Page:Lancashire Legends, Traditions, Pageants, Sports, Etc., with an Appendix Containing a Rare Tract.djvu/195

 SLINGING. is much practised as an amusement by boys and young men. There are three kinds of slings in use—

First, A piece of leather forms the centre; two equal strings are then attached to it. The stone is then placed in the leather portion, and both strings are held in the hand. On a whirling motion being given to the whole, one string is let loose, and the stone is thrown forward with great velocity.

In the second form, a flexible stick takes the place of one of the strings, and the other string is wrapped once or twice round the stick. Motion is then communicated to the stone by a quick vertical stroke from behind to the front of the person slinging.

The third method is by fastening the stone into a cloven stick and then projecting it forward. When throwing clay bullets, the stick is pointed at the top in the form of a cone, and the bullet is firmly pressed upon it. These missiles are then thrown either by a vertical or a horizontal motion, at the pleasure of the slinger.

TRIPPET. game is played in the fields, and was very popular in East Lancashire some forty years ago. It is still practised by the colliers in this district. The players choose a smooth water-worn boulder of sandstone or limestone, with a gently sloping side. The trippet is about two inches long, and is made of holly. It is about one inch in diameter in the middle, and slopes off towards each end in a somewhat conical form. A portion of the