This game requires great readiness and retentiveness of mind. The attention being kept continually on the strain in case one’s own assumed name be called out, and a readiness to pass the accusation on to another.
The game of “Hide and Seek” was practised in the Highlands in many forms. Probably the earliest and simplest is that of young children playing round their mother, while she was engaged in baking bread. It was the custom in olden times to gather the meal or remains of dough left over after the oatcakes of bread were made, and duly work it into a cake by itself, called the Bonnach Beag, or “Little Cake,” also known as Siantachan a’ Chlàir, “The Charmer of the Board,” which was supposed to be of mysterious value in keeping want away from the house. This little cake was given to the children, and when butter was ready or accessible, was thickly covered and given to the little fry, making a very welcome and grateful treat. Sometimes when the butter was very thickly spread, and perhaps with the thumb as the readiest and most convenient substitute for a knife, the housewife said, “Here take that; it is better than a hoard of cloth” (Gabh sin; ’s fhearr e na mìr liath ’an clùd). Hence the expression that was used to denote that the preparations were not quite over:
“Cha ’n ’eil am bonnach beag bruich fhathast.”
(The little cake is not ready yet).
Not infrequently the little things hid their heads under their mother’s apron, thinking, like the ostrich of the desert that if their heads were hidden, none of the rest of them would be seen. When children played the game in the open air, the stackyard was commonly resorted to, and the one who was fixed upon as the Blind Man, while the rest were hiding themselves had to call out three times,
“Opera-opera-bo-baideag”
adding at the third time,
“Dalladh agus bodharadh agus dìth na dà chluais air an fhear nach cuala sud.”
(Blindness and deafness and the loss of both ears be the lot of the one who will not hear that).
The Blind-man then caught hold of one of the stacks, and went round, guided by his hands, giving occasional kicks in case any one should be hiding himself near the ground.