Letters Home 



rough, but in the bush we were all right ; although 

 we were not fortunate enough to make a spruce 

 bluff, we still had enough of the three essentials 

 to be pretty comfortable. The first night's camp 

 was my first experience of camping in zero weather, 

 and so naturally I was very particular about 

 fixing the tent. Afterwards, when more used 

 to it, we dispensed with the tent on many occa- 

 sions, and found that a sleeping-bag for each 

 one of us made out of two blankets apiece, into 

 which we got and then squirmed our way into 

 the big canvas bag, together furnished ample 

 warmth, and even at forty-three below zero we 

 were not the least bit scared of being frozen. 



" Now, while on the subject of camping, I 

 will try to tell you how to do it comfortably and 

 safely, then all I have to do in this account is 

 to say we saw so-and-so and then camped, and 

 you can imagine the rest. Travelling through 

 the bush, we observe that the sun is setting and 

 that we must be on the look-out for a place to 

 camp. As a matter of fact, you are watching 

 and observing more or less all the afternoon, to 

 make sure that at or near sunset you are likely 

 to strike a place that will suit. You are looking 

 for a bunch of spruce near a slough or lake or 

 stream where there is plenty of dry wood. It 

 is wise always to carry a supply of birch bark 



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