Page:The American Boy's Handy Book edition 1.djvu/300

A gentleman who was much interested in the foregoing description of snowball warfare sends a sketch of the manner he and his playmates used to bind their prisoners taken in snow battles. Image missingA Prisoner of War. The captive was taken to a post or smooth-trunked sapling and compelled to put his arms and legs around it as if he were about to climb. The right leg crossed the left leg, and the toe of the right shoe was pushed behind the post or tree trunk in the position shown by the illustration. After taking this position the prisoner was gently pushed down into a sitting position. It is next to impossible for a person so fixed to arise without help. The toe of the left shoe binds the right leg; the toe of the right shoe binds the post, and the arms can be only used to hold on by. When a friend reaches the captive he takes him by the arms and lifts him up. As soon as the prisoner assumes an upright position he can free himself without difficulty.

The same gentleman who sent the above ingenious device also tells of some funny manœuvres the boys used to go through. For instance, during a lull in the battle, the commander would call out "Company rest!" One man then assumed a stooping position; the next man sat on the right