"Doors open at half-past seven, performance to commence precisely at eight,” said my friend, as glibly as though he were reading from the play bill; in fact, it is my belief that he had been studying the posters stuck up all over the township until he knew their contents by heart. Amusements of any kind were more scarce in up-country townships some years ago than they are now, and the visits of caterers for the public entertainment were, like angels, few and far between. So, when flaming posters announced to the inhabitants of the township of S-- that the Wizard of the South-East would shortly pay them a visit, and perform for their especial delight and delectation those marvelous feats of legerdemain with which he had astonished and delighted the crowned heads of Europe, their joy was proportionate to the surprise they felt that so great and celebrated a man should so far condescend.

There was one part of the Wizard's programme that filled a portion of the population with unmixed surprise and delighted expectation. The boys were, to a boy, in the highest state of excitement about the gun trick. No conjuror had ever visited the town before, and when they saw in the playbills not only the announcement that the Wizard would allow anyone in the audience to fire a loaded gun at him, but that he would catch the bullet between his teeth - when I say they saw all this not merely set forth in bare cold words, but supported and emphasized by a picture in which the Wizard was represented as standing with the utmost calmness on a stage, whilst a ferocious looking individual took deadly aim at him with a weapon more like a young cannon than a gun, their excitement became great and their longing to see this wonderful trick performed amounted to a passion. I think from conversations I overheard amongst the youths of the town, as I passed down the street that afternoon, that the principal reason they so earnestly desired to see the Wizard perform this trick was their absolute conviction that he could not do it at all, and that he would inevitably get shot in attempting it; indeed, I heard one youngster say as he smacked his lips with a sort of relish, "No fears of him catching a bullet between his teeth, it'll go clean through his ‘ed. “My word," continued this amiable child, as he danced up and down in a sort of frenzy," shouldn’t I like to shoot it at him."

Having expressed these bloodthirsty sentiments he subsided into calmness and passed on his way, pondering as he went on all the wonderful things he was to see that night, and turning over in his precocious brain the best means of discovering the Wizard's tricks. I think if there be one trait in the character of our colonial bred boys more prominent than another, it is an utter contempt for all that is dark and mysterious; and things which would strike a boy born and bred in the old country with awe and astonishment would merely set a colonial youth thinking of the means that caused the effects which less practical minds would accept as wonderful, never dreaming of trying to discover how they were produced. I do not believe there was a boy in the township who thought that the Wizard really caught a bullet between his teeth. They knew there was a trick in it, but at the same time they were under the impression the man went through his performance at the risk of his life.

The entertainment, was, to take place in the large room of the principal inn. Punctually at half-past seven I presented myself at the door, and for the sum of five shillings obtained a reserved seat ticket. The room rapidly filled, and by eight o'clock there was not standing space. A stage had been erected at one end of the apartment, and on it, by way of decoration, were placed some Chinese  pagodas made of pasteboard. The audience was a very noisy one, it being just after, shearing, and the town was full of men engaged in the pleasant but fleeting pastimes of knocking their cheques- down. The “apronists” mustered very strong, and the most amusing part of the entertainment to me was their loudly expressed criticisms or the manner in which the Wizard performed his tricks.  I would not have undergone what that unfortunate did during his performance, for ten thousand pounds per night.

In the first place the audience were disappointed by his personal appearance ; they had evidently made up their minds that a man who, according to the posters, had exhibited before the crowned heads of Europe must be something very different from the little, shabbily attired individual who appeared on the stage, looking very much as though he were ashamed of himself. The way they yelled at the poor man was enough to drive all the tricks he were about to perform clean out of his bewildered brain. There was one thing quite certain, that playing before the crowned heads of Europe had not given him confidence, and if he exhibited so much trepidation in our presence, what must have been his state of mind when confronted by kings and emperors. However, perhaps they did not yell at him in the way we did, and there is no doubt that it must be very trying, even to the strongest nerves, to stand before a strange audience in a strange place and have your personal appearance disparaged in the strongest and most opprobrious terms, selected from the choice vocabulary that a bushman on the spree has always ready on hand.

The boys were not behindhand you may be sure in doing their best to add to the noise, and when the wretched Wizard, who appeared to be rapidly falling into a state of hopeless idiocy, attempted to speak, he was requested to "dry up and get on” with his work. , At length the row subsided, and he managed to do a few tricks, but he was in such a nervous state that the method in which they were done was transparent to everyone. As the evening, drew on he seemed to prosper better, and after he had retired from the stage two or three times, evidently for the purpose of refreshing himself with something stronger than water, his presence of mind returned, and he went through some sleight of hand tricks very cleverly indeed. The audience now commenced to applaud as loudly as they had before abused him, and the Wizard began to grow quite conceited. It was soon to be taken out of him, and by a boy too. All through the performance I noticed the boy, whom  I had heard during the afternoon express a strong desire that he might be the one elected to fire the gun in the trick of that name. He had perched himself up in a conspicuous position, and; unlike his comrades, he had kept perfectly quiet, and when the others shouted their approval, or otherwise, of the various tricks performed, he, with a ruminating face, kept a sharp eye upon the performer, and noted every move of his hand and every turn of his body... It was a moment of breathless interest when the Wizard, coming to the front of the stage, announced that he would now have the honour of showing  them something  in the well-doing of which-he flattered himself he stood unrivalled. He would not conceal from the audience, whom he could see was a most intelligent and appreciative one (loud cheers from the drunken bushmen, and loud cries of "go it old hoss,” that the trick was a most difficult one, and not wholly unattended by personal danger to himself (he little knew how much), but he was prepared to  do and dare all for the sake of pleasuring the most discriminating, the most enlightened and orderly audience he ever had the pleasure of performing before, not excepting the crowned heads.

“And now ladies and gentlemen," said he, "there is only one thing I require, and that is, someone to fire the gun." He glanced round the room and his eye fell on the quiet face of the boy whom I have mentioned as being perched in a conspicuous position. Directly he was him I could see by his satisfied look that he was saying to himself, "that is the boy for my money," and I was not the least surprised to bear him call out as he beckoned with his finger, "come here little boy." The youngster leisurely descended from his perch, calmly walked up the room and ascended on to the stage with as much nonchalance as if he were in the habit of doing it every day of his life. “Now little boy, "said the conjuror, "can you shoot?' The little boy, who had been regarding the pasteboard pagodas with vast interest, now removed his gaze from them, and looking the Wizard straight in the eyes answered with startling vehemence, " my word !"

The conjuror was somewhat taken aback by the readiness of the boy's answer, but recovering himself quickly he proceeded to question him further.

"Oh, so you can shoot eh, are you a good shot ?"

"I am that" was the quiet and confident answer."

"Do you think you could hit me now" said the Wizard.

" Oh, I’ll hit you right enough" said the boy,

“In the mouth?" said the Wizard. - " In the heye," said the youngster " if you like."

"Very good, "said the conjuror, taking up a large horse pistol with an enormous muzzle, and proceeding to load it, "but mind and be careful to fire at my mouth, I shall not be able to catch the bullet unless you do." " Don't you be afraid," said the boy, "I'll hit you plump 'atween the teeth." The pistol was charged with powder, an imaginary bullet rammed down on top of it, and then the weapon was handed over to the boy, who was directed to take his stand on a chair at the further end of the room. The youngster wore a waistcoat which was ornamented with large leaden buttons. As he walked up the centre of the apartment to take his place on the chair, I noticed that one of his hands was busily engaged in playing with these buttons, and playing with them very roughly too ; indeed it appeared to me that he was plucking them out, so to speak, by the roots. It never struck me for a moment to what purpose he won about to apply them. Before he reached the chair he stopped and spoke to a young girl, evidently a relation, and she handed him something. I do not suppose there was another soul in the room who was looking at him but myself, for every eye was just at that moment fixed on the Wizard, who was talking away to the audience after the manner of his kind. At length our young friend reached the chair and mounted upon it. The Wizard took up a position on the stage, and the whole of the audience became breathless with interest "

" Are you ready?" said the Wizard.

"I am," replied the boy.

"You are sure you can hit me!"

" I'll hit yer," said the boy, never you fear."

"Take 'a steady aim, then," said the Wizard, "and fire at my mouth." - With' great carefulness and precision did the boy raise the deadly weapon until it was on a line with the Wizard's face. There was a slight pause, followed by a loud report, and three out of the four pasteboard pagodas went  tumbling over in three different directions, whilst the Wizard, with a roar of anguish, commenced hopping on one leg round the stage as though he were possessed. He went twice round in this singular manner before he stopped; and then coming to' the front he shook his fist at the youngster, who with a calm smile was watching his proceedings with much interest,  and in a tremendous voice for so small a man roared out -  " You bloodthirsty young scoundrel, what did you put in that pistol."  The boy answered him with as much readiness as if he had been asked the most ordinary question in the world.....  "Three lead buttons arid a brass thimble. How many did yer ketch,' mister ?"

" Why, you young scoundrel," said the Wizard, as, with a face full of horror, he listened to the list of articles that had been discharged at him, " you might have killed me."

"Killed yer," 'said the youth, with much contempt, as he descended from 'the chair, "killed yer, what did yer go and say for then that you could ketch a bullet; if yer could ketch a bullet what was to stop you from ketching a lead button, or for the matter of that a brass thimble, you call yourself a conjuror," said he, as with' a frisky bound he lauded on the stage, " I'll show yer how to conjure. Whoop ! come on boys," said he, as with his foot flourished in the air he took accurate aim at the only pagoda left standing, "whoop! come on, and we'll show him how to conjure.'' With that he let drive and sent his foot and half his leg through the pasteboard ornament, before the conjuror, with the print of a brass thimble deeply impressed in the calf of his leg, had time to interfere.

This was all that was required to commence as pretty a row as ever I saw in my life. Before you could say knife, half the audience were struggling on to the stage, and in a moment Wizard, Chinese  pagodas, drunken bushmen, and boys were all mixed up together  in one seething, struggling mass.  I was fortunate enough to be seated, near a door through which I hastened to make my escape as soon as I possibly could, but some time had elapsed before I was enabled to do so. " As I went out I took one look round, and there, seated on his old perch, with the pistol in his hand busily engaged in filling it with buttons, marbles, lollies, tin tacks, and orange pipe, was my young friend the boy, and as he dropped each article in he would cry out, ”I'll give the beggar something to ketch this time, carn't ketch a button, carn't he. I wonder how a tin tack will sit," but he never had a chance of trying the effects of his miscellaneous charge on the Wizard's constitution, for the unhappy man, after having been bonneted with one of his own pagodas and buffeted and knocked  about in a manner that was, to say the least of it, most disrespectful to one who had so distinguished himself before crowned heads, managed to make his escape to his own room where he remained until he started for Melbourne. He has not favoured us with another visit; should he do so there are plenty of boys in the town who will, I am sure, be most happy to lend him their services in performing the once celebrated gun trick.