The Opelousas courier., 1902-08-30
g2$G o6!@x@soS Se29
ITO BUILD A FIRE s ::
BY JACK LONDON.

Travel with wet socks down to twent,
below zero; after that build a fire. An
it was three times twenty below am
colder, and he knew 1t.
He sknew, further, that great car
must be exercised; that with failur
ut the first attempt the chance wa
made greater for failure at the secont
attempt. In short, he knew that Their
must be no failure. The moment be
fore a strong, exulting man, boastfu
Of his mastery Of the elements, he wa
now fighting for his life against thos'
same elements-such was the difference
caused by the injection Of a quart o.
water into a northland travellers calcu
lations.
In a clump of pineAon the rim Of tbs
bank the spring high water had lodged
many twigs and small branches. Thor
oughly dried by the sum1her sun they
now waited the match.
1t is impossible to build Afre witt
heavy Alaskan mittens on ones hands
SO Vincent barred his, gathered a sufh
cient number of twigs, and knocking
the snow6a9m them knelt downFo kin
die his fire. From an inside poEet he
drew out his matches and a stfa Of
thin birch bark. The matches were 81
the Klondike kind, sulphur matches,
100 In a bunch.
He noticed how quickly his fingers
had chilled nc ba eoraratod ono notch
from the bunch and scratched it on his
trousers. The birch bark, like the dry
est Of paper, burst into bright flame.
This he carefully fed with the smallest
twigs and finest debris, cherishing the
fame with the utmost care. It did not
do to hurry things, as he well know,
and although his fingers were now
quite stiff he did not hurry.
After the first quick, biting sensation
of cold his feet had ached with a
heavy, dull ache and were rapidly
growing numb. But the fire, although
a very young one, vas now a success,
and he knew that q little snow, briskly
rubbed, would speedily cure his feet.
But OF the moment he was adding the
first thick twigs to the fire a ~grievous
thing happened. The pine boughs
above his head were burdened with a
four months snowfall, and so finely
adjusted were the burdens that his
movements in collecting the
twigs had been sufficient to disturb
the balance.
The snow from the topmost beugh
was the first to fall, striking and dis.
lodging the snow On the boughs be-
meath. And al this snow, accumulat-
ing as it fell, smote Tom Vincent's
head and shoulders and blotted out his
fire.
He still kept his presence of mind,
for he knew how great his danger was.
He started at once to rebuild the fire,
but his fingers were now so cold that
he could not bend them, and he was
forced to pick up each twig and splint-
between the tips Of the fingers of
either hand.
When he came to the match he en-
countered great difficulty in separating
1ne from the bunch. This he succeed
ed in managing, however, and also, by
! great effort, in clutching the match
between his thumb and forefnger. But
scratching it he dropped it in the
snow and could not pick it up again.
He stood up, desperate. He could
not feel even his weight on his feet, al
the ankles were aching pain
fully. Putting on his mittens, he
stepped to one side so that the snow
would not fall upon the new fire he
vas to build, and beat his hands vio-
emily against q tree trunk.
This enabled him to separate and
strike a second match and to set fire to
he remaining fragment of birch bark.
But his body had now begun to chill,
ind he was shivering, SO that when he
-ried to add the first tWigs his hand
hook and the tinyf fame was quenched.
The frost had beaten him. His hands
we're worthless. But he had the fore
light to drop the bunch of matches
nto his wide mouthed outside pocket
he slipped on his mittens in de-
pair, and started to run up the trail.
)ne cannot run the frost out of wet
eet at sixty below and colder, how
yer, as he quickly discovered.
He came round a sharp turn of the
reek to where he could look ahead for
mile. But there was no help, no sign
# help, only the white trees and the
White hills, the quiet cold and the bra
zen silence! If only he had a comrade
whose feet were not freezing, he
bought, only such a comrade to start
he fire that could save him!
Then his eyes CHANGED upon another
Judgment of twigs and
caves and branches. II he could
trike a match all might yet be well.
With stiff fingers which he could not
'end he got out a bunch of matches, |
tut found it impossible to separate
hem.
He sat down and aWkWardy shufled
be bunch about on his knees until he
'ot it resting on his palm with the sui
,hur ends projecting, somewhat in the
the blade of a hunting knife
you'd project when clutched in the fist.
But bis fingers stood straight out.
hey could not clutch. This he over
anne by pressing the wrist Of the other
and against them, and SO forcing them
upon the bunch. Time and
gain, holding thus by both hands, he
cratched the bunch on his leg and
nally ignited K. But the flame burned
1to the flesh OF his hand, and he in
ol~untarily relaxed his hold. The
uncE fell into the snow, and while he
ried yainIy to pick it up, sizzled and