216 
1771. 
| aed 
November. 
A JOURNEY TO THE 
there was great room for collufion: for though 
the conjurer himfelf was quite naked, there were 
feveral of his fraternity well-clothed, who attend- _ 
ed him very clofe during the time of his attempt- | 
ing to {wallow the board, as well as at the time of | 
his hauling it up again. 
For thefe reafonsit is neceflary alfo to fea 
_ that on the day preceding the performance of this 
piece of deception, in one of my hunting excur- 
fions, I accidentally came acrofs the conjurer as 
he was fitting under a bufh, feveral miles from 
the tents, where he was bufily employed fhaping 
a piece of wood exa¢tly like that part which ftuck 
out of hismouth after he had pretended to fwal- 
low the remainder of the piece. ‘The fhape of 
the piece which I faw him making was this, W, 
which exactly refembled the forked end of the main 
piece, the fhape of which was this, Wie Ae) ) 
So that when his attendants had concealed the | 
main piece, it was eafy for him to flick the {mall 
point into his mouth, as it was reduced at the 
fmall end to a proper fize for the purpofe. 
Similar proofs may eafily be urged againft his 
{wallowing the bayonet in the Summer, as no 
perfon lefs ignorant than themfelves can poflibly 
place any belief in the reality of thofe feats; yet 
on the whole, they muft be allowed a confidera- 
ble fhare of dexterity in the performance of thofe © 
tricks, and a wonderful deal of perfeverance in 
what they do for the relief of thofe whom they 
undertake to cure. 
Not 
