a small
line into the grooves between the strands of rope, _A_, Fig. 138. This
fills up the grooves and makes the rope smooth and ready for serving
or parcelling. Parcelling consists in covering the rope already wormed
with a strip of canvas wound spirally around it with the edges
overlapping, _B_, Fig. 138. Serving is merely wrapping the rope with
spun yarn, marline, or other small stuff, _C_, Fig. 138. Although this
may all be done by hand, yet it can be accomplished far better by
using a "Serving Mallet," shown in _D_, Fig. 138. This instrument
enables you to work tighter and more evenly than by hand, but in
either case you must have the rope to be served stretched tightly
between two uprights. Often a rope is served without parcelling and
for ordinary purposes parcelling is not required. A variation of
serving is made by "half-hitch" work, as shown in Figs. 139-140. This
is very pretty when well done and is very easy to accomplish. Take a
half-hitch around the rope to be served, then another below it; draw
snug; take another half-hitch and so on until the object is covered
and the series of half-hitch knots forms a spiral twist, as shown in
the illustrations. Bottles, jugs, ropes, stanchions, fenders, and
numerous other articles may be covered with half-hitch work; and as
you become more expert you will be able to use several lines of
half-hitches at the same time. Four-strand braiding is also highly
ornamental and is easy and simple. The process is illustrated in Fig.
141, and consists in crossing the opposite strands across and past one
another, as shown in _A_, _B_, _C_, Fig 141. Still more ornamental is
the "Crown-braid" which appears, when finished, as in Fig. 143. The
process of forming this braid is exactly like ordinary crowning and
does not require any description; it may be done with any number of
strands, but four or six are usually as many as the beginner cares to
handle at one time.

[Illustration: FIG. 138.--Worming, parcelling, and serving.]

[Illustration: FIG. 139.--Half-hitch work.]

[Illustration: FIG. 140.--Half-hitch work.]

[Illustration: FIG. 141.--Four-strand braid (making).]

[Illustration: FIG. 142.--Four-strand braid (complete).]

[Illustration: FIG. 143.--Crown-braid.]

When the rope-worker has mastered all the knots, ties, bends, hitches,
and splices I have described, he will find a new field open to the use
of rope in innumerable ways. Barrels, casks, bales, or other objects
ma