Such coloring as you may desire to apply to the cloth must be done before the waterproofing process for thereafter the fibers will not take up a dye solution.
To make it fire proof and rot proof as well as water repellent I would treat the cloth first to an alum and sugar of lead solution and then paraffin well as above. Fireproof cloth is nearly as desirable as waterproofing. Many camps have been burned by sparks falling on the tent roof which was rendered very dry by the heat of the nearby camp fire. A spark falling on a properly treated tent roof burns only a little round hole at the worst.
The alum and sugar of lead solution is made thus:—4 ounces of alum and 10 ounces of lime are added to 10 quarts of water and the tent immersed overnight. In the morning it is rinsed in lukewarm rainwater and dried in the sun. The fibers of the cloth are filled with an insoluble solution of lead acetate and alum and is rendered efficiently fire and water proof.
THE EMERGENCY BIVOUAC
No man knows what he can do outdoors until he has tried it personally. The shifty man caught homeless in the woods will make some sort of shelter for himself out of anything at hand as slats, boards, bark, boughs, sod, poles, dirt or whatever is available. At no stage of the camper’s game can one display his ability to utilize woodcraft as he can in building the emergency bivouac.
Wherever one goes matches, knife, and axe should always accompany him. With these he is ready for preparing a windproof and as far as possible a weather proof shelter to secure necessary warmth no matter where he may be caught out.
A simple tree shelter is provided by selecting a small evergreen, cutting partially through the trunk at a point 4 to 5 feet from the ground so that in falling the butt remains attached to the stump. On the ground side cut away all limbs and branches for this is to be your roof. The upstanding limbs on the outside may also be partly cut and so bent over as to further enhance the value of the roof. The browse laying about is then collected and thatched on the ground for a bed. The ends may be enclosed by the addition of other trees—poles, browse, etc., roughly thatched to serve as a wind break.
A leanto of poles, covered with bark or browse, makes a handy shelter for a little emergency camp. Select a big boulder and lay against it four poles sticking the pointed butt ends firmly in the ground. If no boulder is available fasten horizontally a pole between two trees to lean the slanting roof poles upon or support it by two upright poles with forks. Lean against the cross pole enough other poles to form a rough roof with proper pitch which must be steep if the weather is bad. Thatch with browse like shingles or simply lay on pine or hemlock branches. These fans always grow close to the ground on young hemlocks and with an axe a big pile may be secured in a few minutes. A shelter cloth of course comes in handy here. Cover the floor with boughs. The ends may be closed similarly. A good log is laid on the outer edge of the bed. In winter such a thatching If covered with snow supplies a warm shelter. Before the open front build a reflector and a fire, and you can enjoy a cozy camp.
CHAPTER VIII
CAMP MAKING
WITNESS the conduct of the seasoned woods traveler. His camp comfort is ever uppermost in his mind and although with meager outfit he so employs the artifices of woodcraft that his nights are spent in pleasant surroundings and refreshing sleep.