Chapter 4

By the time the last verse has been reached the boy has fixed on his partner, and at the command to "kneel down and kiss the ground" he spreads the handkerchief on the floor at the girl's feet, on which both immediately kneel. A kiss ensues, even though it should be obtained after a struggle; then the boy marches away round and round followed by the girl, while all again sing the song. By the time the last verse is again reached, the girl in turn has selected the next boy, but does not kneel down before him. She simply throws the handkerchief in his lap, and immediately joins her own partner by taking his arm. If, however, she can be overtaken before she joins her partner, a penalty kiss may be enforced. Second boy selects second girl as the first did the first girl, and pair after pair is formed in the same fashion until all are up and marching arm-in-arm round the room, or square, when the game is finished. At adult assemblies, I should state, even as the company paired in this dance, they departed for home.

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"~The Wadds~" is another game in which grown folks no less than children may engage, and which, like "Bab at the Bowster," is essentially a house game. Its mode is for the players to be seated round the hearth, the lasses on one side and the lads on the other. One of the lads first chants:--

O, it's hame, and its hame, it's hame, hame, hame, I think this nicht I maun gang hame.

To which one of the opposite party responds:--

Ye had better licht, and bide a' nicht, And I'll choose ye a partner bonnie and bricht.

The first speaker again says:--

Then wha wad ye choose an' I wad bide?

Answer:--

The fairest and best in a' the countryside.

At the same time presenting a female and mentioning her name. If the choice is satisfactory, the male player will say:--

I'll set her up on the bonnie pear tree, It's straucht and tall and sae is she; I wad wauk a' nicht her love to be.

If, however, the choice is not satisfactory, he may reply:--

I'll set her up on the auld fael dyke, Where she may rot ere I be ripe; The corbies her auld banes wadna pyke.

Or (if the maiden be of surly temper):--

I'll set her up on the high crab-tree, It's sour and dour, and sae is she; She may gang to the mools unkissed for me.

But he may decline civilly, by saying:--

She's for another, she's no for me, I thank ye for your courtesie.

A similar ritual is gone through with respect to one of the gentler sex, where such rhymes as the following are used. In the case of acceptance the lady will say:--

I'll set him up at my table-head, And feed him there wi' milk and bread.

Whereas, if the proposal is not agreeable, her reply may be:--

I'll put him on a riddle, and blaw him owre the sea, Wha will buy [Jamie Paterson] for me?

Or:--

I'll set him up on a high lum-heid, And blaw 'im in the air wi' poother and lead.

A refusal on either side must, of course, be atoned for by a "wadd," or forfeit--which may consist of a piece of money, a knife, a thimble, or any little article which the owner finds convenient for the purpose. Then, when a sufficient number of persons have made forfeits, the business of redeeming them commences, which may afford any amount of amusement. He, or she, as the case happens, may be ordered to "kiss the four corners of the room;" "bite an inch off the poker;" "kneel to the prettiest, bow to the wittiest, and kiss the one he (or she) loves best," or any one of a dozen similarly silly ordeals, as the doomster proposes, may have to be gone through. When the forfeits have all been redeemed the game is ended.

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Similar to the foregoing, in some respects, is "~The Wadds and the Wears~," which John Mactaggart, the writer of _The Gallovidian Encyclopædia_, describes as (in his day) "the most celebrated amusement of the ingle-ring" in the south-west of Scotland. As in the "Wadds," the players are seated round the hearth. One in the ring (says Mactaggart), speaks as follows:--

I hae been awa' at the wadds and the wears, These seven lang years; And's come hame a puir broken ploughman; What will ye gie me to help me to my trade?

He may either say he's a "puir broken ploughman," or any other trade; but since he has chosen that trade, some of the articles belonging to it must always be given or offered, in order to recruit him. But the article he most wants he privately tells one of the party, who is not allowed, of course, to offer him anything, as he knows the thing, which will throw the _offerer_ in a _wadd_, and must be avoided as much as possible--for to be in a _wadd_ is a very serious matter, as shall afterwards be explained. Now the one on the left hand of the poor ploughman makes the first offer, by way of answer to what above was said: "I'll gie ye a _coulter_ to help ye to your trade."

The ploughman answers, "I don't thank ye for your _coulter_, I hae ane already." Then another offers him another article belonging to the ploughman's business, such as the _mool-brod_, but this also is refused; another, perhaps, gives the _sock_, another the _stilts_, another the _spattle_, another the _naigs_, another the _naig-graith_, and so on; until one gives the _soam_, which was the article he most wanted, and was the thing secretly told to one, and is the thing that throws the giver in a _wadd_, out of which he is relieved in the following manner:--

The ploughman says to the one in the _wadd_, "Whether will ye hae three questions and twa commands, or three commands and twa questions, to answer or gang on wi', sae that ye may win oot o' the _wadd_?" For the one so fixed has always the choice which of these alternatives to take. Suppose he takes the first, two commands and three questions, then a specimen of these may run so:--

"I command ye to kiss the _crook_," says the ploughman, which must be completely obeyed by the one in the _wadd_--his naked lips must salute the _sooty_ implement.

"Secondly," saith the ploughman, "I command ye to stand up in that neuk, and say--

'Here stan' I, as stiffs a stake, Wha'll kiss me for pity's sake?'"

Which must also be done; in a corner of the house must he stand and repeat that couplet, till some tender-hearted lass relieves him. Now for the questions which are most deeply laid, or so _touching_ to him, that he finds much difficulty to answer them.

"Firstly, then, Suppose ye were sittin' aside Maggie Lowden and Jennie Logan, your twa great sweethearts, what ane o'm wad ye ding ower, and what ane wad ye turn to and clap and cuddle?" He makes answer by choosing Maggie Lowden, perhaps, to the great mirth of the party.

"Secondly, then, Suppose you were standin' oot i' the cauld, on the tap o' Cairnhattie, whether wad ye cry on Peggie Kirtle or Nell o' Killimingie to come wi' your plaid?"

He answers again in a similar manner.

"Lastly, then, Suppose you were in a boat wi' Tibbie Tait, Mary Kairnie, Sallie Snadrap, and Kate o' Minnieive, and it was to cowp wi' ye, what ane o'm wad ye _sink_? what ane wad ye _soom_? wha wad ye bring to lan'? and wha wad ye marry?" Then he answers again, to the fun of the company, perhaps, in this way, "I wad sink Mary Kairnie, soom Tibbie Tait, bring Sallie Snadrap aneath my oxter to lan', and marry sweet Kate o' Minnieive."

And so ends that bout at the _wadds and the wears_.

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But the games engaged in exclusively by the "wee folks" are the really delightsome ones. Such is "~The Widow of Babylon~," the ritual of which, less elaborate, resembles that of "Merry-Ma-Tanzie," though the rhymes are different. Girls only play here. One is chosen for the centre. The others, with hands joined, form a ring about her, and move round briskly, singing:--

Here's a poor widow from Babylon, With six poor children all alone; One can bake, and one can brew, One can shape, and one can sew. One can sit at the fire and spin, One can bake a cake for the king; Come choose you east, come choose you west, Come choose the one that you love best.

The girl in the middle chooses one from the ring, naming her, and sings:--

I choose the fairest that I do see, [Jeanie Anderson] come to me.

The girl chosen enters the ring, communicating the name of her sweetheart, when those in the ring resume their lightsome motion, and sing:--

Now they are married, I wish them joy, Every year a girl or boy; Loving each other like sister and brother, I pray this couple may kiss together.

The girls within the ring kiss. The one who first occupied the circle then joins the ring, while the last to come in enacts the part of mistress; and so on the game goes until all have had their turn.

* * * * *

"~London Bridge~" is a well-known and widely played game, though here and there with slightly differing rhymes. Two children--the tallest and strongest, as a rule--standing face to face, hold up their hands, making the form of an arch. The others form a long line by holding on to each other's dresses, and run under. Those running sing the first verse, while the ones forming the arch sing the second, and alternate verses, of the following rhyme:--

London bridge is fallen down, Fallen down, fallen down; London bridge is fallen down, My fair lady.

_Question._--What will it take to build it up? (With repeats.)

_Answer._--Needles and preens will build it up.

_Question._--Needles and preens will rust and bend.

_Answer._--Silver and gold will build it up.

_Question._--Silver and gold will be stolen away.

_Answer._--Build it up with penny loaves.

_Question._--Penny loaves will tumble down.

_Answer._--Bricks and mortar will build it up.

_Question._--Bricks and mortar will wash away.

_Answer._--We will set a dog to bark.

_Question._--Here's a prisoner we have got.

At the words "a prisoner," the two forming the arch apprehend the passing one in the line, and, holding her fast, the dialogue resumes:--

_Answer._--Here's a prisoner we have got.

_Question._--What's the prisoner done to you?

_Answer._--Stole my watch and broke my chain.

_Question._--What will you take to set him free?

_Answer._--A hundred pounds will set him free.

_Question._--A hundred pounds I have not got.

_Answer._--Then off to prison you must go.

Following this declaration, the prisoner is led a distance away from the rest by her jailers, where the questions are put to her, whether she will choose "a gold watch," or "a diamond necklace." As she decides she goes to the one side or the other. When, in like manner, all in the line have chosen, a tug-of-war ensues, and the game is ended.

* * * * *

"~The Jolly Miller.~"--In this the players take partners--all except the miller, who takes his stand in the middle, while his companions walk round him in couples, singing:--

There was a jolly miller, who lived by himself, As the wheel went round he made his wealth; One hand in the hopper, and the other in the bag, As the wheel went round he made his grab.

At the word "grab," every one must change partners. The miller then has the opportunity of seizing one: and if he succeeds in so doing, the one necessarily left alone must take his place, and so on.

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"~Willie Wastle~" is essentially a boy's game. One standing on a hillock or large boulder, from which he defies the efforts of his companions to dislodge him, exclaims, by way of challenge:--

I, Willie Wastle, Stand on my castle, And a' the dogs o' your toun, Will no ding Willie Wastle doun.

The boy who succeeds in dislodging him takes his place, and so on.

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"~Oats and Beans and Barley~," a simple but pretty game, is played all over England, as well as in most parts of Scotland, with varying rhymes. In Perthshire the lines run:--

Oats and beans and barley grows, Oats and beans and barley grows; But you nor I nor nobody knows How oats and beans and barley grows. First the farmer sows his seeds, Then he stands and takes his ease; Stamps his feet, and claps his hands, Then turns around to view his lands. Waiting for a partner, Waiting for a partner; Open the ring and take one in, And kiss her in the centre.

The players form a ring by joining hands. One child--usually a boy--stands in the middle. The ring moving round, sing the first four lines. These completed, the ring stands, and still singing, each player gives suitable action to the succeeding words; showing how the "farmer sows his seeds," and how he "stands and takes his ease," etc. At the tenth line all wheel round. They then re-join hands, still singing, and at the words, "Open the ring and take one in," the child in the middle chooses from the ring a partner (a girl, of course), whom he leads to the centre and kisses as requested. The two stand there together, while the ring, moving again, sing the marriage formula:--

Now you're married, you must obey, Must be true to all you say; You must be kind, you must be good, And help your wife to chop the wood.

* * * * *

"~Hornie Holes~" is a boys' game in which four play, a principal and assistant on either side. A stands with his assistant at one hole, and throws what is called a "cat" (a piece of stick, or a sheep's horn), with the design of making it alight into another hole at some distance, at which B stands, with his assistant, to drive it aside with his rod resembling a walking-stick. The following unintelligible rhyme is repeated by a player on the one side, while they on the other are gathering in the "cats." This is attested by old people as of great antiquity:--

Jock, Speak, and Sandy, Wi' a' their lousie train, Round about by Edinbro', Will never meet again. Gae head 'im, gae hang 'im, Gae lay him in the sea; A' the birds o' the air Will bear 'im companie. With a nig-nag, widdy--(or worry) bag, And an e'endown trail, trail, Quo' he.

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~The Craw~ admits of a good deal of lively exercise, involving, as Dr. Chambers remarks, no more than a reasonable portion of violence. One boy is selected to be craw. He sits down upon the ground, and he and another boy then lay hold of the two ends of a long strap or twisted handkerchief. The latter also takes into his right hand another hard-twisted handkerchief, called the _Cout_, and runs round the craw, and with the cout defends him against the attack of the other boys, who, with similar couts, use all their agility to get a slap at the craw. But, before beginning, the guard of the craw must cry out:--

Ane, twa, three--my craw's free.

And the first whom he strikes becomes craw, the former craw then becoming guard. When the guard wants respite, he must cry:--

Ane, twa, three--my craw's no free.

* * * * *

"~Neevie-neevie-nick-nack.~"--A lottery game, and confined to boys, is of simple movement, but convenient in this--that only two players are required. They stand facing each other, the leader whirling his two closed fists, one containing a prize, the other empty, while he cajoles his opponent with the rhyme--

Neevie-neevie-nick-nack, Whilk hand will ye tak'-- The richt are or the wrang, I'll beguile ye gin I can?

If he guesses correctly, he gains the prize. If he misses, he has to equal the stake. Until success falls to the second, the original player continues the lead.

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"~Blind Man's Buff~," though not a rhyme-game, is yet so well known it is worth mentioning for the mere purpose of telling its story. Like many more such--if we only knew how--it is based on fact. It is of French origin, and of very great antiquity, having been introduced into Britain in the train of the Norman conquerors. Its French name, "Colin Maillard," was that of a brave warrior, the memory of whose exploits still lives in the chronicles of the Middle Ages.

In the year 999 Liége reckoned among its valiant chiefs one Jean Colin. He acquired the name Maillard from his chosen weapon being a mallet, wherewith in battle he used literally to crush his opponents.

In one of the feuds which were of perpetual recurrence in those times, he encountered the Count de Lourain in a pitched battle, and--so runs the story--in the first onset Colin Maillard lost both his eyes.

He ordered his esquire to take him into the thickest of the fight, and, furiously brandishing his mallet, did such fearful execution that victory soon declared itself for him.

When Robert of France heard of these feats of arms, he lavished favour and honours upon Colin, and so great was the fame of the exploit that it was commemorated in the pantomimic representations that formed part of the rude dramatic performances of the age. By degrees the children learned to act it for themselves, and it took the form of a familiar sport.

The blindfold pursuer, as with bandaged eyes and extended hands he gropes for a victim to pounce upon, seems in some degree to repeat the action of Colin Maillard, the tradition of which is also traceable in the name, "blind man's buff."

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"~Water Wallflower.~"--All should know this game, which is more commonly played by very small misses.

Forming a ring, all join hands and dance, or move slowly round, singing:--

Water, water wallflower, growing up so high, We are all maidens, and we must all die, Excepting [Nellie Newton], the youngest of us all, She can dance and she can sing, and she can knock us all down.

Here all clap hands, with the exception of the one named, who stands looking abashed, while the others sing:--

Fie, fie, fie, for shame, Turn your back to the wall again.

At the command, she who has been named turns, so that she faces outwards now, with her back to the centre of the ring; though she still clasps hands with those on either side, and continues in the movement, singing with the others. When all in like manner have been chapped out, and are facing the open, the game is finished.

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"~The Emperor Napoleon~" is a little game which affords, invariably, a good deal of fun. Again, as so commonly, the form is in a ring, and all go round, singing:--

The Emperor Napoleon has a hundred thousand men, The Emperor Napoleon has a hundred thousand men, The Emperor Napoleon has a hundred thousand men, As he goes marching along.

In each successive singing of the verse, one syllable after another in the main line, beginning at the far end, is left out--or at least is not spoken--the blank, or blanks, as it happens latterly, having to be indicated merely by nods of the head. As each player makes a mistake, by speaking, instead of nodding, or _vice versa_, she pays a forfeit and drops out. The play goes on till all have fallen.

* * * * *

"~A' the Birdies i' the Air~," purely Scotch, is a simpler form merely of "London Bridge." Two players, facing each other, hold up their hands to form an arch, and call the formula:--

A' the birdies i' the air Tick-to to my tail.

The others, who may be running about indifferently, decide in time which side they will favour, and when each and all have chosen which champion they will support, and have taken their places at her back, a tug-of-war ensues. Afterwards the victors chase the vanquished, calling, "Rotten eggs! rotten eggs!" and the game is ended; to be followed perhaps by

* * * * *

"~Through the Needle-e'e, Boys~," played also to some extent in the form of "London Bridge," and much resembling "Barley Break," a pastime of highborn lords and ladies in the time of Sir Philip Sydney, who describes it in his _Arcadia_. The boys first choose sides. The two chosen leaders join both hands, and raising them high enough to let the others pass through below, they sing:--

Brother [John], if ye'll be mine, I'll gie you a glass o' wine: A glass o' wine is good and fine, Through the needle-e'e, boys.

Letting their arms fall, they enclose a boy, and ask him to which side he will belong, and he is disposed according to his own decision. The parties being at length formed, are separated by a real or imaginary line, and place at some distance behind them, in a heap, their jackets, caps, etc. They stand opposite to each other, the object being to make a successful incursion over the line into the enemy's country, and bring off part or whole of the heap of clothes. It requires address and swiftness of foot to do so without being taken prisoner by the foe. The winning of the game is decided by which party first loses all its men or all its property. At Hawick, where this legendary mimicry of old Border warfare peculiarly flourishes, the boys are accustomed to use the following lines of defiance:--

King Covenanter, come out if ye daur venture! Set your feet on Scots ground, English, if ye daur!

* * * * *

"~King Henry~" somewhat resembles "I dree I droppit it;" only, instead of standing, the girls forming the ring sit, or rather crouch in a sort of working-tailor attitude. One girl, occupying the centre, is "it." A second girl is on the outside. Immediately the ring begins singing the rhyme:--

King Henry, King Henry, Run, boys, run; You, with the red coat, Follow with the drum,

The one on the outside is pursued by the girl from the centre. The rhyme may be repeated as often as the ring decides; but the object of the one who is "it" is to overtake and "tig" the other before the singing ceases. Otherwise she remains unrelieved, and must try, and try, until she succeeds in getting out, and putting another in her place; and so on.

* * * * *

"~The Blue Bird~," played by very small children, is rather pretty. The rhyme is:--

Here comes a [blue] bird through the window, Here comes a [blue] bird through the door; Here comes a [blue] bird through the window, Hey, diddle, hi dum, day. Take a little dance and a hop in the corner, Take a little dance and a hop in the floor; Take a little dance and a hop in the corner, Hey, diddle, hi dum, day.

The players dance round in a ring. One previously, by the process of a chapping-out rhyme, being made "it," goes first outside, then into the centre. Her business now is to decide who shall succeed her; and according as the colour-word in the rhyme--red, blue, green, or yellow, etc.--corresponds with the dress of all the individual players in the successive singing, the ones spotted successively take their place in the centre, and the process goes on, of course, until all have shared alike in the game.

* * * * *

"~When I was a Young Thing~," of simple though pretty action, has had a wide vogue. Its rhyme goes:--

When I was a young thing, A young thing, a young thing; When I was a young thing, How happy was I. 'Twas this way, and that way, And this way, and that way; When I was a young thing, Oh, this way went I.

When I was a school-girl, etc. When I was a teacher, etc. When I had a sweetheart, etc. When I had a husband, etc. When I had a baby, etc. When I had a donkey, etc. When I took in washing, etc. When my baby died, oh died, etc. When my husband died, etc.

The players, joining hands, form a ring, and dance or walk round singing the words, and keeping the ring form until the end of the fourth line in each successive verse, when they unclasp, and stand still. Each child then takes hold of her skirt and dances individually to the right and left, making two or three steps. Then all walk round singly, singing the second four lines, and making suitable action to the words as they sing and go: the same form being continued throughout.

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