Duck Dance [Music] --London (A. B. Gomme). I saw a ship a sailin , A sailin on the sea, And oh, it was laden With pretty things for me [thee]. There were comfits in the cabin, And apples in the hold; The sails were made of silk, And the masts were made of gold. Four and twenty sailors That sat upon the deck, Were four and twenty white mice With chains about their necks. The captain was a duck, With a packet on his back; And when the ship began to move, The captain cried Quack! quack! --Northamptonshire, _Revue Celtique_, iv. 200; Halliwell s _Nursery Rhymes_, No. ccclxxvii. (_b_) A number of little girls join hands and form a ring.
This game was called Shinney, or Hockey. About one o clock the Whipping Toms appeared on the scene of action. These were three men clad in blue smock frocks, with very long waggon whips, who were accompanied by three men with small bells. They commenced driving the men and boys out of the Newarkes. It was very dangerous sometimes; they would lash the whip in such a manner round the legs of those they were pursuing as to throw them down, which produced laughter and shouting. Some would stop, and turn to the whipper and say, Let s have a pennyworth, and he would guard and parry off the lashes with his shinney stick. When the whipper was successful in lashing him he demanded his penny, and continued lashing until he paid. This was continued until five o clock, then the game terminated. This was suppressed, I believe, in 1847. At that period it was a prevalent idea that it could not be abolished, as it was connected with an old charter.
The Mother sings the answers to their questions, standing still and hiding Jenny Jones all the time from view. When the verses are finished, Jenny Jones lies down as if she were dead, and the Mother stands aside. Two of the other players then take up Jenny Jones, one by the shoulders and the other by the feet, and carry her a little distance off, where they lay her on the ground. All the players follow, generally two by two, with their handkerchiefs at their eyes and heads lowered, pretending to grieve. This is the more general way of playing the game. In those versions where the reply, Very well, ladies, occurs, this is sung by the line of children just before they sing, We ve come to see Jenny Jones. Sometimes, as in the Berrington and Chirbury game, two lines of children facing each other advance and retire, singing the verses. They then carry Jenny Jones to a corner, lay her down, stand in a circle round, and sing to her the last verse. In the Hants versions sent by Miss Mendham, six or eight children carry Jenny stretched out and flat, lay her down, cover her over, and then sing the last lines. The rest of the children follow them.
=_ In discarding, the pone should consider what there may be against him. If it is unlikely that he will lose a pic or repic, he should try for the _=point=_, which very often carries with it the sequence. It must be remembered that there are only eight cards in each suit, and by comparing those that you hold with those that your adversary may hold it is comparatively easy, in the majority of hands, to estimate the possible scores against you. Next to the point, the most important thing is the score for _=cards=_. The point will save pic and repic, but the cards will make the greatest difference in the score in the long run. Sequences are always valuable, especially those that are Ace high in the elder hand, because they enable him to win a succession of tricks in play. The elder hand should risk a good deal if he has a fair chance to make a pic or repic, which will often settle the game. If there is any choice as to what to keep of two nearly equal chances, always preserve the combination that will be most likely to secure the count for cards. In _=Leading=_, it is best to begin with the point, unless you know that you are leading up to tenace, or to high cards that will bring in a long adverse suit. The piquet player soon learns the importance of tenace and fourchette, and can sometimes see how things must be managed for five or six tricks ahead, so as to secure the odd trick.
A Bishop is often spoken of as a white Bishop or a black Bishop, which does not mean that it is one of White’s Bishops, or one of Black’s; but that it stands upon a white or black square. Like the Rook, the Bishop cannot jump over other pieces, and cannot be moved at all until one or other of the two Pawns diagonally in front of it have opened the way. ♛ _=The Queen=_ combines the movements of the Rook and Bishop, and can be moved horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, any number of squares at a time, provided that the path is clear. Like the Rook and Bishop, she cannot move at all until some of the adjoining pieces have made a way for her. ♚ _=The King=_ has the same movement as the Queen, but is limited to one square at a time. The King is not allowed to move to a square which would expose him to capture by adverse pieces, for reasons which will presently be explained. ♞ _=The Knight=_ has a very peculiar movement, which is L shaped, and necessitates his changing the colour of the square he stands on, every time he moves. The simplest way for the beginner to learn the Knight’s move is to observe that he must go two squares, neither more nor less, in a vertical or a horizontal direction, and must then change the colour of the square he stands on by going one square either to the right or left, which will complete the L shaped movement. Diagram No. 4 will show that when the Knight is away from the side of the board, he may go to any one of eight different squares; but when he is in a corner he can go to two only.
| -- | -- | -- | |23.|He sent letter to turn|He sent letter to turn| -- | | |your head. |your head. | | |24.| -- | -- |She s left off her | | | | |wedding to turn back | | | | |her head. | |25.| -- | -- | -- | |26.| -- | -- |Mother, is it true; | | | | |What shall I do? [Then| | | | |repeat Nos. 14 & 16.] | |27.
Do not lead trumps if the weaker hand can trump some of your losing cards first. It often happens that a _=losing trump=_ can be used to win a trick before trumps are led. _=At No-trump.=_ The declarer’s first care in a no-trumper must be to select the suit that he will play for. Four simple rules cover this choice:-- 1. Always lead from the weak hand to the strong if the suit is not already established. 2. Play for the suit in which you have the greatest number of cards between the two hands, because it will probably yield the greatest number of tricks. 3. If two suits are equal in number, play for the one in which you have the greatest number of cards massed in one hand.
A similar game to this is played at Earls Heaton, Yorkshire (Mr. Hardy), and called Goose and Gander. Two players, the Goose and the Gander, stand in a ring, each on one leg. They hop out in turn, and try to catch one of the other players without letting their other leg touch the ground. If they fail in this they get strapped back to the ring. When either are successful, the player who is caught takes the place of either Goose or Gander in turn. The game is also mentioned in _Useful Transactions in Philosophy_, 1708-9. French Jackie This game is played either by boys or girls or by both together. One is chosen to stand alone; the other players join hands and form a circle. The one outside the circle goes round it and touches on the back one of the circle.
This should indicate to the pone that his partner has a certain trick in trumps, and if the pone holds any good trumps himself, he can often guess what his partner’s trumps are. For instance: The ace is turned, and the pone holds the left bower guarded. The eldest hand must have the right bower, or four trumps to the King. If the eldest hand has passed at the bridge, and the pone has strong trumps himself, especially the ace or left bower and two small trumps, he should order up the trump; not to save the game, but to be sure of winning it by preventing the dealer from turning it down. If the pone does not order up at the bridge, the eldest hand may infer that he is weak in trumps. When it is not a bridge, the pone should be guided by the same principles as those given for the eldest hand, because he may be sure that his partner will make it next if it is turned down, unless he has a certainty of three tricks by crossing. If a player calls his partner’s attention to the fact that they are at the bridge, both lose their right to order up. _=ASSISTING.=_ The dealer’s partner usually assists on plain-suit cards, such as two aces, rather than on trumps. The score and the turn-up trump will often be a guide as to whether or not to assist.
And that s when the dice jumped straight up off the baize, a good six-inch hop into the air, and came down Snake Eyes, the old signal. Wow! I d had it! TK! somebody yelled. He might as well have screamed, Fire! the way that mob of gamblers scuttled away from the table. No dice, one of the dealers said automatically. He raked the hopping cubes sadly to him with his hoe-shaped dice-stick. I made a break for it with the rest of the crowd, trying to keep my eye on Sniffles. But she had the sure-loser s touch of slipping away from any authority. She vanished into the milling mob. My last glimpse had been of a skinny arm reaching up to pluck some more free _hors d oeuvres_ from a tray as she fled. I should have saved myself the trouble.
Betting and Gambling, by Major Churchill. TEN PINS. The standard American game of Ten Pins is played upon an _=alley=_ 41 or 42 inches wide, and 60 feet long from the head pin to the foul or scratch line, from behind which the player must deliver his ball. There should be at least 15 feet run back of the foul line, and the gutters on each side of the alley must be deep enough to allow a ball to pass without touching any of the pins standing on the alley. [Illustration: 7 8 9 10 4 5 6 2 3 1 ] _=The Pins=_ are spotted as shown in the margin, the centres 12 inches apart, and those of the back row 3 inches from the edge of the pit. The regulation pins are 15 inches high, 2¼ diam. at the base, 15 inches circumference 4½ from the bottom, and 5¼ at the neck. _=The Balls=_ must not exceed 27 inches in circumference in any direction, but smaller balls may be used. _=Frames.=_ Each player rolls ten frames or innings, in each of which he is supposed to have three balls, although as a matter of fact he rolls two only.
In the Scottish version there are only two girls who join hands and pull each other backwards and forwards, repeating the words. Halliwell describes a different action to any of these. A string of children, hand in hand, stand in a row. A child stands in front of them as leader; two other children form an arch, each holding both of the hands of the other. The string of children pass under the arch, the last of whom is taken captive by the two holding hands. The verses are repeated until all are taken.--Halliwell s _Nursery Rhymes_, cclxxxvii. [Illustration: Fig. 1.] [Illustration: Fig.
* * * * * Peno Rose came quickly toward me the moment Fowler Smythe showed me into the office, spurs jingling. Hey! There he is! The boy they had to rule off the track! How s a boy, Lefty? Long time no see. He had his hand stuck way out ahead of him. His sharp, dried-out features repelled me twice as much as they had ten years before. That hatchet face of his was gashed with what he thought was a smile. I ve seen sharks with a pleasanter gape. Naturally, I didn t take his hand. Hi, Peno, I said. He jerked his hand back and straightened up. He snapped the hole in his face shut.
Sometimes the difference between a seven and an eight in a certain player’s hand will change the entire result. _=PAYMENTS.=_ If the bidder succeeds in winning the specified number of tricks, each adversary pays him a counter for every trick bid. If he bid three tricks, they pay him three counters each; four counters each for four tricks bid; and the value of three tricks for a misère. If he fails to win the specified number of tricks, he pays each adversary; three counters if he bid three tricks, or a misère; four if he bid four. Any player bidding nap, and succeeding in winning all five tricks, receives ten counters from each adversary; but if he fails, he pays only five to each. When penny nap is played, the settlement being in coin, it is usual to make naps win a shilling or lose sixpence, in order to avoid handling so much copper. _=SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY.=_ In calculating his chances for success in winning a certain number of tricks, the player will often have to take into consideration the probability of certain cards being out against him. This will vary according to the number of players engaged.