Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-23

simplest piece of property VIII De ue, e-s I
from this game, unless a JONES 80 ~ i
cover il. At the end of the 2aHle q" n
diWdual on the winning SIDE lahe =, IN
own property and the ac 'oIll" H.
WAGER. The Eskimo OF uhi"V /" "a
Sound have a singular stake 20
play progresses each partial " - -, n
the privilege Of putting a niue ~ =
the pile. They begin to pay III
stake but at the capture of the nrsU udi !
YOU may say, the winner lays down Iu
coat. boat, ivory carving, etc. Inc heNl
winner puts something more on thtU. a.
the end of the game the man who hONs
the most point takes the whole pill = lu
as the writer has never seen this kinL' ol d
stake among civilized people IL might var
the monot0ny of our modern playing u
give it a trial.
The Indians use all sorts of gambling
tools. but we shall here describe only
those in the exposition. The Eskimo use
dice made of ivory or beaver teeth, not IN
cubes, but with only two marked sides.
They also carve birds and animals IN
ivory, like chess men, only Halter Wnen
the dice are thrown from the hand the
animals that stand erect are counted OF
the spots on the upper side OF the dlce'
The Indians of Alaska and Queen Char
lotte Archipelago make cylinders oil
spruce wood six inches long and nan an
inch thick. These they polish timely ana
ornament with rings, carvings ana MAY
ings Of pearl. This is savage keno game
in the highest sense. Everybody puts
something into the pot or on the pie. Inc
,ribe gather around in q circle in the CEN
tra, of which some old medicine man or
celebrated general has covered the niue
cylinders with a mass Of cedar bark
shred led With much pow-wowing the
little sticks are Withdrawn and handed to
one after another until the one bearing
the mark Of the chief turns up. Inc
lucky man shouts out - and all the
rest grunt -. The lucky man takes the
pot.
game is played with fiat dishes about the
size of silver dollar. These same disks
are used in a pitching game precisely
like squalls, only there must always ne
stake.
By far the most common method of
gambling among the American Indians Is
the black and white, or odd ana even
game. Two pieces of bone, snarpened at
either end. one of them wrapped IN the
middle with dirty buckskin, constitute
the tools. Sometimes a number of sticks
are used as counters. The players usu-
ally sit bv clans and the stake is Smiths
against Joneses. A number OF little pegs
are driven into the ground and taIly
stick placed between the middle par; as
the guessing goes on from side 10 SIDE Uhe
tally is moved toward the lucky END,
Smiths to the right. Joneses IT, the left.
When the tally stick gets out Of limbo the
clan at whose end 1t came take the sWag'
/ The counting is also done with counters
or chips, the holders of all the chips get
/ ting the pot. Now, any one can see mat
1 a game of this kind would last forever II
the medicine man did not act the part OF
the bank in keno or of the general III
/ lottery, and get a good salary to tip the
beam.
The Zuni Indians play a cup and ball
game. or thimble rig, which is similar IN
/ its methods and results to the one last
named. They have another in which
painted sticks are used somewhat like
dice, but the count is made not on the
number of spots turning up, but upon the
combination of COlOTs. A black and two
reds count one. three blacks count MOTH
ing, two reds and a black count five and
three reds count ten. If all turn up blank
It counts three. But while the principal
is the same always, the method of count
ing varies. A Zuni always carries his
gambling blocks, and when travelling
alone kicks one of them in front of him
for miles and miles, dreaming perhaps
on the gains it will bring him at the end.
The Sioux have long sticks like paper
| cutters, thrown preclSely IKE IhOse ldsl
described. The California women make
dice of walnuts, filling the interstices
with pitch and pressing bits of pearl into
it for spots. These they throw up and
catch in hat and count as we do in dice.
The women east OF the Sierras use plum
seeds with painted spots for the same
purpose. To the thoughtful student OF
civilization these things are suggestive OF
those curious surviyals of savagery eX-
listing amid cultured peoples in spite OF
the most persistent efforts to eradicate
them.
Use DR.. PIerce's ''PelletsV for all bill.