The game commenced. The women were, at first, completely absorbed in
contemplating the Bengal lights, but by degrees their whole attention
became concentrated on the cards and the players, it being difficult
to say which excited the greater admiration. De Morin, though
naturally interested in the game, could not keep his eyes from
wandering over the strange figures around him, rendered still more
strange by the novel manner in which they were lit up.
"You have arranged this scene admirably," said de Morin to Delange,
as he shuffled the cards.
"Have I not? For that very reason you are bound to lose."
"I think I am. But why do you say, 'for that very reason?' Does your
tableau count in the game?"
"Not in the game, but in your mode of playing it. The spectacle I
have set before you distracts your attention, and you are sure to
make a few mistakes, of which I shall take all due advantage."
"Indeed!" replied de Morin, laughing, "and you, I presume, are
superior to all these distractions?"
"Quite so, for the simple reason that I had a rehearsal before you
appeared, and, therefore, know exactly what to expect."
"All right. I must be on my guard, and you, I think, will find that
you have exposed your hand too soon."
De Morin soon recovered his wonted coolness, and devoted himself to
the game, but he had not reckoned on the intense natural curiosity of
these ladies. Every moment saw them drawing nearer and nearer to the
gamblers, pushing. Jostling, elbowing each other, and some of them
went so far as to climb the tree-stems which supported the roof of
the shed, and from those coigns of vantage surveyed the eccentric
game.
At length a few of the women, emboldened by the impunity with which
their first advances had been made, stretched out their hands and
laid hold of the cards, and they were proceeding to pay a similar
compliment, _more Africano_, to de Morin's beard and hair.
"Hands off, ladies, if you please," he exclaimed, but remonstrance
would have been of but little avail, had not Delange just at that
moment scored the requisite fifteen hundred points, thereby putting
an end to the game.
"The next thing," said I, "is to get out, but how is it to be done?
Look at these creatures, they could smother us if they wished. We are
only three against their eighty, to say nothing of their being armed
with stools."
"That is true," replied Delange, "but it so happens that the
fireworks are not over, I have a bouquet in reserve."
So saying, this Doctor, by a vigorous push, cleared a small space in
front of him, and, taking out of his pocket a Roman candle, he stuck
it in the ground and lighted it.
At the noise and glare of this fresh wonder there was a hurried
retreat, which resulted in one tumbling over the other in
inextricable confusion, whilst those on the tree stems dropped to the
ground like over-ripe fruit.
The way out was now clear, and we were rude enough to take advantage
of that circumstance without waiting even to shake hands with the
ladies. Nevertheless, they had nothing much to grumble at; a bad
beginning of the day had, in their case, made an unexpectedly good
ending, and instead of having been beheaded at sunset, as they had
been led to expect, they had enjoyed the three-fold pleasure of
witnessing the fireworks, seeing us, and learning bezique.