The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-01-24
A GAMBLING SCENE IN CANTON.
IExchange.1

1 Preceded by Whang, whose long
 black tail and dark dress gave him
 the appearance of a huge tadpole,
 we set out one evening after sunset to visit one of the most fashionable
 of the thousand-and-one gaming houses
 with which Canton is infested. After
 about fifteen minutes smart walking, we arrived at a low narrow door in a
 dark narrow street, into which we stopped
 and squeezed ourselves, and keeping
 close to our conductors "tail," entered a
 small room lit by three lanterns as large
 as regimental double drums, and of the
 same shape, and seven or eight oblate
 spheroids, which were dangled about
 in the hands of the gafnesters' attend
 ants, and by some of the sporting gentle
 men themselves, so anxious were they
 about the game. "Tsepg tow ke 1" cried
 our conductor, which being interpreted,
 means, "Clear the wayw But we
 checked his rudeness, and declared we
 only came as visitors, and did not intend
 to bet.
 In the centre of the room was round table, ornamented at the edges with a
 richly carved ivory rim in the centre of this table was large porcelain bowl, of a delicate white color, veined and clouded with very pale tints of purple |; round this bowl were assembled some fifteen or twenty Chinese gentleman, evidently in state of intense expectation and impatience. At opposite sides of the bowl stood Chinese attendants, who acted as packers of the respective com batants, each being armed with straw.
 The play was now ordered to begin.
 Two other attendants immediately made their way through the crowd, each with a little carved ivory case having a gold top of open work like an aromatic scent-box. Out of the cases were pro- duced two large crickets. These fighting insects are regularly trained for the con- test by variety of curious processes. They are of dusky color, with strong legs and thighs, thick bodies, and broad bull-heads, and have mouths that bite like the front claw of little crab. The combatants were placed at the same time on the inside surface of the bowl, and sliding down quickly, came against each other, head foremost, with a dry, crisp, cracking sound. But they immediately drew back, and began to maneuvre in the air with their front legs. At sight of this, great applause was elicited from the company.
 The gamesters, however, soon became too impatient to bear this display of science, and the packers were ordered to make them go to work" These gentry accordingly advanced their straws, and stirred, and turned, and poked the crick- cts, till the poor creatures became so ex- asperated at what they evidently thought to be the strong provocation given by each other, that they reared themselves on their hind legs, and danced, and bit, and wrestled with their front legs, and pulled, and scratched, and tore, and rolled over and over, and jumped up and down, and slid about, and bled and loaned at the mouth, until pieces of skin | and joints of legs were strewn quivering over the bottom of the bowl.
 The Chinese gentlemen were all ex- cited to the highest degree they also | capered, and slid, and jumped up and | down, and pulled and scratched, and | squeaked and screamed, and frothed at.the | mouth, while their eyes were all like gilt tering beads. They betted for fy-cakes-l cakes in which small black flies are baked by way of currants; but the thing hazarded is only nominal, gambling for money being contrary to law. These nice | cakes, however, are privately understood | to represent money.
 l confess was at last so absurd as to become excited myself as the fight went on, and made several bets of ten cakes. with the understanding that my cakes meant dollars. My friend, Captain Bowling, in order to prevent me being done," hedged all my bets. felt cer- tain as to which of the crickets would win, for one of them had by this time no atom of wing left, and scarcely half leg to stand upon, while the other had one ragged wing quite entire at the shoulder, and three good stumps of thighs.
 My bets had by this time amounted to one hundred dollars, Captain Bowling having carefully !" hedged !" to the same amount with different sporting gentle men in the room. No sooner, however, had !! made my bet of the last ten cakes, than the cricket which was reduced to a mere trunk, ard which, Of course, 1 had betted against, bit the head of his adver. sary completely of! There lay the van- quished cricket, and there lay the head, with the mouth opening and shutting. have not the slightest idea how 1t was done. It all seemed fair enough, and, may add, with shame in my participation in it, barbarous enough-as bad as our cock-fghting. But how did it happen that my cricket lost? Surely some black leg longtsn must have done the deed with an invisible pair of nippers.
 Howbeit, paid the hundred dollars. Captain Bowling then went laughing round the room to collect his bets, which r would just have got the money back again when suddenly servant rushed in as pale as ashes, and cried out that three mandaxins and troop of soldiers were about to surround the house. Down came the large lanterns from the ceiling-out went those in the hand-t smash went the porcelain basin-and amid the scrambling rush of the crowd and the crashing of china under foot was pushed about in the dark, first one way, tkznnv1 W f !