96 WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS 



showed my kinked, looped, and tangled trail since 

 leaving camp. 



To keep in mind just where camp was at all 

 times I hit upon this plan, which I have since 

 used hundreds of times. I imagined myself 

 attached to camp with a line and reel which 

 promptly pulled in slack and also kept a steady 

 pull on myself. At all times I knew where camp 

 was and where I was. This plan kept before me a 

 map picture of the locality and mentally showed 

 me camp. I could estimate the distance. 



Off I started down the sand hill for camp. It 

 was dark before I had gone a mile. I had to 

 travel slowly for these hills were cut with deep 

 gullies. Twice I had to go around a long, deep 

 gully. If ever I could get down on the level 

 plain I could go straight to camp, even though 

 blindfolded, I thought. There was no fear in 

 my mind of getting lost. And I did not. Out 

 into the level prairie I walked at last, and made 

 my way easily to Kingfisher Camp. By blazing 

 cottonwood camp-fire I marked my day's trail, 

 its loops, reverse loops, circles, zigzags, and twists 

 upon a whitened buffalo skull. Then I drew 

 it in my notebook. It had been my most 

 eventful day in the realm of woodcraft. I could 

 now ramble over the roughest of country and at 

 any instant, without consulting compass, point 

 my finger at camp. 



