CHESS AND PLAYING-CARDS. 723 



who soou couvcued tlio council iiiul decided ui)on the date and the village which 

 should be iuvited for this purpose, and this village was ours. A deputation was 

 sent thence here to make the proposition, which was agreed upon, and then the nec- 

 essary preparations were made by both ])artie8. 



This "game of platter" consists in tossing about in a w ooden dish several wild- 

 plum pits, each being white ou one side and black on the other, from which follows 

 gain or loss, according to the rules of the game. 



It is beyond my power to describe properly the earnestness and activity displayed 

 by our Barbarians in getting ready and in seeking all means and signs of good luck 

 and success in their game. They meet at night and pass part of it in shaking the 

 plate to see who is the most adroit, and part in spreading out their charms aud 

 exhorting them. Toward the end they all sleep in the same cabin, having pre- 

 viously fasted and abstained for some time from their wives, all this to have a lucky 

 dream, and the next morning they tell what has happened in the night. Finally, 

 everything that they have dreamed could bring them good luck is collected and 

 placed in bags for carrying. Besides this, they search everywhere for those Avho 

 have charms affecting the game, or "Ascaudics " or familiar spirits to assist the one 

 who holds the dish, and be nearest him when he shakes it. If there are any old 

 men whose presence is recognized as efficacious iu increasing the strength and value 

 of their charms, not content with carrying their charms, they load them on the 

 shoulders of the young men in order to carry them to the place of assembly. As we 

 pass in the country for })o\verful sorcerers, they do not fail to give us notice to pray 

 and perform many ceremonies to cause them to win. 



As soon as they arrive at their appointed place, each party ranges itself along one 

 or the other side of thii cabin, tilling it from top to bottom, under and above the 

 ■' audiihous," which are of bark and ma<le like a bed canopy or roof, corresponding 

 to that below, fastened to the ground upon which they sleep at night. They place 

 I lieniselves upon the poles that lie and are suspended along the length of the cabin. 

 The two players are in the middle with their seconds who hold the charms. Every- 

 one present bets with someone else whatever he pleases, and the game begins. 



It IS at this moment that everyone sets to praying or muttering I know not what 

 words, with gestures aud violent agitations of the hands, eyes, and the entire face, 

 all lor the purpose of attracting good fortune to themselves and exhorting their 

 particular spirits to take courage and not let themselves be worried. Some are 

 appointed to utter execrations and make contrary gestures for the purpose of forc- 

 ing bad luck upon the other side and frightening the familiar spirits of the oppos- 

 ing party. 



This game was played several times this winter throughout all the country, but I 

 do not know how it hapi)ened that the villages where we have missions were always 

 unlucky to the last degree, and a certain village lost 30 porcelain (wampum) collars 

 each of 1,000 beads, which is in this country, as if we said in France, 50,000 pearls 

 or j)ist(Aes.^ But this is not all. Always hoping to regain what they have lost, thi>y 

 bet tobacco bags, clothes, shoes, and breeches, in a word, all they possess, so that, 

 if they are unlucky, as happened to these people, they return home stark-naked, 

 having lost even their breech-clouts. 



l!^icolas Perrott^ says: 



The savages have also a sort of game of dice, the box of which is a wooden plate, 

 well rounded and well i)olished on both sides. The dice are made of six small flat 



• The term pistole was used only as a money of account. It was generally equiva- 

 lent to 10 Ihrea tonrnoia. The lirre toin-nois was of 20 sous, in distinction from the 

 livre of Paris of 25 sous. What the actual value would be no one can tell. It may 

 be said that 50,000 pistoles was equal to 500,000 livres toiirnois at that time. (Personal 

 letter from Prof. Dana C. Munro.) 



-Memoire sur les Moeurs, Coustumes et Religion des Sauages de I'Amerique Sep- 

 tentriouale, Leipzig et Paris, 1864, p. 50. 



