TWO WOODEN CHINESE GUNS CAPTURED FROM THE TAKU FORTS BY THE ROYAL MARINES—THEY ARE COMPOSED OF THICK STAVES BOUND TOGETHER BY WOODEN HOOPING.
From a Photograph.
Ladies have won renown in various spheres of activity usually looked upon as the prerogative of the sterner sex, but really skilful female big-game hunters are still few in number. Here is a photograph of a lady who has achieved quite a reputation as a killer of crocodiles. The picture shows her standing over a newly-killed man-eater, at a place called Belochpore, on the river Jumna, in India. When this particular crocodile was cut open there were found inside it two pairs of silver bracelets, several copper rings, some boars' tusks, two human skulls, and a new rupee, a truly heterogeneous collection.
A LADY BIG-GAME HUNTER, WITH A MAN-EATING CROCODILE.
From a Photograph.
Cock-fighting is as keenly enjoyed by the native of Porto Rico as bull-baiting was by his Spanish ancestors. In the old days enormous sums were staked on these birds, and not a few men were ruined by their passion for the sport. Since the American occupation of the island, however, cock-fighting has been made a criminal offence and persons detected in its pursuit are severely punished. But it is too deeply-rooted a habit to be suppressed in a few years, and notwithstanding the vigilance of the police it is still extensively practised. On Sundays and other holidays lovers of the sport select a secluded place and fight their birds as of old. The foregoing photograph shows a retired spot in the country where the birds are trained. They are staked out in the morning sun after having been trimmed up, sprayed with rum, and fed. The peasants seen in the background are their guardians and trainers. The Porto Rican game-cocks are fierce fighters, and, though they fight only with their natural spurs, often kill each other with a single blow.
COCK-FIGHTING IS PROHIBITED BY LAW IN PORTO RICO, BUT IS, NEVERTHELESS, STILL SECRETLY PRACTISED—OUR PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS A SECLUDED TRAINING GROUND FOR THE BIRDS, WHICH, AFTER BEING FED AND SPRAYED WITH RUM, ARE STAKED OUT IN THE SUN.
From a Photograph.