FOR THE HIMALAYAS. 21 



oil." This can be bought in small bottles, and a little goes a long 

 way. The beauty of this oil is that it never freezes or clogs. It is 

 what is used for watches and chronometers. The seanis round the 

 locks, false breech, and fore-end, should be well filled with bees- 

 wax, to keep out moisture. To dress the stock nothing beats bear's 

 grease (with some elbow ditto added!). It can be readily melted 

 down on the camp fire, but it is better to do it gently in a pot by 

 itself than to refine it by boiling down in water. The intestines of 

 a bear in good condition are a mass of fine white fat. That on the 

 outside of the body is more impure, owing to blood, &c. 



Loading cartridges for the gun. As everyone does not possess an 

 Erskine machine, the following method is described, being rapid 

 and soon picked up. For it you require a bowl or small box that 

 will hold two or three pounds of powder, a powder and shot 



6 Inches 



measure, a small hand, rammer (of wood), and a tin funnel. The 

 latter should be about the size marked on the sketch 4dn. wide at 

 top, about Sin. deep, lin. wide where tube begins, and the tube 

 tapering, so as to fit just comfortably into a cartridge. The 

 " rammer " is a very simple little piece of wood, just fitting loosely 

 into a cartridge, with a comfortable handle at top. To commence 

 work, empty two or three pounds of powder into the bowl or box ; 

 take one of the brown cardboard cases with one hundred cartridges 

 in it, and cut the broad, flat card off the side the mouths of the cases 

 are towards. Lay the now open frame-full on the table in front of 

 you, place the bowl of powder close to its right edge ; take the 

 funnel in your left hand and the powder measure in your right, 

 place the funnel in the right top cartridge and pour in a measure 

 of powder, having scooped it up with your right. Shift the funnel 

 to the next case to the left and pour in its measure, and so on to 



