balls, it can make a point only by running its bridge, or tolling the
stake, whichever may be the proper step; after which, as said before,
all its privileges are renewed.

Thus the game continues until one of the balls completes the grand
round, as explained in the diagrams. The last step is running the first
bridge in the reverse direction. The player making this takes up his
ball, unless he has been so unfortunate as to strike out on the same
blow; and places it on the spot whence he continues his tour as a rover,
namely, that of croqueting without the foot, or roquet-croqueting after
making a roquet. By this means he not only drives off the roqueted ball
but follows it with his own, or forces them in divergent directions. If
he is skillful, he may leave his own ball near one of the other balls,
which he may then proceed to roquet, and succeeding in this, to croquet,
or to roquet-croquet, whichever may be most advantageous. As he has no
bridges to run he can never re-roquet, and hence after he has roqueted
and croqueted all the other balls his tour terminates at the next blow.

As soon as a rover touches the starting stake it becomes a dead ball and
must be removed from the field. It makes no difference whether it
strike out by its own act, or is struck out by its partner, or by one of
the enemy. The latter catastrophe will be of frequent occurrence unless
perpetually guarded against, for the partner or partners are thereby
left to fight against superior numbers. When all the balls of a side
succeed in striking the stake the game is over, and the side has won the
victory.

With this brief outline of the game, the reader is referred for details
to the chapter on the rules.

CHAPTER IV.

THE RULES.

1. _Each ball must first be placed upon the spot and played from
thence._

A booby does not return to the spot, but continues to play as a booby,
without the right to roquet or be roquetted until it is bridged. Hence a
booby has but one blow unless that blow bridge it. It may hit another
ball and be hit, but the contact never constitutes a point.

2. _The mallet must be used with one hand, and the stroke must be a
blow._

With balls and mallets of the standard size, there is no necessity for
using both hands. It is difficult to draw the precise line between a
legitimate blow and a push. In every blow the mallet follows the ball a
little, for it takes a small interval of time for the momentum of the
mal