Part 5

still, a long piece of firewood, is put into the fire until it is in a blazing condition when taken out. The first player, blowing out the flame, passes it to his neighbour, saying, "Jack's alive." It is then passed on to the next, and to all the company in succession, each one trying to get rid of it before the spark has died out. Every one to whom it is offered must take it immediately the words "Jack's alive" are uttered, or a forfeit must be paid; and the one in whose hands Jack really expires must produce a forfeit. In some cases boys have actually been known, when playing at this game, to improve each other's appearance by marking black moustaches and eyebrows, &c.; but as such proceedings have nothing whatever to do with the real "Jack's Alive," we feel sure that none of our readers will ever practise this foolish habit.

THE JOLLY MILLER.

The Jolly Miller is a game that may be played either in the open air or in the drawing-room, therefore it may be allowed to take its place among the list of round games. Not being generally considered, however, one of the most refined of recreations, a good large empty room, or a servants' hall, will be quite as suitable for its performance as the drawing-room. Each gentleman chooses a lady for a partner, excepting one who may be kind enough to volunteer to be the miller. This solitary one takes his stand in the middle of the room, while his companions in couples arm in arm walk round him singing the following lines:--

"There was a jolly miller who lived by himself. As the wheel went round he made his wealth; One hand in the copper and the other in the bag, As the wheel went round he made his grab."

At the word "grab" every one must change partners, and while the transition is going on the miller has the opportunity given him of securing for himself one of the ladies. Should he succeed in doing so, the one necessarily left without a partner must take the place of the Jolly Miller, when he, like his predecessor, must occupy his lonely position until he is fortunate enough to steal a young lady from one of his friends.

JUDGE AND JURY.

The first thing to be done in this game is to select a judge and three jurymen. A piece of paper is then given to each of the remaining company, who, after due consideration, must write down the name of some one in history, the incidents of whose life they recollect sufficiently to be able to narrate. All having made their selection, the papers are presented to the judge, who calls upon one after another to submit to an examination. Supposing the first player to have chosen Guy Fawkes, he would be asked in what year he was born, in whose reign, to what country he belonged, what he did to make himself remarkable, what great men were his contemporaries, and anything else that might occur to the judge. No one, of course, with a superficial knowledge of history should accept the position of judge, nor yet that of juryman. If agreeable to the company, living characters may be personified, still historical ones are generally the most interesting, and it is astonishing how much instruction as well as real amusement may be drawn from the game.

THE MAGIC ANSWER.

It is necessary that this game should be understood by two of the company who mean to take the lead in it, and that an agreement should be made between them as to what course to pursue. One of these leaders goes out of the room while the rest of the company choose a word for him to guess on his return. The agreement made is that the word thought of shall be named immediately after the mention of anything with four legs. Therefore the conversation carried on between the two actors in the ceremony would be something like the following:--

Q. "Was the word thought of a tree?"

A. "No."

Q. "Was it a book?"

A. "No."

Q. "Was it a canary?"

A. "No."

Q. "Was it the Queen?"

A. "No."

Q. "Was it a river?"

A. "No."

Q. "Was it a rabbit?"

A. "No."

Q. "Was it a purse?"

A. "Yes."

MAGICAL MUSIC.

This is a game in which music is made to take a prominent part. On one of the company volunteering to leave the room, some particular article agreed upon is hidden. On being recalled, the person, ignorant of the hiding-place, must commence a diligent search, taking the piano as his guide. The loud tones will mean that he is very near the object of his search, and the soft tones that he is far from it. Another method of playing the same game is for the person who has been out of the room to try to discover on his return what the remainder of the company desire him to do. It may be to pick up something from the floor, to take off his coat, to look at himself in the glass, or anything else as absurd. The only clue afforded him of solving the riddle must be the loud or soft tones of the music.

THE MAGIC HATS.

Though the following trick cannot exactly be designated a Round Game, it may be performed by one of the company with great success during an interval of rest from playing. The performer begins by placing his own hat, along with another which he has borrowed, on the table, crown upwards. He then requests that the sugar-basin may be produced, from which on its arrival a lump is selected and given to him. Taking it in his fingers he promises, by some wonderful process, that he will swallow the sugar, and then, within a very short time, will let its position be under one of the two hats on the table, the company may decide which hat it shall be. It is generally suspected that a second lump of sugar will be taken from the basin, if it can be done without observation, consequently all eyes are fixed upon it. Instead of that, after swallowing the sugar the performer places the selected hat upon his own head, thus, of course, fulfilling his undertaking.

THE MAGIC WAND.

This being a game of mystery, there is not only a peculiar charm attached to it on that account, but it can also be made exceedingly attractive by the voluntary artistic movements of the performer. As in the Resting Wand, not only the leader must understand the game, but one of the company also must be in league with him, so that the two may understand each other, and work together. The person thus acting with the leader announces to the company that he will retire while a word is fixed upon, to be written on the floor when he returns by means of the magic wand. This done, a word is chosen, the person who retired is summoned, and the performance commences. The leader then begins by flourishing his wand in the air, and imitating as much as possible the tricks of a conjuror. He also makes an appearance of writing on the floor, at the same time speaking to his friend in short sentences. The letter at the beginning of the first sentence must be the first consonant of the word that has been chosen by the company, the second consonant must be at the beginning of the second sentence, and so on; the vowels occurring between being expressed by thumps on the floor with the wand. "A" is expressed by one thump, "E" by two thumps, "I" by three, "O" by four, and "U" by five thumps. One good decided thump at the end signifies that the word is complete.

An illustration will, perhaps, best explain our meaning. We will suppose the word _Christmas_ to have been chosen. If so, the performer might first begin by waving his stick aloft, then he must commence writing, as if with great care, on the ground, at the same time remarking, "_C_ome quickly, fellow-worker, and prepare for thy duty." Here must be a slight pause, followed by the second sentence. "_H_ow difficult thy task will be, I dare not tell." Another pause, then the third sentence. "_R_emember, nothing can be really well done without labour." We have now got C H R. _I_ being the next letter, is represented by three loud thumps with the stick. The conjuror here, assuming a puzzled air, might observe, "_S_urely we shall not be baffled." A pause, and then, "_T_rust me, I will help all I can." After another pause, "_M_ark my wand with care." The letter _A_ coming now, one good thump is given on the floor; then, with the words "Speak quickly, friend, say the word," followed by one good thump, the mysterious business is concluded, the accomplice, no doubt, easily detecting that _Christmas_ was the word chosen.

"THE MINISTER'S CAT."

This is a game that is played alphabetically, in a manner somewhat resembling "Cupid is coming" and "I love my love." The first player begins by saying, "The minister's cat" is an "ambitious cat," the next an "artful cat," and so on, until all have named an adjective beginning with A. The next time of going round the adjectives must begin with B, the next time C, and so on until the whole of the alphabet has been gone through.

MIXED-UP POETRY.

A great amount of fun may be obtained from this game of mixing up poetry, which is nothing more than selecting lines from different authors, and arranging them so as to make rhyme. The specimen below, prepared by Kitty Carrol, will illustrate our meaning:--

There was a sound of revelry by night, Away down south where I was born; Let dogs delight to bark and bite, Cows in the meadow and sheep in the corn.

A chieftain to the Highlands bound, His father's hope, his mother's joy, Found something smooth and hard and round, John Brown's little Indian boy.

Man wants but little here below, Oats, peas, beans, and barley; This world is all a fleeting show, Over the water to Charley.

There is a calm for those who weep In famous London town; Little Bo Peep she lost her sheep-- The bark that held a prince went down.

John Gilpin was a citizen From India's coral strand; Far from the busy haunts of men There is a happy land.

Hark from the tombs a doleful sound; Dear, dear, what can the matter be? Shake the forum round and round, Come to the sunset tree.

MUSICAL CHAIR.

It is no use attempting to play this game in anything but a good-sized room; and, if possible, chairs that may be easily moved and not soon broken should be chosen. Supposing there are fifteen players, fourteen chairs must be placed in the middle of the room, every alternate one having the seat the same way, and upon these the players must seat themselves. One person, therefore, is left standing. The music then begins, when the owners of the seats all march round until the music stops, which it is generally made to do unexpectedly; at this instant each person tries to secure a chair. Necessarily one player is left without a seat; he is considered _out_, and, in addition, he must pay a forfeit. One of the chairs is then taken away, and the game proceeds, a chair being removed every time the music stops. One unfortunate person is always left out in the cold, until at last one chair is struggled for by the two remaining players, and the successful one of these is considered to have earned the right to pronounce judgment on such as have had to pay forfeits.

"MY MASTER HAS SENT ME UNTO YOU."

No better game than this can be chosen by those who are partial to a little gentle exercise. Sitting in order round the room, the first player begins by saying to his neighbour, "My master has sent me unto you," at the same time working away with the right hand as if hammering on his knee. The person to whom this remark is made must reply "What to do?" In answer to which the first player says, "To work with one as I do." The second player, then working in the same way, must turn to his neighbour on the left, and carry on the same conversation with him, and so on, until every one in the room is working away with the right hand. The second time of going round the order is given to work with two hands; after that with one foot as well, then with two feet, and last of all with the head. Should any one be detected not keeping both feet, hands, and head in constant motion while the game is going on, a forfeit can be demanded.

NOUNS AND QUESTIONS.

_See_ "Crambo."

THE OBJECT GAME.

The party first divides itself into two equal parts. One person from each side is chosen to go out of the room, and, after consulting together, they fix upon any object they like for the rest to guess. The company then seat themselves in two distinct circles, sufficiently apart to prevent the remarks made in one circle from being overheard by those in the other. The two representatives are now summoned, and requested to take their places, one in each group, when a race begins as to which group shall first find out what object of thought has been fixed upon. The rule is that the number of questions asked should be limited to twenty, though in many cases it is impossible to adhere to this restriction; while, on the other hand, the object is frequently guessed before the whole twenty questions have been asked. No restriction is placed upon the objects to be thought of--a drop of water, a ray of light, a crab's claw, a nail in the boot of some great man, or anything else may be chosen. The object of the game is, of course, to make the guessing as difficult as possible, so that the struggle as to who shall be the winners may be a hard one.

THE OLD SOLDIER.

The game of Old Soldier, though unmistakably an old one, is always welcome, especially to the little people. One of the company stands up and personifies for the time the character of an old soldier, who is destitute, ragged, and hungry. He goes round the room asking each one in turn for relief, the rule being that in the answers given to him the words "Yes," "No," "Black," or "White" must not be mentioned, neither must any hesitation be allowed. Want of promptness in a reply must be atoned for by the payment of a forfeit, just as much as would the mention of one of the forbidden words.

ORANGES AND LEMONS.

Two of the company, one supposed to be an Englishman and the other a Frenchman, stand face to face, holding each other's hands so as to form a kind of bridge for the rest to pass under one by one. As the company pass under the bridge, the couple holding hands sing the following well-known rhyme:--

"Oranges and Lemons, Say the bells of St. Clement's. You owe me five farthings, Say the bells of St. Martin's. When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey. When I grow rich, Say the bells of Shoreditch. When will that be? Say the bells of Stepney. I'm sure I don't know, Says the great bell of Bow. Gay go up and gay go down To ring the bells of London Town."

Just as the last player reaches the bridge, the bridge-holders utter the words--

"Here comes a candle to light you to bed, And here comes a chopper to chop off your head."

At the same time keeping the last player a prisoner. The captive is then asked whether he will be English or French, and according to his decision he is placed behind either the Frenchman or the Englishman. Going round to their original starting place, the company again all pass under the bridge, while the rhyme is again being sung, the last one in the file, like his predecessor, being also detained and made a prisoner, and being compelled, too, to choose which country he will fight for. Thus the game proceeds until all have, one by one, been captured, and consequently two long lines have been formed of Englishmen and Frenchmen. The grand conclusion consists in these two powers vieing with each other as to which is the stronger, the test being that those who can pull their opponents from their position have won the game.

ORIGINAL SKETCHES.

Each person must be supplied with paper and pencil. At the top of the paper a small sketch is then drawn by every one, representing some historical incident, either from English or foreign history, or any other subject chosen. The proper way is for the subject to be announced as soon as the papers are delivered, but, if preferred, no restriction of any kind need be placed upon the artists; all may draw whatever they like. We need not remark that the latter method renders the guessing business a much more difficult affair. On the sketches being completed, each player passes his paper to his left hand neighbour, who, after closely examining it, writes down at the bottom of the paper what he imagines the drawing is meant to represent. The paper is then folded over so as to conceal the writing, and passed on again to the left, every player examining each sketch as it reaches him, and putting down what he thinks it is intended for; but on no account must any one look at what has already been written. As soon as the sketches have been scrutinised and pronounced upon by every player, they are collected, and the various opinions are read aloud.

"OUR OLD GRANNIE DOESN'T LIKE TEA."

After being seated in order, the first player announces the fact that "Our old Grannie doesn't like Tea." The person sitting next inquires what it is the old lady likes in preference, the answer to the question, if right, will name some article in which the letter T does not occur. For instance, if Grannie can't eat potatoes, or carrots, or vegetables, she may still be passionately fond of peas and beans and cauliflowers. Coffee and cocoa, too, she is able to drink, although tea has the effect of giving her indigestion and making her frightfully ill.

PAIRS.

Great fun may be extracted out of this game, and it is admirably adapted to boys who (as most of us know) seem to take an intense delight in making each other appear ridiculous. Each gentleman is requested to choose a partner for himself. Should ladies be among the company, it is needless to say that the game will be all the more interesting, especially if there be a sufficient number to provide a lady for each gentleman. One gentleman alone, who personates a lawyer, walks up and down the room in front of the various couples, asking questions of any one he pleases. The answers to his questions must be answered, however, not by the person addressed, but by his or her partner. It may, therefore, be easily imagined what inappropriate replies may be given. For instance, the lawyer may ask a lady what is her favourite occupation. The lady's partner, who must answer the question while she herself remains perfectly silent, may say "dressing dolls," "cricketing," "playing leap-frog," or anything else equally wide of the mark. The lady must patiently hold her tongue, or incur the penalty of paying a forfeit. Those who feel themselves libelled, however, by the remarks made about them by their partners, have the satisfaction of knowing that they will most likely have the opportunity of retaliating before the game is over, because when their turn comes to answer the questions addressed to their partners they can give tit for tat.

PERSON AND OBJECT.

Two of the company leave the room together, and after due consultation agree to think of some particular person, either historical or otherwise, and about whom they shall be prepared to answer any question which may be put to them by their friends. Not merely, however, as in other games, is some particular person thought of, but also something belonging to him; for instance, part of his dress, his favourite dog, his friend, or perhaps some peculiarity by which he is so well known that it has actually become part of himself; and on returning to the room, one of the two who have been absent must represent the person, and the other the object. In turn they must then submit to be questioned by the company, who will alternately address themselves, first to the person, then to the object. Supposing Mr. Gladstone to be the person fixed upon, his axe might be chosen for the object, or Cromwell and his wart, or Lord Beaconsfield and his little curl. While the questioning is going on, the person must not volunteer any information relative to the object, neither must the object give any light relative to the person; each must accurately but briefly speak for himself alone until the company succeed in guessing who and what have been the subject of thought.

THE PORK-BUTCHER.

This game is very much like that of the Spanish Merchant, the only difference being that instead of the players representing themselves as Spanish merchants, they carry on for the time the business of pork-butchers. The first player begins the game by saying, "I have just killed a pig, and shall be glad to sell portions of it to any of you. What part will you take?" he continues, addressing his right-hand neighbour. The trick of the game is that whatever part the purchaser shall choose, the corresponding part on his own person must, as he names it, be touched by him.

POSTMAN'S KNOCK.

This game, sometimes used as a forfeit, is played in the following manner:--First of all, some one is stationed at the door, inside the room, to answer the repeated knocks that will be made. Another of the company begins the game by going out of the room, and presently making himself heard outside as postman, by giving a double knock. On the door being opened he is asked for whom he has a letter, and how many pennies the owner will have to pay for it. The person to whom the imaginary letter is addressed must then go outside the room, and give the postman his fee, not in pennies, but in kisses, after which he must take his turn as postman.

PROVERBS.

In choosing a proverb for this game, the simpler ones will be found the best, as those with long, prominent words are difficult to introduce. One of the company having retired, a proverb is fixed upon. The absent one is then called in, when he at once begins by asking a question of each of the company, the first one of whom must mention in his reply the first word in the proverb; the second player must mention the second word, and so on, until all the words have been brought in. Sometimes when the company is large, the proverb is repeated twice in the same round, though when this is done the person who is guessing should be told of the arrangement. As soon as the proverb is discovered, the person whose word gave the clue to the mystery must be the next guesser.

THE QUAKER'S MEETING.