tives in this country were possessed of these
powers."

"It ain't all of 'em can do it," said Auberry, "only a few men of a few
tribes can do them things; but them that can shore can, and that's all I
know about it."

"Quite so," said Orme. "Now, as it chances, I have traveled a bit in my
time in the old countries of the East. I have seen some wonderful things
done there."

"I have read about the East Indian jugglers," said Belknap, interested.
"Tell me, have you seen those feats? are they feats, or simply lies?"

"They are actual occurrences," said Orme. "I have seen them with my own
eyes, just as Auberry has seen the things he describes; and it is no
more right to accuse the one than the other of us of untruthfulness.

"For instance, I have seen an Indian juggler take a plain bowl, such as
they use for rice, and hold it out in his hand in the open sunlight; and
then I have seen a little bamboo tree start in it and grow two feet
high, right in the middle of the bowl, within the space of a minute or
so.

"You talk about the old story of 'Jack and the Bean Stalk'; I have seen
an old fakir take a bamboo stick, no thicker than his finger, and thrust
it down in the ground and start and climb up it, as if it were a tree,
and keep on climbing till he was out of sight; and then there would come
falling down out of the sky, legs and arms, his head, pieces of his
body. When these struck the ground, they would reassemble and make the
man all over again--just like Auberry's dead boy, you know.

"These tricks are so common in Asia that they do not excite any wonder.
As to tribal telegraph, they have got it there. Time and again, when our
forces were marching against the hill tribes of northwestern India, we
found they knew all of our plans a hundred miles ahead of us--how, none
of us could tell--only the fact was there, plain and unmistakable."

"They never do tell," broke in Auberry. "You couldn't get a red to
explain any of this to you--not even a squaw you have lived with for
years. They certainly do stand pat for keeps."

"Yet once in a while," smiled Orme, in his easy way, "a white man does
pick up some of these tricks. I believe I could do a few of them myself,
if I liked--in fact, I have sometimes learned some of the simpler ones
for my own amusement."

General exclamations of surprise and doubt greeted him from our little
circle, and this seemed to nettle him somewhat. "By Jove!" he went on,
"if you doubt it, I