On 2 June 2010 08:50, Bob W <[email protected]> wrote: >>> On Mon, May 31, 2010 at 6:14 PM, John Sessoms <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>>> >>>> > I took it as a reference to early match-lock muskets that were fired > >>>> > with >>>> > the barrel supported by a cleft stick. >> >> I don't think so. >> >> From some of the other responses, I don't think that's what they were >> referring to. >> >> I now think it's literary reference to a character in the book being sent >> off on a snipe hunt. > > A cleft stick is required to hold a bundle of messages in its cleavage. The > messengers run from sender to recipient holding the stick aloft in their > hand. The barrel-supporting sticks could not be used for this, certainly not > over the rough terrain of the Abyssinian highlands - the messages would > simply fall out and risk being eaten by hyenas. > > No, I think the matchlock sticks are cut from a forking branch. > > A cleft stick must be explicitly cloven. The Imperial Abyssinian Post Office > probably has a Department of Stick Cleaving for the purpose. In fact (drum > roll...) they have one in every branch (cue side-splitting laughter).
Haile unlikely. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
