The King of France with forty thousand men
Marched up the hill and then marched down again.

The players stand in two rows or groups facing each other. Each group has a leader who stands in the center and represents a king leading his army.

The game or play is a simple one of imitation in which the players perform in unison some action first indicated by one of the leaders.

The leaders of the two groups take turns in singing the verse at the same time marching forward during the first line of the verse and back again to their places during the second line illustrating the action that is then to be taken by all. The verse is then sung by both groups while advancing toward each other and retreating performing the movements indicated by the leaders. The movements illustrated by the leaders may be anything suitable to an army of men the words describing the movement being substituted for the line “Marched up the hill.” Thus –

The King of France with forty thousand men
Waved his flag and then marched down again.

The following variations are suggested each of which indicates the movements to go with it.

Gave a salute etc.
Beat his drum.
Blew his horn.
Drew his sword.
Aimed his gun.
Fired his gun.
Shouldered arms.
Pranced on his horse. E – It is scarcely necessary to say that a real flag and drum add much to the martial spirit of the game and if each soldier can have a stick or wand over his shoulder for a gun the esprit de corps will be proportionately enhanced.

Oh here we all go to buy us a lock
What kind of a lock shall it be
Well buy a broom handle if that will not do
With a poker well try it alone.
But if neither the broom nor the poker will do
Well open it then with a stone.

This game is suitable for very little children. They stand in a long line or rank side by side holding hands. While repeating the verse one end of the line winds in under the raised arms of the last two players at the opposite end but instead of passing entirely through as in many other winding games the player next to the last only turns far enough to face in three quarters of a circle or so that the players will eventually when all have so turned be brought into single file one standing behind the other. In this position the arms are dropped over the shoulder so that the players own left arm crosses his chest with the clasped hands (his own left and his neighbors right) resting on his right shoulder. Each player should clasp his neighbors hands at the start so that the palm of his own left hand faces forward and the palm of his own right hand faces backward.

When the whole line has been “locked” in this way the players unwind in reverse order still repeating the verse.

When players are familiar with the winding and unwinding process the game may be played in circle formation instead of line formation that is it will start with all of the players facing inward as they clasp hands to form a circle and the locking or winding will bring them facing in single file around the circle.

Hand in hand you see us well
Creep like a snail into his shell
Ever nearer ever nearer
Ever closer ever closer
Very snug indeed you dwell
Snail within your tiny shell.

Hand in hand you see us well
Creep like a snail out of his shell.
Ever farther ever farther
Ever wider ever wider.
Whod have thought this tiny shell
Could have held us all so well.

The players all stand in line holding hands while singing the first verse they wind up in a spiral following the leader who walks in a circle growing ever smaller until all are wound up still holding hands. The leader then turns and unwinds until all are again in one long line.

This “winding up” is a very old traditional feature in games and is supposed to have originated in tree worship.