Page 117 - TheHopiIndians

MESA FOLK OP HOPILAXD 109

was not familiar, the feat seems remarkable. It is
presumed that he ran until it became dark and then
waited till the moon rose, finishing the journey by
moonlight.
On his back he carried a canteen of water wrapped
in a blanket. He took only a sandwich, explaining
that if he ate he could not run, and receiving the
answer to the note, resumed his journey to Oraibi.
Afterward it was learned that the runner reached
Oraibi with the answer that afternoon, having been
promised a bonus if he made the trip in one day.
The distance run cannot be less than 130 miles, a
pretty long course to get over in the time, and this
Indian is not the best runner in Oraibi. There is one
man who takes a morning practice of thirty miles or
so in order to get in trim for the dawn races in some
of the ceremonies, and it is said that he won in such
a race some years ago, distancing all competitors.
Nothing in the whole realm of animal motion can
be imagined more graceful than the movements of
one of these runners as he passes by in the desert,
his polished sinewy muscles playing with the utmost
precision — nothing but flight can be compared with
it. The Indians say that moccasins are the best foot
wear for travel over sandy country, as the foot, so
clad, presses the loose sand into a firm, rounded bunch,
giving a fulcrum for the forward spring, but the
naked feet scatters the sand, and this, on experiment,
was found to be true.