Meer Hassan Ali, B.: Observations on the Mussulmauns of India: descriptive of their manners, customs, habits, and religious opinions ; made during a twelve years residence in their immediate Society (Band 2) (London, 1832)

82 GAMING.

flights of their versatile imaginations, so much
greater the merit of the rehearser in the opinion
of the listeners.

The inmates of zeenahnahs occasionally in-
dulge in games of chance : their dice are called
chowsah (four sides), or chuhsah (six sides);
these dice are about four inches long and half
an inch thick on every side, numbered much in
the same way as the European dice. They are
thrown by the hand, not from boxes, and fall
lengthways.

They have many different games which I
never learned, disliking such modes "of trifling
away valuable time; I am not, therefore, pre-
pared to describe them accurately. One of
their games has a resemblance to draughts, and
is played on a chequered cloth carpet, with red
and white ivory cones. They have also circular
cards, six suits to a pack, very neatly painted,
with which they play many (to me) inde-
scribable games; but oftener, to their credit
be it said, for amusement than for gain. The
gentlemen, however, are not always equally
disinterested; they frequently play for large