These various things were all stowed away in the
kyacks or alforjas which hung on either side. They
had to be very accurately balanced. The least difference
in weight caused one side to sag, and that in
turn chafed the saddle-tree against the animal's
withers.

So far, so good. Next comes the affair of the top
packs. Lay your duffle-bags across the middle of the
saddle. Spread the blankets and quilts as evenly as
possible. Cover all with the canvas tarpaulin suitably
folded. Everything is now ready for the pack-rope.

The first thing anybody asks you when it is
discovered that you know a little something of pack-
trains is, "Do you throw the Diamond Hitch?"
Now the Diamond is a pretty hitch and a firm one,
but it is by no means the fetish some people make
of it. They would have you believe that it represents
the height of the packer's art; and once having
mastered it, they use it religiously for every weight,
shape, and size of pack. The truth of the matter is
that the style of hitch should be varied according to
the use to which it is to be put.

The Diamond is good because it holds firmly, is
a great flattener, and is especially adapted to the
securing of square boxes. It is celebrated because it
is pretty and rather difficult to learn. Also it possesses
the advantage for single-handed packing that it can