Page:The passing of Korea.djvu/363

 you will frequently see two lines of interested spectators watching intently to see some skilful thrower make a good shot down the narrow alley between them.

On the great festival of the fifth day of the fifth moon Koreans give themselves up to the delights of swinging. Sometimes the lofty branch of a pine-tree is used, but more often two great poles are erected for the purpose. These are held in place by guys, and are variously ornamented. The Koreans are adventurous swingers, and accidents are not infrequent. The rough straw ropes break sooner or later, and someone gets a nasty fall, which terminates the sport for that season.

Girls take pleasure in a sort of see-saw on the I5th of the first month. This is not the same as ours. The board is only six or seven feet long and is laid over a fulcrum only five inches high. The girls stand on the ends and jump up and down, the impact of each throwing the other several feet into the air. They would not be able to preserve their equilibrium except for a strong cord, like a clothes-line, over their heads, to which they cling. On this same festival there are mighty tugsof-war in the country villages. The ropes are huge hawsers, eight or ten inches thick, and upwards of a hundred feet long. The village turns out en masse, men, women and children, and pull until they are exhausted. This always takes place at night under the full moon.

In the autumn and winter the favourite sport of the young men is a sort of battledore and shuttlecock. The shuttlecock is a cash piece wrapped in paper, the latter being twisted into a tail which makes the shuttlecock always fall properly. Strangely enough, the Koreans use the side of the foot for a battledore, and to unaccustomed eyes it looks ridiculous enough to see two men hopping about on one foot, trying to keep the shuttlecock in the air. This is a purely Korean development of this game.

They are very fond of trying feats of strength in what they call " arm wrestling." The two contestants sit down at a table and place their elbows squarely upon it. Then they grasp each