Travellers might well turn the theory to account on their own behalf; they are well situated for testing its truthfulness, by observing the practices of the countries in which they are travelling.  Reliable facts upon the extreme distances that can be travelled over, day after day, by people carrying different loads, but equally circumstanced in every other respect, would be very acceptable to me.

The formulae are as follow:—­Let b be the burden which would just suffice to prevent an animal from moving a step; d the distance he could travel daily if unloaded.  Also, let b1 be some burden less than b; and let d1 be the distance to which he could travel daily when carrying b1.

Then b1 d2 = b(d-d1)2. (1)

Again, the “useful effect” is a maximum, if b1d1 is a maximum.  When this is the case, then

b1 = 4/9 b. (2)
And
3 d1 = d. (3)

In other words, an animal gets through most work in the day if he carries 4/9 of the greatest load he could just stagger under; in which case he will be able to travel 1/3 of the distance he could walk if he carried no load at all. (Machinery requires no repose; and therefore d, the distance per day, is convertible into v, the velocity of movement.)

As an example:—­Suppose a man is able to walk 10 miles a day, with a load of 130 lbs., and 33 miles a day when he carries nothing.  Then, from equation (1), the value of b (the burden under which he would be brought to a standstill) would be about 267 1/2; and the best load for him, from equation (2), would be 119 lbs., which he would be able to carry, according to equation (3), 11 miles a day.

Horses.—­The mode of taking wild horses is by throwing the lasso, whilst pursuing them at full speed, and dropping a noose over their necks, by which their speed is soon checked, and they are choked down.

Mr. Rarey’s sixpenny book tells all that can be told on the subject of horse-breaking; but far more lies in the skill and horse-knowledge of the operator, than in the mere theory.  His way of mastering a vicious horse is by taking up one fore-foot, bending the knee, slipping a loop over the knee until it comes to the pastern-joint, and then fixing it tight.  The loop must be caused to embrace the part between the hoof and the pastern-joint firmly, by the help of a strap of some kind, lest it should slip.  The horse is now on three legs, and he feels conquered.  If he gets very mad, wait leisurely till he becomes quiet, then caress him, and let the leg down and allow him to rest; then repeat the process.  If the horse kicks in harness, drive him slowly on three legs.

In breaking-in a stubborn beast, it is convenient to physic him until he is sick and out of spirits, or to starve him into submission.

Salt keeps horses from straying, if they are accustomed to come up to the camp and get it.  But it is a bad plan as they are apt to hang about, instead of going off to feed.  They are so fond of salt, that they have been known to stray back to a distant house where they had been allowed to lick it.