The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume I Part 9

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.-Brigg, Lincolnshire (Miss Peac.o.c.k).

Babbity Bowster

[Music]

-Biggar (Wm. Ballantyne).

Wha learned you to dance, You to dance, you to dance?

Wha learned you to dance Babbity Bowster brawly?

My minnie learned me to dance, Me to dance, me to dance; My minnie learned me to dance Babbity Bowster brawly.

Wha ga'e you the keys to keep, Keys to keep, keys to keep?

Wha ga'e you the keys to keep, Babbity Bowster brawly?

My minnie ga'e me the keys to keep, Keys to keep, keys to keep; My minnie ga'e me the keys to keep, Babbity Bowster brawly.

One, twa, three, B, ba, Babbity, Babbity Bowster neatly; Kneel down, kiss the ground, An' kiss your bonnie la.s.sie [or laddie].

-Biggar (W. H. Ballantyne).

(_b_) Mr. Ballantyne describes the dance as taking place at the end of a country ball. The lads all sat on one side and the girls on the other.

It began with a boy taking a handkerchief and dancing before the girls, singing the first verse (fig. 1). Selecting one of the girls, he threw the handkerchief into her lap, or put it round her neck, holding both ends himself. Some spread the handkerchief on the floor at the feet of the girl. The object in either case was to secure a kiss, which, however, was not given without a struggle, the girls cheering their companion at every unsuccessful attempt which the boy made (fig. 2). A girl then took the handkerchief, singing the next verse (fig. 3), and having thrown the handkerchief to one of the boys, she went off to her own side among the girls, and was pursued by the chosen boy (fig. 4).

When all were thus paired, they formed into line, facing each other, and danced somewhat like the country dance of Sir Roger.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 1.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 3.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 4.]

(_c_) Chambers' _Popular Rhymes_, p. 36, gives a slightly different version of the verses, and says they were sung by children at their sports in Glasgow. Mactaggart alludes to this game as "'b.u.mpkin Brawly,'

an old dance, the dance which always ends b.a.l.l.s; the same with the 'Cushion' almost."

Wha learned you to dance, You to dance, you to dance, Wha learned you to dance A country b.u.mpkin brawly?

My mither learned me when I was young, When I was young, when I was young, My mither learned me when I was young, The country b.u.mpkin brawly.

The tune of this song is always played to the dance, says Mactaggart, but he does not record the tune. _To bab_, in Lowland Scottish, is defined by Jamieson to mean "to play backward and forward loosely; to dance." Hence he adds, "Bab at the bowster, or Bab wi' the bowster, a very old Scottish dance, now almost out of use; formerly the last dance at weddings and merry-makings." Mr. Ballantyne says that a bolster or pillow was at one time always used. One correspondent of _N. and Q._, ii. 518, says it is now (1850) danced with a handkerchief instead of a cushion as formerly, and no words are used, but later correspondents contradict this. See also _N. and Q._, iii. 282.

(_d_) Two important suggestions occur as to this game. First, that the dance was originally the indication at a marriage ceremony for the bride and bridegroom to retire with "the bowster" to the nuptial couch.

Secondly, that it has degenerated in Southern Britain to the ordinary "Drop Handkerchief" games of kiss in the ring. The preservation of this "Bab at the Bowster" example gives the clue both to the origin of the present game in an obsolete marriage custom, and to the descent of the game to its latest form. See "Cushion Dance."

Bad

A rude kind of "Cricket," played with a bat and a ball, usually with wall toppings for wickets. "Bad" seems to be the p.r.o.nunciation or variation of "Bat." Halliwell says it was a rude game, formerly common in Yorkshire, and probably resembling the game of "Cat." There is such a game played now, but it is called "Pig."-Easther's _Almondbury Glossary_.

Baddin

The game of "Hockey" in Cheshire.-Holland's _Glossary_.

Badger the Bear

A rough game, sometimes seen in the country. The boy who personates the Bear performs his part on his hands and knees, and is prevented from getting away by a string. It is the part of another boy, his Keeper, to defend him from the attacks of the others.-Halliwell's _Dictionary_.

This is a boys' game, and is called "Buffet the Bear." It may be taken part in by any number. One boy-the Bear-goes down on all fours, and lowers his head towards his breast as much as possible. Into his hand is placed one end of a piece of cord, and another boy, called the Keeper, takes hold of the other end in one hand, while he has in the other his cap. The other boys stand round, some with their caps in hand, and others with their neckties or pocket-handkerchiefs, and on a given signal they rush on the Bear and pelt him, trying specially to buffet him about the ears and face, whilst the Keeper does his best to protect his charge. If he happens to strike a boy, that boy becomes the Bear, and the former Bear becomes the Keeper, and so on the game goes.-Keith, Banffshire (Rev. W. Gregor).

I saw this game played on Barnes Green, Surrey, on 25th August 1892. The boys, instead of using their hats, had pieces of leather tied to a string, with which they struck the Bear on the back. They could only begin when the Keeper cried, "My Bear is free." If they struck at any other time, the striker became the Bear. It is called "Baste the Bear."-A. B. Gomme.

Chambers (_Popular Rhymes_, p. 128) describes this game under the t.i.tle of "The Craw." It was played precisely in the same way as the Barnes game. The boy who holds the end of the long strap has also a hard twisted handkerchief, called the _cout_; with this cout he defends the Craw against the attacks of the other boys, who also have similar couts.

Before beginning, the Guard of the Craw must call out-

Ane, twa, three, my Craw's free.

The first one he strikes becomes the Craw. When the Guard wants a respite, he calls out-

Ane, twa, three, my Craw's no free.

(_b_) Jamieson defines "Badger-reeshil" as a severe blow; borrowed, it is supposed, from the hunting of the badger, or from the old game of "Beating the Badger."