Page:Lacrosse- The National Game of Canada (New Edition).djvu/97

Rh tobogan, was made entirely from the productions of the chase and the forest, until deer-skin became scarce and the Indian domestic,—when the skin of the cow or the horse supplied the material for the netting. An Indian goes into the woods, cuts a load of green boughs, or young trees—which are split in four; bends them, while green, to the required shape around a wooden model, or between two logs, or in a hole, fastens a piece of cat-gut or birch bark from the tip to the collar or peg, to preserve the bend, and lets them season; or if the wood is already seasoned, it is bent by steaming. The Indians prefer hickory because of its strength, but unless it is light, ash or rock elm is better adapted for the purpose. Poor, cheap sticks are a snare: good sticks should be free from knots.

In bending the stick the incurvation of the bend should be regulated either by a wooden model or by the eye. The laws of Lacrosse now limit the width of the widest part to one foot, but nine inches is perhaps more serviceable and convenient for every purpose; though a goal-keeper may take advantage of the outside limit. A slight outward bend should be given to the middle. The part of the top of the