Safety by opponent 2




CHAPTER XVIII

A HINT AT SOME WELL-KNOWN GAMES, INCLUDING HOP-SCOTCH


During a good deal of world-travelling I cannot recall ever having
seen a game of Mumbly Peg played outside of the United States and
Canada. I have placed it among the autumn games, but we all know that,
except in winter when the conditions are unfavorable, it can be played
at any time, where two boys and a jackknife can be assembled, with
reasonably soft, smooth ground on which to play.

This game has so many variations locally and even among individual
players that I shall not attempt a detailed description of the many
ways in which the blade of the knife is made to enter the ground.

The feats, known to every boy, can be performed alone, and, when a
boy, I know I did practice a lot by myself in order to avoid the
consequences of defeat.

The rule is for the first boy to take the knife and go through as many
feats as he can, but at the first failure the second boy takes the
knife and does the same. And when all but one have succeeded, the
penalty for failure is as follows: