Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-10-10
K%ITE-FIGHTS IN INDIA.
A POPULAR PAsTIME AMONG THE
BOYS OF HlNDosTAN.

How FIghting-Ki Are nIAde-AmOunt
of Thread Consumed-VariOus Kinds Of
Motion-Cutting an Antagonists Thread
An Delight In the Came
In India there are shops where they sell
kites very cheap; so very few people make
them at home. Besides, it wants a fine
and praticed hand to make the thin, we'll
balanced fghting-kites. They are made
of one (square) shape, but of various sizes,
the smallest being eight inches square and
the largest two feet square. The most
common and useful ones are a foot square.
Very thin but strong paper, resembling
tissue or cigarette paper, Of all colors, is
used for the purpose. But whether the
kite is made Of one or different pieces or
paper, it must be Of the came thickness
throughout. The backbone is a straight,
flat, strong, we'll finished lath, and the
bow is made out of a a N or piece or
plant wood half as thick as the back
bone, round and knotless. The latter
must be Of equal thickness and weight
throughout its whole length, as on it
mainly depends the balance OF the Kite.
The tail, which is merely a finish or an
ornament, is triangular or round, meas
uring only two or three inches at the
longest.
II THREAD USED.
Strong card thread is used to fly kites
with. The English manufacturers would
be surprised to learn the amount OF cotton
thread consumed in India for this pur-
pose; one lad using as much as 10000
yards in the course of. a year. Silken
thread is alsO used, though rarely. The
knots joining the pieces being made fine,
smooth, and strong, the whole length OF
the thread is drawn through a mixture OF
fine pounded glass and light starch,
which give it q keen edge. The dried
thread, which is now ready for fighting
purposes, is then wound up on a wooden
frame resembling a spool, Great ingenu-
ity is spent in making this spool or roller
light, useful, and handsome.
Next, as to the motion of the kite. Two
pieces exactly equal in length of the
main thread are tied to the kite; one at the
meeting point of the bow and the back
cone; the other, a few inches lower to the
backbone only. There ara two useful
kinds Of motion besides the ordinary
straight one; the wheeling motion, in
which the kite wheels round and round,
the quivering motion, in which its head
keeps on quivering sideways as it fles up
ward; both being very graceful. A prac-
tiCal hand can give to the kite either mo-
ton as he pleases. or course a good deal
depends on the proper fastening of the
kite. If it wheels too much you must
make the lower fastening thread shorter;
or if it leans too much on one side you
should stick a piece of paper or fine linen
To the bow on the other side. Similarly
there are other little means to regulate
the motion Of a kite.
As in all warfare, great skill and prac-
tice are required to fight well with kites,
and maneuyering counts u great deal in
paper actions. Sometimes the enemy has
certain advantages over you. For iu-
stance, his house is higher than yours lin
India kites are usually flown from tho
fiat tops of houses), commanding a greater
swoop, or his kite may be u little bigger
than yours, in which case his thread will
have a greater tension. These disadvan-
tages one must learn to counterfeit; but
these are details.
METHODS OF FIGHTING.
There are w methods of f~ighting-the
pull method and the loose method. In
the former, which is the quicker and
more skillful of the two, you attack the
enemy by leading your kite by a deep
Swoop under the other, and then at a
%judiCiOus time pulling it 50 fast that your
antagonist will fail to make the point
where your thread touches his loose
enough by letting out his thread
You have a good chance of cut
ting his thread In the other
method, which is more common,
and which requires great patience and
wQtChfulneSS, you lead your kite either
over or under his, and then let out the
thread, in which he follows. One has to
be careful in this kind of fight rs to which
OF the two mOtiOns-the wheeling or the
quivering-he gives to the kite at different
times. The chances Of winning are ill.,
creased by 4 keener edge, q favorable
breeze, or other small advantages. One
might think that, everything being equal,
it is u mere chance that you will cut the
thread of your rival. But in this, rs in
many other things which look simple and
seem to depend Oh chance, u good deal of
cleverness and practice 90 to make up Il
fair victory. An evenly matched fight in
WIS - " ANAS r N'N
often spent two or three hours over it.
And great is the joy of winning. Some
times the kites go so far that you can
hardly see them, or it gets quite dark; in
that case the fight has to end in al I'M
satisfactory draw.
With some, kite fighting changes from
a pastime into a passion. All work, and
even eating and sleeping, are abandoned
in order to perfect oneself in this art.
And great is the excitement which fol-
lows a good fight; sometimes fortunately
it is not common) high wagers are laid on
it. In small towns there are champion
kite-fighters, who devote as much time
and attention to kites rs some people do
to boating and wrestling. In kite-tlying
there is no distinction of rank, or caste,
or age. The young and the old-all take
an equal delight in it; you do not come
into close contact with other kite hiers,
and, it being an inexpensive game, any
body can indulge in it-Hindoo Coz. st.
James Gazette.