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many fingers as he chooses at the back of buck's head, crying, "Buck, buck, how many horns do I hold up?" If buck gives the right number (the umpire keeping a sharp look out to

see that he doesn't peep), buck and rider change places; if his guess is wrong, he has to continue to be buck until he guesses correctly. An ingenious rider will often puzzle buck considerably, by sometimes holding up the same number of "horns" two or three times in succession, or by avoiding the numbers which, as a little experience will teach him, Master Buck chiefly affects in his guessings.

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MARBLES.-Before describing the different games played with marbles, we must be allowed to offer a very few words of advice to our young friends; the more so, as in some schools the masters discountenance these delightful little toys, on the plea that they tend to foster, and sometimes to call forth, two of the most detestable qualities with which man or boy can be afflicted-namely, greediness of gain, and a love of gambling.

AMINE

Now, we think too well of English boys in general, to think that the natural love of success, which inspires all of us, should, as a rule, degenerate with them into such odious vices as these. BUT-and this but, you see, we have written in big capitals, to show its importance-if any boy feels himself growing too fond of playing at marbles, for the sake of the winnings, rather than of the fun-if he finds himself tempted to engage in contests of skill with boys smaller than himself, or with those who do not know half so much about the matter as himself, when he finds himself growing excited over his gamesmuch elated if he wins, and depressed if he loses-then we advise him seriously to give up marbles altogether, for he may depend on it he is in dangerous road. If, however, he can honestly say that such feelings do not buble him, if he feels a hearty interest and enjoyment in his game, for its own e-apart from all considerations of gain or loss-we do not see that there is thing to make a game at marbles more dangerous to him than any other amusement. A celebrated writer has said that courtiers are only "schoolboys multiplied by fifty;" certain it is, that-in the schoolroom and in the playground, as in after life in the camp, the court, and the grove-a boy who wishes to be liked and respected, must square his conduct by the undeviating principles of rectitude and honour, and cultivate the golden rule of doing to others as he would they should do to him. So, out with your marbles-all fair and above board-and this is the way to play

ODD AND EVEN.-Two players have their marbles in a bag, or in their pockets. One of them conceals a certain number in his hand, and holding out his closed fist, the other guesses "odd" or "even," and the first opens his hand. If the guess is right, he pays one marble to the guesser; if it is wrong, he receives one from him; and thus they go on alternately, holding out and guessing, until they finish the game by mutual consent, or till the stock of one of the players has become exhausted. Similar to this game in character is that called

EGGS IN THE BUSH.-Here, the number of marbles held out by the players, and not the oddness or evenness of that number, is to be guessed. The first player holds out his closed hand with, for instance, seven marbles in it, and inquires, "How many eggs in the bush?" His opponent, who has the privilege of feeling or pressing the closed hand held out to him, that he may

If he

form an estimate by the hardness of the fingers, of the number of "eggs" concealed within, says five, or perhaps nine-in either case he has to pay two; for his guess was two marbles wrong, the right number being seven. had guessed six or eight, he would only have to pay one. Had he guessed seven, the whole number would have been forfeited to him. In other respects, the game is identical with odd and even. It is well to limit the number of eggs" the bush may contain to seven, or the losses on one side or the other

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may be heavy, which is not desirable, as boys should play for the fun of the game, and not merely for the sake of the winnings.

SPANS AND SNOPS.-The first of two players lays down a marble, and the second shoots at it from a given distance. If he hits or snops it with his own, he wins the marble, as he also does if his own marble comes so near that he can span the distance between the two marbles with his hand. Failing to do this, his companion shoots with his own mar

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ole at that of his adversary, and thus the game goes on, a marble being paid each time a span or a snop occurs.

BONCE ABOUT is played with a big kind of marbles, called "bonces." The game does not require much skill. The first player puts down his bonce, and the second aims at it from a given distance. If he hits the bonce of the first player with his

own, he wins a marble; if not, the first player aims at the bonce of the second, from the place where his own rests. Each time the bonces strike together, a marble is lost and won.

This is a good place to say a word about the different kinds of marbles in use. First, and cheapest, are the clay marbles, which the schoolboy capitalist will not greatly value, for they are seldom perfectly round, are easily chipped, and, in fact, are only fit for playing 66 eggs in the bush," or "odd and even," or to

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pay fines with, in playing bonce about. The Dutch marbles of grey stone, sometimes stained with various colours, are the honest workable marbles for "shoot in the ring," and similar games; and next above these come the "alley-taws," made of real white marble, and, in general, handsomely streaked with red veins. These are highly prized, and generally selected by boys as the marbles with which they shoot, and execute the more difficult

manœuvres of their games. Beyond these, there is another class-the crème de la crème of marbles; those, namely, that are made of agate. These are, however, entirely fancy articles, and do not come into the usual marble category. Dutch marbles may be obtained at about twenty for a penny alleys are much dearer.

PYRAMIDS.-This game is on the principle of the "three shots a-penny" targets, kept by gipsies at fairs, who invite the adventurous marksman to fire for nuts,

which he scarcely ever succeeds in winning, and which so seldom have kernels in them when they are won. One boy builds a pyramid of marbles, in the manner shown in the cut; and his companions take shots at the said pyramid, from a certain distance, paying a marble per shot. Round the 'pyramid a circle is drawn, and all the marbles struck out of the circle belong to the fortunate marksman who has shot them out. The pyramid should be kept by the boys in turn. Sometimes a player sells his turn for so many marbles, being loth to

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tempt fortune, and preferring a little certain to a great uncertain gain, thinking one bird in the hand worth two in the bush; but for our part, we like to see spirit in marble-playing, as in everything else, and agree with the grand old Elizabethan poet, who wrote

"He either fears his fate too much,

Or his desert is small,

Who dares not put it to the touch,
And win or lose it all."

BACK HITS, OR LAG.- For this game, the ground should be very

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hard and smooth, or there should be a slight incline towards the players, that the marbles may roll back. The players stand in a row, at a little distance

from a wall, and beginning at the right hand man, shoot their marblos in succession against the wall, so that they may rebound and roll back some distance. The player whose marbie hits that of another, wins all the marbles on the ground, and the game re-commences by the player next to the winner shooting his marble against the wall as before.

SHOOT IN THE RING, OR RING-TAW.-A pool is made, each player putting so many marbles into the ring. Then, standing at a line,

or an outer circle, called "the offing," the players fire in turn at the ring. The player, who with his taw strikes a marble out of the ring, repeats his shot until he misses; so that the first players have the best chance, and generally thin the pool considerably before their companions get their turn. When the first turn has concluded, before all the marbles have been shot out of the ring, the players shoot from the positions in which their respective taws have rested after the first fire. If any taw remains in the ring, the player to whom it belongs must leave it there, until it is shot out by another, to whom he must then deliver, as ransom, all the marbles he himself may have shot out of the ring.

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FORTIFICATIONS may be called an elaborate version of " picking the plums." The marbles are not merely ranged along a line, but disposed on

a diagram, as in

the illustration, and the players try to shoot them out of the limits of the fortification, not being allowed to consider a marble as won until it is quite clear of the outworks. If the taw of the attacking person remains within the fortress, it is considered as a prisoner of war, and must remain where it is, until

shot out by an

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other player, whose booty it becomes, according to the laws and regulations of war. This "fortification" game is much played in France, and is supposed to have been recently introduced here by some young John Bulls, on their return to their native country, after a residence in a French college at Boulogne or Paris.

PICKING THE PLUMS consists in ranging a number of marbles, subscribed by the players, on a line drawn on the ground. Each shoots

in turn, and pockets all the plums he can manage to pick out of the marble porridge.

BLIND MAN'S BUFF.-To tell English boys how to play at Blindman's Buff, is almost like undertaking to teach a duck to swim, or to prove that fire burns; for this game is known to all, from the nursery downwards, and is, moreover, one of the few boys' games in which the little girls (we beg their pardon, the young ladies) are, by long custom, privileged to join. So, instead of describing the game, we'll give our young readers the French tale of the origin of blind man's buff, or "Colin Maillard," as they call it.

In the reign of good King Robert of France, who lived more than eight hundred years ago, there was a certain noble count, called "Colin," a brave. warrior, who was accustomed to fight the king's battles with a great iron mallet, or hammer (in French called "maillot"), whence he got the surname of Maillard. A count of Louvain having offended King Robert, Colin Maillard was sent out against the rebel; and, in a great battle, he fought till he received a terrible wound, which completely made a "blind man" of him. But even then the brave warrior would not quit the field, and made his squires lead him on in front of his men, till he fell dead to the ground. In honour of his gallant subject, King Robert, after having him splendidly buried, ordered that a certain military game should be instituted in his memory, in which a warrior, with his eyes blindfolded, fought with blunt weapons against all who entered the lists with him. The greatest nobles and most famous knights, it is said, were proud to act the character of the gallant "blind man" on these occasions; and it is recorded of Godfrey of Boulogne, the brave crusader, in the old chronicles, that among his other achievements he five times enacted the part of Colin Maillard. Soon the custom spread among the people, first among the grown up folks, and then down to the children; so that "blind man's buff" may be looked upon as the result of a noble action done by a brave man eight hundred years ago.

On the Continent they have a modified way of playing at blind man's buff, which, though far less jolly than our English method, may be followed with.

advantage on birthdays and holidays, when boys and girls are dressed in their best, and careful parents are averse to. rough clothes-tearing play. The party are not scattered here and there over the ground, but take hands and form a circle. In the midst stands Mr. Buff, blind-folded,

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with a short thin stick in his hand. The players keep running round in a circle, generally singing, while Buff ap proaches gradually, guided mostly by

their voices, till he manages to touch one of the twirling circle with his stick. Then the dance stops, and the dancers become motionless and silent. The player who has been touched must take the end of the stick in her hand, while Buff holds the other; and she must distinctly, repeat, three times, after him, any word he chooses to name -"Good morning" or "Good night," for instance; of course, disguising his or her voice as much as possible. The blind man tries

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