Homesteading 



or other good kindling material and a few split 

 dry sticks. It is important to find a big enough 

 bunch of spruce or other shade-trees, so that the 

 horses will have no draught. Now, the first 

 thing to do is to clear with the axes a space for 

 your temporary stable, pile the brush and trees 

 so cut away alongside your forest stall, and at 

 the horses' heads, at the outside of the trees 

 forming the stall, cut down one or more spruce- 

 trees and strip the same of branches, which you 

 pile along the brush at either side of the horses 

 and at their heads, so as to form a shade that 

 will break any wandering breeze. Now, at some 

 distance behind the horses, clear the ground of 

 snow and build a fire. Be very careful that 

 you have enough small, dry wood to keep your 

 fire going well until you can pile on logs. As 

 soon as you have a good hot fire, get all the dry 

 willow, or other good dry wood, you can, and 

 gradually lengthen out your fire until it is burn- 

 ing about the length of your bedplace, because 

 that fire is burning down through the twigs, etc., 

 until it thaws out several inches of ground, so 

 making a nice place for your bed afterwards. 

 Now hurry on supper : melt snow in a pan 

 for making tea, put frozen strips of pork in the 

 frying-pan first, and on top the frozen biscuits, 

 previously cooked, and on top of that again 



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