Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 3.djvu/191

 9 th S. III. M;

AB.1V99.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

185

)n buttons may not be amiss. It is scarcely necessary to explain that the buttons ised in these games are principally of brass ; sometimes nickel buttons may be seen. There vvere many games played, but three were particularly favoured. These were a game Imown in the vernacular as "bangers" or 'hangings," another as "on the line," and i third a sort of ring game played with the assistance of peg-tops. Of these, I think ' bangers " was the most popular ; sometimes this went by the name of "scannings," for a reason which will soon be apparent. A player would hold a button between the thumb and first finger of the right hand, so that the cup or back part of the button was turned to a wall, arid then "bang" it, in the boyish phrase, against the latter, or whatever might be convenient for the time being. The force of the contact natur- ally caused the button to rebound and finally lie at a little distance from the point struck. Now the object of the game was for the second player to follow suit and endeavour to lay riis button as close to his opponent's as possible, so that he could span the distance by the fingers of the hand. If he succeeded in doing this, and spanned accordingly, the button of the first player became his. Thus the game would continue until one of them had been relieved of his store of buttons. It required some skill and dexterity to place a button in a " spanable " position, and when three or more players joined in a game, it occasionally proved exciting. For supposing the first two players had banged in turn, and their buttons' lay near to each other, but not so close as to be easily spanned, the third player might, with a little care, contrive so to lay his button near both of them as to permit his spanning from his own to both of their buttons. And thus he would capture the two of them. Then there was " nicking," when one player's button touched another after rebounding from the wall when " banged." There was an exaction for this.

" On the line " almost explains itself. As in a similar game with marbles, the buttons were ranged on a line, which was drawn by the players, if the junction lines of paving stones were not used. The number of buttons ven- tured in the game was variable, depending chiefly on the players' speculativeness or store. The object of the game was to stand some four or five feet away from the row and endeavour to knock as many off the line as possible at a throw. The casting piece was usually a large button; the buttons of the coachman type, with the shank battered

down, made a good "nicker," or "knicker," for this purpose. Most boys had their own special "nicker," on which they set great store. Sometimes they would make one themselves out of lead, disc shaped ; such a one, thrown " sneakingly " along the ground towards the line of buttons, would work sad havoc on the ranged line. Leaden " nickers" were terrors in the hands of a good player.

The ring game was a combination of buttons and peg- tops. ^ A circle was drawn on the ground, and in this was placed a number of buttons. The players, as many as convenient, would then, in turn, string their tops, and endeavour to spin them right into the ring. If in accomplishing this any buttons were ejected, they were claimed by the spinner. If the top was still spinning the player had the option of picking it up in the palm of the hand, again and again, so long as it kept spinning, and at the same time " pegging " out as many buttons from the ring as possible. Hence the game often went by the name of " peg-in-the-ring." Here, again, some players evinced no small amount of skill, especially in the spinning of the top in the ring.

" Shank or blank " was another game at times a substitute for the time-honoured " heads or tails."

The value of the buttons varied. There was the average unit, then " twoers," as well as others of increased value. Coachmen's buttons, and others of the ornamental kind, especially such as bore a device, were worth several of the humble units. There was one of the small brace - button kind that was much sought after as a "banger." It was much like the saucer-shaped trouser buttons now in vogue, and had two eyes ; among

flayers it went by the name of " cat's eye." b had a great reputation as a "banger," it being customary to have a favourite button for this purpose. C. P. HALE.

THE Two WATSONS. The note on Black- wood's Magazine (ante, p. 81) teems with facts of historical interest. Very few are aware that there were two James Watsons im- prisoned at different periods for political dis- content. Any such offender was liable to be charged with "high treason," according to the caprice of the committing magis- trates or the Attorney - General of the day. I myself was committed on a charge of "felony" in 1842, my offence being an answer given to a question put to me at a public meeting on a point of theology. James Wat- son of 1817 was quite a different person from the James Watson who did not arrive in