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Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring
·
Professor Hoffmann
304
This
capital
little
trick
depends
upon
a
simple
arithmetical
principle;
but
the
secret
is
so
well
disguised
that
it
is
very
rarely
discovered.
All
that
the
performer
has
to
do
is
to
count
in
his
own
mind
the
taps
he
gives,
calling
the
first
“one,”
the
second
“two,”
and
so
on.
The
first
seven
taps
may
be
given
upon
any
figures
of
the
dial
indifferently;
indeed,
they
might
equally
well
be
given
on
the
back
of
the
watch,
or
anywhere
else,
without
prejudice
to
the
ultimate
result.
But
the
eighth
tap
must
be
given
invariably
on
the
figure
“twelve”
of
the
dial,
and
thenceforward
the
pencil
must
travel
through
the
figures
seriatim,
but
in
reverse
order,
“eleven,”
“ten,”
“nine,”
and
so
on.
By
following
this
process
it
will
be
found
that
at
the
tap
which,
counting
from
the
number
the
spectator
thought
of,
will
make
twenty,
the
pencil
will
have
travelled
back
to
that
very
number.
A
few
illustrations
will
make
this
clear.
Let
us
suppose,
for
instance,
that
the
hour
the
spectator
thought
of
was
twelve.
In
this
case
he
will
count
the
first
tap
of
the
pencil
as
thirteen,
the
second
as
fourteen,
and
so
on.
The
eighth
tap
in
this
case
will
complete
the
twenty,
and
the
reader
will
remember
that,
according
to
the
directions
we
have
given,
he
is
at
the
eighth
tap
always
to
let
his
pencil
fall
on
the
number
twelve;
so
that
when
the
spectator,
having
mentally
reached
the
number
twenty,
cries,
“Stop,”
the
pencil
will
be
pointing
to
that
number.
Suppose,
again,
the
number
thought
of
was
“eleven.”
Here
the
first
tap
will
be
counted
as
“twelve,”
and
the
ninth
(at
which,
according
to
the
rule,
the
pencil
will
be
resting
on
eleven)
will
make
the
twenty.
Taking
again
the
smallest
number
that
can
be
thought
of,
“one,”
here
the
first
tap
will
be
counted
by
the
spectator
as
“two,”
and
the
eighth,
at
which
the
pencil
reaches
twelve,
will
count
as
“nine.”
Henceforth
the
pencil
will
travel
regularly
backward
round
the
dial,
and
at
the
nineteenth
tap
(completing
the
twenty,
as
counted
by
the
spectator)
will
have
just
reached
the
figure
“one.”
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