I have made a sketch of my tent, which, as you will see, is a kind of
hammock with a roof to it, slung between two trees. This form of tent
keeps you dry in wet weather or on swampy ground; you never have to
lie on the ground, you can get snakes and other nice visitors crawling
into your bed. The cot is long enough to hold your kit as well as
yourself.
It is kept stretched out by two side poles and a ridge pole. These can
be cut in the wood where you camp, and the cot itself, with bedding
and kit inside, can be rolled up in the waterproof, and this forms a
neat roll for half of the pack-pony's load.
The cot is springy and most comfortable to sleep in.
When you are ill or wounded it makes a very good stretcher, the side
poles forming the carrying handles. In the same way, when you are dead
it makes an excellent coffin, as the sides and ends fold in, and can
be laced over the body. I have not tried it myself in that way.
Another advantage which I have twice found the cot-tent to have was,
when a tornado visited camp, and all the tents were blown down into
the mud, my little cot was swaying quietly in the wind--it cannot blow
down.
In the drawing you see also, besides my bedroom (in the cot), my
dressing-room, my drawing-room, and my bathroom--in fact, my whole
residence.
The dressing-room was where my fishing waders are hanging up to dry,
together with my shaving-glass, hat, and holdalls.
Over the cot are hanging my overcoat and moccasins and towel. My
drawing-room was the rug on which I sit, my writing-case lying there
ready for use.
[Illustration: MY CAMP RESIDENCE IN NORWAY. My cot-tent will be seen
in the centre of the picture.]
My bath was down below, through the trees, in the river!
My whole house was carpeted with a beautiful soft springy moss, so dry
that a match dropped on to it would soon set the whole forest in a
blaze.
So we had to be very careful about our camp fire.
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