Still, on reflection, I was certain the man could not really pierce his stomach thus, and that there must be some trick concealed.
My love of the marvellous made me desire to know it; hence, I applied to the invulnerable, and on condition of a certain sum, and promises not to use it, he sold me his secret.
I may, in my turn, communicate it to the public without asking from them the same promise. The trick is, however, rather ingenious.
The performer was very thin—an indispensable quality for the success of the trick. He pressed in his stomach very tightly with a waist-belt, and produced the following result: the vertebral column being unable to bend, served as a support, and the intestines gave way and fell in about half the space they originally occupied. The mountebank then substituted for the suppressed part a card-board stomach which restored him to his original condition, and the whole being concealed beneath a flesh-colored tricot, appeared to form part of his body. On either side, above the hips, two ribbon rosettes hid the apertures by which the sword-point would go in and out, these openings being connected by a leathern scabbard which led the weapon securely from one end to the other, while, in order to produce the blood, a sponge filled with a red liquid was placed in the middle of the sheath. The knives in the nostrils were a reality. The invulnerable was very pug-nosed, which allowed him to draw the cartilage of the nose up prior to the introduction of the knives.
I possessed the necessary physical qualifications for the sabre trick, but none for that of the knives. I did not attempt the first, much less the second.
By the way, I may remark that, when a lad, I used to perform two miracles, which might be useful to the Aïssaoua, if they were ever told of them. I will explain them here.
The corn-curer who taught me to juggle, also showed me a very curious trick, consisting in thrusting a small nail into the right eye, which is then made to pass into the left eye, thence into the mouth, and end by returning into the right eye.
It may be imagined how I burned with the fire of necromancy, since I had the courage to practise this trick, which I found charming. A very disagreeable circumstance, however, deprived me of my faith in the effect produced by it.
I sometimes spent the evening at a lady’s house who had two daughters. I thought I could not select a better place for my first performance and asked leave to do the trick. Of course this permission was granted, and a circle was formed round me.
“Ladies,” I said, with a certain degree of emphasis, “I am invulnerable. To furnish you with a proof, I could easily stab myself with a dagger, a knife, or any other sharp instrument; but I fear lest the sight of blood might produce too agitating an effect on you. Hence, I will offer you another proof of my supernatural powers.” And I performed my famous trick of “the nail in the eye.”