CAMP. 77 



up the animals. It was nearly two weeks before all 

 were accounted for; and I subsequently learned that 

 about 70 had been killed outright, and about 235 more 

 or less w r ounded, of which nearly 100 were so much in- 

 jured as to necessitate their abandonment. 



Another cause of disaster in camp is carelessness with 

 fire. When the grass is dry it bums like tinder, and if it 

 be long, and there be a brisk wind, the utmost care must 

 be used. Under such circumstances the camp fires 

 should as far as possible be made to the leeward of the 

 camp and grazing ground. If this cannot be done with- 

 out too much inconvenience, holes should be dug in the 

 ground, large enough to build the fires in, the long grass 

 near should be cut (with a spade in default of a better 

 implement) and carried off, and the earth taken from the 

 holes spread over to leeward. 



It is a common custom to burn off a space sufficiently 

 large for the fires, but this is very dangerous if the grass 

 be long and the wind high. Even though men stand 

 around with blankets to whip out the fire when necessary, 

 it sometimes gets beyond the control of the best directed 

 efforts. Early in life I got a serious lesson on the danger 

 of fire, which would have been avoided had any older 

 officer thought it worth while to devote a few moments 

 to my instruction. And here I may remark that this 

 apathy of the older, and more especially of the com- 

 manding, officers, is but too common in our service. They 

 expect the youngster to know by intuition, or to learn 

 without instruction, all the details of duty, even under the 

 most unfamiliar circumstances. 



I have heard old officers say on this subject, c Oh, let 

 them learn for themselves! I had to learn for myself, and 

 one's own experience is the only teaching that makes 

 valuable and lasting impression.' Many young men are 

 so imbued with ideas of their own capacity and knowledge 

 that they do not take such instruction kindly, but the 

 large majority would most eagerly accept every hint 



