Page 433 - The Ashley Book of Knots

THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS

2615. A puzzle: To remove the cord from a card without untying

the beads. A flexible card or strip having two slits and a hole, and

two buttons larger than the hole, are required.

The solution is to bend the flexible strip at the middle and pull it,

by means of the cord, down through the hole. Then withdraw one

of the beads through the loop that has been forn1ed by the strip.

2616. "Two Sailors Out on the Yardarms." To get them both on

2 Eo\5 the same yardarm without passing the knot. This was shown to me by

Lovell Thompson, who learned it in Nova Scotia.

Pull out a bight from the center knot and stick it down through

the near side of an end hole. Drop the knot at the end of the foot-

rope down through the bight and withdraw the bight over the knot

to bring it back to where it started from. Treat the other end simi-

larly and the knot at the center will disappear. One sailor then

crosses to the opposite yardarm. The knot is replaced by reversing

the process described.

1& 2617. The oriental ladder trick: To remove the string from the

ladder ,vithout disengaging the string from the buttons.

Take a turn about the upper right post of the ladder and then

reeve the needle reversely the full length of the cord so that two

parallel cords pass through the whole structure. Reverse the needle

and this time reeve only through the buttons, passing outside each

rung of the ladder. Take the turn off the ladder post, pull out the

doubled cord and nothing will remain on the cord except the buttons.

2618

2618. To disenttmgle scissors: The RING HITCH is pulled out and

led through the upper thumb hole of the scissors, and then passed

entirely around the scissors, which frees them.

2619. To remove the button: Two sticks, with three holes in each,

and a button with large holes are required. These are arranged as

pictured.

Extend the loop at the center hole of one of the sticks, reeve it

through the upper hole, then pass both the opposite stick and the

button through the loop. The loop can now be withdrawn from its

own stick and the button removed. After this the stick may be re-

placed by reversing the process.

2620. "The Pirate and the Jolly Boat."

A pirate, having more prisoners than he has room for, tows one

boatload astern.

All knives are taken away, and the boat made fast with the bight

of a doubled line. The after end of the line is ring hitched to a

stern ringbolt. CLOVE HITCHES are put around each thwart, and the

line is rove through the bow ringbolt and brought to deck. They

are told to escape if they can.

How do they escape?

2620 The reader should make a rough cardboard replica of the top

elevation of the boat to work with.

The solution: The boat is hauled close to ship, and the loose rope,

so gained, is led aft through all the CLOVE HITCHES until the RING

- HITCH in the after ringbolt can be loosened. The bight of this knot

- is extended to its limit, after which it is led forward, paralleling

•
- • < I > the rope through its successive hitches, and after leading it out
, •

through the forward ring it is dropped into the water and the boat

itself is hauled through it.