It is taken from Red s side. Red has not as yet realised the danger of his position. His left gun struggles into position to the left of the church, his centre and right push for the farm. Blue s five cavalry on his left have already galloped forward into a favourable position to open fire at the next move--they are a little hidden in the picture by the church; the sixteen infantry follow hard, and his main force makes straight for the farm. Figure 4 shows the affair developing rapidly. Red s cavalry on his right have taken his two guns well forward into a position to sweep either side of the farm, and his left gun is now well placed to pound Blue s infantry centre. His infantry continue to press forward, but Blue, for his second move, has already opened fire from the woods with his right gun, and killed three of Red s men. His infantry have now come up to serve this gun, and the cavalry who brought it into position at the first move have now left it to them in order to gallop over to join the force attacking the farm. Undismayed by Red s guns, Blue has brought his other two guns and his men as close to the farm as they can go. His leftmost gun stares Red s in the face, and prevents any effective fire, his middle gun faces Red s middle gun.
The girl stands a little distance off. The lover says the first four lines, then approaches the lady, falls on one knee, and says the next line. The lady replies, and retires further away. The lover then falls on the ground and says the next line. As this is said the good fairy appears, touches the fallen lover with her hand, and he is immediately well again. (_c_) This is a curious game, and is perhaps derived from a ballad which had been popular from some more or less local circumstance, or more probably it may be a portion of an old play acted in booths at fair times by strolling players. It is not, as far as I can find out, played in any other counties. The lines-- Over the water at the hour of ten, I ll meet you with five thousand men; Over the water at the hour of five, I ll meet you there if I m alive, are portions of a dialogue familiar to Mr. Emslie, and also occur in some mumming plays. It may also be noted that the curing of illness or death from a stab is an incident in these plays, as is also the method of playing.
T. Royds, Rector of Haughton). At Sharleston the centre child says, What colour is t sky? The other answers, Blue. Centre child says, Follow me true. Here the centre child runs in and out between the others until the one who was touched catches her, when they change places, the first joining the children in the ring.--Sharleston (Miss Fowler). At Beddgelert, Wales (Mrs. Williams), this game is called Tartan Boeth. It is played in precisely the same manner as the English game, but the words used are: Tartan Boeth, Oh ma en llosgi, Boeth iawn Hot Tart. Oh, it burns! very hot! At the words, Very hot! the handkerchief is dropped.
[At the end of the last verse but one] the children break the line, form themselves into a ring, and dance round the prisoner, singing the final verse. Miss Harley describes the Shropshire version as follows: The first six verses are sung by the alternate parties, who advance and retire, tramping their feet, at first, to imitate the robbers. The last verse is sung altogether going round in a ring. In the Shipley version, Miss Busk says: The children form themselves into two lines, while two or three, representing the robbers, swagger along between them. When the robbers sing the last verse they should have attained the end of the lines [of children], as during the parley they were safe; having pronounced the defiance they run away. The children in the lines rush after them, and should catch them and put them in prison. (_c_) The analysis of this game is easy. The Deptford, Belfast, and Wolstanton versions are clearly enough dramatic representations of the capture of a robber, and probably the game dates from the period of the prevalence of highway robbery. The Wolstanton version shows us that the game is breaking up from its earlier form, while the Norfolk and Shropshire versions show a fresh development into the mere game for children, apart from its original significance. The action of the game confirms this view.
As soon as a new line is formed in this way, an adverse man can be lifted. It is possible for one man to move back and forth in such a manner as to continually form and reform a line of three. When one player has only three men left, he can jump any of them to any vacant space on the board, no matter how far off. As soon as either player is reduced to two men, the game is over and he has lost. DOMINOES. Although properly a game for two persons, Dominoes is sometimes played by four, two being partners against the other two. There are also some round games in which any number from three to six may play, each for himself. _=The Sets.=_ A set of dominoes is a number of pieces of bone, usually about 1½ inches by ¾, and ⅜ thick. These bones have upon their faces the permutations of the numbers from six to blank, taken two at a time.
Minder: Who s there? Answer: Angel. Minder: What do you want? Angel: Ribbons. Minder: What colour? Angel: Red. Minder retorts, if no child is so named, Go and learn your A B C. If the guess is right the child is led away. The Devil then knocks, and the dialogue and action are repeated.--Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase). See Fool, fool, come to School. Auntieloomie The children join hands, and dance in a circle, with a front step, a back step, and a side step, round an invisible May-pole, singing-- Can you dance the Auntieloomie? Yes, I can; yes, I can. Then follows kissing.
The best players never draw to four-card flushes except when they have the age, and the ante has not been raised. There are some players who pretend to be so guided by probabilities that they never go into a pool unless the chances in favour of their having a good hand after the draw are at least equal to the odds they have to bet by going into the pool. This is all nonsense; for no player knows when he goes into a pool how much it will cost him to get out, and the value of his individual hand is an unknown quantity at the best, because it cannot be compared to the others. One thing only is certain, and that is that in the long run the player who goes in with the strongest hand will still have the strongest hand after the draw. This is an important thing to remember in jack pots, in which the value of at least one hand is known. If you draw to a pair smaller than Jacks, you do so with the full knowledge that the pair itself is not strong enough to win. Now what are the odds against your winning the pool? Suppose you hold tens, and draw three cards. Your chance of improving your hand is a little better than one in five. The opener of the jack pot has exactly the same chance, and if both of you draw cards a hundred times under those circumstances, he will beat you in the long run, to say nothing of the other players who may come in and beat both of you. It is therefore evident that in backing tens against openers, it is four to one against your beating the openers to begin with, and if you do beat them the odds are still against your winning the pot.
Here we go round the mulberry bush, The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, Here we go round the mulberry bush, And round the merry-ma-tanzie. Disjoining hands, they then begin, with skirts held daintily up behind, to walk singly along, singing-- This is the way the ladies walk, The ladies walk, the ladies walk; This is the way the ladies walk, And round the merry-ma-tanzie. At the last line they reunite, and again wheel round in a ring, singing as before-- Here we go round the mulberry bush, &c. After which, they perhaps simulate the walk of gentlemen, the chief feature of which is length of stride, concluding with the ring dance as before. Probably the next movement may be-- This is the way they wash the clothes, Wash the clothes, wash the clothes; This is the way they wash the clothes, And round the merry-ma-tanzie. After which there is, as usual, the ring dance. They then represent washing, ironing clothes, baking bread, washing the house, and a number of other familiar proceedings. Chambers quotes a fragment of this little ballet, as practised at Kilbarchan, in Renfrewshire, which contains the following lines similar to those in this game:-- She synes the dishes three times a day, Three times a day, three times a day; She synes the dishes three times a day, Come alang wi the merry-ma-tanzie. She bakes the scones three times a day, Three times a day, three times a day; She bakes the scones three times a day, Come alang wi the merry-ma-tanzie. She ranges the stules three times a day, Three times a day, three times a day; She ranges the stules three times a day, Come alang wi the merry-ma-tanzie.