Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

How to Camp Out by John Mead Gould
page 48 of 125 (38%)
are to sleep on the ground, your feet will be lower than your head: you
will roll all night, and perhaps roll out of the tent if you lie across
the line running down hill.

As soon as you have pitched your tent, stretch a stout line from the
front pole to the back one, near the top, upon which to hang your
clothes. You can tighten this line by pulling inwards the foot of one
pole before tying the line, and then lifting it back.

Do not put your clothes and bedding upon the bare ground: they grow damp
very quickly. See, too, that the food is where ants will not get at it.

Do not forget to take two or three candles, and replenish your stock if
you burn them: they sometimes are a prime necessity. Also do not pack
them where you cannot easily find them in the dark. In a permanent camp
you may be tempted to use a lantern with oil, and perhaps you will like
it better than candles; but, when moving about, the lantern-lamp and
oil-can will give you trouble. If you have no candlestick handy, you can
use your pocket-knife, putting one blade in the bottom or side of the
candle, and another blade into the ground or tent-pole. You can quickly
cut a candlestick out of a potato, or can drive four nails in a block of
wood.

If your candles get crushed, or if you have no candles, but have grease
without salt in it, you can easily make a "slut" by putting the grease
in a small shallow pan or saucer with a piece of wicking or cotton rag,
one end of which shall be in the grease, and the other, which you light,
held out of it. This is a poor substitute for daylight, and I advise you
to rise and retire early (or "_turn in_" and "_turn out_" if you
prefer): you will then have more daylight than you need.
DigitalOcean Referral Badge