A most useful Draw Hitch for securing a horse, a boat, etc. or in self rescue work. The knot will take any amount of strain on the standing part but spills the moment the end is pulled. Legend has it that Dick Turpin used this knot on his nefarious errands: if in a hurry to escape, he just had to leap on his horse, Black Bess, at the same time snatching the end, when he was away