CHAPTER VIII.

THE CAMP.


It pays well to take some time to find a good spot for a camp. If you
are only to stop one night, it matters not so much; but even then you
should camp on a dry spot near wood and water, and where your horse, if
you have one, can be well cared for. Look out for rotten trees that may
fall; see that a sudden rain will not drown you out; and do not put your
tent near the road, as it frightens horses.

For a permanent camp a good prospect is very desirable; yet I would not
sacrifice all other things to this.

If you have to carry your baggage any distance by hand, you will find it
convenient to use two poles (tent-poles will serve) as a hand-barrow
upon which to pile and carry your stuff.

A floor to the tent is a luxury in which some indulge when in permanent
camp. It is not a necessity, of course; but, in a tent occupied by
ladies or children, it adds much to their comfort to have a few boards,
an old door, or something of that sort, to step on when dressing. Boards
or stepping-stones at the door of the tent partly prevent your bringing
mud inside.

If you are on a hillside, pitch your tent so that when you sleep, if you