o large. I had made no
mistake about this; but my miscalculation was in regard to the space in
which I had to work. Lengthways my little chamber was nearly six feet,
but crossways little more than two; and up where the hole was--in which
I intended to insert the measuring-rod--it was still less. Of course to
get the stiff piece of stick into the cask was plainly impossible--
without bending it, so that it must break--for the dry deal would have
snapped through like the shank of a clay pipe.

I was a good deal chagrined at not having thought of this before; but I
was still more vexed at the idea of being obliged to abandon the design
of making the measurement I had intended, for before reflecting I
believed that this was to be the result. A little further
consideration, however, helped to a new plan, proving the importance of
not arriving too hastily at conclusions. I discovered a way of getting
in the stick to its full length, without either breaking or bending it.

This could be effected by taking it to pieces again, then first
inserting one of the pieces, and holding it till the second could be
spliced on to its end, and then pushing both into the cask, and joining
the third piece in a similar fashion.

About this there appeared no difficulty, and the result proved there was
none; for in less than five minutes after conceiving it, I had carried
the design into execution, and the measuring-rod stood inside the
barrel, with one end projecting some inches on the outside.

Holding this end carefully in my hand, I caused the other to play about
on the opposite side, until I felt convinced that it touched the point
that was exactly _vis-a-vis_ with the aperture; and then steadying the
stick, I notched it with my knife, on a level with the outer surface of
the stave. To calculate from this notch would not be correct, as it
would be more than the diameter of the cask--that is, in reference to
what it would contain--but I had no intention of doing so. I should
make allowance for the thickness of the stave, and that would give me
the measurement I wanted.

Having made my mark, I drew forth my measuring-rod, piece by piece, as
it had been plunged in. I took care as I did so to notch both the
splices, so that I might be able to put them together again in the exact
place where they had been while making the measurement. All this
attention to such minute particulars was of importance, and I knew it to
be so, for the m