66 
SURVIVAL ON LAND AND SEA 
away the wet exterior from dead branches and get at the dry 
wood towards the center. Dead branches pniled from a stand- 
ing tree may be drier than those lying on the ground. Start 
with a small fire, enlarging it as more pieces catch, and don’t 
try to use logs of any size until the blaze is well under way. 
Once the fire has a good start yon can keep wood drying beside 
it so that it will burn readily when needed. It is well to lay 
in a big enough supply to last the night when you are gathering 
wood. In building the fire it helps if it is placed against several 
logs of large diameter lying on the ground. If you are in a 
clearing where there is a breeze, build the fire on the windward 
side of the logs. They will help to produce a draft and in time 
will start to burn themselves and help to* throw off heat. When 
you have a good blaze going it is well to dry out your clothes. 
This is not only to make you feel more comfortable, but it will 
keep you from getting chilled in the cooler hours of the night. 
Green leaves thrown on the fire will make a smudge and help 
drive off the mosquitoes and sandflies. 
When you don’t have matches or a lighter there are a number 
of ways of starting fires. Natives as a rule are quite adept in 
the matter, but the average white man needs considerable prac- 
tice and it may take you a long time to master the art. If you 
persist, however, you probably will succeed. Making fire by 
friction is not easy. Perhaps the method most likely to be pro- 
ductive, certainly the most efficient of the friction methods, is 
that of the fire thong. Its use has been widespread throughout 
southeastern Asia, the East Indies, and West Africa, and at one 
time it was employed in northern Europe. All that is needed in 
the way of equipment is a strip of dry rattan (Fig. 14), prefera- 
bly about one-quarter inch in diameter and about 2 feet long, and 
