[Illustration: Window poster issued by Anderson to belittle his imitator "Barney" Eagle and show how the latter secured royal patronage. From the Harry Houdini Collection.] As Eagle had advertised that he was patronized by royalty, Anderson had another bill printed, showing Eagle playing before the King at the Ascot race-track, and an assistant passing the hat in mountebank fashion. In revenge, Eagle had a book published, in which he exposed Anderson's best drawing trick, The Gun Delusion, in which the magician allowed any one from the audience to shoot a gun at him using marked bullets. These bullets were caught in his mouth or on the point of a knife. This trick became as common as the obedient-card trick. In the face of such overwhelming evidence, Robert-Houdin's claim to having invented the obedient-card trick is nothing short of farcical. [Illustration: A "Barney" Eagle poster on which the obedient-card trick is featured as "The Walking Cards." From the Harry Houdini Collection.] _The Cabalistic or Obedient Clock_ There might be said to exist a very reasonable doubt as to the exact date at which Robert-Houdin produced the cabalistic clock which he included among his other doubtful claims to inventions. On page 250 of the American edition of his "Memoirs" he has the Cabalistic Clock on his opening programme for July 3d, 1845, but in the appendix of the French edition he states that the clock first made its appearance at the opening of the season of 1847. In nearly all his statements he is equally inaccurate. The mysterious clock might be termed the obedient clock, for the trick consists in causing the hand or hands to obey the will of the conjurer or the wishes of the audience. The hands will point to a figure, move with rapidity, or as slowly as possible, or in time to music. In fact the performer has full control of the hands--he can make them do his every bidding. The mysterious clock is a trick as old as the obedient-card trick, if not older. It was explained according to various methods in books before Robert-Houdin's appearance on the stage. In fact, the majority of old-time conjuring books explain mysterious clocks carefully. Before electricity was introduced, magnets were employed, but the earliest method was to make use of thread wound about the spindle of the clock hand, and that method is still the very best used to-day, owing to its simplicity. The clock, on being presented to the audience, may be hung or placed in the position best suited to the particular method by which it is being "worked."