The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-04-18
JOHNS MONTE CARLO.
AROUND THE GAMBLING TABLES OF
A CHINESE RESORT.


Canton River.
Descending tho Canton river from tho
city of that name, tho steamer for Hong
Kong touches at Macao, tiny Portu-
gucSo settlement, situated ut tho mouth.
Tho voyage down tho river, though tho
scenery is fat, is not devoid of interest,
The water was low, and wo had to pro-
coed often dead slow, and so had plenty
OF time to takc stock of the native craft
with which tho river was thronged, for
large numbers, though, after all, but
only an iniinitcsinlal proportion of this
dcnsely populated empire, know no 9TH
On habitation than thoir boats
The appearance of tho picturesque
Chinese junks, with thcir high stern
posts, the pair of eyes invariably painted
on their bows and laced brown sails, is
too we'll known to merit description.
Their appearance of unseaworthiness be-
lies them. They seem ablo to hold their
OWL with any boat of SIMILAR sizo of
foreign make. Tho main portion of the
work on board is performed by women.
Poor womcnl Tho beasts of burden of
tho east! But the men work tho guns
which are their main defense against
the pirates, with which the coast of
China is infested, i'll spite of every effort
made by tho authorities to suppress
them and the certainty that death will
be the result of their capture. So every
junk is armed with cannon, nominally
as Il protection against pirates, but
moro probably with the object Of doing u
little business on their own account
should opportunity offer Nopirates mo-
Tested us, however, and we reached Ma
Gao safely i'll due course, some eight
hours after leaving Canton, tho only OK
element being in watching tho shoal of
largo white porpoises that stuck to the
ship for miles and raced alongwit her
keeping up without any apparent effort
4 II good knots an hour.
Macao belongs to the Portuguese, but
does not appear to be i'll very flourish
ing condition, though little is done in
the tea trade The chief source of income
is derived from the heavy duty paid by
the gambling tables, with which the lit
tie town is plcntifully supplied and
which have gained for it the sobriquct
of the Monte Carlo of the East"
Tho game played is fantan, a simple
one; but, like all other games OF the
same class with considerable odds
against the player The method of play
Is as follows In the center of the table
one largo square is divided into four
small ones. The players are seated
around, and stake to any amount on any
number or combination Of two numbers
they like. The croupier, while the stalk
ing is going on, takes handful of Chi
ncsc cash (braes coins with Il hole in the
ccntcr) and places them on the table un-
der a wooden saucer. When all tho
stakes are down, the croupicr lifts the
saucer, takes q chopsticlz and counts out
tho cash by inserting the end Of the
chopstick into the hole III tho cash and
drawing them toward him The markers
are counted into heaps Of four and
placed OH one side, till, at last, there is
remainder of one, two, three or four,
which ever it may happen to be. This is
declared the winning number, and play
erS who have backed it are paid three
times their original stakes, less 10 per
cent, which goes To the table. When
backing a combination OF two numbers,
the amount paid to the winner is OF
course proportionatcly less. Wcin duty
bound paid visit to the tables and tried
our luck and were fortunate III that
after two nights play we came off win
ncrs OF $3 tAleXican), instead OF being
heavy losers, as is generally tho case
with travellers. But, as Il matter OF fact,
we did not 70 to gamble, but rather TO
study the players.
They We're well worth studying, for
the G. - OF some of the players [ shall
never forget. Tho old croupicr alone was
worth going Il considerable distance 10
watch. Stolid and cmo;ionlcss, even for
Il Chinaman, he had u face like mask,
a face that gave one the impression that
1t never had changed and never would
change, even III death.
1t WAS peculiarly striking face and
did not belle the character of the man,
for do not suppose there could have
been found amy ono more stoically in
different to what was going on around
him. Yet there We're among those pres
cnt many TO whom the remainder, t"
after the count of each pile, might mean
aillucncc or u return to life of slavery.
The Chinaman is Il born gambler. He
will make his modest pile by work, the
severity Of which, i'll many cases, men
of no other nation could endure Then
he will bring the whole Of it to the
gambling tables and risk it without any
more apparent concern than Wander
bilt would show i'll rislling Il So note.
We noticed several of these misguided
creatures, who looked as if they did not
possess cents in the world, plank down
their $500 or $500, lose it and leave the