Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

•PELTS, BUCKSKIN, RAWHIDE 313every part becomes as pliable as chamois skin. Iftwo men are available they saw the hide back andforth over the sharpened edge of a plank or over ataut rope, lariat, or a tw^isted sinew as thick as one'sfinger. Large and refractory hides may be softenedby stretching them firmly on elevated frames anddancing on them. It is a hard job for one manto soften a large hide, but he can accomplish itby throwing the wet skin over a convenient limb,forming a loop at the other end, passing a stoutstick through it, and t^visting into a hard knot—leaving it to dry; then he re-soaks it and repeatsthe operation as often as necessary. The oftenera skin is wet and softened, the more pliable itbecomes.Smoking the Skin.—^The final process is smoking,which closes the pores, toughens the skin, givesitthe desired color, and insures its drying soft aftera wetting. Ordinarily the skin is made its ownsmoke-house. A small hole is dug in the groundand a smudge started in it. The best smudge ismade from "dozed" wood, that is, from, w^ood affectedwith dry rot until it is spongy; this, whendried, gives out a pale blue smoke without flame.desired,If a particular shade of yellow or brown issome discrimmation must be used in selecting thefuel. Above all things, the smudge must not be allow^edto break out in flame, for heating wouldruin the skin. Several small poles are stuck aroundthe hole and the skin is wrapped around themsomewhat like a teepee cover, the edges being sewedor skewered together; it is best, w^hen practicable,to smoke two or more skins at once, so as to haveplent}' of room around and above the smudge. Whentwo skins of about equal size are ready, a goodway to smoke them is to baste their edges togetherloosely in the form of a bag, the outside of theskins forming the inside of the bag and the afterpart of the skins forming its bottom, the neck endbeing left open ; to the edges of the open end sew