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 Rene, 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.
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