ALL THREES

Is a capital game for boys, and exercises the players in the four rules of arithmetic. It is played similarly to the All Fives, only 3 is the multiple instead of 5: thus, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 points count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively.

TIDLEY-WINK

Is a good round game. Any number can play, so long as there are two or more dominoes left on the board, after three dominoes each have been taken. The pose is settled as before; but the leader has the privilege of playing to his double, if he can do so, and any person having a double in his turn can play to it, if he can. The game runs round, and the first person who plays out p.r.o.nounces himself "Tidley-Wink," and is the winner.

THE FORTRESS.

When four persons are playing, this will be found one of the most amusing of games. It is sometimes called "Sebastopol." All the dominoes are divided equally amongst the players. The double-6 is played first, and then every person must play a 6 to the double, and thus form a cross. The person who has not a 6 loses his turn. The play then proceeds in the usual way, only that the player can choose which corner he likes to play at. The result is a curious irregular figure resembling the ground-plan of a fortress, with bastions, &c.; hence its name.

WHIST DOMINOES

Is also played by four persons, seven dominoes being given to each. The persons in this case are partners, and sit opposite to each other. This game is led off as all others, but requires considerable powers of memory to play it properly, for it is necessary to remember not only the numbers played, but who played it, and under what circ.u.mstances, so as to help your partner's hand and checkmate your opponent's. Several other games of dominoes may be played; but the foregoing, with their numberless variations, will enable any one to master the principles of any other introduced.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

DRAUGHTS.

"White to black and black to white.

Now give the challenge--wage the fight."--CLARKSON.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Draughts is a modern invention, and is a good preliminary to chess. It is not so intricate a game, for the pieces are of equal value till they become kings, and can only move one way; but like chess, success depends entirely upon skill, and one false move frequently occasions the loss of the game. Draughts seems to have come into vogue in Europe about the middle of the fourteenth century, and for a long time there were two methods of playing it; the one commonly used in England being the French game, which is played upon a chess-board, and the other the Polish game, which requires a board with ten squares or chequers in each row, and twenty men. The men in the Polish game can only move forwards as they do in the French game, but they have the privilege of taking backwards and forwards, and the king, when made, if not opposed by two men close together, can move from one corner of the board to the other The Polish game admits of most variety, and is in our opinion infinitely the best, but it is little played in this country, except by foreigners, many of whom during the Great Exhibition year proved themselves adepts at the game.

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME.

The draughtboard consists of sixty-four squares, black and white, and there are twelve men, or pieces, of a white colour, and twelve of a black colour to be used. The board should be placed with an upper white corner towards the right hand. The players select each twelve men of the colour they prefer. The pieces, or men, are to be thus placed on the board: the black pieces on the _first_ twelve white squares, and the white on the _last_ twelve white squares. When they are thus placed the game begins.

THE MOVES.

The pieces move forward diagonally, and it is the object of the players to take all each other's men; the player who has the _black_ pieces taking the _white_, and the player who has the white men taking the _black_. The first player--say Black--moves his piece angularly to the first white square, and then, if nothing intervenes between his piece and that of his opponent, and there is a vacant square in his line left behind him, the _white_ can pa.s.s his piece over him to the s.p.a.ce so unoccupied, and take his man, which is withdrawn from the board. The same may be repeated by the adversary; and thus the players go on taking each other's pieces till one or the other cannot move, or all the pieces are taken. When a piece, however, arrives at the last row of the enemy's ground, it becomes what is called a king, and is crowned by another piece being placed on it. It may then be moved backwards and forwards at pleasure, and can take both ways. When a player neglects to take a piece, he is what is called _huffed_, that is, he loses the piece that ought to have been moved.

LAWS OF THE GAME.

1. The moves are alternate, the first move being determined by lot.

2. The choice of men to be also decided by lot, but they should be changed every three games.

3. Whichever piece is touched must be played.

4. No player can remain more than five minutes without playing. He may be warned at the end of five minutes.

5. Neither player must leave the room without permission of his adversary.

6. In case of huff, the opponent, in lieu of taking a piece for the omission, can insist on his being taken.

7. Each party must sit free so as not to obstruct a view of the board, and no pointing at pieces is allowed.

8. When a false move is made, the piece must be moved to whatever square the opponent dictates.

9. All disputes between players to be referred to a third party.

10. Bystanders must make no remarks during the game.

GAMES FOR PRACTICE.

Playing draughts is a game which is best learned by experience and repeated defeats. It requires circ.u.mspection and caution, and especially demands calculation of the effects of the different moves upon the fortune of the game. The moves should be calculated mentally. The men should be kept as much in the centre of the board as possible; and the gentlemanly player will consider all drawn games as won by his opponent, and never triumph over the vanquished. The following games will give the young player a good general idea of draughts, but his success as a player will depend entirely upon his own application and habit of thought:--

GAME I.

No. Colour. from to

1. B. 11 15 2. W. 22 18 3. B. 15 22 4. W. 25 18 5. B. 8 11 6. W. 29 25 7. B. 4 8 8. W. 25 22 9. B. 12 16 10. W. 24 20 11. B. 10 15 12. W. 27 24 13. B. 16 19 14. W. 23 16 15. B. 15 19 16. W. 24 15 17. B. 9 14 18. W. 18 9 19. B. 11 25 20. W. 32 27 21. B. 5 14 22. W. 27 23 23. B. 6 10 24. W. 16 12 25. B. 8 11 26. W. 28 24 27. B. 25 29 28. W. 30 25 29. B. 29 22 30. W. 26 17 31. B. 11 15 32. W. 20 16 33. B. 15 18 34. W. 24 20 35. B. 18 27 36. W. 31 24 37. B. 14 18 38. W. 16 11 39. B. 7 16 40. W. 20 11 41. B. 18 23 42. W. 11 8 43. B. 23 27 44. W. 8 4 45. B. 27 31 46. W. 4 8 47. B. 31 27 48. W. 24 20 49. B. 27 23 50. W. 8 11 51. B. 23 18 52. W. 11 8 53. B. 18 15 &c.

White loses.

GAME II.

No. Colour. from to 1. B. 11 15 2. W. 22 18 3. B. 15 22 4. W. 25 18 5. B. 8 11 6. W. 29 25 7. B. 4 8 8. W. 25 22 9. B. 12 16 10. W. 24 20 11. B. 10 15 12. W. 21 17 13. B. 7 10 14. W. 27 24 15. B. 8 12 16. W. 17 13 17. B. 9 14 18. W. 18 9 19. B. 5 14 20. W. 24 19 21. B. 15 24 22. W. 28 19 23. B. 14 17 24. W. 32 27 25. B. 10 14 26. W. 27 24 27. B. 3 7 28. W. 30 25 29. B. 6 9 30. W. 13 6 31. B. 1 10 32. W. 22 13 33. B. 14 18 34. W. 23 14 35. B. 16 30 36. W. 25 21 37. B. 10 17 38. W. 21 14 39. B. 30 25 40. W. 14 9 41. B. 11 15 42. W. 9 6 43. B. 2 9 44. W. 13 6 45. B. 15 18 46. W. 6 2 47. B. 7 10 48. W. 2 6 49. B. 10 14 50. W. 6 9 51. B. 25 21 52. W. 31 26 53. B. 14 17 &c.

Drawn.

FIREWORKS.

Our book is intended for the gratification of boys. We know full well the intense delight taken by boys in risking their limbs or their lives, especially when such risk is accompanied with noise. Boys always have done so, and always will do so in spite of the very best of advice or precautions. As, therefore, it is impossible to keep them from making noises and endangering themselves, we have in the following pages endeavoured to show them how to make as much noise as possible with as little danger as possible.

What is there that makes the most noise and is most dangerous?

Gunpowder, of course. Therefore, we have given descriptions of the best methods of employing this material, feeling quite sure that of accidents with gunpowder nine out of every ten are caused by ignorance. We knew a boy who lost the use of a thumb, and took all the skin off the palm of his right hand, by ignorant management of powder. He had read of blasting rocks, and nothing would satisfy him but blasting a bank. So he bored a deep hole in it with a stick, filled the hole with gunpowder, and then poked a lighted lucifer into the powder. The consequence was, that his face was so scorched as not to be recognised, all his eyebrows and eyelashes and most of his hair were burned off, while his right hand was injured as has been already mentioned. Now that boy had been studiously kept out of the way of powder by female relatives, and was naturally profoundly ignorant of its effects. Had he been taught to handle it, he would not now be forced to keep his right hand closed, or to write by holding the pen between the fingers of his clenched hand.

GUNPOWDER.

It will not be very advisable for the firework boy to make his own powder, but still it will not be amiss that he should know how it is prepared. Pulverise separately 5 drams of nitrate of pota.s.s, 1 dram of sulphur, and 1 dram of newly burnt charcoal, mix them together in a mortar with a little water, so as to make the compound into a dough, which roll out into round pieces of the thickness of a pin upon a slab.

This must be done by moving a board backwards and forwards until the dough is of a proper size. When three or four of these pieces are ready put them together thus,--