AMUSING GAMES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17348, 20 December 1919, Page 5 (Supplement)

AM USING GAMES.

The. players who are partners <=at? in two rows facing each other, just far apart enough that vis-a-vis can touch toes if-, . they stick their legs out. 'An empty 5 chair stands at the far end. Now the victim is. led in, and he is made to stand at the other end of the" row, facing the chairs, alternate pairs meanwhile sticking out their legs and making hurdles. He is bidden to walk down the rows blindfolded and with hands tied together, stepping; over the hurdles and sitting in the chairs at the other end. He may be allowed w to practise it once with hands tied but eyes uncovered. As soon as he is " blindfolded all legs are silently withdrawn and the alley left clear. He is then told to start. To see him trying to step over hurdles n °v°j, exist " excruciatingly funny. une hurdle "stunt" suggests another. I A handicap hobble hurdle race is an American importation. The combatants wear -tight-fitting hobble skirts of cheese cloth or sacking, and are bidden to race the length .of the room or garden: The least BDurt of speed on the players* part will result in the upset of his equilibrium, Half : way down the course pasteboard barriers indoors or fences out lof doors are stationed, over which the hobbled ones must hurdU as best they can. " TURKISH BASTINADO." To play "Turkish Bastinado" the players form a wide circle, standing with both hands outstretched, palms facing upwards, towards the centre of the ring The player chosen as " he" stands in the centre. • As the leader cries "Go!" "he" twirls round and round, trying to slap a pair of outstretched hands before they can be snatched away, and having succeeded in applying the bastinado to one of the players in the ring they exchange places, and the game goes on until everyone has had a turn. JAPANESE TAG. A game that causes great amusement among young people at country houses is Japanese tag. It is old, but has been revived, like many an ancient game, for holiday fun. The game is played like this : "It" stands a little way off on the grass, if the game is played out of doors— at the other end of the room if it is played indoors run;-, after the other players, who most try to evade him. The one he succeeds in catching in turn becomes " it," and he must chase the rest with his hand on . that part of his own person that was touched when he was caught.' ' The antics of one poor <e it" after another are often so ludicrous as to cause shouts of laughter. * THE BURNING HANDKERCHIEF. The. mora players the merrier in this game. The "whole party seat themselves in a, wide circle round the room with the exception of one who stands alone in the centre. A large handkerchief, supposed to ( burn everyone's : fingers, is passed quickly from band to hand and thrown i about in every direction. The one in I the centre tries to catch it, and the players try to prevent him from doing ' so. . When he succeeds in catching it, whoever has last thrown becomes "he," and ; the gain© goes on until everyone is worn out! ARTISTS ALL. Each player is provided with a small pad of paper, a peacil, and a card with his or her name on it and numbers from one to six, A non-player nrnst be appointed to * act as -umpire. * The men of -v the party are first asked to select* partners for each number on their cards, and • when this is done, partners may begin to draw each other's faces on their pads. Five minutes is the time allowed for each "sitting." When all the portraits are done, each being marked with the artist's initials and the number the model occupies on his or her card, they are all pinned to a dark curtain, and the players must guess whose likeness each drawing is supposed to be. The player guessing the largest number of portraits correctly wins a prize, and so does the one who is ( voted by the others to have drawn the best likeness. — CHOPSTICKS. Any number can play this game. Each player must be provided with two new nnsharpened pencils, and have a seat round a little table, in the centre of which is a plate fall of marbles. Give the players a smaller plate each, and explain that when the sianal is given they must nick up the marbles one at a time with their pencils or chopsticks, and put them down on their own small plates. The marbles must not be touched with the fingers at all. When the centre plate is empty count each player's haul; the one who has caught most marbles is the winner. Until one gets the knack of the thing the task is almost impossible. The whole secret lies in holding the two hands together so that the thumbs press each other and keep the pencils steady. MUSICAL PLOP. Musical Flop is a very old-fashioned game like Musical Chairs, but much less bother to arrange. No chairs are needed. One person plays the piano, and the others move ronnd in a circle, one after the other. The instant the music stops (which is just whenever the pianist "feels inclined) everyone must sit down on the floor as quickly as possible. The last to do so loses her place in'the game, and this goes on till only one player is left. Kneeling or flopping down on to one's hands is not allowed.

In another instance, in the East, where a truce of this kind occurred, there was a tush for a fruit tree which had tantalised the opposing troops for a long while. That tree was stripped bare, and never was Christmas -fruit devoured with more enjoyment! ' J J

The writer himself knows of a case in which a British and a German sentry, on outpost duty, arranged not to worry each other on Christmas Day. Instead, thev chatted with each other, hoped the war would soon be over, and smoked their pipes of peace.