The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-09
THE FIGHTING FISH OF SIAM.
queer Contests on Which the Natives
Gamble.

Gamble.
From ST. Pauls.
Next to the far-famed tree-climbing fish
peculiar to portions of South America, I
have failed to discover that the habitat BILE
waters hold any denizen much more re-
markable than the fighting fish of Siam.
The Siamese are notorious gamblers. In
their innocent, prattling, fond simple
way, they will stake their little all upon
their favorite wrestler, their favorite Jug
gler. their most admired cock, and even
upon their choicest champion of the finny
tribe. For these lighting fish" are no
myth. and I am writing of something that
l have seen with my own eyes.
Walking quietly on the streets of Bang
kok one afternoon, when the tropic sun
was beginning to wane, and the shOrn
priests were beginning their weird invo-
cations to Buddha in the watts of that ex-
traordinary and malodorous city, l was
aware of a great commotion in the near
distance. Natives were running about,
shouting excitedly in the Siamese lingo,
and generally conveying the impression
that something out of the ordinary was in
process of being.
Whats the matter?' l inquired.
The fighting fish. The fighting fish,
replied several excited voices.
AS incredulous as might be- l took the
direction indicated and forced my way
through a small throng of natives, all
talking and gesticulatng their fastest, but
still religiously chewing (and when are
they notD the inevitable and unpleasant
betel-nut. What a scene il was, to be sure!
As soon as / could get near enough to see
anything definite" I perceived that the
center of attraction was huge bowl three
parts fun of water, the surface of which
was at that moment churned into a veri-
table foam streaked with blood.
In addition to the water, the bowl con-
tanned several fish, about the size of or
binary English river FISH, and of much
the same appearance. save as regards the
gills, which looked particularly ferocious
and warlike. In all save this the com
batants might at first sight have been
mistaken for the perch, roach, or small
pike of our own rivers, or so it appeared
to me. They were fighting in every diff
ferent way known to the smaller fish
savagely biting, lashing about them with
their tails and losing no opportunity of
using their sharp, knife-like fins Anon
a FISH would turn over and over, the
curdled water would take a still ruddier
tinge, and the beaten enemy would roll
over on his back or side-dead.
The excited onlOokers never paused one
moment either as regarded the babel of
their raised voices, the pantomime of
their gestures, or the quantity of ats
as the copper coinage of the country is
called-which they were stalking upon the
fishes of their fancy. Such as had not the
actual coin employed cowrie shells, which,
being the original currency of Siam, still
find favor with the masses, and are recog-
nized as legal tender. What a race of
gamblers this people Isl / believe they
w6uld part with their soulless souls (but
for fear Of the Buddha) for the chance of
"a quiet gamble" upon something or
somebody. i is a species of mania which
we in the west cannot approach.
/ never waited for the final result of the
fish fight, but walked away, though the
hoarse shouts and cries of the gamblers
fingered in my ears for many hundred
yards. 1t would be interesting to know
whether the explanation is a race en-
nifty between the fish themselves; but if
it is not, what can be the explanation?
In any case it is a curious spectacle to
European eyes, and one not without a
semi-savage interest of its own. Look for
it beyond the borders of the Land Of the
White Elephant and you will find it not.
These fighting fish make excellent eating.