Magic In The East

I have in tended to teil the story of little Akli before. I don't know why I haven't done so, unless it has been becanse- Bnt I will teil the story this time. I had been journeying throngh Egypt in company with my friend, Harry Kellar, the magicbm. We were stopping at the qnaint old town of Boolak, which is Bituated on the right bank of the Nile, at the divergence of its Pelnsiac branch, one mile northwest of the historio city of Cairo, of which it forma a suburb. Our host was an Egyptian grandee, whose fine country place overlooked the shipping from just ontside the more densely populated part of the town. One day we were strolling down near the landings whon an old Egyptian market woman besought us to purchase some of her tamarinds, naming an exorbitant price. "Why, my c-ood mother, do vou sell these tamaxinds at that low figure?'1 esclaimed Kellar in mild surprise, addressing her in her own tongue. "They are worth much more than that, I mi sure." She looked surprised; so did our host. "Yes, I was sure of it," Kellar continued, and he broke one of those that he had taken up and drew a small copper coin of the country from its center. For a moment the woman was too startled to do more than regard the coin with wonder. Then, however, her natural avarice asserted itself. and she Bnatched the bit away from Kellar's unresisting hand. "Ah! I see you are a fakir," our host said smilingly ae we moved on. "It was well dono. Ñow I know that you and my other esteemed friend here will more than ordinarily enjoy the slight diversion I have to offer for your entertainment after coffee today. Perhaps, too. you may have the keenness - though it is not in me to explain the performance to divine how little Akli can mrvtre the marvelous act Abalani forcea him to do, and to discover how Abalani can perform his part of the strange entertainment. But about the ld market woman: A servan told our host later that she had hurried directly to her rude cot on our departure, where she had carefully opened every tamarind in her basket to find the copper bit in its center. The disappointment she suffered on not find-' ing a single bit of money and the loss of the spoiled fruit served her right for attempting tp impose upon the supposed ignorance of strangers. But Kellar was too large hearted to allow the lesson to be one that should make her the poorer, and the servant was dispatched directly to the old peddler's home with more than twice the worth of the fruit in coppers. That evening Abalani, the fakir, arrived at our host's house. He was a small, wiry little man, whose age was about 45, if you were to judge it from the dark, clear e}-es with which hequicklysummedyou up. Theyseemed to pierce me through and through as he made a deprecatory bow before me, his thin anus and palms extended toward me in the attitude of benediction. His only gar&ents were a light breechcloth of a dark red' shade and a flowincj eilk mantle, dark yellow in color. The only ornament he wore was a dark copper ring hanging from his neck by a greasy looking piece of leather or cord. I looked for Akli, the little boy with whose assistance he performed the tricks we expected to wit&i But Abalani was alone. I then looked for the coil of rope which I had heard played a part in the strange spectacle. The fakir had brought none. I said to mysolf that we were to bsdisappointed, and that the little weazen limbed fakir bad come to make excuses for his inability to amuse us this time, and I could see that Kellar thought the same. But our host retained his wonted good nature as though nothing was wrong, and it was not the place of either Kellar or rnyself to show disappointment. Meanwhile the little fakir led the way to a smooth bit of ground not far from the house. Here we almost unconsciously formed an expectant circle about him. He spoke few words, and we maintained a perfect sileuce u'nder the spell i the little fellow seemed to throw around him. But this was not the sensation of gazing upon a serpent that one experiences when witnessing the performances of so many of his class. "My inasters, you wish to see Akli clhnb?" he said in a crackling, restrained tone. "They do," our host answered for us. The man clapped his thin palnis together twice smartly. As he did so a small boy appeared by his side like a flash where there had been no one the moment before. Kellar Btarted forward with an involuntary tsclamation on his lips. I, too, was greatly Btartled. The fakir had thrown aside his silk mantle and stood before us clothed only in his breechcloth. The boy, a handsome lad of apparently 10 or 12, was shnilarly clothed. At my request he took my hand and gave it a friendly preesure. "I must have a rope - must have a ropel" exclaimed Abalani nervously, and he gesticulated in the air quickly with hla right arm, his actions seeming to fascínate me. "Ah!" He ceased the action, and lowering his arm displayed a large coil of native rope in his hand that it would have been Impossible for nim to have concealed about his person. Then, with a quick motion, he pitched one end of the coil straight up into the air, keeping the other end in his grasp. The line seemed to catch up there in the atmosphere. It staid there dangling down between us. Abalani ordered Akli to climb up, hurrying him with a word of impatience and stamp of his foot. Akli shook the ropo with ono hand, as if to see if it were quite secure, and then did as he W33 reiaested. up, op, np, ne clanibered, higtaer and higher, growing smaller and smaller as he ascended until he actualty disappeared from view. Yet we could teil that he was still climbmg away up there, for the rope before us trenibled Tvith tlie motion that he made. Abalani did his best to study it. Tlien suddenly the fakir clapped his hands and sprang to one side. We heard the ruahing sound of a body falling through the air, and then the form of Akli lantied upon his feet before us unhurt and smiling. Another clapping of Abalanfs hands, and rope and boy both disappeared. The fakir stood alone before us. Kellar and I were mystified. He asked that Abalani perfora the trick again. Whea it had been done a second time, Abalani left us as perplexed as before. For my part I gave the whole riddle up. I had seen niany a strange feat of jugglery, but this oue completely nonplused me. Kellar was determined not to leave Boolak until he had satisfied himself as to how the trick, or feat, had been performed. A week passed. Our host enjoyed Kellar's quandary keenly as a boy, and joked him about it. Ho wever, Kellar joined ws on the porch one afternoon with a certain aniused expression upon his face that made me feel reasonably sure that something interesting was up. "I shonld like to see little Akli climb juBt once inore this afternoon," he said, dropping into a low steamer chair with inore satisfaction than I had noticed hiui evinco for the past week, "Con and I should be leaving tomorrow or the next day at the latest." To inake known a wish tliere was to have it gratified. After coffee that afternoon Abalaui carne walking gravely up the shaded path, liis slight figure clothed as before- in the flowing mantle and scanty breeclicloth - that dark copper ring, a shade lighter iu color than the breat it hang againat, his only decoration. As before, he was alone. There were the same low salaams, his dry, hard palma that were of almost the wmiüTiess or. isme ceing stretched óver us. Few words were spoken. The man could not have been more deferential. But at the same time I thought that I detected a gleani of egotistical challenge in his dark eyes that made me hope Kellar would succeed in detecting his trick and incri'&sed niy desire to know how it was perfonned. We moved down to tlie place in the garden where we had witnessed the act before, Keiler slippiag into the house a moment first. Littlo Akli appeared as bright and smiium as when we had first seen him. The rope appeared, Akli had climbed it, when I heard a slight, sharp "click!1' on the side where Kellar was standing. When little Akli kad clainbered out of sight, Abalani clapped his hands twice. We shuddared as we heard the sound of Akli's falling body. The rope had dteappeared, and the little fellow stood theru bowing before us. The next moment hc was gone. Kellar hurried me into the house and to our room. The room had a dark closet, aud soon Kellar was hold np a dripping 4 by 5 plate fi-om his camera for me to view by the dim light of our ruby lantern. I could see or.r l;ost, arms akimbo, looking up wouduringly . I could see Abalani - skowir.g up white in the negative - hia thin arms raised above his head, his feet braced widely apart, as they had been when steadying the rope for little Akli to climb when I had heard the shutter of the camera snap. But Viere was no little Akli to be seen anywhere, nor any rope, for that matter. Abalani had meeinerized our host, Kellar and myself, but it was beyond his fakir skill to mesmerize our