_BALL, AND SIMILAR SPORTS._
I call, I call; who doe ye call?
The maids to catch this cowslip ball;
But since these cowslips fading be,
Troth, leave the flowers, and maids take me.
Yet, if but neither you will doe,
Speak but the word, and I'll take you.
_Herrick._
No. 128.
_The "Times" of Sports._
In an account of boys' sports, it would not be proper to omit some
allusion to the custom of having a certain "time" of the year devoted
to each amusement. These "times" succeeded each other almost as
regularly as the flowers of summer, the children dropping one and
taking up another every year at the same season. This succession,
which the children themselves could hardly explain beforehand, but
remembered when the occasion came, has impressed itself on observers as
almost a matter of instinct. There was, however, a considerable degree
of variation in the succession of sports in different parts of the
country, and as the practice, though by no means obsolete, is now less
strictly observed than formerly, we cannot give any very exact details
on this head. It seems, however, that this succession was only partly
dependent on the climate, and in part inherited from the mother country.
Thus, in all the states from Maine to Georgia, the first "time" was
_marble-time_. In New England, the snow had hardly disappeared, when
boys began to make the necessary holes in the ground, kneeling for
that purpose on the night-frozen soil, from which the moisture was
just oozing out, to the great detriment of their pantaloons. A friend,
indeed, asserts that this was the _object_ of the choice of seasons.
But at the same time boys in Georgia (and, indeed, in England and
Germany) were playing the same game.
The subsequent succession of sports in New York is indicated by the
adage, "Top-time's gone, kite-time's come, and April Fool's day will
soon be here."
In Georgia the succession was, kites, tops, and hoops. In that region
the season for popguns is when the _China-berries_[107] ripen. It is a
provision of Providence, a clear case of design, thinks a friend, that
just at that season the elder pith is ripe enough to be pushed out, and
so leave the stalks empty to form the barrel of the weapon.
Ball is especially a holiday game. In Boston, _Fast-day_ (the first
Thursday of April) was particularly devoted to this sport. In England,
the playing of ball at Easter-tide seems to have been a custom of the
festival, inherited probably from pre-Christian ages. Foot-ball was a
regular amusement on the afternoon of a New England Thanksgiving.
The invariable succession of children's sports has been also remarked
in other countries. A Swiss writer says, "The principal games of boys
belong to the first third of the year, return always in a like order,
and replace each other after an equal interval, as if it were in the
natural course of events, and without the individual child being able
to say who had given the sign and made the beginning."
We may remark that another American usage has been remarked in other
countries. In the last generation the boys of different towns, or of
different quarters of the same town, waged regular and constant war.
In Boston, for example, there was a well-defined line, beyond which
no "North-ender" dared be seen. Any luckless lad obliged to go into
the hostile district took good care to keep his eyes open, to dodge
cautiously about the corners, and to be ready for instant flight in
case of detection. So in France and Switzerland, where this warfare is
a sort of game, a relic, no doubt, of the ancient separatism, which
made every community in a measure an independent state. The chief
weapons are stones, as they were formerly in the United States. In the
old town of Marblehead boys were accustomed to "rock" any stranger, and
no unknown driver dared to enter its limits with a vehicle.
No. 129.
_Camping the Ball._
In the vocabulary of a Massachusetts schoolboy, to "camp" a foot-ball
is to kick it, while held between the hands, from one side of the field
to the other. In England, country-folk speak of the "camp-game" of
ball, of the "camping-ground." In this amusement there are lines which
mark the rear limit of the respective sides, while the ball is placed
in the middle, and the object of either party is to drive it, with foot
or hand, over the enemy's line. Similar, in the United States, is the
old-fashioned game of foot-ball, in which, to use the expression of the
play-ground, two captains "choose up" sides, selecting alternately from
those present, and first play is determined by lot.
This description of foot-ball, or the English "camp-game," will answer
very well for a translation of the account which Pollux, writing in
Greek in the second century, gave of the "common ball," or "ball
battle,"[108] of his day. Almost exactly the same was the ancient Norse
game, except that the resemblance to warfare was closer; the players
were matched by age, and played against each other in the order of
choice. The balls were heavy, sometimes made of horn, so that we read
of men killed and wounded in the encounter. In like manner, up to a
very recent time, in Lower Germany, villages contended against each
other, hurling wooden balls loaded with lead, man against man. Thus the
game was really "kemping" (_Kemp_, a warrior, champion), and the field
a kemping-ground.
It was natural that, while the men contended, the boys also should have
their mimic sports, in all respects similar; and we read in a Saga how
the seven-year-old Egil slew with an axe his antagonist Grim, who had
very properly knocked him down for breaking a bat over Grim's head. In
those days such feats were held to presage an honorable career.
The Persians and Turks still practise a different sort of game, which
is played on horseback, the riders using a racket to strike with. Five
or six horsemen circle about, and strike the ball at each other; if it
drops on the ground, a slave picks it up. The ball is heavy, covered
with hard leather, and capable of doing serious harm. This game is, in
fact, an imitation of warfare, a modification of casting the "jered,"
or javelin. The "Arabian Nights" recite how, while the Caliph Haroun
Al-Raschid was playing, a spy aimed a ball at him from behind, with the
intent of assassination.
The Byzantine court adopted from the East the playing on horseback and
the racket, but introduced these into a game resembling the ancient
"ball-battle." The historian Cinnamus describes the Emperor Manuel, in
the twelfth century, as fond of this species of polo.
From Eastern custom we get our tennis, while most of our games with bat
and ball seem to have come down to us from the ancient North.
The history of the change from actual to imitative warfare, from the
latter to a harmless and courtly amusement or to a rustic pastime,
from this last again in our own days to a scientific sport, may supply
material for serious reflection.
No. 130.
_Hand-ball._
No doubt our Saxon ancestors had, besides the half-military exercise
referred to, other sports with the ball, better adapted to girls and
children, though no description of such has come down to us. We know,
however, that the Roman games with the ball were essentially the same
as our own. Girls still strike, as then, balls with the palm of the
hand to keep up their bouncing, or fling them against the wall to drive
them back on the return, or pass the ball from hand to hand in the ring
or row. Boys in those days, standing on the corners of a triangle, sent
back the ball on the fly or the bounce, giving with one hand and taking
with the other, much as they do to-day. The ball itself was very much
the same in the time of the early empire as now, soft or hard, plain or
covered with painted or embroidered cloth, a large hollow balloon, or
a small light sphere. Children's balls were made with a rattle inside,
and divided into gaudy divisions like the lobes of an orange, then as
at present.
The oldest mention of a girls' game of ball is in the "Odyssey." It is
a grand washing-day in the palace of Alcinous, and Nausicaa, daughter
of the house, is to preside over the operation. So the "shining" but
soiled raiment is brought out of a storeroom, loaded on a mule-wagon,
with food, wine, and dainties, not forgetting a flask of oil for use
after the bath. When the clothes have been scoured in pits along
the river-side, and spread out to dry on the rocks by the shore, the
maidens bathe, anoint themselves, and lunch. Afterwards the ball is
brought out; the game is accompanied with song, in which the princess
leads, and far excels the rest. The party is on the point of returning,
the mules have been harnessed, and the clothes folded, when Nausicaa
has a fancy for a romp; she throws the ball at one of her damsels, but
misses her aim, and the ball falls into the eddying river, while the
maidens shriek out loudly.
Misson (about 1700) mentions "the throwing at one another of
tennis-balls by girls" in England, as a practice of a particular season
of the year.
The German poets of the Middle Ages abound in allusions to the game,
which is described with the same fresh poetical feeling that inspires
the whole period. It was the first sport of summer. "When I saw the
girls on the street throwing the ball, then came to our ears the song
of the birds," says Walter von der Vogelweide. A common way of playing
was for youths and maids to contend for the ball, which the possessor
then threw to the one he or she "loved the best." A minnesinger
pleasantly depicts the eager girls calling to some skilful and favorite
lad, as he is about to throw, holding out their hands,
"Thou art mine, cousin--throw it here, this way!"
No. 131.
_Stool-Ball._
William Bradford, the second Governor of Massachusetts, records,
under date of the second Christmas-day of the colony: "The day called
Christmas-Day, ye Gov.r caled them out to worke (as was used), but ye
most of this new company excused themselves, and said it wente against
their consciences to work on ye day. So ye Gov.r tould them that if
they made it mater of conscience, he would spare them till they were
better informed. So he led away ye rest, and left them; but when they
came home at noone from their worke, he found them in ye streete at
play openly, some pitching ye bar, and some at stoole-ball and such
like sports. So he went to them, and took away their implements, and
tould them that it was against his conscience, that they should play
and others work. If they would make ye keeping of it mater of devotion,
let them keep their houses, but there should be no gameing or
revelling in ye streets. Since which time nothing hath been attempted
that way, at least openly."
Stool-ball was so named from the setting-up of a stool to be bowled at.
The ball was struck with the hand by the player at the stool. If the
ball struck the stool, the players changed places. In another form of
the game, which seems to be that referred to here, there were several
stools, men at each, and a bowler outside. When the ball was hit (with
the hand) the players must change places, and the bowler was at liberty
to hit with the ball any player while between the stools, and so put
him out.
Bradford, as a Puritan, had perhaps some reason for his aversion to
hand-ball on holidays, seeing that it appears to be connected with
ancient religious usage. "Stool-ball" was especially an Easter-game,
played by ladies for small stakes, particularly a _tansy_ or
Easter-cake;[109] thus we have the name in a pretty rhyme of the
seventeenth century--
At stool-ball, Lucia, let us play,
For sugar, cakes, or wine;
Or for a tansey let us pay,
The loss be mine or thine.
If thou, my dear, a winner be,
At trundling of the ball,
The wager thou shalt have, and me,
And my misfortunes all.
According to a curious extract from a manuscript given by Ducange, of
the diocese of Auxerre, it was an ancient custom to play in the church,
on Easter Monday, a solemn game of ball, while singing anthems proper
to the season.
"The ball having been received from a proselyte, the dean, or another
in his stead, he and the rest wearing the _almutia_, sang the
antiphonal which begins, "_Victimæ Paschali laudes_;" then seizing the
ball with his left hand, he led the dance, the others, taking hold of
hands, variously inflecting the chorus, while the ball was delivered
or thrown by the dean to one or more of the choristers alternately, so
as to weave a garland, as it were. The game and motions were conducted
according to the numbers of the prose. The dancing having been
finished, the chorus after the dance hastened to the banquet."
This dance was not merely a local custom, but practised in other towns.
At Vienne it was conducted by the archbishop in his palace.
No doubt we have here a survival of the ancient games of the spring
festival, in a day when mirth and the exhibition of physical prowess
were considered acceptable to deity, and elevated into religious
exercises.
No. 132.
_Call-Ball._
This game (commonly called Callie-ball, or Ballie-callie), was formerly
a common sport of schoolboys in New England. The ball was thrown
against a house, and at the same time a name called. The lad named must
strike back the ball on its rebound.
We are not well informed as to the sequence, but the game in Austria,
where it is well known, goes on as follows: If the player, whose name
is called, drops the ball, he must pick it up as quickly as possible,
while the rest scatter. He then calls "Stand!" upon which the players
halt, and he flings it at whom he pleases. If he misses his aim, he
must place himself in a bent position with his hands against a wall,
until every player has taken a shot at him.
The delightful lines of Herrick, cited as the motto of the present
chapter, show us youths and maids playing at "call-ball;" but the game
here appears to consist simply in calling out the name of the person
of the opposite sex who is to catch the ball, as in the mediæval sport
referred to in No. 130.
No. 133.
_Haley-Over._
The players are divided into equal parties, who take position on
different sides of a building, out of sight of each other. A lad then
throws the ball over the roof of the house, to any height or in any
direction he pleases. It is the object of the opposite side to catch
the ball on its descent; and if any player succeed in doing so, he
immediately darts round the corner, and attempts to hit with the ball
some player of the other side, who scatter in all directions. To this
end, he may either throw the ball from a distance, or chase any
antagonist till he has come up with him, and has an easier mark. If he
succeed in hitting a boy, the latter must follow the former back to
his own side, to which he henceforward belongs. The game is continued
until all players have been brought over to one side. The party from
which the ball has been thrown have no means of knowing whether it has
been caught or not, until its return, and must be prepared to see an
adversary suddenly appear, ball in hand, and ready to throw. Hence the
excitement of the game, which belongs to Connecticut.
No. 134.
_School-Ball._
In this amusement of New England school-girls, the ball is tossed by
the _teacher_ to the head of the class, and, after being returned by
the latter, sent to the next of the row, and so on. If any girl misses,
she must go to the foot, and if the _teacher_ misses, the _first
scholar_ takes her place.
No. 135.
_Wicket._
This exercise is an old-fashioned game resembling cricket. A peculiar,
long, shovel-shaped bat is used, flat, straight on one side and
spoon-shaped on the other. The ball is bowled at the wicket, which is
defended by the player. When the ball is struck, a run must be made to
the base of the bowler, and return.
No. 136.
_Hockey._
This sport is also called _Shinny_. The ball is struck on the ground
with a bent stick, the object being to drive it over the enemy's line.
The game is much played on the ice, as has been the case from the
oldest times in the North; for this is doubtless a descendant of the
games with bat and ball described in Icelandic Sagas. The name of "Bat
and Ball," also given to this sport, indicates that in many districts
this was the usual way of playing ball with the bat.
No. 137.
_Roll-Ball._
A row of holes large enough to contain the ball is made, one for each
boy. The player to whom is allotted the last hole takes the ball,
stands off, and rolls it in such a way as to stop in one of the holes.
The boy into whose place the ball has rolled seizes it, while the rest
scatter, and throws it at some one of the group; if he succeeds in
hitting him, a stone is placed in the hole of that boy; if not, the
thrower must put a stone in his own. The rolling of the ball is then
repeated. When five stones (called _babies_[110]) are lodged in any
hole, that boy is out of the game.
This New England game is exactly paralleled in Switzerland and Austria.
No. 138.
_Hat-Ball._
This is the same game as the preceding, played (among the Pennsylvania
Germans) with _hats_ instead of _holes_. The ball is tossed into the
hat of the player who is to begin. The first to get five stones in his
hat loses, and must undergo the punishment of being "paddled," passing
under the legs of the row of players for that purpose.
No. 139.
_Corner-Ball._
This is also an old game kept up by the Pennsylvania
Germans--Pennsylvania Dutch,[111] as they are commonly called. Four
players stand on the four angles of a square, and the four adversaries
in the centre.
The ball is passed from one to another of the players in the corners,
and finally thrown at the central players. For this purpose the
following rhyme (which our readers may translate if they can) is used
by the boy who aims the ball at the players in the centre. These last,
if they can catch the ball, may fling it back.
Bola we Sols,
Butar we Schmols,
Pef'r gat uf,
War fongt schmeist druf.
If the player in the corner hits a central player, the latter is out,
and _vice versâ_.
The last player of the losing party has to stand with his head against
a wall till every antagonist has flung the ball at him.
No. 140.
_Base-ball._
It is only within a few years that Base-ball has become the "national
sport" of America. The present scientific game, which we naturally do
not intend to describe, was known in Massachusetts, twenty years ago,
as the "New York game." A ruder form of Base-ball has been played in
some Massachusetts towns for a century; while in other parts of New
England no game with the ball was formerly known except "Hockey." There
was great local variety in these sports.
We may refer to some features of the old-fashioned game which possess
interest. The first duty, in games with the bat, is "to choose up."
The two best players, or any two selected, toss the bat from one
to another; the tosser places his right hand above the hand of the
catcher, who in turn follows with his own left, and so on.[112] He who
can get the last hold has first choice; but the hold must be proved
by ability to whirl the bat three times round the head, and throw
it. Another test of a sufficient grasp is for a player to hammer
with a second bat on the hand which is uppermost. In this last case,
therefore, the grasp must be low enough for the wood of the bat to be
struck by the blow.
In this game there were three "bases" besides the "home" base, at
about the same distance as at present; but the number of players was
indeterminate. The pitcher threw the ball, and the catcher stood close
behind the striker. When the batsman struck the ball, a run must be
made; and the ball was not, as at present, thrown _to_ the base, but
_at_ the runner, usually with all the force possible. If he was hit,
he was out; and each member of the side had to be put out separately.
There were, moreover, ways in which a side could recover its lost
players. When all were out but one, who was on one of the bases, the
pitcher and catcher, approaching to within some thirty feet, tossed the
ball to and fro, and the runner must "steal" his next base, while the
two former watched his movements, ready to throw to the nearest fielder
of their side, who in turn would hurl the ball at the remaining player.
If under these circumstances he could reach home untouched, he might
"put in" any player of his side.
As there was never any umpire in these games, the field for controversy
was unlimited. One way, as we recollect, of settling disputes was as
follows: All proceeding to the spot of the doubtful catch, the best
player on one side hurled the ball with all his force upwards; if it
was caught by the designated player of the other party, the point was
given in the latter's favor, and _vice versâ_.
We need only mention the game of "Old Cat," in which there are two
goals--the striker's and the pitcher's--and the run is made from the
former to the latter and return. The game is then named from the number
of batters, "One Old Cat," or "Two Old Cat."
No. 141.
_Marbles._
We do not intend to describe the various games of marbles, which might
probably fill a small volume. Of these there are two principal types.
One consists in striking the marbles out of a ring, by shooting from a
line, or _taw_, drawn as a limit; the other, in making the tour of a
series of holes made for the purpose. Whoever first gets back to the
starting-point, or taw, wins.
The first of these games may be descended from a sport of Roman
children, mentioned by Ovid, and still in existence, in which nuts are
rolled down an inclined plane, with the object of striking the nut of
the adversary. The second seems to be the childish reduction of a game
with the ball, similar to "Golf."
Extensive is the lore of marbles. When a lad wishes to change his
position, so that, while preserving the same distance from his mark,
he may have a more favorable position, he exclaims, "Roundings." If,
however, his antagonist is quick enough, he will cry "Fen [defend]
roundings." The game, when played to win the marbles of the opponent,
is said to be "in earnest." If any accident happens, and the opponent's
play is to be checked, a Georgia lad will say "King's excuse." That
this is an ancient phrase is shown by the corruption of the same cry in
Pennsylvania, "King's scruse." Under certain circumstances a boy who
puts down a second marble is said to "dub" (double) a marble, or to
play "dubs."[113]
No. 142.
_Cat._
The "cat" is a little billet of wood, about four inches long, and
pointed at the ends, which is to be struck with a light stick. A player
stands at a little distance, and endeavors to throw this missile into
a hole or circle previously made. Another stands over the circle, and
defends it with his stick. If the cat falls in the circle, the batter
is out. If, on the other hand, it falls out of the circle, he has the
right of making a stroke. Placing the cat within the circle, he hits it
on one end with his bat; and, as it bounds upwards, endeavors to strike
it as far away as possible. If the cat is caught, he is out; otherwise,
he is entitled to score a number, proportioned to the distance which
the cat has been struck, estimated in jumps or foot-lengths. This
score, however, is subject to a peculiar negotiation. The pitcher
offers the batter a certain number of points--as, for example, five.
If this is not accepted, he raises his bid to eight, ten, or as high
as he thinks proper; but if his final offer is refused, the pitcher
measures the distance (in jumps or lengths of the foot), and if he
can accomplish it in a less number than that offered, the striker or
his side lose that number of points; otherwise, the number measured
is scored. The game is an agreed number of hundreds. This game is now
played in Hindostan, as well as in Italy and Germany.
No. 143.
_Cherry-pits._
Cherry-pits are referred to as used in boys' games as early as A.D.
1522, and are still so used in the streets of New York.
The pits are thrown over the palm by the boy whose turn it is to play;
they must fall so far apart that the finger can be passed between them.
Then the player with a fillip of the thumb makes his pit strike the
enemy's, and wins both. If he misses, the next takes his place.
This game, like the rest, has its regular season, at which all the boys
in the neighborhood may be seen playing it.[114]
No. 144.
_Buttons._
Buttons are in extensive use in the sports of German children, with
whom they form a sort of coinage, each sort having a stipulated
exchangeable value. Traces of similar usage exist in the United States.
A common New York game consists in throwing buttons. A line is drawn,
and a hole made about twelve feet off. The players toss their buttons,
and whoever comes nearest the hole has the first shot. He endeavors to
drive the buttons of the rest into the hole, striking them with the
extended thumb by a movement of the whole hand, which is kept flat
and stiff. When he misses the next takes his turn, and so on. Whoever
drives the adversary's button into the hole wins it.
Another game, for two players, is called "Spans." The buttons are cast
against the wall, and if a player's button falls within a span of the
adversary's, he may aim at it and win it by striking as before.
No. 145.
_Hop-Scotch._
A figure of about twelve feet in length, similar to that represented in
the diagram, is described on the ground, and selection made of a small
flat stone, having sharp edges. From a line drawn at a distance of a
few paces, a stone is tossed into No. 1, after which the boy or girl
hops on one foot into No. 1, and kicks out the stone, which is then
thrown into No. 2. The player now hops into No. 1, and jumps into No.
2, in such a way that one foot is in the division 2, and one foot in 1.
The stone is kicked into 1, and then out, and so on. In passing through
divisions 1 and 2, 4 and 5, 8 and 9, a straddle must be made, one foot
being placed in each; in the others a hop only mast be taken. A failure
to throw the stone into the right place, or to kick it into the right
division, or leaving it on any line, or touching the raised foot, or
stepping on a line, puts out, and the next takes his or her turn.
[Illustration]
In other localities, no straddling step is taken, but the player, in
certain divisions, is allowed to place the stone on his foot, and so
expel it from the figure at a single kick; the compartments also vary
in number and arrangement.
This is one of the universal games, common from England to Hindostan.
Everywhere the game consists in describing on the soil an oblong figure
with several divisions, and in tossing a flat stone or potsherd into
them, and then kicking it out with a hopping motion; the arrangement
of the divisions differs. From the shape of the last compartment, the
game is called in Italy "The Bell," and in Austria "The Temple." In
Italy the three last divisions are the _Inferno_, _Purgatorio_, and
_Paradiso_. In New York the last is called _Pot_.
No. 146.
_Duck on a Rock._
We will suppose a party of boys to be debating what game to play. "What
shall we play?" "Duck on a Rock," suggests one. The idea is instantly
taken up. "My one duck," cries some boy. "My duck," shouts a second,
seizing a stone. The last to "speak" gets no duck, and has to guard
the "drake." The drake is a good-sized stone, which is placed on an
elevated position, or boulder, if such be at hand. The "ducks" are
stones about the size of the fist. The object is to knock the drake off
the rock. After each player has thrown his duck, and missed, he must
recover it. The guardian stands by the "rock," but cannot tag a player
until the latter has touched his own duck, when he must replace the
keeper. Meanwhile, if the drake is knocked off the rock, the keeper
must replace it before he can tag any one, and this is therefore the
signal for a rush to recover the thrown ducks. The game is not without
a spice of danger from these missiles.
No. 147.
_Mumblety-peg._
In this game of boys and girls, a knife is cast to the earth, on a
piece of turf, with the point downwards, and must remain sticking
there; there are several successive positions of throwing, as follows:
(1) the knife is held in the palm, first of the right and afterwards of
the left hand, point outward, and thrown so as to revolve towards the
player; (2) it is rested successively on the right and left fist, with
the point uppermost, and thrown sideways; (3) the knife is pressed with
the point resting on each finger and thumb of both hands in succession,
and cast outwards; after this it is held by the point, and _flipped_
(4) from the breast, nose, and each eye; (5) from each ear, crossing
arms, and taking hold of the opposite ear with the free hand; (6) over
the head backwards. If the knife does not "stick," the next player
takes his turn; the first to conclude the series wins. The winner
is allowed to drive a peg into the ground with three blows of the
knife, which the other must extract with his teeth, whence the name,
"Mumblety-peg." Another title is "Stick-knife."
No. 148.
_Five-stones._
Such was the title of the common game in a New England town (Salem,
Mass.).[115] The same amusement, under the same name, was popular in
Greece more than two thousand years ago, being mentioned as a girls'
game by Aristophanes. It is thus described by Pollux: "The game of
'five-stones;' little stones, pebbles, or bones are thrown up, so as to
catch them on the back of the turned hand, or if not all are caught,
the rest must be picked up with the fingers, while the others remain on
the hand."
A pleasing painting in the Museum of Naples represents goddesses
playing at "Five-stones." Aglaë is looking on; three of her bones lie
on the ground, one is pressed by her thumb, the fifth is hidden by her
garments. Hileæra has just thrown; she has caught three, the other
two are falling to the ground. Niobe, Latona, and Phoebe are standing
behind.
One of the movements of the Spanish game is still exactly the same as
that described by the Greek writers of the second century. The game
in America, as played in the childhood of the writer, also began with
catching the stones on the back of the hand, at first one only out of
the five tossed up, then two, three, four, and, finally, the whole five.
The game now consists of an indefinite number of figures, of which
the names and arrangements vary in different localities. In all those
described below, a single stone is tossed up, to be caught in the palm,
and while this is in the air the others must be taken into the hand, or
certain motions made.
_Ones, twos, threes, fours._--The stones are rolled on the table or
floor, either directly from the right hand, or over the back of the
left hand resting on the table. A single stone being selected and
tossed in the air, as above mentioned, the rest must be picked up; in
the first figure one at a time, in the second by groups of two, in the
third by three and one, and finally the whole four together. In case of
an error, the next takes his turn.
_Jumping the Ditch._--The four stones remaining, after one has been
chosen, are placed in a line; the first and third of the row are then
to be caught up together, and afterwards the second and fourth.
_Knock at the Door_, _Strike the Match_, _Wash the Clothes_, etc.--A
selected stone being thrown up, motions corresponding to the title are
to be made on the floor while it is in the air.
_Set the Table._--Four stones are placed in a heap, as if to represent
a pile of plates. One of these is taken from the heap, in the usual
manner. It is then held between the thumb and palm of the right hand,
and, with a second toss of the chosen stone, is deposited on the floor
at the corner of an imaginary square. The square having been completed
by four stones, motions are made to indicate the arrangement of the
glasses, etc. _Clear the Table_ is the reverse movement, in which the
stones are again brought to the centre.
_The Well._--The left hand is laid on the table with the thumb and
index finger joined. Into the opening so formed the four stones are
pushed, by a fillip of the finger. The hand is then removed from the
table, and the stones must be caught up together as they lie. The
figures vary, according as the thumb and index are made to form an
arch or circle, are laid on the table or floor horizontally, or in an
upright position, or, finally, as the hand is raised above the table in
the form of a cup. These varieties receive the names of _Peas in the
Pod_, _Doves in the Cot_, etc.
_Horses in the Stall._--The left hand is laid on the table with the
fingers extended, and four stones placed in front of the openings,
representing stalls. A stone being thrown up as usual, the four others
are filliped into the openings, and afterwards must be picked up
together from the positions in which they lie. In _Horses out of the
Stall_ the stones are brought out from between the fingers, and then
caught up.
Other movements are _Feeding the Elephant_, _Spinning the Wheel_,
_Going up the Ladder_, etc., to the number of thirty or more. Failing
to catch the stone thrown up, or not succeeding in the required motion,
or touching a stone unnecessarily, constitute errors, in which case it
is often required to go back to the very beginning of the game.
Instead of pebbles, little double tripods of iron, probably
representing the more ancient _bones_, are generally in use; and the
fifth stone, or "jack," is often replaced by a ball or marble, the
latter being allowed to bound before it is caught. This usage seems to
be of German origin. Sometimes marbles are used, the "jack" being of
a different color from the rest, and school-girls take pride in the
beauty of the agates they employ for this purpose.
About Boston a similar game is much played under the name of "Otadama,"
or "Japanese jacks." Seven little silk bags are filled with rice, one,
of a different color from the rest, being called the "jack." The game
consists of four parts. In the first figure, the silk bags being placed
on the floor, the "jack" is thrown up, and the other six picked up one
by one, being so deposited as to keep them together in groups of twos,
so that two at a time may be caught up, which is the next thing to be
done. Then come groups of three, four and two, and five and one, next
the six together, the bags, after being caught, being so dropped as to
prepare for the following movements. The next motion is "tattoo," which
consists in throwing up the "jack" and catching it on the back of the
hand, then throwing it up again from the back of the hand and catching
it in the fingers, without turning over the palm.
The second figure contains "second ones," "second twos," "second
threes," "second fours," "second fives," "second sixes." These are
the same as in the first figure, except that in each case the bags
caught, instead of being merely dropped from the hand, as before, are
tossed up together with the "jack," which last must be caught again
before falling. In the second and third figures "tattoo" follows every
movement.
The third figure begins with "third sixes," in which, the six bags
being caught up and held tightly, the "jack" is again tossed, the six
slapped on the floor, and the "jack" caught on the back of the hand.
The second motion is "fourth sixes," which resembles second sixes,
except that the "jack" is now caught on the back of the hand. Next
comes "touch." The six bags are caught up, thrown with the "jack"
into the air, and the floor is touched with the middle finger, before
catching the "jack." After this follows "fours and threes," in which,
the six bags having been caught up, the palm is turned uppermost with
the seven bags (including the "jack"), and it is required to throw off
first four at a time, and afterwards the other three. "Pack up" is the
next motion. The six bags are caught up, compactly arranged in the palm
of the hand, and must be thrown up and caught on the back of the hand.
Two chances are allowed. The bags dropped the first time may be tried
by themselves. Then "third ones," which is the same as "second ones,"
except that, the bags being placed in a row with the "jack" at the
left, the "jack" is constantly exchanged for each bag that is caught
up. "Tattoo" follows each of these movements.
The fourth and last figure is done with the left hand. The palm is
turned towards the floor, upon which all the bags lie in a row,
the "jack" at the right; a bag is then picked up by the thumb and
forefinger, keeping the other fingers extended, and is tossed on the
back of the hand. It must remain there while the second bag is picked
up, and is tossed off the hand when the second is tossed on. This
motion is repeated with the other five, ending with the "jack," and the
game is finished with "tattoo."
The game is played by two or more. In case of an error, the next plays;
but an error in the last figure requires the player to go back to the
beginning of the game. The "jack" is often made square and somewhat
flat, while the other bags are drawn up at two ends, and have a rounder
shape. It is necessary that they should be soft and flexible.
This game is of Japanese origin, "Tedama"[116]--that is,
"Hand-balls"--being its proper name. As the specimen given shows, it
closely resembles the ancient game of "Five-stones." We are informed,
on Japanese authority, that stones are habitually used by boys in
playing, and that the number of these varies. There can be no doubt
that the two forms of this amusement are branches of the same root; and
we thus have an example of a game which, having preserved its essential
characteristics for thousands of years, has fairly circumnavigated the
globe, so that the two currents of tradition, westward and eastward,
from Europe and Asia, have met in America.