This reduced the tent and bedding material of our party--now numbering five--to a cavalry overcoat and a blanket.

We scooped a hole a foot deep in the sand and stuck our tent-poles around it.

By day we spread our blanket over the poles for a tent.

At night we lay down upon the overcoat and covered ourselves with the blanket.

It required considerable stretching to make it go over five; the two out side fellows used to get very chilly, and squeeze the three inside ones until they felt no thicker than a wafer.