CH. I] OUR CAMP 25 



war. I had a very ingenious beam or scale for weigh- 

 ing game, designed and presented to me by my friend, 

 Mr. Thompson Seton. I had a shcker for wet weather, 

 an army overcoat, and a mackinaw jacket for cold, if 1 

 had to stay out overnight in the mountains. In my 

 pockets I carried, of course, a knife, a compass, and a 

 waterproof matchbox. Finally, just before leaving 

 liome, I had been sent, for good luck, a gold-mounted 

 rabbit's foot, by Mr. John L. Sullivan, at one time ring 

 champion of the w^orld. 



Our camp was on a bare, dry plain, covered with 

 brown and withered grass. At most hours of the day 

 we could see round about, perhaps a mile or so distant, 

 or less, the game feeding. South of the track the reserve 

 stretched for a long distance ; north it wxnt for but a 

 mile, just enough to prevent thoughtless or cruel people 

 from shooting as they went by in the train. There w^as 

 very little water ; what we drank, by the w^ay, w^as care- 

 fully boiled. The drawback to the camp, and to all this 

 plains region, lay in the ticks, which swarmed, and were 

 a scourge to man and beast. Every evening the saises 

 picked them by hundreds off each horse, and some of 

 oin- party were at times so bitten by the noisome little 

 creatures that they could hardly sleep at night, and in 

 one or two cases the man was actually laid up for a 

 couple of days ; and two of our horses ultimately got 

 tick fever, but recovered. 



In mid-afternoon of our third day in this camp we at 

 last had matters in such shape that Kermit and I could 

 begin our hunting ; and forth we rode, he wdth Hill, I 

 with Sir Alfred, each accompanied by his gun-bearers 

 and sais, and by a few porters to carry in the game. 

 For two or three miles our little horses shuffled steadily 

 northward across the desolate flats of short grass until 



