higher than the heads of the people, and he was
requested to mount thereon. There, as on a throne, he presided over the
games, and became the gazing-stock of the tribe during the intervals of
play. But these intervals were not numerous or prolonged, for most of
the players were powerful men and boys, so thoroughly inured, by the
nature of their lives, to hardship and vigorous action in every possible
position of body that their muscles were always in the condition of
those of a well-trained athlete. Even Ippegoo, with all his natural
defects of mind and body, was by no means contemptible as a player, in
those games, especially, which required agility and powers of endurance.

First they had a game of hand-ball. It was very simple. The players,
who were not selected, but entered the lists at their own pleasure,
divided themselves into two parties, which stood a little apart from
each other. Then an ordinary hand-ball was tossed into the air by
Okiok, who led one of the parties. Simek, the mighty hunter, led the
other. These men, although approaching middle age, were still at the
height of their strength and activity, and therefore fitting leaders of
the younger men in this as well as the more serious affairs of life.

It seemed to Rooney at first as if Okiok and his band were bent on
having all the fun to themselves, for they began to toss the ball to
each other, without any regard to their opponents. But suddenly Simek
and some of his best men made a rush into the midst of the other party
with shouts and amazing bounds. Their object was to catch or wrest the
ball from Okiok's party, and throw it into the midst of their own
friends, who would then begin to amuse themselves with it until their
opponents succeeded in wresting it from them.

Of course this led to scenes of violent action and wild but
good-humoured excitement. Wrestling and grasping each other were
forbidden in this game, but hustling, tripping up, pushing, and charging
were allowed, so that the victory did not always incline either to the
strong or the agile. And the difficulty of taking the ball from either
party was much greater than one might suppose.

For full half an hour they played with the utmost energy, insomuch that
they had to pause for a few seconds to recover breath. Then, with one
accord, eyes were turned to the president, to see how he took it.

Delight filled every bosom, for they saw that he was powerfully
sympathetic. In