CARD-SHARPERS. 145 



so simply to attract attention. One thing in regard to a 

 highly-bearded individual also struck me as peculiar. On 

 whichever side the ship I went, as well as perpetually 

 near the door of my berth, which gave admittance to the 

 lower deck, there this short, stout, hirsute fellow was, 

 with a portable table in front of him, and a pack of cards 

 in his hand, with which he always seemed to be playing 

 alone and against himself. 



If I changed my position on the vessel and took a 

 chair on the port or larboard side, so sure was I to see 

 a table and then a stout man accidentally pushing them 

 selves round the bluff entrance to the saloon, till by de 

 grees both were well before me. Of course it soon be 

 came very evident that this card-sharper desired to 

 engage me in a game at cards, under the, to me, flattering 

 supposition that an " English nobleman rolling in money " 

 would play at any game with a man of whom he knew 

 nothing. On observing that this broth of a Boh-hoy 

 was such a fool, I thought that I would amuse myself 

 with his folly, instead of permitting him to enrich himself 

 with mine, and I let him think he had caught my eye or 

 fascinated me to destruction by keeping my glance occa 

 sionally or furtively on the cards while he was at play. 

 I saw that he observed this, and for that reason haunted 

 my whereabout with his table more than ever. The en 

 couragement I gave him, however, was very slight, and 

 it was evident he did not feel quite sure of his game, for 

 not until the third day of the voyage did he venture to 

 address me. On that day I had a chair on the lower 

 deck, just outside my door, when I saw the everlasting 

 table coming round the bluff entrance to the saloon, fol 

 lowed by the stout man, lugging after him a chair. He 



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