Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

CHAPTER XIIITHE CAMP-FIRE**I am a woodland fellow, sir, that always loved a greatfire."— ^//'j Well that Ends Well.Cold night weighs down the forest bough,Strange shapes go flitting through the gloom.But see — a spark, a flame, and nowhome!The wilderness is— Edivin L. Sabin.The forest floor is always littered with old leaves,dead sticks, and fallen trees. During a drought thisrubbish is so tinder-dry that a spark falling in itmay start a conflagration ; but through a great partof the year the leaves and sticks that lie flat on theground are too moist, at least on their under side, toIgnite readih'".If we rake together a pile of leaves,cover It higgledy-piggledy with dead twigs andbranches picked up at random, and set a match to It,the odds are that It will result In nothing but a quickblaze that soon dies down to a smudge. Yet thatis the way most of us tried to make our first outdoorfires.One glance at a camper's fire tells what kind of awoodsman he Is. It Is quite Impossible to preparea good meal over a heap of smoking chunks, a fierceblaze, or a great bed of coals that will warp Ironand melt everything else.If one would have good meals cooked out of doors,and would save much time and vexation — In otherwords, If he wants to be comfortable In the woods,he must learn how to produce at will either ( i ) aquick, hot little fire that will boll water In a Jiffy,223