Part 3

The business commences by one of the company announcing that he intends starting on a journey, when he is asked whether he will go by sea or by land. To which quarter of the globe? Will he go north, south, east, or west? and last of all--What conveyance does he intend to use?

After these four questions have been answered, the first player is called upon to name the spot he intends to visit.

Mountain travelling may be described, the many ingenious methods of which are so well known to visitors to Italy and Switzerland.

The wonderful railway up the Righi need not be forgotten; mule travelling, arm-chairs carried by porters, and the dangerous-looking ladders which the Swiss peasants mount and remount so fearlessly at all times of the year, in order to scale the awful precipices, will each be borne in mind. In the cold regions the sledges drawn by reindeer may be employed, or the Greenland dogs, not forgetting the tremendous skates, that have the appearance of small canoes, used by the Laplanders; and also the stilts, which are used by some of the poor French people who live in the west of their country. Indeed, it is amazing how many different methods of conveyance have been contrived at one time or another for the benefit of us human beings.

In Spain and other places there are the diligences; in Arabia the camels; in China the junks; at Venice the gondolas.

Then, to come home, we have balloons, bicycles, wheelbarrows, perambulators, and all kinds of carriages, so that no one need be long in deciding what mode of travelling he shall for the time adopt. As soon as the four questions have been answered, should the first player be unable to name what country he will visit he must pay a forfeit, and the opportunity is passed on to his neighbour.

This game may be made intensely amusing, as will be proved by trial; and at the same time a very great amount of instruction may be derived from it.

CRAMBO.

Two pieces of paper, unlike both in size and colour, are given to each person. On one of them a noun must be written, and on the other a question. Two gentlemen's hats must then be called for, into one of which the nouns must be dropped, and into the other the questions, and all well shuffled. The hats must then be handed round, until each person is supplied with a question and a noun. The thing now to be done is for each player to write an answer in rhyme to the question he finds written on the one paper, bringing in the noun written on the other paper.

Sometimes the questions and the nouns are so thoroughly inapplicable to each other that it is impossible to produce anything like sensible poetry. The player need not trouble about that, however, for the more nonsensical the rhyme the greater the fun. Sometimes players are fortunate enough to draw from the hats both noun and question that may be easily linked together. A question once drawn was--"Why do summer roses fade?" The noun drawn was butterfly, so that the following rhyme was easily concocted:--

"Summer roses fade away, The reason why I cannot say, Unless it be because they try To cheat the pretty butterfly."

CROSS QUESTIONS AND CROOKED ANSWERS.

This is a pleasant game, that may be enjoyed while sitting in a circle round the fire. The person at either end, who is honoured by commencing the game, must, in a whisper, ask a question of the player sitting next to him, taking care to remember the answer he receives, and also the question he himself asked. The second player must then do likewise, and so on, until every one in the party has asked a question and received an answer. The last person, of course, being under the necessity of receiving the answer to his question from the first person. Every one must then say aloud what was the question put to him, and what was the answer he received to the question he asked--the two together, of course, making nothing but nonsense, something like the following:--

Q. Who is your favourite author?

A. Beans and Bacon.

Q. Were you ever in love?

A. Cricket, decidedly.

Q. Are you an admirer of Oliver Cromwell?

A. Mark Twain.

Q. Why is a cow like an oyster?

A. Many a time.

Another way of playing this game is for one person to stand outside the circle; then, when all the whispering is finished, to come forward and ask a question of each person, receiving for his replies the answers they all had given to the questions they asked each other. Or what is, perhaps, a still better plan, both questions and answers may be written on different coloured paper, and then, after being shuffled, may be read aloud by the leader of the game.

"CUPID IS COMING."

In this game all the adverbs that can be thought of will need to be brought into requisition. Seated in order round the room, the first player begins by saying to his neighbour, "Cupid is coming." The neighbour then says, "How is he coming?" To which the first player replies by naming an adverb beginning with the letter A. This little form of procedure is repeated by every player until every one in the room has mentioned an adverb beginning with A. Next time Cupid is declared to be coming Beautifully, Bashfully, Bountifully, etc.; then Capriciously, Cautiously, Carefully, and so on, until the whole of the alphabet has been gone through, by which time, no doubt, it will be thought desirable to select another game.

THE CUSHION DANCE.

A hassock is placed end upwards in the middle of the floor, round which the players form a circle with hands joined, having first divided themselves into two equal parts.

The adversaries, facing each other, begin business by dancing round the hassock a few times; then suddenly one side tries to pull the other forward, so as to force one of their number to touch the hassock, and to upset it.

The struggle that necessarily ensues is a source of great fun, causing as much or even more merriment to spectators of the scene than to the players themselves. At last, in spite of the utmost dexterity, down goes the hassock or cushion, whichever it may be; some one's foot is sure to touch it before very long, when the unfortunate individual is dismissed from the circle, and compelled to pay a forfeit.

The advantages that the gentlemen have over the ladies in this game are very great; they can leap over the stool and avoid it times without number, while the ladies are continually impeded by their dresses. It generally happens that two gentlemen are left to keep up the struggle, which in most cases is a very prolonged one.

DEFINITIONS.

This game is not fit for very young children, but among older ones, who wish to enjoy a little quiet time together, it will suit their purpose admirably. On a little slip of paper each member of the party writes down a subject for definition. The slips are then handed to the leader, who reads the subjects aloud, while each person copies them on a piece of paper. Every one is then requested to give definitions, not only of his own word, but of all the others, the whole being read aloud when finished.

DUMB CRAMBO.

After dividing the company into two equal parts, one half leaves the room; in their absence the remaining players fix upon a verb, to be guessed by those who have gone out when they return. As soon as the word is chosen, those outside the room are told with what word it rhymes. A consultation ensues, when the absent ones come in and silently act the word they think may be the right one. Supposing the verb thought of should have rhymed with _Sell_, the others might come in and begin felling imaginary trees with imaginary hatchets, but on no account uttering a single syllable. If _Fell_ were the right word, the spectators, on perceiving what the actors were attempting to do, would clap their hands, as a signal that the word had been discovered. But if _Tell_ or any other word had been thought of, the spectators would begin to hiss loudly, which the actors would know indicated that they were wrong, and that nothing remained for them but to try again. The rule is that, while the acting is going on, the spectators as well as the actors should be speechless. Should any one make a remark, or even utter a single syllable, a forfeit must be paid.

DWARF.

Just as absurd and ridiculous as the representation of the Giant (elsewhere explained) is that of the Dwarf, and to those who have never before seen it performed the picture is certainly a most bewildering one. The wonderful phenomenon is produced in the following manner:--On a table in front of the company the dwarf makes his appearance, his feet being the hands of one of the two gentlemen who have undertaken to manage the affair. His head is the property of the same gentleman, while his hands belong to the other gentleman, who thrusts them over the shoulders of his companion to take the place of those that are being made to act as feet. Stockings and shoes are of course put on to these artificial feet, and the little figure is dressed up as well as can be managed, in order to hide the comical way in which the portions of the two individuals are united. For this purpose a child's pinafore will be found as suitable as anything else. A third person generally takes part in the proceedings as exhibitor, and comes forward to introduce his little friend, perhaps as Count Borowlaski, the Polish dwarf, who lived in the last century, and who was remarkable for his intelligence and wit. This little creature was never more than three feet high, although he lived to be quite old. He was also very highly accomplished: he could dance, and played on the guitar quite proficiently. Or he might be introduced as Nicholas Ferry, the famous French dwarf, who was so small that when he was taken to church to be christened his mother made a bed for him in her sabot, and so comfortable was he in it that for the first six months of his life it was made to serve as a cradle for the little fellow. Sense or nonsense may of course be improvised on the spot, and made use of in order to render the exhibition a success.

THE ELEMENTS.

Seated round the room, one of the company holds in his hand a ball, round which should be fastened a string, so that it may be easily drawn back again. Sometimes a ball of worsted is used, when a yard or two is left unwound. The possessor of the ball then throws it first to one person then to another, naming at the time one of the elements; and each player as the ball touches him must, before ten can be counted, mention an inhabitant of that element. Should any one speak when fire is mentioned he must pay a forfeit.

THE FARMYARD.

If it were not understood that joking of all kinds is considered lawful in most game playing, we might be inclined to think that in this game of the Farmyard a little unfairness existed in one person being made so completely the laughing-stock of all the rest. Still, as "in war all things are fair," so it seems to be in amusements, most hearty players evidently being quite willing to be either the laughers or the laughed at. The master of the ceremony announces that he will whisper in the ear of each person the name of an animal which, at some signal from him, they must all imitate as loudly as possible. The fact is, however, that to one person only he gives the name of an animal, and that is the donkey; to every one else he gives the command to be perfectly silent. After waiting a short time, that all may be in readiness, he makes the expected signal, when, instead of a number of sounds, nothing is to be heard but a loud bray. It is needless to remark that this game is seldom called for a second time in one evening.

THE FEATHER.

A small flossy feather with very little stem must be procured. The players then draw their chairs in a circle as closely together as possible. One of the party begins the game by throwing the feather into the air as high as possible above the centre of the ring formed. The object of the game is to keep it from touching any one, as the player whom it touches must pay a forfeit; and it is impossible to imagine the excitement that can be produced by each player preventing the feather from alighting upon him. The game must be heartily played to be fully appreciated, not only by the real actors of the performance, but by the spectators of the scene. Indeed, so absurd generally is the picture presented, that it is difficult to say whether the players or the watchers have the most fun.

FINDING THE RING.

The principle of the following puzzle is very similar to that contained in "Think of a Number."

First of all a ring must be provided, after which you can request the company to put it upon some one's finger, adding at the same time that you will tell them who has it, and also upon which hand, and even upon which finger it shall have been placed.

The ring being deposited on a certain finger, you must then ask some one to make for you the necessary calculation.

Multiply the number of the person having the ring by 2; to that add 3. Multiply this by 5; then add 8 if the ring be on the right hand, or 9 if on the left. Then multiply by 10, and add the number of the finger (the thumb is 1); and, lastly, add 2.

Ask now for the result, from which subtract mentally 222, and the remainder will give the answer.

For instance, supposing the ring were put on the fourth person, on the left hand, and the first finger, remembering that the thumb counts 1.

The following is the kind of sum to be worked out:--

The number of the person multiplied by 2 8 Add 3 11 Multiply by 5 55 Add 9 for the left hand 64 Multiply by 10 640 Add the number of the finger 2 642 Add 2 644 ---- Subtract 222 ---- 422

Which result proves it to be, beginning at the right-hand finger, the second finger of the left hand of the fourth person.

When the number of the person wearing the ring is above 9, the remainder will stand in four figures instead of three; in that case the first two will indicate the person.

Like all games of mental calculation, the more quickly this is done the better.

FLYING.

To play this game well it is necessary that there should be a good spokesman in the company, who will find ample opportunity for his gift of eloquence.

Simple as the game may appear to be, it is one that is generally played with very great success.

Each member of the party wishing to take part in it must place the right hand upon the left arm.

The leader then intimates that in the discourse with which he intends to favour his friends, whenever he mentions a creature that can fly, every right hand is to be raised and fluttered in the air in imitation of a bird flying. At the mention of all animals that cannot fly, the hands remain stationary. It is, of course, needless to say that the leader will do his best to have the hands raised when other animals are mentioned as well as flying ones, in order that a good number of forfeits may be collected.

All being in readiness, he will begin in a style something like the following:--

"One lovely morning in June I sallied forth to take the air. The honey-suckle and roses were shedding a delicious perfume, the _butterflies_ and _bees_ were flitting from flower to flower, the _cuckoo's_ note resounded through the groves, and the _lark's_ sweet trill was heard overhead. It seemed, indeed, that all _the birds of the air_ (here all hands must be raised) were vieing with each other as to whose song should be the loudest and the sweetest, when," &c.

Thus the game is carried on until as many forfeits as are deemed desirable have been extracted from the company.

FORFEITS.

As an evening spent in playing round games would be thought incomplete if at the end of it the forfeits were not redeemed, so our book of amusements would be sadly lacking in interest if a list of forfeits were not provided. Indeed, many young people think that the forfeits are greater fun than the games themselves, and that the best part of the evening begins when forfeit time arrives. Still, although we will give a list of forfeits, it is by no means necessary that in the crying of them none but certain prescribed ones should be used. The person deputed to pronounce judgment on those of his friends who have had to pay the forfeits may either invent something on the spur of the moment, or make use of what he has seen in a book or may have stored in his memory. Originality in such cases is often the best, simply because the sentence is made to suit, or rather _not to suit_, the victim; and the object of course of all these forfeit penances is to make the performers of them look absurd. For those players, however, who in preference to anything new still feel inclined to adopt the well-known good old-fashioned forfeits, we will supply a list of as many as will meet ordinary requirements.

1. _Bite an inch off the poker._--This is done by holding the poker the distance of an inch from the mouth, and performing an imaginary bite.

2. _Kiss the lady you love best without any one knowing it._--To do this the gentleman must of course kiss all the ladies present, the one he most admires taking her turn among the rest.

3. _Lie down your full length on the floor, and rise with your arms folded the whole time._

4. _Kneel to the wittiest, bow to the prettiest, and kiss the one you love best._--These injunctions may, of course, be obeyed in the letter or in the spirit, just as the person redeeming the forfeit feels inclined to do.

5. _Put yourself through the keyhole._--To do this the word "Yourself" is written upon a piece of paper, which is rolled up and passed through the keyhole.

6. _Sit upon the fire._--The trick in this forfeit is like the last one. Upon a piece of paper the words, "The fire," are written, and then sat upon.

7. _Take one of your friends upstairs, and bring him down upon a feather._--Any one acquainted with this forfeit is sure to choose the stoutest person in the room as his companion to the higher regions. On returning to the room the redeemer of the forfeit will be provided with a soft feather, covered with down, which he will formally present to his stout companion, obeying, therefore, the command to bring him down upon a feather.

8. _Kiss a book inside and outside without opening it._--This is done by first kissing the book in the room, then taking it outside and kissing it there.

9. _Place a book, ornament, or any other very small article on the floor, so that no one in the room can possibly jump over it._--The way this is done is to place the article close to the wall.

10. _Shake a sixpence off the forehead._--It is astonishing how even the most acute player may be deceived by this sixpenny imposition. The presiding genius, holding in his fingers a sixpence, proceeds with an air of great importance to fasten the coin upon the forehead of the victim, by means of first wetting it, and then pressing it firmly just above the eyes. As soon as the coin is considered to be firmly fixed, he takes away his hands, and also the coin. The person operated upon is then told to shake the sixpence down to the floor, without any aid from his hands, and so strong generally is the impression made upon the mind of the victim that the sixpence is still on the forehead, that the shaking may be continued for several minutes before the deception be discovered.

11. _Put one hand where the other cannot touch it._--This is done by merely holding the right elbow with the left hand.

12. _Kiss the candlestick._--Request a young lady to hold a lighted candle, and then steal a kiss from her.

13. _Laugh in one corner of the room, sing in another, cry in another, and dance in another._

14. _Leave the room with two legs, and return with six._--To do this you must go out of the room, and come back bringing a chair with you.

15. _Put four chairs in a row, take off your boots, and jump over them._--This task would no doubt appear rather formidable for a young lady to perform, until she is made to understand that it is not the chairs, but the boots, she is expected to jump over.

16. _Blow a candle out blindfold._--This forfeit is very similar to the game, elsewhere described, of Blowing out the Candle; still, there is no reason why it should not take its place among the rest of the forfeits. The victim is blindfolded, turned round a few times, and then requested to blow out the light. When the performance is over, the owner of the forfeit will no doubt have well deserved to have his property returned to him, for if securely blindfolded the task will have been no easy one. Another way of blowing out the candle is to pass the flame rapidly backwards and forwards before the mouth of the player, who must try to blow it out as it passes, a method that is almost, if not quite, as difficult as the former one.

17. _The German band._--In this charming little musical entertainment, three or four of the company can at the same time redeem their forfeits. An imaginary musical instrument is given to each one--they themselves must have no choice in the matter--and upon these instruments they must perform as best they can.

18. _Ask a question, the answer to which cannot possibly be answered in the negative._--The question, of course, is "What does y-e-s spell?"

19. _The Statue._--The unfortunate individual doomed to redeem his forfeit by acting a statue must allow himself to be placed in one position after another by different members of the company, and thus remain stationary until permission is given him to alter it.

20. _The Sentence._--A certain number of letters are given to the forfeit-payer, who must use each one in the order in which it is given him for the commencement of a word. All the words, when made, must then form a sentence--placing the words in their proper order exactly as the letters with which they begin were given.