By Dan Beard
Fig. 256.
A Typical Plan of Various Games of Tag.
When you observe one kitten hiding behind a tree or other object, and another creeping cautiously around in search of its playmate, you see the original and primitive game of "I Spy" as it was played long before there were any boys to enjoy the game. Some ancestors of our kittens invented "I Spy," some ancestors of our puppies invented "Tag," and some common ancestors of four-legged animals invented "Racing." All that the boys have done is to take these games as played by young quadrupeds and make fixed rules to govern them; and from these three simple sports almost all of the outdoor games that boys play have been evolved.
Home
In all tag games there must be a place of refuge for every one. The wild beasts have their dens in the heart of the jungle, where they can retire in safety; wild men have their secret hiding-places in the mountains or forests; the old pirates had their islands, surrounded by shoals and rocks that would pierce the hull of any vessel attempting to land without a pilot; and civilized man has his home, which is sacred from the invasion of friend or foe, a place to which he need admit no man.
In all tag games there must be some such spot where the players are safe for the time, where neither the Wolf with a Brown Ear, the Woolly Woolly Wolf, The Black Man, Old Bloody Tom, or "It" can catch him. This place is called goal, taw, den, base, or home.
See Also:
18 Tag Games Below