blowing, or when your assistant is not a strong person. If the wind is
very high, spread your tent to windward, and catch the windward
guy-lines before raising the tent. You will thus avoid having it blown
over.


TENT-POLES.

As tent-poles are not expensive, you may find it convenient to have two
sets for each tent; one stout set for common use, and a lighter set to
take when transportation is limited. Sound spruce, free from large knots
and tolerably straight-grained, makes good poles; pine answers as well,
but is more expensive.

The upright poles of a stout set for a wall-tent of the United States
Army pattern should be round or eight-sided, and about two inches in
diameter.[21] If you prefer to have them square, round off the edges, or
they will be badly bruised upon handling. Drive a stout iron pin[22]
seven or eight inches long into the centre of the top until it projects
only about three and a half or four inches, or enough to go through the
ridgepole and an inch beyond. It will be necessary to bore a hole in the
pole before driving in the pin, to prevent splitting. A ferrule is also
serviceable on this end of the pole.

The ridgepole should be well rounded on the edges, and be about two and
a half inches wide and two inches thick. If made of stuff thinner than
an inch and a half, it should be wider in the middle than above stated,
or the pole will sag. Bore the holes to receive the pins of the uprights
with an auger a size larger than the pins, so that they may go in and
out easily: these holes should be an inch and a half from the ends.