THE PUEBLO DWELLERS. 115 
out the lightning frames. When they reach the fourth 
place of offering, the runners start toward the village. 
The first one passing the messenger is given the netted 
gourd containing the water brought from the distant 
spring. This he must surrender to any one passing 
him so that the winner arrives with it at the village. — 
As the runners approach the mesa, they are joined on 
the eighth morning by antelope priests and on the 
ninth morning by snake priests. Boys follow them up 
the mesa trails with freshly cut cornstalks. When the 
runners have passed, the girls of the village snatch 
these corn stalks from the boys and carry them to the 
houses to be used as decorations. 
About noon of the ninth day an interesting feature 
of the ceremony takes place in the snake kiva. A 
liquid is prepared in a vessel kept for the purpose and 
the snakes are dipped into it. At Oraibi they are 
placed on some sand to dry in the sun where at that 
hour it shines through the hatchway. At Walpi, 
however, they are thrown with considerable violence 
upon the sand painting of the altar. 
Public performances in the plaza take place in the 
afternoon of the eighth and ninth days. The antelope 
priests first come from their kiva, and go in procession 
four times around the plaza. As they pass in front of 
a booth which has been provided for the snakes, each 
man stamps on a plank which has been placed there to 
represent the place of exit from the lower world. 
When the fourfold circuit has been completed, they 
form in a line at either side of the booth. The snake 
priests then come out and make a similar circuit four 
times around the plaza and form in a line facing the 
booth and the antelope priests. Each line is led by its 
head priest. The antelope priest is also accompanied 
by a sprinkler who carries a vessel filled with liquid. 
