46 MES. W. W. BEOWN ON WABANAKI GAMES. 



Each held a stick called e-bes-quâ-mo'gan-a-fok. This was made of some flexible wood, 

 aboi^t three feet in length, crooked to three-fovirths of a circle at one end, which was 

 interwoven with stripes of hide after the manner of snowshoes. One man was detached 

 to stand in the centre and on his throwing into the air a chip, upon which he had spat, 

 each one would cry " I'll take the dry " or " I'll take the wet," thus forming opposite 

 factions. The side of the chip which fell uppermost decided which party should com- 

 mence play. The ball was never touched with the hand, but thrown and kept in motion 

 by the e-bes-quâ-mo' gan-a-tok. The goals were two rings or holes dug in the ground, the 

 distance of the circle of players apart. The game consisted in getting the ball into 

 opponent's goal, and regard for neither life nor limb was allowed to stand in the way of 

 possible siiccess. As they j)layed with little or nothing on, few escaped unhurt, but these 

 mishaps were taken as the fortunes of war, and no resentment was felt. The women 

 dress A'ery scantily while playing this game, and the men, having a strict code of honor, 

 ]iever go near their playground. One tradition tells of a man that did so and threw 

 shells and pebbles at the players. They screened themselves as best they could behind 

 bushes and rocks. At the second attack, however, they made a rush in the direction from 

 which the missiles came. The man ran to the water and plunging in was turned into a 

 che-pen-ob-qi/is (large chubfish) by which transformation they knew he was a Mohawk. 

 They look upon all Mohawks as addicted to sorcery. 



