A sword swallower

Press, 4 January 1978, Page 23

A sword swallower

A sword swallower is a man with a dangerous job. He is a man of courage and daring. Watch him at the circus. Carelessly, he glances at a rack filled with gleaming weapons and picks one out — a steel sword. Then he bends his head back calmly and proceeds to push the blade down his mouth. Down, down, he pushes, and gradually it disappears into his stomach. We see only the hilt sticking out between his lips. It is a relief when the sword swallower pulls the sword out again and flourishes it in front of us.

And that is not all. A sword swallower will partly swallow several

swords together and he will also swallow a variety of weapons. He can swallow long swords, sabres, evil-looking saws, and bayonets. And he swallows red-hot blades. In one of his most exciting feats he swallows a sword to half its length and puts a rifle butt against the hilt. Then he fires the gun. The recoil drives the sword down to his stomach with sudden force. What, is the secret of sword swallowing? There is no trick about it. Nor is it an act which is quickly mastered. A man needs a great deal of practice and experience before he can become a successful sword swallower.

He learns how to bring the passages inside his body which lead to his stomach — that is, his mouth, pharynx, and oesophagus — into an almost straight line with the stomach itself. When this is achieved, he can pass a blade safely down them.

He learns, too, to accustom his mouth and throat to the feel of steel. At first he is content to push a sword part of the way down the passages. Then, after a long period of training, he is able to push it right down to his stomach. Finally, when his apprenticeship "is completed, he may manage to swallow a sword blade which is more than 50cm (20 inches) in length.

There arc certain precautions, however, which a sword-swallower takes. The swords, for instance, are usually made in one .piece, blade and hilt being cut from the same piece of metal. This means that there is no risk that the handle will break off. In addition, many sword swallowers secretly fix hard rubber points to the tips of the blades in order to prevent injury to themselves. Other performers, just before they go on stage, swallow a sort of

“guiding tube”. This is a protective sheath and is always necessary when a r e d-h o t sword is swallowed or when a rifle is used to force a blade down the throat.

Next time you see a sword swallower, watch him closely, but NEVER, NEVER, try to copy, him.