LICENSE

Thisworkisbasedonthe1920editionofWoodcraft,publishedbyForestandStream,NY.TheoriginalworkisinthepublicdomainintheUnitedStates.ThisderivativeworkissolelytheeffortofJosephGray

Some changes from theoriginal publicationhavebeenmade.These changesinclude:Someimageshavebeenrecreatedand/orcleanedup;Imageplacementisnot exactly as in the original publication; Drop caps have been added; Somepunctuationusagehasbeenchangedtoreflectmodernusage;Aglossaryhasbeenadded;Otherstylisticchanges.

ThisworkislicensedunderaCreativeCommonsAttribution-ShareAlike3.0UnitedStatesLicense.

PREFACE

WoodcraftisdedicatedtotheGrandArmyof“Outers,”asapocketvolumeofreferenceonwoodcraft.

Forbrickandmortarbreedfilthandcrime,Withapulseofevilthatthrobsandbeats;AndmenarewitheredbeforetheirprimeBythecursepavedinwiththelanesandstreets.

Andlungsarepoisonedandshouldersbowed,Inthesmotheringreekofmillandmine;Anddeathstalksinonthestrugglingcrowd—Butheshunstheshadowofoakandpine.

—Nessmuk

I

CHAPTERIOverworkAndRecreation—OutingAndOuters—HowToDo

It,AndWhyTheyMissIt

TdoesnotneedthatHerbertSpencershouldcrosstheoceantotellusthatweareanover-workednation; thatourhair turnsgray tenyearsearlier thanthe

Englishman’s;or,“thatwehavehadsomewhattoomuchof thegospelofwork,”and, “it is time to preach the gospel of relaxation.” It is all true. But we workharder,accomplishmoreinagiventimeandlastquiteaslongasslowerraces.Asto the grayhair—perhaps grayhair is better thannone; and it is a fact that theaverage Briton becomes bald as early as the American turns gray. There is,however,asadsignificanceinhiswordswhenhesays:“IneverycircleIhavemetmenwhohadthemselvessufferedfromnervouscollapseduetostressofbusiness,or named friends who had either killed themselves by overwork, or had beenpermanently incapacitated, or hadwasted long periods in endeavors to recoverhealth.”Tootrue.Anditistheconstantstrain,withoutlet-uporrelaxation,that,inninecasesoutoften,snapsthecordandendsinwhatthedoctorscall“nervousprostration”—somethingakintoparalysis—fromwhichthesuffererseldomwhollyrecovers.

Mr. Spencer quotes that quaint old chronicler, Froissart, as saying, “TheEnglishtaketheirpleasuressadly,aftertheirfashion”;andthinksifhelivednow,he would say of Americans, “they take their pleasures hurriedly, after theirfashion.”Perhaps.

Itisanageofhurryandworry.Anythingslowerthansteamisaptto“getleft.”Fortunes are quickly made and freely spent. Nearly all busy, hard-workedAmericanshaveanintuitivesenseoftheneedthatexistsforatleastoneperiodofrest and relaxation during each year and all—or nearly all—are willing to payliberally, too liberally in fact, for anything that conduces to rest, recreation andsport.Iamsorrytosaythatwemostlygetswindled.Asanaverage,thesummerouterwhogoestoforest,lakeorstreamforhealthandsport,getsabouttencents’worth for a dollar of outlay. Amajoritywill admit—to themselves at least—thatafter a month’s vacation, they return to work with an inward consciousness ofbeingsomewhatdisappointedandbeaten.Wearefreewithourmoneywhenwehaveit.Weareknownthroughoutthecivilizedworldforourlavishnessinpayingforourpleasures;but ithumiliatesus toknowwehavebeenbeaten,andthis iswhatthemostofusknowattheendofasummervacation.Tothemanofmillionsit makes little difference. He is able to pay liberally for boats, buckboards and“bodyservice,”ifhechoosestospendasummerintheNorthWoods.Hehasnoneed to study the questions of lightness and economy in a Forest and Streamouting.Lethisguidestakecareofhim;anduntothemandthelandlordshewillgivefreelyofhissubstance.

Idonotwrite forhimandcandohim littlegood.But therearehundredsof

thousandsofpractical,usefulmen,manyofthemfarfrombeingrich;mechanics,artists, writers, merchants, clerks, business men—workers, so to speak—whosorelyneedandwelldeserveaseasonofrestandrelaxationatleastonceayear.Totheseandforthese,Iwrite.

Perhapsmorethanfiftyyearsofdevotionto“woodcraft”mayenablemetogiveafewusefulhintsandsuggestionstothosewhosedreams,duringthecloseseasonofwork,areofcamp-lifebyflood,fieldandforest.

I have found that nearly all who have a real love of nature and out-of-doorcamp-life, spend a good deal of time and talk in planning future trips, ordiscussingthetripsandpleasuresgoneby,butstilldeartomemory.

WhenthemountainstreamsarefrozenandtheNor’landwindsareout;

when thewinterwindsaredrifting thebitter sleetandsnow;whenwinter rainsaremakingout-of-doorlifeunendurable;whenseason,weatherandlawcombinetomake it “close time” for beast, bird andman, it is well that a few congenialspiritsshould,atsomefavoritetrystingplace,gatheraroundtheglowingstoveandexchangeyarns,opinionsandexperiences.Perhapsno twowill exactlyagreeonthebestgroundforanouting…orhalfadozenotherpointsthatmaybediscussed.Butonethingalladmit.Eachandeveryonehasgonetohischosengroundwithtoomuch impedimenta, toomuchduffle;andnearlyallhaveusedboatsat leasttwiceasheavyastheyneedtohavebeen.Thetemptationtobuythisorthatbitofindispensable camp-kit has been too strong and we have gone to the blessedwoods,handicappedwithaloadfitforapack-mule.Thisisnothowtodoit.

Go light; the lighter the better, so that you have the simplest material forhealth,comfortandenjoyment.

Ofcourse,ifyouintendtohaveapermanentcampandcanreachitbyboatorwagon, lightnessisnotsoimportant,thougheveninthatcaseit iswelltoguardagainsttakingalotofstuffthatislikelytoproveofmoreweightthanworth—onlytoleaveitbehindwhenyoucomeout.

Astoclothingforthewoods,agooddealofnonsensehasbeenwrittenabout“strong, coarse woolen clothes.” You do not want coarse woolen clothes. Finewoolen cassimere of medium thickness for coat, vest and pantaloons, with nocottonlining.Color,slategrayordead-leaf(eitherisgood).Twosoft,thickwoolenshirts; two pairs of fine, but substantial, woolen drawers; two pairs of strongwoolensocksorstockings;thesearewhatyouneedandallyouneedinthewayofclothing for the woods, excepting hat and boots, or gaiters. Boots are best—providingyoudonot letyourselfbe inveigled intowearingapairof long-leggedheavybootswith thick soles, ashasbeenoftenadvisedbywriterswhoknewnobetter. Heavy, long legged boots are a weary, tiresome incumbrance on a hardtrampthroughroughwoods.Evenmoccasinsarebetter.Gaiters,allsortsofhighshoes, in fact, are too bothersome about fastening andunfastening. Light bootsare best. Not thin, unserviceable affairs, but light as to actual weight. The

followinghintswillgivean idea for thebest footgear for thewoods; let thembesinglesoled,singlebacksandsinglefronts,exceptlight,shortfoot-linings.Backofsolid“countrykip”;frontsofsubstantialFrenchcalf;heeloneinchhigh,withsteelnails;counteredoutside;strapsnarrow,offineFrenchcalfputon“astraddle,”andsetdowntothetopoftheback.Theout-solestout,Spanishoakandpeggedratherthansewed,althougheitherisgood.Theywillweighconsiderablylessthanhalfasmuch as the clumsy, costly boots usually recommended for thewoods; and theaddedcomfortmustbetestedtobeunderstood.

The hat should be fine, soft felt withmoderately low crown andwide brim;colortomatchtheclothing.

The proper covering for head and feet is no slight affair and will be foundworth someattention.Be careful that thebootsarenot too tight,or thehat tooloose.Theaboverigwillgivethetouristoneshirt,onepairofdrawersandapairofsockstocarryasextraclothing.Asoft,warmblanket-bag,openattheendsandjust long enough to cover the sleeper, with an oblong square of waterproofedcotton cloth 6x8 feet, will give warmth and shelter by night and will weightogether five or sixpounds.This,with the extra clothing,willmake about eightpoundsofdrygoodstopackovercarries,whichisenough.Probably,also,itwillbefoundlittleenoughforcomfort.

During a canoe cruise across theNorthernWilderness in the late summer, Imetmanypartiesatdifferentpointsinthewoodsandtheamountofunnecessaryduffle with which they encumbered themselves was simply appalling. Why ashrewdbusinessman,whogoesthroughwithaguideandmakesaforesthotelhiscampinggroundnearlyeverynight,shouldhandicaphimselfwithafive-peckpackbasketfullofgraywoolenandgumblankets,extraclothing,pots,pansandkettles,with a 9 pound 10-bore and two rods—yes, and an extra pair of heavy bootshangingastrideofthegun-well,itisoneofthethingsIshallneverunderstand.Myownload,includingcanoe,extraclothing,blanket-bag,twodays’rations,pocket-axe,rodandknapsack,neverexceeded26pounds;andIwentpreparedtocampoutanyandeverynight.

Peoplewhocontemplateanouting in thewoodsareprettyapt to commencepreparationsa longwayaheadandtopickupmanytriflingarticles thatsuggestthemselvesasusefulandhandyincamp;allwellenoughintheirway,butmakingat least a tooheavy load. It is better to commenceby studying to ascertain justhowlightonecangothroughwithoutespecialdiscomfort.Agoodplanistothinkover the trip during leisure hours andmake out a list of indispensable articles,securing them beforehand and have them stowed in handy fashion, so thatnothingneedfulmaybemissingjustwhenandwhereitcannotbeprocured.Thelistwillbelongerthanonewouldthink,butneednotbecumbersomeorheavy.AsI am usually credited with making a cruise or a long woods tramp withexceptionallylightduffle,IwillgivealistofthearticlesItakealong—goingonfootovercarriesorthroughthewoods.

T

CHAPTERIIKnapsack,Hatchet,Knives,Tinware,FishingTackle,Rods,

Ditty-bag

HEclothing,blanket-bagand shelter-clothareall thatneedbedescribed inthatline.ThenextarticlesthatIlookafterareknapsack(orpackbasket),rod

with reel, lines, flies, hooks and all my fishing gear, pocket-axe, knives andtinware.Firstly,theknapsack;asyouareapttocarryitagreatmanymiles, it iswelltohaveitrightandeasy-fittingatthestart.Don’tbeinducedtocarryapackbasket.IamawarethatitisinhighfavorallthroughtheNorthernWildernessandis also much used in other localities where guides and sportsmen most docongregate.ButIdonotlikeit.Iadmitthatitwillcarryaloafofbread,withtea,sugar,etc.,withoutjamming;thatbottles,crockeryandotherfragileduffleissaferfrombreakagethaninanoil-clothknapsack.Butitisbynomeanswaterproofinarainorasplashingheadsea,ismorethantwiceasheavy—alwaysgrowingheavierasitgetswetter—andIhadratherhavebread,tea,sugar,etc.,alittlejammedthanwater-soaked.Also,itmayberemarkedthatmanisavertebrateanimalandoughttorespecthisbackbone.Theloadedpackbasketonaheavycarryneverfailstogetinon themostvulnerableknobof thehumanvertebrae.Theknapsack sits easyand does not chafe. The one shown in the engraving is of good form; and theoriginal—whichIhavecarriedforyears—issatisfactory ineveryrespect.Itholdsover half a bushel, carries blanket-bag, shelter-tent, hatchet, ditty-bag, tinware,fishingtackle,clothesandtwodays’rations.Itweighs,empty,justtwelveounces.

The hatchet and knives shown in the engravingwill be found to fill the billsatisfactorilysofarascutlerymayberequired.Eachisgoodandusefulofitskind,the hatchet especially, being the best model I have ever found for a “double-barreled”pocket-axe.

Andjusthereletmedigressforalittlechatontheindispensablehatchet;foritisthemostdifficultpieceofcampkittoobtaininperfectionofwhichIhaveanyknowledge.Before Iwasadozenyearsold I came to realize thata lighthatchetwasa inwoodcraftandIalsofounditamostdifficultthingtoget.Itried shingling hatchets, lathing hatchets and the small hatchets to be found incountryhardwarestores,butnoneofthemweresatisfactory.Ihadquiteanumbermadebyblacksmithswhoprofessedskillinmakingedgedtoolsandtheseweretheworst of all, being like nothing on the earth or under it—murderous-looking,clumsyandalltooheavy,withnobalanceorproportion.Ihadhuntedtwelveyearsbefore I caught up with the pocket-axe I was looking for. It was made inRochester, by a surgical instrument maker named Bushnell. It cost time andmoney to get it. I worked one rainy Saturday fashioning the pattern in wood.SpoiledadaygoingtoRochester,waitedadayfortheblade,paid$3.00foritandlostadaycominghome.Boatfare$1.00andexpenses$2.00,besidesthreedayslost time, with another rainy Sunday for making leather sheath and hickoryhandle.

My witty friends, always willing to help me out in figuring the cost of myhuntingand fishinggear,made the followingbusiness-likeestimate,which theyplacedwhereIwouldbecertaintoseeitthefirstthinginthemorning.Premisingthat of the fivewho assisted in that little joke, all stronger, bigger fellows thanmyself,fourhavegone“wheretheyneverseethesun,”Iwillcopythestatementasitstandstoday,onpaperyellowwithage.ForIhavekeptitoverfortyyears.

sinequanon

Thentheyraisedahorselaughandthecostofthathatchetbecameastandingjokeandasluronmy“businessability.”Whataggravatedmemostwas,thattherascals were not so far out in their calculation. And was I so far wrong? Thathatchetwasmyfavoritefornearlythirtyyears.Ithasbeen“upset”twicebyskilledworkmen;and,ifmyfriendBerohasnotlostit,isstillinservice.

WouldIhavegonewithoutitanyyearforoneortwodollars?ButIpreferthedoubleblade.Iwantonethick,stuntedgeforknots,deers’bones,etc.andafine,keenedgeforcuttingcleartimber.

Awordastoknife,orknives.Theseareofprimenecessityandshouldbeofthebest,bothastoshapeandtemper.The“bowies”and“huntingknives”usuallykeptonsale,arethick,clumsyaffairs,withasortofridgealongthemiddleoftheblade,murderous-looking,butoflittleuse;ratherfittedtoadornadimenovelorthebeltof“BillytheKid,”thantheoutfitofthehunter.Theoneshowninthecutisthininthebladeandhandyforskinning,cuttingmeat,oreatingwith.Thestrongdouble-bladedpocketknifeisthebestmodelIhaveyetfoundand,inconnectionwiththesheathknife,isallsufficientforcampuse.Itisnotnecessarytotaketablecutleryintothewoods.Agoodforkmaybeimprovisedfromabeechorbirchstick;andthehalfofafresh-watermusselshell,withasplitstickbywayofhandle,makesanexcellentspoon.

Myentireoutfitforcookingandeatingdishescomprisesfivepiecesoftinware.Thisiswhenstoppinginapermanentcamp.Whencruisingandtramping,Itakejusttwopiecesintheknapsack.

Igetaskillful tinsmith tomakeonedishas follows:Six inchesonbottom,63/4inchesontop,side2incheshigh.Thebottomisoftheheaviesttinprocurable,thesidesoflightertinandseamedtobewatertightwithoutsolder.Thetopsimplyturned,withoutwire.Theseconddishtobemadethesame,butsmallenoughtonestinthefirstandalsotofitintoitwheninvertedasacover.Twootherdishesmade from common pressed tinware, with the tops cut off and turned, alsowithoutwire.Theyarefittedsothattheyallnest,takingnomoreroomthanthelargestdishaloneandeachofthethreesmallerdishesmakesaperfectcoverforthenext larger.Theotherpiece isa tincamp-kettle,alsoof theheaviest tinandseamedwatertight.Itholdstwoquartsandtheotherdishesnestinitperfectly,sothatwhenpackedthewholetakesjustasmuchroomasthekettlealone.Ishouldmentionthatthestrongearsaresetbelowtherimofthekettleandthebalefallsoutside, so, as none of the dishes have any handle, there are no aggravating“stickouts”towearandabrade.Thesnugaffairweighs,alltold,twopounds.Ihavemet parties in the NorthWoods whose one frying pan weighedmore—with itshandle three feet long. However did they get through the brush with such aculinaryterror?

It is onlywhen I go into a very accessible camp that I take somuch as fivepieces of tinware along. I once made a ten days’ tramp through an unbrokenwilderness on foot and all the dish I took was a ten-cent tin; it was enough. I

believeIwilltellthestoryofthattrampbeforeIgetthrough.ForIsawmoregameinthetendaysthanIeversawbeforeorsinceinaseason;andIamtoldthatthewholeregionisnowathriftyfarmingcountry,withthedeernearlyallgone.Theywereplentyenoughthirty-nineyearsagothisverymonth.

Ifeelmorediffidenceinspeakingofrodsthanofanyothermatterconnectedwithoutdoorsports.Thenumberandvarietyofrodsandmakers;theenthusiasmoftroutandfly“cranks”;thefactthatanglingdoesnottakeprecedenceofallothersports with me, with the humiliating confession that I am not above bucktailspinners, worms and sinkers, minnow tails and white grubs—this and theseconstrainmetobebrief.

But,asIhavebeena fisherallmy life, frommypinhookdays to thepresenttime; as I have run the list pretty well up, from brookminnows to 100 poundalbacores,Imaybepardonedforafewremarksontherodandtheusethereof.

Arodmaybeaveryhigh-toned,high-pricedaestheticplaything,costing$50to$75,oritmaybearod.Aserviceableandsplendidlybalancedrodcanbeobtainedfromfirstclassmakersforlessmoney.Byallmeansletthemanofmoneyindulgehis fancy for the most costly rod that can be procured. He might do worse. Apractical every day sportsman whose income is limited will find that a moremodest product will drop his flies on the water quite as attractively to

.Mylittle81/2foot,41/2ouncesplitbamboowhichtheeditorofForestandStreamhadmadeformecost$10.00.Ihavegivenithardusageandattimeslarge trouthave tested itseverely,but ithasnever failedme.Thedimensionsofmysecondrodare91/2feetlongand5ouncesinweight.ThisrodwillhandlethebucktailspinnerswhichIusefortroutandbass,whenotherthingshavefailed.Iused a rod of this description for several summers both in Adirondack andwesternwaters.Ithadahand-madereelseat,agatefirstguide,wassatisfactoryineveryrespectandIcouldseeinbalance,actionandappearancenosuperiorityinarodcosting$25.00,whichoneofmyfriendssported.CharlesDudleyWarner,whowritescharminglyofwoodslife,hasthefollowinginregardtotroutfishing,whichissoneatlyhumorousthatitwillbearrepeating:

“It is well known that no personwho regards his reputation will ever kill atroutwithanythingbutafly.Itrequiressometrainingonthepartofthetrouttotake to thismethod. The uncultivated trout in unfrequented waters prefers thebait; and the ruralpeople,whose soleobject in goinga-fishingappears tobe tocatch fish, indulge them in their primitive state for the worm. No sportsman,however,willuseanythingbutaflyexcepthehappenstobealone.”Speakingofrods,hesays:

“Therod isabambooweighingsevenounces,whichhas tobesplicedwithawinding of silk thread every time it is used. This is a tedious process; but, byfastening the joints in thisway, a uniform spring is secured in the rod.No onedevotedtohighartwouldthinkofusingasocketjoint.”

Onesummerduringasevenweeks’tourintheNorthernWilderness,myonly

Salmofontinalis

rodwasa71/2footHenshall.Itcametohandwithtwobait-tipsonly;butIaddeda fly-tipand itmadeanexcellent “general fishingrod.”With it I couldhandlealargebass orpickerel; itwas a capital bait-rod forbrook trout; as fly-rod it haspleasedmewellenough.Itislikelytogowithmeagain.Forreelcasting,the51/2footrodishandier.ButitisnotyetdecidedwhichisbestandIleaveeverymanhisownopinion.Only,Ithinkonerodenough,buthavealwayshadmore.

Anddon’t neglect to takewhat sailors call a “ditty-bag.”Thismaybe a littlesackofchamoisleatherabout4incheswideby6inchesinlength.Mineisbeforeme as I write. Emptying the contents, I find it inventories as follows: A dozenhooks,runninginsizefromsmallminnowhookstolargeLimericks;fourlinesofsix yards each, varying from the finest to a size sufficient for a ten-pound fish;threedarningneedlesandafewcommonsewingneedles;adozenbuttons;sewingsilk;threadandasmallballofstrongyarnfordarningsocks; ;abitof shoemaker’swax;beeswax; sinkers anda very fine file for sharpeninghooks.Theditty-bagweighs,withcontents,21/2ounces;anditgoesinasmallbuckskinbulletpouch,whichIwearalmostasconstantlyasmyhat.Thepouchhasasheathstrongly sewedon theback sideof it,where the lighthuntingknife is alwaysathand,and it also carriesa two-ouncevialof flymedicine, avialof “painkiller,”andtwoorthreegangsofhooksonbrasswiresnells—ofwhich,moreinanotherplace.Icanalwaysgodownintothatpouchforawaterproofmatchsafe,strings,compass, bits of linen and scarlet flannel (for frogging), copper tacks andotherlightduffle.Itisaboutashandyapieceofwoods-kitasIcarry.

I hope no aesthetic devotee of the fly-rodwill lay down the book in disgustwhenIconfesstoaweaknessforfrogging.Iadmitthatitisnothigh-tonedsport;andyetIhavegotagooddealofamusementoutofit.Thepersistencewithwhichalarge willsnapatabitofredflannelafterbeingseveraltimeshookedon the same lure and the comicalway inwhich hewill scuttle off with a quicksuccessionofshortjumpsaftereachrelease;thecheerfulmannerinwhich,aftereachbout,hewilltuneuphisdeep,basspipe—readyforanothergreedysnapatanibis fly or red rag is rather funny. And his hind legs, rolled inmeal and nicelybrowned,arepreferabletotroutorvenison.

stickingsalve

batrachian

W

CHAPTERIIIGettingLost—CampingOut—RoughingItOrSmoothingIt—

Insects—Camps,AndHowToMakeThem

ITHalargemajorityofprospectivetouristsandouters,“campingout”isaleadingfactorinthesummervacation.Andduringthelongwintermonths

theyarepronetocollect in littleknotsandtalkmuchofcamps, fishing,huntingand“roughingit.”Thelastphraseisverypopularandalwayscroppingoutinthetalksonmatterspertainingtoavacationinthewoods.Idislikethephrase.Wedonotgotothegreenwoodsandcrystalwaterstoroughit,wegotosmoothit.Wegetitroughenoughathome;intownsandcities; inshops,offices,stores,banksanywhere thatwemaybeplaced—with thenecessityalwayspresentofbeingontime and up to our work; of providing for the dependent ones; of keeping up,catchingup,or getting left. “Alas for the lifelongbattle,whosebravest slogan isbread.”

Asforthefewfortunateoneswhohavenocalltotakeahandinanystrifeorstruggle,whonotonlyhaveallthetimethereis,butagreatdealthattheycannotdisposeofwithanysatisfactiontothemselvesoranybodyelse—Iamnotwritingfor them; but only to those of theworld’sworkerswho go, orwould like to go,everysummertothewoods.AndtotheseIwouldsay,don’troughit;makeitassmooth,asrestfulandpleasurableasyoucan.

Tothisendyouneedpleasantdaysandpeacefulnights.Youcannotaffordtobetormentedandpoisonedbyinsects,norkeptawakeatnightbycoldanddamp,nor to exhaust your strengthbyhard tramps andheavy loads. Take it easy andalwayskeepcool.Ninemenoutoften,onfindingthemselveslostinthewoods,flyintoapanicandquarrelwiththecompass.Neverdothat.Thecompassisalwaysright,ornearlyso.It isnotmanyyearssinceanable-bodiedman—sportsmanofcourse—losthiswayintheNorthWoodsandtookfright,asmightbeexpected.Hewaswellarmedandwellfoundforaweekinthewoods.Whatoughttohavebeenonly an interesting adventure, became a tragedy. He tore through thickets andswampsinhissenselesspanic,untilhedroppedanddiedthroughfright,hungerandexhaustion.

Awell authenticated story is told of a guide in theOswegatchie region,whoperishedinthesameway.Guidesarenotinfallible;Ihaveknownmorethanoneto get lost. Wherefore, should you be tramping through a pathless forest on acloudy day, and should the sun suddenly break from under a cloud in thenorthwestaboutnoon,don’tbescared.Thelastdayisnotathandandtheplanetshavenotbecomemixed;only,youareturned.Youhavegraduallyswungaround,untilyouarefacingnorthwestwhenyoumeanttotravelsouth.Ithasamuddlingeffect on the mind—this getting lost in the woods. But, if you can collect andarrange your gray brainmatter and suppress all panicky feeling, it is easily gotalongwith. For instance; it ismorally certain that you commenced swinging to

southwest, then west, to northwest. Had you kept on until you were headingdirectly north, you could rectify your course simply by following a true southcourse.But,asyouhavevariedthree-eighthsofthecircle,setyourcompassandtravelbyittothesoutheast,until,inyourjudgment,youhaveaboutmadeupthedeviation;thengostraightsouthandyouwillnotbefarwrong.Carrythecompassinyourhandandlookatiteveryfewminutes;forthetendencytoswervefromastraightcoursewhenamanisoncelost—andnearlyalwaystotheright—isathingpastunderstanding.

As regards poisonous insects, it may be said that, to the man with clean,bleached,tenderskin,theyare,atthestart,anunendurabletorment.Noonecanenjoy life with a smarting, burning, swollen face, while the attacks on everyexposed inchofskinarepersistentandconstant. Ihaveseenayoungmanaftertwo days’ exposure to these pests come out of thewoodswith one eye entirelyclosedandthebrowhangingoverit likeaclamshell,whilefaceandhandswerealmost hideous from inflammation and puffiness. The St. Regis and St. FrancisIndians,althoughbornandreared in thewoods,bynomeansmake lightof theblackfly.

It took themanwho could shoot Phantom Falls to find out, “Its bite is notsevere,norisitordinarilypoisonous.Theremaybeanoccasionalexceptiontothisrule;butbesidethebiteofthemosquito,itiscomparativelymildandharmless.”Andagain:“Gnats…inmywayof thinking,aremuchworsethantheblackflyormosquito.”SosaysMurray.Ourobservationsdiffer.Athousandmosquitoesandasmanygnatscanbitemewithoutleavingamark,orhavinganyeffectsavethepain of the bite while they are at work. But each bite of the black flymakes aseparateanddistinctboil,thatwillnothealandbewellintwomonths.

WhilefishingforbrooktroutinJulylast,IranintoaswarmofthemonMooseRiverandgotbadlybitten.Ihadcarelesslyleftmymedicinebehind.OnthefirstofOctober the bites hadnot ceased to be painful, and itwas threemonths beforetheydisappearedentirely.FrankForestersays,inhisFishandFishing,page371,that he has never fished for the red-fleshed trout of Hamilton county, “beingdeterred therefrom by dread of that curse of the summer angler, the black fly,whichistomeespeciallyvenomous.”

“AdirondackMurray”givesextendeddirectionsforbeatingtheselittlepestsbytheuse of buckskin gloveswith chamois gauntlets, Swissmull, finemuslin, etc.Thenheadvisesamixtureofsweetoilandtar,whichistobeappliedtofaceandhands;andheaddsthatitiseasilywashedoff,leavingtheskinsoftandsmoothasan infant’s; all of which is true. But, more than forty years’ experience in thewoods has taught me that the following recipe is infallible anywhere that

, ,orourownpoisonousinsectsdomostabound.

ItwaspublishedinForestandStreaminthesummerof1880andagainin’83.IthasbeenprettywidelyquotedandadoptedandIhaveneverknown it to fail:Threeouncespinetar,twoouncescastoroil,oneouncepennyroyaloil.Simmerall

sancudos moquims

togetheroveraslowfireandbottleforuse.Youwillhardlyneedmorethanatwo-ouncevialfullinaseason.Oneouncehaslastedmesixweeksinthewoods.Rubitinthoroughlyandliberallyatfirst,andafteryouhaveestablishedagoodglaze,alittlereplenishingfromdaytodaywillbesufficient.Anddon’tfoolwithsoapandtowelswhereinsectsareplenty.Agoodsafecoatofthisvarnishgrowsbetterthelonger it is kept on—and it is cleanly andwholesome. If you get your face andhandscrockyorsmuttyaboutthecampfire,wetthecornerofyourhandkerchiefand rub it off, not forgetting to apply the varnish at once, wherever you havecleaneditoff.LastsummerIcarriedacakeofsoapandatowel inmyknapsackthroughtheNorthWoodsforasevenweeks’ tourandneverusedeitherasingletime.WhenIhadestablishedagoodglazeontheskin, itwastoovaluabletobesacrificed for anyweakwhim connectedwith soap andwater.When I struck awoodlandhotel,Ifoundsoapandtowelsplentyenough.Ifoundthemixturegaveone’s face the ruddy tanned look supposed to be indicative of health and hardmuscle.Athoroughablution inthepublicwashbasinreducedthecolor,but lefttheskinverysoftandsmooth;infact,asalotionfortheskinitisexcellent.Itisasoothingandhealingapplicationforpoisonousbitesalreadyreceived.

Ihavegivensomespacetotheinsectquestion,butnomorethanitdeservesorrequires.Thevenomouslittlewretchesarequiteimportantenoughtospoilmanyawellplannedtriptothewoodsanditisbesttobeatthemfromthestart.Youwillfind that immunity from insects and a comfortable camp are the two first andmostindispensablerequisitesofanoutinginthewoods.

AndjusthereIwillbrieflytellhowayoungfriendofminewenttothewoods,sometwenty-fiveyearsago.Hewasabankclerkandagoodfellowwithal,withaleaningtowardcamp-life.

Formonths,wheneverwemet,hewouldintroducehisfavoritetopics,fishing,campingout,etc.Atlastinthehottestofthehotmonths,thetimecame.Heputinanappearancewithafightingcutonhishair,alittlestiffstrawhatandasoftskin,bleachedbylongconfinementinacloseoffice.Ithoughthelookedalittletender;buthewassanguine.Hecouldroughit,couldsleeponthebaregroundwiththerootofatreeforapillow;asformosquitoesandpunkies,henevermindedthem.

Wewentinapartyoffive—twooldhuntersandthreeyoungsters,thelatterallenthusiasmandpluck—atfirst.Towardthelastendofaheavyeight-miletramp,they grew silent and slapped and scratched nervously. Arriving at the campingspot,theyworkedfairlywell,butwereevidentlyweakeningalittle.Bythetimewewere ready to turn in they were reduced pretty well to silence and suffering—especiallythebankclerk,JeanL.Thepunkieswereeagerforhistenderskinandtheywererankpoisontohim.Hemuffledhisheadinablanketandtriedtosleep,butitwasonlyapartialsuccess.When,bysuffocatinghimself,heobtainedalittlerelief from insect bites, there were stubs and knotty roots continually pokingthemselvesamonghisribs,ordiggingintohisbackbone.

Ihaveoftenhadoccasion toobserve that stubs, rootsandsmall stones, etc.,

haveaperversetendencytoabradetheanatomyofpeopleunusedtothewoods.Mr.C.D.Warnerhasnoticedthesamething,Ibelieve.

Onthewhole,Jeanandtheotheryoungstersbehavedverywell.Althoughtheyturnedout in themorningwith red, swollen faces andhalf closed eyes, they allwenttroutingandcaughtabout150smalltroutbetweenthem.Theydidtheirlevelbravesttomakeajollythingofit;butJean’sattempttowatchadeerlickresultedinawettingthroughthesuddenadventofashower;andtheshowerdroveaboutallthepunkiesandmosquitoesintheneighborhoodunderourroofforshelter.Inever saw them more plentiful or worse. Jean gave in and varnished his peltthoroughlywithmy“punkiedope,”ashecalledit;but,toolate:themischiefwasdone. And the second trial was worse to those youngsters than the first. Moreinsects.More stubs andknots.Owing to these little annoyances, theyarrivedathomeseveraldaysbeforetheirfriendsexpectedthem—leavingenoughrationsincamptolastOldSileandthewriterafullweek.Andthemoralofitis,iftheyhadfittedthemselvesforthethewoodsbeforegoingthere,thetripwouldhavebeenapleasureinsteadofamisery.

One other little annoyance I will mention, as a common occurrence amongthosewho camp out; this is the lack of a pillow. I suppose I have camped fiftytimeswith people, who, on turning in, were squirming around for a long time,tryingtogetarestforthehead.Bootsarethemostcommonresort.But,whenyouplace a boot-leg—or two of them—under your head, they collapse and make aheadrest less than half an inch thick. Justwhy it never occurs to people that astuffingofmoss,leaves,orhemlockbrowse,wouldfillouttheboot-legandmakeapassablepillow,isanotherconundrumIcannotanswer.Butthereisanotherandbetterwayofmakingapillowforcampuse,whichIwilldescribefurtheron.

AndnowIwishtodevotesomespacetooneofthemostimportantadjunctsofwoodcraft, i.e., camps; how tomake them and how tomake them comfortable.Therearecampsandcamps.TherearecampsintheNorthWoodsthatarereallyfinevillas,costingthousandsofdollarsandtherearelog-housesandshantiesandbark camps andA tents andwalled tents, shelter-tents and shanty-tents. But, Iassumethatthecampbestfittedtothewantsoftheaverageouteristheonethatcombinestheessentialsofdryness, lightness,portability,cheapnessandiseasilyandquicklyputup.Anotheressentialis,thatitmustadmitofabrightfireinfrontbynightorday.Iwillgiveshortdescriptionsoftheforestshelters(camps)Ihavefoundhandiestandmostuseful.

Firstly,Iwillmentionasortofcampthatwasdescribedinasportsman’spaperandhassincebeenlargelyquotedandused.It ismadebyfasteningahorizontalpole to a couple of contiguous trees and then putting on a heavy covering ofhemlockboughs,shinglingthemwiththetipsdownward,ofcourse.Afireistobemadeattherootsofoneofthetrees.This,withplentyofboughs,maybemadetostand a pretty stiff rain; but it is only a damp arbor, and no camp, properlyspeaking.Aforestcampshouldalwaysadmitofabrightfireinfront,withalean-

toorshedroofoverhead,toreflectthefireheatonthebeddingbelow.Anycampthat falls short of this, lacks the requirements of warmth, brightness andhealthfulness.ThisiswhyIdiscardallclose,canvastents.

Thesimplestandmostprimitiveofallcampsisthe“Indiancamp.”Itiseasilyandquicklymade,iswarmandcomfortableandstandsaprettyheavyrainwhenproperlyputup.This ishowit ismade:Letussayyouareoutandhaveslightlymissedyourway.Thecominggloomwarnsyouthatnightisshuttingdown.Youarenotenderfoot.Youknowthataplaceofrestisessentialtohealthandcomfortthroughthelong,coldNovembernight.Youdivedownthefirstlittlehollowuntilyoustrikearillofwater,forwaterisaprimenecessity.Asyoudrawyourhatchetyoutakeinthewholesituationataglance.Thelittlestreamisgurglingdownwardinahalfchokedfrozenway.Thereisahugesoddenhemlocklyingacrossit.Oneclipof thehatchet shows itwillpeel.There isplentyof smaller timber standingaround;long,slimpoles,withatuftoffoliageontop.Fiveminutessufficetodroponeofthese,cutatwelve-footpolefromit,sharpenthepoleateachend,jamoneendintothegroundandtheotherintotheroughbackofascraggyhemlockandthere is your ridgepole.Nowgo—with yourhatchet—for thebushiest andmostpromising young hemlocks within reach. Drop them and draw them to camprapidly.Next,youneedafire.Therearefiftyhard,resinouslimbsstickingupfromthepronehemlock;lopoffafewoftheseandsplitthelargestintomatchtimber;reduce the splinters to shavings, scrape the wet leaves from your prospectivefireplace and strike a match on the balloon part of your trousers. If you are awoodsmanyouwill strikebut one.Feed the fire slowly at first; itwill gain fast.Whenyouhaveablaze ten feethigh, lookat yourwatch. It is6P.M.Youdon’twanttoturninbefore10o’clockandyouhavefourhourstokillbeforebedtime.Now,tackletheoldhemlock;takeoffeverydry limbandthenpeelthebarkandbringittocamp.Youwillfindthistakesanhourormore.

Next,stripeverylimbfromyouryounghemlocksandshinglethemontoyourridge pole. Thiswillmake a sort of bear den, verywell calculated to give you acomfortablenight’srest.Thebrightfirewillsoondrythegroundthatistobeyour

bedandyouwillhaveplentyoftimetodropanothersmallhemlockandmakeabedofbrowseafootthick.Youdoit.Thenyoumakeyourpillow.Now,thispillowisessentialtocomfortandverysimple.Itishalfayardofmuslin,sewedupasabagandfilledwithmossorhemlockbrowse.Youcanemptyitandputitinyourpocket,whereittakesupaboutasmuchroomasahandkerchief.Youhaveotherlittle muslin bags—an’ you be wise. One holds a couple of ounces of good tea;another, sugar; another is kept to put your loose duffle in:money,match safe,pocket-knife. You have a pat of butter and a bit of pork, with a liberal slice ofbrownbread;andbeforeturninginyoumakeacupoftea,broilasliceofporkandindulgeinalunch.

Teno’clockcomes.Thetimehasnotpassedtediously.Youarewarm,dryandwell-fed.Youroldfriends, theowls,comenearthefire-lightandsaluteyouwiththeirstrangewildnotes;adistantfoxsetsupforhimselfwithhisodd,barkingcryandyouturnin.Notreadytosleepjustyet.

But youdrop off; and it is two bells in themorningwatchwhen youwakenwithasenseofchillanddarkness.Thefirehasburnedlowandsnowisfalling.Theowlshaveleftandadeepsilencebroodsoverthecold,still forest.Yourousethefireand,asthebrightlightshinestothefurthestrecessesofyourforestden,getout the littlepipeandreduceabitofnavyplug to its lowestdenomination.Thesmokecurlslazilyupward;thefiremakesyouwarmanddrowsyandagainyouliedown—toagainawakenwithasenseofchilliness—tofindthefireburnedlowanddaylight breaking. You have slept better than you would in your own room athome.Youhavesleptinan“Indiancamp.”

You have also learned the difference between such a simple shelter and anopenairbivouacunderatreeorbesideanoldlog.

Anothereasilymadeandverycomfortablecampisthe“brushshanty,”asitisusuallycalled inNorthernPennsylvania.The frameforsuchashanty isacross-polerestingontwocrotchesaboutsixfeethighandenoughstraightpolestomakeafoundationforthethatch.Thepolesarelaidaboutsixinchesapart,oneendontheground,theotheronthecross-pole,andataprettysharpangle.Thethatchismadeofthefan-likeboughscutfromthethriftyyounghemlockandaretobelaidbottomupwardand feather enddown.Commence to lay them from thegroundandworkuptothecross-pole,shinglingthemcarefullyasyougo.Ifthethatchbelaidafootinthicknessandwelldone,theshantywillstandaprettyheavyrain—betterthantheaveragebarkroof,whichisonlyrainproofindryweather.

A bark camp, however, may be a very neat sylvan affair, provided you arecampingwherespruceorbalsamfirmaybeeasilyreached,andinthehotmonthswhenbarkwill“peel”;andyouhaveaday inwhichtoworkatacamp.Thebestbark camps I have ever seen are in the Adirondacks. Some of them are ratherelaborate inconstruction, requiring twoormoredays’hard laborbyacoupleofguides.Whenthestayistobealongoneandthecamppermanent,perhapsitwillpay.

As good a camp as I have ever tried—perhaps the best—is the “shanty-tent”shown in the illustration. It is easilyputup, is comfortable,neatandabsolutelyrain-proof.Ofcourse, itmaybeofanyrequiredsize;but, forapartyof two, thefollowingdimensionsanddirectionswillbefoundallsufficient:

Firstly,theroof.Thisismerelyasheetofstrongcottoncloth9feetlongby4or41/2feetinwidth.Thesides,ofthesamematerial,tobe41/2feetdeepatfrontand2feetdeepattheback.Thisgives7feetalongtheedgeoftheroof,leaving2feetforturningdownatthebackendoftheshanty.Itwillbeseenthatthesidesmustbe“cutbias,”tocompensatefortheangleoftheroof,otherwisetheshantywill notbe square and shipshapewhenputup.Allowing forwaste in cutting, ittakesnearly3yardsofclothforeachside.Theonlylaborrequiredinmaking,istocutthesidestothepropershapeandstitchthemtotheroof.Nobuttons,strings,orloops.Theclothdoesnotevenrequirehemming.Itdoes,however,needalittlewaterproofing;forwhichthefollowingreceiptwillanswerverywellandaddlittleornothingtotheweight:To10quartsofwateradd10ouncesoflimeand4ouncesofalum;letitstanduntilclear;foldtheclothsnuglyandputitinanothervessel,pourthesolutiononit,letitsoakfor12hours;thenrinseinluke-warmrainwater,stretchanddryinthesunandtheshanty-tentisreadyforuse.

Toputitupproperly,makeaneatframeasfollows:Twostrongstakesorpostsfor the front,driven firmly in theground4 feetapart;atadistanceof6 feet 10inchesfromthese,drivetwootherposts—thesetobe4feetapart—forbackendofshanty. The front posts to be 4 1/2 feet high, the back rests only two feet. Theformer also to incline a little toward each other above, so as to measure fromoutsideofposts, just4 feetat top.Thisgivesa littlemorewidthat frontendofshanty,addingspaceandwarmth.Nocrotchesareusedinputtinguptheshanty-tent.Eachofthefourpostsisfittedonthetoptoreceiveaflat-endedcross-poleandadmitofnailing.Whenthepostsaresquarelyrangedanddriven,select twostraight, hardwood rods, 2 inches in diameter and 7 feet in length—or a little

more.Flattentheendscarefullyandtruly,laythemalongsideontopfromposttopostandfastenthemwithalightnailateachend.Now,selecttwomorestraightrodsofthesamesize,butalittleover4feetinlength;flattentheendsoftheseasyoudidtheothers, laythemcrosswisefromsidetosideandlappingtheendsoftheotherrods;fastenthemsolidlybydrivingasixpennynailthroughtheendsandinto theposts andyouhavea square frame7x4 feet.But it isnot yet complete.Three light rodsareneeded for rafters.Theseare tobeplaced lengthwiseof theroofatequaldistancesapartandnailedortiedtokeeptheminplace.Thentaketwostraightpolesalittleover7feetlongandsome3inchesindiameter.Thesearetobeaccuratelyflattenedattheendsandnailedtothebottomoftheposts,snugtotheground,onoutsideofposts.Afoot-logandhead-logareindispensable.Theseshouldbeabout5inchesindiameterandofalengthtojustreachfromoutsidetooutsideofposts.Theyshouldbesquaredatendsandthefoot-logplacedagainstthefrontpost,outsideandheldfirmlyinplacebytwowoodenpins.Thehead-logisfastenedthesameway,exceptthatitgoesagainsttheinsideofthebackposts;and the frame iscomplete.Roundoffall sharpanglesorcornerswithknifeandhatchet andproceed to spread and fasten the cloth. Lay the roof on evenly andtackittrulytothefrontcross-rod,usingaboutadozensix-ouncetacks.Stretchthecloth to its bearings and tack it at the back end in the samemanner. Stretch itsidewiseandtackthesidestothesidepoles,foreandaft.Tackfrontandbackendsofsidestothefrontandbackposts.Bringdownthe2footflapofroofatbackendofshanty;stretchandtack itsnuglytothebackposts—andyoursylvanhouse isdone.Itisrain-proof,wind-proof,warmandcomfortable.Thefootandheadlogsdefine the limits of your forest dwelling; within which you may pile fragranthemlock browse as thick as you please and renew it from day to day. It is theperfectcamp.

Youmayputitupwithlesscareandlaborandmakeitdoverywell.ButIhavetried to explainhow todo it in thebestmanner; tomake it all sufficient for anentireseason.Andittakeslongertotellitonpaperthantodoit.

WhenIgotothewoodswithapartnerandwearriveatourcampingground,Ilikehimtogethisfishingrigtogetherandstartoutforahalfday’sexercisewithhis favorite flies, leavingme tomake the campaccording tomyownnotions ofwoodcraft.Ifhewillcomebackaboutduskwithafewpoundsoftrout,Iwillhaveapleasant campandabright fire forhim.And if hehas enjoyedwading an icystreammorethanIhavemakingthecamp—hehashadagoodday.

Perhapsitmaynotbeoutofplacetosaythatthecamp,madeasabove,callsforfifteenbitsoftimber,posts,rods,etc.,afewshinglenailsandsomesixpennywroughtnails,withapaperof six-ounce tacks.Nailsand tackswillweighaboutfiveouncesandarealwaysuseful.Intackingthecloth,turntherawedgeinuntilyouhavefourthicknesses,asasinglethicknessisapttotear.Ifyoudesiretostrikecamp,ittakesabouttenminutestodrawandsaveallthenailsandtacks,foldthecloth smoothly anddeposit thewhole in yourknapsack. If youwish to getupashelter-tenton fifteenminutes’notice,cutandsharpena twelve-footpoleas for

the Indian camp, stick one end in the ground, the other in the rough bark of alarge tree—hemlock isbest—hang the clothon thepole, fasten the sides to rodsandtherodstothegroundwithinvertedcrotches,andyourshelter-tentisreadyforyoutocreepunder.

The above description of the shanty-tent may seem a trifle elaborate, but Ihope it is plain. The affair weighs just three pounds and it takes a skillfulwoodsman about three hours of easy work to put it in the shape described.Leaving out some of the work and only aiming to get it up in square shape asquicklyaspossible,Icanputitupinanhour.Theshantyasitshouldbe,isshownintheillustrationveryfairly.Andtheshapeoftheclothwhenspreadout,isshowninthediagram.Onthewhole,itisthebestformofclose-sidetentIhavefound.Itadmitsofabrightfireinfront,withoutwhichaforestcampisjustnocampatalltome.Ihavesufferedenoughinclose,dark,cheerless,damptents.

More than thirty years ago I became disgusted with the clumsy, awkward,comfortless affairs that, under many different forms, went under the name ofcamps. Gradually I came to make a study of “camping out.” It would take toomuchtimeandspace, shouldIundertake todescribeall thedifferentstylesandformsIhavetried.ButIwillmentionafewofthebestandworst.

The oldDownEast “coal cabin” embodied theprinciple of the Indian camp.Theframewassimplytwostrongcrotchessetfirmlyinthegroundatadistanceofeightfeetapartandinterlockingattop.Thesesupportedastiffridge-polefifteenfeetlong,thesmallendsharpenedandsetintheground.Refuseboards,shooks,stakes,etc.,wereplacedthicklyfromtheridge-poletotheground;athicklayerofstrawwas laidovertheseandthewholewascoveredafootthickwithearthandsods,wellbeatendown.Astonewallfivefeethighatbackandsidesmadeamostexcellent fireplace;andthesecabinswereweather-proofandwarm,even inzeroweather. But they were too cumbersome and included too much labor for theordinaryhunterandangler.Also,theywereopentotheobjection,thatwhilewideenough in front, they ran down to a dismal, cold peak at the far end.Remembering, however, themanypleasantwinter nights I hadpassedwith thecoal-burners,Iboughtasupplyofoil-clothandriggeditonthesameprinciple.It

was a partial success and I used it for one season. But that cold, peaked, darkspacewasalwaysbackofmyheadanditseemedlikeaniceberg.ItwasinvainthatItiedahandkerchiefaboutmyhead,ordrewastockinglegoverit.Thatmiserable,icy angle was always there. And it would only shelter oneman anyhow.WhenwinterdrovemeoutofthewoodsIgaveittoanenthusiasticyoungfriend,boughtsomemoreoil-clothandcommencedashanty-tentthatwasmeanttobeperfect.Agood many leisure hours were spent in cutting and sewing that shanty, whichprovedratherasuccess.Itaffordedaperfectshelterforaspace7x4feet,butwasatrifleheavytopackandtheglazingbegantocrackandpeeloffinashorttime.Imadeanotherandlargeroneofstoutdrilling,soakedinlime-waterandalum;andthiswasall thatcouldbeaskedwhenputupproperlyonaframe.But, thesidesandendsbeingsewedtotheroofmadeitunhandytouseasashelter,whenshelterwasneededonshortnotice.SoIrippedthebackendsofthesidesloosefromtheflap,leavingit,whenspreadout,asshowninthediagram.Thiswasbetter;whenitwasnecessarytomakesomesortofshelterinshortorder,itcouldbedonewithasinglepoleasusedintheIndiancamp,layingthetentacrossthepoleandusingafewtackstokeepitinplaceatsidesandcenter.Thiscanbedoneintenminutesandmakesashelter-tentthatwillturnaheavyrainforhours.

Onthewhole,forallkindsofweather,theshanty-tentisperhapsthebeststyleofcamptobehadatequalexpenseandtrouble.

Forasummercamp,however,Ihavefinallycometopreferthesimplelean-toor shed roof. It is the lightest, simplest and cheapest of all cloth devices forcampingoutandIhavefounditsufficientforallweathersfromJuneuntilthefalloftheleaves.Itisonlyasheetofstrongcottoncloth9x7feetandsoakedinlimeandalum-waterastheother.Theonlylaborinmakingitissewingtwobreadthsofsheeting together. It needsnohemming, binding, loops or buttons, but is to bestretched on a frame as described for the brush shanty and held in place withtacks. The one I have used for two seasons cost sixty cents and weighs 2 1/4pounds.Itmakesagoodshelterforapartyofthree;andifitbefoundalittletoobreezyforcoolnights,asufficientwindbreakcanbemadebydrivinglightstakesatthesidesandweavinginasidingofhemlockboughs.

Lastly,whateverclothstructureyoumayelecttouseforacamp,donotfailtocover the roof with a screen of green boughs before building your campfire.Becausetherewillusuallybeonefellowincampwhohasapenchantforfeedingthe firewitholdmulchydeadwoodandbrush, for the funofwatching theblazeandthesparksthatarepronetoflyupward;forgettingthattheblazingcindersarealsopronetodropdownwardontheroofofthetent,burningholesinit.

IhavespokenofsomeofthebestcampsIknow.TheworstonesaretheAandwall tents, with all closed camps in which one is required to seclude himselfthroughthehoursofsleepindampanddarkness,utterlycutofffromthecheerful,healthfullightandwarmthofthecampfire.

H

CHAPTERIVCampfiresAndTheirImportance—TheWastefulWrongWayTheyAreUsuallyMade,AndTheRightWayToMakeThem

ARDLYsecondinimportancetoawarm,drycamp,isthecampfire.Inpointof fact, thewarmth,drynessandhealthfulnessofa forestcamparemainly

dependent on the way the fire is managed and kept up. No asthmatic orconsumptivepatienteverregainedhealthbydwellinginaclose,damptent.Ioncecampedforaweekinawalltent,withaPhiladelphiaparty,andincoldweather.We had a little sheet iron fiend, called a camp-stove.Whenwell fedwith bark,knotsandchips,itwouldgetredhotand,heavenknows,giveoutheatenough.Bythetimeweweresoundasleep, itwouldsubside;andwewouldpresentlyawakewithchatteringteethtokindleherupagain, takeasmokeandanip, turninforanothernap—toawakenagainhalf frozen. Itwasapoor substitute for theopencamp and bright fire. An experience of fifty years convinces me that a largepercentageofthebenefitobtainedbyinvalidsfromcamplifeisattributabletotheopencampandwell-managedcampfire.Andthelatterisusuallyhandledinawaythatistoosad,toowasteful;inshort,badlybotched.Forinstance:

It happened in the summer of ’81 that I was making a canoe trip in theNorthernWilderness, and as Raquette Lake is the largest and about the mostinterestinglakeintheNorthWoods,Ispentaboutaweekpaddling,fishing,etc.ImademyheadquartersatEdBennett’swoodlandhostelry,“UndertheHemlocks.”Asthehotelwasfilledwithmen,womenandcryingchildren,bittentoagonybypunkiesandmosquitoes,Ichosetospreadmyblanketinawell-madebarkshanty,whichasignboardinblackandwhitesaidwasthe“Guides’Camp.”

Andthiscampwasaverypopularinstitution.Hereitwasthateveryevening,when night had settled down on forest and lake, the guests of the hotel wouldgathertoloungeonthebedoffreshbalsambrowse,chat,singandenjoythehugecampfire.

Nowoodlandhotelwill long remainpopular thatdoesnotkeepupabright,cheery,outo’doorfire.Andthefunofit—toanoldwoodsman—isinnotinghowlikea lotof school children theyallactabout the fire.EdBennetthadaman,aNorthWoodstrapper,inhisemploy,whosechiefbusinesswastofurnishplentyofwoodfortheguides’campandstartagoodfireeveryeveningbysundown.Asitgrewdarkandtheblazeshonehighandbright,theguestswouldbegintostragglein;andeveryman,womanandchildseemedtoviewitasareligiousdutytopausebythefireandaddastickortwo,beforepassingintocamp.Thewoodwasthrownonendwise,crosswise,oranyway,sothatitwouldburn,preciselyasacrowdofboysmakeabonfireonthevillagegreen.Theobjectbeing,apparently,togetridofthewoodintheshortestpossibletime.

Whenthefireburntlow,towardmidnight,theguestswouldsaunterofftothehotel;andtheguides,whohadbeenwaitingimpatiently,wouldorganizewhatwas

left of the fire, roll themselves in their blankets and turn in. I suggested to thetrapperthatheandImakeonefireasitshouldbeandmaybetheywouldfollowsuit—whichwouldsavehalfthefuel,withabetterfire.Buthesaid,“No;theyliketobuildbonfiresandEdcanstandthewood,because it isbest to let themhavetheir ownway. Time seems to hang heavy on their hands—and they pay well.”Summerboarders,touristsandsportsmen,arenottheonlymenwhoknowhowtobuildacampfireallwrong.

When I first came to Northern Pennsylvania, thirty-five years ago, I foundgame fairly abundant; and, as I wanted to learn the country where deer mostabounded, I naturally cottoned to the local hunters. Good fellows enough, andconceited,asalllocalhuntersandanglersareapttobe.Strong,goodhuntersandaxe-men,tothemannerbornandpronetolookonanyoutsiderasatenderfoot.Theirmodeofbuildingcampfireswasaconstantvexationtome.Theymadeitapoint to alwayshave aheavy sharpaxe in camp, and towardnight some sturdychopperwouldcuteightortenlogsasheavyasthewholepartycouldlugtocampwithhand-spikes.Thesizeofthelogswasproportionedtothemuscularforceincamp.Iftherewasapartyofsixoreight,thelogswouldbetwiceasheavyaswhenwewerethreeorfour.Justatdark,therewouldbealogheapbuiltinfrontofthecamp,wellchinkedwithbark,knotsandsmallsticks;and,forthenexttwohours,onecouldhardlygetatthefiretolightapipe.Butthefirewassurethoughslow.By10or11P.M.itwouldworkitswaytothefrontandthecampwouldbewarmand light. The party would turn in and deep sleep would fall on a lot of tiredhunters—fortwoorthreehours.Bywhichtimesomefellownearthemiddlewassuretothrowhisblanketoffwithaspitefuljerkanddashoutofcampwith,“HollyMoses!Ican’tstandthis;it’sanoven.”

AnotherSnorer(partiallywaking).—“N-r-r-rm,gu-r-r,ugh.Can’tyou—deaden—fire—alittle?”

FirstSpeaker.—“Deadenhell. If youwant the firedeadened,getupandhelpthrowoffsomeoftheselogs.”

Another(incoldestcornerofshanty)—“What’s ’ermatterwitha-youfellows?Betterdigout—an’cooloffinthesnow.Shanty’scomfor’bleenough.”

Hisminorityreportgoesunheeded.Thecampisroastedout.Stronghandsandhand-spikespryacoupleofglowinglogsfromthefrontandreplacethemwithtwocold,greenlogs;thecampcoolsoffandthepartytakestoblanketsoncemore—toturnoutagainat5A.M.andinauguratebreakfast.

Thefireisnotinfavorableshapeforculinaryoperations,theheatismainlyonthebackside,justwhereitisn’twanted.Thefewplaceslevelenoughtosetapotorpanaretoohot;and,inshort,wherethereisanyfire,thereistoomuch.Onemansees,withintensedisgust,thenozzleofhiscoffeepotdropintothefire.Hemakesarashgrabtosavehiscoffeeandgetsaway—withthehandle,whichhangsonjustenoughtoupsetthepot.

“OldAl,”whoisfryingasliceofporkoverabedofcoalsthatwouldmeltagunbarrel,startsahoarselaugh,thatiscutshortbyablueflashandanexplosionofporkfat,whichnearlyblindshim.Andthewriter,takinginthesemishapsintheveryspiritoffunandfrolic,issuddenlysoberedandsilencedbyseeinghisvenisonsteak drop from the end of the “frizzling stick,” and disappear between twoglowinglogs.Thepartymanages,however,togetoffonthehuntatdaylight,withfullstomachs;andperhapstheheartyfunandlaughtermorethancompensatefortheselittlemishaps.

Thisisadigression.ButIamledtoitbytherecollectionofmanynightsspentincampsandaroundcampfires,prettymuchasdescribedabove.Icansmiletodayattheremembranceofthecalm,superiorwayinwhichtheoldhuntersofthatdaywould look down onme, as from the upper branches of a tall hemlock,when Iventured to suggest that a better fire could bemadewith half the fuel and lessthanhalfthelabor.Theywouldkindlyremark,“Oh,youareaBostonboy.Youareusedtopaying$8.00acordforwood.Wehavenocalltosavewoodhere.Wecanafford to burn it by the acre.”Whichwasmore true than logical.Most of thesemenhadcommencedlifewithasterndeclarationofwaragainsttheforest;and,althoughthemenusuallywonat last, thebattlewasa longandhardone.Smallwonderthattheycametolookuponaforesttreeasanaturalenemy.Thecampfirequestioncametoacrisis,however,withtwoorthreeoftheseoldsettlers.And,asthestorywellillustratesmypoint,Iwillventuretotellit.

Itwasinthe“darkdaysbeforeChristmas”thatapartyoffourstartedfromW.,boundforacamponSecondFork,inthedeepestpartofthewildernessthatliesbetweenWellsboroandtheBlockHouse.ThepartyconsistedofSileJ.,OldAl,EliJ.andthewriter.Thetwofirstweregray-hairedmen,theotherspastthirty;allthesame,theycalledus“theboys.”Theweatherwasnotinvitingandtherewassmalldangerofourcampbeinginvadedbysummeroutersortenderfeet.Itcosttwelvemilesofhardtraveltoreachthatcamp;and,thoughwestartedatdaylight,itwaspastnoonwhenwearrived.The first sevenmiles couldbemadeonwheels, thebalancebyhardtramping.Theroadwasexecrable;noonecaredtoride;butitwasnecessarytohaveourloadscarriedasfaraspossible.Theclearingslookeddrearyenoughandthewoodsforbiddingtoadegree,butouroldcampwasthepictureofdesolation. There was six inches of damp snow on the leafless brush roof, theblackenedbrandsofourlastfirewerestickingtheircharredendsoutofthesnow,the hemlockswere bending sadly under their loads of wet snow and the entiresurroundingshadacold,cheerless,slushy look,very little likethe idealhunter’scamp.Weplacedourknapsacksintheshanty,Eligotouthisnailhatchet,Idrewmylittlepocket-axeandweproceededtostartafire,whilethetwooldermenwentup streama few rods touneartha full-grownaxeandabottleofold rye,whichtheyhadcachedunderalogthreemonthsbefore.Theyneverfooledwithpocket-axes.Theyweregonesolongthatwesauntereduptheband,thinkingitmightbethe rye that detained them. We found them with their coats off, working likebeavers, eachwith a stout, sharpened stick. There had been anOctober freshet

andaflood-jamatthebendhadsentthemadstreamoveritsbanks,washingthelogoutofpositionandpilingagravelbartwofeetdeepoverthespotwheretheaxeandflaskshouldhavebeen.Abouttheonlythinglefttodowastocutacoupleofstoutsticks,organizeaminingcompany,limitedandgoin;whichtheydid.Silewasdrifting into the side of the sandbar savagely, trying to strike the axe-helveandOldAlwas sinking numberlessminiature shafts from the surface in a vainattempttostrikewhisky.Thecompanyfailedinabouthalfanhour.Sileresumedhiscoatandsatdownonalog—whichwasoneofhisbestholds,bytheway.HelookedatAl;Al lookedathim;thenbothlookedatusandSileremarkedthat, ifone of theboyswanted to go out to the clearings and “borry” an axe and comebackinthemorning,hethoughttheotherscouldpickupwoodenoughtotoughitout onenight.Of coursenobody could stay in anopenwinter campwithout anaxe.

Itwasmytimetocometothefront.Isaid:“Youtwojustgoatthecamp;cleanthesnowoffandslickuptheinside.Putmyshelter-clothwithEli’sandcovertheroofwiththem;andifyoudon’thavejustasgoodafiretonightasyoueverhad,youcantiemetoabeechandleavemehere.Comeon,Eli.”AndElididcomeon.And this is howwe did it:We first felled a thrifty butternut tree ten inches indiameter,cutoffthreelengthsatfivefeeteachandcarriedthemtocamp.Thesewere theback logs.Twostout stakesweredrivenat thebackof the fireand thelogs, on top of each other, were laid firmly against the stakes. The latter wereslanteda littlebackandthe largest logplacedatbottom,thesmallestontop, toprevent tipping forward. A couple of short, thick stickswere laidwith the endsagainst the bottom log by way of fire dogs; a fore stick, five feet long and fiveinchesindiameter;awellbuiltpyramidofbark,knotsandsmalllogscompletedthecampfire,whichsentapleasantglowofwarmthandheattothefurthestcorneroftheshanty.For“night-wood,”wecutadozenbirchandashpolesfromfourtosixinchesacross,trimmedthemtothetipsanddraggedthemtocamp.Thenwedenudedadryhemlockofitsbark;and,bytheaidoftenfootpoles,flattenedatone end, packed the bark to camp.We had a bright, cheery fire from the earlyeveninguntilmorning,andfourtiredhuntersneversleptmoresoundly.

Westayedinthatcampaweek;and,thoughtheweatherwasroughandcold,thelittlepocket-axeskeptuswellinfirewood.Weselectedbutternutforbacklogs,

because,whengreen,itburnsveryslowlyandlastsalongtime.Andwedraggedoursmallerwoodtocampinlengthsoftwentytothirtyfeet,becauseitwaseasiertolaythemonthefireandburnthemintwothantocutthemshorterwithlighthatchets.Withaheavyaxe,weshouldhavecutthemtolengthsoffiveorsixfeet.

Our luck, I may mention, was good—as good as we desired. Not that foursmallishdeerareanythingtobragaboutforaweek’shuntbyfourmenandtwodogs.Ihaveknownapot-huntertokillnineinasingleday.Butwehadenough.

Asitwas,wewereobligedto“doubletripit”inordertogetourdeerandduffledownto“Babb’s.”Andwegaveawaymorethanhalfourvenison.Fortherest,theillustrationshowsthecampfire—allbutthefire—asitshouldbemade.

T

CHAPTERVFishing,WithAndWithoutFlies—SomeTackleAndLures—DiscursiveRemarksOnTheGentleArt—TheHeadlight—

Frogging

HEREisprobablynosubjectconnectedwithoutdoorsportsothoroughlyandexhaustivelywrittenupasFly-fishingandallthatpertainsthereto.Fly-fishing

for speckled trout always, and deservedly, takes the lead. Bass fishing usuallycomes next, though somewriters accord secondplace to the lake trout, salmontroutor land-lockedsalmon.Themascalonge,asagame fish, is scarcelybehindthesmall-mouthedbassandiscertainlymoregamythanthelaketrout.Thelarge-mouthedbassandpickerelareusuallyrankedaboutwiththeyellowperch,Idon’tknowwhy:theyarecertainlygamyenough.Perhapsitisbecausetheydonotleapoutofwaterwhenhooked.Botharegoodonthetable.

Adozenable and interesting authorshavewrittenbookswherein trout, fliesandfly-fishingaretreatedinamannerthatleavesanoldbackwoodsmanlittletosay.Rods,reels,casting lines, fliesandfisharedescribedanddescantedon inaway and in a language, the readingwhereof reducesme to temporary insanity.AndyetIseemtorecollectsomebygoneincidentsconcerningfishandfishing.Ihaveawell-definednotionthatIoncestoodonFlatRock,inBigPineCreekandcaught over 350 fine trout in a short day’s fishing. Also thatmany times I lefthome on a bright May or June morning, walked eight miles, caught a twelve-poundcreeloftroutandwalkedhomebeforebedtime.

Irememberthatonce,inMichigan,ontheadviceoflocalfishermen,Idraggeda spoon around High Bank Lake two days, with little result save half a dozenblistersonmyhands;andthatonthenextmorning,takingalongtamarackpoleandmy own way of fishing, I caught, before 10 A.M, fifty pounds of bass andpickerel,weighingfromtwototenpoundseach.

Gibson,whosespoon,lineandskiffIhadbeenusingandwhowasthefishingoracleofthatregion,couldhardlybelievehiseyes.Ikeptthatcountryinn,andtheneighborhoodaswell,suppliedwithfishforthenexttwoweeks.

ItistruthtosaythatIhaveneverstrucksaltorfreshwaters,whereediblefishwere at all plentiful,without being able to take, in someway, all that I needed.Notably and preferably with the fly if that might be. if not, then with worms,grubs,minnows,grasshoppers,crickets,oranysortofdoodlebugtheirhighnessesmightaffect.Whenaplump,two-poundtroutrefusestoeatatinseled,featheredfraud,Iamnotthemantorefusehimsomethingmoreedible.

That Imaynot bemisunderstood, letme say that I recognized the speckledbrooktroutastheveryemperorofallgamefish,andanglingforhimwiththeflyas the neatest, most fascinating sport attainable by the angler. But there arethousandsofouterswho, fromchoiceornecessity, take their summervacations

where Salmo fontinalis is not to be had. They would prefer him, either on theleaderorthetable;butheisnotthere;“Andamanhasgotastomachandwelivebywhatweeat.”

Wherefore, they go a-fishing for other fish. So that they are successful andsufficiently fed, the difference is not somaterial. I have enjoyedmyself hugelycatchingcattiesonadarknightfromaskiffwithahand-line.

Icanaddnothing inascientificwayto the literatureof fly-fishing;butIcangiveafewhintsthatmaybeconducivetopracticalsuccess,aswellwithtroutaswithlessnoblefish,Infly-fishing,oneserviceablefour-ouncerodisenough;andaplainclickreel,ofsmallsize,isjustassatisfactoryasamorecostlyaffair.Twentyyards of tapered,waterproof line,with a six-foot leader, and a cost of two flies,completetherig,andwillbefoundsufficient.Incommonwithmostfly-fishers,Ihavemostlythrownacastofthreeflies,buthavefoundtwojustaseffective,andhandier.

Weall carry toomany flies,Someofmy friendshavemore than sixtydozenandwillneveruseatenthofthem.Inthesummerof’88,findingIhadmorethanseemedneedful,Ileftallbutfourdozenbehindme.Iwetonlyfifteenoftheminaseven weeks’ outing. And they filled the bill. I have no time or space for adissertationonthehundredsofdifferent fliesmadeandsoldat thepresentday.Ablerpenshavedonethat.Iwill,however,nameafewthatIhavefoundgoodinwidely different localities, i.e., the Northern Wilderness of New York and theupperwatersofNorthernPennsylvania.FortheNorthernWilderness:Scarletibis,split ibis, Romeyn, white-winged coachman, royal coachman, red hackle, red-bodiedashyandgray-bodiedashy.Theashiesweregoodforblackbassalso.ForNorthernPennsylvania:Queenofthewaters,professor,redfox,coachman,blackmay, white-winged coachman, wasp, brown hackle, Seth Green. Ibis flies areworthless here. Using the dark flies in bright water and clear weather and thebrightercolorsforevening,thelistwaslongenough.

Atthecommencementoftheopenseasonanduntiltheyoungmapleleavesarehalf grown, baitwill be found farmore successful than the fly.At this time thetroutareprettyevenlydistributedalonglakeshoresandstreams,choosingtoliequietlyinratherdeeppoolsandavoidingswiftwater.Afewmayrisetotheflyina

, indifferent way; but the best way to take them is bait-fishing with well-cleansed angle-worms orwhite grubs, the latter being the best bait I have evertried.Theytakethebaitsluggishlyatthisseason,but,onfeelingthehook,wakeup to their normal activity and fight gamely to the last.When young, newborninsectsbegin todrop freelyon thewaterabout the20thofMay, trout leave thepoolsandtaketo theriffles.Andfromthis timeuntil the latterpartofJunethefly-fisherrnan is in his glory. Itmay be true that the skillful bait-fishermanwillratherbeathiscreel.Hecaresnotforthat.Hecantakeenough;andhehadrathertake ten trout with the fly, than a scorewith bait. As for themanwho goes a-fishingsimplytocatchfish,thefly-fisherdoesnotrecognizehimasananglerat

logy

all.

Whenthesunishotandtheweathergrowswarm,troutleavetheripplesandtaketocoldspringsandspring-holes;thelargestfish,ofcourse,monopolizingthedeepest and coolest places, while the smaller ones hover around, or contentthemselveswithshallowerwater.As theweathergetshotter, the fly-fishing fallsoffbadly.Afewtroutoffourtoeightouncesinweightmaystillberaised,butthelargeronesare lyingonthebottomandarenot tobe fooledwith feathers.Theywilltakeatemptingbaitwhenheldbeforetheirnoses—sometimes;atothertimes,not.Astoraisingthemwithafly—aswellattempttoraiseasickIndianwiththetemperancepledge.Andyet,theymaybetakeninbrightdaylightbyarusethatIlearned long ago, of a youngster less than half my age, a little, freckled, thin-visagedyoungman,whosehealthwasevidentlyaffectedbyadailystrugglewithapairoftow-coloredsidewhiskersandalightmustache.Therewashardlyenoughofthewholeaffairtomakeadoormatforabeehive.Butheseemedsoproudofthe plant, that I forebore to rig him. He was better than he looked—as oftenhappens.Thelandlordsaid,“Hebringsinlargetrouteveryday,whenourbestfly-fishermenfail.”Onenight,aroundanoutdoorfire,wegotacquaintedandIfoundhimawitty,pleasantcompanion.BeforeturninginIventuredtoaskhimhowhesucceededintakinglargetrout,whiletheexpertsonlycaughtsmallones,orfailedaltogether.

“Gowithmetomorrowmorningtoaspring-holethreemilesuptheriverandI’llshowyou,”hesaid.

Ofcourse,wewent.He,rowingalightskiffandIpaddlingastilllightercanoe.Thespring-holewasinanarrowbaythatsetbackfromtheriverandatthemouthofacold,clearbrook;itwastentotwelvefeetdeepandatthelowerendalargebalsamhadfalleninwiththetopinjusttherightplaceforgettingawaywithlargefish,ortanglinglinesandleaders.Wemooredsometwentyfeetabovethespring-holeandcommenced fishing, Iwithmy favoritecastof flies,my friendwith thetailofaminnow,Hecaughta11/2poundtroutalmostattheoutset,butIgotnorise; did not expect it. Then I went above, where the water was shallower andraisedacoupleofhalf-pounders,butcouldgetnomore,Ithoughthehadbettergoto the hotel with what he had, but my friend said “wait”; he went ashore andpicked up a long pole with a bushy tip; it had evidently been used before.Droppingdowntothespring-hole,hethrustthetiptothebottomandslasheditaroundinawaytoscareandscattereverytroutwithinahundredfeet.

“Andwhatdoesallthatmean?”Iasked.

“Well,”hesaid,“everytroutwillbebackinlessthananhour;andwhentheyfirst come back, they take the bait greedily. Better take off your leader and trybait.”

Which I did. Dropping our hooks to the bottom, we waited some twentyminutes,whenhehadabite,andhavingstrongtackle,soontookinatroutthatturnedthescaleat21/4pounds.ThenmyturncameandIsavedoneweighing1

1/2pounds.Hecaughtanotherof11/4poundsandItookoneof1pound.Thentheyceasedbitingaltogether.

“Andnow,” saidmy friend, “if youwillwork your canoe carefully around tothatoldbalsamtopandgetthelightwhereyoucanseethebottom,youmayseesomelargetrout.”

Ididasdirected,andmakinga telescopeofmyhand, looked intently for thebottomofthespring-hole.AtfirstIcouldseenothingbutwater;thenImadeoutsomedeadsticksandfinallybegantodimlytracetheoutlinesoflargefish.Theretheywere,morethanfortyofthem,lyingquietlyonthebottomlikesuckers,butgenuinebrooktrout,everyoneofthem.

“This,” saidhe, “makes the fifth time Ihavebrushed themoutofhereand Ihave nevermissed taking from two to five large trout. I have two other placeswhereIalwaysgetoneortwo,butthisisthebest.”

Atthehotelwefoundtwofly-fisherswhohadbeenoutallthemorning.Theyeachhad threeor foursmall trout.During thenextweekweworked thespring-holesdailyinthesamewayandalwayswithsuccess.Ihavealsohadgoodsuccessby building a bright fire on the bank and fishing a spring-hole by the light—amodeoffishingespeciallysuccessfulwithcattiesandperch.

Abright,bull’s-eyeheadlight,strappedonastiffhat,so that the lightcanbethrownwhereitiswanted,isanexcellentdevicefornightfishing.Andduringtheheated term, when fish are slow and sluggish, I have found the following planworkswell:Bakeahard,well salted,water , break it intopieces thesize at a hen’s egg and drop the pieces into a spring-hole. This calls a host ofminnowsandthelargerfishfollowtheminnows.Itwillprovemoresuccessfulonperch,catties,chubs,etc.,thanontrout,however.Bythisplan,Ihavekeptacampoffivemenwellsuppliedwithfishwhentheirbestfliesfailed—astheymostlydoinveryhotweather.

Fishing formascalonge, pickerel andbass, is quite another thing, thoughbymanyvaluedasasportscarcelyinferiortofly-fishingfortrout.Iclaimnoespecialskillwiththefly-rod.ItisagooddaywhenIgetmytailflymorethanfifteenyardsbeyondthereel,withanydegreeofaccuracy.

Mysuccessliesmainlywiththetribesof and .Amongthese,Ihaveseldomorneverfailedduringthelastthirty-sixyears,whenthewaterwasfreeofice;andIhavehadjustasgoodluckwhenbig-mouthedbassandpickerelwereinthe“offseason,”asatanytime.Forinmanywaterstherecomesatime—inlateAugustandSeptemberwhenneitherbassnorpickerelwillnoticethespoon,be it handled never sowisely. Even themascalonge looks on the flashing cheatwith indifference; though a very hungry specimen may occasionally immolatehimself. It was at such a season that I fished High Bank Lake—as beforementioned—catching from twenty to fifty pounds of fine fish everymorning fornearlytwoweeks,afterthebestlocalfishermenhadassuredmethatnotadecent

Johnnycake

Esox Micropterus

sizedfishcouldbetakenatthatseason.Perhapsabriefdescriptionofthemodesandmeansthathaveprovedinvariablysuccessfulformanyyearsmayaffordafewusefulhints,eventooldanglers.

Tobeginwith,Iutterlydiscardallmodern“gangs”and“trains,”carryingfromseven to thirteen hooks each. They are all too small and all too many; bettercalculatedtoscratchandtear,thantocatchandhold,Threehooksareenoughatthe end of any line and better thanmore. These should be fined or honed to aperfect point and the abrupt part of the barb fileddownone-half.All hooks, asusuallymade,havetwiceasmuchbarbastheyshouldhave;andthesharpbendofthebarbpreventstheenteringofthehookinhardbonystructures,whereforethefishonlystayshookedsolongasthereisatautpullontheline.Alittlelooseningofthelineandshakeoftheheadsetshimfree.Butnofishcanshakeoutahookwellsunkeninmouthorgills,thoughtwo-thirdsofthebarbbefiledaway.

FormascalongeorpickerelIinvariablyusewiresnellsmadeasfollows:Layofffourormorestrandsoffinebrasswire13incheslong;turnoneendofthewiressmoothlyoveraNo.1ironwireandworktheendsinbetweenthestrandsbelow.Now,withapairofpincersholdtheends,andusingNo.1asahandle,twisttheendsandbodyofthesnellfirmlytogether;thisgivestheloop;next,twistthesnellevenlyandstronglyfromendtoend.WaxtheendofthesnellthoroughlyfortwoorthreeinchesandwaxthetapersoftwostrongSproatorO’Shaughnessyhooksandwindthelowerhookonwithstrong,waxedsilk,totheendofthetaper;thenlaythesecondhookatrightangleswiththefirstandoneinchaboveit;windthisas theotherand then fastena thirdandsmallerhookabove that fora liphook.Thisgivesthesnellaboutonefootinlength,withthetwolowerhooksstandingatright angles, one above the other and a third and smaller hook in linewith thesecond.

Thebaitistheelementofsuccess;itismadeasfollows:Sliceoffaclean,whiteporkrind,fourorfiveincheslongbyaninchandahalfwide;layitonaboardandwithasharpknifecutitasnearlytotheshapeofafrogasyouringenuitypermits.

Prickaslightgashintheheadtoadmittheliphook,whichshouldbeaninchandahalfabovethesecondoneandseethatthebackofthebaitrestssecurelyinthebarbofthemiddlehook.

Useastoutbait-rodandastrongline.Fishfromaboat,withasecondmantohandle the oars, if convenient. Let the oarsman lay the boat ten feet inside theedgeofthelily-padsandmakeyourcast,say,withthirtyfeetofline;landthebaitneatly to theright,at theedgeof the lily-pads, let itsinka fewinches,andthenwith the tip well lowered, bring the bait around on a slight curve by a quicksuccessionofdraws,withamomentarypausebetweeneach; theobjectbeing toimitateasnearlyaspossibleaswimmingfrog.Ifthisbeneatlydoneandifthebaitbemadeasitshouldbe,ateveryshorthaltthelegswillspreadnaturallyandtheimitation is perfect enough to deceive the most experienced bass or pickerel.Whenhalf a dozen casts to right and left havebeenmadewithout success, it isbesttomoveon,stillkeepinginsideandcastingoutsidethelily-pads.

Apickerelofthreepoundsormorewilltakeinallthreehooksatthefirstsnap;and,ashecloseshismouth tightlyandstarts for thebottom,strikequickly,butnottoohard,andlettheboatmanputyououtintodeepwateratonce,whereyouaresafefromthestrongrootsoftheyellowlily.

It is logically certain your fish is well hooked. You cannot pull two strong,sharphooks through that tightly closedmouthwithout fastening at least oneofthemwhereitwilldomostgood.Oftenerbothwillcatchanditfrequentlyhappensthatonehookwillcatcheachlip,holdingthemouthnearlyclosedandshorteningthestrugglesofalargefishverymaterially.Ontakingoffafishandbeforecastingagain,seethatthetwolowerhooksstandatrightangles.Iftheyhavegotturnedinthe struggle you can turn them at any angle you like; the twisted wire is stiffenoughtoholdtheminplace.Everyanglerknowsthebold,determinedmannerinwhichthemascalongestrikeshisprey.Hewilltakeinbaitandhooksatthefirstdash,andiftherodbeheldstifflyusuallyhookshimself.Barringlargetrout,heisthekingofgamefish.Thebig-mouthedbassislesssavageinhisattacks,butisafreebiter.Heisapttocomeupbehindandseizethebaitabouttwo-thirdsof itslength,turnandboredownforthebottom.Hewillmostlytakeinthelowerhookshowever,andiscertaintogetfastened.Hislargemouthisexcellentforretainingthe hook. As for the small-mouthed ( , if you want to bescientific),Ihavefoundhimmorecapriciousthananygamefishonthelist.Onedayhewilltakeonlydobsons,orcrawfish;thenext,hemaypreferminnows,andagain,hewillrisetotheflyorabucktailspinner.

Onthewhole,Ihavefoundtheporkfrogthemostsuccessfullureinhiscase;butthehooksandbaitmustbearrangeddifferently.Threestrandsoffinewirewillmake a snell strong enough and the hooks should be strong, sharp and rathersmall,thelowerhooksplacedonlyhalfaninchapartandasmallliphooktwoandaquarter inchesabovethemiddleone.As the forkof thebaitwillnotreachthebendofthemiddlehook, itmustbefastenedtothesnellbyafewstitchestaken

Micropterus dolomieu

with stout thread and the lower end of the bait should not reachmore than aquarterofaninchbeyondthebottomofthehook,becausethesmall-mouthhasavillainoustrickofgivinghispreyasternchase,nippingconstantlyandviciouslyatthe tail, and the above arrangement will be apt to hook him at the first snap.Owingtothistrait,someartificialminnowswithoneortwohooksatthecaudalend,areverykilling—whenhewilltakethem.

Lake,orsalmontrout,maybetrolledforsuccessfullywiththeabovelure;butIdo not much affect fishing for them. Excellent sport may be had with them,however,earlyintheseason,whentheyareworkingneartheshore,buttheysoonretire to water from fifty to seventy feet deep and can only be caught by deeptrolling or buoy-fishing. I have no fancy for sitting in a slow-moving boat forhours, dragging three or four hundred feet of line in deepwater, a four poundsinkertiedbysixfeetoflighterlinesometwentyfeetabovethehooks.Thesinkerissupposedtogobumpingalongthebottom,whilethebaitfollowsthreeorfourfeetaboveit.Thedragofthelineandtheconstantjogglingofthesinkeronrocksandsnags,makeitdifficulttotellwhenonehasastrike—anditisalwaystoolongbetweenbites.

Sittingforhoursatabaitedbuoywithahand-lineandwithouttakingafish,isstill worse, as more than once I have been compelled to acknowledge in veryweariness of soul. There are enthusiastic anglers, however, whose specialty istrolling for lake trout. A gentleman by the name of Thatcher, who has a fineresidenceonRaquetteLake—whichhecallsacampmakesthishis leadingsportandkeepsalogofhisfishing,puttingnothingonrecordoflessthantenpoundsweight.His largestfishwasbookedattwenty-eightpounds,andheaddedthatawell-conditionedsalmontroutwassuperiortoabrooktroutonthetable;inwhichIquiteagreewithhim.ButheseemedquitedisgustedwhenIventuredtosuggestthatawell-conditionedcattieorbullhead, caught in the samewaterswasbetterthaneither.

“Doyoucallthecattieagamefish?”heasked.

Yes;Icallanyfisha“gamefish”thatistakenforsportwithhookandline.IcannomoreexplainthecommonprejudiceagainstthecatfishandeelthanIcantellwhyanexperiencedanglershoulddragagangofthirteenhooksthroughthewater—tenofthembeingwanethansuperfluous.FrankForestergivesfivehooksasthenumberforatrollinggang.Wemostlyusehookstoosmallanddonotlookafterpointsandbarbscloselyenough.ApairofNo.1O’Shaughnessy,or11/2Sproat,orfivetaperedblackfishhooks,willmakeakillingrigforsmall-mouthedbassusingNo. 4 Sproat for lip hook. Larger hooks are better for the big-mouthed, a four-pound specimen of which will easily take in one’s fist. A pair of 5-0O’Shaughnessy’s, or Sproat’s will be found none too large; and as for themascalonge and pickerel, if Imust err, let it be on the side of large hooks andstronglines.

It is idle to talk of playing the fish inwaterwhere the giving of a few yards

insures a hopeless tangle among roots, tree-tops, etc. I was once fishing inWesternwaterswherethepickerelranverylarge,andIusedapairofthelargestsalmonhookswithtacklestrongenoughtoholdafishoffifteenpounds,withoutanyplaying;notwithstandingwhich,Ihadfivetrainsofthreehookseachtakenoffinasmanydaysbymonsterpickerel.Anexpertmascalongefisherman—Davisbyname—happenedtotakeboardatthefarmhousewhereIwasstaying,andhehadanotionthathecould“beatsomeofthembigfellows;”andhedidit;withthreelargecodhooks,abitoffine,strongchain,twelveyardsofcod-line,aneighteen-foot tamarack pole and a twelve inch sucker for bait. I thought it the mostoutlandishrigIhadeverseen,butwentwithhimintheearlygrayofthemorningtoseeittried,justwhereIhadlostmyhooksandfish.

Raising theheavybait in theair,hewouldgive it awhirl togatherheadwayandlaunchitfortyfeetawaywithasplashthatmighthavebeenheardthirtyrods.Itlookedmorelikelytoscarethancatch,butwasasuccess.Atthethirdorfourthcastweplainlysawahugepickerelrise,shuthisimmensemouthoverbait,hooksanda few inchesofchain, turn lazilyandhead for thebottom,whereMr.D. lethimrestaminute,andthenstrucksteadilybutstrongly.Thesubsequentstruggledependedlargelyonmainstrength,thoughtherewasagooddealofskillandcooljudgmentshowninthehandlingandlandingofthefish.Apickereloffortypoundsormore isnot tobesnatchedoutof thewateronhis firstmadrush:somethingmustbeyielded—andwithnoreelthereislittlechanceofgivingline.Itstruckmemy friendmanagedhis fish remarkablywell, towing himback and forthwith astrongpull,nevergivinghima rest and finally slidinghimoutona lowmuddybank,asthoughhewereasmoothlog.Wetookhimuptothehouseandtestedthesize of his mouth by putting a quart cup in it, which went in easily. Then weweighed him and he turned the scales at forty-four pounds. It was someconsolationtofindthreeofmyhooksstickinginhismouth.Lastly,wehadalargesectionofhimstuffedandbaked. Itwasgood;buta ten-pound fishwouldhavebeenbetter,Themoralofallthis—ifithasanymoral—is,usehooksaccordingtothesizeoffishyouexpecttocatch.

And,whenyouareinapermanentcamp,andfishingisverypoor,tryfrogging.It isnot a sport of ahighorder, though itmaybe calledangling—and it canbemadeamusing,withhookandline.Ihaveseeneducatedladiesinthewilderness,fishing for frogs with all eagerness and enthusiasm not surpassed by the mostdevotedanglerwithhisfavoritecastofflies.

Thereareseveralmodesoftakingthefestivebatrachian.Heisspearedwithafrog-spear;caughtunderthechinwithsnatch-hooks;takenwithhookandline,orpickedup fromacanoewith theaidofaheadlight,or jack-lamp.Thetwo lattermodesarebest.

Totakehimwithhookandline:alightrod,sixtoeightfeetofline,asnellofsingle gut with a 1-0 Sproat or O’Shaughnessy hook and a bit of bright scarletflannelforbait;thisistherig.Touseit,paddleupbehindhimsilentlyanddrop

theragjustinfrontofhisnose.Heisprettycertaintotakeitontheinstant.Knockhimontheheadbeforecuttingoffhislegs.Itisunpleasanttoseehimsquirmandhearhimcrylikeachildwhileyouaresawingathisthighjoints.

Byfarthemosteffectivemanneroffroggingisbytheheadlightondarknights.To do thismost successfully, oneman in a light canoe, a good headlight and alight,one-handedpaddlearetherequirements.Thefrogiseasilylocated,eitherbyhis croaking, or by his peculiar shape. Paddle up to him silently and throw thelightinhiseyes;youmaythenpickhimupasyouwouldapotato.IhaveknownaNorthWoods guide to pick up a five-quart pail of frogs in an hour, on a darkevening.Onthetable,frogs’legsareusuallyconcededfirstplacefordelicacyandflavor,Foranappetizingbreakfastincamp,theyhavenoequal,inmyjudgment.Thehighpricetheybringatthebesthotels,andtheirgrowingscarcity,attestthevalueplacedonthembymenwhoknowhowandwhattoeat.And,notmanyyearsago, an old pork-gobbling backwoodsman threw his frying pan into the riverbecauseIhadcookedfrogs’legsinit.Whileanother,equallyintelligent,refusedtousemyfryingpan,becauseIhadcookedeelsinit;remarkingsententiously,“Eelsissnakes,an’Iknowit.”

It may be well, just here and now, to say a word on the importance of theheadlight.Iknowofnomorepleasantandsatisfactoryadjunctofacampthanagoodlightthatcanbeadjustedtothehead,usedasa jack infloating,carried inthe hand, or fastened up inside the shanty. Once fairly tried, it will never beignored or forgotten.Not that itwill show a deer’s head seventeen rods distantwith sufficient clearness for a shot—or your sights with distinctness enough tomakeit.(SeeMurray’sAdirondacks,page174.)

Aheadlightthatwillshowadeerplainlyatsixrods,whilelightingthesightsofa rifle with clearness, is an exceptionally good light. More deer are killed infloating under than over four rods. There are various styles of headlights, jack-lamps,etc.inuse.Theyarebright,easilyadjustedandwillshowriflesights,oradeer, up to 100 feet—which is enough. They are also convenient in camp andbetterthanalanternonadimforestpath.

Beforeleavingthesubjectofbait-fishing,IhaveapointortwoIwishtomake.Ihaveattemptedtoexplainthefrog-baitandthemannerofusing it,andIshallprobablyneverhaveoccasiontochangemybeliefthatitis,allthewhole,themostkilling lure for theentire tribesofbassandpickerel.There ishowever, another,which,ifproperlyhandled,isalmostasgood.Itisasfollows:

Takeabass,pickerel,oryellowperch,ofonepoundorless;scrapethescalescleanontheundersidefromthecaudalfintoapointjustforwardofthevent.

Next,withasharpknife,cutuptowardthebackbone,commencingjustbehindtheventwithaslanttowardthetail.Runtheknifesmoothlyalongjustunderthebackboneandoutthroughthecaudalfin,takingaboutone-thirdofthelatterandmakingaclean,whitebait,withtheanalandpartofthecaudalbywayoffins.Itlooksverylikeawhiteminnowinthewater;butisbetter,inthatitismoreshowy

andinfinitelytougher.Aminnowsoondragstopieces.Touseit,twostronghooksaretiedonawiresnellatrightangles,theupperoneaninchabovethelower,andtheupperhook ispassedthroughthebait, leaving it todrawwithout turningorspinning.Thecastingandhandling is thesameaswith the frog-baitand isverykillingforbass,pickerelandmascalonge,It isagoodlureforsalmontroutalso;but,forhimitwasfoundbettertofastenthebaitwiththelowerhookinawaytogiveitaspinningmotion;andthisnecessitatestheuseofaswivel,whichIdonotlike;because,“aropeisasstrongasitsweakestpart”;andIhavemorethanoncefoundthatweakestparttheswivel.If,however,aswivelhasbeentestedbyadeadliftoftwentytotwenty-fivepounds,itwilldototrust.

I have spoken only of brass or copper wire for snells, and for pickerel ormascalongeoflargesizenothingelseistobedependedon.Butfortroutandbass;stronggutorgimp is safeenough.Thepossibilitiesas to sizeof themascalongeandNorthernpickerelnomanknows.FrankForesterthinksitprobablethattheformerattainstotheweightofsixty toeightypounds,whileheonlyaccordsthepickerelaweightofseventeentoeighteenpounds.Ihaveseenseveralpickerelofover forty pounds and one that turned the scale at fifty-three. And I saw amascalonge on Georgian Bay that was longer than the Canuck guide who wastotingthefishoverhisshoulderbyastickthrustinthemouthandgills.Thesnoutreachedtothetopoftheguide’shead,whilethecaudalfindraggedontheground.There was no chance for weighing the fish, but I hefted him several times,carefully, and am certain he weighed more than a bushel of wheat. Just whattacklewouldbeproperforsuchapowerfulfellowIamnotpreparedtosay,havinglost the largestspecimensIeverhooked.Mybestmascalongeweighed less thantwentypounds.Mylargestpickerelstillless.

Iwillclosethisdiscursivechapterbyofferingabitofadvice.

Donot go into thewoods on a fishing tourwithout a stock ofwell cleansedangle-worms.Keeptheminatincanpartly filledwithdampmossandinacoolmoist place. There is no one variety of bait that the angler finds so constantlyusefulastheworm.IzaakWaltonbynomeansdespisedwormorbait-fishing.

T

CHAPTERVICampCookery—HowItIsUsuallyDone,WithAFewSimpleHintsOnPlainCooking—CookingFireAndOutdoorRange

HEwayinwhichanaveragepartyofsummerouterswillcontrivetomanage—ormismanage—the camp and campfire so as to get the greatest amount of

smokeanddiscontentat the leastoutlayof timeandforce, issomethingpastallunderstandingandsomewhataggravatingtoanoldwoodsmanwhoknowssomebetter.Butitisjustasgoodfunasthecynical canask,toseeapartyofthreeorfourenthusiasticyoungstersorganizethecamponthefirstdayin,andproceedto cook the firstmeal.Of course, everyman is boss, and every one is bound tobuild the fire, which every one proceeds to do. There are no back logs, no foresticks, and no arrangement for level solid bases onwhich to place frying pans,coffeepots, etc.But, there isa sufficiencyofknots,dry sticks,barkandchunks,withsomekindlingatthebottom,andaheavyvolumeofsmokeworkingitswaythroughtheawkward-lookingpile.Presently thin tonguesofblue flamebegin toshootupthroughtheinterstices,andfourbrandnewcoffeepotsarewriggledintolevelpositionsatasmanydifferentpointsonthebonfire.Fourhungryyoungsterscommenceslicinghamandpork,fourfryingpansarebroughtoutfromasmanyhingedandliddedsoapboxes—whenonemanyellsouthurriedly,“Lookout,Joe,there’syourcoffeepothandlecomingoff.”Andhedropshisfryingpantosavehiscoffeepot,whichhedoes,minus the spout andhandle.Then it is seen that theflames have increased rapidly, and all the pots are in danger. A short, sharpskirmish rescues them, at the expense of some burned fingers, and culinaryoperationsaretheorderofthehour.

Coffeeandteaarebrewedwiththelossofahandleortwo,andthefryingpanssucceedinscorchingtheporkandhamtoanunwholesomeblackmess.Thepotatokettle does better. It is not easy to spoil potatoes by cooking them in plenty ofboilingwater; and, as there isplentyofbreadwith freshbutter,not tomentioncannedgoods,thehungrypartyfeedsufficiently,butnotsatisfactorily.Everythingseemspervadedwithsmoke.Themeatisscorchedbitter,andtheteaisofthesortdescribed by Charles DudleyWarner, in his humorous description of “campingout”: “The sort of tea that takeshold, lifts thehair, anddisposes thedrinker tohilariousness.Thereisnodeceptionaboutit, ittastesoftannin,andspruce,andcreosote.”Ofthecookinghesays:“Everythinghasbeencookedinatinpailandaskillet—potatoes,tea,pork,mutton,slapjacks.Youwonderhoweverythingwouldhave been prepared in so few utensils. When you eat, the wonder ceases,everythingmighthavebeencookedinonepail.Itisanoblemeal…Theslapjacksareasolid jobofwork,madeto last,andnotgotopieces inaperson’sstomachlikeatrivialbun.”

IhavebeforemeacopyofForestandStream,inwhichthecanoeeditor,undertheheadingof“TheGalleyFire,”hassomeremarkswellworthquoting.Hesays:“Thequestionofcampcookeryisoneofthegreatestimportancetoallreadersof

O.W.

ForestandStream, butmost of all to the canoeists.From ignoranceofwhat tocarry the canoeist falls back on canned goods, never healthy as a steady diet,Brunswicksoupandeggs…Themiseryofthatfirstcampfire,whohasforgottenit?Tired,hungry,perhapscoldandwet,thesmokeeverywhere,thecoffeepotmelteddown, the can of soup upset in the fire, the fiendish conduct of frying pan andkettle,thefinalsurrenderoftheexhaustedvictim,slidingofftosleepwithapieceofhardtackinonehandandasliceofcannedbeefintheother,onlytodreamofmother’shotbiscuits,juicysteaks,etc.,etc.”Itisverywellput,andsotruetothelife.Andagain:“Frying,baking,makingcoffee,stews,plainbiscuits,theneatandspeedy preparation of a healthy ‘square meal’ can be easily learned.” Aye, andshouldbelearnedbyeverymanwhogoestothewoodswithorwithoutacanoe.

ButIwasdescribingafirstday’scampingout,thepartybeingfouryoungmenand one old woodsman, the latter going along in a double character of invitedguestandamateurguide.Whentheboysarethroughwiththeirlatedinner,theyhustlethegreasyfryingpansanddemoralizedtinwareintoacorneroftheshanty,and get out their rods for an evening’s fishing. They do it hurriedly, almostfeverishly,asyoungstersareapttodoatthestart.TheO.W.hastakennopartinthedinner,andhassaidnothingsaveinresponsetodirectquestions,norhashedone anything to keepuphis reputation as awoodsman, except to see that theshelterroofisproperlyputupandfastened.Havingseentothis,herevertstohisfavorite pastime, sitting on a log and smoking navy plug. Long experience hastaughthim that it isbest to let theboyseffervescea little.Theywill slopoveratrifleat first,but twenty-fourhourswill settle them.Whentheyare fairlyoutofhearing,hetakestheoldknapsackfromtheclippedlimbwhereithasbeenhung,cuts a slice of ham, butters a slice of bread, spreads the live coals and embers,makesapotofstronggreentea,broilsthehamonathree-prongedbirchfork,andhasaclean,wellcookedplaindinner.Thenhetakesthesharpthree-poundcampaxe,andfellsadozensmallbirchandashtrees,cuttingthemintoproperlengthsand leaving them for the boys to tote into camp. Next, a bushy, heavy-toppedhemlockisfelled,andtheO.W.proceedsleisurelytopickaheapoffinehemlockbrowse. A few handfuls suffice to stuff the muslin pillow bag, and the rest iscarefullyspreadontheportsideoftheshantyforabed.Thepillowisplacedatthehead, and the oldMackinac blanket-bag is spread neatly over all, as a token ofownershipandpossession.Iftheyoungsterswantbedsoffine,elasticbrowse,let’emmaketheirownbeds.

Nocampfireshouldbewithoutpokerandtongs.Thepokerisabeechstickfourfeetlongbytwoinchesthick,flattenedatoneend,withanotchcutinitforliftingkettles,etc.Tomakethetongs,takeatoughbeechorhickorystick,oneinchthickbytwofeetinlength,shaveitdownnearlyone-halfforafootinthecenter,thrustthispartintohotembersuntilitbendsfreely,bringtheendstogetherandwhittlethemsmoothlytoafitontheinside,crosscheckingthemalsotogivethemagrip;finish off by chamfering the ends neatly from the outside. They will be foundexceedinglyhandyinrescuingabitoftinware,asliceofsteakorham,oranysmall

articlethathappenstogetdroppedinahotfire.

Anddon’tneglectthecampbroom.Itismadebylayingbushyhemlocktwigsaround a light handle, winding them firmly with strong twine or moose woodbark,andchoppingofftheendsofthetwigsevenly.Itcanbemadeintenminutes.Use it to brush any leaves, sticks, and any litter from about the camp or fire.Neatness is quite as pleasant andwholesome around the forest camp as in thehomekitchen.Theselittledetailsmayseemtrivialtothereader.Butremember,ifthereisaspotonearthwheretriflesmakeupthesumofhumanenjoyment,itistobe found in a woodland camp. All of which the O.W. fully appreciates, as hefinishestheabovelittlejobs;afterwhichheproceedstospreadthefiretoabroadlevel bed of glowing embers, nearly covering the same with small pieces ofhemlockbark,thattheboysmayhaveadecentcookingfireontheirreturn.

About sundown they come straggling in, not jubilant and hilarious, footsoreratherandalittlecross.Theeffervescenceissubsiding,andthenoiseisprettywellknocked out of them. They have caught and dressed some three score of smallbrooktrout,whichtheydepositbesidetheshanty,andproceedatoncetomoveonthe fire, with evident intent of raising a conflagration, but are checked by theO.W.,whocallstheirattentiontothefactthatforallculinarypurposes,thefireisaboutasnear the right thingas theyare likely toget it.Betterdefer thebonfireuntilaftersupper.Listeningtothevoiceofenlightenedwoodcraft,theymanagetofry trout andmake teawithout scorch or creosote, and the supper is a decidedimprovement on the dinner. But the dishes are piled away as before, withoutwashing.

Then follows an hour of busy work, bringing wood to camp and packingbrowse.Thewoodissufficient;butthebrowseispicked,orcut,alltoocoarse,andthereisonlyenoughofittomakethecamplookgreenandpleasant—notenoughtorestwearyshouldersandbacks.But,theyaresoundonthebonfire.Theypileonthewoodintheusualway,criss-crossandhaphazard.Itmakesagrandfire,andlightsuptheforestforfiftyyardsaround,andthetiredyoungstersturnin.Havingthe advantage of driving a team to the camping ground, they arewell suppliedwithblanketsandrobes.Theyought to sleepsoundly,but theydon’t.Theusualdrawbacksof a firstnight in campare soonmanifested inuneasy twistings andturnings,grumblingatstubs,nots,andsticks,thatutterlyignoreconformitywiththeanglesofthehumanframe.Butatlast,tirednatureassertshersupremcy,andtheysleep.Sleepsoundly,foracoupleofhours;whenthebonfire,havingreachedthepointofdisintegration,suddenlycollapseswithasputteringandcracklingthatbringsthemtotheirhead’santipodes,andfourdazed,sleepyfaceslookoutwithabewilderedair,toseewhathascausedtherumpus.Alltakeahandinputtingthebrands togetherand rearranging the fire,whichburnsbetter thanat first; somesleepy talk, oneor two feeble attempts at a smoke, and they turn in again.But,thereisnotanhourduringtheremainderofthenightinwhichsomeoneisnotpotteringaboutthefire.

TheO.W.,whohasabidedbyhisblanket-bagallnightquietlytakinginthefun—rousesoutthepartyat4A.M.FortwoofthemaretofishAsaphRunwithbait,andtheothertwoaretotrytherifflesofMarshCreekwiththefly.Asthewoodisallburnedtocindersandglowingcoals,thereisnochanceforasmokyfire;and,substitutingcoffeefortea,thebreakfastisarepetitionofthesupper.

Bysunrisetheboysareoff,andtheO.W.hasthecamptohimself.Hetakesitleisurely, getsupaneatbreakfastof trout,bread,butter, and coffee, cleansandputsawayhisdishes,hasasmoke,andpicksupthecampaxe.Selectingabushyhemlockfifteeninchesacross,heletsitdowninasmanyminutes,trimsittotheverytip,pilesthelimbsinaheap,andcutsthreelengthsofsixfeeteachfromthebutt.This insuresbrowseandback logs forsometimeahead.Twostrongstakesarecutandsharpened.

Four small logs, two of eight and two of nine feet in length, are prepared,plentyofnightwoodismadeready,asupplyofbright,dryhemlockbarkiscarriedto camp, and the O.W. rests from his labors, resuming his favorite pastime ofsittingonalogandsmokingnavyplug.

Finally it occurs to him that he is there partly as guide and mentor to theyoungermen,andthattheyneedalessononcleanliness.Hebringsoutthefryingpansandfindsafilthylookingmessofgreaseineachone,whereinants,flies,andotherinsectshavecontrivedtogetmixed.Doesheheatsomewater,andcleanandscourthepans?Notifheknowshimself.Ifhediditoncehemightkeepondoingit.Heiscautiousaboutestablishingprecedents,andhehasatasteforentomology.Heplacesthepans inthesunwherethegreasewillsoftenandgoesskirmishingforantsanddoodlebugs.Theyarenotfartoseek,andhesoonhasascoreoflargeblack ants, with a few bugs and spiders, pretty equally distributed among thefryingpans.Togivethethingaplausible lookafewfliesareadded,andthetwolargestpansarefinishedoff,onewithalargeearwig,theotherwithathousand-legged worm. The pans are replaced in the shanty, the embers are leveled andnearlycoveredwithbitsofdryhemlockbark,andtheO.W.resumeshispipeandlog

WithsuchafaceofChristiansatisfaction,asgoodmenwear,whohavedoneavirtuousaction.

Beforenoontheboysareallin,andasthecatchistwiceasnumerousandtwiceaslargeasonthepreviousevening,andastheweatherisallthatcouldbeaskedofthelongestdaysinJune,theyareinexcellentspirits.Theboxesarebroughtout,porkissliced,acanofIndianmealcomestothefront,andtheygoforthefryingpans.

“HolyMoses!Lookhere.Justseetheantsandbugs.”

SecondMan.—“Well,Ishouldsay!Icanseeyourantsandbugs,andgoyouanearwigbetter.”

ThirdMan (invertinghis pan spitefully over the fire).—“Damn ’em. I’ll roast

thebeggars.”

BushD.(whoissomethingofacookandwoodsman)“Boys,I’ll takethepot.I’vegota thousand-leggedwormat theheadofapismire flush,and it servesusright,foralotofslovens.Dishesshouldbecleanedasoftenastheyareused.Nowlet’sscourourpansandcommenceright.”

Hotwater,ashes,andsoapsoonrestorethepanstopristinebrightness;threefryingpansarefilledwithtroutwellrolledinmeal;afourthisusedforcookingacan of tomatoes; the coffee is strong, and everything comes out without beingsmokedorscorched.Thetroutarebrownedtoaturn,andeventheO.W.admitsthat thedinner isa success.When it isoverand thedishesarecleanedandputaway, and the camp slicked up, there comes the usual two hours of lounging,smoking,andstorytelling,sodeartotheheartsofthosewholovetogoa-fishingandcamping.Atlengththereisalullintheconversation,andBushD.turnstotheoldwoodsmanwith, “I thought,UncleMart, youwere going to showus fellowssuch a lot of kinks about camping out, campfires, cooking, and all that sort ofthing, isn’t it about time to begin? Strikesme you have spentmost of the lasttwenty-fourhoursholdingdownthat log.”“Exceptcuttingsomenightwoodandtendingthefire,”addsnumbertwo.

The old woodsman, who has been rather silent up to this time, knocks theashes leisurely from his pipe, and gets on his feet for a few remarks. He says,“Boys,abumblebeeisbiggestwhenit’sfirstborn.You’velearnedmorethanyouthinkinthelasttwenty-fourhours.”

“Well,ashow?Explainyourself,”saysBushD.

O.W.—“Inthefirstplace,youhavelearnedbetterthantostickyourcooking-kitintoatumbleddownheapofknots,mulchandwetbark,onlytoupsetandmeltdownthepots,andscorchorsmokeeverythinginthepans,untilastarvinghoundwouldn’teatthemess.Andyouhavefoundthatitdoesn’ttakealogheaptoboilapot of coffee or fry a pan of trout. Also, that a level bed of live coalsmakes anexcellentcookingfire,thoughIwillshowyouabetter.YesterdayyoucookedtheworstmealIeversawinthewoods.Todayyougetupareallygood,plaindinner;youhavelearnedthatmuchinoneday.Oh,youimprovesome.AndIthinkyouhavetakenalessonincleanlinesstoday.”

“Yes;butwelearnedthatoftheant—andbug,”saysnumbertwo.

O.W.—“Justso.Anddidyouthinkalltheantsanddoodle-bugsblunderedintothatgreaseinonemorning?Iput’eminmyself—togiveyoua‘kink.’”

BushD.(disgusted).—“Youblasted,dirtyoldsinner.”

SecondMan.—“Oh, youmiserable old swamp savage; I shan’t get over thatearwiginamonth.”

ThirdMan(plaintively).—“This life in thewoods isn’twhat it’scrackeduptobe; I don’t relish bugs and spiders. I wish I were home. I’m all bitten up with

punkies,and—”

FourthMan(savagely).—“Dashedoldwoods-loafer;let’stiehishandsandfirehiminthecreek.”

O.W. (placidly).—“Exactly, boys. Your remarks are terse, and to the point.Only,asIamgoingtoshowyouatrickor twoonwoodcraft thisafternoon,youcanaffordtowaitalittle.Now,quitsmoking,andgetoutyourhatchets;we’llgotowork.”

Threehatchets are brought to light; one of thema two-pound clumsyhand-axe,theothersofanoldtime,Mt.Vernon,G.W.pattern.“Andnow,”saysgood-naturedBush,“yougivedirectionsandwe’lldothework.”

Underdirections,thecoarsebrowseofthepreviousnightisplacedoutsidetheshanty; three active youngsters, on hands and knees, feel out and cut off everyoffendingstubandroot inside theshanty,until it is smoothasa floor.The foursmalllogsarebroughttocamp;thetwolongestarelaidatthesidesandstakedinplace;theothersareplaced,oneatthehead,theotheratthefoot,alsostaked;andthe camphas acquireddefinite outlines, and ameasurable size of eight byninefeet.Threehemlocklogsandtwosharpenedstakesaretotedtocamp;thestakesdriven firmly, and the logs laid against them, one above the other. Fire-dogs,forestick, etc., complete the arrangement, and the campfire is in shape for thecomingnight,preciselyasshownintheengraving.

“Andnow,”saystheO.W.,“ifthreeofyouwillgodowntotheflatandpickthebrowsecleanfromthetwohemlocktops,BushandIwillfixacooking-range.”

“A—what?”asksone.

“Goingtostartaboarding-house?”saysanother.

“Notionofgoingintothehardwarebusiness?”suggestsathird.

“Never mind, sonny; just ’tend to that browse, and when you see a smokeraising on the flat by the spring, come over and see the range.” And the boys,takingacoupleofblanketsinwhichtocarrythebrowse,saunterawaytotheflatbelow.

Averyleisurelyaesthetic,fragrantoccupationisthispickingbrowse.Itshouldneverbecut,butpulled,strippedorbroken.IhaveseenaSenator,ex-Governor,

andawealthybankerenjoyingthemselveshugelyatit,varyingtheoccupationbyhackingsmall timberwith theirG.W.hatchets, likesomanyboys let loose fromschool. Itmay have looked a trifle undignified, but I dare say they found theiraccount in it. Newport or Long Branch would have been more expensive, andmuchlesshealthful.

Foranhourandahalftonguesandfingersarebusyaroundthehemlocktops;thena thin, longvolumeofbluesmokerisesnear thespring,andtheboyswalkovertoinspecttherange.Theyfinditmadeasfollows:Twologssixfeetlongandeightinchesthickarelaidparallel,butseveninchesapartatoneendandonlyfourat theother.Theyarebedded firmly and flatteneda little on the inside.On theuppersides the logsarecarefullyhewedand leveleduntilpots,pansandkettleswillsitfirmlyandevenlyonthem.Astrongforkedstakeisdrivenateachendofthespace,andacross-pole,twoorthreeinchesthick,laidon,forhangingkettles.Thiscompletestherange;simple,buteffective.(Seeillustration.)Thebroadendof thespace is for fryingpans,and thepotatokettle.Thenarrowend, forcoffeepotsandutensilsoflesserdiameter.Fromsixtoeightdishescanbecookedatthesame time. Soups, stews, and beans are to be cooked in closely covered kettleshung from the cross-pole, the bottoms of the kettles reachingwithin some twoinches of the logs.With a moderate fire theymay be left to simmer for hourswithoutcareorattention.

The fire is of the first importance. Start itwith fine kindling and clean, dry,hemlockbark.When youhave a bright, even fire fromend to endof the space,keep it upwith small fagots of the sweetest andmostwholesomewoods in theforest. These are, in the ordernamed, blackbirch, hickory, sugarmaple, yellowbirch,andredbeech.Thesticksshouldbeshort,andnotovertwoinchesacross.Splitwood isbetter thanround.Theoutdoorrangecanbemadebyoneman inlittlemorethananhour,andthecamper-out,whooncetriesit,willneverwishtoseea“portablecamp-stove”again.

WhenthesunleavesthevalleyintheshadeofAsaphMountain,theboyshaveafragrantbedofelasticbrowseafootdeepintheshanty,withpillowsimprovised

fromstuffedbootlegs,cottonhandkerchiefs,etc.Theycooktheirsuppersontherange,andvote itperfect,nomeltingorheatinghandlestoohot foruse,andnosmokingofdishes,orfaces.

Justatdark—whichmeans9P.M.inthelastweekofJune—thefireiscarefullymade and chinked. An hour later it is throwing its grateful warmth and lightdirectly into camp, and nowhere else. The camp turns in. Not to wriggle andquarrel with obdurate stubs, but to sleep. And sleep they do. The sound, deep,restful sleep of healthy young manhood, inhaling pure mountain air on thehealthiestbedyetknowntoman.

When it is pastmidnight, and the fire burns low, and the chill night breezedriftsintocamp,theystilldonotrouseup,butonlyspooncloser,andsleeprighton.Only theO.W. turnsout sleepily, at twobells in themiddlewatch, after themannerofhunters,trappers,andsailors,theworldover.Hequietlyrebuildsthefire, reduces a bit of navy plug to its lowest denomination, and takes a solitarysmoke—stillholdingdownhisfavoritelog.Quizzicallyandquietlyheregardsthesleepingyoungsters,andwondersifamongthemallthereisonewhowilldoashehasdone,i.e.,relinquishallofwhattheworldreckonsassuccess,fortheloveofnature and a free forest life. He hopes not. And yet, as he glances at the calmyellowmoonoverhead,andlistenstothelowmurmurofthelittlewaterfallbelowthespring,hehasafaintnotionthatitisnotalllossanddross.

Knocking the ashes from his pipe he prepares to turn in, murmuring tohimself,half sadly,halfhumorously, “Ihavebeenyoung,andnowIamold;yethave I never seen the true woodsman forsaken, or his seed begging bread—oranythingelse,sotospeak—unlessitmightbealittletobaccooranipofwhisky.”Andhecreepsintohisblanket-bag,backssoftlyouttotheoutsideman,andjoinsthesnorers.

It is broad daylight when he again turns out, leaving the rest still sleepingsoundly. He starts a lively fire in the range, treats two coffee pots to a doublehandfulofcoffeeandthreepintsofwatereach,setsonthepotatokettle,washesthe potatoes, then sticks his head into the camp, and rouses the party with aregular secondmate’s hail. “Star-a-ar-bo’lin’s aho-o-o-y. Turn out, you beggars.Come on deck and see it rain.” And the boys do turn out. Not with wakefulalacrity,butinadazed,dreamy,sleepyway.Theyopenwideeyes,whentheyseethat the sun is turning the sombre tops of pines andhemlocks to a soft orangeyellow.

“I’d have sworn,” says one, “that I hadn’t slept over fifteen minutes by thewatch.”

“AndI,”saysanother,“wasjustwatchingthefire,whenIdroppedoffinadoze.InaboutfiveminutesIopenedmyeyes,andI’llbeshotifitwasn’tsunrise.”

“Asforme,”saysathird,“Idon’tknowasI’vesleptatall.Irememberseeingsomebodypokingthefirelastnight.NextthingIknew,somelunaticwasyelling

aroundcampabout ‘starbolin’s,’ and ‘turningout.’Guess I’ll laydownandhavemynapout.”

“Yes,”says theO.W.,“Iwould.If Iwasahealthyyoungster,andcouldn’tgetalongwithsevenhoursandahalfofsolidsleep,I’dtakethenextforenoonforit.Just at present, I want to remark that I’ve got the coffee and potato businessunderway,andI’llattendtothem.Ifyouwantanythingelseforbreakfast,you’llhavetocookit.”

Andtheboys,risingtotheoccasion,goaboutthebreakfastwithwillinghands.It is noticeable, however, that only one pan of trout is cooked, two of theyoungsterspreferring to fallbackonbroiledham, remarking thatbrook trout istoorichandcloyingforasteadydiet.Whichistrue.Theappetitefortrouthasverysensibly subsided, and the boyish eagerness for trout fishing has fallen offimmensely.Onlytwoofthepartyshowanyinterestintheriffles.Theystrolldownstream leisurely, to try their flies for anhouror two.Theothers elect to amusethemselvesaboutthecamp,cuttingsmalltimberwiththeirlittlehatchets,pickingfresh browse, or skirmishing the mountain side for wintergreen berries andsassafras. The fishermen return in a couple of hours, with a score of fair-sizedtrout. They remark apologetically that it is blazing hot—and there are plenty oftrout ahead. Then they lean their rods against the shanty, and lounge on theblankets,andsmokeanddoze.

Itislessthanforty-eighthourssincethecross-polewaslaid;and,usingalittlecommon sense woodcraft, the camp has already attained to a systematic no-system of rest, freedom and idleness. Everyman is free to “loaf, and invite hissoul.” There is good trouting within an hour’s walk for those who choose, andthere is some interest,with a little exercise, in cooking and cuttingnightwood,slicking up, etc. But the whole party is stricken with “camp-fever,” “Indianlaziness,”the .Itisoverandaroundeveryman,envelopinghimaswith a roseate blanket from the Castle of Indolence. It is the perfect summercamp.

Anditisnomyth;butaliteralresuméofafivedays’outingatPoplarSpring,onMarshCreek,inPennsylvania.Alas,forthebeautifulvalley,thatonceaffordedthefinestcampinggroundsIhaveeverknown.

NeveranymoreCanitbeUntome(oranybodyelse)Asbefore.

A huge tannery, six miles above Poplar Spring, poisons and blackens thestreamwith chemicals, bark and ooze. The land has been brought intomarket,and every acre eagerly bought up by actual settlers. The once fine covers andthickets are converted into fields thicklydottedwithblackened stumps.And, tocrown the desolation, heavy laden trains of “The Pine Creek and Jersey ShoreR.R.” go thundering almosthourly over the very spotwhere stoodour campby

dolcefarniente

PoplarSpring.

Of course, this isprogress;but,whetherbackwardor forward,hadbetterbedecidedsixtyyearshence.And, justwhathashappened to theobscurevalleyofMarshCreek,ishappeningtoday,onalargerscale,allovertheland.Itisthesameold story of grab and greed. Let us go on the “make” today, and “whack up”tomorrow; cheating each other as villainously as we may, and posterity bedamned.“What’sallthew-u-u-rldtoamanwhenhiswifeisawiddy?”

This is themoral:FromMainetoMontana; fromtheAdirondackstoAlaska;fromtheYosemitetotheYellowstone,thetrout-hog,thedeer-wolf,thenetter,theskin-hunter,eachandallhaveittheirownway;andthelawisafarce—onlytobeenforcedwherethegamehasvanishedforever.Perhapstheman-childisbornwhowilllivetowritethemoralofallthis—whenitistoolate.

I

CHAPTERVIIMoreHintsOnCooking,WithSomeSimpleReceipts—Bread,

Potatoes,Soups,Stews,Beans,Fish,Meat,Venison

Wemaylivewithoutfriends,wemaylivewithoutbooks,Butcivilizedmancannotlivewithoutcooks.

Tisprobablytruethatnothingconnectedwithoutdoorlifeincampissobadlybotchedas the cooking. It isnot throughany lackof the rawmaterial,which

may be had of excellent quality in any country village. It is not from lack ofintelligence or education, for the men you meet in the woods, as outers orsportsmen,areratheroverthanundertheaverageintheserespects.Perhapsitisbecauseithasbeendinnedintoourearsfromearlychildhood,thatanappetite,ahealthylongingforsomethinggoodtoeat,aticklingofthepalatewithwholesome,appetizing food, is beneath the attention of an aesthetic, intellectual man.Forgetting that theentireman,mentalandphysical,dependsonproperalimentandthehealthyassimilationthereof;andthatathin,dyspepticmancannomorekeepup inthestruggleof life, thanthe lightningexpresscanmakeconnections,drawnbyawornoutlocomotive.

I have never been able to getmuch help from cook-books, or the scores ofrecipes published in various works on outdoor span. Take, for example, FrankForester’sFishandFishing.Hehasmore than seventy recipes for cooking fish,overfortyofwhichcontaintermsornamesinFrench.Idaresaytheyaregood—fora first-classhotel. Ineithercooknorconverse inFrenchandIhavecometoknowthattheplainestcookingisthebest,sothatitbewelldoneandwholesome.Inmaking up the rations for camping out, the first thing usually attended to isbread.And if thisbe light,well-madebread, enoughmaybe takenalong to lastfour or five days and this may be eked out with Boston crackers, or the besthardtack,foracoupleorthreedaysmore,withouttheleasthardship.Also,therearefewcampsinwhichsomeoneisnotgoingouttotheclearingseveryfewdaysformail, small stores, etc. and a supply of bread can be arranged for,with lesstrouble than itcanbemade.Thereare timeshowever,whenthis isnot feasible,and there aremen who prefer warm bread all the time. In this case the usualresort, fromMaine toAlaska, is theuniversal flapjack. Idonot like it; I seldommakeit;itisnotgood.Butitmaybeeaten,withmaplesyruporsugarandbutter.Iprefer a plain water Johnnycake, made as follows (supposing your tins aresomething like those described in Chapter II): Put a little more than a pint ofwaterinyourkettleandbringittoasharpboil,addingasmallteaspoonfullofsaltand two of sugar. Stir in slowly enough good cornmeal to make a rather stiffmush,letitcookafewminutesandsetitoffthefire;thengreaseyourlargesttindishandputthemushinit,smoothingitontop.Setthedishontheoutdoorrangedescribedinthepreviouschapter,withalivelybedofcoalbeneath—butnoblaze.Invertthesecondsizedtinoverthecakeandcoverthedishwithbrightlivecoals,thatbottomandtopmaybakeevenlyandgiveitfromthirty-fivetofortyminutes

for baking. Itmakeswholesome, palatable bread,which gains on the tastewithuse.

Thosewhopreferwheatbread canmakeapassable articlebyusing thebestwheatflourwithbakingpowders,mixingthreetablespoonfulsofthepowderstoaquartofflour.Mixandkneadthoroughlywithwarmwatertoaratherthindoughandbakeasabove.Usethesameproportionsforpancakebatter.Whenstoppingin a permanent campwith plenty of time to cook, excellent light breadmay bemadebyusingdryyeastcakes, though it isnotnecessary to “set” thespongeasdirected on the papers. Scrape and dissolve half a cake of the yeast in a ofwarmwaterandmixitwiththeflour.Addwarmwaterenoughtomakeitpliableandnottoostiff:setinawarmplaceuntilitrisessufficientlyandbakeasdirectedabove.Ittakesseveralhourstorise.

IamafraidIshalldiscountmycreditoncampcookingwhenIadmitthat—ifImustusefineflour—Ipreferunleavenedbread;whatmyfriendsirreverentlycall“club bread.”Not that itwas evermade or endorsed by any club ofmen that Iknowof,butbecauseitisbakedonaveritableclub;sassafrasorblackbirch.Thisishowtomakeit:Cutaclubtwofeetlongandthreeinchesthickatthebroadestend;peelorshaveoffthebarksmoothlyandsharpenthesmallerendneatly.Thenstickthesharpenedendinthegroundnearthefire,leaningthebroadendtowardabedoflivecoals,whereitwillgetscreechinghot.Whileitisheating,mixrathermorethanahalfpintofbestMinnesotaflourwithenoughwarmwatertomakeadough.Addahalfteaspoonfullofsaltandateaspoonfullofsugarandmouldandpullthedoughuntilitbecomeslively.Now,workitintoaribbontwoincheswideandhalfaninchthick,windtheribbonspirallyaroundthebroadendoftheclub,stickthelatterinfrontofthefiresothatthebreadwillbakeevenlyandquicklytoa light brown and turn frequently until done, which will be in about thirtyminutes.Whendonetakeitfromthefire,standtheclubfirmlyuprightandpickthebreadoffinpiecesasyouwantittoeat.Itwillkeephotalongtimeandonesoonbecomesfondofit.

Tomakeperfectcoffee,justtwoingredientsarenecessary,andonlytwo.Thesearewaterandcoffee.Itisowingtothebadmanagementofthelatterthatwedrinkpoorcoffee.

Mochaisgenerallyconsideredtobethebesttypeofcoffee,withJavaaclosesecond. It is the fashion at present tomix the two in proportions to suit, sometakingtwopansJavatooneofMocha,othersreversingtheseproportions.Eitherwayisgood,ortheMochaisquiteasgoodalone.Butthereisabetterberrythaneitherforthegenuinecoffeetoper.Thisisthesmall,darkgreenberrythatcomestomarketunderthegenericnameofRio,thatnamecoveringhalfadozengradesof coffee raised in different provinces ofBrazil, throughout a country extendingnorthandsouthformorethan1,200miles.Theberryalludedtoisproducedalongtherangeofhighhills tothewestwardofBahiaandextendingnorthtowardtheParnahiba.Ithasneverarrestedattentionasadistinctgradeofthearticle,butit

gill

containsmorecoffeeorcaffeintothepoundthananyberryknowntocommerce.It is the smallest, heaviest and darkest green of any coffee that comes to ourmarketfromBrazilandmaybeknownbythesetraits.Ihavetesteditinthelandwhereitisgrownandalsoathome,forthepastsixteenyearsandIplaceitatthehead of the list, withMocha next. Either willmake perfect coffee, if treated asfollows: of the berry, browned and ground, take six heaping tablespoonfuls andadd threepintsof coldwater;place thekettleover the fireandbring toa sharpboil; set it a little asidewhere itwill bubble and simmeruntilwanted, and justbeforepouring,dripinahalfgillofcoldwatertosettleit.Thatisallthereistoit.Thequantityofberryisabouttwiceasmuchasusuallygiveninrecipes:butifyouwantcoffee,youhadbetteraddtwospoonfulsthancutoffone.

In1867andagainin1870,IbadoccasiontovisittheWestIndiaIslandsandBrazil. In common with most coffee topers, I had heard much of the super-excellenceascribed to “West India coffee” and “Brazilian coffee.” I concluded toinvestigate,IhadroomsattheHoteld’Europe,Para,NorthBrazil.Thereweresixofus,EnglishandAmericanboarders.Everymorning,beforewewereoutofourhammocks,abarefooted,halfnakedMinanegresscamearoundandservedeachofuswithasmallcupofstrong,blackcoffeeandsugar .Therewasnotenoughofitforadrink;itwasratherinthenatureofamedicine,andsointended—“Tokillthebiscos,”theysaid.Thecoffeewasabovecriticism.

Iwent,inthedarkofatropicalmorningwithSeñorJoão,tothecoffeefactorywheretheybrownedtheberryandsawhimbuyapound,smokinghot,forwhichhepaidtwenty-fivecents,orquiteasmuchas itwouldcost inNewYork.Intenminutesthecoffeewasatthehotelandground.Thisisthewaytheybrewedit:Around-bottomedkettlewassittingonthebrickrange,withahalfgallonofboilingwaterinit.Overthekettleasquarepieceofwhiteflannelwassuspended,caughtupatthecornerslikeadipnet.Inthisthecoffeewasplacedandasmalldarkyputinhistimesteadilywithasoupladle,dippingtheboilingwaterfromthekettleandpouringitonthecoffee.Therewasaconstantstreampercolatingthroughcoffeeandcloth,which,inthecourseofhalfanhour,becamealmostblack,andclearasbrandy.Thiswas“Braziliancoffee.”Asthecupsusedwereverysmall,andasnonebuttheNorthernersdrankmorethanonecup,Ifoundthatthehoteldidnotuseover two quarts of coffee eachmorning. It struckme that a pound of freshRiocoffeeberryoughttomakeahalfgallonofratherpowerfulcoffee.

On my arrival home—not having any small darky or any convenientarrangement for the dip net—I had a sackmade of light,white flannel, holdingaboutonepint.InthisIputonequarterpoundoffreshlygroundberry,withwaterenoughforfivelargecups.ItwasboiledthoroughlyandprovedjustasgoodastheBrazilianarticle,buttoostrongforanyofthefamilyexceptthewriter.Thosewhohavea fancy forclear,strong“Braziliancoffee”willseehoweasilyandsimply itcanbemade.

But, on a heavy knapsack-and-rifle tramp among the mountains, or a lone

adlibitum

canoe cruise in a strange wilderness, I do not carry coffee. I prefer tea. Often,whentooutterlytiredandbeatenforfurthertravel,Ihavetriedcoffee,whiskyorbrandy,anda longexperienceconvincesme that there isnothingso restfulandrefreshing to an exhaustedman as a dish of strong, green tea. Tomake it as itshouldbemade,bringthewatertoahighboilandletitcontinuetoboilforafullminute.Setitoffthefireanditwillceaseboiling;putinahandfulofteaanditwillinstantly boil up again; then set it near the fire,where itwill simmer for a fewminutes,whenitwillbereadyforuse.Buythebestgreenteayoucanfindanduseitfreelyonahardtramp.Black,orOolongtea,isexcellentincamp.Itshouldbeputinthepotwithcoldwaterandbroughttotheboilingpoint.

Almostanymancancookpotatoes,butfewcookthemwell.Mostpeoplethinkthembestboiledintheirjackets,andtocookthemperfectlyinthismannerissosimpleandeasy,thatthewonderishowanyonecanfail.Akettleofscreechinghotwaterwithasmallhandfulofsaltinit,goodpotatoesofnearlyequalsize,washedclean and clipped at the ends, these are the requisites. Put the potatoes in theboilingwater,covercloselyandkeepthewaterathighboilingpitchuntilyoucanthrustasharpsliverthroughthelargestpotato.Thendrainoffthewaterandsetthe kettle in a hot placewith the lid partly off. Take them out only as they arewanted; lukewarm potatoes are not good, They will be found about as good aspotatoescanbe,whencookedintheirjackets.Butthereisabetterway,asthus:Selectenoughforamessofsmooth,soundtubers;parethemcarefully,takingoffaslittleaspossible,becausethebestofthepotatoliesnearesttheskin,andcookasabove.Whendone,pour thewateroff to the lastdrop;sprinkleaspoonfulofsalt and fine cracker crumbs over them; then shake, roll and rattle them in thekettleuntiltheoutsidesarewhiteandfloury.Keepthempipinghotuntilwanted,Itisthewaytohaveperfectboiledpotatoes.

Manyoutersarefondofroastpotatoesincamp;andtheymostlyspoilthemintheroasting,althoughthereisnobetterplacethanthecampfireinwhichtodoit.Tocookthemaright,scoopoutabasin-likedepressionunderthefore-stick,threeorfourinchesdeepandlargeenoughtoholdthetuberswhenlaidsidebyside;fillitwithbright,hardwoodcoalsandkeepupastrongheatforhalfanhourormore.Next,cleanoutthehollow,placethepotatoesinitandcoverthemwithhotsandorashes,toppedwithaheapofglowingcoals,andkeepupalltheheatyoulike.Inabouttwentyminutescommencetotrythemwithasharpenedhardwoodsliver;whenthiswillpassthroughthemtheyaredoneandshouldberakedoutatonce.Run the sliver through them from end to end, to let the steam escape and useimmediately,asaroastpotatoquicklybecomessoggyandbitter.Iwilladdthat,inselectingasupplyofpotatoesforcamp,onlythefinestandsmoothestshouldbetaken.

Amanmaybeatrout-crank,hemayhavebeenlookingforwardfortenwearymonthstothetimewhenhe is tostrikethemuchdreamedofmountainstream,where troutmay be taken and eatenwithout stint.Occasionally—not often—hisdreamisrealized,Fortwoorthreedaysherevelsinfly-fishingandeatingbrook

trout.Thenhisenthusiasmbeginstosubside.Hetalkslessofhisfavoritefliesandhints thatwadinghourafterhour in ice-watergiveshimcramps inthecalvesofhis legs.Also,hefindsthatbrooktrout,eatenfordaysinsuccession,pallontheappetite.Hehankers for the flesh-potsof the restaurantandhis soul yearns forthebean-potofhome.

Luckily,someonehasbroughtasackofwhitebeans,andtheexpert—thereisalways an expert in camp—is deputed to cook them. He accepts the trust andproceeds todo it.Heputsaquartofdrybeansanda liberal chunkofpork inatwo-quartkettle,coversthemesswithwaterandbringsittoarapidboil.Presentlythe beans begin to swell and lift the lid of the kettle: their conduct is simplydemoniacal.Theyliftupthelidofthekettle,theytumbleoutovertheriminawaytoprovokeasaint,andtheyhavescarcelybeguntocook.Theexpertisnottobebeaten.Astheyrise,hespoonsthemoutandthrowsthemaway,untilhalfofthebestbeansbeingwasted,therestsettletobusiness.Hefillsthekettlewithwaterandwatches it foranhour.Whenbean-skinsandscumariseheuses thespoon;andwhen a ring of greasy salt forms around the rim of the kettle, he carefullyscrapesitoff,butmostofitdropsbackintothepot,Whenthebeansseemcookedtothepointofdisintegration,heliftsoffthekettleandannouncesdinner.Itisnota success.The largestbeansaregranulated rather thancooked,while themealyportion of them has fallen to the bottom of the kettle and become scorchedthereon,andthesmallerbeansaretoohardtobeeatable.Theliquid,thatshouldbepalatablebeansoup, isgreasysaltwater,and thepork ishalf raw.Thepartyfallsback,hungryanddisgusted.Evenifthemesswerewellcooked,itistoosaltyforeating.Andwhyshouldthisbeso?Whyshouldanysensiblemanspendyearsinacquiringan education that shall fithim for the struggleof life, yet refuse tospendasingledayinlearninghowtocookthefoodthatmustsustainthelife?Itisoneoftheconundrumsnoonewilleverfindout.

There isno article of foodmore easily carried, andnone that containsmorenourishment to the pound, than the bean. Limas are usually preferred, but thelargewhitemarrowisjustasgood.Itwillpaytoselectthemcarefully.Keepaneyeongrocerystocksandwhenyoustrikealotofextralarge,cleanbeans,buytwiceasmanyasyouneedforcampuse.Spreadthemonatable,aquartatatimeandseparatethelargestandbestfromtheothers.Fullyone-halfwillgotothesideofthelargestandfinest,andthesemaybeputinamuslinbagandkepttillwanted.Select the expeditionary pork with equal care, buying nothing but thick, solid,“clear”,withapinktinge.Rejectthatwhichiswhiteandlardy.Withsuchmaterial,ifyoucannotlayoverBostonbakedbeans,youhadbettersweepthecookoutofcamp.

This is how to cook them:Put a pound or a littlemore of clean pork in thekettle, with water enough to cover it. Let it boil slowly half an hour. In themeantime,washandparboilonepintofbeans.Drainthewaterfromtheporkandplace thebeansaround it; add twoquartsofwaterandhang thekettlewhere itwillboilsteadily,butnotrapidly,fortwohours.Pareneatlyandthinlyfiveorsix

mediumsizedpotatoesandallowthemfromthirtytofortyminutes(accordingtosizeandvariety),inwhichtocook.Theymustbepresseddownamongthebeanssoastobeentirelycovered.Ifthebeansbefreshandfinetheywillprobablyfalltopiecesbeforetimeisup.This,iftheyarenotallowedtoscorch,makesthemallthebetter. Ifaportionofporkbe leftover, it isexcellentslicedvery thinwhencoldandeatenwithbread.Theaboveisadinnerforthreeorfourhungrymen.

Itisusuallythecasethatsomeofthepartypreferbakedbeans.Tohavetheseinperfection,addonegillofrawbeansandapieceofporkthreeinchessquaretotheforegoingproportions.Boilasabove,untilthebeansbegintocrackopen;thenforkoutthesmallerpieceofpork,placeitinthecenterofyourlargestcookingtin,takebeansenoughfromthekettletonearlyfillthetin,setitoverabrightfireontherange,invertthesecondsizedtinforacover,placelive,hardwoodcoalsontopandbakepreciselyasdirectedforbread—only,whenthecoalsontopbecomedullandblack,brushthemoff,raisethecoverandtakealook.Ifthebeansaregettingtoodry,add threeor four spoonfulsof liquor fromthekettle, replacecoverandcoals,andletthembakeuntiltheyareofarichlightbrownontop.Thenserve.Itisagooddish.IfBostoncanbeatit,Idon’twanttolayupanythingforoldage.

Brown bread and baked beans have a natural connection in the averageAmericanmind, and rightly. They supplement each other, even as spring lamband green peas with our transatlantic cousins. But there is a better recipe forbrownbreadthanisknowntothedwellersoftheHub—onethathascapturedfirstprizesatcountryfairsandwontheapprovalofepicuresfromMainetoMinnesota;the one that brought honest oldGreeley down, on his strictures anent “countrybread.”Andhereistherecipe;takeitforwhatit isworthandtryitfairlybeforecondemningit.Itisforhomeuse:Onequartofsweetmilk,onequartofsour,twoquartsofIndianmealandonequartofflourandacupfulofdark,thinPortoRicomolasses.Useoneteaspoonfullofsodaonly.Bakeinasteady,moderateoven,forfourhours.Kneadthoroughlybeforebaking.

Soup is,or shouldbe,a leading foodelement ineverywoodlandcamp. Iamsorrytosaythatnothingis,asarule,morebadlybotched,whilenothingismoreeasilyorsimplycookedasitshouldbe.Souprequirestimeandasolidbasisoftherightmaterial.Venisonisthebasis,andthebestmaterialisthebloodypartofthedeer,wherethebulletwentthrough.Weusedtothrowthisaway;wehavelearnedbetter.Cutaboutfourpoundsofthebloodymeatintoconvenientpiecesandwipethemascleanaspossiblewithleavesoradampcloth,butdon’twashthem.Putthemeat into a five-quart kettle nearly filledwithwater and raise it to a livelyboilingpitch.Letitboilfortwohours.Havereadyathree-tinedforkmadefromabranchofbirchorbeechandwiththis, testthemeatfromtimetotime;whenitparts readily from the bones, slice in a large onion. Pare six large, smoothpotatoes,cutfiveofthemintoquartersanddropthemintothekettle;scrapethesixthoneintothesoupforthickening.Seasonwithsaltandwhitepeppertotaste.

When, by skirmishingwith thewooden fork, you can fish up boneswith no

meat on them, the soup is cooked and the kettlemay be set aside to cool. Anyhungrysportsmancanorderthenextmotion.Squirrels—red,black,grayorfox—makenearlyasgooda soupasvenison,andbetter stew.Hares, rabbits, grouse,quail,oranyofthesmallergamebirds,maybeusedinmakingsoup;butallsmallgameisbetterinastew.

Tomakeastew,proceedforthefirsttwohourspreciselyasdirectedforsoup;then slice in a coupleof good-sizedonions and sixmediumpotatoes.When themeat begins to fall from the bones, make a thickening by rubbing threetablespoonfuls of flour and two spoonfuls ofmeltedbutter together; thin to theconsistency of creamwith liquor from the kettle and drip slowly into the stew,stirring briskly meanwhile. Allow all soups and stews to boil two hours beforeseasoning and use only the best table salt and white (or black) pepper. Seasonsparingly;itiseasiertoputsaltinthantogetitout.Cayennepepperaddszesttoasoup or stew, but, as some dislike it, let eachman season his plate to his owncheek.

Friedsquirrelsareexcellentforachange,butaremostlyspoiledbypoorcooks,whoputtougholdhe’sandtenderyoungsquirrelstogether,treatingallalike.Todressandcookthemproperly,chopoffheads,tailsandfeetwiththehatchet;cuttheskinonthebackcrosswise;and,insertingthetwomiddlefingers,pulltheskinoffintwoparts,(headandtail).Cleanandcuttheminhalves,leavingtworibsonthe hindquarters. Put hind and fore quarters into the kettle and parboil untiltender.Thiswilltakeabouttwentyminutesforyoungonesandtwiceaslongfortheold.

When a sharpened sliver will pass easily through the flesh, take thehindquartersfromthekettle,drainandplacetheminthefryingpanwithporkfathissinghot.Frytoalight,richbrown.Itistheonlyproperwaytocooksquirrels.Theforequartersaretobeleftinthekettleforastew.

Itsometimeshappensthatpigeonsareveryplentifulandthecampistemptedintoover-shootingandover-cooking,untileveryoneisthoroughlysickofpigeons.Thisisallwrong.Nopartyis,orcanbe,justifiedinwantonslaughter,justbecausebirdshappentobeplentiful;theywillsoonbescarceenough.Pigeonsarehardlygame,andtheyarenotafirst-classbird;butagooddealmaybegotoutofthembythefollowingmethod:Dress them,at therateof twobirdstooneman;savethegiblets;placeinthekettleandboiluntilthesliverwilleasilypiercethebreast;forkthemout,cutthethickmeatfromeachsideofthebreastbone,rollslightlyinflourand put the pieces in the pan, frying them in the same way as directed forsquirrels.Puttheremainderofthebirdsinthekettleforastew.

Quailaregoodcookedinthesamemanner,butarebetterroastedorbroiled.To roast them, parboil for fifteen minutes, and in the meantime cut a thinhardwood stick, eighteen inches long for eachbird.Sharpen the sticksneatly atbothends;impalethebirdsononeendandthrustthesticksintothegroundnearthefire,leaningthemsothattheheatwillstrikestronglyandevenly.Hangastrip

of pork between the legs of each bird and turn frequently until they are a richbrown.When the sharpened sliver will pass easily through the breast they aredone.

Woodcockaretobeplucked,butnotdrawn.Suspendthebirdinabright,clearheat,hangaribbonoffatporkbetweenthelegsandroastuntilwelldone;donotparboilhim.

Ruffed grouse are excellent roasted in the samemanner, but should first beparboiled.Mallards,teal,butterballs,alledibleducks,aretobetreatedthesameasgrouse.Ifyouareeverluckyenoughtofeastonacanvas-backroastedasabove,youwillbeapttoborrowaleaffromOliverTwist.

Venison steak should be pounded to tenderness, pressed and worked intoshapewith thehunting-knifeandbroiledoverabedofcleanhardwoodcoals.Athree-pronged birch fork makes the best broiler. For roast venison, the bestportionistheforwardpartofthesaddle.Trimofftheflankypartsandendsoftheribs; split thebackbone lengthwise, that the inner surfacemaybewell exposed;hangitbyastrongcordorbarkstringinapowerful,evenheat;laythinstripsofporkalongtheupperedgeandturnfromtimetotimeuntildone.Ithadbetterbeleftalittlerarethanoverdone.Nexttothesaddleforroasting,comestheshoulder.Peelthissmoothlyfromtheside,usingthehuntingknife;trimneatlyandcutoffthelegattheknee;gashthethickestpartofthefleshandpressshredsofporkintothegashes,withtwoorthreethinslicesskeweredtotheupperpart.Treatitintheroastingasdescribedabove. It isnotequal to thesaddlewhenwarm,butslicedandeatencold,isquiteasgood.

And do not despise the fretful porcupine; he is better than he looks. If youhappenonahealthyyoungspecimenwhenyouareneedingmeat,givehimashowbefore condemning him. Shoot him humanely in the head and dress him. It iseasily done; there are no quills on the belly and the skin peels as freely as arabbit’s.Takehimtocamp,parboilhimforthirtyminutesandroastorbroilhimtoa richbrownoverabedof glowing coals.Hewillneednopork tomakehimjuicy,andyouwillfindhimverylikespringlamb,onlybetter.

Idonotacceptthedecisionthatranksthelittlegrayrabbitasahare,simplybecause he has a slit in his lip; at all events I shall call him a rabbit forconvenience, todistinguishhim fromhis longlegged cousin,who turnswhite inwinter, never takes to a hole and can keep ahead of hounds nearly all day,affordinga game,musical chase that is seldomoutofhearing.Heneverbyanychancehasanounceoffatonhimandisnotverygoodeating.Hecan,however,beworkedintoagoodsteworapassablesoup—providedhehasnotbeenfeedingon laurel. The rabbit is an animal of different habits and different attributes.Whenjumpedfromhisform,heisaptto“digout”foraholeortheneareststoneheap.Sometimesanoldonewillpotteraroundathicket,aheadofaslowdog,buthistendencyisalwaystohole.Butheaffordssomesport,andasanarticleoffood,beatsthelong-leggedhareoutofsight.Heisexcellentinstewsorsoups,whilethe

after half of him, flatened downwith the hatchet, parboiled and fried brown inbutterorporkfat,isequaltospringchicken.

Inthecookingoffish,asoffleshandfowl,theplainestandsimplestmethodsarebest;andforanythingundertwopounds,itisnotnecessarytogobeyondthefryingpan.Troutofoverapoundshouldbesplitdowntheback,thattheymayliewellinthepanandcookevenly.Rollwellinmeal,oramixtureofmealandflour,andfrytoarichbrowninporkfat,pipinghot.Largerfishmayjustaswellbefried,butarealsoadaptedtoothermethods,andtherearepeoplewholikefishbroiledandbuttered,orboiled.Tobroilafish,splithimonthebackandbroilhimfourminutes,fleshsidedown,turnandbroiltheothersideanequaltlme.Butterandseasontotaste.Tobroil,thefishshouldweighthreepoundsormore.Cleanandcrimphimbygashingthesidesdeeplywithasharpknife.Puthiminakettleofboilingwater, strongly salted and boil twenty-fiveminutes. For each additionalpoundabovethree,addfiveminutes.Forgravy,rubtogethertwotablespoonfulsof flour and one ofmelted butter, add one heaping teaspoon full of evaporatedmilk and thin with liquor from the kettle. When done, it should have theconsistencyofcream.Takethefishfromthekettle,drain,pourthegravyover itand eat only with wheat bread or hardtack, with butter. The simplest is best,healthiestandmostappetizing.

As a rule, on a mountain in tramp or a canoe cruise, I do not tote cannedgoods. Icarrymyduffle ina light,pliableknapsack,andthere isanaggravatingantagonismbetweentheuncompromisingrimsofafruit-canandtheknobsofmyvertebrae,thattwentyyearsofpracticehaveutterlyfailedtoreconcile.Andyet,Ihavefoundmyaccount inacanofcondensedmilk,not for teaorcoffee,butonbread as a substitute for butter.And I have found a small can ofBoston bakedbeansamosthelpful lunch,withanine-mile carryahead. Itwasnot epicurean,buthadstayingqualities.

Ioftenhaveacalltopilotsomemuscularyoungfriendintothedeepforestandheusuallycarriesalargepack-basket,withafullsupplyofquartcansofsalmon,tomatoes,peaches,etc.As indutybound,Iadmonishhimkindly,but firmly,onthe folly of loading his young shoulders with such effeminate luxuries; often, Ifear,hurtinghisyoungfeelingsbybrusqueadvice.Butatnight,whenthecampfireburnsbrightlyandhebeginstofishouthistins,theheartoftheOldWoodsmanrelents,andImakeamendsbyallowinghimtodividethegroceries.

Thereisamethodatcookingusuallycalled“muddingup,”whichIhavefoundtopreserve the flavor and juiciness of ducks, grouse, etc., better than anyothermethod.IdescribedthemethodinForestandStreammorethanayearago,butabriefrepetitionmaynotbeoutofplacehere.Supposethebirdtobecookedisamallard,orbetterstill,acanvas-back.Cutofftheheadandmostpartoftheneck;cut off the and pull out the tail feathers,make a plastic cake of clay ortenaciousearthaninchthickandlargeenoughtoenvelopthebirdandcoverhimwithitsnugly.Diganovalpitunderthefore-stick,largeenoughtoholdhim,and

pinions

fillitwithhotcoals,keepingupastrongheat.Justbeforeturninginforthenight,cleanoutthepit,put inthebird,coverwithhotembersandcoals,keepingupabriskfireoveritallnight.Whentakenoutinthemorningyouwillhaveanoval,oblongmassofbakedclay,withawellroastedbirdinside.Letthemasscooluntilit can be handled, break off the clay, and feathers and skin will come with it,leaving thebirdcleanandskinless.Season itasyoueat,withsalt,pepperandasqueezeoflemonifyoulike,nothingelse.

Inselectingsalt,choosethatwhichhasagrittyfeelwhenrubbedbetweenthethumb and finger, and use white pepper rather than black, grinding the berryyourself.Procureacommontinpepper-boxandfill itwithamixtureof finesaltandCayennepepper—tenspoonsfulsoftheformerandoneofthelatter.Haveitalwayswhereyoucanlayyourhandonit;youwillcometouseitdailyincamp,andifyouevergetlost,youwillfinditofvalue.Fishandgameleaveaflat,flashytasteeatenwithoutsalt,andarealsounwholesome.

Donotcarryanyof theonehundredandonecondiments,sauces,garnishes,etc., laid down in the books. Salt, pepper and lemons fill the bill in that line.Lobster-sauce, shrimp-sauce, marjoram, celery, parsley, thyme, anchovies, etc.,maybeleftatthehotels.

Itmaybeexpectedthatapocketvolumeonwoodcraftshouldcontainaliberalchapterof instructiononhunting.Itwouldbequiteuseless.Hunters, likepoets,are born, not made. The art cannot be taught on paper. A few simple hints,however, may not be misplaced. To start aright, have your clothes fitted forhunting. Select good cassimere of a sort of dull, no colored, neutral tint, like adecayedstump;andhavecoat,pantsandcapmadeofit.Forfoot-gear,twopairsofheavyyarnsocks,withrubbershoesorbuckskinmoccasins.Inhunting,“silenceis gold.”Goquietly, slowly and silently.Remember that the bright-eyed, sharp-eared woodfolk can see, hear and smell, with a keenness that throws our dullfacultiesquiteintheshade.Asyougolumberingandstick-breakingthroughthewoods,youwillneverknowhowmanyofthesequietlyleaveyourpathtorightandleft,allowingyoutopass,whiletheyglideaway,unseen,unknown.Itiseasilyseenthatasharp-sensed,lightbodieddenizenofthewoodscandetecttheapproachofaheavy,bifurcated,bootedanimal,alongwayaheadandavoidhimaccordingly.

But there is an art, little known and practiced, that invariably succeeds inouthinkingmost wild animals; an art, simple in conception and execution, butrequiringpatience:aspecies,sotospeak,ofhighartinforestry—theartof“sittingonalog.”Icouldenlargeonthis.Imightsaythattheonlywriterofanynotewhohasmentioned this phase of woodcraft is Mr. Charles D.Warner; and he onlyspeaksofitinpaintingthecharacterofthatlazyoldguide,“OldPhelps.”

Sitting on a log includes a deal of patience, with oftentimes cold feet andchatteringteeth;but,attendedtofaithfullyandpatiently,isquiteassuccessfulaschasingadeeralldayontrackingsnow,whileitcanbepracticedwhentheleavesaredryandnoothermodeofstillhuntingoffers theghostofachance.Whena

man ismoving through thewoods,wary,watchful animals are pretty certain tocatch sight of him. But let him keep perfectly quiet and the conditions arereversed.Ihavehadmybest luckandkilledmybestdeer,bypracticallywaitinghourafterhouronrunways.Butthetimewhenahuntercouldgetfourorfivefairshotsinadaybywatchingarunwayhaspassedawayforever.Neveranymorewillbuffalobeseeninsolidmassescoveringsquaremilesinonepack.Theimmensebandsofelkanddrovesofdeerarethingsofthepast,and“Thegamemustgo.”

A

CHAPTERVIIIATenDays’TripInTheWilderness—GoingItAlone

BOUT the only inducements I can think of formaking a ten days’ journeythroughastrongwilderness,solitaryandalone,werea likingforadventure,

intense love of nature in herwildest dress, and a strange fondness for being indeepforestsbymyself.Thechoiceofroutewasdeterminedbythefactthattwooldfriends and school-mates had chosen to cast their lots in Michigan, one nearSaginawBay,theotheramongthepinesoftheMuskegon.Andbothwerealittlehomesick,andbothwrotefrequentletters,inwhich,knowingmyweakpoint,theyexhaustedtheiradjectivesandadverbsindescribingtheabundanceofgameandthemarvelousfishing.Now,theMuskegonfriend—Davis—wasprettywelloutofreach.ButPeteWilliams,onlya fewmilesoutofSaginaw,waseasilyaccessible.Andsoithappened,onabrightOctobermorning,whentherecameafrostthatcutfromMainetoMissouri,thatasuddenfancytookmetousemynewBillinghurston something larger than squirrels. It took about oneminute to decide and anhourtopacksuchduffleasIneededforafewweeksinthewoods.

RememberingPete’stwobrown-eyed“kids,”andknowingthattheywereague-stricken and homesick, Imade place for a few apples and peaches, with a ripemelon.ForPeteandIhadbeenchumsinRochesterandIhadbunkedinhisatticonGalushaStreet,fortwoyears.Also,hisbabiesthoughtasmuchofmeasoftheirfather.ThetriptoSaginawwaseasyandpleasant.A“Redbird”packettoBuffalo,theoldpropellerGlobetoLowerSaginawandarideofhalfadayonabuckboard,broughtmetoPeteWilliams’clearing.Weretheygladtoseeme?Well,Ithinkso.Peteandhiswifecriedlikechildren,whilethetwolittlehomesick“kids”laidtheirsilkenheadsonmykneesandsobbedforveryjoy.WhenIbroughtouttheapplesand peaches, assuring them that these came from the little garden of their oldhome—liarthatIwas—theirdelightwasboundless.Andthefactthattheirfavoritetreewasa“sourbough,”while theseweresweet,didnotshaketheir faith intheleast.

IstayedtendaysormorewiththeWilliamsfamilyandthefishingandhuntingwere all that he had said—all that could be asked. The woods swarmed withpigeons and squirrels; grouse, quail, ducks andwild turkeyswere too plentiful,while a goodhunter could scarcely fail of getting a standing shot at a deer in amorning’shunt.But,whatusecouldbemadeoffishorgameinsuchaplace?Theywereallhalfsickandhadlittleappetite.Mrs.Williamscouldnotendurethesmelloffish;theyhadbeencloyedonsmallgameandweresurfeitedonvenison.

Mysportingardorsanktozero.Ihadthedecencynottoslaughtergamefortheloveofkilling,andleaveittorot,orhooklargefishthatcouldnotbeused.IsoongrewrestlessandbegantothinkoftenaboutthelumbercampontheMuskegon.By surveyors’ lines it was hardly more than sixty miles from Pete Williams’clearingtotheJoeDaviscampontheMuskegon.“Butpractically,”saidPete,“JoeandIareathousandmilesapart.Whitemen,asarule,don’tundertaketocross

thiswilderness.TheonlyoneIknowwhohastrieditisoldBillHance;hecantellyouallaboutit.”

HancewasthehuntingandtrappinggeniusofSaginawBay—amanwhodweltinthewoodssummerandwinter,andnevertrimmedhishairorworeanyothercovering onhis head.Not amisanthrope, or taciturn, but friendly and talkativerather; likingbestto livealone,butfondoftrampingacrossthewoodstogossipwithneighbors;averytallmanwithalandsothinthat,ashewentrapidlywindingandturningamongfallen logs,you lookedtoseehimtangleupandtumble inaloose coil, like a wet rope, but he was better than he looked. He had a highreputation as trailer, guide, or trapper and wasmentioned as a “badman in aracket.” I hadmet him several times, and as hewas decidedly a character, hadrather laidmyself out to cultivate him. And now that I began to have a strongnotionofcrossingthewoodsalone,ItookcounselofBillHance.UnlikeWilliams,hethoughtitperfectlyfeasibleandratheraneat,gameythingforayoungstertodo.Hehadcrossedthewoodsseveraltimeswithsurveyingpartiesandoncealone.He knew an Indian trail which led to an old camp within ten miles of theMuskegonand thought the trail couldbe followed. It tookhima little less thanthreedays togo through; “but,”headded, “Inat’rally travela little faster in thewoods thanmostmen. Ifyoucan followthe trail,youought toget through inalittlemore’nthreedays—ifyoukeep .”

OneafternoonIcarefullypackedtheknapsackandorganizedforalongwoodstramp.Itooklittlestockinthattrail,orthethreedays’notionastotime.Imadecalculationsonlosingthetrail thefirstdayandbeingouta fullweek.Theoutfitconsistedofrifle,hatchet,compass,blanket-bag,knapsackandknife.Forrations,one loaf ofbread, twoquartsofmeal, twopoundsofpork, onepoundof sugar,withtea,salt,etc.andasupplyofjerkedvenison.Onetindish,twelveroundsofammunitionandthebullet-molds,filledthelist,anddidnotmakeaheavyload.

Earlyonacrisp,brightOctobermorningIkissedthelittlefellowsgoodbyeandstartedoutwithHance,whowas toputmeon the trail. I left the childrenwithsorrowandpityatheart.Iamgladnowthatmyvisitwasagoldenhiatus inthesickmonotonyof theiryoung livesandthatIwasable tobrightena fewdaysoftheirdrearyexistence.Theyhadbeggedfortheprivilegeofsleepingwithmeonashake-downfromthefirst;andwhen,asoftenhappened,apairof little feverishlipswouldmurmurtimidlyandpleadingly,“I’msodry;canIhaveadrink?”Iamthankful that I didnot put thepleader offwith a sip of tepidwater, but alwaysbrought it from the spring, sparkling and cold. For, a twelve-month later, therewere two little graves in a corner of the stump-blackened garden, and two soreheartsinPeteWilliams’cabin.

Hancefoundthetraileasily,buttheIndianshadbeengonealongtimeanditwasfilledwithleaves,dimandnoteasytofollow.Itendedasnearlyalltrailsdo;itbranchedoff torightand left,grewdimmerandslimmer,degeneratedtoadeerpath,peteredouttoasquirreltrack,ranupatreeandendedinaknothole.Iwas

moggin’

notsorry.Itleftmefreetofollowmynose,myinclinationandthecompass.

Therearemenwho,onfindingthemselvesaloneinapathlessforest,becomeappalled,almostpanicstricken.Thevastnessofanunbrokenwildernesssubduesthemandtheyquailbeforetherelentless,untamedforcesofnature.Thesearethemen who grow enthusiastic—at home—about sylvan life, outdoor sports, butalwaysstrikecampandcomehomerathersoonerthantheyintended.Andtherebe some who plunge into an unbroken forest with a feeling of fresh, free,invigoratingdelight,astheymightdashintoacrispoceansurfonahotday.Theseknow that nature is stern, hard, immovable and terrible in unrelenting cruelty.Whenwintry winds are out and themercury far below zero, shewill allow hermostardentlovertofreezeonhersnowybreastwithoutwavingaleafinpity,orofferinghimamatch;andscoresofherdevoteesmaystarvetodeathinasmanydifferent languages before she will offer a loaf of bread. She does not deal inmatchesandloaves;ratherinthunderboltsandgranitemountains.Andtheashesof her campfires bury proud cities. But, like all tyrants, she yields to force andgives themore, themore she is beaten. Shemay starve or freeze the poet, thescholar, thescientist;all thesame,shehas instorefood, fuelandshelter,whichtheskillful,self-reliantwoodsmancanwringfromhersavagehandwithaxeandrifle.

OnlytohimwhosecoatofragsHaspressedatnightherregalfeet,Shallcomethesecrets,strangeandsweet,Ofcenturypinesandbeetlingcrags.

ForhimthegoddessshallunlockThegoldensecretswhichhavelainTenthousandyears,throughfrostandrain,Deepinthebosomoftherock.

Thetripwasalongandtiresomeone,consideringthedistance.Therewerenohairbreadthescapes;Iwasnottackledbybears,treedbywolves,ornearlykilledby a hand-to-claw “racket” with a panther; and there were no Indians to comesneak-huntingaroundafterhair.Animallifewasabundant,exuberant,even.Butthebright-eyedwoodfolkseemedtame,nay,almostfriendly,andquiteintentonmindingtheirownbusiness. Itwasa“pigeonyear,”a“squirrelyear,”andalsoamarvelousyearfor or .Everynut-bearingtreewas loadedwithsweetwell-fillednuts;andthis,coupledwith the fact that theIndianshad leftandthewhiteshadnotyetgotin,probablyaccountedfortheplentitudeofgame.

Idonotthinktherewasanhourofdaylightonthetripwhensquirrelswerenottoonumeroustobecounted,whilepigeonswereaconstantquantityfromstarttofinish.Grouseinthethicketsandquailinthehighoakopenings,orsmallprairies,with droves ofwild turkeys among heavy timber,weremetwith almost hourly,andtherewasscarcelyadayonwhichIcouldnothavehadastandingshotatabear. But the most interesting point about the game was—to me, at least—the

shack mast

marvelousabundanceofdeer.Theywereeverywhere,onallsortsofgroundandamongallvarietiesoftimber;verytametheywere,too,oftenstoppingtolookatthe stranger, offering easy shots at short range, and finally going off quiteleisurely.

No ardent lover of forest life could be lonely in such company and in suchweather. The only drawback was the harassing and vexatiousmanner in whichlakes, streams, swamps and marshes constantly persisted in getting across theway, compelling long detours to the north or south, when the true course wasnearly due west. I think there were days on which ten hours of pretty faithfultrampingdidnotresult inmorethanthreeor fourmilesofdirectheadway.TheheadwatersoftheSaltandChippewariverswereespeciallyobstructive;and,whenmore than half the distance was covered, I ran into a tangle of small lakes,marshesand swamps,notmarkedon themap,which cost ahardday’swork toleavebehind.

While therewere no startling adventures and no danger connectedwith thetrip,therewasaconstantsuccessionofincidents,thatmadethelonelytrampfarfrommonotonous. Some of these occurrences were intensely interesting, and alittle exciting.Perhaps thebrief recital of a fewmaynotbeuninteresting at thepresentday,whengameissorapidlydisappearing.

My riflewas a neat, hair-triggeredBillinghurst, carrying sixty roundballs tothepound,amuzzle-loader,ofcourse,andanail-driver.Imadejustthreeshotsinten days, and each shot stood for a plump young deer in the .” Itseemedwickedtomurdersuchabright,gracefulanimal,whennomorethantheloinsandacoupleofslicesfromthehamcouldbeused,leavingthebalancetothewolves, who never failed to take possession before I was out of ear shot. But Icondonedtheexcess,ifexcessitwere,bythemanychancesIallowedtopass,notonlyondeerbutbear,andonceonabigbruteofawildhog, thewickedestandmostformidablelookinganimalIevermetinthewoods.Themeetinghappenedinthiswise.Ihadbeenbotheredandweariedforhalfadaybyabadpieceoflow,marshy ground and had at length struck a dry, rolling oak openingwhere I satdownat the footofa smalloak to rest. Ihadscarcelybeenresting tenminutes,whenIcaughtsightofa large,dirty-whiteanimal,slowlyworking itsway inmydirection through the low bushes, evidently nosing around for acorns. I waspuzzledtosaywhatitwas.Itlookedlikeahog,butstoodtoohighonitslegs;andhowwouldsuchabeastgetthereanyhow?Nearerandnearerhecameandatlastwalkedoutintoanopenspotlessthantwentyyardsdistant.Itwasawildhogofthe ugliest and largest description; tall as a yearling, with an unnaturally largeheadanddangerouslookingtusks,thatcurvedabovehissavagesnoutlikesmallhorns.Therewaspromiseofmagnificentpowerinhisimmenseshoulders,whileflanksandhamsweredisproportionatelylight.Hecameouttotheopenleisurelymunching his acorns, or amusing himself by ploughing deep furrows with hisnose, and not until within ten yards did he appear to note the presence of astranger.Suddenlyheraisedhisheadandbecamerigidasthoughfrozentostone;

“short blue

hewastakinganobservation.Forafewsecondsheremainedimmovable,thenhisbristles became erect and with a deep guttural, grunting noise, he commencedhitchinghimselfalonginmydirection,sidewise.MyhairraisedandinaninstantIwasonmyfeetwiththecockedrifletomyshoulder—meaningtoshootbeforehischargeandthenmakegoodtimeupthetree.Buttherewasnoneed.AsIsprangtomy feethesprang for thehazelbushesandwent tearing through themwith thespeedofadeer,keepingupasuccessionofsnortsandgruntsthatcouldbeheardlong after he had passed out of sight. I am not subject to buck fever and wasdisgustedtofindmyselfsobadly“rattled”thatIcouldscarcelyhandletherifle.AtfirstIwasprovokedatmyselffornotgettingagoodreadyandshootinghiminthehead,ashecameoutofthebushes;butitwasbetterto lethimlive.Hewasnotcarnivorous,orabeastofprey,anduglyashewas, certainly lookedbetteralivethan he would as a porcine corpse. No doubt he relished his acorns as well asthoughhehadbeenlessugly,andhewasasavagepowerintheforest.Bearslovepork; and the fact that the hog was picking up a comfortable living in thatwilderness,ispresumptiveevidencethathewasamatchforthelargestbear,orhewouldhavebeeneatenlongbefore.

Another little incident, inwhichBruin played a leading part, rises vividly tomemory.Itwashardlyanadventure;onlythemeetingofmanandbear,andtheypartedongoodterms,withnohardnessoneitherside.

Themeeting occurred, as usuallywas the casewith large game, on dry, oaklands,wheretheundergrowthwashazel,sasafrasandwildgrapevine.Asbefore,Ihad paused for a rest, when I began to catch glimpses of a very black animalworking itswayamong thehazelbushes,under the scatteringoaks, and towardme.Withnodefiniteintentionofshooting,butjusttoseehoweasyitmightbetokill him, I got a good ready, and waited. Slowly and lazily he nuzzled his wayamong the trees, sitting up occasionally to crunch acorns, until he was withintwenty-fiveyardsofme,withthebrightbeadneatlyshowingatthebuttofhisear,andhesittingonhishaunches,calmlychewinghisacorns,obliviousofdanger.Hewas the shortest-legged,blackest andglossiestbear Ihadever seen; and suchafairshot.ButIcouldnotuseeitherskinormeat,andhewasasplendidpicturejust ashe sat. Shotdownand left to taint theblessed air, hewouldnot look aswholesome, let alone that it would be unwarrantablemurder. And so, when hecamenosingundertheverytreewhereIwassitting,Isuddenlyjumpedup,threwmy hat at him and gave a Comanche yell. He tumbled over in a limp heap,grunting andwhining for very terror, gatheredhimself up, got upheadway anddisappearedwithwonderfulspeed—consideringthelengthofhislegs.

On another occasion—and thiswas in heavy timber—Iwas resting on a log,partiallyconcealedbyspicebushes,whenInoticedalargeflockofturkeyscominginmydirection.Astheyrapidlyadvancedwiththeirquick,glidingwalk,theflockgrewtoadrove,thedrovebecameaswarm—anarmy.Torightandontheleft,asfarasIcouldseeinfront,alegionofturkeysweremarching,steadilymarchingtotheeastward.Among themwere someof thegrandestgobblers Ihadever seen,

andonemagnificentfellowcamestraighttowardme.NeverbeforeorsincehaveIseensucha splendidwildbird.His thick, glossyblackbeardnearly reached theground,hisbronzeuniformwasoftherichest,andhewasdecidedlythelargestIhaveeverseen.WhenwithinfiftyfeetofthespotwhereIwasnearlyhidden,hiswary eye caught something suspicious; and he raised his superb head for aninstant in an attitude of motionless attention. Then, with lowered head anddrooping tail, he turned right about, gave the note of alarm, put the trunk of alargetreequicklybetweenhimselfandtheenemy,andwentawaylikethewind.Withthespeedofthoughtthewarningnotewassoundedalongthewholelineandinamoment thewoodsseemedalivewith turkeys, running fordear life. In lesstimethanittakestotellit,that armyhadpassedoutofsight,forever.Andthelikeofitwillneveragainbepossibleonthiscontinent.

And again, on themorning of the sixth day out, I blundered on to such anaggregationofdeerasamanseesbutonceinalifetime.Ihadcampedovernighton low land,amongheavytimber,butsoonafterstrikingcamp,cametoaplacewhere the timberwasscatteringandthe landhadagentlerise to thewestward.ScarcelyhadIleftthelowlandbehind,whenafewdeergotoutoftheirbedsandcommencedlazilyboundingaway.Theyweresoonjoinedbyothers;ontherightflank, on the left and ahead, they continued to rise and canter off leisurely,stopping at a distance of one or two hundred yards to look back. It struckmefinallythatIhadstartedsomethingratherunusualandIbegancountingthedeerinsight.Itwasuselesstoattemptit;theirwhiteflagswereflyinginfrontandonbothflanks,asfarasonecouldsee,andnewonesseemedconstantlyjoiningtheprocession.Among themwere several very largebuckswith superbantlers, andtheseseemedvery littleafraidof the small,quietbiped in leaf-colored rig.Theyoftenpausedtogazebackwithbold,fearlessfront,asthoughinclinedtocallahaltand face the music; but when within a hundred yards, would turn and canterleisurely away.As the herdneared the summit of the low-lying ridge, I tried tomakeareasonableguessattheirnumbers,bycountingapartandestimatingtherest,butcouldcometonosatisfactoryconclusion.Astheypassedthesummitandloped down the gentle decline toward heavy timber, they began to scatter, andsoonnotaflagwasinsight.Itwasamagnificentcervinearmywithwhitebanners,andIshallneverlookuponitslikeagain.ThelargestdroveofdeerIhaveseenintwentyyearsconsistedofsevenonly.

Andwithmuchofinterest,muchoftramping,andnotalittlevexatiousdelay,IcameatlengthtoastreamthatIknewmustbethesouthbranchoftheMuskegon.Themainrivercouldscarcelybemorethantenmilestothewestwardandmightbeeasilyreachedinoneday.

Itwas time.Themealandporkwerenearlygone, sugarand teawereat lowebbandIwastiredofvenison;tiredanyhow;readyforhumanspeechandhumancompanionship.

ItwasintheafternoonoftheninthdaythatIcrossedtheSouthMuskegonand

gallinaceous

laidacoursewestbynorth.Thetravelingwasnotbad;andinlessthananhourIran on to the ruins of a camp that I knew to be the work of Indians. It hadevidently been a permanent winter camp and was almost certainly the IndiancampspokenofbyBillHance.Pausingashorttimetolookovertheruins,withthelonely feelingalways inducedbyadecayed, rottingcamp, I struckduewestandmadeseveralmilesbeforesundown.

Icampedonalittlerill,nearahugedrystubthatwouldpeel,madethelastofthemeal intoaJohnnycake,broiledthe lastsliceofporkand laydownwith thenotionthatatendays’tramp,whereittookanaverageoffifteenmilestomakesix,oughttoendonthemorrow.AtsunriseIwasagainonfoot,andafterthreehoursofsteadytramping,sawasmokyopeningahead.InfiveminutesIwasstandingontheleftbankoftheMuskegon.

AndtheJoeDaviscamp—was itupstreamordown?Idecidedon the latter,andstartedslowlydownstream,keepinganeyeoutforsigns.InlessthananhourIstruckadimlogroadwhichledtotheriverandtherewasa“landing,”withtheusualdebrisofskids,loosebark,chocksandsomepiecesofbrokenboards.Itdidnottakelongtoconstructanefficientlograftfromthedryskids,andasIdriftedplacidly down the deep, wild river, munching the last bit of Johnnycake, Iinwardlysworethatmynextwildernesscruiseshouldbebywater.

Itwas in late afternoon that I heard—blessed sound—the eager clank, clank,clankoftheold-fashionedsawmill.Itgrewnearerandmoredistinct;presentlyIcoulddistinguish the rumbleofmachineryas thecarriagegiggedback; then theraftroundedagentlebend,andamill,withitslong,logboarding-house,camefullinsight.

As the raft swung into the landing themill became silent; a brown-bearded,red-shirtedfellowcamedowntowelcomeme,apairofstronghandsgraspedbothmyownandthevoiceofJoeDavissaidearnestly,“Why,George!Ineverwassodamnedgladtoseeamaninmylife!”

The ten days’ tramp was ended. It had been wearisome to a degree, butinterestingand instructive.Ihadseenmoregamebirdsandanimals inthetimethan I ever sawbeforeor since inawhole season;and, though I cameoutwithclothesprettywellwornandtornoffmybackandlegs,Iwasalittledisposedtoplumemyselfontheachievement.EvenatthisdayIamalittleproudofthefactthat,withsomanytemptationstoslaughter,Ionlyfiredthreeshotsontheroute.Nothingbuttheexceptionallyfine,dryweatherrenderedsuchatrippossibleinawildernesssocutupwithswamps,lakes,marshesandstreams.Aweekofsteadyrainoraprematuresnowstorm—eitherlikelyenoughatthatseason—wouldhavebeenmost disastrous; while a forest fire like that of ’56 and later ones, wouldsimplyhaveprovedfatal.

Reader, ifeveryouaretemptedtomakeasimilarthoughtless,recklesstrip—don’tdoit.

T

CHAPTERIXTheLightCanoeAndDoubleBlade—VariousCanoesFor

VariousCanoeists—ReasonsForPreferringTheClinker-BuiltCedar

HEcanoe is coming to the front and canoeing is gaining rapidly inpopularfavor,inspiteofthedisparagingremarkthat“acanoeisapoorman’syacht.”

ThecanoeeditorofForestandStreampertinentlysays,“wemayasproperlycallabicyclethepoorman’sexpresstrain.”But,supposeitisthepoorman’syacht?Arewetobedebarredfromaquaticsportsbecausewearenotrich?Andarewesuchweakflunkiesastobeashamedofpoverty?Ortoattemptshamsandsubterfugestohideit?Formyself,Ifreelyaccepttheimputation.Incommonwithnine-tenthsofmyfellowcitizensIampoor—andthecanoeismyyacht,asitwouldbewereIamillionaire.Weareanationofmanymillionsandcomparativelyfewofusarerichenoughtosupportayacht, letalonethe fact thatnotoneman in fifty livesnearenough to yachting waters to make such an acquisition desirable—or feasible,even.Itisdifferentwiththecanoe.Amanlikemyselfcanliveinthebackwoods,ahundredmiles from a decent sized inland lake andmuch further from the seacoast,andyetbeanenthusiasticcanoeist.Forinstance.

LastJulyImademypreparationsforacanoecruiseandspunoutwithaslittledelayaspossible. Ihadpitchedon theAdirondacksas cruisinggroundandhadmore than 250miles of railroads and buckboards to take, before launching thecanoeonMooseRiver.ShewascarriedthirteenmilesovertheBrown’sTractroadontheheadofherskipper,cruisedfromthewesternsideoftheWildernesstotheLowerSt.Regisontheeastside,cruisedbackagainbyasomewhatdifferentroute,wastakenhometoPennsylvaniaonthecars,250miles,sentbacktoherbuilder,St.LawrenceCounty,N.Y.,over300miles,thencebyrailtoNewYorkCity,where,thelastIheardofher,shewasonexhibitionattheForestandStreamoffice.Shetookherchancesinthebaggagecar,withnospecialcareandistoday,sofarasIknow,staunchandtight,withnotacheckinherfrailsiding.

Such cruising can only bemade in a very light canoe and with a very lightoutfit.Itwassometimesnecessarytomakeseveralcarriesinoneday,aggregatingasmuchastenmiles,besidesfromfifteentotwentymilesunderpaddle.Noheavy,decked,paddlingorsailingcanoewouldhavebeenavailableforsuchatripwithamanofordinarymuscle.

The difference between a lone, independent cruise through an almostunbrokenwilderness and cruisingalong civilized routes,where the canoeist caninterview farm houses and village groceries for supplies, getting gratuitousstonings from the small boy andmuch reviling from ye ancientmariner of thetowpath—I say, the difference is just immense.Whence it comes that I alwayspreferaverylight,opencanoe;onethatIcancarryalmostaseasilyasmyhat,andyetthatwill floatmeeasily,buoyantlyandsafely.Andsuchacanoewasmylast

cruiser.Sheonlyweighedtenandone-halfpoundswhenfirstlaunched,andafteranallsummerrattlingbylandandwaterhadonlygainedhalfapound.Idonotthereforeadviseanyonetobuyatenandahalfpoundcanoe;althoughshewouldprove competent for a skilful lightweight. She was built to order, as a test oflightnessandwasthethirdexperimentinthatline.

I havenothing to say against the really fine canoes that are inhighest favortoday.WereIfondofsailingandsatisfiedtocruiseonrouteswhereclearingsaremoreplentifulthancarries,IdaresayIshouldrunaShadow,orStellaMaris,atacostofconsiderablymorethan$100—thoughIshouldhardlycallita“poorman’syacht.”

Much is being said andwritten at the present day as to the “perfect canoe.”One writer decides in favor of a Pearl 15 x 31 1/2 inches. In the same columnanother says, “the perfect canoe does not exist.” I should rather say there areseveraltypesofthemoderncanoe,eachnearlyperfectinitswayandfortheusetowhichitisbestadapted.Theperfectpaddlingcanoeisbynomeansperfectundercanvasandviceversa.Thebestcruiserisnotaperfectracer,whileneitherofthemisatallperfectasapaddlingcruiserwheremuchcarryingistobedone.Andthemostperfectcanoeforfishingandgunningaroundshallow,marshywaters,wouldbe a very imperfect canoe for a rough and ready cruise of one hundred milesthroughastrangewilderness,whereaday’scruisewillsometimesincludeadozenmilesofcarrying.

Believing, as I do, that the light, single canoe with double-bladed paddle isbound to soon become a leading—if not the leading—feature in summerrecreation,andhavingbeenalightcanoeistfornearlyfiftyyears,duringthelasttwentyofwhichIexperimentedmuchwiththeviewofreducingweight,perhapsIcangivesomehintsthatmayhelpayoungermanintheselectionofacanoewhichshallbesafe,pleasanttorideandnotburdensometocarry.

Letmepromisethat,uptofouryearsago,Iwasneverabletogetacanoethatentirelysatisfiedmeastoweightandmodel.IboughtthesmallestbirchesIcouldfind;procureda tinyChippewadugout fromNorthMichiganandonceownedakayak.Theywerealltooheavyandtheywerecrankytoadegree.

About twenty years ago I commenced making my own canoes. Theconstructionwasofthesimplest;a22inchpineboardforthebottom,planedto3/4ofaninchthickness;twowide1/2inchboardsforthesidesandtwolightoakstems;fivepiecesofwoodinall.Ifoundthatthebendofthesidinggavetoomuchshear; for instance, if thesidingwas12 incheswide,shewouldhaveariseof12inchesatstemsandlessthan5inchesatcenter.Buttheflatbottommadeherverystiff,andforriverworkshewasbetterthananythingIhadyettried.Shewastooheavy,however,alwaysweighingfrom45to50poundsandawkwardtocarry.

MylastcanoeofthisstylewentdowntheSusquehannawithanicejaminthespringof’79,andinthemeantimecanoeingbegantoloomup.Thebestpaperinthe country which makes outdoor sport its specially, devoted liberal space to

canoeing,andskilledboatbuilderswereadvertisingcanoesofvariousmodelsandwidely different material. I commenced interviewing the builders by letter andstudyingcataloguescarefully.Therewasawidemarginofchoice.Youcouldhave

,smoothskin,paper,veneer,orcanvas.WhatIwantedwaslightweightandgoodmodel.I likedthePeterborocanoes;theyweredecidedlycanoey.Also,the veneered Racines: but neither of them talked of a 20 pound canoe. The“Osgoodfoldingcanvas”did.ButIhadsomeknowledgeofcanvasboats.Iknewtheycouldmakeherdownto20pounds.Howmuchwouldsheweighafterbeinginthewateraweekandhowwouldshebehavewhenswampedinthemiddleofalake,werequestionstobeasked,forIalwaysgetswamped.OnebuilderofcedarcanoesthoughthecouldmakemetheboatIwanted,insideof20pounds,

andatmyownrisk,ashehardlybelievedinso lightaboat.Isenthimtheorder and he turned out what is pretty well known in Brown’s Tract as the“Nessmukcanoe.”Sheweighedjust17pounds133/4ouncesandwasthoughttobethelightestworkingcanoeinexistence.Herbuildergavemesomeadviceaboutstiffening her with braces, etc., if I found her too frail, “and he never expectedanotherlikeher.”

“Hebuildedbetterthanheknew.”Sheneedednobracing;andshewas,andis,astaunch,seaworthylittlemodel.Ifellinlovewithherfromthestart.Ihadatlastfound thecanoe that I couldride in roughwater, sleep inafloat,andcarrywitheaseformiles.Ipaddledherearlyandlate,mainlyontheFultonChain;butIalsocruisedheronRaquetteLake,Eagle,Utowana,BlueMountainandForkedLakes,Ipaddledheruntiltherewereblackandbluestreaksalongthemusclesfromwristtoelbow.ThankHeaven,Ihadfoundsomethingthatmademeaboyagain.Herlogshowsacruisefor1880ofover550miles.

Asregardshercapacity (she isnowonThirdLake,Brown’sTract),JamesP.Fifield, amuscular youngForgeHouseguideof6 feet2 inchesand 185poundsweight, took her through the FultonChain toRaquette Lake last summer; and,happeningonhiscamp,SeventhLake,lastJuly,Iaskedhimhowsheperformedunderhisweight.Hesaid,“InevermadethetriptoRaquettesolightlyandeasilyinmylife.”Andastotheopinionofherbuilder,hewroteme,underdateofNov.18, ’83: “I thoughtwhenIbuilt theNessmuk,nooneelsewouldeverwantone.ButInowbuildaboutadozenofthemayear.Greatbigmen,ladies,andtwo,aye,three schoolboys ride in them. Tis wonderful how few pounds of cedar, rightlymodeledandproperlyputtogether,ittakestofloataman.”Justso,Mr.Builder.That’swhatIsaidwhenIorderedher.Butfewseemedtoseeitthen.

The Nessmuk was by no means the ultimatum of lightness and I orderedanothersixincheslonger,twoincheswider,andtoweighabout15pounds.Whenshecametohandshewasabeauty,finishedinoilandshellac.Butsheweighed16pounds and would not only carryme andmy duffle, but I could easily carry apassengerofmyweight.Icruisedherinthesummerof’81overtheFultonChain,RaquetteLake,ForkedLake,downtheRaquetteRiver.andonLongLake.Butherlogonlyshowedarecordof206miles.Thecruisethathadbeenmappedfor600

lapstreak

clinker-built

miles was cut short by sickness and I went into quarantine at the hostelry ofMitchellSabattis.SlowlyandfeeblyIcreptbacktotheFultonChain,hungupatthe Forge House, and the cruise of the Susan Nipper was ended. Later in theseason, I sent for her and she was forwarded by express, coming out over thefearful Brown’s Tract road to Boonville (25 1/2 miles) by buckboard, FromBoonvillehome,shetookherchances inthebaggagecarwithoutprotectionandreachedherdestinationwithoutacheckorscratch.Shehangsinherslingsundertheporch,athingofbeauty—and,likemanybeauties,atriflefrail—butstaunchasthe day I took her. Her proper lading is about 200 pounds. She can float 300pounds.

Ofmylastandlightestventure,theSairyCamp,littlemoreneedbesaid.IwillonlyaddthataMr.Dutton,ofPhiladelphia,gotintoherattheForgeHouseandpaddledherlikeanoldcanoeist,thoughitwashisfirstexperiencewiththedoubleblade.Hegavehisageassixty-fouryearsandweight,140pounds.BillyCornell,abrightyoungguide,cruisedheronRaquetteLakequiteaswellasherownercoulddoit,andI thoughtshetrimmedbetterwithhim.Hepaddledat141/2pounds,whichis justaboutherright lading.Andshewasonlyanexperiment,anyhow.Iwantedtofindouthowlightacanoeittooktodrownherskipper,andIdonotyetknow.Inevershall.But,mostofall,Idesiredtosettlethequestionapproximatelyatleast,ofweight,asregardscanoeandcanoeist.

Many years ago, I became convinced thatwewere all, as canoeists, carryingandpaddlingjusttwiceasmuchwoodaswasatallneedful,andsomethingmorethanayearsince,IadvancedtheopinioninForestandStream,thattenpoundsofwellmadecedaroughttocarryonehundredpoundsofman.Thepastseasonhasmorethanprovedit;but,asImaybealittleexceptional,Ileavemyselfoutofthequestion and have orderedmy next canoe on lines and dimensions that, inmyjudgment, will be found nearly perfect for the average canoeist of 150 to 160pounds.Shewillbemuchstronger thaneitherofanyothercanoes,because fewmenwouldlikeacanoesofrailandlimberthatshecanbesprunginwardbyhandpressure on the gunwales, as easily as a hat-box.Andmanymen are clumsy orcareless with a boat, while others are by nature. Her dimensions are:Length,101/2feet;beam,26inches;riseatcenter,9inches:atseams,15inches;ovalredelmribs,1inchapart;aninchhometumble;stems,plumbandsharp;oakkeeland ;clinker-built,ofwhitecedar.

Suchacanoewillweighabout22poundsandwilldojustaswellforthemanof140or170pounds,whileevenalightweightof110poundsoughttotakeheroveraportagewithalight,elasticcarryingframe,withoutdistress.Shewilltrimbest,however,atabout160pounds.Forawelter,sayofsome200pounds,add6inchesto her length, 2 inches to her beam and 1 inch rise at center. The light weightcanoeistwillfindthateitherofthesetwocanoeswillprovesatisfactory,thatis10feetinlength,weight16pounds,or101/2feetlength,weight18pounds.Eitheriscapableof160poundsandtheyareverysteadyandbuoyant,asIhappentoknow.Idaresayanyfirstclassmanufacturerswillbuildcanoesofthesedimensions.

lubberly

keelson

Provideyourcanoewithaflooringofoilcloth31/2feetlongby15incheswide;punchholesinitandtieitneatlytotheribbing,justwhereitwillbestprotectthebottom fromwear and danger.Use only a cushion for a seat and do not buy afancy onewith permanent stuffing, but get sixpenceworth of good, unbleachedcottonclothandhaveitsewedintobagshape.Stuffthebagwithfinebrowse,drygrassorleaves,settleitwelltogetherandfastentheopenendbyturningitflatlybackandusingtwoorthreepins,Youcanemptyitifyoulikewhengoingoveracarry,anditmakesagoodpillowatnight.

Selectacanoethatfitsyou,justasyouwouldacoatorhat.A16poundcanoemayfitmeexactly,butwouldbeabadmisfitforamanof180pounds.Anddon’tneglect theauxiliarypaddle,or“puddingstick,”asmyfriendscall it.Thenotionmaybenewtomostcanoeists,butwillbefoundexceedinglyhandyanduseful.Itissimplyalittleone-handedpaddleweighing5to7ounces,20to22incheslong,withablade31/2incheswide.Workitoutofhalf-inchcherryormapleandfinethe blade down thin. Tie it to a ribwith a slip-knot, having the handle in easyreach,andwhenyoucometoanarrow,tortuouschannel,whereshrubsandweedscrowd you on both sides, take the double-blade inboard, use the pudding stick,andyoucangoalmostanywherethatamuskratcan.

Infishingfortroutorfloatingdeer,rememberyouaredealingwiththewary,andthatthebroadbladesareveryshowyinmotion.Therefore,onapproachingaspring-hole, laythedouble-bladeonthelily-padswhereyoucanpickitupwhenwantedandhandleyourcanoewiththeauxiliary.Onhookingalargefish,handletherodwithonehandandwiththeotherlaythecanoeoutintodeepwater,awayfromallentanglingalliances.Youmaybesurprisedtofindhoweasily,withalittlepractice,youcanmakeatwo-poundtroutorbasstowthecanoethewayyouwantittogo.

In floating for deer, use the double-blade only inmaking the passage to theground;thentakeitapartandlayit inboard,usingonlythelittlepaddletofloatwith,tyingittoaribwithayardandahalfoflinenline.Onapproachingadeernear enough to shoot, let go the paddle, leaving it to drift alongside while youattendtovenison.

Beneathahemlockgrimanddark,Whereshrubandvineareintertwining,Ourshanystands,wellroofedwithbark,Onwhichthecheerfulblazeisshining.Thesmokeascendsinspiralwreath,Withupwardcurvethesparksaretrending;ThecoffeekettlesingsbeneathWheresparksandsmokewithleavesareblending.

AndonthestreamalightcanoeFloatslikeafreshlyfallenfeather,Afairything,thatwillnotdoForbroaderseasandstormyweather.HersidesnothickerthantheshellOfOleBull’sCremonafiddle,ThemallwhoridesherwilldowellToparthisscalp-lockinthemiddle.

ForestRunes—Nessmuk

T

CHAPTERXOddsAndEnds—WhereToGoForAnOuting—WhyA

Clinker?—BoughsAndBrowse

HE oft-recurring question as to where to go for the outing, can hardly beansweredatall satisfactorily. Inageneralway,anyplacemay,andought to

be,satisfactory,wheretherearefreshgreenwoods,pleasantscenery,andfishandgame plenty enough to supply the camp abundantly,with boating facilities andpurewater.

“It’smoreinthemanthanit is intheland,”andtherearethousandsofsuchplaces on thewaters of the Susquehanna, theDelaware, the rivers and lakes ofMaine,Michigan,WisconsinandCanada.

AmongthelakesofCentralNewYorkonemayeasilyselectacampingground,healthy,pleasant,easilyreachedandwiththeadvantageofcheapness.Alittletoomuchcivilization,perhaps;butthefarmersarefriendlyandkindlydisposedtoallsummerouterswhobehavelikegentlemen.

Forfineforestsceneryandunequaledcanoeingfacilities,itmustbeadmittedthattheAdirondackregionstandsatthehead.Thereisalsofinefishingandgoodhunting,forthosewhoknowtherightplacestogofordeerandtrout.Butit isatedious,expensivejobgettingintotheheartoftheWilderness,anditisthemostcostlywoodlandresortIknowofwhenyouarethere.Youcankeepexpensesdown(andalsohaveamuchbettersport)byavoidingthehotelsandgoingintocampatonceandstayingthere.Thebestwayisfortwomentohireaguide,liveincampaltogetheranddividetheexpense.

AllalongtheAlleghenyrange,fromMainetoMichiganandfromPennsylvaniato the Provinces, numberless resorts exist as pleasant, as healthy, as prolific ofsport, as the famed Adironbacks, and at half the cost. But, for an all-summercanoe cruise, with more than 600 accessible lakes and ponds, the NorthernWilderness stands alone. And, as a wealthy cockney once remarked to me inBrown’sTract,“It’snoplaceforapoorman.”

AndnowIwillgivemyreasonsforpreferringtheclinker-builtcedarboat,orcanoe, to any other. First, as tomaterial. Cedar is stronger,more elastic,moreenduringandshrinkslessthanpineoranyotherlightwoodusedasboatsiding.As one of the best builders in the country says, “It has been thoroughlydemonstratedthatacedarcanoewillstandmorehardknocksthananoakone;forwhere itonlyreceivesbruises, theoak will split.”Andhemightadd, thepinewillbreak.ButIsupposeitissettledbeyonddisputethatwhitecedarstandsattheheadforboatstreaks.Ipreferitthen,becauseitisthebest.AndIprefertheclinker, because it is the strongest, simplest, most enduring and most easilyrepairedincaseofaccident.Toprovethestrengththeory,takeacedar(orpine)strip eight feet long and six incheswide.Bend it to a certain point by an equalstrainoneachendandcarefullynotetheresult.Nextstripitlengthwisewiththe

streaks

rip saw, lap the two halves an inch andnail the lap as in boat building. Test itagainandyouwillfindithasgainedinstrengthabouttwentypercent.Thatistheclinkerofit.

Nowworkthelapsdownuntilthestripisofuniformthicknessitsentirelengthandtestitoncemore;youwillfinditmuchweakerthanonfirsttrial.Thatisthesmooth skin, sometimes called lapstreak. They, the clinker canoes, are easilytightenedwhentheyspringaleakthroughbeingrattledoverstonesinrapids.Itisonly to hunt a smooth pebble for a clinch head and settle the nails that havestartedwith thehatchet, putting in a fewnewones if needed.And they areputtogether, at least by thebest builders,without any cement orwhite lead,nakedwoodtowood,anddependingonlyoncloseworkforwaterproofing.Andeachpairofstripsiscuttofitandlieinitsproperplacewithoutstrain,notwopairsbeingalike,buteachpair,from toupperstreak,havingeasy,naturalformforitsdestinedposition.

The veneered canoes are very fine, for deep water; but a few cuts on sharpstoneswill be found ruinous; and if exposedmuch toweather theyare liable towarp.Thebuildersunderstand thisandplainly say that theyprefernot tobuildfineboatsforthosewhowillneglectthepropercareofthem.

Thepaperboat,also,willnotstandmuchcuttingonsharpstones,anditisnotbuoyant when swamped, unless fitted with watertight compartments, which Iabhor.

The canvas is rather a logy, limp son of craft, to my thinking and liable todrownhercrewifswamped.

But each and all have their admirers, and purchasers as well, while each isgoodinitswayandIonlymentionafewreasonsformypreferenceofthecedar.

Whenrunninganuglyrapidorcrossingastormylake,IliketofeelthatIhaveenoughlight,seasonedwoodundermetokeepmymouthandnoseabovewaterallday,besidessavingtherifleandknapsack,which,whenrunningintodanger,Ialways tie to theribbingwithstrong linen line,as Ido thepaddlealso,giving itaboutlineenoughtojustallowfreeplay.

I am not—to use a little modern slang—going to “give myself away” oncanoeing,or talkof startlingadventure.But, for thepossibleadvantageof somefuture canoeist, I will briefly relate what happened to me on a certain windymorning one summer. It was on one of the larger lakes—no matter which—betweenPaulSmith’sandtheFultonChain.Ihadcampedovernightinaspotthatdidnotsuitmeintheleast,butitseemedthebestIcoulddothenandthere.Thenightwasroughandtheearlymorningthreatening.However,Imanagedacupofcoffee, “tied in,” and made a slippery carry of two miles a little after sunrise.Arrived on the shore of the lake, things did not look promising. The whirling,twirling clouds were black and dangerous looking, the crisp, dark waves werecrestedwith spume,and Ihadanotionof justmakinga comfortable campand

garboards

waiting for better weather. But the commissary department was reduced to sixBostoncrackers,withasinglesliceofpork,anditwastwelvemilesofwildernessto thenearest point of supplies, fourmiles of it carries, included. Suchweathermightlastaweek,andIdecidedtogo.ForhalfanhourIsatonthebeach,takingweathernotes.Thewindwasnortheast;mycoursewasduewest,givingmefourpoints free. Taking five feet of strong line, I tied one end under a rib next thekeelsonandtheotheraroundthepaddle.Strippingtoshirtanddrawers,Istowedeverythingintheknapsackandtiedthatsafelyinthe .ThenIswungout.Before Iwasahalfmileout, I ferventlywishedmyselfback.But itwas too late.Howthatlittle,corky,lightcanoedidboundandsnap,withaconstanttendencytocomeupinthewind’seye,thatkeptmeonthe everyinstant.Sheshippednomater; she was too buoyant for that. But she was all the time in danger ofpitchinghercrewoverboard.Itsooncametoacrisis.Aboutthemiddleofthelake,onthenorthside,thereisasharp,lowgulchthatrunsawaybackthroughthehills,lookinglikealevelcutthrougharailroadembankment.Anddownthisgulchcameafiercethundergustthatwaslikeasmallcyclone.Itknockeddowntrees,sweptover the lakeandcaught the little canoeon the crestof awave, rightunder thegarboardstreak. Iwentoverboard likeashot;butIkeptmygriponthepaddle.Thatgripwasworthathousanddollarstothe“Travelers’Accidental”;andanotherthousand to the “EquitableCompany”because thepaddle,with its line, enabledmetokeepthecanoeinhandandpreventherfromgoingawaytoleewardlikeadryleaf.WhenIoncegotmynoseabovewaterandmyhandonherafterstem,Iknew Ihad thewholebusinessunder control.Pressing the stemdown, I tookalookinboard.Thelittlejilt!Shehadnotshippedaquartofwater.Andtherewastheknapsack,therod,thelittleauxiliarypaddle,alljustasIhadtiedthemin;onlythe crew and the double-blade had gone overboard. As I am elderly and out ofpracticeintheswimmingline,anditwasnearlyhalfamiletoaleeshore,andasIwasoutofbreathandwaterlogged,itisquitepossiblethatalittleforethoughtandfourcents’worthoffishlinesavedtheinsurancecompaniestwothousanddollars.

HowIslowlykickedthatcanoeashore;howthesuncameoutbrightandhot;how,insteadofmakingtheremainingelevenmiles,Iraisedaconflagrationandacomfortablecamp,driedoutandhadapleasantnightofit;allthisisneitherherenor there. The point I wish tomake is, keep your duffle safe to float and yourpaddleandcanoesufficientlyinhandtoalwaysholdyourbreathingworksabovewaterlevel.Soshallyourchildrenlookconfidentlyforyoursafereturn,whilethe“Accidentals”ariseandcallyouagoodinvestment.

Thereisonlyoneobjectiontotheclinker-builtcanoethatoccurstomeasatallplausible.Thisis,thattheridge-likeprojectionsofherclinkerlapsofferresistancetothewaterandretardherspeed.Theoretically.thisiscorrect.Practically,itisnotproven.Herstreaksaresonearlyonherwaterlinethattheresistance,ifany,mustbeinfinitesimal.Itispossible,however,thatthiselementmightlessenherspeedoneortwominutesinamilerace.Iamnotracing,buttakingleisurelyrecreation.Icanwait twoor threeminutesaswellasnot.Threeor fourknotsanhourwill

forepeak

quivive

takemethroughtothelastcarryquiteassoonasIcaretomakethelanding.

Afewwordsofexplanationandadvicemaynotbeoutofplace.Ihaveusedthewords “boughs” and “browse”quite frequently. I am sorry they arenotmore inuse.The first settlers in theunbroken forestknewhow todiagnosea tree.Theycametothe“HollandPurchase”fromtheEasternStates,withtheirfamilies,inacoveredwagon,drawnbyayokeofoxen,and the favorite cowpatiently leadingbehind.Theycouldnotstartuntilthegroundwassettled,sometimeinMay,andnothingcouldbedone in late summer, save toerecta logcabinandcleara fewacresforthenextseason.Tothisendtheoxenwereindispensableandacowwasof firstnecessity,wheretherewerechildren.Andcowsandoxenmusthavehay.Buttherewasnotalotofhayinthecountry.Afewhundredpoundsofcoarsewildgrasswasgleanedfromthemarginsofstreamsandsmallmarshes;butthemainreliance was “browse.” Through the warmmonths the cattle could take care ofthemselves;but,whenwintersettleddowninearnest,alargepartofthesettler’sworkconsistedinprovidingbrowseforhiscattle.Firstandbestwasthebasswood(linden):thencamemaple,beech,birchandhemlock.Someofthetreeswouldbenearly three feet in diameter, and when felled, much of the browse would betwentyfeetabovethereachofcattle,ontheendsofhugelimbs.Thentheboughswereloppedoffandthecattlecouldgetatthebrowse.Thesettlersdividedthetreeinto log, limbs,boughsandbrowse.Anythingsmallenough foracowordeer tomasticatewasbrowse.Andthatisjustwhatyouwantforacampintheforest.Nottwigsthatmaycomefromathorn,orboughsthatmaybeasthickasyourwrist,butbrowse,whichmaybeusedforamattress,thehealthiestintheworld.

And now for a little useless advice. In going into the woods, don’t take amedicinechestorasetofsurgicalinstrumentswithyou.Abitofstickingsalve,awooden vial of anti-pain tablets and another of , your flymedicineandapairof tweezerswillbeenough.Ofcourseyouhaveneedlesandthread.

Ifyougobeforetheopenseasonforshooting,takenogun.Itwillsimplybeauselessincumbranceandanuisance.

Ifyougotohunt,takeasolemnoathnevertopointtheshootingendofyourguntowardyourselforanyotherhumanbeing.

In still-hunting, swear yourself black in the face never to shoot at a dim,movingobject in thewoods foradeer,unlessyouhaveseenthat it isadeer. Inthesedaystherearequiteasmanyhuntersasdeerinthewoods;anditisaheavy,wearisome job to pack a dead or wounded man ten or twelve miles out to aclearing,letalonethatitspoilsallthepleasureofthehuntandisapttoraisehardfeelingsamonghisrelations.

In a word, act coolly and rationally. So shall your outing be a delight inconceptionandthefulfillmentthereof;whilethememoryofitshallcomebacktoyouinpleasantdreams,whenlegsandshouldersaretoostiffandoldforknapsackandrifle.

rhubarb regulars

Thatisme.ThatiswhyIsitheretonightwiththenorthwindandsleetrattlingtheonewindowofmy littleden,writingwhatIhopeyoungerandstrongermenwillliketotakeintothewoodswiththemandread.NotthatIamsoveryold.Theyoungsters are still not anxious to buck against the muzzleloader in off-handshooting.But, in commonwith a thousand other old graybeards, I feel that thefire,thefervor,thesteel,thatoncecarriedmeoverthetrailfromdawnuntildark,isdulledanddeadenedwithinme.

WehadourdayofyouthandMay;Wemayhavegrownatriflesober;Butlifemayreachawintryway,AndweareonlyinOctober.

Wherefore,letusbethankfulthattherearestillthousandsofcool,greennooksbesidecrystalsprings,wherethewearysoulmayhideforatime,awayfromdebts,dunsanddeviltries,andawhilecommunewithnatureinherundress.

Andwithkindness toall truewoodsmen;andwithmalice towardnone,savethetrout-hog,thenetter,thecrusterandskin-butcher,letus

PREPARETOTURNIN.

GLOSSARY

AdlibitumLatin:“Asyouwish.”

BatrachianVertebrateamphibianswithouttails,suchasfrogsandtoads.

Clinker-builtAconstructionmethodforwoodencanoesthatoverlapseachboardovertheonebelow.

DolcefarnienteItalian:“It’ssweetdoingnothing.”

EsoxPike.

ForepeakThemostforwardpointofthebow.

GallinaceousHeavy-bodiedground-feedingdomesticorgamebirds;turkey,grouse,quail,pheasant,chickens.

GarboardsThestreaks(planks)oneachsidenexttoandjoiningthekeel.

GillFourounces.

JohnnycakeUnleavenedcornmealbread,usuallyshapedintoaflatcakeandbakedorfried.

KeelsonAtimberorplankinsidethecanoefastenedtothekeelandrestingonitabovethejunctionoftheplankingandthekeel.

LapstreakOverlappingplanks,similartoclinker-built.However,theoverlappingsectionisplanedtoauniformthickness.

LogySlowtoreact.

LubberlyClumsyandunskilled.

MastThefruitoftheoakorbeech;acorns.

MicropterusBlackbass.

MicropterusdolomieuSmall-mouthedbass.

Moggin’Movingawayfrom;moving.

Moquims

Asmall,redmite,whosebitecausesanintenseitch.O.W.

OldWoodsman.Pinions

Theouterrearedgeofthewingofabird,containingtheprimaryfeathers.Quivive

Onthealert.Latin:“Whogoesthere?”Rhubarbregulars

RhubarbrootisusedintraditionalChinesemedicineasalaxative.Salmofontinalis

Brooktrout.Sancudos

Atypeofmosquito.Shack

Nutsoracornsthathavefallentotheground.Shortblue

Inthefall,thehairofadeerhideisshortandturnsblueincolor.Sinequanon

Latin:Essential,indispensable.Stickingsalve

Makefromvariousingredients(pitch,rosin,petroleumjelly,lard,etc.)andincludingherbs.Usedasahealingagentonwounds.

StreakAsingleplank.