them, and each does his best to send a javelin through
the hoop before the other. He who succeeds counts so many points--if
both miss, the nearest to the hoop is allowed to count, but not so much
as if he had "ringed" it. The Indians are very fond of this game, and
will play at it under a broiling sun for hours together. But a good
deal of the interest attaching to it is owing to the fact that they make
it a means of gambling. Indians are inveterate gamblers, and will
sometimes go on until they lose horses, bows, blankets, robes, and, in
short, their whole personal property. The consequences are, as might be
expected, that fierce and bloody quarrels sometimes arise in which life
is often lost.

"Try your hand at that," said Henri to Dick.

"By all means," cried Dick, handing his rifle to his friend, and
springing into the ring enthusiastically.

A general shout of applause greeted the Pale-face, who threw off his
coat and tightened his belt, while a young Indian presented him with a
dart.

"Now, see that ye do us credit, lad," said Joe.

"I'll try," answered Dick.

In a moment they were off. The young Indian rolled away the hoop, and
Dick threw his dart with such vigour that it went deep into the ground,
but missed the hoop by a foot at least. The young Indian's first dart
went through the centre.

"Ha!" exclaimed Joe Blunt to the Indians near him, "the lad's not used
to that game, try him at a race. Bring out your best brave--he whose
bound is like the hunted deer."

We need scarcely remind the reader that Joe spoke in the Indian
language, and that the above is a correct rendering of the sense of what
he said.

The name of Tarwicadia, or the little chief, immediately passed from lip
to lip, and in a few minutes an Indian, a little below the medium size,
bounded into the arena with an indiarubber-like elasticity that caused a
shade of anxiety to pass over Joe's face.

"Ah, boy!" he whispered, "I'm afeared you'll find him a tough customer."

"That's just what I want," replied Dick. "He's supple enough, but he
wants muscle in the thigh. We'll make it a long heat."

"Right, lad, yer right."

Joe now proceeded to arrange the conditions of the race with the chiefs
around him. It was fixed that the distance to be run should be a mile,
so that the race would be one of two miles, out and back. Moreover, the
competitors were to run without any clothes, except a belt and a small
piece of cloth round