Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-07-05

have never seen among our own Indian
I racers. In long-distance running they
bound and leap along Ike deer The
courier referred TO said that there was
] 10 be great race between two rival
towns I'm two days, and that II we hur-
I ried our mules we would get there In
time as II was only sixty miles ahead.
/ We hurried. and witnessed sight that
seemed like bit of old Spartan days.
ALL THE BEST RUNNERS.
II was at the Indian village Of Qua
chiochic, about $50 miles west of the town
Z OF Jimenez. on the Mexican Central rail-
/ road. All Of the best runners OF that
/ place were pitted against those OF the
/ rival pueblo Of Zapuri, little hamlet in
/ the bottom of a huge canyon. a little
farther west. Guachiochic lies in val
/ ley miles wide and 10 long, as
beautiful as private park. The great
/ mountain. reaching up TO the snow-line.
/ the Velvety grass Of the park. more like
/ lawn than a wild pasture. the rude In
\ dian village OF pole and bark huts. the
/ tropical foliage, and the Wild. untamed
! looking Aztecs, made a scene not soon to
be forgotten, and unrvalled In its pic
I turesqueness. The Tauri Mauri are long
/ limbed and slender. giving the impress
/ sion Of being above the average height
There is scarcely any muscle on their
puny arms. but their chests are deep.
their backs broad. and their limbs as
| trim and muscular az a grayhounds.
/ They look as If created for speed. They
are not a prepossessing race. as their
! hair Is as bushy as a HottentOt's. and I'M
/ touched from childhood to old age, ex
/ cept 10 bang" ii enough 20 keep il out OF
/ the eyes. Soap is unknown. and wash
! ing "agin' the customs OF the country" I:
I i'm fact. their elbows. hands, arms. and
1gt,.l.- ..,I. IL.
contact with the rocks. as if they were
/ Wild beasts.
our camp was pitched In one corner of
the rude. open space that served as a
| plaza i'm the centre Of town. The Indians
| crowded around the ropes that enclosed
| our belongings. and watched the strangers
| with their big. black eyes filed with
| curiosity. and ever on the look out for
/ some small gift in the way Of trinkets
/ The pictures from our canned goods were
/ the greatest prizes. and for them they
! would readily barter corn and beans. our
I foods seemed strange. indeed and the
children often spat out in disgust the
/ pieces Of bread given them, and IL was
/ good light bread, too. They knew what
| paper money was. but refused to receive
/ it, because the rats ate IT," They did
not seem to appreciate the value OF silver
! dollars. as a rule. one old man. to whom
we offered a dollar for n sheep, refused
/ il; but when we began counting out large
/ copper pennies, he waited until twenty
! six We're slowly counted and then raced
away as If fearful that we would repent
! our generosity.
The wagers Of the rival towns were
/ piled up I'm the centre of the plaza, and
/ consisted Of stripes of goats-hair cloth.
bows. arrows. sandals, goats. chickens
/ and sheep. with two wooden ploughs for
. high prizes; but these were thrown far
| ia the shade when the Americana" added
7 cupful Of copper coins. a gaudy litho-
/ graph, and water-color painting OF a
1 cross surrounded with flowers. Such
I prizes had never been offered in the
| memory Of the oldest inhabitants. and the
I runners swore that it should be the race
J of their lives.
In the afternoon they asked us to look
I over the course. To our astonishment
we found that II was twelve miles long
and that the circuit was to be made ten
times 4 royal race, indeed Of l2O
I miles. The race was to be run In the
I night and concluded in the cool of the
next afternoon. About o'clock in the
afternoon everything was ready. The
track known 10 every one began In
the village and ran across the plain to
. the opposite side Of the valley. then
around and around the valley. coming
through the town each time. the finish
{ tclIE the SUdlEIiWaN course bdNk across
| the valley on the line on which they
| started. Ten athletes stood on the right
| side Of the plaza, and ten on the left.
/ each side having one ball. Each was
/ dressed only in native trunks of goats
hair cloth, and many of these were dis
carded before the race was over
At the word both Of the balls were
| thrown forward, and the twenty bounded
/ forward in way that would tax a bicy-
oil 9. L. 81 r.o.,
I a burst Of speed would soon tire them
I out, but IL was meant only for the start
/ OF three miles straight away across the
I valley; and before reaching the other side
/ the runners began cutting off the corners
I and racing ahead on the oval course so
/ as to receive and carry on the ball Of
/ that party The bail was pitched for
ward by the foot of the first on that
side TO reach II, and II a rival could reach
it.hrst IL was promptly thrown back on
the course. The object WAS 10 get the
bali around the prescribed course. no mat
ter how, so long as IL was touched only
10y the feet OF the players. To touch it
with the hand was to lose all bets.
UMPIRES AND JUDGES.
Tripping, crowding. and al the rough
| work of our foot-bailists We're permitted
10 prevent an opponent from reaching or
mitted to cut across the valley at jog
trot, and so be ready to receive the bail
as il came along, and then squirt with
ID. UmpiTes and judges were stationed
all over the route to see that the ball was
Kept along the designated tract BY
O'Clock the moon came up. and the val
ley was nearly as light as day. Wells as
fierce as any that greet an audience at Yale
or Harvard greeted the bronze Stage Of
GunchoChic as he hurled the wooden
sphere through the plaza 100 feet ahead
Of the ball from Zapuri on the first trip
( around the valley.
1t was impossible TO sleep. the enthu-
siasm was too great; so we gathered
around the campfire and listened TO the
disputes Of the rival factions. and TO the
shouts fi0m the players afar on and as
they drew near greeted them with yells
that left us hoarse for several days after
wards. Around and around. would they
never tire? The strange surroundings.
the rude race. the excited, angry groups
OF bronze that came flying by in the moon
. light-all seemed incredible, unreal. All
night long we watched and listened. some
times joining in the rude dances with
which the crowd passed the time. drinking
queer. sweet. Notwithstanding drinks
made from the fruits OF the tropics. and
nibbling and trying TO like the queer
"dulces" or sweets made from native
sugar. the favorite being the fruit Of the
cactus stewed In brown sugar.
Far into the afternoon they ran, but IN
a little less than fourteen hours the balls
had made the prescribed number OF trips
I around the valley and four runners on