ASEEL AND INDIAN COCK-FIGHTING. 



337 



The type varies somewhat, however, as we 

 traverse the Indian Archipelago. In the first 

 edition of The Illustrated Book of Poultry was 

 ^iven a reproduction of a coloured drawing by a 

 native Chinese artist of the highest class of 

 fighting Game-cock used in the Malay peninsula, 

 Sumatra, and the neighbourhood. This bird 

 presented the low carriage and much of the 

 symmetry of the Aseel, but with more full and 

 flowing plumage. Allowing for the different 

 style of a native artist, the breed was evidently 

 the same as figured in old American poultry- 

 books of 1853, as the Sumatra Game, which had 

 the same flowing tail and sweep of outline. The 

 sickles of the Sumatra Game Fowl, carried low 

 as they were, very nearly touched the ground, 

 and the breed had a small and beautiful pea- 

 comb. Other American importations were 

 known as Javan Game and Malacca Game, all 

 of which had very similar characteristics, but 

 the Javan and Malaccan being larger in size. 

 They all had a small pea-comb ; and they 

 are all reported as " dead game," beating the 

 best English and Spanish Game then fought 

 in the United States •. one of these Eastern 

 birds is recorded as having won no less than 

 75 battles against all comers. 



The retired Indian officer to whom we were 

 indebted for the drawing above alluded to, part 



of a collection originally intended to 

 Indian illustrate a work on Indian fowls and 



Cock- cock-fighting, supplied some interest- 



Fighting, ii^g particulars of Eastern methods of 



carrying on that sport, which differ 

 totally in many ways from those formerly prac- 

 tised in England as described in the next chapter. 

 He was stationed for years in the Straits, and told 

 us that in some districts almost every native walk- 

 ing about would have a cock under his arm ready 

 for any challenger. This was specially the case 

 in Sumatra, and at a great ceremonial cock-fight 

 sometimes a thousand spectators would assemble. 

 The methods of fighting were briefly as follow : — 



Some birds live for years and win many matches, 

 for generally one escapes altogether. Malay cock- 

 fighting is really much less cruel than English ; a few 

 minutes and the longest fight is over. The spurs vary 

 in outline, some being straight, some curved, and some 

 waved ; but all have edges as sharp as razors, and are 

 in fact like blades of penknives fastened on. This makes 

 the fighting so quick. It takes yards and yards of soft 

 cotton thread, wrapped round and round in all sorts of 

 ways, to keep the spurs firm in loco; and this is the 

 first art of <i Malay. The golok (a straight spur) is 

 generally fastened under foot, close to the ground ; the 

 crooked spur in the natural position. They take a long 

 time to heel the birds, and lots of people (friends) look 

 at the position, and give their advice. All this time the 

 money is collected on the mats — piles of dollars on 

 either side — for they are very clannish, and if one side 



puts down a thousand dollars, the other must do so, or 

 no fight ; that is, unless a quarrel ensue, and they 

 fight each other. Very few English engaged in the 

 pursuit — I did not know above half a dozen that ever 

 did ; there was some danger of rows, and few liked to 

 have to do with it, though nothing like so bad as an 

 English cockpit. I once went into the pit at Westminster, 

 and was so disgusted with a main, I never repeated my 

 visit. I never saw a fight at Malacca; they fight there 

 sometimes, but it is the purely native States that make 

 such a business of it. The Rajah of Siak, the first cock- 

 fighter of his day {1825-6), once sent a deputation to me 

 of five boats full of officers, and about thirty cocks, with 

 a pedigree to each bird : they were various colours and 

 various names, and fine birds all. It was quite a grand 

 ceremonial. 



Many of the birds are carefully trained. I have 

 seen a man throw down a bird and hold out one finger 

 two or three yards off, and the bird would fly at it 

 and strike it ! The birds know their owners, and they 

 handle them most dexterously. They are generally put 

 out of hand on the ground by the competitors at say 

 eight or nine yards apart ; but each man seeks to put 

 his bird down at advantage, and there is manceuvring. 

 The result depends much on training. Some run under 

 and others fly high ; it matters not how they meet, but 

 meet they do, and strike home ! They often meet high 

 up in the air. I have seen — at different times, of course, 

 and different birds — two cuts from Malay spurs, which, 

 if they could have been done at once, and in one bird, 

 would have quite cut the fowl in two pieces ; one cut 

 going clean through the back deep into the breast, and 

 the other through the breast deep into the back — so 

 keen are the edges of these deadly weapons, and so dread- 

 ful are the wounds. Generally one cock at once falls dead 

 or next door to it, so that the other has only to give just 

 one peck and rise, and it is over ; but sometimes the 

 dying bird lays hold of the unwounded one, and by a 

 well-directed blow kills his assailant at once, and wins 

 the battle. They are seldom touched after once let go, 

 because, as I said, one is liors de combat. 



When tlie Bugis come to trade in the States the 

 betting is very heavy; and sometimes when a man loses 

 all he has he becomes desperate — in Malay language, 

 " )neng-a-mok" (Anglic^, "runs amuck"), and perhaps 

 kills many. It is quite a royal affair when Bugis chiefs and 

 Malay rajahs meet, and most intensely exciting, as they 

 all have weapons ready for the least affront, and no man 

 can offer another a greater insult than saying to him, 

 " Eteeh bcr taji" (i.e. "Duck-spurred") — the contrast 

 is between tlie duck and, to their minds, the noblest of 

 birds, a Game-cock 1 I have seen hundreds, and even 

 thousands, of dollars lost and won on one fight of a few 

 minutes' duration ; and they go on most of the daylight 

 after they once begin, about noon. 



It is uncertain how long the true Aseel has 

 been known in England. In 1871 Mr. Joseph 

 Hinton, writing upon Malays, gave the following 

 account of some other imported fowls which he 

 had seen : — 



Last year I saw some birds brought from India by 

 a friend. These birds he called Game, but in many 

 respects they more resembled Malays. The cock's 

 comb and gills appeared to have been cut ; the shoulders 

 were very prominent, and of extraordinary breadth for 

 the size of the bird ; the weight probably under six 

 pounds, but the size and hardness of thighs something 

 marvellous. The thickness of the neck was also 



