The World of Courtesans c9.85

c9.85

Apaharavarman, moved by the story of the destitute lover, promised to persuade Kamamanjari to make voluntary restitution of his possessions. Apaharavarman entered the city of Champa and soon found out from the street gossip that the city was full of skinflints and capitalists. These men were not likely to understand the perishable nature of their riches. So Apaharavarman decided to take to the path of scientific thievery. He decided to join the professionals and found endless joy in observing their skill in all the twenty-four branches of the art of gambling. These consisted of sleight of hand over the dice board. He listened to their accompanying sneers and jeers, their death-defying truculence. He observed their methods of gaining the confidence of the gamblers, their flattery of the strong and their threats to the weak, their cleverness in picking up partners, the varied wagers proposed, their magnanimous way of dividing the cash, and their intermittent buzz of talk, largely obscene.