Smell of Negro.—­A skulking negro may sometimes be smelt out like a fox.

Dahoman Night-watch.—­The Dahomans, the famous military nation of N.W.  Africa, have an odd method of dividing their watches by night, but “which is generally managed very correctly.  At each gate of a stockaded town, is posted a sentry, who is provided with a pile of stones, the exact number of which has been previously ascertained.  The night is divided into four watches; during each watch the sentry removes the pile of stones, one by one, at a measured pace, from one gate to another, calling out at each tenth removal:  when all are removed, the watch is relieved.”—­Forbes.

Setting a common Gun as an Alarm-gun.—­The gun may be loaded with bullet, or simply with powder, or only with a cap:  even the click of the hammer may suffice to awaken attention.  For the ways of setting it, see p. 257.

Prairie set on Fire.—­This is often done as a means of offence.  But when the grass is short (lower than the knee), the strip of it on fire, at the same moment, does not exceed 12 feet in width; therefore if a belt of grass of 12 feet in width be destroyed in advance of the line of fire, the conflagration will be arrested as soon as it reaches that belt.  The fire will be incapable of traversing the interval narrow though it be, where there is a total absence of fuel to feed it.  Travellers avail themselves of this fact in a very happy manner, when a fire in the prairie is advancing towards them, by burning a strip of grass, to the windward of their camp, of 12 feet in breadth; beating down the blaze with their blankets wherever it would otherwise extend too widely.  Behind this easily constructed line of defence, the camp rests in security, and the adjacent grass remains uninjured for the use of the cattle.  If, however, the wind is high and sparks are drifted for some distance beyond the belt of fire, this method is insufficient:  two lines of defence should then be constructed.

Tricks upon Robbers.—­It is perhaps just worth while to mention a trick that has been practised in most countries, from England to Peru.  A traveller is threatened by a robber with a gun, and ordered to throw himself on the ground, or he will be fired at.  The traveller taking a pistol from his belt, shouts out, “If this were loaded you should not treat me thus!” and throws himself on the ground as the robber bids him.  There he lies till the robber, in his triumph, comes up for his booty; when the intended victim takes a quick aim and shoots him dead—­the pistol being really loaded all the time.  I have also heard of an incident in the days of Shooter’s Hill, in England, where a ruffian waylaid and sprang upon a traveller, and holding a pistol to his breast, summoned him for the contents of his pocket.  The traveller dived his hand into one of them, and, silently cocking a small pistol that lay in it, shot the robber dead, firing out through the side of the pocket.