What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes Part 3

To this the player replies--

I cannot read one unless I read all;

and the seeker answers--

Then pray, Miss [whatever the name is], deliver the ball.

If the ball really is with this player, the seeker and she change places, but otherwise the seeker hides her eyes again and the ball changes hands (or not). And so on until it is found.

Another way is for sides to be taken, one consisting of Queen Anne and her maids and the other of gipsies. The gipsies have the ball first, and, having hidden it, they advance in a line toward Queen Anne, each holding up her skirts as if the ball were there, singing--

Lady Queen Anne, she sits in the sun, As fair as a lily, as brown as a bun.

King John has sent you letters three, And begs you'll read one unto me.

Lady Queen Anne and her maids reply--

We cannot read one unless we read all, So pray, Miss [whatever the name of the player chosen may be], deliver the ball.

If they have hit upon the right player she goes over to Queen Anne's side. But if not, the gipsies sing--

The ball is mine, it is not thine, So you, proud Queen, sit still on your throne, While we poor gipsies go and come.

They then turn round and hide the ball again.

The Feather

A very exhausting game. The players sit round a table and form sides, one half against the other, and a little fluffy feather is placed in the middle. The aim of each side is to blow the feather so that it settles in the other camp, and to keep it from settling in their own.

The same game can be played with a marble on a table from which the table-cloth has been removed. In this case you all sink your faces to the level of the table.

Russian Scandal, or "Gossip"

The players sit in a long line or ring. The first, turning to the second, whispers very rapidly some remark or a brief story. The second, who may hear it distinctly, but probably does not, then whispers it as exactly as he can to the third player; and so on until the line is finished. The last player then whispers it to the first player; and the first player repeats his original remark to the company, and follows it with the form in which it has just reached him.

Advertis.e.m.e.nts

All the players sit in a ring, except one, who stands in the middle holding a soft cushion. This he throws at any one of the players and begins to count ten. The person at whom the cushion was thrown must call out the words of a well-known advertis.e.m.e.nt before ten is reached. If he fails he must pay a forfeit.

Judge and Jury

The players, or jury, form up in two rows facing each other. The judge sits at one end, or pa.s.ses between the two lines, and asks his questions. These may be of any description. Perhaps he will say, "Miss A, do you think it will rain to-morrow?" Now although the judge addresses Miss A and looks at her, it is not she who must answer but the player opposite to her. And he in his answer is not allowed to say either "Yes," "No," "Black," "White," or "Gray." If the player who was addressed answers she becomes judge and the judge takes her seat; or if the opposite player does not answer before the judge has counted ten he becomes judge and the judge takes his seat.

Cross Questions

The players sit in a circle, and the game begins by one player turning to the next and asking a question. Perhaps it will be, "Did you get very wet this evening?" The answer may be, "Fortunately I had a mackintosh." The second player then asks the third, and so on round the circle until it comes to the first player's turn to be asked a question by the last one. Perhaps this question will be, "I hope your cousin is better?" All these questions and answers have to be very carefully remembered, because on the circle being complete each player in turn has to repeat the question which was put to her and the answer which she received to the question which she herself put. Thus in the present instance the first player would announce that the question was, "I hope your cousin is better?" and the answer, "Fortunately I had a mackintosh." Another variety of cross question is played as follows. The company is divided into two parts, and stand facing each other. A leader is chosen for each side, one to give the questions and one to give the answers. One goes down his side giving to each player in a whisper some serious question which he must ask of his opposite in the other line. The other leader whispers to each of his players an absurd answer. Then the play begins. The first in line asks his opponent his question and receives the absurd answer three times. If either of them smile he is put out of the game. The person who can keep a straight face to the last, wins the prize. After the whole line has asked and answered the first set of questions, the first couple become the leaders, and propound two other sets of questions and answers. And so on until only two are left.

Ruth and Jacob

One player has his eyes blinded and stands in a circle made by the other players. They dance silently around him until he points at one, who must then enter the circle and try to avoid being caught by the blind man. The pursuer calls out from time to time "Ruth!" to which the pursued must always answer at once "Jacob!" at the same time trying to dodge quickly enough to escape the other's immediate rush to the spot. After the "Ruth" is caught, the "Jacob" must guess who it is and if he guesses right, the "Ruth" is blindfolded and becomes the "Jacob," and the game begins anew.

Fly Away!

The player who is chosen as leader sits down and places the first finger of her right hand on her knee. The others crowd round her and also place the first finger of their right hands on her knee, close to hers. The game is for the leader to raise her finger suddenly, saying, "Fly away [something]." If that something is not capable of flight the other fingers must not move, but if it can fly they must rise also.

Thus, "Fly away, thrush!" "Fly away, pigeon!" "Fly away, b.u.t.terfly!"

should cause all the fingers to spring up. But of "Fly away, omnibus!"

"Fly away, cat!" "Fly away, pig!" no notice should be taken. The game is, of course, to catch players napping.

Hold Fast! Let Go!

This is a very confusing game of contraries for five players. Four of them hold each the corner of a handkerchief. The other, who stands by to give orders, then shouts either "Let go!" or "Hold fast!" When "Let go!" is called, the handkerchief must be held as firmly as ever; but when "Hold fast!" it must be dropped. The commands should be given quickly and now and then repeated to add to the anxiety of the other players.

The Sergeant

In this game one player represents a sergeant and the others are soldiers whom he is drilling. When he makes an action and says "Do this" the others have to imitate him; but if he says "Do that" they must take no notice.

Simon Says Thumbs Up

The players sit about on the floor or on chairs, each holding out on his knee his clenched fist with the thumb sticking straight up. One player calls out "Simon says thumbs down." All the thumbs must be instantly reversed. Then he tries to confuse them by alternating between up and down for some time until they all get into the way of expecting the change, and then he gives the same order twice in succession. Those who make a mistake pay a forfeit. If he calls out simply "Thumbs up" or "Thumbs down" no attention must be paid to this order as a forfeit is taken.

The orders are sometimes varied by the command "Simon says wig-wag!"

when all the thumbs must be waggled to and fro.

The Grand Mufti

A somewhat similar game of contraries is "The Grand Mufti." The player personating the Grand Mufti stands in the middle or on a chair, and performs whatever action he likes with his hands, arms, head, and legs. With each movement he says, "Thus does the Grand Mufti," or, "So does the Grand Mufti." When it is "Thus does the Grand Mufti" the other players must imitate his movement; but when it is "So does the Grand Mufti" they must take no notice. Any mistakes may lead to forfeits.

The Mandarins

There is no contrariness about "The Mandarins." The players sit in a circle, and the game is begun by one of them remarking to the next, "My ship has come home from China." The answer is "Yes, and what has it brought?" The first player replies, "A fan," and begins to fan herself with her right hand. All the players must copy her. The second player then turns to the third (all still fanning) and remarks, "My ship has come home from China." "Yes, and what has it brought?" "Two fans." All the players then fan themselves with both hands. The third player, to the fourth (all still fanning), "My ship has come home from China." "Yes, and what has it brought?" "Three fans." All the players then add a nodding head to their other movements. And so on, until when "Nine fans" is reached, heads, eyes, mouth, hands, feet and body are all moving. The answers and movements of this game may be varied.

Thus the second answer to the question "And what has it brought" might be "A bicycle," when the feet of all the players would have to move as if working pedals; the third answer could be a "snuff-box," which should set all the players sneezing; and so on. A typewriter, a piano, a barrel-organ, a football, would vary the game.

Buff

This test of self-control is rather a favorite; but it is not so much a game as a means of distributing forfeits. The players sit in a circle. One then stands up and, holding out a stick, repeats these lines--