The miller is a well-known object of satire in old ballads and mediaeval writers. It is, however, probable that the custom which formerly prevailed at some of the public festivals, of catching or grabbing for sweethearts and wives, is shown in this game. For instance, to account for a Scottish custom it is said that St. Cowie, patron saint of two parishes of Campbeltown, proposed that all who did not find themselves happy and contented in the marriage state, should be indulged with an opportunity of parting and making a second choice. For that purpose he instituted an annual solemnity, at which all the unhappy couples in his parish were to assemble at his church; and at midnight all present were blindfolded and ordered to run round the church at full speed, with a view of mixing the lots in the urn. The moment the ceremony was over, without allowing an instant for the people present to recover from their confusion, the word Cabbay (seize quickly) was pronounced, upon which every man laid hold of the first female he met with. Whether old or young, handsome or ugly, good or bad, she was his wife till the next anniversary of this custom (Guthrie s _Scottish Customs_, p. 168). Another old wedding superstition is alluded to by Longfellow:-- While the bride with roguish eyes, Sporting with them, now escapes and cries, Those who catch me, married verily this year will be. See Joggle Along.
| -- | -- | -- | |10.| -- | -- | -- | |11.| -- | -- |All pretty maidens are| | | | |_not_ to be seen. | |12.| -- | -- | -- | |13.| -- | -- | -- | |14.| -- | -- | -- | |15.| -- | -- | -- | |16.| -- | -- | -- | |17.| -- | -- | -- | |18.
| |29.|What has this great |O, what has my poor |What s the prisoner | | |prisoner done? |prisoner done? |done to you? | |30.|Stole a watch and lost| -- |Stole my watch and | | |the key. | |broke my chain. | |31.| -- |Robbed a house and | -- | | | |killed a man. | | |32.| -- | -- | -- | |33.| -- | -- | -- | |34.| -- | -- | -- | |35.
_=OBJECTS OF THE GAME.=_ In Boston, each player has an opportunity to announce that he is willing to undertake to win a certain number of tricks, if allowed the privilege of naming the trump suit; or to lose a certain number, there being no trumps. In either case, he proposes to play single-handed against the three other players. The player proposing the undertaking which is most difficult of accomplishment is said to _=over-call=_ the others, and must be allowed to try. If he is successful, he wins the pool, and is paid a certain number of counters by each of his adversaries. If he fails, he must double the amount in the pool, and pay to each of the other players a certain number of counters. _=ANNOUNCEMENTS.=_ The bids rank in the following order, beginning with the lowest. The full-faced type shows the words used by the players in calling their bids:-- To win five tricks; _=Boston=_. To win _=Six Tricks=_.
--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.--Baker s _Northamptonshire Glossary_. Cobbin-match A school game in which two boys are held by the legs and arms and bumped against a tree, he who holds out the longest being the victor.--Ross and Stead s _Holderness Glossary_. Cobble A name for See-saw. --Jamieson. Cobbler s Hornpipe This was danced by a boy stooping till he was nearly in a sitting posture on the ground, drawing one leg under him until its toe rested on the ground, and steadying himself by thrusting forward the other leg so that the heel rested on the ground; the arms and head being thrown forwards as far as possible in order to maintain a balance.
The rest of my cavalry I ordered to advance on Hook s Farm from C. I have shown by arrows on the sketch the course I proposed for my guns. The gun E was to go straight for its assigned position, and get into action at once. C was not to risk capture or being put out of action; its exact position was to be determined by Red s rapidity in getting up to the farm, and it was to halt and get to work directly it saw any chance of effective fire. Red had now sighted us. Throughout the affair he showed a remarkably poor stomach for gun-fire, and this was his undoing. Moreover, he was tempted by the poorness of our cover on our right to attempt to outflank and enfilade us there. Accordingly, partly to get cover from our two central guns and partly to outflank us, he sent the whole of his left wing to the left of Firely Church, where, except for the gun, it became almost a negligible quantity. The gun came out between the church and the wood into a position from which it did a considerable amount of mischief to the infantry on our right, and nearly drove our rightmost gun in upon its supports. Meanwhile, Red s two guns on his right came forward to Hook s Farm, rather badly supported by his infantry.
For instance: His point is 51, good; his sequence is five to the Ace, good; and his triplet of Aces is good. These are worth 5, 15, and 3 respectively, and his total count is 23, if he has no minor sequences or trios. This is not put down, but simply announced. The strict rules of the game require the player whose combination is acknowledged to be good, to show it; but among good players this is quite unnecessary, for each usually knows by his own cards what his adversary should and probably does hold. The elder hand having finished his declarations, and announced their total value in points, leads any card he pleases. If this card is a Ten or better, he claims one point for leading it, even if he does not win the trick, and he adds this point to his score. An illustration will probably make the foregoing processes clearer. The elder hand, after the draw, holds these cards:-- ♡ A K Q J: ♣ A K Q: ♢ A K Q 7: ♠ A. He announces: “Forty-one.” “Not good.
The banker, after winning a coup, may pass the deal to the player on his right, if he chooses to do so, provided that player will put up an amount equal to that then in the bank. When this player loses a coup, the bank must go to the player to whom it would have gone in regular order; that is, the one on the left of the player who transferred his privilege. Six packs of cards are generally used in Chemin de Fer, and the cards are placed in a wooden box, from which each dealer takes as many as he wants. _=CHEATING.=_ Baccara is honeycombed with trickery. Dishonest players, in collusion with the banker, have certain means of informing him of their point, so that he may win all the money staked upon that side of the table by the other players. This may be done in many ways. The player may ask the one sitting next him whether or not he should draw, which shows that he has 5. Or he may make a movement as if to expose his first two cards, and then correct himself. This shows the banker that the player has baccara, and is pretending that he thought he had 9.
65. And he says, in p. 56: Get campers a ball, To camp therewithall. Ray says that the game prevails in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. The Rev. S. Arnot, in _Notes and Queries_, 8th series, vol. ii. p. 138, who was rector of Ilket s Hall, in the county of Suffolk, says the ball was about the size of a cricket-ball, and was driven through a narrow goal; and from the evidence of the parish clerk it seems certain that it was not Football.
In the second, Dummy, Y, makes it no-trump. A leads in both cases:-- ------------------------------+ +------------------------------ A Y B Z | | A Y B Z +------+------+-------+-------+--+-------+-------+------+------+ | 7♢ | 3♢ | J♢ | _K♢_ | 1| ♡6 | _♡A_ | ♡7 | ♡3 | | ♣Q | ♣2 | _♣K_ | ♣J | 2| ♣5 | _♣K_ | ♣3 | ♣2 | | _A♢_ | 8♢ | 6♢ | 2♢ | 3| ♣8 | ♣10 | ♣7 | _♣J_ | | 4♢ | _Q♢_| 2♠ | 5♢ | 4| 5♢ | 3♢ | _♣A_ | ♣4 | | ♣4 | ♣3 | _♣A_ | ♣10 | 5| _♡K_ | ♡2 | ♡9 | ♡J | | ♡3 | ♡5 | ♡J | _♡A_ | 6| ♡5 | ♡4 | 6♢ | _♡Q_ | | 8♠ | _♣9_ | ♡2 | ♣8 | 7| 5♠ | 3♠ | 6♠ | _♣Q_ | | 9♠ | _♣7_ | 3♠ | ♡4 | 8| 7♢ | 4♠ | 8♠ | _♣9_ | | ♡6 | _♣6_ | 4♠ | ♡Q | 9| 9♢ | 4♢ | 10♠ | _♣6_ | | ♡9 | _♣5_ | ♡8 | 7♠ |10| _A♠_ | 9♠ | J♠ | 7♠ | | 9♢ | J♠ | 5♠ | _Q♠_ |11| _♡10_ | Q♠ | 8♢ | 2♠ | | 10♢ | ♡7 | 6♠ | _A♠_ |12| _♡8_ | K♠ | 10♢ | 2♢ | | ♡K | ♡10 | _K♠_ | 10♠ |13| K♢ | _A♢_ | Q♢ | J♢ | +------+------+-------+-------+--+-------+-------+------+------+ The first of these examples shows the importance of playing for the suit which is longest between the two hands. Observe that the dealer plays the high cards from the hand which is shorter in the suit, and on the second round of clubs is careful to give up the higher of two cards, so as to get out of Dummy’s way and clear, or establish, the suit. B, hoping to get his partner into the lead again, leads a heart up to Dummy’s weakness, and leads a heart which will beat Dummy’s best heart. At the eleventh trick, unless the dealer can make two tricks in spades by the finesse, he cannot win the game. The second example shows the importance of preserving a re-entry card in the hand which is longer in the suit the dealer intends playing for. If the dealer lets the heart come up to him, it is true that he will make win the first trick with the Jack; but he will never win a trick with the Queen, and therefore he can never get in to make his clubs, even if he establishes them. By putting up the Ace of hearts, and keeping both Q and J in his own hand, he is certain of a re-entry in hearts. On the second round of clubs, the adversary still holding up or underplaying, the dealer must be careful to overtake Dummy’s ten with his own Jack, so as to continue the suit without losing the lead. VARIETIES OF BRIDGE.
1, the E & W hands just held by the two X’s. It is now evident that the four O’s have held between them all the 52 cards dealt at each table; for the first pair have held all the N & S hands dealt at both tables, and the second pair have held all the E & W hands. The same is true of the four X players; and if there is any difference in the number of tricks taken by the opposing fours, it is supposed to be due to a difference in skill, other matters having been equalised as far as the limitations of the game will permit. The overplay finished, the cards are gathered, shuffled, cut, and dealt afresh, East now having the original lead. It must be remembered that the deal can never be lost, and that no matter what happens, the player whose proper turn it is to deal must do so. _=NUMBERING HANDS.=_ The hands simultaneously played are scored under the same number, but distinguished by the number of the table at which they are first dealt. Each pair of partners in a team play two No. 1 hands, in one of which they are N & S; in the other E & W. _=SCORING.