of the Old World. 123 



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, entirely 

 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! and 

 behold, the tree was bending from the weight of five 

 fine mangoes, which were plucked and offered for our 

 inspection. 



The performance was deservedly much applauded, 

 but the operator was looked upon with much distrust 

 and suspicion by the natives, who imagined he did 

 everything by supernatural agency ; for when I cut 

 the mangoe he presented to me and offered half of it 

 to the little Mussulmannee girl who sat at my feet, 

 she actually shuddered as she put it away from her, 

 begging me in the name of Allah not to eat any of it, 

 as it could not be otherwise than bad, coming from 

 such a source. 



