no one was left at DanTs who might 

 worry over our absence, we decided to 

 remain at Muskrat City over night, then 

 make an early morning start toward the 

 beginning of a trail to civilization. 



In carrying out this program the first 

 step was to prepare a shelter and a bed. 

 The lack of an axe was a handicap, but 

 our large pocket knives were made to 

 serve. About ten feet from our fireplace 

 lay the moss-covered body of a pine tree 

 that had fallen out across the meadow, 

 possibly fifty or seventy-five years ago. 

 We cut two saplings and drove them into 

 the ground seven feet from the log and 

 five feet apart, leaving a fork on each of 

 these posts five feet above the ground. 

 A pole was laid across in the two forks, 

 and other poles were laid sloping from 

 this to the log. Then we peeled yellow 

 birch bark to cover the roof and an- 

 chored the bark with heavy sticks above 

 it. Brush piled against the two sides 

 formed sufficient protection from the 

 wind and the front was open toward the 



11 



