1 1 THE HUNTING GROUNDS 



prevent the influence of any evil spirit from inter- 

 fering with the working of his spell ; in the mean- 

 time he showed us some very clever sleight-of-hand 

 tricks with cups and small cloth-balls, something 

 like thirable-rig. 



When this was over he removed the basket and 

 showed us a young mangoe-plant growing, it having 

 put forward the two first leaves ; and at our request 

 he dug it up from the ground and showed us the 

 roots with the stone still adhering to them. This 

 he again planted and covered it over with the bas- 

 ket, after which he showed us some very clever 

 juggling with knives and balls. 



When he again uncovered the plant it was 

 covered with blossom, which we examined carefully 

 before the basket was replaced. 



He then showed us a very interesting feat, in 

 which there was really no deception. He made his 

 comrade lie down on his back, and placed on his 

 bare stomach a double betel-leaf; then, taking a 

 sharp sword, he made a ferocious drawing cut, en- 

 tirely dividing the leaf and making a line on the 

 man's stomach, yet not dividing the skin. He then 

 placed a lime on the palm of a man's hand, and cut 

 it in two with a stroke, so that both halves fell on 

 the ground, making a mark with the edge of the 

 sword on the man's hand, yet not cutting the skin. 



When this feat was ended he asked the Doctor to 

 remove the basket, and when he did so, lo 1 and 

 behold, the tree was bending from the weight of five 



