OUR CAMP 
25 
CH. l] 
war. I had a very ingenious beam or scale for weigh¬ 
ing game, designed and presented to me by my friend, 
Mr. Thompson Seton. I had a slicker for wet weather, 
an army overcoat, and a mackinaw jacket for cold, if I 
had to stay out overnight in the mountains. In my 
pockets I carried, of course, a knife, a compass, and a 
waterproof matchbox. Finally, just before leaving 
home, I had been sent, for good luck, a gold-mounted 
rabbit’s foot, by Mr. John L. Sullivan, at one time ring 
champion of the world. 
Our camp was on a bare, dry plain, covered with 
brown and withered grass. At most hours of the day 
we could see round about, perhaps a mile or so distant, 
or less, the game feeding. South of the track the reserve 
stretched for a long distance ; north it went for but a 
mile, just enough to prevent thoughtless or cruel people 
from shooting as they went by in the train. There was 
very little water ; what we drank, by the way, was care¬ 
fully boiled. The drawback to the camp, and to all this 
plains region, lay in the ticks, which swarmed, and were 
a scourge to man and beast. Every evening the saises 
picked them by hundreds off each horse, and some of 
our party were at times so bitten by the noisome little 
creatures that they could hardly sleep at night, and in 
one or two cases the man was actually laid up for a 
couple of days ; and two of our horses ultimately got 
tick fever, but recovered. 
In mid-afternoon of our third day in this camp we at 
last had matters in such shape that Kermit and I could 
begin our hunting; and forth we rode, he with Hill, I 
with Sir Alfred, each accompanied by his gun-bearers 
and sais, and by a few porters to carry in the game. 
For two or three miles our little horses shuffled steadily 
northward across the desolate flats of short grass until 
