"Robin's alive, and alive he shall be; if he dies in my hand, my mouth
shall be bridled, my back shall be saddled, and I be sent home to the
king's Whitehall."
When the light expired it was said: "Robin is dead, and dead he shall
be; he has died in your hand, and your mouth shall be bridled, your
back shall be saddled, to send you home to the king's Whitehall."
This game is played all over Europe with similar formulas; but we are
not aware that the "back-saddling" feature has been practised out
of England and America. The person in whose possession the light is
extinguished usually pays forfeit.
It has been suggested, with plausibility, that the sport is connected
with an ancient rite: namely, the races of torch-bearers, which formed
part of certain festal ceremonies, and in which the courier in whose
hands the torch went out was a loser. Such contests are repeatedly
alluded to by classic writers; but their exact conduct is involved in
some obscurity. In such a race, at Athens, the torch was kindled on the
altar of Prometheus, and handed to the runner, whose duty it was to
pass it, while still alight, to a second, and so on. This ceremony has
suggested a celebrated line to Lucretius, who compares the flying ages
to "runners who pass from one to another the torch of life."
No. 77.
_Laughter Games._
There is a whole class of games of which the object is to excite to
laughter by means of some ridiculous action.
Such games are sometimes played with a lighted candle. The players
approach each other from opposite sides of the room, and sustain a
dialogue in solemn tones, while they must keep a grave countenance on
penalty of paying forfeit. For example:
"The king of Turkey is dead." "What did he die of?" "Doing so" (some
ridiculous gesture).
A more characteristic version (in Nantucket, Mass.) had it: "The royal
Russian princess, Husty Fusty, is defunct." To which it was necessary
to answer soberly--"I'm very sorry to hear it; even the cats bewail her
loss."
A game which was formerly popular with children in Massachusetts was to
lean a staff in the corner, while a player was seated in the centre of
the ring. Another child now entered, took up the staff, approached and
addressed the one sitting, and a rhymed dialogue ensued:
"My father sent me here with a staff,
To speak to you, and not to laugh."
"Methinks you smile." "Methinks I don't.
I smooth my face with ease and grace,
And set my staff in its proper place."
If the staff-bearer laughed, he or she must take the chair; otherwise
the next player continued the game.
A third amusement is for girls to excite one another to laugh by gently
pinching in succession the ears, nose, lips, etc., while making use of
some ridiculous expression.
This usage is alluded to more than three centuries ago by Rabelais.
In a Swiss game, this performance is complicated by a jest. Each child
pinches his neighbor's ear; but by agreement the players blacken their
fingers, keeping two of the party in ignorance. Each of the two victims
imagines it to be the other who is the object of the uproarious mirth
of the company.
No. 78.
_Bachelor's Kitchen._
The children sit in a row, with the exception of one, who goes in
succession to each child, and asks him what he will give to the
bachelor's kitchen. Each answers what he pleases, as a saucepan, a
mousetrap, etc. When all have replied, the questioner returns to the
first child, and puts all sorts of questions, which must be answered by
the article which he before gave to the kitchen, and by no other word.
For instance, he asks, "What do you wear on your head?" "Mousetrap."
The object is to make the answerer laugh, and he is asked a number of
questions, until he either laughs or is given up as a hard subject. The
questioner then passes to the next child, and so on through the whole
row. Those who laugh, or add any other word to their answer, must pay
a forfeit, which is redeemed in the same way as in other games.
_Cambridge, Mass._
No. 79.
_The Church and the Steeple._
Little girls, with appropriate motions of the closed fist, or of the
inverted hand with raised fingers, say,
Here is the church,
Here is the steeple,
Here is the parson,
And all the people.
An Italian finger-game well exhibits the different mental state of
children in the two countries. The words are: "This is the Inferno,
and this the Paradiso." The fingers of the two hands, crossed within,
represent the disturbed world of wretchedness; the back of the hands,
turned, where all is calm, typify Paradise.
No. 80.
_What Color?_
A tumbler of water and a thimble are required. One child is sent out
of the room, and to each of the others a different color is allotted.
The first is then expected to name the color of some child. If she
succeeds in her guess, a thimbleful of water is thrown in her face. The
guessing is continued till this takes place, when the thrower becomes
the guesser for the next turn.
_Cincinnati._
No. 81.
_Beetle and Wedge._
There are games in which the guesser has only _Scogan's choice_[91]
between two sorts of disaster.
Thus, a party of boys pitch on two who are unacquainted with the game,
and ask them if they would not like to play "Beetle and Wedge." "The
fun is to be the Beetle and the Wedge," they explain. The victims
consenting, the Beetle is then driven against the Wedge, back to
back, with a force that "sends him flying." This amusement belongs to
Connecticut.
In Philadelphia a boy is asked whether he prefers _mustard_ or
_pepper_; in either case receiving corresponding personal inflictions.
So in the English game of "Trades" a boy is made to guess the trade of
the questioner, and is _hammered_, _planed_, or _rasped_, accordingly.
No. 82.
_Present and Advise._
All the children, except two, are seated in a row. One of these
whispers in the ear of each child, "I present you with this." The
second, in like manner, adds, "I advise you what to do with it."
Another old whispering-game, belonging, like the preceding, to New
York, is called "Sentiment." Each child tells his neighbor on the right
the name of a person, and repeats to the one on the left a verse of
poetry, usually of a sentimental character. The name and verse are then
to be repeated together as in the former game.
No. 83.
_Genteel Lady._
"I, genteel lady, always genteel, come from the genteel lady, always
genteel, beg leave to inform you that my ship has just come in from
China laden with apricots."
The next player has to repeat, adding some object beginning with _b_,
such as biscuit; the next player one beginning with _c_, and so down
the alphabet. If any one hesitates, or makes a mistake, a lighted
"lamp-lighter" (New England, _spill_) is stuck in her hair, and she is
the "one-horned," instead of the "genteel" lady; and for two mistakes
the "two-horned" lady, and so on. This juxtaposition of curls and
"lamp-lighters" is by no means always safe.
_Georgia._
Of this game we observe that, like several amusements familiar in this
State, it is of French origin.[92]
No. 84.
_Beast, Bird, or Fish._
A member of the party throws to another a knotted handkerchief, saying
one of the above words, and counting up to ten. The catcher must answer
in the given time the name of some animal of the kind required, not
already cited by some other player.
Whoever fails to reply while the counting is going on, is out of the
game. After the names of commoner animals are exhausted, the game
becomes a test of quickness and memory.
No. 85.
_Wheel of Fortune._
A picture of a wheel is drawn upon the slate, and a number written
between each of its spokes. The eyes being then closed, the child whose
turn it is raises a pencil in the air, twirling it, and saying,
Tit for tat,
Butter for fat,
If you kill my dog I'll kill your cat.
At the last word the pencil is brought down; if the point of the pencil
falls on a space, the number there written is scored; if on a line, or
outside the circle, or on a number previously secured (and erased by
a line), the turn is forfeited. The game is continued until a certain
number has been scored by the winning player.
_Georgia._
No. 86.
_Catches._
"I went up one pair of stairs."
"Just like me."
"There was a monkey."
"Just like me."
"I one'd it."
"I two'd it," etc.
"I ate [eight] it."
This (to children) exquisitely witty dialogue has its German
counterpart.--"I went into the wood." "So did I." "I took an axe." "So
did I." "I made a trough." "So did I." "Seven pigs ate of it." "So did
I."[93]
Equally well known is the jest, "I am a gold lock," "I am a gold key,"
etc.--ending "I am a monk-lock," "I am a mon-key."
We may mention also a familiar catch, "Say my cat, my cat, and not my
dog." "My dog" must not be spoken.
Of a different character are the following jests:
The lights being extinguished, a knife is passed round the circle of
players, and the following conversation ensues, each phrase being
continued from left to right of the ring:
"What's this?"
"A dagger."
"Where did you get it?"
"Stole it."
"What was done with it?"
All of the company who understand the jest shriek aloud, which
accomplishes the object of terrifying the rest.
Somewhat similar (in New York) is the following:
"Neighbor, I've got a hatchet to sell."
"Did you buy it?"
"No."
"Did you steal it?"
"Sh--"
In the following conversation, one sentence at a time is repeated in a
whisper to the left-hand neighbor, and so passed round the circle, the
fun consisting in the imitation of crowing at the end.
"Hath she feathers?" "Feathers she hath." "Doth she crow?" "Crow she
doth." "How doth she crow?" (An imitation of crowing follows.)
No. 87.
_Intery Mintery._
An evening amusement formerly common in Massachusetts. All present
laid their hands with fingers resting on the knees. The speaker then
told off the words of the rhyme, one for each finger. The rhyme being
thus recited, that finger to which the last syllable fell must be
quickly withdrawn, on penalty of being sharply rapped by the hand of
the leader. After all had been counted out but one person, he or she
was liable to the same risk for every word of the rhyme--the result of
which situation is alluded to by the epithet "black finger."
Intery mintery cutery corn,
Apple-seed and apple-thorn,
Wire, briar, limber lock,
Twelve geese in a flock;
Sit and sing by a spring,
O-u-t spells out, and in again.
Over yonder steep hills,
Where my father he dwells,
He has jewels, he has rings,
And very many pretty things.
Strike Jack, lick Tom,
Blow the bellows,
Black finger--out-of-the-game.
No. 88.
_Redeeming Forfeits._
The girl who is to assign the penalty by which the forfeit must be
redeemed lays her head on the lap of another who sits on a chair, while
a third, standing behind, holds the article over her head and asks:
"Here is a forfeit, a very fine forfeit; what shall be done to
redeem it?"
"Is it fine or superfine?" (_i.e._, does it belong to a gentleman
or to a lady).
The sentence is then declared.
Another formula, used in the Middle and Southern States, is:
"Heavy, heavy, what hangs over you?"
The German usage is nearly the same, the question being "Lord judge,
what is your sentence, what shall he do whose pledge I have in my hand?"
The following are examples of old penalties, which usually involved
kissing, with infinite variety of method:
_To go to Rome._ To kiss every girl in the room.
_Flat-irons._ The lad and lass lay their hands on the wall and
kiss.
_Measuring yards of tape, and cutting it off._ To kiss with the
arms extended.
"_I'm in the well._" "How many fathoms deep?" (Any number is
answered.)
"Whom will you have to take you out?" (Some one of the company is
named.) Each fathom represents a kiss.
No. 89.
_Old Mother Tipsy-toe._
This is a very popular game with girls in various parts of the United
States.
The children sit in a row, with the exception of the mother, who comes
up and asks each child in turn, "How did you tear your dress?" After
hearing their various excuses, she again traverses the row, indicating
the part of the dress to be mended, and saying:
I give you so much work to do,
Use thimble, thread, and needle too;
If you don't get it done before I come back,
I'll give you a slap across your back.
She slaps her children on the shoulder and goes out, forbidding them
to follow her. As soon as her back is turned, they all jump up and run
after her, shouting, "Old mother Tipsy-toe,"[94] or, as in a variation
from New York:
Old mother Tippety-toe, old mother Tippety-toe,
I'll follow my mother wherever she go.
The mother now goes into a shop, and orders various articles, the
children repeating after her whatever she says. For instance, the
mother says, "I want two pounds of butter." "I want two pounds of
butter," shout the children in chorus. Finally she says, "And I want
a stick to whip my children with," upon which she turns to leave the
shop, while the children rush before her, and scramble back to their
seats before their mother comes home. The latter then goes to each
child in turn, saying, "Let me see how well you have mended your
dress." The children all hold the hem of their dresses as firmly as
they can, with their hands somewhat apart. The mother strikes with her
hand the part of the dress that is between their hands; and if they let
it go, she scolds and beats them for their bad mending.
_Cambridge, Mass._
In another way of playing, which makes the game one of chase, "Old
mammy Tipsy-toe" addresses her children:
I give you this much work to do,
Use thread and needle, thimble too;
If you don't have it done
By the time that I come home,
You'll be beaten black and blue
With my old shoe.
She then makes preparations to depart:
I'm going to Lady Washington's,
To get a cup of tea,
And five loaves of gingerbread,
So don't you follow me.
The children, of course, pursue her with shouts of defiance, upon which
she turns and chases them, while they rush to their places. She comes
back, and demands of the children:
"Have you been out to-day?" "No." "You have. Where have you been?" "To
grandmother's." "What did you get?" "A slice of cake." "Where is my
share?" "In the band-box." "But I might break my neck getting it." "I
wish you would." On this, she chases the children, who fly and scatter.
Any child she catches is out of the game, which is continued until all
are captured.
_Philadelphia._
No. 90.
_Who Stole the Cardinal's Hat?_
The children being seated in a circle, a child, who does not take part
in the game, whispers to each of the rest a name representing some
color, as "Red-cap," "Blue-cap," "Yellow-cap," etc. Two players are
excepted, one of whom is called "My man John," and one represents the
cardinal. The latter now leaves the room, first placing in the hands of
"John" a little billet of wood, bidding him take care of the Cardinal's
hat, which at the same time he declares to be of some particular color,
as green. "John" conceals this somewhere in the room. The child who
went out then enters, armed with a cane, and demands the Cardinal's
hat. "John" affects to have forgotten all about it, and asks, "What
color was it? green?" and so on until he guesses the color. Being thus
reminded, he declares that some one of the group, as, for example,
"Red-cap," has stolen it. "Red-cap" is now asked by the questioner,
"Red-cap, did you steal the Cardinal's hat?" He also must pass on the
charge, saying, "No, it was White-cap" (or any other color). If he
omits to do so, or names a color not included among the players, he
must pay forfeit. Meanwhile the questioner becomes indignant at the
numerous denials, and proceeds to extort confession by torture, rapping
with his cane the fingers of those whom he addresses. If he succeeds
in obliging any child to confess, the latter must pay forfeit. At last
"My man John" owns the theft, produces the hat, and the game is begun
again, until a sufficient number of forfeits have been collected.
_Saratoga, New York._
This game is also played in Switzerland. The name of a color having
been given to each child, a ball is stealthily passed about the circle.
The "Abbot of St. Gall" enters, and exclaims, "The Abbot of St. Gall
has lost his night-cap; they say White stole it." The player whose
color is named, if he has the ball, must pass it behind his back to
another, saying, "Not White, Red has it." Whoever is caught in passing
the ball, or names a color not in the game, or fails to answer when his
name is called, must pay forfeit, or have his face marked with burned
cork. It will be seen that the Swiss game corresponds to the American,
except that in the latter the ball is concealed instead of being passed
round; but we think it likely that the memory of our informant (a
child) may have been at fault in this respect.
The _Gentleman's Magazine_, February, 1738, mentions a game called "The
Parson hath lost his Fuddling Cap." _The Spectator_, No. 268, also
refers to this sport: "I desire to know in your next if the merry game
of 'The Parson has lost his Cloak,' is not mightily in vogue amongst
the fine ladies this Christmas, because I see they wear hoods of all
colours, which I suppose is for that purpose." From this last extract
it appears that the names "Red-cap," etc., are a reminiscence of the
variously colored hoods once employed in the game.