438 
IX.—PAcK-TRAINS 
There have been many attempts at teach- 
ing the mysteries of the squaw and diamond 
hitches, most of such having been instruc- 
tions copied (without acknowledgment) 
from Daly’s Manual, published for the use 
of the West Point cadets. Unfortunately, 
however, the art of packing is not to be 
learned from books, and for this very rea- 
son it would be mere waste of the readers’ 
time for the present writer to enlarge upon 
it. To throw any of the hitches, practice 
and precept must go hand in hand, and 
throwing the diamond hitch is far, very far 
from being the whole art and science of 
managing a pack train. A couple of tyros 
may get on well enough on any easy stream, 
without assistance, even should they know 
but little of canoeing, but no tenderfoot 
could do anything with a pack-train. A few 
hints on equipment may, however, be of 
service. 
The best riding saddle is a double-cinch, 
cow puncher’s, weighing 45 pounds, the 
English park saddle being absolutely useless 
on the trail. Don’t forget a good pair of 
spurs; these may be wanted in a hurry, and 
their absence has caused many a fatal 
accident. 
Though you should use a curb bit, take 
care not to have the port too high, so that 
your horse can drink with the bit in his 
mouth. | 
With the heavy stock saddle it is best to 
use a good, thick blanket underneath, and 
after trying several methods I find the 
British regulation cavalry fold to be the best. 
This is made up as follows: The blanket is 
spread and folded into a strip one-third as 
wide as the original width, by two folds, and 
this is reduced to one-third again, by two 
more folds at right angles to those first 
made. One end is then tucked into the 
other. 
A pair of chain and leather hobbles are 
often useful. | | 
One hears a lot about the advantages of 
the aparejo, and no doubt it is best for pro- 
fessional work, because anything from a 
sewing machine to a barrel of pork may be 
packed on it and packed to stay, but for a 
hunting party, it is not nearly so handy as 
the pack saddle, either the American Army 
RECREATION 
saddle or that used by the Hudson’s Bay 
Company. All these require breast straps, 
breeching and saddle bags, called alforjas 
in the Southwest. 
X.—SNOWSHOES 
For five months out of the twelve those 
who dwell in the uncivilized regions of the 
northern parts of this continent must use 
the snowshoe. To them it becomes of as 
much importance as either the rifle or the 
axe. A man in certain situations will lose 
his life if he break his shoe. With six feet 
of fluffy snow underfoot, and a low tem- 
perature, a man takes most excellent care of 
the only aid by which he may get back to 
camp ere the long winter night closes in. 
Each Indian tribe had its own shaped 
shoe, many times a mere matter of caprice, 
but often adapted to some local condition 
that the shoe of a neighboring tribe could 
not so well meet. For instance: The coast 
tribes of northern British Columbia use 
Shoes that have a groove down the center, 
are coarsely woven and, strangest of all, 
have horns of the mountain goat affixed 
to the outside of the bows, in such fashion 
that they will give as the shoe moves for- 
ward, but act as brakes in case of a back- 
ward slip—a very wise arrangement, as any 
one will concede after seeing some of the 
places these Indians scramble up when 
hunting the sheep and goats of those wild 
Northern ranges. 
The Cree shoe, on the other hand, is very 
large and highly curved at the front, because 
the Cree travels long distances on broad, 
frozen rivers, such as the Athabasca and the 
Saskatchewan, and has to face billowy con- 
ditions when the snow has drifted. 
The Montaignais Indian of the Labrador, 
who dwells in a country where the small, 
gnarled spruces grow close together, uses an 
almost round shoe, as alongside each spruce 
the snow is less tightly packed than it is a 
foot or so farther from the trunk, and if he 
wore a narrow shoe he would often come a 
cropper. A long shoe he could not use at 
all. So it goes, long, short, narrow, wide, 
each has its call and each serves its purpose, 
or you may be very sure the Indian, being, 
as he is, the most practical of men, would not 
use it. One rule is absolute: when the snow 
is fine and powdery, the webbing will be fine 

