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“You ask about our climate here. Well, what is your ideal of a perfect climate? Because that would about express it. Bright sun always, breeze all day, thermometer 70° in the shade at midday, cool nights. Doors and windows always open. In town the dust is the only drawback to it all. In camp there is not a tent or any shelter, except a few branches to keep off the wind. We all live entirely in the open, and it is delightful.
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“I am keeping an illustrated diary for you.”
It may be of use, in case of future expeditions of this kind, to jot down what kit I have found best for the work.
I. On yourself.
Hat.—A “cowboy” broad–brimmed felt hat with ventilating holes punched in the crown, and a brown silk puggree. The hat is better than a helmet, because it shades the whole of the face, and so prevents the awful infliction, veldt sores on the face, cracked lips, and burned nose; and it protects the nape of the neck and temples from the sun; can be slept in, and suffers no damage from rough usage, and does not interfere with the aim when shooting; it is light, and so does not cause weariness or headache as the helmet often does; it protects the face and ears better than the helmet does in going through thick bush, the brim turning down with the pressure of the branches.
Neckerchief.—A grey–coloured handkerchief loosely tied round the neck prevents sunburn, and can be tightened up at night as a comforter.