The herald., 1896-12-20
AMONG OPIUM SMOKERS.
Odd Scenes In the Chinese Quarter Of
London.

Through absolute darkness, where we
blindly followed the swinging light
ahead, between rows Of native huts, says
the London Globe the caves of which on
either side almost overlapped so closely
were they packed, to miserable den
where some habitual smoker was easily
distinguished, gaunt and hollow cheek-
ed. Our entrance seemed to cause no
surprise. Perhaps a listless glance
would be thrown in our direction, put
what a change when a pipe was ready
and handed to a smoker! There was
something terrible In the eagerness with
which they inhaled the smoke. 1t is a
tedious process. Each pipe holds but
drop of opium, which, when prepared,
is in a soft, sticky state. This, held on
the point of a wire over flame until
it swells to several times its natural size
and takes light, is pushed into the little
clay bowl, which, with straight stem
Of bamboo, forms the pipe. Three or
four powerful draws exhaust the charge.
The seasoned smoker will smoke several
Of these pipes before he falls asleep.
Having seen how 1t was used. 1t was In
teresting to come on one of the shops
where the prepared opium is sold. 1t
was the property of some very amusing
and friendly Cinnamon. Possibly the
friendly spirit they showed was aroused
somewhat by seeing with whom we
were.
Evidently the customers, of whom
there was no lack, were received with
very great distrust as they were only ad-
mitted to a cage-like inclosure in front
of the counter, from which there ran up
to the ceiling stout wooden bars. These
people buy the pure opium at the gov
ernment auctions, and then prepare
and retail 1t to their emaciated custom
ers, to whom, needless to say, no credit
Is given The worst feature of the habit
tc 10 ha vii cfn at
which may enable him to get the drug.
Evidently we were in the Chinese quar-
ter of the town, for we were taken on
through many turnings of squalid
streets to where some of these lovers of
roast pig were gambling. Our arrival
seemed to alarm some of thenl-prob-
ably new hands-who thought they were
doing something very wicked. whereas
the habitues knew that this mild form
of betting-the stakes were very small
was winked at by the authorities. Their
chief game was extraordinary for the
remarkable skill shown by the croupier.
A number of cowries were thrown on the
table, perhaps a couple of hundred or so,
and partly hidden by an inverted saucer
being placed over as many as it might
cover, that one might have as little idea
of the actual number as possible. The
shells were then rapidly raked away in
lots of three, and the players bet
whether three, two or one would be left.
When perhaps half the number had been
removed in this manner, the saucer Is
lifted to get at the rest. Strange as It
may seem, the moment this Is done. al
though there might still be a large num-
Der Of cowries left, both around and un-
der where the saucer had been. the bank
at once stated what number would re-
main, and actually began to pay WIN
ners. OF course the raking was not in
terrupted, and we could thus see if the
bank were correct, but in the four games
we watched they were never wrong.
Practice must have given them a sixth
sense. 1t was not canny.