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202 The Book of Indoor and Outdoor Games |
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near to each a smaller base, called the "Prison." They toss for bases.
The game begins by one side's sending out a player, who goes as near as he dares toward the base of the opponents, until one of the enemy starts out in pursuit of him, when he makes for home. If he is touched before he gets there he becomes a prisoner to the side which captured him, and must stand in their prison. He goes alone to take his punishment, for the pursuing player is himself the object of pursuit by another player of the opposite side, detailed to make reprisals.
A player may touch only an opponent who has left home before himself, and can be touched only by the one who left home after he did.
When a player has made a prisoner he may return home untouched—and is subject to capture only after making a fresh sally.
One of the exciting points of the game is when a player runs the gauntlet of the enemy and delivers out of prison one of his own side who has been made captive.
A prisoner is only obliged to keep part of his body in durance. If but one foot be within the prison line, he may reach out as far as he can in the direction of home— which facilitates his deliverance by a comrade. When there are several prisoners, all that is required is that one of them shall touch the prison, while the rest may join hands in a line stretching homeward. But one prisoner, however, may be delivered at a time.
The game continues until all the players on one side or the other are in the prison.
WARNING
One of the players, having been chosen "Warner," takes his stand at the place marked off as "home," the rest remaining at a little distance from it. |
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