Every Boy's Book

Hop-scotch to hare-and-hounds, conjuring to chemistry, rabbits to rowing — the complete Victorian repertoire of things for a boy to do, set down with rules and diagrams.

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Blind Man's Buff

Consists in one person having a handkerchief bound over his eyes, so as to completely blind him, and thus blind-folded trying to chase the other players, either by the sound of their footsteps, or their subdued merriment, as they scramble away in all directions, endeavouring to avoid being caught by him; when he can manage to catch one, the player caught must in turn be blinded, and the game be begun again. In some places it is customary for one of the players to inquire of Buff (before the game begins), "How many horses has your father got?" to which inquiry he responds, "Three." "What colours are they?" "Black, white, and grey." The questioner then desires Buff to "turn round three times, and catch whom you may," which request he complies with, and then tries to capture one of the players. It is often played by merely turning the blindfold hero round and round without questioning him, and then beginning. The handkerchief must be tied on fairly, so as to allow no little holes for Buffy to see through. Blind Man's Buff is a very ancient pastime, having been known to the Grecian youths. In England it formerly went by the name of Hoodman Blind, because it was customary to blind Buff with his hood.

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