on: THE PRELIMINARY STAGE OF THE MANGO TREE TRICK

as shewn by Shah Mahommed.]

The Jadoo-wallah, sitting under the porch and not upon a concrete
verandah, heaps up some earth in front of him. He wets this until it
has the consistency of mud. He then places in this little mound a
mango stone and covers the whole with a cloth. He plays the "bean" and
takes away the cloth when the heap is found to be as before. He takes
the lid of his basket, and covering it with the cloth, places it over
the heap of mud propping up one end of it, that towards himself, with
a little piece of stick. More "bean." He then takes away the lid and
cloth. Still no result. He puts back the covering again. (I am going
to call this point "A" for my explanation.) After a certain amount of
manipulation, during which is heard the rustling of leaves, he lifts
it up and Lo! and behold! there is a small plant in view. He
administers to it with water and adjusts its leaves. He again goes
through the same performance as above. Each time that he takes away
the basket cover the tree has grown larger. The most developed finale
that I have seen, is when the tree was about two feet high with a
number of leaves and two diminutive unripe mangoes on it.

My explanation will rob those who like to imagine that magic pure and
simple, accounts for the Mango Tree trick of a great deal of their
enjoyment in that belief.

The making of the loose earth into a mud pie is necessary, because,
otherwise the bits of branches that are to be stuck into it from time
to time will not stand upright.

At the point "A" referred to above, when the performer takes the
basket lid away, with the cloth he picks up a small bundle by his
side which contains a small piece of a mango twig with two or three
leaves upon it. Under cover of the replaced lid he undoes the bundle,
gets out the twig, and sticks it into the mud heap pressing it firmly
down, so that it stands erect and appears to have grown there. He
plays a little music and carries away the lid, and with it the empty
rag that contained the twig. He places the lid on the ground and so
gets rid of the rag. While his audience are showing their surprise at
the development of the twig, he picks up still another larger bundle
containing a still bigger branch of a mango tree. He replaces the lid,
and under cover of it unfolds the bundle, gets out the branch, adds it
to the twig already in the mud heap and makes all secure by again
pre