They seemed glad to get away. The Blackout, the TK said musingly to me. You hear about it, and the Psiless cringe when they think it might happen to them. But you don t see it every day. You re in the Lodge, of course? he added. Of course, I said coldly. Please, he said, waving a hand at me. Don t take it so big. So am I. From five feet apart we exchanged the grip, the tactile password impossible for the Psiless to duplicate--just a light tug at each other s ear lobes, but perfect identification as TK s.
They form a ring by joining hands, and they then all move in one direction, about half way round, while singing the first line, lubin; then back again in the opposite direction, while singing the second line, light, still keeping the ring form, and so on for the third and fourth lines. In each case the emphasis is laid upon the Here of each line, the movement being supposed to answer to the Here. The Dorsetshire version (Miss M. Kimber) is played by the children taking hands in pairs, forming a ring, and dancing round. At Eckington (S. O. Addy) the children first pretend to wash their hands, then their face, while singing the words; then comb their hair and brush their clothes; then they join hands and dance round in a ring singing the words which follow, again suiting their actions to the words sung. In the Scottish version a ring is formed as above. One sings, and the rest join, to the tune of Lillibullero, the first line. As soon as this is concluded each claps his hand and wheels grotesquely, singing the second line.
Z is the dealer, and A has the original lead. _=DEALING.=_ One pack of cards is shuffled and cut as at Whist. The dealer then gives four cards to each player, beginning on his left; then four more, and finally five, no trump being turned. In many places six cards are first dealt to each player, and then seven; but the 4-4-5 system is better, and is the rule in the very similar game of Boston. The general rules with regard to irregularities in the deal are the same as at Whist; except that a misdeal does not lose the deal. The misdealer must deal again, and with the same pack. _=CAYENNE.=_ After the cards are all dealt, the player to the left of the dealer cuts the still pack, which is shuffled and presented to him by the dealer’s partner, and the top card of the portion left on the table is turned up for Cayenne. This card is not a trump, but is simply to determine the rank of the suits.
He also refers to a game called Robin-a-Ree, much like Preest Cat, only in passing the burnt stick round the ring the following rhyme is said-- Robin-a-Ree, ye ll no dee wi me, Tho I birl ye roun three times and three; O Robin-a-Ree, O Robin-a-Ree, O dinna let Robin-a-Reerie dee. Robin-a-Ree occurs in an old song.--Mactaggart s _Gallovidian Encyclopædia_. In Cornwall it is known as Robin s a-light, and is played around the fire. A piece of stick is set on fire and whirled around rapidly in the hand of the first player, who says, Robin s a-light, and if he go out I will saddle your back. It is then passed to the next, who says the same thing, and so on. The person who lets the spark die out has to pay a forfeit.--Scilly (Courtney s West _Cornwall Glossary_). A rhyme at Lostwithiel is known as follows-- Jack s alive, and likely to live; If he die in my hand a pawn (forfeit) I ll give. --(J.
He may combine these three cards, calling attention to the fact that their collective value is 9, and then play the 9 from his own hand, gathering in and turning down all four cards. An 8 and Ace, or 6 and 3 might be gathered in the same way; or two such combinations might be gathered at the same time, 3, 2, 6, 7, for instance, which would make two nines; all of which might be gathered by a player holding a 9 his hand. Pairs and combinations may be taken in together. For instance: Among the cards on the table are a 4, 6, and 10, and the player holds a 10. He can gather in not only the pair of Tens, but the combinations which equal a 10. _=Building.=_ A player may have in his hand two cards, the lower of which, if added to a card on the table, would build up its value to that of the higher card still in the player’s hand. For instance: A player holds a 9 and 2, and there is a 7 on the table. He may place the 2 on the 7, announcing the total value; “Nine,” which will notify other players that those two cards cannot be separated; but he cannot take them in until it again comes round to his turn to play, because he is allowed to play only one card at a time, and he has played his card in making the build. Should any other player following him hold a 9, he would be entitled to take in this build, but he could not separate the two cards forming it.
--Belfast (W. H. Patterson). IV. Up the plain and down the plain, As stippy [slippery] as a glass, We will go to Mrs. ---- To find a pretty lass. [Annie] with her rosy cheeks, Catch her if you can, And if you cannot catch her I ll tell you who s the man. [Annie] made a pudding, She made it very sweet; She daren t stick a knife in Till George came home at neet [night]. Taste [George], taste, and don t say Nay! Perhaps to-morrow morning ll be our wedding day. [The bells shall ring, and we shall sing, And all clap hands together.
If the player on the right won the first coup, the banker deals to him again; but if he lost, the banker deals to the next player beyond him; that is, the second from the banker, on his right. The same with the player on the left. If the player on the right or left wins the second coup, the cards are dealt to him again for the third coup; if he loses they are dealt to the next player beyond him, and so on, until all five players have held cards and have lost a coup, after which the banker deals to the one nearest him again. It will thus be seen that there are in each coup only two active players, and that all stakes made upon the game are made upon the result of their hands. _=Suggestions for Playing.=_ In justice to those backing him, the player is supposed to draw or not to draw, according to the laws of probabilities, which are exactly the same as in Vingt-et-un. If he has four points, which would be 5 below 9, he should draw; just as he would if he had 16 at Vingt-et-un, which would be 5 below 21. If he has 5 or more, he should stand; but if he has 5 exactly it is a matter of judgment, drawing a card being sometimes good play, especially if it is likely to lead the banker to overdraw himself. In some clubs there is a law that a player must draw if his point is less than 5, and must stand if it is more than 5, or he must pay a fine. As no one is backing the banker, he is at liberty to play as badly as he pleases, and he is really the only one that has an opportunity to exercise any judgment in the matter of drawing.
As anciently in this game he who was the chief actor was not only hoodwinked, but enveloped in the skin of an animal.--Jamieson. See Blind Man s Buff. Belly-blind The name for Blind Man s Buff in Roxburgh, Clydesdale, and other counties of the border. It is probable that the term is the same with Billy Blynde, said to be the name of a familiar spirit or good genius somewhat similar to the brownie.--Jamieson. See Blind Man s Buff. Bend-leather A boys phrase for a slide on a pond when the ice is thin and bends. There is a game on the ice called playing at Bend-leather. Whilst the boys are sliding they say Bend-leather, bend-leather, puff, puff, puff.
--Dronfield, Derbyshire (S. O. Addy). This game was also played in London. The _dramatis personæ_ were a mother, an eldest daughter, the younger children, a witch, and a pot was represented by another child. The Mother names the children after the days of the week. She tells her eldest daughter that she is going to wash, and that she expects her to take great care of her sisters, and to be sure and not let the old witch take them. She is also to look after the dinner, and be sure and not let the pot boil over. The Mother then departs, and stays at a little distance from the others. The eldest daughter pretends to be very busy putting the house to rights, sweeps the floor, and makes everything tidy; the younger children pretend to play, and get in the elder sister s way.
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. Hot Cockles At Sheffield a boy is chosen for a Stump, and stands with his back against a wall.
=_ If a call is made, the hands are shown, and the best Bouillotte hand wins. There are only two classes of hands recognized in Bouillotte, the brelan, and the point; but there are three kinds of brelans, which rank in the following order: _=A Brelan Carré=_ is four of a kind; three in the player’s hand, and the fourth turned up on the pack. If any player holds a brelan, [three of a kind,] of a higher denomination than the brelan carré, the player may turn up the card under the retourne, and if this makes his hand a brelan carré also, he wins the pool. In addition to winning the pool, the holder of a brelan carré receives from each player four white counters. _=A Simple Brelan=_ is three of a kind in the player’s hand, three aces being the highest, and three eights the lowest. In addition to winning the pool, the holder of a simple brelan receives one counter from each of the other players at the table. If two are shown, neither pays the other. Should the brelan be formed by uniting the retourne with two cards in the player’s hand, it is a _=brelan favori=_, and the holder of it receives an extra counter from every player at the table, whether he wins the pool or not. For instance: The retourne is an eight; a brelan of Queens is shown, and wins the pool. Another player holds a pair of eights, and claims brelan favori.
(13) Honours are scored by each player separately, _i.e._, each player who holds one honour scores the value of a trick; each player who holds two honours scores twice the value of a trick; a player who holds three honours scores three times the value of a trick; a player who holds four honours scores eight times the value of a trick; and a player who holds five honours scores ten times the value of a trick. In a no-trump declaration, each ace counts ten, and four held by one player count 100. The declarer counts separately both his own honours and those held by the dummy. (14) A player scores 125 points for winning a game, a further 125 points for winning a second game, and 250 points for winning a rubber. (15) At the end of the rubber, all scores of each player are added and his total obtained. Each one wins from or loses to each other the difference between their respective totals. A player may win from both the others, lose to one and win from the other, or lose to both. [23] This hand is generally dealt opposite to the dealer.
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. Tenace is the best and third-best of any suit, such as A Q, while a fourchette is any two cards within one of each other, such as K J, or Q 10, and the lead from such combinations should always be avoided. If you have the odd trick in hand, make it at once, before you risk anything else, because the only difference between the odd trick and eleven tricks is the count for each card led in the tricks. _=The Dealer.=_ The first thing to guard against is a long run of winning leads from the elder hand, which might make the odd trick, or even capot. As there are no trumps it is very important for the dealer to keep guarded Kings and twice-guarded Queens. The principal thing for the dealer to remember is that if he cannot stop a long suit in the elder hand, he will have to provide in advance for a certain number of discards, and these must be so planned that guards will be preserved in the other suits. He should also get his hand into such condition that when he does get into the lead, he will not have to lead away from tenaces or guarded Kings. Careful attention to his adversary’s declarations, and a comparison of his own hand with his discards will usually guide the dealer to a correct conclusion as to what to keep and what to throw away in playing to tricks. Mathematicians have exhausted their resources on Piquet, but their conclusions are of little use to the average player.
A line is drawn on the ground in front of them to mark dens. All the players must keep within this line. King Cæsar stands in the middle of the ground. Any number of the players can then rush across the ground from one den to another. King Cæsar tries to catch one as they run. When he catches a boy he must count from one to ten in succession before he leaves hold of the boy, that boy in the meantime trying to get away. If King Cæsar succeeds in holding a boy, this boy stays in the centre with him and assists in catching the other players (always counting ten before a captive is secured). The dens must always be occupied by some players. If all the players get into one den, King Cæsar can go into the empty den and say, Crown the base, one, two, three, three times before any of the other players get across to that den. If he succeeds in doing this, he can select a boy to run across from one den to the other, which that boy must do, King Cæsar trying to catch him.
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.