' 8
A GROUP OF PEASANTRY, WATERMEN, kc.
playing luith Dice.
T he C h in e se are so m u ch addicted to g am in g , th a t th ey are seldom
w ith o u t a pack o f ca rd s , o r a set o f dice. C o c k -fig h tin g is in pra c tic e
among th em ; an d q u a ils are also b re d for th e same p u rp o se . T h e y have
likewise a large species o f g ra ssh o p p e r ( o r g r i l l* ) common in C h in a ; a
couple o f these are p u t in to a bason to fight, w h ile the b y -stan d e rs bet sums
o f m o n ey on th e issue o f th e c o n flic t: these insects assail each o th e r with
g re a t a n im o s ity , freq u en tly tea ring o ff a lim b b y the violence o f th e ir
attacks. T h e C h in e se dice are m arked exactly s im ila r to those o f E u ro p e ;
in p la y in g th e y n ev e r use a box, b u t cast th em out o f th e h a n d . T h e laws
o f th e em p ire allow in g them fu ll p owe r to dispose o f tlie ir wives an d c h ild
re n , instances h av e happened wlien these hav e been p u t to th e ha z a rd o f
a th r o w ; an d it sh o u ld be m en tio n ed , th a t in all th e ir games, w h e th e r for
amusement o r ava rice , the Chine se are v e ry n o isy and q u arrelsome. T h e
figure s tan d in g w ith an in s trum e n t o f ag ric u ltu re in h is h a n d , is a n h u s b
a n dm a n ; a n o th e r s ittin g figure, with a small b lac k cap, is a wa te rm an ,
h a v in g by h im a g o n g , which is an in s trum e n t o f semi-metal re sembling a
pot-lid ; th is being stru ck w ith the s tic k ly in g n e a r it, produc es a lia rsh
ja r r in g so u n d , w h ic h is h ea rd a t a considerable distance : one o f these is
always suspended at the h e a d o f ev e ry vessel w h e n tracked along th e canals,
an d struck as occ asion re q u ire s , b y the people on bo ard , to in fo rm the
trackers wh e n to desist h a u lin g , an d w h e n to resume th e ir la b o u r. By th is
m e th o d mu ch confusion is p re v en ted , whe re the great concourse o f vessels
w o u ld be c o n tin u a lly ru n n in g fo u l o f each o th e r, i f n o t wa rn ed b y this
co n triv an ce.
T h e se gongs h av e so m a n y v ario u s notes, th a t th e track ers kn ow p e rfectly
when the signal is made from the vessel th e y are h a u lin g .