The batsmen, keeping their sticks in the holes, then agree which of the two holds the Cat. One batsman runs across and puts his stick into the hole behind which the boy kneels whom they consider has the Cat, the other then running to his place. If they are right in their guess, the holder of the Cat throws it across the ground for the opposite bowler to put it in the hole before the second batsman reaches it. If they guess wrongly, the holder of the Cat puts it into the hole as soon as the batsman runs, and they then become the batsmen for the next game. If the batsmen leave their holes unguarded with the stick, the catsmen can at any time put them out, by putting the Cat in a hole. If more than two boys on a side play, the others field as in Cricket. --Barnes (A. B. Gomme). See Cat and Dog.
Unless the player has played on some ball upon the board before knocking down a pin, the stroke under all circumstances goes for nothing, and the pin or pins must be replaced and the player’s ball put upon the white-ball spot at the foot of the table or if that be occupied, on the nearest unoccupied spot thereto. But should two balls be in contact the player can play with either of them, direct at the pins, and any count so made is good. If a player, with one stroke, knocks down the four outside pins and leaves the black one standing on its spot, it is called a Natural, or _=Ranche=_, and under any and all circumstances it wins the game. When a player gets more than 31, he is _=burst=_, and he may either play again immediately with the same ball he has in the pool rack, starting at nothing of course, or he may take a new ball. If he takes a new ball he may either keep it or keep his old one, but he cannot play again until it comes to his turn. THE LITTLE CORPORAL. This game is the regular Three-Ball Carrom Game with a small pin added, like those used in Pin Pool, which is set up in the centre of the table. The carroms and forfeits count as in the regular Three-Ball Game, but the knocking down of the pin scores five points for the striker, who plays until he fails to effect a carrom or knock down the pin. A ball must be hit by the cue-ball before the pin can be scored; playing at the pin direct is not allowed. The pin must be set up where it falls; but in case it goes off the table or lodges on the top of the cushion it must be placed upon the centre spot.
_Scoring._ In Duplicate Auction there are neither games nor rubbers. Each deal is scored just as in Auction, with the addition that whenever a pair makes 30 or more for tricks as the score of one deal, it adds as a premium 125 points in its honour column. B. _Irregularities in the Hands._ If a player have either more or less than his correct number of cards, the course to be pursued is determined by the time of the discovery of the irregularity. (1) When the irregularity is discovered before or during the original play: There must be a new deal. (2) When the irregularity is discovered at the time the cards are taken up for overplay and before such overplay has begun: It must be sent back to the table from which it came, and the error be there rectified. (3) When the irregularity is not discovered until after the overplay has begun: In two-table duplicate there must be a new deal; but in a game in which the same deals are played at more than two tables, the hands must be rectified as is provided above and then passed to the next table without overplay at the table at which the error was discovered; in which case, if a player have less than thirteen cards and his adversary the corresponding surplus, each pair takes the average score for that deal; if, however, his partner have the corresponding surplus, his pair is given the lowest score and his opponents the highest score made at any table for that deal. C.