250 Trails to Woods and Waters 



sending out a fine odor, as it sizzled in the 

 frying-pan. 



" Seems as though I could eat it, frying- 

 pan and all," I said. 



Ben laughed. "That's the tonic of the 

 woods," he said. " It beats any medicine that 

 I ever heard of for a poor appetite." 



When Ben had fried some potatoes, and 

 made some coffee, our supper was ready. 



We ate it upon a flat rock and I do not 

 think that anything that I ever ate at home 

 tasted so good. 



After supper Ben cut two small hemlocks, 

 and dragged them near the tent, and we set 

 to work to strip them of all their small 

 branches and needles. 



" There isn't anything in the world that 

 makes as soft and sweet a bed as hemlock 

 needles," explained Ben. " The odor is a 

 sort of sleeping potion, too ; it always does me 

 good to sleep on either hemlock or pine 

 needles." 



When we had a large pile of the sweet, 

 springy hemlock plumes, we carried them into 



