TORTURING ARRANGEMENTS 
and eventual failure, if one tried to diverge from the 
local habits, or attempted to eradicate deeply-rooted 
ideas. 
Let me describe a typical Brazilian pack-saddle. It 
weighed, with its inseparable protecting hide, well over 
90 pounds. It was bulky and cumbersome, most difficult 
to lift and set right on the animal’s back. It consisted 
of two great parallel, clumsily carved, heavy, U-shaped 
pieces of wood, supported upright on two enormous pads, 
at least double the size and thickness necessary. The 
breast and tail pieces were of extra thick leather of great 
width, which had the double disadvantage of being heavy 
and of producing bad sores by their constant friction and 
hard, saw-like, cutting edges. Then the saddle allowed 
the loads to hang much too low on the sides of the animal’s 
body. This naturally saved trouble and effort to the men 
who packed the animals. Two of them simply lifted the 
loads simultaneously on the two sides and hooked them 
to the saddle, by means of adjusted loops of leather or 
rope. Then came the difficulty of keeping the loads in 
position, so that they would not shift back and forth. 
This was done by passing a leather thong over all and 
under the animal’s belly, which was then squeezed beyond 
all measure. Result of this: continuous trouble to pack 
rebellious animals, who knew what was coming; painful 
marching for the animals, who thus had difficulty in 
breathing, and therefore extra long marches, almost an 
impossibility without much injury to them. We will not 
speak of sore backs, sore sides, sore chests, and sore tail 
root — which was a matter of course after a pack animal 
had borne for a few hours one of those torturing 
arrangements on its back. 
I had tried to adopt lighter saddles of a more practical 
design, such as I had used on other expeditions; but as 
this involved a different method altogether of packing the 
animals, it led to much derision, unpleasantness, and re- 
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