"I pretty near forget it now, but le's see. They make two squares on the ground or on two skins; each one is cut up in twenty-five smaller squares with lines like that. Then they have, say, ten rings an' ten nuts or pebbles. One player takes five rings an' five nuts an' sets them around on the squares of one set, an' don't let the other see till all is ready; then the other turns an' looks at it while some one else sings a little song that one of the boys turned into:
"'Ki yi ya—ki yi yee,
You think yer smart as ye kin be,
You think yer awful quick to see
But yer not too quick for me,
Ki yi ya—ki yi yee.'
[311]
"Then the first square is covered with a basket or anything and the second player must cover the other skin with counters just the same from memory. For every counter he gets on the right square he counts one, and loses one for each on the wrong square."
"I'll bet I kin——" Guy began, but Sam's hand gripped his moss-tuft.
"Here, you let me alone. I ain't bragging. I'm only telling the simple truth."
"Ugh! Better tell some simple lies, then—much safer," said the Great Woodpecker, with horrid calm and meaning. "If ever I lift that scalp you'll catch cold and die, do ye know it?"
Again Yan could see that Caleb had to look far away to avoid taking an apparent interest.
