Page 98 - Gibson W.B. "The complete guide to knots"

90

the table with the right hand, leaving
the knots in their place. Wave the
scissors, saying that they cut the rope
and will now magically restore it —
along with the secret words "Mumbo
Jumbo." Lay aside the scissors, take
the ends of the rope and stretch it
straight, showing it "restored."

Comedy "Cut-Rope" Climax

Disposal of the cut-off knots is the
only problem with the "Double Cut"
rope trick. It's not much of a prob-
lem, if you have some article lying on
the table to hide them, such as a
handkerchief which can later be
pocketed, along with the knots. How-
ever, there is a simpler solution to the
problem; that is to let the knots dis-
pose of themselves, as part of a
comedy climax. In this case, you
don't bother to coil the rope around
your left hand. You give the ends to
someone and tell him to hold the
rope taut.
Then you turn to another person
and ask, "Are you sure those are
knots?" When he says, "Yes," you
announce: "All right, I'll restore the
rope by magic" — here you make
some mystic passes — "and since we
won't need the knots, you can have
them."
With that, you pluck the knots
from the rope and hand them to your
friend, while you take the rope and
show it intact. Oddly enough, this
bold handling of the knots makes the
trick all the more puzzling to some
people.