67 

 CAMPING OUT. 



Nine-tenths portion of the civilized human family almost 

 shudder at the thought of sleeping on the ground in open 

 air; or even in a well regulated tent. " You will take your 

 death of cold; " or get the rheumatism they will say. Such 

 is not a fact, sleeping on the ground in the open air, with 

 proper camping equipments is almost a cure for all the ills 

 the human flesh is heir to. The writer knows "whereof 

 he affirms," having camped out for ten consecutive years, 

 in all kinds of climates, under all kinds of circumstances, 

 with shelter and without, in mountain snow storms, and in 

 dismal swamps without experiencing the evil effects, from 

 what most people would call exposure. Sleeping in a room 

 or tent warmed with a stove, is much more liable to produce 

 colds than sleeping in the open air. Take a tent fitted up 

 with the ordinary sheet-iron camp stove, about bed time, 

 some member of the party will fire up by filling the stove 

 with wood and pine knots, then retire ; the tent will get as 

 hot as a " torch-light procession," all will go to sleep only 

 partially covered, or the blankets thrown back, the fire soon 

 burns down and you awake up chilled through, that is you 

 have taken cold. Only by the most judicious management 

 can a sheet-iron stove be used in a tent without producing 

 more or less bad effects to the occupants. When changing 

 from a long camping tour, to hotels, or houses, great care 

 should be exercised as to the sleeping apartments: Discard 

 stoves or fire entirely; look well to the ventilation, see to it 

 that one window at least is open ; have the bed in such a 

 position that there will be no draught directly over the 

 sleeper; no matter what the weather is, be sure the sleeping 

 room is well ventilated, as there is much more danger 

 of taking cold in changing from out-door sleeping to a 

 house, than, from house to out-door, but more of this when 



