Silkolene weighs only about half as much as canvas 

 and is also lighter and cheaper than balloon silk and it 

 sheds the rain better than canvas. It is to be remem- 

 bered that no cloth of light or medium weight, how- ' 

 ever, sheds the rain like a shingle roof or a good rub- 

 ber blanket. A splashing rain before a strong wind 

 will drive some fine spray through any tent, but that is 

 a part of the game of camping, and the fine drops of 

 mist look like floating jewels in the greenish phosphor- 

 escence of the lightning. 



If a tent begins to leak in earnest, that is, if big drops 

 or a trickling stream start falling on your bed, it is 

 your duty to pass your hand over the leaky spot with 

 a tender, stroking motion until the water follows the 

 threads of the roof to the walls and down to the ground. 

 If the leak can't be stopped, move your bed. If the 

 tent is poorly set up and many leaks develop, you'll do 

 better next time. 



Perhaps you have chosen a spot with too little shelter 

 or have not observed that short stakes in sandy soil 

 don't hold. In that case the wind will lift the tent off 

 your head and may be, rip it into several pieces. Such 

 experience makes a capital story to tell to your friends 

 at home. You may have to vary the story some in 

 course of time, because you are not likely to have more 

 than one experience of that kind. The next time you 

 set up a tent, you'll do better. 



Under different conditions, the floor of your tent in- 

 stead of the roof may begin to leak. In that case you 

 have selected for a tent site a spot where surface wa- 

 ter naturally collects, and long before your blankets 

 really float, you'll sally forth into the rain and the 



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