The Bros, it should be stated, occupied the high ground of the parish. They were nicknamed Paddy Bros, from a tradition that they were descendants from Irish people who settled on the hills in days long gone by. The Blaenaus occupied the lowlands, and, it may be presumed, were pure-bred Brythons. The more devout of the Bros and Blaenaus joined in the service at the parish church on Christmas morning. At any rate, the match did not begin until about mid-day, when the service was finished. Then the whole of the Bros and Blaenaus, rich and poor, male and female, assembled on the turnpike road which divided the highlands from the lowlands. The ball having been redeemed from the Crydd, it was thrown high in the air by a strong man, and when it fell Bros and Blaenaus scrambled for its possession, and a quarter of an hour frequently elapsed before the ball was got out from among the struggling heap of human beings. Then if the Bros, by hook or by crook, could succeed in taking the ball up the mountain to their hamlet of Rhyddlan they won the day; while the Blaenaus were successful if they got the ball to their end of the parish at New Court. The whole parish was the field of operations, and sometimes it would be dark before either party scored a victory. In the meantime many kicks would be given and taken, so that on the following day some of the competitors would be unable to walk, and sometimes a kick on the shins would lead the two men concerned to abandon the game until they had decided which was the better pugilist.
But if one player has only one honour, or none, the other counts 2 points for two honours, if he holds them; 3 points for three; and 4 points for four. The honours count towards game as in whist. The penalty for a revoke is three tricks, and it takes precedence of other scores; tricks count next, honours last. Five points is game. _=SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY.=_ It is considered best for a player not finding four reasonably sure tricks in his hand to exchange; for there is a certain advantage to be gained by knowing thirteen cards which cannot be in the adversary’s hand. Before changing, the player should fix in his memory the exact cards of each suit in the hand which he is about to discard. By combining his knowledge of them with his own cards, he may often be able to direct his play to advantage. Beyond this there is little skill in the game. A variation is sometimes made by the dealer announcing a trump suit after he has examined his hand, instead of turning up the last card.
The hand he abandons then becomes the widow. If he prefers to draw to his hand, he says: “_=I pass=_,” which transfers to the next player the option of taking the widow. If he wishes to stand on the merits of the hand dealt to him, without drawing to it, he _=knocks=_ on the table, which also passes the option of taking the widow to the next player on his left. If any player takes the widow, the next player on his left can do any one of three things: He may discard from his own hand any card he pleases, taking one from the widow in its stead; the card which he discards being placed on the table face upward, and becoming part of the widow; or he may exchange his entire hand for the widow; or he may stand on the hand dealt him, and knock. Whether he draws one card, exchanges his entire hand, or knocks, the next player on his left has the option of drawing, exchanging, or knocking; and so on, until some player does knock. Should no player take the widow until it comes to the dealer’s turn, he must either take it, or turn it face upward on the table. Even if the dealer knocks, he must turn up the widow, and allow each player an opportunity to draw from it, or to exchange his entire hand for it. When a player knocks, he signifies that no matter what the players following him may do, when it comes to his turn again the hands must be shown. A player cannot draw and knock at the same time; but a player can refuse to draw or exchange after another player has knocked, not before. In some localities it is the rule to turn the widow face up at once if any player knocks before it is taken; allowing all those after the knock an opportunity to draw or exchange; but this is not the usual custom.
Our campaign was to our single game what a rubber is to a game of whist. We made the end of a war 200, 300, or 400 or more points up, according to the number of games we wanted to play, and we scored a hundred for each battle won, and in addition 1 for each infantry-man, 1-1/2 for each cavalry-man, 10 for each gun, 1/2 for each man held prisoner by the enemy, and 1/2 for each prisoner held at the end of the game, subtracting what the antagonist scored by the same scale. Thus, when he felt the battle was hopelessly lost, he had a direct inducement to retreat any guns he could still save and surrender any men who were under the fire of the victors guns and likely to be slaughtered, in order to minimise the score against him. And an interest was given to a skilful retreat, in which the loser not only saved points for himself but inflicted losses upon the pursuing enemy. At first we played the game from the outset, with each player s force within sight of his antagonist; then we found it possible to hang a double curtain of casement cloth from a string stretched across the middle of the field, and we drew this back only after both sides had set out their men. Without these curtains we found the first player was at a heavy disadvantage, because he displayed all his dispositions before his opponent set down his men. And at last our rules have reached stability, and we regard them now with the virtuous pride of men who have persisted in a great undertaking and arrived at precision after much tribulation. There is not a piece of constructive legislation in the world, not a solitary attempt to meet a complicated problem, that we do not now regard the more charitably for our efforts to get a right result from this apparently easy and puerile business of fighting with tin soldiers on the floor. And so our laws all made, battles have been fought, the mere beginnings, we feel, of vast campaigns. The game has become in a dozen aspects extraordinarily like a small real battle.
Let each squat down upon her ham, Jump like a goat, puck like a ram. Uneda, at same reference (x. 17), speaks of it as a known game in Philadelphia. The analogy which this game has to some savage dances is curious; a correspondent in _Notes and Queries_, ix. 304, draws attention to the illustration, in Richardson s _Expedition to Arctic Shores_ (vol. i. p. 397), of a dance by the Kutchin-Kutcha Indians, a parallel to the name as well as the dance which needs some research in America. See Curcuddie, Hop-frog. Cutters and Trucklers A remembrance of the old smuggling days.
When the adversary who leads in any trick is not on the left of the solo player, the caller will, of course, not be the last player, as at least one adversary must play after him. In such cases it is best to lead the longest suits. _=MISÈRE.=_ The great difficulty in Misère is not in playing it; but in judging what hands justify such an undertaking. _=Calling.=_ As a general proposition it may be stated that misère should not be called with a long suit not containing the deuce. But the longer the suit the less the danger there is for a player who is determined to risk it; because the deuce is more likely to be found alone in some adversary’s hand. Short suits may be risked, even with no card smaller than a 5 or 6, and it is of course a great advantage to have a suit altogether missing. _=Leading.=_ The lead is a disadvantage to the caller, because he must begin with a small card, and the adversaries can play their highest.
_=Players.=_ Any number from two to four may play, each for himself, or four may play two against two, partners sitting opposite each other. The players on the dealer’s right and left are known as the pone, and the eldest hand respectively. _=Cutting.=_ The players draw from an outspread pack for positions at the table, the lowest card having the choice and dealing the first hand. If the first cut does not decide, those tying must cut again. If a player exposes more than one card he must cut again. The ace is low. _=Stakes.=_ Cassino may be played for so much a game, or so much a point; and it may be agreed that the game shall be a certain number of points, or shall be complete in one deal, or that the player making the majority of points on each deal shall score one, and the one first making a certain number in this manner, such as five, shall be the winner.
Gomme). I. Isabella, Isabella, Isabella, Farewell! Last night when we parted I left you broken-hearted, And on a green mountain, There stands a young man. Could you love him? Could you love him? Could you love him? Farewell! Choose one, love, Choose one, love, Choose one, love, Farewell! Take a walk, love, Take a walk, love, Take a walk, love, Farewell! In the ring, love, In the ring, love, In the ring, love, Farewell! Put the ring on, Put the ring on, Put the ring on, Farewell! Go to church, love, Go to church, love, Go to church, love, Farewell! Take a kiss, love, Take a kiss, love, Take a kiss, love, Farewell! Shake hands, love, Shake hands, love, Shake hands, love, Farewell! --Enborne, Newbury (M. Kimber). II. Isabella, Isabella, Isabella, Farewell! Last night when I departed I left her broken-hearted; Upon the steep mountain There stands a young man. Who ll you choose, love? Who ll you choose, love? Who ll you choose, love? Farewell! Go to church, love, Go to church, love, Go to church, love, Farewell! Say your prayers, love, Say your prayers, love, Say your prayers, love, Farewell! Put your ring on, Put your ring on, Put your ring on, Farewell! Come back, love, Come back, love, Come back, love, Farewell! Roast beef and plum pudding, Roast beef and plum pudding, Roast beef and plum pudding, For our dinner to-day. Kiss together, love, Kiss together, love, Kiss together, love, Farewell! --Ogbourne, Wilts (H. S.
The dealer is guided by the cards dealt to other players, and by what they ask for. The other players should stand on 17, but draw on 16. In practice it has been found that the odds are about 2 to 1 in favour of drawing at 16; 3 to 1 for drawing at 15. The rules for drawing, etc., are more fully described in connection with the very similar game of Baccara. MACAO. In this variety of Vingt-et-un only one card is dealt to each player; court cards and tens count nothing, and the Ace is always worth one. The number to be reached is 9, instead of 21, and if a player has a 9 natural, he receives from the banker three times his stake; if an 8 natural, he receives double, and for a 7 natural, he is paid. If the banker has an equal number of points natural, it is a tie; and if the banker has a 7, 8, or 9 natural he receives from each of the others once, twice, or three times the amount of their stakes. If none of these naturals are shown, the players draw in turn, as at Vingt-et-un, and the dealer receives from those who have less points than he, or who are créve, and pays those who have more, but have not passed 9.
In the Cork version (Mrs. Green) the children form a circle by joining hands. They march round and round, singing the verses to a sing-song tune. When singing, If the cock should meet a hen, they all unclasp hands; two hold each other s hands and form an arch. The rest run under, saying the last verse. The arch lower their hands and try to catch the last child. (_c_) The analysis of the game-rhymes is on pp. 342-45. It appears from this analysis that the London version is alone in its faithful reflection of an actual building episode. Three other versions introduce the incident of watching by a man, and failing him, a dog or cock; while five versions introduce a prisoner.