To train a Pack-ox.—­An ox of any age, however wild he may be, can be broken in, in three or four days, so as to carry a pack of about 70 lbs.; though it is true that he will frequently kick it off during the journey, and give excessive trouble.  It would be scarcely possible to drive more than three of these newly-taught oxen at a time, on account of the frequent delays caused by the unruliness of one or other of them.  Muich depends on the natural aptitude of the animal in estimating the time required for making a steady pack-ox, some will carry a good weight and go steadily after only a fortnight’s travel; some will never learn.  But in all cases they prove unruly at the beginning of a journey.

To break-in an ox, take a long thong or cord, make a noose at one end of it, and let two or three men lay hold of the other; then, driving all the herd together in a clump, go in among them and, aided by a long stick, push or slip the noose round the hind leg of the ox that you want, and draw tight.  He will pull and struggle with all his might, and the other oxen will disperse, leaving him alone dragging the men about after him.  Next, let another man throw a noose round his horns, and the beast is, comparatively speaking, secured.  It is now convenient to throw the animal down on his side, which is easily done by the judicious tugging at his tail and at the thongs.  To keep him on the ground, let one man take the tail, and, passing it round one thigh, hold him down by that, while one or two men force the horns down against the ground.  His nose has next to be pierced.  A stick, shaped like a Y, eight inches long, is cut of some tough wood; and the foot of it, being first sharpened, is forcibly poked through the wall that divides the nostrils, and a thin thong is tied firmly to either end of this nose-stick.  The thong is gathered together, and wound in a figure of 8 round the two horns, where it henceforward remains while the animal feeds, and by clutching at which, he is at any time caught.

Next for the packing:  as the ox lies on the ground, scrape a hole in the sand under his belly, and then, having laid a few skins on his back, pass a thong round him and them, several times; tie the ends fast, and, taking a stick, pass it through and twist it round, until the lashings are extremely tight, then let it be secured.  Now let the ox go, and get quickly out of his way, in case he should be savage.  When the ox gets up, he is sulky and ferocious by turns; and kicks, jumps, and bellows, but at last joins his companions.

If he has been well packed, the skins will keep in place and not fall off; but whether they do or not, he must be re-caught and re-packed every day.  A young ox is generally more difficult to break-in than an old one:  I do not know why.  An ox requires no pack-saddle; his back is too round to carry one with advantage.  It is therefore usual to lay spare skins, etc., upon him, and over these the bags that have to be packed.  A great length of thong is required to lash them.  It is convenient to make a pair of very large saddle-bags out of skin or canvas, which require simply to be placed on the ox’s back and there girthed.