Page:Scouting for girls, adapted from Girl guiding.djvu/151

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CAMPING
137

next cord as it stands at the stakes. This beam is then moved up and down at slow intervals by one Scout, while the others lay bundles of fern, straw, or heather, etc., alternately under and over the stretched strings, which are thus bound in by the rising or falling on to them.

Bleeding.—When a man is bleeding badly from a wound, press the wound or the flesh just above it—that is between the wound and the heart—press it hard with your thumb to try and stop the blood running in the artery. Then make a pad with something like a flat rounded pebble, and bind it over the wound. If bleeding violently, tie a handkerchief loosely round the limb above the wound, and twist it tight with a stick. [Demonstrate this.] Keep the wounded part raised above the rest of the body if possible. Apply cold water, or ice, if possible, wet rags, etc.

Bleeding from the ears and insensibility after a fall mean injury to the skull. The patient should not be moved at all if possible. It is best even to keep him lying on the spot, and put cold water or ice to his head and keep him quiet till a doctor comes.

Spitting or throwing up blood means internal injury or bursting of a small blood-vessel inside the patient. The case often looks more serious than it really is. If the blood is light red in colour and mixed with froth it means injury to the lungs. In either case keep the patient quiet and give ice to suck or cold water to sip.

Don't be alarmed at the amount of blood that flows from a patient. It used to be a common thing for the barber