676 GAMES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS  [nru. any. 24 
they make the runners heavy. For the same reason pregnant women are for- 
bidden to enter the race-course. A runner must not even touch the blanket of 
such a woman. As the time passes, the excitement becomes more and more 
intense. Most of the men and women follow the race, shouting to the runners 
all the time to spur them on, and pointing out to them where the ball is; and if 
night comes on before the contest has been decided, the men light torches made 
from the oily pine-wood to show the runners the road, making the scene one 
of extreme picturesqueness, as like demons these torch-bearers hurry through 
the forest. : 
One manager, or chochiame, from each side is appointed stakeholder. They 
tie the stakes, of whatever nature, together—so much ari@ against so many 
arrows, so many blankets against so many balls of yarn, ete., and hold them 
until the race is over. At big races, where the wagers may amount to small 
mountains of such articles, and may include cattle and goats, the position of the 
manager requires a man of decision and memory, as he carries all the bets in 
his head and makes no written record. The value of such wagers may exceed 
$1,000. 
Describing a race which he witnessed near Guachochic in Septem- 
ber, 1892, Doctor Lumholtz says: 
The chief race began late, as is generally the case, about 3 o’clock. When all 
was ready, the two managers threw the balls in the direction in which the men 
were to go, the runners dropped their blankets and sped away, although not 
from a line, as with us. They were naked, except for a breech-cloth, and wore 
sandals on their feet. The race was made in two hours and twenty-one seconds, 
and the distance covered was 21 miles, according to my calculation. I esti- 
mated that the runners covered a distance of 290 feet in nineteen seconds on the 
first cireuit, and in later circuits in about twenty-four seconds. <A circuit may 
measure from 3 to 12 miles in length. They may agree upon from five to twenty 
circuits. The first three circuits are run at the highest speed, but the speed is 
never great, although constant. At a race rehearsal I have seen them making 4 
miles in half an hour. Filipe, who is now dead, could run from mid-day to 
sunrise. He was from Marrarachic, and was the greatest runner known in the 
northeastern part of Tarahumari. Good runners make 40 miles in from 6 to 
8 hours. 
Women hold their own races, one valley against another, and the same scenes 
of betting and excitement are to be observed, although on a smaller scale. 
The women do not toss the balls with their toes, but use a species of long 
wooden fork, with two or three prongs, with which they propel the ball forward. 
It must not be touched with the hand. At other times the women use a curved 
stick, with which they throw before them a ring of twisted fibre, which thus 
replaces the ball. Neither must this be touched with the hand, although I have 
seen them cheat when they fancied themselves unobserved, picking it up and 
running with it in order to save time. This is a very ancient game, as similar 
rings have been excavated from the cliff-dwellings. The women get even more 
excited than the men, and it is a strange sight to see these stalwart Amazons 
racing heavily along, but with astonishing perseverance. They wear nothing 
but a skirt, which, when creeks or water-holes come in their way, they gather 
up, A la Diane, and make short work of the crossing. 
Taranumare. Chihuahua, Mexico. (Cat. no. 16311, 16312, Free 
Museum of Science and Art, University of Pennsylvania.) 
* Secretion of a plant-louse, which is eaten by the Indians. 
