In South Africa
SOUTH Africa proved to be in direct contrast to any other country we visited, but not less interesting. The first thing that happened on our arrival at Cape Town made us realise how very small the world in after all, for we had no sooner got ashore then we were greeted with, "Hullo, Zancig," and a man whom I had not seen for years--not since we had made our first appearance at Hammerstein's theatre--came up and made us feel at home.
There is one incident I want to mention in connection with our journey from New York to Cape Town. It was a long trip, taking nearly six weeks, and on the way I practised a very neat trick upon a fellow passenger who had earned a very unsavoury reputation amongst the other passengers on account of his treatment and behaviour towards some of the ladies aboard.
He was taking a company of dancing girls for a tour of South Africa, and there is no doubt as to the type of manager that he was.
It was my custom, after my wife had retired to rest, to walk for about half an hour on the lower deck just by way of exercise. For this purpose I wore a pair of silent deck shoes.
One night I was taking my usual walk when suddenly I heard somebody crying in one of the cabins, and I stopped, wondering what was the matter. I thought the occupant might be ill. I knew it was one of the cabins where some of the girls belonging to this man were sleeping. You can imagine my surprise then when I heard a man's voice saying, "Don'the a little fool."
I had no difficulty in recognising the voice as that of the man who was so cordially detested, and I determined that I would give him a fright such as he had never had before. I waited to hear whether the girl continued crying, but suddenly I heard him say, "Well, damn you, you can work your passage back as soon as you get ashore."
I stepped back into the shadows, and waited another moment. Suddenly the door of the cabin was opened stealthily, and, after peering this way and that, the man came out and scuttled off in the direction of his own cabin.
It happened that the next night we were having a concert, at which I was to give a demonstration. This I concluded would be the best time to administer a public rebuke which should make the culprit squirm, and also let the rest of the passengers know what manner of man was in their midst.
Accordingly I laid a little plot with my wife, who at once grasped the necessity of teaching this man a lesson.
The concert was a tremendous success, and at length it was our turn to appear before the audience. We went through the various tests of thought-reading, and gradually I worked my way into the neighbourhood of the man himself, who offered me a peculiar coin.
Exposing a Villain
Suddenly madame emitted a tremendous shriek, which startled everyone there. "There is a bad influence here," she said, when I asked her to continue. "It is not good. I see--I see a deck with cabins. Yes, it is the lower deck. I see a figure creeping along towards a door. He taps, and a frightened voice asks him who is there. He bids the girl inside to open the door. She does so and he goes in.
"There are three girls in that cabin, and they are afraid. He goes to one, who tells him he must go. He refuses. She insists, and be tries to kiss her. She struggles and cries in her terror. 'Don't be a little fool,' he urges, and still the girl insists that he shall leave them alone. At last, mad with rage, he leaves the cabin, and creeps back. That is all, but that bad influence is here now."
As I stood by his side I could see that the man to whom this description of his deed of the previous night must have come as a terrible shock, was literally quaking with fear, and I intended that the rest of the passengers present should have no doubt as to his identity. That is why I stood beside him all the time.
I had previously arranged to convey his appearance to my wife when I had reached him, and as she was blindfolded it accrued miraculous to the people that she should have been able to divine so completely what had evidently happened.
For the rest of the trip he was shunned by everyone, and had the good grace to keep to his cabin as much as possible. This much I know. On arrival at Cape Town he stranded several girls there, for whilst we were appearing in the town they came round and told us how he had timed them to catch a certain train up country, and had aoken all those he had wanted on a previous train.
The most wonderful thing that I saw in South Africa was during our visit to Kimberly. We were taken over one of the mines, and shown all the workings of the place.
We gave a performance to the chiefs and officers of the works, and as they had never seen anything like it before they were greatly impressed. Then I suggested that the natives might enjoy a show, and arrangements were accordingly made.
I think I have mentioned that at this time I used to include a bit of hypnotism in my act, and on this occasion I thought it would interest the Kaffirs. So I got a little native boy, whom I put to sleep, and performed various little tricks with him, much to the amazement of the company.
Those who have seen my performances will have noticed that I always work ith it little jewelled stick, and on this occasion I used it on this hypnotised boy, I pointed it, at him, and told him that he could not say his name, and immediately he became dumb. This was after he had repeated it correctly several times.
My audience were very quiet, but I thought that it was due to nothing more than wonder. Suddenly, however, a huge specimen of manhood strode towards the stage. He was a kaffir chief, I learned afterwards, and certainly he made a magnificent figure as he mounted the stage.
In a language I could not understand he asked me something, pointing towards the stick in my hand. I held it towards him, and as he reached out to touch it I jerked it slightly. The sudden touch caused him to draw away his hand quickly, and then he turned, and in ringing tones declaimed something to the audience who had been looking on aghast.
I was quite amused. But suddenly my amusement was turned to something very different when I looked upon the forbidding faces of my audience. I turned to go on with my performance, thinking to tide things over. But I could bear vague murmurings, and I felt the earth begin to tremble with the regular bent of hundreds of feet beating a rhythmic time upon the floor.
One of the white foremen appeared at the side of the stage and beckoned me. He looked very serious, and when I went to him he explained that the chief had told his countrymen that I was a devil man possessed of evil spirits, and that the stick I held was a devil stick. He stated that he had distinctly felt a shock when he had touched it.
The foreman advised us to get away as soon as we could, and as the murmuing was becoming louder and louder, and the floor was shaking beneath the steady stamping of feet, he blew a loud blast on the whistle which they always carry. At once the guards rushed in armed with rifles, and we were escorted from the hall.
It was not at all a nice experience, and I remember a similar occasion when the natives got so nervous that they left the place in a rush, and I could see their faces pressed against the windows outside staring in a frenzy of fear.
After we left South Africa we went to Manila, and from there to California, where we were booked for the Orpheum circuit, opening at San Francisco.
And now I must bring to an end this record of my travels, which I shall always remember as one of the most interesting periods of my life.
END.