Healthful Sports for Boys Part 10

The drake places his stone on a rock, stump, or other prominence and stands guard.

A taw line is drawn and from this the ducks are thrown at the drake, each trying to knock him off his perch.

When a player has failed, he must recover his own duck, and in doing so he runs the risk of being tagged by the boy guarding the drake. The drake guardian cannot touch the other until he has put his hand on his duck.

The best way is for the ducks to make a rush for their weapons at once when most of them are sure to escape, whereas one has but little chance. Whenever a boy is tagged he must a.s.sume the place of guardian.

If the drake is knocked off, all the boys make a rush for their ducks.

The drake cannot tag till he has placed the stone in position.

STONE THROW

This game may be played with from six to twenty players. When the game is played outdoors, a large stone is placed on a boulder, and a player stands to guard it. A line is drawn twenty or thirty feet from the boulder. Here each of the other players stands in turn and throws a stone at the stone on the boulder, which he tries to knock off the rock. If he does not succeed he goes and stands by the place where some stone has fallen, and waits until some one does succeed. If he prefers, he may pick up his stone and try to run back to the goal before the guard of the stone can tag him. If he reaches it in safety he has a chance to throw again. When some one succeeds in knocking off the stone all who have thrown may pick up stones and run back to the goal line, while the guard replaces the stone on the rock and tries to tag any one who has his stone in his hand, and who has not crossed the goal line. Whoever is tagged becomes guard.

CHAPTER XV

AND NOW FOR BALL--SOME OF THE MANY GOOD GAMES THAT CAN BE PLAYED WITH A BALL, BAT, OR RACKET

Ball in some form is played all the world over. Before Columbus came across, the Indians of the St. Lawrence valley played a ball game with rackets, which the French adopted and named Lacrosse. No game requires more dexterity of foot, hand, and eye.

Certain games seem to be favored in certain lands; Cricket in England, hand ball in Ireland, and baseball in the United States. But, then, as we adopt and absorb peoples of all nationalities so we take all the good things they have to offer in the way of games and, modifying them to suit our own tastes, we make them American.

In addition to these imported games, we have, with characteristic originality, invented a lot of games of our own, and in these the boy takes endless delight, without bothering about their origin. On cricket, baseball, hand ball and other great games, many books have been written telling how to play "scientifically". Now, I am not trying to teach scientific games. My purpose is to add something to the knowledge of games which my readers already have, and so to increase their interests in those healthful sports that add to the joys of boy life.

TOWN BALL

This game, before being imported from England, long, long ago, was called "Rounders." In this game the bat and ball are both different from those used in baseball. There are corners instead of bases, and there is a "giver" instead of a pitcher. The fielders may be of any number, but they are not known by distinctive names.

The greatest freedom is permitted in the choice of ball. It may be of hollow rubber, or it may be of the good, old-fas.h.i.+oned, home-made sort. Did you ever make a ball, but of course you have, by unravelling a heelless worsted stocking and then winding the thread about a core of cork or rubber till the whole is quite round, the end being sewed to keep it from unravelling. This ball is finished by a cover of thin leather, cut in the form of a three-leaved clover and neatly sewed on with a waxed thread. The bat is like that used in baseball but lighter and shorter. The corners are usually three in number, with a home- base, making four, but this varies according to the whim of the players or the locality where the game is played. Ordinarily with three corners the distances are about the same as between the bases in baseball. In place of home-base there is a rectangle marked on the ground where the striker and catcher stand.

The giver stands in the same position that the pitcher occupies in a game of baseball; but in place of pitching or making the underhand throw, he throws overhand and "gives" the ball to the catcher over the right shoulder of the batter.

The batter stands at the front line of the home-base and holds his bat above his shoulder and strikes from that position, with both hands grasping the handle of the bat, if he is using a flat bat. But if he is using a "delill" he holds it with one hand and allows the swiftly thrown ball to strike his club and glance off at an angle to a part of the grounds where no fielders are on the outlook for it. Every time the ball touches the bat it is considered a fair hit, and the batter must run for his first corner and reach it, if possible, before some fielder, the catcher, or giver secures the ball and "burns" or "stings" him, as they call it when they hit a player with the ball. No one stands on guard at the bases to catch the batter out, and the ball, in place of being thrown to the base, is thrown at the man running the corners. When one batter makes a hit or is put out the next batter takes his place as in baseball.

The catcher stands behind the bat and without gloves, and with no protection for his face or body he catches the "hot" b.a.l.l.s the giver sends to him. The b.a.l.l.s are not heavy enough to be dangerous.

The fielders scatter themselves over the field, according to the directions of the captain, and try to catch or stop all b.a.l.l.s from the bat, or those that are thrown at and miss the runners between corners.

When a man is out he is out until the next inning, and the game proceeds without him. If a striker sends a ball in the air and it is caught before it touches the ground by the giver, the catcher, or any one of the fielders, the batter is out. If the ball touches his bat it is counted a hit, and if it is caught by any one of the opposite side he is out.

If any one of the fielders, the catcher, or giver makes a successive throw at a man running the corners and strikes him with the ball when he is not touching his corner, he is out.

If the batter misses a ball that he strikes at, and the catcher catches the ball before it strikes the ground, the batter is out.

When a man is put out, he is out for that inning, and cannot strike again until the next inning for his side. When all are out but one, that one has a very difficult task to make a score, unless he can make a home-run strike. There are no other batters to help him by sending a "skysc.r.a.per" over the fielders' heads; but he must run his corners while the giver and catcher, standing in their regular position, pa.s.s the ball between them. This always produces a great deal of excitement and sport, as all the batter's side coach him, and if he succeeds in stealing a corner or successfully dodges the ball thrown at him, he is greeted by wild cheers from his side.

Should he at last succeed in reaching home-base untouched, he has the privilege of "putting in" the best batter on his side, and there are then two men in and a better chance to score.

ONE OR TWO OLD CAT

is a modification of town-ball, and was played by our great grandfathers while in camp during the Revolution. It is a good game for three or four boys, not less than three, as there must be a pitcher, a catcher, and a batter. Any goal can be decided on in advance, but usually the striker, after making a hit, runs and touches the pitcher's base. If he gets back without being it, or stung by the thrown ball, he can keep on, each run counting one. If the ball is struck at and caught, the striker is out, and the catcher goes to the bat. This is one old cat. With two strikers, there are sides and it is called two old cat.

HAND BALL

is another game that has grown into popularity in the United States.

It is said to have originated in Ireland, where regular courts are built for it, but it can be played in any place where there is a high brick wall with a smooth open s.p.a.ce in front.

This game can be played by two, or sides may be chosen with any number of players on each.

A medium ball, with good bounding qualities is the best for this game.

The player throws the ball on the ground and in the bound he strikes it with the palm of his hand, sending it against the wall, above the three foot line. The force must be enough to cause the ball to drop outside the taw line. The next player uses his hand as a bat, and sends the ball back against the wall in the same manner. He must hit the ball on the first bound or before it has touched the earth. The next player is ready to take his turn and strikes the ball on the rebound, and so the game proceeds, until some one misses, or sends the ball below the three foot mark or outside the boundaries.

If it is the first striker who misses or sends the ball out of the boundaries on the ground or side of the wall, then he loses his inning, and the boy on the other side drops the ball and strikes it as already described.

If it is a player on "outs" that makes a miss, then the "inners" count one for each miss or foul. A foul is when the ball goes below the three foot line on the wall or rebounds outside the boundaries.

The Outs cannot count when the Ins miss, but they take the place of the Ins and the Ins are out. After the first hand up or play it is unnecessary that the ball should rebound beyond the taw line. Fifteen points make a game. In England the boys have the same game under the name of Fives.

ANTHONY OVER

or _House Over_. This game was very popular out West when I was a boy.

We called the game Anthony Over; in the East I find it is called House Over. But no matter the name, it affords a lot of exciting sport. It is best played in the country for there can be found a house or a barn standing alone and with lots of s.p.a.ce on either side for running.

After sides are chosen and all are ready, divide into two groups, each out of sight on opposite sides of the building. The ball may be that used in Town Ball. The boy who has it throws it over the building at the same time shouting as a warning to the boys on the other side: "Anthony Over," or "House Over."

One of those on the opposite side must try to catch the ball before it reaches the ground and if he succeeds, he shouts, "Over! Over! Over!"

at the same time rus.h.i.+ng around one end of the building. Those on the side from which the ball was thrown at once make a rush for the opposite side, and all whom he reaches by touching or by striking with the ball are his captives and are counted "out".

If there is no catch, there is no count and the sides remain as they were, each throwing the ball alternately, and shouting as before to give warning. In some places the boy hit, instead of being a captive, joins the opposite ranks. It is always very hard, sometimes impossible, to capture the last boy, but it can be done through strategy.

CORNER BALL

In this game the corners depend on the number of players. With six boys there are three corners, which make the limits of a triangle.

With eight boys there are four corners, the limits forming a square.

You should have more than four players because with this number you would have only two bases and the boundaries would be a straight line.

The Ins take the bases and the Outs group themselves inside the triangle, square or whatever figure may be formed by the corners. The Ins pa.s.s the ball around the corners, throwing and catching until they see a good chance to hit one of the Outs grouped inside the boundaries. The ball is then thrown at the Outs, and if it hits one he is out of the game; and if it misses, the thrower is out of the game.

But, if one of those in the center catch the ball, there is a laugh and the ball is thrown back to a corner man with no scorce either way.

When all of the one side are put out of the game the opposite side has won, and all are ent.i.tled to a throw with the ball at the boy on the losing side who was first put out. The victim stands with head down and back arched facing the wall, while the victors line themselves at thirty feet distant and take turns "burning" the captive--that is, hitting him with the ball--if they can. It must be remembered that the dangerous baseball is never used in these games, and the other ball does no injury to the lad struck.