EELLS ON THE TWANA INDIANS. 89 



methods: with round blocks or disks, with bones, and the women's 

 game. 



(1) With round blocks. — The men's game more generally, though 

 sometimes all engage in it. There are ten blocks in a set. All but one 

 have a white or black and white rim. Five of them are kept under 

 one hand on a mat, and five under the other, covered with cedar bark, 

 ground up fine. After being shuffled round and round for a short time, 

 the opposite party guesses under which hand the one with the black 

 rim is. If he guesses aright, he wins and plays next ; but, if wrong, he 

 loses, and the other continues to play. The players are ten or twelve 

 feet apart. Generally they have six or more sets of these blocks, so 

 that if, as they suppose, luck does not attend one set, they try another. 

 They generally have from twelve to twenty-four sticks, a few inches 

 long, lying on a board or frame, with which they keep tally. When one 

 party wins, a stick of the opposite party is moved to his side, and when 

 he loses, it is moved back again. If fortune attends each party evenly, 

 or nearly so, it naturally takes a long time to finish a game, sometimes 

 three or four days. Sometimes two persons merely are interested, one 

 on each side; but on special occasions nearly the whole tribe engage in 

 it, being attached to one side or the other. When one player is tired, 

 or bad luck attends him, another takes his place. When many are en- 

 gaged, they are accompanied by a kind of drum, and those belonging 

 to the party playing halloo and sing in regular time to keep up the 

 spirits of the player. Sometimes they play for fun, but in large games 

 sometimes for $300 or $400 ; generally, however, for only a small amount, 

 as a dollar or a dinner. There is a tradition in regard to the disks, that 

 when the Son of God came, a long time ago, he told them to give up all 

 bad habits and things, these among others ; that he took the disks and 

 threw them into the water, but that they came back; he then threw 

 them into the fire, but they came out ; he threw them away as far as he 

 could, but they returned; and so he threw them away five times, and 

 every time they came back ; after which he told the people that they 

 might use them for fun and sport. 



(2) Game icith one or tioo small hones. — The young men and older boys 

 play this most. The players sit opposite each other, about six feet apart, 

 from one to six or more on a side, each party in front of a long pole. 

 Then one person takes one or both of the bones in his hands, and rapidly 

 changes them from one hand to the other. One person on the opposite 

 side guesses in which hand one is. If only one bone is used, he guesses 

 which hand it is in, and if both are used he guesses in which hand a cer- 

 tain one is. If he guesses aright, he wins and plays next ; but if not, 

 he loses, and the other continues to play. While each one is playing, 

 the rest of his party beat with a small stick upon the larger one in front 

 of them, and keep up a regular sing-song noise in regular time. Small 

 sums are generally bet in this game, from 50 cents to $1.50. Diflferent 

 ones play according as they are more or less successful. Sometimes 



