Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-01


from the bushes, stripped, scratched and
decorated like the others, carrying their
ball sticks in their hands and headed BY Il
shaman. The two parties come together
in the center of the ground and now, for a
short time, the scene resembles an auction
as men and women move about holding up
the articles they propose to wager on the
game, and bidding for stakes to be matched
against them. The betting being ended,
the opposing players draw up in two lines
facing each other, each man with his ball
sticks laid together in front of him, with
the heads pointing toward the man oppo-
site him. This is for the purpose of
matching the players so as to get the same
number on each side, and should it be
found that any one man has no player on
the opposite side to face him, he must
drop out Of the game. This frequently
happens, as both parties try to keep their
arrangements secret up to the last mo-
ment There is no fixed number on a
side, the common quota being from nine to
twelve.
An old man now advances with the ball,
and standing at one end of the lines de-
livers final address to the players, telling
them that Unehlanuhi, "the apportioner"
the SUMS looking down upon them,
urging them to acquit themselves in the
game as their fathers have done before
them, but above all to keep their tempers,
so that none may have it to say that they
got angry or quarreled, and that after it
was over each one may return in peace
along the white trail to rest in his white
house.
White in these formulas is symbolic of
peace and happiness and all good things.
He concludes with loud "Hal Taldu-
gwuhI (now for the twelve) and throws
the ball into the air.
Instantly twenty pairs of ball sticks
clattered together in the air as the owners
spring to catch the ball in its descent. In
the scramble it usually happens that the
ball falls to the ground where it is picked
up by one more quick-sighted than the
rest. Frequently, however, man will
succeed in catching it between his ball
sticks as it falls, and disengaging himself
from the rest, starts to run with it to the
goal, but before he has gone dozen yards
they are upon him, and the whole crowd
goes down together, rolling and tumbling
over each other in the dust, strain
ing and Juggling for possession of
the ball, until some one of the
players manages to pull himself out from
the struggling heap and starts off with the
ball. AT once the others spring to their
feet, and throwing away their ball sticks,
rush to intercept him or to prevent his
capture, their black hair streaming out be-
hind and their naked bodies glistening in
the sun as they run.
The scene is constantly shifting. Now
the players are all together at the lower
end of the field, when suddenly, with a
powerful throw, player sends the ball
high in the air, over the heads Of the
spectators and into the bushes beyond
Before there is time to realize it, here they
come with grand sweep, charging right
into the crowd, knocking men and women
right and left and stumbling over dogs
and babies in their frantic efforts to get at
the ball.
1t is very exciting game, as we'll as
very rough one, and in its general features
is combination of baseball, football and
the old-fashioned Skinny. Almost every
thing short of murder is allowable in the
game, and both parties sometimes go into
the contest with the deliberate purpose of
gripping or otherwise disabling the best
players on the opposite side.
Sometimes two men lie struggling on the
ground, clutching at each Others threats,
long after the ball has been carried to the
other end of the field, until the drivers"
armed with long stout switches, come run
ming up and belabor both over their bare
shoulders until they are forced to break
their hold. 1t is also the duty Of these
drivers to gather up the ball sticks thrown
away in the excitement and restore them
to their owners at the beginning of the
next inning.
When the ball has been carried through
the goal the players come back to the center
and takeup positionsin accordance with the
previous instructions of their shammans.
The two captains stand facing each other,
and the ball is then thrown up by the
Captain of the side which won the last
inning. Then the struggle begins again,
and so the game goes on until one party
scores twelve runs and is declared the vic
tor and the winner of the stakes.