242 BELIEFS AND USAGES OF CHICKASAW [BTH. ANN. 44 
the bear they would kill him. Sometimes the bear would start out toward 
them before they were ready to shoot, whereupon they would lie down on their 
bellies and let the bear walk over them out of the cave, when the men left there 
would dispatch him. If he did not try to go out, those inside killed him and 
dragged his body outside. 
GAMES 
The men’s ball game (toli) was played in the same manner as by 
the neighboring tribes. It is said that the Choctaw doctor employed 
to conjure for a game had a big loggerhead turtle (alligator turtle?) 
brought to him and he made a ball out of that. Scratching was not 
performed on the Chickasaw and Choctaw players as on the Creeks 
but they danced nearly until day the night before. 
Following is Adair’s description of the game as played in his time: 
The Indians are much addicted to gaming and will often stake everything 
they possess. Ballplaying is their chief and most favourite game and is such 
severe exercise as to show it was originally calculated for a hardy and expert 
race of people like themselves and the ancient Spartans. The ball is made of a 
piece of scraped deerskin, moistened and stuffed hard with deer’s hair and 
strongly sewed with deer’s sinews. The ball sticks are about 2 feet long, the 
lower end somewhat resembling the palm of a hand, and which are worked with 
deerskin thongs. Between these they catch the ball and throw it a great dis- 
tance when not prevented by some of the opposite party, who fly to intercept 
them. The goal is about 500 yards in length; at each end of it they fix two long, 
bending poles into the ground 3 yards apart below, but slanting a considerable 
way outward. The party that happens to throw the ball over these counts one ; 
but if it be thrown underneath, it is cast back and played for as usual. The game- 
sters are equal in number on each side, and at the beginning of every course of 
the ball they throw it up high in the center of the ground and in a direct line 
between the two goals. When the crowd of players prevents the one who catched 
the ball from throwing it off with a long direction, he commonly sends it the 
right course by an artful sharp twirl. They are so exceedingly expert in this 
manly exercise that between the goals the ball is mostly flying the different 
ways, by the force of the playing sticks, without falling to the ground, for they 
are not allowed to catch it with their hands. It is surprising to see how 
swiftly they fly when closely chased by a nimble-footed pursuer; when they are 
intercepted by one of the opposite party, his fear of being cut by the ball sticks 
commonly gives them an opportunity of throwing it perhaps 100 yards; but 
the antagonist sometimes runs up behind and by a sudden stroke dashes down 
the ball. It is a very unusual thing to see them act spitefully in any sort of 
game, not even in this severe and tempting exercise. 
Onee, indeed, I saw some break the legs and arms of their opponents by 
hurling them down when on a descent and running at full speed. But I after- 
wards understood there was a family dispute of long continuance between them ; 
that might have raised their spleen as much as the high bets they had then at 
stake, which was almost all they were worth. The Choktah are exceedingly 
addicted to gaming, and frequently on the slightest and most hazardous occa- 
sions will lay their all and as much as their credit can procure. 
By education, precept, and custom, as well as strong example, they have 
learned to show an external acquiescence in every thing that befalls them, 
either as to life or death. By this means, they reckon it a scandal to the char- 
