Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

3i8CAMPING AND WOODCRAFTof each; firmly lash each end of the gut to one ofthese notched ends. By alternately twisting theseand fixing them in the saw-cuts, to prevent theirrunning back, the gut may be evenly and smoothlytwisted like a single-strand cord. Let it dry andthen rub it smooth with a woolen rag and a littlegrease.Membranes.—Bladders only need cleaning, inflationwith air and drying to preserve them. Theymay then be made pliable by oiling. The paunchesof animals, after cleaning, can be expanded withgrass until dried. Such receptacles have many usesin wilderness camps, where bottles and cans areunobtainable; for example, to hold bear's oil, wildhoney, and other fluid or semi-fluid substances.Sinew.—A very strong, pliable and durable sew^;ng thread is made from sinew. It splits into eventhreads, is easy to work with when damp, and, ondrying, it shrinks tightly and becomes almost ashard as horn; hence it is better material than anyvegetable fiber for certain kinds of sewing, particularlyin sewing leather or buckskin, and for bindingtogether any two parts, such as a tool and itshandle, where the former has no eye. For bowstringsand heavy sewing, the Indians preferred thesinews of the buffalo or the moose, and then theelk, these being coarse in texture; for finer workthey chose those of the deer, antelope, and bighorn.The sinew of the panther or miountain-lion wasesteemed as the finest and most durable. The ligamentsthat extend from the head backwards alongeach side of the spinal process were preferred tothose of the legs.The aboriginal method of preparing and usingsinew is thus described by Isham G. Allen: "Thesinew is prepared for use by first removing all adheringflesh with the back of a knife; it is thenstretched on a board or lodge-pole and left to dryfor an hour or so, preparatory to the separation ofthe fibers or threads by twisting in the hands. By