By Dan Beard
Fig. 11.
The Long Ring.
About eight beyond the taw line, make a ring composed of two parts of a
circle crossing each other at the ends (Fig. 11), a fish-shaped ring with its
head toward the taw line. Draw a straight line through the center of the long
ring to lay the marbles on. If only two boys are playing and each lays in a
duck, one marble should be at each end of the ring. If more than two play, or if
more than one duck apiece is laid in, then they should be placed along the line
in the center of the ring.
When number one shoots, if there are only two marbles he generally
"sneaks," that is he bowls, as some call it, or shoots his marble with
just sufficient force to cause his taw to roll slowly along and come to a rest
as near as possible one of the marbles in the ring.
In doing this number one runs the risk of being killed by number two, whose
turn it now is to shoot, and if there are only two in the game, and number two
kills number one, this gives the game to number two, but if there are more in
the game it puts number one out, and number two has another shot at the ducks in
the ring, and continues to shoot until he misses. Then number three shoots, or
if number one is net dead, and only two are playing, number one shoots from the
spot where his taw ties.
Any player can sneak whenever he thinks he dare risk it. Of course a sneak is
a shot and he must run the chance of being killed; but if he is killed he can,
when his turn comes around, lay in as many ducks as he did at first, and then
placing another duck near the taw line, knuckle down and shoot, hitting the near
duck on one side so as to cause his taw or shooter to fly down toward the ring.
It often happens that in this way he can make up for what points he lost by
being killed. If he makes a miss he leaves his taw where it rests, and the next
player takes his turn.
OHB