Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes - The Donkey, the Pack and the Pack-Saddle

In which the author finds himself warmly received in a mountain town rife with political strife, where he invents a cosy sleeping-sack and selects a small, spirited donkey named Modestine to bear his burdens on the journey ahead. Despite earnest preparations and many kindly interventions, the delicate art of packing proves a troublesome foe, foreshadowing trials yet to come upon the road.