The performer now asks the gentleman to take the pack of cards and bowl at him, and he will be the player or one at the wicket. The performer picks up the bat and says “Play.” The cards are bowled at him, and he hits the pack with the bat as the cards are in the air, and, to the astonishment of the audience, the chosen cards are seen sticking to the bat. This very pretty card trick is quite simple to work. [Illustration: Fig. 62.--“Card Cricket.”] In selecting the cards the ladies were under the impression that they exercised their own free will, but such was not the case. The pack of cards was what is known to magicians as a forcing pack, that is, consisting of only three cards, which, for convenience sake, we will say are the ace of clubs, five of hearts, and nine of spades, one-third of the pack being composed of only one of these cards. The pack being thus made up, it is very easy for a skillful performer to present to the first lady the portion of the pack containing only ace of clubs, to the second lady the part consisting solely of five of hearts, and to the third lady the part that contains only nine of spades. By using such a forcing pack the performer is sure to have the proper cards selected. While the ladies are examining their cards the performer steps to his table on some pretense and slyly changes the forcing pack for an ordinary one consisting of the usual cards, with the exception of the five of hearts, ace of clubs, and nine of spades. This pack he hands to some member of the audience and requests them to have replaced the selected cards and shuffled. [Illustration: Fig. 63.--“Card Cricket.”] The cricket bat is an ordinary one, which, after being examined by the audience, is laid on a table until the performer finds a gentleman who will bowl the pack at him. In this simple act of laying the bat on the table we find the principal secret of the trick. Previous to beginning the performance the magician has placed face down on the table, in a line with each other, an ace of clubs, five of hearts, and nine of spades. The back of each of these cards is lined with cloth similar to the covering of the table, thus preventing any one noticing the cards when placed face down on the table. On the cloth covering of each of the cards is smeared a dab of soft adhesive wax. In placing the bat on the table, care is taken to lay it directly over the three cards, the wax on the backs adhering tightly to the bat. After the gentleman who has consented to bowl the pack of cards at the performer is in place, the performer picks up the bat, steps back a few feet, and says “Play.” The instant the flying cards touch the bat the performer turns it over, bringing into view the side of the bat to which the three cards are sticking, which appear to have been caught on the bat from the flying cards.