42 A TASTE OF MAINE BIRCH. 



are free to every comer. The whole equipment of the 

 camp lies folded in it, and comes forth at the beck of 

 the woodman's axe ; tent, waterproof roof, boat, camp 

 utensils, buckets, cups, plates, spoons, napkins, table- 

 cloths, paper for letters or your journal, torches, can- 

 • dles, kindliug-wood, and fuel. The canoe-birch yields 

 ■ you its vestments with the utmost liberality. Ask for 

 its coat, and it gives you its waistcoat also. Its bark 

 seems wrapped about it layer upon layer, and comes 

 off with great ease. We saw many rude structures 

 • and cabins shingled and sided with it, and haystacks 

 capped with it. Near a maple- sugar camp there was 

 a large pile of birch-bark sap-buckets, — each Ducket 

 made of a piece of bark about a yard square, folded 

 up as the tinman folds up a sheet of tin to make a 

 square vessel, the corners bent around against the 

 sides and held by a wooden pin. When, one day, we 

 were overtaken by a shower in traveling through the 

 woods, our guide quickly stripped large sheets of the 

 bark from a near tree, and we had each a perfect 

 umbrella as by magic. When the rain was over, and 

 we moved on, I wrapped mine about me like a large 

 leather apron, and it shielded my clothes from the wet 

 bushes. When we came to a spring, Uncle Nathan 

 would have a birch-bark cup ready before any of us 

 could get a tin one out of his knapsack, and I think 

 water never tasted so sweet as from one of these barl? 

 cups. It is exactly the thing. It just fits the mouth, 

 and it seems to give new virtues to the water. It 

 makes me thirsty now when I think of it. In our 

 camp at Moxie we made a large birch-bark box to 

 keep the butter in ; and the butter in this box, covered 

 with some leafy boughs, I think improved in flavoi 

 day by day. Maine butter needs something to mollify 



