CHAP. X.] WATCHES AND ALARUMS. 297 



the times made use of sliould be apparent times. The 

 chance is greatly against a traveller's watch going with 

 sufficient accuracy to keep mean time. I set mine 

 every sunrise and sunset, keeping another one in 

 reserve, snugly packed up among soft things, to use 

 during lunar and other time observations. In any 

 moderately flat country the error one is liable to, 

 by setting the watch in this way, lies within five 

 minutes, and that is quite accurate enough even for 

 latitude purposes. It is a great satisfaction to have 

 all the particulars about the moonlight in your MS. 

 almanac, for when one travels, it is of much import- 

 ance ; the quickest journeying being done by it. 

 Knowing the bearings of the princij)al celestial bodies 

 when they are near the horizon, is a great check upon 

 one's course by night ; a man soon becomes familiar 

 with these if he has occasion to make use of them. I 

 should strongly urge travellers to provide themselves 

 with alarum watches, or alarums, in some shape or 

 another. Over and over again have we lost our 

 natural rest through fear of oversleeping our time ; 

 besides awaking the sleepers, they are of great use 

 in attracting attention when it is time to commence 

 to do anything, such as watching for a star, &c. &c. 



It was a great comfort returning to the faithful John 

 and to his pots and saucepans, for we had lived on 

 tough diet since we left him. Immense quantities of 

 animals had been caught in the jjitfalls at Elephant 

 Fountain during our absence ; they appear to have 

 been migrating in herds, for they are not always 

 found in the same abundance. As my waggon was 



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