134 
SURVIVAL ON LAND AND SEA 
possible. In the spring and fall the snow may be soft in the 
daytime but form a crust at night which will permit easier travel. 
SIGNAL FIRE 
Several packages of matches in waterproof containers, a 
lighter, and candles are among the most necessary items of your 
equipment ; some should be carried in your pockets and some in 
the emergency kit. It is much better to take this simple precau- 
tion than to be forced later to the difficult and uncertain expedient 
of making fire by primitive methods. This warning is partic- 
ularly applicable to those who may be lost in the Arctic where 
snow in winter and rain and mist in summer may make it difficult 
to obtain suitable dry materials for producing fire. 
In order to conserve your supply of matches, light a candle 
to start the fire. Dry birch bark shredded into strips makes 
excellent kindling. Use this with wood shavings or dead twigs 
from standing trees to start the fire. In wet weather dry fuel 
can be obtained by cutting into the inner wood of a standing 
dead tree or the under surface of a fallen dead tree not resting 
entirely on the ground. When the fire is burning well put on 
green spruce boughs to make a dense smoke. 
Outside the forested areas the best fuel is driftwood. This 
is usually abundant on northern beaches, though it is scarce 
in some localities in the central Canadian Arctic and in the west- 
ern Aleutians. It may also be found, though in smaller quanti- 
ties, along lake shores and rivers in the interior, even in the so- 
called Barren Grounds. If driftwood is not to be had, dwarf or 
ground willow (Fig. 48) will provide an acceptable substitute. 
