Page 41 - The Ashley Book of Knots

THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS

The Archer

149. A bowstring is secured to the lower end of a bow in anum·

149 ber of ways. A CLOVE HITCH with the end finished off with Two

HALF HITCHES is both common and practical.

150. The grip of a bow is sometimes of cord or yarn, tightly

lSI , served, with the end buried under the turns. More often it is of

- • woven material with a piled texture, such as velvet or plush. Oc-

•
•
•
'.
casionally the grip consists of a WIDE TURK'S-HEAD KNOT (Chapter

17) .

151. The BOWSTRING KNOT is a Loop KNOT that has been known

and used for ages by the aborigines of at least three continents. It is

one of the oldest knots we have. In modern archery, however, an

EYE SPLICE (~2754) is preferred to the knot.

152. The BOWSTRING KNOT DOUBLED. The advantage of this is not

very clear. Possibly it is stronger than the single knot, but the two

loops might easily prove awkward in a hurried stringing of the bow.

An ADJUSTABLE BOWSTRING KNOT is shown as ~ 1030.
IS3

To string a bow, place one end on the ground, spring the bow

outward with the knee, and slip the Loop KNOT over the top lug.

The Artillerymtm

•

153. The ARTILLERY Loop, also called MAN-HARNESS KNOT and

HARNESS Loop, is tied in the bight of a rope. It is used for a hand- or

shoulder-hold in hauling field guns into position, and also in assisting

1.5"4

horses either in uphill work or when mired.

154. The PICKET-LINE HITCH is used in tying up artillery horses.

It was shown to me by J. Lawrence Houghteling, who learned it

while in the service at the Mexican border.

The Artist

An artist requires several knots when he goes a-sketching. The fol-

lowing are those that I have found most helpful.
ISS'

155. A BOWLINE KNOT. This is dropped over any protuberance at

the top of an easel. (See ~ 1010.)

156. A KILLEG HITCH (~2 7 I) is then tied to a convenient stone or

bag of sand which acts as an anchor.

157. A second cord, secured to the easel with another BOWLINE,

is led around a large spike on the weather side of the canvas, and the

end is made fast to the standing part with an ADJUSTABLE HITCH

(~ I 800). This makes an excellent guy when a hard wind is blowing.

158. The most convenient way that I have found for carrying wet

sketches is illustrated here. Two canvases are placed face to face,

but not in contact; four clips, easily homemade of 3/32" wire, are

slipped over the corners. A heavy cord, with a BOWLINE in one end,

IS8 is wrapped around the clips between the canvases, and the end is

-' stuck through the BOWLINE, hauled tight, and made fast with a

SLIPPED HALF HITCH (#1822).
159

The Angler

-
.~,
d
.
. 159. A variety of ANGLER'S KNOTS will be found later in this chap-

ter among FISHERMAN'S KNOTS. The knot pictured here is a common

way of securing a line to a ring hook and is much used in the cruder

branches of the art, that is to say, in hand-line and pole fishing.