240 THE IDYL OF THE SPLIT-BAMBOO 



regardless of the fact that one is almost certain 

 to go " over the top " that is the question. 



There are three factors to be considered: foot- 

 hold, dryness, and locomotion. If waders either 

 mackintoshes or hip-boots are used, you must 

 have hobnailed wading-brogans to wear over the 

 feet of the one, or leather sandals with hobnailed 

 soles or some similar contrivance for the feet of 

 the other. Screw-calks are an advantage over hob- 

 nails, which have a faculty of becoming loose and 

 dropping out when the sole leather dries after long 

 soaking. These calks may be transposed as re- 

 quired, those wearing down quickest being moved 

 to another part of the sole and replaced by some less 

 worn. In addition to the woolen stockings next the 

 skin, a heavier pair also are worn between wader 

 and brogan, to ease the chafing of the former. 

 These sometimes are turned into the tops of the 

 brogans, making a double layer where the raw-hide 

 lacings (keep them well greased) are drawn around 

 the ankle at the tops of these shoes; but a better 

 scheme, because keeping the sand from getting be- 

 tween stocking and wader, is to pull the outside 

 stockings up to full length and to secure the tops 

 around the wader with a rubber-band. You can 

 get these rubber-bands and useful for so many 

 other purposes by cutting them from played-out 

 auto-tire tubes. 



The banana-peel can assume no airs in the presence 



