HINDU MAGIC AN EXPOSE OF THE TRICKS OF THE YOGIS AND FAKIRS OF INDIA BY HEREWARD CARRINGTON Author of “Handcuff Tricks,” “Side Show and Animal Tricks,” “The Boys’ Book of Magic,” “The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism,” Etc., Etc. ILLUSTRATED PUBLISHED BY THE SPHINX Kansas City, Missouri 1913 TO SIDNEY LENZ (With Warmest Regards.) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page The Mango Tree Trick 5 The Basket Trick 19 The Dry Sands Trick 26 The Coloured Sands Trick 27 The Diving Duck 29 The Jumping Egg 30 The Beans and Scorpion Trick 32 The Basket and Birds Trick 33 The Ball of Cotton Trick 34 The Brass Bowl Trick 37 Snake Charming 38 Voluntary Interment 41 The Rope Trick 44 HINDU MAGIC In this pamphlet I propose to consider the phenomena which are presented by the fakirs and yogis of India, and to inquire into their nature and the method of their production. The feats performed by Indian fakirs are numerous, but I shall describe those most commonly witnessed: the mango-tree trick, the basket trick, the bowl of water trick, the dry sands trick, the rope and dismembered body test, levitation, snake charming, burial alive, etc. As so much is heard of Indian magic, and the powers of the Oriental performer, it may be well to examine their performances somewhat critically, and to see how far we are entitled to assume that there is anything in them suggesting the supernormal, anything calling for explanations that necessitate the operation of laws “other than those known to Western science.” THE MANGO-TREE TRICK. I shall begin by describing the famous mango-tree trick—perhaps the best known of all the feats performed by the Indian conjuror. I shall first of all describe the performance as it would appear to the uninitiated witness, afterwards explaining the secret.