calculations, and may therefore be considered as connected with
science; but as it has been the aim of this work to unite amusement
with instruction, some experiments on this subject are introduced, the
performance of which depends on dexterity of hand. As this is only to
be acquired by practice, and, after all, is merely a mechanical
operation, the study of it will produce little useful knowledge,
though it may afford much entertainment; but as it must be gratifying
to know the method by which they are performed by those persons
skilled in such manoeuvres, who publicly exhibit them to the
astonishment of the spectator, they are presented to our readers, that
when they recognize them at any of these exhibitions, their eyes may
not be in danger of deceiving their judgment.
_To tell the Number of Points on Three Cards, placed under Three
different Parcels of Cards._
You first premise that the ace counts for eleven; the court cards ten
each; and the others according to the number of their pips. You then
propose to any person in company to choose three cards, and to place
over each as many as will make the number of the points of that card,
fifteen; take the remaining cards, and, under the appearance of
looking for a particular card, count how many there are, and by adding
sixteen to that number, you will have the amount of the pips on the
three cards. For example:
Suppose a person choose a seven, a ten, and an ace; then over the
seven he must place eight cards; over the ten, five cards; and over
the ace, four cards. In this instance there will remain twelve cards;
to which if you add sixteen it will make twenty-eight, which is the
amount of the pips on the three cards.
_The Ten Duplicates._
Select any twenty cards; let any person shuffle them; lay them by
pairs on the board, without looking at them. You next desire several
persons, (as many persons as there are pairs on the table,) each to
look at different pairs and remember what cards compose them. You then
take up all the cards in the order they lay, and replace them with
their faces uppermost on the table, according to the order of the
letters in the following words:
M U T U S
1 2 3 4 5
D E D I T
6 7 8 9 10
N O M E N
11 12 13 14 15
C O C I S
16 17 18 19 20
(These words convey no meaning.)--You will observe, that they contain
ten letters repeated, or two of each sort. You therefore ask each
person which row or rows the cards he looked at are in; if he say the
first, you know they must be the second and fourth, there being two
letters of a sort (two U's) in that row; if he say the second and
fourth, they must be the ninth and nineteenth, (two I's,) and so of
the rest. This amusement, which is very simple, and requires very
little practice, will be found to excite, in those who are
unacquainted with the key, the greatest astonishment.
The readiest way is to have a fac-simile of the key drawn on a card,
to which you refer.
_To tell how many Cards a Person takes out of a Pack, and to specify
each Card._
To perform this, you must so dispose a PIQUET pack of cards, that you
can easily remember the order in which they are placed. Suppose, for
instance, they are placed according to the words in the following
line,
_Seven Aces, Eight Kings, Nine Queens, and Ten Knaves;_
and that every card be of a different suite, following each other in
this order: spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds. Then the eight first
cards will be the seven of spades, ace of clubs, eight of hearts, king
of diamonds, nine of spades, queen of clubs, ten of hearts, and knave
of diamonds, and so of the rest.
You show that the cards are placed promiscuously, and you offer them
with their backs upward to any one, that he may draw what quantity he
pleases; you then dexterously look at the card that precedes and that
which follows those he has taken. When he has carefully counted the
cards, which is not to be done in your presence, (and, in order to
give you time for recollection, you tell him to do it twice over, that
he may be certain,) you then take them from him, mix them with the
pack, shuffle, and tell him to shuffle.
During all this time you recollect, by the foregoing line, all the
cards he took out; and as you lay them down, one by one, you name each
card.
Unless a person has a most excellent memory, he had better not attempt
the performance of the above amusement, as the least forgetfulness
will spoil the whole, and make the operator appear ridiculous.
_A Hundred different Names being written on the Cards, to tell the
particular Name any Person thought of._
Write on ten cards a hundred different names, observing that the
last name on each card begins with one of the letters in the word
INDROMACUS, which letters, in the order they stand, answer the numbers
1 to 10, thus:
I N D R O M A C U S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
On ten other cards write the same names, with this restriction, that
the first name on every card must be taken from the first of the other
cards, whose last name begins with I; the second name must be taken
from that whose last name begins with N; and so of the rest. Then let
any person choose a card out of the first ten, and after he has fixed
on a name, give it to you again, when you carefully note the last
name, by which you know the number of that card. You then take the
other ten cards, and, after shuffling them, show them to the person,
and ask if he sees the name he chose, and when he answers in the
affirmative, you look to that name which is the same in number from
the top with the number of the card he took from the other parcel, and
that will be the name he fixed on.
Instead of ten cards there may be twenty to each parcel, by adding
duplicates to each card; which will make it appear more mysterious,
and will not at all embarrass it, as you have only to remember the
last name on each card. Instead of names you may write questions on
one of the parcels, and answers on the other.
_Several different Cards being fixed on by different Persons, to name
that on which each Person fixed._
There must be as many different cards shown to _each person_, as there
are cards to choose; so that, if there are three persons, you must
show three cards to each person, telling the first to retain _one_ in
his memory. You then lay those three cards down, and show three others
to the second person, and three others to the third. Next take up the
first person's cards, and lay them down separately, one by one, with
their faces upwards; place the second person's cards over the first,
and the third over the second's, so that there will be one card in
each parcel belonging to each person. You then ask each of them in
which parcel his card is, and by the answer you immediately know which
card it is; for the first person's will always be the first, the
second person's the second, and the third person's the third in that
parcel where each says his card is.
This amusement may be performed with a single person, by letting him
fix on three, four, or more cards. In this case you must show him as
many parcels as he is to choose cards, and every parcel must consist
of that number, out of which he is to fix on one; and you then proceed
as before, he telling you the parcel that contains each of his cards.
_To name the Rank of a Card that a Person has drawn from a Piquet
Pack._
The rank of a card means whether it be an ace, king, queen, &c. You
therefore first fix a certain number to each card; thus you call the
king four, the queen three, the knave two, the ace one, and the others
according to the number of their pips.
You then shuffle the cards, and let a person draw any one of them;
then turning up the remaining cards, you add the number of the first
to that of the second, the second to the third, and so on, till it
amounts to ten, which you then reject, and begin again; or if it be
more, reject the ten, and carry the remainder to the next card, and so
on to the last; and to the last amount add four, and subtract that sum
from ten, if it be less, or from twenty, if it be more than ten, and
the remainder will be the number of the card that was drawn; as for
example, if the remainder be two, the card drawn was a knave; if
three, a queen, and so on.
_To tell the Amount of the Numbers of any two Cards drawn from a
common Pack._
Each court card in this amusement counts for ten, and the other cards
according to the number of their pips. Let the person who draws the
cards add as many more cards to each of those he has drawn as will
make each of their numbers twenty-five. Then take the remaining cards
in your hand, and, seeming to search for some card among them, tell
them over to yourself, and their number will be the amount of the two
cards drawn.
For example.--Suppose the person has drawn a ten and a seven, then he
must add fifteen cards to the first, to make the number twenty-five,
and eighteen to the last, for the same reason; now fifteen and
eighteen make thirty-three, and the two cards themselves make
thirty-five, which deducted from fifty-two, leave seventeen, which
must be the number of the remaining cards, and also of the two cards
drawn.
You may perform this amusement without touching the cards, thus:
Let the person who has drawn the two cards deduct the number of each
of them from twenty-six, which is half the number of the pack, and
after adding the remainders together, let him tell you the amount,
which you privately deduct from fifty-two, the total number of all the
cards, and the remainder will be the amount of the two cards.
_Example._--Suppose the two cards to be as before, ten and seven; then
the person deducting ten from twenty-six, there remain sixteen, and
deducting seven from twenty-six, there remain nineteen; these two
remainders added together make thirty-five, which you subtract from
fifty-two; and there must remain seventeen for the amount of the two
cards, as before.
_To tell the Amount of the Numbers of any Three Cards that a Person
shall draw from the Pack._
After the person has drawn his three cards, draw one yourself and lay
it aside, for it is necessary that the number of the remaining cards
be divisible by three, which they will not be in a pack of fifty-two
cards, if only three be drawn. The card you draw, you may call the
confederate, and pretend it is by the aid of that card you discover
the amount of the others. Then tell the party to add as many more to
each of his cards as will make its number sixteen, which is the third
part of the remaining forty-eight cards; therefore, suppose he has
drawn a ten, a seven, and a six; then, to the first he must add six
cards, to the second nine, and to the third ten, which together make
twenty-five, and the four cards drawn being added to them make
twenty-nine. You then take the remaining cards, and, telling them
over, as in the last amusement, you find their number to be
twenty-three, the amount of the three cards the person drew.
This amusement may also be performed without touching the cards,
thus:--When the party has drawn his three cards, and you have drawn
one, let him deduct the number of each of the cards he has drawn from
seventeen, which is one-third of the pack after you have drawn your
card; and let him tell you the amount of the several remainders, to
which you privately add one to the card you drew, and, deducting that
amount from fifty-two, (the whole number of the cards,) the remainder
will be the amount of the three cards drawn.
_Example._--Suppose the three cards to be ten, seven, and six, as
before; then, each of those numbers subtracted from seventeen, the
remainders will be respectively, seven, ten, and eleven, which, added
together, make twenty-eight, to which the single card you drew being
reckoned as one, and added, makes twenty-nine; and that number
deducted from fifty-two, leaves twenty-three, which is the amount of
the three cards the party drew.
* * * * *
The following amusements principally depend on dexterity of hand; and,
as what is termed _making the pass_, will be necessary to be acquired,
to enable the operator to perform many of them, we subjoin the
following explanation of this term:
_How to make the Pass._--Hold the pack of cards in your right hand, so
that the palm of your hand may be under the cards: place the thumb of
that hand on one side of the pack; the first, second, and third
fingers on the other side, and your little finger between those cards
that are to be brought to the top, and the rest of the pack. Then
place your left hand over the cards in such a manner that the thumb
may be at C, the fore-finger at A, and the other fingers at B, as in
the following figure:
+----------------+ +----------------+
| _Bottom._ | | _Top._ |
| | | |
| 2 | | |
| | | |
| _Thumb._ | | |
| 3 | | |
| 4 | | |
| | | |
| | | |
|_Little Finger._| | |
+----------------+ +----------------+
C
The hands and the two parts of the cards being thus disposed, you draw
off the lower cards, confined by the little finger and the other parts
of the right hand, and place them, with an imperceptible motion, on
the top of the pack.
But before you attempt any of the tricks that depend on _making the
pass_, you must have great practice, and be able to perform it so
dexterously and expeditiously, that the eye cannot detect the movement
of the hand; or you may, instead of deceiving others, expose yourself.
_The Long Card._--Another stratagem, connected with the performance of
many of the following tricks, is what is termed the _Long Card_; that
is, a card, either a trifle longer or wider than the other cards, not
perceptible to the eye of the spectator, but easily to be
distinguished by the touch of the operator.
_The Divining Card._
Provide a pack in which there is a long card; open it at that part
where the long card is, and present the pack to a person in such a
manner that he will naturally draw that card. You then tell him to put
it into any part of the pack, and shuffle the cards. You take the
pack, and offer the same card in like manner to a second or third
person, taking care that they do not stand near enough to see the card
each other draws.
You then draw several cards yourself, among which is the long card,
and ask each of the parties if his card be among those cards, and he
will naturally say _yes_, as they have all drawn the same card. You
then shuffle all the cards together, and, cutting them at the long
card, you hold it before the first person, so that the others may not
see it, and tell him that is his card. You then put it in the pack,
shuffle it, cut it again at the same card, and hold it to the second
person.
You can perform this recreation without the long card, in the
following manner:
Let a person draw any card, and replace it in the pack. You then _make
the pass_, (see p. 107,) and bring that card to the top of the pack,
and shuffle them, without losing sight of that card. You then offer
that card to a second person, that he may draw it, and put it in the
middle of the pack. You _make the pass_, and shuffle the cards a
second time in the same manner, and offer the card to a third person,
and so again to a fourth or fifth.
_The Four Confederate Cards._
A person draws four cards from the pack, and you tell him to remember
one of them. He then returns them to the pack, and you dexterously
place two under and two on the top of the pack. Under the bottom ones
you place four cards of any sort, and then, taking eight or ten from
the bottom cards, you spread them on the table, and ask the person if
the card he fixed on be among them. If he say _no_, you are sure it is
one of the two cards on the top. You then pass those two cards to the
bottom and, drawing off the lowest of them, you ask if that is not his
card. If he again say _no_, you take up that card, and bid him draw
his card from the bottom of the pack. If, on the contrary, he say his
cards _are_ among those you _first_ drew from the bottom, you must
dexterously take up the four cards you put under them, and, placing
those on the top, let the other two be the bottom cards of the pack,
which you are to draw in the manner before described.
_The Numerical Cards._
Let the long card be the sixteenth in the pack of piquet cards. Take
ten or twelve cards from the top of the pack, and, spreading them on
the table, desire a person to think on any one of them, and to observe
the number it is from the first card. Make the pass at the long card,
which will then be at the bottom. Then ask the party the number his
card was at, and, counting to yourself from that number to sixteen,
turn the cards up, one by one, from the bottom. Then stop at the
seventeenth card, and ask the person if he has seen his card, when he
will say _no_. You then ask him how many more cards you shall draw
before his card appears; and when he has named the number, you draw
the card aside with your finger, turn up the number of cards he
proposed, and throw down the card he fixed on.
_The Card found out by the Point of the Sword._
When a card has been drawn, you place it under the long card, and by
shuffling them dexterously, you bring it to the top of the pack. Then
lay or throw the pack on the ground, observing where the top card
lies. A handkerchief is then bound round your eyes, which ought to be
done by a confederate, in such a way that you can see the ground. A
sword is put into your hand, with which you touch several of the
cards, as if in doubt, but never losing sight of the top card, in
which at last you fix the point of the sword, and present it to the
party who drew it.
_The Card hit upon by the Guess._
Spread part of the pack before a person, in such way that only one
court card is visible; and so arrange it, that it shall appear the
most prominent and striking card. You desire him to think on one; and
observe if he fix his eye on the court card. When he tells you he has
determined on one, shuffle the cards, and, turning them up one by one,
when you come to the court card tell him that is the one.
If he does not seem to fix his eye on the court card, you should not
hazard the experiment; but frame an excuse for performing some other
amusement; neither should it be attempted with those who are
conversant with these sort of deceptions.
_The Card changed by Word of Command._
You must have two cards of the same sort in the pack, (say the king of
spades.) Place one next the bottom card, (say seven of hearts,) and
the other at top. Shuffle the cards without displacing those three,
and show a person that the bottom card is the seven of hearts. This
card you dexterously slip aside with your finger, which you have
previously wetted, and, taking the king of spades from the bottom,
which the person supposes to be the seven of hearts, lay it on the
table, telling him to cover it with his hand.
Shuffle the cards again, without displacing the first and last card,
and, shifting the other king of spades from the top to the bottom,
show it to another person. You then draw that privately away, and,
taking the bottom card, which will then be the seven of hearts, you
lay that on the table, and tell the second person (who believes it to
be the king of spades) to cover it with his hand.
You then command the cards to change places; and when the two parties
take off their hands and turn up the cards, they will see, to their
great astonishment, that your commands are obeyed.
_The Three Magical Parties._
Offer the long card to a person, that he may draw it, and replace it
in any part of the pack he pleases. _Make the pass_, and bring that
card to the top. Next divide the pack in three parcels, putting the
long card in the middle heap. You then ask the person which of the
three heaps his card shall be in. He will, probably, say the middle;
in which case you immediately show it to him. But if he say either of
the others, you take all the cards in your hand, placing the parcel he
has named over the other two, and observing to put your little finger
between that and the middle heap, at the top of which is the card he
drew. You then ask at what number in that heap he will have his card
appear. If, for example, he say the sixth, you tell down five cards
from the top of the pack, and then, dexterously making the pass, you
bring the long card to the top, and tell it down as the sixth.
_The Magic Vase._
Construct a vase of wood, or pasteboard, see Fig. 20. On the inside
let there be five divisions; two of them, _c d_, to be large enough to
admit a pack of cards each; and the other three, _e f g_, only large
enough to contain a single card. Place this vase on a bracket, L,
which is fastened to the partition M. Fix a silken thread at H, the
other end of which passes down the division _d_, and, over the pulley
I, runs along the bracket L, and goes out behind the partition M.
[Illustration: Fig. 20.]
Take three cards from the piquet pack, and place one of them in each
of the divisions _e f g_, making the silk thread or line go under each
of them. In the division _c_ put the remainder of the pack.
You then get another pack of cards, at the top of which are to be
three cards, the same as those in the three small divisions: and,
making the pass, bring them to the middle of the pack. Let them be
drawn by three persons; let them shuffle all the cards; after which
place the pack in the division _d_, and tell the parties that the
cards they drew will rise at their command, separately, from the vase.
A confederate behind the partition then gently drawing the line, the
three cards will then gradually appear from the vase; then taking the
cards from _c_, you show that those three are gone from the pack.
The vase must be placed so high that the company cannot see the
inside.
_The Divining Perspective Glass._
Procure a small perspective-glass, wide enough, where the object-glass
is placed, to hold the following table:
+-------+--------+--------+
| 1,131 | 10,132 | 19,133 |
| 2,231 | 11,232 | 20,233 |
| 3,331 | 12,332 | 21,333 |
+-------+--------+--------+
| 4,121 | 13,122 | 22,123 |
| 5,221 | 14,222 | 23,223 |
| 6,321 | 15,322 | 24,323 |
+-------+--------+--------+
| 7,111 | 16,112 | 25,113 |
| 8,211 | 17,212 | 26,213 |
| 9,311 | 18,312 | 27,313 |
+-------+--------+--------+
Take a pack of twenty-seven cards; give them to a person, bid him fix,
on one, shuffle them, and return them to you. Arrange the twenty-seven
cards in three parcels, by laying one down, alternately, on each
parcel; but before you lay each card down, show it to the person,
without seeing it yourself. When you have completed the three parcels,
ask him at what number, from one to twenty-seven, he will have his
card appear, and in which heap it then is. You then look at the heap
through your glass; and if the first of the three numbers, which
stands against the number it is to appear at, be one, put that heap at
top; if the number be at two, put it in the middle; and if it be
three, put it at the bottom. Next divide the cards into three heaps,
in the same manner, a second and third time, and his card will be at
the number he chose.
_Example._--Suppose the person wishes his card to be the twentieth
from the top; and the first time of making the heaps, he says it is in
the third heap; you then look at the table in the perspective, and you
see that the first figure is two; you, therefore, put that heap in the
middle of the pack. The second and third times, you in like manner put
the heap in which he says it is, at bottom; the number each time being
three. Then looking at the pack with your glass, as if to discover
which the card was, you lay the cards down, one by one, and the
twentieth will be the card fixed on.
_The Card in the Ring._
Get a ring, made of any metal, in which is set a large transparent
stone or piece of glass, to the bottom of which is fastened a small
piece of black silk; under the silk is to be the figure of a small
card; and the silk must be so constructed that it may be either drawn
aside or spread, by turning the stone round.
You then cause a person to draw the same sort of card as that at the
bottom of the ring; and tell him to burn it in the candle. Now, the
ring being so constructed that the silk conceals the card underneath
it, you first show him the ring, that he may see it is not there, and
tell him you will make it appear; then rubbing the ashes of the card
on the ring, you manage to turn the stone or glass dexterously round,
and exhibit to him the small card at the bottom.
_The Card in the Mirror._
Provide a mirror, either round or oval, the frame of which must be at
least as wide as a card, and the glass must be wider than the distance
between the frame, by at least the width of a card. The glass in the
middle must be made to move in two grooves, and so much of the
quicksilver must be scraped off, as is equal to the size of a common
card. You then paste over the part where the quicksilver is rubbed
off, a piece of pasteboard, on which is a cord, that must exactly fit
the space, which must at first be placed behind the frame.