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Page 6
At length the day of feasting broke bright and beautiful, and soon after
breakfast Laudonniere, accompanied by R�n� de Veaux and half the garrison
of Fort Caroline, marched out to the scene of the games. Here they were
warmly welcomed by Micco and his people, and invited to occupy seats of
honor in the great booth. Upon their arrival the signal was given for
the games to begin.
First of all came the races for wives, for at this feast only of all the
year could the young men of the tribe get married. Even now they were
obliged to run after their sweethearts, who were allowed so great a start
in the race that if they chose they could reach the goal first and thus
escape all further attentions from their pursuers. They generally
allowed themselves to be caught, however, and thus became blushing
brides. Thus, on this occasion, and in this manner, Yah-chi-la-ne (the
Eagle), a young Alachua chief, gained the hand of Has-se's beautiful
sister Nethla, which means the Day-star.
The contests among the boys to decide who of them should be Bow-bearer to
their chief for the ensuing year followed, and as the great drum,
Kas-a-lal-ki, rolled forth its hollow, booming notes, twenty slender
youths stepped forward, of whom the handsomest was Has-se the Sunbeam,
and the tallest was dark-faced Chitta the Snake. All were stripped to
the skin, and wore only girdles about their loins and moccasins on their
feet; but Has-se, as the son of the chief, had the scarlet feather of a
flamingo braided into his dark hair.
From the very first Has-se and Chitta easily excelled all their
competitors in the contests; but they two were most evenly matched.
Has-se scored the most points in hurling the javelin, and Chitta won in
the foot-race. In shooting with the bow both were so perfect that the
judges could not decide between them, and the final result of the trial
became dependent upon their skill at wrestling. When they stood up
together for this contest, Has-se's slight form seemed no match for that
of the taller and heavier Chitta; and when in the first bout the former
was thrown heavily to the ground, a murmur of disapprobation arose from
the white spectators, though the Indians made no sign to express their
feelings.
In the second bout, after a sharp struggle, Has-se seemed suddenly to
give way, and almost immediately afterwards Chitta was hurled to earth,
but how, no one could tell, except R�n�, who with the keenest interest
watched the effect of his lesson. As Chitta rose to his feet he seemed
dazed, and regarded his opponent with a bewildered air, as though there
were something about him he could not understand.
Again they clinched and strained and tugged, until the perspiration
rolled in great beads from their shining bodies, and their breath came in
short gasps. It seemed as though R�n�'s friend must give in, when,
presto! down went Chitta again; while Has-se stood erect, a proud smile
on his face, winner of the games, and Bow-bearer to his father for a year.
Has-se had still to undergo one more test of endurance before he could
call himself a warrior, which he must be able to do ere he could assume
the duties of Bow-bearer. He must pass through the ordeal of the
Cassine, or black drink. This was a concoction prepared by the
medicine-men, of roots and leaves, from a recipe the secret of which was
most jealously guarded by them; and to drink of it was to subject one's
self to the most agonizing pains, which, however, were but of short
duration. In spite of his sufferings, the youth who drank from the
horrid bowl was expected to preserve a smiling face, nor admit by word or
sign that he was undergoing aught but the most pleasing sensations. If
he failed in this one thing, no matter what record he had previously
gained for courage or daring, he was ever afterwards condemned to share
the work of women, nor might he ever again bear arms or take part in the
chase or in war.
Immediately after his overthrow of Chitta, and while the shouts of joy
over his victory were still ringing in his ears, Has-se was led to an
elevated seat, where he could be seen of all the people, and a bowl of
the awful mixture was handed him. Without hesitation, and with a proud
glance around him, the brave youth swallowed the nauseous draught, and
then folding his arms, gazed with a smiling face upon the assembled
multitude. For fifteen minutes he sat there amid a death-like silence,
calm and unmoved, though the great beads of perspiration rolling from his
forehead showed what he was enduring. At the end of that time a great
shout from the people told him that his ordeal was over; and, weak and
faint, he was led away to a place where he might recover in quiet from
the effects of his terrible sufferings, and enjoy in peace the first
glorious thoughts that now he was indeed a Bow-bearer and a warrior.
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