e again at Abeih. Here are Asaad and Khalil, and several
others. I asked Khalil one day to write out for me a list of all the
games the boys play in Abeih, and he brought me a list of _twenty-eight_
different ones, and said there were many more.

I. The first is called Khatim or the Ring. A boy puts a ring on the back
of his hand, tosses it and catches it on the back of his fingers. If it
falls on the middle finger, he shakes it to the forefinger, and then he
is Sultan, and appoints a Vizier, whom he commands to beat the other
boys. Then the boys all sing,

Ding, dong, turn the wheel,
Wind the purple thread:
Spin the white and spin the red,
Wind it on the reel:
Silk and linen as well as you can,
Weave a robe for the Great Sultan.

II. Killeh. Like the game of shooting marbles.

III. Owal Howa. The same as leap frog.

IV. Biz Zowaia. Cat in the corner.

V. Taia ya Taia. All the boys stand in a row, and one in front facing
them, who calls out Taia ya Taia. They all then run after him and hit
him. He then hops on one foot as if lame, and catches one of them, who
takes his place.

VI. El Manya. Hig tig.

VII. Bil Kobbeh. A circle of boys stand with their heads bowed. Another
circle stand outside, and on a given signal try to mount on the backs of
the inner circle of boys. If they succeed they remain standing in this
way; if not, the boy who failed must take the inside place.

VIII. Ghummaida. Blind-man's-buff.

IX. Tabeh. Base ball and drop ball.

X. Kurd Murboot or Tied Monkey. A rope is tied to a peg in the ground,
and one boy holds it fast. The others tie knots in their handkerchiefs
and beat him. If he catches them without letting go his hold on the
rope, they take his place.

XI. Shooha or Hawk. Make a swing on the limb of a tree. A boy leans on
the swing and runs around among the boys, until he catches one to take
his place.

XII. Joora. Shooting marbles into a joora or hole in the ground.

XIII. Khubby Mukhzinak. "Pebble pebble." One boy goes around and hides a
pebble in the hand of one of the circle and asks "pebble, pebble, who's
got the pebble." This is like "Button, button."

Then there are other games like chequers and "Morris," chess, and games
which are used in gambling, which you will not care to hear about.

Sometimes when playing, they sing a song which I have translated:

I found a black crow,
With a cake in his maw,
I asked him to feed me,