DIVINATION BY DICE. 



335 



to throw them. Such dice with pad and bowl are also used in the 

 gambliiifir games called Sho-para.^ ,...,,, in 



The solitary wooden dice is used for divination by the manual ot 

 Manjusri (Jam-t?pal). It contains on its six sides 



Wooden dice. the six letters, compound or otherwise, of Manju- 



sri's spell, viz. — 



The wood of this dice should be made of either Manjusri's sacred 

 "bla" tree, or chandan, or rose-wood, or if none of these woods are 

 available, then the dice should be made of conch-shell or glass. 



In the manual key to this dice the portent of each letter is divided 

 into the following sections, viz.— House, Favours, Life, Medical, 

 Enemy, Visitors, Business, Travel, Lost property. Wealth, hickuess, 

 &c which cover all the ordinary objects for which the oracle is 

 consulted. As an example I here extract the portents of A :— 



" 'A' is the best of all for great lamas and for lay officers, and 

 " what you will perform will have a good result. For low jDeople it 

 '' means a little sadness ; therefore worship your favourite god. 



' Another common game of chance is 

 caUed " The pushing of the Tiger " (Stam- 

 kiis-bo), and by the Lepchas " The Drawing 

 of the Tiger " (Sath6ng kii), and by the 

 Pahariahs {i.e., the professing Hindu 

 hillmen) " The handling of the Tiger " 

 (bagh-tsal). It is played by two persons 

 or by two companies on a board of the 

 figure here shown in the margin. Four 

 pieces of charcoal at the four corners 

 represent four tigers, and 19 grains of 

 Indian-corn in rows represent cows or goats. 

 The object of the leader of the tigers is to 

 kill all the cows or goats, while the leader of 

 the cows endeavours to keep the tigers at hay. 

 All the moves are made according to rule. 



