128 HUNTING CAMPS. 



seven-foot fire to enjoy a night of warm sleep even if 

 the thermometer marks degrees below zero. 



To light a fire with a cartridge, in the absence of 

 matches, the bullet must be removed and the shell 

 filled with some inflammable substance that will hold 

 in the powder. Fired at close range into a properly 

 prepared pile of tinder this will usually ignite it, 

 especially if there be birch bark amongst it. Without 

 birch bark the difficulties are much increased if the 

 weather be wet, for the heart of an old log or limb of 

 hard wood whittled into chips makes but a poor 

 substitute. 



Newfoundland, it is true, is far from being a difficult 

 country in which to find one's way. On the other 

 hand, it contains several thousand square miles where a 

 man may be lost very effectually. In fact, if Sam had 

 managed to wander off the trail there might be only a 

 risky chance of finding him again. Yet, but for 

 Walter's obvious fears, it would not have occurred to 

 me to be alarmed, but his state of mind was infectious, 

 so that when dark finally fell I would have given a 

 good deal to see Sam walk up to the fire. We passed 

 rather an anxious night, and it was arranged that at 

 dawn the men should light a large smoke ; but when 

 the morning light began to show we saw that the whole 

 face of the country was draped in a mist that was 

 thicker than ever, and far from improved by a continual 

 downpour of heavy rain. Through this Jack and 

 Walter went off to Beaver Drogue in order to see if 

 the canoe was still where we had cached it. The rest 

 of us remained in camp and kept up a big fire, while all 

 through the day the mist and rain persisted without a 

 break, rendering any attempt to go in search of Sam 



