“The parson’s mare has gone amissing, And it is a great shame that it should be so; Try who stole her.” Làir a’ pharsonaich air chall, ’S mòr an nàire dh’ i bhi ann; Feuch cò ghoid i. Looking round the circle, he fixes upon some one, and mentions him by the assumed name. He fixes, for instance, on the one to whom the name of “Old Cow’s Tail” was given, and the person mentioned or denoted was bound at once to answer, saying “It’s a lie from you” (’S breugach dhuit e) to which the answer is, “Who then is it?” (Feuch cò eile e?). The person accused at once passes it on by mentioning some one else, such as the “Rooster on the House top,” and the same query and answer, “Who then is it?”, etc., is passed on. The first one who fails in giving a ready reply has to submit to give a forfeit which the ruler keeps in security till all have been exacted; then some one bends down and rests his head upon the king’s knee, when the forfeits are held upon his head and he is made to award the punishment of redeeming them. He does not see whose forfeit it is, and the penalty imposed is sometimes very ludicrous and impossible. One, for instance, has to sit on the fire till his stomach boils (_Suidhe air an teine gus am bi a ghoile air ghoil_); another is to go out to the hillock in front of the village and bawl out three times, “This is the one who did the mischief And who will do it to-night yet.” (’S mise an duine a rinn an t-olc ’S nì mi ’n nochd fhathast e). 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).