Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1900-03-24

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Of an admiring multitude before the
fight in cages, gilt and carved with al
the skill at the disposal OF the owner.
This space was also lounging place
for these who made ''books" on the
fights; this latter class Of gentry was
composed OF Chinese, most numerous,
a few Spaniards and one solitary Fill.
Pine. the Chinese being in the major.
ity ON account OF the fact that it re.
quired some capital to conduct sue
cessful book, and this most Of the ma.
tives sadly lack. All bets were taken
by the "bookies" with impartiality,
either for or against cock, on the
number of rounds, the probable dam.
age to the victor or any other OF the
many ways in which the gentle Fill
Pine wastes his cash in betting.
Back OF this place began the seats,
arranged in tiers similar to our a.
rangement OF opera seats; they were
divided into classes of which the
price differed according to location
and comfort. The seats reserved for
the officials and those able to pay for
t5em were cushioned, the next class
had mating on them and the third
and lowest price, the top rows, were
bare. These were mostly filled with
poor natives, the better class OF
natives, clerks and lesser lights
among the Spaniards and the we'll to-
do Chinese being divided among the
first two divisions. One side of this
pit was without seats; this was set
aside for the natives too poor to pay
for seat. Admission was paid in a
coin equaling two cents in our money.
The building was filed to its utmost
limits with wildly excited crowd of
poorly clad people OF both sexes,
eagerly betting everything they owned
among one another, being too poor
to bet with the bookmakers.
The fight was heralded by an an
nouncement from a native, whose
bosom was swelling with the pride of
his duties and starched shirt, the
tails of which hung conspicuously
outside his trousers, of the wonderful
achievements of the two fowls in
words of many syllables. The de-
livery of this Grafton (for it was moth
ing less) was the sign for long and
loud cheering on the part of the spec
tators, who were impatient for the
fighting to begin, and as soon Us it
was over nearly every one rushed up
to the bookmakers to place their bets.
Before tho fight began, each cock
was inspected by the umpires to see
that it had on the regulation gaffs and
was not otherwise rugged up with for
hidden devices. The gaffs were of
the finest steel, scimetar.shaped, with
the concave edge down; this edge is as
sharp as razor, and severe blow
from a gait has been known to COM
pletely decapitate a fowl; they are
about two inches in length and come
to a sharp point. The upper edge is
blunted.
The spurs furnished by nature to q
fowl are not considered deadly enough
by the savage tastes of the Fllipinos,
50 those spurs are cut off at length
Of an inch or so and the hollow part of
the gatf fits over the stump. Clasps
around the leg keep them from falling
of or slipping. 1t is comical sight
to see lordly cock stepping along
the sand of the pit wearing a pair Of
these huge spurs, which are so long
and so awkward that the cock trips
over them at almost every step; but in
the combat of the pit, all is different,
trained fowl uses his spurs with all
the skill of fencing master with
rapier, all the awkwardness is gone.
By way OF note, sometimes the
cocks are allowed to fight with their
natural stumps of spurs. This is, how
ever, only for a match of skill be-
tween two fowls whose owners do not
care to risk their slaughter, or be-
tween al old and a young fowl, to
train the younger in tho ways of
using his spurs in a real fight. So
we'll are the game birds trained that
often a skillful one con kill it's less
able adversary without hurt to itself.
With cheer freia the multitude,
the umpires each took up one of the
fowls and placed them on the sand
some four or five feet apart, holding
the struggling cocks fast until the
word was given; at the signal each
released his hold and the two cocks,
infuriated by the sight of one an.
other, rushed together with the mo.
mentum of miniature cyclone.
Though apparently fierce and uncal.
culated, this meeting was totally
unlike the rushes of uuskilled fowls;
each cock was on his guard, and while
going at his enemy with great fury,
was nevertheless very careful to avoid
blows and picks. At first nothing
was visible but revolving mass OF
feathers, 80 close were the two; in
the quiet of the intensely ex-
cited spectators, the thud, thud OF
blows striking on the thick coating OF
feathers on the breast could be plainly
heard; even the painful paintings and
gaspings of the two fighters ere dis
tinguishable; then, as the fury of the
onset grew spent, the cocks would
separate little and strike at one an
other, springing high up in the air to
give and avoid blows.
Now we could see the fight plainly.
Though brutal, it must be confessed
that it was magnificent to witness the
skill with which the fighters tented
and parted, struck savage blows which
we're lodged with the skill of a mas.
ter of the science, warded of some
swift cut which would seem as if i'm
possible to avoid and never for an in
slant lost sight of the opponents eye,
seeming to read in it the contem
plated move or spring.
Thus far, no blood had been shed,
it was purely an exhibition of skill,
and were it always so, it might be
sport not near as brutal az prize fight
ing. But the next round was more
fierce, and it was hard to tell which
cock was worst damaged when time
was called. The umpires rushed in
and each grabbed up a cock aud
handed it to the owner, who began to