downing] THE SUMMER OUTING 243 



a back will reflect much warmth into the tent. It is the night 

 camp fire as well as the cook's fire. 



After the back logs are burning well, rake out some of the coals 

 to form a heap in front of the fire ; cover these with ashes. Set 

 the greased frying pan, with one-half of the dough in it slantingly 

 on the ash covered coals so the opening of the pan faces the glowing 

 back log. The pan may need to be propped up some. The heat 

 from the coals bakes the under sides of the bread, while the 

 reflected heat from the back log bakes the top of it. It may be 

 baked in hot ashes, the cover of the pan on and covered with ashes. 

 A few trials at this are advisable before you get to camp, for you 

 must have a fire hot enough to make the bread rise but not hot 

 enough to bum it, and this can be learned only by experience. 

 When you have acquired the art, you make a pan of bread that has 

 a delectable taste, at least in camp. You may use corn meal in 

 place of the whole wheat flour, using one cup of corn meal, one of 

 flour, and bake corn bread in this same way. 



Boiled rice with raisins makes a good camp dish. Fill the 

 large kettle with water; bring it to a vigorous boil. Add a half 

 teaspoonful of salt. Pour in a half cupful of rice and let it con- 

 tinue to boil hard for twenty minutes. A couple of minutes before 

 the end of this time, throw in a handful of raisins. Take the kettle 

 off the fire, pour off the water. This will be eaten in camp with 

 sugar and milk ; the latter made by dissolving milk powder in hot 

 water, and will be enjoyed thoroughly. 



Dried prunes or dried apples should be put to soak at night. 

 They can then be stewed for twenty minutes while breakfast food 

 is cooking in the morning, and will add a tasty bit to the breakfast. 

 In the same way the desiccated cranberries and onions will need 

 to be soaked over night. 



It is always well to hang up kettles of prepared food on the 

 bushes or low trees at night, and the pack containing your food 

 material should be taken into the tent or else hung up where it will 

 be out of the reach of night prowling animals. I have watched a 

 skunk in the dim light of the early day help himself to the camp's 

 provisions when we had carelessly neglected to hang them up the 

 night before. We preferred the prospect of going hungry to going 

 perfumed. 



Much of the delight of the camp at night is due to the camp fire. 

 A camp site should be selected where a good wood supply is avail- 



