200 PINK AND SCARLET 



Field we are able to reproduce the description of 

 this hitch as it appeared in the paper. 



THE DIAMOND HITCH. 



"Sir, — In R. C. D.'s interesting account, in The 

 Field oi Y)^z. i, of a 'Fishing Expedition in British 

 Columbia,' in describing his pack outfit, he says — ' I 

 was initiated into the mysteries of the "diamond 

 hitch " — an ingenious system of knots, by means of 

 which baggage of all shapes and sizes is securely 

 fastened to the most refractory of ponies. My pre- 

 vious experience in this line had been acquired, for 

 the most part, during the campaign in Afghanistan, 

 and I was much impressed on seeing how neatly 

 and securely the load was tied by means of this 

 knot, which is in use over all the Pacific slope ; 

 and, calling to mind the scenes I had sometimes 

 witnessed, when camels careered wildly through 

 camp, I thought that the accomplishment would 

 be an exceedingly useful one to the British soldier.' 



"Twenty years of frontier life and use of the said 

 ' diamond hitch ' enable me to thoroughly realize 

 the above, and having frequently seen such allusions 

 to it, I think that perhaps my present endeavour to 

 explain it may be acceptable to some Field readers. 

 Its greatest advantage is, that in the case of camp 

 outfits, when blankets are a part of the pack, no 

 pack-saddle is required ; indeed, the pack is infinitely 

 firmer, and the pack animal less liable to be given a 

 sore back, without that forward shifting abomination 

 which the pack-saddle is. 



