The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-12-15
A Race Among tue Pueblos.

The runners advanced in two lines,
facing each other, and performing sort
of quick, hopping step. This was called
dance. but looked like simple jump.
All the while they waved boughs of cot
tonwood over their heads, and uttered
a weird. quavering cry or whoop. Their
tall and we!l-shaped figures We're rather
slender and wiry than strongly-b built,
but the alertness and eagerness ex-
pressed in every muscle and feature as
they stood awaiting the signal to start,
and the feet motion of their bare limbs
as they few like winged creatures down
the course, are things never TO be for
gotten. Their naked bodies were painted
in stripes of white and blue, or brown,
reminding one of the English athlete S
jersey; around their loinS they wore
tunics OF bright-colored cotton, trimmed
according to the taste of the wearer,
with little bells or fringes of brilliant
cottonwood leaves. The sides OF their
arms and legs were adorned with
bands of VIII te and gray feath-
ers, stuck to the skin with pitch.
More feathers, bells and leaves were
fastened in their flowing black hair;
some had diadems of long feathers stuck
round the ir foreheads. others had huge
horns OF them behind their ears. Their
faces were painted with bands of red,
white and yellow-in short, they wore
full dress. These young bucks were
placed in semi-circles. faces east and
west, one at either end of the three hun
dred yard course, each circle having an
equal number of members from the
rival sides. Now two runners. each
representing side. start from the east
ward circle, and before one can see it,
they have reached the winning line of
the westward one. But as the foot of
the foremost runner touches the line,
one of his comrades in the westward
circle flies away down the course,
whereas the rival competitor here must
wait to start till his man gets in. And
so on, backward and forward, till every
one has run in turn. Thus the man who
gets ahead in the first race usually de-
termines the issue of the whole. as the
Start he gets is carried forward by his
side, and the rival runners seldom have
time to make up the last ground.
Nevertheless, the race is watched
with breathless interest. and it is ex-
citing to see the agonized impotence,
the quivering muscles of the poor,
handicapped runners. who may not
start till the tagging comrade is in. Dc
casionally the Indians would give vent
to their excitement in whoop. or
Mexican would bolt across the road on
his impatient horse, while the old Off
cials with their branches waived back
the picturesque, excited, surging crowd.
Once drunken Apache and Pueblo.
eager probably for the honor of his side,
got to fighting right under the shrine of
red boughs, to which the saint had
been carried in process on at the begin
ming of the race. They were soon
down on the ground, with fingers in
each others scalp locks, and the Apache
presently whipped out his weapons. but
upon this the alcalde had the combat
ants separated. and the Apache was
subsequently observed looking chast-
ened and subdued When the race end
ed. which it did in favor of the Southern
Pueblo, the runners formed into lines,
and set up their whooping once more.
While from tho terraces ali the squaws
flung loaves of black bread to the vic
tors, much as other people would throw
flowers on like occasion.-Macn,iilan's
Magazine. ~ N-zz4 w. Va