The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-02-16

mud. and they used 10 scamper away
the moment they were seen, 50 that the
Choctaws were for many generations
unable to get near them, although they
would lay in wait for them for months
zone day, however. number OF them
were surprised so suddenly that they did
not have time TO 90 their usual route
through the mud-into their cave Dut
were forced into it by secret opening
they had in the rocksl
"The Choctaws then attempted to
smoke them out. and at last, by persist
ent effort, succeeded. They treated them
kindly. taught them to talk Choctaw, to
walk erect. made them cut of their toe
nails and pull out the hair from their
bodies. After which they adopted them
into the tribe, but the majority OF them
are still under groundl'
Ball playing seems TO be common
among all tribes, but it is conceded that
the Choctaws, in their primitiveness,
were the most skilled in this game OF
course it is notat all similar to the Amer
lean national game in any particular,
and is played with two bats or sticks.
These sticks are bent into an oval loop
at one end, with a web of fine buck
skin thongs stretched across them TO
prevent the ball from falling out when
caught or tossed One Of these bats Is
held in each hand, and the players catch
the ball by jumping into the air, and
throw it from the bats, never allowed TO
strike il or catch it with their hands. In
every house | visited saw one or more
pairs Of these peculiar bats, according to
the number of male residents.
In the primitive days Of these people,
it was an invariablc law of the game
that no player should wear moccasisn
on his feet, and appear only with the
prescribed dress; that is, in his 'breech-
clout." a beautiful head belt, and tail
made of white horse hair or quilts. and
a name around his neck constructed Of
the same material as the tail, dyed in
cOlors
The match was usually made up
months before the day agreed upon, and
led by two champions, or captains, rs
we should call them. These two cap
tains had the power to 60 through the
tribe, from village to village, and alter
nately choose the men for their re-
spective sides. This choice Of players
was effected generally by proxy; two
runners were sent armed with pair Of
ball sticks" deliberately ornamented
with paint, ribbons and other gewgaws,
which, touched by the players selected,
was an evidence that they accepted, and
would be on hand at the time specified
and prepared to take part.
Each set Of players erected on the
ground where the game was to take place
two upright poles about thirty feet high,
and six feet apart, across the top Of which
another pole was fastened. These goals,
or "byes,' as they were called, were
some eight hundred feet apart; at
point Just half way between those goals
was driven a small stake, where the bali
was to be thrown into the air &C a given
signal usually the firing of gun.
All these preliminaries were arranged
by old men, who were the judges or UNI
pires Of the game; they drew line
from one goal 10 the other, across which
all the betting was made and placed in
the possession OF stake holders the
night before the game commenced
Everything conceivable that wigwam or
field possessed was staked, and princi
pallv by the women of the tribe as bet
tors.
On that night, too, all the players as
scmbled around their respective "byes,"
where under the glow Of torches, the
beating of "t0m-toms' and the songs of
the squaws, they for more than quar-
ter Of an hour INDUCED in the pictur-
esque "Bd1l-Play dance, in their proper
dress, and rafting their sticks together,
all the time chanting as loud as they
could. Meanwhile the women who had
staked their goods formed themselves IN
two rows on the cline" between the re-
spectiye players and also danced. join
ing in musical appeals to the Great
Spirit to decide the game in favor of
their side.
At the small stake, from which the |
ball was to be thrown at the opening of /
the game on the morrow, four old "med- /
icine men, who were to perform the act /
of Throwing the ball were busily puff I
ing at their pipes, smoking to the Great /
Spirit for success in impartially Judging I
the game, as their duties of umpires de-
manded.
Sometimes seven or eight hundred /
players took part in the game, and when
the contest commenced a terrible strug-
gle ensued to catch the ball on their
sticks and throw it home between their
respective stakes, which counted one.
When this happened there was a short
halt, then the ball was started again by
the judges, and whichever side in that
amnner counted hundred won.
HENRY INMAN.
SOME USEFUL HINTS.