The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-08-07
AR.ENl.nAN.


a Game Ftnye4 in 40geph'n LlHno
Adapted to Modern Ideas.
Among the paintings upon one offhe.
Egyptian tombs IS q reproduction Of
the hab-eni-han, Or game Of the vase.
However it was originally played, for
ell that is known Of 1t Is the picture and
its name, it can be played in a way 70
delight nineteenth century children
fully as much as iteyer couldhave done
the ancient Egyptians.
To play the game It Unnecessary first
to make the target. To do this take a
sheet of paper about three feet square
o T less-wrapping paper will do very
well, or even oldnewspaper-and draw
upon it with common writing ink 10
~concentric circles at equal distances
apart. This can be done by driving q
tack or large pin in the center Of the
paper, tying a string to the tack and q
soft lead pencil 70 the other end Of the
string.
When you have thus drawn the ~ cir
cIes you can 60 over the pencil lines
with ink and number the spaces be-
tween the lines, tack your paper to a
drawing board. bread board, or any fat
wooden surface, and your target is
complete.
Let each player furnish himself with
q dozen pins thrust through bits Of
cardboard o paper, upon each OF
which is written a number or initial diff
ferent from those of the other play
ers, and also with a catapult, blow gun,
small bow and arrow or a dart.
Standing off at whatever distance is
agreed upon from the target, each play
! err in turn discharges whatever missile
is used in the game at the target, and
he sets one of his pins in the circle he
strikes.
If he hits one Of the black lines he
loses his turn, but If he does not strike
the target at all, he is out of the game.
After the first shot the player can
either remove a pin already placed into
the circle he has last struck, or set an
other of his pins in it, or, counting
from where any one of his pins are
stuck, can move the pin as many cir
cles toward the center as is indicated
by the number of the circle he has
struck.
If this brings him to the center and
leaves something over, he can use the
remainder to place a new pin or carry
another forward.
IF while one player has one pin in a
circle another player can place two
pins in the same circle, the latter cap
lures the pin already there and re
moves it.
II, however, a player strikes a circle
already occupied by two pins, he does
not lose his unless a third pin other than
his own al be stuck in the same circle.
The circles are numbered from the
outside to The center. The game con-
sists in afspecifed number of points,
generally from rs to so, if two are
playing, Ror more, according to the adj
ditional number Of those engaged in
the gam When n of the players has
no moro pins on the target the game is
ended.
Each iplayer counts the number OF
his pint which have reached the center
and th numbero of pins he has captured,
and he AEho has most adds to his the
number lf pins left in the target.
1t is q exciting game when two play
ers ha E each a pin in the same ring
and ea h pin is getting nearer the CEN
ter; TIL apprehension and interest in
crease with the danger that having
so man pins behind, one of the other
pins ma Y by a lucky shot capture his.
The ann of the player is threefold-
to protect his pins by getting more
than n In $he same circle, to gradually
win his way toward the center and to
be constantly on the alert to take his
opponents pins.
AS the taking of one Of the pins
counts for as much as getting one of his
own home, it is advisable to use every
endeavor to capture the enemy's
pieces, and this is done by keeping the
pieces behind them, so as to be able
to take any advantage that may offer.
The game can be played on a table by
using dice or a teetotum instead of ar
rows, darts, or anything of the sort,
but playing in this way the element of
chance takes the place largely Of that
of skill, and makes it less interesting
at least to young folks.
1t is possible, however, that this was
the manner in which the game was orig
inally played thousands of years ago,
when Joseph was prime minister in
the land of Egypt.-Boston Herald.
PapeP,