304 TRAVELS THRouGri 



The Cha5faws are very a6live and merfy i 

 they have a play at ball, at which they are very' 

 expert ; they invite the inhabitants of the neigh-* 

 bouring villages to it, exciting them by many 

 fmart fayings. The men and women affemble 

 in their beft ornaments, they pafs the whole day 

 in Tinging and dancing ; they even dance 

 all the nieht to the found of the drum and 

 chichikois* 



The inhabitants of each village are diflin- 

 guiihed by a feparate fire, which they light in 

 the middle of a great meadow. The next day 

 is that appointed for the match ; they agree upon 

 a mark or aim about fixty yards off, and dillin- 

 guifhed by two great poles, between which, the 

 ball is to pafs. They generally count fixteen 

 till the game is up. They are forty on each 

 fide, and every one has a battledoor in his hand, 

 about two feet and a half long, made very 

 nearly in the form of ours, of walnut or chef- 

 nut wood, and covered with roe-fkins. 



An old maii (lands in the middle of the place 

 appropriated to the play, and throws up into the 

 air a ball of roe-fkins, rolled about each other.' 

 The players then . run, and endeavour to, ftrike 

 the .ball with their battledoors 5 it is a pleafure to 



fee 



