COOKING APPARATUS. 
173 
blubber, and, with the aid of spun-yarn for a wick, 
make a roaring fire. I need not say that the fat and 
oil always froze when not ignited. 
Into these cylinders, which were used merely to 
defend our lamp from the wind and our pots from con¬ 
tact with the cold air, we placed a couple of large tin 
vessels, suitable either for melting snow or making tea 
or soup. They were made out of cake-canisters cut 
COOKING APPARATUS. 
down. How many kindly festival associations hung by 
these now abused soup-cans! one of them had, before 
the fire rubbed off its bright gilding, the wedding-in¬ 
scription of a large fruit-cake. 
We carried spare tins in case the others should burn 
out: it was well we did so. So completely had we 
exhausted our household furniture, that we had neither 
cups nor plates, except crockery. This, of course, 
would not stand the travel, and our spare tin had to be 
saved for protecting the boats from ice. At this 
