The Art of Travel eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 457 pages of information about The Art of Travel.

The Art of Travel eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 457 pages of information about The Art of Travel.
a number of rations intermediate to those specified in the Table, are, perhaps, too complicated for use without much previous practice.  It would be easy for a leader to satisfy himself that he was making no mistake, and to drill his men to any one of the tabulated cases, by painting a row of sticks, 50 yards apart, to represent the successive halting-places of his intended journey, and by making his men go through a sham rehearsal of what they would severally have to do.  Then each man’s duties could be written down in a schedule and all possibility of mistake be avoided.

The Table represents the proceedings of four men (or horses and men), who leave camp.  Two turn back at P1, one more turns back at P2, and the remaining man pushes on to P3.  Food has been cached for him both at P2 and P1; but to make matters doubly sure, a relief party, as shown by the dotted line, can be sent to meet him at P2.

In Case A, each man carries 1 1/2 day’s rations.
    " B. " (or horse) " 3 1/2 days’ rations for
                                         himself (and drivers).
    " C. each man (or horse) carries 5 1/2 days’ rations for
                                         himself (and drivers).

We will take the case C as an example.  The figures that refer to it are in the lines adjacent to the letter C in the Table.  They are those in the uppermost line, and also those in the line up the left-hand side of the diagram, and they stand for days’ journey and for days respectively.  P1 is reached after 1 1/2 day’s travel, P2 after 3 days, P3 after 6 days from camp.  The entire party might consist of 5 men, 2 carts (one a very light one), and four horses, together with one saddle and bridle.  The heavier cart and 2 men and 2 horses would turn back at P1.  One of the two horses of the second cart would be saddled and ridden back by a third man from P2; and, finally, the remaining cart, single horse, and 2 men, would turn back, after 6 days, from P3.—­The relief party would originallyconsist of the first cart and 3 horses.  On arriving at P1, a horse and man would be sent back.  At P2 it would have more than enough spare rations to admit of its waiting two whole days for the exploring cart, if it were necessary to do so.

[Full page diagram as described above].

It will be seen from the Table that as 6 days’ journey is the limit to which C can explore, so 4 days’ journey is the limit for B, and 2 days for A. But where abundance of provision is secured at P2 by means of a relief party, the explorers might well make an effort and travel on half rations to a greater distance than the limits here assigned.

MANAGEMENT OF SAVAGES.

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The Art of Travel from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.