Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-08-06

succeeded in like manner. Although
John is not responsible for this inge-
nious kind of gambling, still we have
introduced, the scene as we saw 1t
among the Chinese queer ways. Our
next experience was in a room where
three parties were engaged in as many
different kinds of gambling. In one
corner four of the Mongolians were
hob-nobbing over a table and rafting
dominoes; a second party had a game
of draw-poker in progress; and a third
was conducting game of "tan,'' sifni-
lar to that which we have described.
If you wish to read character drawn
out upon page truthfully and unerr-
ingly, watch the face Of man en-
gagged In game of chance, with money
staked on his operations What o
studyswas that before us as we observed
the four men who shuffled their cards
and exchanged their dollars! That
man on the other side oiso q queer one.
He is large and brawily for one of his
race, and bears the marks of hard
outdoor labor 9both in his person and
dress. His face. is pitted1 overilike q
placer digging with the small pox and
his right optic is setaway9in1his head
at an angle of forty-five degrees with
its proper dead level, Heis. a labor
ing man, as our companion informs
us, and industrious, too; he is alse one
of the worst gamblers in the place.
To-day he played and lost-,making
way with four hundred dollars, they
say; tonight he is winning, and he
has his ill-gotten profits in q little pile
of silver on the table beside him. How
that off-eye dances and skips, and
ftUi in II lna n ri NJ nd 10
board, watching every movement that
is made! Not card is dealt or taken
up or shuffled but he sees it. And
well he may be on the lookout for he
has three other old heads to play
against, whose faces would make al
most as interesting study as his
own. But we cannot stay longer to
watch their maneuvres. The party
at this game of "tann are not so ex-
cited as the first we saw. Evidently
they are Of higher grade. than the
others-perhaps the aristocracy of the
heathenish society. The cleaniy-kept
fellow who conducts the game is
very polite looking rogue, surely-as
all accomplished gamblers are-and
he performs his part of the programme
with as much nonchalence as he would
in picking your pocket or cutting your
throat. Our friend offers to bet d
short bit on the turn of the game,
stalking his money on even num-
bers. No; they all shake their
heads; his bet is refused, and they
they politely inform him thathe don't
understand the game and had better
keep out. Very sage counsel, truly,
and honestly given!
Many other places we visited
on our rounds, but time and
space forbid detailed account
further. In some places We found
the people at work; in others
lounging around; many gambling in
ways similar to those which we have
described; some smoking opium, and
some scenes, among the rest, which
would hardly figure in print to good
advantage. We had the pleasure of
forming the acquaintance of an opium
smoker and inspecting closely the
mOdus operandi Of this peculiar form
or dissipation. The man was reclin-
ing lazily upon his divan, as is the
custom while smoking, and his mood
was most affable, to be sure, for so
short an acquaintance. Sometimes in
the intervals of our pigeon English
conversation, he would open upon US
with a volley of his pure mother
tongue which was quite discouraging
to one whose early education in that
particular branch has been so sadly
neglected. During our confab, as an
other mark of his good humor, he
suggested, Would we smoke? We
were compelled to decline his kind
offer, and reluctantly bid him final
good night, wishing him happy dreams
and light headache in the morning.
At last we drew our strange ramble
to a close and leav ng the still busy
Chinatown behind us, we sought our
homes as the clock struck the hour of
fWo