With lash rope attached to cinch, take a position on the near side of the animal facing the pack. Throw the cinch over the top and center of pack in such manner as to be easily reached under the horse's belly. Pick up cinch and engage the rope from in out upon the hook. Draw up slack, taking care that the cinch rests properly upon the horse's belly. Grasp the running and standing rope in left hand above the hook, to hold slack, and with the right hand double the running rope and thrust the doubled portion under the standing rope from rear forward in a bight, at top of pack. Enlarge the loop of the bight by drawing through enough slack rope to make the loop of sufficient size to be passed over and around the off side kyack or pack. Step to off side, turn loop over, and engage it around the ends and bottom of kyack, from front to rear. Return to near side, and pass the loose end of running rope around the forward end, bottom and finally rear end of kyack. Draw the rope end, from above down, over and under the standing rear and running ropes, at the top and center of the load, and the hitch is ready to tighten.
To tighten the hitch, grasp the running rope a little above the cinch hook, and pull with all your strength, taking up every inch of slack possible. Retain this slack by holding the standing and running rope together with left hand, while with the right hand you reach to top of load and pull up slack where running rope passes under standing rope. Go to off side and draw in all slack, following the rope around off side pack. Retaining slack, return to near side, and still following rope and taking up slack around front to rear of near side pack, grasp end of rope, already engaged as directed over and under standing rear and running rope, pull hard, bracing a foot against pack, and tie. Two men, one on each side of the horse, can, of course, throw the hitch and tighten the load much more quickly than one. Tightening the load is just as important a feature of packing as evenly balancing the packs. The result of an improperly tightened load will pretty certainly be a sore-backed horse.
THE CROSSTREE DIAMOND HITCH
(Fig. 1.) A turn is here taken around standing rope with loop of bight of running rope thrust under standing rope from rear to front, as in [Fig. 1], illustrating Squaw Hitch.
Take position on the near side of horse, as when forming the crosstree hitch, and throw cinch over horse, engaging it on hook and adjusting it in exactly similar manner. Take in slack and retain it by grasping the standing and running ropes in left hand. Double running rope and thrust doubled portion under standing rope in a bight, from rear forward at top and center of load. Take up all slack. Enlarge loop of bight by drawing through enough running rope to form a diamond of sufficient size to hold top of load. Now bring center of loop over and under standing rope, from rear forward, thus giving rope at each side of loop a complete turn around standing rope. Throw the disengaged portion of running rope to off side of horse, and passing to the off side, bringing the rope down along rear, bottom, and up front of kyack, thrust loose rope end up through loop at top of pack. Take in slack and return to near side of horse. Engage running rope around front, bottom and rear end of near side kyack or pack, and thrust rope end over and under standing rope opposite center of loop. Take up slack and load in ready to tighten.
Crosstree Diamond Hitch
(Fig. 2.) Hitch formed ready to tighten.