over, bees and wasps in mid-summer do not go to sleep 

 on the weeds, but retire to their nests at sunset. Other 

 self-invited guests occasionally enter the tent, such as 

 frogs and salamanders. They are entirely harmless, 

 add to the interest of the game and are easily put out. 

 One summer, I was however, considerably annoyed by 

 the wild deer mice. These pretty brown-coated, black- 

 eyed and large-eared wood creatures scraped at my 

 kettles, ate into my bags, and even foraged in the hay 

 under my pillow. After the first night I left all dishes 

 and provisions in the boat, tied to the landing, and 

 when the mice no longer smelled any food in the tent 

 they stayed away. 



For some reason the imagination of women still 

 fancies a large population of dangerous snakes on 

 every piece of woods and meadow. The fact is that in 

 the latitude of southern Minnesota rattle snakes are 

 getting to be very rare. In the North Country there 

 are no poisonous snakes and even the harmless garter 

 snakes and grass snakes are not numerous and, in all 

 my camping experience, I have never found a snake of 

 any kind in my tent. 



In the North Woods, balsam boughs are the favorite 

 bedding material. They are cut or broken almost a 

 foot and a half long and set on the ground, butt down, 

 and with tips slanting toward the head of the bed. A 

 thick layer of these fragrant bougks makes a soft, 

 springy bed, truly inviting to a tired camper, but, like 

 all good things, it takes time and work to make it 

 right. 



When the bedding is in place, a rubber blanket is 



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