The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-08-24
SPORTS OF THE INDIANS.
BUCKS, soUAWs AND PAPoosEs
FLOCK To THE RACE COURSE.
Worldly Goods Bet on ResuIt-Cay.
uses Do?ed by Practical Joker,
Cause Amusement ard Sometimes
Trouble.


the centre of an immense cattle and
horse raising district 1t was in the
fail, at the time Of their local races.
when the horsehesh of the track is
tested for sreed, and when the noble
red men lose or win the years accum-
ulation of worldly goods. There were
number Of good horses in the field,
mostly runners. as the trotter. be he
ever so swift. is too slow for the west
ern idea Of sport
Indians had congregated from every
locality ard the chiefs of many tribes
headed their little bands, accompanied
by the wives and progeny. They OF
the plains are generally tall and hand
some, in Indian fashion. discounting
the coast Siwashes in size. features,
and general bearing, as they lead
freer life in the mountains and plains,
riding Centaur-like their wild little
ponies. Admittance Is always granted
| them inside the circular fence In the
| centre Of the course, and they line up
at the railing on their cayuses SEEM
| ingly stold ard Indifferent to what
goes on. However, their looks do not
| speak truth, for there were never any
greater gamblers than the Indians,
who will. year after year. risk every
thing they possess on earth at horse
| race.
Their manner of betting is so extra
! ordinary that. as we watched them
piling up in one heap hundreds of arti-
cles of all sizes and value. from their
| blankets or saddles down to a jack
knife, it was natural TO suppose there
would be n miX.up that they would
never he able to straishten out. But
after each race they swarm back to
| the heap, picking out exactly what he
| or she has ventured against the other
and what is won by that venture. Then
| they throw down again what they bet
| for the next time, in the same way,
and go back to their places along the
| fence, rarely smiling, seldom talking,
| except by an occasional grunt of dis
satisfaction.
They. the heirs to this great and
wonderful country, have only now
where to lay their heads. and are dy-
ing off so rapidly since the refining"
process Of civilization came to them,
| that in very few years the full
blooded American Indian will be no
| longer aught but history. AS they sat
| in their line. calmly waiting for the
next race we were coniecturing what
| their ideas of us were. and whether,
after all, they were not happy in their
way-when the friend who was acting
as our host touched my arm and point
ed to n man crossing the track. Look
] he said, there goes John Black. the
| greatest practical joker in this county
SEQ what he is up to-" The man
| referred to was passing behind the
| long line of silent figures with a small
| bottle in his. hand and seemed to drop
n bit of its contents on each horse as
| he hurried along unnoticed by the
| Siwashes, who were looking straight
| ahead.
THAT Is what they call 'root-en-
| toot' said our friend, "and'-but
| just then such scene began as we
shall never forget. The first cayuse
| In the line switched his tail, picked up
his ears and began to back: the sec.
ond moved uneasily, looking around
| reproachfully at his rider. Then they,
| too. and dozens of others, broke into
| frenzied prancng and bucldng. A wild
! time of excitement ensued Worn out
| old cayuses who had not bucked for
90 years reared, dashed and few,
around with the widest young ones.
| =, to
connected frop the family stem,
hurled madly into the air. ard bucks,
| clutching at saddle. bride. name. or
| anything within reach were dumped
! without ceremony onto the ground.
| The uproar caused by the yells of
| frightened Indians, neighing horses
and screams of laughter from the spec
tators made matters worse. 1t seemed
| that Satan and his hundred imps were
| prodding those erstwhile sad-eyed
| beasts TO fury with red-hot pitchforks.
One dignified old lady in particular
| caught my eye. Her cayuse was max
| ing n hasty detour of the immediate
| location, at times standing on his hind
| feet, paving wildly in the air; again
S0dkiuS HIS rear ltBs oh. WdIuS cH-
deavoring to turn front somersault;
again coming down with such stiff
| legged jolt as seemed to settle the old
| squaw's head down through her spine
to the saddle, and had she not already
been toothless with age would have
| deprived her of her masticators. She
was a shining example to tenderfoot
not to mount pony that knew or ever
| had known how to buck.
The whole act lasted only about five
minutes. hut was so inexpressibly fun
ny that the realization of not being
able to reproduce the picture makes
me yearn for the pen of Jerome or
| a Bangs.
The Indians. after picking them
| selves up from various corners of the
| field, and actually hurrying together
gathering W their scattered belong
ings and families. held a council of
war, uttering cultural sounds that we