| 76 sheets copper, 4ft. by 2ft. 16oz. to the foot, at 1s. 6d. per foot (but, as the supply was limited, we had to take some heavier, and consequently more expensive), one sheet same size 16lb. for stem, and stern post and rudder fittings |  | £51 | 12 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 100½in. copper, screwed bolts and nuts, 3in., at 1s. 1d. | 5 | 8 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 80 ditto ditto ditto 5in., at 1s. 5d. | 5 | 13 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 5 ditto ditto ditto 7in., at 1s. 9d. | 0 | 8 | 9 | |||||||||||
| 300 leather washers | 1 | 5 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 174½lb. solder, at 1s. 6d. 5lb. fine tin, at 2s. 3d. Extra quantity not specified |
| | 17 | 10 | 8½ | |||||||||
| Men’s time for soldering | 17 | 17 | 6 | |||||||||||
| Coke | 1 | 2 | 6 | |||||||||||
| 2 nut wrenches | 0 | 11 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 4lb. of sal ammoniac, at s. 6d. | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 4lb. of resin, at 4½d. | 0 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||
| 1 bottle of spirit of salts | 0 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 6lb. of lead, at 4½d. | 0 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 3lb. of copper boat nails, at 3s. 6d. | 0 | 10 | 6 | |||||||||||
| 2lb. of nails and 2lb. of rivets, at 3s. | 0 | 12 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 3 steel punches, at 1s. | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2 pair of rowlocks, with sockets and screws | 0 | 7 | 6 | |||||||||||
| Total | £103 | 13 | 5½ | |||||||||||
CAMP SCENE IN AFRICA.
It is impossible, at this distance of time, to collect every item used, nor is it necessary to do more than to give an approximate idea of the cost and proportion used of the principal materials. Perhaps the wood, with a lad to assist in working it, cost about 10l.; paint, oil, sails, and other extras, about 10l. more; and 10l. freight from Cape Town to Walvisch Bay. We think 6d. per lb. was allowed on such old copper as was brought back.
Tents, Canvas Buckets and Articles made of Canvas generally.
Tent-pitching.
In an army where men are plentiful and tents very few, the eighteen or twenty fortunate fellows to whom a bell tent may be allotted, can pitch it easily and rapidly enough; one, standing inside, will hold up the central pole, while the others, driving pegs all round, draw out and affix the cords to them. We found, however, when accompanying the division in Kafirland under General Somerset, that we could set up our own tent, shared by Mr. Hoole, the interpreter, almost as quickly alone, leaving our friend’s servant at liberty to prepare our meal. Our plan was to make two knots on the cord used for lashing up the tent, one marking the radius of the inner line of pegs and the other that of the outer, setting a central peg into the ground and looping over it the end of the line; we held another at the knots, and with it drew the two concentric circles. Twenty pegs are necessary for each. We, therefore, threw four on the quarters of each circle, and distributing four between each, drove them all into the ground; then spreading the tent in the space, we looped on all the lines, and inserting the pole, raised it up, its division into two pieces much facilitating this, and tightened the cords at leisure. (See illustration, “[Camp Scene in Africa.]”)
Patrol tent.
Our patrol tent was just three yards of double width calico; a small cord was stitched along the middle and loops of tape along the sides. The diagonal pieces cut out of one end were stitched on to form the flaps of the other, and a couple of small sticks for the supports, the size of ramrods, were easily secured with the straps of our gun-bucket on the right side of the saddle.