Mr. Beard, an authority in such matters, writes:

"Never pitch your tent in a hollow or depression, or you may find
yourself in the middle of a pond. Soldiers always dig a ditch around
their tents. The floor, which is often your bed, can be covered with
straw, if straw is obtainable; if not, fir boughs; these lie flatter
than spruce. It is best to lay the foundation of good-sized branches,
cover them with smaller ones, and over all place a deep layer of fir
twigs broken off the length of your hand and laid shingle-fashion,
commencing at the foot of your bed, or the doorway of your shack or
tent, each succeeding row of boughs covering the thick ends of the
previous row. A properly made bough bed is as comfortable as a
mattress, but one in which the ends of the sticks prod your ribs all
night is not a couch that tends to make a comfortable night's rest.

"Candles, lamps and lanterns add to the luggage of a camper and may be
dispensed with, yet it often happens that you will need a light at
night. If you do, remember that almost any sort of fat or grease will
burn with a wick."

Boys from our cities have even a greater desire to get back to the
heart of Mother Nature than have country boys, perhaps because they
find a greater novelty in the forests, the streams and the
untrammelled conditions of our primitive ancestors. But even the boy
brought up on the farm heartily enjoys the freedom of the camp, and he
takes naturally to all its requirements.

IF LOST

But all boys, even trained foresters, are apt to get lost in strange