out to bring a boy by the offer
of a piastre, and one was soon produced. Whether there was any
confederacy or not, I had no precise means to ascertain; but I was
inclined to think not. The Arab boy was trusted with the ink in place of
the European, and on the magician's asking him the leading question "Do
you see a little man?" he took but one look and answered "Yes." The
orders then followed "Tell him to bring a flag." &c. to all of which,
whether operated on by some dread of refusing, or by the natural
inclination of one rogue to help another, he duly answered that the
thing was done. I do not remember any further _denoument_ that there
was; and so ended the magic of the magician of Grand Cairo.

Being disappointed in this experiment, we began to seek for the
opportunity of making others, and offered a reward for any person who
would show us a specimen of imp or spirit. One man was produced, who was
stated to be of considerable fame. He said he would show me a spirit;
but I must go out with him three nights running to a cross road at
midnight, and perform divers ceremonies and lustrations which he
proceeded to describe. I believe he he had got an inkling, that I
intended to leave Cairo the next day. I told him, however, that I would
cheerfully go through any ceremonies he might propose. He next said, it
would be necessary that I should repeat the name of the spirit I called
for, eleven thousand times; and this I assured him I would painfully
perform. He then said, he was afraid at my age the operation would be
dangerous. I wonder whether the rogue meant that I was too young, or too
old, or too middle-aged; for I was exactly thirty-eight. Seeing that I
only pressed him the more, he took his fee and walked off, intimating
that there was no use in doing these things with Frangis.

I saw another instance in Cairo, of the way in which a story accumulates
by telling, and the degree in which even sensible Europeans by long
residence are induced to give into the beliefs they find around them.
The conversation turned one day on the power of charming serpents,
supposed to be inherent in certain descendants of the _Psylli_. One of
the Consular Staff immediately declared, that a most remarkable instance
of the fact had happened in the Consul-General's own courtyard the day
before. That one of those gifted men had come into the yard, and
declared he knew by his art that there were serpents in the stable; and
that he had immediate