FKACHTENBERGJ ALSEA TEXTS AND MYTHS 207 



from the other side (have) such (a stick). AH their bets are (first) 

 counted. "It will be such an amount which thou shalt win/' thus 

 the two mutual opponents would talk. (The number of) all the 

 (players) on one side would ])e 10, and likewise 10 people were 

 usually on the other side. " (In) such numbers will we play (on each 

 side)," they two would talk to each other. "Such an amount of 

 dentalia shells shalt thou win." Then two (people) would bet each 

 other: "Thou shalt win (of me) my arrows. Our (dual) bet shall 

 (consist of) arrows only." Then in turn two (other) people would 

 (place) knives as their bet. Then they would begin to play the 

 guessing game. Then they would win from one another. All those 

 (players were usually) singing. The noise of the people would sound 

 all over. (They) would have ten and two tally sticks. Such would 

 be their number. 



Now one man would begin to play. (He would arrange the sticks 

 in his hands behmd his back and would then rest them on the ground.) 

 Then he would be pointed at. (If his opponent made a correct guess, 

 the other side) would obtain possession of the guessing sticks. There- 

 upon (the other player) would be guessed at. One man (who was 

 doing aU the guessing) would miss three times. Then another man 

 from this side (would take up the guessing). (But) he would miss 

 four times. At last (after) this (the fourth) time (the player who 

 had possession of the guessing sticks) was hit. Then a tally would 

 be kept. One man would five times (in succession) succeed in keep- 

 ing possession of the sticks. He usually was an expert at the guessing 

 game. Finally (a player) from the other side would m turn obtain 

 possession of the guessing sticks. That man would sometimes only 

 twice obtain tally sticks. Durmg a guessing game the players were 

 usually singmg. Only here (it ends) . 



VI. THE DICE GAME 



Whenever two (people) got ready (to play the dice game), they 

 two (would first) make their future tally sticks. Many (would be) 

 the people who would watch them two. Now they two spread 

 (their) own (playing mats). All the people knew (of) those two 

 that they knew well how to play the dice game. From everywhere 

 the people would come together, so that they two might be watched, 

 because they two simply knew well how to play the dice game. 

 Then one man would keep on saying, "I shall bet on him." Thus 

 they would be talking among themselves. "And I, on my part, will 

 bet on him." All the people would speak thus. 



Then they two would get ready. The intended bets would lay 

 together. Then they two would sit down. Two people usually 

 counted the tally sticks. They two were the ones who usually 

 counted them whenever two (men) were playing the dice game. 



