Sports in the Philippines.

Manawatu Herald, 8 December 1898, Page 3

Sports in the Philippines.

(Continued.) Cock-fighting is the one grand pasßion of the natives. Every town has its cockpit. The men think moro of their birds than of their wives and children. In case of fire they seize them and ran ; afterward, if ifc is not too late, they think of their families. , Cocks range in price from $25 to $2,000, and large sums are wagered at the mains. The upper classes, foreign or Spanish, do not care for cock-fight-ing, but the government derives a large revenue from the sport by issuing licenses for exclusive privileges, one license for each district. These licenses are awarded to the highest bidder. He puts up his pit, which is a rough structure, like a barn, in which the pit is surrounded by tiers of seats, arranged so aB to give every one a fair view. He gets a fee for every cock entered and charges an admission fee to spectators. Although he does a large basicesß, most of his receipts go to the government, because, owing to competition, he has to pay high for his license. As soon as the owner of a bird has fonnd some one to bet with him he notifies the manager of the pit, who puts the names of the owners of the cooks on his list. Then they hand their wagers to the betting official, put a spur on each bird and wait for their tarn. This betting official has a good memory and a good head for figures. He is employed by the owner of the pit to find bets and to take care of them. He keeps track of all the cooks entered. Any one wishing to back a certain cock tells the official whicb bird and gives him the amount he desires to wager. The official goes around among the spectators to find a taker. He makes no notes or record of any sort, but after th? main is over he counts out the cor. rect amounts and hands them to the winners, without ever a mistake. Sometimes $100,000 changes hands on a single main.