A simpler form of yacht-rig (Fig. 2) consists of a roll of cloth about twenty inches long, the ends of which are sewed together, forming a ring-shaped pad to rest upon the head. The yacht, a home-made affair, cut out of a shingle or a piece of board, is fastened upon the pad. This helmet also has the blindfold, and strings to tie under the chin. A third style of helmet (Fig. 3) was once formed by scooping out the end of a watermelon to fit the crew’s head, and rigging it up with a twig mast and a brown-paper sail. It was cheap, ingenious, and uncomfortable, and is not recommended. There is a fourth and entirely different rig, which consists in fastening the sails directly to the crew’s body. (See Fig. 4.) The spars—boom, sprit, and bowsprit—are of wood, shaped as in A, and are fastened to the body by strings run through holes in the broad ends. The sails should be attached to the spars as in real boats. A small flagstaff in the front of the cap bears the pennant, and completes the rig. [Illustration] For the benefit of those who are not familiar with sea terms, a few of the more common directions used in this game of Regatta are here given with their explanations: “Port” means the left side of the yacht. “Starboard” means the right side. To “luff” means to bring the yacht so that it will point more toward the direction from which the wind is blowing. To “luff a-lee” is to point the yacht directly at the wind, in the “wind’s eye.” To “tack” is to change the course of the yacht so that it receives the wind on the other side. The maneuver is accomplished by “luffing a-lee,” and keeping on until the yacht presents its other side to the wind. To “fall off” is the opposite of to “luff.” Experienced yachtsmen will know and use many other terms, but these are sufficient for conducting a game. Stories and books about the sea will suggest other useful words, and any one who plays the game often will soon gain an ample vocabulary. [Illustration: THE SEA-URCHIN] There once was an Untaught Sea-Urchin, Who said that for years he’d been searchin’ For a place in the sea Where he quiet could be, For the waves kept him pitchin’ and lurchin’. A NEW THEORY. BY BESSIE CHANDLER. At the telegraph poles Grace was looking, When she solemnly said: “I think Those little glass things are the bottles That hold all the telegraph ink.” WORK AND PLAY FOR YOUNG FOLK.—XV. A ROPE YARN SPUN BY AN OLD SAILOR. BY C. W. MILLER. There are many things you boys can do with a rope, if you only know how. Let an old sailor spin you a “yarn” or two. I. SPLICES. If you wish to put up a swing, to make a lasso, to fasten a rope to your sled, or if you live on a farm and desire to make a halter or a hay-rope, you should know how to make an “eye-splice.”