One of the company gets himself up to represent the old man of the woods, the rest take the names of various animals, such as lion, tiger, leopard and so on.
The players seat themselves round the room and the old man standing in the center tells them that some of their number have committed a crime and he is about to question them, in order that he may discover the guilty ones. He then begins – “Now. Mr. Lion, where have you been hunting, and what have you eaten today?” “I hunted in the forest and caught an antelope.” “Then you are twice guilty and must pay two forfeits,” says the old man; and the lion must pay his forfeit without being told the crime he has committed. The old man passes an to a Polar Bear. “Where did you hunt and what have you eaten?” he asks. “I hunted in the water and had a fine fish to eat.” The Polar Bear is pronounced innocent. The real game is that no animal may bring in the letter “o” either in their hunting ground or the food they eat. “Forest” and “Antelope” bath have an “o” in them, so the lion has to pay two forfeits whereas “Water” and “Fish” having no “o” the hear was declared innocent. The great fun is for the old man to keep the secret of “guilty” or “innocent” to himself ; but even if the other players know the secret, it is very difficult not to make a slip, as the answers must be given promptly.
When the game is over the players must pay for their forfeits in any way the old man decides.
Games for All Occasions by Mary E. Blain