Page 213 - The Ashley Book of Knots

THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS

1114. The NOOSE, NOOSE KNOT or the SIMPLE NOOSE is closely

related to the OVERHAND KNOT, the final tuck of the NOOSE being

made with a instead of a single end, as in the OvERHAND. It is

often ashore, but seldom at sea, its simplicity being its

greatest recommendation. It may be tied in the bight as well as in

the end of a rope. Formerly it was much used in snaring birds and

1111- small animals and was commonly tied in horsehair or small wire.

British poachers, I have been told, have preferred the RUNNING

BOWLINE. But snaring has not always been confined to oachers.

The Sportsman's Dictionary of 1778 gives many pages 0 illustra-

tions devoted to interesting methods of snaring both animals and

birds. Even so late as 1893 snaring was not frowned on as now, and

Dan Beard's American Boy's Handibook gives a number of interest-

ing examples. A friend of mine who lives at a wharfhead in summer

has had rare sport in copying various old traps and snares from old

sporting books, and by these means he has succeeded in exercising

a fair control of his rat population, and has benefited the whole

\1\1

village.

1115" "Ib 1115. The SUP NOOSE (HALTER HITCH #18(4) closely resembles

the foregoing knot but it has an extra part and is differently tied. 'I()

tie: Make a TOM FOOL'S KNOT near the end of the cord or rope (# 1134)

and draw it taut as i1Iustrated. The knot is slipped by pulling on its

end.

1116. The FIGURE-EIGHT NOOSE draws up more smoothly than the

two that have been given and for that reason is to be preferred to

I \ '& either.

1117. The RUNNING BOWLINE KNOT is referred to by name, in A

Four Years' Voyage by G. Roberts (1726), as the "RUNNING

BoWLING KNOT." It is the knot universally used at sea when a

NOOSE is called for. According to an old nautical authority it "is used

for throwing over anything out of reach, or anything under water."

Any lumber that has dropped overboard or any rigging that has

I 1 ,~ gone adrift is recovered by its means.

1118. An excellent knot for snares, which draws up smoothly and

unties easily.

1119. The HANGMAN'S KNOT. This is the knot generally used for

the purpose suggested by the name, because it may be counted on

to draw up smoothly and not let go. It is conventionally adjusted

with the knot immediatel in back of and below the left ear.

It is sometimes conten ed that there should be nine turns to the

NOOSE, so that "even if a man has as man lives as a cat, there shall

be a full turn for each one of them," and have heard thirteen turns

urged as the proper number on the assumption that there is some

1120 1121
connection between bad luck and being hanged.

However, I learned the knot as it is pictured here, with only eight

turns, and I have found the preponderance of authority in favor of

eight turns only. In Chapter 2 the practical use of the knot is dis-

cussed under "Hangman."

1120. A SCAFFOLD KNOT from Diderot's Encyclopedia (1762).

1121. The GALLOWS KNOT. This is the same knot as the last, but

differently tied.

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