The banker asks for bets on the _=inside=_ and _=outside=_, and the amounts staked on each side must balance. So long as they do not balance, the banker must ask for what he wants: “Give me fourteen dollars on the outside to make the game,” etc. As soon as the amounts balance, and no more bets are offered, he says: “Roll. The game is made.” A round stick, about a foot long, is placed behind nine small ivory balls. Any person may roll. He takes his stand at one corner of the table and rolls the balls across the table to the pocket diagonally opposite him. At least one ball must go into the pocket and one must be left out, or they must be rolled over again. The number of balls left outside the pocket, odd or even, decides whether the inside or the outside bets win; and after the banker has deducted his ten per cent, the players who have backed the winning side get their money. MONTE BANK.
This is shown by the fact that there are few counties where it is not known, and also that important variants, either in the words or in the method of playing, are rarely met with. In all the versions which have been sent there are only the following variations in the words, and these are principally in the refrain, or last line of each verse: On a cold and frosty morning ends by far the greater number of versions; On a fine summer s morning, So early in the morning, All on a summer s morning, Five o clock in the morning, On a cold and sunny morning, coming next in number. The Belfast version ends, May! May! May! and a Newbury and Marlborough fourth line is simply a repetition of the second, Nuts in May, nuts in May. In the first line of the verse the only important variant seems to be the Symondsbury Gathering nuts away and Gathering nuts to-day. Gathering nuts away also occurs in one version from Newbury (Berks), Nuts and May appearing in the larger number after the more usual Nuts in May. In only one version is a specific place mentioned for the gathering. This is in the Bocking version, where Galloway Hill is named, in reply to the unusual question, Where do you gather your nuts in May? A player is usually gathered for Nuts in May. In three or four cases only is this altered to gathering a player s nuts away, which is obviously an alteration to try and make the action coincide exactly with the words. The game is always played in lines, and the principal incidents running throughout all the versions are the same, _i.e.
=_ The declarer’s first care in a no-trumper must be to select the suit that he will play for. Four simple rules cover this choice:-- 1. Always lead from the weak hand to the strong if the suit is not already established. 2. Play for the suit in which you have the greatest number of cards between the two hands, because it will probably yield the greatest number of tricks. 3. If two suits are equal in number, play for the one in which you have the greatest number of cards massed in one hand. That is, if you have two suits of eight cards each, select the one that has six of those cards in one hand, in preference to the suit with four in each hand. 4. Everything else being equal, play for the suit which is shown in the Dummy, so as to conceal from the adversaries as long as possible the strength in your own hand.
| |broke my chain. | |31.| -- |Robbed a house and | -- | | | |killed a man. | | |32.| -- | -- | -- | |33.| -- | -- | -- | |34.| -- | -- | -- | |35.| -- | -- | -- | |36.| -- | -- | -- | |37.| -- | -- | -- | |38.
Then the contents of that particular box would have to be disclosed and the men stood out. Troops without any enemy within twenty feet could be returned to their boxes for facility in moving. Playing on such a scale would admit also of the introduction of the problem of provisions and supplies. Little toy Army Service waggons can be bought, and it could be ruled that troops must have one such waggon for every fifty men within at least six moves. Moreover, ammunition carts may be got, and it may be ruled that one must be within two moves of a gun before the latter can be fired. All these are complications of the War Game, and so far I have not been able to get together sufficient experienced players to play on this larger, more elaborate scale. It is only after the smaller simpler war game here described has been played a number of times, and its little dodges mastered completely, that such more warlike devices become practicable. But obviously with a team of players and an extensive country, one could have a general controlling the whole campaign, divisional commanders, batteries of guns, specialised brigades, and a quite military movement of the whole affair. I have (as several illustrations show) tried Little Wars in the open air. The toy soldiers stand quite well on closely mown grass, but the long-range gun-fire becomes a little uncertain if there is any breeze.
526-27. (_c_) Halliwell gives, in his _Nursery Rhymes_, pp. 324-26, some curious verses, recorded for the first time by Dr. Kenrick in his Review of Dr. Johnson s Shakespeare, 1765, on rules for seemly behaviour, in which the forfeits imposed by barbers as penalties for handling razors, &c, are set forth. Although barbers forfeits are not of the same nature as the nursery forfeits, it is possible that this general custom among so important a class of the community in early times as barbers may have suggested the game. Both Forby in his _Vocabulary of East Anglia_ and Moor in his _Suffolk Words_ bear testimony to the general prevalence of barbers forfeits, and it must be borne in mind that barbers were also surgeons in early days. A curious custom is also recorded in another East Anglian word-list, which may throw light upon the origin of the game from popular custom. A forfeit is incurred by using the word water in a brew-house, where you must say liquor; or by using the word grease in a chandlery, where it is stuff or metal. The forfeit is to propitiate the offended _genius loci_ (Spurden s _East Anglian Vocabulary_).
With less than three aces, Dummy cannot make it no-trumps under any circumstances; but must name the longest suit. If two suits are equal, the pips on each are counted, reckoning aces as 11 each, other honours at 10 each, and the larger number of pips is the suit. If this is still equal, the more valuable suit must be declared. No one but the eldest hand may double, and no one but the dealer may redouble. In order to make this fair for both sides, it is usual to let the pone sort and declare on Dummy’s cards, so that the dealer shall not see them until the first card is led. No matter what points are made for tricks, the dealer only can score them below the line, to count toward game. If the adversaries make the odd trick, they score above the line, in the honour column, so that no one can go out except on his own deal. After the deal is finished and scored, the players move, so as to bring about a change of partners. The one on the left of the vacant place moves into it, and the player on his right deals. Three of these movements bring about the original position.
Sixty-one points is game, once round the board and into the game hole. DRAW CASSINO. In this variation, no more cards are dealt after the first round, but each player keeps his hand filled to four cards by drawing one from the top of the stock as soon as he plays one from his hand. The stock is left on the table, face down, slightly spread, for convenience in slipping off the top card as it is drawn. CONQUIAN. The etymology of this word is Spanish; _con quién_, “with whom,” but of the game it stands for, little or nothing is known except that it is a great favorite in Mexico, and in all the American States bordering upon it, especially Texas. It is an excellent game for two players, quite different from any other in its principles, and requiring very close attention and a good memory to play it well. In its finer points, especially in the judgment of what the adversary holds or is playing for, it ranks with our best games, and will probably grow in popularity as it becomes better known. _=Cards.=_ Conquian is played with the Spanish pack, forty cards, the 8 9 10 of each suit being deleted.
This skip enables each to finish the round without playing any of the hands twice. _=Scoring.=_ There must be four winners; the ladies with the best scores for the N & E hands respectively, and the gentlemen with the best S & W scores. If a choice is necessary, the lady and the gentleman taking the greatest number of tricks above the average should be selected as the winners. _=MARRIED COUPLES.=_ Safford has an ingenious schedule for eight married couples, so arranged in two sets that no husband and wife are ever in the same set at the same time. When seven sets have been played, every lady will have overplayed four hands against every other lady and gentleman, including four held by her husband. The same will be true of every man. Indicators are placed on the tables to show players their successive positions. The numbers represent the husbands, and the letters the wives, the couples being a-1, b-2, etc.
This is shown by the fact that there are few counties where it is not known, and also that important variants, either in the words or in the method of playing, are rarely met with. In all the versions which have been sent there are only the following variations in the words, and these are principally in the refrain, or last line of each verse: On a cold and frosty morning ends by far the greater number of versions; On a fine summer s morning, So early in the morning, All on a summer s morning, Five o clock in the morning, On a cold and sunny morning, coming next in number. The Belfast version ends, May! May! May! and a Newbury and Marlborough fourth line is simply a repetition of the second, Nuts in May, nuts in May. In the first line of the verse the only important variant seems to be the Symondsbury Gathering nuts away and Gathering nuts to-day. Gathering nuts away also occurs in one version from Newbury (Berks), Nuts and May appearing in the larger number after the more usual Nuts in May. In only one version is a specific place mentioned for the gathering. This is in the Bocking version, where Galloway Hill is named, in reply to the unusual question, Where do you gather your nuts in May? A player is usually gathered for Nuts in May. In three or four cases only is this altered to gathering a player s nuts away, which is obviously an alteration to try and make the action coincide exactly with the words. The game is always played in lines, and the principal incidents running throughout all the versions are the same, _i.e.
They never have any money of their own. I wasn t about to give her any of mine. I wanted to lose some dough in a hurry. I started playing field numbers, and TK d the dice away from the field every time a gambler came out. Of course, I could have let the table s six per cent vigorish take it away from me, but that would have taken longer. Even with losing on every roll, the dice got around to me before I had lost the nine hundred I had set out to drop. I put four chips on the Don t Pass side of the line, shook left-handed because of my weak right arm, and got ready to come out. Sniffles seized me. Don t Billy Joe! she said suddenly. You ll lose! She pushed my chips across the line to the Pass side.
These verses and the game are now quite forgotten, both in English and Manx. It was sung by children dancing round in a ring. Clowt-clowt A kinde of playe called clowt-clowt, to beare about, or my hen hath layd. --_Nomenclator_, p. 299. Clubby A youthful game something like Doddart. --Brockett s _North Country Words_. Coal under Candlestick A Christmas game mentioned in _Declaration of Popish Impostures_, p. 160. Cob A game at marbles played by two or three boys bowling a boss marble into holes made in the ground for the purpose, the number of which is generally four.
Apparently the same as the south country Whoop, a signal to the finder to begin the search. Addy (_Sheffield Glossary_) says this game is called Felt and Laite. Holland (_Cheshire Glossary_) speaks of it as I Spy. See Davie Drap. Hide and Seek (2) [Music] --London. I. Beans and butter, Come home to supper, Tis all ready done. --Hampshire (Miss Mendham). II. Little pigs come to supper, Hot boiled beans and ready butter.
Forfeits are paid by those not complying with the order.--Lowsley s _Berkshire Glossary_. Cop-halfpenny The game of Chuck-farthing. --Norfolk and Suffolk (Holloway s _Dict. of Provincialisms_). Corsicrown A square figure is divided by four lines, which cross each other in the crown or centre. Two of these lines connect the opposite angles, and two the sides at the point of bisection. Two players play; each has three men or flitchers. Now there are seven points for these men to move about on, six on the edges of the square and one at the centre. The men belonging to each player are not set together as at draughts, but mingled with each other.
A losing hazard or a miss would compel the striker to pay a shilling to each of the others, instead of putting a ball back on the table. The last ball pays double. HIGH-LOW-JACK-GAME. This game is played with a set of balls the same as used in Fifteen-Ball Pool. Any number of persons may play, the order of play being determined by the rolling of the small numbered balls. The fifteen-ball is High; the one-ball is Low; the nine-ball is Jack; and the highest aggregate is Game. Seven points generally constitute a game. In cases where players have one and two to go to finish game, the first balls holed count out first, be they High, Low, or Jack. In setting up the pyramid the three counting balls--High, Low, Jack--are placed in the centre, with High at the head of the three named balls, the other balls as in regular Fifteen-Ball Pool. When players have each one to go, instead of setting up an entire frame of pyramids, a ball is placed at the foot of the table, in direct line with the spots, and at a distance from the lower cushion equal to the diameter of another of the pool balls.
, and have been arranged for any number of pairs from four to thirty-four. _=INDIVIDUALS.=_ When four play memory duplicate, one of the four, usually S, retains his seat and keeps the score, the others changing places right and left alternately, each playing with S as a partner for 8 hands. These changes successively bring about the three following positions:-- c | b | a a b | a c | c b S | S | S | | Hands:--1 to 4 | 5 to 8 | 9 to 12 For the overplay, the trays are reversed, the hands originally dealt N & S being placed E & W; but the players continue to change right and left alternately. This brings the same partners together, but on different sides of the table. c | b | a b a | c a | c b S | S | S | | Hands:--1 to 4 | 5 to 8 | 9 to 12 _=Scoring.=_ The names of the four players should be written at the head of each score-card, and as there is no trump turned in memory duplicate, the third and seventh columns can both be used for the numbers of the players that are partners, and the sixth column for the N & S gains. When the match is finished, a tabulation of the tricks lost or won by each player will readily show which is the winner. In the illustration which we give, No. 3 finishes plus 6; No.
As soon as the flag is taken, one of the party must put another handkerchief in its place. A player cannot be taken prisoner after having obtained the handkerchief or flag. The winning side is decided by counting the flags and prisoners.--Bitterne, Hants (Mrs. Byford). This is a very general game, and is known as Scotch and English in the north, where some interesting details occur, for which see Scotch and English. French Blindman s Buff The children kneel in a circle, one standing blindfolded in the middle. The kneeling children shout, Come point to me with your pointer. --Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy). See Buff, Dinah, Muffin Man.
Any player can deal the cards, which are distributed one at a time until the pack is exhausted; if every player has not the same number it does not matter. Beginning with the eldest hand, each player sorts her cards into pairs of the same denomination; such as two Fives, two Jacks, etc., and all pairs so formed are laid upon the table face down, without showing them to the other players. All the cards laid out in this manner are left in front of the player, in order to discover errors, if any. Three of a kind cannot be discarded, but four of a kind may be considered as two pairs. The discarding of pairs complete, the dealer begins by spreading her remaining cards like a fan, and presenting them, face downward, to her left-hand neighbour, who must draw one card at random. The card so drawn is examined, and if it completes a pair, the two cards are discarded. Whether it forms a pair or not, the player’s cards are spread and presented to the next player on the left, to be drawn from in the same manner. This process of drawing, forming pairs, and discarding is continued until it is found that one player remains with one card. This card is of course the odd Queen, and the unfortunate holder of it is the Old Maid; but only for that deal.
Stole a watch and lost the key, Lost the key, lost the key, Stole a watch and lost the key, My fair lady. Off to prison you must go, You must go, you must go, Off to prison you must go, My fair lady. --Hurstmonceux, Sussex (Miss Chase). V. Over London Bridge we go, Over London Bridge we go, Over London Bridge we go, Gay ladies, gay! London Bridge is broken down, London Bridge is broken down, London Bridge is broken down, Gay ladies, gay! Build it up with lime and sand, Build it up with lime and sand, Build it up with lime and sand, Gay ladies, gay! [Then follow verses sung in the same manner and with the same refrain, beginning with--] Lime and sand will wash away. Build it up with penny loaves. Penny loaves ll get stole away. O, what has my poor prisoner done? Robbed a house and killed a man. What will you have to set her free? Fourteen pounds and a wedding gown. Stamp your foot and let her go! --Clun (Burne s _Shropshire Folk-lore_, pp.
He saw himself a radiant hero, clad in his smooth suede uniform, the pin-set crown shining like ancient royal jewels around his head. He saw his own face, handsome and masculine, shining out of her mind. He saw himself very far away and he saw himself as she hated him. She hated him in the secrecy of her own mind. She hated him because he was--she thought--proud, and strange, and rich, better and more beautiful than people like her. He cut off the sight of her mind and, as he buried his face in the pillow, he caught an image of the Lady May. She _is_ a cat, he thought. That s all she is--a _cat_! But that was not how his mind saw her--quick beyond all dreams of speed, sharp, clever, unbelievably graceful, beautiful, wordless and undemanding. Where would he ever find a woman who could compare with her? --CORDWAINER SMITH [Illustration] * * * * * End of Project Gutenberg s The Game of Rat and Dragon, by Cordwainer Smith *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GAME OF RAT AND DRAGON *** Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed. Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.