The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume Ii Part 82

to the second part of the tune in 2-4 time. This is repeated, all jumping simultaneously to the changed time, until there is a general scrimmage, with shrieking and laughter, and a break up. The players should look somewhat like a watch spring. [Ill.u.s.tration] As soon as the last one is wound up, no matter in what part of the 3-8 time music they may be, they leave off and begin to jump up and down, and sing to the 2-4 music.-Ess.e.x (Miss Dendy).

This game is called "Wind up the Watch" in Wolstanton, North Staffords.h.i.+re Potteries, and is played in the same manner. The words are only, "Wind up the Watch," and are said. When all the players are wound up they begin to unwind, saying, "Unwind the Watch."-Miss Bush. Called "Wind up Jack" in Shrops.h.i.+re. It is the closing game of any playtime, and was played before "breaking-up" at a boys' school at Shrewsbury, 1850-56. The players form a line hand in hand, the tallest at one end, who stands still; the rest walk round and round him or her, saying, "Wind up Jack! Wind up Jack!" (or at Ellesmere, "Roll up the tobacco-box"), till "Jack" is completely imprisoned. They then "jog up and down," crying, "A bundle o' rags, a bundle o' rags!"-Berrington, Ellesmere (_Shrops.h.i.+re Folk-lore_, p. 521).

In Scotland the game is known as "Row-chow-Tobacco;" a long chain of boys hold each other by the hands: they have one standing steadily at one of the extremities, who is called the _Pin_. Round him the rest coil like a watch chain round the cylinder, till the act of winding is completed. A clamorous noise succeeds, in which the cry Row-chow-Tobacco prevails; after giving and receiving the _fraternal hug_, they disperse, and afterwards renew the process.

In West of Scotland, it is Rowity-chow-o'-Tobacco, p.r.o.nounced, _rowity-chowity-bacco_, and as the first syllable of each word is shouted, another hug or squeeze is given. The game is not so common as formerly. The same game is played in West Cornwall by Sunday-school children at their out-of-door treats, and is called "Roll Tobacco."

It is known as "The Old Oak Tree" in Lincoln, Kelsey, and Winterton, and is played in the same manner. When coiling round, the children sing-

Round and round the old oak tree: I love the girls and the girls love me.

When they have twisted into a closely-packed crowd they dance up and down, tumbling on each other, crying-

A bottle of rags, a bottle of rags.

In the Anderby and Nottinghams.h.i.+re version of the game the children often sing-

The old oak tree grows thicker and thicker every Monday morning.

-Miss M. Peac.o.c.k.

In Mid-Cornwall, in the second week in June, at St. Roche, and in one or two adjacent parishes, a curious dance is performed at the annual "feasts." It enjoys the rather undignified name of "Snails Creep," but would be more properly called the "Serpent's Coil." The following is scarcely a perfect description of it:-"The young people being all a.s.sembled in a large meadow, the village band strikes up a simple but lively air and marches forward, followed by the whole a.s.semblage, leading hand-in-hand (or more closely linked in case of engaged couples), the whole keeping time to the tune with a lively step. The band, or head of the serpent, keeps marching in an ever-narrowing circle, whilst its train of dancing followers becomes coiled round it in circle after circle. It is now that the most interesting part of the dance commences, for the band, taking a sharp turn about, begins to retrace the circle, still followed as before, and a number of young men, with long leafy branches in their hands as standards, direct this counter movement with almost military precision."-W. C. Wade (_Western Antiquary_, April 1881).

From this description of the "Snail Creep," it is not difficult to arrive at an origin for the game. It has evidently arisen from a custom of performing some religious observance, such as encircling sacred trees or stones, accompanied by song and dance. "On May Day, in Ireland, all the young men and maidens hold hands and dance in a circle round a tree hung with ribbons and garlands, or round a bonfire, moving in curves from right to left, as if imitating the windings of a serpent."-Wilde (_Ancient Cures, Charms, and Usages of Ireland_, 106).

It is easy to conjecture how the idea of "winding up a watch," or "rolling tobacco," would come in, and be thought the origin of the game from the similarity of action; but it is, I think, evident that this is not the case, from the words "a bundle o' rags," the mention of trees, and the "jogging" up and down, to say nothing of the existence of customs in Ireland and Wales similar to that of "Snail Creep." It is noticeable, too, that some of these games should be connected with trees, and that, in the "Snail Creep" dance the young men should carry branches of trees with them.

See "Bulliheisle," "Eller Tree."

Wind, The

I. The wind, the wind, the wind blows high, The rain comes pouring from the sky; Miss So-and-So says she'd die For the sake of the old man's eye.

She is handsome, she is pretty, She is the la.s.s of the golden city; She goes courting one, two, three, Please to tell me who they be.

A. B. says he loves her, All the boys are fighting for her, Let the boys say what they will A. B. has got her still.

-Forest of Dean, Gloucesters.h.i.+re (Miss Matthews).

II. The wind, wind blows, and the rain, rain goes, And the clouds come gathering from the sky!

_Annie Dingley's_ very, very pretty, She is a girl of a n.o.ble city; She's the girl of one, two, three, Pray come tell me whose she'll be.

_Johnny Tildersley_ says he loves her, All the boys are fighting for her, All the girls think nothing of her.

Let the boys say what they will, _Johnny Tildersley's_ got her still.

He takes her by the lily-white hand And leads her over the water, Gives her kisses one, two, three, Mrs. _Dingley's_ daughter!

-Berrington, Eccleshall (_Shrops.h.i.+re Folk-lore_, p. 510).

III. When the wind blows high, When the wind blows high, The rain comes peltering from the sky.

She is handsome, she is pretty, She is the girl in all the city.

She [He?] comes courting one, two, three, Pray you tell me who she be.

I love her, I love her, All the boys are fighting for her.

Let them all say what they will, I shall love her always still.

She pulled off her gloves to show me her ring, To-morrow, to-morrow, the wedding bells ring.

-Cowes, Isle of Wight (Miss E. Smith).

IV. The wind, the wind, the wind blows high, The rain comes falling from the sky.

She is handsome, she is pretty, She is the girl of London city.

She goes a courting one, two, three, Please will you tell me who is he?

[Boy's name] says he loves her.

All the boys are fighting for her.

Let the boys do what they will, [Boy's name] has got her still.

He knocks at the knocker and he rings at the bell, Please, Mrs. --, is your daughter in?

She's neither ways in, she's neither ways out, She's in the back parlour walking about.

Out she came as white as snow, With a rose in her breast as soft as silk.

Please, my dear, will you have a drop of this?

No, my dear, I'd rather have a kiss.

-Settle, Yorks. (Rev. W. G. Sykes).

V. The wind, the wind, the wind blows high, The rain comes sparkling from the sky, [A girl's name] says she'll die For a lad with a rolling eye.

She is handsome, she is pretty, She is the flower of the golden city.

She's got lovers one, two, three.

Come, pray, and tell me who they be.

[A boy's name] says he'll have her, Some one else is waiting for her.

Lash the whip and away we go To see Newcastle races, oh.

-Tyrie (Rev. W. Gregor).

[Another version after-

-- says he'll have her,

is-

In his bosom he will clap her.]

[Another one after-

She has got lovers one, two, three,

continues-

Wait till [a boy's name] grows some bigger, He will ride her in his giggie.

Lash your whip and away you go To see Newcastle races, O!]

-Pittulie (Rev. W. Gregor).

[And another version gives-