COVERS FOR TENTS 355 



succeeded so well that before very long we had two 

 dark blue tents instead of the white ones. 



These looked very well, no doubt, freshly dyed as they 

 were, but the question was, What would they look like 

 after a couple of months' use? The general opinion was 

 that they would probably, to a great extent, have re- 

 verted to their original colour or lack of colour. Some 

 better patent/had to be invented. As we were sitting 

 over our coffee after dinner one day, someone suddenly 

 suggested: " But look here suppose we took our bunk- 

 curtains and made an outer tent of them?" This time 

 the smile that passed over the company, as they put 

 down their cups, was almost compassionate. Nothing 

 was said, but the silence meant something like: " Poor 

 chap! as if we hadn't all thought of that long ago!" 

 The proposal was adopted without discussion, and 

 Wisting had another long job, in addition to all the rest. 

 Our bunk-curtains were dark red, and made of very 

 light material; they were sewed together, curtain to 

 curtain, and finally the whole was made into an outer 

 tent. The curtains only sufficed for one tent, but, 

 remembering that half a loaf is better than no bread, we 

 had to be satisfied with this. The red tent, which was 

 set up a few days after, met with unqualified approval ; 

 it would be visible some miles away in the snow. 

 Another important advantage was that it would protect 

 and preserve the main tent. Inside, the effect of the 

 combination of red and blue was to give an agreeably 



