A series of dots readily carries to eighty-four, and then the substitution of a line like a bow-string gives eighty-five [symbol]. The next step at ninety would be to double this bow-string, but this seems not to have been done, as I can find no example of it. But I do find a differentiation in another way, probably because in this figure doubling the string would be clumsy. The difference is made by a rider on the string, and there are two kinds of rider, one a point or triangle, and the other a double square. Taking one of these riders for ninety, and then the dots beside it, we find ourselves at ninety-four [symbol]. Then with the other rider on the string for ninety-five we arrive by means of the dots at ninety-nine [symbol]. Then comes a demand for a character for one hundred, and this appears to have been merely a circle. A dot beside it would give 101, and so on by adding, out or in, the various symbols 199 is reached. To get to 299 it is only necessary to add another circle. For 500 some other symbol must be adopted, and the apparent one is a sort of circle with a kind of scarf knot at the top, or perhaps it can be described as a knotted scarf, [symbol]. Taking this as 500 we can easily arrive [symbol] at 599. An extra circle within will then carry to [symbol] 699, and so on by adding circles up to 1000. Thomas in one of his admirable discussions of Maya writing[76] is puzzled by what he terms ornamental loops around some of the numerals, but if the line I have indicated here has any sense in it these ornamental loops would be 602, 604, etc., or some other numbers depending on the proper place for this symbol in the general scheme. The series of “loops” mentioned by Thomas is this: [Illustration] Something might be determined by a comparison of these symbols with the known names of numbers. The Mayas counted into the millions, so they must have had a perfected system. [Illustration: A SUGGESTION OF THE POSSIBLE SCHEME OF MAYA NUMERALS. WHOLLY TENTATIVE Founded on figures in the codices and on tablets From drawing by the author ] [Illustration OMAHA CALUMET] [Illustration: OMAHA WAR CLUB] CHAPTER V BASKETRY AND POTTERY