named Eck und Krippe (Corner and Fence), the point inside the circle where the players stand being the "Eck," and the circle itself the "Krippe." RING TOSS. See GROMMETS. RING TRICK. The following trick requires the use of a second ring, similar to the one borrowed; hence it is best to borrow only a plain gold ring. the game lights a piece of twisted "Robin's alive, and alive he shall be; My mouth shall be bridled, my back shall I'll be sent as a slave to Barbary." As soon as the verse is recited the paper is handed to the next player, who also repeats the lines, and so it goes around the ring. The one in whose hand it goes out must pay a forfeit. This game is called also Jack's Alive, and each player repeats those two words only as he holds the lighted paper. Sometimes the last line is sung, "If it dies in my hand you may back-saddle me." Back-saddling" consists in placing the one in whose hand the light went out on his back on the floor, and piling chairs on him. As To pass a ring through a table, sew a ring to the middle of a hand kerchief by a piece of silk about four inches long. Borrow a similar ring, and pretend to wrap it in the handkerchief without really doing So. Then give the handkerchief to one of the company to hold. He will feel the sewed ring and think it to be the borrowed one. If there is no light from behind the performer, he may first hold up the handkerchief with the suspended ring on the side away from the ROLY-POLY, or NINE HOLES, a company to show them that it is game of ball played by any number empty. Ask the company to choose of persons, generally nine. at what point the ring is to pass many holes as there are players, through the table, and, placing a each large enough to receive the tumbler on the spot ask the hand-ball, are dug about a foot apart, the kerchief holder, keeping his hand whole forming a square. Around on the ring within it, to hold it directly over the tumbler. Then drop the handkerchief over the tumbler, and ask him to let the ring go, when it will be heard to fall into the glass. Borrow a high hat, and take it in the hand holding the borrowed ring in such manner that the fingers, covering the ring are just inside the crown. The inside of the hat may then be shown to the company. Placing the hat on the floor just beneath the tumbler, the performer gently drops the ring into it and then, pulling the handkerchief with its attached ring away from the tumbler, invites one of the company to examine the hat, where he will, of course, find the borrowed ring. ROBIN'S ALIVE, a game played by any number of persons, who sit in a circle. The one who begins them a line is drawn, about four or five feet from the outside holes, and ten or fifteen feet from this line, in any direction, is marked the position of the Roller. Each player now chooses a hole, and one, selected by lot as Roller, takes his post, ball in hand. Each of the others must have one foot on the boundary line around the holes. The Roller tries to roll the ball into one of the holes. If he make three consecutive misses, a pebble is placed in his hole. If he succeeds, the player in whose hole the ball stops seizes it and throws it at any of the others, except the Roller. If he hit the one at whom he throws, the latterhashishole marked with a pebble and becomes Roller; if he miss, his own hole is so marked, and he becomes Roller in turn. He who throws the ball must stand on the boundary line as he does so, unless he chooses to hold the ball and wait his chance, instead of throwing it at once, in which case he may stand three feet from the line. The other players must run for safety; but if the thrower hold the ball, they may save themselves from being hit by running back within the boundary line before he can strike them with the ball. If the Roller send the ball into his own hole, he must run forward and throw the ball like any one else; but as he is so far from his hole, he is at a disadvantage, and he always tries, if possible, to send the ball into some other one's hole. The first player who gets three pebbles in his hole must stand with his back to the others, usually with his face to a wall, and throw the ball as far as he can over his shoulder. The others in turn, each standing where the ball stops, may throw it at him as hard as they choose; but whoever hits him in any other part of the body than the back must change places with him. Sometimes he who has three pebbles is considered out of the game, and his hole is stopped up. This goes on until only one is left. He is the winner, and is allowed to throw the ball at each of the others, as described above, in the order in which they went out. Each throws the ball over his shoulder to determine the spot from which it may be thrown at him. History. Roly Poly is a very old English game. It is sometimes played in England with hats instead of holes, and is then often called Egg Hat. In this case the ball is pitched instead of rolled. The French call it Balle aux Pots (Pot Ball) and it is called also Roll Ball. The Germans have a game called Neunloch (Nine Holes), but the object of the player is simply to throw his ball into the holes in a certain order. At Yale College, where the game is much played by the Senior class, it is called Nigger Baby, or African Infant, or sometimes Niger Infans, which is the same name in Latin. The scoring stones placed in the holes are often named "Babies." In Austria they are similarly called Kinder (children). In a variety called Scheiben schiessen (Target Shooting), the nine holes are of different sizes and arranged in the form of a cross, the smallest in the centre. He who hits the centre hole first is called the King, and he who does so next is called the Marshal. ROPE-WAVES, Experiments with. Procure a piece of rope from 20 to 50 feet long, the longer the better; but, if the experiments are to be tried indoor, the rope cannot be longer than the room used. The rope must not be at all stiff; the best kind is cotton window-cord. 1. Tie the rope to some object, such as a door-knob, if indoor, or a tree or a fence outdoors, so that it will be pretty tight. Hold the other end of the rope in the hand. By jerking it quickly downward, a downward curve or depression may be made to run along the rope to the other end, where it will be reflected and return as an upward curve. Or tie the other end of the rope to a chair, stretch it as tight as desired, and then sit on the chair to hold it. When the rope is struck with a stick, a similar wave will run along it, more swiftly the tighter the rope is; so it can be seen better in a long rope than in a short one. 2. Send a downward curve, as before, and just as it is reflected send an upward curve. The two upward curves meeting in the middle of the rope will be added, and make it swing violently. 3. Send a downward curve, and just as it starts to come back as an upward curve, send another downward curve. The opposite curves meeting in the middle of the rope will destroy each other there, so the middle of the rope will remain nearly still, while the parts on either side swing up and down. The still point is called a "node." (See VIOLIN, Experiments on.) 4. Try these experiments with the cord stretched tight and then loose. It will be found that the tighter the cord the faster the waves travel. 5. Send an upward or downward curve, as before, and as it is reflected send a curve to meet it by striking the rope sidewise. The result will be to make the rope move in a circle when they meet. RULES OF THE GAME. 1. In cutting for deal, low deals, and Ace is low. 2. The Dummy must be dealt three cards at a time, each three being given before the dealer gives any to himself. 3. If there be a misdeal, the dealer is rounced, and the deal passes to the next player. 4. Whoever takes Dummy must play it. 5. If all the players up to the one on the dealer's right have refused to play, that one must play his hand, take Dummy, or allow the dealer to score 5. 6. If a player revoke, expose a card, or fail to lead a trump, when possible, after taking a trick, he is In Germany this game is called Rams, and is played with a Euchre pack. If a player hold no trump, he is allowed to play his poorest card face down, which calls for a trump from every other player. ROUND TAG. See Fox AND GEESE, II. ROUNCE, a game of CARDS played by not more than nine persons, with a full pack. The cards rank as in WHIST. Each player is dealt five cards, two and three at arounced. time, as in EUCHRE, and an extra hand of six cards, called "Dummy," is dealt in the middle of the table. If the eldest hand is satisfied, he says "I play:" otherwise, he says "I pass," and, throwing down his cards, may either retire from the game during that hand, or take up Dummy. If he retire, the next player to the left has the same choice, and so with the others in order. After Dummy has been taken up, the others must either play their hands or retire. He who takes up Dummy discards one of its cards. If the dealer choose to play without Dummy, he may take the trump card into his hand and discard one of his own cards. Play then begins, the eldest hand leading. Suit must be followed, if possible, otherwise any card may be played. The winner of a trick must lead trumps, if he can. At the beginning of the game, each player is credited with 15 points, one of which is subtracted for every trick that he makes. If he fail to make a trick, he is said to be "rounced," and five points are added to his score. He wins whose score is first reduced to nothing. The points are often marked by crosses, as in AUCTION PITCH. The ROWING, the art of propelling a boat by means of oars. The different kinds of row-boats and oars are described in C. C. T., under Rowboat. The oarsman sits upright on the thwart, or stationary seat, with his feet against the stretcher, which should be at such a distance that the knees will be bent, but so that the hands will easily clear them. The knees are held about a foot apart, the heels close together, and the toes turned out. handle of the oar is grasped naturally with both hands, one, called the inside hand, at the extreme end, the other, or outside hand, from oneand-a-half to two inches from it. The thumbs are usually underneath though some rowers hold the thumb of either the inside or outside hand above the oar. The rower begins by inclining the body forward, keeping the back straight and the head erect, and stretching out his arms and others incline the front of the blade a little forward. The blade of the oar should be dipped just enough to cover it, and it should be kept at the same depth during the stroke. as far as possible. The oar is now | angles to the water as they dip it dropped into the water (called the "catch") and the rower begins to pull at the same time. He should avoid both pulling before the oar strikes the water and waiting for an instant afterward. Some oarsmen hold the blade of the oar at right The learner should avoid pulling body brought back to the first posi- | whether the water is rough or tion ready to begin another stroke. smooth. When the beginner has This is called the "recover," and learned these movements so that he was formerly often executed with a can execute them without looking sudden movement so as to waste as at his oar, which should never be little time as possible. But oarsmen done by the finished oarsman, he now favor a slower recover, to avoid should "feather" on the recover. straining the muscles of the abdo- Feathering is turning the blade of men, which are used in the move- the oar parallel with the surface of ment. It has been said that the the water during the recover, so that recover is really the most fatiguing the resistance of the air will be as part of the stroke. The hands little as possible. To feather propshould move forward a little faster than the body. But others make the movement with the arms first, lest they should cramp the body. At the instant the body has reached the proper position, the oar is dropped into the water and the second stroke begun. If an oarsman wait an instant before "catching,' he is said to "hang," and he should equally avoid catching before he has finished going forward, thus splashing water. The oar should be carried as low as possible during the recover, the height depending on Fig. 1. 产 Feathering. Fig. 2. erly the wrist of the inside hand should be curved a little upward during the stroke (Fig. 1) and at its |
