122 
THE GOLDEN RIVER. 
of rods, I regard three as the minimum. 
Remember that you are thousands of miles from 
tackle shops, and that repairs are impossible 
except those which you can do yourself. 
Remember too that a break in a split cane rod 
is usually unrepairable, so that unless the break 
is in the top and you have a spare top, the rod 
will be out of action. Remember, lastly, that 
your rods have to run all the dangers of travel, 
and of carriage through wild country by 
inexperienced hands, as well as ordinary sport¬ 
ing risks. So you will do well to take three, 
and the same number of reels. Please yourself 
as to the make of reel: choose the one with which 
you can cast best. The only essential requisite 
is that it should be able easily to hold two 
hundred to two hundred and fifty yards of line. 
No line is so good as that called cuttyhunk, 
made in America, but to be bought in good 
London tackle shops. At all costs avoid a 
dressed line; the heat of the tropics melts the 
dressing and casting is a misery. Have two 
hundred or two hundred and fifty yards of 
cuttyhunk on each reel, and no backing. This 
means that your reels must be large. Take 
three spare lines. Cut one of them into fifty 
yard lengths, with a large loop spliced at each 
end. Tie the splices yourself with well waxed 
silk and varnish them with shellac varnish. 
Then when the end of one of your lines gets 
worn by casting, as it will, cut off the last forty 
