The Cross Timbers by Edward Everett Dale Page B

with ’em open or five with ’em shut?” This referred to number of blows with the knife on the peg and whether the driver made them with his eyes open or closed.
    There were two forms of mumble-peg, but the penalty suffered by the loser was the same in each. In the first type points ranging from five to a hundred were given for the position in which the knife was made to fall; the first player to secure five hundred points won the game.
    In the second and more complicated game the winner was the first to complete a long series of throws. Each player sought to leave the single blade of the knife sticking in the ground with the handle upright. When a player failed in a throw his opponent took over and continued until he too failed. The plays of holding the blade between the thumb and each finger of the right hand in turn and of holding the knife point against fist, elbow, shoulder, nose, and chin were fairly easy.
    They became increasingly difficult, however, when the player must throw the knife from various positions. These had specific names, such as “break the chicken’s neck,” “shave old Pete,”“mark the pigs,” “help the lady over the fence,” and “knock sky winders,” sometimes called “spank the baby’s rear” because the handle of the knife was placed on the player’s knee and the flat side of the blade projecting into space was struck sharply with the edge of the hand. The final throw, called “find the goose’s nest,” was made by the player holding the blade in his hand and throwing the knife straight back over his head.
    We frequently played games suggested by our reading, each of us shifting his role to another character when necessary. On one occasion we were playing King Solomon’s Mines, in which we crossed a newly plowed field, which was the desert, and climbed the corn crib, which was the mountain designated in the book as “Sheba’s left breast.” We stopped before reaching the top when we found in the cave the frozen body of the Portuguese, who had died so many years before.
    After some discussion of our find we continued our journey, passed over the summit of the mountain, and descended to the valley beyond it. Here I dropped the role of Sir Henry Curtis and assumed that of the chief of the hostile natives. Running on ahead I pulled up a stalk of sorghum cane from a nearby stack of feed and with a whoop of defiance threw my spear at these intruders. Unfortunately, our father, who had been visiting one of the neighbors, came around the corner of “Sheba’s breast” just then and attracted George’s attention. As a result, my well-aimed spear hit his cheek, breaking the skin and making a long red mark.
    This rang down the curtain on King Solomon’s Mines instantly. I stammered that we were only playing a game, but Father did not seem to appreciate any such games. He knew that it wasan accident but suggested that I either go inside and study my spelling book or play some less dangerous game. I was deeply penitent, knowing that if my spear had struck George’s eye the result might have been very serious.
    Although I missed George more than I can find words to express when we were separated even for a few days, and I think he missed me; yet, it was possible for me to play alone in quite happy fashion. It seems certain that reading stimulated our imaginations, and the fact that we worked fairly hard made us appreciate leisure. In addition, we had virtually no toys except those which we made for ourselves. Perhaps these were the chief factors in keeping us contented, happy, and never at a loss for something to do.

7. Young Nimrods
    When George was about twelve years old he began to develop a great yearning for a gun. There was not very much game in our part of the Cross Timbers, but the desire to own a gun and go hunting seems to be born in every farm boy and may have been stronger in