OUT-DOOli COOKERY 65 



do, — birds and beasts and folks too, — everybody likes 

 to have a place of his own. Don't he. Doctor? Here 

 I was a-roamin' all over creation, no idea uv stayin' 

 put anywhere, and here I am settled down aiid what 

 they call civilized." 



The Doctor laughed and walked off with Nez to see 

 his charcoal pit and bit of cleared land, where he 

 raised potatoes and beans, while the children still 

 looked wonderingly about the cabin. 



" I wonder why the leaves are swept away so clean 

 all about here?" said Dodo. "It looks so much pret- 

 tier to have leaves and pine needles on the ground." 



" On account of fire," said Olive. " When you 

 camp out, you have to be very careful about fire, espe- 

 cially in places where there are many evergreen trees. 

 Nez cooks out of doors and works often under that 

 shed, and has a log fire to warm him ; and if the 

 ground were covered with dry leaves, the fire might 

 spread all through the woods." 



" I'm so very hungry," said Dodo, presently; " suppose 

 we go over and see how daddy is getting along with 

 his cooking." 



" There must be Coons living around here," said Rap, 

 looking eagerly into some old trees. "I see lots of 

 likely holes, and there's a splendid lot of brush down 

 hill there for Rabbits. Say, Nat, I wonder when we 

 learn to shoot if Nez wouldn't let us come here and get 

 something to eat and then cook it ? It would be great 

 sport ! " 



" We can ask him, anyhow. There, daddy is beckon- 

 ing to us, and I smell ham. C-o-m-i-n-g, c-o-m-i-n-g," 

 Nat shouted. 



