Samiotes go over to assist, yet at home they are a law-abiding and vigorous race. Their games, in short, illustrate their character.
First I will mention the game of (
Greek characters); "How many?" a curious rough species of morra. Four, six, or more lads divide themselves into sides, choosing two leaders. One leader takes up a stone, the other guesses in which hand it is, and if he is wrong he and his party turn their backs to be mounted by their opponents. The leader, as soon as he has jumped on the back of the opponent leader, puts one hand over the eyes of his (Greek characters), or beast of burden, as he is termed, and with the other catches him a smart cuff on the head as a sign of subjection. After that he holds up as many fingers in the air as he likes, crying (Greek characters); and the (Greek characters) has to guess. One after the other they receive a cuff on the head, and have to guess, until at length a happy (Greek characters) is right, and the riders become the beasts of burden.
This game often degenerates into the Samiote leapfrog, "olive, first olive, second olive," &c., as it is there called. There exists too a more intricate and quite an acrobatical form of leapfrog in Samos, called (Greek characters), which is played thus. A boy, chosen for the purpose, kneels on two shoes, presumably to preserve the knees of his trousers, thereby showing a thoughtfulness not usually evinced by English boys on like occasions; two others lean against him to support him, one on either side, and then the fun begins. The "first olive," or player, comes up, places his head on the head of the kneeling boy, his hands on his shoulders, and turns a somersault. This goes on in rapid succession, and strikes a casual observer as a game which must result in frequent disasters.
But nothing I ever saw played can equal in roughness (Greek characters), "sweet wine," as they euphoniously name it. A boy sits in the middle with one end of a long rope in his hand; another boy takes the rope after the fashion of a whip. The object is for the boys around to belabour the boy in the middle without getting hit with the rope. Whilst playing this game I have seen many ugly blows given and received, but, I am bound to say, with the greatest good nature.
(Greek characters), "the father," is another rough game of the same nature. Four boys stand linked together with their arms round each other's shoulders and their faces inwards; in this position they move round
