his club, the Indian rider gave a whoop, at which the sheep-like pony pricked up his ears and went away like the wind, almost two feet to the mare’s one. The last fifty yards of the course were run by the pony with the rider sitting face to his tail, making hideous grimaces, and beckoning to the rider of the mare to come on. It afterwards transpired that the old sheep was a trick and straight pony, celebrated among all the tribes of the South.” Yet some people think the Amerind has no sense of humour. [Illustration: DOUBLE WHISTLE IN TERRA COTTA FROM CHIRIQUI] Story telling is another amusement, and a good story teller, says Dodge, is a man of importance. “The bucks, and squaws, and children crowd to his lodge, or any other where he happens to be, and spend the long winter evenings listening to his recitals. These stories are as marvellous as the imagination of the teller can create, jumbling gods and men, fabulous and living animals, the impossible and the possible in the most heterogeneous confusion.”[295] The Navajos, or at least some of them, have considerable dramatic sense. On one occasion, when some Navajos camped near us, one of them gave an exhibition of character delineation that would have done credit to a professional actor. Choosing a large bush nearby as a screen for his costuming, he came out to the fire successively representing the various nationalities with which he was familiar. Some of these were extremely well done. The Pai Ute, for instance, is poor in clothing and always begging. Our actor took off all his clothing but the breech-cloth, approached the fire timidly and cringingly, and crouched down beside it, drawing the back of his hand across his nose with an accompanying sniffle, and exclaimed in Pai Ute: _Tabac ashanty_ (I want some tobacco). Another was the American, who stepped nervously to the fire, and restlessly turned first front, then back, extended his hands, rubbing them over the heat; held up first one foot, then the other, and so on. These impersonations were full of the character of the types indicated. The exhibition finally culminated in a representation of the characteristics of his own people. Retiring once again behind the bush, he at last appeared with his full costume on, carefully adjusted. His head bore a red turban, his shirt was held by a fine belt, his broad Navajo trousers met at the knee the red buckskin leggings, ornamented with silver buttons, and his feet were protected by moccasins finely wrought, held by silver buttons. About his shoulders was a fine blanket of Navajo make, and across his back a large bow and its arrows in a panther-skin case and quiver. Approaching the fire with a measured, haughty tread, head erect and folded arms, he paused majestically before it, straightened to his full height, and in a deep, dignified tone spoke the single word, “Navajo.” [Illustration: SET OF STAVES FOR GAME The lowest shows obverse of one above. Length, 5½ in. ]