Skipjacks

Source: What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games And Pastimes
Category: INDOOR OCCUPATIONS AND THINGS TO MAKE



The wish-bone of a goose makes a good skipjack. It should be cleaned
and left for a day or two before using. Then take a piece of strong
thin string, double it, and tie it firmly to the two ends of the
wish-bone, about an inch from the end on each side. Take a strip of
wood a little shorter than the bone, and cut a notch round it about
half an inch from one end. Then slip it half way between the double
string, and twist the string round and round until the resistance
becomes really strong. Then pull the stick through to the notch, into
which the string will settle, and tie it at each side, so that it is
not likely to slip either way. A little piece of cobblers' wax must be
put on the bone on the other side to that where the stick naturally
touches. Pull the stick right over to stick on the wax, and lay the
skipjack, stick downward, on the ground. In a little while the wax
will give way, and the wish-bone will spring high into the air.


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