166 HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS. 



kettle occupies the back of the arch, and is suspended 

 from the short arm of a lever, that it may easily be 

 swung off the fire when the liquid becomes a thin 

 syrup. Tlie syrup is strained into tubs, and then usually 

 taken to the farm house and left a day to settle, and 

 there '' sugared off " and caked. A bush of five hun- 

 dred trees will require a storage capacity at camp of 

 three or four hundred pails, and even then if there is a 

 prolonged run, the boiling sometimes has to be kept up 

 night and day for a w^hole week at a time. Now it is 

 life in the woods in real earnest ; the camp becomes the 

 home of some of the members Avho eat, sleep and read 

 in the cabin. The arrangements for sleeping are of a 

 primitive character— a bunk of hay and a few blankets 

 on the floor — but they are sufficient for the require- 

 ments, as short naps are about all one gets during these 

 night watches, as when two persons are left to do the 

 boiling, the necessary labor will keep one continually 

 busy ; if greater numbers are present — and often there 

 will be a rendezvous of a dozen men and boys — the 

 camp will be too lively for any one to sleep. On these 

 occasions there must be a ''sugaring off" at camp, and 

 a small kettle, perhaps brought to the Avoods surrepti- 

 tiously and hidden away in some nook, is always in 

 readiness for the purpose. This is a proper time for 

 story telling, particularly stories of wild adventures 

 w^ith beasts and Indians, and the younger members lis- 

 ten until they almost expect to see some wild animal 

 pounce upon them, or a band of savages spring out of 

 the dark woods and surprise the camp. 



