244 
ENCAMPMENTS IN HILL WARFARE. 
The task before the staff officer is to get his troops each on their 
own bit of ground without delay; to use all the good ground, avoiding 
the bad and to so arrange matters that no baggage animals of one 
corps should cross and foul the ground to be occupied by another corps. 
First he rides all over the ground. He will be able to note its greatest 
length. By the method proposed, instead of dressing a line of camp 
fronts and so perhaps not utilizing valuable outlying camping space, 
he simply places himself at any point of the centre line of the proposed 
camping ground and his assistants measure the length of the centre 
line of the camp. He then goes to one end of this centre line and 
each corps' representative, i.e., quartermaster or quartermaster-ser¬ 
geant measures in succession along the centre line the amount of 
distance his corps occupies in what may be called the “ normal " camping 
formation -—see map. This being done the various quartermasters' 
assistants spread right and left from the centre line of the camp taking 
again their “ normal" distances and being dressed on the perimeter 
of the “ normal" rectangle by the staff officer's assistants. Each 
quartermaster then examines his portion of camp and reports all 
correct; or that his depth is insufficient; or that a certain portion is 
not possible to camp on; or as the case may be. The staff officer has 
to consider each case on its merits; such as permitting the camp 
perimeter to become irregular and increasing the size of any 
particular camp. 
In the case where the length of the centre line is shorter than 
“ normal," instructions must be given to each quartermaster to pro¬ 
portionately reduce his “ normal" distance on the centre line and of 
course where possible this “ normal" area of the camp is increased by 
a proportionate expansion right and left from the centre line of the 
camp. 
The areas having been settled, each corps goes ahead marking out its 
camp and pitching its tents independently of any other corps, since in the 
“ normal" rectangular camp, the tents naturally cover off along the 
perimeter line while in oval or irregular shaped camps covering off is 
not possible. The corps quartermaster having marked out his camp 
his corps enters into possession and in due time their baggage arrives 
and is led into camp. Both in a corps marching on its camp and on 
the arrival of the baggage, care must be taken by both itself and other 
corps that no portion of any corps' camp is crossed. This requires 
some energetic action occasionally, but where the ground occupied is 
not the whole of the practical ground available, all corps and baggage 
can get round to their own camp outside other camps; while if the 
ground is not available, the centre road can be made the means of 
communication. The latter method out of the difficulty should be 
avoided if possible, as animals tend to straggle and the camp suffers 
and I would advise the centre road remaining sacred, except when 
opened to baggage and troops by the orders of the staff officer. 
The camps being marked out, baggage up and tents pitched, we 
have a wall of tents as an obstacle and inside them men sleeping on 
their alarm posts. To give them a line to fall in on it was generally 
