The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-22

in the act If he is caught he simply re-
funds his gains and is laughed at for his
clumsiness. 1t is probable that no
gambling game among Indians ever goes
to an ending without what white man
would call outrageous cheating. From
simple games with sticks TO horse racing,
the acme of Indian gambling, the man
who canudo the most dishonest things
with the least danger of exposure is the
man who obtains the most money and the
highest praises.
LEARNED FROM THE WHITE MEN.
Since playing cards have become COM
mon, games taught by the whites and
Mexicans are generally the favorites
among the red men. Monte is played for
large amounts, sometimes an Indian be-
coming impoverished in single night by
trying his luck against a skilltul player.
| have known of an especially deft monte
dealer to go from tribe to tribe IN the
New Mexico mountains and return home
loaded down with his winnings. MANY
Mexican gamblers devote almost their en-
tire time to travelling among the various
tribes in the Sierras. They wlD large
fortunes, but lose them again in the large
Mexican cities, where pulque and women
work their ruin. AS card playing is not
part of the real Indian gambling will
leave it out of this article and contine 1t
entirely to those games winch were III
vented by the red men.
The players never get angry and there
is never any quarreling over the games
Indians loseiand win with a stoicism that
is the emulation of gentlemen gam blers
among the whites. | knew OF an indian
who lost all his belongings, even his wife
and children, and yet he got up with
smile on his face and started out TO steal
enough from some unfortunate white man
or other tribe of Indians to make up for
his lost fortune. Indians will sit all night
over game and sometimes three or Iour
Games are going at the same time, the eX-
cited onlookers passing from one to the
other and betting on two or three games
at once.
TWO VILLAGES AT PLAY,
Two principals choose sides, or two viii
lagos are arrayed against each other and
then the fun begins. The opposing sides
sit opposite each other in a long double
row. between the rows are spread blank
cts upon which the stakes are placed
The preliminaries of the game consist OF
the decision of stakes, values ana amounts
AS in the game mentioned above, the OBJ
iect of every Indian is to get something
The hest of his opponent in the matter or
value of the article bet, and in the settle
ment of this there is much dispute ana
wranpling. | must say, however, thaJ
the wrangling never results in anger or
fighting. 1t frequently taxes an hour 70
settle all the points of stakes, ana theh
the game proper begins.
A toss is made to see which side shall
hold the bone, which, being settled, all is
attention. The center player takes
small bone in his hands and begins series
of frantic tugglings 10 deceive his oppo-
nents. and then rapidly passes his nands
to the person on his right and then 70 ms
left as if placing the bone IN tnelr haHHS.
motions and apparently pass the bone on
IN their next neighbor This is continued
until tne whole line, sometimes composed
of 100 Indians. is a maze of waving hands
and arms, each Indian trying to make the