Baden-Powell Games Book


CHAPTER IX

WINTER GAMES.


1. SIBERIAN MAN HUNT.

A MAN has escaped through the snow and a patrol follow his tracks, but they advance with great caution when they think they are nearing his hiding-place because one hit from a snowball means death, but he has to be hit three times before he is killed. If he has taken refuge up a tree or any such place it will be very difficult to hit him without being hit first. The hunted man has to remain at large for a certain time, two or three hours, and then get safely home without being caught.

2. ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Each patrol makes a bob sleigh with harness to fit two Scouts who are to pull it (or for dogs if they have them, and can train them to the work). Two Scouts go a mile or so ahead, the remainder with the sleigh follow, finding the way by means of the spoor, and by such signs as the leading Scouts may draw in the snow. All other drawings seen on the way are to be examined, noted, and their meaning read. The sleigh carries rations and cooking-pots, and so on. Build snow huts. These must be made narrow, according to the length of sticks available for forming the roof, which can be made with brushwood, and covered with snow.

3. SNOW FORT.

The snow fort may be built by one patrol according to their own ideas of fortification, with loop holes, and so on, for looking out. When finished it will be attacked by hostile patrols, using snowballs as ammunition. Every Scout struck by a snowball is counted dead. The attackers should, as a rule, number at least twice the strength of the defenders.

4. FOX-HUNTING.

This game is to be played where there is plenty of untrodden snow about. Two Scouts start from the middle of a field or piece of open ground, and five minutes afterwards the rest are put on their trail. The two foxes are not allowed to cross any human tracks. If they approach a pathway where other people have been, they must turn off in another direction ; but they can walk along the top of walls and use any other ruse they like, such as treading in each other's tracks, and then one vaulting aside with his staff. Both of them have to be caught by the pursuers for it to count a win. The foxes have to avoid capture for one hour and then get back to the starting-place.

5. THE DASH FOR THE POLE.

Two rival parties of Arctic explorers are nearing the Pole; each has sent out one Scout in advance, but neither of them have returned-they know the direction each started in because their tracks can be still seen in the snow. What has really happened is that each has reached the Pole, and each is determined to maintain his claim to it and so dare not leave the spot. They both purposely left good tracks and signs, so that they could be easily followed up, if anything happened. (These two, one from each patrol, should start from head- quarters together, and then determine upon the spot to be the Pole - each to approach it from a different direction.) The two parties of explorers start off together (about fifteen minutes after the forerunners left) and follow up the tracks of their own Scout. The first patrol to reach the spot where the two are waiting for them -takes possession, the leader sets up his flag and the rest prepare snowballs, after laying down their staves in a circle round the flag at a distance of six paces. When the other party arrive they try to capture the staves ; the defenders are not allowed to touch their staves, but two hits with a snowball on either side put a man out of action. Each defender killed and each staff taken counts one point, and if the rival party gain more than half the possible points, they can claim the discovery of the Pole. Before the defenders can claim undisputed rights they must kill all their rivals, by pursuing them if only one or two are left. (The two forerunners do not take part, but act as umpires.)

6. CLEAR THE LINE.

This game requires a light rope, five to eight yards of Canvas or leather filled with sand and weighing about 1 lb. The Scoutmaster stands in the centre of a ring of Scouts and swings the bag round, gradually paying out the rope until it becomes necessary for the players to jump to avoid it. The direction in which the bag is swung should be varied. The rate of swinging as well as the height of the bag from the ground should be gradually increased. The object of the players is to avoid being caught by the rope or bag and brought to the ground.

7. SKIN THE SNAKE.

The scouts stand in single file. Each scout puts his right hand between his legs, which is grasped by the one behind. Then the first scout walks backwards, straddling No. 2. No. 2 repeats the movement, straddling No. 3, and so on, until the scout that was first is in the last position. It is a clever gymnastic stunt, and done quickly represents a snake shedding its skin.

8. SOCCER RELAY.

This is a relay game, where the first scout of each side starts kicking the ball from his goal to a turning-point several yards away, then kicks the ball back through the goal that he started from. When he has kicked a goal the second scout repeats the performance of the first, and each scout repeats the performance. The side that finishes first wins the race.


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