Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

330 CAMPING AND WOODCRAFTa little finer than the file, In the palm of the righthand; then, grasping the horn with the left hand,twist it around and around from end to end, occasionallyrubbing it lengthwise. Continue thisprocess with finer g'rades of sandpaper till thevery finest has been used and complete the polishingwith pumice or rotten stone and water. Thenget from any dealer in musical Instruments an Eflat or cornet mouthpiece, fit It perfectly, drive itin tightly and your horn is complete. Or, take thesmall end of another horn, or the piece sawed off,and with a sharp and round-pointed pocket-knifework out a conical cavity at the large end, andHjake a hole through the small end for the stem.Work off the outside, shaping It in the form of acone the sides of which are concaved near the baseand convexed toward the stem. This shape willlook well, and the top will be thick enough to resteasily against the lips. The hole should be aboutthe size of a rye straw. The shape of the mouthpieceand the size of the hole—provided it be largeenough—do not materially affect the horn. Thestem of the mouthpiece should be ^ to i inchlong. If shorter, the sound will be too harsh; iflonger, too soft and not far-sounding. Long hornspioduce flat sounds, shorter ones sharp sounds. Agood horn may be heard three to three and a halfmiles. The best horns have a double curve (crooksin two directions), gradually tapering from buttto tip, highly colored, or with black or dark points.A part of the butt must always be removed, as itis thin and brittle.Gun Oil.— It is easy to make excellent gun-oil from the fat of almost any animal. Never usea vegetable oil on a firearm—it Is sure to gum.Rattlesnake oil has more body than almost any otheranimal oil ; but that of woodchucks, squirrels, 'coons,€tc., is good. A fine oil can also be made fromthe fat of the ruffed grouse, or from the marrowof a deer's leg bones. Put the fat on a board and