THE SUMMER EXPEDITION TO THE ICE-CAP 



more experience, means were found to cut down 

 greatly the weight of these items and without any 

 serious sacrifice of comfort. A great advantage 

 was gained by marching at night when the pest 

 of insects is very largely avoided and the need of 

 heavy sleeping robes obviated by timing our sleep 

 when the sun is higher in the sky. Lighter sleep- 

 ing robes were, moreover, found to be adequate for 

 night use in the summer season. 



As a result of experience also we later devised 

 tents much better adapted for our purpose than 

 any that could be obtained from the manufactur- 

 ers. The first summer we carried the light "hike- 

 like" tents of a patented fabric. These were found 

 to leak very badly even in the light rains which we 

 encountered, and as the floors of the tents were 

 paraffined, this water stood in puddles upon the 

 floor. If one is supplied with a sleeping robe he 

 does not need a tent, but only a mosquito-bar, so 

 long as the weather is fair. There is, however, for 

 bad weather the need of a waterproof shelter since 

 the water-proof covers of sleeping bags are too 

 heavy to include in packs. A one-man combined 

 mosquito-bar and shelter tent was made with poles 

 of bamboo, which weighs only three pounds, and 

 proved to be entirely satisfactory on later expe- 

 ditions. (See head-piece of chapter XIV, p. 154.) 



63 



<ti'* i^ 



