performer tells him to get into the basket. The boy attempts to do
so, but finds that it is too small to contain more than his feet and
legs doubled up. The Jadoo-wallah presses forward the little boy's
head and this leaves only his shoulders and back visible. A large
cloth of thick texture is then thrown over the little boy who is half
in and half out of the basket, and the lid is balanced on top of all.
A little more altercation ensues when the Maestro takes a big stick
and aims a mighty blow at the basket. As the blow falls the lid sinks
down on to the top of the basket, and a terrible silence is the
result.

The Jadoo-wallah realises that he has killed his assistant, and, if a
good showman, bewails his lot suitably. He then decides to get rid of
the body and, in some cases, to restore it to life again. In order to
show that a tune on the "bean" has the required effect of making the
body disappear, he lifts the lid of the basket and first with one foot
and then the other steps on to the cloth covering the basket and
presses it down to the bottom. There is nothing in the basket!

To further prove the emptiness of the basket he replaces the lid,
through the middle of which there is a hole, and through this hole
thrusts down in all directions a sword. Occasionally he thrusts it
through the sides. There is nothing in the basket. The body has
disappeared.

This ends the trick, though on occasions the performer orders the lad
to re-appear from the end of the garden, or elsewhere.

The collection is made, the basket is hitched up on the shoulder pole
and with his bag of tricks the Jadoo-wallah moves on to the next
bungalow. How can it be done?

[Illustration]

First let us note carefully the shape of the basket. It is oblong,
about two feet high with a bulge in all its sides, so that the bottom
of the basket is larger than the top.

When the boy gets into the basket he places both feet into it and sits
down, filling the basket thus:--

[Illustration]

When the performer pushes his head forward the boy gets into this
position:--

[Illustration]

The cloth is then thrown over all, the boy and the basket, and while
the lid is being placed on top, and the altercation continues, the boy
gets into this position, holding the basket lid up with one hand.

[Illustration]

The lid of the basket being held up like this causes the audience to
think that his former position is unaltered.

If one were to take away the