50 
FOREST AND STREAM. 

weights the brush toward the north approx- 
imately. This is also true of the growth of 
limbs and white fronds of moss on the red 
cedar trees. If you are in a dense cedar and 
tamarack swamp you can always trace the points 
of the compass in this manner. If the snow 
should chance to be on the ground, you will be 
able to find north by noting that there is but 
little snow at the base of some big pine or fir 
tree upon that side. Rock cliffs are moss- 
grown upon the north side, from the fact the 
sun does not beat down upon that side, and 
moss grows best in shadow. This is also true 
of swampy places. The moss will lay deepest 
to the northward of any obstruction, as a fallen 
log. If the snow is falling and it bids fair to 
be falling weather with deep snows, the pre- 
vailing direction of the deer tracks will be to- 
ward the lowlands, where there is less snow. 
When there is to be no especial change in the 
weather the deer will wander in any direction. 
On the other hand, when the storm is going to 
be of long duration, they will take a bee-line 
for the lower altitudes. The fact that all small 
streams flow into larger ones is only valuable 
when you are situated on one of the larger 
ones. You can follow down a small stream 
until you come out somewhere, but it is mighty 
little comfort to come out some fifteen miles 
in a straight line from your camp. The general 
trend of streams and the consequent direction 
of their dividing ridges of hill will give you a 
fair indication of location with regard to the 
situation of your camp. When you set out from 
camp in the morning be careful to note the 
general outline of the country as seen from the 
camp. Locate some prominent landmark, of 
which there are always many in a timbered 
region. If you are going to use a compass, set 
it and bring the needle to bear upon various 
selected points that you have observed. Keep 
the readings of the compass in mind, and should 
you find yourself later in the vicinity of one of 
these take out your compass and reverse the 
readings and note the general outline of the 
country in the locality of the reversed readings. 
This will give you an idea of the topography 
of your camp from various view-points. Culti- 
vate a habit of starting directly for camp when 
you get ready to go in. Do not hesitate. The 
old saying, ‘He who hesitates is lost,’ may not 
have been applied to hunters, originally, but it 
may well be now. If you have carefully noted 
the various objects that have been encountered 
in the day’s journey you will have ordinarily 
but little difficulty in returning to camp. 
People do get lost, however, and a few rules 
upon how to proceed may not be amiss at this 
point. In the first place, the man who is lost 
is an insane man. He is just as crazy as though 
he were already in a mad house. 
Now, I am going to assume that before 
leaving camp you have provided yourself with 
the few things without which no man should 
penetrate the woods. A box of waterproof 
matches. If you don’t know how to waterproof 
them, write me, and I’ll tell you. A good 
stout hunting knife with no longer than four- 
inch blade. Don’t, for heaven’s sake, suppose 
that it is necessary for you to carry a hunting 
knife with a blade like a cavalry sabre. And 
one other thing, don’t, when you are traveling 
on foot, attempt to carry a revolver. Of all 
the useless incumbrances that were ever de- 
vised, I think a six-gun the most useless. Take 
a good supply of cartridges. They may come 
in handy. I always carry a miner’s tin cup at- 
tached to my hunting belt. It has always been 
my habit, learned from the Indians, to carry a 
little “war bag’ with an ounce or two of ground 
coffee, some salt and some shreds of. jerked 
meat. This little ‘war bag” takes up but little 
room attached to your belt, and is mighty handy 
when you are compelled to camp under the 
shady side of a tree on some night when the 
mercury in the thermometer is toying with the 
O mark. 
Now, you are fully equipped for going out 
and getting yourself most effectually lost. It 
happens. You get on track of a deer or some- 
thing else and along when the gloom of even- 
ing ‘begins to fall over the landscape you sud- 
denly realize that you are an “unmanned barque 
[JAN. 13, 1906. 


THE CEIBA AT SANTIAGO CALLED THE SURRENDER TREE, 
on an uncharted sea, your heart beats the only 
chart and log book.” Every rolling hill and 
every gulch and stream look just alike. That 
great pine tree looks exactly like the thousand 
other pine trees that you have passed. Yon 
cedar with its dank festoons of moss swaying 
in the air is the counterpart of all the other 
cedar trees that you have encountered. Then 
that feeling of panic rushes over you in an 
overwhelming flood. You have an insane desire 
to run away, you know not whither, just simply 
to run and get away from the present scene. 
Right here is where you have got to get the 
most solid and tenacious grip on yourself. 
There is just a little primordial instinct left in 
the civilized human animal. First impressions 
are the result of that instinct. The first thought 
that comes to you in regard to the location of 
camp is generally the correct one. If you will 
immediately act upon it the majority of in- 
stances, you will come out all right. Do not 
hesitate. If you have an idea regarding your 
whereabouts, act upon it instantly, set out for 
camp. If you have not, and find that you are 
really and hopelessly lost, do not rush about 
frantically. Sit down. Collect your thoughts 
and concentrate them upon the route over which 
you have traveled. In a great many cases you 
will apparently have paid but little heed, but 
upon thinking carefully back you will find that 
you have a vague impression of the lay of the 
country. Trace yourself right up until you ar- 
rive at yourself sitting on a log, then get up 
and go home. This will work in many cases. 
If this fails, locate some high hill if there are 
any such and ascend to its summit. Once you 
have the country spread out at your feet, and 
if the air be clear, you may be able to locate the 
camp by smoke or by some object with which 
you are familiar. Should you be able to do this 
before you attempt to make camp, choose some 
guiding object that is directly between you and 
camp. Steer for that, and when you reach it, 
select another. The blasted top of some tower- 
ing tree is a very good selection. By doing 
this you overcome the tendency to wander. By 
the way, this circle walking that is so popular 
among lost people seems to be honored more 
in the breach than in the observance. I have 
seen many lost people, but in very few instances 
have I ever seen them travel in a circle or in 
any other geometric figure for that matter. 
The tendency of lost people is simply to ramble 
aimlessly. They cross the old trail at times, 
but it is simply chance if they do. 
Up to this point I have purposely said noth- 
ing about the use of the compass. The man 
who is lost has but little need for that instru- 
ment. I have known sensible, well-informed 
men when lost contend that the compass was 
not pointing north. Something was wrong with 
it, they couldn’t say just what, but the com- 
pass was off. The compass is well enough to 
guide you out from camp and back to it again, 
but once you are confused it is a delusion and 
a snare. 
I will assume now that the shades of night 
are falling, and that you have been unable to 
locate camp. Do not, I beg of you, be so foolish 
as to attempt to find it in the dark. You need- 
lessly fatigue yourself with an almost infinity 
of chances against your accomplishing anything. 
Take the thing in much the way of the old 
story of the Indian when asked if he were lost, 
contemptuously retorted: “Huh, me no lost. 
teepee lost.” Just assume that the camp is lost 
and proceed to make the best of it. 
Select a well wooded spot and cut brush and 
construct a lean-to. Get together enough wood 
to keep a fire all night and don’t build up too 
much fire if there is snow on the ground. If 
you do you will melt the snow all around and 
make it wet and sloppy. Carefully scrape all the 
snow from under your shelter before you build 
your fire. Then light it right in the front of 
the shelter, where the rays will reflect down 
upon you as you lie. If you are without food, 
heat the water before you drink it. That is, I 
will assume that you are possessed of a tin 
cup, without which no man should leave camp. 
The hot water will not only quench your thirst, 
but will in some degree supply the lack of food. 
It is to be hoped, however, that you carried 
along the little ‘war bag’ that I mentioned. 
A. cup of hot coffee and a shred of dried meat 
will go a long way toward warding off starva-_ 
tion when properly applied. Now, lie down 
and sleep. Do not allow your mind to dwell 
