GAMES 383

become entangled in the loop when drawn back by the cord
attached to the butt. A tug-of-war now takes place, those of
each party who have caught the ring endeavouring to pull it
to their side of the water. At last one or other is successful, and
brings ashore the prize, with the dangling spears of their
adversaries. Sometimes a lad with a fine weapon determines
to retain possession of it at all costs and is dragged through
the pool to the amusement of all.

TOURNAMENTS

It is doubtful whether the subject of tournaments should
be considered as belonging to mythology, warfare, or games,
since it has aspects pertaining to each. Several of the older
men afirmed that prior to the introduction of muskets, it was
not uncommon for rival villages to stage fights according to
definite rules, after full intimation of the attack had been
given. This usually followed a period when angry comments
had been made, but when the provocation was not sufficient
for war. In such a case, the challenging town would notify
its rival that on such a date an expedition consisting of, for
example, twenty canoes would attack them with stones. Such
an announcement could not be disregarded; the inhabitants
of the two settlements prepared for action and wagered the
large number of valuables essential to all such competitions.

Many years ago, the Kimsquit people challenged the istémx
to a tournament of this kind. It was first necessary to choose
the contestants. Twenty of the strongest men were selected,
each to stand in the bow of a canoe and hold a moose-skin to
shield the paddlers behind. To test their endurance, each took
his place and the canoes were paddled towards the shore while
all the other inhabitants, lined up on the beach, showered
Stones on them. On this first test, six of the twenty fell be-
neath the avalanche of projectiles and were accordingly con-
sidered too feeble. Their places were taken by six others who
were tested the same way the following day, and the same
procedure was repeated until the twenty strongest men in all
Kimsquit had been found. A certain Sinuyet? was chosen as