[Fig 1 and 2 as described in the text].

Tente d’abri.—­The French, “tente d’abri” has not, so far as I know, been adopted by travellers:  it seems hardly suitable, except for soldiers.  Each man carried a square of canvas (fig. 1), with buttons and button-holes all round it, by which it can be doubly attached to other similar squares of canvas, and thus, from several separate pieces, one large cloth can be made.  The square carried by the French soldier measures 5 feet 4 1/2 inches in the side, reckoning along the buttons; of these there are nine along each edge, including the corner ones.  Each soldier has also to carry a tent-staff, or else a proportion of the pegs and cord.  When six men club together they proceed as follows:—­Three tent-sticks are fixed into the ground, whose tops are notched; a light cord is then passed round their tops, and fastened into the ground with a peg at each eng (fig. 2).  Two sheets, A and B, are buttoned together and thrown over the cord, and then two other sheets, C and D; and C is buttoned to A, and D to B (fig. 3).  Lastly another sheet is thrown over each of the slanting cords, the one buttoned to A and B, and the other to C and D; and thus a sort of dog-kennel is formed, in which six men—­the bearers of the six pieces of canvas—­sleep.  The sides of the tent are of course pegged to the ground.  There are many modifications in the way of pitching these tents.  Should the sticks be wanting, faggots or muskets can be used in their place.

Tent of Mosquito-netting.—­I have been informed of a sportsman in Ceylon, who took with him into the woods a cot with mosquito-curtains, as a protection not only against insects, but against malaria.  He also had a blanket rolled at his feet:  at 3 in the morning, when the chill arose in the woods, he pulled his blanket over him.

Pitching a Tent.—­It is quite an art, so to pitch a tent as to let in or exclude the air, to take advantage of sun and shade, etc. etc.  Every available cloth or sheet may be pressed into service, to make awnings and screens, as we see among the gipsies.  There is a great deal of character shown in each different person’s encampment.  A tent should never be pitched in a slovenly way:  it is so far more roomy, secure and pretty, when tightly stretched out, that no pains should be spared in drilling the men to do it well.  I like to use a piece of string, marked with knots, by which I can measure the exact places in which the tent-pegs should be struck, for the eye is a deceitful guide in estimating squareness. (See “Squaring.”) It is wonderful how men will bungle with a tent, when they are not properly drilled to pitch it.

To secure Tent-ropes.—­When the soil is loose, scrape away the surface sand, before driving the tent-pegs.  Loose mould is made more tenacious by pouring water upon it.  When one peg is insufficient, it may be backed by another. (See fig.) The outermost peg must be altogether buried in the earth.  Heavy saddle-bags are often of use to secure the tent-ropes; and, in rocky ground, heavy piles of stones may be made to answer the same purpose.  The tent-ropes may also be knotted to a cloth, on which stones are afterwards piled.