At a camp in the Itasca forest I was caught with 

 two boys in a heavy shower, where we had gone for an 

 afternoon and had not taken an ax. We were so wet 

 and cold that we wanted a fire very much; but every 

 stick and spray was dripping wet. With my jack- 

 knife I cut some small splinters of dry resinous wood 

 out of an old blaze or wound in a spruce tree. Then 

 I broke from standing trees a handful of fine spray 

 and sticks which were, of course, wet outside, but I 

 knew they were sound and fairly dry inside. The boys 

 cut a large piece of birch bark and held it over my 

 hands while I lit the resinous chips and coaxed up a 

 smoky flame. Then we slowly added sprigs and small 

 sticks, and in about fifteen minutes we had a blazing 

 fire, which the rain could not put out. Under ordinary 

 conditions birch bark makes a very good starter, but 

 on this occasion it would have been impossible to cut 

 any bark not covered with a film of water. 



A good camper soon learns to be forehanded and 

 take thought of the morrow. His wood for cooking 

 breakfast is prepared in the evening, and he takes 

 enough of it into the tent to insure a good, quick fire 

 the next morning. Showers often come up unexpect- 

 edly during the night and it is a dreary beginning of 

 the day to hunt for dry kindling among the dripping 

 bushes before breakfast. 



35 



