On either side of center are two guards, and two tackles, and the rival fives face each other.
When the ball is put in play there is a grand rush. The runner with the ball is surrounded by friends who try to force their way through the opposing line.
It is impossible in a general article to go into all the details of this popular game. Many authors have tried to make the rules and the methods plain, but they have not succeeded very well. The best way to learn is from an old player or to watch old players at the game. The points of the game are counted as follows:
Goal by touch-down 2
Touch-down without goal 4
Safety by opponent 2
CHAPTER XVIII
A HINT AT SOME WELL-KNOWN GAMES, INCLUDING HOP-SCOTCH
During a good deal of world-travelling I cannot recall ever having seen a game of Mumbly Peg played outside of the United States and Canada. I have placed it among the autumn games, but we all know that, except in winter when the conditions are unfavorable, it can be played at any time, where two boys and a jackknife can be assembled, with reasonably soft, smooth ground on which to play.
This game has so many variations locally and even among individual players that I shall not attempt a detailed description of the many ways in which the blade of the knife is made to enter the ground.
The feats, known to every boy, can be performed alone, and, when a boy, I know I did practice a lot by myself in order to avoid the consequences of defeat.
The rule is for the first boy to take the knife and go through as many feats as he can, but at the first failure the second boy takes the knife and does the same. And when all but one have succeeded, the penalty for failure is as follows: