QUATRE DEUCE.--Make your quatre point.

QUATRE TROIS.--Play two men from the five in your adversary's outer table.

DOUBLE QUATRE.--Play two men from the ace to the cinque point in the adversary's inner table, and two from the five in his outer table. For a gammon, play two men only, from the point last mentioned to the cinque point in your own table.

CINQUE ACE.--Play the cinque from the five men in your adversary's outer table, and the ace from the ace point in his inner table. For a gammon, play the ace from the six to the cinque point in your own table.

CINQUE DEUCE.--Play both men from the five in your adversary's outer table.

CINQUE TROIS.--Make your trois point.

CINQUE QUATRE.--Move one man from your adversary's ace point to the trois point in his outer table. {280}

DOUBLE CINQUE.--Carry two men from the five in the adversary's outer table, and make your trois point.

SIX ACE.--Make your bar point.

SIX DEUCE.--Move a man from the five in your adversary's outer table to the cinque point in your own table.

SIX TROIS, SIX QUATRE, SIX CINQUE.--Carry one man from your adversary's ace point as far as the throw will permit.

SIXES.--Place two men on your adversary's bar point, and two on your own.

Of the above throws (at the outset of the game), double aces are reckoned the best, and double sixes next best. Double trois comes third, followed by trois ace and six ace. Doublets, if playable, are good, as covering greater distance.

Any throw in which the higher of the two numbers is _two in advance of the other_ (as cinque trois, trois ace) is also good, as enabling you to make a point in your table.[68]

{281}

BAGATELLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 1.--Arrangement of the Holes.]

Bagatelle is played with nine ivory b.a.l.l.s on a special table or board, oblong in shape, from 6 to 10 ft. long, and in width about one-fourth of its length, as shown in Fig. 2. At that end of the board which in use is farthest from the player are sunk nine hemispherical holes or cups, one as a {282} centre, with the others in a circle round it. Each hole bears a number, as shown in Fig. 1.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 2.--Bagatelle Board.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 3.--Playing off the Cushion.]

Of the nine b.a.l.l.s one is black, four are white, and four are red. Whatever the diameter of the b.a.l.l.s, that of the cups must exactly correspond with it. {283} The sides of the board are furnished with a continuous cushion, such cushion at the upper end forming a semi-circle, concentric with the circle made by the cups. The upper edge of each side of the board is pierced with a double row of small holes, sixty in each row, arranged in groups of five. The score is marked by inserting little ivory pegs in these holes, each player using one side of the board. To score the number obtained, the player removes his hinder peg for the time being, and places it the required number of holes in front of the foremost peg.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 4.--The Cue.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 5.--The Mace.]

The b.a.l.l.s are propelled, at the option of the player, either with a cue (Fig. 4) or with the mace (Fig. 5). The cue is a reproduction in miniature of that used at Billiards. The mace consists of an oblong "shoe," or block of wood, slightly curved, attached to a long thin tapering handle.

The cue is used as at Billiards. The mace is handled in a different manner.

The shoe at its foot is placed in actual contact with the ball, the handle pointing over the right shoulder of the player, grasped, about one-third from the top, between the thumb and second and third fingers of the right hand. The ball is then pushed forward in the desired direction. At best the mace is but a clumsy implement, and would never be used by any one who had acquired {284} even the most elementary skill in handling the cue.

At starting, the black ball is placed on the spot marked _a_ (Fig. 2). The player, taking the remaining b.a.l.l.s, places one of them on the spot marked _b_, and impels it in the direction of the black ball. If he hits this latter, the stroke is good, and he plays another ball, continuing till the whole eight have been played. If, however, the first ball played miss the black, it is removed from the table (whether it fall into a hole or not), and is lost to the player for that turn, as also any succeeding ball until the black ball is. .h.i.t, after which the obligation to strike it ceases. If any ball is so struck as to be driven back towards the player more than half-way down the board, it is in like manner removed. After the black ball is once struck, the player is no longer obliged to place his own ball on the spot _b_, but may place it at any point behind such spot. He continues till the whole of the eight b.a.l.l.s have been played.

The object of the player is to "hole" as many of his b.a.l.l.s as possible, preferably in the cups bearing the higher numbers. The black ball counts double, and a good player will, therefore, endeavour to get this into the centre hole. This, however, is somewhat difficult, for, if struck directly towards the 9, it must pa.s.s over the 1, and is very likely to hole itself therein. It is, therefore, safer play to strike it lightly on the right side, and so drive it towards the 8, into which it may probably be coaxed by a subsequent ball. When the black ball has found a resting-place, the efforts of the player are directed to place his remaining b.a.l.l.s to the best advantage. {285} The approved methods of play for doing this, as to holes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, are indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, the ball being so struck as to go "off the cushion" into the desired hole. The best mode of playing a given ball will, however, be greatly governed by the positions occupied by preceding b.a.l.l.s.

It frequently happens that a number of b.a.l.l.s lie at distances less than their own diameter from the semicircular cushion at top. In such case, a ball sent slowly round the cushion will strike them all in succession, and, driving them towards the centre, may hole one or more of them. If, on the other hand, the b.a.l.l.s in question are _more_ than their own diameter from the cushion, the ball sent in pursuit of them will run harmlessly round, and very probably be lost by overpa.s.sing the half-way line. Or, again, the b.a.l.l.s may be lying close under the cushion, and the impact of the ball in play may simply drive them further round.

It frequently happens that a ball lies just on the brink of a hole, and that a discreet touch in the right place will cause it to drop therein. For such strokes as these the instructions given for securing winning hazards at Billiards may be studied with advantage.

The game is usually 120 points--_i.e._, up and down the board. This number, is, however, not absolute, the player who first reaches it continuing to play until the whole of his eight b.a.l.l.s are exhausted, and scoring the whole number obtained. If he be the second player, the game is then at an end, but if he was the first to play, the second player is ent.i.tled to {286} play his eight b.a.l.l.s also, and the player attaining the larger total is the winner.

If, when the game is won, the loser has not turned the corner--_i.e._, begun to score on the downward journey, the game is a "double," and if there was any stake, the loser pays double accordingly.

Where four persons take part, two play as partners against the two others, one of each side playing alternately the whole of the eight b.a.l.l.s.[69]

{287}

BILLIARDS.

The best introduction to an account of Billiards will be a brief explanation of the implements of the game and the terms used in connection with it.

The bed of a full-sized table (see Fig. 1) is 12 ft. long, and 6 ft. 1 inches wide. The pockets are 3-5/8 inches across. The billiard spot, S, is 12 inches from the centre of the top cushion, opposite to the baulk. The pyramid spot, P, is placed at the intersection of two lines drawn from the two middle pockets to the opposite top pockets. The centre spot, M, is exactly between the middle pockets. The "baulk" is the s.p.a.ce behind a line drawn across the table, 29 inches from the face of the bottom cushion, and parallel to it. The "half-circle," or "D," is 23 inches in diameter, its centre, K, coinciding with the centre of the baulk-line.

The game is played with three b.a.l.l.s of equal size and weight, one _red_, one _white_, and one _spot-white_. The diameter of a ball must be not less than 2-1/16 inches, nor more than 2-3/32 inches. The diameter of a match ball, under National Rules, is 2-5/64 inches.

{288}

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 1.]

{289}

The choice of b.a.l.l.s and order of play is, unless mutually agreed upon, determined by "stringing" (_i.e._, playing from baulk up the table, so as to strike the top cushion). The striker whose ball stops nearest the lower cushion may take which ball he likes, and play, or direct his opponent to play, as he may deem expedient. In stringing, under National Rules, the players must both play at the same time.

The red ball is, at the opening of every game, placed on the billiard spot, and must be replaced after being pocketed or forced off the table. If the billiard spot be occupied, the red ball must be placed on the pyramid spot, or, if that also be occupied, on the centre spot.

When any player plays from baulk, he must place his ball within the half-circle, or on the line that contains it.

Whoever breaks the b.a.l.l.s (_i.e._, leads off) must play out of baulk, though it is not necessary that he shall strike the red ball, and he may give a miss in or out of baulk. But, if in baulk, he must first strike a cushion out of baulk. No player who is in hand is allowed to strike any ball in baulk, or on the baulk-line, unless his ball has first struck a cushion out of baulk. Should, however, a ball be out of baulk, the player in hand may strike any part of that ball without his own ball necessarily going out of baulk.

The player continues to play until he ceases to score, when his opponent follows on.