be thrown slack throughout and then tightened, and
that the last pull tightens the whole hitch. However,
for ordinary purposes, with a quiet horse and a
comparatively soft pack, the common Square Hitch holds
well enough and is quickly made. For a load of
small articles and heavy alforjas there is nothing like
the Lone Packer. It too is a bit hard to learn. Chiefly
is it valuable because the last pulls draw the alforjas
away from the horse's sides, thus preventing their
chafing him. Of the many hitches that remain, you
need learn, to complete your list for all practical
purposes, only the Bucking Hitch. It is complicated,
and takes time and patience to throw, but it is
warranted to hold your deck-load through the most
violent storms bronco ingenuity can stir up.

These four will be enough. Learn to throw them,
and take pains always to throw them good and tight.
A loose pack is the best expedient the enemy of your
soul could possibly devise. It always turns or comes
to pieces on the edge of things; and then you will
spend the rest of the morning trailing a wildly buck-
ing horse by the burst and scattered articles of camp
duffle. It is furthermore your exhilarating task, after
you have caught him, to take stock, and spend most
of the afternoon looking for what your first search
passed by. Wes and I once hunted two hours for
as large an object as a Dutch oven. After which you
can repack. This time you will snug things down.
You should have done so in the beginning.