Indian Rope Trick - The Trick

The Trick

Although diverse accounts of the trick have appeared in print since the original was published in 1890, it remains essentially the same. There are three basic variants, which differ in the degree of theatricality displayed by the magician and his helper. Here they are.

• In the simplest version, the magician would hurl a rope into the air. The rope would stand erect, with no external support. His boy assistant, Jamoora, would climb the rope and then descend.

• A more elaborate version would find the magician (or his assistant) disappearing after reaching the top of the rope, then reappearing at ground level.

• The "classic" version, however, was much more detailed: the rope would seem to rise high into the skies, disappearing from view. The boy would climb the rope and be lost to view. The magician would call back his boy assistant, and, on getting no response, become furious. The magician then armed himself with a knife or sword and climbed the rope, vanishing too. An argument would be heard, and then limbs would start falling, presumably cut from the assistant by the magician. When all the parts of the body, including the torso, landed on the ground, the magician would climb down the rope. He would collect the limbs and put them in a basket, or collect the limbs in one place and cover them with a cape or blanket. Soon the boy would appear, restored.