General Scouting Indoors

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VIL General Scouting Indoors Handicraft Stunts LET each Scout carve a fork and spoon out of wood, with his band totem on handle. Make a needle case out of a fowl's leg or wing bone, thus: Clean and smooth about three inches of the bone plug up one end with a soft wood plug and make a, wooden stopper for the other end. Then with the point of a knife decorate the bone. The hnes should be scratched in deeply and then have black paint rubbed into them. If no black paint is handy make a mixture of soot and pine gum, with a little grease, butter or oil. Make a tackle box or ditty box 2x2x6 inches carved out of solid wood. Make peach-stone baskets, of a peach-stone shaped with a file. Turkey call. An interesting curio is the turkey call. Take a small cigar box and cut off the end as in the figure. Get a piece of slate about 2x3 inches long, or, failing slate, take a flat piece of wood and rub it well with rosin. Draw the two curved edges of the box lightly up this one way, and it will make a wonderfully good imitation of a turkey call. A Chicken squawk. This is another call easily made. Take any small round tin box — a condensed milk tin is good — and make a hole through the bottom and into this put a cord. A knot on the inside prevents the cord fromGeneral Scouting Indoors I8i iM2 « R mrm TurKt) ClK - &o^ Titli^rt 110 wooct or Wift fhf- acorn c^h-f , aj orniTtjitir' @© © © Q r- BirtUirK ^ ~.B J-. - ^ - slipping through. Rosin the cord and draw the fingers down it with short and long jerks. This give a good imi- tation of a cackling hen. Picture frames as in the above illustrations. Also make beds of willow rods, grass rugs, baskets of spruce roots, etc. as described elsewhere.I82 The Book of Woodcraft Ba^ .Igf^^ Birch-hark boxes and baskets. These are easily made if the bark be softened in hot water before you shape it. The lacing is spruce roots, also softened with hot water. (See "How to Make Baskets," by Mary White, Double- day, Page & Co., $1 plus lo cents postage.) SOUVENIR SPOONS A good indoor activity of Scouts is the making of souve- nir spoons. Some craftsmen are clever enough to make these out of wood or of silver. I have found that the best, easy-working material is bone, deer antler or horn. Go to any big drug shop and get one of the 25-cent horn spoons. It is already of a good spoon-shape, of course. The handle is hard, smooth, and ready to be ornamented with any device, cutting it with knife or file, into the owner's totem, or the clan or the tribal totems which naturally suggest themselves.General Scouting Indoors

Skookum Wild Cat Owl Eagle Johnny Bear The design should be sketched on with pencil or ink, then realized by shaping the outline with file or knife. The inner lines are merely scratched on the surface. In general, one should avoid changing the main outline of the spoon handle or cutting it enough to weaken it. Always, rather, adapt the animal to fill the desired space. There are several purposes the spoon can answer: First as a spoon in camp, especially when prizes are offered to the camp that makes most of its own equipment; next, as a salable article; third, as exhibition article when it is de- sired to get up a fine exhibit of handicraft products illus- trating camp life. KNOTS The following are standard knots that an accom- plished camper should know. Remember a perfect knot is one that's neither jambs nor slips.1 84 The Book of WoodcraftGeneral Scouting Indoorsi86 The Book of Woodcraft FIRESIDE TRICK An Indian showed nic this, though I have since seen it among whites ! Put your hands together as in the drawing, palms also touching. The thum.bs are you and your brother. You can separate easily — like that. The first fingers are you and your father, you can separate not quite so easily — like that : The Httle fingers are you and your sister, you can separate, but that comes a little harder still — like that. The middle fingers are you and your mother, you can separate, but it is hard — see that. The ring fingers are you and your sweetheart, you cannot separate without everything else going first to pieces. THE LONE STAR TRICK A Texan showed me an interesting trick on the table. He took six wooden toothpicks, bent them sharply in the miiddle, and laid them down in the form shown in "A.'* "Now," he says, "when our people got possession of Texas, it was nothing but a wilderness of cactus spines.General Scouting Indoors 187 See them there! Then they began irrigating. (Here he put a spoonful of water in the centre of the spines.) And then a change set in and kept on until they turned into the Lone Star State." As we watched, the water caused the toothpicks to straighten out until they made the pattern of a star as in "B." BIRD BOXES OR HOUSES A good line of winter work is making bird boxes to have them ready for the spring birds. Two styles of bird houses are in vogue; one a miniature house on a pole, the other is an artificial hollow limb in a tree. First — the miniature cabin or house on a pole. This is very good for martins, swallows, etc., and popular with most birds, because it is safest from cats and squirrels. But most of us consider it far from ornamental. To make one, take any wooden box about six inches square put a wooden roof on it (a in Cut), then bore a hole in the middle of one end, making it one and one half inches wide; and on the bottom nail a piece of two-inch wood with an inch auger hole in it (b). Drive in a nail for a perch below the door and all is ready for a coat of soft, olive- green paint. After this is dry, the box is finished. When you set it in place, the end of the pole is shaved to fit tight into the auger hole in the bottom, and the pole then set up, or fastened to the end of the building. In the latter case a six or eight foot pole is long enough. In some neighbor- hoods it is necessary to put tin as a cat and rat guard, onI88 The Book of Woodcraft the pole, as shown (candd). Some elaborate these bird houses, making a half dozen compartments. When this is done the pole goes right through the lowest floor and fits into a small hole in the floor above. B)f^D dOKKS These large apartment houses are very popular with the purple martin, as well as with the EngUsh sparrow if they are set up in town. Alexander Wilson tells us that the Choctaw and Chicasaw Indians used to make bird houses for theGeneral Scouting: Indoors 189 purple martins thus: 'Cut off all the top branches from a sapling, near their cabins, leaving the prongs a foot or two in length, on each of which they hang a gourd, or calabash properly hollowed out for their con- venience." But the wild-wood box or hollow limb is more sightly and for some birds more attractive. There are several ways of using the natural Hmb. One is, take a seven or eight inch stick of chestnut about twenty inches long, split four slabs off it: (0) then saw off three inches of each end of the "core " and nail the whole thing together again (P and Q), omitting the middle part of the core. Another way is to spUt the log in half and scoop out the interior of each half (L and M). When nailed together again it makes a commodious chamber, about five inches wide and a foot or more deep. Another plan is: Take a five-inch limb of green chest- nut, elm, or any other tough-barked tree. Cut a piece eighteen inches long, make a long bevel on one end (e). Now carefully spHt the bark on one side and peel it. Then saw the peeled wood into three pieces (f g h), leave out g and put the bark on again. Cut a hole in the bark on the longest side, at the place farthest from the beveled end (x in e), and your bird nest is finished. The beveled end is there to make it easily nailed up; when in place, it is as at I. The front — that is, the side where the door is — should always be the under one; and the door in each case should be near the top. But these methods presuppose a fine big stick of wood. I have more often found it convenient to work with scraps. Here is one easy way that I have long used: From a four or five inch round log saw off two sections each two inches thick, or faihng a log, cut out two circles from a two-inch plank, for top and bottom parts (like f and h);I90 The Book of Woodcraft then using six or seven laths instead of bark, make a hol- low cylinder (J). Cover the hollow cyHnder with a large piece of bark and cut the hole (K). Cut your entry at the top, half on each of a pair of laths. Cover the whole thing with bark nailed neatly on; or failing the bark, cover it with canvas and paint a dull green mottled with black and gray. This last has the advantage of giving most room in a small log. Of course, if one can find a hollow Umb, all this work is saved. By way of variety this one can be put up hanging from a nail, for which the wire loop is made. To a great extent the size of hole regulates the kind of bird, as most birds Hke a tight fit. For wrens make it about one inch; for bluebirds, and tree- swallows one and one half inches; for martins two and one half inches. For latest ideas send to The Jacobs Bird House Com- pany, 404 So. Washington Street, Waynesburg, Pa. See also the Making of a Hollow Tree," By E. T. Seton, Country Life in America, November, 1908, and seq. "Putting up Bird Boxes," By B. S. Bowdish (special leaflet), Audubon Society, 141 Broadway, New York. 15 cents per dozen. "Useful Birds and Their Protection," By E. H. Forbush, Massachusetts State Board Agriculture, p. 388.

HOW TO RAISE SOME MONEY

A good Scout always "travels on his own steam." When you want to go camping, don't go round begging for the cash, but earn it. And a good time to do this is in the win- ter when you are forced to stay indoors. How? One way, much in the line of our work, is makingGeneral Scouting Indoors 191 some bird houses. I know a number of persons who would gladly put up bird houses, if they could get them easily. See article on Bird Houses. You can either sell them in a lot to a man who has al- ready a shop for garden stuff or hardware, or put them on a hand cart and sell them at much better prices yourself. / It is useless to take them to a farmer, or to folks in town, but a ready sale will be found among the well-to-do in the suburbs, in a country town, or among the surmner residents of the country. The simple boxes might fetch 50 cents each, the more elaborate $1.00 or $2.00 according to the labor they have cost you. Another way is the manufacture of Indian stuff such as furniture, birch-bark boxes, baskets, rustic seats, etc., as described elsewhere in the book. See index.VIIL General Scouting Outdoors Rubbing-Stick Fire I HAVE certainly made a thousand fires with rubbing- sticks, and have made at least five hundred different experiments. So far as I can learn, my own record of thirty-one seconds from taking the sticks to having the fire ablaze is the world's record, and I can safely promise this: That every boy who will follow the instructions I now give will certainly succeed in making his rubbing- stick fire. Take a piece of dry, sound, balsam-fir wood (or else cedar, cypress, tamarac, basswood or cottonwood, in order of choice) and make of it a drill and a block, thus: Drill. Five eighths of an inch thick, twelve to fifteen inches long; roughly rounded, sharpened at each end as in the cut (Cut I a). Block, or hoard, 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, wider on the imder side; 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 illustra- tion (Cut I b). Tinder. For tinder use a wad of fine, soft, very dry, dead grass mixed with shredded cedar bark, birch bark or even cedar wood scraped into a soft mass.General Scouting Outdoors

Bow. Make a bow of any bent stick two feet long, with a strong buckskin or belt-lacing thong on it (Cut i c). Socket. Finally, you need a socket. This simple little thing is made in many different ways. Sometimes I use a pine or hemlock knot with a pit one quarter inch deep, made by boring with the knife point. But it is a great help to have a good one made of a piece of smooth, hard stone or marble, set in wood; the stone or marble having in it a smooth, round pit three eighths inch wide and three eighths inch deep. The one I use most was made by the Eskimo. A view of the under side is shown in Cut i (fig. d) . /ZVT^ : -: .f=?^^ I. Tools for firemaking Now, we are ready to make the fire : Under the notch in the fire-block set a thin chip. Turn the leather thong of the bow once around the drill: the thong should now be quite tight. Put one point of the drill into the pit of the block, and on the upper end put the socket, which is held in the left hand, with the top of the drill in the hole of the stone (as in Cut 2). Hold the left wrist against the left shin, and the left foot on the fire-block. Now, draw the right hand back and forth steadily on level and the full length of the bow. This causes the drill to twirl in the pit. Soon it bores in, grinding out powder,194 The Book of Woodcraft which presently begins to smoke. When there is a great volume of smoke from a growing pile of black powder, you know that you have the spark. Cautiously lift the block, leaving the smoking powder on the chip. Fan this with your hand till the live coal appears. Now, put a wad tMJh.|Hllli°.'.T77ITmjfo ■ v-^;ji» ; " '■•'"■'■ --'itiw"!

. Ready to make fire of the tinder gently on the spark; raise the chip to a con- venient height, and blow till it bursts into flame. N. B. (i) The notch must reach the middle of the fire-pit. (2) You must hold the drill steadily upright, and cannot do so without bracing the left wrist against the left shin, and having the block on a firm foundation. (3) You must begin Hghtly and slowly, pressing heavily and sawing fast after there is smoke. (4) If the fire does not come, it is because you have not followed these instructions. HIKING IN THE SNOW In the suggested programs I have given a number of outlines for one-day hikes. For those who wish to find outGeneral Scouting Outdoors 195 what animals live near there is no time better than when the snow is on the ground. I remember a hike of the snow-track iind that ajfforded myself and two boy friends a number of thrills, more than twenty-five years ago. There were three of us out on a prowl through the woods, looking for game. We saw no live thing, but there had been a fall of soft snow, a few days before; tracks were abundant, and I proposed that each of us take a track and follow it through thick and thin, until he found the beast, which, if Hving and free, was bound to be at the other end of the Une; or, until he found its den. Then, each should halloa to let the others know that his quarry was holed. Close by were the tracks of a mink and of two skunks. The Mink, track mink-track was my guide. It led southward. I followed it through swamps and brushwood, under logs, and into promising nooks. Soon I crossed the trail of the youngest boy, closely pursuing his skunk. Later, I met my friend of skunk No. 2, but our trails diverged. Now I came to a long hill down which my mink had tobogganed six or eight feet, after the manner of the otter. At last the trail came to an end in a perfect labyrinth of logs and brush. I went all around this. The snow was clear and smooth. My mink was certainly in this pile. So I let off a long halloa and got an answer from one of the boys, who left his trail and came to me within a few minutes. It happened that this one, CharUe, was carrying a bag with a ferret in it, that196 The Book of Woodcraft we had brought in the hope that we might run to earth a rabbit; and this particular ferret was, Hke everything his owner had, "absolutely the best in Canada." He claimed that it could kill rats, six at a time; that it could drive a fox out of its hole; that it was not afraid of a coon; while a skunk or a mink was simply beneath its notice. I now suggested that this greatest of ferrets be turned in after the mink, while we watched around the pile of logs. I never did like a ferret. He is such an imp of murder incarnate. It always gives me the creeps to see the blood- thirsty brute, like a four-legged snake, dive into some hole, Skunk track /i'n — I with death and slaughter as his job. I hate him; but, after all, there is something thrilHng and admirable about his perfectly diabolical courage. How would one of us like to be sent alone into a dark cave, to find out and fight some unknown monster, much larger than ourselves, and able, for aught we know, to tear us into pieces in a moment! But the ferret never faltered; he dived into the log laby- rinth. It was a small ferret and a big mink; I awaited anxiously. After a long silence, we saw our four-footed partner at the farther end, unruffled, calm and sinuous.General Scouting Outdoors 197 Nothing had happened. We saw no mink, but I knew he was there. The ferretteer said, "It just proved what he had claimed — 'a mink was beneath his ferret's notice'!" Maybe? Now, we heard the shout of hunter No. 2. We answered. He came to us to say that, after faithfully following his skunk-trail leader for two hours, through forest, field and fen, he had lost it in a host of tracks in a ravine some half-a- mile away. So we gave our undivided attention to skunk No. i, and in a few minutes had traced him to a hole, into which there led a multitude of trails, and from which there issued an odor whose evidence was beyond question. Again we submitted the case to our subterranean representative, and nothing loth the ferret ghded down. But presently re- appeared, much as he went, undisturbed and unodorized. Again and again he was sent down, but with the same result. So at length we thrust him ignominiously into the bag. The ferret's owner said there was no skunk; the rest of us said there was, but that the ferret was "scared," "no good," etc. Then, a plan suggested itself for clearing or convicting that best of all ferrets. We plugged up the skunk hole, and went back to the house. It seemed that the youngest brother of one of my companions had a tiny pet dog, a toy, the darHng of his heart — just such a dog as you read about; a most miserable, pampered, cross, ill-bred, useless and ?.narling little beast, about the size of a large rat. Prince was his name, for Abraham, his little master, never lost in opportunity of asserting that this was the prince of all dogs, and that his price was above rubies. But Prince had made trouble for Bob more than once, and Bob was ready to sacrifice Prince on the altar of science, if need be. Indeed, SatJin had entered into Bob's heart and sketched there a Dlausible but wicked plan. So this boy set to work and198 The Book of Woodcraft coaxed Prince to leave the house, and beguiled him with soft words, so that he came with us to the skunk's den in the woods. It required but little encouragement, then, to get that aggressive little beast of a doglet to run into the hole and set about making himself disagreeable to its occu- pant. Presently, we were entertained with a succession of growlets and barklets, then a volley of howlets, followed by that awful smell — you know. Soon afterward. Prince reappeared, howling. For some minutes he did nothing but roll himself in the snow, rub his eyes and yell. So that after all, in spite of our ferret's evidence, there was a skunk in the hole, and the ferret had really demonstrated a vast discretion j in fact, was prob- ably the discreetest ferret in Canada. We had got good proof of that skunk's existence but we did not get him, and had to go home wondering how we should square ourselves for our sacrilege in the matter of the pet dog. It was Bob's job to explain, and no one tried to rob him of the glory. He began by sowing a few casual remarks, such as, "Pears to me there must be a skunk under the barn." Then, later, when Prince bounded in, "Phew! 'pears to me that there fool purp has been after that skunk!" Poor little Prince! It made him lose his nightly couch in Abraham's bosom and condemned him to be tubbed and scrubbed every day, and to sleep outdoors for a week. But he had his revenge on all of us; for he barked all night, and every night, under our windows. He couldn't sleep; why should we? And we didn't. Of course, this instance is given rather as a dreadful example of error than as a model for others. We got back from our hike that time with a lot of inter- esting wild animal experience, and yet you will note we did not see anv wild animal all the time.General Scouting Outdoors 199 OLD WEATHER WISDOM When the dew is on the grass, Ram will never come to pass. When the grass is dry at night, Look for rain before the light. When grass is dry at morning light, Look for rain before the night. Three days' rain will empty any sky. A deep, clear sky of fleckless blue Breeds storms within a day or two. When the wind is in the east, It's good for neither man nor beast. When the wind is in the north, The old folk should not venture forth, When the wind is in the south. It blows the bait in the fishes' mouth. When the wind is in the west. It is of all the winds the best. An opening and a shetting Is a sure sign of a wetting. (Another version) . Open and shet. Sure sign of wet. (Still another) It's lighting up to see to rain.200 The Book of Woodcraft Evening red and morning gray Sends the traveler on his way. Evening gray and morning red Sends the traveler home to bed. Red sky at morning, the shepherd takes warning; Red sky at night is the shepherd's delight. If the sun goes down cloudy Friday, sure of a clear Sun- day. If a rooster crows standing on a fence or high place, it will clear. If on the ground, it doesn't count. Between eleven and two You can tell what the weather is going to do. Rain before seven, clear before eleven. Fog in the morning, bright sunny day. If it rains, and the sun is shining at the same time, the devil is whipping his wife and it will surely rain to-morrow. If it clears off during the night, it will rain shortly again. Sun drawing water, sure sign of rain. A circle round the moon means "storm." As many stars as are in circle, so many days before it will rain. Sudden heat brings thunder. A storm that comes against the wind is always a thunder- storm. The oak and the ash draw lightning. Under the birch the cedar, and balsam you are safe. East wind brings rain. West wind brings clear, bright, cool weather. North wind brings cold. South wind brings heat. (On Atlantic coast.)General Scouting Outdoors 201 The rain-crow or cuckoo (both species) is supposed by all hunters to foretell rain, when its "Kow, kow, kow" is long and hard. So, also, the tree-frog cries before rain. Swallows flying low is a sign of rain; high, of clearing weather. The rain follows the wind, and the heavy blast is just before the shower. OUTDOOR PROVERBS What weighs an ounce in the morning, weighs a pound at night. A pint is a pound the whole world round. Allah reckons not against a man's allotted time the days he spends in the chase. If there's only one, it isn't a track, it's an accident. Better safe than sorry. No smoke without fire. The bluejay doesn't scream without reason. The worm don't see nuffin pretty 'bout de robin's song. — (Darkey.) Ducks flying over head in the woods are generally pointed for water. If the turtles on a log are dry, they have been there half an hour or more, which means no one has been near to alarm them. Cobwebs across a hole mean "nothing inside." Whenever you are trying to be smart, you are going wrong. Smart Aleck always comes to grief. You are safe and winning, when you are trying to be kind.202 The Book of Woodcraft The Stars A settlement worker once said to me: "It's all very well talking of the pleasures of nature study, but what use is it to my Httle Itahans and Polish Jews in the slums of New York? They get no chance to see the face of nature." "If they do not," I replied, "it is their own fault. They watch the pavements too much for coppers; they are forever looking down. To-night you ask them to look up. If the sky is clear, they will have a noble chance." Yes! the stars are the principle study for outdoors at night and above all in winter time ; for not only are many of the woodcraft pursuits impossible now, but the nights are long, the sky is clear, and some of the most famous star- groups are visible to us only in winter. So far as there is a central point in our heavens, that point is the Pole Star — Polaris. Around this all the stars in the sky seem to turn once Jv.. >'y in twenty-four hours. It is ® '^^••*-^/ easily discovered by the help •9 Vv of the Pointers, or Dipper, "^ ,» ' known to every country boy ^ ^. ^^eit in America.

• * '^'^ Most of the star-groups are

CUT 1 known by the names of hu- man figures or animals. The modern astronomers laugh at and leave out these figures in the sky; but we shall find it a great help to memory and interest if we revive and use them; but it is well to say now that it is not because the form of the group has such resemblance, but because there is some traditional association of the two. For example:General Scouting Outdoors 203 The classical legend has it that the nymph CalHsto, having violated her vow, was changed by Diana into a bear, which, after death was immortalized in the sky by Zeus. Another suggestion is that the earliest astronomers, the Chaldeans, called these stars "the shining ones," and their word happened to be very like the Greek Arktos (a bear). Another explanation (I do not know who is authority for either) is that vessels in olden days were named for animals, etc. They bore at the prow the carved effigy of their namesake, and if the "Great Bear," for example, made several very happy voyages by setting out when a certain constellation was in the ascendant, that constellation might become known as the Great Bear's Constellation. It is no doubt, because it is so conspicuous, that the Great Bear is the oldest of all the constellations, in a human historical sense. Although it has no resemblance to a Bear, the tail part has obvious resemblance to a Dipper, by which name it is known to most Americans. Therefore, because so well known, so easily pointed out, and so helpful in pointing out the other stars, this Dipper will be our starting point and shall prove our Key to the whole sky. If you do not know the Dipper, get some one who does to point it out; or look in the northern sky for the shape shown in Cut, remembering that it goes around the Pole Star every twenty-four hours, so that at different times it is seen at different places. Having found the Dipper, note carefully the two stars marked b and a; these, the outer rim of the Dipper bowl are called the Pointers, because they point to, or nearly to, the Pole Star; the latter being about three dipper rims (a d) away from the Dipper. Now, we have found the great Pole Star, which is called by Indians the "Star that never moves" and the "Home204 The Book of Woodcraft Star." Note that it is in the end of the handle of a Little Dipper, or, as it is called, the Little Bear, Ursa minor; this Bear, evidently, of an extinct race, as bears, nowa- days, are not allowed such tails. Now, let us take another view of the Dipper. Its handle is really the tail of the Great Bear, also of the extinct long- tailed race. (Cut 2.) Note that it is composed of seven stars, hence its name, "The Seven Stars." Four of these are in the bowl and three in the handle; the handle is bent at the middle star, and this one is called Mizar. Just above Mizar is a tiny star called Alcor. Can you see Alcor? In all ages it has been considered a test of good eyesight to see this little star, even among the Indians. They call the big one the Old Squaw, and the little one the "pappoose on her back." Keep this in mind as a test. Can you see the pappoose? If I give you the Latin names of the stars and the scien- tific theories as to their densities and relations, you certainly will not carry much of it away. But let us see if the old animal stories of the sky are not a help. In Cut No. 2 of the Great Bear Hunt, for instance, you see the Dipper in the tail of the long-tailed Bear; and not only is this creature hunted, but in many other troubles. Thus, there is a swarm of flies buzzing about his ear, and another on his flank below b of the Dipper. These swarms are really nehulcB or clusters of very small stars. Close below the Bear are two Hounds of Bootes in leash and in full pursuit of Ursa. They also have annoyances, for there is a swarm of flies at the ear of each. On Ursa's haunch are two areas that, according to the star maps, belong to the Hounds, so we must consider them the bites the hounds are going to take out. Last, and leading, is the great hunter "Bootes." If you follov/ the Dipper, that is, the Bear's tail, in a curve forGeneral Scouting Outdoors 205 the length of two tails, it will bring you to Arcturus, the wonderful star that the Bear hunter wears hke a blazing jewel in his knee. Just above the head of Bootes is another well-known con- stellation, the Northern Crown. {Corona borealis.) This very small and very beautiful star-group has been called the Diamond Necklace in the sky." because it looks like .» • ,-v • / ^* "'a.' i »ri<'* ..•■' ..... ^■^■•."-■i~; / ^ "'.•'•. .-•-^ T» • * .'/T-- W I' . ,-* -fcii^-t ♦! •- ^ ii^ >; ,.-••' 1^ • *■ > , '. ... J(f -^ .V^^j •-•■**•

I  ^-'^,..'?^"' "■' • ■'/■v? / ♦.i l_ .^ 

• ■• 'iifc- '• /c^ '• ••' %■ CUT 2. Bootes Hunting the Great Bear a circle of jewels with one very large one in the middle of the string. The Indians call it the Camp Circle of the Gods. If you draw a line from the back rim of the Dipper through Mizar, that is, the star at the bend of the handle, and continue about the total length of the Dipper, it will touch the Crown. The step from the Crown to the Cross is natural, and is easy in the sky. If you draw a Hne up- ^^ ward from the middle of the Dipper 4-*^* bowl, straight across the sky, about three « total Dipper lengths, until it meets the "'•: <k%*. Milky Way, you reach the Northern s^ Cross, which is also called Cygnus, the northern cross2o6 The Book of Woodcraft Swan. You note it is on the opposite side of the Pole Star from the Dipper, and about one and a half Dipper lengths from the Pole. One more easily known group is now in sight, that is, Cassiopeia in her chair. It is exactly opposite the Big Dipper on the other side of the Pole ./> V/vl '*;) Star, and about as far from the latter as ■.. ■'"-.. ■';;^.:-..'/ the Big Dipper is, that is, the Big Dipper jD I •^' and Cassiopeia balance each other; as ^■, ...• —:yi-, the one goes up, the other goes down. .^.... .. .. There is yet another famous constel- »•/ '. ; V<. k--.. lation that every one should know; and "^ /-■ " ^ X " .i. that is " Orion, the great hunter, the BuU- cAssioPEiA fighter in the sky." During the summer, it goes on in day-time, but in winter it rises in the evening and passes over at the best of times to be seen. February is a particularly happy time for this wonder and splendor of the blue. If you draw a line from the inner rim of the Dipper, through the outer edge of the bottom, and continue it about two and a half total lengths of the Dipper, it will lead to the Star *'Procyon" the "Little Dogstar," the principal light of the constellation Canis minor. Below it, that is, rising later, is Sirius the "Great Dogstar," chief of the Constellation Canis major, and the most wonderful star in the sky. It is really seventy times as brilliant as the Sun, but so far away from us, that if the Sun's distance (92,000,000 miles) be represented by one inch, the distance of Sirius would be represented by eight miles; and yet it is one of the nearest of the stars in the sky. If you see a star that seems bigger or brighter than Sirius, you may know it is not a star, but a planet, either Venus, Jupiter or Mars. Having located the Dogstar, it is easy to go farther to the southward, and recognize the Great Hunter Orion. TheGeneral Scouting Outdoors 207 three Kings on his belt are among the most striking of all the famous stars in our blue dome. And, having found them, it is easy to trace the form of the Giant by the bright stars, Betelgeuse (orange), in his right shoulder, and Bella- trix in his left, Saiph in his right knee, and Rigel in his left foot. In his left hand he shakes the lion skin to baffle the bull while his right swings the mighty club that seems al- ready to have landed on the bull's head, for the huge crea- ?. E( Nit). ..••"■■"" -^K ' ...--0 •- ' **• .** '

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ORION ture's face is spotted all over with star-groups called the "Hyades." The wonderful red star, Aldebaran, is the Bull's right eye and the Pleiades are the arrow wounds in the Bull's shoulder. Serviss tells us that the Pleiades have a supposed connection with the Great Pyramid, because "about 2170 B. C, when the beginning of spring coincided with the culmination of the Pleiades at midnight, that wonderful group of stars was visible just at midnight,2o8 The Book of Woodcraft through the mysterious southward-pointing passage of the Pyramid." Out of Orion's left foot runs the River Eridanus, to wander over the sky; and, crouching- for protection at the right foot of the Great Hunter, is Lepus the Hare. Now, how many constellations have you learned? In the Indian Scouts you need ten. Ten sounds hard, but here you have already got seventeen, and I think will have little trouble in remembering them. And why should you do so? There are many reasons, and here is one that alone would, I think, make it worth while : An artist friend said to me once: "I am glad I learned the principal star groups when I was young. For my Hfe has been one of wandering in far countries, yet, wherever I went, I could always look up and see something famihar and friendly, something that I knew in the dear bygone days of my boyhood's home, and something to guide me still." PLEIADES AS A TEST OF EYESIGHT This star group has always been considered a good test of eyesight. I once asked a group of boys in camp how many of the Pleiades they could count with the naked eye. A noisy, forward boy, who was nicknamed "Bluejay," because he was so fond of chattering and showing off, said, "Oh, I see hundreds." "Well, you can sit down," I said, "for you can do nothing of the kind." Another steadier boy said, "I believe I see six," and he proved that he did see them, for he mapped them out properly on a board with six pebbles. That boy had good eyes, because poor eyes see merely a haze, but another boy present had better eyes, for he saw.General Scouting Outdoors 209 and proved that he saw, seven. This is considered first- class. The Indians as a rule see seven, because they call them the Seven Stars. But, according to Flammarion, it is possible to exceed this, for several persons have given proof that they distinguished ten Pleiades. This is almost the extreme of human eyesight. There is, however, The Pleiades as seen with the best of nalied eyes according to the same authority, a record of thirteen Pleiades having been actually seen by the unaided human eye. The telescope reveals some 2,000 in the cluster. The Indians call them the "Seven Dancers," and tell a legend that seems to explain their dancing about the small- est one, as well as the origin of the constellation. Once there were seven little Indian boys, who used to take their bowl of succotash each night and eat their suppers together on a mound outside the village. Six were about the same size, one was smaller than the rest, but he had a sweet voice, and knew many songs, so after supper the others would dance around the mound to his singing, and he marked time on his drum. When the frosty days of autumn were ending, and winter2IO The Book of Woodcraft threatened to stop the nightly party, they said, "Let us ask our parents for some venison, so we can have a grand feast and dance for the last time on the mound." They asked, but all were refused. Each father said, "When I was a Httle boy, I thought myself lucky to get even a pot of succotash, and never thought of asking for venison as well." So the boys assembled at the mound. All were gloomy but the little singer, who said:

• ' Never mind, brothers ! We shall feast without venison,

and we shall be merry just the same, for I shall sing you a new song that will Hghten your hearts." First, he made each of them fasten on his head a Httle torch of birch bark, then he sat down in the middle and thumped away at his little drum and sang: Ki yi yi yah Ki yi yi yah And faster Ki yi yi yah Ki yi yi yah And faster still, till now they were spinning round. Then: Ki yi yi yah Ki yi yi yah Whoooooop They were fairly whirling now, and, as the singer gave this last whoop of the last dance on the mound, they and he went dancing over the treetops into the sky; light of heart and heels and head, they went, and their parents rushed out in time to see them go, but too late to stop them. And now you may see them every clear autumn night as winter draws near; you may see the httle torches sparkhng as theyGeneral Scouting Outdoors 211 dance, the six around the little one in the middle. Of course, you can't hear his song, or even his drum, but you must remember he is a long way off now. There is another story of a little Indian girl called Two-Bright-Eyes. She was the only child of her parents. She wandered away one evening seeking the whippoorwill and got lost — you see, even Indians get lost sometimes. She never returned. The mourning parents never learned what became of her, but they thought they saw a new pair of twin stars rising through the trees not long after, and when their grief was so softened by time that they could sing about it, this is the song they made about their loss: THE TWIN STARS Two-Bright-Eyes went wandering out To chase the whippoorwill. Two-Bright-Eyes got lost, and left Our teepee, oh, so still! Two-Bright-Eyes was lifted up To sparkle in the skies, And look like stars, but we know well That that's our lost Bright-Eyes. She is looking for the camp, She would come back if she could; She is peeping thro' the trees to find The teepee in the wood. The Planets The stars we see are suns like our Sun, giving out light to worlds that go around them as our world goes around our Sun; as these worlds do not give out Ught, and are a long212 The Book of Woodcraft way off, we cannot see them. But around our own Sun are several worlds besides ours. They are very near to us, and we can see them by the reflected light of the Sun. These are called "planets" or wanderers," because, before their courses were under- stood, they seemed to wander about, all over the sky, unlike the fixed stars. They are so close to us that their distance and sizes are easily measured. They do not twinkle. There are eight, in aU, not counting the small Planetoids; but only those as large as stars of the first magnitude concern us. They are here in order of nearness to the Sun: . MERCURY is always close to the Sun, so that it is usually lost in the glow of the twihght or of the vapors of the horizon, where it shows Hke a globule of quicksilver. It has phases and quarters like the Moon. It is so hot there that a Mercurian would be frozen to death in Africa or Senegal" (Flammarion) . . VENUS. The brightest of all the stars is Venus; far brighter than Sirius. It is the Alorning Star, the Evening Star, the Shepherd's Star, and yet not a star at all, but a planet. It has phases and quarters hke the Moon. You can place it only with the help of an ahnanac. . THE EARTH. . MARS. The nearest of the other worlds to us. It is a fiery-red planet. It has phases like the Moon. . JUPITER, Hke a very large star of the first magni- tude, famous for its five moons, and really the largest of the planets. . SATURN, noted for its rings, also Hke a very large star of the first magnitude. . URANUS and (8) NEPTUNE, are too small for observation without a telescope.General Scoutin?: Outdoors

THE MOON The Moon is one fifth the diameter of the Earth, about one fiftieth of the bulk, and is about a quarter million miles away. Its course, while very irregular, is nearly the same as the apparent course of the Sun. But in winter the full Moon is at an altitude in the sky near the limit attained by the Sun in summer, . . . and even, at certain times, five degrees higher. It is the contrary in summer, a season when the Moon rem.ains very low" (F.). The Moon goes around the Earth in twenty-seven and a quarter days. It loses nearly three quarters of an hour each night; that is, it rises that much later. "Astronomy with an Opera Glass." Garrett P. Serviss, D. Appleton & Co., New York City. Price, $1.50. MAKING A DAM When I was a boy we had no natural swimming pool, but there was a small stream across our farm; and I with my two friends succeeded in making a pool, partly by dam- To Show ifrarnt of PaTn_ ming up the little stream, and partly by digging out the place above the dam. The first things needed were two logs long enough to214 The Book of Woodcraft reach from bank to bank. These we placed across with the help of the team, and fixed them firmly three feet apart. Inside of each and tight against it we drove a row of strong stakes leaving a gap or sluiceway for the water to rim until the rest of the dam was finished. This cribbing we now filled with clay dug out of the bed of the brook above the dam. Hammering it down hard, and covering the top with flat stones. Finally we closed up the sluice- way with stakes and clay like the rest of it, and in one night the swimming hole filled up. Next morning there was a Httle cataract over the low place I had purposely left for an overflow. The water was four feet deep and many of us there learned to swim. WHEN LOST IN THE WOODS If you should miss your way, the first thing to remember is, like the Indian, "You are not lost; it is the teepee that is lost." It isn't serious. It cannot be so, unless you do something foolish. The first and most natural thing to do is to get on a hill, up a tree, or other high lookout, and seek for some landmark near the camp. You may be so sure of these things : You are not nearly as far from camp as you think you are. Your friends will soon find you. You can help them best by signaling. The worst thing you can do is to get frightened. The truly dangerous enemy is not the cold or the hunger, so much as the fear. It is fear that robs the wanderer of his judgment and of his limb power; it is fear that turns theGeneral Scouting Outdoors 215 passing experience into a final tragedy. Only keep cool and all will be well. If there is snow on the ground, you can follow your back track. If you see no landmark, look for the smoke of the fire. Shout from time to time, and wait; for though you have been away for hours it is quite possible you are within earshot of your friends. If you happen to have a gun, fire it off twice in quick succession on your high lookout then wait and listen. Do this several times and wait plenty long enough, perhaps an hour. If this brings no help, send up a distress signal — that is, make two smoke fires by smothering two bright fires with green leaves and rotten wood, and keep them at least fifty feet apart, or the wind will confuse them. Two shots or two smokes are usually understood to mean "I am in trouble." Those in camp on seeing this should send up one smoke, which means "Camp is here." In a word, keep cool, make yourself comfortable, leave a record of your travels, and help your friends to find you." INDIAN TWEEZERS Oftentimes, a camper may need a pair of tweezers or forceps to pull out a thorn or catch some fine end. If he happens to be without the real thing, he can supply the place with those of Indian style — these are simply a small pair of clam-shells, with edges clean and hinge un- broken. The old-time Indians had occasionally a straggly beard. They had no razor, but they managed to do without one. As a part of their toilet for special oc- casion they pulled out each hair by means of the clam- shell nippers.2l6 The Book of Woodcraft A HOME-MADE COMPASS If you happen to have a magnet, it is easy to make a compass. Rub a fine needle on the magnet; then on the side of your nose. Then lay it gently on the surface of a cup full of v/ater. The needle will float and point north. The cup must not be of metal. AN INDIAN CLOCK, SHADOW CLOCK OR SUNDIAL To make an Indian shadow clock or sundial, prepare a smooth board about fifteen inches across, with a circle divided by twenty-four rays into equal parts. Place it on a level, solid post or stump in the open. At night set the dial so that the twelve o'clock line points ex- actly north, as deter- mined by the Pole Star and nail it down. Then, fix a stick or pointer with its upper edge on the centre and set it exactly pointing to the Pole Star (a b) ; that is, the same angle as the latitude of the place, and fix it there imimiov- ably; it may be necessary to cut a notch (c) in the board to permit of a sight line. The hours eight at night to four next morning may as well be painted black. As a time- piece, this shadow clock will be found roughly correct.General Scouting Outdoors 217 The Indians of course used merely the shadov/ of a tree, or the sun streak that fell on the lodge floor through the smoke opening. LIGHTS For camp use, there is nothing better than the Stone- bridge folding lantern, with a good supply of candles. A temporary torch can readily be made of a roll of birch bark, a pine knot, or some pine-root slivers, in a spht stick of green wood. hunter's lamp A fairly steady light can be made of a piece of cotton cloth or twisted rag, stuck in a clam-shell full of oil or melted grease. An improvement is easily made by putting the cotton wick through a hole in a thin, flat stone, which sets in the grease and holds the wick upright. Another improvement is made by using a tin in place of the shell. It makes a steadier lamp, as well as a much larger hght. This kind of a lamp enjoys wide use and has some queer names, such as slot-lamp, grease-jet, hunter's lamp, etc. (See Cut on next page.) woodman's lantern When nothing better is at hand, a woodman's lantern can be made of a tomato can. Make a big hole in the bottom for the candle, and punch the sides full of small holes, prefer- ably from the inside. If you have a wire to make a hanger, well and good; if not, you can carry it by the bottom. This lets out enough light and will not go out in the wind. If you want to set it down, you must make a hole in the ground for the candle, or if on a table, set it on two blocks. (Cut on next page.)2l8 The Book of Woodcraft Another style is described in a recent letter from Hamlin Garland: "Apropos of improved camp lights, I had a new one 'sprung on me,' this summer: A forest ranger and I were visiting a miner, about a mile from our camp. It came on dark, pitch dark, and when we started home, we could not follow the trail. ^ ^ IT ^ Mo, t] (r l^■tter■ns v>W It was windy as well as dark, and matches did very little good. So back we went to the cabin. The ranger then picked up an old tomato can, punched a hole in the side, thrust a candle up through the hole, lighted it, and took the can by the disk which had been cut from the top. The whole thing was now a boxed light, shining ahead like a searchlight, and the wind did not affect it at all! I've been camping, as you know, for thirty years, but this little trick was new to me. Perhaps it is new to you." H. G. Still another style, giving a better light, is made byGeneral Scouting Outdoors

heating an ordinary clear glass quart bottle pretty hot in the fire, then dipping the bottom part in cold water; this causes the bottom to crack off. The candle is placed in the neck, flame inside, and the bottle neck sunk in the ground. CAMP LOOM AND GRASS MATS The chief use of the camp loom is to weave mats for the beds of grass, straw, hay, or, best of all, sedge. I have made it thus:

1 i i 1 1 '1 i' 

Fiitd. CreJJ-6»r A 3-foot cross-bar A is fast to a small tree, and seven feet away, even stakes are driven into the ground 8 inches apart, each 3 feet out of the ground. Five stout cords are tied to each stick, and to the cross- bar, keeping them parallel. Then, between each on the cross-bar is attached another cord (four in all) the far end of which is made fast to a loose cross-bar, B. One fellow raises the loose cross-bar B, while another lays a long bundle of grass tight in the corner C. Then B is lowered to D, and another roll of grass or sedge is tucked220 The Book of Woodcraft in on the under side of the stake cords. Thus the bundles are laid one above and one below, until the mat is of the the required length. The cords are then fastened, the cross-bars removed, and the mat, when dried, makes a fine bed. When added to the willow bed, it is pure lux- ury; but lawful, because made of wildwood material. NAVAHO LOOM A profitable amusement in camp, is weaving rugs or mats of inner bark, rags, etc., on a rough Navaho loom. The crudest kind, one which can be made in an hour is il- lustrated on next page. I have found it quite satisfactory for weaving rough mats or rugs. (A and B) are two trees or posts. (C) is the cross piece. (D) is the upper yarn- beam, wrapped its whole length with a spiral cord. (E) is the lower yarn-beam, similarly wrapped. {F F) are stout cords to carry the frame while the warp is being stretched between the yarn-beams. (G G) is a log hung on for weight. {H H) is a round stick fastened between the yarns, odds on one side, evens on the other, to hold the yarns open until the rug is all done, but about one inch when it is drawn out. Now with a needle, the yarns or strings for the warp are stretched from one yarn-beam to another, as a continuous string. The exact method is shown on a larger scale in the upper figure (/ /) The batten or spreader (/) is a piece of light w^ood two inches wide and one half inch thick, with square edges, but thin sharp- point, and about as long as the yarn beam. Now we are ready to begin. Run the batten between the yarns under the sticks {H H.) Then drop it to the bottom and turn it flatwise, thus spreading the yarns apartGeneral Scouting Outdoors

in two rows. Lay a line of soft bark, rags, or other woof in this opening on top of the batten, making sure that it projects a couple of inches at each end. Double these long ends around the strong cords {F F) then back along themselves. Now draw out the spreading batten and press the woof down tight. Run the batten through alternate threads again, but the reverse way of last, and this time it goes more slowly for the lack of a guide rod.* Lay a new line of woof as •This is done much more quickly by help of a heald-rod, that is, a horizontal stick as wide as the blanket, with every other strand of the warp loosely looped to it by a running cord near the top. When this rod is pulled forward it reverses the set of the threads and allows the batten to drop in at once.222 The Book of Woodcraft above. When the rug is all finished except the top inch or more, draw out the rod {H H) and fill the warp to the top. Finally cut and draw out the spiral cords on each yarn-beam. This frees the rug, which is finished, excepting for trim and binding, w^hen such are de- sired. Those who want full details of the best Navaho looms and methods will find them in Dr. Washington Matthew's article on Navaho Weavers, 3d Annual Report, Bur. of Ethnology, 1881-2. Washington 1884. CAMP RAKE A camp rake is made of forked branches of oak, beech, hickory, or other hard wood, thus: Cut a handle an inch thick {B C) and 4 feet long, of the shape shown. Flatten it on each side of A , and make a gimlet-hole through. Now cut ten branches of the shape DE, each about 20 inches long. Flatten them at the E end, and make a gimlet-hole through each. Fasten all together, 5 on each side of the handle,General Scouting Outdoors

as in F, with a long nail or strong wire through all the holes; then, with a cord, lash them together, spacing them by- putting the cord between. Sharpen the points of the teeth, and your rake is ready. CAMP BROOM There are two ways of making a camp broom. First, the twig broom. This is easily made as follows : Cut a handle an inch thick, and shape it to a shoulder, as in ^ 5 C. Lash on birch or other fine twigs, one layer at a time, until sufficiently thick, as D E. Now at F, put a final lashing of cord. This draws the broom together, and binds it firmly to the handle. Trim the ends even with the axe, and it is ready for use. The other style is the backwoods broom. This was usually made of blue-beech or hickory. A 4-foot piece of a 4-inch green trunk is best. Shavings 18 inches long are224 The Book of Woodcraft cut down, left attached at /, and bent back over the end until there is a bunch of them thick enough; when they are bound together with a cord and appear as in K. Now thin down the rest of the handle L M, and the broom needs only a little drying out to be finished. BUILDING A BOAT Most camp sites are selected with a view to boating; certainly no camp is complete without it. Winter is a good time to build a boat, if you have a workshop big enough to hold it. The simplest kind of a craft is the best to start with. Get two boards, smooth and with as few knots as possible, 15 in. wide, and 15 ft. long; about 50 sq. ft. of tongue and groove flooring; a piece of 2 x 6 in. scantling, 15 in. long; and plenty of 3-in. nails. Begin by beveling the stern post to an edge (a). SetGeneral Scouting Outdoors 225 this on the ground and nail two of the boards to it, one on each side (b). At a point about 7 feet from the bow, put in a temporary- cross piece 3I ft. long (c), which can have the ends either plumb, or spreading wider toward the top. Around this, bend the two side boards till their stern ends are but 3 ft. apart. Nail on an end piece (d e) to hold them there. Now cut a strip of i x 2 in. stuff, and nail it inside along the lower edge of the side board, so as to give a double thickness on which to nail the bottom. Turn the boat upside down and nail on the tongue and groove stuff to form the bottom. Now, turn her over, remove the shaping board, put in the necessary stern and mid seats (see dotted lines), nail on a piece of board to double the thickness where the rowlocks are needed — each about 12 inches abaft the mid seat, add rowlocks, and the carpenter work is done. Tar all the seams, caulking any that are gaping, and when the tar has set, paint her inside and out. As soon as this is dry, she is ready for the water. She may leak a little at first, but the swelling of the wood has a tendency to close the seams. This is the simplest form of boat. Great improvement can be made by making the sides deeper, and cutting the lower edge so that the bottom rises at bow and stern, also by setting the stem or bow-post at an angle, and finally by adding a keel. If you cannot get a 15-in. board, use two or more narrow ones. Their joints can be made tight by caulking. A DUGOUT CANOE Basswood, tulip wood, and white pine were the favorite woods for a dugout canoe, though no one made one when226 The Book of Woodcraft they could get birch bark. The method of making was simple but laborious. Cut your log to the exact shape desired on the outside, then drive into it, all along the side, thin wire nails, an inch long, so that there should be one every two feet along the side, and more on the bottom. Now, hollow out the inside with adze or axe, till the nail points are reached. Sometimes longer nails were used for the bottom. The wood at bow and stern was, of course, much thicker. CAMP HORN I wish every Camp would get a good camp horn or Michigan lumberman's horn. It is about four feet long, has a six-inch bell-mouth, and is of brass. Its sounds are made by mouth, but a good player can give a tune as on a post horn. Its quahty is wonderfully rich, mellow and far- reaching, and it can be heard for three or four miles. It is a sound to stir the echoes and fill the camp with romantic memories. SLEEP OUTDOORS As you drive through New England in the evening, summer or winter, you must notice a great many beds out of doors, on piazza or on sun-deck. Many of these are beds of persons who are suffering from lung trouble. They have found out that this is the way to cure it. Some of them are the beds of persons who fear lung trouble, and this they know is the way to evade it. Take, then, this lesson: If possible, every brave should sleep out of doors as much as possible; not on the ground, and not in the wind, but in a bed, warm, dry, and rainproof, and he will be the better for it.General Scouting Outdoors 227 THE GEE-STRING CAMP Whenever complete isolation from summer resorts or mixed company make it permissible, we have found it well to let the fellows run all day during warm weather, clad only in their shoes and their small bathing trunks, breech- clout or gee-string. This is the Gee-String or Indian Camp. Its value as a daily sun bath, a continual tonic and a mentally refreshing hark back to the primitive, cannot be overestimated.