By writing down a row of fifteen figures, and transposing two numbers each time, and noting whether an odd or even number of transpositions are required to produce the consecutive order, it can be ascertained whether the cubes, in this order, can or cannot be moved into the consecutive order. If the required number of transpositions is an odd number it will be impossible.
CHAPTER XIX.—SOME MINOR GAMES.
I.—A NEW INDOOR GAME.
This is a good indoor game for boys, which I believe has not yet appeared in any form in England. It is a modification of one played by the students in Germany, but adapted to English words, and with a special arrangement of the figures, which the original game does not admit of, the words not being so suitable.
The above [diagram] is chalked on the floor, the figures being about one foot across and one foot apart. Then one player takes his place on the middle figure, facing Fig. 6. The other players then sing the old rhyme of the ‘Crooked Man’ to the ‘King Pippin Polka,’ known also as ‘My mother said,’ etc.
Then the player, with his feet together, jumps to No. 1, No. 2, etc., as the words ‘man,’ ‘mile,’ etc., are mentioned. He must not turn round, or put his feet outside the figures. The others keep time by clapping with their hands. If the player jumps to a wrong figure, or to one before it is sung, he pays a forfeit, especially for the last line.
The verse is then repeated to the second part of the tune, the player jumping to each figure before it is mentioned, and giving a second jump on it, before going to the next. The last line finishes off with a wild repetition of the figure, the player stepping from one figure to the next as fast as he can, finishing on No. 7 to the last word. The player must place both feet on Fig. 7 to the words ‘and they,’ then the right on Fig. 1, and so on, to the last one. The great difficulty in the last line is to get the left foot from Fig. 4 to Fig. 6 in time. This is done by passing the right foot behind the left, when moving it from Fig. 3 to Fig. 5, which will enable the player to finish without tying his legs in a knot. The words and the numbers of the figures for the player to jump to are here given (commencing on No. 7 and facing Fig. 6)—