What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes Part 20

This is the signal to begin each rush across from one line to the other.

Stagarino

"Stagarino" is similar to "Black Man," except that all the players who are caught, and whose business it is to catch the others, join hands. Those that run across have therefore to avoid them or to try and break through the wall of arms.

Red Rover

"Red Rover" is also similar to "Black Man," except that instead of all running at the same time, the "Rover" calls out:--

"Red Rover! Red Rover!

Let (mentioning name) come over!"

at which the one named has to run from one base to the other.

If he is caught, he must a.s.sist the "Rover" in catching the others.

Hop, Step, and Jump

This is a change from ordinary racing. The compet.i.tors, instead of running against each other, see which can cover the most distance in a hop, a step, and a jump, or, say, three hops, three steps, and three jumps. It needs an umpire to watch very carefully that the step begins exactly where the hop left off and the jump where the step finished.

Follow-My-Leader

This needs no explaining. It is nearly always good fun for a while, and particularly so if the leader has original ideas.

OUT FOR A WALK

On country walks, where there is much to see, one should not be in need of ways to make the time seem shorter. And new walks in the town, or walks where there are interesting shop-windows, are not dull. But the same walks again and again can be very tiring; and it is to help these that the methods which follow have been collected.

A good walking pastime for two is for one to drive the other. Hoops are a great help (see p. 169) and so are dolls' perambulators. But on many walks nothing of this kind is allowed, and one has to fall back on conversation. Telling stories in turns, or making up stories about pa.s.sers-by, is useful, but it is not every one that is able to do this.

Roadside Whist

In the Channel Islands visitors riding about in large wagonettes pa.s.s the time by playing a game called "Roadside Whist." The people on the left seat of the carriage take the right side of the road, and those on the right seat take the left. The conductor teaches them the rules at the beginning of the drive. In our case it is better perhaps to make them for ourselves, to suit our own particular country. Let us suppose that--

If you see A baby in arms you score 1 A baby in a perambulator " 3 A white horse " 5 A ladder against a house " 2 A woman in a white ap.r.o.n " 1 A butcher's cart " 1 A street gate " 2 A postman " 5

Then there should be a few things for which marks have to be taken off. Let us suppose that--

If you see

A pug dog you lose 2 A piebald horse " 4 An open gate " 2 A flock of sheep " 3 A soldier " 10

No matter what the score is, whichever side sees a cat on a window-ledge wins the game.

Counting Dogs

In a town there are other varieties of roadside whist for two players or sides. Counting dogs is one. In this game one takes all the streets leading from the left, the other all from the right.

Guessing Horses' Tails

A good game (writes E. R.) while out for a walk is "when you see a horse coming, guess what color his tail is before he can reach you, and then, whoever guesses right, the horse belongs to him."

Shop-Windows

Except in very dull streets shop-windows can be always entertaining.

It is interesting to suppose you have so much money--say five dollars--to spend, or, if you like, an unlimited sum, and choose what you would buy as you pa.s.s each shop, E. H. writes:--"One little girl used to suppose that she was the eldest of a large family whom she had to provide for, and was always on the lookout for things in the shops that would do for her younger brothers and sisters. For instance, if she decided that the family must have new winter clothes, she would first make up her mind how much she could afford and then price the things in the shop-windows. Sometimes she would set her heart on a particular cloak for the baby, but could not pretend to buy it till she had seen whether it would leave her enough money for the other children. If she could get all the children dressed fairly nicely for the sum at her disposal she had all the satisfaction of a successful day's shopping. Sometimes the clothes she wanted were too dear, and then she had to decide what was most necessary, what she could make at home, and so on."

Making Sentences

It is rather exciting for each player to take a side of the road where there are shops and see which can first complete a given sentence or word from the initial letters of the shopkeepers' names, Christian or surname. In fixing upon a sentence it is well to be careful not to have unusual letters, such as Q, or U, or J in it. If this is too difficult all the letters in the shopkeepers' names may be taken, or those in every other name.

Collecting Jones's

In Mrs. Meynell's book, _The Children_, one little girl on her walks collected Jones's--that is, shops with the name of Jones over them. If any one else cared for this amus.e.m.e.nt there would be no need to stick to Jones.

The Love Alphabet

In this game you go through the alphabet, applying adjectives to your love. "I love my love with an A because he [or she] is so admirable"; "I love my love with a B because she is so beautiful," and so on, keeping to each letter as long as possible. On pages 88 and 89 will be found more difficult varieties, less suitable, perhaps, to be played when walking.

The Cat Alphabet

Another alphabet game requires adjectives to be put before the word cat. You begin with A. "An artful cat," one player may say; and the next, "An avaricious cat." Perhaps "An awful cat," "An adhesive cat,"

"An arrogant cat," and "An attractive cat," will follow. A is kept up until no one can think of any more; or--if you play in that way--until no one can think of any more while ten is being counted. Then B: "A bushy cat," "A bruised cat," "A bellicose cat," "A b.u.mptious cat," and so on.

Spelling

In this game the players each contribute a letter toward the spelling of a word, their object being never to be the one to complete it, but to force the next player to do so. Thus (with four players) the first player may say "p," and the next, thinking of "prim," may say "r," and the next, also thinking of "prim," may say "i." But the fourth player, running his thoughts quickly over possible words beginning with "pri,"

may light upon "prism" and say "s." This saves her, but puts the first player in danger, which is only averted by her thinking of "prison"

and saying "o," in which case the next one is bound to be the loser.

The Grand Mogul