The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1881-08-03
AN INDIAN FO0TRACE.
Bar5aric Rendering of the 0lympian
Games in New Mexico.

The march past ended, the Governor
OF San Juan--for each pueblo has a
Governor of its own nomination and
election -gravely walked down to clear
the course. In his hand he bore as
sceptre what appeared to be bottle of
whisky, but what in reality was
whisky bottle filed with gunpowder
that he distributed as largesse to In
dians with guns, and behind him came a
guard in their finest clothes bearing
green branches and wearing-a part OF
them at least--garlands of green leaves
upon their shocks of hair. These guards
he distributed at intervals of 100 yards
or so, in couples along the course, the
couples apparently being taken from
the opposite sides. This preliminary
being settled, tremendous old patri-
arch, with a waving mass of gray hair
down to his shoulders and wrinkled be-
yond expression, stepped out midway
ia the track bearing in his hands an an
cient drum He was gayly clad in yel.
low buckskin leggings, checked shirt
that he ostentatiously wore outside OF
them, and battered old straw hat,
once black, that he carried on his head
as proudly as kings in pictures wear
their crowns. With becoming dignity
he sounded lcng roll upon his drum,
the signal for the race to begin. Long
before he had finished two lads, the
youngest Of the racers, had started out
together, and on an easy lope came
down the course, while the 5000 or
1000 spectators sent up ringing yell.
As the boys arrived at the goal two men
started out, not together, but as far
apart as the boys were when they came
in. This was rather puzzling, but after
little investigation the principle of the
race was clear. The two sides were di-
yded into couples, one man of each
pair being at each end of the track. As
a runner came in his partner at once
started out, while the partner of the
man who lost the heat had to start as
far in the rear as the distance by which
the heat had been lost. The final vic
tory rested with the side whose man
came in first on the final heat. One al
vantage Of this arrangement, as far as
the spectators were concerned, was that
the race was going on all the time; and
as the man in the rear frequently over
took and passed the man who started
out ahead, victory constantly trembled
in the Balance, and from start to finish
the excitement was kept at fever heat.
For the most part the running was
magnificent, the little forms and vigor-
Gus muscles coming out grandly under
the spur of emulation and the encour-
aging shouts of the crowd. Indeed, the
encouragement was rather overwhelm-
ing, vigorous partisans breaking through
the line OF guards and coming close to
the runners to shout "Aca" "Aca!'
"Our side!" "Our side!' The scene
along the course meanwhile was as pic
turesque as it could be, Pressing close
upon each side over its entire length
was the brightly crowd of In
dians and Mexicans, Qua foot and on
horseback, brilliant scarlet blankets and
white robes giving the high lights,
while softer colors shone in the shawls
and wraps of the Mexican women, and
so graded off into the warm browns Of
the ground and the clay houses to the
black sombreros OF the men, Higher
up, along the roofs of the houses, the
same color was repeated against the
brilliantly clear blue sky. And down
the wide lane, traversing the crowd |
from end to end, the magnificent fel. |
lows went tearing along as hard as they |
could go. 1t was barbaric rendering
of the Olympian games.-ICorrespond-
,ence Philadelphia Times. j