For the Raft
Fig. 471.—Second lighter is in place.
make fifteen paper lighters of strips of writing paper nine inches long and three-quarters of an inch wide ([Fig. 469]). Begin at one corner and roll the paper into a long round stick; fold over the top to keep the lighter from unrolling ([Fig. 470]). Dip each lighter in melted wax until it is completely coated all over; then wax two pieces of common string, each one a generous half yard in length. Tie or cross the centre of each string on a waxed lighter one inch from each end. Lay this lighter on a table in front of and parallel to you; place another lighter up against the ties, allowing one string from each tie to come over and one under the second lighter ([Fig. 471]). Cross the two lengths of each string over the last lighter, bringing the lower string up and the upper string down ([Fig. 472]); then lay another lighter up against the crossed strings, carrying the strings in turn over this lighter ([Fig. 473]). Again bring the lower string up and the upper string down before placing in another lighter, and always alternate the large and small ends of the lighters as in [Fig. 474] in order to have them equally balanced and to avoid bringing all the small ends on one side and the large ends on the other side of the raft. Continue crossing the strings and adding lighters until fourteen are bound into a float; then tie the ends of the strings on each line securely together ([Fig. 475]), and your work will be ready for the fitting of the little mast, which must stand erect at one end of the raft.
| Fig. 472.—Lower string up and upper string down. | Fig. 473.—String crossed and carried over third lighter. |
Fig. 474.—Alternate large and small ends of lighters.