So I do not feel that I need to apologize for adding another volume to the shelves of works dealing with the marvels of the miracle-mongers. My business has given me an intimate knowledge of stage illusions, together with many years of experience among show people of all types. My familiarity with the former, and what I have learned of the psychology of the latter, has placed me at a certain advantage in uncovering the natural explanation of feats that to the ignorant have seemed supernatural. And even if my readers are too well informed to be interested in my descriptions of the methods of the various performers who have seemed to me worthy of attention in these pages, I hope they will find some amusement in following the fortunes and misfortunes of all manner of strange folk who once bewildered the wise men of their day. If I have accomplished that much, I shall feel amply repaid for my labor. HOUDINI. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. Fire worship.--Fire eating and heat resistance.--The Middle Ages.--Among the Navajo Indians.--Fire-walkers of Japan.--The Fiery Ordeal of Fiji II. Watton's Ship-swabber from the Indies.-Richardson, 1667.--De Heiterkeit, 1713.--Robert Powell, 1718-1780.--Dufour, 1783.--Quackensalber, 1794 III. The nineteenth century.--A "Wonderful Phenomenon."--"The Incombustible Spaniard, Senor Lionetto," 1803.--Josephine Girardelli, 1814.--John Brooks, 1817.--W. C. Houghton, 1832.--J. A. B. Chylinski, 1841.--Chamouni, the Russian Salamander, 1869.--Professor Rel Maeub, 1876. Rivelli (died 1900) IV. The Master--Chabert, 1792-1859 V. Fire-eating magicians. Ching Ling Foo and Chung Ling Soo.--Fire-eaters employed by magicians: The Man-Salamander, 1816.-Mr. Carlton, Professor of Chemistry, 1818.--Miss Cassillis, aged nine, 1820. The African Wonder, 1843.--Ling Look and Yamadeva die in China during Kellar's world tour, 1877.--Ling Look's double, 1879.--Electrical effects, The Salambos.--Bueno Core.--Del Kano.--Barnello.--Edwin Forrest as a heat-resister--The Elder Sothern as a fire-eater.--The Twilight of the Art VI. The Arcana of the fire-eaters: The formula of Albertus Magnus.--Of Hocus Pocus.--Richardson's method.--Philopyraphagus Ashburniensis.--To breathe forth sparks, smoke and flames.--To spout natural gas.--Professor Sementini's discoveries.--To bite off red-hot iron.--To cook in a burning cage.--Chabert's oven.--To eat coals of fire.--To drink burning oil.--To chew molten lead.--To chew burning brimstone.--To wreathe the face in flames.--To ignite paper with the breath.--To drink boiling liquor and eat flaming wax VII. The spheroidal condition of liquids.--Why the hand may be dipped in molten metals.--Principles of heat resistance put to practical uses: Aldini, 1829.--In early fire-fighting.--Temperatures the body can endure VIII. Sword-swallowers: Cliquot, Delno Fritz, Deodota, a razor-swallower, an umbrella-swallower, William Dempster, John Cumming, Edith Clifford, Victorina