All these are complications of the War Game, and so far I have not been able to get together sufficient experienced players to play on this larger, more elaborate scale. It is only after the smaller simpler war game here described has been played a number of times, and its little dodges mastered completely, that such more warlike devices become practicable. But obviously with a team of players and an extensive country, one could have a general controlling the whole campaign, divisional commanders, batteries of guns, specialised brigades, and a quite military movement of the whole affair. I have (as several illustrations show) tried Little Wars in the open air. The toy soldiers stand quite well on closely mown grass, but the long-range gun-fire becomes a little uncertain if there is any breeze. It gives a greater freedom of movement and allows the players to lie down more comfortably when firing, to increase, and even double, the moves of the indoor game. One can mark out high roads and streams with an ordinary lawn-tennis marker, mountains and rocks of stones, and woods and forests of twigs are easily arranged. But if the game is to be left out all night and continued next day (a thing I have as yet had no time to try), the houses must be of some more solid material than paper. I would suggest painted blocks of wood. On a large lawn, a wide country-side may be easily represented.
=_ The eldest hand begins by leading any card he pleases. If a trump is led, each player must follow suit if able. When a plain suit is led he need not follow suit if he prefers to trump; but if he does not trump, he must follow suit if he can. If he has none of the suit led he may either trump or discard. This rule is commonly expressed by saying that a player may _=follow suit or trump=_. The highest card played of the suit led wins the trick, and trumps win all other suits. The winner of the trick takes it in, and leads for the next one, and so on until all the cards have been played. The tricks themselves have no value except for the court cards and Tens they contain. As High, Jack, and Game are always counted by the player holding those points at the end of the play, there can be no question about them: but serious disputes sometimes arise as to who played Low. The best method of avoiding this is for each player, as the game proceeds, to announce and claim the lowest trump which has so far appeared, and instead of giving it to the current trick, to leave it turned face up in front of him if it is of no counting value.
=_ 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. That is, if you have two suits of eight cards each, select the one that has six of those cards in one hand, in preference to the suit with four in each hand. 4. Everything else being equal, play for the suit which is shown in the Dummy, so as to conceal from the adversaries as long as possible the strength in your own hand.
(6) If a player declare out of turn, and the succeeding player either pass or declare, the third player may demand that the mistake be corrected as is provided in Law 5. In such case the player who first declared out of turn is the only one penalized. (7) The player making the final declaration, _i.e._, a declaration that has been passed by both of the others, plays his own hand and that of the dummy against the two others, who then, and for that particular hand, assume the relationship of partners. (8) It is advisable that the game be played at a round table so that the hand of the dummy can be placed in front of the declarer without obliging any player to move; but, in the event of a square table being used, the two players who become the adversaries of the declarer should sit opposite each other, the dummy being opposite the declarer. At the end of the play the original positions should be resumed. (9) If, after the deal has been completed and before the conclusion of the declaration, any player expose a card, each of his adversaries counts 50 points in his honour score, and the declarer, if he be not the offender, may call upon the player on his left to lead or not to lead the suit of the exposed card. If a card be exposed by the declarer after the final declaration, there is no penalty, but if exposed by an adversary of the declarer, it is subject to the same penalty as in Auction. (10) If a player double out of turn, each of his adversaries counts 100 points in his respective honour score, and the player whose declaration has been doubled may elect whether the double shall stand.
The deal passes from one player to the other in rotation as long as they continue to play. _=Suggestions for Good Play.=_ Observation of the cards passed will usually show what the adversary is keeping, and what he has no chance for. Toward the end of the stock each player should know what the other holds in his hand by the cards which have not appeared in the drawing. If a player has not a good chance to get eleven down himself, he should play for a tableau, by using nothing that will compel him to discard cards which may put his adversary out. It should be remembered that a player cannot get eleven down in one suit, and careful observation of the cards passed will often show that his runs are blocked, the cards necessary to continue them having been turned down. One peculiar feature of the game is that a player cannot block his adversary and at the same time win the game, because so long as he holds up the card that his adversary wants he cannot get eleven down himself. His only chance is that he may be able to use the card that his adversary needs. For instance: He holds two 8’s, one of which will make his adversary eleven down by completing a sequence. If there is another 8 to come, the player with the pair may use both his 8’s, and win; but if there is no other 8 to come, it is impossible for the player with the two 8’s to win without first putting his adversary out.
Now we dance looby, looby, looby; Shake your right hand a little, Shake your left hand a little, And turn you round about. Now we dance looby, looby, looby; Shake your right hand a little, Shake your left hand a little, Shake your right foot a little, And turn you round about. Now we dance looby, looby, looby; Shake your right hand a little, Shake your left hand a little, Shake your right foot a little, Shake your left foot a little, And turn you round about. Now we dance looby, looby, looby; Shake your right hand a little, Shake your left hand a little, Shake your right foot a little, Shake your left foot a little, Shake your head a little, And turn you round about. --Halliwell (_Popular Rhymes_, p. 226). III. Fal de ral la, fal de ral la, Hinkumbooby round about. Right hands in and left hands out, Hinkumbooby round about; Fal de ral la, fal de ral la, Hinkumbooby round about. Left hands in and right hands out, Hinkumbooby round about; Fal de ral la, fal de ral la, Hinkumbooby round about.
May). See Cock. Click, Clock, Cluck A man called Click came west from Ireland, A man called Click came west from Ireland, A man called Click came west from Ireland, Courting my Aunt Judy. A man called Clock came west from Ireland, A man called Clock came west from Ireland, A man called Clock came west from Ireland, Courting my Aunt Judy. A man called Cluck came west from Ireland, A man called Cluck came west from Ireland, A man called Cluck came west from Ireland, Courting my Aunt Judy. --Isle of Man (A. W. Moore). These verses and the game are now quite forgotten, both in English and Manx. It was sung by children dancing round in a ring.
If the winners of the game are five points to their adversaries’ nothing, they win a _=treble=_, and count three rubber points. If the losers have scored one or two points only, the winners mark two points for a _=double=_. If the losers have reached three or four, the winners mark one for a _=single=_. The side winning the rubber adds two points to its score for so doing; so that the largest rubber possible is one of eight points;--two triples to nothing, and two added for the rubber. The smallest possible is one point;--two singles and the rubber, against a triple. If the first two games are won by the same partners, the third is not played. _=DEALING.=_ Any player has the right to shuffle the cards, the dealer last. The pack must be presented to the pone to be cut, and he must leave at least four cards in each packet. Beginning on his left, the dealer distributes the cards either two at a time and then three, or three and then two to each player in rotation, until all have five cards.
, to discard. Echoing, showing the number of trumps held when partner leads or calls; in plain suits, showing the number held when a high card is led. Edge, a corruption of the word “age,” the eldest hand. Eldest Hand, the first player to the left of the dealer in all English games; to his right in France. Encaisser, F., to hand the stakes to the banker. Entamer, F., to lead. Established Suits, a suit is established when you or your partner can take every trick in it, no matter who leads it. Étaler, F.
Backs in and heads out, Hinkumbooby round about; Fal de ral la, &c. A feet in and nae feet out, Hinkumbooby round about; Fal de ral la, &c. Shake hands a , shake hands a , Hinkumbooby round about; Fal de ral la, &c. Good night a , good night a , Hinkumbooby round about; Fal de ral la, &c. --Chambers (_Popular Rhymes_, pp. 137-139). IV. This is the way we wash our hands, Wash our hands, wash our hands, To come to school in the morning. This is the way we wash our face, Wash our face, wash our face, To come to school in the morning. Here we come dancing looby, Lewby, lewby, li.
Each player thus restores the number of cards in his hand to thirteen. The card which is now on the top of the talon is turned up, and the winner of the next trick must take it, his adversary taking the one under it, as before, and turning up the next. In this manner it will be seen that the winner of each trick must always get a card which is known to his adversary, while the loser of the trick gets one which remains unknown. When the talon is exhausted, the thirteen cards in each hand should be known to both players if they have been observant, and the end game becomes a problem in double dummy. _=STAKES.=_ The game is usually played for so much a point, the player having won the majority of the tricks receiving the difference between the number of his tricks and those of his adversary. Each game is complete in one hand. In many respects the game resembles single-handed Hearts, except that in Hearts none of the cards drawn are shown. CHINESE WHIST. _=CARDS.
3. When the declarer wins the number of tricks bid or more, each above six counts on the trick score; two points when spades are trumps, six when clubs are trumps, seven when diamonds are trumps, eight when hearts are trumps, nine when royal spades are trumps, and ten when the declaration is no trump. 4. A game consists of thirty points made by tricks alone. Every deal is played out, whether or not during it the game be concluded, and any points made (even if in excess of thirty) are counted. 5. The ace, king, queen, knave, and ten of the trump suit are the honours; when no trump is declared, the aces are the honours. 6. Honours are credited to the original holders; they are valued as follows: _When a Trump is Declared._ 3[1] honours held between partners equal value of 2 tricks.
There is no jumping or capturing, and the object of the tailors is to pin the devil in, so that he cannot move. If the black man can reach the free country behind the white men, he wins the game. The game is a certainty for the white men if properly played. At the end of four moves they should be lined up on squares 25, 26, 27, 28 and whichever end the devil attacks, the tailors should move in from the other end. There are two critical positions. [Illustration: No. 13. +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | ⛂ | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | ⛀ | | ⛀ | | ⛀ | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | ⛀ | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ ] [Illustration: No. 14. +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | ⛂ | | ⛀ | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | ⛀ | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | ⛀ | | ⛀ | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ ] In Diagram No.
Actually he had not yet had time to move a muscle when the Lady May struck back at their enemy. Five evenly spaced photonuclear bombs blazed out across a hundred thousand miles. The pain in his mind and body vanished. [Illustration] He felt a moment of fierce, terrible, feral elation running through the mind of the Lady May as she finished her kill. It was always disappointing to the cats to find out that their enemies whom they sensed as gigantic space Rats disappeared at the moment of destruction. Then he felt her hurt, the pain and the fear that swept over both of them as the battle, quicker than the movement of an eyelid, had come and gone. In the same instant, there came the sharp and acid twinge of planoform. Once more the ship went skip. He could hear Woodley thinking at him. You don t have to bother much.
_=MARKERS.=_ The game is 61 points, and is scored or “pegged” on a cribbage board, which has a double row of 30 holes on each side, and a game-hole at each end. The players are each provided with two pegs, and they score the points as they accrue by advancing their pegs from left to right according to the number of points they make. For instance: One player makes 6 for his first count. He places one of his pegs in the sixth hole from the left-hand end of the board. Then he makes 4, and places the second peg four holes in advance of the first, which will show that his total score is ten points. The third time he makes 2, which he scores by lifting out the back peg and putting it two holes in advance of the first one. This system of pegging not only shows the total number of points made by either player, but enables the adversary to check the count, as a glance at the distance between the two pegs will show the number of points pegged last time. When a player reaches the extreme right of the board, 30 points, he crosses over to the inner row of holes, and goes down from right to left. On reaching the end of the second row he has still one more to go to get into the game-hole, which is in the middle of the board.
In Two-handed Hearts, the dealer stops when each player has received thirteen cards. The deal passes to the left. _=Misdealing.=_ It is a misdeal if the dealer omits to have the pack cut, and the error is discovered before the last card is dealt; if he deals a card incorrectly, and does not remedy the error 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 too many or too few cards. A misdeal loses the deal unless one of the other players has touched the cards, or has in any way interrupted the dealer. If any card is exposed by the dealer, the player to whom it is dealt may demand a new deal, provided he has not touched any of his cards. Any one dealing out of turn, or with the wrong cards, may be stopped before the last card is dealt. After that the deal stands good, and the packs, if changed, must so remain. _=IRREGULAR HANDS.=_ If, after the first trick has been 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 must draw, face downward, from the hand of the one having more; and each must pay five counters into the pool.
_=CUTTING.=_ The cards are usually spread, face down, and each candidate for play draws a card. [Illustration: SPREADING THE PACK.] When _=two=_ or _=three=_ play, the lowest cut has the choice of seats, and takes the first deal. When _=four=_ play, they cut for partners; the two highest pairing against the two lowest. The lowest has the choice of seats, and deals the first hand. When _=five=_ or _=seven=_ play, they have the choice of seats in their order, the lowest first, and the lowest cut deals. When _=six=_ play, the three lowest are partners against the three highest, the lowest cut having the choice of seats, and the first deal. _=TIES.=_ Players cutting cards of equal value cut again; but the new cut decides nothing but the tie.
The following unintelligible rhyme is repeated by a player on the one side, while they on the other are gathering in the Cats, and is attested by old people as of great antiquity:-- Jock, Speak, and Sandy, W a their lousy train Round about by Errinborra, We ll never meet again. Gae head im, gae hang im, Gae lay im in the sea; A the birds o the air Will bear him companee. With a nig-nag, widdy- [_or_ worry-] bag, And an e endown trail, trail; Quoth he. --Jamieson. The game is also called Kittie-cat. See Cat and Dog, Cudgel, Tip-cat. Horns A Horns to the Lift, a game of young people. A circle is formed round a table, and all placing their forefingers on the table, one cries, A horns to the lift! Cat s horns upmost! If on this any one lift his finger, he owes a wad, as cats have no horns. In the same manner, the person who does not raise his fingers when a horned animal is named is subjected to a forfeit.--Jamieson.