1812. 
TIN BULLETS. — SLEEPING IN A WAGGON. 
317 
mere guess : they were little bigger than a pigeon's egg, and were 
exceedingly bitter, yet roasting or boihng might lessen this quality, 
and render them more palatable. 
After feeding these poor creatures, and giving them a meal 
very different from that which they had looked forward to when they 
left their home, they departed ; having stopped witii us above two 
hours and entirely overcome the fears which the first sight of us had 
occasioned. . : 
Our principal work this day, was, casting bullets, making car- 
tridges, and completing more cartridge-boxes. These bullets were of 
two sorts : one of lead only, which was intended for all general pur- 
poses of hunting and defence ; the other, of a mixture of two thirds 
of lead and one of tin to render them harder, for shooting those 
animals whose hide was too thick, or too hard, to be easily penetrable 
by a leaden ball, which has been often found, if fired from any con- 
siderable distance, to flatten against the skin of a rhinoceros, or 
against the bones of other animals of that size. As tin causes such 
balls to be lighter than those of pure lead, and consequently, prevents 
their flying so far, they were never to be used but as the particular 
case required. 
The great change of temperature in the course of this day, was 
very remarkable, at two in the afternoon, the thermometer rising to 
79. (20-8 R.), and at midnight, falling to 37. (2*2 K.). 
The weather was exceedingly pleasant ; and notwithstanding 
the coldness of the evening, my men, seated around a large fire, 
passed their time cheerfully ; and conversation, and playing the 
fiddle, seemed almost to make them forget they were in a strange 
land. When they retired to rest, they preferred lying on the ground by 
the fire, to sleeping in the waggon, which being elevated and exposed 
to the wind, is much colder than any other place. I allowed them, 
therefore, to make their bed where they found it most agreeable, 
although it would have been a greater check to robbery had they 
slept by the pack-waggon ; but, for myself, 1 dared not indulge in 
the same manner, as it would have been extremely imprudent to 
have left unguarded my own waggon and the property it contained. 
