The rings were now
slipped over the hooks on the frame and then the cross stick was bowed
back by fastening a wire to the rear hooks and drawing it taut. Professor
Keeler told us to tighten this bowstring until the distance from the wire
to the cross stick at the center was equal to one-tenth of the length of
the stick. As our sticks were each 5 feet long we tightened the wire until
the cross stick bowed out 6 inches, as in Fig. 239. The belly band of the
kite was fastened at one end to the lower end of the backbone and at the
upper end to a wire hook at the juncture of the two sticks. The hook was
fastened to the cross stick by flattening the ends and running them under
the cord used for binding on the cleats (see Fig. 240). A buttonhole was
made in the cloth covering to let this hook project through. The belly
band was just long enough, so that it could be stretched over to one end
of the cross stick, as in Fig. 241, and at this point, that is, 30 inches
from the upper end of the belly band, a brass ring was made fast, to which
the main kite string was tied. The kite possessed the advantage that it
could be quickly taken apart and folded into a small space.
An Eight-foot Malay Kite.
[Illustration: Fig.
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