474
Illustrations of Men and Things in China.
AUG.
a part of his economy. I saw one a few days since, mending a pan, and the arrangement of his tools was very unique. The fire was held in an iron basin, not unlike a coal-scuttle in shape, and the mouth-piece of the bellows entered on the back corner. The anvil was a smail square mass of iron placed on a block, and a partition basket close by held the coal and his tools, with the old iron and other rubbish he carried. The water to temper the iron was contain- ed in an earthen pot, which just at this time was most usefully employed in boiling his dinner over the forge fire. After he had done the job, he took off his dinner, threw the water on the fire, picked out the coals and put them back into the basket, threw the ashes away, set the anvil astride of the bellows, and, laying the fire-pan ou the basket, slung the bellows on oue end of his pole, and the bas- ket on the other, and walked off.
· Quadrating cash is a term which may be applied to a very cominou game among the Chinese, and which consists in throwing down a handful or an unknown number of cash, and counting them out by fours; the issue of the game, depends on the remainder. This game is called cha tan, and in this part of the country, is one of the most popular; even beggars, who have hardly a cash, and people in the streets, who are waiting for employment, are often seen playing it, and in the gambling-houses, it is one of the most common games. Small stones, bits of crockery, and buttous, are sometimes used as well as cash. There are three modes of betting. In one case, suppose the bettor simply says one odd, and stakes 30 cash on his bet, he sweeps up-90 cash, if that proves to be the case, but only loses his stakes if the remainder is 0, 2, or 3. This is called fan tan, and goes on the principle, that as there are three chances to one that the bettor will lose, so if he wins, in fairness, he trebles his wager. A second variety, called tae ming, goes by opposites. To do this, a square is drawn, or supposed to be drawn, having the side nearest the holder marked 1, his right hand side 2, his left hand 4, and the opposite side 3. If the bettor says one odd, he doubles his stakes if that remainder turns up, but loses them if there be three left. Should 2 or 0 be left, neither party loses or wins. In a third sort, called the wagerer says he will buy I remainder to get 2, (or 3, or 4 as he pleases). Then, if on quadrating the pile, one cash be left, he doubles his stakes, but loses it if there be 3 or 0 left; while each party keeps his own if there be 2 left. One reason of the popularity of the
game is perhaps owing to the ease of playing it, the difficulty of deception, and the number of persons who can play it at once-all of
neem,