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._, one player is selected by one line of players from their opponents party.
With Ace and Queen, for instance, he must play the Ace if the King is not in the Dummy. To play the Queen would be to throw it away if the declarer has the King. If the leader has the King, third hand gets out of his way by giving up the Ace. _=FOSTER’S ELEVEN RULE.=_ In trying to win tricks as cheaply as possible, third hand may often be guided by the Eleven Rule, which can be applied to any lead of a small card. By deducting from eleven the number of pips on any low card led by his partner, the pone may ascertain to a certainty how many cards there are _=higher than the one led=_, which are not in the leader’s hand. This rule, which was invented by R.F. Foster in 1881, in connection with the game of whist, is now used by everyone with any pretensions to being a bridge player. The rule itself is this:-- When the eldest hand leads any card which is not an honour, deduct the spots on it from eleven.
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. The plans are made, the Country hastily surveyed, and then the curtains are closed, and the antagonists make their opening dispositions. Then the curtains are drawn back and the hostile forces come within sight of each other; the little companies and squadrons and batteries appear hurrying to their positions, the infantry deploying into long open lines, the cavalry sheltering in reserve, or galloping with the guns to favourable advance positions. In two or three moves the guns are flickering into action, a cavalry melee may be in progress, the plans of the attack are more or less apparent, here are men pouring out from the shelter of a wood to secure some point of vantage, and here are troops massing among farm buildings for a vigorous attack. The combat grows hot round some vital point. Move follows move in swift succession. One realises with a sickening sense of error that one is outnumbered and hard pressed here and uselessly cut off there, that one s guns are ill-placed, that one s wings are spread too widely, and that help can come only over some deadly zone of fire. So the fight wears on. Guns are lost or won, hills or villages stormed or held; suddenly it grows clear that the scales are tilting beyond recovery, and the loser has nothing left but to contrive how he may get to the back line and safety with the vestiges of his command.
Cock-fight. Cock-haw. Cock-stride. Cockertie-hooie. Cockle-bread. Cockly-jock. Cock s-headling. Cock-steddling. Codlings. Cogger.
She returns, saying-- Yes! mother! I have seen a ghost. M. Nonsense, child! we will take a candle, and all go together to search for it. The mother picks up a twig for a candle, and they set off. When they come near to the Ghost, she appears from her hiding-place, mother and children rush away in different directions, the Ghost chases them until she has caught one, who in her turn becomes Ghost.--West Cornwall (Miss Courtney, _Folk-lore Journal_, v. 55). This game was Ghost in the Copper in London. It was played in the same way as above. Chairs formed the copper, and the ghost crouched down behind.
The first player disposed of in this manner, the dealer goes on to the next one, and so on until he comes to himself. He turns his two cards face upward, and draws or stands to suit himself. If he overdraws, all the other players expose their first two cards to show that they have 21 or less, and he then pays each of them the amount they have staked. If he stands, either before or after drawing, the others expose their cards in the same way, and those that have the same number are tied, and win or lose nothing. Those who have less than the dealer lose their stake; those that have more than the dealer, but still not more than 21, he must pay. When the result is a tie, it is called _=paying in cards=_. _=The Banker.=_ The banker for the next deal may be decided upon in various ways. The old rule was for one player to continue to act as banker and to deal the cards until one of his adversaries held a natural, the dealer having none to offset it. When this occurred, the player who held the natural took the bank and the deal until some one else held a natural.
He may announce them if he chooses to expose his hand in that manner, but he can score only one combination, and must win a separate trick to score each of the others. It would be better for him to select some one of the combinations, and declare it, waiting until he won another trick to declare the next one. A beginner would be apt to declare the highest count first, 500 for the double bézique; but under the rule which prevents a player from making a declaration which forms part of a higher one of the same class already made, he would lose the 40 points for the single bézique. It would be better to declare the single bézique first, scoring 40 points for it, and after winning another trick to show the other bézique, scoring 500 points more for the double combination. A player is not allowed to score 40 for the second bézique, and then 500 for the two combined; because if new announcements are made in the same class, at least one new card must be added from the player’s hand when the announcement is made, even if it is not scored until later. _=Double Declarations.=_ It frequently happens that a player is forced to make two declarations at the same time, although he can score only one of them. For instance: A player has announced and shown four Kings, one of them being the King of spades. On winning another trick he shows and scores bézique. One of the bézique cards forms a marriage with the spade King, and as the combinations belong to different classes, both may be scored, although the same card is used in each; but the player cannot score the second combination until he wins another trick.
There are a great many minor variations, for which the student must be referred to Janvier’s Anderson, page 265. _=First Position.=_ 27-32 8 11 32-27 11 7 27-23 7 10 22-26 A 10 6 26-31 6 9 31-26 9 6 26-22 6 10 23-18 10 6 18-14 6 1 22-18 1 6 18-15 6 1 15-10 1 5 10- 6 5 1 14-13 1 5 6- 1 5 9 1- 5 9 13 10-14 13 9 14-18 9 6 18-15 30 25 15-18 6 10 5- 1 25 21 1- 5 10 6 18-15 21 17 5- 1 6 9 15-18 17 13 18-15 9 14 1- 5 14 17 15-10 17 22 10-14 22 25 5- 1 25 22 1- 6 22 25 6-10 25 22 10-15 22 25 15-18 25 21 B wins ------ Var A. 30 25 23-18 10 6 18-14 6 1 26-30 25 21 30-25 1 5 25-22 5 1 22-18 1 5 18-15 5 1 15-10 1 5 10- 6 5 1 14-10 1 5 6- 1 5 9 10-15 B 9 5 15-18 5 9 1- 5 9 6 18-15 21 17 5- 1 6 9 15-18 9 5 18-22 17 14 1- 6 5 1 6- 2 1 5 22-17 14 9 B wins ------ Var B. 9 14 1- 5 21 17 5- 1 17 13 1- 5 14 17 15-10 B wins _=Second Position.=_ 1- 5 8 11 5- 9 11 15 9-14 15 11 14-18 11 16 18-15 16 20 15-11 20 24 3- 7 24 19 7-10 19 23 10-15 23 27 15-19 27 32 19-24 32 28 24-27 28 32 27-31 32 28 31-27 28 32 27-23 32 28 23-18 28 24 18-14 24 19 6-10 19 23 10-15 23 27 15-19 27 32 19-24 32 28 24-27 28 24 27-32 24 28 32-27 28 32 27-24 32 28 24-19 28 32 19-15 32 28 15-10 28 24 10- 6 24 19 14-10 19 24 10-15 24 28 15-19 28 32 19-24 32 28 11-16 28 19 16-23 12 8 23-18 8 4 18-14 4 8 6- 1 8 11 14- 9 13 6 1-10 11 16 10-15 16 20 15-19 B wins _=Third Position.=_ White to move 18 15 A 6- 1 14 9 24-28 23 19 1- 5 9 6 B 28-32 19 24 5- 1 24 19 W wins ----- Var A. 24-28 23 27 6- 1 14 10 28-32 27 24 1- 5 10 6 W wins ------ Var B. 5- 1 6 10 W wins ------ Black to move 6- 1 18 15 C 1- 6 14 10 6- 9 23 19 24-27 15 18 D 27-32 19 24 9- 5 10 14 32-28 24 27 W wins ------ Var C. 1- 5 14 10 24-28 23 19 28-32 15 18 32-27 10 6 27-32 19 23 5- 1 6 9 W wins ------ Var D.
At the commencement of the game the ball numbered 1 shall be placed on the spot at the head of the table, the ball numbered 5 shall be placed on the centre spot, and the ball numbered 3 shall be placed on the lower spot, and whenever any object ball is pocketed or forced off the table it shall be replaced on the original spot, except as provided for in Rule No. 12. 3. The opening player may play from any point within the string line he may choose, but must play upon the No. 3 ball before striking any other, or forfeit his hand. 4. The winner is the player who first accomplishes the main object of the game, which is to score 101 points by the “Cow-Boy method,” which is that the first 90 points may be scored by either carroms or the pocketing of one or more of the numbered balls, which shall count that number for the player; the scoring of a single carrom shall count 1, and a double 2. 5. On arriving at the exact number of 90 points, the contestant must next obtain 10 more points by carroms only; and having arrived at the score of 100, the last point must be obtained by playing the cue ball onto the No. 1 ball and thence into any pocket he may designate, without touching either of the other balls, however, and should the cue ball enter any other pocket, the hand is out and the run, if any, lost.
13. It is a misdeal: If the dealer omits to have the pack cut, and the error is discovered before the last card is dealt; or if he deals a card incorrectly, and fails to remedy it before dealing another; or if he counts the cards on the table, or those remaining in the pack; or if it is discovered before all have played to the first trick that any player has not his proper number of cards, the pack being perfect. 14. A misdeal loses the deal unless one of the other players has touched his cards, or in any way interrupted the dealer. 15. If, after the first trick is played to, any two players are found to have more or less than their correct number of cards, the pack being perfect, the one having less shall draw from the hand of the one having more, and each shall pay a forfeit of five counters into the pool. 16. If a player omits to play to any trick, and plays to the following one, he shall not be allowed to correct the error; but shall be compelled to take in the last trick, with whatever hearts it may contain. 17. Should a player be found during or at the end of a hand to be a card short, all the others having the right number, and all having played to the first trick, he shall be compelled to take in the last trick.
Bedienen, G., to follow suit. Bekommen, G., to win. Bekennen, G., to follow suit. Belle, F., the last game of the rubber. Bidding to the Board, means that the points bid for a certain privilege are not to be credited to any player, but are simply the announcement of the value of an undertaking. Biseautes (cartes) F.
_=TURNING DOWN THE TRUMP.=_ If the dealer fears that he and his partner cannot make three tricks with the turn-up suit for trumps, or would prefer to have the suit changed, he can pass. If he passes, he takes the trump card from the top of the pack, and places it face upward, and partly under the pack, in such a manner that it can be distinctly seen. [Illustration: [🃘 on top of pack [Facedown pack covering facedown card] covering 🃘] TAKEN UP. TURNED DOWN. ] _=CHANGING THE TRUMP.=_ It then becomes the turn of the other players, each in succession to the left of the dealer, to name some other suit for the trump, or to pass a second time. If the suit of the same colour as the turn-up is named for the new trump, it is usual to say: “_=I make it next=_.” If a suit of a different colour is named, it is called _=crossing the suit=_, and some players, if a red suit is turned, will say: “I _=cross=_ to clubs.” Any player naming a new suit may announce to play alone at the same time.
189). Newell (_Games_, p. 122) gives this with a jesting formula of initiation into knighthood. He says it was not a game of children, but belonged to an older age. See Call-the-Guse. Magical Music A pleasant drawing-room evening amusement.--Moor s _Suffolk Words_. Probably the same as Musical Chairs. Malaga, Malaga Raisins A forfeit game. The players sat in a circle.
It sometimes happens that no one will make a proposal of any sort. It is very unusual to pass the deal. The trump is generally turned down, and a _=Grand=_ is played, without any trump suit. This is sometimes called a _=Misère Partout=_, or “all-round poverty”; and the object of each player is to take as few tricks as possible. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ No matter who is the successful bidder, the eldest hand always leads for the first trick, and the others must follow suit if they can, the play proceeding exactly as at Whist. The tricks should be carefully stacked, so that they can be readily counted by any player without calling attention to them. The laws provide a severe penalty for drawing attention to the score in this manner. Suppose a player has called eight tricks. An adversary hesitates in his play, and another reaches over and counts the tricks in front of the caller, finding he has seven.
If either, but only one, of the two numbers thrown can be played, the larger of the two must be selected. _=13.=_ If a player throws off men before all his men are at home, the men so thrown off must be placed on the bar, and re-entered in the adversary’s home table, just as if they had been captured in the course of play. The same penalty attaches to throwing off men while one is on the bar. RUSSIAN BACKGAMMON. In this variety of the game, no men are placed upon the board at starting, but each player enters his men by throws of the dice, and both players enter upon the same table, so that all the men on both sides move round the board in the same direction, and both players have the same home table, which is always the one opposite the entering table. After having entered two men on the first throw, the player is at liberty either to continue entering his men with any subsequent throws, or to play the men already entered. In moving or in entering a player may capture any blots left by his adversary; but he cannot enter upon a point covered by two or more of the adversary’s men. If a player cannot enter a fresh man with the throw made, he must play a man if he can. When a man is captured, he must be re-entered before any other man can be moved.