Handicrafts 181 record,* and I can safely promise this: That every man who will follow the instructions I now give, will certainly succeed in making a rubbing-stick fire. Take a piece of dry, sound, balsam-fir wood (or else yucca, cedar, cypress, tamarac, basswood, or cottonwood, in order of choice) and make of it a drill and a block, thus: Tools for firemaking The Drill The drill should be not more than five-eighths of an inch in diameter and 12 to 15 inches long. The larger your drill, the harder you have to work. There is no use in having an immense pile of powder to get a spark. If the drill averages five-eighths of an inch in diameter, is perfectly straight, and tapers off at the top nicely, it will revolve smoothly and bring your spark quickly. The drill should be held perpendicularly, and should be held solidly by the hand resting firmly against the shin bone. The drill should be placed in the bow so that the loop is on the outside of the thong away from the bow. This prevents the drill from rubbing against the bow. _ Block, or board, two inches wide, six or eight inches long, five-eighths of an inch thick. In this block, near one end, cut a side notch one-half an inch deep, and near its end half ‘an inch from the edge make a little hollow or pit in the top of the block, as in the illustration (cut b). The notch should be cut into the board deeper at the
- This was written 20 years ago; since then the record has been
repeatedly lowered by others as well as myself.
