tramp default method

[John Hunter <jdhunter@ace.bsd.uchicago.edu>]

I am using tramp to acceess remote files over ssh/scp.  I have the
following in my .emacs (and nothing else)

    (setq load-path (cons (expand-file-name "~/emacs/lisp/tramp/lisp") load-path))
    (require 'tramp)
    (setq tramp-default-method "scp")

and if I examine the variable tramp-default-method with
describe-variable it is indeed "scp".

If I open a file with C-x C-f /server:somefile I get prompted for a
password (I have passwordless login enabled over ssh) and an get an
ftp failure with the following message in the *ftp user@sever* buffer

    ftp> open server
    ftp: connect: Connection refused

If I give the tramp method explicitly, with 

   C-x C-f /[scp/server]somefile

it works.

Any ideas?  I was under the impression that tramp would be invoked
merely with the C-x C-f /server:file syntax

JDH

GNU Emacs 21.2.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars) of 2002-04-29 on mother.paradise.lost
$Id: tramp.el,v 2.95 2002/04/10 17:16:25 kaig Exp $