"Potatoes and salt must little folks eat, While the grown-up people dine Off lemons and chestnuts and oranges sweet, With cocoanut milk for wine. On the ground do we take our seat, We're at your feet, we're at your feet."
Sometimes a line of children will form across the street and run, hand in hand, down its length, singing:--
"We have closed the street And no one may pass, Only my grandpa Leading his ass Laden with oranges Fresh from the trees. Tilín! Tilín! Down on our knees! Tilín! Tilín! Tilín! Tilín! The holy bell of San Agustín!"
A play for four weans, training them early to the "eternal Spanish contradiction," consists in holding a handkerchief by its four corners, while one of them sings:--
"Pull and slacken! I've lost my treasure store. Pull and slacken! I'm going to earn some more. _Slacken!_"
And at this, the other three children must _pull_, on pain of forfeit, whereas if the word is _pull_, their business is to _slacken_.
They have a grasshopper game, where they jump about with their hands clasped under their knees, singing:--
"Grasshopper sent me an invitation To come and share his occupation. Grasshopper dear, how could I say no? Grasshopper, grasshopper, here I go!"
In much the same fashion they play "Turkey," gobbling as they hop.
I never found them "playing house" precisely after the manner of our own little girls, but there are many variants for the dialogue and songs in their game of "Washerwoman." The Mother says: "Mariquilla, I'm going out to the river to wash. While I am gone, you must sweep and tidy up the house."
But no sooner is the Mother out of sight than naughty Mariquilla begins to frisk for joy, singing:--
"Mother has gone to wash. Mother'll be gone all day. Now can Mariquilla Laugh and dance and play."
But the Mother returns so suddenly that Mariquilla sees her barely in time to begin a vigorous sweeping.
"'What hast been doing, Mary?' 'Sweeping with broom of brier.' 'A friar saw thee playing.' 'He was a lying friar.' 'A holy friar tell a lie!' 'He lied and so do you.' 'Come hither, Mary of my heart, 'And I'll beat thee black and blue.'"
After this lively exercise, the washerwoman goes away again, charging Mariquilla to churn the butter, then to knead the bread, then to set the table, but always with the same disastrous results. The Mother finally condemns her to a dinner of bread and bitters, but Mariquilla makes a point of understanding her to say bread and honey, and shares this sweetness with her sympathetic mates who form the circle. This time the beating is so severe that the children of the ring raise their arms and let Mariquilla dodge freely in and out, while they do all they can to trip and hinder the irate washerwoman in her pursuit.