When bathing is going on there should always be one or two good swimmers on duty as “life savers.” They should not bathe themselves till the others are out of the water, but should be in bathing-dress, ready to jump in at any moment to help any one that they see in difficulties.
This plan is always strictly carried out by Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in camp, and has already been the means of saving many lives and from changing a joy-camp into a camp of mourning.
Water Supply.—A Tenderfoot drinks any kind of water that she finds handy, and consequently gets ill after the first day camping out, and has to go home again.
The old campaigner is very careful indeed about getting clean drinking water, and if she is not certain that it is wholesome she will take care to boil it well before drinking it, as this kills all the little germs of disease which exist more or less in all water, however clear it may be.
Cleanliness.—Take special care to keep your kitchen clean, and it will make you more comfortable and more healthy in camp. More comfortable because flies will not infest the place unless they find dirt and scraps to feed upon.
More healthy because if there are flies they always bring poison on to your food. So keep the camp kitchen and ground round it very clean at all times. Dig a small pit a couple of feet deep near the kitchen and throw all refuse that won’t burn into this, and fill in the pit with earth every night.
Tidy up as neatly as the woodpecker does.
Drains.—Also do not neglect to dig a long trench to serve as a latrine. Every camp, even if only for one night, should have a sewer trench two or three feet deep, quite narrow, not more than one foot wide, with screens of canvas or branches on all sides.
Earth should always be thrown in after use, and the trench must be filled up before leaving the place. Even away from camp a small pit should always be dug and filled in with earth after use. It is a cleanly habit for the sake of other people, and also makes the camp healthier.
Neglect of this not only makes a place unhealthy, but it also makes farmers and landowners disinclined to give the use of their ground for Scouts to camp on or to work over. So don’t forget it.