ng round a stone on the ground. "Is
it not so?"

"It is, Ameen," from Sidi Aisa.

"And what happens to him in the day time?"

"He is in the hands of God, and his people too."

"And in the night time?"

"He is in the hands of God, and his people too."

"And when at home?"

"He is in the hands of God, and his people too."

"And when abroad?"

"He is in the hands of God, and his people too."

At this a copper coin is thrown into the ring, and the charmer
replies, "Now he who is master of sea and land, my lord Abd el Kader
el Jilani,[17] bless the giver of that coin! Now, for the love of God
and of His blessed prophet, I offer a prayer for that generous
one." Here the operation of passing their hands down their faces is
performed by all.

[17: The surname of the Baghdad saint.]

"Now, there's another,"--as a coin falls--"and from a child, too! God
bless thee now, my son. May my lord Ben Aisa, my lord Abd es-Slam, and
my lord Abd el Kader, protect and keep thee!"

Then, as more coppers fall, similar blessings are invoked upon the
donors, interspersed with catechising of the musicians with a view to
making known the advantages to be reaped by giving something. At last,
as nothing more seems to be forthcoming, the performance proper is
proceeded with, and the charmer commences to dance on one leg, to
a terrible din from the tambourines. Then he pauses, and summons a
little boy from the audience, seating him in the midst, adjuring him
to behave himself, to do as he is bid, and to have faith in "our lord
Ben Aisa." Then, seating himself behind the boy, he places his lips
against his skull, and blows repeatedly, coming round to the front to
look at the lad, to see if he is sufficiently affected, and returning
to puff again. Finally he bites off a piece of the boy's cloak, and
chews it. Now he wets his finger in his mouth, and after putting it
into the dust makes lines across his legs and arms, all the time
calling on his patron saint; next holding the piece of cloth in his
hands and walking round the ring for all to see it.

"Come hither," he says to a bystander; "search my mouth and see if
there be anything there."

The search is conducted as a farmer would examine a horse's mouth,
with the result that it is declared empty.

"Now I call on the prophet to witness that there is no deception," as
he once more restores the piece of cloth to his mouth, and pokes his
fingers into his neck, drawing them now up h