Is
spoken of by Valentyn, in a passage also containing curious notices of the
basket-murder trick, the mango trick, the sitting in the air (quoted
above), and others; but he refers to Melton, and I am not sure whether he
had any other authority for it. The cut on this page is taken from
Melton's plate.
[Illustration: Chinese Conjuring Extraordinary.]
Again we have in the Memoirs of the Emperor Jahangir a detail of the
wonderful performances of seven jugglers from Bengal who exhibited before
him. Two of their feats are thus described: "Ninth. They produced a man
whom they divided limb from limb, actually severing his head from the
body. They scattered these mutilated members along the ground, and in this
state they lay for some time. They then extended a sheet or curtain over
the spot, and one of the men putting himself under the sheet, in a few
minutes came from below, followed by the individual supposed to have been
cut into joints, in perfect health and condition, and one might have
safely sworn that he had never received wound or injury whatever ...
Twenty-third. They produced a chain of 50 cubits in length, and in my
presence threw one end of it towards the sky, where it remained as if
fastened to something in the air.
