Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 5, 1894.djvu/50

42 pairs of players then asks the captains: "Which do you want? Pumpkin or Sugar-cane?" those being the names which this pair have given themselves. One of the captains asks for the one he wishes; should he say Pumpkin, then the player who has agreed to take that name becomes a player on his side. All are selected in this manner.

The game consists in crossing the lines (, guarded by players of one side) to the other side from which the player started, without being touched by any of the guards. When a player is re-crossing, he is supposed to bring salt. One of the captains takes the foremost line,, and cries out, "Masōck!"—"enter if you can." It is the signal to try to enter. At this, everyone of those whose business it is to cross the lines tries to do so. Great care should be taken not to get within reach of the guards, for if one of those trying to cross gets within reach of a guard, and the guard touches any part of his body, the crossers will all be out, and be compelled to act as guards. The captain of the guards has the privilege of running along the line, as well as on. This is always so, but at times he may get the privilege of running round the whole oblong (this depends on special agreement), and if he touches any one of the guards while he is the captain of one of those lines the guards are out. Care should be taken not to get too near the guards. The business of each crosser being to cross the lines, he begins to run from one end of the line to the other, keeping beyond the reach of the guard, and makes gyration after gyration until he sees enough space to jump to the other side. Generally those who can run fastest are victorious.

A game very similar, nay, almost the same, is that called "Mattoo". It has the same rules and principles, with this difference: that in Mattoo you can get as near as possible to a guard, but he cannot by touching put you out; he can only do so while you are in the act of crossing the line.