26 Travel and Equipment 
truth when he said he “ wanted nothing.” To want nothing sounds 
a great deal but in practice it is not so. 
The secret of success lies in having the indispensable articles 
ever with one, not because they are sure to be wanted, but because, 
in the event of their absence, untold misery and discomfort ensue. 
For this reason, I always carry with me in addition to a shift of 
clothes and a pair of canvas shoes, the following :— 
(1) Light camp bed and blankets. 
(2) Portable cooking canteen. 
(3) Small luncheon basket with aluminium plates, forks, and 
spoons. 
(4) Supplies for three or four days. 
I thus am ever certain of a dry suit of clothes and a bed 
to sleep on and can likewise be sure of being able to cook my 
soup or make cocoa or porridge without upsetting the family 
arrangements. 
In Spain, no matter how humble the dwelling or how remote 
from civilized parts, one can always reckon on fuel for cooking and 
good drinking water, also excellent bread and frequently eggs and 
oranges. 
In the accompanying picture my old arrzevo Eduardo Villalva, 
a friend of twenty-eight years, now alas! gone on ahead, is shown 
with the whole of my kit packed for the line of march. In 
addition to the already-named essentials, this horse carried ropes, 
sling, egg-boxes, butterfly-net and a week’s supplies. A reference 
to the pages in which I describe the equipment I carry when 
engaged in birdsnesting will account for the seemingly bulky 
appearance of the load. Of course, there is no necessity to reduce 
one's kit to the legal minimum and, truth to tell, every year one adds 
to one’s comforts. Thus it is undeniable that a canvas bath, a light 
folding table, and a portable chair are pleasant additions and render 
one independent of makeshift arrangements. 
