The first thing to consider is what kind of substitute for a house you
are going to have to protect you from bad weather. This depends a good
deal on what kind of country you are in. In a forest you can, of
course, get plenty of timber out of which to build huts, but it is not
much use being able to build a log-hut and then to find yourself in
the open desert of the Sahara.
The best all-round kind of camp-house is, of course, a tent. I had
what is called a "Cabul" tent--a small square erection, seven feet
long by seven feet wide, which can be opened or closed at either end,
and has a double roof. I lived in this through the winter in
Afghanistan, through snow and blizzard, in the greatest comfort. At
one end I built a brick fireplace and chimney; and I built a low wall,
two feet high, round the outside; this kept out all draughts and
prevented snow from melting into the tent. And I lived there as cosily
and comfortably as in a house.
In that same tent I afterwards lived in the blazing heat of the plains
of India. Instead of the fireplace at the end to keep it hot, I had a
great mat of Khuskhu's fibre stretched on a frame and kept always wet
to keep it cool; the hot wind blowing through this was at once cooled,
and kept the tent delightfully cold and fresh inside, and the double
roof prevented the sun from baking it. And I had a punkah, or
swinging fan, slung from the ridge-pole, and worked by a native from
outside.
It was a sturdy little tent, too, and no gale could ever manage to
blow it down. So you see it did equally well for every kind of climate
and weather.
Another form of tent which I used in Mafeking and South Africa, and
still use for sleeping out in, in England, is one which you would
hardly call a tent. It is really a slungcot, with a movable canvas
roof to it. It is called the "Ashanti Hammock."
[Illustration: A BIVOUAC SHELTER.]
It packs up quite small, and is put up in a few minutes. Requires no
pegs. Keeps you off the wet ground. And when the gale comes and all
the tents in camp blow down, you lie there swinging gently in the
breeze, the envy of all the rest. It also forms an excellent stretcher
if you are ill and have to be carried; and if you die it also makes a
very satisfactory coffin, being laced over you as you lie in it. Very
complete, isn't it?
[Illustration: THE ASHANTI HAMMOCK.]
There are tents of every sort and kind to be got, from a single-man
tent up to a hospital tent for thirty beds. And there are also many
kinds of camps there is a "standing" camp, where you remain in the
same spot for weeks at a time, or a "tramping" camp, where you move on
every day to a new place, and "boating" camp, where also you move but
can carry your tent in your boat. But it is rather necessary to know
which kind of camp you are making before you can tell which kind of
tent you need.
As I have said in _Scouting for Boys_: "For a standing camp
'bell' tents are useful, or huts can be made. Bell tents can be hired
in almost any town for a few shillings per week, or you can buy a
second-hand one in good condition for about 2 Pounds.
"You could probably let it out on hire to other patrols when not using
it yourself, and so get back your money on it. A bell tent, just holds
a patrol nicely.
"Scouts' 'patrol' tents also do very well for camp, but you need a
second set of staves or poles for rigging them if you want to leave
the camp standing while you are out scouting.
"You can make your own tents during the winter months--and this,
perhaps; is the best way of all, as it comes cheapest in the end. And
if, while you are about it, you make one or two extra ones, you may be
able to sell them at a good profit."
A "lean-to" tent is used by many backwoodsmen. It can be made with the
Scouts' patrol tent on the same principle as the lean-to shelter
described in _Scouting for Boys_.
If pitched with its back to the wind, with a good fire in front, it
can be made a most luxurious bedroom on cold night. The roof catches
all the warmth and glow of the fire, and you lie there warm in your
blankets, yet breathing the fresh air of the forest or veldt and
gazing at the stars. There is nothing better on earth.
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