Still, I Could Only Say That I Could Not Believe It, As A
Thing Too Manifestly Contrary To Reason."
Akin to these performances, though exhibited by professed jugglers without
claim to religious character, is a class of feats which
Might be regarded
as simply inventions if told by one author only, but which seem to deserve
prominent notice from their being recounted by a series of authors,
certainly independent of one another, and writing at long intervals of
time and place. Our first witness is Ibn Batuta, and it will be necessary
to quote him as well as the others in full, in order to show how closely
their evidence tallies. The Arab Traveller was present at a great
entertainment at the Court of the Viceroy of Khansa (Kinsay of Polo, or
Hang-chau fu): "That same night a juggler, who was one of the Kan's
slaves, made his appearance, and the Amir said to him, 'Come and show us
some of your marvels.' Upon this he took a wooden ball, with several holes
in it, through which long thongs were passed, and, laying hold of one of
these, slung it into the air. It went so high that we lost sight of it
altogether. (It was the hottest season of the year, and we were outside in
the middle of the palace court.) There now remained only a little of the
end of a thong in the conjuror's hand, and he desired one of the boys who
assisted him to lay hold of it and mount.
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