eous noises like wild animals as they try to throw one
another. They have seen fat public wrestlers stand on opposite sides of
a sanded ring, stoop, rubbing their thighs, and in a crouching attitude
and growling, slowly advance upon one another. Then when near to one
another, the spring is made and the men close. If after some time the
round is not decided by a throw, the umpire, who struts about like a
turkey-cock, fanning himself, approaches. He plucks the girdle of the
weaker combatant, when the wrestlers at once retire to the sides of the
arena to rest, and to sprinkle a little water over themselves.

[Illustration: Heron-legs, or Stilts.]

[Illustration: The Young Wrestlers.]

In the neighborhood in which the children shown in the picture live,
there is a temple (p. 11). In honor of the god a feast-day is held on
the tenth of every month. The tenth day of the tenth month is a yet
greater feast-day. On these days they go the first thing in the morning
to the barber's, have their heads shaved and dressed, and their faces
powdered with white, and their lips and cheeks painted pink. They wear
their best clothes and smartest sashes. Then they clatter off on their
wooden clogs to the temple and buy two little rice-cakes at the gates.
Next they come to two large, comical bronze dogs sitting on stands, one
on each side of the path. They reach up and gently rub the dog's nose,
then rub their own noses, rub the dog's eyes, and then their own, and so
on, until they have touched the dog's and their own body all over. This
is their way of praying for good health. They also add another to the
number of little rags that have been hung by each visitor about the
dog's neck. Then they go to the altar and give their cakes to a boy
belonging to the temple. In exchange he presents them with one rice-cake
which has been blessed. They ring a round brass bell to call their god's
attention, and throw him some money into a grated box as big as a
child's crib. Then they squat down and pray to be good little boys. Now
they go out and amuse themselves by looking at all the stalls of toys
and cakes, and flowers and fish.

The man who sells the gold-fish, with fan-like tails as long as their
bodies, has also turtles. These boys at last settle that of all the
pretty things they have seen they would best like to spend their money
on a young turtle. For their pet rabbits and mice died, but turtles,
they say, are painted on fans and screens and b