684 GAMES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS [STH. Ann, 24 
when a great dance is approaching. Money, silver belts, bracelets and rings, 
shell necklaces, turquoises, horses, sheep, blankets, in fact anything and every- 
thing of value to the Indian, are offered by a resident of one side of the pueblo 
in support of his favorites against something of equal value held by a cham- 
pion of the opposing side, 
On the evening of the day before a long race takes place, the participants 
repair to a secluded spot in one of the mesas some miles from the village, 
where a hole, a foot or two in depth, is excavated, in which is deposited, with 
due ceremony, a quantity of sacred meal and two cigarettes made of native 
tobaceo (ah-na-té) rolled in the husk of corn. When this portion of the cere- 
mony has been concluded and the hole filled, the Indians move away for a short 
distance and sit for a while without speaking above a whisper, when they 
start for the pueblo. On their way should a roosting bird become frightened 
and take flight, or the hoot of an owl be heard, the sign is a warning to defer 
the race. But if lightning be seen or a shooting-star observed, the omen is 
considered a favorable one and the race takes place on the day following. 
The racers are greeted on their return by a priest who offers a blessing. A 
single cigarette is made and passed around among the number, after which one 
of them recites a prayer. The preparatory ceremonies being now completed, 
the racers retire into the house of the priest, who extends his hospitality until 
after the event. The following morning, the day of the_race, the runners 
arise even earlier than usual, take a short run, and return to await the time 
appointed to start. In the meanwhile they make bets with one another or with 
anyone who may happen in. About an hour before starting they partake 
sparingly of paper bread (hé-we) soaked in water, after which they doff their 
every-day apparel and substitute breech-cloths, the color of which is either 
entirely white or red, dependent upon the side to which the wearer belongs. 
To prevent the hair being an impediment to progress, it is carefully and com- 
pactly arranged above the forehead in a knot by one of the Priests of the Bow. 
To this knot or coil an arrow-point is invariably attached as a symbol of 
flight, or perhaps as a charm to insure to the runner the swiftness of the 
arrow. The arrow-points having been thus placed, the same priest, holding in 
each hand a turkey-quill, pronounces a blessing and leads his charges to the 
starting point. 
Without, the excitement is intense. The women discuss with one another 
the probable outcome, and engage in betting as spiritedly as the men. Here 
may be seen a fellow who has wagered all he possesses—if he wins, so much 
the better, and if all is lost he takes the consequences philosophically and 
trusts success will visit him next time. Another may be seen who has ven- 
tured all his own property as well as that of his wife, and if he fails to win a 
divorce is imminent. The small boys also are jubilant. When the race was 
first proposed they sought their companions, selected sides, and staked their 
small possessions on the results of their own races with a zeal that would have 
become their fathers. 
The articles that are to change hands at the close of the race are placed in a 
heap in the center of the large dance-court near thesold Spanish church. 
Around this pile of valuables a crowd gathers, on horse-back or afoot, to take 
advantage of the few moments that remain in which to make their final wagers. 
As the runners emerge from the house under the leadership of the priest, they 
are followed by the excited crowd to the smooth ground on the opposite side of 
the river, from whence they usually start. 
A Zuni foot-race is not entirely a contest of swift-footedness, although much, 
of course, depends upon that accomplishment. In preparing for the start 
