Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-10-07
SWIFT INDIAN RUNNERS
A CURIOUS RACE BY THE STRANGE
TAURI MAURI TRIBE.


Their Swiftness Surprising.
Most tourists in Mexico see little of
the strange Tauri Mauri Indians,
writes the Chihuahua correspondent
of the New York Sun. The first Tauri
Mauri We saw was n mail carrier
among the San Lorenzo Mountains
about 120 miles south of chihuahua.
This Indian makes two round trips
over a distance of eighty-five miles
twice week, making total of some
$40 miles, a week on foot. Several
times, when the Government had rea-
sons for rushing mails to their destina-
tion. he made even three round trips
in seven and half days. The route
leads from Guarichic to San Jose de
los Crues over as rugged a mountain
trail as ever tried mountaineer's
muscle.
The Indian mail carrier was bare
headed and barelegged, his entire suit
consisting of about three yards of
narrow cloth woven out of goats
hair. On his back was a mail sack,
that, with its contents. weighed forty
pounds. This was supported by
strap across his forehead and another
across his chest. He came trottinig
down the hill smoking a cigarette and
moving as easily and gracefully as If
just starting out, instead of having
some twenty miles already to his
credit that morning.
O no bn errn In
the valley he dropped a ball about
the size of baseball on the ground,
and, catching it deftly on his toes,
gave 1t n throw forward and raced
after it with the speed of a deer,
picking 1t up on his toes and throw
ing 1t forward again without in the
least, so far as we could see, checking
his speed. AS he overlook us the ball
was placed in his armpit, and he
trotted along by the side of the mules,
chatting quite sociably.
The Tauri Mauri Indian carries one
Of these wooden balls with him every
where, tucked under the armpits until
he is in n hurry; then it is thrown
forward, and away the owner rushes
after 1t. 1t is their way of keeping in
training for all the time, and of hur-
rying themselves over the ground.
1t is always thrown from the toes,
and never from the hand.
There are some 10000 Tauri Mauri
Indians In Mexico. Twice every sum-
mer they meet for sort of tourna-
ment. 1t is custom centuries old.
1t was the writer's good fortune to be
present at one of these periodical as
semblies among the San Lorenzos,,
about twenty miles southwest from
Chihuahua.
The Tauri Mauris are long-limbed
and slender, giving the impression of
being over the average height There
is scarcely any muscle on their puny
arms, but their chests are deep, and
their backs broad, and their limbs as
trim and muscular as q greyhound's
They look as If created for speed.
The great contest of the tournament
was q race. The wagers of the rival
towns were piled up in the centre of
the plaza, and consisted of strips Of
goats hair cloth, bows, arrows,
sandals, goats, chickens, and sheep,
with two wooden plows for high
prizes; but these were thrown far in
the shade when some American visit
ors added eupful of copper coins,
a gaudy lithograph, and water color
painting of q cross surrounded with
flowers. Such prizes had never been
offered In the memory of the Oldest
inhabitant, and the runners swore
that it should be- the race Of their
lives.
In the afternoon they asked us to
look over the course. To our as
tonlshment we found that it was
twelve miles long and that the circuit
was to be made ten times. A royal
race, indeed, Of 100 miles. The race
was to be run in the night and con-
cluded In the cool of the next after
noon.
About five o'clock in the afternoon
everything was ready. Ten athletes
stood on the right side of the plaza
and ten on the left. To each side
one wooden ball was allotted. The
racers were dressed in native trunks
of goats hair cloth, and many of these
We're discarded before the race was
over.
At the word both of the balls were
thrown forward and the twenty
bounded forward at n speed that 1t
would tax bicyclist to keep up with.
We thought that such burst of speed
would soon tire them out, but it was
meant only for the start of three
miles straight away across the valley.
Before reaching the other side of the
course the runners began cutting Off
the corners and racing ahead on the
oval course so as to receive and carry
on the ball Of theirparty. The ball was
pitched forward by the foot of the
first one and that side to reach 1t, and
If rival could reach 1t first it was
thrown back on the course. The pur-
pose was to get the ball around the
prescribed course, no matter how, so
long as it was touched only by the
Feet of the players. TO touch it with
the hand was to lose all bets.
Tripping, crowding, and all the