ACTUAL FIRING OF THE TIUCE9. 447 



labour lost, as the fire will only blaze Tip again almost as fast as it 

 is beaten out. If found necessary, the fire along the guide lines 

 should be extinguished and the whole strength of the two parties 

 concentratsd on the spreading conflagration. The fire should be 

 attacked without any intermission, so as not to allow it flare to up 

 again where it has once been beaten out ; the party at each ex- 

 tremity should accordingly divide itself into two sections, one 

 resting while the other is working with all its might. The plan 

 here indicated will seldom, if ever, fail, and where it fails, no other 

 will succeed. 



STRENGTH OF THE FIRING PARTIES. The number of men to 

 employ in the first firing of a trace will depend principally on the 

 force, direction and changeability of the wind, on the height, 

 denseness and dryness of the grass both inside and outside the 

 trace, on the quantity of fallen leaves littering the ground, on the 

 experience, endurance and courage of the men, on the temperature 

 and dryness of the weather, on the steepness and broken nature of 

 the ground, and on whether the fire has to be put out on only one 

 or on both sides of the trace. On level ground, when the fire is 

 to be controlled on one side only, from 6 to 10 men will generally 

 suffice ; if the fire has to be put out on both sides, from 4 to 10 

 additional men will be required. On pronounced slopes a few more 

 men must be employed than would suffice in otherwise similar 

 circumstances on level ground. From what precedes it is evident 

 that, as a precaution against possible accidents, the firing parties 

 may sometimes have to be stronger than the necessities of mere 

 fire-tracing may require. 



For the second and subsequent burnings the employment of any 

 but members of the patrolling establishment (see next Sub-article) 

 should be avoided as much as possible. At the beginning the 

 patrolling work is light and comparatively unimportant and the 

 nearest patrols can always be brought together to complete the 

 clearing of the traces. When necessary, a few extra hands can 

 be added for the day. 



IV. Fire Police. 



Besides establishing an effective system of fire-breaks, the traces 

 have to be kept clear, trespass, especially on the part of shikaris, 

 has to be prevented, incendiarism has to be watched against, and 

 conflagrations must be at once noticed and put out or circum- 

 scribed by counterfiring. All this can be done only by establishing 

 a system of watch-stations, the men posted at which must also 



