Page:Indoor and Outdoor Gymnastic Games.djvu/40



(Mind and Body, Vol. I., No. i, p. 13.)

Twenty-four or more players form a circle of pairs with space enough between the players (who stand closely one behind the other, facing the centre of the circle) to allow the runners to turn and run in all directions. Two players on the outside of the circle and at a distance from each other begin the game. One of them, the "tagger," seeks to tag the other player before he can secure a place in front of any of the pairs forming the circle. If he succeeds in this roles are changed, the player tagged becoming "tagger" and the former "tagger" in return endeavors to secure a place in front of some pair. But whenever the runner (the player pursued) has succeeded in getting in front of a pair before being tagged, then the hindmost (the last or third, in the respective rank) must take to his heels and seek to evade the unsuccessful "tagger," who now turns his attention to him. In seeking to evade a tagger the successive players may run in any direction, either left or right through and across the circle, but not pass, in front of any one rank to another rank in such a manner as to induce wrong starts. A hindmost player may also form in front of his own rank, making the second player in such rank hindmost or "third." The play is always directed against the third or last of a rank, two players being the number limited to each place.

(When classes of players in the beginning are too large the circle may be formed by rows or ranks of threes, instead of twos or pairs.)

Expert players can form several circles and run from circle to circle, two pairs playing simultaneously. The above play can be varied in a number of ways, as follows:

(a) The players may reverse the order of forming for the play, facing outward from centre instead of toward the centre. The pursued player in this case forms in the rear instead of in the front, and the first takes the part of the third or hindmost player,