Pass the bight a of the rope under the lower end of the barrel and bring the two parts up, and with them form an overhand knot b, which is opened out so as to fit over the end of the barrel.
The bight a is placed under the cask, and the overhand knot b is slipped over the head, and the two ends are brought up and knotted as in Fig. 122.
(14). Chain Knot.—An easy and ornamental way of shortening a rope is that known as the chain knot.
To form it proceed as though you are going to make an ordinary overhand knot, but instead of working with both ends use the end and a bight as in Fig. 123.
This will form the loop a, Fig. 123, through which pass a bight of b and continue in this way until all the slack rope is used up, and it can be finished off by running the end through the last loop (Fig. 124).