OUT-BOOR COOKERY 71 



your fire go out, you'll get up with stumblin' feet and 

 hands all thumbs in the morning. That's why we pile 

 the logs this way, so that the fire gets a good hold and 

 creeps up slowly, and lasts long. 



" Then you'll lie under yer bush shanty, or lean-to, or 

 canvas, or whatever kind of a shelter you have, or stretch 

 out on the ground in yer blanket, and yer so glad of rest 

 that yer wouldn't change with any one in a castle. 

 Some one throws on the logs^ and the camp settles down 

 for tire night to smoke and talk and then sleep. Wolves 

 may bark in tlie distance, and Wildcats- yowl and 

 sneeze ; as long as the fire blazes they'll keep away." 



" Please tell us about all tlie sorts of tents you've 

 slept in," said Olive. 



" And about the wild beasts that sneezed at you," 

 added Nat, as they all watched the fire dreamily in the 

 comfortable silence brought by a day in the open air 

 and a good meal. 



" My furst reglar campin' was in a lumber camp in 

 Canada, the Saskatchewan country they call it. All 

 day long we were out in the Avoods cutting trees, trim- 

 ming them down and branding the logs to be hauled 

 over the snow in the winter to tlie river, so that the 

 spring freshets would wash them down. I don't think 

 I ever struck a camp that had more game, big and little, 

 come about it. Ma3'^be it was 'cause I was young then, 

 and everything seemed wonderful. 



" The camp was clear out in the wilderness, in a sort 

 of holler between a marshy place all brushed over and 

 a woody hill ; it was just half dugout, half log-cabin, 

 like my own yonder. In fact, I made this as like as I 

 could to the remembrance of that one. Only, like most 



