The tallest player should begin the game.
This person turning to the first right hand player should say “Yes”; to
the second, “No”; and so on all around, saying yes or no, as the case
may be, to yourself last. Whoever is the last person to whom “No” is
said, however, is out of the game, and the one who commenced the game,
again goes around the ring. If she has said “Yes” to herself last,
then the one to her right hand is now told “No,” and thus “Yes,” “No,”
is said all around again and again and so on, until there are but two
players. Whichever one is Yes, must then be “It.”
All the players now stand at a given distance from “It,” and a tree or
object being selected as a place of safety, they are ready to begin.
“It” calls to the others, “One foot off,” then each player raises one
of their feet. “Two feet on,” at which order everybody’s feet are
immediately upon the sidewalk. “Two feet off,” may then be called, at
which order all rush at their utmost speed, and “It” after them. Should
anybody be caught before reaching the tree of safety, that person must
change places with “It,” and the game continues as before.
The orders, “One foot off,” “Two feet on,” etc., should be called very
rapidly, so that everybody is mixed up and will not suspect when two
feet off will be called. Sometimes the orders are repeated over and
over, and again, “Two feet off” may be said the first time.