Blackstone Detective - Aztec Fire God

0:00The Magic Detective, starring the world's greatest living magician, Blackstone. He tells you the inside story of the Aztec Fire God. And right after the story, Blackstone will explain tricks that you yourself can perform. Reveal the guarded secrets of the world's greatest living magician. And now stand by for Blackstone, the Magic Detective.

1:06Should I hang it here, Blackstone? Yes, yes, it looks lovely. Here's an ale. Is it even? Yes, that's fine. Okay, here goes. Why don't urge me to do the first step on that step ladder, Rilda? I'm hanging this tapestry. Oh darn it, the nail came out. Oh, catch the tapestry, thanks a lot. Right, catch me. Well, as a picture, hang your upper rota. You're a better magician's assistant. Thanks for catching me, Don. I don't know. It was a pleasure. By the way, Blackstone, what is that tapestry you and Rota were just hanging? Oh, it's Mexican. See, there is Kitsal, the God of Fire, among the ancient Aztecs. They always thought that Kitsal was a bird with fiery feathers. Beautiful. What do you use the cloth for now, Blackstone? Show them back, Don. Yeah, watch this, Don. I throw the shawl over my arm like this, and I bring out a bowl of fire.

2:07Great, Scott, for a moment there, I thought it was real flame coming out of that bowl. Here is the bowl, Don. You hold it. Ouch! Jumping to your host's path, it is real flame. Of course it is. Blackstone, didn't he look just the way Kitsal did when you handed him that bowl of flame? Yes, he did, Rota. You mean you and Blackstone have met this bird, Kitsal, the fire god? Come on, Blackstone. Tell him about it. Well, Rota and I were driving to Mexico City one winter night, and night was coming on. We wanted him to sure the wave. Golly, it's getting dark, Blackstone. Yes, I know. We've got at least two hours more driving though before we get to Mexico City. It's scary out here at night. Sort of eerie. I think the place is haunted, Rota. Oh, of course not. Only. Only pot. It seems so lonely. Oh, look, over there to the right, there's a light. So there is. And what about it? Well, why don't we stop and see if the people there can put us up for the night. We could drive on to Mexico City in the daylight tomorrow.

3:10Rota Brent, you are scared. Well, we'll stop there and see if we can stay. Who is it? Who's there? Well, I'm Blackstone. This is by assistant, Rota Brent. We're driving through to Mexico City. It's very late. We thought we'd stop and see if I could put you up for the night. Oh, could you. There's something about the loneliness in this country. I know. I've lived alone here for over a year. Come in and welcome. So this is an interesting place you have here, Mr. Shelley. Thank you. Years ago it used to be a rich hasy under. But now it's just a roof for a mining engineer myself. Oh, is there a mine around here? There's supposed to be. You say that in a nod to wave, Mr. Shelley.

4:11The whole thing is odd. Listen. Oh, what is it? What's that drumming? It's unearthly. Those are the natives calling to their god Kitsal, the firebird. What do you mean? Because of those drums, I don't know whether there is silver here. I can't even survey the place. Why not? I can't get any workers. The god tells them not to work here. That the pool over there under the Lee of the Hill is his home and must not be disturbed. The god tells them that. So they say, of course I haven't seen the god myself or gone to one of their ceremonies. It's death to an unbeliever if he's found there. Why? I knew there was something funny about this place. All night the drums go on and on pounding and pounding night after night. Sometimes I think I'm going insane. Then dawn comes when the drums fade away. But the next night they're back pounding and pounding.

5:16Blackstone, did you sleep well last night? As well as I could with those drums beating. Now that it's morning, it seems funny to think how scared we were last night. We? Oh, yes. Well, look, Rhoda, I want you to take the car and drive on the Mexico City. Without you? Yes. But why? I think I'll stay here a few days with Shelby. I think someone should be here. The option on this property lapses in a week and if he doesn't get the place properly surveyed by them, the owners won't renew. But what's that got to do with you? Nothing. Nothing. But then why? Well, will you do as I say, Rhoda? Yes, my stove. You put it that way. This just doesn't make sense, Blackstone sending me off like this. Something funny going on. I'll bet it had something to do with those drums. Then I don't like it. I'm going back.

6:27Oh, the house is dark. Blackstone? Blackstone! Oh, isn't here. Oh, it's down by the Aztec pool watching Potato. I think I'll go down there too. Oh, oh, they're dancing. Oh, those nests. Hundreds of them rising and turning and the drums. I can't see Blackstone anywhere. There's Shelby. There's no one here but the Nade is in me. Are you taking your hand on me? Let go of me. Blackstone, be careful. Run while you still have time. What? It's a fire, God. Fire, Rhoda. Oh, God! They draw the fire by demands that these humans be delivered to him as sacrifice. Unless they bring gifts, mini gifts, as the girl in a gift for Ketsal. Nothing. Oh, I've got my shore. It has your picture on it, Ketsal. It's beautiful. See?

7:32Ah! Go her into the lake. That shore is usually tough. I have a gift for you, Ketsal. Give me the shore, Rhoda. I put it over my arm and there, a bowl of your own fire, Ketsal. Here, take it. Oh! Where is human? He's not a god at all. The fire burns, Ketsal. Here's no God. He's a human. Grab him. Grab him. Don't tell me me I'll burn you with my sacred fire. Blackstone, they're falling back. They won't touch him. They're frightened. All the unbelievers into the pool. Take your hands of us into the pool, I say. Hell, the ear I have produced is cleansing. If you don't stand back, I'll set the pool on fire. Ketsal is let afraid of your thread. You must throw it, Ketsal. Oh, the pool is on fire. It's blazing. Get back. Get back over there. Before your burn. The flames. They're burning, Ketsal.

8:39Who was it? Who was pretending to be the Aztec god? It was Shelby, the miner. He'd found Silver on the land and one of the option to laugh so he could buy it cheaply. That's why he'd tellify the natives every night to keep them from working. There's one thing I want to ask you though. How did you make the pool catch fire but tossing an egg into it? It wasn't really an egg but a large pellet of potassium. I guess I forgot my chemistry. What does the potassium do? It generates hydrogen out of the water so fast that the stuff ignites. There was enough potassium in that egg to draw the hydrogen out and ignite the whole pool. Lots of magicians use potassium in their acts. Another mystery was solved by magic. Well, it's my turn tonight, Don. Your turn for a hot rotor. To mystify you with black stones, help of course. Maybe it's the other way about rotor. I'll do the mystifying with your help. I'll do the mystifying with your help. Suppose we work the old black magic and let Don decide for himself who fooling. What is this from black magic? Just what rotor said?

9:42All right, rotor. Let's begin. Well, first I turn and face the corner of the room so I can't see what's going on. That's right. Now, Don, you point to some object lying around and I'll have rotor tell you what it is. All right. I'm pointing to something. Good. Now, I'll point to various objects and ask rotor to say yes or no as I name those objects. Ready rotor? Ready. Is it the astray? No. Is it the doorknob? No. Is it the waste basket? No. Is it the telephone? No. Is it the clock? Is it the clock? Yes. Say, that's right. The clock was the thing I picked up. What was it? Luck? Not luck, Don. It was magic. And black magic, Don. Real black magic. I'd like to see you do it again. All right, Don. In a few minutes we'll be back to repeat the trick. We'd explain it if you don't catch on. And our betty won't catch on.

10:49You ready for another experiment in black magic, Don? I'll say I am. Have rotor turn around. All right. I've turned around. I look like, Don. I've laid several objects here on the table. I'm not saying how many. And are you picking one? Yes. I said right there. I'd like to hear it. Rotor name. All right, she will. You ready, Rotor? Ready. Is it the watch? No. Is it the pencil? No. Is it the pen? No. Is it the coin? Yes. Leave. Right again. She was right. And I'm baffled. All right. We better explain it. It's black magic, Don. How do you mean black magic? Because we use black objects. Always just before calling the chosen object, you call something black. Remember, Don, when you picked the clock? Yes. Well, in asking Rotor about various objects, I say, is it the telephone? And since the telephone is black, that was my cue. Therefore, my next question was, is it the clock? And I said, yes, of course. Well, now I'm beginning to catch on. Now, what about the second time when you repeated the trick? Well, I called the names of a few objects and then I asked, is it the fountain pen?

11:51And since the fountain pen was black, I knew the black stone would call it black. And the black stone would call the name of your chosen object next to me. And that's what I did. I asked about the coin. Rotor said yes because it followed the black object. That's why we call it black magic, Don. And now that we've explained it to you, our listeners can try black magic for themselves. I hope you like that trick, ladies and gentlemen. And until next time, this is black stone saying, good magic and good bye. The world's greatest living magician, black stone, tells us the story of the missing palmest and explains more tricks that you yourself can perform. Listen in again to black stone, the world's greatest living magician.