134 
FOREST AND STREAM 
HELPFUL 
| HINTS FOR | 
| THE MAN IN I 
I THE WOODS | 
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| WHERE TO 
| WHEN TO 
| AND HOW TO | 
I DO THINGS 
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HINTS BY SYLVANUS 
With a Picture or 
Two to Help You 
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T HE appeal for contributions to the 
“Nessmuk Campfire” is bringing out 
some most interesting and valuable 
suggestions from readers. The beauty of 
these “how to do things” is that the authors 
have had the courage to first try them on, 
personally. If you have discovered or in¬ 
vented any improvements, short cuts or 
better ways to make life more comfortable 
in the woods, do not keep them to yourself, 
but send them along to the “Nessmuk” 
corner, for the benefit of those who are 
not so fortunate or nimble-witted or 
experienced as you may be. Here is a 
fine list furnished by Brother Sylvanus. 
Straddle the Log if You Want to Get 
Safely Over. 
OU’RE sometimes confronted with this 
situation. There’s a pack on your 
back, with a stream ahead of you, and 
a fidgety log spanning that stream. How 
can I get across safely? The best thing 
to do, is this: “Play horse” with that there 
log; in other words, get a-straddle that log. 
Sounds “tenderfooty” eh? It may seem 
so, but a broken bone or two and a spoiled 
vacation is a little worse. The idea is to 
get across; just how makes no difference. 
If the log is steady, the easy quick way is 
to face the opposite shore, keeping your 
feet parallel to the length of the log. If 
you slip, you can catch hold of the log and 
save yourself. Don’t, under any circum¬ 
stances, cross that log any other way, or 
you’ll take a tumble with disastrous results. 
Or to Ford it—Try This Plan. 
UT supposing you’ve got to ford a 
stream—a swift one, especially—that 
has no log across it, and it’s pretty 
near belly-high to boot; what then? Here’s 
the one best way. Strip naked, but keep 
your moccasins on so that you won’t cut 
your feet. If your pack isn’t heavy enough 
to weigh you down sufficiently, put some 
heavy stones in it—this gives you firm foot¬ 
ing. Slip off your shoulder-straps from 
your packsack (in case of a slip, you won’t 
be handicapped) and use a tump-line. If 
you have no tump, here’s how to make one 
that’ll serve the purpose. Tie your pack 
with some strong cord (look in your ditty 
bag; it ought to be there). For a head- 
piece, place some layers of birchbark or 
strips of cloth of some kind on your fore¬ 
head and bring the cord over the head-piece. 
The reason for this is obvious. To prevent 
yourself from being pushed off your feet, 
carry a long slender pole of about io feet 
long in front of you. If you feel your¬ 
self being shoved off your feet, dig one 
end of your pole in the bed of the stream 
on the side you think you’re going to fall— 
and you’ll be safe. That’s an Indian trick 
and it is well worth knowing. 
For the Swollen or Frozen Feet. 
ID somebody say he had chilblains and 
his feet and toes were inflamed and 
swollen with cold? Right this way, 
brother. Paint the affected region with 
tincture of iodine. Don’t use too much or 
it will blister the skin. As soon as the io¬ 
dine gets dry, swab it down with pure 
ichthyol, a thick brownish liquid used in 
skin diseases. Press absorbent cotton 
down into the sticky ichthyol until no 
more can be taken up. The stocking pro¬ 
tects the part and the dressing must be 
kept dry and left unmolested from three 
to five days. This treatment will absolute¬ 
ly remove the itching and is said to have 
never been known to fail a cure. 
Keeping the Tent Warm on Cold Nights. 
OYS, it looks like a cold night, as late 
fall nights are wont to be. One part 
of our anatomy must be kept warm, 
and that’s the extremities. Put some stones 
in the fire and when they’re good and hot, 
put them in a pail or kettle of some kind 
and invert it (the kettle, of course) just 
where you want extra warmth. It works 
wonders, this little scheme does, and you 
can and will enjoy real lasting refreshing 
sleep no matter how cold. Jack Frost, 1 
put one over on you ! 
Canoe Kink Worth Knowing. 
ERE’S a little trick or rather a piece 
of everyday horse sense, which if you 
can’t do, may cost you your life. For 
example: You’re canoeing and there’s a. 
large rock in a typical river. It is some 
distance above the surface and usually splits 
the current, forcing a great deal of water 
to flow on either side of the rock. Keep; 
your craft in a straight line with the cur¬ 
rent and to one side where the division of 
the current occurs. Don’t make a fast tun* 
to steer clear of that rock. If you do, that 
part of the current that flows on the op¬ 
posite side will grip your stern and make 
connection with that rock. That’s just 
what happened to Dillon Wallace’s party in> 
Labrador. There was a capsize and the en¬ 
tire expedition nearly came to grief. So> 
take heed. 
The Life-saving Snack After the Hunt. 
OMETIMES (it happens most oftenj 
when you come in after a long hunt,, 
tired, try this for a hasty meal. Get 
two flat stones and build a fire over them. 
When they get well heated, scrape away 
the embers, clean off the stones and place 
your game (venison or bird) on one stone 
and put the other stone on top—and rake 
the hot embers over them, covering the 
whole thing well. Sit down, smoke your 
pipe, take off your wet socks, hang them 
up and don a dry pair and rest up a wee 
bit. In a short time, you’ll have something 
to fill that “inner man” and make you fit 
to cope with grizzlies. 
It’s summertime and you want to keep- 
cold water cold? Immerse a flannel or 
woolen cloth (canvas will do in a pinch) it> 
cold water and wrap it well around your 
water pail (if it happens to be your soup 
or coffee pot). Or if you have no pail and 
have a bottle, try this. Pull out the cork 
and wrap wet woolen cloths around it. And 
don’t forget—hang the pail or bottle, or 
whatever you keep your water in, in a cool, 
shady place. 
Don’t Wring Out Flannels or Woolens. 
Whatever you do, never wring out flan¬ 
nels or woolens after washing—if you do, 
they’re going to shrink. Hang them up 
dripping. It is best, however, to squeeze 
them hard between the palms of the hands. 
