert which a concentration of all his energies is necessary. If he pleases, the performer may swing the tumbler into an upright position and back again, repeating the action three or four times. The paper may be eventually replaced, and the top removed inside it, or that article may be got rid of without the aid of the paper at all. A slight objection exists in connection with the use of the glass top, from the fact that it is liable to "talk," _i.e._, make a noise, as it is being placed in position. This does not signify on the stage, but, when performing before small audiences, it may be as well to use a piece of mica. As this has no sunken edge, it is not quite as secure as the glass top; but, with ordinary care, no mishap need be apprehended. In removing the paper from beneath, it will be necessary to adopt great caution in avoiding all approach to a sideways sliding movement, which would probably have the effect of shifting the mica, when a deluge would immediately follow. The paper must be boldly peeled off away from the mica. Mica may be purchased in sheets, and the conjuror should cut several sizes, both, for tumblers and wineglasses, and carry them in his pocket-book. When at a house, if even only for the evening, where he is likely to be called upon, he can soon obtain an opportunity for fitting the various glasses in use, by carrying a mica in the palm. Performed with a wineglass, the trick makes a very valuable addition to the few applicable to the table. In turning the glass back to the upright position, always place the hand beneath first, as, in removing it, it is then an easy matter to take away the mica. _The Shower of Gold._--The conjuror can perform this trick with the same tumblers and prepared cloth. One tumbler must be filled with imitation sovereigns (which are sold cheaply as whist counters) and placed upon the shelf. The empty tumbler is handed round, and then covered with the cloth, and apparently placed upon the table. It is instead rapidly exchanged, under cover of the prepared cloth--which, when held by the circular card, will sustain the idea that the tumbler is inside it all the time--for the one containing the coins. The performer now goes down to the audience, and continues to find in various ways either single coins or three or four of such at a time, which are "passed" into the distant tumbler by the various methods described in "Drawing-room Magic." As coins thrown from a distance would not in the ordinary way fall into a glass receptacle without causing any sound, it behoves the conjuror to imitate such sound. This is easily accomplished by having an assistant behind the scenes, stationed as close to the table as possible, and provided with a quantity of coins and a tumbler. When the performer "passes" any coins towards the tumbler, the assistant should, after a short lapse of time, allow some to pour into his tumbler. The attention of the audience is so riveted on the covered glass that the deception cannot be detected. Indeed, it is difficult for anyone who knows exactly what is going on behind to notice anything at all suspicious. The deception is a very perfect one, and is used in many ways by the best conjurors. Of course, performer and assistant must be _en rapport_ with each other, the one being careful to state loudly at each "pass" how many coins are being transmitted, and the other paying strict attention to what is going on. Supposing the performer finds a single coin, he will exclaim loudly, "Ah! madam, here is just _one_ coin on the edge of your fan! Permit me." And, on finding several, he will say, "Ah! in your head, sir, quite a quantity of coins. One, two, three, four, _five_!" Sometimes, too, it is as well, for effect, to vary the speed with which the coins perform their imaginary aerial journey. "This one," the performer will say, "is, I see, a very old coin, so will go very slowly indeed;" or, "quite a new one, I declare; see how quickly it will travel." If the assistant be not listening, the effect will be absurd. The tumbler into which he drops the coins should be covered, or the sound will be too sharp. It should be a muffled sound. _The Egg Bag._--This is a bag which, although repeatedly shown to be quite empty, continues to give forth eggs. In its smallest form, it consists of a square bag, made from chintz, or similar material. One of the sides is double, and thus forms a secret compartment, the mouth of which is at the bottom of the bag, inside. The bag can be taken and turned inside out, to show that it is empty, and yet have an egg inside the compartment. The bag, on being turned back again, can be held upside down and shaken without the egg falling out, for it will still be sustained by the inner lining. To produce the egg, all the performer has to do is to put his hand inside the bag and take the egg out of the compartment. He can then replace it, and cause it to disappear. Sometimes the inner lining covers only about three-fourths of the real side of the bag, but it is best to have it almost the same size. If, in turning the bag inside out, the double side were accidentally shown to the audience, they would infallibly notice the mouth of an inner bag, if it were placed about three-fourths of the way down one side; but if it came on a level with the bottom of the bag itself, it would rarely be noticed. The larger egg bag, for the production of many eggs, is a very different affair, and requires some making. There are various patterns, the best of which I give: No. 1 is a chintz bag, about two and a half feet long, and of proportionate breadth. There is no double lining to it, but it is barefacedly provided with as many little pockets, each just capable of containing an egg, as one side can be made to take. These pockets have buttons, and the eggs are placed in them, and they are then fastened, their mouths being, of course, downwards when the bag is held in its proper position. The performer brings on the bag; and, after explaining that he has simply an ordinary chintz bag in his hands, proceeds to show that it is quite empty by turning it first upside down and then inside out. In performing the latter operation, that side which is provided with the pockets must, naturally be always turned towards the performer. The bag is then turned back again, and waved about, and, saying that he fancies something has been put into his bag by the fairies, the performer puts his hand inside, opening one of the pockets rapidly as he does so. The egg thus released is produced, and the bag again waved about. The operation of producing the eggs is continued until all are exhausted. It is perhaps better to open the pocket sometimes as the hand is withdrawn with an egg. This will enable the performer to compress the material round the egg, thereby released from the outside, before inserting the hand again to extract it, and exhibit its contour to the audience, who will then see that the egg is not placed into the bag by sleight of hand just previous to being withdrawn. No. 2 is made of any opaque material, a soft one for choice. Besides the ordinary mouth, it has two smaller ones, each some sizes larger than an egg, at the bottom corners. They are best made by simply cutting the corners off. The double lining is very small, it being only of sufficient breadth to take an egg. It is situated at the mouth of the bag and runs along the entire length of it. It has only one opening, a slit across the centre, and the eggs are put in through this. For safety's sake, it is as well to have the opening secured with a button. After the bag has been duly turned inside out and back again, and the slit (if closed) opened, the fingers are run along the top of the bag, where the narrow strip of inside lining is situated, and an egg squeezed out through the slit. This egg falls into the bag proper, which is then tilted sideways over a plate or a basket, or even a hat, and the egg thus caused to roll out of the open corner. No. 3 is similar in principle to No. 2, but has a net underneath, into which the eggs drop with very pretty effect. The corner openings are dispensed with, and the hand is inserted into the bag when an egg is to be taken out. What puzzles audiences as much as anything is that so many eggs are manipulated and yet not broken. The secret of this is that the eggs used are, with the exception of the one first produced, which is broken on a plate as a specimen, guiltless of the possession of any interior, the performer having taken the precaution of blowing them. This enables the performer to throw the bag carelessly on the floor and then to trample on it. Of course the trampling would be equally fatal to both blown and unblown eggs if the performer did not carefully avoid that portion of the bag which contains them; but the mere act of throwing a bag full of eggs in their original state on the floor would alone be disastrous to many of them. The method for holding a bag for the purpose of taking out an egg is to hold one corner between the teeth and the other in one hand stretched out. This leaves the other hand free for operation. Ordinarily, conjurors do not produce more than eight eggs. If the amateur wishes to perform the trick in really good style, he should have a bag made capable of producing at least two dozen eggs. For this, a large-sized chintz bag is recommended. _Incubation by Magic._--A very amusing trick can be performed when an entertainment is given in the country, or anywhere where a few very young chickens are procurable. Take four or five of these, and put them in a black alpaca or silk bag, the mouth of which is tied with cotton, and is easy to open. Place the bag on the shelf. Be provided with a blown egg, not too large, which palm. Borrow a hat, and find the egg in any way you please, and then retire to the stage. Place the hat on its side on the table, with the crown towards the audience, and the brim over the back edge, just where the bag is placed on the shelf. Do not place the hat in the desired position at once, but try it in various places first, and finally decide that the position in which you place it is the only secure one. Stand at the end of the table (R), and place the left hand on the brim of the hat, to hold it steady. With the right hand take the egg, and, after one or two feints, make a pass at the crown of the hat with it. Palm the egg and rub the hat, as if the egg had gone through it. This process of palming is not difficult when the egg has been made light, by blowing out the inside; the small end fits nicely between the two fleshy portions of the hand. Find another egg (_i.e._, the same one), in your leg, wand, or elsewhere, and pass it through the hat as before, and repeat the operation as often as you have chickens inside the bag. This bag will have to be introduced into the hat with the left hand, and the best time for doing this is when the right hand is engaged in finding another egg on any part of your person. It is not advisable to do it when the hat is first set down, as the eyes of the audience are full upon it. This is an illustration of misdirection. When you have "passed" the requisite number of eggs through the hat, raise it and bring it forward, remarking that not only have eggs passed through, but they have all become hatched. (The hatching can, of course, be done over a candle.) Great astonishment and amusement will be caused when you produce the chickens one by one. Before removing the last one secure the bag in the hand, for it will never do to allow the audience to see that. The egg you, of course, vest before commencing to reveal the contents of the hat. This trick is but little known, which is a pity, as it is a very simple one, and invariably causes great amusement. It also serves to vary the conventional list of tricks performed with hats. There is a capital method for collecting the eggs for this trick in place of finding each one with the hand, and "passing" it through the crown of the hat. The hat is loaded, as before, with the chickens in a bag, and placed upon a side table, as being the least suspicious, brim upwards. The performer now takes a handkerchief, which is lying carelessly about, and opens it out. It is then doubled lengthwise, perpendicularly, and, held by opposite ends; one end is tilted over the hat, when an egg slides out. The handkerchief is then opened out to show that it is perfectly empty, is taken up by two corners, folded, and once more emptied of an egg into the hat. This process is repeated as often as necessary, when the handkerchief is put aside and the trick proceeded with, as before described. The secret of the handkerchief is that on one side is suspended a blown egg, by means of a piece of black silk thread. A very thick, or, at any rate, opaque handkerchief, must be employed, so that by no possible chance can the shape of the egg be seen through it. The length of the thread will require nice adjustment, as will also its position on the handkerchief, for naturally it must not be long enough to allow the egg to appear below the lower margin of the handkerchief, when that article is held up by two corners, but must still have an inch or two to spare, to enable it to fall into the hat without being jerked backwards in the least, for so unnatural a movement imparted to a falling egg would at once undeceive the company. The position for the thread to be sewn to the handkerchief is about half way between the centre and a corner. The folding of the handkerchief must be done in a very easy manner, but without imparting a wavy motion to it, for the least lifting of the lower portion will expose the egg. When the handkerchief is folded the performer may go with it to various parts of the room, seeking where he can magically find an egg. The egg found, one of the company may be allowed to feel its contour through the handkerchief. The opening out of the handkerchief, after the egg has been poured from it, requires some attention. The lower end is released, and then the two upper corners are seized, one by either hand, and the handkerchief thrown wide open, showing the side to which the egg is attached. It is then thrown forward, so as to spread over the hat. By this act it has been turned completely over, the audience having seen both sides of it, whilst the egg has been peacefully resting inside the hat, the thread not being sufficiently prominent to become observed. The two corners nearest the performer, originally those belonging to the lower end of the folded handkerchief as the egg was tilted into the hat, are then taken, and the handkerchief drawn off from the hat towards the performer, with an oblique upward motion. The handkerchief is then in the position for refolding, and right for the discovery of a new egg. One defect which always struck me as being apparent in this method was the fact that the handkerchief could never be given round for examination. This difficulty I surmounted by the following method: The egg and thread I keep apart from the handkerchief until the actual moment for performing the trick arrives. At the loose end of the thread, the length of which has, of course, been previously adjusted to a nicety, I fasten a bent black pin; that is, a very much bent pin--a hook, in fact--with the head end very short and the pointed end very long. The egg lies in my capacious breast pocket, and the hook is fastened in a convenient position in the edge of the coat flap. The handkerchief is given round for examination, and returned to the performer, who, as he retires to the stage, fastens the hook into it. Before he turns for this purpose, he must have fixed his eye upon the place where the hook should go, and have grasped the handkerchief there, so that afterwards he may be able to conclude his movements without turning his eyes upon the immediate scene of operations; not that this need take very long. The pin hook must not be merely stuck through the handkerchief, such a hold being very insecure, but it must be put through and brought back again immediately. This will effectually prevent its slipping out during the manipulations to which the handkerchief is subjected. So soon as the pin is fixed, the performer faces the audience, if otherwise ready, and, taking the handkerchief by the two upper corners, stretches them out, when, by putting his hands away from him in front, the egg will be drawn out of the side pocket. The trick then proceeds precisely as before. If the performer deems it necessary to allow the handkerchief to be again inspected, which is a matter of fancy, he must, prior to commencing, place a white handkerchief in the hat, "in order that the eggs may fall soft, and not make an omelette," he will explain. When the requisite number of eggs have been found, the pin is unhooked, and the egg allowed to remain in the hat, from whence it is removed, folded in the white handkerchief. If the performer observes a suitable handkerchief amongst the company, he may borrow it, when, of course, the egg must be got rid of; but it is not often that this circumstance will occur. It must be admitted that connected with the whole of this trick there are a style and a neatness which are very different from the general run of conjuring tricks. _The Resuscitated Fowl._--This can either follow the trick just described, or it can form a separate trick altogether. It is very old, and has formed a portion of the stock performance of conjurors for hundreds of years. The head of a fowl is concealed in the hand, and a live bird seized. The conjuror engages in a mock struggle with it, endeavouring to seize its head, the object of the disturbance being to enable the real head to be turned down under one of the wings, and there held with one hand, and the loose head to be held on with the other hand, in its place. The stage assistant now advances with a large knife, and cuts off the imaginary head. The performer must make the deed as realistic as possible by causing the fowl to appear to struggle vehemently, and twitch its legs if possible. The head is then taken, and applied to the neck, the conjuror remarking that nothing is easier than to cause it to grow on again. Palm the loose head, and, at the same time, allow the real one to escape from its confinement, when it will at once appear to have suddenly grown on again. Release the fowl for a short run, to show that there is no mechanism about it. This trick is frequently performed by the very best conjurors, sometimes with a pigeon. The loose head must match the real one as nearly as possible, or the deception may be noticed. _"Kling-Klang."_--This is a pretty little trick, and does not take long to perform. Take a fancy coloured silk handkerchief, of a small size, not more than a foot square, at the utmost. To the centre of this attach a _blown_ hen's egg by means of a piece of thread 2in. to 3in. long. The end of the thread inside the egg is attached to the centre of a tiny piece of wood, such as a portion of a match, which can be pushed in, end foremost, through the hole at the end of the egg, but which, when once inside, will steadfastly refuse to be pulled out again. This method is far better than all other devices with cobbler's wax and glue. Two other silk handkerchiefs, quite opposite, in point of colour, to the one attached to the egg, will also be required, as will a toddy glass with a foot, and an ordinary egg, not blown. The last-mentioned article must be vested. One of the two handkerchiefs of a like colour fold neatly in the palm, and in the same hand take the blown egg, and, as a natural consequence, the handkerchief attached to it, which arrange neatly around the egg, so as to conceal the handkerchief in the palm. Place the other handkerchief in the toddy glass, and, with the wand under arm, emerge thus laden from the secrecy of "behind the scenes." Give the glass and handkerchief to one person, and ask him to examine them both, and then take from him the glass, to be held by another person. Then say, "I have here another silk handkerchief and an egg. The egg I will place in this glass, and then cover it with the handkerchief." Proceed to do this, taking care to slip in the concealed handkerchief _under_ the egg, and then retire to the stage, taking with you the second of the duplicate handkerchiefs. As you go to the stage, bring down the egg from your vest, and take the handkerchief in the hand which contains it. Turn to the audience, and ask the holder of the glass to shake it gently to show that the egg is still inside. The peculiar "kling-klang" made by the egg against the glass gives the name to the trick. A caution from you not to shake too strongly, as you do not want an omelette inside the glass, is sure to amuse. Now bring both hands together in front of you, and commence to draw in the handkerchief little by little. At intervals have the glass shaken. When a few inches only of the handkerchief protrude from the hand, draw near the holder of the glass, whom desire to cease shaking. When you have drawn the handkerchief completely into the hands, and feel that it is perfectly concealed, ask a spectator to hold out his hand, and suddenly produce the egg, which give to him. Without losing a moment, raise the handkerchief from over the glass by its centre, thus removing the egg at the same time, taking care to continually tap the glass with the wand during the operation, otherwise an accidental knock of the egg against the side of the glass would be heard, and the whole trick spoilt. Call particular attention to the fact of the egg which you produce being a genuine one, and then get away with your other properties as fast as you decently can. The trick is mostly performed with an imitation egg, instead of a real one. The egg is hollow, and has a great opening in one side. Into this the handkerchief is forced. There is no sleight of hand about this, and the egg cannot be given for examination, which is fatal. _The Harmless Shot._--Procure a substantial-looking muzzle-loading pistol, the larger the better, and get a tinman to make a tube that fits neither tightly nor loosely inside. One end of the tube must be closed, and the open end be furnished with a turn-over rim, which you colour or polish, so as to resemble as nearly as possible the muzzle of the pistol. If it comes easier, by all means reverse the process, and make the muzzle of the pistol resemble the muzzle of the tube. The tube should be at least two-thirds the length of the interior of the pistol barrel, and not about an inch and a half only. Now make a wooden ramrod, which will fit rather tightly into the tube--tightly enough to bring it away from the interior of the pistol when withdrawn after being rammed into it. The exterior of the tube should match the ramrod in colour and appearance, so that the fact of the one being within the other when held in the hand in that condition will not be detected. Advance to the audience with the pistol, ramrod, powder, caps, paper, and bullets. The tube is concealed somewhere about you. Give round one or more bullets to be marked by the audience, and, at the same time, give the pistol into the hands of someone for examination. If the pistol takes to pieces, so much the better, as it is highly advantageous for the audience to be quite convinced that there is no mechanical preparation of the performer's own devising connected with the implement. Have a fair charge of powder put in, and give the ramrod for ramming the charge. Whilst this is being done, get the tube into the hand, and, when the ramrod is returned to you, pass it into the tube, and then at once say earnestly, "I hardly think you rammed it sufficiently, sir." Without taking the pistol yourself, hold the muzzle in the fingers of the left hand, and ram with the right. The left hand must pinch the rim of the tube, which will thereby become disengaged from the ramrod, and remain inside the pistol. By this means the tube has become inserted in the pistol without any occasion for the pistol leaving the possession of the person assisting. The bullet or bullets are then dropped in by such of the audience as have marked them, the pistol being handed round by the volunteer assistant, who is also asked to put a piece of paper in as well. This piece of paper is very small, and is rolled up by the performer himself, who will, of course, take particular care that it is not bulky enough to jam in the tube. The performer now, without taking the pistol, puts in the ramrod and presses down the bullets--apparently. He, however, takes good care to avoid pressing them at all, but brings the hand holding the ramrod over the muzzle of the pistol, and so secures the tube. There is nothing in the action to excite the least suspicion; still, it is best to have the ramrod of such length that only an inch or so of it protrudes from the muzzle. If this particular be observed, then the hand must approach the muzzle on every occasion of ramming down a charge, and so no suspicion can possibly be excited by the action. The imaginary ramming is, of course, continued, the tube being moved up and down inside the pistol vehemently. Withdraw the ramrod and tube, carefully concealing the junction of the two, and have the pistol capped. Having secured the bullets in the tube, the next thing is to get them into the hand. As it is impossible to withdraw the rod from the tube in full view of the audience (it can certainly be done behind the table; but the unavoidably lengthened absence of both hands for the purpose would be fatally suspicious), the performer must necessarily retire behind the scenes. The best excuse is that of requiring a plate. Whilst fetching this, the rod is withdrawn from the tube, and the bullet or bullets shaken out. The paper ought not to stick, but it might; and so it is always as well to have a piece of wire with a sharp hook at one end in readiness. This abstraction of the bullets could be managed whilst the performer retires up the stage, and it would be advisable to do so if the bullets were certain to drop out, which, however, they are not. When the performer has a stage assistant, as he always should have when possible, the matter becomes much easier. The assistant holds the box of caps on or near the stage, and the performer goes to him for them, and gives him the wand with the tube on it in an offhand manner. The assistant then manages all the abstraction whilst the capping of the pistol is going on, and stands, just removed from sight, with the plate in one hand and the bullets in the other. The performer then has only to stretch his arm behind to receive the bullets first and the plate next, both in one hand. The bullets are held under the fingers, which are on the inside of the plate. The performer now holds the plate either in front of his face or at arm's length, and requests that the pistol may be fired at it. When this is done, the bullets are allowed to roll on the plate, which is brought simultaneously into a horizontal position, a kind of "grab" being made with it, as if catching the bullets in the air. I like this method better than catching the bullets in the mouth, as the performer can at once run forward with them on the plate, and the audience will be thus enabled to see for themselves that no substitution has taken place during transit. The difficulty of extracting the bullet or bullets I finally mastered, after various trials, by using a tolerably thick piece of cork for the purpose of closing the one end of the tube. When the performer retires up the stage, he holds the closed end in his hand and presses the ramrod against his body, thus forcing out cork, bullet, and paper with one vigorous push. The operation does not occupy a second, and, when the performer turns facing the audience again, the ramrod is in his hand as before. It will naturally occur to everybody that, if the ramrod fits tightly into the tube, the whole arrangement will be neither more nor less than a popgun, and the cork will be blown out as soon as the ramrod is inserted into the tube. To avoid such a startling result, the ramrod must, although fitting the tube at certain places, be made out of truth, so as to admit of an escape of air, or else the cork must have a hole burnt through it by means of red-hot wire. Piercing a hole through the cork will not suffice, as the nature of the material will speedily cause the opening to close up again. If this cork arrangement be used, then the performer need never leave the stage. I have given the learner what I consider to be the best method for performing the trick. A method which differs only slightly from mine, the principle being the same, is to use a tube barely two inches in length. This tube is dropped into the pistol by the performer, who takes the pistol entirely in his hands, for the purpose of ramming down the powder charge. As it lies secreted a long way down the pistol, it, of course, can never be seen. In pushing the ramrod down, it becomes fixed in the tube, and brings it away, the ramrod being the least bit tapered, to insure its going into the tube. It should be tapered at each end, so that there may be no bother about looking to see which end is the graduating one. The rest of the trick is performed exactly as in the other method. My objections to the use of the short tube are that, in order to get it into the pistol, the performer must secure actual possession of the firearm, and he must repeat the manoeuvre when he wishes to take it out again. Again, it is very difficult to conceal the point of junction of a short tube on a long ramrod. If the performer does not use the utmost caution, the tube will be noticed sticking on the rod as they are withdrawn from the pistol. The rim of the long tube is covered with the hand before the abstraction is made, and added to this is the fact that the pistol never leaves the hand of the volunteer assistant, which is a great feature in the trick. The only objection to the long tube I found to be the difficulty sometimes arising in abstracting the bullets; but my cork has now removed that difficulty. I have given both methods that the learner may choose for himself. Although I have said "bullet or bullets," because some conjurors employ one only and some three or four, I should, myself, never think of using more than one. The effect is the same, whilst the trick is made immeasurably easier to the performer. People may, perhaps, be a little more satisfied at seeing several bullets marked by different people, but it is just as easy, and quite as effective, to have one bullet thus treated. It will not matter in the least to the performer how many people mark it. Another method for performing the trick is to substitute for the marked bullet a blacklead one. This, on account of its lightness, the performer must himself drop into the pistol and see that it is so rammed that it is broken up. I would never advise anyone to adopt this method, although Houdin caused consternation amongst the Arabs by allowing himself to be fired at from a distance of a few paces. With his usual completeness he finished the trick by firing another pistol at a whitewashed wall, on which appeared a large splash of blood. This was managed by means of a ball of black wax, the inside of which was filled with blood. The Arabs were duly impressed. There are some pistols made with spring openings in the barrel, through which the bullet falls into the hand of the performer; but, in this case, the pistol cannot be examined, which fact is quite sufficient to taboo the method. Unless the pistol is given to be examined, and left in the hands of the spectators the whole time, there is, in my opinion, nothing in the trick. _A Bottle of Ginger Beer._--The reader will scarcely require to be told that one of the great deceits practised by conjurors is that of duplication. In order to apparently execute the impossibility of conveying a large solid body invisibly through space, the conjuror has to cause the article itself to disappear by any means at hand, and to produce another similar article, or counterfeit thereof, at the spot to which the original one is supposed to be magically transported. In the case of Houdin's die trick a counterfeit die was made use of, and in many of the coin tricks duplicate coins were employed. Whatever the article used, the method is almost invariably the same; and the public are often invited to witness the exhibition of a new wonder, which is in reality only a variety of what has been done in hundreds of ways before. One very effective variety of this particular deceit is the transposition of a ginger-beer bottle from one paper cover to another. The trick and its explanation are as follows: The performer brings forward a ginger-beer bottle and a glass, on a tray. If he pleases, he may have two ginger-beer bottles, and ask the audience to choose between them. He should ask them to select between the one on the right and the one on the left. If "right" is said, and the one with which the trick is to be performed is on the left of the audience, then the performer must say, "On _my_ right. Thank you"; and instantly take up that bottle without more ado, and uncork it. He then pours out the ginger beer, to show that it is genuine--so he says, but the real object is to keep the spectators from suspecting that there is anything "uncanny" about the bottle itself. The peculiarity of the bottle is that it either never had a bottom to it, or else that portion of it has been forcibly removed. Some few conjuring trick makers supply bottles without bottoms; but any lapidary will perform the desired operation should the performer himself be unsuccessful in accomplishing it with a hammer. The chief thing is to obtain two bottles that match exactly in colour. Height is not of much consequence, as that is not so readily retained by the eye as is colour; still, it is as well to have them match in that even, but colour stands first in importance. One of these bottles is placed upon the right-hand side of the shelf behind the table, and the other is fitted inside with either a piece of thick cork or gutta-percha. Whichever it is, it must fit very tightly, and be situated about an inch from the foot of the bottle. The cork must be left out until the last minute, or the fermentation of the ginger beer will cause the false bottom to come out unexpectedly with a "pop." This prepared bottle is the one that is brought on on the tray, with or without another genuine one, as the performer pleases. When two are brought on, the second one should always be left with the audience for them to open if they be so minded. It is sure to be examined with strict minuteness, and its unblemished innocence will reflect upon its late companion. Under his vest band the performer has a small apple, a walnut, or little ball. This he gets down as he retires to the table, and slips it in the lower cavity of the bottle, holding it there suspended by means of the little finger. He then places the bottle upon the left-hand front corner of the table, and on the corresponding corner he places a duplicate of the article which he has secretly introduced under the bottle. This duplicate will have been lying on the table all the time, and can, of course, be examined. The performer now takes two cardboard or paper covers, each just large enough to cover a ginger-beer bottle easily, and shows them round. These covers can be made with very little trouble, and the plainer they are the better, in my opinion. Spectators think no more of a trick because of a cover of many colours covered with gold or silver stars. A fancy paper on the outside is all that is required, for it will not do to look "beggarly." These two covers are now taken back, and the performer goes behind his table. With the left hand he places one cover very slowly and deliberately over the bottle, and calls very particular attention to what he is doing. The cover in the right hand is meanwhile being placed over the bottle on the shelf. The conjuror's whole attention, eyes and everything, must be engrossed on what he is doing with the bottle which is visible. Any glance which he may want to take for ascertaining the exact position of the bottle on the shelf must take place as he goes behind the table; any downward look after this would be fatal. Directly it is felt that the hidden bottle is safe in the cover, the latter must be brought into view again; and care must be taken that it is held a little obliquely, the mouth being towards the performer. As an additional security, it is always as well to have the inside of the covers blackened, or lined with black paper, and the inside and base of the second bottle treated likewise. Any accidental exposure will then not be so likely to be attended by serious results. When the first cover is fairly over the bottle, the second one, containing the other bottle, is placed over the little ball, or whatever it is. The performer next takes up his wand and says, "Now, what I am about to do is to cause the ginger-beer bottle and the little ball to change places. This, I am aware, anyone can do by simply lifting off the covers and altering the positions of the articles with the hand; but I shall do nothing so transparent. I will show you that the articles are still where I placed them, and that I have not already moved them from their positions." (The covers are alternately lifted, care being taken not to prematurely expose the wrong article.) "My method of procedure is as follows: First, I take out the little ball" (on the shelf there is a third article, similar to the other two, and this the performer palms in the left hand) "in this manner. You see, I simply run my wand up the side of the cover, and here I have the little ball in my hand." (Strike left hand with wand, and open it and put the ball on table.) "This cover is now empty. By means of my wand, I remove the ginger-beer bottle, large and cumbrous as it is, from the cover--here it is, see, on my wand!--and pass it gently, for fear of breakages, into the empty cover. This little ball I take thus, and pass into this cover, where the bottle was, not five seconds since." (Perform any pass with the ball, and put it back upon the shelf.) "On raising the covers, it will be seen that the change has actually taken place." Raise the left-hand cover first, grasping it firmly so as to ensure the bottle from slipping, and then show the second bottle on the right, bringing the left hand, at the same time, over the shelf, upon which the first bottle is permitted to drop, very gently, from the cover. Both covers should be afterwards shown round, although the trick can be repeated, i.e., done backwards, if the performer desires. If he does so, he should say, "Ah, I daresay everybody did not see how that was done, and, as I always like the method of my tricks to be understood by everybody, I will do it over again. There is no fun in a trick if one does not see how it is done." On removing the bottles at the close of the trick, care must be taken that the hidden ball, &c., is not knocked down on the floor, as is sometimes done by accident. This is a genuinely good trick, the opening of the ginger-beer bottle before the audience serving to throw that body off its guard. _The Flying Plume and Seed._--This is another trick in which duplicated representations play an important part, but the articles and methods employed are so totally distinct from those used in the preceding trick that one might follow the other in a performance, and yet both appear to be totally distinct in every way. There is a little simple apparatus in connection with the trick. First of all, a tin tube, 18in. long, and at least 1-1/2in. in diameter. It is provided with a cap at each end, fitting inside, and not over, as is usual. The tube also possesses the peculiarity of being divided longitudinally, by a tin partition, into two portions. This partition does not run down the centre of the tube, but takes a transverse direction from one side of one end to the opposite side of the other end. By this means, both ends are open to their full extent, and the tube can be shown briskly round, with the cap off, without anyone being able to detect anything wrong. Of course, only one end will be given for inspection, the audience not suspecting the existence of more than one opening. Then there is a vase, also of tin, but painted on the outside or japanned. This vase has a foot about 3in. high, which is hollow, and is connected with the body of the vase by means of a very large hole. This hole is hidden by a large domed cap on the end of a pin, which runs through the foot, and is furnished with a button underneath. A spiral spring inside keeps the cap down on the hole, but pressure on the button under the foot causes it to rise, and any seed that may be in the body of the vase will instantly run down into the foot. Two plumes of exactly the same colour and length will also be required. These plumes can be obtained at a cheap rate at any plumassier's. One of the compartments of the tube is secretly filled with seed, and the end opening that division is closed with the cap. This cap should bear a distinct mark to distinguish it from the other. In the vase there should be an egg, orange, lemon, or apple, &c., which must not be seen by the audience, and on the table there should be another similar article. Up the performer's sleeve, or in his side pocket, one of the plumes is secreted. The other plume is handed round and then thrust down the tube, which, to all appearances, it entirely fills. Place the tube on a chair or on the floor, and then take the vase, and into it pour a quantity of seed, going forward so soon as the article at the bottom is covered. Show the vase round full of seed, and then place it on another chair, the button being pressed and all the seed allowed to run away in transit. Now borrow either a hat or a handkerchief. If the plume is up the sleeve, then a handkerchief is required. Spread the handkerchief over the hand, as if showing there is nothing in it, and seize the end of the plume through it with the other hand. Draw the handkerchief smartly away with the plume inside it, and throw both on the floor. If the plume is in the pocket, then borrow a hat and slip the plume into it. The plume will curl round inside the hat, and remain firmly fixed, so the hat can be turned brim downwards without fear of the plume falling out. These preliminaries concluded, proceed as follows: Touch the tube with the wand and say you have taken out the plume, which you then "pass" into the hat or handkerchief, as the case may be. Now touch the vase with the wand, and say that you have removed all the seed, which you then command to go into the tube. Vanish the egg, or whatever it may be that you use, down a trap, and "pass" it into the vase. Nothing then remains but to open the tube, and to show the vase and handkerchief or hat. Millet is by far the best seed to use. It is light, and its spherical shape causes it to run smoothly. A conjuror, who was experienced enough to know better, persistently used rice for this trick. The result was extra delay, for the rice generally managed to clog somewhere, and always made a tell-tale rattling as it trickled into the foot. It made one tremble to look and listen. The trick is very easily managed, and creates a remarkably pretty effect. The conjuring shops supply the apparatus. _How to Make and Cook a Pudding in a Hat._--Procure a large size gallipot with nice thin sides. Have a tin lining made to fit the inside of this, and divide the lining into two portions by means of a horizontal division across the middle. The inside of a gallipot being somewhat narrower at the bottom than it is at the top, the lining will be taper, and consequently one partition will be larger than the other. Into the larger partition put a plum pudding, or cake, hot, and stand it on the shelf, without the gallipot. Borrow a hat, and, whilst busy about putting some paper at the bottom of it, and explaining that it is to prevent its being spoilt, take an opportunity of slipping the tin containing the pudding into it. Now take some flour, eggs, plums, sugar, and water, and mix them all up in the gallipot, to the accompaniment of some facetious remarks about your being a first-rate cook. Next pour the paste from the gallipot into the empty division of the tin, and, putting the pot momentarily into the hat, press it down well over the tin, which it will bring away, leaving the pudding alone behind. Now hold the hat over a spirit lamp (a candle would spoil the hat), and profess to be cooking the contents, which presently take out close to the audience and distribute. Some conjurors make omelettes and pancakes, which certainly make a good show, and are suggestive of being cooked on the crown of a hat. Some address is required in executing this trick, especially in getting the tin into and out of the hat. The knack of putting things into hats from the shelf neatly is one of the most difficult things to acquire, and the performer must never be nervous at the moment, or he will be certain to allow himself to be discovered. Sometimes the egg is first broken into the hat (_i.e._, the tin), and the flour and water afterwards mixed up in the gallipot. The effect of the contents of an egg dropping into a hat is certainly good. An amusing interlude, when borrowing a hat, is to apparently push the forefinger through the crown and then restore the hole supposed to be made by the act. This deception is managed by having a cast of a human forefinger made in either wax, gutta-percha, or plaster, and provided with a pointed wire at the thick end. This finger is concealed in the right hand, and the left hand put inside the hat. The right hand is then brought on the outside of the crown, and with the remark, "I fancy you have a hole in your hat, sir," an apparent effort is made, and a finger shown protruding through the crown. All that is done is to pass through the wire, which is held on the inside by the left hand. After making a few sharp movements simulating a finger in the act of being shaken, bring the right hand on to the crown again, and make as though considerable exertion were required in order to get the finger back again. The dummy is, of course, merely secured in the right hand, and the hat immediately shown ostentatiously round, so as to keep attention away from the right hand. The imitation finger must naturally be coloured to resemble the performer's flesh. The trick must not last long--a quarter of a minute is ample. If the finger remains through the hat for any length of time the audience will soon realise what the nature of the deception is. It should appear as if the finger had been just pushed through, shaken derisively, and then withdrawn. _The Flags of Old England._--Without any visible preparation, and from no conceivable source, the performer produces hundreds of flags with the hands. The flags, which can, of course, be of any colour, but, for obvious reasons, should be red, white, and blue, for preference, are thus made quickly: Procure some sheets of tissue paper, and cut them into slips of equal dimensions. A good size to commence with is 3in. by 1-1/2in., three of which will make a flag of 4in. by 3in., a very nice size. For rapid pasting, place, say, the red slips one over the other, each one permitting just a quarter of an inch of the one beneath it to be seen. With one sweep of the brush a large number can be thus pasted. Perform the same operation with the blue papers, and the white ones will not require any paste at all. Join the three together, and, when dry, paste them on either very thin sticks or wire, or else on bass. The latter is far preferable to any other substance, and can be easily procured. Now make some flags about 6in. by 4in. in the same manner, and, if you choose, a few even larger still. Roll them all up very tightly in two or three bundles, and secrete them about you. I always place a bundle of small flags up each sleeve, the larger ones being either in the vest or in the large breast pocket of the coat. Take a little flag in each hand, and advance with them. Wave them about, and, lowering one hand, allow the bundle to slide into it from the sleeve, care being taken that the back of the hand is towards the audience. Bring the hands together immediately, and continue to wave them about for a few seconds, when commence to unroll the flags, and cause a few to appear first at the top, and then to fall on to the floor. Continue this, all the time moving about, until you find the supply getting low, when, with a downward sweep of the hands, extract the bundle from the other sleeve. This movement will be perfectly concealed by the numerous flags flying about. It will also be perfectly easy to obtain possession of the other bundles from the vest or pocket, if care be taken to raise the flags that are being exhibited, so as to conceal the motion of the hand. When the larger flags are being unravelled, the waving should increase. The effect of a quantity of flags coming from apparently nowhere is always very bewildering to an audience, and this is heightened when the larger ones appear. I remember producing one quite 8ft. in length, with a complimentary motto, allusive to the season of the year, elaborated upon it. There is, however, no necessity to go to such a length as this. Buatier, instead of two flags to commence with, takes a bundle of coloured paper, which he rolls up, and then pretends to transform into flags. This is not at all a bad method, and, if the performer prefers it to my own, there is no harm in adopting it. Buatier decidedly makes a mistake, though, in producing the original paper after he has manufactured several hundreds of flags from it. This is not consistent. _The Chinese Rings._--Whether originally Chinese or not, is of little moment: the trick has received the name, and is known by it only, so I adhere to it. The trick consists in apparently accomplishing the evident impossibility of linking strong metal rings, that have no break or opening in them, one within the other. The secret of the trick lies in the fact that one of a number of rings is provided with a slit or opening, which is kept carefully concealed by the performer's fingers. As, however, one ring with an opening would not alone suffice to link several others together in a continuous chain, the rings are made in sets of three and two welded together, besides three or four single ones. The set of two I always dispense with as useless. There is not the slightest necessity for going to a conjuring repository to obtain the rings, for an ordinary smith can produce a much more serviceable article. My idea of a good ring is one made of iron wire fully 3/8in. in thickness and 9in. in diameter. Let the metal be well burnished, and see that the welding is properly done. The opening in the one ring should be 7/16in. wide so as to admit the other rings freely. Some rings have a slit merely, whilst others have the ends springing one into the other. These precautions are quite unnecessary, for the secret ring is never given round for examination. When the performer comes on, he has the open ring concealed either under his armpit, in his breast pocket, or in the vest; or he may have it hanging behind a chair, if he has one with an opaque back on the stage. The other rings he has in the hand, and gives them round for examination. Unless this examination takes place, there is nothing in the trick, for the audience would justly argue that all the rings have secret spring-bolt openings which are invisible at a short distance. To abstract the concealed ring without detection requires, at times, considerable address. A good way is to allow some of the others to fall, and whilst stooping quickly for them, get out the concealed one. Turning the back upon the audience, and deliberately taking the ring out from its place of concealment whilst walking towards the stage, is the method I usually adopt. When it is hung at the back of a chair, the bulk of the rings should be placed upon the seat, and two or three taken up in one hand; say, the right. In stooping to pick up some more rings with the left hand, the right, naturally enough, finds its way to the top of the back of the chair, and, as the ring will be suspended half an inch down, the end of one finger will be sufficient to obtain it. I lay some stress upon this recovery of the open ring, for in its neat execution lies the whole secret of the trick. If the performer feels that he has accomplished the feat without being observed, he may boldly assert that he knows that other conjurors perform the same trick with prepared rings--he does nothing so mean and despicable. As a rule, I disagree with any hint whatever that may give a clue to the secret of a trick; but this particular one is so widely known that I doubt if an audience of ordinary size could be found with everyone ignorant of its secret. Under these circumstances, the conjuror who wishes for success must be different to everyone else. If he is not "prepared to do or die," let him leave the Chinese rings alone. The method of "working" the trick is to first take up the open ring and one of the single ones, one in each hand. Unless the performer be left-handed, or ambidextrous, it is always advisable to hold the open ring in the right hand, the opening being between the finger and thumb. Stand at the front of the stage (if there are side boxes, then a little back), and let the open ring hang carelessly on the thumb, only broadside on to the audience. By turning up the point of the thumb ever so little, the opening is rendered quite invisible to spectators, who will think that two perfect rings are being held before them, they having no possible reason to suspect even that an open ring is anywhere about. Bang the two rings together several times, and pretend to make two or three attempts to fit one into the other, by what precise movement does not matter in the least. Presently slip the solid ring rapidly through the opening of the other, without ceasing for an instant the movements you have hitherto made, which continue as if the two rings were still apart. Soon you will work the two close together, and, by degrees, bring round the solid ring to the bottom of the open one, and then allow it to hang from it. Be careful, however, that the opening is never so much as approached by the solid ring after the latter has been passed through it. By a reversal of the proceedings, the ring must be taken off again, the two rings being held touching one another, and worked about as if still linked, long after the actual detachment has taken place. The audience are supposed to actually see one ring pass through the other, and the performer must cause this to appear to be done at the lower half of the open ring. Performers always make a grand mistake in hurrying over this, the opening part of the trick, which is really the most important part of it. Within reasonable bounds, the linking of the two first rings cannot be much too long drawn out. If he be possessed of sufficient daring, the performer may advance to one of the audience with the two rings linked, and give him one of them (the solid one, of course) to hold. Just as the ring is put into his hand, the disconnection should take place. This is an interlude, which the performer may use or not, according to how he feels in spirits, for conjurors are like race-horses, and are at times "in" or "out of form." Two loose rings can then be put on the open one, one at a time, and then removed and held together. The open ring can be passed over the arm out of the way, the opening being, of course, concealed, and some "business" can be gone through with the other two, which, as they never were together, can be separated without much difficulty. Some conjurors become breathless at the bare idea of allowing the open ring to leave the hand, whereas, when properly managed, there is not the least danger to be apprehended. When the ring is passed over the arm, the hand does not leave the opening until it is well embedded inside the elbow joint. It is bad policy to hold one ring continually in the hand, as the fact is extremely likely to be noticed. When a few evolutions have been performed with the single rings, including throwing one in the air and catching it on the open ring on its descent, the triplets should be taken up, and, after plenty of shaking about and turning round and over, an end one should be linked on. By linking up the other end as well, a square is formed. Give two rings of this to be held by different people, and tell them to pull. Give one or two jerks yourself, and at one of them disconnect, and then gradually appear to unlink the square, bringing, at last, the four in a single chain. Make a lot more flourishes, but merely bring the four side by side in one hand, hanging. Hold the open ring firmly, and allow the others to drop steadily. This they will do in two distinct stages or jerks, at each of which you make a movement with the disengaged hand as if controlling them. As a finish, it is usual to put all the rings in a bunch on the open one. When this is done, one of the solid rings should be made to sustain the rest for a short time in place of the open one, which may be allowed to hang down in the rear of the others, where it will not be seen. The solid ring thus temporarily used should be held alternately in several places, so that the audience, and especially such as know the secret of the trick, may see that there is actually no opening it. This is an excellent _ruse_ to adopt. When performing with the rings, always make a deal of clatter with them; it adds to the effect. An effective _finale_ is to grasp the open ring by the solid part immediately opposite the opening, and, turning the whole bunch rapidly over, shake the other rings loose upon the floor, dropping the open ring amongst the rest. The apparent recklessness of this goes still further to disarm suspicion as to an open ring. It will be seen that, beyond obtaining the open ring, everything is what is understood as "hankey-pankey"--in fact, downright humbug--but it is humbug of a superior order. The performer who introduces it injudiciously and unskilfully will have reason to regret any imperfect study of this trick. There is not much true sleight of hand in it, but the perfection of "address" will be required. _The Drawer-Box._--This is not the name of a trick, but of one of the most useful pieces of apparatus which a conjuror can possess. I have purposely refrained from making any mention of it before, because I wanted to make the beginner an adept at vanishing and producing with his hands before I gave him an article that would save him the trouble at the loss of a large amount of effect. When a person is able to do considerable execution with his hands alone, there need be no anxiety about giving apparatus into them. It is only with the beginner that the danger lies, for he will say, "Oh! this box does all I want--at least, quite well enough for me--so why should I take the trouble to learn to do it without?" The expert is never too anxious to use apparatus, and invariably manages with as little of it as he can. Now, the drawer-box is an article of such peculiar handiness on so many occasions, that the temptation held out to beginners to use it frequently is too great to be resisted. It will bear a cursory examination, and yet, although crammed with any kind of article to its fullest extent, it is made to appear quite empty, by merely being shut and re-opened, and this in the midst of the audience; or the operation may, with modifications, be reversed, and the box shown first empty, and then full. Most of us must have seen the little cigar-case which is so handy to smokers who wish to keep a good brand of cigar to themselves. The drawer-box is made on exactly the same principle as this, only, of course, in an enlarged form, and in wood. [Illustration: FIG. 51.] [Illustration: FIG. 52.] The appended sketches (Figs. 51 and 52) show the apparatus. I give a minute description of it here, as it is only in very large towns that the article is procurable, made in the manner it should be, so the conjuror can either get a cabinet maker to make him one, or, if he be anything of a carpenter, make one for himself. A (Fig. 51) is a lightly-made drawer, without any back end, and fits somewhat easily into F (Fig. 52), which should be made of 3/8in. stuff, and strongly put together. B is another lightly-made drawer, smaller than A, into which it fits. A has a narrow combing all round the upper surface of the front end and sides. This serves to conceal the presence of B, which in reality looks like the inside of A. To perfect this deception, the open sides of A are, as depicted in sketch, made with mortises, and the end of B being allowed to extend a little each side, and also mortised, the two dovetail one into the other, and present a most innocent appearance. The knob D is not fixed, but has a slight perpendicular play. It is connected with a piece of flat metal, which extends from the knob to the upper portion of the wood, inside the combing, where it is furnished with a catch, which can be made by turning over the end of the metal and sharpening it a little. In B there is a slight incision made at C. When B is pushed home into A, and the knob D pressed downwards, the catch fixes itself into C, and thus keeps the two drawers firmly together. The action of shifting the knob up and down is very slight indeed, a 1/4in., or, at the outside, 1/3in. play being ample. When the two drawers are thus fixed, they may be shown round, and no one not in the secret will suspect that there is more than one drawer. The more care and attention that is paid in fitting the drawers nicely together, the better. At the lower part of the back end of B will be noticed a protruding piece of wood, E. This fits closely against A when the two are closed together, but it plays an important part in the working of the box. In the body, F (Fig. 52), is cut a square hole, immediately under the point where the thumb is seen to be pressing. G is a flat spring let into the bottom of F, and fixed at the end farthest removed from the square hole. A square piece of wood, the same thickness as the bottom of the body F, and slightly smaller than the hole, is glued firmly on the free end of the spring, so that it is always in the hole. The exterior of the box should be painted or French polished, and the bottom covered with baize or cloth. The material should be glued on, the space covering the spring, and half an inch all round it, being left free. The apparatus is then ready for use, and is thus "worked": We will suppose that it is required to cause several apples to disappear. The drawer A, with B inside it, and the knob pressed firmly down, is shown in one hand, and the body F in the other. The apples are then put into A (really into B), which is then pushed into F. After the performer has pretended to extract the apples by magical means, he takes up the box with both hands, one hand grasping one end, with the thumb on the spring G (Fig. 52), and the other hand seizing the knob D, which it presses upwards, thus removing the catch from the slit C. With the thumb pressing as hard as possible on the spring, the drawer A is pulled out. The square piece of wood on the end of the spring G, being pressed inside the box, causes an obstruction to the inner drawer B through the medium of the protrusion E, and B is consequently held back in F. The drawer A, which is, after all, merely an outer shell, is shown instead, and the audience, not knowing of the existence of a double drawer, imagine that the one shown them is the one which they saw filled with apples. When the box is opened, it should be held sideways, with the top turned towards the audience, and when it contains such articles as apples, which easily shift in a very audible manner, it should be placed in this position on the table, before the contents are made to disappear. It would be stupid to pull out an empty drawer and then cause a rumbling to be heard. The audience would at once divine that the articles were kept back in the body of the box by some means. When the box is made so large that the hand cannot grasp it in the manner shown at Fig. 52, the closed end should be furnished with a knob matching that on the drawer A. This can then be held by the fingers, and so enable the thumb to find a purchase. A very good box is one made without the spring acted upon by the thumb. In its place is a loose metal peg, which drops in and out of the hole in the double drawer by the mere tilting of the box. This style of box is best made with both ends of the cover open, an increased appearance of innocence being thereby secured. With such a handy article at command as the drawer-box, which will vanish or produce anything at will, it will be easily understood that the beginner is extremely likely to be tempted into using it with too great a frequency. Let him beware of this, and, at the outside, use it not more than twice in the same evening, and then only under completely differing conditions, and after the lapse of a good interval of time. In a number of the foregoing tricks the drawer-box could be used with success, I grant, but not with any very great effect. In the trick with the large die and the handkerchief, it would be handy for causing the die to vanish. It could be used in _The Sun and Moon_, _A Bottle of Ginger Beer_, and in a dozen others, but the temptation to do so must be resisted. Popular usage has assigned the drawer-box the position of a regular "property" in a very effective trick performed with a large solid block of wood, familiarly known as the Cone. It can be made of any size, but it is as well to have it as large as possible, that is, not less than 6in. in height. When large, it is just as easy to manipulate, and is much more effective. The only desideratum is that it should go comfortably into the drawer-box. It should be well tapered from the base to the summit, which may be simply flat or fancifully turned. Over this block fits a thin shell, the _facsimile_ of it--the die and dummy repeated, only in a different shape. The dummy shell is usually turned out of a piece of wood similar to that of which the block is made, and both are polished to match. It is essential that they be very smooth. All else that is required is a very tall paper cone, which passes very loosely over the shell, and a couple of apples, oranges, lemons, or any similar articles, both being placed on the shelf. The drawers, fastened, should be taken out of the body and stood upon it at one end of the table, and the cone, with the shell on it, at the other end. The performer next takes the paper cone and exhibits it. He then says, standing behind the table, "This cover, which is, as you see, made simply of paper, is for the purpose of covering this solid block of wood." The paper cover is passed over the cone and shell, which are grasped firmly with one hand and slid off the table on to the other hand. The shell is then grasped a little higher up, through the paper, and the solid block jerked out of it on the floor. The paper containing the shell cone is then laid flat on the table, with the closed end towards the audience, and the solid cone picked up and placed in the drawer, which is first shown briefly round. The drawer-box is closed and placed on a side table to the left, and the performer, passing behind the table, takes up one of the two articles which are upon the shelf. This he produces in any way he pleases, taking it from the wand being the most effective method (see "Sleights for General Use"). He should then say that he requires an orange, &c., for the trick, which he will ask his wand to give him. The orange, or whatever it may be, is then placed upon the table, and covered with the paper cover, with the dummy cone inside it. The performer then explains that what he is going to do is to cause the solid cone to come out of the box and pass into the paper cover. Whilst saying this, he goes behind the table and secures the second of the two articles that were on the shelf, in the right hand. He then comes round, and proceeds: "To do this, it will be first necessary for me to remove the orange from the paper, and I accomplish the feat in this manner." (He runs the wand lightly up the side of the paper, and then produces the orange out of it, the action being somewhat similar to that used in the previous production.) "Now that the cover is empty, I can pass the block of wood into it. I take it out of the box, thus" (taps box with wand), "and, see, it is on my wand. I carry it carefully to the cover and pass it thus into it." The wand is carried very gingerly, in a horizontal position, as if the block of wood were really balanced upon it. The paper is then taken by its very apex, and lifted carefully off the dummy shell, and the drawer-box opened, as previously explained for showing it empty. The performer, after a short pause, to allow of the free circulation of universal wonderment, says, "Ah! but perhaps I did it a little too quickly, and you did not notice how it was done. I will do it in a different way. Here we have the piece of wood, which I cover with the paper; my box, empty, I shut and place here, and the orange I take in my hand, thus" (trap it), "and rub it slowly away. I command the block of wood to pass back again into the box, and the orange to appear under the paper cover." Lift the paper and dummy together, pinching them at the base, and lay them down as before directed, and then tilt out the drawer, allowing the wood to fall upon the floor. If the cone be not very large, then the dummy may be allowed to slide out of the paper cover on to the shelf, and the paper shown empty. There is an objection to having the dummy shell made of wood, which is that it is necessarily very light, and so easily overturned. An accidental stumble against the table will sometimes effect this untoward result. Zinc and tin are heavier, but there is an objection laid against them as well: they "talk"--that is, they make a scraping noise against the real block of wood when withdrawn from it. I leave the conjuror to decide which is the lesser of the two evils. Cones standing two or three inches in height can be successfully passed through hats, after the method employed in Houdin's die trick. Further uses for the drawer-box will appear in the course of the description of other tricks. _Bacchus' Dovecote._--The performer advances with a bottle and glasses on a tray, and a dove on his shoulder. From the bottle he pours some wine, and then places it upon a side table. The dove is next wrapped in some paper, from which the tail is allowed to protrude, and the performer then jumps upon it or else burns it. On the bottle being broken, the dove is found inside. The bottle is prepared by having the bottom knocked out, which can be easily managed with a hammer, smart taps with which have to be administered, in a circle. The hand holding the bottle whilst this is being done should have a glove upon it, in case of a breakage. A dove is put into the bottle, head first, through the bottom. This is rather uncomfortable for the bird, and I cannot bring myself to think that the latter likes it; but no bad results seem to follow the treatment, which should be rendered as gentle as possible. A tin tube is passed down the neck of the bottle, secured at the mouth by means of red sealing-wax, and then filled with red wine. On the table are spread some sheets of paper, on the margin of one of which are pasted some dove's tail feathers. The exhibited dove is placed upon the centre trap, and the performer pretends to wrap it in the paper having the feathers upon it. It is, instead, passed through the trap, and the paper rolled carefully up, as though the bird were inside. The protruding feathers leave no doubt of this in the minds of the audience. The ends of the paper should be screwed up tightly, and a little hole torn in the parcel, "to give the dove air." If, when placed upon the floor or table the paper should accidentally roll slightly, the performer must attribute it to the restlessness of the bird supposed to be inside, and apostrophise it accordingly. If crushed, it should be treated lengthways, so that the feathers are not afterwards observed, or the audience might think it only reasonable that the bird found inside the bottle should be _minus_ a tail if he has left it behind him in the paper. It may seem very simple on their parts, but audiences never seem to doubt that the dove apparently wrapped in paper and the one found in the bottle are one and the same bird. There is no distinguishing mark on it to identify it, and everything tends to make one think otherwise; but never a doubt is raised. This circumstance should be very consoling to the conjuror. I have even seen two doves put into a drawer-box and two other doves made to appear at the other end of the room, and no one seemed to doubt for a moment that they were the same ones that had been just before put into the box. Doves are most docile creatures, and accommodate themselves to circumstances in a remarkable manner. When passed through a trap, they never wander about and exhibit themselves at the corners of the shelf, or otherwise expose the performer's secrets. At times, though, they will start their peculiar call, but this happens very rarely. Most regular performers, whether professional or not, usually keep a pair of doves at least. They are very hardy, and soon become accustomed to being pulled about. _The Wine-drinking Crystal Ball._--The tube in the neck of a bottle, mentioned in the preceding trick, is a very effective and much-practised deception. In the present instance, the performer selects an opaque bottle with a deep "kick" in the foot, and has a tin tube fitted into its neck. The mouth of the tube is provided with a rim turning outwards, to prevent a total disappearance of the article inside the bottle. This rim should be nicely rounded, so as to fit the mouth of the bottle neatly, as it will not do for the audience to entertain the slightest suspicion of its presence. The bottle is three-parts filled with water, and the tube with red wine. The performer is provided with two clear white glass balls, a little over an inch in diameter, and one red one, of the same dimensions. These are concealed conveniently about the person. The trick is commenced by the wine being poured into glasses and handed round. Retiring to the table, the tube is extracted and "vested," or put elsewhere out of sight, and one white ball got into the hand. By means of the wand, this ball is magically produced. The performer then remarks that he wants two balls, and manufactures another by striking the one he has in the hand with the wand; the explanation given being that the original one has been cut in two. The reader will understand that the second white ball has been got down from concealment, and exhibited at the proper moment. Two balls are not really required for the trick, but the diversion is made for the sake of increasing the attention of the audience, and for giving the trick a general completeness. If he so pleases, the performer can proceed to rub one of the balls until it becomes as small as a pea, or as large as an orange: all that is required is to be provided beforehand with balls of the necessary sizes. The ball which is supposed to be undergoing the compression or expansion can be easily palmed in the right hand, the fingers of which are engaged in shaping the latest arrival by rolling it in the palm of the left hand. To get it back to its original size from the tiny one, the small ball has only to be concealed between the roots of the third and fourth fingers (Fig. 25). To get it back from the large size, place the large ball upon the table over a trap, and, after admiring it as a splendid production on your part, pretend to take it in the hands, trapping it. After much hard squeezing and rubbing, accompanied by expressions of doubt as to the success of your exertions, all enacted close to the audience, the original ball will be produced, it having been, of course, palmed the whole time. Give it to a spectator to hold, and then fetch the bottle. Whilst retiring get down the coloured ball and introduce it into the "kick," where keep it by means of the little, or any other convenient, finger. With the bottle in the left hand, return to the audience, and, taking the white ball from the person holding it, palm it at once, retiring a few steps as you do so, holding the fingers as though they contained the ball. If the palm be kept upwards, there is no fear of the ball slipping out of it, which it possibly might do--it being an awkward thing to hold firmly--were the fingers turned downwards. Explain that you are about to throw the ball into the air and catch it in the bottle. As the ball is considerably larger than the mouth of the bottle, this announcement will naturally be received with incredulity. You, however, with the hands as widely separated as possible, toss an imaginary ball into the air with the right hand, and affect to catch it in the bottle with the left. A vigorous shake given to the bottle will cause the ball held in the foot by the left hand to rattle, and the illusion of the catch will be perfect. Now say that, having got the ball inside the bottle, you must break open the latter in order to get the ball out, and turn round, feigning to look for a hammer. This will give you an opportunity for concealing elsewhere the ball in the palm. So soon as this is done, say, "Well, perhaps I shall only make a litter with the broken glass; so I will get the ball out in a more artistic manner. Whilst I am talking, though, I fear the little gentleman inside is making very free with the wine." Ask the ball how he is getting on, and advise him not to drink too much, &c., and then proceed to get him out of the bottle by striking the palm of the right hand on the mouth of the latter with considerable force. At the third blow or so, release the ball in the "kick," and it will fall to the ground with the appearance of having been forced through the bottom of the bottle. Call attention to the fact that it is red, and consequently, as you feared, must have been drinking the wine. To test this, pour out the contents of the bottle, which, being pure water, will cause the audience to be of your opinion, ludicrous though it may appear. After this, hand round both bottle and ball for inspection. It is a great mistake to omit showing the bottle, as the audience is invariably impressed with the idea that it has an opening in the bottom. Instead of the imaginary catch, the bottle can be stood upon a table, and the ball passed into it by any ordinary "pass." The disadvantage attending this is that the ball is not heard to fall into the bottle, as in the other method. It is natural that a heavy ball falling into a bottle must make some noise on striking the bottom. Audiences, perhaps, are not sharp enough to remark the absence of this natural result, but there is no denying that the trick is rendered more complete with its addition. Besides, when placing the bottle upon a table, the ball in the "kick" would naturally be loose were not some method for preventing this to be adopted, and it would become a matter of great difficulty, if not an absolute impossibility, to raise the bottle again without revealing the real state of affairs. A little black wax in the apex of the "kick" serves to sustain the ball in a very satisfactory manner; but, in adopting this auxiliary, one has to dispense with what I consider to be a most necessary feature in the trick, viz., giving the bottle round for examination afterwards. The wax will tell an undeniable tale. It is possible to vary this trick in many ways, quite according to the fancy of the performer. It is well, however, to be certain of palming and vanishing your ball quickly and neatly before attempting the trick at all, as everything depends upon this. If the white ball is observed to be still in your palm, no amount of rattling in the "kick" of the bottle, however seductively executed, will convince an audience that it has passed into the bottle. _Bacchus' Maypole._--I do not mind admitting to the reader that, where my imagination will permit, I am inventing new names for my tricks. I do this in order to save those who may hereafter undertake performances a certain amount of trouble, and also to get a little out of the beaten track. Ever since this trick has been invented it has been known as "Ribbons and Bottle." Now, that is a very poor title to put upon a programme, which, as it cannot possibly give any very valuable information to the spectator, may as well be embellished with neat terms as slovenly ones. A bottle and some ribbons certainly are used in the trick; but, as the old title does not reveal whether the ribbons go into or come out of the bottle, or whether the bottle comes out of the ribbons, a more fanciful one, so long as it is near the mark, seems just as appropriate, and much more ornamental. At the same time, it is very unadvisable to fill a programme with outrageous and ridiculous titles. I went to an entertainment once, given by a gentleman afflicted with a liking for high-sounding titles. At first I thought I was going to see something totally new, and waited for the curtain to draw up with some impatience, for the first item on the programme was thus designated: "The Celestial Mystery; or, the Winged Fairies of the Emperor Foo-Chow." This was the butterfly trick. However, although greatly disappointed, I kept up my courage, for item No. 2 was "The Sorcerer's Secret; or the Sheik's Visit to the Great Mogul." The egg bag! I collapsed, and took no further interest in the "Arabian Necromantic Divinations," "Scandinavian Second Sight; or, the Finnish Seer," &c., for they were all tricks of the most ordinary class. Let the performer, by all means, embellish his programme with well-chosen titles; but let him, at the same time, steer clear of the other extreme. Experience teaches one that there is more in a programme well got up than at first meets the eye. Although there is rather more of mechanism, and less of sleight of hand, in it than I usually adopt, still this is such a very pretty trick that it would be a pity not to mention it. The performer comes on with a bottle, from which he pours a quantity of wine, beer, or other liquid, and then, either still holding it in his hand, or placing it upon a table or chair, he draws from it a ribbon of any colour that may be asked for by the audience. More liquid is poured out, and more ribbons produced. The secret lies in the manufacture of the bottle. In most cases, an imitation one of blackened tin is used, but, as the difference between a metal bottle and a glass one is easily discernible, this is a bad principle. The best method is to procure a tapering bottle, quart size, and opaque, and get the bottom neatly cut out by a lapidary. If the glass be semi-transparent it is easily rendered opaque by being painted with Brunswick black on the inside. Into the bottom fit a block of wood nearly an inch thick, the upper half of which has been turned away half an inch, so as to form a step. To this step have fitted a long tin funnel of such a length that, when the block of wood is fitted into the bottle, the small end will be within the third of an inch of the mouth. This funnel is much smaller than the interior of the bottle, so that when it is in position there is space for a considerable quantity of liquid between it and the glass sides. The small end is closed up with a piece of metal, which is provided with a number of slits, each large enough to admit of a ribbon passing through it. On the block of wood arrange as many tiny reels as it will take. It will be necessary to do this in tiers. There is no reason why they should be like the ordinary reel, for the smaller they are the better. Each of these reels carries a differently coloured ribbon, which has been previously passed through one of the slits at the closed end of the funnel. It will be discovered that it is not possible to wind them up quite tightly, but an inch or two hanging loose will not signify if care be taken not to cross the ribbons in any way. That end of the ribbon which appears outside the slit must have a piece of wire sewn in it, to prevent its going quite through. With the block thus prepared, and the funnel fitted firmly upon it, put the whole into the bottle, and then pour the liquid carefully down the sides of the funnel, taking care not to let any get in through the slits. Having poured out a little of the liquid, for the benefit of the company, say that you are now going to ask the bottle to give you a colour, and request the audience to say which particular one it shall be. Of course, some half-dozen, at least, will be given by as many persons, which is all in your favour, as you may then choose which you please, or, more properly speaking, not notice any extraordinary one with which you may not be provided. Some clever person is sure to rack his brains for some impossible colour, but, as you will take no notice whatever of him, it will not matter much. Each time a colour is asked for, turn to some object of that particular hue, and pretend to convey some of it on the end of the wand to the mouth of the bottle. There is nothing in this, perhaps, but it gives an air of finish to the trick. Snatch up the bottle every now and then, and pour out some liquid from it, and also call attention in an indirect manner to the fact that the ribbons are perfectly dry. Also tap the bottle once or twice with the wand, for the unexpressed purpose of showing that it is glass, and handle it generally in a careless manner, swinging it about by the neck, taking care, however, not to expose the bottom. This makes a very effective stage trick. A second method, which the reader is not at all likely to have seen performed, seeing that I invented it myself, enables the conjuror to employ an ordinary glass bottle, having no preparation whatever about it. It should be a dark bottle, so as to be quite opaque at a distance. The bottle is shown for examination, and placed upon a low table or chair, and the performer extracts coloured ribbons, just as they are called for. As the bottle has been examined, no necessity exists for occasionally pouring out liquid from it, which is a dumb way of saying that the bottle is an ordinary one. Secreted beneath the vest band, the performer has his rolls of ribbon arranged. They may be either upon bent pins, stuck in the vest itself, or the performer may have a band, fitted with wire hooks, which may be buttoned on in a few moments. As the ends of the hooks or pins are towards the performer's body, the ribbons cannot fall off; but the ends of the fingers, curled slightly underneath, obtain them at once. The colours must be arranged in a certain order, which the performer will, of course, have to remember, and he must depend entirely upon his sense of touch. Directly the colour is named, the performer commences to seek for some article of furniture or dress containing it; and whilst the wand is extended towards the object, for the purpose of magically bearing away some of its colour, the other hand is getting down the ribbon, that side of the body upon which it is secreted being turned from the audience. Proceeding to the bottle, the wand affects to place the colour magically obtained into the bottle, and, as soon as the other hand has secured the loose end of the ribbon, it is brought to the mouth, and the ribbon allowed to unroll. A tiny piece of lead, sewn in the end, will assist this greatly; but the ribbons should always be kept flat, except when in actual use, otherwise they will assume a curl, which will betray the fact that they have been rolled up. If symptoms of curling manifest themselves, the wand should be held at the mouth of the bottle and pressed against the ribbon as it comes out, and it should be then taken in both hands and held stretched until placed upon the table. By adopting this method, the performer is enabled to produce a very great number of colours; and it is advisable to have two or three of them twice over. However well the trick may be performed with the prepared bottle, the company instinctively feel that a certain number of ribbons are concealed somewhere or other, and that when they are once produced no more can come. By producing the same colours twice, the notion of an inexhaustible productive power is conveyed. There is a third method, which can only be employed on a regular stage. The bottle is a specially constructed glass one, that part which is known as the "kick" extending upwards to the neck, and having a hole in the top. Thus there is still space left in the bottle for plenty of liquor, whilst there is an open passage up the middle of it. This bottle is placed over a hole in a table having a hollow leg (a small, single-legged round table is invariably used), and the ribbons are passed up on the end of a rod by an assistant below. By this method, an endless supply can be taken from the bottle, but few of my readers will, I fancy, be able to adopt this method, although it could be done over a draped table under which a small boy was secreted for the time being. When the performer advances to the bottle he gives out the name of the colour very loudly, and places his fingers over the mouth, at the same time pressing hard, to prevent the bottle being shifted by the action of the ascending rod. The assistant below has his ribbons arranged in order, and, as soon as he hears the colour given, attaches the proper one to the pin at the end of the rod. When the performer is quite ready he strikes the bottle with the wand, upon hearing which, but not before, the assistant pushes up the rod. He must be in no hurry to withdraw it, but give the performer plenty of time to clear the ribbon. A suitable bottle may be manufactured by knocking the bottom out of an opaque glass bottle, and then fitting a tin lining to it, inside, which can be fixed and rendered watertight by means of putty, afterwards blackened, if white putty be used. The bottle is occasionally taken up, and liquor poured from it, as in the first method. _The Accommodating Bottle._--This is a bottle from which the performer pours any kind of wine or spirits that may be asked for. The secret, as in the foregoing trick, lies in the bottle, and it is only introduced here on account of its remarkable effectiveness in clever hands. The interior of the body is divided into a number of compartments, usually five. Each compartment has a tiny tube running from it half way up the neck of the bottle, and has also an aperture, just capable of admitting an ordinary pin, at the side of the bottle. Four of these apertures should be arranged an inch apart in a slightly curved line, so that one finger can be placed upon each when the bottle is grasped in the hand. The fifth aperture should be situated underneath the thumb. It is possible, but very difficult (owing to the absolute necessity for having the partitions hermetically closed, except at the tubes and the apertures), to have an ordinary quart bottle, with the bottom knocked out, fitted with a tin lining, properly prepared. When this can be done, it is decidedly advantageous; but, in the ordinary way, one has to be contented with a tin article, japanned. By means of a specially fine funnel, each compartment is filled with a different wine, and great care must be taken in remembering which contains the port, which the sherry, and so on. So long as the fingers and thumb are kept firmly pressed upon the apertures, no liquid will escape, even when the bottle is inverted, as it will be by the performer, previous to commencing, to show that it is empty. Some bottles have an extra compartment, into which water is poured, in full view of the audience, and the bottle apparently washed out, the water being poured out again. The adoption of this addition is a matter of taste. A dozen or so of liqueur glasses upon a tray, and carried by an attendant, will be required, and, after calling attention to the fact that the bottle is quite empty, and that he has no pipes running up his sleeve, the performer asks a lady what particular wine she would like. It is as well to use the words "port, sherry, or what?" by way of suggesting something which you have in your bottle to start with. You will, of course, have champagne, claret, and hock, which, with the sherry and port, will make about as good a quintet as could be selected. On any particular wine being called for, all you have to do is to raise the finger covering the hole corresponding with the compartment containing the required beverage, and it will flow out; on replacing the finger the flow will cease. By using small glasses, one appears to supply so much more than would be the case with larger ones. Never more than half fill a glass, and always pass as rapidly as possible from one person to another. Of course, you will be frequently asked for a wine with which you are not provided. This, in nine times out of ten, you can manufacture out of your stock. For marsala, for instance, give a little sherry and hock mixed. For sparkling burgundy mix champagne and port, or champagne and claret. When you make a mistake, pretend to be in a great hurry to attend to another applicant, and accidentally (!) drop the glass on the floor. Never mind if the glass does break; your trick is not spoilt. It is wonderful how much success is attained by management in this trick. In one person's hands, it falls so flat as to be almost a failure; whilst, in another's, it will probably be the success of the evening. It is especially successful in the hands of a brisk and lively performer, before, or rather amongst, a large audience of a free and easy nature. It is not a good trick to introduce before a select and stiff company. Should any particularly fastidious person be met with, he can generally be settled by the administration of a mixture of the whole five wines. If he is still dissatisfied, ask him, if the beverage is not the one for which he asked, to say what it is. It will puzzle him to answer, and you will then be able to retaliate upon him by supposing that he does not know the taste of the wine for which he was so anxious. Some first-rate continental conjurors, who, as a rule, take infinite trouble with their tricks, perform this trick with an ordinary bottle, which, after being examined, is filled with sweetened water (ostensibly plain water), and then any liqueur is given from it. The secret in this case lies in the glasses, which are coloured, and contain each an extract of a certain liqueur. The sweetened water answers for all. By this means, it is possible to be provided with an immense number of flavours, but the trouble in preparation is such as only a professed conjuror could undertake. _The Mesmeric Suspension Wand._--The Fakir of Oolu (he is known in private circles by a far less sounding and much more cockneyfied name than that) was the first to introduce this trick to the British public. The performer is provided with an ordinary conjuring wand, blackened all over. He passes it through one hand, to show that it is not attached to any suspending medium, and then performs a series of feats with it, which apparently entirely upset the laws of gravitation. For instance, when placed horizontally against the under side of the outstretched hand, it does not, as one would expect, fall at once to the ground, but remains in the unnatural position. When placed perpendicularly against a finger or thumb, the result is the same; and it can be just as easily suspended from the tip of the finger by its extreme end. There are three methods in general use for producing these phenomena. One is to have the rod provided with several black pins, which stand out a little from the wand, and are then bent at right angles. The heads are taken off, and the exposed ends left rough. If two of these pins be placed about five inches apart, with the points of each turned towards the other, a hand placed flatly between them will be enabled to sustain the rod in any position by merely opening out the fingers, thereby causing a pressure on the two pins. This is the whole secret of the first method. The conjuror can arrange his pins according to fancy. I find five ample viz., two about two and a half inches apart at each end, and one small one at the actual tip. There is no necessity for more; and the space of two and a half inches admits of the introduction of two fingers, which possess quite sufficient power to sustain the rod. The advantage of using two fingers only is that, by employing the middle ones, those on the outside are left free to be moved about, as they should be, to assist in abolishing the idea of any connection existing. When the wand is drawn through one hand, the action must be quickly executed, and no notice given of the intention to perform it, otherwise the attention of the audience will be sufficiently attracted to the wand to cause it to be noticed that the hand does not actually touch it, although it appears to do so. A serious pantomime of mesmerising the wand by means of a few passes may be indulged in with advantage, according to the ability of the performer in this direction; but he must treat it seriously. If it is at all well done, one half of the audience will remain almost convinced that some influence has been exercised over the rod. The wand should then be taken in one hand, and struck smartly on the palm of the other, to show that it is solid, or it can be done previous to the mesmerism. This is very necessary, as a universal idea exists, amongst those who do not know the trick, that the wand is made of pith, and that the performer has some "sticky stuff" on his fingers. It should next be held horizontally at the end by one hand, and the other passed slowly along it once or twice, the motion becoming slower and slower until it ceases altogether. The fingers will then be between two pins, and, on the rod being released by the other hand, it will apparently cling to the under surface of the one above it. To cause it to attach itself to a finger or thumb perpendicularly, it is only necessary to hang it by one pin on the outstretched member, and the prodigy is accomplished. The pin at the tip is for the purpose of suspending the rod from the end of a finger. This is accomplished by pushing the pin under the nail. No trick could be simpler; therefore the performer must do all he can to make the audience believe in its extreme difficulty. Once or twice, at least, the mesmeric power should fail, and fresh passes resorted to in order to restore it. An effective action to introduce is that of placing both hands above the wand whilst it is in a horizontal position, and then appearing to move them backwards and forwards along it. This is accomplished by fixing the fingers of one hand only in the pins. The hands are then parted, and joined twice with considerably rapidity. The disengaged hand must not alone be moved, but the other as well, otherwise it will be seen that the wand is affixed to one hand, and the other merely moved along it. The care taken by the conjuror will make this trick the more or less successful. The second method is to have a ring upon the finger provided with a clamp, which receives the wand in its embrace. The only thing to be said in favour of this device is that it enables the wand to be shown round. In all else it is vastly inferior to the bent pin arrangement. The number of positions in which it is possible to suspend the rod are exceedingly limited, and the probability of the ring being accidentally exposed is by no means remote. As it is decidedly advantageous to give the rod round for examination, it is always well for the performer to devise a method for handing round one rod, free from any preparation whatever, and then exchanging it for a prepared one. This is, perhaps, best managed by concealing the prepared one up the coat sleeve. The one that is shown round is dropped into the tail pocket, which can be specially arranged for such a use without much difficulty. The change behind the table is weak, and a large majority of the audience invariably see through it, in which case all the performer's subsequent actions with the article are looked upon as farcical. When a dummy article is to be exchanged for a prepared one, the change must be perfect, or left alone altogether. If the performer have any doubt about it, let him rather dispense with the examination and consequent exchange, for then the audience can only suspect; but, if any covert action is detected, then the suspicion resolves itself into a tolerable certainty. The wand for this trick is very easily made, any ordinary wood being suitable, and a packet of black pins, a pair of pliers, and a file will do the rest. It is best as a stage trick, private audiences in small rooms being somewhat too close for safety. There is, however, a third method, which I think the reader will, after giving it a trial, find commend itself highly, as it enables him to use his ordinary wand, and so avoid the suspicion naturally engendered by the employment of a fresh article expressly for a special trick. Our old friend, the silken thread, is once more the means employed, and it may be either passed round the performer's neck, in the form of a large loop, or be affixed to a waistcoat button. Experiment will at once determine the proper length, which will naturally vary with the physical proportions of each performer. The wand is, of course, given round for examination, and may be passed through the loop whilst the performer is facing the audience, although it is, perhaps, the safer way to do this whilst retreating to the stage. It will be found that when the thread is stretched outwards from the body by means of the wand, acted upon by the hands, it supports the wand by drawing it hard against the fingers. At first the wand is taken in the two hands, one near each end, and held out very gingerly. When the thread is felt to be tightly stretched, the fingers are opened, and it is as well to at once give a swinging motion to the hands. The hands should then be drawn together and parted again two or three times, both slowly and fast, a slight swinging being still kept up, and then two or three, or single fingers can be employed, as may the sides and backs of the hands. These movements will necessitate some little practice, in order to ensure facility of execution. When enough has been done by two hands, one hand should be placed in the centre of the wand, the thread passing between the fingers, when the wand will be just as securely supported. The hands should be changed, the one hand taking the wand from the other, from beneath. The _finale_ to this method of doing the trick is the most startling of all, the wand being suspended by one end from the tip of a finger, and from thence given to the company. To bring this about neatly, grasp one end of the wand with the right hand and place the tip of a finger of the left hand against the other end. Let the wand assume a perpendicular position, the right hand undermost, and, at the same time, cause the thread to slide along until within a bare inch of the finger at the other end. If the wand be fitted with ferrules, as directed, the thread is certain to rest at their terminations. The pressure of the finger against the resistance of the thread, delicately dispensed, will cause the wand to be supported, and with it in this position the performer advances to the company, and, with the right hand, places it in their hands, a very slight under sweep, quite compatible with a graceful presentation of the article, sufficing to free it of the slight tenure the thread holds over it. As the Fakir's wand has been on sale for very many years, there will probably be amongst the spectators some who know its secret. With these the method now described will be most successful in creating astonishment, for it will be quite beyond them. [Illustration: FIG. 53.] A little additional sleight may be practised, which gives finish to the trick. This is to cause the wand to apparently attach itself to the tips of the outstretched fingers of one hand. To the spectators, it appears as if the fingers were merely outstretched, and the wand placed against them, when it adheres. It is quite true that only the tips of the fingers touch the wand, but they must be so disposed that the first and fourth are on the inside, and the second and third on the outside. The theory of the grip is the same as though the wand were held between the four fingers, an inch or more down them. What the conjuror has to study is to bring sufficient pressure to bear by means of the tips only, the nails of the first and third fingers resting against the wand. The hold is really of the most fragile description, only one longitudinal half (the inside one) of the wand being operated upon. A strong and rather fleshy finger will succeed best, but, in any case, the first and fourth fingers must be stretched out as wide as they can be made to do, and the whole operation will be very materially assisted by using a wand that is neither heavy, thick, nor slippery. An unvarnished wand would be the best, and it should be as much less than half an inch in thickness as can be made convenient. Weight will then be comparatively immaterial. The performer will find the effect of his trick wonderfully enhanced if, in handing the wand from one member of the company to another, he does so by means of the apparently magnetic tips of his fingers. The sleight is illustrated at Fig. 53. _The Magi's Brazen Rod._--This is a solid brazen rod, one quarter of an inch in thickness. At each end is a brass ball, free (whether solid or not) from any preparation whatever. One ball is firmly fixed, and the other screws off and on. Some ladies' rings are borrowed, and a solid wooden ball, which is subjected to examination, is then passed on the brazen rod, and the movable brass ball screwed on. The ball ends are then held firmly by two of the audience, and a handkerchief spread over the wooden ball. The performer introduces his hands, containing the rings, beneath the handkerchief, and, in a moment, the ball drops from the wand, upon which, on the withdrawal of the handkerchief, the rings are seen. There are many variations in the details of the trick; but the one great secret in connection with it is that, besides the solid wooden ball which is shown round, the performer has one behind the scenes that is hollow, and is divided into two equal parts, which fit firmly together, like a box and lid. In the box portion is fitted a piece of cork, in which are three slits. Ostensibly to fetch the solid ball, the performer retires behind, and there rapidly places the three borrowed rings, for the possession of which at this stage I shall presently account, lightly into the slits, closes the ball up, and palms it. Returning to the stage, with the solid ball openly in the hand, he gives it to be examined. On receiving it back, he has to exchange it for the prepared one (a feat neither too difficult nor too easy), which is passed on the rod instead, the solid ball being vested. The sequel follows as a matter of course. The solid ball is re-palmed, and secretly introduced under the handkerchief at the same time as the rings (_i.e._, their substitutes); the hollow ball is opened, thus leaving the rings alone on the wand, re-closed and palmed, the solid ball at the same moment being dropped on the floor. The performer must be careful not to have the wooden balls larger than is absolutely necessary, or he will find some difficulty in exchanging and concealing them neatly when occasion requires. They must be turned with circular grooves, in one of which the opening of the prepared ball is made, so as to escape detection from casual glances. The method of obtaining the rings varies considerably. Some performers put them into boxes with secret openings, and thus obtain possession of them. The simplest plan, if one has a stage assistant, is that described under the heading "Sleights for General Use." The assistant remains on the stage, holding the wand until the rings are required again. The performer then puts them in a piece of paper, ostensibly to "take better care of them," but really to make it easier for him to get rid of them, and they are palmed, along with the dummy ball, when that is taken off the wand. I have seen it attempted to place the dummy rings inside the ball before re-closing it, but the operation took too long by far in execution. If too much paper be not used, and the rings are small and tightly folded together, it is possible to pop the little parcel inside the lid of the ball. The rings could be of such a size as to allow of this. The method for managing the exchange of the rings depends much upon circumstances. The one I have given will be found generally applicable, especially as the trick is essentially a stage one. The handkerchief that is thrown over the rod should be drawn off smartly, so as to cause the rings to spin round, by the hand containing the ball just removed from the rod, which it will assist to conceal. On the completion of the trick, hand back the borrowed rings on the rod itself, and also show round the ball again. There is no reason why this should be an expensive trick. A brazier could make the rod and knob ends for a very few shillings, and the two wooden balls should cost about 1s. 6d. _The Shower of Plumes._--This is a trick requiring a great display of dexterity, combined with considerable boldness. The performer produces, from a large handkerchief, enough plumes, each nearly 2ft. in length, to cover the floor of an ordinary room. The plumes are rather expensive articles to purchase, but, when once obtained, form an excellent stock-in-trade. The method for producing them is to take off the coat, and then, grasping a large quantity by the lower ends in each hand, replace the coat. The compressible nature of the feathers enables a dozen or more plumes to be concealed up each sleeve. Care should be taken that they lie along the back of the arm. The performer, thus padded, comes on with a large silk handkerchief in his hands, but contents himself with remaining well at the back of the stage, and also refrains from turning his back to the audience. He waves the handkerchief to and fro, to show that it is empty, and then says that he will try and find something in it. To do this, he spreads it over one hand, and, with the other, seizes the end of one plume through it. At the same moment, with a sharp swift movement, the handkerchief and plume are withdrawn, the underneath hand falling to the side, assisting thereby in the withdrawal of the plume, and also keeping the ends of the remaining ones out of sight. The hand holding the handkerchief is inverted, and the plume will be revealed. Under pretence of removing this plume, the disengaged hand seizes another plume through the handkerchief, and withdraws it with the same movement which casts the one exhibited on the floor. The second one is then shown, and the process of drawing out another repeated from each arm alternately, the production of the plumes being made as rapid as possible, the motive being to bewilder the audience, who, if the performer does not make any blunder, will never imagine that they are concealed up the sleeves. It is as well to draw out a couple at one time once or twice, for the sake of extra effect, and, with the same object in view, have the plumes of several colours. Some should be all white, some all red, and others all blue, whilst another variety can be of two or even three colours. Never attempt to produce a plume until the handkerchief has fallen well over the arm from which it is to be drawn, and let the whole trick be executed with great dash. Sometimes larger plumes are placed round the body and drawn out from the vest, the handkerchief being spread over the chest for the purpose. The attendant who picks up the plumes should make the best show he can with them. Some performers place the plumes in fan-shaped vases or other receptacles, but the operation hampers the performance of the trick too much, and also leads to too many undesirable movements to be recommended. An excellent ruse is to conceal one plume beneath the carpet, with the end just through a hole or slit in the seam. The handkerchief is spread on the floor, and the plume produced. It is undoubtedly a very difficult trick to perform well, but it produces a great effect. The trick may be performed, in a small way, by means of ostrich feathers laid inside the shirt sleeve, the coat sleeve being turned back. _The Fairy Flower._--From a large cut-glass vase, having a cover, cut out a large portion--say, a piece 3in. wide, and extending from the top almost to the bottom, or foot. Along the back edge of the top of the table affix a spiral spring of several close coils, the free end of which should be of sufficient length, and of such shape as to enable it to extend well over the top of the table. To the extreme end of it affix a cut rose, camellia, or other showy flower, and then bend it down until it is out of sight behind the table. A sliding pin, working in a couple of staples, and having a loop at one end, must be brought on at the side of the spiral spring, and when the end with the flower on it is bent back, this pin is pushed across it, and so prevents it returning to an upright position. A thread attached to the loop, and passed out at the side, will enable the assistant to release the spring when desired. The vase is brought on, and the best side shown to the audience, besides being rung with the fingers or wand to show that it is sound, and it is then placed in position exactly against the spot where the spring is affixed, and the cover put on. The performer then says that he will cause the fairies to place a flower inside the vase, and commands them to do so. He can either spread a handkerchief momentarily over the vase, or dispense with the operation altogether. The attendant pulls the thread, the pin is drawn aside, and the spring with the flower on it flies into the vase. The cover is then removed, and the flower taken out from the top, a strong nip of the nails being necessary to remove it. The assistant, in removing the vase, bends back the wire and pushes the pin over it. This trick is usually performed with the aid of a box-shaped pedestal, on which the vase is stood. Within this pedestal the spring and wire arrangement, with flower attached, is concealed, the working being practically the same as that just described; but the reader will, doubtless, agree with me, that the introduction of a large box is likely to bring suspicion along with it. _The Perambulating Bottle and Tumbler._--This is a trick in which absolute sleight of hand does not appear; but it calls for a certain amount of finish in execution, and, like _A Bottle of Ginger Beer_, makes an agreeable change in a programme, both to company and performer. The performer has a bottle of beer, a tumbler, and two cardboard covers, which are, in fact, mere cardboard tubes, open at each end. Beer is poured from the bottle into the tumbler, and both articles are then placed upon the side tables, and covered with a cover. After the performance of the usual magical passes, the covers are removed, when the glass and bottle are found to have changed places. The following is the ingenious method by which the impossibility is apparently brought about: Have a tin bottle made, exactly in imitation of a beer bottle, between nine and ten inches high, and japanned so as to look like glass at a distance. The bottom of this bottle is open, but four inches from the lower edge is a tin partition, dividing the bottle laterally into two compartments. The upper compartment is for the purpose of containing the beer. Passing through its very centre, and reaching to within half an inch of the top of the neck, is a tube about a third of an inch in diameter, or, at any rate, large enough to take a small funnel. Thus communication is established with the lower open compartment, by means of the tube. Then have a second bottle made, also of tin, and japanned to match, just large enough to pass over the first one. This bottle has no interior whatever, and is, in fact, a mere shell. In height it need be only the merest trifle taller than the other, and the tinman should be enjoined to keep it as narrow as possible, compatible with an easy fit over the smaller bottle. Each bottle should be decorated with a flaring beer label, taken from genuine bottles. Needless to say, they must be precisely similar, and if each has a piece accidentally (!) torn out of it, sufficiently large to be noticed by the spectator, so much the better. In the middle of the body of each bottle is cut a circular hole, nearly an inch in diameter, and fully two inches removed from the nearest edge of the label. Further will be required the two pasteboard covers, which may be of any length between twelve and fifteen inches. These must be made to fit very closely over the bottles, without actually clinging to them, consequently one will be larger than the other. Finally, two tumblers, precisely similar, will be wanted. They must not exceed four inches in height, or they will not go under the small bottle, on account of the partition there. Behind the scenes the small bottle has its compartment filled with beer, and is then placed over one of the tumblers, the large shell bottle being finally placed over both. Placing the middle finger through the holes in the bottles pressure is brought to bear upon the tumbler, which in this way may be lifted with the bottles. The whole, looking to the audience merely like a single bottle, is thus brought on, and placed upon the centre table. The two covers are shown, the performer explaining that they are merely made to cover the bottle. Suiting the action to the word, he places the large cover over the bottle, and at once withdraws it, nipping it near the bottom, so as to bring away the outer shell inside. With the other hand, the smaller cover is then placed over the smaller bottle, and at once withdrawn. The company, knowing of only one bottle, will fancy they have seen both covers placed over it. The large cover, having the shell within it, must not be laid upon its side, but stood up alongside the empty one. The performer now takes the smaller bottle in one hand--holding the tumbler beneath it as well, by means of a finger through the hole--and the visible tumbler in the other. Beer is poured out until the tumbler is filled. The performer now says that he does not want his glass too full, and, replacing bottle on table, places a small funnel into its mouth, care being taken to insert it in the tube. Half the beer--neither more nor less--must now be poured into the funnel, and it of course finds its way into the tumbler beneath. The conjuror will have to experiment beforehand, so as to discover how much liquid he must leave in the visible tumbler, and how much he must pour away, slight marks being made, with a diamond or file, for his guidance whilst exhibiting. It is highly essential that each glass contains precisely the same quantity. The visible tumbler is now placed upon one side table and covered with the large cover, containing the shell. The small bottle is placed upon the other side table, with the tumbler still concealed under it, and covered with the small cover. By means of his wand, an imaginary exchange of the articles is now made, and the covers are lifted--that containing the shell lightly, so as to leave the shell behind; whilst that containing the bottle is gripped nearer the bottom, so as to lift that article with it, exposing the second tumbler. The general method adopted in lifting the covers is to take them by the extreme top when the article contained is to be exhibited, and at the very bottom when it is to be carried away. These are certainly very safe methods; but they are unnecessarily so, and afford far too much clue to the spectators. The variation between the positions of the hand need never exceed a couple of inches. The height of the upper edge of the body of the bottles the performer may have indicated upon the outside of the cover. Half an inch below that line he has only to exert pressure to ensure the carrying away of the bottle or shell. A little above it he is clear of them, and need not fear carrying them away by mistake. A variation of two or three inches is a natural one, and unnoticeable. Poor conjurors, too, always treat a cover containing anything in a far too gingerly manner. An empty cover they flourish about with extreme recklessness, exhibiting the interior freely; but, a few moments later, they carry the same cover about as gingerly as one would a very lofty and quivering tipsy cake or jelly. Spectators cannot but notice this sudden change from extreme freedom to plainly-depicted trepidation, and generally draw very correct conclusions. The conjuror should practise to be as free and as _nonchalant_ as possible with articles that are really mysterious, and study carefully how far he may go without exposing any secrets. In the present instance, the cover containing the shell should be flourished about a good deal, and finally placed over the tumbler in a careless manner. The change made, the performer will of course offer to do it again, "in order to give everyone a chance of noticing how it is done." He may pretend to give his spectators some assistance by telling them, in confidence, that the tumbler and bottle really came out at the tops of the covers, his original statement, that the openings were there to prevent suspicion, being untrue, their real purpose being to afford easy exits and entrances for the articles. The articles then make a return to their original positions, after the covers have been replaced, the shell being carried away, and the bottle allowed to remain. The feature of the trick, which completely mystifies the company, is the transposition of the beer-containing tumbler. The fact that the bottle has been nearly inverted, in the act of pouring out the beer in the first instance, precludes the idea that it could ever have been concealed in that. Although beer is here mentioned, claret or claret and water may be used, or any other showy liquid at hand. _The Magic Omelette._--This is a very favourite trick. The performer borrows two or three rings, which are cast into an omelette pan. Eggs are broken into the pan, and spirit added, and lighted. A cover is momentarily placed over it, and, when removed, all traces of the omelette have vanished, two doves taking its place. This would, perhaps, not be so very extraordinary were it not for the fact that around the birds' necks are pieces of ribbon, having upon them the borrowed rings. Such a trick may well be admired. It is thus performed: The pan, about 10in. in diameter, and between 2in. and 3in. deep, is made of plain brass, copper, or nickel, and has a slight turnover edge, turning outwards. The cover, which is a shallow one, has a 2in. flange. This flange is for the reception of a secret lining to the pan, containing the doves, and left behind when the cover is raised, after being placed over the pan. It fits outside the cover flange, loosely, but very tightly into the pan, for there must be no danger of its being carried away when the cover is lifted. It also has a turnover edge, precisely as has the pan, and by means of this edge it is temporarily attached to the cover. The cover, on the under side, at the extreme border, has two flat hooks, an inch or so in length. These are placed on opposite sides. In the turnover edge of the lining are two slits, admitting the flat hooks. To attach the lining to the cover is therefore simple, the hooks being placed in the slits and a twist given to the cover, which has only to be twisted the reverse way to withdraw the hooks from the lining again. Firstly, the performer sends his assistant forward to borrow the rings, which the lenders place upon the little wand he carries. In returning he changes them for dummies, as described at page 176, and at once retires behind the scenes, where he has the cover and lining already prepared with the birds inside, but not with the hooks in position. The ribbons around the necks of the birds are left outside, the insertion of a stick in the loops preventing their being pulled inside by the movements of their wearers. This prearrangement is necessary, as rapidity of action is essential. A ring is rapidly attached by the ribbon loop being first passed through it, and then opened out over it. When attached, the rings are popped inside, the cover hooked to the lining, and a prearranged signal given the performer that all is in readiness. The performer, in the meanwhile, has been making his omelette, which he must not light until his assistant signals that he is ready. Then he applies fire, and, rushing forward, shows the spectators the rings frizzling in the midst of the eggs. This is done rapidly; and it is certainly advisable to avoid, if possible, the actual owners of the rings, or the absence of a lent one may be noticed. The assistant seizes this opportunity for bringing on the cover, which he does in a careless manner; and it is as well to bring on the wand at the same time, as though both articles had been carelessly forgotten. The majority of the spectators, if not all, will, however, be engaged with the movements of the performer, who rushes back to his table, claps on the cover, his assistant firing a pistol to stir up the company to increased excitement, and takes it off again, giving, at the moment, the disengaging twist, the lining being thus left inside the pan, with the doves. The latter are brought down to the company, with the rings on their necks, and the pan shown empty, the contents being concealed between the bottom of the lining and the bottom of the pan. _To Pass a Borrowed Ring Inside an Egg._--A ring is borrowed, and placed in a handkerchief, or elsewhere, and an ordinary full egg, which may be examined, is placed in an egg-cup. The ring is "passed" into the egg, which is broken by the spectators, who also find the ring inside the egg by means of a little hook, with which they fish for it. The secret of the trick lies in the egg-cup. This may be of wood or metal--the latter for preference, wooden egg-cups being open to suspicion, whereas plated ones are not. Inside the cup, at the bottom, is cut a moderately deep slot; and when the performer has obtained possession of the ring by one of the methods described in this book, he secretly places it in the slot. The egg is now placed in the egg-cup, but, before doing so, the performer accidentally (!) breaks the shell at the small end, either by tapping the egg on the table or striking it with his wand, whilst in the act of explaining that the ring is to be found inside when the egg is placed into the cup, with the cracked end downwards. A little pressure will cause the ring to be forced into it. A small hook is now presented to a spectator, who is desired to break the top of the egg, and fish for the ring with the hook. Sooner or later, the ring will be brought to light. Particulars to be observed in connection with this trick are that the borrowed ring must not be too broad, or it may jam in the slot, nor must it be of a nature likely to be injured by the contents of the egg. The cup, with egg in it, should be brought forward on a plate or small waiter, in case of an overflow, a napkin being also necessary, for the same reason, and for the additional purpose of wiping the ring. The performer should present several eggs to the company, who select the one with which the trick is to be performed; but he should previously ascertain that each of them fits well into the cup, and does not jam at the sides. The safest plan is to have a special egg-cup made sufficiently large to take any ordinary hen's egg, as occasions may arise when the eggs will be provided by the house, as would be the case in the country. An additional feature is sometimes introduced of having a second egg-cup, without any slot in it, this one being given for examination, and the prepared one afterwards exchanged for it. The prepared one can very well be kept under the vest, and exchanged in the act of turning round. _The Flying Cage._--The performer comes forward with a square cage in his hand, containing a live bird. Standing close in front of the audience, he suddenly makes a movement as of throwing the cage upwards, when that article disappears, bird and all. The secret lies in the fact that, whilst the framework of the cage is actually of wood or metal, and the wires of real wire, the whole is jointed together at the corners with elastic, and the wires looped or hinged where affixed to the framework, so that the whole may be shut up, cornerwise, longitudinally, and made to disappear up the coat sleeve. The sleeve must be pretty large for this purpose, and the shirt cuff must offer no obstruction; in fact, a cuffless shirt should be worn. At one corner of the cage is affixed a strong black cord, which passes up the sleeve, round the back, and down the other sleeve, where it is tied to the wrist. The length must be such that the performer is just able to hold the cage, and have the cord tight. The bird is inserted through the wires. When the performer desires to cause the cage to disappear, he shuts up the cage obliquely, and, by simultaneously stretching out his arms, it is made to fly up his sleeve. So instantaneously is this accomplished, that even those acquainted with the means by which the disappearance is arrived at cannot actually see the cage go, although the performer faces the company during the entire execution of the trick. It is advisable to purchase a cage ready made, in preference to constructing it oneself. A black frame is preferable to a brightly-burnished brass one. _The Great Dictionary Trick._--Few tricks have caused more general wonderment than this one. It is presented in various ways; but the original form, to which the reader may make what variations circumstances and ingenuity may suggest, is as follows: The performer advances with several pieces of paper, all blank. These are folded and thrown into a hat. One is selected by a spectator, and left in custody of the company. Several dictionaries are now produced, and handed round for subsequent reference. A paper-knife is placed in the hands of a spectator, who is desired to thrust it at will into the dictionary which the performer presents to him. The book is opened at the place thus indicated, the performer announcing the pages, to which the holders of the other dictionaries at once turn. The audience select which page and which of the two columns upon it shall be employed; and then, in order to ascertain which word shall be selected, a bag containing numbered counters, shown to be all different, is presented to another spectator, who draws one, and is asked to announce it. The word corresponding to that number, counting from the top of the page, is then read out, and on the paper previously chosen being opened, the word is found written upon it. The working of this trick is as follows: The dictionary which is presented by the performer to the holder of the paper-knife is composed of two pages only, repeated over and over again, throughout the book. Thus, it makes no difference where the knife may be thrust. Say that the thirteenth word on the right-hand column of the left-hand page of the book is the one selected by the performer. He would first ask someone which page he should take. If the right hand were said, the performer immediately ejaculates, "_Your_ right hand; thank you!" and immediately proceeds to have the right-hand column selected by someone else, in the same one-sided manner. The selection of the proper word is thus managed. The bag is a double one, and in one side are numbers running in proper arithmetical progression. These are shown and replaced. In the other side are a quantity of counters, but each is numbered "thirteen," so the drawer is bound to draw that number, the performer taking care to open that side for the insertion of his hand. The corresponding word has been previously written upon the paper. This may be forced upon the selector by being placed upon the crown of a hat in a circle with other pieces, the hat being adroitly turned at the proper moment, so that the desired piece of paper comes to the hand of the chooser. This force must not be insisted upon if the chooser be at all unwilling, and the performer must resort to the alternate ruse (which many prefer entirely to the force) of a change. For this, the prepared paper is held in the left hand, and a plain paper apparently put into it by the right, it being, of course, retained there, and the one in the left hand exhibited. When performed many times before the same company, different arrangements of pages will have to be adopted, or the recurrence of the same page may easily lead to detection of the fraud. _Magical Wine._--The performer comes forward with a glass of port wine in his hand. He then explains the convenience of being a conjuror, since one can always accommodate one's friends. For instance, here is a glass of port wine. The friend to whom it is proffered does not happen to care for port. In the ordinary way the wine would be wasted; but not so with the conjuror. All he has to do is to borrow the friend's handkerchief (here a handkerchief is borrowed), and, waving it thus over the glass, see, the wine has changed to sherry! But the friend does not like sherry either. What does he like, then? A little spirit? Yes! Gin, perhaps? If you please. The handkerchief is once more waved over the glass, and the sherry turns to gin, which the company are welcome to prove by the ordeal of taste. The secret of this trick lies in two pieces of coloured glass, shaped thus: [Illustration] so as to fit perpendicularly into a wineglass. One piece of glass is yellow, to represent sherry, and the other red. The performer advances with the glass full of gin, and the two glasses placed in it. The red and the yellow commingling produce the tawny port colour. It need hardly be said that the edges of the glasses must never be towards the company. The first time the handkerchief is placed over the glass the red glass is abstracted, leaving the yellow, which is removed on the second occasion. The glasses are most easily palmed. Provided with his glasses, the performer will find this a handy trick to perform extempore at the houses of friends, where water might be used if gin were not handy, or else very pale whisky. It is not of sufficient importance for the stage. _The Sack Trick._--This trick is variously performed, but I shall only give one method, as being the one best within reach of the amateur. It requires the aid of an assistant, who comes forward undisguisedly as such. A large sack is handed round to the company, along with a piece of cord, for examination. As a matter of fact, there is nothing to be discovered in connection with these articles. Into the sack the performer or his assistant steps, and it is tied securely over his head, the cord being finally sealed by one of the company. A screen is placed in front of the individual in the sack, and, in a very short space of time, he comes from behind it with the sack in his hand, and minus a boot. The sack is given to the company for examination, when the mouth is found to be firmly tied and the seal unbroken, whilst the missing boot is clearly inside, it being thereby conclusively demonstrated that it was actually the sack which contained the owner of that piece of wearing apparel. The seal has to be broken before the boot can be recovered. The explanation is that there are two sacks, the second one being concealed up the back of the person who is tied up. So soon as he is put into the first sack he gets down the concealed one, and pops his boot into it. He then folds the mouth of it neatly, and, as his _confrère_ forms up that of the visible sack for tying, he thrusts it up into his hand. The tyer, holding his hand so as to conceal the fact of there being two mouths, ties up the inside one very securely--a few folds of the cords just nipping the outside sack also, so that the hand holding them may be presently removed without any exposure resulting. The greatest care must, of course, be taken that the sealing is done upon the inside sack only, the tyer superintending this operation very closely. Everything depends upon the neatness with which he performs his part. If it is a clumsy job, the sealing must be dispensed with, or the sealer will notice the presence of two sack mouths. The material of which the sacks are made should, therefore, not be very thick, or the cord will not be able to conceal the outside sack mouth. When the screen is placed in front, the man inside carefully pulls away the outside mouth from under the cord, and he is free. The first sack he merely hangs up behind the screen--which is afterwards folded up and carried away with the sack inside it--and comes forward with sack number two, which he has never been inside, in his hand. It is a good stage trick. _The Dancing Sailor._--This is a trick which may always be relied upon not to fall flat, and should be introduced whenever the audience has had a good dose of serious tricks administered. The feat consists in taking the rude effigy of a sailor, cut out of a simple piece of cardboard, which may be freely and minutely examined by the company, and, standing it on the floor, to cause it to remain there, and to dance according to the directions of the performer, without any visible means of support becoming evident. The sailor can be very easily manufactured in an hour or so, out of a piece of fairly thick card. The trunk and head should be cut out of one piece, with the arm, from the shoulder to the elbow protruding at a considerable angle. The forearm is jointed on, as are also the legs, which must be in two pieces. The joints may consist of thread, and should be very loose. The design may be varied according to the fancy of the maker, but he will be safe in giving to the cheeks and nose an extravagantly rubicund hue, and the mouth a humorous turn. The hat should be on one side, the trousers broad at the bottom, and the feet large, and turned outwards, and slightly upwards. When the jointing has been done, it is as well to cover the whole figure with thick paper, on both sides, in order to obtain a smoothness of exterior. In pasting on this paper, care must, of course, be taken that the joints are not touched by the adhesive matter employed, or they will not work properly. The whole figure, to look sufficiently imposing, should stand quite 15in. high; but if it be intended to dance it upon the table, then 12in. is sufficient. Effect is everything in conjuring, and a great deal may be lost by having things just a size too small. In performing the trick, the conjuror brings forward the sailor, whose appearance, if properly designed, should at once create amusement. He is given for examination, and the performer then retires to the stage, bending, as he does so, the arms of the figure at the armpits slightly backward from the body. He then proceeds to show the company that no threads or wires are anywhere about. This he does by slashing about in every direction, high, low, and on either side, with his wand. As a matter of fact, no threads or wires are within his reach, so he cannot do wrong; but a thread does exist in connection with the trick all the same. It should be a fine silk thread. Invariably use silk for everything, as it is both stronger, finer, and more durable and pleasant than cotton. If two assistants are available, there should be one on each side of the stage, holding the ends. When the performer is doing his slashing around, the thread is simply held as high as possible, the expedient of standing upon chairs being resorted to by the assistants, if necessary. It is very often the case, however, that the aid of only one assistant is possible or advisable. The thread must then be fixed on one side of the stage, at the proper height from the floor, a few inches of elastic being first tied on to counteract the effect of any unpremeditated jerk, which might easily prove disastrous to the trick. The elastic, being thick in substance, must be out of sight. If the dancing is to be done upon the floor, then the thread must be affixed about an inch higher than the armpits of the figure (to allow for the drop in the centre of the thread), and allowed to lie upon the floor, except when in actual use. If the dancing be done upon the table, the assistant must do the best he can, and the performer use judgment in the way he sweeps with his wand. When the assistant receives his "cue" from the performer, which may be done in a thousand different ways, he lowers the thread, and holds it taut. The performer then places the figure directly over it, allowing the thread to pass under the armpits. As these have been pressed back, the thread will pass across the front of them, and across the back of the figure. The assistant must watch the figure narrowly, so that no motion whatever is given to it. A rehearsal or two is all that is necessary to make it appear that the figure stands of its own accord, and without aid, upon the floor. Any swaying motion will tend to destroy this illusion. The rest of the trick follows as a matter of course. If music be at hand, the performer has a lively air, such as a hornpipe, played, or, in the absence of any instrument, the performer must needs whistle. In any case, he keeps time with his wand, and looks approvingly at the figure, talking to it occasionally. The assistant need jerk but very slightly at the thread to cause the figure to dance, and he can easily vary his motions to fast or slow. The legs of themselves assume various steps, which many of the company will think to have been brought about by design. Once or twice the performer passes his wand over and before and behind the figure whilst it is dancing, to show that there really is no connection. If it be dancing upon the table, a borrowed hat may be held in front of it, and the figure made to advance upon it and dance upon the crown. This, besides being additionally diverting, indirectly does away with any suspicion, which might excusably exist, as to the presence of mechanism within the table. When the assistant and performer are well together, all sorts of tricks may be indulged in. The figure may be made to dance _inside_ a hat; and I have even seen a skilful performer twirl an umbrella between it and the floor, the sailor continuing his hornpipe merrily and unconcernedly all the while. If the performer chooses to add to the humour of the situation, he may, if the figure be dancing upon the table, take it by the head (it should never be touched elsewhere) and lay it down, saying that there has been dancing enough. He then turns to the company, and commences to say something, as if about to explain a new trick, when the figure suddenly starts up and commences dancing with great vigour. The company laugh, and the performer goes to the figure to lay it down, this time with the wand placed across it to keep it quiet. So soon as he begins to speak to the company, however, up starts the figure a second time, the wand rolling off on to the floor, the dance being renewed with fresh energy. When the trick is to be brought to a close, the assistant holds the thread firmly, and the performer, seizing the sailor by the head, lifts him off. Now, if I had not directed both sides of the figure to be covered with paper, a very great risk would be run of the projections at the joints catching in the thread. Properly covered on both sides, everything is smooth, and so there is nothing to catch. The figure should be instantly brought forward to the company for re-examination. In a small way, i.e., before children, the figure may be made to dance between the legs, the thread being attached to the legs. (See _To Cause a Stick or Poker to Stand on End_.) The slightest movement of the legs in an outward direction will give motion to the figure, the feet beating time with the air, whether played, hummed, or whistled, so as to cover the action. The country public-house conjuror affects this phase of the trick. _The Anti-Gravitation Ball._--The performer produces a solid wooden ball, having a thick cord passing through it, and this he allows the company to examine. It is seen that the cord passes freely through the hole. Placing one end of the cord under his foot, he holds the other end at arm's length, so that the cord is perpendicular. With the disengaged hand, the ball is raised up to the other, and, on being released, of course falls to the ground; when, however, the performer gives the word for it to remain at the top of the cord, instead of descending, it obeys. He then points with the wand to a part of the cord a foot or so down, and the ball at once descends so far, and then stops dead. To any place on the cord that is indicated by the performer or any of the company the ball will stop and remain. The secret of this is, that the hole is not drilled straight through the ball, but has an angle, or bend, in it. The result is, that when the cord is pulled tight the ball is held, but when it is slackened the ball falls, a sudden tightening being sufficient to arrest it in its career. A very good form of ball is that now generally sold. It has a very large hole indeed, quite a dozen times larger than the cord passing through it. This hole is slightly tapered, and the cord is passed through a small plug fitting into the hole. This plug is concealed in the performer's hand as he holds the cord, at one end of which is a big knot, or tassel. The plug has a crooked hole drilled through it, and when the ball is run down the cord, so as to get the plug inside it, the two become one, and the ball behaves precisely as it would were it itself prepared. As the spectators, however, fancy the ball to be strung on a cord that is many times smaller than the opening, the force which causes the object to remain wherever it is ordered, in defiance of the laws of gravitation, is quite inexplicable. I once saw a Chinaman with a doll which went both up and down a cord. This was very ingenious and diverting, but was too obviously mechanical. A neat way of performing this trick, and one which I recommend for drawing-room use, is to take a ball of worsted and thread it with cotton or thread, the threading not being done straight through the ball, but crookedly. This ball will then be found quite amenable to discipline, and, of course, not the least suspicion can attach to it, the worsted being borrowed from the hostess's work-basket, and the threading done before the company's eyes. In any form, this trick is not sufficiently important for the stage, there being no variety or change in it. _To Cause a Stick or Poker to Stand on End._--For this feat the performer must be provided with 2ft. or so of fine black cotton or silk, with a black pin at each end, securely tied on. The pins may be either bent or straight, and must be fixed in the trousers at the calf, one in each leg, which will enable the operator to walk about without any fear of the thread getting him into trouble. The performer first takes a stick or poker (if a poker, it should be a light one), and, after having had it examined, proceeds to mesmerise it, as he will call it. This mesmerism should be conducted with the greatest seriousness imaginable. When the magnetic influence has been properly aroused by rubbing, &c., the performer should sit down and open his legs, so causing the cotton or silk to become stretched. He then takes the stick or poker, and stands it upon the floor in front of him. On being left to itself, it, of course, falls to the ground, but after three or four failures, the performer brings it against the thread, and then, making several mesmeric passes with the hands, relinquishes all hold. The stick or poker will, of course, be supported by the thread, but during the whole time it is so sustained the hands must be waved over and around it, as though exercising some influence over it. Do not prolong this trick more than can possibly be avoided, but get out of sight and remove the pins and thread with all despatch. (See also _The Dancing Sailor_.) CHAPTER XVI. THE CORNUCOPIAN HAT. ON SKILL--CANNON-BALLS--CAULIFLOWERS--THE DISTRIBUTION--BONBONS AND FLOWERS--SHOWER OF CUPS--MULTIPLYING BALLS: HOW TO MAKE AND HOW TO PRODUCE THEM--BUNDLE OF FIREWOOD--RETICULES AND DOLLS: HOW TO MAKE THEM--BIRDCAGES--A FEAST OF LANTERNS--AN UNFORTUNATE CLIMAX: HOW TO GET OUT OF IT--THE FLYING HAT. One of the most taking of all the tricks performed by the many public exhibitors is that in which a hat is borrowed from the audience, and at once from its interior are produced a quantity of heterogeneous articles, the nature and number of which cause, not only the greatest merriment, but also the most unbounded astonishment that they should ever have found lodgment in so unsuitable a receptacle as an ordinary "chimney-pot" hat. The reader will hardly require to be told that every article which is produced from the hat has first to be introduced into it by the performer, and on the skill with which this is done will the success of the trick depend. It must be understood that there is no middle degree of perfection allowed in performing this trick. No one must be able to say, "Yes; he got them in pretty well that time--I hardly noticed him." The motion which accompanies the introduction of any article or articles into a hat must be absolutely unobserved by anyone of the audience. No extraordinary degree of speed is required, for success will depend more upon the completeness of the arrangements made by the performer for the accomplishment of his designs than upon mere rapidity of movement, which, as I have often explained, is by itself of no use whatever, it being impossible for the human hand to make any movement openly so rapidly that it cannot be followed by the human eye. The object of the performer being to introduce certain articles into a hat without detection, anything falling below this accomplishment is imperfect; but, at the same time, anything which goes beyond this in a striving to obtain an ideal perfection is useless, and results in a mere waste of energy. The essence of the trick being that it is (apparently, at least) performed for the most part whilst surrounded by the audience, the articles to be produced must be chiefly such as can be concealed about the performer's person. Of such a nature, the reader will doubtless be astonished to find, are, when properly constructed, bird-cages containing live birds, quantities of ladies' reticules, lighted Chinese lanterns, and many other articles entirely at variance with any possibly preconceived notions of what might ordinarily be contained in a hat. The beginner, however, will have to commence with less startling productions than bird-cages, &c., and graduate in the art, as it were. _The Cannon-ball._--One of the commonest articles which it is still the fashion to produce from a hat is a cannon-ball, or, rather, the wooden semblance of one. This is introduced from the shelf, which is provided with little hollows for the reception of such unstable articles. It has a deep hole, just large enough to admit the middle finger, and is so disposed that a hand placing a hat momentarily, brim downwards, on the back edge of the table would be able to introduce the finger without difficulty. The finger firmly inserted, the hat is drawn off, and, naturally falling backwards, covers the ball, which is furthermore curled into the hat by means of the finger. If the ball were solid and made of any heavier material than wood, this would not be possible of accomplishment. The usual method is to have two cannon-balls, one a hollow one of zinc, blackened, with a hole about two inches across made in it. This hole is covered by means of a sliding lid, which lid has a smaller hole in it for the introduction of the middle finger. The ball is filled with articles, almost invariably purchases made at a baby linen warehouse, which are produced, with all possible effect, one by one, before the ball itself. Sometimes the ball is packed as tightly as possible with feathers, in which case a very large quantity can be produced, a small pinch from the ball sufficing to apparently fill the hat, which should be exhibited, ostensibly full, to the audience every now and then. If feathers are used, a large cloth should be spread upon the floor, or there will be a sad litter. The introduction of the cannon-ball must not, however, form the commencement of the trick, but follow on something else in which a hat has been required. It would never do to borrow a hat and straightway march with it to the table, there to execute divers entirely unnecessary movements. Under such circumstances, the audience would be surprised if something were not produced from the hat. There are many tricks mentioned in which a hat is used. Whilst the result of one of such tricks is being exhibited with one hand, the other can easily introduce the cannon-ball, without fear of detection, if the performer's manner leads the attention elsewhere. The ball safely in the hat, the performer steps briskly forward to return the borrowed article, and, just as he is about to put it into the owner's hand, he makes a slight start, saying, "I did not notice it before, sir, but there is a little something just at the bottom of your hat. What is it? Something belonging to your little girl, I presume--a pair of socks," &c. The articles are then deposited on a chair or side table, and a motion made of returning the hat when "a little something else" is noticed. The ball being by this time worked round in the hat so that the opening is concealed from view, the hat can be exhibited with the ball sticking inside. After remarking that it is a very extraordinary thing to carry in a hat, and surmising therefrom that the infant to whom the clothes just discovered belong must be a "Woolwich infant," great, but unavailing, efforts are made to extract the ball. In order to make it appear to stick in the hat (which sticking makes its presence there at all seem all the more inexplicable), invert the hat, and introduce a forefinger from each hand beneath the ball. The whole can be then well jerked two or three times. It is at length got out by the assistance of your attendant, who is directed to give it to the gentleman to put in his waistcoat pocket. For the sake of effect he staggers towards the audience, but the performer recalls him, saying that he will send on the articles by parcels delivery. Whilst this is being done, the wooden ball is got inside the hat, which is once more carried down towards the owner. The discovery of more contents is made, as before, and the performer remarks that had he known that the owner of the hat carried a complete arsenal about with him he would have borrowed someone else's hat. The hat is jerked as before, and at the third or fourth attempt the ball is allowed to drop on the stage. This will confirm the idea in the audience that the first ball was solid, should there, by chance, be any wavering on the point. The only objection to this really very effective phase of the trick is, that it has been done so often; the consequence is that so many, anticipating correctly that which is about to come, are better able to divine the means by which it is accomplished. The best way to guard against this is to introduce the features at unusual moments, taking advantage of any favourable circumstance or opportunity that may casually transpire. A cabbage or cauliflower is often introduced into a hat in place of the solid ball, and is very effective. A hole for the finger can be made in the stalk, but it is advisable to push a tin tube into the hole, or bind the outside of it with cord, as the stalk will sometimes give way, and a disaster, in the shape of a vegetable falling down heavily from behind the table, occur. In using a cabbage or cauliflower, be careful to clean and dry it well on the outside, or a hat lining may be spoiled. _The Distribution._--The gratuitous distribution of bonbons, flowers, &c., from a hat is, owing to the expense entailed, hardly such a favourite variation of this trick with professionals as with amateurs--that is, with those very few amateurs who are able to execute it with any degree of success. It requires an unusual amount of _sang froid_ and boldness, combined with a perfect dexterity. When I can obtain nothing else, I use bonbons, but they are not the best article to employ, on account of their bulk. The sweets known as "kisses"--pieces of toffee wrapped in gold and silver paper--and gelatine bags of sweets are far more showy, as so many more can be introduced at a "load." The performer must have either some black silk bags or else some pieces of black silk, in which the articles are packed and tied with the thinnest cotton or silk, which need only be just strong enough to keep all together. Three or four little parcels should be made up and stowed away inside the vest and in the breast pockets of the coat, where they can be reached without difficulty. The performer then advances, with an orange or similar article concealed in the hand, and borrows a hat. The hat is quickly taken in the hand containing the orange, and shaken, with the remark, "Why, you have left something inside, sir." The shaking is to prevent the article falling on the crown of the hat with a thud, which would too plainly reveal the moment of its introduction into the hat, which is then inverted, thereby causing whatever may be inside to fall out upon the floor. All eyes, including more particularly your own, will be turned towards it, and you seize the opportunity to introduce one of your packages into the hat. The action of stooping to see what it is that has fallen will naturally cause the hat in the hand to come against the breast. The other hand is then introduced beneath it, and the bundle slipped noiselessly in. The instant this is done, obtain possession of the orange, and be as funny as you can about it with the owner of the hat. You then discover other things in the hat, and just before one bundle is exhausted introduce another. The most extraordinary expedients will at times have to be resorted to for accomplishing this, varying according to the position in which the performer is placed. One movement that should always be tried is a rapid three-quarter turn on the heel, during which a bag is whipped in. Another ruse is to allow the wand or some of the contents of the hat to fall, and so obtain a momentary diversion whilst stooping for them. Any approach to hesitation will be fatal. When a fresh supply has been obtained, turn the hat upside down, supporting the contents with the fingers, and, shake it, thus appearing to show it empty. A splendid ruse to adopt at such a moment, in order to intimate that the hat is still empty, is to apparently read out the name of the maker (which you have previously noted), and say that you will go to him in future for your hats. Should there be no name, say you are sorry, as you wanted to know where such curious hats are to be bought. The introduction of flowers from the performer's person is not advisable, it being impossible to keep them from being crushed. They are best introduced from the shelf, and for this purpose the following little arrangement will be found useful: Procure a tin or zinc cylinder, about two inches in diameter, and two inches long. Around the outside of this have affixed a number of small cylinders, each capable of admitting the stalk of a flower. Such an article will hold some thirty flowers at least, or even tiny "button holes" can be employed. Round the cylinder pass some wire, a portion of which form into a loop. The whole arrangement can then be suspended at the back edge of the table, or behind a suitable chair. By having some packs of cards introduced into the hat in the first instance, an excuse for going to the table or chair is obtained. Packs of cards make a great show when the hat is tossed vigorously about, so that some of the contents fly in the air and out on the floor. The last few can be taken out by the hand and thrown in the air in such a manner as to flutter as much as possible between the audience and the hat, which is, at the same time, brought into the position favourable for getting the flowers into it. The wire loop is easily found by the fingers, and, on the hat being brought backwards, when the table is used (forwards, with the chair), the bouquet is easily introduced. The cylinder arrangement is often made much larger than two inches each way, but no very increased effect is thereby obtained--certainly not sufficient to compensate for the augmented difficulty in getting rid of the article after it is done with. When made of the size I have given, it is simply concealed in the hand, as are the bags or pieces of silk in which the cards, &c., have been wrapped. _The Shower of Cups._--Amongst other things, a favourite production from hats is an enormous quantity of tin cups, very similar to those used in the cup and ball trick described in "Drawing-room Magic," but much larger. These cups, being all of the same taper, fit well one into the other, and, being also very thin, a large number can be well put together without forming a very formidable pile. Fifty is a very common number to introduce into a hat at one "load." The upper rim is turned over outwards, to give the cup a look of great solidity, and the bottoms are fairly thick, for strength. They should be wrapped in silk, and the inside cup filled tightly with ribbons or cut paper, or anything else that will make a great show when distributed. The performer then walks about the stage tossing the cups out of the hat with great rapidity on to the floor, occasionally placing a few on the table upside down. A dozen or so on a table make a good show, and they are also useful for concealing the bags and silk used previously for containing other articles. Spread out a few in the hat now and again and show it thus filled. Very few will suffice to fill a hat to the brim. These cups are, perhaps, best purchased at conjuring apparatus houses, their manufacture not being universally understood. _Multiplying Balls._--These, which are by some persons considered even more effective than the cups, can be made, for the most part, at home, with a little expenditure of ingenuity and trouble. They consist of an ordinary cloth ball covering, with an extraordinary interior, consisting, as it does, of a tapering spiral spring. Although I have succeeded in producing springs of the required shape by twisting wire round a peg top, I cannot conscientiously recommend anyone else to adopt a similar method of proceeding. A professed wire-worker would do the thing much more satisfactorily in every way. The covering is a very easy matter, and any one of the weaker sex may be confidently entrusted with it. Six of these balls, when pressed tightly together and tied with cotton, take up only a very little more than the space that would be occupied by a single ordinary ball. Eighteen, or more, in batches of six, can be introduced at one time if tied up in silk. The cotton of one batch being broken, the hat will be entirely filled, and the process can be repeated, the hat being each time shown to the audience in a replete condition. A tray should be at hand on which to place the balls, great care being necessary to prevent any of them falling to the floor, which would at once reveal their unreal nature. When the balls are used, as is not unusual, in conjunction with the cups--that is to say, either immediately preceding or following them--it is advisable to have an ordinary stuffed cloth ball, exactly resembling the multipliers, inside the inner cup. This ball is allowed to fall and roll towards the audience (accidentally, of course!), who will require no admonition to examine it. The balls can also be made to multiply in the hands. For this purpose, take one bundle and spin it high in the air (be sure to spin it well), and, catching it as it descends, give it a sharp twist, to break the cotton. As the balls will all suddenly expand, the hands must be held very hollow and kept close to the breast, against which they should be sustained. Another method is to break the cotton, but prevent their bursting out, and, holding up the hand containing them, with the back towards the audience, roll the balls into view, one by one, by means of the other hand. These effects are both good, but must be done with dash. Both the cups and balls are best got into the hat from the shelf. The safest way to get them is, in the first instance, to introduce the cards into the hat, which, after shaking about, empty on the table with a bang. A favourable opportunity for introducing anything is thus made. Some conjurors have an arm protruding at the back of the table, on which bundles of cups, balls, &c., are suspended, and got into the hat by means of a sweep of that article. This is an excellent method, when the performer does not make a bad shot, and sweep the whole on the floor instead of into the hat. Bringing the hat round the end of the table, and, tipping things into it from the corner of the shelf, is a method in use, but it is a bad one. _Bundle of Firewood._--Immediately after the taking out of a dozen or two of balls or tin cups, the performer may, if his previous arrangements tend thereto, proceed to extract from the hat a common bundle of firewood, which, the company may see, entirely fills the interior of the hat by itself. As, subsequent to the extraction of the balls, the performer has not even retreated to the stage, the company cannot but be at an utter loss to account for the presence of so ponderous a body. The bundle of wood is, however, far from being what it seems. That portion of it, the exterior, which is visible to the company, is genuine enough, being firewood, but this is only an outer layer glued upon a cylindrical shape of thick pasteboard, bound round, so as to look real, with a piece of string taken from a genuine bundle of wood. The bundle has only one end, made, of course, of pasteboard also, and covered with half-inch lengths of wood, which will present a perfectly real appearance. Into the open end are crammed the cups, balls, or other articles, which, being produced, enable the performer to subsequently extract the supposed bundle of wood without having refilled the hat. Some bundles are made with both ends covered, one end having a trap opening in it. This is to prevent the possibility of the unreal nature of the article becoming known; but I really do not see why both ends should ever be exposed; and, with the end perfectly open, the extraction of articles is very much facilitated. The bundle must, of course, be introduced into the hat from the shelf, it being too decidedly bulky to carry about the person. _Reticules._--A quantity of these articles are sometimes produced from a hat. They are, as may be imagined, far from being the substantial objects they represent. The ends fall inwards and lie flat on the bottom, to which they are hinged by means of calico, and the tops, sides, and bottom are hinged together also by means of calico, and so double up. A piece of cord, tape, or thin leather strap runs through two holes, about an inch apart, in the top, the ends being affixed to the ends of the reticule, inside. A pull at the centre of this cord, &c., raises the ends, which force the other portions into position. The outside is covered with cloth, and otherwise decorated to represent a small reticule. I have seen them made of playing cards without any outer covering whatever. The result was, that the audience saw through the whole thing at once, as was but natural. A dozen or more of these reticules can be introduced at once, and they make a good show. They can be easily made from playing cards, and afterwards covered. _Dolls._--Calico dolls, with spiral springs inside, can also be effectively employed. A tolerably large one, introduced into the cannon ball with the baby's clothes, is effective when produced last of all. In any case they should not be less than 6in. in height. The face and greater portion of the dress must be painted on, a few little bows, artfully disposed, serving to make the doll look as substantial as possible. _Bird-cages._--This is a trick which ranks almost as high in public estimation--the only gauge, by-the-bye, by which conjuring tricks can be measured--as the gold-fish trick. The same principal feature--the production of a substantial article, containing living things, from such unsuspected regions as the interior of a hat, or the folds of a handkerchief--is in both, and the audience is, in each instance, in the same dilemma in endeavouring to explain where the article comes from, and how the living creatures get into it. It may sound like exaggeration to assert that two substantial cages, 6in. high, each containing two live canaries or other birds, can be produced from a hat from one "load," but such can be done, nevertheless. The cages are of wire at the top and on the sides, the bottom being solid and heavy. The sides are hinged to the top, under which they fold, when the bottom, which slides up and down the sides, is pushed up. The top being domed, the birds are safe therein, not as comfortable, perhaps, as they might be, but still unhurt. The bottom pushed up and the sides doubled under, the whole is scarcely 2in. in depth; and two cages, placed bottom to bottom, and kept together by means of an elastic band or by a thread, can be got into the hat from the coat breast-pocket in the prescribed manner. To produce them, it is only necessary to raise the upper portion, by means of the ring there affixed, and the bottom will run down into its place, causing the sides to go into their positions. These cages are also produced from handkerchiefs, in which case it is usual to have them of very large dimensions. Herrmann produced one at times which had to be concealed up his back, so large was it. This was produced, without detection, in the very centre of the audience. [Illustration: FIG. 54.] [Illustration: FIG. 55.] [Illustration: FIG. 56.] _Chinese Lanterns._--The production of six or more of these articles, all ablaze, from a borrowed hat, causes an effect not far from astonishing. The well-known collapsible nature of the articles would render the production of a number of them from a hat a matter of no great marvel were they unprovided with a light. What cannot be readily explained is the feature of so many lanterns being alight in the hat at one time without burning either the hat or one another, or, indeed, how they can all be alight at one time at all. The secret lies in the construction of the bottoms of these lanterns, and the positions of the candle or wick holders. The bottoms are made of tin, and on one only of each series of lanterns is the candle holder placed in the centre. This lantern I will call No. 1 (see Fig. 54). No. 2 has the holder a little on one side, and a hole through its centre to admit of the candle or wick of No. 1 passing through it (see Fig. 55). No. 3 has two holes, corresponding exactly with the candle holders of Nos. 1 and 2, which pass through its bottom, and its holder is at the side of the hole through which the holder of No. 2 passes. No. 4 has three holes, No. 5 four holes, and so on all through the series, which generally consists of seven or eight, that number being about as many as can well be managed at one time (see Fig. 56). As the holder of No. 1 has to pass through the bottoms of the remaining seven lanterns, it must, of course, be very long. The holder of No. 2 will be a little shorter, and the next shorter still, that of No. 8 being of the ordinary length. By this means all the wicks will be on the same level when the lanterns are packed together. The tin bottoms do away with any danger of a flare up, and also, from their weight, cause the lamps to open easily, which is of great assistance towards the success of the trick. The upper rims are also of tin, for strength and security. A few sulphur matches, which strike noiselessly, should be affixed to the upper rims of the topmost lantern, whereon should also be some sandpaper, on which to strike the matches. The whole should be tied together with string, and concealed in the breast pocket, from whence they can be introduced into a hat in the midst of the audience. The match struck, the wicks are all lighted almost simultaneously; and, the flames burning the string, the performer is enabled to take out the lanterns in rapid succession by means of a bent piece of wire affixed to the rim of each. An attendant should be at hand with a pole or broomstick, on which to hang the lanterns. A deep round hat is better than a "chimney-pot," the extreme depth of which sometimes causes the performer to burn his fingers. This trick is well worthy the attention of amateurs, as it is but little worked, the majority of performers being frightened at it, but without any reasonable cause. Any tinman will make the plates and rims cheaply, and the paper sides can be taken from the ordinary lanterns and transferred, so that the trick need not be an expensive one, by any means. An excellent title for it is "A Chinese Feast of Lanterns." Always remember to hold the hat as high as possible when it contains anything: premature disclosures of the contents mar the effect considerably. _Climax to the Hat of Plenty._--When the performer has a stage attendant of average ability, he can conclude this or any other trick with a hat in a very startling manner. The hat is given to the assistant to return to its owner, and, just as he is leaving the stage, he stumbles, falling heavily upon the hat, and flattening it completely. The performer is of course in despair, and after a slight scene the hat is eventually restored, it being found under the owner's chair, or elsewhere. This exceedingly impressive and amusing trick makes a very appropriate conclusion to a performance, and is managed in two ways: Either the hat used in the preliminary trick is actually the property of a stranger in the audience, and is exchanged for the one to be destroyed, or a confederate brings it in with him, and takes his seat on a chair or sofa, beneath which his own hat has been previously concealed. In the first instance, the exchange must be adroitly managed. The excuse of going off to brush it, and returning immediately with the brush, is as good as any, although it will always be subsequently apparent to thinkers when the hat was exchanged, by whatever method the substitution is accomplished. I may say at once that this method is not so good as the second; but confederates are not always to be obtained when they are wanted. Sometimes the performer borrows two hats, and whilst he is producing something startling from one, his attendant quietly removes the other and substitutes for it a duplicate. By whatever means arrived at, suppose the exchange effected, or, what is the same thing, the conjuror's own hat borrowed, and the assistant lying prone upon the floor. He must then rise slowly, with a rueful look upon his countenance, and, if any object, such as a tin cup, be lying upon the floor, he must abuse it as the cause of the disaster. The performer does not at first notice what has happened; when he does so, he is, of course, greatly enraged with the assistant, and assumes a very despondent look. He expresses his regrets to the owner of the hat, and asks if he would like the hat done up in a small parcel for convenience in carrying. Without waiting for a reply, he and the assistant tear the hat up to little pieces, some newspapers being produced and spread upon the table. On the shelf is a newspaper parcel containing a crinoline, a large doll, or anything else that is ludicrous in appearance. The shreds of what was recently a hat are wrapped in a piece of the newspaper, with the exception of one solitary piece, which is purposely allowed to fall upon the floor, on that side of the table opposite to where the conjuror is standing. When the parcel is made up, the performer notices this piece, and, leaning well over the table, points to it, at the same time, under cover of his body, effecting an exchange of parcels. The shred is rolled up, and a pretence made of putting it in the parcel (it is, of course, palmed), which is then given to one of the audience to hold over his head. A pistol is fired, and, if the hat be borrowed from a confederate, he is bidden to look under his chair, where, naturally, his own hat will be discovered. If, on the other hand, the borrowed hat be genuinely the property of one of the audience, it will be seen to fly across the stage and attach itself to the top of the proscenium, from whence it falls at the command of the performer, and is caught by him. This additional effect is managed by passing a black cord through a hole in the proscenium, and attaching it to the hatband by means of a very large loop. The end to which the hat is affixed must, of course, be removed from sight beforehand, the usual place being behind the proscenium. The construction of the place of performance will naturally have a good deal to do with this particular matter, and the performer must study what arrangements will be best. Wherever the hat is concealed, it must be thrown into the air when the pistol is fired, and the cord at once gathered in as rapidly as it is possible to do so. On the command for the hat to descend being given, the large loop is cut through, and the hat falls. If the cord were simply tied by a knot to the hatband, a piece of it would remain attached after being cut away, and this would give a clue to the mystery. After the hat is safely restored, open the parcel and exhibit its contents. CHAPTER XVII. TRICKS WITH WATCHES AND LIVE STOCK. ON BORROWING WATCHES--THE PUTTY WATCH--THE GLASS--TWO KINDS OF MORTARS AND PESTLES--THE DUMMY WATCH--THE WATCH BAG--HOW TO REPRODUCE THE WATCH--THE LOAF--THE TARGET--ANOTHER TARGET--THE PLATE SCREEN--THE ADHESIVE WATCH: A JOKE--THE WATCH BOX--A NOVEL RABBIT WARREN--HOW TO CAUSE RABBITS TO DISAPPEAR--THE BRAN VASE--THE BRAN--THE WELSH "RABBIT"--THE SAUCEPAN AND COVER--THE HAT STOVE--THE FUEL--THE INGREDIENTS--THE RESULT--THE BIRD AND CARD. _Tricks with Watches._--The reader has doubtless been on the look-out for the chapter which shall initiate him in the art of pounding up a friend's gold chronometer before his very eyes, and immediately afterwards restoring it whole. I have purposely introduced the subject so late in the day, because watches are very awkward things to perform with, and the performer should be tolerably expert before he touches them. On borrowing a watch, it is always as well to do, or pretend to do, something with it that shall cause the greatest anxiety to the owner as to its safety, and consequent amusement to the unsympathising remainder of the audience. To expect this of a conjuror seems to be a fairly-established custom. One way of acquiescing with this unexpressed desire is to apparently incapacitate the watch for further use by bending it several times nearly double. This feat is managed by holding the watch with its back to the audience between the fingers and thumbs of the two hands, the hands being on opposite sides of the watch. If both hands and watch are worked rapidly backwards and forwards (_i.e._, inwards and outwards) three or four times, the varying light and shade upon the shining back of the watch will cause it to appear to be really bent each time a movement is made. The illusion is very perfect, the effect being always the same, to initiated, as well as uninitiated, eyes. The remark, "Ah! yours is one of the new putty watches, I see, sir," will assist in carrying out this effective prelude. Precisely the same effect may be produced with a bright florin or half-crown. Another effective introduction is to have palmed a watch-glass that has been either well cracked previously, or cut deeply with a glazier's diamond. Bring this glass over the one on the watch, but not touching it, and then, addressing the owner of the watch as to the strength of the glass, strike it carelessly with the wand, but not so carelessly as to break both glasses. When the breakage takes place, of course, great consternation will be exhibited on the face of the performer, who makes profuse apologies to the owner of the watch. The pieces of the broken watch-glass are allowed to lie on the perfect one, and the whole shown round, it being impossible to detect the presence of the perfect glass beneath the pieces. The pieces are then put in a piece of paper, for convenience in vanishing, and the trick can proceed. The ordinary method for destroying a borrowed watch is to have a mortar (usually of wood) into which fits an inner lining. Over the whole fits a pasteboard cover, with a fairly large round hole in the top, in which the lining is concealed at the commencement of the trick. The mortar is shown round and the watch put in. The cover is then put on--for the purpose of preventing the pieces of the watch flying out, it is explained--and the false lining thus introduced. This should be done quickly, and without any show of care, which would only excite suspicion. A pestle is then introduced through the hole in the cover, and a terrific amount of pounding goes on. Some old watch works and bits of plated gold, which have been in the false lining from the commencement, are then exhibited by removing the cover only. Another description of mortar is one with the bottom revolving on a pivot. When the watch is put in, this bottom is pushed up a little on one side from underneath, and the watch falls through into the hand. The pestle used in conjunction with this is a very thick one, especially at the end, in which are concealed some watch works. The action of a piston, similar to that used in the one for _The Hatched Card_, will propel these pieces into the mortar. A far bolder method is to be provided with a dummy toy watch, and exchange it for the borrowed one, and then actually pound it up in an ordinary metal mortar. This method will succeed best in public audiences, where an individual watch is not likely to be known by many persons in the audience. In showing round the watch, in its demolished state, in the mortar, there is no necessity for allowing a lengthened view, much less a minute examination, to be taken by anyone; and it is as well not to allow the owner of the watch to see the wreck at all. Instead of a mortar, a long bag, made of alpaca or any other strong stuff, and about three inches broad and two feet in length, is sometimes used. This has sewn in one end of it some solid body, fairly resembling a watch in shape and weight, and the other end is open. About four inches from the mouth a seam is stitched across. The watch, on being put into the bag, stops at the seam, whilst the performer takes up the other end, to which the watch has presumably descended, and exhibits the contour of the article or articles (a quantity of small broken pebbles is frequently used) there concealed, with one hand, the other hand holding securely the end containing the watch. The dummy end is then struck upon a table, or against the wall, several times, for the purpose of making it "go better," or of converting it into a "stop" watch. To take the watch out of the bag, hold the end containing the dummy with one hand, and invert the whole. The watch will slide into the other hand, having apparently come from the far end of the bag. An addition to this bag is to have the mouth portion divided into two pockets, each one having a flap and a button. In one are concealed some broken watch works and bits of metal. The borrowed watch is put into the empty side, and, after the process of banging about has been gone through, that containing the pieces is opened. The manner of reproducing the watch depends greatly upon the ingenuity and resources of the performer. Every conjuror differs somewhat from his rivals. A very favourite plan is to discover the watch in a loaf or roll of bread. Another is to cause it to appear on the centre of a target, or in the midst of a bouquet of flowers. It will be readily understood that when the supposed process of destruction has been gone through, and whilst the performer is amongst the audience with the pieces and engaging their attention, the assistant unostentatiously removes the mortar or bag containing the borrowed watch, and arranges the sequel of the trick behind the scenes. If the watch is to appear in a roll, then it is put into one by the assistant through a slit, and the roll is brought on with some others. The performer takes three of these, including the one containing the watch, and puts one on each of the front corners of the table and one between them in the centre, this centre roll being the prepared one. He then asks the audience to select one of the three rolls. Of course, all three will be named, but the performer affects to perceive a majority in favour of the centre one. A great show should always be made of deferring to the wish of the audience, this being very effective, and also the best way to secure the desired end. The pieces of broken watch works can then be put into the conjuring pistol, having been previously wrapped in paper, and then fired at the roll, which, on being cut or broken open, will, of course, be found to contain the watch. Should any decided predilection be shown for one of the outside rolls, a change of tactics must be made. Remove the one selected and say, without exhibiting the slightest appearance of embarrassment, "That leaves two; which one shall I now take?" If the one containing the watch be chosen, say, "Are you quite sure, now, that you would not like the other one?" This will cause a firmer adherence to the choice, for it will appear that the other roll would be preferable to the performer. Knock the other roll off the table, and fire at the remaining one. If the watch has been neatly inserted in the roll, it can be given into the hands of a spectator to hold whilst being fired at. When a bouquet is used, the watch is merely concealed among the flowers. It should be given to a lady to hold, in which case the pistol must be directed in the air, and not at the bouquet. The use of a target is very effective, and the target itself is not of very difficult construction. It can be either of wood or tin, and the face should be circular, about 12in. across, and affixed to a pillar rising from a square foot. The centre, or bull's eye, is pierced out and revolves on a pivot, an arrangement of watch spring or elastic causing it to keep in its place. It should be black both at the back and front, the front having a hook on which to hang the watch. The assistant, on obtaining possession of the watch, hangs it upon the hook and reverses the centre, a little bolt serving to keep it temporarily in that position. To this bolt is attached a piece of black thread, the disengaged end of which is behind, in the hands of the assistant. On the pistol being fired, this bolt is removed by the thread being pulled smartly, and the centre flies back to its normal position, exhibiting the watch to the audience. The revolution is so rapid that it cannot be detected, the watch appearing to actually attach itself to the face of the target. A good effect is produced by having the revolving centre of looking-glass, the corresponding glass on the other side, with a hook through the centre, being badly starred. It will appear as though the arrival of the watch had smashed the mirror. Another target is one with the centre in the shape of a recess, over which a little spring blind is drawn after the watch has been hung upon a hook within it. The blind has merely to be released and will fly up, revealing the watch. This principle is carried out on a much larger scale, two or more watches and chains and a broken plate being used. The chief apparatus employed is a large picture-frame, the centre having no picture, but being made in the form of a recess. In the top is concealed a spring blind, of the same colour as the back of the recess, which should be black. The articles to be magically exhibited on the frame are hung upon convenient hooks by the assistant, who then pulls down the blind and brings the frame upon the stage. The blind has along its lower edge a piece of wire or wood, from the centre of which projects, horizontally, a small pin. In the centre of the lower portion of the frame, and inside the recess, is a small catch, working perpendicularly on a pivot. The upper portion of this catches the projecting pin of the blind, and the lower portion passes out at the bottom, where a communicating cord is attached to it. The action of pulling the cord releases the pin, and the blind flies up, leaving the articles on the back of the frame exposed to view. The means for getting the watches or other articles into the hands of the assistant are various, the most effective, in my opinion, being the following: The performer borrows two watches, with or without the chains attached, and proceeds to wrap them in a piece of paper which he holds in his hands. Underneath this piece of paper is another, in which some dummy watches have been previously folded. In wrapping up the borrowed ones, it is very easy, whilst turning the parcels round and round in the hands, to bring the dummy one to the top, and, getting away the real watches, to conceal them under the vest or elsewhere. Passing subsequently behind the table, they are left upon the shelf, from whence they are removed by the assistant. The supposed borrowed watches, still in the paper, are then put upon a plate and given to the assistant to place upon the table. Before reaching the table, the assistant stumbles, and plate and watches fly all over the floor, the plate naturally in many pieces. The usual fuss is made about the assistant's carelessness, and he is despatched to fetch the frame. The performer, in the meanwhile, gathers up the pieces of the plate (less one piece purposely allowed to remain on the floor) and the watches, and puts them into the conjuring pistol, putting in some paper to keep them in position. During this time, the frame is brought on and placed in position, the pistol is fired, and, the blind flying up, the plate is seen in the centre, and the watches on either side of it. The plate is, however, not complete, one piece being missing. The piece upon the floor is then discovered by the performer, who "passes" it towards the plate, to which it is seen to affix itself. The plate and watches are then brought to the audience, who are unable to discover any trace of joining in the plate or damage to the watches. The remarkable effect of the restoration of the missing portion of the plate is managed by having a ragged triangular piece of black cloth put upon the plate, and, attached to it, a thread. When the "pass" is made, the assistant pulls the thread, and the piece of cloth falls down inside the frame. The frame can, of course, be used for the reproduction of any class of borrowed articles. Anyone with a very light turn only for carpentering should be able to make one for himself. The pedestals or feet of both target and frame should be heavy, so as to remain firm in case the assistant pulls with unpremeditatedly extra strength. An amusing and neat little trick with a borrowed watch is to cause it to appear on the back of a volunteer assistant from the audience. The performer is provided with a sharp-pointed hook, the blunt end of which is turned back in the shape of a smaller hook. This he has concealed about him. A watch is borrowed and immediately exchanged for one belonging to the performer, which is given to be held by one of the audience, as far removed from the owner as possible. A member of the audience is then desired to step up on the stage, where he is accommodated with a seat in the centre, and facing the audience. The performer has, meanwhile, hooked the loop of the watch on the smaller hook, and, taking the head of the assistant in the hands--the one containing the watch being behind--for the purpose of directing him as to the position in which it should be held, he affixes the larger hook to the back of his coat. He then directs the volunteer to open his mouth very wide, and pretends to pass the supposed borrowed watch into it. On finding that it has not reached its destination, the performer must surmise that he threw it a little too hard, and request the assistant to see if it be behind him. On his turning round for this purpose, the watch on his back will be revealed. An extra effect can be introduced by trying the extent of the assistant's throat capacity with the wand. The wand is taken by one end with the left hand, which is placed against the assistant's mouth. The other end is introduced secretly up the performer's right sleeve, and the right hand worked vigorously up and down the wand. The illusion is that the wand is thrust repeatedly down the assistant's throat to its full length. This should be done quickly, and only about three thrusts should be made. If the wand used for this particular effect be a special one, having an extra loose ferrule, the illusion may be rendered still more perfect if the performer keeps the loose ferrule in the hand, and slides it up and down the wand. This is a very important little addition to the trick. A piece of apparatus that is very much used in connection with watches is what is universally known as the watch box. It is a box, the rough dimensions of which are: length, 3-1/2in.; breadth, 2-3/4in.; and depth, 2-1/4in. The sides, ends, and top are very substantially made, and the bottom is, to all appearances, equally so; but as a matter of fact, it is made of two thin veneers, which have little blocks of wood glued between them, so as to leave an intervening space of one-sixth of an inch. The sides and ends come down flush with the bottom, and so conceal the deception. One of the ends works on pivots, the pivots being placed one-third of an inch from its upper edge; and near the lower edge on the inside is a little brass plate, with the centre keyed out. The ends, it must be understood, are fitted inside the sides. In the hollow of the bottom is concealed a catch, which protrudes just sufficiently to enter the aperture in the brass plate. No spring will be required to keep it in its place, as is usually the case, for if it be glued to the lower veneer, that will possess sufficient springiness for the purpose. The catch will of course require very neat adjustment, which is merely a matter of patience. It must be so arranged that the end is very easily closed, and opened with equal facility, by the mere pressure of a finger on the thin underside, providing the pressure is administered just under the spot where the catch is affixed. For facility in opening the box, it is usual to place two rounded pieces of watch spring on each side of the catch, adjusted so as to always bear just sufficiently against the end to cause it to fly open a quarter of an inch when the catch is released. These pieces of spring are fixed in blocks of wood glued into position for the purpose. I am not sure that the springs are not superfluous. They cause the end to fly open, certainly, and so expedite matters, but they are far from being noiseless. I have found the action of the fingers quite sufficient for opening the end. For the sake of strength, it is as well to fill in the end where there is no spring with a large block of wood. The interior should be lined with cloth or velvet, and a good lock and key added. The box is very useful for obtaining possession of any description of article that is fairly solid and that will go into the box. The following description of a trick performed with a watch will suffice to show how it can be employed: Give the box and key into the hands of a lady, with the request to have everything examined and the lock tried. Keep very near whilst this is being done, in case of an accidental release of the catch. If there are no springs used, then this will not matter, as the end will not fly open with a "pop," as it otherwise would, which should be sufficient argument in favour of their disuse. Borrow a watch that has a light chain attached, and, winding the chain round the watch, have both placed in the box. Allow it to be locked and the key to remain in the lady's possession. Now take the box, and say, "Although there is no doubt that the box is securely locked, you may reasonably think that I have some secret means of opening the lock. To prevent the possibility of my doing this, will some gentleman kindly tie his handkerchief firmly round the box?" Hold the box in both hands whilst this is being done, by the opening end, and make a deal of fuss about the knot being tied securely. Open the end, and, tilting the box, allow the watch and chain to fall into the hands, turning round sharply to someone else at the same time. It is absolutely necessary to make a turn at this point to cover the abstraction. Give the box, at the same time closing it, into the hands of any one of the audience, with the strict injunction not to shake it--for fear of injuring the contents, you will say, but really to escape the revelation of the fact that it is empty. The watch and chain will be in the left hand by this time, covered by the wand. If there be any music available, have a little of the gentle rippling order ("The Brook" is a suitable air) played, and make passes in the air, as if clutching something, with the right hand. Finally make one vigorous clutch, and hold the hand closed for a few seconds, then open it, showing, of course, nothing. Instantly take the wand in the right hand and strike the sole or heel of the right foot, raised for the purpose, and then apply the left hand to the spot struck, the watch being allowed to drop down, a portion of the chain being held between the fingers. The several actions must follow each other with "one, two, three" briskness, when the effect will be really very fine. Naturally, it must be done far back upon the stage. Do not forget to have the knot untied by the person who tied it and the box unlocked by the lady who put the watch in. Be careful not to borrow a heavy chain. In my early days, I borrowed a huge watch with a chain only a trifle smaller than a ship's cable, and with about a pound and a half of charms attached. The result was the not unnatural one of a stoppage and visible embarrassment on the part of the performer. If there are no small chains about, rather borrow a watch without any at all. The use of the watch box does not in any way interfere with the introduction of the previously described watch-bending and glass-breaking surprises. They can come in as preludes. It will naturally occur to the conjuror that the watch box may be used in connection with the watch target or loaf, the watch being merely placed in the box instead of pounded in a mortar. It will occasion the performer's leaving the stage on some pretext in order to get the abstracted watch or other article behind to the assistant, unless the method of placing it upon the shelf be adopted. I certainly object to the performer's absence from the stage as much as anything. If it must be done, then some suitable pretext (see _The Restored Handkerchief_) should be worked up to give it a colouring. The watch box is a handy article to use in conjunction with _The Magi's Brazen Rod_, it being directly employed by having the rings placed in it. The rings should in this case be tied loosely together with a piece of ribbon, to ensure their simultaneous abstraction. The ribbon should be of sufficient length to enable the rings to be placed in the slits in the hollow ball side by side without the necessity of untying or cutting it. But on no account must the conjuror permit the convenient adaptability of the watch box to tempt him into using it more than once during the same performance. This is a fixed maxim which applies to all _visible_ apparatus, and is one which should be always rigidly adhered to. _Tricks with Rabbits._--The gentleness and docility of the rabbit makes it, like the dove, a favourite with the conjuror, who does not hesitate to produce it from a hat, and to cause it to disappear from, and re-appear in, most unexpected places. The production of a couple of rabbits from a hat is always very startling, and requires a deal of doing. The animals are placed one in each of the large side pockets, where, if undisturbed, they will lie as peacefully as could be wished, and evidently perfectly contented with their lot. The success attending the transfer of the rabbit from the pocket to the hat will depend entirely upon the skill of the performer, and no middle course can possibly be admitted. It must be done well or not at all. The usual expedient of palming some article and introducing it into the hat directly it is taken into the hand will have to be resorted to, and the article should be of a startling nature. (A pack of cards does very well.) Whatever is put in must be emptied out on the floor, and, whilst stooping, or rather bowing slightly to see what it is, the performer brings the hat against his body and quickly introduces the rabbit into it. The animal must be helped in, as it were, by the body, and not dragged into the hat by the ears. So soon as it is in the hat, one hand should be placed under the crown, which, if not very strong, might otherwise be forced out by the weight of the rabbit. Produce the rabbit with all due affectation of surprise, and, whilst showing it about, allow it to fall. By the time it is picked up again, either by yourself or by a spectator, the second one is in the hat, and you express yourself anxious to know if the owner of the hat keeps a rabbit warren in it. So much for producing the rabbits. A favourite and very effective method of conjuring with them further is to apparently rub one into the other. This is managed by the aid of the large centre trap. One rabbit is placed upon the table immediately in front of the trap, and the other pushed through the table behind it, a great show all the time being made of forcing one rabbit into the other. The remaining rabbit should be held up by the ears, with the rump resting on one hand, when, to the imagination of the audience, it will appear to be actually stouter than it was a few minutes before. The remaining rabbit you affect to wrap in a piece of paper, it being also passed through the trap, and the paper rolled up as though it really contained an animal, considerable agitation being communicated to it by means of the hands. The performer affects to lose patience with it because it will not remain quiet, and crushes the paper either beneath his feet or between the hands. The reproduction of the rabbits (_i.e._, two duplicate ones) necessitates the employment of a rather elaborate piece of apparatus, unless the performer has a friend or two in the audience with rabbits in their pockets, the production of which has a good effect, but is seriously open to suspicion. The apparatus that is generally employed is a large glass vase or goblet, some eighteen inches or two feet in height, according to pleasure (or pocket). This has a zinc lining, in two halves, fitting exactly inside it, the halves being hinged to a slightly concave top, also of zinc. The hinges are on exactly opposite sides of the top. The whole is covered with glue and then spread over with bran. There is, besides, a large bell-shaped cover, usually of thin brass, large enough to conceal the body of the vase completely. In the centre of this, inside, is a catch, which is intended to pass through a hole made in the centre of the concave top of the zinc lining. The vase is prepared by having the zinc lining, previously loaded with two rabbits, put into it. It will then have the appearance of being full of bran, a quantity of which article is spread over the concave top. A raised rim round the hole in the centre will prevent the bran falling through. The vase is brought on by the assistant, and the performer takes some of the bran from the top and throws it off, and also thrusts a thin stick or wire through the hole to show that it goes quite to the bottom. He then shows the interior of the cover, that it may be seen to contain nothing, and places it over the vase, pressing it well down. The original rabbits are next manipulated at the table; and when that matter is settled the cover is raised, gently and slowly at first, and perpendicularly, bringing away with it the zinc lining, which opens as it ascends, and leaves the rabbits in the vase. The bran can be made to transfer itself into the drawer box, previously shown empty, if the same has not been before used during the evening. A much more effective and in every way a more preferable method is to cause it to make its appearance in a borrowed hat. This is best managed by giving the hat from which the rabbits were originally produced to the assistant to place upon the table. The performer at once engages the attention of the audience with the rabbits, saying that he will make the one eat the other, &c., and so enables the assistant to slip into the hat, whilst retiring, a bag of bran that is very loosely fastened at the top. This bag the assistant has had concealed under the coat. The hat is placed carelessly upon a side table, and the bran "passed" into it by the performer as if on an afterthought, so as to avoid any appearance of premeditated effect. The bran must be first emptied out, and the bag can be abstracted, rolled up in the hand, which is inserted for the purpose of clearing the lining of any stray flakes. If the foregoing variations are all mingled in one trick the effect is very good; but the combination requires a deal of practice, and will prove trying at first. [Illustration: FIG. 57.] _A Novel Welsh "Rabbit."_--Employ a tinman to make a saucepan of tin, the dimensions of which should be 7in. or 8in. in depth, and about 5-1/2in. in diameter at the widest part, which will be the top, from whence it should taper slightly to the bottom. To this have fitted an outer casing (A, Fig. 57), also of tin, that is 2in. less in height than the saucepan itself. At the line where the upper rim of the casing comes when the saucepan is fitted into it, have a beading (B, Fig. 57), either put on or hammered out of the metal. This will effectually conceal the fact that any outer casing exists, which will be regarded as the body of the saucepan. Into the saucepan fits loosely a secret pan, about 1-1/2in. only in depth, and into this again fits a lid, which is ostensibly the lid of the saucepan. The saucepan is provided with a handle, which must, of course, come from that part which is above the outer casing. The saucepan is prepared by having a rabbit placed in it, and the false pan put in, the lid lying loosely on the top. Holding it with one hand, and sustaining the casing, in which is a piece of cotton or cambric, by means of the pressure of one or more fingers, it is brought on, and going with it towards the audience, care being taken to hold it high, a hat is borrowed. Observe, on receiving the hat, that you intend making a stove of it, and then borrow a small handkerchief, which, you will explain, when you have obtained possession of it, you purpose using as fuel. As if indicating the meaning of your words, put the saucepan into the hat, and, on withdrawing it, leave the outer casing behind. Place the hat upon the table, with the saucepan beside it, and then, removing the lid, break an egg or two into the secret pan--apparently into the saucepan itself. Put in any ingredients you please, not omitting candle drippings, and then place the lid firmly on. Place the borrowed handkerchief into the hat, between its side and the tin lining within it. Pour some spirits of wine upon the piece of linen or cambric, and then set fire to it. Of course the audience, on seeing the flames, will suppose that the borrowed handkerchief is being burnt inside the hat, and mingled amusement and consternation will be exhibited. Do not allow the burning to last long, or the tin casing will become undesirably heated; but put the saucepan quickly into the hat, after affecting to cook the contents, and perform the double operation of putting out the flames and bringing away the casing. If the casing be too hot, the action of the heat upon the fingers will speedily make the fact known, so any further directions upon this point will be unnecessary. Remove the lid, which, if it fits as tightly as it should into the false pan, will bring that away as well, and then take out the rabbit. Return the hat, previously taking out the handkerchief, and point out that neither are injured; and also show that the interior of the saucepan is quite guiltless of any contents. If such a combination of apparent impossibilities as are presented in this trick do not astonish, then nothing ever will. It is a great trick for large mixed audiences. Doves or guinea pigs can be used as successfully as rabbits. I have even seen a kitten employed, but the difficulty was to get it into the saucepan. _The Bird and Card._--A very pretty stage trick this. The performer must procure what is known as a bird box, which is a pretty polished box, having a secret metal flap inside, the latter, when turned down, forming a retreat for a small bird, such as a canary. It is held down by a small catch, released by pressing the key into the lock from the outside, the double action being performed of setting free the bird and concealing the card. It is useless having such a box constructed, as it can be much more satisfactorily procured of the proper vendors. Two small cages are also necessary. They may be round or square, but, in either case, should be all wire, like a rat trap. This is merely to give them an innocent appearance. One of these cages is concealed on the shelf, behind the table. The performer borrows a hat, either for this or a preceding trick (preferably the latter), and gets the empty cage into it. This is best done by placing the hat upon the table, the opening towards the rear, and leaving it there for a time. Then, when carelessly shifting its position, the article required to be got into it may be inserted with less suspicion. In the second cage is a bird, precisely similar to the one concealed in the bird box. Place this cage upon the table, and cover with a double cloth, having inside a card-board shape. A card is forced on one of the company, and placed in the bird box, in a little slit which will be found there, just over the hinge of the secret flap. The inside of the box may be carefully exhibited at a slight distance, the blackened interior preventing anyone from noticing the presence of the turned down flap. Whilst affecting to lock it, the key is pressed hard in and the flap released. In flying back this covers the card. The performer commences by extracting the card. This he can do by having a duplicate concealed in a card-box (see page 127), and causing it to appear in that; but it will look more artistic to have one palmed and affect to extract it from the box. This done, the cloth is raised by the shape, the cage being left upon the shelf. The cloth is then shaken out and laid flat upon the floor. The box is then opened and the bird allowed to fly out, if tame, or taken out in the hand, previously shown empty, if wild. The performer will derive a great advantage from having a tame canary, which returns to his shoulder. Finally, the hat is brought forward and found to contain the missing cage. CHAPTER XVIII. SHAM MESMERISM, CLAIRVOYANCE, ETC. BLINDFOLD FEATS--IMITATION SECOND SIGHT--ON SPIRITUALISM--THE MESMERISED POKER--THE PERAMBULATING WALKING STICK--THE ASCENT--THE TALKING GLASS: TWO METHODS--THE SPIRIT BOUQUET--THE SLATE TRICK--FIERY HANDS, WRITINGS, &C.--THE ELECTRIC TOUCH--THE ANIMATED SKULL. _Clairvoyance._--This is one of the most mysterious agencies with which the scientific world has ever had to deal. Doubted by the majority, because of its seeming improbability, and because of the difficulty of comprehending it, the faculty of clairvoyance or second sight has, nevertheless, been possessed, and is possessed, by not a few. Some marvellous manifestations of seeing without the eyes have been shown, and in a manner sufficient to convince even the most sceptical of its reality. This faculty has often been imitated by conjurors, some of whom have fairly admitted that they were only imitators, whilst others have assumed possession of the actual power itself. At that now defunct institution, the Polytechnic, and other places of amusement, cleverly arranged telegraphic communication has been the means adopted for bringing a person on the stage _en rapport_ with another amongst the audience. I would not recommend the amateur to take any serious trouble in the matter, but to merely make himself master of a few tricks relating to it. A very simple one is performed with the aid of a pack of cards. An assistant is blindfolded on the stage, and placed with his back to the audience. Before proceeding any farther, the performer explains that, beyond a certain point, he will neither speak nor make any sound or movement, lest it should be said that he conveyed information to the assistant. He then proceeds to "force" three or more cards in an order previously agreed upon, and the holders thereupon ask of the assistant, as the performer has previously instructed them to do, what the names of the cards are. The performer must mentally reserve to himself the right of pointing with his wand to the person who is to speak next, so as to ensure the cards being asked for in the proper order. Instead of using cards, the performer can distribute slips of paper amongst the audience, for the purpose of having short sentences written upon them. He has a piece of paper of his own previously prepared, with a sentence upon it that is known to the blindfolded assistant. The papers written upon by the audience are folded up and placed upon a tray, or the crown of a hat, each some distance from the other. Whilst doing this, the performer contrives to effect an exchange between his own paper and any one of the others, it does not signify which. He then asks one of the audience to select one of the papers, and, manipulating the hat or tray adroitly, "forces" his own. Before it is opened, the assistant is requested to say what is written upon it. This trick is farther elaborated as follows: The performer hands round a fair quantity of paper slips, and asks the audience to write what they please upon them very plainly. As it is advisable that whatever is written should be brief, it is best to ask to have the names of celebrated deceased persons only written. The performer has a piece of his own, previously written upon and folded, concealed in his hand. Supposing this to be in the left hand, the right takes a folded slip from one of the audience, and, under pretence of putting it into the left, for the purpose of handing it to another person, an exchange is effected, and the performer's own piece given instead. The learner will know the proper "pass" for effecting this by this time. The performer then says that he will go upon the stage and from a distance read what is upon the paper. He does so, and seizes the opportunity for rapidly opening the paper of which he has just become possessed, and of reading the name upon it. If much were written upon the paper, it would be impossible to read its contents in the limited space of time at the performer's disposal. When he turns round there is of course no trace visible of what he has been about, and he then proceeds to read the name on the paper held by one of the audience. This he does not do readily, but first names the sex of the person, and then the capital letter of the name, as if it were only developing itself by degrees and through some very mysterious medium. The first paper duly read, a second one is taken, exchanged as before, and borne off to the stage, to be read in transit. This process can be repeated any number of times, although four will be found quite sufficient, as it is a harassing trick to perform. An excellent finish is to "force" a previously prepared paper, and then have it burnt, after it has been read aloud by one of the audience. The ashes are collected and rubbed upon the conjuror's bare arm, upon which the name then appears in black. This is contrived by having the name written upon the arm in glycerine. This will be invisible, but if the ashes be rubbed lightly upon it they will adhere, and so show the name. There are chemical preparations used for the same purpose, but the method described here is by far the most simple and practicable. With this trick "Dr." Lynn created a great sensation for several months, some years ago. _Anti-Spiritualistic Tricks._--In the introduction to these papers I had occasion, the reader may remember, to refer to the impositions practised by the ancient priests and others on the minds of an unenlightened people by means of what were merely conjuring tricks, but which were made to appear before the ignorant in the guise of supernatural manifestations. Few will require to be reminded of the excitement that has of late years existed concerning spiritualism. One would have thought that, in these days, people would have been above believing that the spirits of the departed would be permitted to return to the earth for the sole purpose of answering questions and indulging in tomfoolery; but such is the simplicity of mankind, that those who have had the boldness to declare themselves capable of raising the dead, and to dress up themselves or others in muslin or newspaper, have not lacked faithful followers. The malpractices have been going on for years, and many shameless impositions have come under my notice. The victims, it will not cause astonishment to hear, were mostly weak-minded ladies, and the spirits have had the remarkable discernment to visit only those who were well provided with worldly comforts, backed by an amount of confiding simplicity wonderful to contemplate. The exertions of several amateur, and some professional, conjurors have succeeded in proving to all minds open to the workings of common sense that all those professing spiritualism as a means of gaining a livelihood are neither more nor less than scoundrels. But of course there are still thousands who would be as much imposed upon as ever by any white figure seen after dark, and, in a private way, the spiritualists are still reaping a rich harvest. Towards clearing away this darkness, conjurors, both amateur and professional, can do a great deal, and there is a definite and worthy task before them, which they can best perform by exhibiting such phenomena as are produced by spiritualists at their exhibitions by avowedly natural means. By this means ridicule, which nothing can survive long, will be thrown upon the black art, which is merely conjuring put to base uses. A performance consisting entirely of sham spiritualistic manifestations I have found take exceedingly well, especially with audiences who have seen something of conjuring, and who are not averse to a change in the programme. I do not agree with pretending to call spirits to one's aid, for it smacks of irreverence: the performer should merely explain that what he is about to do or has just done by simple dexterity is brought about by the spiritualists with the asserted aid of familiar spirits. A simple trick which seems well to commence with is-- _The Mesmerised Poker._--The performer seats himself with his legs apart, and, taking a poker, stands it up on one end before him. On removing the hand the poker falls, but, after two or three fruitless attempts, it remains standing without the aid of any visible support. This is very easily managed by having a fine piece of black cotton attached to the calf of the trousers by means of a bent pin at each end. It need not be so long as to drag on the floor, and the performer can walk about with comfort and without fear of detection. The action of opening the legs draws the thread out straight and tight, so that the poker can rest against it when it is required to cause it to stand upright. _The Perambulating Walking-Stick._--This is a very amusing trick, in which a walking-stick is made to walk across the stage by itself. The invisible agency is again a fine black thread. On a stage provided with "flies," it is managed from above, in which case the only direction required is to affix one end of a thread round the head of a walking-stick, and convey the other end above to an assistant. By means of this thread the walking-stick is made to progress across the stage by means of little jumps. But on the drawing-room stage the matter is not quite so easy. Two threads will be required, and they must lie across the floor when the curtain is drawn. If possible, an assistant at each wing should hold the ends, but when one assistant only can be obtained, he must do the best he can from one side, the ends of the thread on the other being tied to the back of a chair, about the height of a walking-stick from the ground. The walking-stick should be provided with a substantial head, and the performer must hand it round for minute examination. He then takes it back to the stage, and flourishes it vigorously to show there are no threads or wires anywhere about. The instant the flourishing portion of the business is over, the assistants must raise the threads to the proper level, and one of them, by crossing his hands, causes the threads to cross each other at about the middle of the room. The performer then places the stick, with apparent carelessness, upright on the floor, but, as he takes care to place it between the threads just where they are crossed, it does not fall on the one hand being removed from it. The assistant who has crossed his hands now uncrosses them, which action has the effect of holding the stick tolerably firmly between the threads. On receiving commands from the performer the stick is made to dance, fall down and jump up again, and walk either to the right or to the left. If it is to go to the right, the assistant on that side lowers his hands slightly, and the one on the left administers a succession of jerks to the threads, which will cause the stick to progress by means of a series of jumps. These jumps can be made alternately long and short. As a final exhibition of skill, it can be made to turn a complete somersault, by both the assistants swinging their hands round in complete circles. For this it will be necessary to have a good head to the stick. When the performance is finished hand the stick round again for examination. In my opinion the trick shows best in a room, where the audience know there is no means of concealing anyone above. _The Ascent_ can be performed by means of the same threads. Books, pieces of music, &c., are laid upon the floor, and rise slowly or quickly, and remain suspended in the air, where they can be made to rock about. Of course, they are simply laid upon the threads, the ends of which are then raised evenly and simultaneously. The best ascent is a sudden one, as being the most startling. _The Talking Glass._--Provide yourself with a tall, thin, and well-sounding glass vase. At a pinch a thin soda water tumbler will do. Across the room and above the table have a piece of thread or fine wire. Show the tumbler or vase round, and then place it upon the table, or on the top of an inverted tumbler, which will serve for the purpose of showing that there is no deception beneath, and will also act as a sounding medium. An assistant at the side draws the thread close against the side of the glass, and it is stretched as tight as is consistent with safety. The glass is now made to talk by means of sharply emitted sounds in answer to questions, a small code of signals being established. One sound means "yes," two "no," and so on. These sounds are caused by the assistant catching at the thread sharply with the nail, which will cause a distinct ring to come from the glass. The principle is very simple, but I have never known anyone but myself adopt it. The performer must endeavour to make his questions amusing, and, as the powers of speech possessed by the glass are but limited, they must not be too severely taxed. If a tumbler be suspended from the wand by means of a thread tied loosely round the wand and tightly round the glass, a sound will be emitted on twisting the wand ever so slightly. With practice this movement can be made almost imperceptible. If the onlookers begin to look at the hand and wand too much the display must cease at once. _The Spirit Bouquet._--One of the most usual, and at the same time most shallow, of deceptions practised by the "spiritualist," is that of the production of flowers. The gas is (of course) lowered, a few irreverencies gone through, and, on the room being re-illuminated, lo and behold, the table and floor have flowers lying upon them! As, of course, the manifestors of these wonders could not by any possible means have the flowers in their pockets on entering the room--even if they thought of practising-such a deception!--the spectators are struck with wonder. However, I shall teach the reader how to perform an even greater marvel, by causing a bouquet to glide through the air into his hand without the assistance of total or partial darkness. The bouquet can be either real or artificial--a real one, certainly, for choice. Take a piece of the finest iron wire procurable (jewellers' "binding" wire is the proper article), about 6in. in length, and tie it firmly round the stalks of the flowers, just below the buds. The other end tie round the centre flower, which is always a little higher than the others, and you will thus have a loop about 4in. in length. If the centre flower be not higher than the rest, then re-arrange the bouquet, and make it so. It is essential to have one end of the wire tied on considerably higher than the other, in order that the bouquet may hang properly. If both ends were tied round the main body of the stalks, the bouquet would hang upside down, whereas it should, when suspended by the loop, be almost upright, or, at least, only slightly on one side. From the most convenient position behind the scenes, which will depend entirely upon circumstances connected with the arrangement of the stage, have another piece of fine wire hanging, with a loop made in it at one end long enough to reach the centre of the stage. The spot usually the best for attaching this wire is at the side, as near the audience as possible. On a regular stage the "flies" are most suitable, but in the drawing-room, where there are usually folding doors and curtains (without them this trick cannot well be managed), the side must be chosen. When the trick is about to be performed, the bouquet must be put on the wire by means of the loop, and an assistant in concealment mounts a pair of steps with it and holds it in readiness. The end of the wire is so disposed that the performer can without difficulty insert his little finger in the loop thereon, under pretence, say, of shifting a chair. He then retires towards the centre of the room until he feels that the wire is drawn perfectly tight, and then proceeds to speak of the wonderful productions by humbugs, done in the dark, and finally finishes up by saying that he has only to extend his hand in the air to find something in it. With the hand that is _not_ holding the wire he makes a grasp in the air, and at the same moment opens the other hand, taking care to pull the wire quite tight. The attention of the audience is naturally momentarily attracted towards the hand making the greatest movement, and at this very instant the assistant starts the bouquet down the wire. The performer, when the bouquet has reached his hand, which it will do with remarkable swiftness, exclaims, "Ah! no; here it is, see, in this hand;" and, ridding his finger of the wire, brings the bouquet forward, of course keeping the loop upon it from view. When the performer's actions have been well contrived and carried out, the bouquet is not seen until it is almost in the performer's hands; but, under less fortuitous circumstances, which are all I bargain for myself, the trick is wonderfully successful. The fact of a small portion of the aerial journey of the bouquet being observed is not by any means undesirable, the only thing to be kept from the view of the spectator being the commencement of it. The communicating wire must be fixed some distance behind, so that the bouquet is descending at full speed by the time it comes into possible view. The reader will see that the principle is so simple, as to be almost commonplace, but he must not deride it on this account. The most natural actions possible must be brought into play, and plenty of rehearsals will be required. The reason for having the loop of the wire upon the little finger is that the safe arrival of the bouquet is better ensured thereby. The little finger must be kept undermost, the hand being at an angle of forty-five degrees, with the wire lying across the palm. A great deal lies in the neatness with which the bouquet reaches the hand. There must be no bungling. Therefore I say, Rehearse. _The Slate Trick._--Everyone will naturally wish to know how this is done. "Dr." Slade, as Mr. Maskelyne correctly showed in open court, produced his "spirit writings" on the slate by means of a thimble-shaped instrument, to which were attached a piece of pencil and a length of elastic. The elastic was fastened to the brace, or elsewhere, and caused the disappearance of the thimble and pencil up the performer's sleeve when they were no longer required. Under the table was a little ledge which supported the slate whilst the hand, which was supposed to be performing that action, was busily engaged in scribbling upon the bottom of the slate, the thimble arrangement enabling one of the fingers to execute certain letters in a very poor and scarcely legible fashion. The bad writing was supposed to look more mysterious; but Slade would have written more legibly had circumstances permitted it. Anyone may try this method, but as a conjuring trick it is poor. The trick as now sold is a slate with an extra or false interior. The answer that is to be given is written upon the genuine slate, and the false side then put on. The slate is shown casually round without leaving the performer's hands, and a question is then written upon one side of the slate, which is waved about, and an opportunity seized for allowing the false side to drop out behind the table, or at any other convenient place, and the answer is then exhibited. If the inside of the false slate have blotting paper pasted upon it, and a blotting pad be upon the table used whilst the trick is being performed, it may be allowed to drop out upon the table without any attempt at concealment. _Fiery Hands, Writings, &c._--With the aid of phosphorus a very innocent dark séance can be given. The principal thing is to have the gas under control. This lowered, or turned completely out, for preference, the rest is easy enough. Bunches of cotton wool, or tow steeped in phosphorescent spirits, obtainable at any chemist's, placed upon the ends of fishing rods, create a good effect when protruded over the heads of the audience, and there waved about in circles. A washleather glove, stuffed with cotton wool, tied to the end of a rod, and wetted, is diverting, not to say alarming, when dabbed suddenly in the face of one of the audience. Imagination will fancy it the clammy hand of death. Care must be taken to withdraw it very suddenly. The best way is to have it swinging from the end of the rod, when it retires out of reach of a possible "grab" by virtue of its own impetus. The glove must not be phosphorescent. Japanese fishing rods, with the joints sliding one within the other, will be found very useful. A good effect is produced by the performer allowing himself to be tied to a chair, to which his arms are firmly bound, and the knots sealed by the audience. His assistants, having first removed their boots, can come on and manage everything, and, as a final effect, one of them has some words or characters written upon his arms and hands, or simply has them smeared with the phosphorescent preparation in use. He then kneels behind the performer's chair, which he must approach either backwards or with his coat on, and then extends his arms from the performer's shoulders. The form of the hands and arms will be seen, and it will appear as if the performer had loosened his arms and was exhibiting them in a fiery condition. So soon as the assistant is again out of sight the gas should be turned up, leaving the audience in a state of bewilderment. The most childishly simple things can be perpetrated in the dark, when the mind is by nature more easily imposed upon than it is at any other time. The simple expedient of someone coming on the stage in his stockings, after the room has been darkened, and, by turning back the sleeve, exhibit some words written upon the arm, is a very good illustration: it is impossible for an ordinary mind to divine how the sudden appearance of the writing in mid-air is managed. The arm must be extended horizontally before the sleeve is drawn back, and it must be kept so extended until the writing is again obscured. This is essential. The slightest expenditure of ingenuity and thought will produce other effects, which will vary according to circumstances and situations; whilst careful preparation will meet with its usual and deserved reward. _The Electric Touch._--The performer may, if he pleases, either commence or conclude those portions of his entertainments which have to do with mesmerism with a bogus explanation of the forces latent within him, the result of a natural gift. He must purposely make his elucidation a little far-fetched, in order to raise a smile, or even a remark, of incredulity. This gives him the desired opportunity for offering to practically prove the truth of what he states. Advancing to the company, he asks one of the spectators to extend his hands in front of him, palms downward. Standing immediately opposite this gentleman, the performer rubs the back of one of his own hands with the fingers of the other, and reverses the operation. This he continues for a quarter of a minute or so, and then suddenly extends his hands over the backs of those held out before him, an inch or two removed. The spectator feels no shock, so the performer continues his rubbing, and, at the third or fourth trial, the spectator jerks one of his hands away, a slight electric shock having been communicated to him. The experiment may be repeated as often as the performer pleases. A little pin is the cause of this marvellous manifestation. This the performer has about him (stuck under the vest is the best place), and often, in gesticulating, indirectly showing the hands to be empty, it is got down, with the head between the first joints of the first and second fingers, where it can be held firmly, of course pointing downwards. The nibbing of the fingers of each hand alternately upon the back of the other indirectly points to the absence of anything of the protruding nature of a pin being held in them, so the assumed excitation of electricity by friction is not the only reason for the action. It adds to the effect when the production of the shock on the first experimenter comes only at the third or fourth attempt. With others, it may safely come at the first or second, if the performer be careful to explain that, the electric power once worked up, very little is necessary to keep it going. The rubbing is kept up throughout. The shock is, of course, produced by bringing the hand holding the pin nearer and nearer to the one beneath it, until the pin's point touches it. The touch must be as delicate as possible, as then an after feeling is experienced which necessitates rubbing. If the point enters the skin, the presence of the pin is at once detected. It being so absolutely necessary to the success of the trick that the touch should be very delicate, the use of fine entomological pins is recommended, but they must not be too long. The performer will do well to fail to produce shocks on some of those experimented upon at first, a return to them being necessary when the electric power has accumulated. Any particularly healthy and rubicund person may as well prove quite impervious, the performer explaining that the strength of mind present is too great. The company will judge by the person's healthy exterior, forgetting that, notwithstanding, the mind within may be nothing very great. As the performer is standing and the company sitting, he must slant his hands downwards, or the pin will be seen. The hands experimented upon must, for the same reason, be kept low. Should anyone suggest a pin, that article must be at once dropped, the performer being, of course, provided with reserve ones. This part of the trick is very seriously carried out, the performer congratulating himself and the company upon a state of atmosphere which enables him to exhibit such satisfactory results. _The Animated Skull._--The performer places two ordinary chairs, which may be examined, back to back, and a yard or so apart. Across the backs he lays a piece of plate glass, previously examined, a perfectly transparent table being thus formed, and one, as the performer will explain, impervious to electricity. Upon this table the performer places either a real human skull or else a pasteboard imitation of one. The imitation is recommended, the performer explaining that the reason for its use is that the feelings of some might be shocked, which really might be the case. The skull is examined previous to being placed upon the table, the company being safely depended upon for not noticing anything suspicious in the fact that the underside is very much rounded. The skull now answers questions, giving one nod for "Yes" and two nods for "No." What questions are asked must depend upon the wit of the performer, and the nature of the company assembled. Arithmetical problems should be solved, as the skull can give any number by means of nods. As a finale, the skull is asked if it would like to continue the performance, to which a couple of slow shakes are given. Our old friend, the black silk thread, is at work again here. A piece is stretched across the stage, tied up out of harm's way when not in use. As soon as the skull is placed upon the glass the thread is brought down to the level of the mouth, and made to enter there. The imitation article has a deep indentation at this place. In other cases the thread is brought under the projecting nasal bone. A slight movement of the hand causes the skull to nod, so long as the thread is in position, and the performer may pick it off the glass at any moment, to show that no connection exists. The slow shake is done by manipulating the thread sideways. It cannot be prolonged, as it tends to work the skull off the glass. The rounded underside is to render the rocking movement easy. In some cases a tiny bead of wax is fastened upon the thread, and this affixed to the skull, at the back. CHAPTER XIX. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS. Having at length brought the beginner to that point where he will first have to shift for himself in real earnest, I wish to leave him in a position to do credit to my tuition, and, with this object, impart a few hints for his guidance. On the subject of practice, I would not say any more if I could. By this time, it must have become so evident to everyone that nothing can be brought to any degree at all approaching perfection without assiduous attention to detail, that any repetition of my often-expressed injunctions to practice would become nauseating. But I ought to say something regarding the best method for learning new tricks or sleights from the foregoing text. It is a bad plan to read the description through, and then immediately try to produce the result right away. The whole trick should certainly be read carefully through first, so that the mind fully grasps what is required to be done; but, after that, the hands should be made to follow, step by step, the instructions given, and no progression made until it is certain that all is correct up to each point. It will be readily understood that my instructions have not been written without a large amount of care, or without making a due allowance for the great difference between teaching by word of mouth and by book. In many instances, a single word explains a great deal; so, if the reader scans the page carelessly, it is very possible that he may miss the point altogether, and perhaps conclude, in his own mind, that I am a charlatan and an impostor. With cards, this careful following of the text with the hands is especially essential, and attention to it will save much time, trouble, and annoyance at the outset, when everything new will naturally appear difficult, if not absurd. Thus much for the beginner. When he arrives at the dignity of an actual performer, let him be careful to prepare, and learn by heart, a little set speech to commence with, and also the accompanying talk for each trick. When he has exhibited for a year or two, he will perhaps be able to dispense with such preparation; but, at the commencement, few, if any, can do without it. The first appearance before an audience is in itself sufficiently unnerving, without any additional embarrassment in the shape of a consciousness that you do not know what you are going to say. Notwithstanding the most careful preparation, something is sure to go wrong at first, and unexpected difficulties will crop up on all sides, and to meet these successfully will require all the energies of the performer. It does not signify how superior the individual's natural aptitude or oratory may be--the task is too great for anyone at starting. For the first few "shows," it is as well to perform such tricks as do not require the assistance of an attendant, for the performer must be entirely master of the situation, and dictate to his assistant at pleasure. This he could not do with freedom if he were uncertain about his own powers. Let it also be borne in mind that assistants are like money, which, when good, is a valuable acquisition, but, when bad, only gets one into trouble. Have no assistant at all rather than a bungler, or, what is, if possible, worse, one who endeavours to attach to himself some degree of consequence in the minds of the audience. Except when it is to assist the trick, he should never open his mouth, and all his work should be done as silently and unobtrusively as possible, without absolutely scurrying away. His presence on the stage should be as brief as possible, and his appearance must always be excused by the performance of some very insignificant and subordinate task. The best assistant to have is one who looks so stupid that the combined efforts of fifty conjurors could not drum into him the method for making the "pass." The worst is the one who conveys by his appearance and actions that he "knows all about it." The spectators at once attribute the greater portion of the results to his agency--not incorrectly, perhaps; but it is unnecessary that they should have any cause to do so. On no account should the attendant attempt to perform any impromptu act, however clever he may be, for he is sure to confuse the performer by so doing, and so lead to awkward results. On many occasions, it is inconvenient, or, at any rate, highly inadvisable, to take the conjuring table. At the houses of friends it is exceedingly difficult to keep everything secret without being absolutely rude. The host (possibly followed by a friend or two--"men who understand things of this sort, you know, so you needn't be afraid") is nearly certain to take the fullest advantage of his position, and to penetrate into the performer's sanctum with all possible alacrity, and there worm from him valuable secrets. Of course, he wouldn't dream of telling anyone, not he; yet, somehow, if the tricks are exhibited on another occasion, the juveniles display an inexplicable and annoying knowledge of the why and the wherefore of them. It is of no use to say, "Oh! but no one would take the liberty," and such like; my experience teaches me (and I do not think that I, in particular, have fallen among thieves) that they do, so there is an end of it. Such articles as multiplying balls, cups, reticules, &c., are easily put out of sight; but an unwieldy table is quite another thing. Of course, immediately the trap in it is discovered, away goes your reputation for miraculous sleight of hand; and, when you really do exhibit a genuine specimen of it, you will not get credit for it. No, no risks must be run on this head--that is, if the performer cares anything for his reputation. As an excellent substitute for the table, I have an oblong box, the rough dimensions of which are 18in. � 8in. � 6in. It has a removable sliding lid, and is covered with a dark cloth. In this I carry such of my belongings as will go into it; so, when it is seen during the performance, it is only regarded in the light of an ordinary deal box. One of the 8in. sides, however, has a trap cut in it, with a little bag inside the box for catching articles passed through. The box, _minus_ the lid, and _plus_ such articles as would be ordinarily placed upon the shelf, is brought boldly on, along with some of the articles which the performer will first require, as a "blind." It is placed carelessly down within three or four inches of the back of the table, with the open side, naturally, at the back, and the trap uppermost. The table itself plays the part of the shelf, and articles are now and then placed upon the box, as they would be, in the usual way, upon a table. Another way, much more deceptive, is to have a trap made in the top of an ordinary high hat. The crown lining should form the bottom of a collapsible bag, so that the inside of the hat can be first shown, but, so soon as it is placed upon the table brim downwards, the bag falls down. The brim should be tolerably flat, as the hat should not rock about. The crown itself will require some strengthening material, such as very thick pasteboard, glued to it before the trap is cut out, or the latter will curl up in an unseemly way. This trap hat serves for vanishing articles only. Its presence is very opportune at times. The presence of the shelf is by no means indispensable; indeed, I may safely say that I do not require it myself, except in important performances. If it be inconvenient to take the table, a programme can easily be arranged so as to dispense with the shelf entirely, but, if it can be used, then, by all means, make the most of it. Young conjurors must avoid the error of adapting their tricks to the shelf, instead of the shelf to the tricks. Experience will show what an astonishing quantity of things can be concealed in the large breast and tail pockets for hat "loading" purposes. The tail pockets will carry a bundle of fifty cups with ease, and without fear of detection; and when these can be introduced, and produced without once leaving the audience, I need hardly say that the effect is considerably enhanced. When you are using a table, be careful never to go behind it without some good reason, and let your stay there be as brief as possible. Stand at the sides as often and as long as you like. The arrangement of the stage and the seating of the audience are matters of vital importance, and due regard must be paid to angles of vision. One of the greatest bug-bears a performer meets with in private audiences is he (no lady ever sins in this way) who, under pretence of being at hand in case of need, or by means of some even more transparent excuse, plants himself, in close proximity to the stage, between it and the body of the audience. It is all very well for the reader to say, "Oh, but I would never allow that under any circumstances!" If he be young, he will find that people will patronise him, do what he may, or be as clever as he will; and it is in the interest of the young beginner that I am making these remarks. There will generally be somebody who thinks himself a privileged person, and who will put himself just where he is not wanted. We know what mean things people will do for money: to find out the secret of a conjuring trick they will descend almost as low. I am not romancing, but stating plain truths, such as have forced themselves upon me time after time. Under these circumstances, the table should be placed as far back as is possible or convenient, and, if little tables are used, they should be well on one side and not too far forward. But more important than this even is the placing of some large object, such as a vase with flowers on a pedestal, a statue, or such like at each corner, as it is from thence that the best view of the conjuror's secrets can be obtained. A person stationed at a corner can see half of what the performer does in the vesting line, and he has an unfair advantage, which must not be permitted, when avoidable. If a pianoforte be in use, by all means put it close to one of the corners. Curtains are not of much use, as they are easily pulled aside. If he have the opportunity, let the performer arrange the seats himself, and also take the bearings of his table from the corners. Be careful that no looking-glasses are in a position to reflect back to the audience those things which are not meant for them to see, and have the light as evenly distributed as possible; but do not have any candles or lamp on the table. I object even to an upright candelabrum being placed at each front corner. They are in the way. Programmes are a decided addition, and they should be made as interesting as possible without foreshadowing what is about to follow. The cheapest way is to have a quantity printed, with the performer's complete catalogue upon them, numbered, and then the numbers of the tricks to be performed can be announced in any convenient way. This will only do for private audiences. In performing in public the case is entirely altered. By all means call in the assistance of a pianoforte; but see that the player of the instrument is one who will not be likely to egotistically launch out into any brilliant fantasia. Waltzes, and such pieces as can be stopped suddenly, should be chosen. The performer must be as quick as he can between tricks; but to a waiting audience one minute seems ten, so it is quite necessary to have a little music when it is obtainable. The player should finish off directly the performer comes on the stage, without waiting for any word or sign. In such a trick as the _Rising Cards_ a little "magic music"--of the gentle trickling order--will be found very effective. The cards would ascend to the music. The performer should always provide himself with a private programme, to be hung or pasted up behind his screen, or wherever his retiring place may be. On this programme should be detailed every property of each trick, down to the veriest trifle, for on trifles, be it remembered, often depends the whole success of a trick. It is also well to have written down beforehand what articles should be upon the shelf at the commencement of each part, and any preconceived pieces of appropriate wit should be put against the particular trick to which they belong. These precautions will save the performer--the beginner more especially--a world of trouble and anxiety. As a trick once written out is done for ever, it is as well to have each one on a separate card. In this case the writing out of an elaborate programme before each performance would be avoided, besides which the cards are more portable. Have the properties of each trick complete. If a knife be required in three tricks, have three knives, and not one, and let this principle be observed throughout. It is as easy to take three knives as one, and there is, besides, the comforting assurance that one will be at hand when wanted. Do not perform longer than forty-five or fifty minutes at a stretch. Both performer and audience are the better for a short rest at the end of that period, and an interval of ten minutes or so should be allowed. This will enable the performer to re-arrange his shelf, which should always be kept as clear as possible, and to remove articles from the trap bags, &c. Above all things, keep the hands warm, and for this purpose be provided with a pair of woollen gloves, which wear indoors as well as out, previous to a performance. No one can palm with a hand like ice. I do not know that I can say anything more without repeating what has already appeared in connection with such tricks as seemed to me to afford the most appropriate opportunities; so my work is done. To use the words of Byron, "I have nothing further to add, save a general note of thanksgiving to readers, purchasers, and publishers," and to wish the learner all success--but only according to his deserts--with as much true enjoyment as has been experienced by me in the pursuit of SLEIGHT OF HAND. [Illustration] INDEX PAGE A. Accommodating bottle, 316 Aces, congenial, 102 Action with rapidity, &c., 39 Addressing audience, style of, 60, 153, 161, 393 Animated skull, 390 Anti-gravitation ball, 343 Anti-spiritualistic tricks, 380 Apparatus, its uses and abuses, 258 Apples and ring, 50 And small eggs, palming, 168 In cups, 58 Arm, cutting, with a knife, 83 Arrangement of stage, 398 Article, changing an, 171 Ascending cards, 192 Ascent of articles in spiritualistic tricks, 383 Assembly, 136 Assistant, choosing an, 176, 393 Attached card, 101 Audience, seating the, 396 Style of addressing, 60, 153, 161, 393 B. Bacchus' dovecot, 306 Maypole, 311 Bag, the egg, 274 Watch, 363 Ball and bottle, 308 Balls and cups, tricks with, 54 And plates, 80 Anti-gravitation, 343 Balls, concealing, 55 From a hat, multiplying, 353 Passing and vanishing, 55 Vanishing, 170 Vesting, 170 Wine-drinking, crystal, 308 Worsted, and coin, 256 Banker, the, 237 Bending watches, 362 Bird and card, 376 Cages produced from a hat, 356 Birds, vanishing small, 173 Blindfold feats, 378 Borrowed rings, exchanging, for dummies, 175 Borrowing handkerchiefs, 17, 63 Watches, 361 Bottle, accommodating, 316 And ball, 308 And dove, 306 And penknife, 44 And ribbons, 311 And tumbler, perambulating, 328 Magic wine, 316 Of ginger beer, 287 Bouquet, spirit, 384 Bowls of fish, 262 Boxes, card, 127 Drawer, 300 For watch, 364 Passing coin into, 21 Watch, 368 With trap, 395 Boxing coins, 21 Brazen rod, magi's, 324, 371 Breaking watches, 362 Broad and long cards, 131 Bundle of firewood produced from hat, 354 Burning a handkerchief, 62 Butterfly trick, Japanese, 74 C. Cabbage and hat, 349 Cage, flying, 335 Cages, bird, produced from hat, 356 Candle, money-producing, 252 Passing handkerchief over flame of, without burning, 178 Cannon ball and hat, 346 Card and bird, 376 Tricks, value of, 88 Cards, ascending, 192 Assembly, 136 Attached, 101 Boxes, 127 Catching two, in the air, 102 Causing one to appear in any position in the pack, counting from top or bottom, 123 Causing one to show itself on the top of the pack, 101 Chameleon, 132 Changing, 132 Changing two, 108 Clairvoyance, 379 Congenial aces, 102 Conjurors', 89 Cut packs, 130 Diagonal, 96 Egyptian pocket, 187 False shuffle, 99 Forcing, 117 Hatched, 205 La carte générale, 119 Lady's own trick, 105 Lightning change, 146 Long and broad, 131 Marking, 177 Missing link, 190 Napoleon, a game at, 143 Obliging bouquet, 202 Palming, 112 Passes with, 90, 106 Permeating, 122 Prepared, 130, 179 Pricked, 131 Reversed, 104 Revolution, the, 129 Royal marriages, 115 Salamander, 197 Sliding, 116 Sympathetic, 120 Thought-reading, 140 Throwing, 129 Travelling, 135 Tricks with, 88, 186 Universal, 119 Vanishing a pack, 186 Catching coins in the air, 14 Two cards in the air, 102 Causing a card to appear in any position in the pack, counting from top or bottom, 123 A card to show itself on the top of the pack, 101 A stick or poker to stand on end, 344 Challenges, how to answer, 35 Chameleon card, 132 Changing articles, 171 Cards, 132, 146 Coins, 11, 32 Dice, 81 Two cards, 108 Chinese fire eating, 72 Lanterns produced from a hat, 356 Marbles, 70 Methods of conjuring, 70, 75 Rings, 296 Tricks, 70 Choosing an assistant, 176, 393 Clairvoyance, 378 Climax to the hat of plenty, 358 Coat, cutting person's arm through, 83 Coin and worsted ball, 256 Handkerchief, 183 Coins, banker, the, 237 Best kind for use, 38 Boxing, 21 Catching in the air, 14 Changing, 11, 32 Concealing, 12 Copper superior to silver, 34 Crystal plateau, 250 Dancing, 20 Extracting, from a glass of water, 24 Flight of, 255 Folding penny, 27 Hold them tight!, 242 Invisible transit, 232 Marking, 38 Minor tricks with, 9 Money changer, 247 Money-producing candle, 252 Palm practice with, 9 Passing into a hat, 13, 23 Passing many, 16 Passing or vanishing, 10 Passing through table, 12 Selecting, when blindfolded, 23 Shower of gold, 273 Showing hands empty while still containing, 177 Sleeving, 35 Substituting, 22 Tricks with, 9, 232 Vanishing, from a handkerchief, 17 Coin-vanishing tumbler, 184 Collecting eggs, 278 Common objects, tricks with, 39 Common palm, 5 Company, producing articles from the persons of the, 166 Concealing a ball, 55 Coins, 12 Cone and drawer-box, 304 Congenial aces, 102 Conjuring table, substitute for, 394 Conjuror's shelf, 156, 395 Cooking and making a pudding in a hat, 293 A "Welsh rabbit", 374 Copper coins superior to silver, 34 Cork, false, 30 Corks, Houdin's dessert of, 84 Corks, tricks with, 84 Cornucopian hat, 346 Cotton, cutting up piece of, 46 Crystal ball, wine-drinking, 308 Plateau, 250 Cup, passing one through another, 61 Cups and balls, tricks with, 54 And oranges, apples, &c., 58 From a hat, shower of, 352 Cut packs of cards, 130 Cutting a person's arm with a knife, 83 Up piece of cotton, 46 D. Dancing coins, 20 Sailor, 339 Decanted handkerchief, 224 Deception and rapidity of action, 39 Dessert of corks, Houdin's, 84 Destroying a watch, 362 Devil's handkerchief, 182 Diagonal pass with cards, 96 Dice, changing, 81 Dictionary trick, great, 336 Die trick, Houdin's, with additional effects, 259 Distribution from a hat, 350 Dolls produced from a hat, 355 Dove and bottle, 306 Mesmerising a, 175 Dovecot, Bacchus', 306 Doves, vanishing, 173 Drawer-box, 300 And cone, 304 Drawing-room magic, 4 Dress for a conjuror, 160 E. Eating fire, 72 Egg bag, the, 274 Orange, &c., produced from wand, 164 Eggs and small apples, palming, 168 Collecting, 278 Magician's, 183 Productive, 184 Egyptian pocket card trick, 187 Electric touch, 389 England, flags of Old, 295 Exchanging borrowed rings for dummies, 175 Extracting a coin from a glass of water, 24 F. Fairy flower, 327 False shuffle with cards, 99 Feast of lanterns, Chinese, 356 Fiery hands, writings, &c., 387 Filter tumblers, 79 Final instructions, 392 Finding sweetmeats in a handkerchief, 65 Finger palm, 6 Fire eating, Chinese, 72 Firewood, bundle of, produced from hat, 354 Fish and bowl, 262 And ink, 265 Flags of Old England, 295 Flight of coins, 255 Flower, fairy, 327 Ring in, 183 Flowers produced from hat, 351 Flying cage, 335 Plume and seed, 291 Folding penny, 27 Forcing cards, 117 Fork or spoon through a tumbler, passing, 79 Fowl, resuscitated, 280 G. Game at Napoleon, 143 Gant de Paris, 228 General instruction and management in stage conjuring, 149 Remarks, 149, 392 Ginger beer, bottle of, 287 Glass of sherry, vanishing, 77 Of water, extracting a coin from, 24 Of water, to invert, 271 Of water, ubiquitous, 267 Glass, talking, 384 Glove, gant de Paris, 228 Gloves suitable for conjurors, 398 Gold-fish and ink, 265 Trick, 262 Gold, shower of, 273 Grand, or stage magic, 149 H. Half-crown wand, 237 Handkerchief, coin, 183 Decanted, 224 Devil's, 182 Finding sweetmeats in, 65 For egg collecting, 278 Lengthening a, 66 Passing through flame of candle without burning, 178 Restored, 210 Ring and wand, 49 Through the leg, pulling a, 64 Twisting, 69 Tying knot instantaneously, 68 Tying knot on wrist, 69 Untying knot in, by word of command, 65 Vanishing coins from, 17 Handkerchiefs, borrowing, 17, 63 Burning, 62 Knots, 218 Melting, 226 Sun and moon, 215 Tricks with, 62, 210 Vanishing and reproducing, 171 Hands, fiery, 387 To show, empty, while still containing coins, 177 Harmless shot, 282 Hat and cabbage, 349 And cannon-ball, 346 Bird cages produced from, 356 Bundle of firewood produced from, 354 Chinese lanterns produced from, 356 Cornucopian, 346 Distribution of presents from, 350 Dolls produced from, 355 Flowers produced from, 351 Making and cooking a pudding in, 293 Multiplying balls produced from, 353 Of plenty, 346 Of plenty, climax to, 358 Passing coins into, 13, 23 Rabbits produced from, 372 Reticules produced from, 355 Shower of cups from, 352 With trap, 395 Hatched card, 205 Hold them tight!, 242 Houdin's dessert of corks, 84 Die trick, with additional effects, 259 I. Incubation by magic, 276 Ink and gold-fish, 265 Instruction and general management in stage conjuring, 149 Instructions, final, 392 Intervals during performances, 398 Introduction, 1 Of music in performances, 397 Introductory stage tricks, 161 Inverting glass of water, 271 Invisible transit of coins, 232 J. Japanese butterfly trick, 74 K. Kling-klang, 281 Knife and squares of paper, 42 Cutting a person's arm with, 83 Swallowing, 85 Knot on the wrist, tying a, 69 That will not draw tight, tying a, 67 Tying instantaneously, 68 Untying at word of command, 65 Knots in handkerchief, 218 L. La carte générale, 119 Lady's own trick with cards, 105 Lanterns, Chinese, produced from a hat, 356 Large objects from the hand, vanishing, 167 Leg, pulling a handkerchief through the, 64 Length of time for performance, 398 Lengthening a handkerchief, 66 Live stock and watches, tricks with, 361 Long and broad cards, 131 M. Magical wine, 337 Magician's eggs, 183 Magic, incubation by, 276 Omelette, 332 Plateau, 185 Wine bottle, 316 Magi's brazen rod, 324, 371 Making and cooking a pudding in a hat, 293 Management and instruction in stage conjuring, general, 149 Manner when performing, 249 Marbles, Chinese, 70 Marking coins, 38 Maypole, Bacchus's, 311 Meddlers, punishment of, 151 Mesmeric suspension wand, 318 Mesmerised poker, 344, 382 Mesmerising a dove, 175 Mesmerism, sham, 378 Misdirection, 40 Missing link, 190 Money changer, 247 Tube, 239 Money-producing candle, 252 Mortar and pestle for watches, 362 Mouth, producing yards of paper from the, 73 Multiplying balls obtained from a hat, 353 Music, introduction of, in performance, 397 N. Napoleon, a game at, 143 Nest of boxes, 21 Novel "Welsh rabbit", 374 O. Obliging bouquet card trick, 202 Omelette, magic, 332 Oranges, apples, &c., in cups, 58 Produced from wand, 164 Vanishing, 170 Vesting, 170 P. Palm practice with coins, 9 Palming cards, 112 Coins, 5 Common, 5 Finger, 6 Proper, 5 Quick, practising, 17 Reverse, 7 Small eggs, apples, &c., 168 Sugar, 40 Thumb, 6 Use of the wand in, 12 With both hands, 22 Paper and knife, 42 From the mouth, producing yards of, 73 Passes with cards, 90, 106 Passing and vanishing a ball, 55 Articles through traps, 158 Coins, 9 Coins into a hat, 13, 23 Coins through a table, 12 Fork or spoon through tumbler, 79 Many coins, 16 Penny into soda-water bottle, 27 Ring into an egg, 334 "Patter", 154 Penknife and bottle, 44 Penny, folding, 27 passing, into soda-water bottle, 27 Perambulating bottle and tumbler, 328 Walking stick, 382 Performance, length of time for, 398 Introduction of music in, 397 Performer's private programme, 397 Performing, manner when, 249 Preparations before, 149 Skill in, 346 Permeable plates, 80 Permeating card, 122 Pestle and mortar for watches, 362 Plateau, magic, 185 Plate, vanishing a, 78 Plates and balls, 80 Permeable, 80 Plenty, hat of, 346 Plume and seed, flying, 291 Plumes, shower of, 326 Pocket, Egyptian, card trick, 187 Poker, mesmerised, 344, 382 Or stick to stand on end, causing, 344, 382 Preparations before performing, 149, 392 Prepared cards, 130, 179 Presents distributed from a hat, 350 Pricked cards, 131 Private programme, performer's, 397 Producing articles from the persons of the company, 166 Yards of paper from the mouth, 73 Productive eggs, 184 Programmes, 397 Performer's private, 397 Properties and sleights for general use, 163 Pudding cooking and making in a hat, 293 Pulling a handkerchief through the leg, 64 Punishment of meddlers, 151 Putty watches, 362 R. "Rabbit," cooking a, 374 Novel "Welsh", 374 Rabbits produced from hat, 372 Reproducing, 373 Tricks with, 372 Rapidity and deception of action, 39 Remarks, general, 149 Repetition of tricks, 152 Restored handkerchief, 210 Resuscitated fowl, 280 Reticules produced from a hat, 355 Reversed card, 104 Reverse palm, 7 Revolution of cards, 129 Ribbons and bottle, 311 Ring, flying, 183 Rings and apple, 50 And wand, 51 Chinese, 296 Exchanging borrowed for dummies, 175 Handkerchief, and wand, 49 Inside an egg, 335 Palming, 49 Tricks with, 49, 334 Rod, Magi's brazen, 324, 371 Roll, watch in, 178 Royal marriages with cards, 115 S. Sack trick, 338 Sailor dancing, 339 Salamander card, 197 Seating the audience, 396 Second sight, imitation, 378 Seed and flying plume, 291 Selecting a coin whilst blindfolded, 23 Sham mesmerism, 378 Shelf, the conjuror's, 156, 395 Sherry, vanishing a glass of, 77 Shot, harmless, 282 Shower of cups from a hat, 352 Of gold, 273 Plumes, 326 Shuffling, false, with cards, 99, 179 Skill in performing, 346 Skull, animated, 390 Slate trick, 386 Sleeving coins, 35 Sleights and properties for general use, 163 Sliding cards, 116 Small birds, vanishing, 173 Soda-water bottle, passing penny into, 27 Spirit bouquet, 384 Spiritualistic animated skull, 390 Ascent of articles, 383 Electric touch, 389 Fiery hands, writings, &c., 387 Mesmerised poker, 344, 382 Perambulating walking stick, 382 Slate trick, 386 Spirit bouquet, 384 Talking glass, 384 Tricks, 380 Writings, &c., 387 Spoon or fork passing through a tumbler, 79 Stage, arrangement of, 398 Conjuring, dress for, 160 General instruction and management, 149 Or grand magic, 149 Tables for, 155 Traps for, 156 Stick and poker to stand on end, causing, 344, 382 Style of addressing audience, 60, 153, 161, 393 Substitute for a conjuring table, 394 Substituting coins, 22 Sugar, palming, 40 Sun and moon, 215 Suspension wand, mesmeric, 318 Swallowing a knife, 85 A watch, 368 Sweetmeats, finding in a handkerchief, 65 Sympathetic cards, 120 T. Table and dress, 156 Tricks at, 72 Tables, passing coins through, 12 Position of, 396 Selecting, 155 substitute for conjuring, 394 Talking glass, 384 Targets for watches, 365 Thought-reading with cards, 141 Throwing a card, 129 Thumb palm, 6 Time for performance, length of, 398 Touch, electric, 389 Transit of coins, invisible, 232 Trap box, 395 Traps for stage conjuring, 156 In high hat, 395 Passing articles through, 158 Travelling cards, 135 Tying a knot instantaneously, 68 A knot on the wrist, 69 A knot that will not draw tight, 67 Tumbler, coin-vanishing, 184 Filter, 79 Passing a fork or spoon through, 79 Perambulating bottle and, 328 U. Ubiquitous glass of water, 267 Universal card, 119 Untying a knot at word of command, 65 V. Vanishing and passing a ball, 55 Articles through traps, 158 Coins, 10 Coins from a handkerchief, 17 Doves, 173 Glass of sherry, 77 Handkerchiefs, 171 Large objects from the hands, 167 Oranges, &c., 170 Pack of cards, 186 Plates, 78 Small birds, 173 Vesting, 160, 170 W. Walking stick, perambulating, 382 Wand and ring, 51 Half-crown, 237 Finding articles in, 305 Mesmeric suspension, 318 Passing down throat, 368 Purchasing, 3 Ring and handkerchief, 49 Use of, in palming, 12 Warm hands, necessity for, 398 Watches, bag for, 363 Bending, 362 Box for, 368 Borrowing, 361 Breaking, 362 Causing to appear on assistant's back, 367 Putty, 362 Reproducing, 364 Swallowing, 368 Targets for, 365 Tricks with, 360 Water, inverting glass of, 271 Ubiquitous glass of, 267 "Welsh rabbit," novel, 374 Wine bottle, magic, 316 Magical, 337 Wine-drinking crystal ball, 308 Worsted ball and coin, 256 Wrist, tying a knot on the, 69 Writings, fiery, 387 * * * * * Transcriber's Notes Minor punctuation errors have been silently corrected. Some illustrations have been relocated. Part I and Part II have been added to the Table of Contents. Page 26: Changed "Alway" to "Always." (Orig: Alway obtain possession of the wineglass) Page 78: Changed "immmediately" to "immediately." (Orig: between the legs, and immmediately covered with the napkin.) Page 106: Removed duplicate "in." (Orig: it is not in in general use, but forms almost a separate) Page 164: "description" is probably a typo for "descriptions." (Orig: one of the most wonder-inspiring description.) Page 187: Changed "maufacture" to "manufacture." (Orig: he was told to maufacture the card,) Page 197: Possibly missing "be" before "burnt." (Orig: half of the card which is to burnt doubled up and placed) Page 220: Changed "hankerchief" to "handkerchief." (Orig: and the body of the same hankerchief on the other side) Page 264: Changed "that" to "than." (Orig: trick even more wonderful that it is in its ordinary form.) Page 314: Changed "fron" to "from." (Orig: and pour out some liquid fron it,) Page 314: Changed "unexpresed" to "unexpressed." (Orig: for the unexpresed purpose of showing that it is glass,) Page 349: Changed "unvailing" to "unavailing." (Orig: great, but unvailing, efforts are made to extract the ball.) Page 353: Changed "neccessary" to "necessary." (Orig: great care being neccessary to prevent any of them falling) Page 370: Changed "when" to "then." (Orig: for a few seconds, when open it, showing, of course, nothing)