The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-06-14
JOHNS MONTH CAKLU.
AROUND THE GAMBLING TABLES OF
A CHINESE RESORT.

a Traveller Tells of Visit to the Monte
Carlo of the East, Where Fantan Is the
Game Played-Picturesqu Scenes on the
Canton River.
Descending the Canton river from the
city of that name, the steamer for Hong
Kong touches at Macao, a tiny Portu-
guese settlement, situated at the mouth.
The voyage down the river, though the
scenery is fiat, is not devoid of interest.
The water was low, and we had to pro-
coed often dead slow, and so had plenty
of time to take stock of the native craft
with which the river was 'thronged, for
large numbers, though, after all, but
only an ininitesimal proportion of this
densely populated empire, know no 9th
er habitation than their boats.
The appearance of the picturesque
Chinese junks, with their high stern
posts, the pair of eyes invariably painted
on their bows and laced brown sails, is
too well known to merit description.
Their appearance of unseaworthiness be-
lies them. They seem able to hold their
own with any boat of a SIMILAR size of
foreign make. The main portion of the
work on board is performed by women.
Poor women! The beasts of burden of
the east! But the men work the guns,
which are their main defense against
the pirates, with which the coast of
China is infested, in spite of every effort
made by the 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 protection against pirates, but
more probably with the object of doing a
little business on their own account
should opportunity offer Nopirates mo-
Tested us, however, and we reached Ma
Gao safely in due course, some eight
hours after leaving Canton, the only OK
element being in watching the shoal Of
large white porpoises that stuck to the
ship for miles and raced along with her,
keeping up without any apparent effort
10 good knots an hour.
Macao belongs to the Portuguese, but
does not appear to be in 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 plentifully supplied and
which have gained for it the sobriquet
of the "Monte Carlo of the East
The game played is fantan, q 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 large 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 a handful Of Chi
nese cash (brass coins with hole i'll the
center) and places them on the table UNI
der a wooden saucer. When all the
stakes are down, the croupier lifts the
saucer, takes a chopstick and counts out
the cash by inserting the end Of the
chopstick into the hole in the cash and
drawing them toward him. The markers
are counted into heaps of four and
placed on one side, till, at last, there is
a 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 ~ per
cent, which goes to the table. When
backing O combination of two numbers,
the amount paid to the winner is OF
course proportionately less We in duty
bound paid visit to the tables and tried
our luck and were fortunate in that
after two nights play we came off win
ners of SO (Mexican), instead Of being
heavy losers, as is generally the case
with travellers. But, as matter Of fact,
we did not go to gamble, but rather to
study the players
They were well worth studying, for
the faces of some Of the players L shall
never forget. The old croupier alone was
worth going considerable distance to
watch. Stolid and emotionless, even for
a Chinaman, he had face like mask,
a face that gave one the impression that
it never had changed and never would
change, even in death.
1t was peculiarly striking face and
did not belle the character of the man,
for do not suppose there could have
been found any one more stoically in
different to what was going ON around
him. Yet there were among those pres
ent many to whom the remainder, y
after the count of each pile, might mean
affiuence or a return to a life of slavery.
The Chinaman is born gambler. He
will make his modest pile by work, the
severity of which, in 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 a Wander
bilt would show in risking So note.
We noticed several of these misguided
creatures, who looked as if they did not
possess 5 cents in the world, plank down
their $500 or $500, lose it and leave the
room as if nothing out Of the way had
happened. We did not, however, see
any of the highest play. The Chinaman,
like all gamblers, is intensely supersti-