ASTOUNDING JUGGLERY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 65, 17 March 1900, Page 5 (Supplement)

ASTOUNDING JUGGLERY.

BRITISH OFFICER BLOWN AWAY.

One day at the military mess table at Lahore, India (writes a correspondent), a week after the arrival of Captain Saunders from England, the talk turned on juggling. Captain Saunders had heard much but had seen nothing, and like all new arrivals was a sceptic. When it was averred by all hands that they had seen a juggler plant a seed in the erth and grow a tree 10ft high in the space of ten minutes, the officer was almost offensive in his disbelief. That trick can be clone by scores of native jugglers, and a dozen or more of the most celebrated will cause a boy whom you have not seen before to descend the trunk of the tree. When these things were stated to the new arrival he blusteringly replied, "it is all nonsense. IX you can show me a juggler's trick which 1 cannot see through and explain, the mess will be a basket of champagne ahead." His challenge was promptly acccepted, but it was a matter of ten days before we heard of the arrival of a juggler. He was an old man whom the .soldiers had nicknamed Fitz, and he had Riven us a wonderful exhibition a year previous. He pretended to be the greatest of all jugglers in the land, and to have been a prince in his youth, and he imperiously demanded and obliged everybody to treat him with all due respect. The name Fitz was explained to him as meaning "Most venerated," and he was rather proud of it. The old man was sent for and told of the scepticism of the new arrival, and at once expressed his willingness to give an exhibition which should convert the officer.

This exhibition took place in the compound or back yard ofthe bungalow of Col. Rushmere. This yard was about 200 ft square, and contained only two trees. These were wild fig trees, each about 20ft high, and they stood at least 70ft apart. There were present 30 officers and 20 women. This number included the Colonel and his wife. The hour was 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and chairs were provided for .such as desired to sit during the performance. Captain Saunders had had a hint that he would be expected to treat the old juggler with deference, but the exhibition had not yet begun when he freely expressed his opinion about frauds and fakirs, and boasted that the fellow would have a hard time trying- to humbug him. We saw that Fitz resented his talk, and for a moment seemed to be upon the point of walking away. The Colonel spoke in excuse for the captain, and while the juggler was temporarily placated there were those who whispered to each other: "Fresh fish has got the old man down on him, and had better look out for tricks."

The first trick was the old one with the basket and boy, which can be witnessed any day in India. The juggler stood inside the circle with a large basket in his hand, and shouted some words of command. A boy 10 years of age slipped down one of the big- trees and ran up to him. Everyone of us had carefully looked into those trees half a dozen times before, but had caught no sight of the boy. He sank down upon the hard beaten earth, the basket was crowded over him, and after about 30 seconds the old man began thrusting a long-, sharp knife through and through the covering. Some of the women screamed out, and besought Colonel Rushraere to stop the horrid work, but a few seconds later the basket was lifted, and lo! the boy had disappeared. There was no hole in the earth—no blood stains —no corpse. We were murmuring our astonishment when the lad appeared on the' rear fence, 200 ft away. He stood for a moment and waved his hand and then disappeared. When the boy had vanished from sight the old man stood for a moment facing the west and mumbling in his throat. Presently v/e heard a great moaning and sighing, and a few seconds later there came such a vigorous puff of wind that several hats were carried away and the fence groaned and shook. The tops of the tig trees seemed to be whipped about in a hurricane, and raising his hand to call attention to their contortions the old man made a pass right and left. Then we saw the tops bend together and lash each other. One had to bend against the 'gale to do this, and I have told you that they were 70ft apart.' One heard the wind sighing and moaning as it passed onward. And yet outside that yard there had not been so much as a zephyr stirring. Saunders was asked to explain the trick. It was beyond his depth, of course, but having taken a certain position he was bound to maintain it at all hazards.

"There was no wind," he asserted. "The old fraud stood there sighing and gurgling, and your imagination did the rent."

The juggler gave him a glance of mingled pity and contempt, and did the tree and boy trick. Knowing- that this would be on his programme, the Colonel had stationed a servant at one of the upper windows of the bungalow to see. if anything like a misty cloud hovered over us. and to estimate the height of the tree as nearly as possible. The servant afterwards reported the total absence of anything- like a mist or smoke. From his elevation he could see everything below very clearly. When the tree began to grow it shot out beyond his vision as well as ours, but he was first to see the boy as the lad descended. There was not. a cloud in the sky. and how far that tree went up injto space, or how the boy got up there, I leave for the reader to vigure out for htaself. After Several/strange tricks the exhibition closed in .>i rather dramatic -way. The old man faced,- the east and held his hands tog-ether as ii: to catch a ball. All of a sudden a smajll bottle dropped into them. It was a thick, green glass bottle holding half a pint, and was full of clear liquicl, it .was sealed over the cork with a dull wax, and -no one had ever seen a bottle of the same pattern before. It seemed to have conle through the air, and as he received it ttie jug-gler walked up to Captain Saunders,/extended it, and said:—

"You are a scoffer and unbeliever. You have no respect/for old age, wisdom, or the mysteries of,' life and death. You are a soldier, but Are you brave enough to rub the contends of this bottle over your naked body tOMiight?"

"Yes, and take a bath in a tub full of it," replied the captain! "I'll tell you what I'll do, old m.un. I'll drink half of this on going to betf to-night, and use the other half externally, and if you'll come around in the morning I'll fill the empty bottle with bra/ndy ior you."

Some .laughbd and some looked sober, while the old man turned away with a queer /smile and disappeared. Captain SauiuWrs pass advised on all sides to throw the bottle1 away, or at least preserve it unopenecj, but he insisted that he would keep his.'word with the juggler and turn the laugh on us. He was to rub his body with Hie liquid when he retired for the night, .and was to rolate his sensations at breakfast. He went to his quarters about ll"o'c/o£k at night.. His servant had leave of absence that night, and so we had to Kuesfe/at what followed. Just before daylight next morning- quite a stir was occasioned by the howling of a dog in front of the.1, captain's quarters. The corporal sought to cViase the dog away, but the beAst skulked about and made a good d'/al of trouble before he was finally run off. As Saunders did not appear at breakfast, a messenger, was sent to turn him out. /The officer's clothes were there, just as hfe had taken them off, and the bed ha<7

been slept in. On the floor was the bottle, now empty, with a sponge still moist,and there was a peculiar odour in the room. As for the captain himself,he had'-disap-peared. . ■ > If the man had left his quarters he had gone without his. clothes; but he had left, as was proved by a search. A search oE the cantonment—of the city—of the country for miles round, failed to turn him up. It was a search which lasted ten day's, and became known to 300,000 people. Captain Saunders had simply vanished off the face of the earth. It was believed from the very start that the juggler had something to do with it, but he had moved on. In about a week he was found and brought back, and after being coaxed and threatened and finally receiving a heavy bribe he promised to remove the speil. One night the dog returned and howled as before, and then disappeared; and while the creature was being searched for, Captain Saunders was discovered in his quarters. What had happened to him you must judge for yourself. He looked and talked in a, strange, dazed way. He could only dimly remember using the contents of the bottle. As to his disappearance ,he was as surprised as anyone. In brief, he was a used-up man physically and mentally, and within a month resigned his commission and returned home. All of us believed that the juggler turned him into a dog1 for revenge: you can believe what you will. The search was so thorough that he must have been found in the flesh. By no possibility could he have passed the sentries on his return without being seen. Where had he been? How did he return? What made him a wreck?