﻿No. 
  122.1 
  101 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  steru 
  of 
  this 
  little 
  vessel 
  a 
  white 
  feather 
  was 
  inserted 
  for 
  

   a 
  flag, 
  by 
  Avhich 
  to 
  follow 
  it 
  in 
  its 
  descent. 
  On 
  the 
  bottom 
  the 
  

   boat 
  was 
  rounded, 
  but 
  with 
  a 
  slight 
  wind 
  lengthwise, 
  as 
  shown 
  

   in 
  the 
  figure, 
  to 
  give 
  it 
  a 
  true 
  direction. 
  

  

  A 
  side 
  hill 
  with 
  an 
  open 
  plain 
  below 
  was 
  the 
  kind 
  of 
  place 
  se- 
  

   lected 
  to 
  try 
  the 
  sp«ed 
  of 
  the 
  boats. 
  Trenches 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line 
  

   down 
  the 
  hill, 
  and 
  about 
  a 
  f©ot 
  wide, 
  were 
  made 
  by 
  treading 
  

   down 
  the 
  snow 
  ; 
  after 
  which 
  water 
  was 
  poured 
  into 
  them 
  that 
  it 
  

   might 
  freeze 
  and 
  line 
  the 
  trenches 
  throughout 
  their 
  whole 
  extent 
  

   with 
  ice. 
  These 
  trenches 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  a 
  dozen, 
  side 
  by 
  side, 
  

   if 
  as 
  many 
  individuals 
  intended 
  to 
  play, 
  were 
  finished 
  with 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  care 
  and 
  exactness, 
  not 
  only 
  down 
  the 
  hill 
  side, 
  but 
  to 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  distance 
  across 
  the 
  plain 
  below. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  

   the 
  boats 
  themselves 
  were 
  clipped 
  in 
  water 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  also 
  

   be 
  coated 
  with 
  ice. 
  

  

  . 
  The 
  people 
  divided 
  by 
  tribes 
  in 
  playing 
  this, 
  as 
  in 
  ^11 
  other 
  

   Iroquois 
  games 
  ; 
  the 
  Wolf, 
  Bear, 
  Beaver 
  and 
  Turtle 
  tribes 
  play- 
  

   ing 
  against 
  the 
  Deer, 
  Snipe, 
  Heron 
  and 
  Hawk. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  ap- 
  

   pointed 
  the 
  people 
  assembled 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  and 
  divided 
  

   off 
  by 
  tribes, 
  and 
  then 
  commenced 
  betting 
  upon 
  the 
  result, 
  a 
  cus- 
  

   tom 
  universally 
  practised 
  on 
  such 
  occasions. 
  The 
  game 
  was 
  

   played 
  by 
  select 
  players 
  who 
  were 
  stationed 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  hill, 
  

   each 
  with 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  boats, 
  and 
  standing 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  

   trench. 
  When 
  all 
  was 
  in 
  readiness 
  the 
  boats 
  were 
  started 
  ofi" 
  to- 
  

   gether 
  at 
  the 
  appointed 
  moment, 
  and 
  their 
  rapid 
  descent 
  was 
  

   watched 
  with 
  eager 
  interest 
  by 
  the 
  people 
  below. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  ne- 
  

   cessary 
  to. 
  describe 
  the 
  scene. 
  If 
  the 
  game 
  was 
  twenty 
  it 
  would 
  

   be 
  continued 
  until 
  one 
  side 
  had 
  made 
  that 
  number 
  of 
  points. 
  A 
  

   count 
  of^ne 
  was 
  made 
  for 
  every" 
  boat 
  which 
  Jed 
  all 
  upon 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   verse 
  side, 
  so 
  that 
  if 
  there 
  were 
  six 
  players 
  on 
  a 
  side 
  it 
  was 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  for 
  that 
  number 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  at 
  one 
  trial. 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  

   if 
  all 
  the 
  boats 
  but 
  one 
  upon 
  one 
  side 
  were 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  all 
  on. 
  

   the 
  adverse 
  side 
  but 
  one, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  was 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  all, 
  this 
  

   head 
  boat 
  would 
  win 
  and 
  count 
  one. 
  The 
  principles 
  of 
  the 
  game 
  

   are 
  precisely 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Snow^ 
  Snake 
  game 
  described 
  in 
  

   the 
  last 
  report. 
  All 
  of 
  these 
  Indian 
  games 
  were 
  played 
  with 
  

   great 
  zeal 
  and 
  enthusiasm. 
  To 
  us 
  they 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  puerile 
  

  

  