THE CAUCASUS 25 



himself. This of course, like all ideals, is unattainable, but 

 you may come very close to it ; and as there are many places 

 in which, when in pursuit of mountain game, you cannot use 

 horses, your baggage must be such as one, or at most two, men 

 can pack in a bad place. Now a man should pack 50 Ibs., 

 and if your means are unlimited, your baggage need only be 

 limited by the number of men you can persuade to accompany 

 you ; but the more men you have with you the less work you 

 will get done per man, as the chief luxury of the Caucasian is 

 gossip, and with a crowd of followers the temptation to loaf 

 and talk would prove irresistible. 



Two men, one as a guide and gillie, and one to leave in 

 camp (both of them taking their share of packing whenever 

 camp is moved), should be sufficient for anyone. Of course, 

 where it is practicable, ponies should be used, as with them 

 a greater weight can be packed, and packed too more ex- 

 peditiously, than with men ; and in most cases it will be found 

 easy enough to take pack ponies to establish your main camp, 

 proceeding from that on foot for short expeditions of three or 

 four days. It is as well to remember that 200 Ibs. is a good 

 load for a pony in rough country, more, probably, than he 

 could carry on most of the Caucasian trails, and from 50 Ibs. to 

 60 Ibs. quite enough for a man, although I have known one of 

 my own men carry nearly double that weight during an ordinary 

 day's tramp, arriving at camp towards sundown brimful of 

 spirits and devilment. I remember that when his load was off 

 he stood on his head, and 'larked' about with the other 

 fellows to relieve his exuberance of vitality. A tente d'abri, 

 to weigh about 15 Ibs., is the best tent for Caucasian travel, 

 because it is the lightest and handiest to carry. My old 

 tent used to weigh about 20 Ibs., and this with an express 

 rifle (about 10 Ibs.), cartridges, field glasses, a revolver and a 

 few sundries, used to constitute my own 'pack.' 1 



When travelling with Caucasian porters and hunters it is as 



1 The revolver was a useless encumbrance, and the tent can be made many 

 pounds lighter. C. P.-W. 



