Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

by Professor Hoffmann

The feat may either end here, the rings, still linked, being gathered together and carried off by the assistant, or the performer may link all one by one into either of the key rings, and then shake them out and scatter them on the floor in the manner already described as to the eight rings. The performance may be elaborated to any extent, the two key rings giving a wonderful facility of combination, but whatever be the passes adopted they should not be too numerous, as the trick, however skilfully worked, consists only of repetitions of the same primary elements, and the interest of the spectators will quickly diminish.

The performer should, in manipulating the rings, study neatness and lightness, rather than rapidity. The effect should be as though the rings melted into and out of one another, and the smallest appearance of force or exertion should be avoided. It has a very good effect in disengaging the rings one from another, to hold them together for a moment or two after they are actually disconnected, and then holding them parallel to each other, to draw them very slowly apart. The precise moment of their separation is thus left uncertain, the illusion being thereby materially heightened. A single ring may in this way be drawn along a chain of three or four, the effect being as if the disengaged ring passed through the whole length of the chain.

The Charmed Bullet.—As a rule, people object to being shot at, and the least nervous person might fairly demur at facing the muzzle of a loaded pistol at six paces’ distance; but the magician is superior to such weakness, and will face a bullet with as little compunction as he would stop a ball at cricket. Neither must it be imagined that there is any “deception,” at any rate in the quality of the articles employed. The pistol is a real pistol, the powder is genuine powder, and the bullet—an ordinary leaden bullet—is chosen and marked by one of the audience, fairly placed in the pistol, and fairly rammed home. The pistol is fired with deliberate aim by a disinterested spectator; but no sooner has the smoke cleared away than the performer is seen standing unharmed, with the marked bullet caught between his teeth.

So much for the effect of the trick; now for the explanation. The pistol (see [Fig. 245]) is, as already stated, an ordinary weapon, and the only speciality of the bullets is that they are a size or two smaller than the bore of the pistol. The ramrod, b, is a plain cylinder of wood or metal, tapering very slightly at each end. The secret lies in the use of a little metal tube a, about two inches in length, open at one end, but closed at the other. This tube, which is of such a size as to fit loosely within the barrel of the pistol, but tightly upon either end of the ramrod, is placed in the right-hand pochette of the performer, and a small bag of bullets in the pochette on the other side.

Fig. 245.

The performer comes forward with the pistol in one hand and the ramrod in the other, and having a small charge of gunpowder, screwed up in a bit of soft paper, concealed between the second and third fingers of his right hand. He hands the pistol and ramrod for inspection. While they are under examination, he asks, “Can any lady or gentleman oblige me with a little gunpowder?” Nobody answers, and he continues, addressing some mild elderly gentleman, “Perhaps you can accommodate me, sir?” The elderly gentleman naturally replies that he is not in the habit of carrying gunpowder about with him. “Excuse me,” says the performer, “but I fancy you have a small packet of powder under your coat-collar. Permit me!” and drawing his hand gently down beneath the collar, he produces the little packet. This he hands to the person who is holding the pistol, with a request that he will load it. While he puts in the powder, the performer drops his left hand to the pochette, and palms the little bag of bullets, which he forthwith produces from a gentleman’s hat, or a lady’s muff.[N] From among the bullets he requests the person who put in the powder to select and mark one. While this is done, he himself takes the pistol in his left hand, holding it muzzle upwards, and in the act of transferring it with apparent carelessness to the other hand, secretly drops into it the little tube, the open end upwards. The spectator having chosen and marked the bullet, is requested, for greater certainty, to place it in the pistol himself. A very minute portion of paper is added by way of wad, and the performer then takes the pistol, and rams it down. The bullet, of course, has fallen into the little tube, and as the ramrod fits tightly within the latter, it naturally, when withdrawn, brings out tube and ball with it. The tube and ramrod are made to match (generally black, but sometimes of brass or silver-plated); and therefore the tube, when on the rod, even if exposed, would not be likely to attract attention. The performer, however, prevents the possibility of its doing so, by holding the rod by that end, thereby concealing the tube with his hand. He now hands the pistol to a spectator, requesting him, for fear of accidents, to hold it muzzle upwards until the word to fire is given. The performer now takes up his position at the furthest part of the stage, and during his short journey gains possession of the bullet. This is effected by sharply drawing away the ramrod with the left hand, thereby leaving the tube open in the right, and allowing the ball to roll out into the palm. The tube, having served its purpose, is got rid of into the profonde, and the ball is either slipped into the mouth or retained in the hand, according to the mode in which it is intended to be produced.

[N] A muff, being open at each end, is an excellent thing whence to produce any small article—e.g., a borrowed watch, a ball, etc. For this purpose the performer should take hold of one end of the muff with the hand in which is palmed the article in question, which is immediately allowed to slide gently through the muff, and is stopped by the other hand. If this is neatly done, the keenest eye cannot detect the deception.

Some performers use several small bullets. In our own opinion, a single ball of tolerable size is not only more manageable, but more effective. The mode of producing the bullet also varies. Some, instead of producing it in the mouth, hold up a china plate by way of target, the bullet being held under the two first fingers against the front of the plate. When the pistol is fired, the plate is turned horizontally, and the bullet released from the fingers. This plan is sometimes to be preferred, inasmuch as it creates an excuse for leaving the stage for a moment to fetch the plate, an opportunity which is valuable in the event, which sometimes happens, of the ball, from an excess of wadding or any other cause, not dropping readily from the tube into the hand. To meet this possible difficulty, some tubes have (to use an Irishism) a small hole through the closed end, so that the performer, on leaving the stage, can, by pushing a piece of wire through the hole, instantly force out the bullet.