Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-24
AN EXTINCT GAME.
Ell Patio, Sort of Foot Ball, Played
by HOrsemcn.

From the Badminton Magazine
When and where and how the game of
Eel patio first arose have never heard;
pr obably it was not invented or introduced
by any person, but came into existence by
chance and being admirably suited to the
disposition and habits of the horsemen on
the pampas (wheres / imagine the game
must have had its erign) it quickly grew
in favor and took deep root in the country.
Unlike most outdoor games, it retained its
original simple, rude character to the end.
PATIO means duck; and to play the game
duck or fowl, or, as was usually the case,
some larger domestic bird-turkey gosling
or muscovy duck-was killed and sewn up
in a piece of stout rawhide, forming a
somewhat shapeless ball, twice as big as
foot ball, and provided with four loops or
handles of strongtwisted rawhide made of
size convenientito BE lgrasped by a mans
hand. A great p6int WAS to have the ball
and handles SO strongly made that three or
four powerful men could take hold and tug
until they dragged each other to the ground
without anything giving away.
Whenever it was resolved in any place to
have game. and some one had offered to
provide the bird And the meeting place had
teen settled, notice would be sent round
among the neighbOrs. and at the appointed
time all the men and youths living within
the spot. mourted on their best horses. On
the appearance of the man On the ground
carrying the duck the others would give
chase; and by and by he would be over
taken and the ball wrested from his hand,
the victor in his ttrrf' would be pursued,
and when overtaken there would perhaps
be a scuffie or serimmage as ine foot bal!
only the strLgsiers would be first Oh horse
back before dragging each other to the
earth. Oc2asiC rally when this happened 4
couple of hot-Ieaded players, angry at be-
ing hurt or worsted, would draw their wea-
pens against each other in order to finl
out who WAS in the right or to prove which
was the better man. But. fight or no fight
some one WoUld get the duck and carry It
away to be chased again Leagues of
ground would be gone over by the rlayers
In this way, and at last some one, h.ckier
or better mounted than his fellows, would
get the luck. successfully run the gantlet
OF the people scattered about on the plain
and make good his escape. He WAS the
victor, and it vas his right to carry the
bird home and have it for his dinner This
was. however, a mere fiction; the man who
carried off the duck made for the nearest
house, followed by all the others: and there
rot only the duck was cooked but a vast
amount of meat to feed. the whole of the
players. While The dinner was in prcpara-
tlon messengers would be dispatched to
netghboring houses to invite the women.
ana on their arrival dancing would be
started and kept up all night
The game OF Eel patio" abolished q long
time oe1ore l v as born, was nothing but
memory of cid and middle-aged men when
L grew to boyhood and began to listen with
interest to the tales of my elders The
most delightful old yarn-spinner, or his
tCrian of the vanished DAYS I renen,ber
at that period was a gaucho neighbor
named Francisco de la Cueva, Familiarity
known to US as "Pancho,' dark, thin,
wiry old fellow of over seventy The rea-
son why of his innumerable stories of
the past stuck in my mind was because It
touched on an historical event of peculiar
and melancholy interest to every Anglo-Ar-
Buenos Ayres by a British army. Rut
there Is also in the narrative a glimpse of
the grand old game of Eel pato;" and it is
curious at this distance of time to see, as
by a flash of lightning, the man of those
days absorbed in pastime which was so
much to them and is now so completely
forgotten.