To derive joy and strength from your outing it is of serious importance
that you sleep well every night while at camp, and your camp-bed must be
comfortable to insure a good night's rest.

A bough-bed is one of the joys of the forest when it is _well made_, and
to put it together properly will require about half an hour's time, but
the delight of sleeping on a soft balsam bed perfumed with the pungent
odors of the balsam will well repay for the time expended.


[Illustration: 25 26

The bough-bed, the cook-fire, and the wall-tent.]


=Bough-Bed=

Tips of balsam broken off with your fingers about fourteen inches long
make the best of beds, but hemlock, spruce, and other evergreens can be
used; if they are not obtainable, the fan-like branches from other trees
may take their place. Of these you will need a large quantity, in
order to have the bed springy and soft. Always place the outdoor bed
with the head well under cover and foot toward the opening of shelter,
or if without shelter, toward the fire. Make the bed by arranging the
branches shingle-like in _very_ thick overlapping rows, convex side up,
directly on the ground with _thick end_ of stems _toward_ the _foot_.
Push these ends into the ground so that the tips will be raised
slantingly up from the earth; make the rows which will come under the
hips extra thick and springy. Continue placing the layers in this manner
until the space for single or double bed, as the case may be, is covered
with the first layer of your green mattress. Over it make another layer
of branches, reversing the ends of these tips from those underneath by
pushing the _thick ends_ of branches of this top layer slantingly into
the under layer _toward_ the _head_ of the bed with tips toward the
foot. Make more layers, until the bed is about two feet thick (Fig. 25);
then cover the mattress thus made with your poncho, rubber side down,
and on top spread one of the sleeping blankets, using the other one as a
cover. Be sure to allow plenty of time for this work and have the bed
dry and soft.


=Bag-Bed=

When the camp is located where there is no material for a bough-bed,
each girl can carry with her a bag three feet wide and six and one-half
feet long, made of strong cloth, ticking, soft khaki, or like material,
to be filled with leaves, grass, or other browse found on or near the
camp-grounds. Such a mattress made up with poncho and blankets is very
satisfactory, but it must be well filled, so that when you lie on the
mattress it will not mash flat and hard.


=Cot-Bed=

For an entire summer camp army cots which fold for packing are good and
very comfortable with a doubled, thick quilt placed on top for a
mattress.

The sporting-goods stores show a great variety of other beds, cots, and
sleeping-bags, and a line to them will bring illustrated catalogues, or,
if in the city, you can call and see the goods.

Any of the beds I have described, however, can be used to advantage, and
I heartily endorse the _well-made_ bough-bed, especially if of balsam.


=Pillows=

Make a bag one-half yard square of brown linen or cotton cloth, and when
you reach camp, gather the best browse you can find for filling, but be
careful about having the pillow too full; keep it soft and comfortable.
If there is no browse, use clean underwear in its place. Fasten the open
end of the bag together with large-sized patent dress snappers.

One of the pleasantest phases of a season's camping are the little side
trips for overnight. You hit the trail that leads to the chosen spot
located some two or three, perhaps six or seven, miles distant; a place
absolutely dry, where you can enjoy the fun of sleeping on the ground
without shelter, having merely the starry sky for a canopy. Each girl
can select the spot where she is to sleep and free it from all twigs,
stones, etc., as the smallest and most insignificant of these will rob
her of sleep and make the night most uncomfortable. When the space is
smooth mark the spot where the shoulders rest when lying down and
another spot immediately under the hips, then dig a hollow for each to
fit in easily; cover the sleeping space with poncho, rubber side down,
and over this lay a folded blanket for a mattress, using the second
blanket as a cover. Your sleep will then probably be sound and
refreshing.


=Guards=

Establish watchers, for this temporary camp, in relays to keep guard
through the night and care for the fire, not allowing it to spread, grow
too hot, or die down and go out.

If there are eight in the party, the first two, starting in at 10 P. M.,
will keep vigil until 12 midnight. These may chance to see a porcupine
or other small wild animal, but the little creatures will not come too