, but sometimes the battles are
long and severe. At the end of each contest the number of shells
defeated by the victor should be marked on it, and it should be
carefully kept for the next conflict. At school we used to have
tremendous excitement when two champions met, a walnut with a record
of 520, for instance, and another with 700. The winner in such a
battle as this would, of course, be numbered 1,221, because you always
add not only your defeated adversary to your score, but all his
victims too.

Suckers

A sucker is a round piece of strong leather. Thread a piece of string
through the middle, and knot the string at the end to prevent it being
pulled through. Soak the sucker in water until it is soft, and then
press it carefully over a big smooth stone, or anything else that is
smooth, so that no air can get in. If you and the string are strong
enough, the sucker will lift great weights.

Skipjacks

The wish-bone of a goose makes a good skipjack. It should be cleaned
and left for a day or two before using. Then take a piece of strong
thin string, double it, and tie it firmly to the two ends of the
wish-bone, about an inch from the end on each side. Take a strip of
wood a little shorter than the bone, and cut a notch round it about
half an inch from one end. Then slip it half way between the double
string, and twist the string round and round until the resistance
becomes really strong. Then pull the stick through to the notch, into
which the string will settle, and tie it at each side, so that it is
not likely to slip either way. A little piece of cobblers' wax must be
put on the bone on the other side to that where the stick naturally
touches. Pull the stick right over to stick on the wax, and lay the
skipjack, stick downward, on the ground. In a little while the wax
will give way, and the wish-bone will spring high into the air.

[Illustration: A SKIPJACK]

A Water-Cutter

[Illustration: A WATER-CUTTER]

The cut-water is best made of tin or lead, but stout cardboard or wood
will serve the purpose. First cut the material into a round, and then
make teeth in it like a saw. Thus:--Then bore two holes in it, as in
the drawing, and thread strings through them, tying the strings at
each end. Hold the strings firmly, and twist them a little. Then, by
pulling at them to untwist them, the cut-water will be put in motion,
first one way, while they are being untwisted, and then the other,
while they twist