he would be delighted to join the expedition. He could not be on hand
before the 1st of July, but that would give us plenty of time to make all
necessary preparations. He told us not to worry about gaining the consent
of our parents. He would write to them and see them all personally, if
necessary to win their approval.



The Canvas Tent.

[Illustration: Fig. 38 The Sail Stitch. (Hem & Double Seam)]

When at last spring arrived and we returned to Lamington on our Easter
vacation, quite a sum of money had been collected, nearly $15.00, if I
remember rightly; at any rate plenty to buy the materials for a
good-sized tent and leave a large surplus for provisions, etc. Bill
figured out on paper just how much canvas we would need for a tent 7 feet
wide by 9-1/2 feet long, which he estimated would be about large enough
to hold us. It took 34 yards, 30 inches wide. Then we visited the village
store to make our purchase. Canvas we found a little too expensive for us,
but a material called drill seemed about right. It cost ten cents a yard,
but since we wanted such a quantity of it the price was reduced to a total
of $3.00. We repaired to the attic to lay out the material.

First we cut out four lengths of 5 yards and 26 inches each. The strips
were basted together, lapping the edges 1 inch and making a piece 17 feet
2 inches long by 9 feet 9 inches wide. Mother sewed the breadths together
on the machine, using a double seam, as in sail making; that is, two
parallel rows of stitching were sewed in; one along each overlapping edge,
as shown in Fig. 38. A 1 inch hem was then turned and sewed at the ends of