MISCELLANEOUS.
ON APPARATUS, AND ITS USES AND ABUSES--HOUDIN'S
DIE--ADDITIONAL EFFECT--NEW METHOD--THE GOLD-FISH TRICK:
PISCICULTURE EXTRAORDINARY--THE BOWLS AND COVERS--THE
CLOTH--WHERE TO CARRY THE BOWLS--HOW TO PRODUCE
THEM--BAD AND GOOD INNOVATIONS--HOW TO CAUSE THE BOWLS
TO DISAPPEAR--MISHAPS--GOLD FISH AND INK--THE GLOBE--THE
LINING--THE LADLE--HOW TO FILL IT--THE CARD--THE TRICK
IN A SMALL WAY--TRAVELS OF A GLASS OF WATER--GOLD!
GOLD! EVERYWHERE--THE HEN FOR EVERY HOUSEHOLD--THE
BEST BREEDS: NO. 1, NO. 2, AND NO. 3--HOW TO HATCH
YOUR EGGS WITH DESPATCH--DECAPITATION NOT FATAL TO
FOWLS--"KLING, KLANG"--HOW TO STAND FIRE--THE INTERCEPTED
BULLET--THE WANDERING GINGER-BEER BOTTLE--THE PLUME AND
THE SEED--COOKING MADE EASY: HAT VERSUS SAUCEPAN--A
LITTLE ACCIDENT, AND HOW TO RECTIFY IT--THE FLAGS OF
OLD ENGLAND--A NUT FOR BLACKSMITHS TO CRACK--THE DRAWER
BOX--HOW TO MAKE IT--WHEN TO USE IT, AND WHEN NOT--THE
CONE--BACCHUS' DOVECOTE--HOW TO PREPARE THE BOTTLE--HOW
TO MESMERISE AND CAUSE A DOVE TO DISAPPEAR--THE
WINE-DRINKING CRYSTAL BALL--BACCHUS' MAYPOLE--ON PROGRAMMES
AND TITLES--HOW TO MAKE THE BOTTLE--THE ACCOMMODATING
BOTTLE--HOW TO "WORK" IT SUCCESSFULLY--ANOTHER METHOD--THE
MESMERIC SUSPENSION WAND: TWO METHODS--THE MAGI'S BRAZEN
ROD--THE BALLS--HOW TO CHANGE THE RINGS--THE SHOWER OF
PLUMES--THE FAIRY FLOWER--THE VASE.
However great the respect which one may have for sleight of hand pure
and simple, it is quite undeniable that a set performance is greatly
improved by the occasional introduction of some neat-looking, but
not gaudy, apparatus. Under this head need by no means be included
self-acting machinery, during the performance of which the performer
acts as a mere puppet. All the apparatus mentioned in this work will
require adroit handling; and the conjuror will do well to practise
as thoroughly with each article as he would towards the acquisition
of a feat of sleight of hand. Apparatus seems to have a malicious
pleasure in going wrong, always on the most critical occasions, and,
for this reason, the majority of skilful performers feel most happy
when using very little of it. One thing may be taken for granted,
viz., that apparatus, exhibited without the assistance of sleight
of hand, and plenty of it, causes the performer to degenerate into
a mere showman--opening a box here, and taking off a lid there. In
introducing apparatus, the performer must lay a very great deal of
stress upon the sleight of hand portion of the business, as though
therein lay the whole of the trick, the apparatus being a mere
necessary evil in connection with it. By engaging the attention of the
company with sleight of hand, it is drawn away from the apparatus, the
spectators being so convinced of the performer's skill that they do
not so readily accuse him of trusting to gaudy boxes and canisters for
his effects.
Some of the apparatus described can be made at home, but, as a
general rule, it is cheaper and more satisfactory to buy it at a
conjuring repository. Low prices are the order of the day; and, as the
articles are made by experienced men, they must be superior to those
manufactured by persons new to the business.
_Houdin's Die Trick._--Although this trick, sold everywhere for a
shilling, must be as well known as any, I have found it appreciated
by certain audiences, which have, by the way, invariably been
drawing-room ones. Before a boys' school, or large public audience, it
would not be advisable to exhibit it. The trick consists in placing
a die upon the uppermost of two hats, covering it with a cover, and
causing it to pass through into the lower hat. The secret lies in a
hollow false die, which has five sides only, and which fits over the
real die like a cover. The actual cover used in the trick fits over
the dummy die. The method of performance is extremely easy. Place the
dummy die in the breast pocket, in a handy position, and give the
real one to be examined with the cover. Whilst this is being done,
borrow two hats, and take them to the centre table, slipping the
false die from the pocket into one of them when your back is turned.
Place the hat containing the dummy on the table, crown downwards, and
invert the other one over it. Now take the die and place it upon the
uppermost hat, and explain to the audience as follows: "Ladies and
gentlemen,--You have all kindly examined the die and cover, and found
that both are genuine and free from trickery. I now take this solid
die and place it upon this hat; but before doing so I will show you
that the hat has no hole through the crown. [Take up hat, and hold it
before the light, and bang it about a little, then replace and put
die upon it.] The trick I shall perform will be to cover the die with
this cover, and, on again removing it, it will be found that the die
will have passed through the hat into the one underneath, thus [tilt
the top hat so as to cause the die to fall into the lower hat]. Now
that I have explained what is to be done, I will proceed to do it."
Take the dummy die out of the hat (being careful to keep the open
part from the audience, and leaving the real die behind), and place
it, with the opening downwards, upon the upper hat, which you have
replaced. You can pretend to cut through the hat, all round the die,
with a penknife, making a noise with the nail to imitate the sound of
cutting, and then, placing the cover over the die, give it a rap with
the wand. Grasp the cover very tightly near the bottom, and raise it,
bringing away the dummy die as well. Hold it up to the spectators, and
rattle the wand inside, and then turn out the real die from the hat
on to the floor. Whilst doing this with one hand, the other should be
passed behind the table, and the dummy allowed to slide out of the
cover on to the shelf. This latter effect is invariably omitted by
conjurors, and the trick, in my opinion, spoilt, as attention to it
enables the performer to hand round the cover for inspection after
the trick is performed, thereby totally upsetting those who, having
purchased the trick, fancy they know all about it. I have frequently
been asked by such people how I do the trick, they little thinking
that the apparatus I use is exactly similar to their own. The die,
cover, and dummy can be purchased so cheaply that it is scarcely
worth while for the conjuror to manufacture his own. If he wishes to
exercise his ingenuity, let him try the following method, which is an
improvement on Houdin's old one only inasmuch as it is not so well
known.
Procure a die some four inches square, with dummy and cover complete.
A smaller size can be used, but I give the most effective for the
trick. Now take five pieces of cardboard, each the size of one side
of the die, and join them together with hinges of linen, not all in
a row, but with one in the centre and the four others on either side
of it. Lay these upon the centre of a large coloured handkerchief,
and place another handkerchief, of a precisely similar pattern, over
it. Sew the two handkerchiefs and cardboard together through the
centre piece of card only, and then sew the edges of the handkerchiefs
together all round. The two handkerchiefs are made to pass as a
single one only. Before commencing, the dummy must be placed, opening
downwards, upon the shelf, and the handkerchief should be lying
carelessly upon a chair or side table. Show the die and cover round,
and borrow two hats. Take the cover and hats to the table, and whilst
one hand is placing one hat over the other, as in the first method,
the other should place the cover over the dummy die on the shelf,
which must thus be picked up. Show the inside of cover (_i.e._, the
inside of the dummy), and place it upon the uppermost hat. Now take
the die and place it upon the table, a few inches only from the
back. Spread the handkerchief over it, and whilst taking hold of the
centre piece of card of the internal arrangement across the middle,
with one hand, from the outside, pass the other hand underneath the
handkerchief, and, under cover of the same, place the die upon the
shelf. The hand holding the handkerchief will all the time appear to
be holding the die in the air a few inches from off the table. Fold
the handkerchief carefully up, and the five pieces of card will give
an exact resemblance of a die folded up in a handkerchief, which idea
is what you wish to convey to the minds of the audience. Place this
carefully upon a side table, and then explain that you are about to
pass the die from the handkerchief invisibly under the cover. Raise
the cover--and, along with it, the dummy die--once more rattle the
wand inside, and replace it. Then take the handkerchief carefully by
two corners and suddenly give it a hard shake in the air. The die
that is supposed to be inside will not, according to the expectations
of the spectators, roll upon the floor, but you will show it to be
on the top of the hat by raising the cover only, and revealing the
dummy. Remove the dummy from the hat to the table with two hands,
as if it were solid, and act as if you were about to return the two
hats. You, however, take one of them, opening downwards, and, bringing
the brim on a level with the top of the table, but overhanging the
shelf considerably, pop the die inside it with the other hand, which
instantly takes up the second hat, and you advance with both. Before
you have progressed very far, however, you say that, perhaps, after
all, the audience would prefer seeing the die back again; and it is
very evident that so large an object must be somewhere. Of course,
no one will object, and you replace the hats one over the other, the
one containing the die being naturally the lower one. The trick then
proceeds as before described, the dummy die being carefully lifted
with two hands upon the uppermost hat, and the cutting operation gone
through. The difficult portion of the trick is getting the die from
the shelf into the hat. This should be well practised.
_The Gold-fish Trick._--Of the first three questions asked a conjuror
by a new acquaintance, one will infallibly be, "Can you do the
gold-fish trick?" When it was first exhibited, it caused intense
excitement, and, the secret being fairly well kept, the trick is but
little known even now. The performer advances with a shawl or large
handkerchief, and, after waving it about, he produces from it a
large glass bowl full of water, in which gold-fish are complacently
swimming. I have heard the wildest suggestions made in explanation of
the trick. One says the bowls of water come up a trap door, regardless
of the fact that the cloth does not reach the ground, consequently
anything coming up through the floor must infallibly be seen at once.
Another explains that the performer has the bowls empty about him,
and has an indiarubber reservoir of water up his back, with a pipe
coming down the sleeve. Where the fish come from is not explained.
No one seems to be able to think of the real secret--an indiarubber
cover. The bowls are flat, not more than two inches deep in the
centre, resembling gigantic saucers made of glass. The indiarubber
covers are made exactly the size of the rim of the bowls, and have a
broad turn-under edge besides. The bowls are filled with water, the
fish put in, and the covers are then stretched over. To put them on
neatly and with dispatch two persons are required, as some force is
necessary to pull the indiarubber out sufficiently far to enable it
to go on the bowl. Deep, round-bellied bowls should be avoided, as
the covers cannot get a good grip upon them. As, with ordinary care,
there is no possible chance of a leakage taking place, the bowls can
be placed anywhere the performer pleases, and in any position. The
favourite places about the person are inside the vest, which will
distend sufficiently if prepared with elastic behind, and inside the
large breast pockets of the coat. Some conjurors, however, prefer
placing the bowls simply under the armpits, inside the coat, and it
is surprising how remarkably safe they are in such a position. They
are certainly less liable to cause any extraordinary distension of
the performer's person, and are far more easily got at. But this is a
matter entirely for the consideration of the performer. Some go so far
as to put a bowl up the back, which to me seems making the trick as
difficult as possible. Wherever the bowls are put, they must be pushed
well back, so that all the distension takes place behind, and the
performer must necessarily always face the audience during the trick.
A bowl is also sometimes placed upon the shelf of the table; but a far
better place than this is the back of a chair, made opaque on purpose,
where the bowl is held by means of two large wire hooks. As three
bowls are generally sufficient for most audiences, one can always
manage to carry a sufficient number about one's person. I usually have
one in the vest and one in each breast pocket.
To produce the bowls, the performer takes a cloth by two corners,
and, after waving it about a short time for effect, he throws it over
one shoulder, allowing it to hang well down in front of him. If the
bowl is to be taken from the left side, then the cloth must cover
that side most, and the left arm must be held out so as to allow the
right arm room to work. With the right hand, take the bowl from its
hiding place, and hold it horizontally under the cloth, which then
draw off the shoulder by means of the other hand, and let it hang over
the bowl. Now, with the disengaged hand, grasp the indiarubber cover
firmly on the edge of the bowl, through the cloth, and remove it from
the bowl with a backward motion. This wants some little doing, as,
although it greatly heightens the effect to spill a _little_ water, it
looks clumsy to three parts empty the bowl. Lay the cloth carelessly
aside and take up a fresh one for each bowl. Some conjurors, Dr. Lynn
amongst them, use only one cloth, which is provided with pockets, into
which the covers are stowed away; but this is a totally unnecessary
innovation, and often obliges the performer to fumble about before
he can get the covers into the pockets. The idea that the audience
think more of the trick if the bowls are all produced from one cloth
is erroneous, for in most instances the fact is not noticed; and
when the performer uses a fresh cloth for each bowl the spectators,
when they give the subject any thought at all, attribute it to the
cloths becoming wet and so disagreeable to use a second time. By using
several cloths, greater freedom of action is obtained.
An innovation by Herrmann was calculated to make the trick even more
wonderful than it is in its ordinary form. Herrmann, after producing
no fewer than four bowls, used to go right amongst the audience, and
there, from a borrowed handkerchief, produce a fifth. This bowl was
carried either in the vest or in a breast pocket, and its production
was the more extraordinary by reason of the handkerchief being held
across the performer's breast by one of the spectators. It may be
safely asserted that no such feat of daring has ever been performed by
any other conjuror. Few men possessed such indomitable pluck and nerve
as Herrmann, who, during a performance, was to be deterred by nothing.
He took the precaution of using a very shallow bowl with sharp sides
and a very thin cover. The instant the cover was off, the handkerchief
containing it was rolled up in the hand and carried off along with
the bowl as if by accident, to be immediately returned to its owner,
_minus the cover_.
The most recent addition to the trick is causing the bowls to
disappear after production. The simple method for doing this is
to have a double handkerchief, as described in the die trick,
with a circular piece of cardboard, the size of the bowl to be
made to vanish, inside. The bowl is placed upon the table, and the
handkerchief spread over it. As one hand raises the card the other
hand places the bowl upon the shelf. The handkerchief is then brought
forward with great care, and then shaken out in the midst of the
audience. A piece of wet sponge is kept on the shelf, and this is
squeezed when the performer goes forward with the supposed bowl. A far
better method than this is to use a bowl the top of which is entirely
of glass and made in one piece with the bowl, the water and fish being
put in through a hole underneath, which is stopped with a cork or
plug. It must not be quite filled with water, and when produced the
surface must be held a little from the audience, so that the glass top
cannot be noticed. When the bowl is to be vanished, all the performer
has to do is to cover it with the cloth, and thence quietly put it
back into his pocket or vest. It must, of course, be done quickly.
Some ludicrous mishaps have occurred with carelessly covered bowls.
One celebrated conjuror produced two bowls with the contents of a
third distributed impartially about his person, saturating his clothes
and filling his boots. Another performer, a very skilful amateur,
accidentally threw the whole of the water from a bowl into a lady's
lap, much to the discomfiture of both parties. Had due care been
taken, these accidents could never have taken place.
The bowls and covers can only be obtained at conjuring repositories.
_Gold-fish and Ink Trick._--This is another instance of astonishing
and inexplicable effect produced by most simple means. A large globe
(not a bowl, such as is used in the foregoing trick), full of ink, is
produced. The performer ladles out some of the ink and sends it round
on a saucer for examination. He also dips a white card into the globe,
and brings it out dripping with ink. After this, he merely spreads a
handkerchief over the globe, and instantly removes it, when the ink
is found to have disappeared and its place supplied by pure water and
gold-fish.
The preparation for this trick is as follows: Procure a piece of
black silk, in width about four-fifths of the height of the globe,
and sufficiently long to go once round it on the inside. Sew the two
ends together, so that a broad band is formed. To any part of the top
edge fasten a piece of thin wire, which blacken. With this silk line
the inside of the globe, and then pour in water exactly to the height
of the top of it. The wire must be turned over the edge of the globe
a little, so as to be easily found. When the globe thus prepared is
brought on, it is impossible to tell it from one full of ink. The
ladle, which will be best procured at a conjuring repository, is not
an ordinary one, but has a hollow handle communicating with the bowl
by means of a tiny hole. This hole is made where the stem joins the
bowl, and at the upper end of the handle is another small hole. The
hollow handle is filled with ink, and a finger or thumb placed over
the uppermost hole, thus preventing the fluid from running out. When
the performer puts the ladle into the globe, as if dipping some ink
out, the thumb or finger should be removed from the upper hole, and
the ink will then flow from the handle into the bowl of the ladle.
The methods for filling the handle with ink are various. One way is
to fill the bowl of the ladle with ink, and then apply suction to the
hole at the other end. This is a very simple method, but, unless the
person who applies the suction has a decided taste for ink, it is not
a pleasant one to adopt. Another method is to exhaust the air from the
handle by means of suction, and then put the ladle in ink; but this
is even worse than the other. The way I get over the difficulty is
by making the upper hole, which is never seen, large enough to admit
the nozzle of a very small syringe, by means of which article the ink
can be injected into the handle with cleanliness and dispatch. In
purchasing a ladle, care should be taken to procure as plain a one as
possible. A fancy ladle excites suspicion. If the conjuror does not
mind a little expense, he will possess a most perfect article if he
purchase a cheap plated sauce ladle, and then have the handle and stem
fitted with a hollow back. This will be entirely free from suspicion.
The card which is dipped in the supposed ink is simply a piece of
card, about an inch and a half wide and a few inches long, with about
half of one side of it blackened with ink or paint. The white side is
shown to the audience, and it is then turned over with the peculiar
twist illustrated in "Drawing-room Magic," Figs. 19 and 20. It is
then actually dipped into the water and brought out with the blackened
side towards the audience. The water dripping from it will appear to
the audience to be ink, and the deceptive twist can be again given to
show that both sides are blackened.
In apparently taking out ink with the ladle, and dipping the card
in, care must be taken that the manner of the performer does not
too forcibly impress upon the minds of the audience that he is over
anxious they should believe there is actually ink in the globe. The
ladling out and dipping the card in must be done tolerably briskly;
for, if the audience have time, some of the members may suggest, what
is only reasonable, that the performer should show the bowl round
bodily. The trick is finished by a large, dark-coloured cloth or
handkerchief being thrown over the globe, and instantly removed, the
performer taking care to grasp the wire, which will, of course, be
on his side of the globe, through the cloth, and so cause the silk
lining to come away inside the cloth or handkerchief. I do not believe
in introducing rock work into the globe, as it gives the audience
the idea of something fixed, and they thus obtain a groundwork to
start upon. Water and fish are enough to manufacture from ink, in all
conscience. The trick is also very effective when performed in a small
way with a tumbler.
_The Ubiquitous Glass of Water: First Method._--Procure two small
tumblers, exactly similar in size, shape, and appearance. Fill one
with water, cover it with a tight-fitting indiarubber cover, and
place it in the breast pocket or inside the vest. These little
covers are easily procurable, as they are universally sold as covers
for jam-pots. They cost about sixpence each. Have a small double
handkerchief or cloth, containing a circular piece of card, the size
of the mouth of the tumbler, with a few stitches through it to keep it
in the centre. Show the empty tumbler, and then fill it with water.
Cover it with the handkerchief, and affect to take it up, but place
it on the shelf. Advance very carefully with the supposed glass of
water, and either stumble on the floor and drop everything, or else
pretend to place the glass in someone's hands. If you stumble you
must take care to avoid injuring the concealed tumbler. The glass and
water vanished, it is now your business to find them again. For this
purpose, you call in the aid of a spectator (a youth preferred), whom
you request to stoop. Over his back spread the cloth or handkerchief,
and, grasping that portion containing the card, raise it gently.
Hold it a short time in the air, and then say that you will throw it
into someone's pocket, indicating the particular person. Shake out
the handkerchief or cloth again and then desire the person indicated
to examine his or her pocket. Of course nothing will be found, but
you borrow the handkerchief, which will have been taken from the
searcher's pocket during the examination, and, waving it about, get
the tumbler into it from the pocket, according to the directions
given for producing the bowls of water and fish. Remove the cover
and produce the glass and water, saying that you knew you had passed
them into the indicated pocket. The cover being small, it can be
easily removed and the handkerchief returned. It improves the effect
a great deal if a small piece of wet sponge can be introduced beneath
the cloth whilst the glass, presumably found in the youth's back, is
being held, and then squeezed in imitation of the spilling of water
from the glass. The sponge can be carried at the mouth of one of the
large breast pockets, and, if carefully disposed, need not make the
performer uncomfortable by wetting him. I have even seen the sponge
attached to the under side of the prepared cloth or handkerchief,
which is an excellent plan if the performer is careful not to expose
that side, as the sponge is always at hand, and there is no necessity
to introduce the hand under the covering, compression from the outside
being equally effective in exuding the water.
Some performers think it necessary to go through certain actions for
the purpose of convincing the company that the handkerchief does not
contain a card or other shape. I must confess that I regard such
actions as being decidedly supererogatory, for there is not the least
foundation for assuming that the audience suspect the existence of
any such thing; and for the performer to do anything indicative of an
anticipation on his part that the company are likely to divine what
is the true secret of the trick is highly suicidal. However, all are
not of my opinion, so, if any beginner thinks he would like to be able
to draw the handkerchief through the fingers previous to using, he
can easily do so. All he will have to do will be to run a couple of
stitches from two adjacent corners to the centre of the handkerchief,
and inclose his card in the triangular space thus formed. As it is now
loose, when the handkerchief is held by one of the opposite corners,
the card falls to the extreme border, and the bulk of the handkerchief
may be drawn through the hands. When the handkerchief is held by that
side which forms the base of the triangle, the card falls at once into
position in the centre. A copper or brass wire ring, being heavier
than card, is perhaps more serviceable, as it more readily falls into
position.
_Second Method._--For this a special tumbler will be required. It is
a large one, with perfectly straight sides, and is furnished with an
outside cylindrical shell, also of glass, which is not discernible
from the glass itself when in position. This outside shell must be
sufficiently large to slip over the hand of the performer, so it will
be seen that it is of considerable dimensions. This fact is always of
value from the point of view of effectiveness: the larger the article
the performer can manage to successfully manipulate, the better. The
performer advances with the glass and shell together, and fills the
former to the brim with water. He then places the whole on the rear
edge of the table, and covers with the cloth. Grasping the shell,
from the outside, with one hand, and placing the other hand below,
the glass is slid gradually off the table, when it will drop through
the shell into the hand of the performer, which places it upon the
shelf. The more rapidity there is employed, the better. The performer
comes forward with the shell inside the cloth, and allows the audience
to feel its shape, and also taps it with the wand, to make the glass
ring. He cannot allow the shell to be actually seen, as the absence of
any water would be at once noticed; but the satisfying of the senses
of touch and hearing will be sufficiently convincing. Retiring to
about the centre of the stage, the performer thrusts one of his hands
through the shell, from the bottom, and, whilst supporting the card
shape with the fingers, allows the shell to glide down the arm, inside
the coat sleeve. The handkerchief is then shaken out, and shown to be
empty. In this case, the glass is not reproduced, the trick depending
for effect upon the apparent bringing of a very large glass, full of
water, amongst the audience, and causing it to vanish before their
eyes. In the first method, there is no tapping of the sides of the
glass when in the handkerchief, or any feeling of its shape, which
is, of course, a very great feature of this method. The cuff must be
gripped by the third and little fingers, when the arm may be dropped
without any fear of the glass shell falling to the ground.
_Third Method._--This method is, in every way, vastly superior to
either of the preceding, and, in clever hands, becomes perfectly
marvellous to the uninitiated. Only one tumbler is employed. This
should be of a substantial character, and requires to be fitted with
a flat glass top, exactly the size of the top of the tumbler. To the
under side of this should be cemented a slightly smaller circular
piece, the size of the interior circumference of the mouth of the
tumbler. The glass top cannot now possibly shift from its position.
This top the performer has concealed under his vest or in his breast
pocket, so that it is readily at hand. Without so much as approaching
a table or chair he has the tumbler filled, and, as he covers it with
the cloth, he gets out his top and places it into position. With the
supposed object of, say, placing the tumbler upon a chair, so that
some plea be instituted for bending the body, the tumbler is removed
from the cloth and put into the pocket at the bottom of the coat tail.
The performer now goes through any performance he pleases with his
shape and sponge, and, at the proper moment, produces the tumbler
again. In doing this, however, he must get both hands under the cloth,
so that he may secrete the top in one of them. It would not do to lift
this off from the outside of the cloth, as its extra presence would be
noticed. Its size enables it to be readily nipped between the joints
of the fingers and root of the thumb.
As the performer does not approach the table, it is impossible for the
audience to imagine what has become of the glass, filled, as it is,
with water. There is no doubt that this method calls for more skill in
execution than does the first, but the effect is immeasurably superior.
_To Invert a Glass of Water._--This is an effect which may either
be accomplished separately, or may follow the third method of the
preceding trick. The performer places the tumbler upon the table,
fills it with water, and, in the act of shifting its position, places
the lid, unperceived, upon it. He is provided with a half-sheet of
note-paper, which he places upon the tumbler, and then, covering the
whole with one hand, inverts the glass upon it. He then addresses
the company, remarking that they are, no doubt, familiar with the
schoolboy trick of holding an inverted tumbler of water, with merely
a sheet of paper to keep the contents from falling to the ground. To
illustrate this, the performer holds the tumbler by the base in the
disengaged hand, and removes the one below. In the ordinary way the
paper would fall to the ground; but the performer has taken care to
allow it to become slightly wetted, so that it adheres to the glass
top. The performer now proceeds: "This any schoolboy can do; but I
dare say you do not think it possible for me to remove this paper and
yet retain the water in the tumbler. However, I will show you that
such a feat is possible." Taking the paper by an edge, the performer
gradually removes it, all the time affecting to hold the tumbler with
the greatest steadiness, and keeping his eyes rigidly fixed upon it,
as though momentarily anticipating some catastrophe, to avert which
a concentration of all his energies is necessary. If he pleases, the
performer may swing the tumbler into an upright position and back
again, repeating the action three or four times. The paper may be
eventually replaced, and the top removed inside it, or that article
may be got rid of without the aid of the paper at all.
A slight objection exists in connection with the use of the glass top,
from the fact that it is liable to "talk," _i.e._, make a noise, as
it is being placed in position. This does not signify on the stage,
but, when performing before small audiences, it may be as well to
use a piece of mica. As this has no sunken edge, it is not quite as
secure as the glass top; but, with ordinary care, no mishap need be
apprehended. In removing the paper from beneath, it will be necessary
to adopt great caution in avoiding all approach to a sideways sliding
movement, which would probably have the effect of shifting the mica,
when a deluge would immediately follow. The paper must be boldly
peeled off away from the mica. Mica may be purchased in sheets,
and the conjuror should cut several sizes, both, for tumblers and
wineglasses, and carry them in his pocket-book.
When at a house, if even only for the evening, where he is likely to
be called upon, he can soon obtain an opportunity for fitting the
various glasses in use, by carrying a mica in the palm. Performed
with a wineglass, the trick makes a very valuable addition to the few
applicable to the table. In turning the glass back to the upright
position, always place the hand beneath first, as, in removing it, it
is then an easy matter to take away the mica.
_The Shower of Gold._--The conjuror can perform this trick with the
same tumblers and prepared cloth. One tumbler must be filled with
imitation sovereigns (which are sold cheaply as whist counters) and
placed upon the shelf. The empty tumbler is handed round, and then
covered with the cloth, and apparently placed upon the table. It is
instead rapidly exchanged, under cover of the prepared cloth--which,
when held by the circular card, will sustain the idea that the
tumbler is inside it all the time--for the one containing the coins.
The performer now goes down to the audience, and continues to find
in various ways either single coins or three or four of such at a
time, which are "passed" into the distant tumbler by the various
methods described in "Drawing-room Magic." As coins thrown from a
distance would not in the ordinary way fall into a glass receptacle
without causing any sound, it behoves the conjuror to imitate such
sound. This is easily accomplished by having an assistant behind the
scenes, stationed as close to the table as possible, and provided
with a quantity of coins and a tumbler. When the performer "passes"
any coins towards the tumbler, the assistant should, after a short
lapse of time, allow some to pour into his tumbler. The attention of
the audience is so riveted on the covered glass that the deception
cannot be detected. Indeed, it is difficult for anyone who knows
exactly what is going on behind to notice anything at all suspicious.
The deception is a very perfect one, and is used in many ways by
the best conjurors. Of course, performer and assistant must be _en
rapport_ with each other, the one being careful to state loudly at
each "pass" how many coins are being transmitted, and the other paying
strict attention to what is going on. Supposing the performer finds a
single coin, he will exclaim loudly, "Ah! madam, here is just _one_
coin on the edge of your fan! Permit me." And, on finding several,
he will say, "Ah! in your head, sir, quite a quantity of coins. One,
two, three, four, _five_!" Sometimes, too, it is as well, for effect,
to vary the speed with which the coins perform their imaginary aerial
journey. "This one," the performer will say, "is, I see, a very old
coin, so will go very slowly indeed;" or, "quite a new one, I declare;
see how quickly it will travel." If the assistant be not listening,
the effect will be absurd. The tumbler into which he drops the coins
should be covered, or the sound will be too sharp. It should be a
muffled sound.
_The Egg Bag._--This is a bag which, although repeatedly shown to be
quite empty, continues to give forth eggs. In its smallest form, it
consists of a square bag, made from chintz, or similar material. One
of the sides is double, and thus forms a secret compartment, the mouth
of which is at the bottom of the bag, inside. The bag can be taken
and turned inside out, to show that it is empty, and yet have an egg
inside the compartment. The bag, on being turned back again, can be
held upside down and shaken without the egg falling out, for it will
still be sustained by the inner lining. To produce the egg, all the
performer has to do is to put his hand inside the bag and take the
egg out of the compartment. He can then replace it, and cause it to
disappear. Sometimes the inner lining covers only about three-fourths
of the real side of the bag, but it is best to have it almost the
same size. If, in turning the bag inside out, the double side were
accidentally shown to the audience, they would infallibly notice the
mouth of an inner bag, if it were placed about three-fourths of the
way down one side; but if it came on a level with the bottom of the
bag itself, it would rarely be noticed.
The larger egg bag, for the production of many eggs, is a very
different affair, and requires some making. There are various
patterns, the best of which I give: No. 1 is a chintz bag, about
two and a half feet long, and of proportionate breadth. There is no
double lining to it, but it is barefacedly provided with as many
little pockets, each just capable of containing an egg, as one side
can be made to take. These pockets have buttons, and the eggs are
placed in them, and they are then fastened, their mouths being, of
course, downwards when the bag is held in its proper position. The
performer brings on the bag; and, after explaining that he has simply
an ordinary chintz bag in his hands, proceeds to show that it is
quite empty by turning it first upside down and then inside out. In
performing the latter operation, that side which is provided with
the pockets must, naturally be always turned towards the performer.
The bag is then turned back again, and waved about, and, saying that
he fancies something has been put into his bag by the fairies, the
performer puts his hand inside, opening one of the pockets rapidly
as he does so. The egg thus released is produced, and the bag again
waved about. The operation of producing the eggs is continued until
all are exhausted. It is perhaps better to open the pocket sometimes
as the hand is withdrawn with an egg. This will enable the performer
to compress the material round the egg, thereby released from the
outside, before inserting the hand again to extract it, and exhibit
its contour to the audience, who will then see that the egg is
not placed into the bag by sleight of hand just previous to being
withdrawn. No. 2 is made of any opaque material, a soft one for
choice. Besides the ordinary mouth, it has two smaller ones, each some
sizes larger than an egg, at the bottom corners. They are best made
by simply cutting the corners off. The double lining is very small,
it being only of sufficient breadth to take an egg. It is situated
at the mouth of the bag and runs along the entire length of it. It
has only one opening, a slit across the centre, and the eggs are put
in through this. For safety's sake, it is as well to have the opening
secured with a button. After the bag has been duly turned inside out
and back again, and the slit (if closed) opened, the fingers are run
along the top of the bag, where the narrow strip of inside lining is
situated, and an egg squeezed out through the slit. This egg falls
into the bag proper, which is then tilted sideways over a plate or
a basket, or even a hat, and the egg thus caused to roll out of the
open corner. No. 3 is similar in principle to No. 2, but has a net
underneath, into which the eggs drop with very pretty effect. The
corner openings are dispensed with, and the hand is inserted into the
bag when an egg is to be taken out.
What puzzles audiences as much as anything is that so many eggs
are manipulated and yet not broken. The secret of this is that the
eggs used are, with the exception of the one first produced, which
is broken on a plate as a specimen, guiltless of the possession of
any interior, the performer having taken the precaution of blowing
them. This enables the performer to throw the bag carelessly on the
floor and then to trample on it. Of course the trampling would be
equally fatal to both blown and unblown eggs if the performer did not
carefully avoid that portion of the bag which contains them; but the
mere act of throwing a bag full of eggs in their original state on
the floor would alone be disastrous to many of them. The method for
holding a bag for the purpose of taking out an egg is to hold one
corner between the teeth and the other in one hand stretched out.
This leaves the other hand free for operation. Ordinarily, conjurors
do not produce more than eight eggs. If the amateur wishes to perform
the trick in really good style, he should have a bag made capable of
producing at least two dozen eggs. For this, a large-sized chintz bag
is recommended.
_Incubation by Magic._--A very amusing trick can be performed when an
entertainment is given in the country, or anywhere where a few very
young chickens are procurable. Take four or five of these, and put
them in a black alpaca or silk bag, the mouth of which is tied with
cotton, and is easy to open. Place the bag on the shelf. Be provided
with a blown egg, not too large, which palm. Borrow a hat, and find
the egg in any way you please, and then retire to the stage. Place the
hat on its side on the table, with the crown towards the audience,
and the brim over the back edge, just where the bag is placed on the
shelf. Do not place the hat in the desired position at once, but try
it in various places first, and finally decide that the position in
which you place it is the only secure one. Stand at the end of the
table (R), and place the left hand on the brim of the hat, to
hold it steady. With the right hand take the egg, and, after one or
two feints, make a pass at the crown of the hat with it. Palm the egg
and rub the hat, as if the egg had gone through it. This process of
palming is not difficult when the egg has been made light, by blowing
out the inside; the small end fits nicely between the two fleshy
portions of the hand. Find another egg (_i.e._, the same one), in your
leg, wand, or elsewhere, and pass it through the hat as before, and
repeat the operation as often as you have chickens inside the bag.
This bag will have to be introduced into the hat with the left hand,
and the best time for doing this is when the right hand is engaged in
finding another egg on any part of your person. It is not advisable to
do it when the hat is first set down, as the eyes of the audience are
full upon it. This is an illustration of misdirection. When you have
"passed" the requisite number of eggs through the hat, raise it and
bring it forward, remarking that not only have eggs passed through,
but they have all become hatched. (The hatching can, of course, be
done over a candle.) Great astonishment and amusement will be caused
when you produce the chickens one by one. Before removing the last
one secure the bag in the hand, for it will never do to allow the
audience to see that. The egg you, of course, vest before commencing
to reveal the contents of the hat. This trick is but little known,
which is a pity, as it is a very simple one, and invariably causes
great amusement. It also serves to vary the conventional list of
tricks performed with hats.
There is a capital method for collecting the eggs for this trick in
place of finding each one with the hand, and "passing" it through the
crown of the hat. The hat is loaded, as before, with the chickens in
a bag, and placed upon a side table, as being the least suspicious,
brim upwards. The performer now takes a handkerchief, which is lying
carelessly about, and opens it out. It is then doubled lengthwise,
perpendicularly, and, held by opposite ends; one end is tilted over
the hat, when an egg slides out. The handkerchief is then opened
out to show that it is perfectly empty, is taken up by two corners,
folded, and once more emptied of an egg into the hat. This process is
repeated as often as necessary, when the handkerchief is put aside and
the trick proceeded with, as before described.
The secret of the handkerchief is that on one side is suspended a
blown egg, by means of a piece of black silk thread. A very thick,
or, at any rate, opaque handkerchief, must be employed, so that by
no possible chance can the shape of the egg be seen through it. The
length of the thread will require nice adjustment, as will also its
position on the handkerchief, for naturally it must not be long enough
to allow the egg to appear below the lower margin of the handkerchief,
when that article is held up by two corners, but must still have an
inch or two to spare, to enable it to fall into the hat without being
jerked backwards in the least, for so unnatural a movement imparted to
a falling egg would at once undeceive the company. The position for
the thread to be sewn to the handkerchief is about half way between
the centre and a corner. The folding of the handkerchief must be done
in a very easy manner, but without imparting a wavy motion to it, for
the least lifting of the lower portion will expose the egg. When the
handkerchief is folded the performer may go with it to various parts
of the room, seeking where he can magically find an egg. The egg
found, one of the company may be allowed to feel its contour through
the handkerchief. The opening out of the handkerchief, after the egg
has been poured from it, requires some attention. The lower end is
released, and then the two upper corners are seized, one by either
hand, and the handkerchief thrown wide open, showing the side to which
the egg is attached. It is then thrown forward, so as to spread over
the hat. By this act it has been turned completely over, the audience
having seen both sides of it, whilst the egg has been peacefully
resting inside the hat, the thread not being sufficiently prominent
to become observed. The two corners nearest the performer, originally
those belonging to the lower end of the folded handkerchief as the egg
was tilted into the hat, are then taken, and the handkerchief drawn
off from the hat towards the performer, with an oblique upward motion.
The handkerchief is then in the position for refolding, and right for
the discovery of a new egg.
One defect which always struck me as being apparent in this method
was the fact that the handkerchief could never be given round for
examination. This difficulty I surmounted by the following method: The
egg and thread I keep apart from the handkerchief until the actual
moment for performing the trick arrives. At the loose end of the
thread, the length of which has, of course, been previously adjusted
to a nicety, I fasten a bent black pin; that is, a very much bent
pin--a hook, in fact--with the head end very short and the pointed end
very long. The egg lies in my capacious breast pocket, and the hook
is fastened in a convenient position in the edge of the coat flap.
The handkerchief is given round for examination, and returned to the
performer, who, as he retires to the stage, fastens the hook into it.
Before he turns for this purpose, he must have fixed his eye upon the
place where the hook should go, and have grasped the handkerchief
there, so that afterwards he may be able to conclude his movements
without turning his eyes upon the immediate scene of operations;
not that this need take very long. The pin hook must not be merely
stuck through the handkerchief, such a hold being very insecure,
but it must be put through and brought back again immediately. This
will effectually prevent its slipping out during the manipulations
to which the handkerchief is subjected. So soon as the pin is fixed,
the performer faces the audience, if otherwise ready, and, taking
the handkerchief by the two upper corners, stretches them out, when,
by putting his hands away from him in front, the egg will be drawn
out of the side pocket. The trick then proceeds precisely as before.
If the performer deems it necessary to allow the handkerchief to
be again inspected, which is a matter of fancy, he must, prior to
commencing, place a white handkerchief in the hat, "in order that the
eggs may fall soft, and not make an omelette," he will explain. When
the requisite number of eggs have been found, the pin is unhooked,
and the egg allowed to remain in the hat, from whence it is removed,
folded in the white handkerchief. If the performer observes a suitable
handkerchief amongst the company, he may borrow it, when, of course,
the egg must be got rid of; but it is not often that this circumstance
will occur. It must be admitted that connected with the whole of this
trick there are a style and a neatness which are very different from
the general run of conjuring tricks.
_The Resuscitated Fowl._--This can either follow the trick just
described, or it can form a separate trick altogether. It is very old,
and has formed a portion of the stock performance of conjurors for
hundreds of years. The head of a fowl is concealed in the hand, and
a live bird seized. The conjuror engages in a mock struggle with it,
endeavouring to seize its head, the object of the disturbance being
to enable the real head to be turned down under one of the wings, and
there held with one hand, and the loose head to be held on with the
other hand, in its place. The stage assistant now advances with a
large knife, and cuts off the imaginary head. The performer must make
the deed as realistic as possible by causing the fowl to appear to
struggle vehemently, and twitch its legs if possible. The head is then
taken, and applied to the neck, the conjuror remarking that nothing is
easier than to cause it to grow on again. Palm the loose head, and,
at the same time, allow the real one to escape from its confinement,
when it will at once appear to have suddenly grown on again. Release
the fowl for a short run, to show that there is no mechanism about
it. This trick is frequently performed by the very best conjurors,
sometimes with a pigeon. The loose head must match the real one as
nearly as possible, or the deception may be noticed.
_"Kling-Klang."_--This is a pretty little trick, and does not take
long to perform. Take a fancy coloured silk handkerchief, of a small
size, not more than a foot square, at the utmost. To the centre of
this attach a _blown_ hen's egg by means of a piece of thread 2in.
to 3in. long. The end of the thread inside the egg is attached to
the centre of a tiny piece of wood, such as a portion of a match,
which can be pushed in, end foremost, through the hole at the end of
the egg, but which, when once inside, will steadfastly refuse to be
pulled out again. This method is far better than all other devices
with cobbler's wax and glue. Two other silk handkerchiefs, quite
opposite, in point of colour, to the one attached to the egg, will
also be required, as will a toddy glass with a foot, and an ordinary
egg, not blown. The last-mentioned article must be vested. One of
the two handkerchiefs of a like colour fold neatly in the palm, and
in the same hand take the blown egg, and, as a natural consequence,
the handkerchief attached to it, which arrange neatly around the
egg, so as to conceal the handkerchief in the palm. Place the other
handkerchief in the toddy glass, and, with the wand under arm, emerge
thus laden from the secrecy of "behind the scenes." Give the glass
and handkerchief to one person, and ask him to examine them both,
and then take from him the glass, to be held by another person. Then
say, "I have here another silk handkerchief and an egg. The egg I
will place in this glass, and then cover it with the handkerchief."
Proceed to do this, taking care to slip in the concealed handkerchief
_under_ the egg, and then retire to the stage, taking with you the
second of the duplicate handkerchiefs. As you go to the stage, bring
down the egg from your vest, and take the handkerchief in the hand
which contains it. Turn to the audience, and ask the holder of the
glass to shake it gently to show that the egg is still inside. The
peculiar "kling-klang" made by the egg against the glass gives the
name to the trick. A caution from you not to shake too strongly, as
you do not want an omelette inside the glass, is sure to amuse. Now
bring both hands together in front of you, and commence to draw in the
handkerchief little by little. At intervals have the glass shaken.
When a few inches only of the handkerchief protrude from the hand,
draw near the holder of the glass, whom desire to cease shaking.
When you have drawn the handkerchief completely into the hands, and
feel that it is perfectly concealed, ask a spectator to hold out his
hand, and suddenly produce the egg, which give to him. Without losing
a moment, raise the handkerchief from over the glass by its centre,
thus removing the egg at the same time, taking care to continually tap
the glass with the wand during the operation, otherwise an accidental
knock of the egg against the side of the glass would be heard, and
the whole trick spoilt. Call particular attention to the fact of
the egg which you produce being a genuine one, and then get away
with your other properties as fast as you decently can. The trick is
mostly performed with an imitation egg, instead of a real one. The
egg is hollow, and has a great opening in one side. Into this the
handkerchief is forced. There is no sleight of hand about this, and
the egg cannot be given for examination, which is fatal.
_The Harmless Shot._--Procure a substantial-looking muzzle-loading
pistol, the larger the better, and get a tinman to make a tube that
fits neither tightly nor loosely inside. One end of the tube must be
closed, and the open end be furnished with a turn-over rim, which you
colour or polish, so as to resemble as nearly as possible the muzzle
of the pistol. If it comes easier, by all means reverse the process,
and make the muzzle of the pistol resemble the muzzle of the tube.
The tube should be at least two-thirds the length of the interior of
the pistol barrel, and not about an inch and a half only. Now make a
wooden ramrod, which will fit rather tightly into the tube--tightly
enough to bring it away from the interior of the pistol when withdrawn
after being rammed into it. The exterior of the tube should match the
ramrod in colour and appearance, so that the fact of the one being
within the other when held in the hand in that condition will not be
detected.
Advance to the audience with the pistol, ramrod, powder, caps, paper,
and bullets. The tube is concealed somewhere about you. Give round
one or more bullets to be marked by the audience, and, at the same
time, give the pistol into the hands of someone for examination.
If the pistol takes to pieces, so much the better, as it is highly
advantageous for the audience to be quite convinced that there is
no mechanical preparation of the performer's own devising connected
with the implement. Have a fair charge of powder put in, and give the
ramrod for ramming the charge. Whilst this is being done, get the tube
into the hand, and, when the ramrod is returned to you, pass it into
the tube, and then at once say earnestly, "I hardly think you rammed
it sufficiently, sir." Without taking the pistol yourself, hold the
muzzle in the fingers of the left hand, and ram with the right. The
left hand must pinch the rim of the tube, which will thereby become
disengaged from the ramrod, and remain inside the pistol. By this
means the tube has become inserted in the pistol without any occasion
for the pistol leaving the possession of the person assisting. The
bullet or bullets are then dropped in by such of the audience as have
marked them, the pistol being handed round by the volunteer assistant,
who is also asked to put a piece of paper in as well. This piece of
paper is very small, and is rolled up by the performer himself, who
will, of course, take particular care that it is not bulky enough to
jam in the tube. The performer now, without taking the pistol, puts
in the ramrod and presses down the bullets--apparently. He, however,
takes good care to avoid pressing them at all, but brings the hand
holding the ramrod over the muzzle of the pistol, and so secures the
tube. There is nothing in the action to excite the least suspicion;
still, it is best to have the ramrod of such length that only an inch
or so of it protrudes from the muzzle. If this particular be observed,
then the hand must approach the muzzle on every occasion of ramming
down a charge, and so no suspicion can possibly be excited by the
action. The imaginary ramming is, of course, continued, the tube being
moved up and down inside the pistol vehemently. Withdraw the ramrod
and tube, carefully concealing the junction of the two, and have the
pistol capped. Having secured the bullets in the tube, the next thing
is to get them into the hand. As it is impossible to withdraw the
rod from the tube in full view of the audience (it can certainly be
done behind the table; but the unavoidably lengthened absence of both
hands for the purpose would be fatally suspicious), the performer
must necessarily retire behind the scenes. The best excuse is that of
requiring a plate. Whilst fetching this, the rod is withdrawn from
the tube, and the bullet or bullets shaken out. The paper ought not
to stick, but it might; and so it is always as well to have a piece
of wire with a sharp hook at one end in readiness. This abstraction
of the bullets could be managed whilst the performer retires up the
stage, and it would be advisable to do so if the bullets were certain
to drop out, which, however, they are not. When the performer has a
stage assistant, as he always should have when possible, the matter
becomes much easier. The assistant holds the box of caps on or near
the stage, and the performer goes to him for them, and gives him the
wand with the tube on it in an offhand manner. The assistant then
manages all the abstraction whilst the capping of the pistol is going
on, and stands, just removed from sight, with the plate in one hand
and the bullets in the other. The performer then has only to stretch
his arm behind to receive the bullets first and the plate next, both
in one hand. The bullets are held under the fingers, which are on the
inside of the plate. The performer now holds the plate either in front
of his face or at arm's length, and requests that the pistol may be
fired at it. When this is done, the bullets are allowed to roll on the
plate, which is brought simultaneously into a horizontal position, a
kind of "grab" being made with it, as if catching the bullets in the
air. I like this method better than catching the bullets in the mouth,
as the performer can at once run forward with them on the plate,
and the audience will be thus enabled to see for themselves that no
substitution has taken place during transit.
The difficulty of extracting the bullet or bullets I finally mastered,
after various trials, by using a tolerably thick piece of cork for
the purpose of closing the one end of the tube. When the performer
retires up the stage, he holds the closed end in his hand and presses
the ramrod against his body, thus forcing out cork, bullet, and paper
with one vigorous push. The operation does not occupy a second, and,
when the performer turns facing the audience again, the ramrod is in
his hand as before. It will naturally occur to everybody that, if
the ramrod fits tightly into the tube, the whole arrangement will
be neither more nor less than a popgun, and the cork will be blown
out as soon as the ramrod is inserted into the tube. To avoid such
a startling result, the ramrod must, although fitting the tube at
certain places, be made out of truth, so as to admit of an escape of
air, or else the cork must have a hole burnt through it by means of
red-hot wire. Piercing a hole through the cork will not suffice, as
the nature of the material will speedily cause the opening to close up
again. If this cork arrangement be used, then the performer need never
leave the stage.
I have given the learner what I consider to be the best method for
performing the trick. A method which differs only slightly from mine,
the principle being the same, is to use a tube barely two inches in
length. This tube is dropped into the pistol by the performer, who
takes the pistol entirely in his hands, for the purpose of ramming
down the powder charge. As it lies secreted a long way down the
pistol, it, of course, can never be seen. In pushing the ramrod down,
it becomes fixed in the tube, and brings it away, the ramrod being
the least bit tapered, to insure its going into the tube. It should
be tapered at each end, so that there may be no bother about looking
to see which end is the graduating one. The rest of the trick is
performed exactly as in the other method. My objections to the use
of the short tube are that, in order to get it into the pistol, the
performer must secure actual possession of the firearm, and he must
repeat the manoeuvre when he wishes to take it out again. Again, it
is very difficult to conceal the point of junction of a short tube on
a long ramrod. If the performer does not use the utmost caution, the
tube will be noticed sticking on the rod as they are withdrawn from
the pistol. The rim of the long tube is covered with the hand before
the abstraction is made, and added to this is the fact that the pistol
never leaves the hand of the volunteer assistant, which is a great
feature in the trick. The only objection to the long tube I found to
be the difficulty sometimes arising in abstracting the bullets; but
my cork has now removed that difficulty. I have given both methods
that the learner may choose for himself. Although I have said "bullet
or bullets," because some conjurors employ one only and some three or
four, I should, myself, never think of using more than one. The effect
is the same, whilst the trick is made immeasurably easier to the
performer. People may, perhaps, be a little more satisfied at seeing
several bullets marked by different people, but it is just as easy,
and quite as effective, to have one bullet thus treated. It will not
matter in the least to the performer how many people mark it.
Another method for performing the trick is to substitute for the
marked bullet a blacklead one. This, on account of its lightness,
the performer must himself drop into the pistol and see that it is
so rammed that it is broken up. I would never advise anyone to adopt
this method, although Houdin caused consternation amongst the Arabs by
allowing himself to be fired at from a distance of a few paces. With
his usual completeness he finished the trick by firing another pistol
at a whitewashed wall, on which appeared a large splash of blood. This
was managed by means of a ball of black wax, the inside of which was
filled with blood. The Arabs were duly impressed.
There are some pistols made with spring openings in the barrel,
through which the bullet falls into the hand of the performer; but,
in this case, the pistol cannot be examined, which fact is quite
sufficient to taboo the method. Unless the pistol is given to be
examined, and left in the hands of the spectators the whole time,
there is, in my opinion, nothing in the trick.
_A Bottle of Ginger Beer._--The reader will scarcely require to be
told that one of the great deceits practised by conjurors is that
of duplication. In order to apparently execute the impossibility of
conveying a large solid body invisibly through space, the conjuror has
to cause the article itself to disappear by any means at hand, and to
produce another similar article, or counterfeit thereof, at the spot
to which the original one is supposed to be magically transported. In
the case of Houdin's die trick a counterfeit die was made use of, and
in many of the coin tricks duplicate coins were employed. Whatever
the article used, the method is almost invariably the same; and the
public are often invited to witness the exhibition of a new wonder,
which is in reality only a variety of what has been done in hundreds
of ways before.
One very effective variety of this particular deceit is the
transposition of a ginger-beer bottle from one paper cover to another.
The trick and its explanation are as follows: The performer brings
forward a ginger-beer bottle and a glass, on a tray. If he pleases,
he may have two ginger-beer bottles, and ask the audience to choose
between them. He should ask them to select between the one on the
right and the one on the left. If "right" is said, and the one with
which the trick is to be performed is on the left of the audience,
then the performer must say, "On _my_ right. Thank you"; and instantly
take up that bottle without more ado, and uncork it. He then pours
out the ginger beer, to show that it is genuine--so he says, but the
real object is to keep the spectators from suspecting that there
is anything "uncanny" about the bottle itself. The peculiarity of
the bottle is that it either never had a bottom to it, or else that
portion of it has been forcibly removed. Some few conjuring trick
makers supply bottles without bottoms; but any lapidary will perform
the desired operation should the performer himself be unsuccessful
in accomplishing it with a hammer. The chief thing is to obtain
two bottles that match exactly in colour. Height is not of much
consequence, as that is not so readily retained by the eye as is
colour; still, it is as well to have them match in that even, but
colour stands first in importance. One of these bottles is placed
upon the right-hand side of the shelf behind the table, and the other
is fitted inside with either a piece of thick cork or gutta-percha.
Whichever it is, it must fit very tightly, and be situated about an
inch from the foot of the bottle. The cork must be left out until the
last minute, or the fermentation of the ginger beer will cause the
false bottom to come out unexpectedly with a "pop." This prepared
bottle is the one that is brought on on the tray, with or without
another genuine one, as the performer pleases. When two are brought
on, the second one should always be left with the audience for them
to open if they be so minded. It is sure to be examined with strict
minuteness, and its unblemished innocence will reflect upon its late
companion.
Under his vest band the performer has a small apple, a walnut, or
little ball. This he gets down as he retires to the table, and slips
it in the lower cavity of the bottle, holding it there suspended
by means of the little finger. He then places the bottle upon the
left-hand front corner of the table, and on the corresponding corner
he places a duplicate of the article which he has secretly introduced
under the bottle. This duplicate will have been lying on the table
all the time, and can, of course, be examined. The performer now
takes two cardboard or paper covers, each just large enough to cover
a ginger-beer bottle easily, and shows them round. These covers
can be made with very little trouble, and the plainer they are the
better, in my opinion. Spectators think no more of a trick because
of a cover of many colours covered with gold or silver stars. A
fancy paper on the outside is all that is required, for it will not
do to look "beggarly." These two covers are now taken back, and the
performer goes behind his table. With the left hand he places one
cover very slowly and deliberately over the bottle, and calls very
particular attention to what he is doing. The cover in the right hand
is meanwhile being placed over the bottle on the shelf. The conjuror's
whole attention, eyes and everything, must be engrossed on what he
is doing with the bottle which is visible. Any glance which he may
want to take for ascertaining the exact position of the bottle on the
shelf must take place as he goes behind the table; any downward look
after this would be fatal. Directly it is felt that the hidden bottle
is safe in the cover, the latter must be brought into view again; and
care must be taken that it is held a little obliquely, the mouth being
towards the performer. As an additional security, it is always as
well to have the inside of the covers blackened, or lined with black
paper, and the inside and base of the second bottle treated likewise.
Any accidental exposure will then not be so likely to be attended by
serious results.
When the first cover is fairly over the bottle, the second one,
containing the other bottle, is placed over the little ball, or
whatever it is. The performer next takes up his wand and says,
"Now, what I am about to do is to cause the ginger-beer bottle and
the little ball to change places. This, I am aware, anyone can do
by simply lifting off the covers and altering the positions of the
articles with the hand; but I shall do nothing so transparent. I will
show you that the articles are still where I placed them, and that I
have not already moved them from their positions." (The covers are
alternately lifted, care being taken not to prematurely expose the
wrong article.) "My method of procedure is as follows: First, I take
out the little ball" (on the shelf there is a third article, similar
to the other two, and this the performer palms in the left hand) "in
this manner. You see, I simply run my wand up the side of the cover,
and here I have the little ball in my hand." (Strike left hand with
wand, and open it and put the ball on table.) "This cover is now
empty. By means of my wand, I remove the ginger-beer bottle, large and
cumbrous as it is, from the cover--here it is, see, on my wand!--and
pass it gently, for fear of breakages, into the empty cover. This
little ball I take thus, and pass into this cover, where the bottle
was, not five seconds since." (Perform any pass with the ball, and put
it back upon the shelf.) "On raising the covers, it will be seen that
the change has actually taken place." Raise the left-hand cover first,
grasping it firmly so as to ensure the bottle from slipping, and then
show the second bottle on the right, bringing the left hand, at the
same time, over the shelf, upon which the first bottle is permitted to
drop, very gently, from the cover. Both covers should be afterwards
shown round, although the trick can be repeated, i.e., done backwards,
if the performer desires. If he does so, he should say, "Ah, I daresay
everybody did not see how that was done, and, as I always like the
method of my tricks to be understood by everybody, I will do it over
again. There is no fun in a trick if one does not see how it is
done." On removing the bottles at the close of the trick, care must
be taken that the hidden ball, &c., is not knocked down on the floor,
as is sometimes done by accident. This is a genuinely good trick, the
opening of the ginger-beer bottle before the audience serving to throw
that body off its guard.
_The Flying Plume and Seed._--This is another trick in which
duplicated representations play an important part, but the articles
and methods employed are so totally distinct from those used in the
preceding trick that one might follow the other in a performance, and
yet both appear to be totally distinct in every way. There is a little
simple apparatus in connection with the trick. First of all, a tin
tube, 18in. long, and at least 1-1/2in. in diameter. It is provided
with a cap at each end, fitting inside, and not over, as is usual. The
tube also possesses the peculiarity of being divided longitudinally,
by a tin partition, into two portions. This partition does not run
down the centre of the tube, but takes a transverse direction from one
side of one end to the opposite side of the other end. By this means,
both ends are open to their full extent, and the tube can be shown
briskly round, with the cap off, without anyone being able to detect
anything wrong. Of course, only one end will be given for inspection,
the audience not suspecting the existence of more than one opening.
Then there is a vase, also of tin, but painted on the outside or
japanned. This vase has a foot about 3in. high, which is hollow, and
is connected with the body of the vase by means of a very large hole.
This hole is hidden by a large domed cap on the end of a pin, which
runs through the foot, and is furnished with a button underneath. A
spiral spring inside keeps the cap down on the hole, but pressure on
the button under the foot causes it to rise, and any seed that may be
in the body of the vase will instantly run down into the foot. Two
plumes of exactly the same colour and length will also be required.
These plumes can be obtained at a cheap rate at any plumassier's. One
of the compartments of the tube is secretly filled with seed, and the
end opening that division is closed with the cap. This cap should bear
a distinct mark to distinguish it from the other. In the vase there
should be an egg, orange, lemon, or apple, &c., which must not be seen
by the audience, and on the table there should be another similar
article. Up the performer's sleeve, or in his side pocket, one of the
plumes is secreted. The other plume is handed round and then thrust
down the tube, which, to all appearances, it entirely fills. Place the
tube on a chair or on the floor, and then take the vase, and into it
pour a quantity of seed, going forward so soon as the article at the
bottom is covered. Show the vase round full of seed, and then place it
on another chair, the button being pressed and all the seed allowed to
run away in transit.
Now borrow either a hat or a handkerchief. If the plume is up the
sleeve, then a handkerchief is required. Spread the handkerchief over
the hand, as if showing there is nothing in it, and seize the end
of the plume through it with the other hand. Draw the handkerchief
smartly away with the plume inside it, and throw both on the floor. If
the plume is in the pocket, then borrow a hat and slip the plume into
it. The plume will curl round inside the hat, and remain firmly fixed,
so the hat can be turned brim downwards without fear of the plume
falling out.
These preliminaries concluded, proceed as follows: Touch the tube
with the wand and say you have taken out the plume, which you then
"pass" into the hat or handkerchief, as the case may be. Now touch the
vase with the wand, and say that you have removed all the seed, which
you then command to go into the tube. Vanish the egg, or whatever
it may be that you use, down a trap, and "pass" it into the vase.
Nothing then remains but to open the tube, and to show the vase and
handkerchief or hat. Millet is by far the best seed to use. It is
light, and its spherical shape causes it to run smoothly. A conjuror,
who was experienced enough to know better, persistently used rice for
this trick. The result was extra delay, for the rice generally managed
to clog somewhere, and always made a tell-tale rattling as it trickled
into the foot. It made one tremble to look and listen. The trick is
very easily managed, and creates a remarkably pretty effect. The
conjuring shops supply the apparatus.
_How to Make and Cook a Pudding in a Hat._--Procure a large size
gallipot with nice thin sides. Have a tin lining made to fit the
inside of this, and divide the lining into two portions by means of a
horizontal division across the middle. The inside of a gallipot being
somewhat narrower at the bottom than it is at the top, the lining
will be taper, and consequently one partition will be larger than the
other. Into the larger partition put a plum pudding, or cake, hot, and
stand it on the shelf, without the gallipot. Borrow a hat, and, whilst
busy about putting some paper at the bottom of it, and explaining that
it is to prevent its being spoilt, take an opportunity of slipping
the tin containing the pudding into it. Now take some flour, eggs,
plums, sugar, and water, and mix them all up in the gallipot, to the
accompaniment of some facetious remarks about your being a first-rate
cook. Next pour the paste from the gallipot into the empty division of
the tin, and, putting the pot momentarily into the hat, press it down
well over the tin, which it will bring away, leaving the pudding alone
behind. Now hold the hat over a spirit lamp (a candle would spoil the
hat), and profess to be cooking the contents, which presently take out
close to the audience and distribute. Some conjurors make omelettes
and pancakes, which certainly make a good show, and are suggestive
of being cooked on the crown of a hat. Some address is required in
executing this trick, especially in getting the tin into and out of
the hat. The knack of putting things into hats from the shelf neatly
is one of the most difficult things to acquire, and the performer must
never be nervous at the moment, or he will be certain to allow himself
to be discovered. Sometimes the egg is first broken into the hat
(_i.e._, the tin), and the flour and water afterwards mixed up in the
gallipot. The effect of the contents of an egg dropping into a hat is
certainly good.
An amusing interlude, when borrowing a hat, is to apparently push the
forefinger through the crown and then restore the hole supposed to be
made by the act. This deception is managed by having a cast of a human
forefinger made in either wax, gutta-percha, or plaster, and provided
with a pointed wire at the thick end. This finger is concealed in
the right hand, and the left hand put inside the hat. The right hand
is then brought on the outside of the crown, and with the remark, "I
fancy you have a hole in your hat, sir," an apparent effort is made,
and a finger shown protruding through the crown. All that is done is
to pass through the wire, which is held on the inside by the left
hand. After making a few sharp movements simulating a finger in the
act of being shaken, bring the right hand on to the crown again, and
make as though considerable exertion were required in order to get
the finger back again. The dummy is, of course, merely secured in the
right hand, and the hat immediately shown ostentatiously round, so as
to keep attention away from the right hand. The imitation finger must
naturally be coloured to resemble the performer's flesh. The trick
must not last long--a quarter of a minute is ample. If the finger
remains through the hat for any length of time the audience will soon
realise what the nature of the deception is. It should appear as if
the finger had been just pushed through, shaken derisively, and then
withdrawn.
_The Flags of Old England._--Without any visible preparation, and
from no conceivable source, the performer produces hundreds of
flags with the hands. The flags, which can, of course, be of any
colour, but, for obvious reasons, should be red, white, and blue,
for preference, are thus made quickly: Procure some sheets of tissue
paper, and cut them into slips of equal dimensions. A good size to
commence with is 3in. by 1-1/2in., three of which will make a flag of
4in. by 3in., a very nice size. For rapid pasting, place, say, the red
slips one over the other, each one permitting just a quarter of an
inch of the one beneath it to be seen. With one sweep of the brush a
large number can be thus pasted. Perform the same operation with the
blue papers, and the white ones will not require any paste at all.
Join the three together, and, when dry, paste them on either very
thin sticks or wire, or else on bass. The latter is far preferable to
any other substance, and can be easily procured. Now make some flags
about 6in. by 4in. in the same manner, and, if you choose, a few even
larger still. Roll them all up very tightly in two or three bundles,
and secrete them about you. I always place a bundle of small flags
up each sleeve, the larger ones being either in the vest or in the
large breast pocket of the coat. Take a little flag in each hand, and
advance with them. Wave them about, and, lowering one hand, allow the
bundle to slide into it from the sleeve, care being taken that the
back of the hand is towards the audience. Bring the hands together
immediately, and continue to wave them about for a few seconds, when
commence to unroll the flags, and cause a few to appear first at the
top, and then to fall on to the floor. Continue this, all the time
moving about, until you find the supply getting low, when, with a
downward sweep of the hands, extract the bundle from the other sleeve.
This movement will be perfectly concealed by the numerous flags flying
about. It will also be perfectly easy to obtain possession of the
other bundles from the vest or pocket, if care be taken to raise the
flags that are being exhibited, so as to conceal the motion of the
hand. When the larger flags are being unravelled, the waving should
increase. The effect of a quantity of flags coming from apparently
nowhere is always very bewildering to an audience, and this is
heightened when the larger ones appear. I remember producing one quite
8ft. in length, with a complimentary motto, allusive to the season of
the year, elaborated upon it. There is, however, no necessity to go to
such a length as this. Buatier, instead of two flags to commence with,
takes a bundle of coloured paper, which he rolls up, and then pretends
to transform into flags. This is not at all a bad method, and, if
the performer prefers it to my own, there is no harm in adopting it.
Buatier decidedly makes a mistake, though, in producing the original
paper after he has manufactured several hundreds of flags from it.
This is not consistent.
_The Chinese Rings._--Whether originally Chinese or not, is of little
moment: the trick has received the name, and is known by it only, so
I adhere to it. The trick consists in apparently accomplishing the
evident impossibility of linking strong metal rings, that have no
break or opening in them, one within the other. The secret of the
trick lies in the fact that one of a number of rings is provided
with a slit or opening, which is kept carefully concealed by the
performer's fingers. As, however, one ring with an opening would not
alone suffice to link several others together in a continuous chain,
the rings are made in sets of three and two welded together, besides
three or four single ones. The set of two I always dispense with as
useless. There is not the slightest necessity for going to a conjuring
repository to obtain the rings, for an ordinary smith can produce a
much more serviceable article. My idea of a good ring is one made of
iron wire fully 3/8in. in thickness and 9in. in diameter. Let the
metal be well burnished, and see that the welding is properly done.
The opening in the one ring should be 7/16in. wide so as to admit the
other rings freely. Some rings have a slit merely, whilst others have
the ends springing one into the other. These precautions are quite
unnecessary, for the secret ring is never given round for examination.
When the performer comes on, he has the open ring concealed either
under his armpit, in his breast pocket, or in the vest; or he may have
it hanging behind a chair, if he has one with an opaque back on the
stage. The other rings he has in the hand, and gives them round for
examination. Unless this examination takes place, there is nothing in
the trick, for the audience would justly argue that all the rings have
secret spring-bolt openings which are invisible at a short distance.
To abstract the concealed ring without detection requires, at times,
considerable address. A good way is to allow some of the others to
fall, and whilst stooping quickly for them, get out the concealed
one. Turning the back upon the audience, and deliberately taking the
ring out from its place of concealment whilst walking towards the
stage, is the method I usually adopt. When it is hung at the back of a
chair, the bulk of the rings should be placed upon the seat, and two
or three taken up in one hand; say, the right. In stooping to pick up
some more rings with the left hand, the right, naturally enough, finds
its way to the top of the back of the chair, and, as the ring will be
suspended half an inch down, the end of one finger will be sufficient
to obtain it.
I lay some stress upon this recovery of the open ring, for in its
neat execution lies the whole secret of the trick. If the performer
feels that he has accomplished the feat without being observed, he
may boldly assert that he knows that other conjurors perform the same
trick with prepared rings--he does nothing so mean and despicable. As
a rule, I disagree with any hint whatever that may give a clue to the
secret of a trick; but this particular one is so widely known that I
doubt if an audience of ordinary size could be found with everyone
ignorant of its secret. Under these circumstances, the conjuror who
wishes for success must be different to everyone else. If he is not
"prepared to do or die," let him leave the Chinese rings alone.
The method of "working" the trick is to first take up the open ring
and one of the single ones, one in each hand. Unless the performer
be left-handed, or ambidextrous, it is always advisable to hold the
open ring in the right hand, the opening being between the finger
and thumb. Stand at the front of the stage (if there are side boxes,
then a little back), and let the open ring hang carelessly on the
thumb, only broadside on to the audience. By turning up the point of
the thumb ever so little, the opening is rendered quite invisible
to spectators, who will think that two perfect rings are being held
before them, they having no possible reason to suspect even that an
open ring is anywhere about. Bang the two rings together several
times, and pretend to make two or three attempts to fit one into the
other, by what precise movement does not matter in the least.
Presently slip the solid ring rapidly through the opening of the
other, without ceasing for an instant the movements you have hitherto
made, which continue as if the two rings were still apart. Soon you
will work the two close together, and, by degrees, bring round the
solid ring to the bottom of the open one, and then allow it to hang
from it. Be careful, however, that the opening is never so much as
approached by the solid ring after the latter has been passed through
it. By a reversal of the proceedings, the ring must be taken off
again, the two rings being held touching one another, and worked about
as if still linked, long after the actual detachment has taken place.
The audience are supposed to actually see one ring pass through the
other, and the performer must cause this to appear to be done at the
lower half of the open ring. Performers always make a grand mistake
in hurrying over this, the opening part of the trick, which is really
the most important part of it. Within reasonable bounds, the linking
of the two first rings cannot be much too long drawn out. If he be
possessed of sufficient daring, the performer may advance to one of
the audience with the two rings linked, and give him one of them
(the solid one, of course) to hold. Just as the ring is put into his
hand, the disconnection should take place. This is an interlude, which
the performer may use or not, according to how he feels in spirits,
for conjurors are like race-horses, and are at times "in" or "out of
form." Two loose rings can then be put on the open one, one at a time,
and then removed and held together. The open ring can be passed over
the arm out of the way, the opening being, of course, concealed, and
some "business" can be gone through with the other two, which, as they
never were together, can be separated without much difficulty.
Some conjurors become breathless at the bare idea of allowing the open
ring to leave the hand, whereas, when properly managed, there is not
the least danger to be apprehended. When the ring is passed over the
arm, the hand does not leave the opening until it is well embedded
inside the elbow joint. It is bad policy to hold one ring continually
in the hand, as the fact is extremely likely to be noticed. When a
few evolutions have been performed with the single rings, including
throwing one in the air and catching it on the open ring on its
descent, the triplets should be taken up, and, after plenty of shaking
about and turning round and over, an end one should be linked on. By
linking up the other end as well, a square is formed. Give two rings
of this to be held by different people, and tell them to pull. Give
one or two jerks yourself, and at one of them disconnect, and then
gradually appear to unlink the square, bringing, at last, the four
in a single chain. Make a lot more flourishes, but merely bring the
four side by side in one hand, hanging. Hold the open ring firmly,
and allow the others to drop steadily. This they will do in two
distinct stages or jerks, at each of which you make a movement with
the disengaged hand as if controlling them. As a finish, it is usual
to put all the rings in a bunch on the open one. When this is done,
one of the solid rings should be made to sustain the rest for a short
time in place of the open one, which may be allowed to hang down in
the rear of the others, where it will not be seen. The solid ring thus
temporarily used should be held alternately in several places, so that
the audience, and especially such as know the secret of the trick,
may see that there is actually no opening it. This is an excellent
_ruse_ to adopt. When performing with the rings, always make a deal
of clatter with them; it adds to the effect. An effective _finale_
is to grasp the open ring by the solid part immediately opposite
the opening, and, turning the whole bunch rapidly over, shake the
other rings loose upon the floor, dropping the open ring amongst the
rest. The apparent recklessness of this goes still further to disarm
suspicion as to an open ring.
It will be seen that, beyond obtaining the open ring, everything is
what is understood as "hankey-pankey"--in fact, downright humbug--but
it is humbug of a superior order. The performer who introduces it
injudiciously and unskilfully will have reason to regret any imperfect
study of this trick. There is not much true sleight of hand in it, but
the perfection of "address" will be required.
_The Drawer-Box._--This is not the name of a trick, but of one of the
most useful pieces of apparatus which a conjuror can possess. I have
purposely refrained from making any mention of it before, because I
wanted to make the beginner an adept at vanishing and producing with
his hands before I gave him an article that would save him the trouble
at the loss of a large amount of effect. When a person is able to do
considerable execution with his hands alone, there need be no anxiety
about giving apparatus into them. It is only with the beginner that
the danger lies, for he will say, "Oh! this box does all I want--at
least, quite well enough for me--so why should I take the trouble
to learn to do it without?" The expert is never too anxious to use
apparatus, and invariably manages with as little of it as he can.