America: Being the Latest, and Most Accurate Description of the Nevv VVorld: Containing the Original of the Inhabitants, and the Remarkable Voyages Thither. The Conquest of the Vast Empires of Mexico and Peru, and Other Large Provinces and Territories, with the Several European Plantations in Those Parts. Also Their Cities, Fortresses, Towns, Temples, Mountains, and Rivers. Their Habits, Customs, Manners, and Religions. Their Plants, Beasts, Birds, and Serpents. With an Appendix, Containing, BesOgilby, John
History
America: Being the Latest, and Most Accurate Description of the Nevv VVorld: Containing the Original of the Inhabitants, and the Remarkable Voyages Thither. The Conquest of the Vast Empires of Mexico and Peru, and Other Large Provinces and Territories, with the Several European Plantations in Those Parts. Also Their Cities, Fortresses, Towns, Temples, Mountains, and Rivers. Their Habits, Customs, Manners, and Religions. Their Plants, Beasts, Birds, and Serpents. With an Appendix, Containing, Bes
Ogilby, John
America
They have two sorts of Games, one call’d _Puim_, the other _Hubbub_, not
much unlike Cards and Dice, being no other than Lottery. _Puim_ is fifty
or sixty small Bents of a Foot long, which they divide to the number of
their Gamesters, shuffling them first between the Palms of their Hands;
he that hath more than his Fellow, is so much the forwarder in his Game:
Many other Whimsies be in this Game, which would be too long to commit
to Paper. He that is a noted Gamester hath a Hole in his Ear, wherein he
carries his _Puims_ in defiance of his Antagonists. _Hubbub_ is five
small Bones in a small smooth Tray; the Bones be like a Die, but
something flatter, black on the one side and white on the other, which
they place on the Ground, against which violently thumping the Platter,
the Bones mount, changing colours with the windy whisking of their Hands
to and fro; which action in that sport they much use, smiting themselves
on the Breast and Thighs, crying out _Hub, Hub, Hub_; they may be heard
play at this Game a quarter of a Mile off: The Bones being all black or
white make a double Game; if three of one colour, and two of another,
then they afford but a single Game; four of a colour, and one differing,
is nothing; so long as the Man wins he keeps the Tray, but if he loose
the next Man takes it. They are so bewitch’d with these two Games, that
they will lose sometimes all they have; Beaver, _Moose_-skins, Kettles,
_Wampompeage_, _Mowhacks_, Hatchets, Knives, all is confiscate by these
two Games. For their Sports of action they have commonly but three or
four, as Football, Shooting, Running, and Swimming; when they play
Countrey against Countrey, there are rich Goals, all behung with
_Wampompeage_, _Mowhacks_, Beaver Skins, and black Otter Skins: Their
Goals are a Mile long plac’d on the Sands, which are as even as a Board;
their Ball is no bigger than a Hand-ball, which sometimes they mount in
the Air with their naked Feet, sometimes it is sway’d by the multitude,
sometime also it is two days before they get a Goal, then they mark the
Ground they win, and begin there the next day. Before they come to this
Sport they paint themselves, even as when they go to War, in policy to
prevent future mischief, because no man should know him that mov’d his
patience, or accidentally hurt his Person, taking away the occasion of
studying revenge. Before they begin, their Arms are put off, and hung
upon some neighboring Tree, after which they make a long scrowl on the
Sand, over which they shake Hands, and with loving Hearts scuffle for
Victory. While the Men Play, the Boys Pipe, and the Women Dance and Sing
Trophies of their Husbands Conquests; all being done, a Feast summons
their departure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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