C. F. Jayne's Strinp Figures, New York, 1906, chapter viii. See, also,

W. I. Pocock, Folk- Lore, London, 1906, pp. 349—373.
374 STRING FIGURES [CH. XVI
were trying to thread it through the erect loop held by the left hand. Lastly. Pass the right hand sharply to the left over and beyond the left hand. This will carry the piece AB beyond the two strings of the loop. Hence the loop which is still held up by the left thumb and index appears to have been threaded by the right-hand string, but in reality the part of the string which hangs from the right hand is drawn between the left thumb and index up into the loop.
The Yam Thief or Mouse Trick. This is also a familiar
trick, and is interesting as having stories connected with its
performance.
The Yam Thief or Mouse Trick is effected thus (Jayne, pp. 340 — 343). First. Hold the left hand with the palm facing you, the thumb upright, and the fingers pointing to the right. With the right hand, loop the string over the left thumb, cross the strings, and let one string hang down over the palm and the other over the back of the left hand. Second. Pass the right index from below under {i.e. on the proximal side of) the pendant palmar string and then between the left thumb and index, and with the palmar tip of the right index loop up a piece of the string hanging on the back of the left hand. Pull this loop back between the left thumb and index and on the upper (or distal) side of the left palmar string. Then with the right index give the loop one twist clockwise, and put it over the left index. Pull the two pendant strings in order to hold tight the loops on the thumb and index. Third. In the same way pass the right index from below under the pendant palmar string and then between the left index and middle-fingers, and with the palmar tip of the right index loop up a piece of the pendant dorsal string. Pull it back between the left index and the middle-fingers and on the upper side of the left palmar string. With the right index give the loop one twist clock- wise, and put it over the left middle-finger. Fourth. In the same way pick up a loop of the pendant dorsal string, and put it on the left ring-finger. Fifth. In the same way pick up a loop of the pendant dorsal string, and put it on the left little-finger. Sixth. Take oft the left thumb loop, or slip it to the tip of the thumb and hold it between the left thumb and index. The pendant dorsal string on the left hand can be pulled to show that the loops are still on the fingers. Finally. Pull the left pendant palmar string and all the string will come away.
In one version of the story the thumb loop represents the owner of a yam or cabbage patch. He is supposed to be asleep. The loops successively taken up from the dorsal string represent the yams or cabbages dug up by a thief from the patch, and secured by him in bundles on the fingers. The loop coming off the thumb represents the owner waking, and going out to see what is the matter. He walks down the dorsal side, sees the yams, pulls at the dorsal string, is satisfied that his yams are still on the ground, and returns to catch the thief. Meanwhile the thief walks down the palmar side of the hand, and as the owner returns from the dorsal side, the left palmar string is pulled and the thief disappears with the stolen yams.
Cheating the Halter. This is a trick of the Philippinoes.
CH. XVl] STRING FIGURES 375
A halter is put round the neck, but by a movement, which in effect reverses the turn on the neck, the string, when pulled, comes off.
The Halter Trick is performed thus (Jayne, pp. 339—340). First. Put your head through a loop of string, and let the rest of the loop hang down in front of you. Second. Pass the right string round the neck from the left side, draw the loop tight, and let it hang down in front of you. Third. Put the hanging loop on the hands, and form Opening A. Fourth. Pass the index loops over the head, and remove the hands and fingers from the other loops ; a loop now hangs down in front of you. Lastly. If this loop, or either string of it, be pulled all the strings will come off the neck.
We can vary the presentation by twisting the left string round the neck from the right side. In this case we must use Opening B.
The Fly on the Xose. In this trick the string seems to come away although looped on to the nose.
The Fly on the Nose is performed thus (Jayne, pp. 348 — 349). First. Hold the string at some point with the thumb and index-finger of one hand ; and take hold of the string at a place, some 9 or 10 inches off, with the thumb and index of the other hand. Second. Make a small ring hanging down by passing the right hand to the left and on the near side of the string held by the left hand. There is now a long loop and a small ring, both hanging down, the right string of the ring being the left string of the loop. Third. Hold the place where the strings cross between the teeth, the string originally held by the right hand being on the lower side. Hold the strings or one string of the long loop with the left hand. Fourth. Place the right index from the far side through the ring, taking the ring string up to the root of the fingers. Close the right fist, and carry the fist (holding the ring) round in a circle, first back to the far side, then to the right, and 80 on round the right string of the loop, to its original position. Fifth. Open the index, keeping the rest of the fist shut, and put the tip of the index on the tip of the nose. Finalbj. Let go with the mouth and pull the left string of the loop. The whole string will then come away.
Of course the same result can be obtained if the ring is made by passing the right hand to the left on the far side of the string held by the left hand, so that when the cross is held in the mouth the string originally held by the right hand is uppermost. But in this case the ring should be taken by the left index, which is carried round the left string of the loop.
The Hand-Cuff Trick. This is a very ancient string trick. Two players, P and Q, are connected thus. One end of a piece of string is tied round P's right wrist, the other is tied round his left wrist. Another piece of string is passed through the space bounded by the string tied to P's wrist, his body, and his
376 STRING FIGURES [CH. XVI
arms. The ends of this piece are then tied one on Q's right wrist, and the other on Q's left wrist. The players desire to free themselves from the entanglement.
The Hand-Cuff Trick. Either player can free himself thus. First. P takes up a small loop L near the middle of the string tied to his wrists, and pulling the loop to one of Q's wrists on the palmar side of it, pa-.^ses it, from the elbow to the finger side, between Q's wrist and the loop on that wrist. Next, P draws this loop L sufficiently far through until he is able to pass it, first over Q's hand, and then under the wrist loop on the outer side of Q's wrist, passing this time from the finger to the elbow side of Q. When in this position P can pull his own string clear of Q on the outer side of Q's arm.
The Elusive Loop. This is a trick in which a loop is offered
to some one, and then unexpectedly disappears. Almost any
of the forms in which the string is so arranged that if pulled it
runs off the fingers — and there are many examples of this kind,
ex. gr. the Yam Thief — lends itself to this presentation. I give
an instance derived from the Torres Straits where the loop is
supposed to represent a Yam.
The offer of the Elusive Yam is performed thus (Jayne, pp. 352 — 354). First. Take up the string in the first position. Second. Pass each index away from you over the little-finger string and to the far side of it, draw the string towards you in the bend of the index, and then turn the index up towards you in its usual position, thus twisting the string round the tip of the finger. Third. Pass each thumb away from you under the far index string, pick up from below on the back of the thumb the near index string which crosses the palm obliquely, and return the thumb under the near thumb string to its original position. Fourth. Pass each little-finger towards you over the far index string, and pick up from below on the back of the little -finger the near string which passes directly from hand to hand, and return the little-finger. Fifth. Pass each thumb away from you, and pick up from below the near string of the figure, and return the thumb. Lastly. Release the loop from the left index, and hold it erect between the left index and thumb. This loop represents a Yam.
One boy, who is supposed to be hungry, says Have you any food for me ? Thereupon another boy, who has made the figure, offers the loop or Yam to the first boy saying, Take it if you can. On this the first boy grabs at the Yam, while the second boy pulls the right-hand strings. If the former is quick enough he gets the Yam, but if not, it disappears, and all the strings with it. The same trick can be repeated with the right hand.
More briefly thus. First position. Index-fingers, take up twist on far string. Thumbs, under one, pick up palmar near index string, and return imder two. Little fingers, pick up near string. Thumbs, pick up near string. Release loop from left index.
CH. XVl] STRING FIGURES 377
There also are some string tricks which must be fjimiliar to most of my readers. I give as well-known examples the Button-Hole Trick and the Loop Trick. These require no skill and present no difficulty. It is with some hesitation that I describe them, but age gives them a certain claim. I have no idea when or by whom they were invented. The devices used are so obvious that the tricks will hardly bear repetition.
The Button-Hole Trick. In this a loop of string is passed through a button-hole or ring, and on each side of the hole a finger or thumb is put into the loop on that side. The object is to free the loop from that hole. It may be done in several ways which however do not differ in principle. I give two methods.
The Button-Hole Trick may be done thus. First. Pass a loop of string through a button-hole or key-ring. Second. Hold the thumbs npripht, and insert them from below in the two loops one on each side of the button-hole. Move the hands a little out from the body and towards each other. Third. Hook the right little-finger into the right-hand string of the left thumb loop, and pull it across to the right hand. Fourth. Pass the left hand above the right little- finger loop, hook the left little-finger into the left hand string of the right thumb loop and pull it across to the left hand. Fifth. Drop the right thumb loop and put the right thumb into the right little-finger loop. Finally. Withdraw both little-fingers, and separate the hands ; the string will then come off the button- hole. In fact the effect of the movements described is to get both thumbs in one loop.
This trick may be also performed by two people, P and Q, by the following movements, the description of which I take from Pocoek's paper in Folk- Lore, 1906, p. 355. First. Pass a loop of the string through a ring. Second. P, holding his thumbs upright, inserts them from below in the two loops, one ou each side of the x*ing. The string nearest him will be the radial, that farthest from him the ulnar string Third. Q, who is facing P, puts his left index from below into the loop on P's right thumb. Q then takes up on the back of his left index-finger the ulnar string at some point, say H, of it between the ring and P's right thumb. At the same time Q, with the inside of his left little-finger, hojks the same string at some point between // and P'a right thumb and draws it towards himself. Thus there is now one loop on the back of Q's left index-finger and another on the inside of his left little- finger. Fourth. Q places the tip of his left index-finger on the tip of P's right thumb and transfers the loop on that finger to P's thumb. At the same time Q draws the little-finger loop well away towards P's left side. Fifth. Q pusbes his left index from above into the loop near P's left thumb but on the other side of the ring, and with the back of the finger he picks up the radial string. Sixth. Q transfers this index loop to P's right thumb, by touching the tips ns
378 STRING FIGURES [CH. XVI
before. Seventh. Q grasps the ring with his right hand, and at the same time drops the little-finger loop. Finally. P separates his hands and the ring comes away from the string.
The Loop Trick is merely an illustration of how easily an unobservant person can be deceived. It requires two persons, P and Q, and is performed thus.
The Loop Trick. A string is looped on the index-fingers held upright of a player P : thus there are two parallel strings, a near and a far one. The loop is taken up by another player, Q, thus. First. Q presses his left index on both strings about half-way between P's hands and holds them firmly down. Second. P moves his right index over the strings until the tip meets the tip of his left index, and if he likes shifts the right index loop from the right finger to the base of the left finger. Lastly. Q slips his left index off the distal string, and at the same time pulls the left index, which now rests on only one string, and of course the loop comes away.
This is the common presentation of the trick, but W. I. Pocock remarks that it is somewhat less easy to detect the method used if the strings be struck sharply down with the right hand at the instant when the left index is pulled.
The Waistcoat Puzzle. There is one other trick of this type which was, I believe, published for the first time in this book in 1888. It is applicable to a man wearing a coat and waist- coat of the usual pattern. The problem is to take off the waistcoat, which may be unbuttoned, without pulling it over the head and without taking off the coat.
Those of my readers who are conversant with the history of white magic will recollect that Pinetti, the celebrated conjurer of the eighteenth century, in his performance at Versailles before the French court in 1782, relieved some of the courtiers of their shirts without disturbing the rest of their attire. It was his most striking trick, and not a very seemly one. In fact he threw a shawl over the person operated on, and then pulled the back of the shirt over his head ; an obvious method which I have barred in the waistcoat trick. The victim and the spectators were uncritical, and Pinetti's technical skill was sufficient to conceal the modus operandi from them.
The Waistcoat Puzzle can be done thus. First. Take the left corner (or lappel) of the coat and push it through the left armhole of the waistcoat, from outside to inside. Second. Put the left hand and arm through the same
CH. XVl] STKING FIGURES 379
armhole. The effect of this is to leave the left arm hole of the waistcoat at the back of the neck. TJiird. Take the right lappel of the coat and put it through the left armhole of the waistcoat. Fourth. Put the right hand and arm through the same armhole. Finally. Pass the waistcoat down the right sleeve of the coat.
I should have liked to add another section to this chapter on knots and lashings. Some references to the mathematics of the subject will be found in papers by Listing, Tait, Boddicker *, but its presentation in a popular form is far from easy, and this chapter has already run to dimensions which forbid any ex- tension of it.
* J. B. Listing, Vorstudien zur Topologie, Die Studien, Gottingen, 1847,