ROTH] GAMES, SPORTS, AND AMUSEMENTS 489 
may occur. Outside of the actual players on the two sides, the 
rest of the people back some one side and some the other. In 
serving and returning the ball they exhibit such precision and 
dexterity that not even the most skillful players of Navarre could 
give them points. The ball itself, as well as the way of play- 
ing the game, is peculiar. The ball is a big one like a Maypole 
game ball, and is made of a resin that they call “ caucho ” [caout- 
chouc], and when thrown lightly down rebounds to the height of a 
man. The serve and return must be done with the right shoulder 
only; and if the ball touches any other part of the body the player 
thereupon loses one mark. It is a marvelous thing to see the bandy- 
ing to and fro, to see them drive back and return the ball ten, twelve, 
and more times without allowing it to touch the ground. There is 
another thing still more marvelous to see how when a ball comes 
along the ground, the Indian concerned launches himself against 
it with the whole of his body. Just as they plunge into the water to 
swim, so do they plunge with the whole of their body onto the 
ground, and by this lively movement, once more lift the ball. And 
by the frequent repetition of this exercise they develop very hard 
callosities on the right shoulder, and at the same time an extraordi- 
nary dexterity at the game. Whilst the game is progressing, the wo- 
men are occupied until midday in manufacturing very fine clay for it 
[i. e., evidently “buck pots,” etc., to be used as stakes, or for betting 
with] as well as for sale to neighboring tribes, etc., . . . but, as the 
hour of noon arrives, every Otomac woman stops working, seizes her 
bat (stick), and goes off to play at ball. The bat is clubbed at the 
lower end to the extent of one-third of its thickness, measuring from 
one side to the other [i. e., more simply, the bulging lower end is a 
third thicker than the rest of the club], and has a thick handle three 
palms in length. With this, using both hands, they drive back the 
ball with such violence that there is no Indian that will dare to put 
his shoulder in the way to stop it. Therefore, from the time that 
the women join in the game with their clubs it is allowed to use the 
whole of the upper part of the back to return balls driven by a 
club; and it is seldom that a day passes without some Indian coming 
out of the game with his back injured by the furious strokes of the 
Otomac women, who greet these hurts with shouts of laughter. 
When the women arrive on the scene those play first whose husbands 
are on the two sides (playing at the time), 12 of them ranging them- 
selves on each side, just as we described the men as doing, so that by 
the afternoon they are playing 24 on each side, all orderly, for every- 
one keeps to his own post and no one takes another’s ball; and 
during the game they maintain perfect silence (G, 1, 168-172). 
60160°—24——32 
