612 NicnoLJLa'a KKAMAJSSIUJ? AND NAUTICAL KNOWLEDCB

Worming Parcelling and Serving
Fig 21.
Protection of Rope.—Some ropes have to be protected from
chafing. The rope is first wormed by filling in the lay with small
stuff to make it more nearly round, it is then parcelled with strips
of tarred canvas about 2 inches broad and finally it is served, that
is, spunyarn is. wound tightly round the parcelling with a serving
mallet or board, all according to the rhyme, " Worm and parcel
with the lay, turn and serve the other way."
Preservation of Rope.—Taut ropes when dry should be slacked
off when wet. They should not be coiled away when wet or damp,
but coiled down loosely on gratings or flaked over a boom to ensure
them being well aired and dried before storing them away.' Hope
lockers should have sparred shelving and all ropes should be brought
on deck occasionally to be sunned and aired, as particles of salt
remaining in the rope draw dampness, which produces dry rot.
Hauling lines stored on deck should be covered over, especially
those aft, to protect them from grit and cinders from the funnel,
Ratline is small rope made of tarred hemp, and its size is
referred to as 15, 18 or 21 thread ratline as the case may be. Its
original purpose was to form a rope ladder across the shrouds by
which to climb the rigging, but wooden battens or iron rods are now
more commonly used. Many steamships have an iron ladder built
on the mast, and big ships may have the ladder leading to the
crow's nest inside the mast.
To rattle down you begin at the bottom and rattle up, but first
the shrouds are set up equally taught, widely spaced battens are
seized across them to keep the shrouds rigid, and the ratline, direct
from the coil, is clove-hitched loosely round each shroud from left
to right except the forward and after shrouds, to which it is seized.
Hie eyesplice on the end of the ratline is seized to the right