Object—Physical action

Teams—Patrol

Type—Quiet representatives

Space—Small, 1-0 Material—None, or as needed.

To be most effective, duel contests should be preceded by more or less formal challenges, a boy from one Patrol challenging: "I, Scout So-and-so, challenge

Indian Hand Wrestling is always popular, whether at the Troop meeting or around the camp fire.

anyone in Indian Hand Wrestling." It is accepted by someone else saying: "I, Scout This-and-that, accept the challenge." The two go to it, the winner is decided and is promptly challenged by someone else, until a certain time has elapsed, a certain number of rounds have been played, or one Scout has been the winner three times in succession.

Indian Hand Wrestling—One contestant places the outside of his right foot against the outside of the other's. Both brace themselves by placing their left feet a long step to the rear. They grasp right hands and attempt to throw each other. The one who first succeeds in making the other move his feet or lose his balance is the winner.

One-Legged Hand Wrestling—Each contestant holds his left leg behind him in his left hand, grasps the other's right hand. Then each proceeds to try to throw the other.

Cock Fighting—Same position as for One-Legged Hand Wrestling, with the exception that the right hands are held on the back. The players charge each other pushing with their shoulders and upper arms only, and attempt to upset each other.

Indian Leg Wrestling—The two contestants lie down with their backs flat on the ground, side by side, but with their legs in opposite direction. On a signal each lifts his inside leg to vertical position, then on the next signal tries to lock leg with the opponent and twist him over.

Hand Slap—Two contestants stand on a piece of 2"x4" lumber, facing each other, toe to toe. The toe of each Scout's rear foot touches heel of his forward foot. Each extends right hand forward and holds left hand behind back. They try to knock each other off balance by slapping palms.

Slap Jack—Number One contestant places open hands, palms down, on the upturned palms of Number Two contestant. Number Two tries to pull one hand away quickly and slap Number One's hands on the back. When he fails, Number One has his chance. Three times out of five wins.

Wide Games

The games described in the preceding pages all occupy a relatively short time and require comparatively small space. Each of them concerns itself with a special phase of Scouting and may be fitted into a program of several other activities.

A more ambitious kind of game is the so-called

Field Game or Cross-Country Game or Wide Game (term popularized by Gilcraft).

The wide game takes in a considerable amount of territory and occupies from one to several hours of the hike or the day in camp. It requires thorough planning in advance, but is worth the extra effort on the part of the Troop Leaders' Council. The wide game provides romance and adventure, helps to develop initiative and leadership, and increases the boys' Scoutcraft knowledge and physical fitness.

Planning The Wide Games

In its simplest form the wide game is a refinement of the old boyhood games of "Cops and Robbers" or "Cowboys and Indians," made a little more intricate and more exciting. (Several of the special hikes in Chat 28 may be considered wide games.)

To plan the game the following steps are necessary:

(1) Decide upon the theme of the game. Get your ideas from national or local history, from books of fiction, from stories, or even from the daily newspapers. But no matter from what source you secure your theme, make sure of its romantic appeal.

(2) Study a map of your favorite territory and decide the positions from which the teams are to start and where they are to move.

(3) Be sure that the comparative strength of the various teams is correct.

(4) Develop the rules of the game. The best wide game is not the one in which one team does all the defending and the other all the attacking. Each game should contain attack and defense in equal measure for each team. Be certain to weigh all points which may come up and be particularly careful in seeing that no team is given advantages over the other.

(5) Decide upon method of capture, i.e., how to put opponents out of commission. The simplest methods are (a) the neckerchief tucked loosely into the belt, functioning as a "scalp", and (b) a piece of one-inch gauze bandage tied around the upper arm, left or right to indicate team. The capture of neckerchief or bandage constitutes the loss of "life." It is often advisable to provide a place to which the Scouts may come to secure extra "lives" and thus give them an opportunity to continue in the game.

(6) Have the necessary equipment available or placed before the game starts.

(7) Decide upon the time for the start of the game, the finish of the game and when the Scouts are to gather at a specified spot after the game to discuss it and hear the result of it.

(8) Prepare a sealed message to the leader of each team to be opened at the start of the game. This message should describe the theme, the objects the team is to accomplish, scoring and special rules. It should also contain a map sketch of the territory (or refer to map brought by each team leader).

Types Of Wide Games

The most commonly played wide games may be divided into the following types (although many other classifications are possible):

Treasure Type—Each of two or more teams attempts to obtain a treasure and bring it to safety against the opposition of the other teams.

Seizure Type—Each of two teams attempts to bring a treasure from one spot to the other, at the same time trying to seize the treasure of the other team which is moving in the opposite direction.

To find the Mayan treasure. To get it safely past the alert guards of the other Patrols. To carry it to "Numa." That's the problem here.

Conquest Type—Each of two teams attempts to conquer a specified spot of ground defended by the opponents, at the same time keeping the opponents from conquering its own piece of ground.