Passing through a Hostile Country.—­How to encamp.—­A small party has often occasion to try to steal through a belt of hostile country without being observed.  At such times, it is a rule never to encamp until long after sun-down, in order that people on your track may be unable to pursue it with ease.  If you are pursuing a beaten path, turn sharp out of it, when you intend to encamp, selecting a place for doing so where the ground is too hard to show footprints; then travel away for a quarter of an hour, at least.  Lastly, look out for a hollow place, in the midst of an open flat.  Never allow hammering of any kind in your camp, nor loud talking; but there is no danger in lighting a small fire, if reasonable precautions be taken, as a flame cannot be seen far through bushes.  Keep a strict watch all night:  the watchers should be 100 yards out from camp, and should relieve one another, every two hours at least.  Enough animals for riding, one for each man, should always be tied up, in readiness for instant use.

When riding alone.—­A person who is riding a journey for his life, sleeps most safely with his horse’s head tied short up to his wrist.  The horse, if he hears anything, tosses his head and jerks the rider’s arm.  The horse is a careful animal, and there appears to be little danger of his treading on his sleeping master.

[Sketch of horse tethered as above].

The Indians of South America habitually adopt this plan, when circumstances require extreme caution (see fig.)

To prevent your Horse from neighing.—­If a troop of horsemen pass near your hiding-place, it may be necessary to clutch your steed’s muzzle with both hands, to prevent his neighing.

Hurried retreat of a Party.—­When a party, partly of horsemen and partly of footmen, are running away from danger as hard as they can, the footmen lay hold of the stirrup-leathers of the riders, to assist them. (See “Litters for the Wounded,” p. 23.)

Securing Prisoners.—­To take a strong man Prisoner singlehanded, threaten him with your gun, and compel him to throw all his arms away; then, marching him before you some little distance, make him lie flat on his face and put his hands behind him.  Of course he will be in a dreadful fright, and require reassuring.  Next take your knife, put it between your teeth, and, standing over him, take the caps off your gun, and lay it down by your side.  Then handcuff him, in whatever way you best can.  The reason of setting to work in this way is, that a quick supple savage, while you are fumbling with your strings, and bothered with a loaded gun, might easily spring round, seize hold of it, and quite turn the tables against you.  But if the gun had no caps on, it would be of little use in his hands, except as a club; and also, if you had a knife between your teeth, it would be impossible for him to free himself by struggling, without exposing himself to a thrust from it.