STEVENSON] GAMES 3 2 3 



is black with .soft feathers from the leg- of the turkey and l)irds of the 

 six regions; a la'showanne of a soft turke3'-leg feather is attached to 

 the prayer plume, and an old ko'hakwa bead is strung on the cord of the 

 la'showanne. After the presentation of the prayer plume, a bowl of 

 yucca suds is prepared b}" the wife of the rain priest, and each person 

 present takes a handful of the suds, and when all are supplied the 

 rain priest, his associates, and the others present place the suds upon 

 the man's head, with pra3^ers; then the wife of the rain priest washes 

 his hair. The man is instructed l)y the rain priest as to the course he 

 is to follow to insure success either as a runner or at the stakes. 

 One of two mesas must be ascended at this time; there are rock 

 markings on each. The man never begins to run until he is a half 

 mile or more from the village and on his return alwa3's stops run- 

 ning about the same distance from the town so that the people may 

 not suspect him of starting or returning from a run. The mesa north 

 of the village to which the runner resorts was the one visited In* the 

 writer. A rocky, picturesque trail leads to the mesa top. A few feet 

 below the summit there is a stone heap 6 to 7 feet high juid fully 15 

 feet at the base, and just before reaching this spot the runner takes 

 a small stone in each hand; he expectorates on the one in the left hand 

 and carries it two, three, or four times around his head from left to 

 right or the reverse and throws it upon the stone heap that he ma\' ])e 

 rid of his tired breath so that he can start the run with new breath 

 and not lose it. There is an exposure of rock surface 125 by 00 feet 

 about half a mile north of the stone heap on the summit of the mesa. 

 A running course is cut or worn upon the surface of the rock. The 

 course has six loops, symbolizing cumulus clouds of the six regions. 

 All but one of these loops are to the east; the tirst one winds to the 

 west. The distance between the first two loops is 2-1 feet; between 

 each succeeding two 12 feet. The line extends <> feet beyond the last 

 loop, making a total distance measured in a straight line of Ts feet. 

 A second stone heap stands a short distance beyond the line. The 

 stone carried in the right hand is deposited on the near end of the line 

 and is pushed over the course beneath the right foot. As the man 

 must move rapidly and the stone can not be restarted when once it gets 

 from under his control, not infrexjuently the stone is left Ix'hind. in which 

 case it is moved with the foot a short distance off the line to make room 

 for other stones and runners, where it must remain until the runner 

 makes another attempt at passing over his "luck line,"' as this marking 

 is called, for one is never sure of success until one has carried one's 

 stone to the end of the line with one's foot and cast it upon the second 

 stone heap. When this has been accomplished a man may be sure of 

 winning the race or may risk high wagers on the races, as he has gone 

 over his luck line to the end; but when he has passed with his stone 



