598 GAMES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS  [eru. any. 24 
Cuocraw. Mississippi. 
Capt. Bernard Romans“ says: 
Their play at ball is either with a small ball of deerskin or a large one of 
woolen rags; the first is thrown with battledores, the second with the hand 
only; this is a trial of skill between village and village; after having ap- 
pointed the day and field for meeting, they assemble at the time and place, fix 
two poles across each other at about an 150 feet apart. Then they attempt to 
throw the ball through the lower part of them, and the opposite party, trying to 
prevent it, throw it back themselves, which the first again try to preyent; thus 
they attempt to beat it about from one to the other with amazing violence, and 
not seldom broken limbs or dislocated joints are the consequence; their being 
almost naked, painted, and ornamented with feathers has a good effect on the 
eye of the bystander during this violent diversion; a number is agreed on for 
the score, and the party who first gets this number wins. 
The women play among themselves (after the men have done) disputing with 
as much eagerness as the men; the stakes or bets are generally high. There 
is no difference in the other game with the large ball, only the men and women 
play promiscuously, and they use no battledores. 
James Adair” says: 
Ball playing is their chief and most favorite game: and it 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 deer-skin, 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 deer- 
skin thongs. Between these, they catch the ball and throw it a great distance, 
when not prevented by some of the opposite party, who try to mtercept them. 
The goal is about 500 yards in length: at each end of it, they fix two long bend- 
ing poles into the ground, 8 yards apart below, but slanting a considerable way 
outward. The party that happens to throw the ball over these counts 1; 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 a hundred 
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. 
Bossu ° says: 
The Chactaws are very active and merry; they have a play at ball, at which 
they are very expert; they invite the inhabitants of the neighboring villages to it, 
«A Concise Natural History of Hast and West Florida, p. 79, New York, 1776 
°> The History of the American Indians, p. 399, London, 1775. 
¢ Travels through that Part of North America formerly called Louisiana, by Mr. Bossu, 
Captain in the French Marines, translated from the French by John Reinhold Forster, 
v. 1, p. 804, London, 1771. 
