NEAR MIDDLE RIDGE. 123 



to pass the night. The wind is blowing bitterly cold ; he 

 therefore chooses a solid clump of trees which will break 

 its force, and in the shelter of which only a few of the 

 snowflakes will reach him. Then he does not at once light 

 a fire, but collects sufficient wood, dead logs and fallen 

 branches, to last till daylight comes again ; for the old 

 hand knows better than to have to turn out from his snug 

 lair at three o'clock in the morning, may be, to bring in 

 fresh fuel. He strips the bark from a birch, putting some 

 of the dry inner layers into his pocket to start his fire, and 

 he gathers a large quantity of boughs, of balsam if he can 

 get them, to make his bed and shelter. Having trans- 

 ferred these to the chosen spot, he clears away the snow 

 from it and then piles up some tree-trunks to the wind- 

 ward, and afterwards makes a second rampart of logs 

 opposite to the first, against which to build his fire. How- 

 ever bleak the night, a fire, carefully fed, is quickly blaz- 

 ing, through the flame and smoke of which he passes his 

 balsam boughs to dry them for his bedding. Branches skil- 

 fully laid make a mattress as springy and comfortable as 

 any one could desire. The last thing is to spread the fire 

 into a long blaze, longer than himself, so that he may feel 

 its heat through the whole length of his body and limbs. 

 Wood to replenish it is placed within easy reach, and after 

 eating food, if he is lucky enough to have any with him, 

 he can lie down opposite his seven-foot fire to enjoy a night 

 of warm sleep even if the thermometer marks degrees be- 

 low 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 



