from the knee of the jumper, so perhaps, there is really little choice between the two. One practice, however, must be particularly avoided; and any player found guilty of it ought to be at once excluded from the game, besides receiving whatever punishment playground justice may award for his offence. We allude to the baneful trick called fudging, or suddenly stooping, just as the jumper is taking his leap over your back. The result of this agreeable practical joke is, that your friend, instead of having the slight fall you intended for him, if he is a bold leaper and has taken a good spring, may come to the ground with great violence, and injure himself seriously. We have heard of a collar-bone broken through fudging, nor was the said bone fudged back into its place, without a good deal of painful suffering to the injured boy, and some well-earned remorse endured by the thoughtless lad who had caused the accident. There are several good games founded upon leap-frog as a basis. One of the best of these is called SPANISH FLY.-In this game each player has not to leap over a long line of backs in succession, but one lad only acts as jumping-block, and must continue to do so until one of his play-fellows, by making some blunder, is compelled by the rules of the. game to take his place. In Spanish fly, various figures, so to speak, have to be enacted, and these may be varied according to the fancy and taste of the players. The following are the most usual: One player having volunteered a back, the next to him vaults over, and must manage in his passage to deposit his cap on the back of the first player. If he fails to do this, he must become "back" himself. The other players then follow in succession, and, in leaping, must avoid touching the cap that lies on their friend's back; any one displacing it becomes "back," and the game recommences. Another figure consists in each player depositing a handkerchief, rolled up into the shape of an eel, on the back over which he jumps, and at the next round, supposing all the handkerchiefs duly deposited in line, each player must pick up his own without displacing the others. Or the leader may set the example, while taking his leap with one hand to help him over, of lifting off his cap with the other and flinging it on the ground before him; then, in the next round, each must pick up his own cap, without removing his heels from the place where he alights after his leap. Thus the game may be carried on in endless variety by varying the figure. Another form of leap-frog is the game of SPANISH FLY. FLY THE GARTER.-The player who gives the back must stand side-ways, with one foot a little forward, near a line which has previously been drawn on the ground. This line is called the "garter." The other players have not only to vault over his back, but must alight with their heels beyond the garter or line. Any one failing to do this has to take the place of the lad who has hitherto given the back to the rest, and the game begins anew. Supposing all to have flown satisfactorily, the back-giver takes a jump backwards from his position and offers himself again to the rest. These must now start from beyond the garter, give one spring, and then clear the back. Failing to do this, places are changed. Any one stepping on the garter, taking more than one jump, or failing to clear the back satisfactorily, must take his comrade's place, and present his back to the rest; and so the game commences de novo. Sometimes it is established as a rule that the last player in the row, as he vaults over the back, should cry "Foot it," when the proprietor of the said back is bound to move a foot forward and back again. Should the last player omit to cry "Foot it," he has to give the rest a back. Thus the player who acts as back has an additional chance of changing his position for the better. JUMP, LITTLE NAG-TAIL.-In this game, the players are divided into two sides; there should not be more than six or seven on each. One party has to enact the nags, and the other represents the riders. One boy stands against a wall, or a form, post, or gate, with 66 his face towards it; and the next to him leans his head against the first, the third against the second, and so on, until all the nags are in position. Or the first nag may sit down on a bench, as shown in the engraving, the second laying his head in his fellow-nag's lap. The first of the riders takes a short run and a spring, as at leap-frog, and must manage to get as far forward as possible on the row of nags. The second then follows him, and the third, until all are mounted. Then, the first rider must say, Jump, little Nag-tail, one, two, three;" and this he repeats three times, adding after the third repetition-"off, off, off" when, suiting the action to the word, the riders dismount and become nags in their turn, to be backed by those who just now carried them. If, however, one of the nags should break down, or touch the earth with hands or knees before the "Jump, little Nagtail," has been repeated three times the nags must submit to bear their riders again. Or if one of the nags feels his strength giving way, he may cry "weak horse," and the riders must instantly dismount, and the game begins again. If they do not get off immediately on the cry "weak horse" being raised, the riders have to become nags. PLAIN TOUCH.-"Begin at the beginning, and you'll get to the end in time," is a good maxim; so here we speak of the very simplest-the A B C of playground games-the pastime of Touch-in its several varieties. Touch is a very simple game, and has the double advantage, that its rules are easily understood, and that a good number of players can take part in it. One of the ten or twelve (who wish to play, though the number may be increased at pleasure) is chosen, to take upon himself the office of pursuer; or, to use the approved schoolboy expression, a good runner is chosen "he." It is his business to touch any of the other players whom he can manage to run down; while they, on their part, come just near enough to excite him to the pursuit; while they take good care to keep clear of the outstretched hand of the "he," as that nimble personage darts to and fro among them, in search of a victim. At last some urchin, less nimble or less fortunate than the rest, comes within the reach of the pursuer's arm-and if touched, though ever so slightly, he must at once take the pursuer's place, until, in his turn, he emancipates himself by catching another victim. Sometimes, to give the runners an additional chance, a touch on the hand or face of a fugitive is not considered valid, the rule being established that "flesh is free," but this regulation is not always carried out. Some boys, also, are not content unless they give their companions a striking proof of their ability to overtake them, in the shape of a huge blow on the back; but it should be remembered, that the game to be played is to be called "Touch," and not "Thump." CROSS TOUCH.-Cross Touch, or Cross Tag, differs from Plain Touch, in the fact that it gives the pursued an additional chance of escape. A pursuer or "he" is chosen; he does not, however, run at the whole mass of fugitives, but waits until one from among them challenges him, by touching him on the shoulder, and crying "Go!" He must then run after this challenger, and no other, until some venturesome or generous player draws off the pursuit by crossing between the "he" and the victim he is about to overtake (See Illustration). The pursuer must then desist from following the first player, and run after the one who has crossed, and who, in his turn, is perhaps relieved by another. Thus the pursuer is harassed, by continually having a new adversary to encounter, until at last he either succeeds in overtaking some venturous wight, or is obliged to give up the attempt, exhausted, when a fleeter or more enduring "he" is chosen. TOUCH WOOD.-In this form of the game of Touch an advantage is given to the players, by their being permitted, when pursued by the enemy, to fly for refuge to any post, tree, or other wooden object in their way. While they are thus touching wood, they cannot be molested; and thus have certain harbours of refuge in which to recruit their shattered forces and take breath. In other respects, the game is identical with "Plain Touch." WARNING.-There should be about twelve players for this game. One (a good runner) retires to one corner of the ground, where a small base is chalked out for a TOUCH-WOOD. "home." He then clasps his hands, and. stretching them out in front of him, sings the following "warning!" "Warning once, warning twice, warning three times over! A bushel of wheat, and a bushel of rye, And when the cock crows, out jump I, Hereupon he rushes out among the other boys, who, of course, seek to avoid him, while he must try (without unclasping his hands) to touch one of them. If he unclasps his hands, he must run "home," pursued with cuffs by the other boys, and then repeats his warning, and sallies out again. If he touches any one, the player, so caught, has to accompany his captor home, and they join hands, and sally forth together, to make a new capture, but they must not let go each other's hand. To make them do this, the other players make rushes at them, at the risk of getting touched by the disengaged hands of the two. Gradually one after another of the players have been touched, and the warning gang comes out in a long line, as in the engraving-and try to hem in the few remaining players. Now is the time to try and break them oy a dexterous rush at the middle of the line, for only the two end players have a hand disengaged for the purpose of capture. Each time the line is broken, or a fresh man captured, the warning men must run home, to sally out afresh. With the taking prisoner of the last man, the game concludes. I SPY-also called WHOOP-is a good game for the playground or the field. The players separate into two parties; one party must hide their eyes in a chosen base or home (and no peeping allowed), while the rest seek out the best hiding-places thoy can find. One of the hiding party waits until his companions are hidden, and then ensconces himself in some nook, crying "whoop" as he does so, as a signal to the opposing that they may sally forth. The object of the hidden ones is to rush out suddenly, and touch one of the opposing party, before they can retreat to the shelter of the "home." On the other hand, if one of the seekers can detect the lurking place of any foe, he gives the alarm by crying-"I spy Jones!" or "I spy Robinson!" whereupon the said Jones or Robinson must come out and try to touch one of the retreating crew, who scour away home at his appearance. Every one thus touched counts one towards the side of the player who touched him. When all that are of one side have come out of their concealment, the opposite party take their turn at hiding; and the side which manages to touch most of the enemy's men, wins the game. FOLLOW MY LEADER. The name of this game sufficiently indicates its nature. A quick, clever lad is chosen as "leader," and the other players have to follow him wherever he goes, to take any leap he chooses, to clamber up any steep place he has climbed; in fact, they must never desert him, but are expected to be the embodiment of the faithful servant in Shakespeare's play, who says: "Master, lead on, and I will follow thee. E'en to the death, with truth and loyalty." The game may be made very amusing, if the leader have wit enough to set his followers such tasks as they can just manage to accomplish by dint of great 66 exertion; for instance, we have heard of a leader who made some of his followers, they being somewhat of the fat type of boys, crawl through the very narrow windows of an outhouse, at the imminent risk of sticking in the middle, in their zeal to stick to their leader. The sailors on board ship often play at this game when they are turned up," on a fine afternoon, to "skylark" or enjoy themselves; and Captain Marryat tells a tale of an impudent fellow of a sailor leader, who, after leading his followers a wild-goose chase all over the ship, ran off to the galley fire, and blacked his face with the soot. All the men had to do the same thing; and as they followed their leader, shouting and laughing, he led them to the end of the mainyard, and dropped off into the sea. Of course it was a point of honour to follow him, and sailors are not the men to hang back in such a case; but some of them, who could not swim, were nearly drowned. The sailor was called before the captain to be reprimanded; and touching his hat very respectfully, excused himself on the ground that the men were all so dirty, he thought a little washing would do them good-whereupon the captain laughed, and said no more about the matter. FOLLOW MY LEADER. HARE AND HOUNDS.-This is the game to play at out in the fields on a half-holiday, and if the hare be a good one and the hounds staunch, there is scarcely better sport to be had than one of these hunts will afford. The hare is allowed a certain amount of "law," that is to say, he starts before the hounds, and an interval must elapse before they set out after him. Then away they all go, like Robin Goodfellow, or Puck "Over hill, over dale, through brake, through briar, Over park, over pale, through water (and almost) through fire." On an open common, the hare is run down by mere speed, and remains in view all the time, one of the boys chosen as huntsman sounding his horn from time to time, to encourage the hounds and call them together, and a whipper-in being sometimes associated with him, to do his office upon stragglers and sluggards. But where the ground is broken or bushy, or intersected with hedges and ditches, which give the hare an opportunity of hiding from hounds and huntsmen, the sport assumes the more scientific form of a PAPER-CHASE.-The hare must here be provided with a quantity of paper, which he is bound to tear up and scatter in fragments as he goes along; particularly it is a point of honour to do this when he arrives at any place where his pursuers are likely to be at fault; for it is by this dropped paper that the hounds are to track him in his flight. When they are bewildered, it is the office of the huntsman and whipper-in to cast about and find the track; and as the hounds naturally rally round them, these two functionaries are generally distinguished by some mark, such as a red or white cap, or sometimes by a flag, which they carry and wave aloft over their heads to collect the hounds. At some of the great public schools, the boys |