Chapter 3

One third of the company agree to say "Hish" all together at a given signal, another third agree to say "Hash," and the rest agree to say "Hosh." The word of command is then given, and the result is the sound as of a tremendous sneeze.

Bingo

In "Bingo" the players begin by joining hands and marching round, singing--

There was a farmer had a dog His name was Bobby Bingo O. B, I, N, G, O, B, I, N, G, O, B, I, N, G, O, And Bingo was his name O!

The players then loose hands, the girls go inside the ring and stand there, and the boys run round them singing the rhyme again. Then the boys go inside and the girls run round them and sing it. And then hands are taken once more and all go round in the original circle singing it a fourth time. If no boys are playing, the girls should arrange, before the game begins, which shall personate them.

Robin's Alive

A good game for the fireside is "Robin's Alive." There are so few children nowadays who have fireplaces that this can be modified so that it is a good evening game for any quiet group of children. Some one lights a piece of twisted paper or a stick of wood, twirls it rapidly in the air to keep it burning and says, as fast as he can,

Robin's alive, and alive he shall be If he dies in my hand you may back-saddle me,

and at once passes the paper on to the next player who in turn recites the verse. The one in whose hand it finally goes out is "back-saddled" in this way. He lies down on the floor and the others pile cushions and chairs and books on him while he repeats,

Rocks and stones and the old horse's bones All this and more you may pile upon me.

The Mulberry Bush

The players join hands and go round and round in a ring, singing--

Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, Here we go round the mulberry bush On a fine and frosty morning.

They then let go hands and sing--

This is the way we wash our clothes, wash our clothes, wash our clothes, This is the way we wash our clothes On a fine and frosty morning,

and as they sing they pretend to be washing. After the verse is done they join hands again and dance round to the singing of the mulberry bush chorus again, and so on after each verse. The other verses are--

(2) This is the way we iron our clothes. (3) This is the way we wash our face. (4) This is the way we comb our hair. (5) This is the way we go to school (_very sadly_). (6) This is the way we learn our book. (7) This is the way we sew our seams.

And lastly and very gaily--

(8) This is the way we come from school,

and then the chorus comes again, and the game is done.

Looby, Looby

This is another of the old country games in which the players all have to do the same things. They first join hands and dance round, singing--

Here we dance Looby, looby, Here we dance Looby light, Here we dance Looby, looby, All on a Saturday night.

Then, letting go of hands and standing still, they sing--

Put your right hands in, Put your right hands out, Shake them and shake them a little, And turn yourselves about,

and at the same time they do what the song directs. Then the dance and chorus again, and then the next verse, and so on. This is the order--

(2) Put your left hands in. (3) Put your right feet in. (4) Put your left feet in. (5) Put your noddles in.

And finally--

Put your bodies in, Put your bodies out, Shake them and shake them a little, And turn yourselves about.

Orchestra

An ear-splitting game that is always great fun. The players stand in rows before the leader or "conductor," who sings a verse from any well-known nonsense or other song. Then he says, pointing to one of the players, "and the first violin played this simple melody," whereupon the two sing the verse over again, the player imitating with his arms the movements of a violin player, and with his voice the sound of a squeaking fiddle. Then the conductor says, pointing to another player, "and the big trombone played this simple melody." Then the three sing together, the second player imitating the sound of a trombone and the appearance of a trombone player. This is continued until every one is playing on an imaginary instrument, the conductor, of course, being the only one who sings the words of the song.

A Good Fat Hen

A nonsensical game, useful in leading to forfeits. The company sit in a row, and one of the end players begins by saying, "A good fat hen." Each of the others in turn must then say, "A good fat hen." The first player then says, "Two ducks and a good fat hen," and the words pass down the line. Then "Three squawking wild geese, two ducks, and a good fat hen." And so on until the end is reached, in the following order--

Fourth round.--Prefix: Four plump partridges. Fifth round.-- " Five pouting pigeons. Sixth round.-- " Six long-legged cranes. Seventh round.-- " Seven green parrots. Eighth round.-- " Eight screeching owls. Ninth round.-- " Nine ugly turkey-buzzards. Tenth round.-- " Ten bald eagles.

The sentence has now reached a very difficult length:--"Ten bald eagles, nine ugly turkey-buzzards, eight screeching owls, seven green parrots, six long-legged cranes, five pouting pigeons, four plump partridges, three squawking wild geese, two ducks and a good fat hen." Any one making a mistake may be made to pay a forfeit.

John Ball

The same game may be played also with "The House that Jack Built," and there are other stories of a similar kind. Among these the most amusing for a large party would perhaps be the old rhyme of "John Ball."

First round.-- John Ball shot them all. Second round.-- John Block made the stock, But John Ball shot them all. Third round.-- John Brammer made the rammer, John Block made the stock, But John Ball shot them all. Fourth round.-- John Wyming made the priming, John Brammer made the rammer, John Block made the stock, But John Ball shot them all. Fifth round.-- John Scott made the shot.... Sixth round.-- John Crowder made the powder.... Seventh round.-- John Puzzle made the muzzle.... Eighth round.-- John Farrell made the barrel.... Ninth round.-- John Clint made the flint.... Tenth round.-- John Patch made the match....

In the tenth round, then, each player has to say--

John Patch made the match, John Clint made the flint, John Farrell made the barrel, John Puzzle made the muzzle, John Crowder made the powder, John Scott made the shot, John Wyming made the priming, John Brammer made the rammer, John Block made the stock, But John Ball shot them all.

Chitterbob

There is also the old rhyme of "Chitterbob," but it is usual in repeating this to say it all at once, in one round, and not prolong the task. This is the rhyme:--

There was a man and his name was Cob He had a wife and her name was Mob, He had a dog and his name was Bob, She had a cat and her name was Chitterbob. "Bob," says Cob; "Chitterbob," says Mob. Bob was Cob's dog, Mob's cat was Chitterbob, Cob, Mob, Bob, and Chitterbob.

In the old way of playing "Chitterbob" a paper horn used to be twisted into the player's hair for each mistake made in the recitation, and at the end these horns could be got rid of only by paying forfeits.

The Muffin Man

"The Muffin Man" is another variety. The players sit in a circle, and the game is begun by one of them turning to the next and asking, either in speech or in song--

Oh, do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man? Oh, do you know the muffin man who lives in Drury Lane?

The reply is--

Oh, yes I know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man, Oh, yes I know the muffin man who lives in Drury Lane.

Both players then repeat together--

Then two of us know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man, Then two of us know the muffin man who lives in Drury Lane.

This done, the second player turns to the third and the same question and answer are given; but when it comes to the comment--

Then three of us know the muffin man,...

the first player also joins in. At the end therefore, if there are eight people playing, the whole company is singing--

Then eight of us know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man, Then eight of us know the muffin man who lives in Drury Lane.

Family Coach

In "Family Coach" each player takes the name of a part of a coach, as the axle, the door, the box, the reins, the whip, the wheels, the horn; or of some one connected with it, as the driver, the guard, the ostlers, the landlord, the bad-tempered passenger, the cheerful passenger, the passenger who made puns, the old lady with the bundle, and the horses--wheelers and leaders. One player then tells a story about the coach, bringing in as many of these people and things as he can, and as often. Whenever a person or thing represented by a player is mentioned, that player must stand up and turn round. But whenever the coach is mentioned the whole company must stand up and turn round. Otherwise, forfeits. A specimen story is here given as a hint as to the kind of thing needed:--

"There's the railway, of course," said _Mr. Burly_, "and there's the motor wagonette, and you've all got bicycles; but let's go to London in the old-fashioned way for once; let's go in the _Family Coach_." These words delighted everybody. "Oh, yes," they all cried, "let's go in the _Family Coach_." It was therefore arranged, and _John the Coachman_ had orders to get everything ready. This was no light matter, for the _Family Coach_ had not been used for many years, and it would need to be taken to the coachbuilder's at once and be overhauled. So the next morning it lumbered off, and it did not come back for a week; but when it did there was a change indeed. The _wheels_ had been painted red, the _axles_ had been tested, the _springs_ renewed, the inside re-lined, the _roof_ freshly upholstered, and the whole made bright and gay. At last the morning came, a clear, sunny day, and punctually at nine _John_ rattled up to the door. The _horses_ stood there pawing the ground, as if ready to gallop all the way. _John_ had a new coat and hat, and Tim and Peter, the _grooms_, were also in new livery. Every one was ready. First came _Mr. Burly_ in a wonderful great overcoat, and then _Mrs. Burly_ in furs. Then _Uncle Joshua_, then _Aunt Penelope_, and then the three girls and two boys. How they all found room I don't know, but they did. "Are we all ready?" said _Mr. Burly_. "All ready," said _Uncle Joshua_. So _Tim_ and _Peter_ sprang away from the _horses'_ heads, crack went the _whip_, round went the _wheels_, _Uncle Joshua_ blew the _horn_, and the old _Family Coach_ was fairly on its journey.

It was a splendid ride. _John_ kept his _horses_ going at a grand pace and hardly used the _whip_ at all, the _wheels_ ran smoothly over the road, and whenever we passed through a village _Uncle Joshua_ blew the _horn_. We stopped at Thornminster for lunch. _John_ brought us up to the inn door in style, and the _landlord_ came out rubbing his hands and helped _Mrs. Burly_ and _Aunt Penelope_ down with a flourish. "Proud to see you, sir," he said to _Mr. Burly_. "It is seldom enough that folks travel nowadays in an old _Family Coach_. I wish there were more of them."

After lunch we went along in the same splendid way until suddenly round a corner came a donkey-cart with the donkey braying at the top of his voice. _John_ pulled the _horses_ well over to the side, but the braying was too much for them, and they rolled into the ditch. In a moment the old _Family Coach_ was overturned. _Mr. Burly_ was shot into the field across the hedge, _Uncle Joshua_, grasping the _horn_, landed in a pond, _John_ and _Aunt Penelope_, _Mrs. Burly_ and the _grooms_ all stuck in the hedge. No one was hurt, but two of the _wheels_ were broken to pieces and one _axle_ was bent, and that was therefore the last of the old _Family Coach_. So we never got to London in the old way after all.

If this story is not long enough, it can be lengthened. The words in italics are those to be distributed among the company, each player taking more than one if necessary. When the accident comes they might all fall down as they are mentioned. In the case of the wheels and the horses, these may either be taken all four by one player, or eight players may share them. Thus, when the wheels are mentioned, all four players who have taken the wheels would stand up and turn round, and four others when the horses were alluded to.

The Traveler, and the Bicyclist

"The Traveler" is a favorite variety of the "Family Coach." In this game a player with a ready tongue is chosen as traveler, and the others are given such names as landlord, bell-boy, clerk, waiter, chambermaid, electric light, elevator, bed, supper, paper, sitting-room, bedroom, steam-radiator, slippers, and so on. The traveler is then supposed to arrive and give his orders. "Can I have a room to-night? Good. And how soon will _supper_ be ready? Ask the _bell-boy_ to take my _satchels_ up to my _room_. Show me to my _room_ and send up the _papers_." And so on, each person named having to stand up or be booked for a forfeit.

This game lends itself to various new forms. One might be called "The Bicyclist" and run thus:--A player having been chosen as the bicyclist, the others take as many bicycling names (or two names each might add to the fun) as there are players. Thus--lamp, wick, oil, handle-bars, spokes, tires, chain, pump, nuts, bell, hedges, fields, sheep, roads, hill, dog. This settled, the bicyclist will begin his story, something in this style:--

It looked so fine this morning that I determined to go for a long ride. So I got out the _pump_ and blew up the _tires_, put the _monkey-wrench_ to a few _nuts_, filled the _lamp_, trimmed the _wick_, polished up the _bell_ and the _handle-bars_, and started off. The _roads_ were perfect. The _fields_ were shining with dew, the _hedges_ were sweet with honey-suckle, and I skimmed along like the wind until suddenly, at the turn at the foot of Claymore _Hill_, I rode bang into a flock of _sheep_ and came down with a smash. You never saw such a ruin. The _lamp_ and _bell_ were lost completely, the _handle-bars_ were twisted into corkscrews, the _tires_ were cut to ribbons, the _spokes_ looked like part of a spider's web, my hands and my knees were cut, and the worst of it was that the shepherd's _dog_ mistook me for an enemy and I had to beat him off with the _monkey-wrench_, until the farmer heard the noise and came to the rescue.

During this story all the players named would, in the ordinary way, stand up for a moment when their adopted names were mentioned, except at the point when the accident occurs, and then every player bearing the name of a part of the bicycle--the handle-bars, spokes, tires, chain, air-pump, lamp, wick, bell, monkey-wrench, pump, nuts--should fall to the ground.

Drawing-Room Acrobatics

There are various feats which can be performed in a small room without injury to furniture. To lie flat on the floor on one's back and be lifted into an upright position by a pair of hands under the back of the head, keeping stiff all the time, is a favorite accomplishment. Another is to bend over and touch the floor with the tips of the fingers without bending the knees. Another is, keeping your feet behind a line, to see who, by stretching along the ground supported on the left hand only, can place a penny with the right hand the farthest distance and get back again to an upright position behind the line without moving the feet or using the right hand for a support. This done, the penny must be recovered in the same way.

Another feat is, keeping your feet together and one arm behind you, to see how far back from the wall it is possible to place your feet (remembering that you have to get into an upright position again) while you lean forward supported by the other hand laid flat against the wall.

Another is to keep the toes to a line, and kneel down and get up again without using the hands.

Another is to make a bridge of your body from chair to chair, resting the back of your neck on one and your heels on the other. This is done by beginning with three chairs, one under the back, and then when you are rigid enough having the third one removed.

Acrobatic Impossibilities

If you hold your hands across your chest in a straight line with the tips of the forefingers pressed together, it will be impossible for any one else, however strong, to hold by your arms and pull those finger-tips apart.

It is quite safe to stand a person against the wall with his heels touching it, and, laying a shilling on the floor a foot or so is front of him, to say it will be his if he can pick it up without moving his heels from the wall.

Another impossible thing is to stand sideways against the wall with your left cheek, left heel, and left leg touching it, and then raise the right leg.

The Trussed Fowls

In this contest two boys are first trussed. Trussing consists of firmly tying wrists and ankles, bringing the elbows down below the knees and slipping a stick along over one elbow, under both knees and over the other elbow, as in the picture. The game is, for the two fowls to be placed opposite each other with their feet just touching, and for each then to strive to roll the other over with his toes.

The Candle-Lighters

Another balancing game. Two boys face each other, each with a candle, one of which is lighted and the other not. Kneeling on the right knee only and keeping the left leg entirely off the ground, they have to make one candle light the other.

Hat and Cards

A tall hat is placed in the middle of the room and a pack of cards is dealt out to the players seated round it. The game is to throw the cards one by one into the hat.

Tug of War

This is properly an outdoor game, but in a big room indoors it is all right. The two sides should be even in numbers, at any rate in the first pull. In the middle of the rope a handkerchief is tied, and three chalk lines a yard apart are made on the floor. The sides then grasp the rope, the captain of each side, whose duty it is to encourage his men by cheering cries, having his hands about a yard and a half from the handkerchief. The rope is then trimmed by the umpire until the handkerchief comes exactly over the middle one of the three lines. On the word being given, each side has to try and pull the rope so that the handkerchief passes over the chalk line nearest it. The best of three decides the victory. For the sake of sport it is better, if one side is much weaker than the other, to add to it until the balance of strength is pretty even.

High Skip

The players stand in as wide a circle as the size of the room allows, with one player in the middle. He has a rope or heavy cord in his hand with some object, rather heavy but not hard, tied to it, such as a small cushion or a large bunch of rags. Stooping down, he begins swinging this around the circle. As it comes to them the players must jump over the cord. As the cushion is swung faster and faster it goes higher and is more difficult to jump over. The first one to miss takes the place of the person swinging the rope, who is not allowed to raise his hand higher than his knee.

Parlor Football

In this game goals are set up at each end of the room, the players are provided with fans, and the football is a blown hen's egg, which is wafted backward and forward along the floor.

Balloon

A string is stretched across the room at a height of about three or four feet. The players divide into sides and line up on each side of the string. The balloon is then thrown up, the game being to keep it in the air backward and forward over the string, so that if it falls it will fall in the other side's camp. It ought to be tapped with the back of the fingers and not hit hard.

Tissue-Paper Race

In this game tissue-paper is cut into pieces three or four inches square. As many squares as there are players are placed in a line at one end of the room, and at the other are placed two books, or other objects, a foot or so apart. At the word of command each competitor, who is armed with a Japanese fire-screen or fan, starts to fan his square through the goal-posts. For the sake of distinguishing them it is better to mark the papers or have them of different colors. A competitor may not fan any other square except by accident.

Walking Spanish

This game should not be played unless there are some older, stronger players to prevent possible accidents, but it is very amusing. Each player in turn goes to the end of the room, takes a cane or umbrella, puts his head down on the handle, closes his eyes and, stooping over thus, whirls rapidly about six times, not moving the point of the cane from its original position. Then instantly he straightens up and tries to walk steadily the length of the room along a string laid down or line marked. The one who steps nearest to the line all the time is the winner.

Potato Race

This is a good game for a hall or landing. Two baskets are needed, which are placed at one end of the hall about two yards apart, and then in a line from each basket are placed potatoes, at intervals of a yard or so all down the floor, an equal number to each line. Any even number of competitors can play, the race being run in heats. Each competitor is armed with a long spoon, and his task is to pick up all the potatoes on his line and return them to the basket before his opponent can. Each potato must be carried to the basket in turn, and if dropped on the way must be picked up again before another can be touched, and the spoon only must be used. Any help from the other hand or from the foot disqualifies.

Fire-Buckets

At a fire in the country, where there is no hose, a line of men extends from the burning house to the nearest pond, and buckets are continually being passed along this line. Hence the name by which this excellent game is called here. It is played thus. A large number of miscellaneous and unbreakable articles--balls, boots, potatoes, books, and so on--are divided into two exactly equal groups, and each group is placed in a clothes basket. The company then forms into two equal lines, and each chooses a captain. Each captain stands by the basket at one end of his line, at the other end being a chair and another player standing by that. At the word "Start," the articles are handed one by one by the captain to the first player in the line, and passed as quickly as possible without dropping to the player by the chair. As they come to him he piles them on the chair (without dropping any) until all are there, and then returns them with equal speed until the basket is filled again. The side which finishes first is the winner. If an article is dropped it must be picked up before any other of the articles can pass the player who dropped it.

Forfeits