WONDERS OF INDIAN JUGGLERY.

Evening Star, Issue 3513, 27 May 1874, Page 3

WONDERS OF INDIAN JUGGLERY.

Jugglery is an amusement of which all Oriental nations are extremely fond. So numerous and various are the feats practised by the performers in this line that Indian jugglery is famous the world over, and their wonderful dexterity in all matters requiring unusual sleight-of-hand has passed into an universal proverb. _ A visit at the house of a wealthy Hindoo, on the occasion of his son’s marriage, gave me an opportunity of witnessing some of their rarest feats in this. line. A bronze basin of clear water, which wo had the privilege of examining, Avas placed on a stand; and though, when we thrust in our hands, there was found nothing but the water, in a little while a mag-. uificent lotus or waterlily sprang up therein, and lo! its huge blossoms, pink-hued and fragrant, were before us—mammoth flowers, eighteen inches in diameter. The spectators were in ecstasy. Young and old, even the natives, who had seen all the wonders before, clapped their hands with delight j only the magician himself was reticent. Presently he held up a piece of yellow tissue paper, perhaps six inches square, and after turning it round and round in various positions, he formed of it quite a natural-looking butterfly in his open pal in and so arranged two wax lights as to allow him to wave a fan rapidly between them without affecting the flame, and then, by a more gentle motion over the insect, he started it into apparent life. First, it moved slowly towards the fan, as if testing its powers of locomotion, then tripped more lightly along the edge, and finally bore away, wheeling and dipping to a vase of flowers that stood near, then floating away in very wantonness, and presently returning, lighting and coquetting among the dainty blossoms like a thing of life, the wings fairly quivering with excitement. Just then a mate was supplied to the lonely excursionist by the same magic power that had given the first its frail being, and together the fairy tourists set forth on their travels. Round and round they wheeled and floated, but always within the charmed circle about the conjuror’s head, sometimes kissing his cheeks and lips, together or singly lighting on the outspread fan, or returning to the flowers, then flirting or coquetting with each other, putting | their tiny heads together in muI tual caresses, and shaking their gauzy wings with all the pretty airs and

graces of live flirts. The scene ended by the magician taking a small pearl box out of his bosom, opening it, and holding it towards the butterflies. They seemed to observe the downy cotton with which the box was lined, and in circling curves they moved towards it, and crouched down with wings still outspread upon the dainty couch prepared for them. The jugglor closed the box at once, and as he did so we saw seated upon the top a live canary that carolled forth sweet songs until its little throat seemed ready to split, as if striving to compensate for the departure of our butterfly favorites. Suddenly .the song of joy was changed into piercing notes that betokened horror or alarm, and we saw at the conjuror’s feet a deadly cobra coiled as if to spring, and with its glaring eyes fixed upon the bird, that seemed spell-bound to the spot, either too frightened or fascinated to move. The man waited until the snake was in the act of springing, and then, with a few words spoken in low, musical tones, and a gentle droning movement of his hand, he seemed to throw the cobra into the same trance-like state that the bird had evinced, while the latter roused up and flew eagerly into the juggler’s bosom, which had been opened for its reception. From this same capacious receptacle, apparently unexhausted in its resources, was drawn out another cobra, and after allowing them time to make each other’s acquaintance, sometimes exciting them to anger, and again soothing to quietude by his soft words and droning motions, the juggler wrapped them around his neck and arms 5 and stood with exultant pride, allowing them to touch his nose, the tip of his tongue, anti, in one instance, the pupil of his eye, with their vibrating tongues. But all the while he held a small lute in his hand, and when words seemed to fail he played a.few notes on the instimment, which soon reduced the reptiles to a state of dreamy quiescence. After performing various daring feats with them to show the audience that the snakes had in no way been mutilated, he threw a large chicken between them. Both struck at it, and it died in about five minutes.— American paper.