SOME GAMES OF THE ZTJNI. 4g 



a German huntsman will stick a nail taken from a coffin into the 

 fresh spoor of the animal he is hunting, believing that this will 

 prevent the quarry from leaving the hunting ground. Australian 

 blacks put hot embers in the tracks of the animals they are pur- 

 suing. Hottentot hunters throw into the air a handful of sand 

 taken from the footprints of the game, believing that will bring 

 them down." * 



The second priest of the Order of the Bow made a long speech, 

 in which he told the hunters that the rabbits had been made slow, 

 and they should get ready for the chase. After the ponies had 

 rested a little, all mounted and set out. The more devout, how- 

 ever, before starting, went up near the fire, dismounted, untied 

 their boomerangs, and got out a piece of bread. Advancing to 

 the fire, they first said a prayer, then held their boomerangs in 

 the flame or smoke a moment, and then threw a piece of bread 

 into the fire as a sacrifice. Others dismounted and, without say- 

 ing a prayer or offering any bread, just passed their boomerangs 

 through the flame and remounted ; while others only rode near 

 the fire and, without dismounting, simply waved their sticks 

 toward the flame and went on. The great majority, however, did 

 not come near the fire at all. As I witnessed this feature of the 

 hunt, I could not help silently observing that among the Indians 

 there are degrees of devoutness as among white men. 



The Priest of the Bow made a second and a third speech, and 

 by this time the horsemen were well scattered over the plain. 

 This was covered with sage-brush and scrub cedars. There are 

 two species of rabbit, the cotton-tail (ok-she-ko) and the jack- 

 rabbit (pok-ya). There was no attempt to surround a large ter- 

 ritory and drive the rabbits ; but, as one was started up, his pur- 

 suer would give a yell, and in a few moments the harmless cotton- 

 tail or jack would be surrounded by fifty or sixty horsemen. As 

 they close in on the rabbit, those nearest it throw their boom- 

 erangs, and whoever hits it is off in a moment to claim and pick 

 up his game. If the rabbit is not already dead, it is at once dis- 

 patched by a blow with the hand, and then it is raised to the 

 mouth, and the hunter inhales, believing he is taking in the spirit 

 of the rabbit. He then ties it to his saddle, and is ready for an- 

 other chase. The cotton-tail often takes refuge in a hole, and 

 then there is a grand rush to the place to reach in and pull it 

 out. Grubbing-hoes, digging-irons, and fingers are all used to 

 enlarge the hole, and at last the poor rabbit is pulled out, with 

 perhaps only half his hide on. Thus it was, for three or four 

 hours, just a succession of rallies and deploys. At the end of 

 that time nearly every one had one or two rabbits. Those on 

 foot seemed to fare as well as those on horseback. I am told that 



* J. G. Frazer, in Folk Lore, June, 1890. 

 tol. xxxix. 6 



