Outdoor Life and Indian Stories: Making open air life attractive to young Americans by telling them all about woodcraft, signs and signaling, the stars, fishing, camping, camp cooking, how to tie knots and how to make fire without matches, and many other fascinating open air pursuits. Also, stories of noted hunters and scouts, great indians and warriors, including Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, General Custer, Pontiac, Tecumseh, King Philip, Black Hawk, Brandt, Sitting Bull, and a host of others whos — John Shaqi
Outdoor Life and Indian Stories: Making open air life attractive to young Americans by telling them all about woodcraft, signs and signaling, the stars, fishing, camping, camp cooking, how to tie knots and how to make fire without matches, and many other fascinating open air pursuits. Also, stories of noted hunters and scouts, great indians and warriors, including Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, General Custer, Pontiac, Tecumseh, King Philip, Black Hawk, Brandt, Sitting Bull, and a host of others whosEllis, Edward Sylvester
History
Outdoor Life and Indian Stories: Making open air life attractive to young Americans by telling them all about woodcraft, signs and signaling, the stars, fishing, camping, camp cooking, how to tie knots and how to make fire without matches, and many other fascinating open air pursuits. Also, stories of noted hunters and scouts, great indians and warriors, including Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, General Custer, Pontiac, Tecumseh, King Philip, Black Hawk, Brandt, Sitting Bull, and a host of others whos
Ellis, Edward Sylvester
Camping; Indians of North America
The first thing to be considered on going into the forest is the camp
where the night is to be spent. In choosing a place for this see that
there is fresh water, wood for the fire and brush-wood for building
a "lean-to," or hut, at hand. It is well to build on a dry, level
place, with just enough slope to the ground to insure the water running
away in case of rain. The Indians used to live in huts thatched with
brush-wood, and these are best made by building what is known as a
"lean-to."
[Illustration: METHOD OF THATCHING A LEAN-TO]
Look for two trees standing from eight to ten feet apart on your
camping place, with branches from six to eight feet above the ground.
By placing a pole from one tree to the other in the crotches and
leaning other poles against this one, brush-wood can be woven in to
form a very good roof. Branches of the balsam or hemlock are best for
this purpose, and the needles should point down. It is well to collect
as many soft, thick tips of trees of this character as possible,
both for the thatching and to make the beds. Cover the floor of the
"lean-to" with these tips thickly and lay the rubber blankets on top,
rubber side down. Be sure to make the head of your bed toward the
inside and away from the opening. You will find that this makes a very
comfortable bed.
[Illustration: HOW TO BUILD A LEAN-TO]
How to Make Fire Without Matches
In olden times, before the Indians had matches, and even before they
had the flint and steel that our grandfathers used for making fire,
they used rubbing-sticks. Many people have tried to make fire in this
manner, but few have succeeded. As a matter of fact, it is not a very
difficult thing to do if you know how, as the Indians did. In fact,
they grew so expert that they could make fire almost as quickly as we
can strike a match. The easiest and surest method of doing this is to
use the bow-drill. The tools necessary consist of a bow, or bent stick,
about two feet long, with a stout leather cord attached to each end.
The drill consists of a straight piece of wood pointed at each end.
One end of this rests in a drill-socket, which is simply a piece of
wood with a small notch in it for the top of the fire-drill. This piece
of wood is held in the hand, while the other end of the fire-drill is
placed in the fire-board. This consists of a thin piece of wood with
small pits cut about half an inch from the edge, and with a notch
extending from the edge into the middle of the pit. The leather thong
is given a single turn about the fire-drill and then by drawing the bow
backward and forward the drill is caused to rotate very rapidly in the
fire-board. After a short while the dust which comes out of the notch
grows hot and becomes a glowing coal, which can be easily ignited into
a blazing fire.
[Illustration: THE FIRE-DRILL]
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