Page 574. A peculiar game is sometimes played on the ice in spring. The
men stand in a circle on the ice, and one of them walks, the toes turned
inward, in a devious track. It is said that only a few are able to do
this in the right way. Then the rest of the men have to follow him in
exactly the same track.
One of their gymnastic exercises requires considerable knack and
strength. A pole is tied with one end to a stone or to a piece of wood
that is firmly secured in the snow. A man then lies down on his back,
embracing the pole, his feet turned toward the place where the pole is
tied to the rock. Then he must rise without bending his body.
In another of their gymnastic exercises they lie down on their stomachs,
the arms bent so that the hands lie close together on the breast, palms
turned downward. Then they have to jump forward without bending their
body, using only their toes and hands. Some are said to be able to jump
several feet in this manner.