68 MODERN SEA FISHING 



prevent them from becoming unravelled. If we have not the 

 best thing possible for any of these purposes, common twine 

 will suffice, or even sewing cotton, though that is poor stuff. 

 In fact, whatever is available must be used, always bearing in 

 mind that if it is too fine several pieces can be twisted up 

 together, and if too coarse it can be unravelled into several 

 strands. Of all men the angler should be, and usually is, 

 the most resourceful. 



To begin a piece of binding it is usual to lay the silk, which 

 should be thoroughly well waxed, in the position shown in the 

 diagram (i), but some people start it with a clove hitch (see 

 Chapter VII.) The waxed silk is then carried neatly and tightly 

 round and round the thing to be whipped or served. The finish- 

 off always embarrasses beginners. There are several ways of 

 doing this, and I will give two ; the first being suitable for a 

 hook or the point of anything. A hook is shown in the dia- 

 gram on the previous page, and for the sake of clearness it is 

 a large .one and the binding somewhat thick. 



Having wound on nearly as much silk as is required, the 

 end B should be laid straight along the shank (2), leaving a loop 

 A large enough for the point and bend of the hook to pass 

 through (3). Hold the hook and the end tightly in the right 

 hand close to D, and with the thumb and first finger of the 

 left hand take hold of the silk at c and wind it three times 

 round the hook (3). At each wind the point and bend of 

 the hook will pass through the loop ; then (4) pull the end B 

 until the loop disappears ; cut off the end, and the thing is 

 finished in much quicker time than it has taken me to de- 

 scribe it. 



But suppose we have to whip on a ring in the middle of the 

 rod. It would be very inconvenient to make the loop A (2) large 

 enough for the rod to pass through. That would require a 

 piece of silk ten feet long or more ; so we effect exactly the 



