52 The American Salmon-fisherman. 



second case he will lose his fish just the same, but there 

 will be an interval during which he and his gaffer will al- 

 most climb out of their clothes in a vain endeavor to pre- 

 vent the inevitable. 



If this plan is adopted, therefore, too much care cannot 

 be given to making the splice. To so unite the lines that 

 they will break rather than draw apart, presents not the 

 slightest difficulty. But that there be no abrupt increase 

 in diameter where at the ends of the splice the single 

 passes into the double thickness, is another matter. 



To accomplish this we first scarf the ends to be united 

 for about a quarter of an inch that is, trim them off by 

 cutting or scraping with a knife so that they gradually 

 diminish in thickness to nothing. Next an inch and a 

 quarter of each end is well coated with shoemaker's v/ax, 

 and warmed so as to induce the wax to penetrate as much 

 as possible. We will now assume the water-proofed line 

 to lead to the right, and the linen line to the left of the 

 operator. Having provided himself with a needle threaded 

 with doubled silk well coated w r ith the same wax, he fast- 

 ens the water-proofed line a foot or two from the splice 

 so that he can pull on it; he then lakes three or four turns 

 with the silk around the water-proofed line, then places the 

 scarf of the linen line close to it, and winds up and on to the 

 scarf, drawing the silk tight, and winding as closely and 

 smoothly as possible. After having wound over the scarf, 

 he passes the needle between the lines and makes three or 

 four solid turns around the linen line alone; then he re- 

 sumes winding over both parts for a short distance; then 

 takes three or four turns round the water-proofed line 

 only; then over both; then over the linen line alone re- 

 peating these operations until the wrapping extends be- 



