foot on the place whence he had taken it, he
pitched or threw it in turn at each of the others. Those he hit he took
up. When he missed one, all who remained took up their cash and struck
the wall again, going through the same process as before. The one who
wins is the one who takes up most cash.
This seemed to call to mind another pitching game, for Chi said once
more in his old military way:
"Pitch brickbats."
The boys drew two lines fifteen feet apart. Each took a piece of brick,
and, standing on one line pitched to see who could come nearest to the
other.
The one farthest from the line set up his brick on the line and the one
nearest, standing on the opposite line, pitched at it, the object being
to knock it over.
If he failed he set up his brick and the other pitched at it.
If he succeeded, he next pitched it near the other, hopped over and
kicked his brick against that of his companion, knocking it over. Then
he carried it successively on his head, on each shoulder, on back and
breast (walking), in the bend of his thigh and the bend of his knee
(hopping), and between his legs (shuffling), each time dropping it on
the other brick and knocking it over.
Finally he marked a square enclosing the brick, eighteen inches each
side, and hopped back and forth over both square and brick ten times
which constituted him winner of the game.
Chi had become so expert in pitching and dropping the brick as to be
able to play the game without an error. The shuffling and hopping often
caused much merriment.
"What is that game," we inquired of Chi, "the boys on the street play
with two marbles?"
Without directly answering my question Chi turned to the boys and said:
"Kick the marbles."
The boys soon produced from somewhere,--Chinese boys can always produce
anything from anywhere,--two marbles an inch and a half in diameter.
Chi put one on the ground, and with the toe of his shoe upon it, gave
it a shove. Then placing the other, he shoved it in the same way, the
object being to hit the first.
There are two ways in which one may win. The first boy says to the
second, kick this marble north (south, east or west) of the other at
one kick. If he succeeds he wins, if he fails the other wins.
If he puts it north as ordered, he may kick again to hit the other
ball, in which case he wins again. If he hits the ball and goes north,
as ordered, at one kick, he wins double.
Each boy tries to leave the balls in as
|