In all cases, however, directly the party challenged pursues his opponent, the latter is assisted by one of the runners on his own side, who pursues his antagonist, as if he had been challenged by the party who accepted the first challenge; a second runner then starts from the challenged camp, running upon the second from the camp. of the challenger; and thus, one after the other, they all pursue those preceding them, until they have returned into their camps without any one being taken; or, till one of the players is made captive, when the party who captures him immediately cries out "prisoner."

The party captured is obliged to surrender himself without resistance, and cannot make his escape from his enemy's camp; and his captor is exempt from being touched in returning.

The camp is an inviolable asylum: no party who enters can be taken in his own space, but has the right of starting again after the players who were previously pursuing him. When one player is too far advanced, the others endeavour to cut off his retreat, that is to get between him and the camp he started from.

When the chace becomes general, and draws the players some distance from the camps, the game is exceedingly lively and amusing. 3

Prisoners' base is played in two ways. Sometimes the captives are not detained, and the game consists in a certain number of captures, which are counted as points towards game, and which may be twenty or any number agreed upon. But, more frequently, the prisoners are kept in the enemy's camp till they are rescued, or till there are no runners left on one side. In the latter case, the game may last a very long time, because a single runner, if very adroit, or if his opponents are not very cautious, may rescue the whole of his own side.

The prisoners are rescued in the following manner. They stand in single file at the entrance of the camp, holding each other by the hand. They cannot quit this place and regain their own camp, unless one of their own side comes up and touches the first of them with his hand without being taken himself. But this is not an easy matter, because some one is always left in the camp to guard the prisoners; and because the prison belonging to either party is always much nearer to the base of their opponents than to their own, and if the person sent to relieve his confederate be touched by an antagonist before he reaches him, he also becomes a prisoner, and stands in equal need of deliverance. If, by ac

cident, they are all imprudently out of the camp, one of their opponents profits by their negligence, and deprives them in an instant of the fruits of numerous victories; and neither he nor those he has relieved are to touch or be touched in their return to their own camp. Thus Prisoners' Base exemplifies the maxim, "That it is more easy to make conquests than to keep them."

As the runners on both sides are generally well matched, this game is very long; for each party, by making prisoners, regains frequently whatever had been previously lost.

The addition of prisons occasions a considerable degree of variety in the pastime, and is frequently productive of much pleasantry; but the practice of thus detaining prisoners is bad, because it compels them to remain inactive after violent exercise it is better, therefore, to count points, or to take forfeits, of which a sufficient number would be got to afford amusement at the conclusion of the game.

There is another variety of this game in which the prisoners are not rescued, but are drafted into the enemy's camp, and the game is over when all the players on one side have passed into the other camp.

FOLLOW MY LEADER.

PLATE VIII.

It is scarcely necessary to describe this game. The most skilful or active is selected to perform a series of manoeuvres in running, climbing, jumping, &c., in which he must be followed by all the rest who have joined in the game; and those who fail, always fall behind those who succeed. This is an excellent game of exercise when performed in an extensive space, and where all the players are nearly equal in size and strength.