The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-07-08
FIGHTING FISH OF SIAM.
Queer Contests on Which the Natives
Love to Gamble.

Next to the farfamed tree climb
ing fish peculiar to portions of
South America, I have failed to dis
cover that the habitabl waters hold
any denizen much more remarkable
than the fighting fish of Siam. The
Siamese are notorious gamblers. In
their innocent, prattling, fond,
simple way, they will stake their lit
tie all upon their favorite wrestler,
their favorite juggler, their most
admired cock, and even upon their
choicest champion of the fnny
tribe, for these fighting fish, are
no myth, and am writing of some
thing that / have seen with my own
eyes.
Walking quietly on the streets of
Bangkok one afternoon, when the
tropic sun was beginning to wane
and the shorn priests were begin
ming their weird invocations to Bud
dha in the watts of that extraordi-
nary and malodorous city, I was
aware of a great commotion in the
near distance. Natives were running
about shouting excitedly in the ST.
amese lingo and generally convey
ing the impression that something
out Of the ordinary was in process
of being.
Whats the matter?" / inquired
1.-The fighting fish, The fighting
fish - replied several excited voices
AS incredulous as might be, |
took the direction indicated and
forced my way through small
throng Of natives, all talking and
gesticulating their fastest, but still
religiously chewing (and when are
they notD the inevitable and I'M
pleasant betel nut. What a scene it
was, to be sure! AS soon as I could
get near enough to see anything
definite I perceived that the cen
ter of attraction was huge bowl
three parts full of water, the surface
of which was at that moment
churned into a veritable foam
streaked with blood. In addition to
the water, the bowl contained sew
eral fish, about the size of ordinary
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 combatants 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 differ
ent way known to the smaller fish
-savagely biting, lashing about
them with their tails and losing no
opportunity of using their sharp,
knifelike fins. Anon a fish would
turn over and over, the curdled wa
ter 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 re-
garded the babel of their raised
voices, the pantomime of their ges-
ticulation or the quantities 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 is | believe
they would part with their soulless
souls (but for fear of the Buddha)
for the chance of "a quiet gamble
upon something or somebody. It 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 trace enmity" be-
tween 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 with
out a semisavage interest of its
own. Look for it beyond the borders
of the Land of the White Elephant.
and you will find it not. These fight
ing fish make excellent eating. st
Paul'S.