diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-0.txt | 1540 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-0.zip | bin | 30370 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-h.zip | bin | 1668280 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-h/65121-h.htm | 2295 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 251065 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-h/images/i_006.jpg | bin | 159773 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-h/images/i_008.jpg | bin | 142293 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-h/images/i_020.jpg | bin | 252393 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-h/images/i_022.jpg | bin | 142285 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-h/images/i_029.jpg | bin | 141866 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-h/images/i_031.jpg | bin | 137596 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-h/images/i_033.jpg | bin | 206122 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65121-h/images/i_035.jpg | bin | 216430 -> 0 bytes |
16 files changed, 17 insertions, 3835 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4a64794 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #65121 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65121) diff --git a/old/65121-0.txt b/old/65121-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4f0e0fd..0000000 --- a/old/65121-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1540 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Hindu Magic, by Hereward Carrington - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Hindu Magic - An Expose of the Tricks of the Yogis and Fakirs of India - -Author: Hereward Carrington - -Release Date: April 20, 2021 [eBook #65121] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Tim Lindell, Les Galloway and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HINDU MAGIC *** - - - - - - - HINDU MAGIC - - AN EXPOSE OF THE TRICKS OF THE - YOGIS AND FAKIRS OF INDIA - - BY - - HEREWARD CARRINGTON - - Author of “Handcuff Tricks,” “Side Show and Animal - Tricks,” “The Boys’ Book of Magic,” “The - Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism,” - Etc., Etc. - - - ILLUSTRATED - - - PUBLISHED BY THE SPHINX - Kansas City, Missouri - 1913 - - - - - - - TO - - SIDNEY LENZ - - (With Warmest Regards.) - - - - - -TABLE OF CONTENTS - - - - Page - - The Mango Tree Trick 5 - - The Basket Trick 19 - - The Dry Sands Trick 26 - - The Coloured Sands Trick 27 - - The Diving Duck 29 - - The Jumping Egg 30 - - The Beans and Scorpion Trick 32 - - The Basket and Birds Trick 33 - - The Ball of Cotton Trick 34 - - The Brass Bowl Trick 37 - - Snake Charming 38 - - Voluntary Interment 41 - - The Rope Trick 44 - - - - - -HINDU MAGIC - - -In this pamphlet I propose to consider the phenomena which are -presented by the fakirs and yogis of India, and to inquire into their -nature and the method of their production. - -The feats performed by Indian fakirs are numerous, but I shall describe -those most commonly witnessed: the mango-tree trick, the basket trick, -the bowl of water trick, the dry sands trick, the rope and dismembered -body test, levitation, snake charming, burial alive, etc. - -As so much is heard of Indian magic, and the powers of the Oriental -performer, it may be well to examine their performances somewhat -critically, and to see how far we are entitled to assume that there -is anything in them suggesting the supernormal, anything calling for -explanations that necessitate the operation of laws “other than those -known to Western science.” - - - - -THE MANGO-TREE TRICK. - - -I shall begin by describing the famous mango-tree trick—perhaps the -best known of all the feats performed by the Indian conjuror. I shall -first of all describe the performance as it would appear to the -uninitiated witness, afterwards explaining the secret. - -As the trick is usually exhibited, it is somewhat as follows: The -native comes forward, almost nude, being covered only with a small loin -cloth, of such small compass that the onlooker can see clearly that -there is nothing hidden in or about it or the performer. As the trick -(like almost all Indian tricks) is performed in any locality—on the -deck of a ship, in one’s own room, etc.—all idea of pre-arrangement, -trap-doors, etc., is precluded. The performer advances, carrying in -his hands a little earthen or tin pot containing water, and another -containing a quart or so of dry sand. He also has with him some seeds -of the mango-tree, and a large cloth, about four feet square. This is -shaken out and both sides are shown to the spectators, so that they may -see that nothing is concealed within it. - -[Illustration] - -All this having been gone through, the fakir proceeds to build up a -little mud pile of his earth and water, mixing the two together with -his fingers, and dexterously moulding them into a pyramid of muddy -earth. This may be done in some previously examined vessel, or on the -bare earth or floor. The mango-seed is now inserted in the soil, and -covered on all sides with earth. The fakir then covers the mound of -earth with the shawl or large handkerchief, and places his hands and -arms under the shawl, manipulating the seed and the earth for some -time; placing his hands over the seed; making passes above the seed, -etc. As his hands and arms are bare, and can be seen bare throughout -this process of manipulation, and as his hands never once approach his -body, no one has any objection to his handling the seed and the earth -in this manner, or to his placing his hands beneath the cloth. After -a few minutes of this manipulation, the conjuror withdraws his hands, -and proceeds to make passes over the cloth and above it, at the same -time muttering semi-articulate incantations, etc. Sometimes a tom-tom -is beaten, or other instrument is played upon, and, after a while, the -conjuror removes the cloth, and the seed is seen to have sprouted—a -couple of tiny leaves appearing above the surface of the earth. If -the onlooker is especially skeptical, the fakir sometimes removes the -seed, and shows the skeptic a couple of minute roots, sprouting from -the lower end of it. It (the seed) is then replaced in the earth, -the manipulations and incantations repeated, and, after a while, the -fakir removes the cloth a second time, and the mango is seen to have -sprouted still more—now being several inches in height. This process -is repeated five or six times, or even more, at the end of which time -the mango-tree is two feet or more in height. It is even asserted that, -in some cases, the tree has been known to bear fruit. - -So much for the effect of the trick. Now for the explanation. - -[Illustration] - -There are numerous ways of performing this mango-tree trick—for trick -it is. - -In the first place, it will be noticed that it is always a _mango-tree_ -that is made to grow, and no other shrub. Now, why is this? Surely it -is not because the mango is the only tree in India which is ready to -the hand of the fakir, for we know that there are numerous others that -might be made to grow. And yet it is always the mango! The conjuror, -S.S. Baldwin (from whose book, _Secrets of Mahatma Land Explained_, I -shall have occasion to quote later on), asked a native conjuror if he -would make a young palm, a tea plant or a banana tree, grow for him, -and received the response: “Nay, sahib, cannot do. Mango-tree the only -one can make.” I repeat, why is this? - -The reason is that it is the peculiar construction of the mango leaf -that renders the trick, as presented, possible at all. The leaf and -twigs of the mango-tree are exceedingly tough and pliable, almost -like leather, and can be folded or compressed into a very small space -without breaking the stems and the leaves, and, when this pressure is -released, the leaves will resume their former expanded condition very -rapidly, without showing any traces of the folding process. The leaves -can be turned upon themselves and rolled into a tight ball, in which -folded condition they occupy very little space, and yet will resume -their extended condition when this pressure is released. And this -brings me to the heart of my explanation. - -The mango seed that is placed in the mound of earth is especially -prepared before the performance, by the fakir, in the following manner: -He splits the seed open, scoops out its contents, dries it somewhat, -then places within it a shoot of a mango-tree folded and compressed so -as to fit into the mango seed. It must be remembered that the mango -seed is no small thing, but is about two inches long (sometimes more) -by an inch to an inch and a half broad. It resembles slightly the -mussel shell found on the seashore. It will be obvious that a seed of -this size might contain a good deal of material, and if the mango -leaves were folded into a small compass, would hold a good-sized twig. -The leaves are folded very carefully, and are prepared in a special -manner. The upper surface of the leaf must be folded on itself, and -that surface, skillfully treated and watered, will scarcely show a -crease on a superficial examination. The creasing which the under -surface would show is, of course, concealed from the spectator’s view. - -When the fakir places his hands beneath the cloth the first time, -then, he gets hold of the seed, and proceeds to manipulate it in such -a manner as to extract from the upper end of the seed about an inch or -so of the plant it contains. He may extract the seed altogether from -the earth for that purpose, and replace it in the earth again at the -conclusion of this manipulation, banking up the earth around the seed -again before removing his hands. The fakir then removes both hands, and -proceeds with the playing of his tom-tom, and whatever other mummeries -he may see fit to perform, in order to impress his onlooker. After a -while the cloth is removed, and the seed is found to have sprouted, and -an inch or so of the stem and the first green leaves are seen to be -sprouting from the earth. The illusion is perfect, and the onlookers -are more taken up with gazing in wonder at the miraculous growth and -discussing it one with another than with critically examining the seed -and the sprouting plant. If the conjuror wishes to show the roots -sprouting from the lower end of the seed, he merely has to place these -roots in the seed before the performance begins, and extract them in -the course of his manipulation of the seed, previously explained. The -preparation of the seed is concealed by the fact that a _duplicate_ -seed is first exhibited to the spectators, and that seed is frequently -examined by them. Before the seed is placed in the ground, however, -the conjuror finds occasion to change it for another, prepared in -the manner described. No one thinks of examining the seed after the -performance is concluded. - -To return, however, to the method of working the trick. After the -conjuror has shown the growth from the seed the first time, he covers -the seed with a shawl and again places his hands beneath the cloth and -works out a little more of the mango; then repeats his incantations and -his tom-tom playing; finally showing the shoot a second time, when it -is found to have grown a considerable amount in the interval. Amazement -is correspondingly great! This performance is gone through several -times, until the folded mango shoot is all worked out of the seed, the -growing tree being covered each time by the shawl. When the shoot is -all worked out of the seed, there is a fair-sized shrub standing before -you. - -But there are some cases in which the mango-tree is reported to have -grown to a height of several feet, and even to bear fruit; and the -explanations offered would not explain such cases, it may be said. -That is admitted; and I shall now endeavor to explain how these more -marvellous feats are performed. - -It must be remembered that Hindu fakirs seldom or never travel singly, -but always in troupes of threes and fours; and, during the performance -of one of the fakirs, the others assist him by passing him the articles -he uses in his performance—jars, water, earth, etc. Now, every time -the conjuror moves the shawl from the growing plant, he tosses the -shawl to his assistant, and shows his hands empty. When receiving the -shawl back from his assistant, he also shows his hands empty; then -shakes out the shawl and shows both sides of it—showing, in this way, -that nothing is concealed in the shawl, and that he introduces nothing -under cover of the said shawl. To all appearances, nothing could be -fairer. And, indeed, nothing is fairer at first; but the conjuror -shakes the shawl less and less vigorously every time he places it -over the mango-tree, until, towards the end (the seventh or eighth -time, let us say) he hardly shakes it at all. The spectators, having -seen it empty so many times, get into the habit of mind of thinking -it is empty as a matter of course, and pay no attention to this part -of the performance, after the first few times. Their thoughts and -attention are centered upon the mango-tree and its growth. So, when the -conjuror has worked out all the shoot from the seed, he must perforce -introduce a _fresh_ shoot of larger proportions; and he does this in -the following manner: He passes on word to his assistant, by means of -a secret sign, that he has reached the end of his present stock of -“occult vitalizing influence”—in other words, the mango shoot—and the -assistant, in passing him back the shawl or cloth this time passes him -back _another_ cloth, which he has secretly exchanged for the original -one—the one the conjuror began operations with. This second cloth is -double, and contains a very large mango shoot, more or less doubled -up in the manner of the first shoot that was placed within the mango -seed. A slit in the cloth enables the conjuror to extract the second -shoot, and place it in the mound of earth, working this shoot out to -its natural size with his fingers. When this large shoot is worked out -to its full limit it is a very large tree, and the conjuror has only -to remove the cloth to display it to his astonished onlookers. The -cloth just employed is exchanged for the original while the eyes of the -spectators are fascinated by the huge tree just exhibited to them, and -when the trick is concluded this cloth is handed for examination; and, -of course, no trickery is discovered in connection with it. The whole -performance is a very pretty chapter in the psychology of deception. - -As to the cases in which, it is asserted, fruit grows upon the tree -grown in this manner, I have no exact explanation of that fact, and -I frankly confess my disbelief in its occurrence. I have diligently -searched for any first-hand account of this fact, and have never found -one; nor have I been enabled to meet anyone who could assert that he -had seen it himself. It seems to rest on the same hazy foundation as -the famous rope exploit, to be discussed later on. - -I may say that my father was an old Anglo-Indian, having lived ten -years in Calcutta, but he never saw this _finale_ to the trick, -though he had many times seen the mango-tree trick performed, as -described above. Nor had he ever met anyone, in all that time, who -could state that he had witnessed the feat with his own eyes. It would -seem, therefore, to be one of those “grand finale” flourishes which -happened to be placed at the end of some magazine writer’s description -of the mango-tree trick, in order to make it appear as wonderful as -possible—and gained wide credence on that account! - -There is then, so far as I have been enabled to discover, no first-hand -account of fruit growing upon the mango-tree, that has been made to -grow in the manner described; and until such evidence be forthcoming, -I think we are entitled to say that it has never been done. However, -there are certain considerations which might make us admit that such -_was_ the case—and yet the fruit might be obtained and placed there -by fraudulent means! One such method would be for the fruit to be -introduced under the cloth, in the act of covering the mango-tree. The -introduction of the fruit would be comparatively easy if some of the -methods about to be explained were employed. At all events, this feat -is no more difficult—certainly no more “miraculous”—than that performed -by Kellar, in which roses are made to grow from empty flower pots—which -roses are cut and distributed to the audience immediately. In this -instance, two empty flower pots are shown (they may be examined, if -desired) and filled with earth. Seeds are then sprinkled over the -earth, and watered. A tube, open at both ends, is then shown empty, -and examined by the audience. It is made of card-board, and everyone -can see that it is quite unprepared. First one flower pot and then -the other is then covered with this tube, and upon removing the tube, -the seeds are found to have sprouted into full-grown bushes, fully -eighteen inches in height, and covered with roses—at least fifty, on -both plants. These roses are cut off immediately, and distributed among -the audience, who testify to their genuine character. In a very similar -illusion, on a small scale, a glass tumbler is filled with earth, and -covered for a moment with a borrowed hat; upon removing which it is -found that the seeds have blossomed into a plant about six inches high. -If _flowers_ can be made to grow under such circumstances, therefore, -why not _fruit_ upon mango-trees, grown under similar conditions, and -before far less critical audiences, who have already had their critical -faculties blunted, moreover, by a succession of unexplained marvels? - -So far, I have described only one method of performing this mango-tree -trick, and there are several other methods, which I shall now briefly -enumerate—since the method above described is the one in general use, -without a doubt. Another very good method, however, is the following, -which was first made public, if I remember rightly, by Mr. Charles -Bertram, the conjuror, to whom I am indebted for the secret, in this -instance. - -In this case the conjuror makes his mound of earth as in the last -instance, and has a prepared seed, which he exchanges for an examined -seed at a convenient moment. The seed in this case is, however, -prepared in a slightly different manner. It is split in two, and -emptied of its contents. Then one end of it is wedged open by means of -a small wedge of wood, and several small pieces of string are inserted -into the other end, which, when hanging down from the seed, after being -placed in the mud, exactly resemble roots. The seed is then fastened -together, so that the two sides or halves will not fall apart. This -seed the conjuror exchanges for the examined seed at some convenient -moment, and this is the one placed in the ground. - -The juggler then hands round for inspection four bamboo sticks, and a -piece of thin cloth. After the sticks are handed back to him, he places -them in the ground, slanting towards a common centre, and ties the tops -of the sticks together with a bit of string. Around these sticks is -now stretched the cloth, thus making a sort of tent, about three feet -in height and open at the back. The thinness of the cloth allows the -interior to be dimly seen through it. The mound of earth, containing -the seed, is within this tent, it having been built round it, in fact. -The juggler suddenly appears to notice that the cloth is too thin, -allowing the interior to be seen through it, and proceeds to cover the -tent with a thicker piece of cloth. The conjuror in this case has a -rag doll, which he uses very much as our Western magicians use their -wands; and with this he proceeds to make passes over the tent, about -the seed inside the tent, etc. He also waters the seed several times. -After a time, the cloth is lifted up, and the spectators see that the -tree is several inches in height. This performance is repeated several -times, the passes, waterings, etc., being gone through each time, and -generally a wait of several minutes is necessitated, during which waits -the conjuror performs some other trick, such as the diving duck, the -cups and balls, or the colored sands, all of which I shall explain -later on. At the conclusion of the performance the juggler removes -the cloth, and the mango is found to have grown to a very respectable -height. - -Now for the explanation: - -In the first place, the rag doll which the conjuror uses is hollow, and -contains, folded up within it, a shoot of the mango-tree. In the course -of making passes over the seed he extracts this shoot, and inserts it -in the wedged-open end of the seed, where it remains until removed. The -conjuror could now show this shoot, but it would lose in effectiveness -to show it so soon, and for that reason he performs the minor tricks in -the interval. When he returns to the tent and raises the cloth, this -shoot is seen sprouting from the ground. The conjuror then lets the -cloth fall to the ground again, and proceeds to make more passes over -the seed. During these passes he manages to extract the small shoot -from the seed, and replace it in the rag doll again. He then places a -much larger shoot of the tree in the slit end of the mango seed. This -larger branch was concealed in the second cloth which the conjuror -placed around his tent, after discovering, apparently by accident, that -the first cloth was so thin as to be semi-transparent. Within the folds -of this second cloth was contained the mango-tree shoot of larger size. -The tree is now grown to its full size and might be shown immediately, -but, for effect, the conjuror again waits for several minutes before -showing the growth to his onlookers. Sometimes the tree is made to -disappear altogether at the end of the performance, like the palace in -the Arabian Nights. When this is the case, the conjuror has extracted -the branch from the seed, and managed to conceal it under the carpet on -which he was sitting. This is gathered up and removed at the close of -the entertainment. - -There are, doubtless, other methods of performing this mango-tree -trick. Kellar describes a method in which the performer concealed -several shoots of the tree of various sizes within his sleeves, -and produced them in turn, under cover of the cloth. As, however, -Hindu fakirs seldom wear robes of the kind, I think we may say that -this is a method seldom used. Some conjurors cover the growing seed -with a basket; and when this is the case there is probably room for -concealment of shoots of the tree within secret compartments of the -covering basket. - - - - -THE BASKET TRICK. - - -I now come to the “basket trick.” For this trick the juggler brings -forward a large, oval basket, peculiarly constructed, being much larger -at the bottom than at the top. Probably nearly every one is familiar -with the shape of these baskets. The lid is perhaps 30 inches by 18 -inches, and is oval, while the basket itself spreads out to about 4 -feet 7 inches by 2 feet 6 inches at the bottom. - -Roughly, the basket may be said to resemble a huge egg, with an opening -in one side. This is shown to the audience empty, and a man or boy -is brought forward by the conjuror. This boy wears some conspicuous -article of clothing—a scarlet turban or jacket. He is placed in the -basket, into which he apparently just fits, occupying the whole of it. -The lid is placed upon his head, and a large blanket is thrown over -it, completely covering him and the basket. He is seen to sink down -gradually until he finally disappears into the basket altogether, and -the lid resumes its natural position over the opening. - -[Illustration] - -The performer now removes the cloth and proceeds to run the basket -through and through with a sword he has in his hand. Every part of the -basket is pierced in this manner, and it appears as though the boy -must be killed, even if he somehow managed to conceal himself within -it. The juggler now replaces the blanket over the basket, places his -hands under it, and removes the basket lid, throwing it to one side. -He then places his hand into the basket itself and removes the turban -and the jacket, which he throws to one side. The body has apparently -disappeared! To make matters more certain, however, the juggler -suddenly jumps right into the basket, stamps about with his bare feet, -and ends by sitting in it himself. - -As it was formerly seen that the basket was only large enough to -contain the boy, it seems impossible that he can now be concealed in -or about it. The conjuror then replaces the turban and the jacket in -the basket, replaces the lid, and removes the blanket. Suddenly he -darts forward, carrying with him the blanket, and snatches in the -air with the latter as if catching a body, and goes back with much -excitement and much jabbering to the basket, which he covers with the -blanket; when suddenly something is seen to be moving under the cloth! -Immediately the lid of the basket goes up. In another moment the boy, -clad in his jacket and turban, emerges from the basket, none the worse -for his recent trying experience. - -I shall now explain this apparent marvel. - -[Illustration] - -The instant the boy is covered with the blanket he proceeds to divest -himself of his jacket and turban, which he deposits in the bottom -of the basket. He now gradually sinks into the basket until he is -completely inside it and the lid is even with the top of the basket. -Now comes the chief portion of the trick—the method of concealment of -the boy within the basket—for he does not escape from within it, in the -version of the trick now described, but remains within it throughout -the performance. It will be remembered that the lower portion of the -basket is much larger than the top portion. The boy within the basket -manages, then, so to curl his body round the basket, eel-wise, that he -is occupying the entire outer _rim_ of the basket, so to speak, thus -leaving the centre of the basket (the part of the basket directly under -the opening) empty. When the juggler runs his sword through the basket -he takes special pains to run it through this unoccupied space, almost -exclusively; and, by the concealed boy wriggling from place to place -within the basket, the juggler is enabled to run his sword through -almost every portion of it in turn, and so give the appearance of its -complete emptiness. It will now be seen that the juggler can place his -hand inside the basket and remove the discarded jacket and turban at -any time; also the lid, and to stamp and sit in the basket, since the -space he occupies is that left _un_occupied by the boy in the basket. -So long as the blanket is over the opening in the basket, the boy can -never be seen. The magician then replaces the jacket and the turban in -the basket, and replaces the lid—all this before removing the blanket. -As soon as the lid is again placed upon the basket the boy inside slips -on his jacket and turban, and is ready to emerge from the basket as -soon as the lid is withdrawn. The snatching in the air with the blanket -is to distract the attention of the sitters away from the basket while -the boy is donning his clothes—since some slight movement of the basket -might be noticed and the spectators thus suspect that the boy is -already inside. - -Sometimes the boy is seen to be outside the basket at the conclusion -of the performance, and in some distant tree, etc. How is this to be -explained? (1) There may be _two_ boys, exactly alike, the first of -which remains in the basket, while the second, dressed like him, hails -the onlookers from the tree-top and comes down among them. During -the instant that everyone’s attention is directed to the boy in the -tree and his approach, the original boy makes good his escape, aided -by a confederate, who stands close by the basket, and in whose hands -is a large blanket, partially covering the basket. The boy escapes -behind this confederate’s body. (2) There is also a method of causing -the boy to disappear and appear in a tree-top, without employing any -duplicate boy or confederate. In this case, the basket is placed -within a few feet of some convenient wall or hiding place, and the -trick is performed on that spot. Matters proceed very much as before -until the time comes for causing the boy to vanish and re-appear in -the tree. When this time comes the juggler brings forward four poles, -four or five feet in height, and these are stuck in the ground around -the basket, and the conjuror has two or three assistants stationed on -each side of the basket, assisting him, and standing a few feet from -the basket. In this case the boy wraps up his turban and jacket in a -cloth, while in the basket, and this the conjuror manages to get hold -of and pass out to one of his assistants earlier in the trick, while -the basket is being constantly covered and uncovered. - -Presently the conjurors begin to quarrel among themselves, and at the -same time others begin to play upon tom-toms, etc., making an awful -noise and distracting the attention of the spectators away from the -basket containing the boy. Meanwhile the conjuror has procured a large -piece of cloth, and has attached one end of this strip to one of the -poles—one of those nearest the onlookers. He then proceeds to attach -it to each of the other four in turn, thus enclosing the basket in -a roofless tent, the front side—the side nearest the audience—being -enclosed last. At least, so it appears. What has really happened, -however is this. At the moment when the noise was created, and the -conjuror’s assistants began quarreling among themselves, and the -spectators’ attention was accordingly distracted as much as possible, -the conjuror crosses in front of the basket for a moment, as though to -ascertain the cause of the disturbance, and for an instant conceals the -basket from view. In that instant the boy leaps from the basket, darts -between the legs of one of the assistant conjurors, and is lost behind -them before the cloth is withdrawn that had concealed his escape. It -has taken only a second or two, and the interval is so short no one -remarks upon it—especially as they were distracted by the noise, etc., -at that instant. The careful enclosure of the basket subsequently also -tends to convey the impression that the boy is still within it. But he -has now escaped; he has turned the corner, and is hidden from the view -of the spectators. He carries with him the cloth containing his jacket -and turban, which he proceeds to don. Then, climbing a near-by tree, he -is ready to cry out to the spectators whenever he receives the signal -from the conjuror to do so. - -Another method of escape is the following: The conjuror wears a thick -strap under his loin cloth. The boy, under cover of the enveloping -blanket, reaches up and grasps this strap, and by its aid he draws -himself from the basket, and round, behind the juggler. He is hidden -for the moment by the conjuror’s body and the blanket, which the -juggler has removed from the basket. The boy slips away into the -crowd, through confederates, as in the manner last described. - - - - -THE DRY-SANDS TRICK. - - -Perhaps one of the best known tricks performed by the Hindu fakirs, -after the two just enumerated, is the “dry-sands trick.” In this case, -the juggler brings forward a little pail, some eight or nine inches -high, and perhaps six inches across the top. This the conjuror proceeds -to fill with water. There is no trick about the pail, and the water is -ordinary water, which may be supplied from any source. The conjuror -then extracts a handful of dry sand from a bag and blows it hither and -thither, showing it to be exceedingly dry. A handful of this sand is -then carefully deposited in the bottom of the pail, in the water, and -everyone can see it, resting peacefully at the bottom of the pail. -The conjuror then carefully washes and wipes his hands, and shows -them perfectly clean and empty. Then, placing one hand in the water, -he extracts from the pail a handful of the sand, and shows it to be -just as dry as when it was placed in the pail. Blowing sharply into -his hand, the sand flies in every direction, showing it to be still -perfectly dry. - -This is a very ingenious trick, and could never be discovered unless -its secret were explained. There is no trick about the pail or water, -as stated: it all consists in the preparation of the sand. In order -to prepare this sand for the experiment, the juggler procures some -fine, clean, sharp sand, gathered from the seashore preferably. This is -washed carefully a number of times in hot water, so as to free it from -adhering clay or soil of any sort. It is then carefully dried in the -sun for several days. - -About two quarts of this sand is then placed in a clean frying pan, -and a lump of fresh lard the size of a walnut is placed into the -pan with it. It is now thoroughly cooked over a hot fire until all -the lard is burned away—the result being that every little grain of -sand is thoroughly covered with a slight coating of grease, which is -invisible to the sight and touch, and at the same time this renders the -sand impervious to water. When the little handful of sand is placed -in the bottom of the bucket, to be shortly afterwards brought out, it -is squeezed tightly together into a little lump, the grease making -it adhere. Thus, when it is brought out it is nearly or quite as dry -as when placed within the pail. Brick dust is sometimes treated in a -similar manner. - - - - -THE COLOURED-SANDS TRICK. - - -This is another trick very popular with Indian jugglers, known as -the “coloured sands trick.” The conjuror eats a small quantity of -sand or sugar, apparently swallowing it. He then eats sugar coloured -variously—black, red, yellow, green and blue, as well as the usual -white sugar. These are chewed and swallowed by the conjuror each in -turn. The conjuror then asks his audience to select whichever colour -they prefer of those swallowed, and, upon the choice being made, the -conjuror immediately blows from his mouth the coloured sugar requested. -This is repeated until all the colours have been called for in turn. -Sometimes the juggler dissolves all the coloured sugars in water and -drinks the compound. Sometimes, again, chalks are used instead of -sugar; but these are merely variations of the same trick, and are -worked on the same principle exactly. - -For this trick, the conjuror has secretly prepared beforehand six small -packages or capsules, each one containing one of the coloured sands. -These are enclosed in thin, parchment-like skin, and are secreted in -the conjuror’s mouth, three in each cheek, in a pre-arranged order. The -conjuror can easily reach any one of these packets with his tongue, -bring it to the front of the mouth, break the skin by pressing it -against his teeth, and blow the sand, sugar or chalk out in a perfectly -dry condition. This is repeated until all six have been exhausted, -when the trick is said to be concluded. If some skeptical investigator -wishes to examine the juggler’s mouth, he merely swallows the skins. -The sugars or chalks were also swallowed in the first place. Hindu -jugglers will frequently swallow far more disagreeable things than -skins for the sake of a few rupees. - - - - -THE DIVING DUCK. - - -There is a very simple, and yet a very puzzling, little trick known as -the “diving duck.” The juggler places a shallow bowl upon the ground, -which he proceeds to fill with water. When this is done the conjuror -places a miniature artificial duck in the water, then retires from the -bowl about two feet, and begins to play upon his tom-tom, etc. Soon the -duck is seen to move, and very soon it dives in a very natural manner. -Whenever the hand of one of the onlookers approaches the duck it dives -out of sight, reappearing as soon as the hand recedes. Finally, the -duck is taken out of the water, and immediately handed for examination, -when it is found to be perfectly free from trickery or preparation of -any sort. The bowl is also emptied of its water and again shown to the -onlookers. - -[Illustration] - -The secret in this case is, again, simplicity itself. In the bottom of -the shallow pail or pot there is a miniature hole bored, and through -this is passed a thread or hair. To the inner end of this hair is -attached a small dab of wax. The other end extends along the ground, -and the trick is always performed on soil the colour of which will make -the hair invisible. The duck is fastened to the inner end of the hair -by means of the bit of wax; and it can readily be seen that, when the -pail is filled with water, the duck will dive beautifully every time -the hair is pulled by the conjuror, and will rise to the surface when -this pressure is released. This is the complete secret of the diving -duck. In order to conceal the fact that the pot leaks, the conjuror -first sprinkles some water on the ground; or fills the bowl so full -(apparently by accident) that it overflows. This conceals the fact that -water is gradually running away through the small hole in the bottom of -the pail. - - - - -THE JUMPING EGG. - - -In another trick sometimes exhibited the reverse method may be said to -be employed—since the egg or small rabbit employed jumps out of the -water, at the word of command, and lands on the ground, right outside -the pail. No thread or hair is used in this case, however, as might be -supposed, and onlookers sometimes come right up to the pail and stand -over it while the rabbit makes his marvellous leap. The juggler may be -any distance from the pail at the time, and even held by onlookers to -prevent any action on his part. - -[Illustration] - -The conjurer begins by filling the little pail with water. After he -has done this he pours into the water some coloured sand, and stirs it -up with a stick, when the sand rises to the top of the water, forming -a sort of curtain, and preventing anyone from seeing what is within -the pail. In the act of stirring the water, pouring in the sand, -etc., the juggler has secretly introduced into the pail a thin but -broad spring, bent over so as to form an almost complete circle. The -two ends of the spring are kept apart by means of a piece of sugar, -so that, when this sugar melts, the spring will be released and will -spring open with a sudden jerk. It is upon this spring that the egg or -little rabbit is placed. The juggler goes through various incantations, -playing the tom-tom, etc., until the sugar melts, when the spring will -fly uncoiled, and the little rabbit will be ejected from the water -precipitously. If the pail is emptied later on, the juggler simply -turns the pail upside down, thus allowing the water to escape, and -retaining the spring by means of his finger. - - - - -THE BEANS AND SCORPION TRICK. - - -The trick that is sometimes seen of changing three beans into a -scorpion or a snake is simplicity itself—is so simple, in fact, as to -be seldom exhibited. It is sometimes seen, however. The juggler has -a box, containing two compartments. In the upper one the beans are -kept, while the lower one contains the scorpion or the little snake. -These compartments are separate, and either can be opened at will. The -conjuror puts the three beans into the hand of one of the audience and -tells him to hold them. He then asks him to open his hand again to see -if they are still there. The conjuror takes them out of this person’s -hand, exhibits them to the audience, and puts them back in the box. He -asks the spectator to again hold his hand out; and, when he has done -so, the conjuror deftly opens the lower box and allows the snake or -scorpion to fall into his hand. Naturally this person jumps back, and, -in the excitement, the conjuror has ample opportunity to exchange the -box used for another, without preparation. - - - - -THE BASKET AND BIRDS TRICK. - - -[Illustration] - -Another trick sometimes seen is the following. The conjuror exhibits -a basket, some 18 inches in diameter and 14 inches high. A stone is -placed under the basket, which is then inverted over it. Soon the -basket is lifted, and a snake or scorpion is found beneath it, while -the stone has disappeared. The snake is thrown into a bag which the -conjuror carries with him, and the basket replaced on the ground. After -some manipulation the basket is again raised, and this time some ten -or fifteen little birds walk out from beneath it. Apparently nothing -could be more extraordinary! - -And yet the explanation is simplicity itself. In the act of inverting -the basket the first time the conjuror introduced the snake or scorpion -and removed the stone—very much in the same way as Western conjurors -extract and replace the cork balls in the cups-and-balls trick. The -little birds are all contained in a black cloth bag; and are introduced -into the basket when everyone’s attention is called to the snake or -scorpion, left on the ground, after the basket is raised the first -time. The conjuror introduces his hands beneath the basket and opens -the cloth bag; when the little birds are free to make their escape. The -bag can be disposed of at any convenient moment. - - - - -THE BALL OF COTTON TRICK. - - -Mr. Charles Bertram, writing in _Mahatma_ (a conjuror’s magazine) for -February, 1900, said: - -“The most startling trick I ever saw was done by a man who was -performing some of the little tricks while the mango-tree was growing. -He took a little ball of rough cotton, about the size of a walnut, and -threw the ball to a woman who formed one of the party of those who were -assisting him. The jerk unravelled about two yards, and she broke the -end off and kept the ball. The conjuror placed the end which he held -into his mouth, and by a deep breath the cotton flew into his mouth -and he appeared to chew it. Then he borrowed a penknife from me, and -with a big blade made as though he would stab himself in the throat, -the woman preventing him with some show of excitement; but presently, -turning her back, the man seized the opportunity to plunge the knife -into his stomach, and that he did very well. He then put his hand under -the loose linen shirt he was wearing and began to draw out the piece of -cotton. - -[Illustration] - -“When he had drawn out nearly as much as the length of the piece which -had been broken off, he lifted his shirt slightly and showed the end -of the cotton apparently embedded in the skin. He then took the knife -and moved it upward against the skin as if he were pressing out the -last bit of thread, which was tinged with red, as if with blood. - -“This was really an admirably executed little trick, although by no -means difficult. The sucking in of the cotton is skilful, but with a -very little practice I was able to do the same thing, and so can anyone -else, the only precaution to be taken being to prevent the end coming -into contact with the back of the throat, for if it did it would bring -on an attack of coughing. - -“Of course the chewing of the cotton is merely a method of secreting -it, and another piece of cotton of similar length is rolled up -previously and put in its place with the end coloured with some paint. -A little brown material is put over the skin with a scrap of cotton, -perhaps a quarter of an inch attached to it, so that it really looks -as though it were sticking up out of the skin, and the upward movement -of the knife scrapes this off, and it can easily be gotten away at a -convenient time. This is hardly a trick for an English drawing-room.” - -Frequently we see an Indian juggler remove his turban, double it, cut -it into two pieces, and finally join them together again. I think it -will be a sufficient explanation if I state that this feat is performed -precisely in the same manner as the familiar string trick—in which a -piece of string, cut in halves is restored to its original condition. -As every schoolboy knows this trick, I shall not dwell upon it here. - - - - -THE BRASS BOWL TRICK. - - -Mr. S. S. Baldwin describes a very ingenious trick he once saw -performed.[1] A juggler brought forward a brass bowl, which he showed -empty. He filled this with cold water, placing a little piece of ice -in the water, to show it was really cold. He then covered the bowl for -a few moments with a borrowed handkerchief, made passes over the bowl, -played on his tom-tom, etc. Soon he removed the handkerchief, and the -water was found to be scalding hot, as was verified by placing the -fingers in the water. - -[1] _Secrets of Mahatma Land Explained._ pp. 45-46. - -In this case the bowl was of a peculiar construction. The sides of -the bowl were double; and so also was the foot upon which it stood. -When brought forward the space between the two sides of the vessel was -filled with the boiling water, while the lower space was empty. While -covering the bowl with the handkerchief the juggler found occasion -to scratch off a wax pellet, covering an air-hole, this allowing the -cold water to run down into the empty space in the foot of the bowl. -By scratching off a second wax pellet on the side of the bowl the hot -water is made to run into the body of the bowl until it finds its own -level. It is difficult to explain this on paper, but the principle upon -which it rests is well known to Western conjurors, and is the basis of -several good illusions performed by them. - -There are several minor tricks that I should like to consider, but -cannot for lack of space. Thus, M. Jacolliot states that he saw a -small stick, placed upon the top of a vessel of water, move in all -directions, and finally sink to the bottom of the vessel at the command -of the fakir. He suggests that “the fakir, upon charging the small -piece of wood with fluid, might perhaps have increased its weight so -as to make it heavier than water.”[2] Personally I should be inclined -to think that the piece of wood was manipulated by means of a hair, -somewhat after the manner of the “diving duck,” described above. -Baldwin saw a somewhat similar trick in Zululand. In this case the -conjuror threw a branch of wood upon the surface of the river, which -promptly proceeded to swim upstream! He afterwards discovered that, in -this case, the trick was effected by means of long black threads, in -the hands of hidden assistants. - -[2] _Occult Science in India._ p. 236. - - - - -SNAKE-CHARMING. - - -I now pass on to consider, very briefly, the feats of snake-charming -that are so frequently exhibited. I do not doubt that much—perhaps the -majority—of that which is exhibited by snake charmers is genuine, with -one exception; the fangs of the serpent are invariably extracted. - -Hindus are exceedingly ingenious in extracting fangs, stings, etc., -and I have heard from many independent sources that snakes are never -exhibited in public unless their fangs are first extracted. It may -interest the reader to learn that my sister, when a little girl, took -a great liking to bees, and desired to play with them. My father -and mother were in Calcutta at the time, and bees were plentiful. -Accordingly, my father commissioned one of the servants to extract -the stings from a number of bees, which he did with great skill, and -apparently with no lasting injury to the bee. My sister then had a -whole room full of bees to play with, while quite free from danger -herself. I mention this to show how ingenious Hindus are in handling -reptiles and insects of the sort, thus proving that it would be quite -possible for them to extract the fangs from any serpent. The fangs -once extracted, and the snakes fed upon milk, and perhaps more or less -drugged and charmed by the music, we can very readily see that it would -be no very difficult feat for the snake charmer to handle them in any -manner desired. - -It is a well-known fact that snakes and many other animals may be -hypnotised and rendered more or less cataleptic by means of passes and -various manipulations. Sextus, in his _Hypnotism_, devotes many pages -to this subject. It is probable that, when a snake is stiffened out -to its fullest extent, and remains stiff, it cannot be distinguished -from a stick at a first casual glance. Perhaps this may bear some -resemblance to the priests who performed before Pharaoh, “changing -their rods to serpents” before his eyes. At all events, I quote the -following passage, which seems to bear a distinct resemblance to that -incident, and has the advantage of being “recorded at first hand,” and -is by no means so “remote” as the other tale! It runs as follows: - -“Sitting one morning on the verandah, an aged magician approached and -asked permission to perform some of his tricks. As I was in a humor -to be amused, I told him to go ahead. He asked me to loan him the -walking-stick which I carried. He waved this over his head two or three -times and exclaimed: ‘No good; too big; can’t do,’ and handed the stick -back to me, which, as I grasped it, changed into a loathsome, wriggling -snake in my hand. Of course, I immediately dropped it. The magician -smiled, picked up the snake by the middle, whirled it around in the -air, and handed it back to me. As I refused to take it, he said, ‘All -right, no bite,’ and behold it was my stick.”[3] - -I think the similarity of narrative should at least prove suggestive -and interesting. - -[3] _Secrets of Mahatma Land Explained._ p. 49. - - - - -VOLUNTARY INTERMENT. - - -Let us now turn to a consideration of those feats of “voluntary -interment” so often referred to. - -Take, _e.g._, the famous case of the Fakir of Lahore, who, at the -instance of Runjeet Singh, and under the supervision of Sir Claude -Wade, was interred in a vault for a period of six weeks. Doubtless -the details are familiar to most of my readers. The fakir’s ears and -nostrils were filled with wax, and he was then placed in a bag, then -deposited in a wooden box which was securely locked, and the box was -deposited in a brick vault which was carefully plastered up with mortar -and sealed with the Rajah’s seal. A guard of British soldiers was then -detailed to watch the vault day and night. At the end of the prescribed -time the vault was opened in the presence of Sir Claude and Runjeet -Singh, and the fakir was restored to consciousness. - -Now, though I shall not say that a feat of this kind is impossible, far -better evidence will have to be forthcoming than an account such as the -above, in order to gain credence. How was the bag tied in which the -fakir was placed? Who made the box? What guarantee have we that there -was no outlet from the vault than by means of the door? In short, there -are so many methods of escape that such a badly recorded account as the -above should carry no weight with us whatever. What makes me skeptical -of such accounts is the fact that, in one instance of which I know the -details, it was discovered that a fakir, after being buried in a grave -several feet beneath the ground, managed to make good his escape by -means of a tunnel especially built, leading into a hollow tree, through -which the fakir escaped under cover of the darkness. In this case, the -grave was well sealed, and it was certain that the fakir did not escape -in that manner. He was however, discovered that night in the hut of a -relative of his, quietly sleeping. Investigation showed that the grave -had been dug in a certain spot, and that there was only a thin wall -of earth between the end of the coffin, which hinged inwards, and the -other tunnel, which communicated with a previously prepared tunnel, -leading to the hollow tree, and so to air and freedom. Every interment -was made in the same spot, and Europeans were being constantly taken -in by the same trick. In the face of this piece of evidence I may be -excused for being somewhat skeptical as to genuine feats of the kind. - -And when we turn for analogy to cases of induced hypnotic trance, -lasting over a number of days, we find that here, too, there is -much fraud—much more than the public supposes—though I must not be -understood as saying that trances of this character are not well -authenticated. But I _do_ assert that in the majority of public -tests, in which the “professor” keeps his subject asleep for seven -days, etc., much fraud enters into the case. I do not say that it is -all fraud from beginning to end, but there is an element of fraud in -the case, which it might be as well to make plain in this place. The -average method of procedure would be about as follows: - -A good somnambule is selected who is in good physical health, and he -is prepared by giving him a good dose of castor oil or rhubarb the day -before the test. But little must be given the subject to eat or drink -for a few hours before he is put to sleep. He is hypnotized several -times daily before the test and suggestions made that he will not wake, -that he cannot wake until permission is given him to do so, etc. He is -then put to sleep carefully, and forcible suggestions given—that he -cannot awaken, etc. The subject is then placed in his coffin, plenty of -fresh air being allowed to get to him, and he is covered with mosquito -netting if the test is in the summer-time, and flies, mosquitoes, etc., -are numerous. The subject is turned over from side to side frequently, -especially after the second day, and repeated suggestions are given -him to sleep, that he cannot wake, and so forth. The subject will not -be in an equally deep sleep all the time. Some of the time he will be -actually asleep, of course, but he will be very near to waking much of -the time, after the first two or three days, and must be kept asleep by -constant suggestion. When the night comes on and it gets cold and there -are fewer persons watching, the performer makes this the excuse for -covering the subject with a blanket. Under this blanket is concealed a -rubber bottle containing water, and a sandwich or two are dropped in -the coffin at the same time. These the subject invariably eats. I am -not asserting this here for any other purpose than to show that these -so-called “seven-day sleeps” bear no real resemblance to the cases in -which men have been interred for days and weeks at a time, and throw -the other cases into stronger relief in consequence. In view of the -facts above noted, and of the fraud that is known to exist in some of -these cases, I think we are entitled to ask for a considerable amount -of first-hand evidence before we need consider seriously these cases of -long-continued interment. - - - - -THE ROPE TRICK. - - -There remains for our consideration only one other well-known feat -performed by Hindu fakirs or yogis, and that is the famous “rope -exploit,” before referred to. I looked up the evidence for this -performance with great care when writing my _Physical Phenomena of -Spiritualism_, contrasting the evidence for hallucination in this -and kindred tests with certain of the _seances_ with D. D. Home, to -ascertain if there were any similarity between the two. I think that I -cannot do better than to quote the case as therein given. I accordingly -quote from pp. 389-93 of that book. After referring to Dr. Hodgson’s -article in _Proceedings_, S.P.R., Vol. IX., pp. 354-66, the account -goes on: - -“But the most interesting part of Dr. Hodgson’s paper is his -consideration of the alleged feats of levitation and the famous -rope-climbing exploit, both of which are probably too well known to -my readers to need describing here. The nature of the former of these -phenomena is explained by its title; the second is the famous feat -in which a rope is thrown into the air by the performer, where it -stays—suspended by some unknown power—and gradually stiffens, allowing -a small boy, the fakir’s assistant, to climb up it, and finally -disappear in the clouds. Soon, the legs and arms of the boy are seen -to fall to the ground, then the head, and finally the trunk falls to -earth, all before the astonished and horrified gaze of the onlookers! -These pieces gradually join themselves together, and re-form the boy’s -body, whole as it was at first, and the boy goes on his way rejoicing! - -“Of the levitation I shall not speak now, beyond stating that it is -recorded in several of the books mentioned, as previously stated. The -value of the testimony will be variously estimated by individuals, -partly according to their preconceived ideas of the limits of the -possible, and partly according to their familiarity with the evidence -that has been collected in various works on the subject. As I have -considered this question of levitation elsewhere I shall dismiss -it for the time being, and turn to the feat that most particularly -interests us in relation to this question of hallucination and its -possibilities. - -“It need hardly be pointed out, I believe, that if this feat were ever -witnessed by Europeans at all (_i.e._, if the whole thing is not a -myth), and certain individuals imagined they actually witnessed it, -the effect was the result of an hallucination, and not the result of -seeing what actually took place. It need scarcely be said that the -nature of the trick, if trick it is (the suspension of the rope by some -unknown power, the ascent of the boy into the clouds, the tumbling down -to earth of the separate members, and, finally the joining together -of these into a live form again), would forbid any such performance -taking place in reality—except on the stage, _e.g._, when appropriate -apparatus can be arranged to perform this feat—an illusion of this sort -being mentioned in _Mahatma_, Vol. III., No. 5, November, 1899. If -such a performance were even witnessed, therefore, it must have been -the result of some sort of hallucination, possibly hypnotic, which the -onlooker was experiencing at the time. The question, therefore, narrows -itself down to this: was the onlooker hallucinated? - -“Several reported instances seemed to show conclusively that such -_was_ the case, it being stated that (particularly in one case which -the writer quoted from his own experience) the photographic plate of -a camera revealed that nothing of the sort had transpired. The person -witnessing the performance had actually seen it, as described, while -the photographic plate, which cannot be hypnotised and so share in the -hallucination supposedly induced, showed that the performance had not -taken place at all. Such was the story, at least, which reached a very -large portion of the reading public—so large, indeed, that this is the -explanation that is given of this illusion whenever it is mentioned, as -if it were a fact past all questioning! - -“Dr. Hodgson, in criticising these articles, pointed out that the -illustrations reproduced to back up the story (supposedly photographs) -were in reality, _woodcuts_, and consequently were not what they -purported to be at all, and served to throw a grave suspicion on the -story _in toto_. Later, it came to light that this story was concocted -by its author, and had no basis in fact whatever.[4] Dr. Hodgson -actually doubted if the phenomenon had ever been witnessed at all, or -even if any person _thought_ he had witnessed it, rather inclining to -the belief that these stories were invariably made up ‘out of whole -cloth,’ and had no real basis in fact, even that the sitters were -hallucinated, as it is stated they were. Several cases have lately come -to light, however, particularly a recent and well recorded one,[5] -which would seem to show that the stories have at least some basis -in truth. I shall accordingly consider the cases as if they actually -existed, merely pointing out that such performances are extremely rare, -even if they exist at all. Dr. Hodgson never witnessed the illusion, -nor could he find anyone who had a first-hand account to offer him. -‘Even Colonel Olcott,’ says Dr. Hodgson, ‘a faithful servant of Mme. -Blavatsky ... told me, after several years’ residence in India, he had -never witnessed the rope-climbing performance.’[6] At the same time -Dr. Hodgson was willing to admit that the story might have originated -because of some hypnotically induced hallucination, akin to those -induced by our Western hypnotists. The evidence, as it stands, is -certainly inconclusive, in any case, and though there is a certain -analogy between these performances and those of D. D. Home, _e.g._, -the inaccuracy in recording, the doubt surrounding these phenomena can -be said to offer no direct support to the theory of hallucination in -Home’s case, which must stand or fall on its own merits. It can derive -no real support from the performances of Oriental conjurors. - -[4] _Journal_ S. P. R., Vol. v., pp. 84-86; 195. - -[5] _Journal_ S. P. R., Vol. xii., pp. 30-31. - -[6] _Proceedings_ S. P. R., Vol. ix., p. 362. I do not at all agree -with Mr. J. N. Maskelyne’s “Explanation” of this feat, however (see his -pamphlet “The Fraud of Theosophy Exposed, and the Miraculous Rope Trick -of the Indian Jugglers Explained” pp. 23-24). - -“On the subject of Oriental magic generally I cannot do better than to -conclude this summary in the words of Dr. Hodgson, to be found in the -article so frequently referred to already. In summing up the evidence -for the supernormal in these performances, he says: - -“‘I conclude, therefore, that, in spite of the strong assertions of -a distinguished conjuror, we have before us no real evidence to the -manifestation by Indian jugglers or fakirs of any marvels beyond the -power of trickery to produce.... The conjuror’s mere assertion that -certain marvels are not explicable by trickery is worth _just as much_ -as the savant’s mere assertion that they _must be_ so explicable—just -as much, and no more.’” - -From all that has been said, I think we shall be justified in -concluding that the vast majority of feats performed by the Hindu -fakirs present no evidence whatever of the supernormal, but are, on the -contrary, clearly due and traceable to trickery. It is highly probable -that every one of their well-known tricks are such only, and involve no -occult powers, nor do they warrant our belief in the operation of any -forces “other than those known to physical science.” - -Are we to conclude, therefore, that nothing is to be gained by a study -of the East and its phenomena? I think we should scarcely be justified -in doing that, since there seem to be many phenomena witnessed there -that are well worthy of serious consideration. The snake charming -is one of these; the cases of prolonged trance probably present -many interesting phenomena, from any point of view; the rope exploit -has at least its psychological interest; and there are many cases -of levitation reported, which are worthy of serious consideration. -“Baron Seeman,” a conjuror, describes in his book, _Around the World -with a Magician and a Juggler_ (pp. 54-6), a case of levitation; and -various other conjurors have described the same thing. M. Jacolliot, -in his _Occult Science in India_, before referred to, has recorded -a number of most interesting experiences with a Hindu fakir. He -obtained raps, telekinetic phenomena, independent writing, levitations, -materialisations, playing upon an accordion, etc. Strange to say it -was through the instrumentality of the very _same_ fakir that Seeman -obtained his experiences in levitation (Covindasamy). - -And it will be noticed further that _all these phenomena_—so different -from the usual tricks of the Hindu fakir—_bear a close resemblance to -the mediumistic phenomena witnessed in our countries_. - -That is a most striking fact, and at once places them on a different -level from most of the tricks exhibited by Hindu fakirs, which are -certainly tricks and nothing more. There _may_ be genuine mediums among -the Hindus; but the phenomena witnessed in such cases are of a very -different type from those usually observed. This fact at once tends to -discredit the ordinary tricks exhibited, and strengthens the evidence -for the phenomena that so closely resemble the occurrences witnessed -in the presence of occidental mediums. It shows us, at all events, -that some, and perhaps much, good may come from a close study of these -wonder workers; and that, in investigating them, “we must not,” as Mr. -Frank Podmore expressed it, “for the second time throw away the baby -with the water from the bath.” - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HINDU MAGIC *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/65121-0.zip b/old/65121-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c422141..0000000 --- a/old/65121-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65121-h.zip b/old/65121-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5eb464b..0000000 --- a/old/65121-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65121-h/65121-h.htm b/old/65121-h/65121-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index f4e537d..0000000 --- a/old/65121-h/65121-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2295 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Hindu Magic, by Hereward Carrington. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -h1 -{ - margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em; - text-align: center; - font-size: x-large; - font-weight: normal; - line-height: 1.6; -} - - h1, h2 { - text-align: center; - clear: both; - } - -.half-title { - margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em; - text-align: center; - font-size: x-large; - font-weight: normal; - line-height: 1.6; - } - -div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} -h2.nobreak {page-break-before: avoid;} - -/* Paragraphs */ - -p {text-indent: 1em; - margin-top: .75em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .75em; - } -.p6 {margin-top: 6em;} -.spaced {margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 3em;} - - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -@media print { hr.chap {display: none; visibility: hidden;} } - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - } - -.standard { font-size: .9em; border-collapse: collapse; } -td {padding-left: 5px;} - -.tdl {text-align: left;} -.tdr {text-align: right;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; -} /* page numbers */ - - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.fs2 {font-size: 70%;} - -/* Images */ - -img { - max-width: 100%; - height: auto; -} -img.w100 {width: 100%;} - - -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; - page-break-inside: avoid; - max-width: 100%; -} -/* Footnotes */ - - .footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} - -.footnote { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; - font-size: 0.9em; - } - -.footnote .label { - position: absolute; - right: 84%; - text-align: right; - } - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: none; - white-space: nowrap - } - - -/* Transcriber's notes */ - -.transnote { - background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; - } - -/* Illustration classes */ -.illowp100 {width: 100%;} -.illowp53 {width: 53%;} -.x-ebookmaker .illowp53 {width: 100%;} -.illowp68 {width: 68%;} -.x-ebookmaker .illowp68 {width: 100%;} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - -<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Hindu Magic, by Hereward Carrington</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<table style='min-width:0; padding:0; margin-left:0; border-collapse:collapse'> - <tr><td>Title:</td><td>Hindu Magic</td></tr> - <tr><td></td><td>An Expose of the Tricks of the Yogis and Fakirs of India</td></tr> -</table> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Hereward Carrington</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: April 20, 2021 [eBook #65121]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Tim Lindell, Les Galloway and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HINDU MAGIC ***</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="transnote"> -<h2>Transcriber’s Note</h2> -<p>A few minor typographical errors were silently corrected.</p> - -<p>The cover image was produced by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> -</div> - -<h1> -HINDU MAGIC</h1> - -<p class="center">AN EXPOSE OF THE TRICKS OF THE<br /> -YOGIS AND FAKIRS OF INDIA</p> - -<p class="center p6"><small>BY</small></p> - -<p class="center">HEREWARD CARRINGTON</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="fs2">Author of “Handcuff Tricks,” “Side Show and Animal -Tricks,” “The Boys’ Book of Magic,” “The -Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism,” -Etc., Etc.</span></p> - - -<p class="center spaced">ILLUSTRATED</p> - - -<p class="center"><span class="fs2">PUBLISHED BY THE SPHINX<br /> -Kansas City, Missouri<br /> -1913</span> -</p> - - - - - -<p class="center p6"> -TO<br /> - -SIDNEY LENZ</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="fs2">(With Warmest Regards.)</span> -</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_3"> 3</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="TABLE_OF_CONTENTS">TABLE OF CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - - - -<table class="standard" summary=""> -<tr> -<td class="tdl"></td> -<td class="tdl">Page</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">The Mango Tree Trick</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">The Basket Trick</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_19">19</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">The Dry Sands Trick</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_26">26</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">The Coloured Sands Trick</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">The Diving Duck</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">The Jumping Egg</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_30">30</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">The Beans and Scorpion Trick</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">The Basket and Birds Trick</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_33">33</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">The Ball of Cotton Trick</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_34">34</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">The Brass Bowl Trick</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_37">37</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Snake Charming</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_38">38</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">Voluntary Interment</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">The Rope Trick</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_44">44</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_5"> 5</span></p> - -<p class="half-title">HINDU MAGIC</p> -</div> - - -<p>In this pamphlet I propose to consider the -phenomena which are presented by the fakirs and -yogis of India, and to inquire into their nature and -the method of their production.</p> - -<p>The feats performed by Indian fakirs are -numerous, but I shall describe those most commonly -witnessed: the mango-tree trick, the basket -trick, the bowl of water trick, the dry sands trick, -the rope and dismembered body test, levitation, -snake charming, burial alive, etc.</p> - -<p>As so much is heard of Indian magic, and the -powers of the Oriental performer, it may be well -to examine their performances somewhat critically, -and to see how far we are entitled to assume -that there is anything in them suggesting -the supernormal, anything calling for explanations -that necessitate the operation of laws “other -than those known to Western science.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_MANGO-TREE_TRICK">THE MANGO-TREE TRICK.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>I shall begin by describing the famous mango-tree -trick—perhaps the best known of all the -feats performed by the Indian conjuror. I shall -first of all describe the performance as it would -appear to the uninitiated witness, afterwards -explaining the secret.</p> - -<p>As the trick is usually exhibited, it is some<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6"> 6</span>what -as follows: The native comes forward, -almost nude, being covered only with a small loin -cloth, of such small compass that the onlooker can -see clearly that there is nothing hidden in or -about it or the performer. As the trick (like -almost all Indian tricks) is performed in any -locality—on the deck of a ship, in one’s own room, -etc.—all idea of pre-arrangement, trap-doors, etc., -is precluded. The performer advances, carrying -in his hands a little earthen or tin pot containing -water, and another containing a quart or so of -dry sand. He also has with him some seeds of -the mango-tree, and a large cloth, about four feet -square. This is shaken out and both sides are -shown to the spectators, so that they may see that -nothing is concealed within it.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_006" style="max-width: 43.875em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_006.jpg" alt="The mango seed inserted" /> -</div> - - -<p>All this having been gone through, the fakir -proceeds to build up a little mud pile of his earth -and water, mixing the two together with his -fingers, and dexterously moulding them into a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7"> 7</span> -pyramid of muddy earth. This may be done in -some previously examined vessel, or on the bare -earth or floor. The mango-seed is now inserted -in the soil, and covered on all sides with earth. -The fakir then covers the mound of earth with the -shawl or large handkerchief, and places his hands -and arms under the shawl, manipulating the seed -and the earth for some time; placing his hands -over the seed; making passes above the seed, etc. -As his hands and arms are bare, and can be seen -bare throughout this process of manipulation, -and as his hands never once approach his body, no -one has any objection to his handling the seed -and the earth in this manner, or to his placing -his hands beneath the cloth. After a few minutes -of this manipulation, the conjuror withdraws -his hands, and proceeds to make passes over the -cloth and above it, at the same time muttering -semi-articulate incantations, etc. Sometimes a -tom-tom is beaten, or other instrument is played -upon, and, after a while, the conjuror removes the -cloth, and the seed is seen to have sprouted—a -couple of tiny leaves appearing above the surface -of the earth. If the onlooker is especially skeptical, -the fakir sometimes removes the seed, and -shows the skeptic a couple of minute roots, sprouting -from the lower end of it. It (the seed) is then -replaced in the earth, the manipulations and incantations -repeated, and, after a while, the fakir -removes the cloth a second time, and the mango -is seen to have sprouted still more—now being<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8"> 8</span> -several inches in height. This process is repeated -five or six times, or even more, at the end of -which time the mango-tree is two feet or more in -height. It is even asserted that, in some cases, -the tree has been known to bear fruit.</p> - -<p>So much for the effect of the trick. Now for -the explanation.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_008" style="max-width: 40.4375em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_008.jpg" alt="The plant revealed" /> -</div> - - -<p>There are numerous ways of performing this -mango-tree trick—for trick it is.</p> - -<p>In the first place, it will be noticed that it is -always a <i>mango-tree</i> that is made to grow, and -no other shrub. Now, why is this? Surely it is -not because the mango is the only tree in India -which is ready to the hand of the fakir, for we -know that there are numerous others that might -be made to grow. And yet it is always the mango! -The conjuror, S.S. Baldwin (from whose book, -<i>Secrets of Mahatma Land Explained</i>, I shall have -occasion to quote later on), asked a native conjuror -if he would make a young palm, a tea plant<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9"> 9</span> -or a banana tree, grow for him, and received the -response: “Nay, sahib, cannot do. Mango-tree -the only one can make.” I repeat, why is this?</p> - -<p>The reason is that it is the peculiar construction -of the mango leaf that renders the trick, as -presented, possible at all. The leaf and twigs -of the mango-tree are exceedingly tough and -pliable, almost like leather, and can be folded or -compressed into a very small space without breaking -the stems and the leaves, and, when this -pressure is released, the leaves will resume their -former expanded condition very rapidly, without -showing any traces of the folding process. The -leaves can be turned upon themselves and rolled -into a tight ball, in which folded condition they -occupy very little space, and yet will resume their -extended condition when this pressure is released. -And this brings me to the heart of my explanation.</p> - -<p>The mango seed that is placed in the mound -of earth is especially prepared before the performance, -by the fakir, in the following manner: -He splits the seed open, scoops out its contents, -dries it somewhat, then places within it a shoot -of a mango-tree folded and compressed so as to -fit into the mango seed. It must be remembered -that the mango seed is no small thing, but is about -two inches long (sometimes more) by an inch to -an inch and a half broad. It resembles slightly -the mussel shell found on the seashore. It will be -obvious that a seed of this size might contain a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10"> 10</span> -good deal of material, and if the mango leaves -were folded into a small compass, would hold a -good-sized twig. The leaves are folded very -carefully, and are prepared in a special manner. -The upper surface of the leaf must be folded on -itself, and that surface, skillfully treated and -watered, will scarcely show a crease on a superficial -examination. The creasing which the under -surface would show is, of course, concealed from -the spectator’s view.</p> - -<p>When the fakir places his hands beneath the -cloth the first time, then, he gets hold of the seed, -and proceeds to manipulate it in such a manner as -to extract from the upper end of the seed about -an inch or so of the plant it contains. He may -extract the seed altogether from the earth for that -purpose, and replace it in the earth again at the -conclusion of this manipulation, banking up the -earth around the seed again before removing his -hands. The fakir then removes both hands, and -proceeds with the playing of his tom-tom, and -whatever other mummeries he may see fit to -perform, in order to impress his onlooker. After -a while the cloth is removed, and the seed is found -to have sprouted, and an inch or so of the stem -and the first green leaves are seen to be sprouting -from the earth. The illusion is perfect, and the -onlookers are more taken up with gazing in -wonder at the miraculous growth and discussing -it one with another than with critically examining -the seed and the sprouting plant. If the conjuror<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11"> 11</span> -wishes to show the roots sprouting from the lower -end of the seed, he merely has to place these roots -in the seed before the performance begins, and -extract them in the course of his manipulation of -the seed, previously explained. The preparation -of the seed is concealed by the fact that a <i>duplicate</i> -seed is first exhibited to the spectators, and that -seed is frequently examined by them. Before the -seed is placed in the ground, however, the conjuror -finds occasion to change it for another, prepared -in the manner described. No one thinks of examining -the seed after the performance is concluded.</p> - -<p>To return, however, to the method of working -the trick. After the conjuror has shown the -growth from the seed the first time, he covers the -seed with a shawl and again places his hands beneath -the cloth and works out a little more of the -mango; then repeats his incantations and his tom-tom -playing; finally showing the shoot a second -time, when it is found to have grown a considerable -amount in the interval. Amazement is correspondingly -great! This performance is gone -through several times, until the folded mango -shoot is all worked out of the seed, the growing -tree being covered each time by the shawl. When -the shoot is all worked out of the seed, there is a -fair-sized shrub standing before you.</p> - -<p>But there are some cases in which the mango-tree -is reported to have grown to a height of -several feet, and even to bear fruit; and the explanations -offered would not explain such cases,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12"> 12</span> -it may be said. That is admitted; and I shall now -endeavor to explain how these more marvellous -feats are performed.</p> - -<p>It must be remembered that Hindu fakirs -seldom or never travel singly, but always in troupes -of threes and fours; and, during the performance -of one of the fakirs, the others assist him by -passing him the articles he uses in his performance—jars, -water, earth, etc. Now, every time the -conjuror moves the shawl from the growing plant, -he tosses the shawl to his assistant, and shows his -hands empty. When receiving the shawl back -from his assistant, he also shows his hands empty; -then shakes out the shawl and shows both sides of -it—showing, in this way, that nothing is concealed -in the shawl, and that he introduces nothing under -cover of the said shawl. To all appearances, -nothing could be fairer. And, indeed, nothing is -fairer at first; but the conjuror shakes the shawl -less and less vigorously every time he places it -over the mango-tree, until, towards the end (the -seventh or eighth time, let us say) he hardly -shakes it at all. The spectators, having seen it -empty so many times, get into the habit of mind of -thinking it is empty as a matter of course, and pay -no attention to this part of the performance, after -the first few times. Their thoughts and attention -are centered upon the mango-tree and its growth. -So, when the conjuror has worked out all the shoot -from the seed, he must perforce introduce a <i>fresh</i> -shoot of larger proportions; and he does this in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13"> 13</span> -the following manner: He passes on word to his -assistant, by means of a secret sign, that he has -reached the end of his present stock of “occult -vitalizing influence”—in other words, the mango -shoot—and the assistant, in passing him back the -shawl or cloth this time passes him back <i>another</i> -cloth, which he has secretly exchanged for the -original one—the one the conjuror began operations -with. This second cloth is double, and contains -a very large mango shoot, more or less -doubled up in the manner of the first shoot that -was placed within the mango seed. A slit in the -cloth enables the conjuror to extract the second -shoot, and place it in the mound of earth, working -this shoot out to its natural size with his fingers. -When this large shoot is worked out to its full -limit it is a very large tree, and the conjuror has -only to remove the cloth to display it to his -astonished onlookers. The cloth just employed is -exchanged for the original while the eyes of the -spectators are fascinated by the huge tree just -exhibited to them, and when the trick is concluded -this cloth is handed for examination; and, of -course, no trickery is discovered in connection with -it. The whole performance is a very pretty chapter -in the psychology of deception.</p> - -<p>As to the cases in which, it is asserted, fruit -grows upon the tree grown in this manner, I have -no exact explanation of that fact, and I frankly -confess my disbelief in its occurrence. I have -diligently searched for any first-hand account of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14"> 14</span> -this fact, and have never found one; nor have I -been enabled to meet anyone who could assert that -he had seen it himself. It seems to rest on the -same hazy foundation as the famous rope exploit, -to be discussed later on.</p> - -<p>I may say that my father was an old Anglo-Indian, -having lived ten years in Calcutta, but he -never saw this <i>finale</i> to the trick, though he had -many times seen the mango-tree trick performed, -as described above. Nor had he ever met anyone, -in all that time, who could state that he had -witnessed the feat with his own eyes. It would -seem, therefore, to be one of those “grand finale” -flourishes which happened to be placed at the end -of some magazine writer’s description of the -mango-tree trick, in order to make it appear as -wonderful as possible—and gained wide credence -on that account!</p> - -<p>There is then, so far as I have been enabled -to discover, no first-hand account of fruit growing -upon the mango-tree, that has been made to grow -in the manner described; and until such evidence -be forthcoming, I think we are entitled to say -that it has never been done. However, there -are certain considerations which might make us -admit that such <i>was</i> the case—and yet the fruit -might be obtained and placed there by fraudulent -means! One such method would be for the fruit -to be introduced under the cloth, in the act of -covering the mango-tree. The introduction of the -fruit would be comparatively easy if some of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15"> 15</span> -the methods about to be explained were employed. -At all events, this feat is no more difficult—certainly -no more “miraculous”—than that performed -by Kellar, in which roses are made to grow -from empty flower pots—which roses are cut and -distributed to the audience immediately. In this -instance, two empty flower pots are shown (they -may be examined, if desired) and filled with -earth. Seeds are then sprinkled over the earth, -and watered. A tube, open at both ends, is then -shown empty, and examined by the audience. It -is made of card-board, and everyone can see that -it is quite unprepared. First one flower pot and -then the other is then covered with this tube, and -upon removing the tube, the seeds are found to -have sprouted into full-grown bushes, fully -eighteen inches in height, and covered with roses—at -least fifty, on both plants. These roses are -cut off immediately, and distributed among the -audience, who testify to their genuine character. -In a very similar illusion, on a small scale, a glass -tumbler is filled with earth, and covered for a -moment with a borrowed hat; upon removing -which it is found that the seeds have blossomed -into a plant about six inches high. If <i>flowers</i> -can be made to grow under such circumstances, -therefore, why not <i>fruit</i> upon mango-trees, grown -under similar conditions, and before far less critical -audiences, who have already had their critical -faculties blunted, moreover, by a succession of -unexplained marvels?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_16"> 16</span></p> - -<p>So far, I have described only one method of -performing this mango-tree trick, and there are -several other methods, which I shall now briefly -enumerate—since the method above described is -the one in general use, without a doubt. Another -very good method, however, is the following, -which was first made public, if I remember -rightly, by Mr. Charles Bertram, the conjuror, to -whom I am indebted for the secret, in this instance.</p> - -<p>In this case the conjuror makes his mound of -earth as in the last instance, and has a prepared -seed, which he exchanges for an examined seed at -a convenient moment. The seed in this case is, -however, prepared in a slightly different manner. -It is split in two, and emptied of its contents. -Then one end of it is wedged open by means of -a small wedge of wood, and several small pieces -of string are inserted into the other end, which, -when hanging down from the seed, after being -placed in the mud, exactly resemble roots. The -seed is then fastened together, so that the two -sides or halves will not fall apart. This seed the -conjuror exchanges for the examined seed at -some convenient moment, and this is the one -placed in the ground.</p> - -<p>The juggler then hands round for inspection -four bamboo sticks, and a piece of thin cloth. -After the sticks are handed back to him, he places -them in the ground, slanting towards a common -centre, and ties the tops of the sticks together<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17"> 17</span> -with a bit of string. Around these sticks is now -stretched the cloth, thus making a sort of tent, -about three feet in height and open at the back. -The thinness of the cloth allows the interior to be -dimly seen through it. The mound of earth, containing -the seed, is within this tent, it having -been built round it, in fact. The juggler suddenly -appears to notice that the cloth is too thin, allowing -the interior to be seen through it, and proceeds -to cover the tent with a thicker piece of cloth. -The conjuror in this case has a rag doll, which he -uses very much as our Western magicians use -their wands; and with this he proceeds to make -passes over the tent, about the seed inside the -tent, etc. He also waters the seed several times. -After a time, the cloth is lifted up, and the spectators -see that the tree is several inches in height. -This performance is repeated several times, the -passes, waterings, etc., being gone through each -time, and generally a wait of several minutes is -necessitated, during which waits the conjuror performs -some other trick, such as the diving duck, -the cups and balls, or the colored sands, all of -which I shall explain later on. At the conclusion -of the performance the juggler removes the cloth, -and the mango is found to have grown to a very -respectable height.</p> - -<p>Now for the explanation:</p> - -<p>In the first place, the rag doll which the conjuror -uses is hollow, and contains, folded up within -it, a shoot of the mango-tree. In the course of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18"> 18</span> -making passes over the seed he extracts this -shoot, and inserts it in the wedged-open end of -the seed, where it remains until removed. The -conjuror could now show this shoot, but it would -lose in effectiveness to show it so soon, and for -that reason he performs the minor tricks in the -interval. When he returns to the tent and raises -the cloth, this shoot is seen sprouting from the -ground. The conjuror then lets the cloth fall to -the ground again, and proceeds to make more -passes over the seed. During these passes he manages -to extract the small shoot from the seed, -and replace it in the rag doll again. He then -places a much larger shoot of the tree in the slit -end of the mango seed. This larger branch was -concealed in the second cloth which the conjuror -placed around his tent, after discovering, apparently -by accident, that the first cloth was so thin -as to be semi-transparent. Within the folds of -this second cloth was contained the mango-tree -shoot of larger size. The tree is now grown to its -full size and might be shown immediately, but, -for effect, the conjuror again waits for several -minutes before showing the growth to his onlookers. -Sometimes the tree is made to disappear -altogether at the end of the performance, like the -palace in the Arabian Nights. When this is the -case, the conjuror has extracted the branch from -the seed, and managed to conceal it under the -carpet on which he was sitting. This is gathered -up and removed at the close of the entertainment.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_19"> 19</span></p> - -<p>There are, doubtless, other methods of performing -this mango-tree trick. Kellar describes -a method in which the performer concealed several -shoots of the tree of various sizes within his -sleeves, and produced them in turn, under cover -of the cloth. As, however, Hindu fakirs seldom -wear robes of the kind, I think we may say that -this is a method seldom used. Some conjurors -cover the growing seed with a basket; and when -this is the case there is probably room for concealment -of shoots of the tree within secret compartments -of the covering basket.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_BASKET_TRICK">THE BASKET TRICK.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>I now come to the “basket trick.” For this -trick the juggler brings forward a large, oval -basket, peculiarly constructed, being much larger -at the bottom than at the top. Probably nearly -every one is familiar with the shape of these -baskets. The lid is perhaps 30 inches by 18 inches, -and is oval, while the basket itself spreads out to -about 4 feet 7 inches by 2 feet 6 inches at the -bottom.</p> - -<p>Roughly, the basket may be said to resemble -a huge egg, with an opening in one side. This is -shown to the audience empty, and a man or boy -is brought forward by the conjuror. This boy -wears some conspicuous article of clothing—a -scarlet turban or jacket. He is placed in the -basket, into which he apparently just fits, occupy<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20"> 20</span>ing -the whole of it. The lid is placed upon his -head, and a large blanket is thrown over it, completely -covering him and the basket. He is seen -to sink down gradually until he finally disappears -into the basket altogether, and the lid resumes its -natural position over the opening.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_020" style="max-width: 51.0625em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_020.jpg" alt="Performer in basket" /> -</div> - - -<p>The performer now removes the cloth and -proceeds to run the basket through and through -with a sword he has in his hand. Every part of -the basket is pierced in this manner, and it appears -as though the boy must be killed, even if he -somehow managed to conceal himself within it. -The juggler now replaces the blanket over the -basket, places his hands under it, and removes the -basket lid, throwing it to one side. He then -places his hand into the basket itself and removes -the turban and the jacket, which he throws to one<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21"> 21</span> -side. The body has apparently disappeared! To -make matters more certain, however, the juggler -suddenly jumps right into the basket, stamps -about with his bare feet, and ends by sitting in it -himself.</p> - -<p>As it was formerly seen that the basket was -only large enough to contain the boy, it seems impossible -that he can now be concealed in or about -it. The conjuror then replaces the turban and the -jacket in the basket, replaces the lid, and removes -the blanket. Suddenly he darts forward, carrying -with him the blanket, and snatches in the air with -the latter as if catching a body, and goes back -with much excitement and much jabbering to the -basket, which he covers with the blanket; when -suddenly something is seen to be moving under -the cloth! Immediately the lid of the basket goes -up. In another moment the boy, clad in his jacket -and turban, emerges from the basket, none the -worse for his recent trying experience.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_022" style="max-width: 51.0625em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_022.jpg" alt="Juggler in basket" /> -</div> - -<p>I shall now explain this apparent marvel.</p> - -<p>The instant the boy is covered with the -blanket he proceeds to divest himself of his jacket -and turban, which he deposits in the bottom of the -basket. He now gradually sinks into the basket -until he is completely inside it and the lid is even -with the top of the basket. Now comes the chief -portion of the trick—the method of concealment -of the boy within the basket—for he does not -escape from within it, in the version of the trick -now described, but remains within it throughout<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22"> 22</span> -the performance. It will be remembered that the -lower portion of the basket is much larger than -the top portion. The boy within the basket -manages, then, so to curl his body round the -basket, eel-wise, that he is occupying the entire -outer <i>rim</i> of the basket, so to speak, thus leaving -the centre of the basket (the part of the basket -directly under the opening) empty. When the -juggler runs his sword through the basket he -takes special pains to run it through this unoccupied -space, almost exclusively; and, by the concealed -boy wriggling from place to place within -the basket, the juggler is enabled to run his sword -through almost every portion of it in turn, and -so give the appearance of its complete emptiness. -It will now be seen that the juggler can place his -hand inside the basket and remove the discarded -jacket and turban at any time; also the lid, and -to stamp and sit in the basket, since the space he -occupies is that left <i>un</i>occupied by the boy in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23"> 23</span> -basket. So long as the blanket is over the opening -in the basket, the boy can never be seen. The -magician then replaces the jacket and the turban -in the basket, and replaces the lid—all this before -removing the blanket. As soon as the lid is again -placed upon the basket the boy inside slips on his -jacket and turban, and is ready to emerge from -the basket as soon as the lid is withdrawn. The -snatching in the air with the blanket is to distract -the attention of the sitters away from the basket -while the boy is donning his clothes—since some -slight movement of the basket might be noticed -and the spectators thus suspect that the boy is -already inside.</p> - -<p>Sometimes the boy is seen to be outside the -basket at the conclusion of the performance, and -in some distant tree, etc. How is this to be -explained? (1) There may be <i>two</i> boys, exactly -alike, the first of which remains in the basket, -while the second, dressed like him, hails the onlookers -from the tree-top and comes down among -them. During the instant that everyone’s attention -is directed to the boy in the tree and his -approach, the original boy makes good his escape, -aided by a confederate, who stands close by the -basket, and in whose hands is a large blanket, -partially covering the basket. The boy escapes -behind this confederate’s body. (2) There is also -a method of causing the boy to disappear and -appear in a tree-top, without employing any -duplicate boy or confederate. In this case, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24"> 24</span> -basket is placed within a few feet of some -convenient wall or hiding place, and the trick is -performed on that spot. Matters proceed very -much as before until the time comes for causing -the boy to vanish and re-appear in the tree. When -this time comes the juggler brings forward four -poles, four or five feet in height, and these are -stuck in the ground around the basket, and the -conjuror has two or three assistants stationed -on each side of the basket, assisting him, and -standing a few feet from the basket. In this case -the boy wraps up his turban and jacket in a cloth, -while in the basket, and this the conjuror manages -to get hold of and pass out to one of his assistants -earlier in the trick, while the basket is being constantly -covered and uncovered.</p> - -<p>Presently the conjurors begin to quarrel -among themselves, and at the same time others -begin to play upon tom-toms, etc., making an -awful noise and distracting the attention of the -spectators away from the basket containing the -boy. Meanwhile the conjuror has procured a -large piece of cloth, and has attached one end of -this strip to one of the poles—one of those nearest -the onlookers. He then proceeds to attach it to -each of the other four in turn, thus enclosing the -basket in a roofless tent, the front side—the side -nearest the audience—being enclosed last. At -least, so it appears. What has really happened, -however is this. At the moment when the noise -was created, and the conjuror’s assistants began<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25"> 25</span> -quarreling among themselves, and the spectators’ -attention was accordingly distracted as much as -possible, the conjuror crosses in front of the -basket for a moment, as though to ascertain the -cause of the disturbance, and for an instant conceals -the basket from view. In that instant the -boy leaps from the basket, darts between the legs -of one of the assistant conjurors, and is lost behind -them before the cloth is withdrawn that had -concealed his escape. It has taken only a second -or two, and the interval is so short no one remarks -upon it—especially as they were distracted by -the noise, etc., at that instant. The careful enclosure -of the basket subsequently also tends to -convey the impression that the boy is still within -it. But he has now escaped; he has turned the -corner, and is hidden from the view of the spectators. -He carries with him the cloth containing -his jacket and turban, which he proceeds to don. -Then, climbing a near-by tree, he is ready to cry -out to the spectators whenever he receives the -signal from the conjuror to do so.</p> - -<p>Another method of escape is the following: -The conjuror wears a thick strap under his loin -cloth. The boy, under cover of the enveloping -blanket, reaches up and grasps this strap, and by -its aid he draws himself from the basket, and -round, behind the juggler. He is hidden for the -moment by the conjuror’s body and the blanket, -which the juggler has removed from the basket.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26"> 26</span> -The boy slips away into the crowd, through confederates, -as in the manner last described.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_DRY-SANDS_TRICK">THE DRY-SANDS TRICK.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Perhaps one of the best known tricks performed -by the Hindu fakirs, after the two just -enumerated, is the “dry-sands trick.” In this -case, the juggler brings forward a little pail, some -eight or nine inches high, and perhaps six inches -across the top. This the conjuror proceeds to -fill with water. There is no trick about the pail, -and the water is ordinary water, which may be -supplied from any source. The conjuror then -extracts a handful of dry sand from a bag and -blows it hither and thither, showing it to be exceedingly -dry. A handful of this sand is then -carefully deposited in the bottom of the pail, in -the water, and everyone can see it, resting peacefully -at the bottom of the pail. The conjuror then -carefully washes and wipes his hands, and shows -them perfectly clean and empty. Then, placing -one hand in the water, he extracts from the pail -a handful of the sand, and shows it to be just as -dry as when it was placed in the pail. Blowing -sharply into his hand, the sand flies in every direction, -showing it to be still perfectly dry.</p> - -<p>This is a very ingenious trick, and could -never be discovered unless its secret were explained. -There is no trick about the pail or water, -as stated: it all consists in the preparation of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27"> 27</span> -sand. In order to prepare this sand for the experiment, -the juggler procures some fine, clean, -sharp sand, gathered from the seashore preferably. -This is washed carefully a number of times -in hot water, so as to free it from adhering clay -or soil of any sort. It is then carefully dried in -the sun for several days.</p> - -<p>About two quarts of this sand is then placed -in a clean frying pan, and a lump of fresh lard the -size of a walnut is placed into the pan with it. It -is now thoroughly cooked over a hot fire until all -the lard is burned away—the result being that -every little grain of sand is thoroughly covered -with a slight coating of grease, which is invisible -to the sight and touch, and at the same time this -renders the sand impervious to water. When the -little handful of sand is placed in the bottom of -the bucket, to be shortly afterwards brought out, -it is squeezed tightly together into a little lump, -the grease making it adhere. Thus, when it is -brought out it is nearly or quite as dry as when -placed within the pail. Brick dust is sometimes -treated in a similar manner.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_COLOURED-SANDS_TRICK">THE COLOURED-SANDS TRICK.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This is another trick very popular with -Indian jugglers, known as the “coloured sands -trick.” The conjuror eats a small quantity of -sand or sugar, apparently swallowing it. He then -eats sugar coloured variously—black, red, yellow,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28"> 28</span> -green and blue, as well as the usual white sugar. -These are chewed and swallowed by the conjuror -each in turn. The conjuror then asks his audience -to select whichever colour they prefer of those -swallowed, and, upon the choice being made, the -conjuror immediately blows from his mouth the -coloured sugar requested. This is repeated until -all the colours have been called for in turn. Sometimes -the juggler dissolves all the coloured sugars -in water and drinks the compound. Sometimes, -again, chalks are used instead of sugar; but these -are merely variations of the same trick, and are -worked on the same principle exactly.</p> - -<p>For this trick, the conjuror has secretly -prepared beforehand six small packages or capsules, -each one containing one of the coloured -sands. These are enclosed in thin, parchment-like -skin, and are secreted in the conjuror’s mouth, -three in each cheek, in a pre-arranged order. The -conjuror can easily reach any one of these packets -with his tongue, bring it to the front of the mouth, -break the skin by pressing it against his teeth, and -blow the sand, sugar or chalk out in a perfectly -dry condition. This is repeated until all six -have been exhausted, when the trick is said to be -concluded. If some skeptical investigator wishes -to examine the juggler’s mouth, he merely swallows -the skins. The sugars or chalks were also -swallowed in the first place. Hindu jugglers will -frequently swallow far more disagreeable things -than skins for the sake of a few rupees.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_29"> 29</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_DIVING_DUCK">THE DIVING DUCK.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>There is a very simple, and yet a very puzzling, -little trick known as the “diving duck.” -The juggler places a shallow bowl upon the -ground, which he proceeds to fill with water. -When this is done the conjuror places a miniature -artificial duck in the water, then retires from the -bowl about two feet, and begins to play upon his -tom-tom, etc. Soon the duck is seen to move, and -very soon it dives in a very natural manner. -Whenever the hand of one of the onlookers approaches -the duck it dives out of sight, reappearing -as soon as the hand recedes. Finally, the -duck is taken out of the water, and immediately -handed for examination, when it is found to be -perfectly free from trickery or preparation of -any sort. The bowl is also emptied of its water -and again shown to the onlookers.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_029" style="max-width: 43.1875em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_029.jpg" alt="The trick in progress" /> -</div> - - -<p>The secret in this case is, again, simplicity -itself. In the bottom of the shallow pail or pot<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30"> 30</span> -there is a miniature hole bored, and through this -is passed a thread or hair. To the inner end of -this hair is attached a small dab of wax. The -other end extends along the ground, and the trick -is always performed on soil the colour of which -will make the hair invisible. The duck is fastened -to the inner end of the hair by means of the bit -of wax; and it can readily be seen that, when the -pail is filled with water, the duck will dive beautifully -every time the hair is pulled by the conjuror, -and will rise to the surface when this pressure -is released. This is the complete secret of -the diving duck. In order to conceal the fact that -the pot leaks, the conjuror first sprinkles some -water on the ground; or fills the bowl so full (apparently -by accident) that it overflows. This -conceals the fact that water is gradually running -away through the small hole in the bottom of the -pail.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_JUMPING_EGG">THE JUMPING EGG.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>In another trick sometimes exhibited the -reverse method may be said to be employed—since -the egg or small rabbit employed jumps out -of the water, at the word of command, and lands -on the ground, right outside the pail. No thread -or hair is used in this case, however, as might be -supposed, and onlookers sometimes come right -up to the pail and stand over it while the rabbit -makes his marvellous leap. The juggler may be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31"> 31</span> -any distance from the pail at the time, and even -held by onlookers to prevent any action on his -part.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="i_031" style="max-width: 35.8125em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_031.jpg" alt="Illustration of trick" /> -</div> - - -<p>The conjurer begins by filling the little pail -with water. After he has done this he pours into -the water some coloured sand, and stirs it up with -a stick, when the sand rises to the top of the -water, forming a sort of curtain, and preventing -anyone from seeing what is within the pail. -In the act of stirring the water, pouring in the -sand, etc., the juggler has secretly introduced into -the pail a thin but broad spring, bent over so as -to form an almost complete circle. The two -ends of the spring are kept apart by means of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32"> 32</span> -a piece of sugar, so that, when this sugar melts, -the spring will be released and will spring open -with a sudden jerk. It is upon this spring that -the egg or little rabbit is placed. The juggler -goes through various incantations, playing the -tom-tom, etc., until the sugar melts, when the -spring will fly uncoiled, and the little rabbit will -be ejected from the water precipitously. If the -pail is emptied later on, the juggler simply turns -the pail upside down, thus allowing the water to -escape, and retaining the spring by means of -his finger.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_BEANS_AND_SCORPION_TRICK">THE BEANS AND SCORPION TRICK.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The trick that is sometimes seen of changing -three beans into a scorpion or a snake is simplicity -itself—is so simple, in fact, as to be seldom -exhibited. It is sometimes seen, however. The -juggler has a box, containing two compartments. -In the upper one the beans are kept, while the -lower one contains the scorpion or the little snake. -These compartments are separate, and either can -be opened at will. The conjuror puts the three -beans into the hand of one of the audience and -tells him to hold them. He then asks him to open -his hand again to see if they are still there. The -conjuror takes them out of this person’s hand, -exhibits them to the audience, and puts them back -in the box. He asks the spectator to again hold -his hand out; and, when he has done so, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33"> 33</span> -conjuror deftly opens the lower box and allows -the snake or scorpion to fall into his hand. -Naturally this person jumps back, and, in the -excitement, the conjuror has ample opportunity -to exchange the box used for another, without -preparation.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_BASKET_AND_BIRDS_TRICK">THE BASKET AND BIRDS TRICK.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Another trick sometimes seen is the following. -The conjuror exhibits a basket, some 18 -inches in diameter and 14 inches high. A stone -is placed under the basket, which is then inverted -over it. Soon the basket is lifted, and a snake -or scorpion is found beneath it, while the stone has -disappeared. The snake is thrown into a bag -which the conjuror carries with him, and the -basket replaced on the ground. After some manipulation -the basket is again raised, and this time<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34"> 34</span> -some ten or fifteen little birds walk out from -beneath it. Apparently nothing could be more -extraordinary!</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_033" style="max-width: 53.75em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_033.jpg" alt="The birds revealed" /> -</div> - -<p>And yet the explanation is simplicity itself. -In the act of inverting the basket the first time -the conjuror introduced the snake or scorpion -and removed the stone—very much in the same -way as Western conjurors extract and replace -the cork balls in the cups-and-balls trick. The -little birds are all contained in a black cloth bag; -and are introduced into the basket when everyone’s -attention is called to the snake or scorpion, -left on the ground, after the basket is raised the -first time. The conjuror introduces his hands -beneath the basket and opens the cloth bag; when -the little birds are free to make their escape. -The bag can be disposed of at any convenient -moment.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_BALL_OF_COTTON_TRICK">THE BALL OF COTTON TRICK.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Mr. Charles Bertram, writing in <i>Mahatma</i> -(a conjuror’s magazine) for February, 1900, -said:</p> - -<p>“The most startling trick I ever saw was -done by a man who was performing some of the -little tricks while the mango-tree was growing. -He took a little ball of rough cotton, about the -size of a walnut, and threw the ball to a woman -who formed one of the party of those who were -assisting him. The jerk unravelled about two<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35"> 35</span> -yards, and she broke the end off and kept the ball. -The conjuror placed the end which he held into -his mouth, and by a deep breath the cotton flew -into his mouth and he appeared to chew it. Then -he borrowed a penknife from me, and with a big -blade made as though he would stab himself in the -throat, the woman preventing him with some -show of excitement; but presently, turning her -back, the man seized the opportunity to plunge -the knife into his stomach, and that he did very -well. He then put his hand under the loose linen -shirt he was wearing and began to draw out the -piece of cotton.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp68" id="i_035" style="max-width: 44.6875em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_035.jpg" alt="Lifting the shirt" /> -</div> - -<p>“When he had drawn out nearly as much as -the length of the piece which had been broken<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36"> 36</span> -off, he lifted his shirt slightly and showed the end -of the cotton apparently embedded in the skin. -He then took the knife and moved it upward -against the skin as if he were pressing out the -last bit of thread, which was tinged with red, as -if with blood.</p> - -<p>“This was really an admirably executed little -trick, although by no means difficult. The sucking -in of the cotton is skilful, but with a very -little practice I was able to do the same thing, and -so can anyone else, the only precaution to be taken -being to prevent the end coming into contact with -the back of the throat, for if it did it would bring -on an attack of coughing.</p> - -<p>“Of course the chewing of the cotton is -merely a method of secreting it, and another -piece of cotton of similar length is rolled up previously -and put in its place with the end coloured -with some paint. A little brown material is put -over the skin with a scrap of cotton, perhaps a -quarter of an inch attached to it, so that it really -looks as though it were sticking up out of the skin, -and the upward movement of the knife scrapes -this off, and it can easily be gotten away at a convenient -time. This is hardly a trick for an -English drawing-room.”</p> - -<p>Frequently we see an Indian juggler remove -his turban, double it, cut it into two pieces, and -finally join them together again. I think it will -be a sufficient explanation if I state that this feat -is performed precisely in the same manner as the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37"> 37</span> -familiar string trick—in which a piece of string, -cut in halves is restored to its original condition. -As every schoolboy knows this trick, I shall not -dwell upon it here.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_BRASS_BOWL_TRICK">THE BRASS BOWL TRICK.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Mr. S. S. Baldwin describes a very ingenious -trick he once saw performed.<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> A juggler brought -forward a brass bowl, which he showed empty. -He filled this with cold water, placing a little -piece of ice in the water, to show it was really -cold. He then covered the bowl for a few moments -with a borrowed handkerchief, made passes over -the bowl, played on his tom-tom, etc. Soon he -removed the handkerchief, and the water was -found to be scalding hot, as was verified by placing -the fingers in the water.</p> - -<p>In this case the bowl was of a peculiar construction. -The sides of the bowl were double; -and so also was the foot upon which it stood. -When brought forward the space between the two -sides of the vessel was filled with the boiling -water, while the lower space was empty. While -covering the bowl with the handkerchief the -juggler found occasion to scratch off a wax pellet, -covering an air-hole, this allowing the cold water -to run down into the empty space in the foot of -the bowl. By scratching off a second wax pellet -on the side of the bowl the hot water is made to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38"> 38</span> -run into the body of the bowl until it finds its own -level. It is difficult to explain this on paper, but -the principle upon which it rests is well known -to Western conjurors, and is the basis of several -good illusions performed by them.</p> - -<p>There are several minor tricks that I should -like to consider, but cannot for lack of space. -Thus, M. Jacolliot states that he saw a small stick, -placed upon the top of a vessel of water, move in -all directions, and finally sink to the bottom of -the vessel at the command of the fakir. He suggests -that “the fakir, upon charging the small -piece of wood with fluid, might perhaps have -increased its weight so as to make it heavier than -water.”<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> Personally I should be inclined to think -that the piece of wood was manipulated by means -of a hair, somewhat after the manner of the -“diving duck,” described above. Baldwin saw a -somewhat similar trick in Zululand. In this case -the conjuror threw a branch of wood upon the -surface of the river, which promptly proceeded -to swim upstream! He afterwards discovered -that, in this case, the trick was effected by means -of long black threads, in the hands of hidden -assistants.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="SNAKE-CHARMING">SNAKE-CHARMING.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>I now pass on to consider, very briefly, the -feats of snake-charming that are so frequently exhibited. -I do not doubt that much—perhaps the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39"> 39</span> -majority—of that which is exhibited by snake -charmers is genuine, with one exception; the fangs -of the serpent are invariably extracted.</p> - -<p>Hindus are exceedingly ingenious in extracting -fangs, stings, etc., and I have heard from -many independent sources that snakes are never -exhibited in public unless their fangs are first -extracted. It may interest the reader to learn -that my sister, when a little girl, took a great -liking to bees, and desired to play with them. -My father and mother were in Calcutta at the -time, and bees were plentiful. Accordingly, my -father commissioned one of the servants to extract -the stings from a number of bees, which he did -with great skill, and apparently with no lasting -injury to the bee. My sister then had a whole -room full of bees to play with, while quite free -from danger herself. I mention this to show -how ingenious Hindus are in handling reptiles -and insects of the sort, thus proving that it would -be quite possible for them to extract the fangs -from any serpent. The fangs once extracted, and -the snakes fed upon milk, and perhaps more or -less drugged and charmed by the music, we can -very readily see that it would be no very difficult -feat for the snake charmer to handle them in any -manner desired.</p> - -<p>It is a well-known fact that snakes and many -other animals may be hypnotised and rendered -more or less cataleptic by means of passes and -various manipulations. Sextus, in his <i>Hypnotism</i>,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40"> 40</span> -devotes many pages to this subject. It is probable -that, when a snake is stiffened out to its fullest -extent, and remains stiff, it cannot be distinguished -from a stick at a first casual glance. -Perhaps this may bear some resemblance to the -priests who performed before Pharaoh, “changing -their rods to serpents” before his eyes. At all -events, I quote the following passage, which -seems to bear a distinct resemblance to that incident, -and has the advantage of being “recorded -at first hand,” and is by no means so “remote” -as the other tale! It runs as follows:</p> - -<p>“Sitting one morning on the verandah, an -aged magician approached and asked permission -to perform some of his tricks. As I was in a -humor to be amused, I told him to go ahead. He -asked me to loan him the walking-stick which I -carried. He waved this over his head two or -three times and exclaimed: ‘No good; too big; -can’t do,’ and handed the stick back to me, which, -as I grasped it, changed into a loathsome, wriggling -snake in my hand. Of course, I immediately -dropped it. The magician smiled, picked -up the snake by the middle, whirled it around in -the air, and handed it back to me. As I refused -to take it, he said, ‘All right, no bite,’ and behold -it was my stick.”<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></p> - -<p>I think the similarity of narrative should at -least prove suggestive and interesting.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_41"> 41</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="VOLUNTARY_INTERMENT">VOLUNTARY INTERMENT.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Let us now turn to a consideration of those -feats of “voluntary interment” so often referred -to.</p> - -<p>Take, <i>e.g.</i>, the famous case of the Fakir of -Lahore, who, at the instance of Runjeet Singh, -and under the supervision of Sir Claude Wade, -was interred in a vault for a period of six weeks. -Doubtless the details are familiar to most of my -readers. The fakir’s ears and nostrils were filled -with wax, and he was then placed in a bag, then -deposited in a wooden box which was securely -locked, and the box was deposited in a brick vault -which was carefully plastered up with mortar -and sealed with the Rajah’s seal. A guard of -British soldiers was then detailed to watch the -vault day and night. At the end of the prescribed -time the vault was opened in the presence of Sir -Claude and Runjeet Singh, and the fakir was -restored to consciousness.</p> - -<p>Now, though I shall not say that a feat of -this kind is impossible, far better evidence will -have to be forthcoming than an account such as -the above, in order to gain credence. How was -the bag tied in which the fakir was placed? Who -made the box? What guarantee have we that -there was no outlet from the vault than by means -of the door? In short, there are so many methods -of escape that such a badly recorded account as -the above should carry no weight with us what<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42"> 42</span>ever. -What makes me skeptical of such accounts -is the fact that, in one instance of which I know -the details, it was discovered that a fakir, after -being buried in a grave several feet beneath the -ground, managed to make good his escape by -means of a tunnel especially built, leading into a -hollow tree, through which the fakir escaped -under cover of the darkness. In this case, the -grave was well sealed, and it was certain that the -fakir did not escape in that manner. He was -however, discovered that night in the hut of a -relative of his, quietly sleeping. Investigation -showed that the grave had been dug in a certain -spot, and that there was only a thin wall of earth -between the end of the coffin, which hinged -inwards, and the other tunnel, which communicated -with a previously prepared tunnel, leading -to the hollow tree, and so to air and freedom. -Every interment was made in the same spot, and -Europeans were being constantly taken in by the -same trick. In the face of this piece of evidence -I may be excused for being somewhat skeptical -as to genuine feats of the kind.</p> - -<p>And when we turn for analogy to cases of -induced hypnotic trance, lasting over a number of -days, we find that here, too, there is much fraud—much -more than the public supposes—though I -must not be understood as saying that trances of -this character are not well authenticated. But I -<i>do</i> assert that in the majority of public tests, in -which the “professor” keeps his subject asleep<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43"> 43</span> -for seven days, etc., much fraud enters into the -case. I do not say that it is all fraud from beginning -to end, but there is an element of fraud in -the case, which it might be as well to make plain -in this place. The average method of procedure -would be about as follows:</p> - -<p>A good somnambule is selected who is in good -physical health, and he is prepared by giving him -a good dose of castor oil or rhubarb the day before -the test. But little must be given the subject to -eat or drink for a few hours before he is put to -sleep. He is hypnotized several times daily before -the test and suggestions made that he will not -wake, that he cannot wake until permission is -given him to do so, etc. He is then put to sleep -carefully, and forcible suggestions given—that he -cannot awaken, etc. The subject is then placed in -his coffin, plenty of fresh air being allowed to -get to him, and he is covered with mosquito netting -if the test is in the summer-time, and flies, -mosquitoes, etc., are numerous. The subject is -turned over from side to side frequently, especially -after the second day, and repeated suggestions -are given him to sleep, that he cannot wake, -and so forth. The subject will not be in an -equally deep sleep all the time. Some of the time -he will be actually asleep, of course, but he will -be very near to waking much of the time, after -the first two or three days, and must be kept -asleep by constant suggestion. When the night -comes on and it gets cold and there are fewer<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44"> 44</span> -persons watching, the performer makes this the -excuse for covering the subject with a blanket. -Under this blanket is concealed a rubber bottle -containing water, and a sandwich or two are -dropped in the coffin at the same time. These the -subject invariably eats. I am not asserting this -here for any other purpose than to show that these -so-called “seven-day sleeps” bear no real resemblance -to the cases in which men have been interred -for days and weeks at a time, and throw the other -cases into stronger relief in consequence. In view -of the facts above noted, and of the fraud that is -known to exist in some of these cases, I think we -are entitled to ask for a considerable amount of -first-hand evidence before we need consider seriously -these cases of long-continued interment.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_ROPE_TRICK">THE ROPE TRICK.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>There remains for our consideration only one -other well-known feat performed by Hindu fakirs -or yogis, and that is the famous “rope exploit,” -before referred to. I looked up the evidence for -this performance with great care when writing -my <i>Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism</i>, contrasting -the evidence for hallucination in this and -kindred tests with certain of the <i>seances</i> with -D. D. Home, to ascertain if there were any similarity -between the two. I think that I cannot do -better than to quote the case as therein given. I -accordingly quote from pp. 389-93 of that book.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45"> 45</span> -After referring to Dr. Hodgson’s article in -<i>Proceedings</i>, S.P.R., Vol. IX., pp. 354-66, the -account goes on:</p> - -<p>“But the most interesting part of Dr. Hodgson’s -paper is his consideration of the alleged -feats of levitation and the famous rope-climbing -exploit, both of which are probably too well known -to my readers to need describing here. The nature -of the former of these phenomena is explained by -its title; the second is the famous feat in which a -rope is thrown into the air by the performer, -where it stays—suspended by some unknown -power—and gradually stiffens, allowing a small -boy, the fakir’s assistant, to climb up it, and -finally disappear in the clouds. Soon, the legs -and arms of the boy are seen to fall to the ground, -then the head, and finally the trunk falls to earth, -all before the astonished and horrified gaze of the -onlookers! These pieces gradually join themselves -together, and re-form the boy’s body, whole -as it was at first, and the boy goes on his way -rejoicing!</p> - -<p>“Of the levitation I shall not speak now, -beyond stating that it is recorded in several of the -books mentioned, as previously stated. The value -of the testimony will be variously estimated by -individuals, partly according to their preconceived -ideas of the limits of the possible, and partly -according to their familiarity with the evidence -that has been collected in various works on the -subject. As I have considered this question of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46"> 46</span> -levitation elsewhere I shall dismiss it for the time -being, and turn to the feat that most particularly -interests us in relation to this question of hallucination -and its possibilities.</p> - -<p>“It need hardly be pointed out, I believe, that -if this feat were ever witnessed by Europeans at -all (<i>i.e.</i>, if the whole thing is not a myth), and -certain individuals imagined they actually witnessed -it, the effect was the result of an hallucination, -and not the result of seeing what actually -took place. It need scarcely be said that the -nature of the trick, if trick it is (the suspension of -the rope by some unknown power, the ascent of -the boy into the clouds, the tumbling down to earth -of the separate members, and, finally the joining -together of these into a live form again), would -forbid any such performance taking place in -reality—except on the stage, <i>e.g.</i>, when appropriate -apparatus can be arranged to perform this -feat—an illusion of this sort being mentioned in -<i>Mahatma</i>, Vol. III., No. 5, November, 1899. If -such a performance were even witnessed, therefore, -it must have been the result of some sort of -hallucination, possibly hypnotic, which the onlooker -was experiencing at the time. The question, -therefore, narrows itself down to this: was -the onlooker hallucinated?</p> - -<p>“Several reported instances seemed to show -conclusively that such <i>was</i> the case, it being stated -that (particularly in one case which the writer -quoted from his own experience) the photographic<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47"> 47</span> -plate of a camera revealed that nothing of the sort -had transpired. The person witnessing the performance -had actually seen it, as described, while -the photographic plate, which cannot be hypnotised -and so share in the hallucination supposedly -induced, showed that the performance had not -taken place at all. Such was the story, at least, -which reached a very large portion of the reading -public—so large, indeed, that this is the explanation -that is given of this illusion whenever -it is mentioned, as if it were a fact past all -questioning!</p> - -<p>“Dr. Hodgson, in criticising these articles, -pointed out that the illustrations reproduced to -back up the story (supposedly photographs) were -in reality, <i>woodcuts</i>, and consequently were not -what they purported to be at all, and served to -throw a grave suspicion on the story <i>in toto</i>. -Later, it came to light that this story was concocted -by its author, and had no basis in fact -whatever.<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> Dr. Hodgson actually doubted if the -phenomenon had ever been witnessed at all, or -even if any person <i>thought</i> he had witnessed it, -rather inclining to the belief that these stories -were invariably made up ‘out of whole cloth,’ and -had no real basis in fact, even that the sitters were -hallucinated, as it is stated they were. Several -cases have lately come to light, however, particularly -a recent and well recorded one,<a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> which would<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48"> 48</span> -seem to show that the stories have at least some -basis in truth. I shall accordingly consider the -cases as if they actually existed, merely pointing -out that such performances are extremely rare, -even if they exist at all. Dr. Hodgson never witnessed -the illusion, nor could he find anyone who -had a first-hand account to offer him. ‘Even -Colonel Olcott,’ says Dr. Hodgson, ‘a faithful -servant of Mme. Blavatsky ... told me, -after several years’ residence in India, he had -never witnessed the rope-climbing performance.’<a id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> -At the same time Dr. Hodgson was willing to -admit that the story might have originated -because of some hypnotically induced hallucination, -akin to those induced by our Western hypnotists. -The evidence, as it stands, is certainly -inconclusive, in any case, and though there is a -certain analogy between these performances and -those of D. D. Home, <i>e.g.</i>, the inaccuracy in -recording, the doubt surrounding these phenomena -can be said to offer no direct support to -the theory of hallucination in Home’s case, which -must stand or fall on its own merits. It can derive -no real support from the performances of Oriental -conjurors.</p> - -<p>“On the subject of Oriental magic generally -I cannot do better than to conclude this summary<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49"> 49</span> -in the words of Dr. Hodgson, to be found in the -article so frequently referred to already. In -summing up the evidence for the supernormal in -these performances, he says:</p> - -<p>“‘I conclude, therefore, that, in spite of the -strong assertions of a distinguished conjuror, we -have before us no real evidence to the manifestation -by Indian jugglers or fakirs of any marvels -beyond the power of trickery to produce.... -The conjuror’s mere assertion that certain marvels -are not explicable by trickery is worth <i>just as -much</i> as the savant’s mere assertion that they -<i>must be</i> so explicable—just as much, and no -more.’”</p> - -<p>From all that has been said, I think we shall -be justified in concluding that the vast majority -of feats performed by the Hindu fakirs present no -evidence whatever of the supernormal, but are, -on the contrary, clearly due and traceable to -trickery. It is highly probable that every one of -their well-known tricks are such only, and involve -no occult powers, nor do they warrant our belief -in the operation of any forces “other than those -known to physical science.”</p> - -<p>Are we to conclude, therefore, that nothing -is to be gained by a study of the East and its -phenomena? I think we should scarcely be -justified in doing that, since there seem to be -many phenomena witnessed there that are well -worthy of serious consideration. The snake -charming is one of these; the cases of prolonged<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50"> 50</span> -trance probably present many interesting phenomena, -from any point of view; the rope exploit -has at least its psychological interest; and there -are many cases of levitation reported, which are -worthy of serious consideration. “Baron Seeman,” -a conjuror, describes in his book, <i>Around -the World with a Magician and a Juggler</i> (pp. -54-6), a case of levitation; and various other -conjurors have described the same thing. M. -Jacolliot, in his <i>Occult Science in India</i>, before -referred to, has recorded a number of most interesting -experiences with a Hindu fakir. He -obtained raps, telekinetic phenomena, independent -writing, levitations, materialisations, playing -upon an accordion, etc. Strange to say it was -through the instrumentality of the very <i>same</i> -fakir that Seeman obtained his experiences in -levitation (Covindasamy).</p> - -<p>And it will be noticed further that <i>all these -phenomena</i>—so different from the usual tricks of -the Hindu fakir—<i>bear a close resemblance to -the mediumistic phenomena witnessed in our -countries</i>.</p> - -<p>That is a most striking fact, and at once -places them on a different level from most of -the tricks exhibited by Hindu fakirs, which are -certainly tricks and nothing more. There <i>may</i> -be genuine mediums among the Hindus; but the -phenomena witnessed in such cases are of a very -different type from those usually observed. This -fact at once tends to discredit the ordinary tricks<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51"> 51</span> -exhibited, and strengthens the evidence for the -phenomena that so closely resemble the occurrences -witnessed in the presence of occidental -mediums. It shows us, at all events, that some, -and perhaps much, good may come from a close -study of these wonder workers; and that, in -investigating them, “we must not,” as Mr. -Frank Podmore expressed it, “for the second time -throw away the baby with the water from -the bath.”</p> - - -<h2> FOOTNOTES</h2> - -<div class="footnotes"> -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[1]</a> <i>Secrets of Mahatma Land Explained.</i> pp. 45-46.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[2]</a> <i>Occult Science in India.</i> p. 236.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">[3]</a> <i>Secrets of Mahatma Land Explained.</i> p. 49.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="label">[4]</a> <i>Journal</i> S. P. R., Vol. v., pp. 84-86; 195.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="label">[5]</a> <i>Journal</i> S. P. R., Vol. xii., pp. 30-31.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="label">[6]</a> <i>Proceedings</i> S. P. R., Vol. ix., p. 362. I do not at all agree -with Mr. J. N. Maskelyne’s “Explanation” of this feat, however -(see his pamphlet “The Fraud of Theosophy Exposed, -and the Miraculous Rope Trick of the Indian Jugglers Explained” -pp. 23-24).</p> - -</div></div> - - - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HINDU MAGIC ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. -</div> - -<div style='margin:0.83em 0; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center'>START: FULL LICENSE<br /> -<span style='font-size:smaller'>THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE<br /> -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</span> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person -or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the -Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when -you share it without charge with others. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work -on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the -phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: -</div> - -<blockquote> - <div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most - other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions - whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms - of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online - at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you - are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws - of the country where you are located before using this eBook. - </div> -</blockquote> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg™ License. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format -other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain -Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -provided that: -</div> - -<div style='margin-left:0.7em;'> - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation.” - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ - works. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. - </div> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right -of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/donate/">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. -</div> - -</div> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/65121-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/65121-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 66a2511..0000000 --- a/old/65121-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65121-h/images/i_006.jpg b/old/65121-h/images/i_006.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e330e28..0000000 --- a/old/65121-h/images/i_006.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65121-h/images/i_008.jpg b/old/65121-h/images/i_008.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f873357..0000000 --- a/old/65121-h/images/i_008.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65121-h/images/i_020.jpg b/old/65121-h/images/i_020.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 598e6fb..0000000 --- a/old/65121-h/images/i_020.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65121-h/images/i_022.jpg b/old/65121-h/images/i_022.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index be60947..0000000 --- a/old/65121-h/images/i_022.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65121-h/images/i_029.jpg b/old/65121-h/images/i_029.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 08f8e47..0000000 --- a/old/65121-h/images/i_029.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65121-h/images/i_031.jpg b/old/65121-h/images/i_031.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index de11367..0000000 --- a/old/65121-h/images/i_031.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65121-h/images/i_033.jpg b/old/65121-h/images/i_033.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5c1dd2d..0000000 --- a/old/65121-h/images/i_033.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/65121-h/images/i_035.jpg b/old/65121-h/images/i_035.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 89f3f4a..0000000 --- a/old/65121-h/images/i_035.jpg +++ /dev/null |
