The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.Gomme, Alice Bertha
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The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.
Gomme, Alice Bertha
Folklore -- Great Britain; Games -- Great Britain
_Wolf_—“You can’t go upstairs, your shoes are too dirty.”
_Shepherd_—“I’ll take off my shoes” (pretends to take them off).
_Wolf_—“Your stockings are too dirty.”
_Shepherd_—“I’ll take off my stockings” (suits the action).
_Wolf_—“Your feet are too dirty.”
_Shepherd_—“I’ll cut my feet off” (pretends to cut them off).
(Milder version, “I’ll wash my feet.”)
_Wolf_—“Then the blood’ll run about.”
(Milder version, “Then they’ll wet my carpet.”)
_Shepherd_—“I’ll tie up my feet.”
(Or, “I’ll wipe my feet”)
_Wolf_—-“Well, now you may go up.”
_Shepherd_—“I smell my sheep.”
The Shepherd then goes to one child, pretends to taste—using fingers of
both hands as though holding a spoon and fork—on the top of the child’s
head, saying, “That’s my sheep,” “That’s Tuesday,” &c., till he comes to
the end of the row, then they all shout out and rush home to the fold,
the Wolf with them. A fresh Shepherd and Wolf are chosen, and the game
starts once more.—Cornwall (Miss I. Barclay).
One player is chosen to be the Shepherd, another the Thief, and the rest
the sheep, who are arranged in a long row. The Shepherd pretends to be
asleep; the Thief takes away one of the sheep and hides it; he then
says—
_Thief_—“Shepherdy, shepherdy, count your sheep!”
_Shepherd_—“I can’t come now, I’m fast asleep.”
_Thief_—“If you don’t come now, they’ll all be gone,
So shepherdy, shepherdy, come along!”
The Shepherd counts the sheep, and missing one, asks where it is gone.
The Thief says, “It is gone to get fat!” The Shepherd goes to sleep
again, and the same performance is repeated till all the sheep are
hidden; the Shepherd goes in search of them, and when found they join
him in the pursuit of the Thief.—Oswestry (Burne’s _Shropshire
Folk-lore_, p. 520).
Mr. Northall (_Folk Rhymes_, p. 391) gives a version from Warwickshire,
and says he believes the Shepherd’s dog to be the true thief who hides
his propensity in the dialogue—
Bow, wow, wow, What’s the matter now?
A leg of a louse came over my house,
And stole one of my fat sheep away.
The game is played as in Shropshire. The dialogue in the Cornish game is
similar to that of “Witch.” See “Wolf.”
Shepherds
One child stands alone, facing the others in a line opposite. The single
child shouts, “Shepherds, shepherds, give warning.” The others reply,
“Warn away! warn away!” Then she asks, “How many sheep have you got?”
They answer, “More than you can carry away.” She runs and catches
one—they two join hands and chase the rest; each one, as caught,
joining hands with the chasers until all are caught.—Liverpool (Mr. C.
C. Bell.) See “Stag,” “Warney.”
Shinney, or Shinty, or Shinnops
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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