insinuate its point of destruction into the heart of opponent's stoutest frame timber. In Medias res:-
A motty is placed on the road & a "croig" (line) drawn about 7 yds from it & at right angles, just as is done in playing "pitch & toss". Each player "trigs' on the line & pegs his top at the motty, his object being to strike the ground as near as possible to the stone without hitting it. The well-tempered spears of ________ days would shimmer before such a shock. The player who makes his impress fortest away from the motty is "down", that is he has to throw his top on the ground within a ring (3 feet in diameter), a victum to the spears of all. Each player deliberately pegs at the top that's down with but one intent, to split it in twain or damage it materially. Should a player knock the 'dead top' out of the ring, down goes his top & the owner of the former automatically comes into action. Should the same top lie dead for a prearranged number of pegs per head (generally 3 or 5 or 7 according to number of players), tactics of attack are changed & "three hard pegs" declared. Recourse is had to the motty again to decide who is to give the "three hard pegs", that
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I should have mentioned that if a player fails to hit the top that's down & this happens oftenest by far, he can lift his spinning top onto his hand & drop it on the other with intent to do some little harm, 'giggle off" a chip or something
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