The Fox and Mother Goose should be pretty evenly matched; the Mother with extended arms seeking to protect her Brood, while the Fox, who tries to dodge under, right and left, is only allowed in case of a successful foray or grasp to secure the last of the train. Vigorous efforts are made to escape him, the Brood of course supplementing the Mother s exertions to elude him as far as they are able, but without breaking the link. The game may be continued until all in turn are caught.--_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 217-18. In Lancashire the children stand in line behind each other, holding each other by the waist. One stands facing them and calls out-- My mother sits on yonder chimney, And she says she _must_ have a chicken. The others answer-- She _can t_ have a chicken. The one then endeavours to catch the last child of the tail, who when caught comes behind the captor; repeat until all have changed sides.--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).
Any player with too many or too few cards must abandon his hand as foul. Any player showing his cards must abandon his hand, and forfeit four counters to the pool. The general laws of Poker governing all irregularities may be applied to Ambigu; but it must be remembered that the French are very much averse to penalties of all kinds, and if an error can be rectified without doing an injustice to any player, it is usual to set things right in the simplest manner possible. _=Value of the Hands.=_ There are seven combinations of value in Ambigu, which rank in the following order, beginning with the lowest:-- _=The Point.=_ The total number of pips on two or more cards of the same suit. A single card does not count for the point. Three cards of one suit are a better point than two cards, even if there are more pips on the two cards. If no higher combination than a point is shown, the player with the winning point receives _=one counter=_ from each of the other players at the table, besides winning the pool, and everything in it. In case of ties, the player having two cards in sequence wins.
] He s married wi a gay gold ring, A gay gold ring, a gay gold ring, He s married wi a gay gold ring, About the merry-ma-tansie. A gay gold ring s a cankerous thing, A cankerous thing, a cankerous thing, A gay gold ring s a cankerous thing, About the merry-ma-tansie. Now they re married, I wish them joy, I wish them joy, I wish them joy, Now they re married, I wish them joy, About the merry-ma-tansie. Father and mother they must obey, Must obey, must obey, Father and mother they must obey, About the merry-ma-tansie. Loving each other like sister and brother, Sister and brother, sister and brother, Loving each other like sister and brother, About the merry-ma-tansie. We pray this couple may kiss together, Kiss together, kiss together, We pray this couple may kiss together, About the merry-ma-tansie. --Chambers _Popular Rhymes_, pp. 132-134. (_b_) At Biggar (Mr. Ballantyne) this game was generally played on the green by boys and girls.
Tylor has pointed out the significance of these string puzzles among savage peoples in _Journ. Anthrop. Inst._, ix. 26. Cat-gallows A child s game, consisting of jumping over a stick placed at right angles to two others fixed in the ground.--Halliwell s _Dictionary_. (_b_) In Ross and Stead s _Holderness Glossary_ this is called Cat-gallas, and is described as three sticks placed in the form of a gallows for boys to jump over. So called in consequence of being of sufficient height to hang cats from. Also mentioned in Peacock s _Manley and Corringham Glossary_ and Elworthy s _West Somerset Words_, Brogden s _Provincial Words, Lincs.
Knapsack. Knights. Knocked at the Rapper. Knor and Spell. LAB. Lady of the Land. Lady on the Mountain. Lady on Yonder Hill. Lag. Lammas.
” If the trump card is not an ace, any player at the table holding the ace of trumps is bound to announce the fact when it comes to his turn to play to the first trick. The usual plan is for him to pass a card to the dealer face downward, and in return the dealer will give him the turn-up trump. If the holder of the ace does not want the turn-up, he must tell the dealer to turn the trump down, which shows that he could rob, but does not wish to. If the holder of the ace of trumps plays without announcing it, he not only loses his right to rob, but his ace of trumps becomes of less value than any other trump for that deal, and even if it is the ace of hearts he loses the privileges attached to that card. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ The eldest hand begins by leading any card he pleases. It is not necessary to follow suit except in trumps; but if a player does not follow suit when he is able to do so, he must trump the trick, or it is a revoke. If he cannot follow suit, he may trump or discard at his pleasure. The highest card played of the suit led wins the trick, and trumps win all other suits. The winner of the first trick leads any card he pleases for the next, and so on, until all five tricks have been played.
_=Closing.=_ Closing is turning the trump card face down on the remainder of the pack, which signifies that there shall be no more drawing from the stock, and that the second player in each trick must follow suit if he can, although he is not obliged to win the trick. A player can close only when he has the lead, but having the lead, he may close at any time. The pone may close before leading for the first trick; or after winning the first trick, and before drawing from the stock. The leader may close after one or more tricks have been played, and he may close without drawing from the stock; or he may draw, and then close. If the leader closes without drawing, his adversary must play without drawing. When the stock is closed, the player holding the Nine of trumps may still exchange it for the trump card, whether he is the closer or not, provided he has previously won a trick. It is usual for the closer, if he does not hold the Nine himself, to take up the trump card and offer it to his adversary. This is an intimation that he is about to turn it down if his adversary does not want it. It is sometimes better not to exchange when the game is closed, as it may give the adversary a good counting card if he can catch all your trumps.
As the last, but at the first throw one check, called the Horse, is taken up, and at the second the remaining three checks at once, called the Cart. 4. As before, but all the checks taken up together. 5. Called Ups and Downs. The checks are taken up at one throw, and set down outside the ring at the next. This is done first with one, then with two, and so on. 6. Each check is touched in turn as the ball is thrown. 7.
Ten innings constitute a game. The maximum is 20. HEAD PIN AND FOUR BACK. [Illustration: O O O O . . . . . O ] The pins are set up as above. Three balls (not exceeding 6 inches in size) are allowed in each inning.
_=SHOW-DOWN POKER.=_ This is a variety of draw poker, in which each player takes the five cards dealt to him and turns them face up so that all the other players can see them. Each player discards and draws in turn, eldest hand first. As soon as a hand is beaten it is thrown into the deadwood, all the cards drawn being dealt face up. _=FLAT POKER.=_ In this variety of the game, before the cards are dealt, the age puts up, for a blind, any amount he pleases within the limit. Those who are willing to bet a similar amount on the possibilities of their hands put up a similar amount. Those who decline are not given any cards. There are no straddles, raises, or antes. Immediately after the deal each player who is in the pool draws cards, the age first.
If no bet is made for the second pool, it is won by the dealer. All hands are shown to decide the last pool. Each player counts up the pip value of his three cards, reckoning the aces for eleven, and court-cards as ten each. The player coming nearest to thirty-one takes the third pool. Ties are decided in favour of the eldest hand, as before. In some places a further variation is introduced by allowing the players to draw cards for the third pool, in order to increase the pip value of their hands. Beginning with the eldest hand, each player in turn pays into the pool a counter for each card he draws. These cards are given by the dealer face up, and one player must be given all he needs before passing to the next. Should a player pass thirty-one, he is out of the pool. Some judgment is necessary in drawing in this manner, for all the hands are exposed, and each player knows exactly what he has to beat.
The only differences that require attention are the positions of the players, the manner of counting the tricks, and the methods of keeping and comparing the scores. _=THEORY.=_ It may briefly be stated that duplicate proceeds upon the principle that if two partners have made a certain number of tricks with certain cards, under certain conditions with respect to the lead, distribution of the other cards in the adversaries’ hands, etc., the only way to decide whether or not two other players could have done better, or cannot do so well, is to let them try it, by giving them the same cards, under exactly similar conditions. This comparison may be carried out in various ways; but in every instance it depends entirely upon the number and arrangement of the players engaged. The most common forms are: club against club; team against team; pair against pair; or man against man. The reason for the arrangement of the players will be better understood if we first describe the method. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ There is no cutting for partners, and choice of seats and cards as at whist, because the players take their places and deal according to a pre-arranged schedule. The player to the left of the dealer begins by placing the card he leads face up on the table, and in front of him.