ngers to spring up. But of "Fly away, omnibus!"
"Fly away, cat!" "Fly away, pig!" no notice should be taken. The game
is, of course, to catch players napping.

Hold Fast! Let Go!

This is a very confusing game of contraries for five players. Four of
them hold each the corner of a handkerchief. The other, who stands by
to give orders, then shouts either "Let go!" or "Hold fast!" When "Let
go!" is called, the handkerchief must be held as firmly as ever; but
when "Hold fast!" it must be dropped. The commands should be given
quickly and now and then repeated to add to the anxiety of the other
players.

The Sergeant

In this game one player represents a sergeant and the others are
soldiers whom he is drilling. When he makes an action and says "Do
this" the others have to imitate him; but if he says "Do that" they
must take no notice.

Simon Says Thumbs Up

The players sit about on the floor or on chairs, each holding out on
his knee his clenched fist with the thumb sticking straight up. One
player calls out "Simon says thumbs down." All the thumbs must be
instantly reversed. Then he tries to confuse them by alternating
between up and down for some time until they all get into the way of
expecting the change, and then he gives the same order twice in
succession. Those who make a mistake pay a forfeit. If he calls out
simply "Thumbs up" or "Thumbs down" no attention must be paid to this
order as a forfeit is taken.

The orders are sometimes varied by the command "Simon says wig-wag!"
when all the thumbs must be waggled to and fro.

The Grand Mufti

A somewhat similar game of contraries is "The Grand Mufti." The player
personating the Grand Mufti stands in the middle or on a chair, and
performs whatever action he likes with his hands, arms, head, and
legs. With each movement he says, "Thus does the Grand Mufti," or, "So
does the Grand Mufti." When it is "Thus does the Grand Mufti" the
other players must imitate his movement; but when it is "So does the
Grand Mufti" they must take no notice. Any mistakes may lead to
forfeits.

The Mandarins

There is no contrariness about "The Mandarins." The players sit in a
circle, and the game is begun by one of them remarking to the next,
"My ship has come home from China." The answer is "Yes, and what has
it brought?" The first player replies, "A fan," and begins to fan
herself with her right hand. All the players must copy her. The second
player then turns to the