430 The Australian Bush. 



live twice as comfortable, quite as cheap, and have far less trouble 

 than a slovenly party. 



It will save a deal of trouble if, instead of flour, the party took 

 up a few hundredweight of good sea-biscuits. I should fancy less 

 than a pound a day of good biscuit would suffice for any man. 



As to ammunition, we may reckon that, with care (and the 

 greatest care must be bestowed upon this all-important item), lib. 

 of powder will furnish about eighty shots, and lib. of shot, sixteen -, 

 so the party may easily calculate how much they must take up. 

 Be very careful, and buy the powder fresh ; and the strongest and 

 best will be the cheapest, for you lose so many wounded birds with 

 bad powder. 



Many other little items may be added which will conduce much 

 to the comfort of the party j but I have, I think, omitted nothing 

 that is really necessary. A revolver may prove useful, and will 

 take up but little room, and a long spare single gun, to carry 4 oz., 

 will be very serviceable in duck-shooting. 



It would be quite as well, at starting, if the party made an 

 irrefragable law that a bottle of spirits should never enter the tent, 

 and of course every man finds his own " baccy " and soap. 



A man going into the bush, no matter in what country, will do 

 well to provide himself before starting with a tin canteen, such as 

 our rifle volunteers have to carry their sandwiches and sherry in, 

 only have it large enough to hold a quart of water at least. This 

 he will fill with cold tea every morning before he leaves his tent, 

 and the sandwich end will contain a small tin box of the best wax 

 lucifer matches, a small compass, a knife, six spare bullets ready 

 patched, two four-ounce steel charges filled with powder, ditto with 

 large shot, a needle and strong thread, some spare caps, a couple of 

 strong leather boot-laces, a cake of cavendish tobacco, and a little 

 salt. Before leaving the tent in the morning, let him be sure that 

 not one of these articles is forgotten, for he never knows how far 

 he may wander or how soon he may lose himself in the bush ; and 

 this little canteen, which he can sling round his back without in- 

 convenience, may save his life. It will be quite impossible that he 



