GHOST GAMBLE— SIOUX. 101 



representative, the gambling being done in recent years by means of cards 

 If the invited player succeeds in beating the ghost, he takes one of the piles 

 of goods and passes out, when another is invited to play, etc., until all the 

 piles of goods are won In cases of men only the men play, and in cases 

 of women the women only take part in the ceremony. 



" Before the white men came among these Indians and taught them 

 many of his improved vices, this game was played by means of figured 

 plum-seeds, the men using eight and the women seven seeds, figured as 

 follows : 



" Two seeds are simply blackened on one side, the reverse containing 

 nothing. Two seeds are black on one side, with a small spot of the color 

 of the seed left in the center, the reverse side having a black spot in the 

 center, the body being plain. Two seeds have a buffalo's head on one 

 side and the reverse simply two crossed black lines. There is but one seed 

 of this kind in the set used by the women. Two seeds have half of one 

 side blackened and the rest left plain, so as to represent a half moon ; the 

 reverse has a black longitudinal line crossed at right angles by six small 

 ones. There are six throws whereby the player can win, and five that 

 entitle him to another throw. The winning throws are as follows, each 

 winner taking- a pile of the ghost's goods : 



"Two plain ones up, two plain with black spots up, Buffalo's head up, 

 and two half moons up wins a pile Two plain black ones up, two black 

 with natural spot up, two longitudinally crossed ones up, and the transversly 

 crossed one up wins a pile. Two plain black ones up, two black with 

 natural spots up, two half moons up, and the transversely crossed one up 

 wins a pile. Two plain black ones, two black with natural spot up, two 

 half moons up, and the buffalo's head up wins a pile. Two plain ones up, 

 two with black spots up, two longitudinally crossed ones up, and the trans- 

 versely crossed one up wins a pile. Two plain ones up, two with black 

 spots up, Buffalo's head up, and two long crossed up wins a pile. The fol- 

 lowing throws entitle to another chance to win: two plain ones up, two 

 with black spots up, one half moon up, one longitudinally crossed one up, 

 and Buffalo's head up gives another throw, and on this throw, if the two 



