Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

PELTS, BUCKSKIN, RAWHIDE 315being at the lower side so that no force can pull thepole down; similarly fit another pole into reversedJiotches just above the ground; cut slits in the edgesof the hide and fiom them stretch thongs or verystrong cords to the trees and poles, twisting them uptightly.Parfleche.—The plains Indians used to makerawhide trunks or boxes which would stand anyamount of abuse in packing and travel. Thesewere called by the voyageurs parfleche. (Our dictionariessurmise that this is a French adaptation ofsome Indian word, but it is simply Canadian-French,meaning an arrow-fender, because it was from rawhidethat the Indians made their almost impenetrableshields. The word is commonly pronounced byAmericans ''par-flesh," with the accent on the lastsyllable.) In making these rawhide receptacles thethickest hides of buffalo bulls were dehaired, cut intothe required shapes and stretched on woodenforms to dry; they then retained their shapes andwere almost as hard as iron. A hide bucket can bemade by cutting off from the rawhide some thinstrips for lacing, soaking the skin until it is quitesoft, shaping from it a bag, sewing this up with thelace-leather, fitting to it a handle of twisted orplaited hide, then filling the bucket with dry sandor earth and letting it stand till dry.Whang Leather.—^Woodchuck skins are proverbiallytough, and are good for whangs or shoestrings.Squirrel skins can be used for thinner ones.An old summer coon's skin is very good for thispurpose ; wildcat's skin is better ; eel skins make thestrongest of all whangs.Whang-leather is prepared just like rawhide, butthe thongs are cut out before softening. It is conimonpractice to tan the leather with alum, but thisis objectionable for reasons given in the next chapter.Many farmers "tan" small skins for whang-leatherby putting them in a tub of soft soap; or dissolve9. bar of shaved-up laundry soap in a pail of hotwater, let 't cooL soak the skin in this solution un