When the leader says that all is ready, someone back of him blows an earsplitting blast on the whistle. Immediately everyone puts his hands behind him. Mr. Victim turns around at once and accuses the guiltiest looking one of holding the whistle. The guilty looking party holds up his hands and shows that he has no whistle and vows that he did not pass it to anyone else. Only one guess as to who did it is allowed in each case and the one accused is to hold up his hands at once, to prove his innocence or guilt.
Sooner or later the unfortunate in the center discovers who has been holding the whistle all the time, and that is the strategic time for everyone to go into the other room!
The Prison Guard.
For a small group only. Make a square representing a prison on a piece of paper, not joining the lines at the corners however. Let “P” represent a prisoner in the center of the square. At three of the corners let “G” represent guards. The story is that the prisoner escaped in spite of the guards, that there was a guard at this, and this, and this gate, pointing with your pencil to the three gates at which are stationed guards. Ask how in the world he could have escaped.
Invariably someone answers, “Why he could have gone through this gate,” and puts the tip of his finger on the unguarded gate. Your pencil is resting carelessly on the paper. At the crucial moment you hold it poised and when the answer comes and the finger points to the unguarded gate, your pencil comes into action with a swift rap across the knuckles as you exclaim in surprise, “Oh no! I am guarding that gate!”
Magic Writing.
The magic writer sends his confederate out of the room while the group decides on some short active verb. On his return the magician will write out this word in magic writing, whereupon the confederate will immediately go through the action of the verb decided upon.
That verb may be “dance.” When the confederate comes into the room the magician must be careful to say nothing that is not connected with his magic writing, or he will confuse his confederate. The first thing he says is, “Don’t get excited.” He then makes a great many fantastic motions on the floor with an umbrella, suddenly tapping hard, just once. Then he remarks, “Now be careful,” and after a very short pause, “Come on and try it,” and finishes with more flourishes of the umbrella and two distinct taps. Immediately the confederate, without saying a word, starts to dance.
It is a simple matter—when one knows how. The flourishes and the fantastic motions mean nothing, but all conversation and the taps mean a great deal. The first letter of each sentence gives the necessary consonant, and the taps give the vowels. For example, the first letter of the first sentence was “d.” Next came one tap, the first vowel “a,” then, “n,” then “c,” and then two taps for “e” the second vowel, and there you have “d-a-n-c-e.” The vowels come in their usual order of course, a, e, i, o, u, with one tap for a, two taps for e, three taps for i, etc., etc.
Discourage any other than short verbs. Imagine living through “palpitate!”