A GAMBLING HELL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5949, 5 March 1881, Page 2 (Supplement)

A GAMBLING HELL.

From the singing saloon we go into a email adjoinbg room, where a flaehly-dressed croupier Ig standing at ftae rear iof a t*ble and presiding ; over a game of rouge et Hoir. ; On ; each Bide, of Mm; is a. big pile of rnpse^ and in the; centre of these a heap of English^overeigca. Around are grey-lnired, sun-dried Anglo-Indians, "new chums", fresh . from Rome,' lively Frenchmen, and placid-looking Dutchmen; while here and there,'clo3e round the table/ »r<s one or two dark-eyed, keen-visaged men, ; wearing tcarlet ; fez-s and a profusion of "Brummagem:! ; ,jewellery, and who- are playing with wonderful ardour,' staking .'whole h»ndfula of ' rupees," and, winning splendidly at every turn-of the rmdette; and •were it- not." that ■they-'-now. 'aiid again wink :at " the {bronpler, who, pretends ito regard all ; that is ' going .on ;with san ;alr of modest, indifftrenoe, t'.should have been inclined to look upon them, simply as so many lucky adv-'enturera, ,who were putting their shoulders to tbe wheel of fortune with" golden- results.- But these Qreoian exquisites—all thegambling hells in Port Said belong to the Greeks—are in reality-nothing more than men of straw, who are playing the part of "decoy ducks" to the crowd -of unsophisticated travellers who, charmed by the' entranclog'exoifcement of the game, and: the pleasant smiles of - the: lookers-on, are staking' .their money and-losing it with that callous indifferenoe peculiar to Western natives. ; Alrachid suggeats ithat I 'should1 -join 'in the ; game: pour encourdger tea autres \ but as it ocouis to ma that my faithful dragoman may have a 25 per cent, understanding with the croupier, aod aB I likewise.remsmber that !my firßt and laat gambling tr»nsaotionreßnlted in my being heavily muloted in a game of "cutthroat euchre" on tha Pacino Slope, I do not act up to the suggestion. V .■,-.'. ,