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The game is for him to catch one of the players, who is blindfolded in turn if the blind man succeeds in guessing who he is. Players are allowed to pull, pinch, and buffet the blind man. [Illustration] (_c_) This sport is found among the illuminations of an old missal formerly in the possession of John Ives, cited by Strutt in his _Manners and Customs_. The two illustrations are facsimiles from drawings in one of the Bodleian MSS., and they indicate the complete covering of the head, and also the fact that the game was played by adults. Gay says concerning it-- As once I play d at _blindman s-buff_, it hap t, _About my eyes the towel thick was wrapt._ _I miss d the swains, and seiz d on Blouzelind._ And another reference is quoted by Brand (ii. 398)-- Sometyme the one would goe, sometyme the other, Sometymes all thre at once, and sometyme neither; Thus they with him play at boyes blynde-man-bluffe. --_The Newe Metamorphosis_, 1600, MS.
HAMPSHIRE-- Hartley, Winchfield, Witney Mr. H. S. May. Southampton Mrs. W. R. Carse. ISLE OF MAN Mr. A.
=_ When the players count double and triple games, it is not an uncommon thing to play for the gammon, especially against inferior adversaries, or when one gets a decided advantage at the start. The first thing is to secure your own or your adversary’s five point, or both, and if you succeed in that you should play a very forward game, and endeavour to gammon your opponent. After the five-points, secure your bar point, so as to prevent your opponent from “running” with double sixes. Some players think the bar point better than the five point, but it must be remembered that points in the home table are usually better than any outside. If you get the five and bar points made up, try for the four point, and after that you may take some risks to get your men home, and do not take up your opponent’s men if you are ahead of him, because they may give you trouble when they re-enter in your home table. _=The American Game.=_ When a gammon or backgammon counts you nothing more if you win it, and costs you nothing more if you lose it, the tactics of the game are entirely changed. It is folly to take any risks for the sake of a gammon, and any plays which leave unnecessary blots are very bad; for which reason the three throws shown in the foregoing diagram would be absurd in the American game. On the other hand, you may risk being gammoned, or even backgammoned, if it is the only way to save the game. An Englishman cannot take this risk, for he might lose a triple game in attempting to save a single.
Wakeman, is interesting, as it confirms the above idea, and adds one or two details which may be important, _i.e._, the choose your maidens one by one, and sweep the house till the bride comes home. This game is called the Gala Ship, and the girls, forming a ring, march round singing-- Three times round goes the gala, gala ship, And three times round goes she; Three times round goes the gala, gala ship, And sinks to the bottom of the sea. They repeat this thrice, courtesying low. The first to courtesy is placed in the centre of the circle, when the others sing:-- Choose your maidens one by one, One by one, one by one; Choose your maidens one by one-- And down goes (all courtesy) Merrima Tansa! She chooses her maidens. They take her to a distance, when she is secretly told the name of her lover. The remainder of the girls imitate sweeping, and sing several stanzas to the effect that they will sweep the house till the bride comes home, when the bride is now placed within the circle, and from a score to a hundred stanzas, with marching and various imitations of what the lucky bride accomplishes or undergoes, are sung. Each one closes with Down goes Merrima Tansa and the head-ducking; and this wonderful music-drama of childhood is not concluded until the christening of the bride s first-born, with-- Next Sunday morn to church she must gae, A babe on her knee, the best of a-- And down goes Merrima Tansa! Jamieson gives the game as a ring within which one goes round with a handkerchief, with which a stroke is given in succession to every one in the ring; the person who strikes, or the taker, still repeating this rhyme:-- Here I gae round the jingie ring, The jingie ring, the jingie ring, Here I gae round the jingie ring, And through my merry-ma-tanzie. Then the handkerchief is thrown at one in the ring, who is obliged to take it up and go through the same process.
If we now add these four numerators together, we have:--for both cards in partner’s hand, 6; for Ace alone, 18; for Queen alone, 18; and for neither, 30; a total of 72, or unity, proving all the calculations correct. In some of the problems connected with Whist, it is important to know the probability of the suits being distributed in various ways among the four players at the table; or, what is the same thing, the probable distribution of the four suits in any one hand. The author is indebted to Dr. Pole’s “Philosophy of Whist” for these calculations. As an example of the use of this table, suppose it was required to find the probability of any other player at the table holding four or more trumps if you had six. Take all the combinations in which the figure 6 appears, and add together the number of times they will probably occur. That will be your denominator, 166. The numerator will be the number of times that the combinations occur which contain a figure larger than 3, in addition to the 6. This will be found to be 74, and the probability will therefore be 74/166. DISTRIBUTIONS.
Now this young couple is married together, We propose they kiss each other. --Glapthorn (_Northants Notes and Queries_, i. 214, A. Palmer). II. Here stands a young lady [lass] who wants a sweetheart, Wants a sweetheart, wants a sweetheart, And don t know where to find one, find one, find one. Choose the prettiest that you loves best. Now you re married I wish you joy, First a girl and then a boy, Seven years after son and daughter, Pray you come to kiss together. --Longcot, Berkshire (Miss I. Barclay).
Whichever loses the head first is conquered. It is called Fighting-cocks. Cock-fight This is a boys game. Two boys fold their arms, and then, hopping on one leg, butt each other with their shoulders till one lets down his leg. Any number of couples can join in this game.--Nairn (Rev. W. Gregor). Cock-haw See Cob-nut. Cock-stride One boy is chosen as Cock.
No score can accrue from such stroke, but the striker shall be subject to any further penalty he may incur. 29. If the striker pocket more than one ball, other than red balls, in one stroke, he cannot score, and is penalized in the value of the highest ball pocketed. 30. In the absence of a referee the marker of the room shall decide all disputes that may arise; and, if he does not know of the matter in dispute, the majority of the onlookers shall decide. ENGLISH POOL. This game is known in England as Colom-Ball, or Following Pool. The balls are placed in a pool bottle, and shaken up by the marker, who then gives one to each candidate for play in rotation. The player who receives the white ball places it on the spot, and the one who gets the red ball plays from within the D at the head of the table. The marker calls the colour of the player whose turn it is, and notifies him which ball will play on him, so that he may play for safety if he can.
[_Or, at Market Drayton._ Shift your feet with nimble light, And you ll be there by candle-light.] Open the gates as wide as the sky, And let King George and his lady go by. --Market Drayton, Ellesmere, Whitchurch, (Burne s _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 522). XVI. How many miles to Bethlehem? Three score and ten. Shall we get there by candle-light? Yes, there and back again. So open the gates and let King George and his family go through. --Hayton, near York (H.
If a revoke is claimed and proved, the revoking side cannot score any points that deal; but they may play the hand out to prevent the adversaries from making points. If an adversary of the bidder revokes, the bidder’s side scores whatever points it makes that deal, regardless of the number bid. A player may ask his partner whether or not he has a card of the suit in which he renounces and does not trump, and the player may correct his error if the question is asked before the trick is turned and quitted. But if he answers in the negative, there is no remedy. _=Drawing Cards.=_ Any player may ask the others to indicate the cards played by them to the current trick; but he must confine himself to the expression: “Draw cards.” _=Irregular Remarks.=_ A player calling attention in any manner to the trick or to the score, may be called upon to play his highest or lowest of the suit led; or to trump or not to trump the trick during the play of which the remark is made. _=Scoring.=_ A game consists of fifty-one points; fourteen of which must be made on every deal, as follows:-- 1 for _=High=_, or the Ace of trumps.
If a spare is not thrown on the second throw, most players leave anything as good as threes, and always leave fours; but ace and treys are always thrown again. BASE BALL WITH DICE. There are two forms of this game. In the simpler any number of persons may play, and three dice are used. Each player throws in turn, the three dice representing his three strikes. Nothing but aces count, but each of them is a run; and as long as a player makes runs he goes on throwing. When each player has had nine innings the game is ended, and the highest score wins. The more complicated form of the game is to have a rough diagram of a base-ball diamond. The players take sides, and each is provided with three markers of different colours, such as red and white poker chips. Only one die is used, and it is thrown from a box.
Should he find in his own hand and in the remainder of the pack, more than six trumps, he must discard those he does not want, face upward on the table. _=Irregular Drawing.=_ Should a player ask for too many or too few cards, and not discover his error until the next player has been helped, if he has too few he may make his hand good from the discards, but must not take a trump therefrom. If he has too many, the adversaries must be allowed to draw the superfluous ones at random, face down, placing them on the top of the pack. _=Playing.=_ The maker of the trump must lead for the first trick, any card he pleases. If a trump is led, all must follow suit if able. If a plain suit is led, a player may trump, even when holding a card of the suit led; but if he does not trump he must follow suit if he can, or he is liable to the penalty for a revoke. The last trick turned and quitted may be seen, but no other. _=Irregularities in the Hands.