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BEERS, Sbcbktary op thk National Lacrosse Association or Canada. 4--,in PUBLISHRD WITH THE SANCTION OF THK NATIONAL LACROSSE ASSOCIATION OF CANADA. ^K- MONTRE AL: DAWSON BROTHERS • 1869. I l9 Entered, according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, by Dawson Brothers, in the Office of the Minister of Agriculture. feS.: 6' - ? 3 S ^>l Montreal: Printed by the Montreal Printing and Publishing Company. ■: .^' T^ QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY LIBRARy i-'.itp >■' I I'lprrri'w'^'jMi ' .J CONTENTS. PREFACE y CHAP. I. THE OKIGIN OP LACROSSB 1 ^HAP. 11. THE ORIGINAL GAME 7 CHAP. III. GENERAL CHARACTER OP THE PRESENT GAME 32 SCIENCE AND DEVELOPMENT 51 THE NATIONAL GAME OF CANADA 5T CHAP. IV. HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS OP LACROSSE 6(K CHAP. V. MATERIALS FOR PLAY; THE CROSSE, AC. — RUNNING, TRAINING 7© CHAP. VI. POSTING AND DIRECTING THE PLAYERS QO' CHAP. VII. PACING 97 CHAP. VIII. THROWING THE BALL 106. CHAP. IX. CATCHING AND CARRYING THE BALL 134 CHAP. X. DODGING AND CHECKING 146 CHAP. XI. PICKING UP, TIPPING, FRISKING, &C 180 CHAP. Xn. FIELDING 189 CHAP. XIII. GOAL-KEEPING 212 APPENDIX — THE LAWS OP LACROSSE 251 221M9 j> mtman: r KEY TO THE PHOTOGRAPHS. Namae. Club. Locality. ncproeentation. 1 C N. H. Hughes, .... ( L. Gushing, Jr Montreal.. Montreal.. Montreal Montreal > Facing. 2 ■R niiiff. Otiawa. . . . Ottawa . .Piftkincr iin. 3 . .W. Macfarlane — Chebucto . Halifax . .Catchinp. 4 . .W. D. Otter, Toronto . . Toronto ..Flat-catch. K ..W.L.Maltby . .J. R. Middlemiss, . ( J. B. Hutchison, . . TW^nntrfifl,! Montreal . .TinnflT-throw 6 7 8 Montreal. . Crescent.. . Montreal Montreal > Checking. ( Alex. M. Davidson, I S. R. MacDonald, • Crescent . . Montreal.. Montreal Montreal Checking. ( R Tate Montreal. . Montreal ) Dodging and 9 10 i E. A. Whitehead, . Montreal. ■ Montreal ) Checking. Jt. Ralston, ( J. Watson, St. John . . Montreal. . St. .John, N. B. Montreal \ Ditto. / "R Dnwd Montreal. ■ Montreal 11 12 MnnlTfial. . Montreal . .Throwinat. ( S. Stephenson, — Dominion. Montreal ) Throwing and iw.G. Beers, Montreal. . Montreal ) Goal-keeping. ■' 4-1 'I ii I %» I PREFACE. '> id The following pages are designed to extend a knowledge of the game of Lacrosse, to systematize its principles and practice, and to perpetuate it as the National game of Canada. Until the appearance of my brochure, published in 1860, there had never been any attempt made bo reduce the game to rule. It was barren of laws, aivd gcal-keeper was the only player with a definite name and position. I feel in duty bound to own to the parentage, while apologizing for the publication of the little book referred to, whi^h was issued, without any revision, during my absence from the city. Notwithstanding the fact that it was extensively plagiarized, I trust it VI PREFACE. k I will be regarded, by any who had the misfortune to buy it, as one of those productions of youth, which, in maturity, we would fain disown. The difficulty of writing practically about La- tjrosse, was then, as it is now, that there had never been anything practical written on the subject. Every principle and point of play had to be laid down from personal experience and experiments, and "pow-wows" with the best players; and, at first blush, it seemed a difficult task to write anything about the game. Moore, in his Diary, however, mentions a German savant who wrote several folio volumes on the "Digestion of a Flea!" After that accomplishment, no one should despair of producing at least one volume on any subject. It may seem to some, well acquainted with La- crosse, as if I had given too much space to the rudiments of the game ; but I intend this book for the novice as well as the expert, and wish even the latter to believe with me, that there is a gradation of learning in the use of the crosse, as there is with the PREFACE. VU rifle or the cricket bat. We may wish for the hereditary sagacity of the Indian, who plays mainly by instinct ; as poor Tom, in the "Mill on the Floss," envied the people who once were on the earth, fortunate in knowing Latin without having learnt it through the Eton grammar ; but the Indian never can play as scientifically as the best white players, and it is a lamentable fact, that Lacrosse, and the wind for running, which comes as natural to the red-skin as his dialect, has to be gained on the part of the pale-face, by a gradual course of practice and training. All Indians are not good players, but I never yet knew one without an aptitude for the game ; and it is surprising to witness the expertness of the juveniles, not yet in their teens, in the villages of Caughnawaga, St. Regis, Oka, and Onondaga. I have not attempted, in this work, to exhaust the practical feats of Lacrosse, though I have given all the various methods of throwing, checking, &c., in use among Clubs, as well as some original feats, and others derived from the Indians, never introduced i !!^ viu PREFACE. among the whites. Some may seem impracticably^, and at first, no doubt, will be found to be so, but I simply ask for them a fair trial. There is no reason why an Indian feat may not be done by a white plaier. I am indebted, for many kind acts of co-operation, to Messrs. J. R. Middlemiss, W. L. Maltby and L. Gushing, of Montreal ; G. H. Leslie, of Toronto ; E. Cluff, of Ottawa ; Dr. Allen, of Cornwall ; J. B. Morrison, of Caughnawaga, and other friends too numerous to mention. Also, to the gentle- men whose photographs represent the various positions in the game, and to the " National Lacrosse Association of Canada " for the vote approving of this undertaking. For many of the facts contained in the chapter on " Historical Associations of Lacrosse," I am much indebted to Mr. Parkman's work, " The Conspiracy of Pontiac.'* As I have been requested, since the body of this work was written, to give some account of the rise and progress of Lacrosse, I purpose briefly doing so 1 PREFACE. IX to o here. The game first met with popularity in Mon- treal about thirteen years ago, when the Iroquois Indians of Caughnawaga introduced it as a field sport. The origin and early existence, thirty years ago, of the regularly organized Montreal Club — the Alma Mater of the game — and its several matches with the red-skins, only one of which it won, may make an interesting chapter in the history of Lacrosse at some future day. Among the original members of the Club, alive to-day, are Mr. N. H. Hughes, still President; Judge Coursol, Messrs. Romeo Stephens, and Wm. Lamothe, of Montreal ; and Mr. Gouin, Prothonotary, at Sorel. Mr. Lamontagne was one of the crack-players of the early time ; and our big friend, " Baptiste," the pilot of the Lachine Rapids, was then as great a master of the crosse as he is now of the helm. I shall be much indebted for information furnished me respecting the early matches and life of the Montreal Club. / I » X PREFACE. The Montreal Club did not flourish in its early history. For a long time it was dormant, and practice was limited to a very small number. About twelve years ago the Club revived, and was followed by the " Hochelaga." On the 31st of March, 1860, the two Clubs were united, under the name of " The Lacrosse Club of Montreal." About this time the spirited young " Beaver " disputed the champion- ship and the propriety of the definite article " The," assumed by the Montreal Club, and invariably succeeded in making drawn matches. On the 31st of March of the following year the name of the Club was changed again to " Montreal." The visit of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales to Canada, in 1861 -, and a proposal to play before him, infused new life into the ancient Indian sport, and a grand match was played in the presence of H. R. H. by the "Montreal" and "Beaver" vs. Caughna- waga and St. Regis Indians, twenty-five players a side. The playing on both sides was determined and '.' excited, and ended in a dispute, — Baptiste, of Vi PREFACE. XI Caughnawaga, the Indian Captain, having picked up and held the ball with his hand, at a moment when the whites had a clear chance of carrying it into the Indian goal. The match was awarded to the whites. The following are the names of the white players in this ever-memorable match: Captain — N. H. Hughes. 1. George Kernick. 14. J. McCulloch. k' 2. P. CimiSTiE. 3. R. Gray. 4. A. Cherrier. 5. T. COFFIX. 6. F. DowD. T. W. Brown:. 8. A. Brown. 9. J. Bell. 10. J. Bruneau. 11. W. Leduc. 12. W. Blakely. 13. T. Taylor. 15. W. A. Stafford. 16. J. R. MiddlexMiss. 17. J. McLenxen. 18. W. McLexxen. 19. J. Becket. 20. H. DucLOS. 21. W. Massey. 22. T. Craig. 23. C. P. Davidson. 24. W. NoAD. ) ,^^,_ 25. W. G. Beers. [^««^^^''«- After this match the " Montreal," " Beaver " and *' Yomig Montreal" Clubs, tried to arouse an interest Xll PREFACE. ■■■>> '■ ■ in the game, but the season soon closed, the Clubs were disorganized,'and Lacrosse became unfashionable. In the meantime, Mr. George Massey, ("Beaver,") and Mr. W. A. Stafford, (" Montreal,") formed the nucleus of a Club in Ottawa, which flourished under the management of Mr. E. Cluff, when the game t as dormant in Montreal. A match at Cornwall, Ont., between the organized Ottawa Club and some of the old members of the "Montreal" and "Beaver," who had never played together before, and most of whom had not handled the ci jsse for years, ended in the defeat of the Montrealers, — not the Montreal " Club." The spirit of young Montreal awoke. Lacrosse was revived, and the lost laurels brought back again. The game began to grow East and West. In June, 1867, the ^lontreal Club framed the first laws of Lacrosse; and, in September of the same year, called a Convention of Clubs in Canada, to organize an Association for the guidance of Clubs and the government of the game, — an idea which had been discussed in Committee meeting the V,. dliwM^^iAiyMiiHiiiiiiliilikfeMiil^^ PREFACE. XUl j> and med of in nee dea Hthe previous year. The Convention met in Kingston on the 26th of September, organized the " National Lacrosse Association of Canada," amended the laws of the game, and adopted a Constitution. The popu- larity of Lacrosse now steadily increased, and Clubs sprang up all over the country. The Association met again, in Montreal, in September, (1868,) and made important amendments to its Constitution and the laws of the game. In the spring of 1867, Mr. J. Weir, a member of the Montreal Club, organized a Club in Glasgow, Scotland. In July, 1867, Mr. W. B. Johnson, of Montreal, took eighteen Caughnawaga Indians to England and France, and played several exhibition games. This seems to have given the impetus to Lacrosse in England. A number of Clubs were formed in London, and an Association organized similar to the Canadian Association. The Mohawk Club, of Troy, N. Y., pioneered the game in the United States ; and the " Maple Leaf," -y XIV PREFACE. of Buffalo, and others, followed their lead ; and there is every indication that our Clubs in Canada will one day find worthy rivals over the lines, and cross the crosse in friendly contest. I have much pleasure in chronicling the generosity and public spirit of Mr. T. J. Claxton, a Montreal merchant, in the donation to the " Montreal," for competition among the city Clubs, of a set of four magnificent flags and flag-poles, costing over $250/ two of which are represented in photograph No. 12. This gift not only illustrates the generosity of an individual, but the appreciation of the mercantile community, of the efforts of the Montreal Club to popularize and spread the game of Lacrosse. A healthy sign, too, of the growing favor of rationaljj^ sports. I have but little to ac I in conclusion, and may be pardoned for making that little personal. The practice of Lacrosse was my physical recreation ; the writing of this book was one of my mental diversions, principally the result of notes made on the field. 4* I and iiiada , and rosity ntreal ," for f four $250; [o. 12. of an cantile lub to e. A ational ^ lay be The [n ; the [rsions, field. X.7 ^^f0V 7 PREFACE. XV It would never be allowed to see the light of day, did I think it would get me the reputation of being absorbed in the sport, to the exclusion of more serious and important duties. When I commenced the book I felt its completion would tend to much good, physically, mentally and morally, and assist the cause of rational recreation among the young men of Canada. The popularity of the game has popularized all healthy sports ; and nothing, per- haps, has won more esteem for Lacrosse than its moral tendencies, and the necessity it involves of abstaining from habits, which are too often associated with other recreations. One of our most eloquent statesmen, in addressing an audience outside of Canada, said, in referring to the physical outfit of the new Dominion, " Young Canada would as soon fight as eat his breakfast." While not advocating pugnacity, men — and women, too — admire manly youth; and if our National game, while exercising the manly virtues, also trains the national and the moral, it will, un- i I I V SI XVI PREFACE. doubtedly, help to make us better men; and genuine "pluck" will never go out of fashion in // Canada. ".*' .4 :.^al^ I." ' ••'t^! L 'I 4ft^i/7?H'/' Am p^rrr '■• T*^n"»T-T»r--'W?iw*:^^ ij^S^'^Ji-y'SK' .'•,. 'V- CHAPTER I. ORIGIN OP THE GAME OF LACROSSE. ^-. ■;>; The origin of Lacrosse, like that of the Indian race ''' from whom we derived it, is lost in the obscurity which surrounds the early history of this people ; but tkat it had its first existence in his wild brain is claimed in his own traditions, and entitled to every belief. The subject, however, is a mystery, and the most patient research cannot but meet with bewilder- ment. Indian traditions concerning it are scarce and unreliable, while anything that might be learned from their hieroglyphics is met by the fact that they could not transmit more than outward events. Doubtless there were rude Pindars and Homers in the "forest primeval" w^ho could have saved their early records from oblivion, had there been means to preserve them ; but as it is, the more we try to unravel such mysteries as the origin of the Indian B '' " f ^. ': 4 Jt g ! « ^^ . ^'°^fff:'TT ;- ^ ;; ": ;. ^' l■ " m j 'h . T i '-' r ,. " . — rT~r - mi - . -j iiit -Tii-— t ry- -■ I 1 1 \ ■ I 2 ORIGIN OF LACROSSE. and many of his customs and recreations, the deeper we get into difficulties that have no solutioii. The origin of Cricket, in enlightened Europe, is uncertain, though traced to the 13th century. How much more difficult to discover the origin of Lacrosse in a savage country, unknown till the century after. N^ If obscurity be any proof of antiquity, Lacrosse is certainly senior among ^ield games. Spanish cruelty sullied the great discovery of America, and made " pale-face" a synonym for everything base and unjust ; and French and English conduct afterwards, confirmed the justice of the complaint. Under the circumstances, it was to be expected that they would each have more familiarity with Indian warfare than Indian recreation ; and this may account for the comparative silence of American history on their native sports. It was not until a conciliatory policy was adopted, that such sports as Lacrosse were played for the amusement of the whites. Civilization has not destroyed the Indian's love of hoaxing. Charlevoix, Catlin, and a host of others, were unmercifully hoodwinked and humbugged, and one need not travel far to-day to meet with the same ORIGIN OF LACROSSE. characteristic. A genuine hoax is as old "fire- water" to a red man : it is told to clusters of admirers, and repeated from wigwam to wigwam. While endeavouring to find out the opinion of intelligent Indians as to the origin of Lacrosse, we had some charming and plausible legends invented for us impromptu, and the difficulty of centuries expeditiously unravelled in the rocky recesses of Caughnawaga. If the soil of that settlement is not favorable for peaches, it unquestionably produces a spontaneous imaginative genius, not to be rivalled by anything white or red in Canada. We are satisfied, however, that the Indians of Canada know nothing whatever about the origin of their native field game. I had the good fortune to travel on the Grand Trunk, side by side with the late Hon. Thos. D'Arcy McGee, ab9ut a year before his cowardly assassina- tion by \\\S'''lsLJ,>^^ ^:'-^mk:' The subject of conversation turned upon Lacrosse, prompted by the sight of a Crosse on the rack overhead ; and Mr. McGee first suggested to my mind the resemblance between the national game of Canada and the Irish game of Coman, or trundling. Some time after, a [communication appeared in a Port Hope paper, by a {s.\ 0^ ■ --> " 4 ORIGIN OF LACROSSE. ■writer holding the identity of origin of the Indian and Irish races with the Phoenicians, and ingeniously attempting to show sufficient resemblance between Lacrosse and Coman to make a plausible argument for his theory. The former part of the proposition involves scientific questions hardly within my province to discuss, but it seems rather far-fetched. If this ethnological view be correct, it would scarcely seem possible that the game of Lacrosso should now be almost the only prominent remnant of the Phoenician origin of the Indian race. Were I inclined like the Irishman who traced his genealogy into the Ark, and the locality of Paradise to his potato patch, which he was irreverently offering for sale, I might enter into archaeological researches, and build up theories from hypothesis ; but this would only lead astray. It is quite possible that there should be resemblances between Lacrosse and Coman, as between any game of ball played with a bat. In ^' Strutt's Sports and Pastimes" may be read some very close coincidences, but nothing to prove their identity. The writer aforesaid hinges his conclusions greatly upon the present resemblance between the sticks used in both t'-X ORIGIN OF LACROSSE. Indian jTiiously between •gumcnt ^position province If this ely seem L now be 'hoenician lined like the Ark, ,to patch, I might build up only lead emblances any game Jports and ncidences, he writer upon the led in both games ; hut the original crosse was not the present shape, and had no more resemblance to a trundling bat than a cross-bow has to a " Snider." With the original game, too, was associated peculiar customs and ceremonies which distinguished it from any other field sport. Its uni(pieness was and is beyond dispute. The Indians may justly be awarded the credit of having invented the game of Lacrosse, as well as the snow-shoe, toboggan, and bark canoe ; and unless some archaeologist can prove that it was played by the extinct races of a cultivated and superior type of humanity said to have existed on this continent long before the advent of the Spaniards, it is only fair that they should have the honor. An Algonquin who was asked the origin of his race pointed to the rising sun. So may we as indefinitely answer the query, *' When and how did the game of Lacrosse originate ?" Originally, it bore different names ; each tribe calling it " ball" in their own peculiar dialect. By the Iroquois it was called " TehontshikSaheks ;" by the Algonquins " Teiontsesiksaheks ;" by the Objiways "Baggataway." The crosse was called " Teionstik- wahektawa" by the Iroquois ; " Te88aa Naton" by 6 ORIGIN OF LACROSSE. the Algonquins ; and by other tribes, names as euphonious and intelligible, sometimes as long as the stick itself. The single tree or pole goal was called *' lorhenoketo-ohikta" by the Iroquois. . I [• moa aa g as the LS called CHAPTER II. THE ORIGINAL GAME. In the early history of all countries we find their recreations to have been of a rude and barbarous nature. Such were those of Greece when Homer wrote ; such were those of Britain when Caesar landed ; and such were the amusements of the North American Indians when first witnessed by the early French and English travellers. The character of the game of Lacrosse, as originally played, made it midway between a sport and a deadly combat, because of its serious results to limb and life. It was a game which King James would, no doubt, have anathematized as being "meeter for laming than making able the users thereof ; " and more emphatic would have been this edict had he played it ; for not even the divinity that hedges kin^^s would have saved his royal shins from many a sore and unceremonious whack. (fC •ffKfSmm j j-au i 8 THE ORIGINAL GAME. I'ii I ff, Never was there ancient or modern field sport that so effectually tried the endurance and agility, and every physical instinct as the original game of Lacrosse. The gladiatorial games of the Romans, and the bull fights of Spain, were severe tests of stamina and skill ; but neither the praises of Cicero nor the approval of Pliny can prevent the banish- ment of amusements deliberately designed for the shedding of blood, and the death of, at least, one of the combatants. It may not be possible for one who has never handled a Crosse — even though he has witnessed many of the exciting matches of the present day, to conceive of the intensity and vehemence of the old game ; but to a player who has tried his mettle against Indian wind and endurance, and experienced the exertion required in the present modified game, it is easier to estimate correctly the magnificent physical condition of the aborigine a century ago, and the unparalleled union of strength, agility and wind developed by, and necessary for, the primitive Lacrosse. It was not played as a superstitious rite in honor of the Great Spirit ; it had none of the religious element of the Grecian games. It was f THE ORIGINAL GAME. 9 id sport agility, ^ame of Romans, tests of if Cicero 3 banish- . for the 5t, one of IS never ivitnessed t day, to )f the old s mettle lerienced id game, ,gnificent |ury ago, flity and primitive ;ious rite e of the It was Instituted as a pure amusement, and as one of the means of quickening and strengthening the body, and accustoming the young warriors to close combat. It was emphatically a sport, and brought out the very finest physical attributes of the finest made men in the world, — the impetuosity and vigor of a wild nature let loose ; and compelled its votaries, in its intense exercise, to stretch every power to the greatest extreme. The hunters and warriors looked and longed for the grand anniversaries, when through dense forests, and in bark canoes, hundreds would return from the chase and the war-path to be present at the Lacrosse tournaments. Among some tribes, ball-play was, as Basil Hall tells us, " the chief object of their lives," so absorbed were they in its excitement ; and in every tribe it developed an amount of splendid physical energy sufficient to have made their race masters of this continent for ever, had mind not been so entirely subservient to body, nor destiny so inevit- ably pointed against them. All the education of an Indian from the cradle to manhood tended to physical development and inure- ment ; ,Tad however much we may pity the strapped 10 THE ORIGINAL GAME. H' papoose, it is in a better place for a symmetrical body and a straight spine, than the pale-face hopeful, rocked and knocked about in the modern cradle, or the Spartan child cradled on a shield. It was the perfection of the Indian's physical nature which made his conquest so difficult. With every instinct keen as an eagle's eye, with every muscle, nerve and fibre strung to its perfect capacity; with his wonderful vitality, energy and unity, he -was more than a match for the white man and superior weapons, until " firewater " undermined his manliness, and treachery stole away his advantages. Whiskey was a cunning ambassador, more effectual than " villainous saltpetre." What was the stoicism of the Indian but his physical training ; what was his pride and individu- ahty but the blood of his race and the education of his boyhood ? The great brain of a young man was only fit for scalping if it had not a body able to wield the tomahawk ; the chieftains and leaders were honoured in proportion to the number of scalps within their wigwams. Such were the characteristics of the men who played the old game of Lacrosse. l]he descriptions given of the game by different travellers vary in some respects, as they happened ■ "}<\\ THE ORIGINAL GAME. 11 letrical lopeful, idle, or ms the which instinct ), nerve svith his as more weapons, ess, and key was rillainous idian but tndividu- Lon of his as only ield the iOnoured in their the men Idifferent lappened 1 M to have seen it played at different periods, and among the various tribes ; but all unite in ascribing to it the hereditary wild beauty and variety which it has always retained. There was some dissimilarity among the different tribes in the shape of the stick used, the size and composition of the ball, the kind of goal, &c., but the general character of the game was the same. The Crosse. — As far back as we can trace we find the original Crosse to have been of a very different shape to that used at present. That of the Choctaws, Chippeways, Cherokees and Creeks was about three feet long, bent into an oblong hoop at one end large enough to hold the ball. That of the Sacs, Sioux, Objiways, Dacotahs, Poutawatamies, and most other tribes was about the same length, but /■// the hoop was round as seen in the above illustration. None of the original sticks were over four feet long. The net-work of the oblong hoop was generally three inches long and two wide ; that of the round hoop, 12 THE ORIGINAL GAME. twelve inches in circumference. The former was literally net-work, but the latter was simply two strings tied in the centre, and fastened in four places to the hoop ; and both were sufficiently bagged to catch and preserve the ball. The net- work or strings were originally of wattup, the small roots of the spruce tree as used for sewing bark canoes ; — afterwards they were made of deer- skin. Among the Choctaws, Cherokees, Creeks, &c., each player carried two sticks, one in each hand. The ball was caught and carried between them. There was considerable difference in the play with one and with two sticks, and the former was by far the most expert, as it was the most difficult. The manner of picking up with one stick was peculiar, and indeed, necessary, owing to its shape. As the ball lay on the ground, it was almost covered with the hoop, and by a peculiar twist of the wrist and arm from right to left, scooped up in one motion. The ball was thrown from it by a jerk, and could not be pitched as far as with the present stick, as it got but little impetus. The Indians dodged very little, except when the ball was caught or picked up in a THE ORIGINAL GAME. 13 ler was 3ly two in four ficiently ]he net- le small Qg bark f deer- iS, &c., ;li hand, n them. )lay with s by far lick was is shape. covered e wrist motion. lould not .s it got •y little, up in a crowd, and dodging was necessary. This seems the more remarkable when we consider the shape of the stick, and the peculiar facilities for dodging, afforded by the concavity of the netting and the smallness of the hoop which retained the ball. On grand occasions, they ornamented the hoop and handle with small feathers or tufts of hair, and painted or dyed it various colors. Several tribes still use the original stick. The above illustration is taken from one which Mr. Radiger, an old Montreal Club player, used in several matches with the half-breeds of the Garden River Indian Reserve, Sault River, about 15 miles from the entrance to Lake Superior. It is similar to the ObjiAvay stick described by early travellers. The Ball. — The original ball was about the size of a tennis ball, though differing among the tribes ; and was first made of deer-skin or raw-hide, stuffed with hair and sewed with sinews. The Objiways and Poutawatamies at the mouth of the Detroit River used a heavy wooden one, generally a knot ; while others improvised balls of the bark of the pine tree. 1/ w ■« 14 THE ORIGINAL GAME. The Goals. — The earliest goal was any marked rock or tree that happened to be convenient ; and it is still customary among the domesticated and wild tribes in America to ignore such a thing as " flag poles." At grand matches, however, the Indians were more particular, and used for each goal a single pole or stake, eight feet high and two inches in diameter, or the two pole goal as at present. The distance from one goal to the other varied in proportion to the number of players, from five hundred yards to half a mile and more. The Poutawatamies, Sioux, Dacotahs, Cherokees, Sacs, Objiways, Iroquois, Algonquins, and nearly all tribes used the one pole. The four former merely required the ball to be thrown past the line of this stake ; the Objiways, Iroquois, Algonquins, &c., required the pole to be struck with the ball. The former still maintain this law. The Algonquins, seen by Charlevoix, used one pole. The Choctaws, seen by Catlin, used two stakes for each goal, twenty-five feet high, and six feet apart, with a pole or goal-line across the top. The Creeks in Alabama used two stakes, six feet high THE ORIGINAL GAME. 15 marked ; and it and wild as " flag ms were a single nches in nt. The iroportion •ed yards es, Sioux, Iroquois, one pole, ill to be ibjiways, lole to be tain this used one ^0 stakes six feet )p. The teet high :»;tS '1 i and six feet apart. Basil Hall (1828) says they were simply boughs. THE GAME DIRECTOR Was the captain or presiding chief, under whose direction the goals were posted ; and who, among several tribes, made a preliminary speech to the players before starting the game. Sometimes he was the best player and fleetest runner, and joined in the game, and like the chiefs in Homer, tried to signalize himself by personal acts of courage, forge t- ing altogether the management of his men. THE UMPIRES Were generally the old medicine men of the tribe, whose decision was in all cases final. DRESS OF THE PLAYERS. The primitive Indian players usually appeared almost as naked as the Grecian athletae, wearing only a tight breech cloth ; and on grand occasions painted their faces and bodies, and decorated them- selves with fantastic ornamental bead work, feathers &c., of various colors. They wore a curious kind of /,.' i 16 THE ORIGINAL GAME. tail, projecting from the small of the back, made of white horse hair or dyed quills of the Canada porcupine, and a mane or neck of horse hair dyed various colors. It was a rule of the Choctj vs that no one should wear any dress save the breech cloth, and the aforesaid tail. The Poutawatamies always wore mocassins. PREPARATORY CEREMONIES. When great matches were on the tapis, village against v'llage, or tribe against tribe, they were agreed upon and the players selected months ahead. For two weeks before the day of the match, the competitors were to fast from all excesses, eat little food, and harden themselves by every possible means for the exertion in anticipation ; and the night pre- ceding, they rather ignored the present theory of train- ing, by a peculiar preparatory ceremony, which we will endeavour to describe. It was usual to select a moonlight night, and a grassy plot near the borders of a river or lake. Only those who were to play on the following day were permitted to join in the ceremony. A large 4 THE ORIGINAL GAME. IT fire of pitch pine wood was kindled ; several musicians with Indian drums, and large gourds containing gravel, were seated to assist the ]>layers hi keeping time in the dance. At a signal from the head chief, the intending competitors would begin what they called the training dance, — a succession of the most frantic movements and wriggling of the body and legs, contortions of the face, and screaming at the top of the voice, intended, like the military dances of the Greeks, to make the body active and strong, and to exhilirate the mind. It was also a sort of invocation to the Great S[)irit for victory, and must have been of a character as terrible and expressive as the dances of the Furies. This dance was peculiarly attractive to the emotional Indian, who, like all barbarians, was a spontaneous dancer ; sounds, however rude, intoxicating him with a passion for a spasmodic oscillation of the body. After performing l^ for an hour or longer, the players, heated and perspiring, immediately plunged into the cold stream. It was customary among some tribes to dance in a circle around a bonfire, with the crosses in hand; while others danced in their costume around the goals, rattling their sticks together and singing aloud C / 18 THE ORIGINAL GAME. h to the Great Spirit. Each party danced for a qnarter of an hour at a time around their respec- tive goals or bonfires, and repeated it every half hour during the night, which compelled the players to lie awake until sunrise. The squaws of each side kept the goods wliich were invariably staked upon the result of the match ; and at this dance they formed themselves in two straight rows between the two parties of players, and joined in the dance and song. Four of the most antediluvian medicine men who were to act as umpires on the following day, were seated at the point where the game was to be started, solemnly smoking and praying to the Great Spirit for impartiality in judgment. Catlin gives a few excellent sketches of the original game as played by the Choctaws, and among them a very suggestive one of this preparatory dance. In Capt. Basil Hall's " Travels in the United States in 1827-28," we find a new feature of this preparatory ceremony, introduced after the dance, among the Creeks of Alabama. The players met in a hut, round which ran a seat close to the wall: in the middle a fire was burning, at which the players squatted, nearly naked, tying cords tightly It ^^ THE ORIGINAL GAME. 19 around one another's arms and thi^lis. They then splaslied themselves ^vith water, and each placing lihnself in a sloping position against a wooden pillar, went through the ceremony of "scarifying." This was done hy expert operators, who using an instru- ment formed of the sharp teeth of the gar fish — two rows of ahout fifteen teeth tied to a corn cob, scraped the arms and legs of the players over a space of more than fifteen inches in length. "Five separate scratchings were made on each man's leg below the knee, five on each thigh, and five on each arm, in all nearly thirty sets of cuts. As the instrument contained about thirty teeth, each Indian must in every case have had several hundred lines drawn on his skin. The blood flowed profusely, as long as the bandages were kept tight. This indeed, seemed to be one of their principal objects, as the Indians endeavoured to assist the bleeding by throwing their arms and legs about, holding them over, and sometimes placing them almost in the fire, for a second or two. It was altogether a hideous I and frightful scene. For my own part I scarcely knew how to feel when I found myself amongst some dozens of naked savages, streaming with blood from h A I h I 20 / 1 THE ORIGINAL GAME. top to toe, skipping and yelling round a fire, or talking at the top of their voices in a language of which I knew nothing, or iaughing as merrily as if it were the best fun in the world to be cut to pieces. Not one of these lads uttered the slightest complaint during the operation ; but when I watched their countenances closely, I observed that only two or three bore the discipline without shrinking or twisting their faces a little. " I was told that these scarifications and bleedings render the men more limber and active, and bring them into proper condition to undergo the exertion of the ball-play on the following morning. I don't know how this may be with my friends the Creeks ; but I suspect half a dozen of the cuts of which each of these young felloAVS received some hun- dreds, would have laid me up for a week ! " On the next day and for hours previous to the ap- pointed time for the match, a crowd of warriors, squaws and children assembled on the plain selected for the game, dressed in the gaudiest feathers and bead work, and squatted ou the ground in little picturesque groups. Oni of the principal prelimi- naries was handing to the stake-holders the property THE ORIGINAL GAME. 21 a fire, or nguage of ily as if it to pieces. complaint ;hed their ily two or or twisting hazarded upon the result of the game, and not only did every warrior bet, but the women carried it to excess, and even the children wagered their childish toys. It was an affectation of the players to keep out of sight until everything was ready, and they usually were in the adjacent woods, busily painting and feathering in the most fantastic styles imaginable. The two parties who w-ere to contend for the prize were divided, and posted in opposite parts of the woods, and during the process of festooning they indulged in wild whoops and cries. . The goals were now placed by the game director, and a stake set to mark the centre of the field where the ball was sometimes laid, according to custom. At a certain signal the two parties advanced leisurely from their covert, brandishing their sticks, shouting, making terrible contortions and grimaces and turning somersaults. It was customary among the lady loves of the Cherokees to run out on the field at this stage, and give beaded and other tokens of favoritism to their dusky gallants, which these savage lovers wore during the game as faithfully as the most chivalrous knight of the 12th century ever carried I t 22 THE ORIGINAL GAME. lady's glove in combat. Lanman, who witnessed this little episode of the game among the Cherokees of Qualla town, North Carolina, says : " This little movement struck me as particularly interesting, and I was greatly pleased with the bashfulness and yet complete confidence with which the Indian maidens manifested their preferences." What an incentive to first twelves if Canada's fair daughters would revive the fashion ! How it would put one on one's mettle to be a crack player ! Where this custom was not in vogue, the players either danced, one party at a time, around their respective goals, as the night previous, and advanced to the middle of the field where they laid or sat down, yelling defiance at each other. At a signal from the game director they sprang to their feet and held their sticks over their heads, facing, and gradual- ly approaching until they were within a yard of each other. Upon another signal they laid their sticks down at their feet, and the sides were counted. When the game was for mere pleasure, the men could choose the sides upon which they would play. The game director now delivered a long speech, urging the players to energy and fair-play ; they then dis- ^ M THE ORIGINAL GAME. 23 persed and every man took his own position. The old chiefs seated themselves on the ground with ten small sticks, with which they kept the score of games ; pulling all out when they got to " eleven," and re- placing one to count ten. Matches consisted sometimes of ten, twenty and one hundred games, and often lasted two or three days,. me on one s THE GAME. The game generally began at nine o'clock in the morning. The Indians had different ways of inaugu- rating it, and never seemed to have " faced " as at present. Sometimes the ball was laid on the ground in the centre of the field, and at a signal from the game director, a general rush was made towards it, amid a glorious clatter and scramble, — the best man at a hundred yards generally picking it up, and making off with it like a deer followed by the hounds. The most common way, however, was to throw it high into the air in the centre of the field, which altered the appearance of this part of the game, as the players reached the centre before the ball fell, and leaped at it en masse to catch or strike it away. Sometimes it was caught by one player between his .^:-- ..ri-.xA ..-._, ' 24 THE ORIGINAL GAME. two spooney sticks. Charlevoix says the Algonquins in Canada tried to keep the ball from touching the ground during the progress of the game, and that if a player missed a catch, the game was lost for his side unless he could send it to goal in one throw. It was never allowable to pick it up from the ground with the hand, but it was customary to use the hand in tapping or blocking it away from the body. The wildness of the Id game is graphically sketched by Catlin (who saw it played by 600, 800 and 1000 Choctaws and others, at a time), Basil Hall, Sir James Stewart, Lanman and others. The players would trip and throw each other, and sometimes as occasion offered, take flying leaps over the heads of stooping opponents, or dart between their extended legs, " In these struggles," says Catlin, " every mode is used that can be devised to oppose the progress of the foremost who is likely to get the ball, and these obstructions often meet desperate individual resistance, which terminate in violent scuffling, and sometivies fistlcujfs ! — when their sticks were dropped and the i)arties are un- molested while settling it between themselves, unless it be by a general stampede to which they are \\ I II I THE ORIGINAL GAME. 26 subject who are do^vn, if the ball happens to pass in their direction." " There are times," he adds, " when the ball gets to the ground, when there is a confused mass of balls, sticks, shins and bloody noses." When the ball fell among the spectators, ' the players leaped into them like a whirlwind, with as little regard for their safety as their own, and there was a well known art among the spectators of saving oneself from much tumbling and contusion by embracing the nearest tree and holding on like grim death until the rush of players had passed. It seemed as if they were bent upon dislocating or breaking every bone of their bodies ; they tumbled and dragged and did everything rough in pursuit of the little deer-skin ball. One remarkable feature of the old game was the magnificent leaps which the players indulged in, either for show or to grasp the ball in the air. " At one time," says Lanman, " the whole crowd of players would rush together in the most desperate and fearful manner, presenting, as they struggled for the ball, the appearance of a dozen gladiators, striving to overcome a monster serpent ; and then again, as one man would secure the ball and start for the boundary of his opponent, ! i t ! I 26 THE ORIGINAL GAME. the races which ensued were very beautiful and exciting." Basil Hall's description of the old game, as played by the Creeks, is so well delineated that we cannot do better than give an extract from his travels : — " One of the chiefs, having advanced to the centre of the area, cast the ball high in the air. As it fell, between twenty and thirty of the players rushed forward, and leaping several feet oflf the ground, tried to strike it. The multiplicity of blows, acting in different directions, had the effect of bringing the ball to the ground, where a fine scramble took place, and a glorious clatter of sticks mingled with the cries of the savages. At length, an Indian, more expert than the others, contrived to nip the ball between the ends of his two sticks, and having managed to fork it out, ran off with it like a deer, with his arms raised over his head, pursued by a whole party engaged in the first struggle. The fortunate youth w^as, of course, intercepted in his progress twenty different times by his antagonists, who shot like hawks across his flight from all parts of the field, to knock the prize out of his grasp, or to trip him up — in short by any means to prevent his throwing it 1 THE ORIGINAL GAME. 27 through the opening between the boughs at the end of the play-groimd. Whenever this grand purpose of the game was accomplished, the successful party announced their right to count one by a fierce yell of triumph, which seemed to pierce the very depths of the wilderness. It was sometimes highly amusing to see the way in which the Indian, who got hold of the ball, contrived to elude his pursuers. It was not to be supposed he was allowed to proceed straight to the goal or wicket, or even to get near it ; but on the contrary, he was obliged in most cases to make a circuit of many hundred yards amongst the trees, with thirty or forty swift-footed fellows stretching alter or athwart him, with their fantastic tiger's tails streaming behind them , and he, in like manner, at full speed, and holding his stick as high over his head as possible, sometimes ducking to avoid a blow, or leaping to escape a trip, sometimes doubling like a hare, and sometimes tumbling at full length or break- ing his shins on a fallen tree, but seldom losing hold of his treasure without a severe struggle. These parts of the game were exciting in the highest degree, and it almost made the spectators breathless to look at them." I I i I i 1 ! t! tt 28 THE ORIGINAL GAME. Catlin would ride 30 miles on horseback to witness a game, and he says he has almost dropped from his horse's back with irresistible laughter at the succes- sion of droll tricks and kicks and scuffles which ensue in the almost superhuman struggles for the ball. Carver saw it played by Indians, whom he says played with such vehemence that broken bones were no rarity, " but not withstanding, there never appears to be any spite, or wanton exertions of strength to affect them; nor do disputes ever happen between the parties.''^ A few concluding extracts will prove the same remarkable interest in the old as in the present game. Catlin, writing of a match he saw, says : *' I pronounce such a scene, with its hundreds of nature's most beautiful models denuded, and painted various colors, running and leaping in the air in all of the most enlivening and varied forms, in desperate struggles for the ball, a school for painter or sculptor equal to any of those which ever inspired the hand of an artist in the Olympian games or Roman forum." Lanman, among the Sioux, says : " The Olympic beauty of this game is beyond all praise. It calls THE ORIGINAL GAME. 29 into active exercise every muscle of the human frame, and brings into bold relief the supple and athletic forms of the best built people in the world. At one time a figure will rivet your attention, similar to the Apollo Belvidere, and another, you will actually be startled by the surpassing eloquence of a Mercury." The game was played in the United States occasion- ally some years ago by several of the most numerous tribes, who used the original stick and generally the one pole goal, but a combination of circumstances has almost obliterated it as an Indian recreation in that free Republic where Indians and negroes have not exactly paradisiacal times. Mr. Radiger tells me he has both seen it played and participated in the game with the Objiway half- breeds of the Garden River Indian Reserve, Sault River. They use the original round hoop stick, and use only one. Their goal is a single pole, eight feet high and two inches in diameter, and must be struck to decide the game. They begin the game after the primitive manner, of placing the stick on the ground in front of them, and the ball is thrown up in the air. " They do very little dodging," writes our friend, " except when they get near to : .^iii:.i *:»1A-. M i I m 1 I'll . i 30 THE ORIGINAL GAME. the goal, when they do ivriffgle considerably.'''' The Lac La Pluie Lidians, 225 miles "vvest of Lake Superior, occasionally hold their grand fetes and medicine ceremonies near Fort Francis, at which 6,000 natives assemble. In the report on the Exploration of the country between Lake Superior and the Red River settlement, it is stated, that the Indians "• do not scruple to jump over the fences and run through the ground crops if their ball in the game of is driven in that direction." The blank may be interpreted '' Lacrosse." The game is also played at the different establishments of the Hudson Bay Company in Rupert's Land, &c, by the savage tribes of Lower Winnipeg. Several hundreds played before Fort Garry, the capital of the Red River country, a couple of years ago. The Rocky Mountain Indians still play and use the original stick. On the Saskatchewan, the Prairie, Crees, Black- feet and Assinniboines still celebrate their returns from the buffalo hunt by grand contests of the original game. When Charlevoix and his party were ascending the St. Lawrence at some point between Quebec and THE ORIGINAL GAME. 31 Three Rivers, they saw the game, which Charlevoix calls *' le jeu de la crosse," played by the Algon- quins, who used the present stick. The Hurons at Loretto, below Quebec, played extensively about fifty years ago, using the present stick and a ball of worsted, covered with deer-skin. Their goals were lines drawn at both ends of the field, and game was decided by throwing across either line. The sport was very rough and tumble. Latterly this remnant of the great Huron tribe have entirely neglected their glorious pastime. I ! CHAPTER IIL I GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE PRESENT GAME. Though sports are transmitted from one genera- tion to another, they usually change their general character, as they do their names, yet seldom lose their most prominent features. When civilization tamed the manners and hahits of the Indian, it re- flected its modifying influence upon his amusements, and thus was Lacrosse gradually divested of its radical rudeness and brought to a more sober sport — though to call the game in any measure a sober recreation may be bordering on the sarcastic. Only a savage people could, would or should play the old game ; only such constitutions, such wind and endurance could stand its violence. The present game, improved and reduced to rule by the whites, employs the greatest combination of physical and mental activity white men can sustain in recreation, THE PRESENT GAME. 33 and is as much superior to the original as civilization is to barbarism, base ball to its old E!i<^lish pa .it of rounders, or a pretty Canadian girl to any unculti- vated scjuaw. The aim of Lacrosse is so evident and simple that a child looker-on can intuitively understand it. It has no elaborate nomenclature to make it puzzluig ; its science and beauty need but eyes for discovery. The players are divided into two ec^ual sides ; each has a goal to defend and one to attack ; certain men are posted in certain positions ; the ball is placed midway on the field and faced for by the centres. The object of both sides is to put the ball through the goal of the opponent and prevent him getting it through theirs ; and all the running, throwing and endless variety of play tends to that end. One objection to some field games is the intricate mystery surrounding the best parts of the exercise ; and however much we admire the fine play we intuitively understand, it is disagreeable to know that there is a vast deal hidden, because of our theoretical and practical ignorance. A field game ought to be a literal sport : if it is encompassed by too much con- ventionality — if too much science makes it tedious D ! . I \i I S4 THE PRESENT GAME. and exclusive, wherein lies its literal recreation ? The most of men have no sympathy with field games that can only interest when crack players make them lively. If they are to be hard study, don't call them sports ; if sports, then get out of them all possible recreation. It is not generally the custom of Anglo-Saxons to depreciate a game because it is likely to become more popular than their particular favorite ; but Lacrosse has been one of the best-abused in the cata- logue of recreations. It would seem a pity if the race of grumblers met with even a sport to please them. Lacrosse, however, survived in spite of dis- paragement ; and its unparalleled spread within the last two years is the best proof of its suitableness and attraction. A game that can persuade over tw hundred of the youth of a single Canadian city to rise at half-past five, three or four mornings all through the summer weeks, when all other games put together cannot muster a corporal's guard ; and , that can regularly attract thousands of spectators! when the exhibition of other games fails to pan expenses, needs no eulogy ; it speaks for itself. Lacrosse has its failings, but so has every game; THE PRESENT GAME. 35 but for -svhat the object of all such sports should be — that is, the healthy, active exercise of every part of the body, unintermittent amusement, infinite variety, and science enough to stimulate yo'ing players to keep at it till they learn, and old ones not to give it up — what other game compare:? to Lacrosse ? It has the merit, too, of being a cheap game, in which ail can participate without much outlay. It is not exclusive ; every player has his innings, so to speak, at the same time, and no one monopolizes the best part because he happens to be an extra good player. Good players cannot be kept down, nor sent off fagging for others ; they rise to the surface as surely as cork on water. There are none of the debasing accompaniments, the bar-room associations of other games ; there is no beastly snobbishness about it. There is nothing missed by being late at practice ; the game is always alive, and there is always an opening for late comers. A game can be played in a short time, and as much exercise got in half an hour as will do for a day. With a crosse and a ball any one can practice alone ; any boy can amuse himself all day. 86 THE PRESENT GAME. f !t A contributor to Chambers Journal, in December, 1862, under the heading of " A Rival to Cricket," makes free use of my little broehure of 1860, often word for word, without acknowledgment. I freely forgive him the plagiarism for thus discoursing: " As a game, I rai.k Lacrosse far above cricket or golf. It does not require attendants and special ground, like golf, and it boasts more unintermittent amusement and more simultaneous competition than cricket. The materials, too, are cheaper, and you require no ' hog-in-armour ' costume. It is more varied, more ingenious, more subtle than cricket, and, above all, it can be played in all seasons of the year without danger, expense or preparation. No marquees required, no grass rolling, no expensive bats or balls, no spiked shoes, and no padded leg- gings to preserve you from the cannon shots of fast bowlers, who seem determined to maim or lame somebody ; above all, there is not that tiresome and wearisome waiting for the innings. The whole twentj^-four (or field) have their innings simul- taneously, and have both an equal chance and an equal certainty of amusement and employment ; while in cricket a beginner gets, perhaps, ten strokes THE PRESENT GAME. 37 at a ball, and that is all in the whole game. I admit the pleasure of the good swipe in cricket, the excite- ment of the runs, the delight of blocking a treacherous slow ball, the rapture of catching out a good player, and the feverish anxiety of a close-run game, but still I hold that cricket cannot hold a candle to Lacrosse for variety, ingenuity and interest." " It was marvellous to see, as the ball for the first flew up in the air, those statues spring into life instantly. The field was dotted with groups oF struggling figures, now running into jostling knots, now fanning out in swift lines like skirmishers before a grand army. Every now and then there would break away from the rest some sinewy, subtle runner, who, winding and twisting like a serpent, would dash between the eager ranks of his rivals, avoiding every blow, now stooping, now leaping, now turning, quick as a greyhound and artful as a fox ; and then, as the ball was shot between the crimson flags of the Montreal men, the Indians would give a war-yell that echoed again." Lacrosse is always fresh and lively, and sustains its attractiveness from'^beginning to end. No player has either time or inclination to sit on his heels and I ! i [ i 38 THE PRESENT GAME. yawn ; there is none of that serious work and gloomy pleasure which is the bane of some field games, and which some players try to counteract by light gym- nastics, or feats which have nothing to do with the game. It unbends the mind better than any other sport, because of the ubiquity of the ball ; it is more like genuine recreation, and is a hoUday to the blood to play, and a half-holiday to look on. One grand element in Lacrosse is its native attraction and amusement to spectators — and how soon it converts them into players ! The indefatig- able running and fascinating contests between opponents wherever the ball goes ; the excitement of dodging and of battles around the goals, are watched with breathless interest, while the frequent sudden upsets and somersaults would make even a Plato laugh, and the moroseness of an Antis- thenes take flight for ever. Any one who has taken the trouble to study the faces of spectators at a match may have seen in their expression an index of the character of the game. Gouty old gentlemen forget their big toes in the excitement of watching a struggle for the ball ; the faces of crusty bachelors soften into the old smiles of their youth, while low THE PRESENT GAME. 39 oTumbling laughter, as if afraid to come up, begins to shake them in epigastric regions, and gradually ex- panding into hearty haw-haws, gives them a perma- nent and happy cure. Prudes forget their primness ; snobs their propriety ; old women fearlessly expose themselves to dismantling ; young ladies to the demol- ishment of crinoline and waterfall ; small boys to the imminent fracture of limbs ; dogs will rush frantic- ally over the field and after the ball, exposed to annihilation, while cheers rend the air at good play, and an epidemic of laughter seizes the crowd at the ridiculous incidents and misfortunes of unlucky men. It seems very pardonable to enjoy the laughable shipwreck of some overweening dodger and his excited checker, who make battering rams of their bodies, and send dodger, checker, crosses and ball all in a heap. It helps the circulation of the blood even to watch the varied changes on the field as the ball flies through the air, and twenty-four or more active fellows are alive to its career. The lively and graceful attitudes, the skilful manoeuvring of body, and the scientific handling of the crosse ; the little spirts and leaps — often pretty enough to be affected ; the twists and turnings, rallies and I : : 1 !■' 40 THE PRESENT GAME. ;i'i. 1 ! i ii IH U I charges, make a beautiful combination of play ; while the eye can sometimes hardly follow the skilful feats and incidents which occur in such quick succession. How determinedly, how earnestly they work ; hrw they put their hearts into the pleasure, and even enjoy their own misfortunes ; letting out the most demonstrative proof of sound lung and limb ever developed by field game, and realizing some- thing of the rush and thrill of a genuine battle. Nature may send born poets into the world, but she never sends Lacrosse players ; at least, not in any white community. There is nothing more amusing to a good player than to watch the first attempts of a tyro, with a crosse and a ball. There it lies on the ground before him ; nothing seems simpler than to pick it up. He makes a frantic dash with his stick lowered, but the ball makes a retrograde movement, and the more he pokes at it, the more it seems to evade him. By and bye he learns to take it cool ; there is another plunge and a scoop, and he has it ; and now the mischief of the thing is to carry it. If he holds liis cvosse out at arm's length, it persists in rolling off ; if he attempts to throw to any point, it will go straight up over THE PRESENT GAME. 41 his head, or to the very point where he least expected. He sees a dodger passing checks in succession, and it seems easy enough ; checking not so very hard ; goal-keeping simplicity itself. His entire existence for the first few hours is one of inglorious mishaps and disappointments ; but soon the ball is carried with ease, and thrown with accuracy ; the sprawling nervous tips ?.nd swipes in fin ^ desperation give place to grace and facility, and 'he novice enjoys something of the astonishment of a young Newfoundland dog thrown into the water for the first time, who, trying to walk, discovers he can swim. If it is a worthy thing to be a player at all, it is well worth while being a good one. When the novice has learned to pick up and master the ball, to throw, catch, check, dodge and field properly, he will find he needs something more to get on *' the first twelve." To play well he must be able to keep it up ; to stand the exertion in the game he must live temperately, and abstain from all "■ hot and rebel- lious lic^uors." To be a good player, too, he must learn to control temper under the most trying provocations, cultivate courage, self-reliance, perse- ^!, ; II I ' 1 ^ ! !l I ! ^ I iffi I P I I I 42 THE PRESENT GAME. verance ; and, above all, learn by heart and practise in conscience that beautiful verse of Thackeray's — " "Who misses or who wins the prize, Go, lose or conquer as you can, But if you fail, or if you rise. Bo each, pray God, a gentleman." The best players are early risers. No sluggish snoozing after five or six, but up while " silken dailliance in the wardrobe lies," and out in the blue unclouded morning, on a fresh green meadow, where one's blood is set a boil, and put into such healthy circulation that appetites are made ravenous for breakfast. A grand tonic it is, too, which bestows a clear head and a fresh hea and makes one feel as if he had stolen a march upon time, and was prepared to tackle to business, after the fashion of Monckton Milne's men of old who " "Went about their gravest tasks Like noble boys at play." Lacrosse dislikes fellows who " spree," who make syphons of their oesophagi, and who cannot make better use of their leisure than to suck mint juleps through straws. It dislikes immaculate snobs, or snobs of any kind, who are allowed to live to show THE PRESENT GAME. 43 ■what an absurd donkey excessive conceit can make a man. It has no sympathy with grumpy, selfish brutes, whose science consists in swiping, and who think more of their individual performance than the honor of the game. Neither has it affinity for those model specimens of propriety who think a young man is on the road to perdition unless he is always reading good books, and making himself a bore to his friends by stale, hypocritical moral conversation — those nice young men in black broadcloth who never can take a joke, and who prefer draughts with other nice young men to healthy Lacrosse. The game of Lacrosse dislikes all hypocrisy, unnaturalness, and assumption, and it is the very thing to knock all such out of a man. By the shade of Tullock-chish-ko,* it is a glorious game ! Take those whining schoolboys who " creep un- willingly to school," give them crosses, encourage them to go into it, rough-and-tumble if they will until they learn better play, and the sapling will shoot into finer plant, and the lessons come easier and stay longer. Lacrosse quickens and brightens * The greatest player amon^'- the Choctaws of old. •44 THE PRESENT GAME. the mind. The close quarters in strugghng for the ball, the contests of strength and agility, will bring out dormant energies in boys, develop their pluck and manliness, give them self-confidence, and, like Nelson when a boy, they will forget or never know the meaning of fear. Cerberus may come down ever so cruelly on upturned palm, but the lads will not cry : what care they for taws or tanning when they have run the gauntlet of a dozen whirling crosses, and each one of them, like the English after Agincourt, can " Strip his sleeve, and show his scars, And say — These wounds I had on Crispin's day." And here Shakspere brings us to the " moving accidents" in the game. It was once a part of the players creed to believe in unpitying roughness, and the best men were noted for maiming others and following the ball in a raiding fashion, " seeking whom they might devour." That was in the days of no government, when clubs were seriously con- sidering the propriety of attaching surgeons, and purchasing club ambulances. Happily this is chang- ing, though not yet complete. The laws forbid spiked soles which might pierce the feet of an anta- ; I THE PRESENT GAME. 45 gonist, deliberate tripping or striking each other, holding or grasping a player or his crosse. There is nothing in the game as severe as the " mauling, hacking, and tripping" of the Rugby game of foot- ball, or the maiming from cricket or racket balls. Who has not seen every part of the anatomy maimed by cricket and base ball, and eyes gouged out by racket balls. The worst accident yet known from Lacrosse was the fracture of the radius of an arm by a fall. No one was ever maimed for life, though it is hard to go earnestly into the game and entirely escape some slight skin cuts and scratches. Many players have their own blood upon their heads by persistent attempts to dodge when they cannot dodge ; but after all no game is worth a fig if it has not some spice of danger. What boots it to any one else if those who are hurt do not complain ? Do Lacrosse players enjoy their mishaps, as foxes, they say, enjoy being hunted ? It would seem so. Before the formation of laws by V the Montreal Club in 18G7, the game was destitute of regulations, saving the impromptu rules made upon the field, and broken at the first opportunity. Now it has a code which has regulated and systema- 4,^;,. 1 H' >> !»' • I "'" t : \ 1 40 THE PRESENT GAME. tized it from bc^iniiin^ to end, quietly settled old causes of dissension, and opened a field for develop- ment which was previously hidden by rou^h play. It is true there are some men always on the qui vive for offence, who will dog their opponents and hit their heads oftener than their crosse ; one may never expect fair play or good manners from them. A few such players counteract all the good intentions of the laws, and originate the only faults that can be found in the game. One objection to Lacrosse — hardly ever made, though, by players — is the great exertion required. It is a common perversion of the game to be made violent by unscientific and young players. They make vehement what they cannot make scientific. But the fierce exertion is fast becoming traditional, and it is a question if the present game is more fatiguing than foot-ball, or half as trying and danger- ous as a stiff boat-race. Hard work, however, is no disparagement. It is a fact that Her Majesty's subjects, wherever they are to be found, are fonder of real hard work in their amusements than any other people. It is this inherent quality which makes them the best average cricketers, rowers, boxers, and THE PRESENT OAME. 47 fox hunters in the world, and the most adventurous travellers. The Alps have been climbed by more Britons than all the other nationalities put together ; a Briton penetrated to the North Pole, too far to survive ; another, despite of peremptory mandates, ventured into African mazes and Chinese sanctums, and had his bowels let out for reward. A French- man, looking on at a game of cricket, said he would rather fight than play it ; and some nations cannot understand the spirit of adventure of the Anglo- Saxon race. In Canada the same love of adventure and hard work is evinced in snow-shoeing, toboganing, and Lacrosse, as well as those imported sports which are not indigenous to the soil. The Montreal fox hunt has a stiflfer country to ride over than any in Europe. Canadians gave the All-England Eleven the hardest tug this side of the Atlantic ; Canadian oarsmen are probably equal to any in the world. It is this love of hard work which helps to make Lacrosse popular. Labor ipse voluptas. There is somewhat of an illusion, however, among spectators at a Lacrosse match. They see an excitable wavering game ; the real play is not confined to any limit — it is far from Quakerish. They see twenty-four men II; I ll 'l!!i m II V 48 THE PRESENT GAME. on the alert for the ubi(i[uitous ball — here and there they move out and in, while some run as fast as their legs can carry them. The ball fli'^ through the air from one point to another ; there are innumerable close contests and hard struggles in attack and defence, all of which appear in quick succession. From the red flags to the blue, the men are full of life — not one is useless — the grass has no time to grow where they run — and the result is an apparent amount of intense exertion, which the spectators invariably magnify. Pity it is that gunpowder should rob us of such glorious fights as Hastings and Naseby, and, as Don Quixote laments, give men now no chance for indivi- dual valor ; for what grand training Lacrosse would have been for sword and battle-axe encounter — for splitting helmet from crown to chin — for storming redoubts without fear of flying shot or shell ; in fact, for hand to hand conflict. Confound the man who first invented breech-loaders ! Are those splendid bayonet charges of the " thin red line" to become traditionary because any scarecrow can lie on his belly and pop a dozen bullets at it in the same time as he used to fire one ? But a truce to war ii" THE PRESENT GAME. 49 and weapons ; this sounds bloodthirsty, and Lacrosse is a recreation, though it may be, too, as all such sports are, a peace preparation for war, if needs be. A valuable addition to education in Canadian schools is the systematic instruction in the use of the rifle and gymnastics. Nothing better brings out the mental as well as physical mettle of boys. The story of a certain Duke who, looking on at the boys playing at Eton, said, " It Avas there the battle of Waterloo was won," is familiar to every one. To come back to the game. Lacrosse as a bene- ficial exercise has no superior. It combines the benefits of several. It brings into operation at one tim.. more muscles than any other game, and equal- izes the exercise over the entire system. Biceps and chest, trained by boxing, are developed at the expense of other muscles and parts left in repose, and the object of exercise is frustrated, that is, the symmetrical development from head to toe, brain as well as muscle. Lacrosse stimulates nutrition, invi- gorates and equalizes the circulation, quickens and frees the function of respiration, strengthens the appetite and digestion, and purifies the blood. Its sociability calls forth a nervous stimulus which acts £ 60 THE PRESENT GAME. 111! : enticingly on the muscles ; and, in accordance with the truest physiological rules of exercise, it has its origin in, and is kept up by, an active mental stimulant, involving a healthy variety of movement which may be proportioned to any age or constitu- tion. It educates the body to speed and agility, and gives one a feeling of freshness and lightness, the true sign of good health. Galen says games of ball cure low spirits, "be it with hand or racket." Does Lacrosse not do any service for mind as well as body ? Certainly it does. It knocks timidity and nonsense out of a young man, training him to tem- perance, confidence, and pluck ; teaches him to govern his temper if he has too much, or rouses it healthily if he has too little. It shames grumpiness out of him, schools his vanity, and makes him a man. It develops judgment and calculation, promptness and decision ; destroys conventionality, and creates a sort of freemasonry which draws men of the same tastes and sympathies together. It has one result, too, which the good Dr. Arnold, of Rugby, foresaw in such healthy exercises when he made them part of his system of instruction, viz., a mingling of Greek with Christian education, " in which the body should THE PRESENT GAME. 51 become the strong instrument of the trained mind and free heart, open to every pure, high, and heroic feeUng." Its moral influence is beyond dispute. SCIENCE AND DEVELOPMENT. There are a few disparagers of Lacrosse who refuse it fealty, because, as they assert, " there is no science in it," though they fail to remember that it is as yet in its infancy among the only men — the whites — who can develop its science, and that it has only recently been brought under the restraint of standard laws, which materially check the old rough-and-tumble play. It takes more than one season to make a good Lacrosse player as well as a cricketer ; and when we study to practise on the principles maturing, there will be just enough of science in the game to make it popular, and not too much to make it a bore. What is " Science" as implied in a sport ? The wrestling and leaping of hounds at play is not science. A cat can spring with more nimbleness than a Lacrosse player, and a young setter will get at a ball on the ground with his fore-paws or his teeth, how- ever quick it may be tipped or frisked with a crosse — but that is not science. Science in a sport implies i! K i ■Mi ^ f i ill u^ 52 THE PRESENT GAME. training and education of the intellect, a high use of the reasoning faculty, and a capacity to experiment and improve, and impart principles of knowledge to another. It can only be a human prerogative. The diflference between it and art is, that science is a collection of the general principles or leading precepts ; art is the skill that applies them. " A principle in science is a rule of art." The theory of Lacrosse is its science — the practice is its art. The science of a sport is not immutable like that of mathematics. The latter is founded upon a few axioms and definitions, and it is impossible to prove Euclid's propositions to one who disputes the axioms. In a sport, however, contingencies and casual circumstances occur, which lead off from some theories into new ones, and such science can never be unalterable and certain. Is the art of Lacrosse based on a science ? Not entirely so, not as much so as cricket ; but that there is science in the game is proved by the fact that many throws, dodges, checks, &c., are explained by fixed principles, from which no one can deviate and be successful. The throw of the ball, for instance, unlike that of a die, is not under the doctrine of chance. THE PRESENT GAME. 53 All things being equal, the rules given for accurate and long shots, &c., are no probability or surmise. No one undertakes to say that principles can be laid down to govern every movement, every part of play — that cannot be expected in any sport. Catlin's and other descriptions of the original game differ very much from the present Lacrosse, and the transformation is palpable even to those who cannot play. Old players can recal the game of ten or twelve years ago, or even three years ago, before the establishment of laws, and will acknowledge the im- provement of the present game, not only in the destruction of the old principle of brute force and hard running, but in the invention of new and superior modes of practice. Many of the general principles of fielding, methods of dodging, throwing, frisking the ball, &c.,were unknown three years ago as a regular art. The game is not played better now because every player trains or is better winded and stronger than the old players, but because it is played on different principles. When the bagged crosse was repudiated, a comparatively new field of development was opened, and a vexatious cause of excessive dispute and dodging removed. The laws of Lacrosse 54 THE PRESENT GAME. created new ranges of thought and experiment ; new theories and principles were laid down, and new modes of practice developed, and more method given to any madness in the game. Science in Lacrosse is brought out by the netting on the stick used, which is not possible in shinty, or games played differently with a different instrument. The various feats with the ball on the crosse are not possible in any other game. The development of science in Lacrosse, has been brought about, too, by the smallness of the fields, or the short distances from goal to goal ; bringing the players to close contests, and necessitating quick feats, and entirely different play from that formerly \/ practised on large fields The whites have only ever beaten the Indians because they played on smaller fields than the latter are accustomed to ; and there is no doubt but that if the red skins had goals half a mile apart, the whites would seldom, if ever, get a chance to touch the ball. The white game differs from the red, in being restricted by that mark of civilization and trespass, the fence, and by the differ- ence of the constitutions of the two people. The mistake some white players make, and which THE PRESENT GAME. 55 or has retarded development, is in trying to imitate the Indian game to the very letter. Now this is simply as absurd as attempting to live as he does. They are differently situated, and the most degenerate have, as a rule, better inherent constitutions than the majority of white men ; and if the present generation of them, modified the game from the original to suit their present habits and mode of life, how much more should we, who are inferior to them in wind and endurance, temper it to suit us. A sensible, thor- oughly civilized people cannot, and should not, play Lacrosse exactly after the manner of the Indian. The fact that they may beat the pale-face, is more a proof of their superior physical nature, than any evidence of their superior science. They play on their old principle of war, viz. : to have the most men at the critical points of attack and defence, and obey no arrangement of any kind. Every Indian feels that where the ball is, there he should be, and though they do not altogether abandon an instinctive disposition, the glory of Lacrosse to them is in the exciting chases after the ball. The Indian village game was not intellectual enough for the whites, and needed systematizing; but never let this improve- 56 THE PRESENT GAME. I : f ment be carried to such extreme as to spoil its extemporaneous peculiarities of fielding, and the general free character, which distinguishes it above all other field games. However much the game has changed, it cannot change much more and retain its charms. Base-ball perfected rounders ; cricket, club-ball ; and the laws of Lacrosse supplied the deficiencies existing before they were formed. The game can never change from its present character as it did from its original ; it is not desirable that it should. Neither can old methods of play ever become useless, unless the game becomes so revolutionized that it will no longer be the attractive game it is. If old styles of throw- ing, dodging and checking were ever good, they can never become obsolete ; nor can any developments of science ever make a good hard player a nonentity. The metamorphosis of tne game was completed when the laws were formed; its general character can undergo little other change, though the methods of play in every department must become more nume- rous and improved, as knowledge of the game increases. That Lacrosse can never be as scientific a game n THE PRESENT GAME. 57 as cricket is freely acknowledged ; but that it suffers thereby is not believed. The genuine worth of any physical recreation is in keeping the physical above the mental, for once the mind is paramount to the body, the object of bodily exercise is frustrated. The science in Lacrosse will be more prominent when rough play is ousted, and men learn to play up to the strict letter of the law. If this science is to be developed, rough brute force play must end ; not the hard running, nor the occasional honest shoulder encounters, but the slashing and swiping and wound- ing bi/ crosses. But supposing it was granted that there is no science in the game — can that make it a whit less popular, or less healthy ? How much science is there in boating, independant of strong arms, and are all regattas to be despised ? How much is there in snow- shoeing and toboganing — those glorious winter sports of Canada, — and who will dare impugn the moon- light tramps over Mount Royal, or cast the suspicion of a sneer at swift rides down Montmorenci cone ? LACROSSE — THE NATIONAL GAME OF CANADA. I believe that I was the first to propose the y «8 THE PRESENT GAME. game of Lacrosse as the national game of Canada in 1859 ; and a few months preceding the pro- clamation of Her Majesty, uniting the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, into one Dominion, a letter headed " Lacrosse — Our National Field Game," published by me in the Montreal Daily JVeivs, in April, 1867, was printed off and distributed throughout the whole Dominion, and was copied into many of the public papers. A circular giving minute instructions about the game, was after- wards distributed, and over sixty answers received from parties in all parts of Canada, who were after- wards instrumental in organizing clubs. On the day which created the greater part of British America a Dominion, the game of Lacrosse was adopted as the national game, and it was appropriate and auspicious that this should be so. The fact that it was to be the national game, spread throughout the country, and gave it popularity in districts where it had never been seen or heard of before, and where other field sports had been played for years. Suggestive as the spread of the game is of its attractiveness, it must also suggest happy ideas of the patriotism of Young Canada. L THE PRESENT GAME. 59 ^ It may seem frivolous, at first consideration, to associate this feeling of nationality with a field game, but history proves it to be a strong and important influence. Cricket and curling have their national and nationalizing influences on their respective admi- rers, and so may Lacrosse. Whatever tends to cultivate this nationality is no frivolous influence, }ven should it be a boyish sport. If the Republic of Greece was indebted to the Olympian games ; if England has cause to bless the name of cricket, so may Canada be proud of Lacrosse. It has raised a young manhood through- out the Dominion to active, healthy exercise ; it has originated a popular feeling in favor of physical exercise, and has, perhaps, done more than anything else to invoke the sentiment of patriotism among young men in Canada ; and if this sentiment is desi- rable abroad, surely it is at home. • L \ \ lil'i CHAPTER IV. HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS OF LACROSSE. Nothing adds more to the interest manifested in scenery, than its association with remarkable events in the history of the country. Such associations hover over the Plains of Abraham, Chateauguay, Queenstown Heights, and Ridge way, with a classic reminiscence ; sweep away from present view noble cities, and revive the dense forest and the Indian village. Deadly struggles are re-enacted on battle fields where now the clover blooms, and " lowing herds wind slowly o*er the lea.*' Old chateaux, forts, and windmills bring to mind tradi- tional occurences connected with the Indian and French regime; and the pure Indian, — now a nonen- tity — stalks forth in his degenerate posterity, a subject of curiosity, but a blot on the escutcheon of "paleface" humanity. The same associations are interwoven with the ^m-M I ASSOCIATIONS OF LACROSSE. 61 original game of Lacrosse, in a most thrilling tragedy of colonial history, which occurred about four months after the signing of tlie Treaty of Peace at Paris in 1763, between the Sovereigns of England, France and Spain, — we refer to the sur- prise and massacre of the British garrison of Fort Michillimackinac, by a party of Indian Lacrosse players, during a grand exhibition game before the Fort. To thoroughly understand the occurrence we must retrace our view to the motives which prompted the massacre, — the prologue, as it were, of the tragedy. In the contests between England and France for dominion on this continent, the red men ot the forest were always found convenient and willing auxiliaries ; treacherous and unstable, 'tis true, but faithful in following their instinct for war, on whichever side they fought. When the country was first discovered, the Indian tribes had been at war with each other for unknown years ; the arrow and the tomahawk had decimated numerous tribes, and the chief end of the red skins was to develop the instincts of war, and accumulate scalps in preference to the richest furs. On the 13th of September, 1759, was fought the 62 ASSOCIATIONS OF LACROSSE. battle which sealed the fate of Canada, and though the colony was virtually conquered when Quebec was taken, the French still garrisoned the rest of the country. On the 8th of September, 1760, the Marquis de Vaudreuil, the last of the French gover- nors, signed the capitulation of Canada ; and the arrival at Montreal on the same day of the three armies of Sir Jeffrey Amherst, Col. Haviland, and Gen. Murray, consummated the surrender. The western outposts, however, still hoisted the fleur de lys^ and a provincial officer. Major Robert Rogers, was com- missioned by Amherst, on the 12th of September, to ascend the lakes with a body of hunters and back- woodsmen called " Rogers' Rangers," and take possession in the nanij of the King of En,i!;land, of Detroit, Michillimackinac, and the other posts includ- ed in the capitulati<)n. Rogers coveted the duty assigned him ; it suited his mood exactly ; and on the I'iMh. he left with 200 men in fifteen whale boats, and was hitercepted where iiow stands the city of Cleve- land, Ohio, by Pontiac, the Indian lord of the coun- try. Rogers told him of the capitulation and the object of his expedition, and Pontiac expressed his desire to hve at peace with the English, though he .1 1 ASSOCIATIONS OF LACROSSE. 63 had been a firm ally of the French. As a tangible proof of his sincerity he saved Rogers and his men from an impending onslaught of 400 Detroit Indians. Arriving at Detroit, where the news of the capitul- ation had preceded him, Rogers demanded its sur- render, and " the fleur de lys was lowered from the flag-staff, and the cross of St. George rose aloft in its place, while seven hundred Indian warriors, lately the active allies of France, greeted the sight with a burst of triumphant yells," The forts Miami, Oua- tanon, Michillimackhiac, St. Marie, Green Bay and Ft. Joseph were next severally surrendered, and the capitulation was complete. England had now an opportunity of making her dominion permanently secure by a policy of con- ciHation and probity, but the same blunders of government, the same absolute lawlessness and unrestrained hidividual liberty to abuse the natives, which hastened the decline of Frencr; rule, alienated the favor of the Indian from the English, and depriv- ed them of moral and physical authority. It must be borne hi mind that the chain of forts extending from Lake Michigan to Niagara were built by the French under the pretence that they 1 I 64 ASSOCIATIONS OF LACROSSE. vere to be used as trading houses, for the mutual interest of the government and the natives. From these forts the Indians derived inestimable advan- tages. Jesuit missionaries worked themselves into the sympathies of the Indians ; French officers and soldiers appeared to assimilate themselves to manj of their wild habits, and, like Frontenac, occasionally arrayed themselves in the garb of Indian warriors, and joined in the war dance with that art of accom- modation so illustrative of French character. " The French became savages," says Charlevois, " instead of the savages becoming French.'* French com- merce ornamented every wigwam ; the mirrors of Paris pleased the vanity while they reflected the features of stately warrior and dark-eyed squaw ; yet French power was never relaxed, for while they courted the favor of the natives they showed their might, and while " caressing with one hand held a drawn sword in the other." Indian vanity and love for ** presents" was sagaciously fed; the novelties of Europe were lavishly distributed ; even guns, ammunition and clothing wc-e given with a genero- sity which won the heart of the red-skin. A French- man might have slept as soundly and securely in IT ASSOCIATIONS OF LACROSSE. 65 any Indian wigwam as on the softest couch of " la belle France." With the chan2;e of dominion came a change of conduct. No longer were the forts attractive : the Indians were snubbed and abused by the red-coats > their savage conceit and dignity was outraged and contemned. English fur traders cheated them ; settlers invadc(. their best lands, and cut down their forests. "Who goes there?" and a musket at the charge was now the orthodox reception at the forts ; conciliation was turned to insult, flattery to repulsion, and the usual "presents" altogether ceased. The difference was not so much a premeditated invention of the government to injure the Indian, as it was a difference in the nature of the new rulers. The English were blunt and stern, because it was their nature ; they truckled to no one ; asked no favours and gave none. There was an clement of diplomacy, however, in the French conduct towards the Indians, which served them better than resort to the logic of the bayonet, and it would have been wiser for I^ritish supremacy, and have averted several disasters which followed the defeat of the French, had their con- ciliatory policy l)ecn adopted. F 66 ASSOCIATIONS OF LACROSSE. By active misrepresentation the French added fuel to the flame of Indian discontent. The tribes -were incited by them to take up arms, under the fear of be- ing exterminated by the EngHsh ; and were assured that the armies of the King of France, were on their way up the St. Lawrence and Mississippi, to defend and aid them, and, what seemed the most moving argument, to bring them ship loads of " presents." Indeed, we have always thought that there was something of French diplomacy and generalship in the conspiracy which has been named after and attributed to Pontiac. It has always seemed to us as if it was too comprehensive, too methodical, too vast for his conception ; and though he was made the responsible instrument of its accomplishment, it exhibits the genius of a master mind in tactics, a flavor of Napoleonic strategy ; as if the generalship which failed to preserve the country had conceived a brilliant plan of revenge. Several plots to destroy the English garrisons between 1761 and 1762 were discovered and frus- trated ; but at the close of the latter year, was planned the " Conspiracy of Pontiac." Pontiac was the great high chief of the Ottawas, \ ASSOCIATIONS OF LACROSSE. 67 and head of the confederacy formed by that tribe, the Ojibways and Pottawattamies. lie is repre- sented as of the average height, very dark red complexion, bold and determined expression : and when we remember that the Indian chief had no legal authority over his men ; that, though he was followed and acknowledged as leader, there was none of that respect and distinction which exists between the officers and men of an army, we may have some idea of his pre-eminent ability. None of his con- temporaries or imitators Avere equal to him, or ever held such sway. Eighteen nations chose him as their united leader : his individuality was marked ; he was Pontiac and no one else. His speeches, if correctly reported, — which we doubt of all Indian speeches, — prove him to have been of a higher sphere of thought than his race has usually produced ; but he was as genuine a savage as ever trod the forest, or scalped a skull. There was a contagion in his courage, and his greatness raised the reputation for valor of the tribes who fought with him ; but we believe tliat the influence of the French, and the powers they brought to bear upon him, had much to do in training a character which has been made 68 ASSOCIATIONS OF LACROSSE. SO fiimous in the cnnals of Indian history and the early associations of Lacrosse. The war belt of black and purple wampum had been sent to all the nations of the Ohio and its tril)utaries, the upper lakes, the borders of the river Ottawa, and the mouth of the Mississippi, and with the exception of the Irocpiois confederacy — except the Scnecas who joined the rest, — all the tribes accepted the invitation and prepared for war. Pontiac held several councils of the warriors ; the plans were discussed and decided upon, but nothing was said of the ball-i)lay snare. It would seem as if that portion of the plan was a new ruse decided upon after the failure of the first attempt upon Detroit ; as the scheme there tried, and which was frustrated through the revelations of an Ojibway girl, was to obtain admittance to the fort, and during a council meeting, suddenly fall upon and massacre the officers, while the Indians outside would fall upon the garrison. The next afternoon, to calm the appre- hensions of the garrison, Pontiac summoned the players of the different tribes to a game of ball, on the common adjacent to the fort ; and it is V ossible that it was this occasion which suofi-ested the eo^ 4 ASSOCIATIONS OF LACROSSE. 09 ball-play ruse. On the following morning (0th of May) he sought entrance to the fort for himself and all his warriors, but was refused such a carte blanche., though offered a personal admittance. Seeing his designs thus detected, he forgot dissimulation, and with a savage expression on his face, turned and left, while his warriors, yelling like fiends, took immediate revenge by massacring the few English settlers who lived near the fort and its vicinity. Pontiac, however, had no hand in this, as he had crossed the river in a canoe to the Ottawa vil- lage, where he gave vent to his threats of ven- geance. A general attack now ensued, and the inmates of the chain of forts had a sleepless time, and a terrible fate in view ; but '* Britons, you know," said a letter from Detroit, " never shrink. We always appeared gay to spite the rascals." Passing over the rout of Lieut. Cuyler's detach- ment, and the capture of Forts Sandusky, St. Joseph, Ouatanon, Miami, Presiju Isle, and the posts of Le Eoeuf and Venago, Niagara not having been attacked, and Pittsburgh having been saved by Col. Bradstreet, let us take up the thread of our narrative at 70 ASSOCIATIONS OF LACROSSE. Micliillimackinac, the third of the fated garrisons to fall. The ancient route to Miehillimackinac, and the one followed in 1703 by the English fur traders was up the Ottawa, and along a suc- cession of small lakes and rivers ; or by Detroit and the lakes of St. Clair and Huron. Some years ago, Parkman made a personal examination of that fort, where, says he, " the stumps of the pickets and the foundations of the houses may still be traced." Miehillimackinac — an Algomjuin word, signifying the Great Turtle, and applied also to a nei'■'" 104 FACING. There are modifications of every face, and others entirely different from those described. So far, there has been little development in this part of the game, and Centres scarcely ever calculate doing more than forcing the ball from their opponent to an indefinite point, away from their own defence, where it is as likely to be caught by an antagonist as an ally. It may seem unimportant as to which side gets the ball at the start, but if it is dangerous at all during the game, how much more so when the men are fresh ? Games won in one or two minutes are nearly always taken this way. The simplest methods of facing need practice. The more complicated may seem easier to describe than to perform, but we have personally seen methods of facing, and general points of play among the Indians, in their village games, which they never attempt or risk on pale-face grounds. There is more scope for experiment in facing than at first sight seems possible, and the variations here suggested are a few such, which may by practice be made useful when Centres meet antagonists as well posted in old methods as themselves. There is a spontaniety required in all methods which cannot be made into KW'^'WIFy^'^r' Mimmfi •I' '"' i>"-»iMWi»)iJ'^«v"»"-i'fW'™i>"_i".,j , ".""I- ','H.'M^"■,'!^'^«sll!^J(!^^^)!l^fl^ FACING. 105 axioms. Not only the single draw, or hook, or tip, but anticipating or retrieving slips by double catches, is an important part of the art of facing. When a ball is taken up with the hand, as in Rules XIII. and XIV., it is usual to face with the nearest opponent, by throwing it straight up in the air, both men striking at it as it descends. -'■■r-fPWT^'*"," CHAPTER YIII. THROWING THE BALL. Nothing in Lacrosse offers more scope for develop- ment than the throwing of the ball, and yet nothing has been more neglected in theory and practice. The number of useless and miscalculated shots, the mistakes in timing and speed, are far beyond the aggregate of throws that are successful ; and when we consider the games made wild and tedious, and the opportunities lost by bad throwing, it would seem to call for reform and systematic improvement. For years we have endeavoured, in conjunction with others, to impress upon our brotherhood the value of practising throwing, especially into each other's crosses ; but men resisted what they considered tedious practice compared to the excitement of a game. True enough it is ; but so is the training to a gymnast, and the goose-step to a subaltern, but they !■■: f THROWING THE BALL. 107 lead to perfection. It is a great mistake to suppose you can make good players by an immediate rush into hot games. There is no royal road to Lacrosse any more than to geometry ; and though you may pick up what may seem to be a successful style by playing the game, ignorant of its principles, it will no more compare to genuine Lacrosse than sliding on a chip does to toboganing. To assert that you can learn to play as well by intuition as by rule, is to deny that there are first principles in the game, and it would be as useless trying to teach you as trying to prove Euclid's proportions to a man who disputes the axioms. If you feel yourself such an incarnation of genius that you think you know everything about the game, you'll find yourself left behind, and may say au revoir to your chances of election on " the first twelve." There are so few really good throwers in a club that they stand out as exceptions. There are many able to throw to any point from any distance when they have it all their own way ; but the essence of good play is to be able to do this in the excitement of having an opponent at your heels ; to have more ways than one, and to be able to throw accurately and quickly to any point, from whatever position you 108 THROWING THE BALL. may happen to be in, when circumstances are such that you should not keep the ball. It is common to see men checked, while turning to the only position from which they are habituated to throw. Many players are like the gentleman with a short-lived reputation as a vocalist, who, when called upon to sing, had only in his repertoire one verse of "Ye Mariners of England," and the chorus of " Rule Britannia ;" their throws are not only limited in number and variety, but those they do know are not known to the perfection they might be. A ball thrown to a wrong point may do your side real harm, and it will not come back, like a boomerang, to give you another chance to improve. Many throws are poor because the thrower's methods are limited, and attempts are made to adapt some favorite style to all circumstances. At every game you may see this verified in close-quarter throwing. Few players have more than one or two ways of throwing past a checker, or putting the ball into goal. One or two we know have great variety and ingenuity in this respect. While other men waste throws by long shots, they invent and attempt new methods; and from experience we know their l'.-^?TT^(pr-jr '"T^rj- THROWING THE BALL. 109 shots at goal to be peculiarly puzzling. A checker gets accustomed to a few orthodox thrown-dodges, and in time intercepts them almost invariably. We do not undervalue old or present methods of throwing, but we think there is great room for improvement, and that new and more effective methods can be invented to supersede them at certain times. We presume, then, that we are agreed — 1. That good throwing is essential to good play. 2. That throwing has not been brought to perfection. We divide throws into — 1, long ; 2, medium ; 3, short ; and the varieties of balls into — 1, grounders ; 2, straight ; 3, curved ; 4, hoppers. The rudimentary practices should be short dis- tances, and one of the best ways of learning to throw accurately and quickly, at the same time learning to catch, is practice in The Ring. — About seven or eleven men should form ^ a circle, open at inter- vals of six feet, and gradually increas- ing the distance 6 3 until they get to long throwing. The g ^ men are numbered 1, 2, 3, and so on, always having an odd number. All face the centre of the circle. No. 1 110 THROWING THE BALL. ! I f- starts by throwing easily to No. 2, and the ball goes round the ring, every man trying to throw into the crosse of the number succeeding him After a little of this practice No. 1 throws a curved ball over the head of No. 2 to No. 3 ; No. 3 throws to No. 5 ; No. 5 to No. 7 ; No. 7 to No. 2, and so on. The ring is then gradually enlarged, and the practices varied by different throws and positions. The men may all face to the right, and practice throwing over head to each other. At first the players may look before they throw, but they should practice throwing without seeing their man. All the varieties of throws may be learned in the ring, as well as every method of catching. Several such circles should be formed when the muster is large ; and it will be found one of the very best practices for a few men when the muster is too small for a game. At any time it is infinitely of more use, than the common habit of players standing at each end of the field, and making long, high throws. In the ring you not only learn to throw and catch, but you learn to do both instantly. The arrangement of the circle may be varied in many ways. For " setting up " drill nothing can be better. -r^- THROWING THE BALL. Ill It is almost impossible to mention the whole variety of throws, as so many modifications are made on the spur of the moment, according to circumstances ; but the following will be found prracticable for all cases, and comprise many more than are commonly practised. Special throws should be cultivated as your forte. It is well to know every one, but better to know a few to perfection than half learn many. Almost any throw may be varied into the four kinds named above, by altering the general attitude, the manner of holding the crosse, &c. FRONT THROWS WITH ONE HAND. As a rule the best and most effective throwing is made with both hands on the crosse ; but it is often necessary, and sometimes preferable, to throw with one hand — as, for instance, when so closely checked that you have not time to grasp the stick with the disengaged hand, or when an opportunity offers for a throw into goal which would be lost by the time you would get another grasp. If you want to throw to a man of your side, guard against misjudging the distance, and never attempt it unless 112 THROWING THE BALL. he IS at least within forty feet. To make effective front throws with one hand, always grasp the crosse a little above the middle, thumb on top, the better to guide the impetus. This is one of the best. THROWING OVER THE HEAD OF A CHECKER. It should be done with a part jerk instead of a full sweep upwards, as less liable to a close check. The latter catches the eye of the checker too well. The ball may either be on the top or centre surface of the netting, and necessarily makes a curved throw, but guard against too great altitude or force. The rules relative to the deflection and curvings of the crosse, are applicab]e to all throws with one hand. i ¥■ THROWING INTO GOAL. Draw back your crosse, or carry it thus as you advance, and make a straight forward thrust, either giving the arm full swing, or jerking the ball ofif. A modification of this may be made by carrying the crosse at a right angle from the right hip, as seen in Illustration 11th, and making an incurvation towards the point aimed at, by describing a sweeping curve from right to front. MATERIALS FOR PLAY. 81 the most natural side for each player is the only rule. WEAVING. The material used for weaving must be " cat-gut." (See Rule 1, Sec. 1.) Formerly it was customary to use cord, leather thongs, and moccasin strings, and we have seen stay laces, boot laces and tape utilized for the same purpose. The cat-gut, if good, will be transparent after being prepared in a solution of potash and water. It should be cut into straight strips of uniform thickness, and soaked in water for a few minutes before weaving. The longest strings are used first, and the weaving may be commenced by catching at the collar or peg, passing through the tip hole, across to the second hole, down to the collar or peg, up to the third hole, and so on until the length strings are completed. The inter-weaving is then done by continuing sideways, twisting the gut in a half knot as it has to cross any length string. It is much cheaper to buy than to make a crosse, but every player should learn to weave a netting for himself, as the Indian manufacturers make a hide go a long way, and have no conscientious scruples G 82 MATERIALS FOR PLAY. about sending miserable gut into market. The strongest material we have ever met for the netting, and which may be used alone or interwoven with the regular material, is the clock gut used for clock weights, and which seems to last longer than anything else. The length strings should be made so tight as to prevent the possibility of the netting bagging. The " bag" was instituted by bad players who were fond of dodging, and too lazy or unskilful to learn the art of managing the ball on a flat netting. The difficulty lay in defining a bag, but every player instinctively knows one. There is no such thing in a new crosse ; and, to induce players not to bag, it was agreed years ago by the Montreal and Beaver Clubs to use a leading string resting upon the top of the stick. When the leading string was first proposed it was also suggested to make a certain concavity, below which it would be illegal to bag, thus meeting the baggists half way ; but this was clearly seen to be impossible with the pliable substance used for weaving, and the length of surface exposed to alteration by the vicissitudes of play and damp weather. It would be far easier to lay down a rule for the mathematical ' P MATERIALS FOR PLAY. 83 exactness of the curve and dimensions of the stick than for the concavity of the nettin<^ ; because the latter loses its original shape in using, especially when wet, and would not retain any original concavit v lialf an hour. Picture the confusion when several Crosses would bag below a restricted depth after a game had commenced. The men might present a netting per- fectly flat, before the Umpires, and, when their backs are turned, let out the length strings and make a bag of any depth. There would be many more disputes on this point, if such a law was made, than there ever can be as the law now stands. No pla-yer should own a Crosse suspected of bagging. Prettier and more scientific play is made with a flat surface. The improvements in general play commenced when the old bag was repudiated. the jal THE GOALS. Two goals are required. Two flags constitute a goal ; colors generally scarlet and blue, sometimes very handsomely worked in gold and embroidery. The flag-poles should have iron spikes about two inches long to sink into the ground. The distance from one goal to the other should be proportioned by d 84 MATERIALS FOR PLAY. the number of players ; two hundred yards is a fair length for twelve players a side. THE GOAL CREASE should be distinctly drawn with chalk or the butt of a Crosse. THE GROUND. The more level the ground the more pleasant ; but one may see Lacrosse played in Montreal in lanes, yards, unmacadamized streets, on hills and in rocky valleys. The fewer the stones and the shorter the grass the better. The ground does not absolutely need rolling or preparation of any kind ; but level grounds develop fine play. Lacrosse may be played on ice on skates, or on the snow. The size and nature of the ground changes the character of the game. Men with good wind, who run w^ell, will prefer a long field ; but the real science in Lacrosse, and the beauty and skill of close contests, will be sooner developed on a field where the men are often brought near together. THE BALL. The circumference of the ball is about half an inch less than a cricket ball, and weighs about four ounces, MATERIALS FOR PLAY. 85 of inch ces, less two pennyweights. The weight of balls of the size and quality defined by the laws is nearly always the same. Solid rubber was discarded some years ago as being too heavy. Just before the sun rises, and at dusk, there is a grey misty haze over the ground, and the ball can scarcely be seen in its rapid serial or terrestrial flight. No goal-keeper can stop balls under such circumstances. Would not white rubber balls be an improvement? A white speck can be easily seen on the ground when black is invisible. Painting a black ball white is only a temporary expedient, as the paint soon wears off. DRESS OF THE PLAYER. It has always been the fashion to wear a light dress, and though we would not advocate the nudity of the original players, we think the less and lighter the dress the better. The respective sides in a match should have a distinguishing dress, easily particularized at first glance. Flannel cap, or Have- lock — though some say the latter is an impediment to running, and we know in running races boys always pitch away their caps — tight shirt, knicker- bockers, woollen stockings, and moccasins, sandals, ' I i !. 86 MATERIALS FOR PLAY. light shoes or rubbers, complete the costume. The Montreal and some other Clubs sport pretty jackets, but we disapprove of any covering over a tight fitting shirt. Belts are worn, but we hope some one will introduce instead a light variegated Canadian sash. Gloves are not to be sneered at. Driving gloves, which should protect the wrist from blows, are the best. The palm may be cut out sufiiciently to give a good grasp. \ j RUNNING AND TRAINING. It would be a weakly game of Lacrosse that would be played by one legged men, as cricket is sometimes indulged in between the one leg'd and one arm'd veterans of Greenwich Hospital. A gouty foot, a rheumatic limb, and even the minor affliction of corns and bunions, are the greatest impediment to Lacrosse players. Though there are desperate men who esteem their legs above brains in the game, it must be admitted that unless a man's lower ex- tremities from hip to heel, and indeed the whole man externally and internally, are in prime condition to dash down a common at the rate of a hundred yards in thirteen seconds, and keep it up at intervals, at 5<5Jr MATERIALS FOR PLAY. 87 a men ,it ex- man m to rards 8, at the rate of four or more miles a match, he has little chance of getting on our crack " Twelves," unless ■ his hobby is goal keeping or " home." So much of the success of a player dep'^nds upon his legs that they must be in good condition, requiring a special education in the art of sudden leaping and springing, and of suddenly arresting the speed, which the practice of ordinary running does not give. The directions laid down in the various works for position in running cannot apply to a man carrying the ball on a Crosse, checked and impeded by numerous opponents at all points ; but the general principles are the same. A good runner is always an ac- quisition, providing he masters the real art of play, but is too common a delusion to believe, that because one has gained a reputation for pedestrianism or snow-shoe racing, he is pecuHarly fitted to make a good Lacrosse player. As well expect a cavalry squad to be able to dismount and master the velocipede. TRAINING. Training a " Twelve" has never to our knowledge been systematically applied by any Club, though it is quite as important in Lacrosse as in boating or "rtr""^ ^""^"'^*^^TyFHT"WMV7/i- 'ly j^,^j«iBii .,ipn^^..^,ifp^ ill 88 MATERIALS FOR PLAY. H cricket. Individual separate training as systemati- cally as laid down in books on the subject, applied to Lacrosse, is not only inconvenient for the large majority of players, but decidedly inadvisable ; but every one can avoid excesses of living, eat plain strengthening food, retire and rise early, and exercise sufficiently to develop a fair amount of wind and endurance. For ordinary play, however, absolute training is unnecessary, if the man lives anyway reasonably. The nature of Lacrosse is such that it will not permit " first Twelve " men to live immorally. Indulgence in liquor and tobacco tell on the wind and muscle, especially in America. The nut-brown ale of England, home-brewed in inns historical, is a different thing to the bottled trash and barrelled bitterness imported or made and sold in Canada. The less we know of their taste the better. We can only recall to mind one or two instances where players "finished ofi"" after practice by a spree; and they went to the dogs, and would have gone sooner, we dare say, but for their indulgence in a game which occupied and utilized a share of their leisure. Before a match, players should nurse themselves by temperance and gentle exercise. A night's MATERIALS FOR PLAY. 89 dissipation will counteract a fortnight's training, and the finest pace may be killed by a champagne supper. Apart from individual training to develop and perfect the individual body, we would impress upon " Twelves " the advisability of practical training together, to perfect each other in individual positions, to combine and equalize their action, and to establish mutual confidence. Our theory is that young player should be taught progressively a systematic squad drill, beginning with picking up and mastering the ball on the Crosse, until they know the principles of throwing, catching, checking, &c. ; and that the twelve selected to play on a match should all play on one side at practice as much as possible. Let them take gentle trots together of a quarter of a mile to begin with for a few mornings ; then dashes of a hundred and two hundred yards as hard as they can go; then longer runs of two or four miles. Let them practice a little the art of bringing up suddenly while at full speed, turning around suddenly and dashing back, turning to either side-face and dashing sideways. CHAPTER VI. POSTING AND DIRECTING THE PLAYERS. *4* 1^ ! The men of each side should be posted and directed by the players who tossed up, if they are competent, or by the regular captains. The best way is to have two regularly appointed captains in a club, who always take opposite sides. No one captain can do justice to both sides. The players most generally take up their positions sans ceremonie, but we would suggest the following prelude : After the sides are chosen, and goals selected, each captain draws his men up, facing each other in the centre of the field, and dresses them as companies in line. The men intended for the attack, and those for the defence, should be on the flank nearest to their posts. The two centres, who should be in the centre of the lines, step out and prepare for facing. At the words " take posts " from the senior fPWW' POSTING AND DIRECTING THE PLAYERS. 91 captain, the men run to their positions ; and when all are in place, the ball is started. The manner of posting the men at the beginnmg of a game can have, and needs no absolute rule, as everything depends upon the strength or weakness of the respective sides, the size of the ground, and a variety of seen and unforeseen circumstances. The following diagram illustrates the arrangement gene- rally in favor with the Montreal Club : — P^ So o o » M a < A.— Gcal- keeper. B.-Pomf. C— Cove.' Point. D.-Field. E.-Field. F.— Centre. G.— Field. H.-Do. I.- Do. J.— Dr. K.-Do. Xi.— Home. It will be seen that there are seven in favor of the attack, and only five for defence, in anticipation of the ball being taken by the Montreal centre and .1 I pi|pip||^^U,|.,l,„Jll|.UJ|,l ' ' I 92 POSTING AND DIRECTING THE PLAYERS. passing the defence half of the field. If Centre loses it, the balance of power is preserved by the retreat of one or more of the attack, according to the fluctuations of the game. When there are more than twelve men a-side, the links are nearer: the proportion remaining in favor of the attack. Light, active men are the best for the attack ; heavy men for defence. Occasionally this rule may be reversed, but rarely. The most important positions are those of the imme- diate attack and defence, and, perhaps, Nestor's plan of drawing up troops, might serve to illustrate the tactics for Lacrosse, — the best men first and last, and the weakest in the middle. It is difficult to define or particularize " the best man " in a Lacrosse field, as each one has his forte ; but the positions in the attack and defence develop a reliableness of play, which is not always seen in fielding, where the men may expeirment and venture more, without equal risk. There is no greater delusion in Lacrosse clubs than to suppose, that because a man has made some mark as a player, he is competent to act as captain. There is a combination of mental and physical qualifications required of him, something parallel to those of a good general. His ability to throw to perfection, to check r^'^^v^^ -rmr-r^i" POSTING AND DIRECTING THE PLAYERS. 93 and dodge, no more qualifies him for a captain, than the most thorough knowledge of drill does a soldier for a commander. Directing the men during the fluctuations of a game is mainly a peculiar mental occupation, and needs something beyond the physical attributes of a player. The principles practised by him in play are no criterion for his conduct as cap- tain. The individual and collective positions of his own men, as well as his opponents, in the various evolutions necessary te attack and defence, require to be constantly watched and checked. A captain must know the name of every player of his side, and their special characteristics. Some men are reliable, others risky, others unfortunate. A captain's tactics must depend greatly upon the temperament of his men. Wellington used deployed lines two deep when he had British troops, but at Waterloo he formed the Hessian infantry in columns. With men who thoroughly understand and practice " tacking," or playing to each other, successful movements may be made which would be disaster with raw or egotistic players. In playing Indians, it is always best not to be independent, but rather to post the men to check their arrangement, as they dispose themselves without \imiimVM INIflfil I^'l|"-P^J^WJPJPW|li'.'ffl^'\^ " iw".wi""«'"l^ U POSTING AND DIRECTINQ THE PLAYERS. relation to their white opponents, and are constantly on the move to get away from the vicinity of checks. The freedom of movement necessary in following the ball, prevents posting the men with the same exactitude as in cricket. The positions hardly ever remain the same one minute ; they are altered many times during a match, to push advantages and frustrate attacks. When the game is hard against a side, its captain may require to change his men by bringing certain players to the defence, and placing others nearer home. It may be necessary to put some certain men in the vicinity of certain opponents ; but never allow your men to dog or cling to the heels of an opponent in every step, like a pickpocket, or a i||[||||fe^^^^^^"' When a captain's attack is good, and his side has a marked advantage all through, the fixed points may be more ubiquitous, and fewer men left for the defence. When the opponents change their disposi- by crowding in defence or attack, a good captain may see many opportunities for drawing away some of the points, by a careful and quick extension of his men, when one of hie side gets the ball. The men should not be left to themselves in such a predicament. t- ^-e n-i.il ^>t-<' POSTLNQ AND DIRECTING THE PLAYERS. 95 A captain must put his voice at its most distinct pitch. To order with brevity is important. If a man is seen straying away from a certain opponent towards whom the ball is coming, the captain should call out the name of the man, and follow with the words "check right" or "left," as the case maybe. If there is a certainty of a dodger losing the ball, the man's name should be called out, and followed by the words " throw ;" defining any particular point or man to be thrown to in as few sharp words as possible. Indeed, a captain's duties in a match are so onerous and important, that he should be a practical player and have a good knowledge of the game all through. We wonder that from the ranks, better men have not arisen to make this a specialty. The following suggestion for a Club Registrar for matches is submitted here, to form part of a captain's duties, or of a special scorer. We have often wished for some record of our early matches on the green, and we think this Register would not only be of lasting interest to Clubs, but, perhaps, tend to check rough and foul play, when men know that it would permanently chronicle their reprimands. m. mP 96 I'OSTIXG AND DIRECTING THE PLAYERS. CLUB versus Match Played at Date 18 NmneB ofPlni/era, PoHitionH, Foul Plnu Declared. Goal-Keepke. Point. AffaitiHt Club. i AfraiiiKt Club. ' Ist Game. _ 2nd do. 3rd do. 4th do. 1 Ist Game. 2 2nd do. 3 COVER-POINT. 3rd do. ' 4 Home. 4th d\ 5 Centre. 5th do. '5th do. 6 Fielder. SUSPENSION.S. 7 Do. Club. Club. 8 Do. Do. 9 umpires. 10 Do. Do. 11 referee. Do. 12 1 RESULT. REMARKS. 1st Game won by Time, 2nd do. do. do 3rd do. do. do 4th do. do. do 5th do. do. do THROWIXd THE BALL. 113 at the same time slightly turning the crosse inwards at the completion of the throw. A strong, steady arm and wrist can have groat effect with this throw by altering the deflection and twistings of the crosse, from the beginning to the end of the shot. The ball should be on the lower angle, and run down during the throw. The shot may be either a straight or a grounder, and is generally a twisted ball. An excellent, and undeveloped throw into goal, is made by bringing the crosse quickly around to the rear, and throwing either close past the left leg, or between the legs. It is more puzzling to a goal-keeper, if done smartly, than you would at first suppose, as the ball is hardly seen until it has left the crosse, and the goal-keeper cannot tell whether it will bo thrown from the left side, or from lietween the thrower's legs. It must be done quickly. Another effective shot — much used by the St. Regis Indians — to goal, may be done by reversing the crosse, turning the side you use, with the ball on it, upside down, by a twist of the wrist, and throwing in and downwards. We have seen balls put into goal by bringing the crosse around to the rear, and twisting it so as to il 114 THROWING THE BALL. throw over the left slioulder, bending the body forward as the throw is completed. I i -,> THROWING WITH ROTH HANDS ON THE CROSSE. Faclny Goal. — This is an extension of the one- hand throw, and is sometimes more effective, as the act of chan<5inii; the <^rasp f)uzzles the eye of the keeper; and this is one of the ;reat princif)les of success in ^^etting balls in. The crosse is grasped by the right hand, as in carrying, and, when within a few feet of the j^oal-kceper, the left hand grasps abouc the collar, as the crosse is drawn back to begin the throw. The ball shoidd start from or below the centre surface of the netting ; and it will be found that the addition of the left hand greatly helps to increase the strength of pitch, if used as a sort of lever. This manner of throwing has the adv.intace of concluding with leaving both hands on the crosse, ready for stopping, tipping, or any close play which might be necessary, should the goal-keeper block or cut the ball back. It may often be used to very great advantage to pass a checker on the field, as seen in Illustration 8th ; and may be varied from low to high throws, and to the front or either side. THROWINCi THE BALL. 115 The Throw and Uit. — Used ])iir|)f)>icly at ;j;oal. As you upproiich ^oal, throw the ball up a foot in front, and strike it into the fla^s as it descends, and if you follow the ^^eneral rule, you will not have the least com))unction al)Out striking it into the keeper's face. We would be the last, as goal-keeper, to object to any effort to get the ball in, but reminiscences of a. black eye on one occasion, and a damaged osfrontU on another, constrains us to plead for fellow-victims who may thus possibly be saved maltreatment. It is hardly " play," either, and by no means honorable to practice it. A more reason- able mode would be to try the same princif)le with a grounder or a straight ball below the hip ; letting the ball oft* the crosse, and hitting it into goal. From the Shoulder or Head, FaeuKj Goal. — luring the crosse up to either shoulder, or to the front of the face, with the ])all on the lower angle or centre, grasping with both hands, and bring it (juickly to the front, jerking or sweeping tlic ball off*. There is no necessity of aiming at goal-kee})er's face. This is used a good deal by the St. Regis Indians. Side Thrown. — I'hese are tlie prettiest and most graceful methods, and arc more used than any other, 116 THROWING THE BALL. ii in throwing to goal or to any part on the field. They comprise every variety of throw, and as a general rule, are the most effective and preferable. The body may be in any convenient position for throwing past the left side, though the most natural, is of course the best. One of the most graceful throws in the game is peculiarly Indian, and was greatly in favor in the early days of the Montreal Club, especially in playing to each other. The right hand grasps the butt as usual, the left the collar or above it. If throwing to one of your side, place the ball on the top surface, and pitch from right to left, either ending by a full sweep, or, as is more customary, a jerk. This may be used either for a straight or curved ball, and in throwing to goal as well as to a fielder. We fancy we can tell members of the old Montreal Club by this pitch. After their crosse has laid dor- mant for years, they will take it up, and the first throw will be the parallel side-shot. It is more like the throw from the original stick than any other. Front throws, with one hand, simply re({uire that the ball sliould bo propelled off the crosse as the latter is tliriisfc forward ; but the throw we are now describinii; THROWING THE BALL. 117 'rout ball kr is )mg requires a twist of the stick from the flat side upper- most, so as to bring the tip up. Without this twist, the ball could not be sent to any distance. For long swift shots, run the ball down to the lower angle, and put all possible force into the throw from beginning to end. Illustration 5 shows the prepara- tion the instant before pitching, and immediately after a dodge. If the throw is to be high or straight, elevate the crosse at the end ; if a grounder, depress it. An excellent series of shots may be made at goal by throwing past the left side close to the left leg, and depressing the crosse so as to bring it perpen- dicular. If the thrower partially hides his crosse from the goal-keeper until the ball is off, the line of vision will be shorter, and the shot more likely to puzzle. Over Head. — This is much used by the Indians, and is important in cases where you have not time to use any other to advantage. It is done by picking up the ball in front, and immediately sending it over head ; or may be done more coolly when carrying the ball. The head should be turned (quickly around, and a glance got at %e point to be thrown to ; but it is an advantage to be able to throw accurately in t fi u.^^vuv-i ^' v.' 118 THROWING THE BALL. answer to signals without looking. In many instances during the game, this over-head throw will be found useful, especially during close play, when persistently followed by a checker. The ball should start from the top or centre surface ; but more accurate shots are made by the former. Past Right Side. — Some fine shots to goal can be made past the side of the body which corresponds with the arm used to carry the crosse. The right side of the body half faces the point aimed at ; the right hand grasps the butt, and the left above the collar. A parallel sweep is then given. Over Right or Left Shoulder — This thr jw is often necessary, and is easily made accurate for throwing to any point. May be used for short and long shots, and is identical with the same throw practised in " The Ring." POSITION OF THE BALL ON THE NETTING PREVIOUS TO THROWING. It will be conceded, we think, by players who reflect at all upon the theory of Lacrosse, that the most of throws are more effectively delivered when the ball starts from certain parts of the netting. If 1. THROWIXG THE BALL. 119 the the you observe good throwers, you will see them manoeuvre to get it on a certain part of the crosse just as they are about to throw, and regu- late — often unconsciously — velocity, distance and style by this principle. We do not say that there is an exact focus ; but Ave know there is almost one. The velocity of a ball, propelled with the greatest force, is increased in proportion to its nearness to the termination of the lower angle at the start. The secret of hard, swift throwing is to start the ball from the lower angle, as seen in Illustra- tion 5 th. A ball can be thrown farther from the lower angle than from any other part of the crosse. Long shots can be well guided, if thrown from the lower angle ; but medium throws are better guided, as a rule, if thrown from the centre or top surface. Throws of the same kind may require more or less impulse, according to the point thrown to. A throw to a man of your side, as a rule, requires a different momentum — and conseiiuently a diiferent starting place on the netting — than the same throw to goal. If you make a certain throw to a man, and expect 120 THROWING THE BALL. liim to catch it, it is not likely you want to throw in the same way to the goal you are attacking. It is not uncommon to regulate the accuracy and speed of the short shots by a certain guard of the muscles, and a physical control of the wrist and arm ; when the fact is, that the position of the ball on the netting is the surer guide. It may not be generally known, even by old players, that a goal-keeper can easier judge a thrown ball, if it starts from and leaves the same part of the netting, providing, of course, that he sees the beginning and end of the throw. We have proved this a hundred times ; and believe the reason is that the ball does not twist the same? and sometimes not at all, when it leaves the spot it starts from, and that the line of vision between the goal-keeper's eye and it, as it originally lies on the stick in the action of bemnnino; the throw, is less unbroken. When a ball is thrown by one hand, at goal, from the top surface, its momentum is less, and it has no netting to roll over, and the eye quicker catches its direction ; but if thrown from the centre or lower angle its momentum is corres- pondingly greater, and the length it rolls, as well Wimp^vmw i.rT'T'?vw(TWfn-'>iT'nTT''T ■ '"^"v^-Trp'w ''-^ THROWING THE BALL. 121 as the speed it gets, makes it a more effective and dangerous shot. VARIETIES OF SHOTS. It is well to remember that there are four varieties of balls, all of which are different in their effect, and that they are differently delivered, according as the shot is to a player of your side or to goal. Straight Balls are those thrown within the height of the flag-poles, and which do not touch the ground en route. If swift and accurate, they are very effective at goal, and are absolutely indispensable on the field for short, quick throws. Thrown at the flags, goal-keeper's difficulty of stopping them is increased in ratio as the ball meets his centre, thus : — 1. Below the knee. 2. The knee. 3. The head, or above it. 4. Chest. 5. Stomach. The latter is the most difficult ball to stop when it shoots within a foot of the goal-keeper's body, to •'^^^^rrj'P^frfpWimK'^r^ 'm^ ..^.('"VT"*^ 122 THROWING THE BALL. either side ; because, if it m unforeseen and sudden, as most all shots are to goal-keeper, it meets the part of his crosse (the lower angle) which offers the smallest surface for stopping, and, in attempting to block, his arms are cramped. When you get between point and goal-keeper, and have a chance to throw into the flags, prefer a straight throw on a line with the centre of the keeper's body. Grounders are those thrown along the ground, and are mostly used at goal. May be any speed or distance, and though easier to stop than any others, they are always insinuating and puzzling, especially if thrown from a short distance. They are most effective at dusk, as they cannot be seon quickly when thrown swift. Hoppers are those which strike the ground in front of goal from a curved throw oi- grounder, and hop or rise suddenly. All grounders are liable to this on uneven ground. The home men should examine the ground near goal, and if they see a furrow or ridge parallel or opposite, make use of it by throwing swift grounders which will strike them. The theory of hoppers is, that if started as grounders the goal-keeper prepares to receive them THROWING THE BALL. 123 as such ; and when they rise, they hop so suddenly that he may not bring up his crosse sufficiently quick to stop them. This fact will make the player cautious about throwing grounders to men of his own side on a rough ground. Curved Throws are those thrown in a curve> either on the field or at goal. In general field play they are very much used, and have a pretty efiect as they rise and fall. They are preferable whenever you cannot throw the ball to a point without the possibility of its being stopped on the way ; also when your home men are at the enemy's goal- crease ready to strike them in, and whenever the sun is in goal-keeper's eyes. Slow curvilinear balls dropped into the flags from any distance are harder to judge than any other. The Indians know this ; they always throw them when their home is at the goal-crease. This pitching on instead of at goal has been much overlooked in pale-face play. y SWIFT AND SLOW BALLS. It is sometimes necessary to throw swift, and sometimes slow. Whenever it is an object to throw 124 TimOWIXG THE BALL. to a man of your side, the sooner the ball gets to him the better ; and if a swift throw will facili- tate that end better than a slow, by all means throw swift. In throwing to goal, however, we wish to correct a delusion, and that is, that " swift shots are more likely to win games than slow." We have lost more games by the latter, and believe it to be the experience of every goal- keeper, white and red. Slow balls at cricket are harder to time. Most batsmen like fast bowling. If only swift balls took wickets, where would be the bowling fame of George Parr ? In goal we find swift shots easier to time and stop than slow, because they do not deviate as much from the original line, and are not as likely to slip. Of course, if a goal-keeper is afraid of them, swift balls will soon knock him end-ways. Curved balls get any speed they may have, from the altitude from which they fall and the distance they were throw^n, and their speed cannot be regulated to ensure accuracy. If either the ball or the netting of the crosse are wet, the throw is easier accelerated, though velocity is mainly regulated by the force put into the WT^^7"T^'''.f< It.-" iiiiifi. ii«n TIIROWIXG THE BALL. 125 gets pitch. All swift shots require a tight grasp of the crosse, and a sudden jerking propulsion. LONG AND HIGH THROWS. Long throws are more fashionable than advisable, and more pretty than necessary. If men are par- ticular about fielding, and can plav into each other's crosses, it is scarcely ever absolutely preferable to make a long shot. It must be a principle in Lacrosse as in war, to never waste your shot ; and the tendency of long throwing is to be made the rule, and to destroy confidence in one another. It will be found, too, that men noted for long pitches are apt to neglect short practice, and are deficient in that nice per- ception which guides the variations of thrown dodges, frisking, &c. However, this is not always so, and long throws are sometimes important, when, for instance, they completely destroy a strong bunching attack. When your goal is crowded, or the enemy have managed to rally more men to the attack than you have for defence, a long, judicious throw checkmates the assault, and gives an advantage to your side, who are stronger where the ball falls, in consequence of the bunching attack of your opponents. 120 TIIROWIX(} THE IJALL. The average long throw with the reguhition crosso is about 120 yards, but our crack throwers average 140, and several have thrown from 100 to 190 yards. The pale-face throws farther than the red-skin. If you must make a long shot, do not make it too high. High throws in Lacrosse are as ineffective as high hits in cricket, and we know the latter make low averages. Twenty feet high is a good heiglit for general throwing ; but it will be remembered, of course, that the same law of gravitation in long shots applies to long throws, and the farther you want to send the ball the greater must be its elevation. It is too common, though, to make high throws for the sake of show and individual applause ; and once men go to work to please spectators, without consulting the first principles of scientific play, then all chance of improvement ends. " The shortest distance between two points is straight out." Apjily this rule to every long throw. Supposing you throw to one of your side who has one or two opponents in his vicinity, you evidently want him to get it Avith impunity. Now, the higher you throw, the more time is lost in the ascent and descent, TIIROWINO THE BALL. 127 and the opponents profit by it, because they see the point aimed at, and reach it as soon, and perhaps sooner, than the ball. It needs no great knowled;j;e of Dynamics to understand, that the higher a ball is thrown, the more its speed is retarded in rising, und accelerated in the fall ; and consequently, that accurate calculation as to the time it will take to send it to a given point, cannot be made with the same certainty as if it was thrown straight. throw. one w ant )r you ?scent, THROWING TO GOAL. All throws to goal should depend upon the attitude and reputation of the keeper. If he is fearless of swift balls, give him slow, and vice versa. If he stands in the exact centre, throw at the side corresponding to the hand which grasps the butt of his stick. For instance, if his right hand is at the butt, throw past his right side, and vice versa. The theory of this is, that it cramps the arms and crosse a little more to stop balls, especially grounders and low straights, which come on the same side as that which corresponds to the carrying grasp, as that arm is then partly in the way. If he stands to one side, throw at the side most open. If goal-keeper's , Hi' ill 128 THROWING THE BALL. crossc is held as if expecting a curved ball, throw a grounder ; if down, expecting a grounder, throw a straight or curved ; if held in the position of " ready," make your best and favorite shot. PRECISION. To throw with precision should be your aim ; not only to throw about where one of your men is, but to throw into his crosse ; not merely to throw to goal, but to either side, high or low of the keeper. Precision depends upon steady arms and wrists, ke(ni eyes, and a perfect command of the ball on the crosse. The arms and eyes work together. Always take time to aim when possible. Keep a stiff grasp of the stick. DEFLECTION. If the wind is strong you must make allowance for deflection, especially in long throws, either by throw- ing with more force, or more to windward of the point aimed at. You can tell the way the wind blows by the goal flags. LOOK BEFORE YOU THROW. The slightest glance at the point to be thrown to is of the greatest importance to make a dead shot. THROWING THE BALL. 129 You may and should be able to throw well without it, but sure shots without it are more the exception than the rule. Looking is almost e({uivalent to aiming, and whether you aim deliberately or imper- ceptibly, it materially affects your shot. A practised thrower learns to pitch to a point quickly and with precision, as an old sportsman learns to bring his gun up to his shoulder, and fire with an unconscious aim. The arms and wrists must be educated to obey the eye. As a general thing, you have no chance for slow calculation, and whether you have or not, it is advisable to practise throwing instan- taneously. Keep your eye on the point aimed at until the ball has left your crosse, or let it follow the ball the instant it leaves the netting:. for row- the v'ind to is shot. TWISTING THE BALL. Many players deny that the ball can be twisted by pre-meditation. We acknowledge it is the acme of difficulty to do it, but we are convinced thnt it can be done, though not always. It is sometimes done unknowingly, when throwing to goal. The theory of twisted balls is this : all balls thrown from K '.1^^ jf,fii'"irT*j" jw- 130 THROWING THE BALL. i a Crosse, rotate to a certain extent, but they are more circular than rotatory, — that is, they revolve more around the circle, as when thrown along the ground, then spin on their own axis. The effect of a mere circular spinning ball when blocked by the goal- keeper, is, at the most, to revolve up or down the length of the netting ; but a rotatory ball twists across the face of the netting, from right to left, or left to right. The result is evident. The width of the netting being much narrower than the length, the ball is more likeb to twist off into goal. You cannot twist grounders in this way. To twist straight and curved balls, requires a knack of the wrists and arms, to give the ball a twist from right to left on the crosse as it is leaving. It should leave the crosse at the bend, or if the throw is short, a little below. The ball should have a ring painted around it, by which you can see the spin. If the ball aad crosse are wet, the spin is greater. If a perfect twist could be given to the ball, so that it would spin from right to left, or left to right, when it is blocked, there is no doubt but that " blocking" such shots would be almost as risky as trying to catch them. Here is a chance for invention — ^how to make the *•*. THROWING THE BALL. 131 ball twist on its own axis with certainty ; for we do not say we have discovered the correct principle. DO NOT HESITATE WHEN THROWING. One of the most important qualifications of a good thrower, is to pitch with as little hesitation as possible. It is aggravating to see a man holding the ball and looking for the best place to throw ; and though it is well to pitch to the best place, it is folly waiting until a checker gets so near, that your anticipated throw is spoiled, and the man you proposed throwing to, probably checked while you were waiting. If you decide to throw, get all the opportunity and space you can, and do not risk a check. " There's many a sHp," &c. ; and if you do slip, and a checker within a few feet, your chances of retrieving it will be much lessened. The necessity for throwing very swift — when the ball is to be thrown to a player not checked, but about to be — would often be avoided by throwing instantly. THROW GRACEFULLY. Do not work your whole body as if you intended propelling yourself after the ball, or were griped. ^.fi^wqiwiiwi'M .>i'-((inflji.?^'.^5f,,« piii|'*i^;»7-*i|w"iT , iij|i*i , I i?pj_^i jii 132 THROWING THE BALL. The ball seems to come to goal more suddenly from a thrower who merely uses his aims. The arms are the motive powers of propulsion, though certainly much force can be added by the body. The position in which you throw must be governed by circum- stances, such as the chance and room you have, and the point to which you wish to pitch. A man who bends his body much at throwing to goal, gives goal keeper a preparatory warning where the ball is coming. We learned to know the part of the goal at which the ball would likely have to be stop];^ed, by the position some awkward throwers assumed in the first act of pitching. ililli DANGEROUS THROWING. Almost any throw may be made dangerous if you like, or do not care. Nearly all old players, and too many new ones, can relate some instance of personal temporary injury from dangerous throws ; and there seems something so deliberately wicked in rash methods of throwing, when men know they must hurt some one, that we wonder any player of feeling or honour would use them. No hurt is an accident when you deliberately use the means almost certain THROWING THE BALL. 133 of causing one ; and we know no more disagreeable companion on the field, than a player who has a reputation for sending balls at the faces, stomachs, and legs of his rivals. A few general rules and wJ have done with this chapter. Never empty or give the ball into the crosse of another player to throw. When necessary to throw to a man closely checked, pitch a little beyond him, if he is good at a dash. Never touch the ball with your hand, to press it into the leading string before pitching. Above all, have confidence in your side, and remember that the greatest accuracy and skill are of little avail, if you ignore throwing into the crosses of your own men. ! I Mi i 'mv HI CHAPTER IX. CATCHING, AND CARRYING THE BALL. Catching. — You may be the best catch of a cricketing eleven, or a base ball nine, but to catch a ball on a crosse is quite a different art. I never yet saw it done in the easiest way, by men who handle a crosse for the first time, though every day you may hear theorists talk of its simplicity. It is easy enough to hold your crosse so that a ball thrown to you may fall on the netting, but the difficulty consists in keeping it, especially if your netting conforms to the regulations. It is an antithesis of catching, that nothing is harder at first, and nothing easier when learned. To catch with a bagged crosse is no art whatever ; to catch and play with the netting flat is the per- fection of catching, because it makes your play scientific. It was not unusual before laws were III! CATCHING, AND CARRYING THE BALL. 135 made, to find the best catchers those who had bagged netting, and there were passable players who could not play at all when obliged to use the netting flat. Wlien you find you must resort to bagging, to make you equal with others, you may be convinced you have yet to learn the very elements of good and sci ntific play. The Indians are celebrated for catching, and yet, observe the paltry net work of their sticks, as a rule, and without the least bag. We remember that at the match before H. R. H. the Prince of Wales, of twenty-five Indians, only one carried a stick which would not have passed the inspection of the Umpires, and yet one special feature of that match was their magnificent catching. Catching, however, has always been their hereditary acomplishment. When the original stick was used they played for hours with- out missing a catch ; Lanman says, "it is sometimes kept from touching the ground for a whole after- noon." Sandford, in his History of the United States, also says, " the ball seldom touches the ground." If you look at the size and shape of the original stick, you will understand the difficulty of such play, and may feel that catching in our game, 136 CATCHING, AND CARRYING THE BALL. Ill with our larger netting, is far from practised to the perfection it might be. Old custom, and the first laws, allowed touching the ball with the hand, to block or pat it on to the crosse, but in the excitement of the game it degenerated into deliberate catching. The result was that the new laws prohibited any touching of the ball with the hand during play, except when by goal-keeper inside the goal crease, or when it was taken out of a hole to face. The Indians, from the earliest times, were prohibited touching the ball with the hand ; and in the village games at Caughnawaga and St. Regis, it is still con- sidered unfair to touch it in any way, and a penalty of " facing " from the spot where the ball was touched is strictly enforced. That permission to touch with the hand developed some beautiful play cannot be doubted, but its tendency was to extremes, and to cause disputes, and its abolition became a necessity. Since the interdiction, catchers have paid more attention to real expertness in handling the crosse, and the art has become more finished. We take it for granted that you repudiate a CATCHING, AND CARRYING THE BALL. 137 bagged netting ; but avoid dry, hard cat-gut, as it not only cracks on bending, but renders your catching unnecessarily difficult. Soft cat-gut deadeng the bounce, and enables you to manoeuvre the ball with more grace and prom})tness, than when it is hard. The simplicity of catching is to catch slow balls thrown from a short distance ; the high art is to catch long or short swift balls, especially when you run out to meet them, whether thrown to you or to an opponent : also the variety of quick catches occurring in close quarter play. Preliminary practice is of the greatest importance, and the best and surest way of learning the rudiments, as well as the high art in catching, is to practise quietly with some one or two players, or even alone. Your very first lesson must be learned alone, and I would suggest the following series : First — The perpendicular throw and catch ; beginning at a low altitude, and increasing as you find you perfect yourself in each successive height. Next throw the ball from different distances and to different points of a high wall or fence, catching as it rebounds. Next, stand alone, and throw upwards 138 CATCHING, AND CARRYING THE BALL. and outwards, so that you will have to make short dashes to catch ; next upwards and backwards, so that you will have to turn around and run backwards to catch. Then hold your crosse out at arms' length, right and left alternately, and practise a semi-circular throw, and catch from one side to the other ; first, from right, over head to left, and vice versa. After you have learned the art alone, and can catch and keep balls, practise in the ring, as described on page 109. There are many variations of catching, but master the following and any others will naturally be easy : 1. Descending Balls. — If you catch a descending ball before it touches the ground you gain an advantage. In a game where every movement of play you make with the ball is liable to check, success often depends upon the advantages gained in seconds. If the ball is descending from a high perpendicular throw, as if thrown straight up, or if descending in a curve, hold your crosse to the front, right hand at the butt, left above the collar, and when the ball is about two or three feet above the level of your head, make a thrust upwards to meet it, — something CATCHING, AND CARRYING THE BALL. 139 similar to the " high thrust " in the hayonet exercise ; and when it is within a few inches let your crosse nink before it, imperceptibly slackening, until the ball rests^ as it were, upon the netting. As soon as this is done continue a slight depression of your crosse to steady the ball, and bring it up in another and successive movement to the usual level at which you carry. The softer the ball drops on the netting, without noise or jar, the more scientific is the catch. To accomplish this is no easy matter. The fault of many players in catching descending balls, is in holding the crosse too stiff as the ball is near the netting, and meeting it half way, the result of which is to cause it to bounce. Another fault is letting the ball touch the netting at too high an altitude, which often prevents the safe completion of the catch. The correct method in the former case is to retreat the netting of your crosse from the ball, as if you did not want, and yet would like to catch it. A good player at any hand-ball catching, never catches a ball flat ; his hands move towards it, and retreat just when it is at his linger ends. The same rule applies to catcliing on a crosse. I > I 140 CATCHING, AND CARRYING THE BALL. The nettining ;h any [•as» of ;e with )bliged should there. le, the various 1 it was I course nd the vv, the xrymg, ective. on the control ective angle, stick urface u have a short grip. The best grasp, for all purposes, is at the butt, leaving half an inch protrude. The arm should hang at full length, and the stick at the lowest level at which the ball will not fall off. The arm and wrist alone should control the crosse ; the body should not be contorted. It is a common play to dandle the ball on the netting when running, and otherwise add variety to the plain carry ; and we would recommend players cultivating this dandling of the ball, when carrying near an opponent, and even in many carried dodges. Recently some players have resorted to ingenious constructions of the wooden part of the crosse, to get over the restrictions about bagging the netting. The best we have seen is the stick scooped out from the collar to the top, thereby making nearly as good a bag as the netting could afford were the old bag allowed. Although this is not illegal, we certainly do not approve of it. It is worse than a high leading string, as the ball is oftener carried next the wood than the string, and has even more objectionable features than are in- terdicted in the netting, in Rule 1. -TV7^1liWBi'l»,» i«^ I 11 llJfVffV CHAPTER X. DODGING AND CHECKING. Dodging — Is the art of carrying the ball past one or more checkers. It is the ostentation and glitter of the game ; and though important, has been too often made a sort of saturnalia, where the dodger ran a gauntlet of merciless swipers, after the Indian fashion of the gauntlet for captives. Its absolute necessity is of rare recurrence, but common custom and young blood, has made it an indelible and prominent feature of Lacrosse. There is a madness in its most difficult feats, spiced with a smack of danger, that must always make it a tempting at- traction. When you dodge to excess, you submit your anatomy to the possibility of cut and bruised fingers, and, like Lamb's convalescent, you are **your own sympathizer." The burnt child may dread fire, but did maiming ever give players a DODGING AND CHECKING. 14V ist one glitter ien too dodger Indian ,bsolute custom le and ladness lack of ing at- submit bruised ou are d may i,yers a disrelish for dodging ? There is an audaciousness in charging a good checker, and especially a succession of checkers, which becomes a mania with some men ; and no catastrophe seems to cure their predilection for risking the contingencies of a checker's crosse. Good players aim at perfection in throwing and frisking in preference to any great skill in dodging, because there is more certainty about the former. But as nothing is trifling that ever succeeds, every player ought to be able to dodge to some extent. The correct play lies between the two extremes. For instance, you may have an opportunity to pass Point, when their are no fielders to attack or aid you, and either dodge into goal or get closer to throw : the importance of being able to dodge Point is then obviously evident. On the other hand, by attempt- ing to dodge too near your own flags, you may lose the ball and have the tables turned. Indiscriminate attempts to pass checkers is too Quixotic in principle, and damaging to the rest of your side ; moderate and well timed dodging will often bring you into better position, and into closer relation with your opponents goal, looks well, and develops confidence. "iTrr mftwm-^ uiip^i>««l««« f TIT^^P^.iT" I 31" ■ ! 148 DODGING AND CHECKING. Dodging owes its origin to the vain individualism of the Red Skin. Long before a pale face saw the game, there were notables yfhose forte it was to carry the ball to the goal, through a crowd of opponents ; and to this day, their common practice in their village game is to carry the ball to the flags, or, over the line representing " game." Indian dodging was principally " thrown " dodges ; they seldom attempted the " carried " styles which are so preva- lent among our white players. Since their frequent contests with the pale face, they have taken to dodging, much to their disadvantage we think. We divide dodging into " Carried" and " Thrown" dodges ; the former, when the ball is kept on the crosse ; the latter, when it is thrown past the checker and afterwards recovered. The crosse should be held in the hand with which you carry ; the grasp may be shorter for thrown than carried dodges. Good dodging implies coolness, and dash, close calculation, a thorough command of the ball on the crosse, agility of body, and a strong and a supple wrist and arm. DODGING AND CHECKING. 149 CARRIED DODGES. 1. Across front of body from right to left. — This is the oldest and most used carried dodge, and has the advantage of being done with so slight a motion, that it may be repeated in quick succession in a gauntlet of checkers. Grasp the crosse at the butt, or a little above the collar ; carry the ball on the lowest part of the centre surface. When bags were used, the nearer the ball was to the lower angle, the easier it was managed. To make this dodge, watch the eye of the checker as you near him, and as he makes a cut at your crosse, bend your arm quickly, and bring it across the front of your body to the opposite side, and thrust it forward past his right, giving a twist upwards from right to left during the thrust, as if dodging another checker. A wavering motion of the stick, confuses checker's oye, gives you more command of the ball, and often prevents its falling off when the stick is struck. This dodge allows of considerable variety in the deflections and curvings of the crosse, which can only be learned by practice. Some players succeed best by a high up-thrust at the completion of the check ; some by lowering the front ; others by a straight 150 DODGING AND CHECKING. il ii I ! W forward thrust ; but the general fault is in thrusting too high, by which you cannot command the ball with ease. The great secret of success lies in accurately anticipating and timing checks, and promptly avoiding them. If the checker waits until you begin your dodge, your chances of success are not as consoling as if he commenced a check at your right ; because the latter shows you his play, and gives you opportunity to accommodate your dodge to the result of his blow. This is the difficulty in making this plain check. It is sometimes varied by changing the crosse quickly, as you pass it across your body, into the other hand. When approaching a dodger, you may hold your crosse out straight towards him at nearly full arms length. If he strikes in time, suddenly draw it back to escape the check, and then make the sweep across the front of your body to left. 2. Past Checker^ s Left. — Instead of carrying your stick across your front, thrust it suddenly to your right, at a right angle with your right side, making a dash past checker's left. Take a short grip of the crosse, if possible. w^m f ■! |iuwK|M DODGING AND CHECKING. 151 ball 3. Taming oh yonr oivn axis. — This dodge is very successful if well-timed, — even against the best Indian checks. It takes them by surprise, and is one of the prettiest of all the dodges. It consists in making a sudden right-wheel twist, on the left toes as a pivot, as the checker strikes at your crosse, and bringing the latter up perpen- dicular. It is not a complete revolution that will bring you back to your original position ; though you must accommodate your tactics to the changes of your adversary, so far as they impede your liberty to pass him. At the end of the spin, dart forward from the left "foot. The ball should be on the centre surface ; the crosse grasped short, keeping it perpendicular, and balancing the ball during the wheel. The disengaged arm may be extended to ward oflf easy checks ; and should be used on the forward and backward prin- ciple of catching a ball. In close quarters, many checks are prevented by the timely use of the left hand and arm. When an opponent meets you, and strikes at your crosse, a sudden and single quarter, or half turn, will often be the best movement to thwart him. In ■*» W^^ft^- 152 DODGING AND CHECKING. almost every dodge, it is essentially necessary to be able to spin around instantaneously, and should be often practised. 4. Short Stop and Turn. — This is peculiarly Indian, and more an artful evasion than a deliberate dodge. When a checker meets you, instead of dodging, as described, suddenly stop a few feet from him, make a turn to the right flank or rear as the check is coming, and double until safe. Before our present improvement in playing, a pleasant diversion of the Indians was to keep our checkers prancing around them trying to check this dodge ; while it was edifying to a philologer to hear the redskin repartee, whenever a paleface made frantic strikes at nothing. It is still their best dodge, as few white men can match them in the wiry sort of leg-bail peculiar to it. When a checker is very persistent and dangerous, occasionally wheel around and keep your back to him. 5. Over Head of Checker. — As the checker strikes at your crosse, elude the stroke by a timely avoidance to the right, and before he recovers, carry your crosse upwards and sweep it high over his head, as you run from right to left ; reversing the ball and the side of the netting which hold it, and recov- iiLidi .iLill rf''""5*i":- ''»■■■ I I • I iVI^^i^Hn^ IRW , J DODGING AND CHECKING. 153 jr to be >uld be culiarly liberate bead of et from ' as the fore our iiversion )rancing e it was epartee, lothing. Qen can ar to it. gerous, to him. checker I timely carry is head, ihe ball I recov- ering by a twist as the dodge is completed. A long grasp of the crosse is best, — the ball should be kept on the top surface. 6. J^hen closely pursued hy checkers. — Simply alter your course, by darting to right or left or rear, and guard strokes at the butt of your crosse from the rear, by twists of the wrist, and extension of the arm carrying the stick. Dandling the ball up and down on the crosse, is very serviceable to frustrate many checks, as the all is in the air when the crosse is struck. THROWN DODGES. 1. Over head of checker. — Is simply the front throw with one hand, described on page 112, in the chapter on '* Throwing.^' It is much used in dodging, and unless practised often, is subject to close checks. 2. Rear throw. — When the ball is picked up in front of an opponent, or, if the dodger is checked by one or more in front, or from either flank, a good style is to throw the ball backwards over your own head ; turning around and catching it before it falls. A single glance must be taken to the rear, lest the ball should be thrown into the crosse of an opponent. i • 154 DODOIXG AND CHECKING. 3. Checker striking erosse. — Several good thrown dod/res are sometimes improved, by letting the checker strike your erosse the moment the ball is leaving it (see illustration 9). The concussion of the two sticks increases the force of any throw, and the checker is momentarily put oflf his guard, to a greater degree than the dodger. One of the prettiest and cleverest dodges of the kind, is greatly in favor with the St. Regis Indians. As the checker meets the dodger, the latter turns slightly to the right, and with a motion of his wrist, jerks the ball over the fonner's erosse, between it and his body, catching it neatly on the other side. 4. The counter check. — If checker strikes your erosse, throw the ball up, or over his head, and counter-check him by striking his stick away before you catch the ball. You may use this counter-check in nearly all thrown dodges.. 5. Dropping and picking up. — This is useful when closely followed by a checker who strikes at the butt of your erosse. The Indians often use it with effect. It is done by simply throwing the ball a few feet in front as you run, and picking it up again. If your stick is struck very hard from the DODGING AND CHECKING. 155 rear, this dropping is useful. The ball may be dropped at any angle, or more deliberately thrown a further distance. 6. Pant either aide or hctiveen the leys of a checker. — As you a})proach your opj;onent, bring your crossc to the position of the dodger, in illustra- tion 8 ; watch his eye, and throw the ball low past his right side, following it up as you run. If his legs are open, you may throw between them. These two throwa are very puzzling, as the throw from the crosse is so sudden. The manner of carrying the crosse helps the deception. It may be well here to state, that thrown dodges are more deceptive and more suddenly done, when the crosse is held with both hands, as in illustrations 8 and 9. Dodging into Goal. — May be either a carried or thrown dodge, and is useful where a dodger has only goal-keeper in the way. It is not always successful, and a good goal-keeper would prefer it to a short throw. The old members of the Beaver Club will remember Stewart's style of charging the goal-keeper when he carried the ball. S. was seen bearing down upon goal like a trooper, lips compressed, head i 156 DODGING AND CHECKING. I'! i forward. The shock came, — general result, one ball, two crosses, Stewart and goal-keeper, all in a heap in the goal, and one flag pole down. Stooping down in dodging — Is a good way to vary your defence, when an active checker tackles you at either side, or from the rear. Lower your crosse almost level with the ground, bend forward, and .keep one leg ready to spring from. When checker tries to check from any of the above points, bend forward, and turn your back to him, covering your crosse as well as possible with your body. If you should trip, and the ball falls off your crosse, cover it with the flaf check. Feigning to throiv. — When checker is close to you, make a feint to throw a swift straight ball, which he will probably shrink up to avoid. Instantly dart past him, carrying the ball with you, or throw- ing over his head. If you have any reputation for hard throwing, and make a proper feint, you will, in most cases, accomplish your object. Inviting a check, and evasion. — You may tempt the checker to strike at your crosse in a certain way, which would give you a better chance to pass him before he could recover. If you premeditate «'. DODGING AND CHECKING. 157 a certain dodge, you may often facilitate it better by thus inviting a check, which, by the way, you must not invite, unless you feel positive of success. Single evasive movements to right or left are often sufficient to prevent a check. A single dodge has often to be made good by an extra evasion. This art of avoidance is important in dodging. The best way to learn all manner of dodges is for two men to practise checking and dodging, alter- nately, without the hall. When you learn the rudi- ments of dodging with the ball on your crosse, your action is embarrassed in endeavoring to preserve its equilibrium ; but by practising first without it, until you learn the principles and knack of the dodges, it becomes easier to put the ball on the netting and attempt them. When you are " waiting for the oall" at the morning meets, pair off and practise this. It would be unnecessary to give rules for the various combinations of dodging, which arise out of those already mentioned, as well as from checks and counter-checks. Dodging involves a peculiar gymnastics, which brings out various twistings and bendings, in which the whole body partakes. *' Battles are won with legs as well as arms," and 158 DODGING AND CHECKING. the proper use of the former is half the victory in do(^ging. Withoi^t activity of limb your play is stiff and incomplete. Some men show great inven- tion in play, and particularly in the art of managing their extremities in dodging. I suppose the lady who sent the dedicatory poem to a cluh some years ago, referred to these contortions of limb in dodging, when she said, " I wonder at the players' gait, For crooked legs predominate V^ though she afterwards, with artless innocence of the shape of unbreeched shanks, says, "And yet, perhaps, I should suppose, They're caused by wearing tightened hose." Frisking the ball forms an important auxiliary of dodging. Indeed, there is no part of Lacrosse which can be ignored by any man ambitious of being a crack player : everything is affiliated in interest, and during the use of any part, all others are as satellites — always at hand as accessories. Dodging, without a knowledge of checking, generally comes to grief. It is a good rale to make it subservient DODGING AND CHECIvIXG. 159 nctory play is inven- naging e lady J years Ddging, of the iary of which being ate rest, are as edging, 3mes to ervient to throwing ; not to do away with it altogether, as that would ruin the game. A few concluding rules, and we are done with this chapter. In the excitement of successful dodging remember your original position on the field ; it is an important one, return to it as fast as your legs can carry you, after you have lost the ball. If the defence of your antagonists is weak, your home and two outward links may attempt to carry the ball into goal, but throwing is better. Point, cover-point, and the ilanking links from goal-keeper to cover-point, should hardly ever make charges upon the enemy's goal, — though there is no law to prevent them ; neither should there be. Even the ubic^uitous fielders should not give free license to a passion for dodging. Never attempt to dodge near your own goal. The worst player may perhaps check you, by accident if not by skill. When the ball is at either goal, no risk should be run in experimenting. Keep your wits about you, and look out for rear checks. Remember you are to avoid a checker in preference to dodging him. Be prompt ; never hesitate. The best dodge may be frustrated by an I ■ I M I ■'S 160 DODGING AND CHECKING. ordinary check, who is a second or so too quick for you. Avoid clumsiness and rash dodging. Never press the ball into the leading-string in any way before you dodge. Do not attempt dodging when you are not " i' the vein." Success implies vim and mettle. Checking- — Nothing in Lacrosse makes one feel more throughly awkward than to be passed point-blank by a dodger, and find a well-aimed check strike mother earth, instead of the opposing crosse. The thing looks so simple at first sight. You have nothing to control, while your antagonist is limited to certain movements to preserve the ball. Yet, when you think about it, you will perceive that the advantage a checker has in not having a ball to manage, is often counteracted by the fact that while he has to act on the spontaneous impulse of the moment, in the majority of cases, the dodger can pre-determine his dodge, and have the advantage of the start. If you, as checker, can check before he begins his dodge, it may be luckier, and it may not ; as some of the best players invite a check, the better to facilitate their purpose. The danger of anticipating a dodge is, that if you miss, you DODGING AND CHECKING. 161 lii;er you not only miss that certain stroke, but lose the perfect command of your crosse for succeeding play. Checking, it must be remembered, is both attack and defence. When you run out to tackle an opponent carrying the ball, you literally attack him: when you stand to receive an opponent, determined upon passirg you, you act, as it were, on the defensive. The circumstances of each are not the same, though your object is. If you go out to tackle, you succeed when you take the ball or compel its possessor to throw it ; when you stand on the defens.ve, you succeed if you prevent him carrying it past you. In the cases of attack, checking is not so fre(iuently extempore as in defence. A skilful checker will seldom let a dodger pass him successfully. Quick eyes, an elastic body and extremities, pluck and perseverance, are the shining virtues of a checker ; and as perfection in this department materially restrains dodging, it should be well cultivated. Good checks are worth more on a twelve than men reputed for dodging. The perfection of a good checker is not only certainty in " disarming " a dodger, but the M ja:-!i ■ ii:i!i i| ,,; ■im 162 DODGING AND CHECKING. m m appreciation of his duty as laid down in the chapter on " Fielding." In whatever position you are, you must become convinced that to be enticed away from your original position, more than is necessary, is the cardinal sin of a Lacrosse player. When to leave or retire, and when to remain, is beyond the appointment of any established rule. However sure a check you may be, you should never be anxious to leave your position, to check men who ought to be stopped by some other of your side. When a man finds himself a special terror to dodgers, he is too apt to undertake the checking of the entire field of opponents, thereby causing confusion in his own ranks. Our laws allow any strength of attack at one dodger, but it is the custom among the St. Regis Indians not to interfere between two adversaries, unless at goal ; so that the dodger has only one opponent at a time to avoid. This Indian play would not answer for our small fields and our improved game. We prefer trusting to the common sense of the men, and the directing genius of a Captiin. In some checks you can only use one hand, but as I III K^^ DODGING AND CHECKING. 163 a rule, the most effective and manageable checking is done with both hands on the crosse. We will give the checks in succession, for the dodges described in the previous chapter. one ,egis iries, one play our nmon of a CARRIED DODGE CHECKS. 1. Plain check, — As the dodger advances with the ball on his crosse, and attempts the dodge described in section 1st, on " Dodging," strike at his crosse anywhere within a few inches of his hand, before he brings it quite across from right to left. If you can can strike it just after it has passed the front of his body, you weaken his attempt much more than if you strike it before, because the position in which it finds his right arm is awkward for quick recovery. A feint to strike may be made at the side he carries, and if you recover quick and act promptly, success is only a matter of practice. Ordinary dodgers have only one movement, from right to left ; it is comparatively easy to check them. Good dodgers, however, deceive you by feints, and invitations to check ; especially in this plain dodge. The impotent checks of many players is owing to their innocence of feints and invited checks, il ii f-T^mw MaLiPil^HWV*" 164 DODCIING AND CHECKING. 1 ; i: i ; i i i 1 1 I !il II, ;i mistakes in timing, and slowness in handling the crossc. In this check the length of your stroke, and the action of your whole body is guided by the position of the dodger's crosse. No rule can teach you the principle for every action — nothing but practice and observation. The variety of movements of the crosse. in checking the plain dodge, is beyond enumeration, as the twists, thrusts, strokes and various turnings are so often altered, according to circumstances which we can never foresee until the moment of action. The upward check is very important, either as a premeditated check, or when recovering from a down stroke, and may be brought into service in a great number of cases. It is simply bringing up your crosse from the ground, and hitting the dodger's from under. The cu'cular check is done by swinging your crosse in a circle, around the front of your opponent, so as to strike his crosse, wherever it may be, during the plain dodge. If you miss this, recover by the upward check. 2. When dodder tries to pass your left, — Turn i,ii DODGING AND CHECKING. 16^- O up quickly to the left face, and aim at arm's length at the nearest part of the dodger's crosse, making a leap at the same instant to intercept him and get to close quarters. If he has a short grip, you may, perhaps, hit his stick from the rear. The difference in this check from the preceding is, that the dodger's crosse is further away from your instant reach, requiring more agility of body to get into good position to meet him. The upward check is often here available to advantage. 3. When the dodger turris on a pivot. — Strike the dodger's crosse above the collar, as high as possible. If his grasp is short, you may sometimes strike the handle without hurting him, and quicker than you could hit higher. Check the moment he revolves, either with one or both hands on your stick, and beware of hitting your opponent on the head. If you miss a strike during the revolution, follow close and check upwards as he is bringing his crosse down to the carry. 4. ShortrStop and turn dodge. — However well you can manoeuvre your crosse, your skill will be of no avail to meet this dodge, without an unusually strong and supple pair of legs, and an elasticity '1:1 J' fV* Wf I J ■ 166 DODCHNQ AND CHECKING. ii^! of action from head to toe. To defeat it, you must do it as much by virtue of your legs as your crosse. If the dodger keeps his back to you, your chances are diminished, as by simply turning and keeping his distance he can often keep your check in rear until you get close. The play, then, is to close in as quick as possible, sweep your crosse at the side of his, or, leaping up, pass it quickly over his head, and bring it down upon his netting. If the butt is projecting in his hand, strike it ; if his wrist prevents you hitting on top or at the side, strike upwards under his wrist. I remember an Indian, following close at a white man's heels, succeeding in dislodging the ball from his opponent's crosse, by a strong thrust at the extreme butt end, which was just visible in the rear. When a dc Iger is too much for a checker, and chooses to prance around his vicinity, another check should run out and spoil his strategy. It is, of course, necessary, that in making this movement, whatever is intended should be made like a flash, so as not to give time to opposing fielders to rally, or the unchecked man whom the reinforcer has left, to gain any great advantage. DODGING AND CHECKING. 167 5. When the dodger attempts to sweep his crosse over your head. — If you have made a previous check, and dodger carries his crosse upwards over your head, bring your crosse to the right side, perpendicularly, and make a backward half-circular sweep from right to left, which is intended to meet his crosse as it sweeps over your head ; or you may make a direct upward strike, at that part of his crosse which is between your body and his hand. 6. When closely following a dodger. — If you cannot get at his stick anywhere in rear as you run, incline a little to the right, make a leap forward, and bring your crosse in a sweep to his right front, the tip in towards his crosse. Turn your wrist so as to bring the tip down upon his crosse. A full arms length upward check, is often the most successful. If this fails, the dernier ressort is the straight thrust at the butt. THROWN-DODGE CHECKS. 1. When the ball is thrown over your head. — In all cases make an attempt to strike opponent's crosse at the moment it is raised to throw. If . .4jii^'''''kliti two or three antagonists to manage. He is more at hberty to dodge than Point, has more opportunity for field play, and may occasionally carry the ball down as far as he can go, and throw at goal ; but a fielder should always relieve him. As soon as he has " played his part," and got rid of the ball, he should retire to his original position. Point, Cover-point and Goal-keeper are a trio in defence, and need confidence in each other. The two former must act in concert as to change of base, retiring, &c. We think the importance of these places has never been properly estimated : they make a defence either strong or weak. Centre. — As the early fortune of each game may depend upon the way the ball first goes — whether it is sent down towards the flags of your opponents, or up to your own, — the position of Centre offers no ordinary scope for skill. It is merely temporary, and only survives the starting of the ball ; but if the men are well posted, and Centre is able to send the ball to any particular one, the probabilities are that it goes up to the enemy's flags, and may stay there, if the home attack is strong. The player facing :-,i. FIELDING. 195 is allowed more latitude of range ; he is supposed to be one of those ubiquitous few, who wander around, a terror to dodgers everywhere, and a puzzle to opposing checks. Good wind, good running capa- bilities, and a thoroughness in every part of the game, make him a valuable acquisition to a " twelve." Home — Should stand within eight or ten feet of the opposing goal, but must regulate his position according to the face of the game. He should always be the last of the fielding links towards the opponent's goal ; should stand, as a rule, to one side, at right- angles with the right of the goal-keeper, so as to success the ball in sideways. The goal-crease has prohibited him standing within six feet of the goal- keeper until the bath has passe Cover-point, and a courteous home should never entrench upon this rule. He should always be ready to move near to the goal-crease when the ball is thrown towards it, and n.ay make across to either side, as the game is going. He should not squat imme- diately in front of the crease, nor yet go out too far. When the ball is thrown to him or the flags, either in the air, or along the ground, he should close in, '•*!) 196 FIEIiDING. and hit it, or catch it on the wing, and sweep it in with force. Very often he has several antagonists to contend with, and several of his own side with whom to co-operate ; and must not only have wit to fight his foes, but sense to aid his friends. Though he is Home, a tip in proper time to one of his side near by, may be more useful than if he had aimed direct at the flags. Home should perfect himself in friskhig the ball, quick straight throwing from the front and sides, and quick playing into the crosses of his side. The Indian Home puts the ball in for long shots, but when several are near the crease, he is no more Home than any other. This is as it should always be. Any man throwing at goal, should prefer angle or diagonal to front balls. A sharp Home is the bugbear of a goal-keeper. He has opportunities for a specialty of play, and can develop a peculiar style, valuable to every man, but more especially so to himself. The ball comes to him in such a variety of ways, and so many changes occur in close contests around the flags, that he must exercise unusual sharpness and agility. Fielders and Fleldina. — The eiij;ht fielders — — JT '^'j.Tr '"^WM'T^Tl ' '^*-,'T^Mf;Jipn»7'/7^F^.^~-*ir7Ti;5)|frTw-r FIELDING. 197 man, comes many flags, giUty. ers — Centre being also a fielder — are the skii-mishers of the " Twelve," and are supposed to be more ubiquitous and flitting than the rest, and to have greater freedom in moving on the field and following the ball ; though they have definite positions never- theless. In the fluctuations of the game, they must be prepared to assume the positions of the more fixed points, when the latter are drawn out by checking or running. The general rules laid down for other players apply as well to the fielders ; though no absolute rule can be made for the inva- riable conduct of an entire " Twelve," owing to the changes developed by the nature of the game. Every rule must be modified according to existing circumstances. It would be unreasonable, for instance, to make it a rule, that you should throw to the worst player ; but there may be moments when by so doing, a game may be won. With some opponents you progress better by a weak defence, and a proportionately strong attack, and vice versa. If you have confidence in your side, individually and collectively, it materially alters your play. In fact, the Lacrosse-player has to use his own judgment of the position of affairs ; 198 FIELDING. mm ii and though guided by a captain, no captain can supersede individual judgment, nor obviate the necessity for every man keeping both his eyes open, for the advantages to be gained, and the defence to be guarded, in the wavering fortunes of the game. The eight fielders should be expert in every part of the game ; especially quick, accurate and en- during. As a first principle, they should play to each other, and to the more fixed points, and avoid the temptation for long wild throwing. Time was when men could play a showy game, and estabUsh a reputation for superiority : now there are too many practical critics ; Lacrosse is better under- stood, and a player who comparatively ignores the rest of his side, is put down as more vain than sagacious. There is a time to throw, and a time to dodge ; a time to advance and a time to retire ; and the perfection of fielding is to do all this neither too soon nor too late. Playing to each other, or " tacking " the ball, is the characteristic of Indian play ; and not until it was imitated by the pale-faces, did the latter show any chances of defeating the red-skin. Fielding degene- -';9ev-\mw>^m,^y.T' r * cr^.--*-*'')^ — FIELDING. 199 tire ; this the lene- rates into a melee without it, and the object of posting the men is defeated. The fielders should always keep the disposition of every man in view, and never waste a shot or unnecessarily break their wind. If tacking is adhered to, this intense exertion and wild play must have an end. It is easy to understand the merit of each man perfecting his own play ; — in fact, a good " Twelve " is always the result of individual progress : it is not that we deprecate, but the playing solely for effect and admiration ; the attempt to monopolize attention in so far as possible, and for the sake of separate applause, sacrifice the science of Lacrosse to hard running. It is vexing to a side to see a man persist in carrynig the ball, when a throw to another in a better position would have accomplished the object more surely. To this pale-face fashion we have always attributed our defeats by the Indians They forget their individuality when hard pressed, and do not try to shine at risk of losing the ball. There is no egotism in their play when hard pushed ; they have a unity of aim and an alliance to play into each other's hands ; while we, working twice as hard, fail to combine our play or pin our faith '.tiy|jr«",w;;*wtMW»'(''''7ljf'W7"''''''"'- .■>'^' •' '"i?''!'( *"?■ 200 FIELDING. to each other. Lately it has been improved, and our success, consequently, nearer consummation. Aside from the art of play, there is a combina- tion of mental and physical qualities required, for ■which no length of leg can compensate. When Lacrosse was " in its leading-strings," it was con- sidered the height of good fielding to rush frantically over the field, upset and be upset, and come out cut and bruised. If a man had shoulders like an Atlas, and the force of a battering-ram, he was the pet of his " Twelve," and the terror of his adversaries. The practical use of the crosse was by no means to be sneered at ; indeed, in respect to the quick use of the stick, it was superior, in the home department, to the same art of to-day. The fielding, however, was very rough. To be spotted with mud from head to toe, was equal to a ribbon of the legion of honor, and a tough match was considered a cheap and capital way of draining mud puddles. There is more brain in the fielding and general play of to-day. It is an Indian instinct, and should be a pale-face principle in Lacrosse, that the ball should be followed on or off the crosse, by the link of men in succession, as they happen to be near it, and with discretion as FIELDING. 201 to weakening one's side, by too much skirmishing from the vicinity of the man near whom you were originally posted. It is as important to follow a thrown ball which Hghts on the ground, as to give chase to a man carrying it, and the term " following the ball *' includes both. The Indians do not let our men carry or chase the ball with impunity. They bear down upon them, though there is no chance of checking ; they never abandon the pursuit, and pale-face has to run a more literal gauntlet of checkers, than red-skin gene- rally meets with in his progress on the field. The fact that an opponent, seen or unseen, is on your track, is likely to excite and confuse you, and some- times spoil your throw. " Following the ball " in Lacrosse is not a general chase after it; — that would be as absurd as an entire " Eleven " chasing a cricket-ball. No man is restrained from following it, in accordance with his own judgment, and that of his captain ; but, as we said before, position should never be sacrificed, nor defence weakened, by too much skirmishing. It is well to give three or four men — not more — on a " Twelve " limitless action. They flutter around the : j-.--v,r-j ^rr-f;^^ 202 FIELDING. I field in a raiding style, very useful in spoiling any pet disposition of the opponents, and preserving a balance of power ; alternating between attack and defence. They harass the enemy's goal, and are lions in the path of dodgers ; and if they do not attempt to play the whole game themselves, are invaluable anywhere and everywhere. They relieve any man, and support all, and fill a gap here and there in the nick of time. The beauty of this style is that the opposing checks at defence, never get used to the changeable character of the attack, consequent on the varied styles of the men, and that weak fielders are oftener sure of support, in case they fail in wind or ability. One great fault of pale-face play, is a lack of foresight in anticipating the spot a thrown ball will fall ; or rather the instantaneous action when the ball is thrown. The Indians do not wait to see where a ball will light before they chase it. They follow it the instant it leaves the crosse, and know, by the rise, exactly where it will drop. They retreat like a flash to the defence, if the ball goes towards their goal; or crowd down to the attack, if it goes towards that of their opponent. Where- II 'vfl'^'Ti'"~~"r»V.,»7, ■""'■" "f' • FIELDING. 203 ever the ball drops, one or more natives are under it, or at it. What folly to talk of " men never leaving positions " imder the circumstances. Whenever the Indians can, they like to bunch at the goal. We would not advise such tactics in the pale-face game ; but if you ever play opponents who practise it, do not leave the defence to Goal-keeper and Point ; proportion your men to the numerical strength of the attack, always remembering that, though one man may be physically a match for two, no one man can do much between two antagonists tacking the ball over his head. Sir Colin Campbell received the Russian cavalry with a two-deep line, and made them turn tail ; but any parallel defence of confidence in men in Lacrosse, however perfect your goal-keeper and Point may be, is dangerous. A word about rough play. There is quite enough excitement in the quietest game without adding rough play to make it impetuous. Violent out" breaks of brute force are the death-blows to art, and not only mjure the popularity of the sport, but tend to physical injury, sooner or later. Put a rough player where you will, and he shows roughness. In goal, he swipes at every ball ; on the field, he has 204 FIELDING. no regard for his friends or foes, but throws full force, and swipes without mercy. There is always sufficient calls for exertion in ordinary fielding, without resorting to deliberate rough and homicidal play. Fierce checking and violent shouldering should be repudiated as contrary to the principles of the game. We have no objections to a good toss, and rather relish a tough tussle, but tossing and tussling should Aot be a rule of play. Learn the art of handling the crosse to perfection, and the 4^ dilferent dodges, checks, throws, etc., and you will require to pay less attention to the art of shouldering. Cultivate scientific play, and any other will be hate- ■^. ful, as swiping is to good cricketers. We may lay * . it down as a leading maxim in fielding, that the cause of success of noted rough players is not a principle to be imitated. Some old players, who esteem themselves superlative excellence, have a good deal to unlearn in this respect. We would not be misunderstood in our ideas upon rough play. We do not wish to be restricted to conformity to a code of Lacrosse ethics, which will deprive us of the relish of shouldering a man if we please, while strictly obeying the rule on " rough play," — especially FIELDING. 205 if the said man be bigger and stronger ; but we repudiate the miscellaneous butting which in close contests, make men calculate what they will do with their shoulders instead of their crosse. We were invited by an > Indian chief, at Caughnawaga, early one morning last summer, to witness a game of Lacrosse on the common, among about thirty Indian residents ; and after watching a hard-fought game of an hour, the gentle savage turned to us, and said, in broken English : " You can't play Lacrosse like that. You smash heads, cut hands, make blood. We play all day ; no hurty except when drunk. ^^ It is very rare that an Indian is injured or injures ever so sHght' ' when playing with his fellow red-skins ; but when red meets white, then comes the tug of war — and we blame the latter for its development. There is one other important consideration in fielding, which men are likely to forget in the excite- ment of the game, — we refer to over-exertion. No man should use himself up by hard running, unless a hard run is unavoidably necessary. Keep your wind and endurance as fresh as possible for the last game. 206 FIELDING. Should goal-keeper^ 'point, cover-point and home always retain their positions ? — Last season there was considerable controversy on this question, with the view of making it a principle that the above men should " never leave their places." Young players and new clubs — especially those who never saw the game played, and consequently knew nothing to the con- trary — were deluded into the belief that it was correct ; and several queries on the subject came to us from diflferent parts of Canada. Otherwise, we would not think it necessary to repudiate a pro- position, so patent a mistake to anyone who knows anything of Lacrosse. In the infancy of the game, it is well to definitely settle such issues, however, and we regret that such propositions are made without any previous experiment to justify them. Nothing is easier than to draw up plans for a grand campaign, but the difficulty lies in carrying them out. Nothing is easier than to propose fine theories in Lacrosse ; but, like the QJHl P^'^jects to take Canada, they look mightier on paper than they turn out in practice. It is well understood by the best Lacrosse-players everywhere, that no position in the game is, or ever FIELDING. 207 a le ;ts ier ba rer can be, absolutely permanent ; that they fluctuate in accordance with the wavering destinies of the ball and the circumstances which grow out of these changes. To make any one or more positions per- manent, would completely change the character^ and destroy the uniqueness and beauty of the game. It would be like some games of chess, where a single pawn could checkmate, if it only had the power to move like a castle. It might be possible to have a perversion of Lacrosse, if two sides agreed to play with the above men permanently fixed, but a " Twelve " playing on such a stagnating principle, would soon have their fine theories scattered to the winds, while they might almost as well be spectators as participants, for all the support they could give their fielders. It is not usual for a man carrying the ball to get in the way of opposing checkers, if he can help it ; and there would be less probability of it than now, if any certain men were "never to leave their places." The result, too, would be to over-tax and break down the fielders, and give either the attack or the defence men — as the game was going — a wearisome repose, instead of that division of labor which alone can make a r'* ■^.n.wMj^^i^vJMiiJ^ ■wsnwv^rm ill 208 FIELDING. i mm iii " Twelve " on a hard-fought field successful. It would be like holding a reserve of skirmishers in check until the advance were all cut off. In the chapter on " Goal-Keeping,'* we have endeavoured to show the necessity for goal-keeper sometimes leaving his place ; in describing the duties of Home, Point and Cover-point in the present chapter, we have also attempted to prove the same necessity in their cases, it may be well to illustrate this point more fully in its individual and collective bearings, as recognized both in Indian and pale- face play. The men chosen for the several particular points are their legitimate possessors, with prescriptive right at proper times to move out or in, or dash down the field ; but the vicinity they occupy should seldom be left vacant. If Point utterly forsakes his post, Cover-point or a near fielder should retreat to the vicinity ; if Cover-point leaves, an adjacent fielder should take his place. The fielders nearest at any time to the ipecial points, are always their supposed supports, and should relieve and support them when necessary. The number of men on each side influences the ■*ir",i'i.'9,'"vy THwj r7^;r i^-'.-ys.'v i» FIELDING. 209 tbis ;es the movements of the special points. If there are only twelve on a side, these points necessarily have more leg-work. We would like to see it made a rule that goal- keeper, Point and Cover-point — especially the two former — should limit their range to their half of the field, unless they made a permanent change, or the game was very favorable for their side. This would give them scope enough, would always ensure a good defence, and better systematize the posting of the men, as the adjacent fielders would know their original positions from their vicinity to these points, and would not be as likely to neglect them. Indeed, in difficult defence, this must necessarily be the management ; and in any case, it is the safest play. The exact position of Home must be governed by many circumstances. The ball is not always thrown to him in the same way, and sometimes not to him at all. If a fielder has a chance to carry a game safely, it would be folly throwing to Home, and trusting to him to put it in. Because a man ia Home, it does not follow that he always has the best chance of scoring game. If the rule was absolute to throw to him, goal-keeper would have an easier f^m't.jw jmrnf ij| ii'iii^m' 210 FIDLDING. time of it, and games would be of longer duration. Recall the strength of a rallying attack, where two or more opponents, tacking to each other, work the ball up to the flags ; how weak in comparison would be the solitary dependence upon Home ! Home often must " leave his place." Whenever he can get to a ball thrown wide or over the goal, before an opponent, and before any other man of his side, he should do so. If he, sooner than any of his side, can prevent an opponent getting the ball away from the goal, he should certainly do it. It often happens that he can reach wide and over balls before any other man of his own side, and prevent an opponent pitching it away from the critical vicinity. Whenever he leaves his place, under any such circumstance, the nearest link should close to the goal-crease, ready to strike in any throw ; while the other links dispose themselves to check the movements of adversaries who should run to the defence. We would not like to see Lacrosse so revolu- tionized as to make the permanency of any position compulsory, but the common sense of players should guard them against running to the other extreme, FIELDING. 211 lion uld and forsaking them. Many otherwise gocd players, have a chronic habit of wandering from their posi- tion, and the vicinity of the man they are posted to check. And here it may be necessary to remind ad- mirers of Indian tactics, that we do not take the Indian as a perfect model, and, therefore, do not imitate their actual disposition or play. They are never posted with regard to us ; they like to get away from our fielders as disagreeable neighbours, unless their goal is attacked, when they exhibit a wonderful unity of defence, utterly regardless of all previous arrangement — parallel with the bunching game at the goal of the opponent. A few general rules, and we have done with " Fielding." 1. Do not leave men unchecked — especially near your goal. ' 2. Always warn your men who straggle. 3. Two checkers should scarcely ever tackle one dodger. 4. Two opponents tacking should be checked by two men. 6. Do not form knots either in defence or attack. U!'] Mi!Ml>»UW-W«!.A»f*H"J»V;iKi,iJJ,ii(«J>,>I.WUf'W|!Wl^^ m'^mjM'ft CHAPTER XIII. GOAL-KEEPING. No moment in the game of Lacrosse is of more intense and nervous interest, than the critical junctures of attack and defence at the goals. The fate of every game culminates at one or the other. No score can be made by any other play than that which puts the ball in, and then the score is not individual but collective. The moment the ball is thrown to goal — with no chance of interception until it gets there, — the whole fortune and stake concentrates in responsibility on the individual skill of its keeper, irrespective of all play that preceded it. Nothing antecedent to the straight throw or tip, which is to win the game or be stopped, can in the least avert the danger. There are many chances of retrieving a mistake on the field, before it becomes critically dangerous, but '•"vTi^T'^'n y VT^T '■x:Ty-' Kr^fK''" GOAL-KEEPING. 213 if goal-keeper misjudges a shot, or fails to stop a ball, at least one game is irretrievably lost. Let the ball through, and you may rest on your crosse, while your antagonists throw their sticks in the air, and " hurrah ! " and your side look glum and blue. Point may be Point to perfection ; Centre may be all that could be wished, and your fielders swift as the antelope, but of what avail, if you fail ? Brave defence cannot compensate for loss of victory. What matters it, comparatively, if the ball passes any other player ; nothing is really lost ? Who blames a fielder if he evades swift balls ? — but who forgives the goal-keeper ? The single responsibility is the principal reason, why so few players select the goal in preference to any other position. It is a common error to suppose that the Indians never had special men at the goals. Where the single pole was used there was no necessity for a special defender ; but wherever the present goal was in use, one or more men were placed at the flags, or conveniently near. Proximity to the goal was governed by the size of the ground, the number of players, and the face of the game. ^7TSBP'!«?™?pw^P3WW)WJra7s''?T^'''^^ 214 GOAL-KEEPING. On fields of a quarter or half a mile, it was left comparatively unprotected, unless the game was pressing hard towards it; but on moderate sized fields it was common to have special men posted, unless the number of players was unusually small. Basil Hall, writing of the Creeks of Alabama, and of a game he saw in a field 200 yards long, fifty players on a side, says, " I observed that each of the goals or wickets, formed by the two boughs at the ends, was guarded by a couple of the most expert players, whose duty it was to prevent the ball passing through the opening ; — the especial object of their antagonists." An observer, looking at our game, easily signals out the special man who defends the flags, because the goal-keeper is nearly always at his post ; but it is quite probable that the specialty in the original game, may not have been noticed as particularly by others as it was by Hall ; as the Indian game was more individual, and every man on the field was ambitious of carrying the ball to the goal. The original goal-keeper did not fear long shots, or sudden sallies, as the play had little system after it began, and the only principle of every >• V»^ ^» i*«.-/ ry^>^my rje^^^r" '■ Tf^^Kr'tJT^'^J'IIIJA'-^,''' ^J' iliP^WW^- 222 GOAL-KEEPING. slip elastic bands over the flags, so that they will not interfere with your sight and crosse. If the sun is in your eyes, the more pity for you, and luck for your opponents ; but have a moveable peak to your cap, which can be regulated and extended as you prefer. We always turn our face to goal and draw three lines with our crosse, — one from each flag-pole, and one from the centre, out about seven feet in front, so that when our back is to the flags we may be guided by these lines, without having to glance behind, as to the exact middle. Some years ago we lost a game by misjudging our position, as we stood a few feet from the line parallel with the flag-poles. Originally we played with the poles seven feet apart, but the average perfection of throwing became so increased that it was thought fair to goal-keepers to narrow it to six. Goal-keeping, therefore, is a shade less difficult, especially in crowded contests, than in the olden time. Be particular about your crosse. Do not use hickory; if you find it too heavy. Get the very best clock-gut, and sacrifice looks to strength. At the match before H. R. H. the Prince of Wales, the whites had two goal-keepers, and the GOAL-KEEPING. 223 result was imperfect harmony of action. If the ball was as large as a footbiiU two men might work together, but with a Laorosse ball, never. One trained goal-keeper is all that is required ; more only obstruct and weaken the field. It is like having two batsmen before the wicket, or two wicket-keepers behind them. If you find it necessary to act on the defensive, strengthen the links out from goal, but avoid crowding and confusing your keeper. Position. — Stand about the centre of goal, two feet out. If the ball is nearing you stand about half a foot forward, and never get immediately between the flags. The advantage of being a foot or two out will soon be demonstrated if you have much experi- ence at goal. For instance, a grounder may be par- tially stopped, but, by a slip, pass you ; if you are between the flags the game is lost, but, if a foot or two in front, you may catch it, as we have fre- quently done, before it reaches the losing line. When the attack is towards your flags always have both hands on your crosse, right hand at the butt, left above the collar; the side with which you play facing the front. The left foot may be a little in advance of the right if you know how to 'T»n^T^^^T*r^ 224 GOAL-KEEPING. use your feet in goal keeping, but, if not, keep your heels together. If the ball is thrown from any distance past the goal-crease, or, if you are attacked by one man dodging, or Home tipping in the ball, keep an easy almost erect position ; but in close, crowded play, when the ball is being fought at a few feet in front, and you see it careering under feet and between legs, stoop down, or half sit on one knee, and watch it with eagle eye, taking a short grasp of your crosse. The former erect position is the usual " Ready " for any shot, and is the safest position for young beginners ; but it may be laid down, as a rule, that when your goal is not crowded, it is better to stand up ; when crowded, better to stoop. Never sit or He down at your goal when the game is going on. Let us relate a thorn in our reputation. At a match in Ottawa between our club and the " Ottawa," we heard the cry of -' lost ball " during one of the games. The players of both sides stood and squatted in repose for some minutes, and our Point said, " the ball is to be faced when found ! " As we had been very ill on the way up to Ottawa, and felt uncomfortable in our principle 1 -IJ^-T -1- l%^rr-it^^'j V" GOAL-KEEPING. 225 organ of digestion, we ventoired to take a siesta on the ground until the bali was found. We were mentally analyzing the cause and cure of stomach- ache, when something flew over our head, and a wild cheer followed. Like a shot we were up, but to find that one of the " Ottawas " had just jumped into goal over our head, with the ball on his crosse ; having found the lost rubber and stolen down behind the crowd, who were within ten feet of the flags, and got between our Point and goal. The feat was very properly declared a " fluke," and no game, as the ball was lost, and every one expected it would be faced for. We would certainly not have sat down had the ball not been declared lost, unless our side had it all their own way at the opposite goal ; but this reminiscence may serve to teach a principle to goal-keepers, and that is, to take nothing for granted, but always be on the qui vive until game is lost or won. The variety of guards used at goal may be enumerated as follows : 1st, the Cut ; 2nd, the Block ; 3rd, the Flat Check. Ist. The Cut. — Is the guard by which you strike at coming balls of all kinds ; and is used in emergencies, Q Hi; I itti I 226 aOAL-KEEPING. when goal is crowded, and when your object is to drive the ball to any particular man of your side. It too often degenerates into swiping; is the safest guard, but severe on the netting of the crosse. The side of the netting with which you .cut, depends upon the kind of ball, and the position from which it is thrown. Balls may be cut well with either side ; but it is better to take the most of those which come above your hips, with the opposite side to which you play, handle down ; all below, with the playing side, if they are thrown from a straight point in front. Balls which come swiftly at your centre, from a right or left angle, however, should be met by the side of the crosse which will bring the wood towards the flag pole, past which the ball is coming ; — for instance, if it is thrown from a point at right angles with the flag pole on your right, meet it with the left face of the netting and vice versa. The principle of this is, that the nearer the ball strikes to the wood the less likely it is to bounce off, and that you meet it sooner with a wider surface. A goal-keeper must, nevertheless, have eijual confidence in either side of his netting. Cut by a half hook, catch and strike. When the — /j'jwn^-.-^TT* Tt:'"^-^ ""f -^«T=''»'^" •(■■■^'--H'V^UV GOAI/-KEEPING. 227 ball is just touching the netting, draw back your crosse quickly, which will deaden the shock and prevent the rebound of the ball, and in another motion cut it away to any point desired, or retain it if you have a chance to throw. This sudden retro- ceding motion, as if recoiling from the ball after it touches the netting, and then striking it away, is one of the most important parts of stopping. Swiping at a ball is both injurious to the crosse and unscien- tific. Study the art of cutting to right and left, wherever particular points may be. Under some circumstances, such as when one or more opponents stand at the goal-crease, ready to knock in a ball about to be thrown, you must strike at it without the receding movement. Prefer cutting to either side of goal than to the immediate front, but keep your eyes open and cut to the man least checked. Study to cut exact to any distance. 2nd. The Block — Is the other common guard for all balls, especially short quick throws and tips. The diflference between the cut and the block is the same as in meeting a ball with a cricket bat, to sco.e, and with your hands as in hand catching. The rule in the former as in the cut, is for the bat to strike *H(^f«||,l|!S«(W' 228 GOAL-KEEPING. the ball, not the ball the bat ; while in the latter, s in the block, the ball strikes the hands, not the hands the ball. The aim of the batsman is to score by a good hit; of the goal-keeper to block, so as to retain the ball for a throw. If you do not wish to retain the ball, block and cut. The receding movement described in preceding section is advisable. You may use either side of the netting, but the former rules, given in connection with this, apply as well to the block as the cut. If the ball slips in a block or cut, catch it up smartly and draw it towards the front. 3rd. The Cover (see illustration 4) is often available, but requires practice and caution. In blocking, you may secure the ball by a quick cover check ; but it is principally intended for grounders. Always cover with the reverse side of the netting to which you play, and do it quick and close. The ball should stop about the middle of the netting. Special use of Hands, Feet and Legs. — The laws very justly allow the goal-keeper to touch the ball with his hand, while within the crease. Very often a slip is recovered and patted aAvay by the GOAL-KEEPING. 229 left hand, and some useful and pretty play made in tapping it up in the air, and keeping it out from the flags after it has bounced on the netting of the crosse. It is a common thing to cut and block balls witli one hand as an assistant to the crosse. There is no license, however, given goal- keeper to catch and throw with the hand. The proper use of the feet is part of the science of goal-keeping. When you block a ball near the edge of either flag pole it is liable to slip sideways ; as these balls are generally stopped at arm-stretch, when you cannot bring to them a full face of the netting. The instant you block at either side spring to that side ; bring the nearest foot in line with your crosse, toe to the stick and follow with the next foot, heels in line with each other. This gives a guard the width of your crosse and two feet together, and has often, in our experience saved games. Had you feet like the Monosceli Indians of whom Plhiy writes, who sheltered their whole body from the sun with the only foot they had, — having only one leg, — ^you would certainly be able to introduce some new and startling methods of goal-keeping. The legs, from the ankle to the hips, are sometimes 230 GOAL-KEEPING. made the innocent victims of hard shots ; but, when stopping grounders, it is a good plan to close the legs together and meet the ball with them, as well as with the crosse. The use of one leg as an auxiliary of the crosse is invaluable if you do not mind knocks. About leg-guards. That swift balls hurt one's shins will be generally acknowledged without experi- ment, and we do not see why a goal-keeper should not protect his lower extremities, as well as a batsman before the wickets. The Indians never throw hard at goal wh( . playing among themselves, but the pale- face substitutes swift shots for the Indian way of bunching and crowding. As a goal-keeper we never intend to complain of the swiftest and strongest balls, lest some might think we dreaded them ; and we do not. But if men will throw balls at goal hard enough to smash any netting that was ever made, and, some- times any bone that ever stood in the way, it is but fair that its keeper should, at least, have some leg- armor. But it is as much, if not more, for the sake of the greater confidence leg-guards give a man, and the better use he can make of his extremities in low balls. For the same reason shoes or boots are better for a goal-keeper than moccasins, because balls T^"'=^^ "pI^Ts'' GOAL-KEEPING. 231 striking the latter hurt the feet, and a man will not risk his toes in " toeing " a grounder if he has any- thing soft covering them. We know no leg-guards better for the purpose than those used at cricket, though they might be made so as to be more easily put off and on. in case goal-keeper wanted to make a good run, and had time to take them off. Grounders — Always cut or block grounders which do not come straight, but to either side, with the bend of the crosse nearest the ground, as they there- by strike the wood, instead of the bare netting near the leading strings. If the bend is down it gives more surface for stopping. Place the crosse on the ground, with the tip directly up, and the whole stick, from the butt to the bend, is on a level: reverse it, tip down, and butt touching ground, and there is a space nearly its entire length through which the ball can pass. The principle is that the former brings the largest and safest surface to receive the ball. When grounders come straight in front of you, stop them with the crosse perpendicular, or butt slightly pointing over the right arm. Grounders should be cut within two feet of your position. If cut too far from where you stand, 232 GOAL-KEEPING. the ball is liable to slip ; if too near, the object of the cut is not as easily attained. The block should be done within half a foot ; the cover, when the ball is about a crosse's length. In the two former, keep the handle advanced to prevent the rise of the ball. If a grounder is coming slow, and the chances are safe, go out and meet it ; but this, however neces- sary, requires the utmost caution. Grounders may be caught when blocked, but never risk a catch or a block when an opponent is close to the crease. Hoppers — Are generally hard to meet, because they rise so unexpectedly from a short distance. You get absorbed in the attitude and mode for stopping some certain ball, when suddenly it strikes a ridge or lump, and ricochets into the flags quicker than you can recover. Hoppers generally rise at points between your breast and hips, and you should always be on your guard against them, as no ground is to be trusted. Straight halls. — If swift, keep your ground ; if medium or slow, movt ^ut to meet them. Remember, these are the most difficult to stop, in the following order: — 1, An inch or two above the navel; 2. GOAL-KEEPING. 233 The chest ; 3. Head, or above it ; 4. The knee ; 5. Below the knee. A dead-shot, thrown on a line with the first, will puzzle the most of goal-keepers, because it is difficult to bring, quickly, any large surface of netting to that point. Sometimes a sudden leap upwards answers to do this ; sometimes, reversing the position of the crosse from a ground block, and dropping down on one knee, presenting the full surface of netting to the ball. Any straight ball that can be cut may be blocked. Balls may be struck to the ground in front, and caught ; but, when caught for an intended throw, always go to one side, clear of the flags, before throwing, as it is never safe for goal-keeper to throw from a point immediately at the crease. A goal-keeper — a friend of ours — once blocked and caught a ball, and, being attacked by an opponent, ran through his own flags with it to get an opportu- nity to throw, and so scored a game for his antago- nists. Do not do that. Balls below the line of your hips are easier stopped with the side of the netting you use in play ; those above, with the reverse side, the crosse perpendicu- lar, netting up and butt down. Straight balls. 234 GOAL-KEEPING. "which come at the chest, we often sweep up and backwards over the top of the flags if home is near. Carved Balls. — Balls which, come in a curve are very deceptive to the eye, as you cannot tell exactly where they will drop until they have commenced to descend. Get a partially side view of descending balls, if you can. Thes afest plan is to cut them ; or practice first block, and then catch if you can. Cutting is the surest. You are liable to misjudge the time in blocking. The position at which you receive the ball is important ; that is, it is safer to be too far behind it than too far in front. Angle Shots. — Shots which are thrown from a right or left angle with the flag poles are very puzzling. We find the safest way to stop them is to stand on a line, or a little outside of the flag- pole nearest to the thrower, and meet them as if the goal was immediately behind. In this position you stand with one side to goal. Tips and Kicks — Win many games. After you have cut a ball, it not unusually happens that it is tipped or kicked back by one or more opponents near ; especially when goal is crowded. The great quickness in stopping these balls can only be aOAL-KEEPING. 235 acquired by practice, until it becomes a habit to meet them as if by instinct. It is (juite a different kind of goal-keeping from a clear throw. Sweeps. — Are the most dangerous and difficult to stop ; and differ from swipes by being more short and quick. A swipe is a regular strike, as in shinty ; but a sweep is when a thrown ball is caught on the wing by " Home " for instance, and driven into the goal. Such shots are very deceptive, as they break the line of vision between the eye and the original throw, and oblige it to catch up a new line at a very difficult pace and distance. The rule is to watch the coming ball, and if it is evident that " home " will sweep, concentrate attention on him just before the ball reaches him. In all methods of stopping, bring the largest surface of netting to the ball ; never pin your faith to the lower angle. In grounders or straight balls, it is easier to stop those to the left than to right, because you have more command of your crosse to the left, if you hold your right hand at the butt, as nearly every player holds his stick. If you hold it by the left hand on the butt, the rule is reversed. ■~^V- . n^'/'H— ^;i»«wn> ■ 236 GOAL-KEEPING. We keep in the centre line of goal, and when we know just about where a ball will come, we mentally say "right" or "left," "high" or " low," as they are to be stopped, and accommodate our position accordingly. Bodging into Groal—lf your defence aids let an opponent get between them and the goal, look out for a dodge. If your opponent charges at you headlong, stand about a foot from the centre of goal, at the " ready " ; watch the ball on his crosse attentively, and if he throws make a quick hard cut or block, and bring your body square, to prevent him passing you, if you can. If you see he is attempting a fair dodge, and not bearing down upon you like a hussar upon a foot soldier, follow the same rules, minus the body check. Generally a dodger throws into goal under the line of your stomach. At the "ready," you have your crosse in the best position of preparation for any low ball, or ordinary check. If your opponent attempts the throw and strike described on page 115, you may wait for the ball, if it is struck from beyond nine or ten feet, as the probabilities are that by running out you might GOAL-KEEPING. 237 miss. If it is about to be struck from a nearer position, spring at your opponent, hit his crosse as it is striking at the ball, and either hit it, or kick it away with your foot when it falls. Practice in stopping these balls is essentially necessary. Long, Medium and Short Throws. — Long throws are the easiest to stop ; medium are more deceptive ; short, bring out the science of goal-keeping. Mis- calculation of any throw is liable, where strict attention is not given to the ball before it reaches the flags. The longer you can keep your eyes upon it, from the instant it leaves the thrower's crosse, the better will be your calculation. The difficulty of short throws, is that you have so little time to catch the line in which they are coming. Swift and Slow Shots. — Allowing for the extra weight of a cricket ball, the danger of stopping a short swift lacrosse ball, thrown from the lower angle of the netting is greater. It is a mistake to suppose that swift shots are harder to stop than slow. They make a young goal- keeper anticipate injury, and nervous, but when accustomed to the habit of stopping he fears no pace. We have always found slow balls more puzzling and 238 GOAL-KEEPING. more likely to be missed than swift. The Indians generally win by slow close shots, and curved balls dropped upon the flags. A swift straight throw is easier to stop as a rule, because you can calculate upon its couvse better than a moderately slow. The effect of swift balls is increased by their liability of breaking the netting of your crosse, and exciting the terror of maiming. Bunching Game. — It is the highest art of goal- guarding to contest successfully against a bunch of opponents, especially if they be frantic Indians fighting your men for the ball. Stoop down low, and keep your eye on the ball. No opponent has a right to stand waiuag for the rubber so as to impede the action of your crosse. The Indians used to do this, until their feet and legs were so unmercifully mauled that they gave the goal-keeper room for action. Do not let Point help you in a bunch : he ought to have enough to do without backing up parallel with you. A ball, tipped or thrown at the flags, should be stopped by only one crosse after it passes the line of the goal-crease ; two, or more, only interfere. Refjulating Points. — It would be a wise principle to establish, that goal-keei)er, if he has the tact, GOAI^KEEPING. 239 should regulate the positions of Point, Cover-point, and any connecting links, as wicket-keeper in cricket regulates the field. His (juiet position enables him to see when men leave their places, and when oppo- nents manoeuvre in attack. So much ultimately depends upon him, that it is but fair that he should have some power to keep his defence aids in their places to prevent a sudden attack. It is quite common for Point and his links to get out of their places, and for games to be lost because they were too far from goal, and no one but goal-keeper can always see when they are too far out. A wicket- keeper's tact wins many a wicket, and a goal-keeper's can save many a hard attack at his flags. If it is necessary to give a man this power — even with a Captain — in a game hke Cricket, where the points are comparatively stationary, how much more is it necessary in Lacrosse, where the shifting of one critical point may endanger a game ? Goal-keeper, however, must not lose his wits, or, by too much commanding, forget his principal duty. Difference between Batting and Groal-keejnne/, — It is a mistake to sup})Ose a good batsman must easily become a good goal-keeper. No doubt he can become 240 GOAL-KEEPING. SO sooner, as a rule, than a man who has not had his hand and eye educated by swift balls ; but there is a wide difference between batting and goal-keeping. In Cricket the batsman knows that the bowler aims solely at the wickets — that to tumble the bails is his object. In Lacrosse, goal-keeper has a space six feet high and six feet wide to defend; and, while one ball into the wickets only puts one man out, generally, one ball into goal is a lost game, invariably. The bat covers the wickets, and the batsman's body is scarcely exposed to accident, except by his own carelessness. The crosse and you, together, cannot cover the goal, and you are a target for swift shots that have no compunction whether they hit your crosse or your face. The difference of pace and curve in bowling is not as puzzling as the many kinds of shots to goal, and the various distances from which they are flung and tipped. The Cricket ball is always delivered within the bowling-crease, and you always have the orthodox distance from it to judge ; but in goal-keeping you can neither fore- see the distance of the next ball, nor whether it will come high or low, swift or slow. We consider it easier to block the same paced ball, at wickets, than r V *V ■' ' 1 ' -"^ ""■' '[■■WiW fr* h^r(^- g 'I 'H W I W mn MJi^* ii.;w^ « «,*i' « ' I GOAL-KEEPING. 241 to stop it going into goal. Much of the fine science of batting might be introduced into goal-keeping, but it is risky, considering the width and height of the flag poles. Science in goal-keeping is not batting at all balls, but turning some to the right or left of the flags, and retaining others. Accidents. — If you lack courage and confidence you are almost sure to be injured by swift balls. Stop a ball determinedly and your crosse will bear the brunt ; shirk, and your body will probably suffer. In close conflicts around goal you are liable to accident from strokes of opposing crosses, especially when playing with Indians. They get very savage in such tussles. At an Indian match we got a stroke and a drag on the back of the left hand from an Indian's crosse, which opened a slit of an inch and a half in length, through which was afforded to the lover of anatomy % charming prospect of the articulation of the knuckles. Getting yourself dissected to save a game is not a pleasant thing to look forward lo, but, if you save the honor of your side, never mind a wound. You are not to invite it, but you must risk it. It is a very R 242 GOAL-KEEPING. rare thing, however, to hear of any very severe accident in Lacrosse. Should goal-keeper ever leave his place ? — As a rule, if there is only one reliable goal-keeper in a match, he should not exchange permanently with another player ; but there are occasions in nearly every match when games are saved and danger averted by a reasonable desertion. It would be folly to pass the goal crease if the game narrows to a bunching attack: in such a case, whether your opponents are unskilful players or not, you should keep your post. If an opponent has a clear field, and makes an unchecked charge at you, what should you do ? Run out to meet him ? — as ten times in twelve you'll be advised. No, decidedly not; even though you are confessedly the best check on the field. The folly of going out to meet such an emergency is clear. If your opponent knows anything about dodging, he will throw over your head, or pass you by some carried dodge, and make a dash at the flags ; or he may dart to one side, and make a clean straight or curved shot, which when you turn to follow, you'll see entering the goal ! Even if he is a "fl," ■wpw«**ut(ii«>i I .^luivpiJiav GOAL-KEEPING. 243 poor player, he may throw the ball over your head into the goal before you reach him. The proba- bilities too, are, that you are not as good at checking as at goal-keeping, and it is best to choose the least of two evils and receive your opponent at your flags as advised. We have lost several games by running out to meet an opponent in such a case, and only saved one. Now we always stick to our post, and trust to skill. If the hall is ihrotvn towards goal, and lands mid- way betweeti an opponent and you. — You may if good at a dash, run out, and flat check or tip av y if opponent is close. But never try experimentb >r run any risk, especially in a match Sometimes too, the ball drops behind your flags, or in some spot near, which you can reach soonest. In such a case you should save your aids, and run out. Your quiet position walking the goal-crease keeps you compara- tively fresh and winded for such dashes, and you have, too, the advantage of proximity to the ball, which imperatively demands that you should run out to get it. But never challenge or accept a tussel with any opponent. Point, of course, should g'^ 'nto goal when you leave, unless he has opportu: to move 244 GOAL-KEEPING. to a good position to receive the ball from you. There are a few other general principles which may guide you in every case. Be within the goal-crease whenever the ball is thrown at the flags. If " Home " is so near that he might check your block, prefer to let balls pass which shoot wide of the flag poles. Do not attempt a run down the field if the game has been, and is likely to be hard against you. It is not safe to venture past Point's position if he is the only man to replace you, unless your men are having it their own way. If there is no reliable man to relieve you in a match, better keep your position ; but while that is, emphatically, defender of the goal, you should occasionally relieve some over-taxed player, when you judge it to be safe, — who can either replace you or change places with an easier post. There is a sort of duality in the duties of a goal-keeper, which depends for its exercise upon his own judgment. There are many puzzling occasions which test the worth of a goal-keeper. For instance : — the close throw and strike of an opponent who has reached your flags ; the sweeping of the ball on the wing .into goal by " Home " ; and the quick succession of tips, swipes, and kicks of a crowd of checks. The most GOAL-KEEPING. 245 critical point we know of, is a practice common among the Indians. One man will carry the ball, or it will be tacked up near to goal, while " Home " closes in, and a fielder goes behind your flags when you are absorbed in watching the manoeuvres in front. In an instant a curved ball is thrown over the flags to the fielder behind ; he catches it, throws it back, dropping it just within the goal-crease, the opponents near closing up in the meantime, and hitting the ball, when it is within reach, into your flags. Or perhaps the opponent in rear of your goal, surprises you by closing in and sending a grounder through — which is not game, of course, — which " Home " tries to strike back. It is hardly possible that such a crisis can arrive and find you without your aids to check ; but it is a breathless moment that needs courage and self-possession. A fielder should be close enough to assist in front, and to check any opponent in rear of the flags. Goal-keeper should keep the whole situation in his eye ; and never lose sight of the ball. Check rear throws the same as if in front, and if they go through or over to the front, wheel round to the defence. Depend altogether upon " cutting" ,W nm^wj^iiiimiit^f WWIfini 246 OOAL-KEEPINQ. when your goal is crowded. Have no trepidation about cutting emphatically, despite the ' "oximity of opponents. We never considered a liberate blockade and ram deserving of fairer pla^ in we got. If opponents choose to impede the free q of your crossse in cutting, let them take the consequ ^es as on the field. They generally give the goal-keeper short swift shots: the keeper consequently should stop balls regardless of opponents near. You cannot aiford to be generous, and risk defeat. When balls are thrown from either angle, leave as little of your goal exposed as possible. If "Home" closes in, he may strike away your crosse as you stop the ball. Whenever you are likely to be checked, invariably "cut." Always have both hands on the crosse when stopping any ball. Special Practice. — If a club expects to have a reliable goal-keeper, it must give him special practical training, which he cannot get by the usual play on the field, or the little practice of ordinary games. The very best, and equally good for all parties, is to place the flags in the centre of the field, to 'WPfW ',«11 ■IWWIPWI^'PI'^T''.^"' GOAL-KEEPING. 247 radiate players from them, at different distances, — as seen in the following diagram, — with three or four balls, and give it to goal-keeper hot and heavy. Begin by long shots, closing into the goal gradually, until one ball will be sufficient to keep up a succession of tips and throws, that will make a goal-keeper active on his pins. We have found an hour's such practice more benefit than a month's ordinary play. Goal-keeper turns around and changes position rapidly to meet front and rear balls. They should be thrown from every angle and with diffierent degrees of force. Whenever he stops the ball, he throws it to either front or rear. The throwers take their turn, if they have only one ball. 4 2 6 18 G.K. BAD C B The ball should be thrown in every possible way. It is excellent practice to have one or two W-' 248 GOAL-KEEPING. good throwers aim in succession at the following points of your body, or on a level with them. 1. Head, or about it. 2. Breast. 3. Stomach. 4. Knee. 5. Ankle. A word, to players, about taunting or carping a goal-keeper, when he happens to let the ball in. Consider the number of balls missed out in the field, where there is no great responsibility to make one nervous about stopping them. Consider the entirety of this responsibility upon the keeper, and the common reluctance to assume it. Put yourself in his place for one match, and trust me your depreciation will vanish. We doubt if any one can take a defeat more to heart than the goal-keeper who lets the ball through. No bitterer pill can he swallow. Sooner would he be maimed and smashed if he could thereby save game. Whose crest falls most when the men come off a lost field ? Who, metaphorically, wears most willow ? We knew a goal-keeper, whose crosse never stood hard balls. Finally, in desperation, he wove himself one ; doubly twisted the strings and in- «}0AL-KEEPINO. 240 terwove them with ^vire ! It was far too heavy and failed completely ; and was broken by him, under foot, in anguish, after the loss of two games in succession at a match. A word to goal-keeper. You must make up your mhid, to endure reproaches patiently, and defeat bravely. Study to succeed ; and, believe us, goal-keeping is a post worthy of practice, and infinitely more responsible in a hard-pressed match than all others. When the ball is sent whizzing outside of the goal, and your opponents shout " game," when it is not game, we hope you will not feel as vexed as we do. It jars on our nerves like a false check to an old chess-player. We have often let balls through and failed to prac- tice what we preach ; but we feel that if we had our goal-keeping life to live over again, we would insist upon special practice ; and with a month's such train- ing, we believe we would defy anyone to put the ball in. Of late, however, there has been encouragement shown to dangerous throws at goal, such as the throw from the shoulder ; and notwithstanding that these methods of play have caused accidents, and have made several good players give up playing altogether, 250 GOAL-KEEPING. they are still in vogue. No goal-keeper can possibly count upon safely stopping them ; and if they are not prohibited, in course of time there will be few goal-keepers without smashed faces, and Lacrosse will surely degenerate. We feel we cannot better bring this book to an end, than by beseeching players not to cultivate rough and dangerous methods of play, merely be- cause they are successful. If it is unfair and wrong in Cricket and other sports, why not in Lacrosse ? — and where is the honor of taking advantage of little imperfections in the laws, and resorting to force, instead of cultivating accuracy and skill. Particu- larly at goal, a man wants to be shown fair play, or no good man will occupy that position. If you expect goal-keeper to restrain his desire to go out on the field, and lose the pleasures of a run, give him fair play in his own position. With a spirit of this kind, and an earnest desire to popularize fair play, in every part, our national game c^n never die ; and the boast of an enthusiastic friend of ours will be fulfilled, — that one day " the sun will never set on our flags ! " »j"y^"i^^»^i AIPENDIX. LAWS OF LACROSSE. Revised and Adopted Sept. 25ih and 26th, 1868, by the National Lacrosse Association of Canada. RULE I.— Thr Crosse. Sec. 1.— The Crosse may be of any length to suit the player ; woven with cat-gut, which must not be bagged. (" Cat-gut" is intended to mean raw hide, gut or clock strings, not cord or soft leather.) The netting must be flat when the ball is not on it. In its widest part the crosse shall not exceed one foot. No string must be brought through any hole at the side of the tip of the turn. A leading string, resting upon the top of the stick, may be used, but must not be fastened, so as to form a pocket, lower down the stick than to the end of the length strings. The length strings must be woven to within two inches of their termination, so that the ball cannot catch in the meshes. Sec. 2. — Players may change thoir crosse during a match. RULE. II.— The Ball. The Ball must be India rubber sponge, not less than eight and not more than nine inches in circumference. In matches, it must be furnished by the challenged party. *^• 252 APPENDIX. RULE III.— The Goals. The Goals may be placed at any distance from each other, and in any position agreeable to the captains of both sides. The top of the fiag-poles must be six feet above the ground, including any top ornament, and six feet apart. In matches they must be furnished by the challenged party. RULE IV.— Thk Goal-Crease. There shall be a line or crease, to be called the Goal-Crease, drawn in front of each goal, six feet from the flag-poles, within which no opponent must stand unless the ball has passed cover-point. RULE v.— Umpirks. Sec. 1. — There must be two umpires at each goal, one for each side, who must stand behind the flags when the ball is near or nearing the goal. Unless otherwise agreed upon by the captains, they nnist not be members of either club engaged in a match ; nor shall they l)e changed during a match except for reasons of illness or injury. They must be thoroughly acquainted with the game, and in every way competent to act. Before a match begins, they shall draw the players up iu line, and see that the regulations respecting the crosse, spiked soles, etc., are complied with. They must also see that the regulations are adhered to respecting the ball, goal, goal- crease, «fcc., and, in deciding any of these points, shall take the opinion of the captains and the referee. Thej^ must know, before the commencement of a match, the number of games to be played. The\'^ shall have power to decide all disputes, subject to Kule Vf., and to suspend, for any time during the match, any player infringing these laws ; the game to go on during such suspension. Sec. 2. — No umpire shall, either directly or indirectly, be interested in any bet upon the result of the match. No person shall be allowed to speak to the umpires, or in any way distract their attention, when the ball is near or neariu", their goal. V APPENDIX. 253 Sec. 3.— "When " foul" has been called, the umpires must leave their posts aud cry " time," and from that time the ball must not be touched by either party, nor must the players move from the positions in which they happen to be at the moment, until the umpires have returned to their posts, and " play" is called. If a player should be in possession of the ball when the umpires leave their posts, he must drop it on the ground in front. If the ball enters the goal after the umpires have left their posts, it will not count. The jurisdic- tion .of umpires shall not extend beyond the day of their appointment. They shall not decide in any manner involving the continuance of a match beyond the day on which it is played. RULE VI.— Rkpkree. The umpires shall select a referee, to whom all disputed games and points, whereon they are a tie, may be left for decision, and who must be thoroughly acquainted with the game, and in every way competent to act. He shall take the evidence of the players particularly interested, the respective opinions of the diflering umpires, and, if necessary, the opinions and offers of the captains, in cases where the discon- tinuance of the game is threatened. His decision shall be final. Any side rejecting his decision, by refusing to continue a match, shall be declared the losers. The referee mtist be on the ground at the commencement of aud during the match, but during plav ho shall not be between the tSo goals. RULE VII.— Captains. Captains, to superintend the play, may be appointed by each side, previous to the commencement of a match. They shall be members of the club by whom they are appoints, and of no other. They may or may not be players in a match : if not, they shall not carry a crosse, nor shall they be dressed m Lacrosse uniform. They shall select umpires, and toss up for choice of goal. They shall report any infringement of the laws during a match to the nearest umpires. .< ■■-.(irin «* '*: # 254 APPENDIX. *.> RULE VIII. — Names op Players. The2pla3^ers of each side shall be designated as follows: "Goal-keeper," who defends the goal; "Point," first man out from goal ; " Cover-point," in front of Point ; " Centre," who faces ; '' Home," nearest opponent's goal. Others shall be termed " Fielders." THE GAME. RULE IX. — Miscellaneous. '■ Sec. 1. — Twelve players shall constitute a full field, and they must have been regular members of the club they represent, and no other, for at least thirty days prior to a match. Sec. 2. — A match shall be decided by the winning of three games out of five, unless otherwise agreed up ju. Sec. 3. — Captains shall arrange, previous to a match, whether it is to be played out in one day, postponed at a stated hour, or in the event of rain, darkness, « V % % 256 APPENDIX. between his legs; nor shall any player hold his opponent's crosse with his crosse in any way to keep him from the ball until another player reaches it. No pla^^er shall deliberately strike or trip another, nor push with the hand ; nor must any player jump at to shoulder an opponent, nor wrestle with the legs entwined so as to throw his opponent. ' •: '• ■ .; **• RULE XIX.— Threatknino to Strike. Any player raising his fist to strike another, shall be imme- diately ruled out of the match. RULE XX.— Foul Play. Sec. I. — Any player considering himself purposely injured during play, must report to his captain, who must report to the umpires, who bhall warn the player complained of. Sec. 2. — lu the event of persistent fouling, after cautioning- by the umpires, the latter may declare the match lost by the side thus offending, or may remove the ofiending player or players, and compel the side to finish the match short-handed. RULE XXI. — Interrupted Matches. In the e\8nt of a match being interrupted by darkness or to any other cause considered right by the umpires, and one side having won two games — the other none — the side having won the two games shall be declared winners of the match. Should one sityjkave won two games, and the other one, the match shall b^Hasidered drawn. ■- RULE XXII. — Amendments. Any amendment or alteration proposed to be made in any part of these laws, shall be made only at the Annual Conven- tions of the National Association, and by a three-fourths vote of the members present. i I- ' , ■ "■ ■■-ifei - iia.fi.iiillft-' I'taaAMMk neut's 3 ball ' ately ' j ; auy I 1 the ^ !