HINTS ON OUTFIT AND EXPENSES. 365 



from 5s. to 10s. each, are the most satisfactory. 

 The African trunks, largely advertised, are 

 absurdly expensive and heavy for ordinary pur- 

 poses. The main advantages of tin trunks are 

 the following : if properly made, nothing short 

 of absolute immersion can wet the contents. 

 They can scarcely, under ordinary circumstances, 

 be cracked, burst or torn, and no insects can, as 

 a rule, enter. 



Leather and wood are quite unsuitable, and 

 should never be taken unless the contents are 

 enclosed in small tins as mentioned above. 



Strong American cloth and tarpaulins some- 

 times resist rain wonderfully, but they cannot 

 be completely trusted to do so, and I could not 

 recommend them. 



During this last expedition I devised a form of 

 bed which I found in my own case eminently 

 satisfactory. It resisted every possible ill-treat- 

 ment, and I found it extremely comfortable to 

 sleep in. It is composed of three tin boxes (or 

 four if required) placed against one another. 

 The lids of each box are double ; one is composed 

 of an ordinary tin cover, and is lifted off at night 

 to be utilised as a bath or table ; the other lid is 

 a board, on which is a cushion with sofa springs 

 like an ottoman, and can be reversed as shown in 

 the figures, so that the stuffed portions of the 

 three form a fairly comfortable couch. These 

 boxes are scarcely heavier than ordinary packing 



