Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1902-07-31
g. esxs6S e. O.
6, TO BUILD A FIRE = :
BY JACK LONDON.

from the frost by the blanket of snow,
the water of these springs seeped down
into the creek, and, on top of the creek
ice, formed shallow pools.
The surface of these pools, in turn,
took on skin of ice which grew thick
er and thicker, until the water overran,
and so formed a second ice-skimmed
pool above the first.
Thus at the bottom was the solid
creek ice, then probably six to eight
inches Of water, then a thin ice skim,
then another six inches of water and
another ice skim. And on top Of this
last skin was about an inch Of recent
snow to make the trap complete.
To Tom Vincent's eye the unbroken
snow surface gave no warning Of the
lurking danger. AS the crust was
thicker at the edge he was we'll toward
The middle before he broke through.
In itself it was a very insignificant
mishap-a man does not drown in
twelve inches Of water-but in it's con-
sequences as serious an accident as
could possibly befal him.
At the instant he broke through he
felt the cold water strike his feet and
ankles, and with half 4 dozen lunges
be made the bank. 5e was quite cool
and collected. The thing to do, and the
only thing to do, was to build fire.
For another precept of the north runs:
Travel with wet socks down to twenty
below zero; after that build fire. And
it was three times twenty below and
colder, and he knew it.
He knew, further, that great care
must be exercised; that with failure
Mt the first attempt the chance was
made greater for failure at the second
attempt. In short, he knew that there
! must be no failure. The moment be-
| fore a strong, exulting man, boastfu]
of his mastery Of the elements, he was
now fighting for his life against those
came elements-such was the difference
caused by the injection of a quart OF
water into a northland travellers calcu
| latiOns.
/! In a cIump Of pines on the rim Of the
bank the spring high water had lodged
many twigs and small branches. Thor
oughly dried by the summer sun they
now waited the match.
l It is impossible to build fire will
heavy Alaskan mittens on ones hands
J. SO Vincent barred his, gathered a sufh
cient number of twigs, and knocking
the snow from them knelt down to kin
die his fire. From an inside pocket h
| drew out his matches and 4 strip O
thin birch bark The matches were O
the Klondike kind, sulphur matches
100 in a bunch.
5 He noticed how quickly his finger
had chilled as he separated one mate
2 from the bunch and scratched it on hi
trousers. The birch bark, like the dry
t est Of paper, burst into bright flame
2 This he carefully fed with the smalles
twigs and finest debris, cherishing th
e do to hurry things, as he we'll know
: and although his fingers We're no7
t quite stiff he did not hurry.
v After the first quick, biting sensatio
d Of cold his feet had ached with
:, heavy, dull ache and were rapid
growing numb. But the fire, althOug
l. a very young one, was now success
: and he knew that little snow, brisk]
i rubbed, would speedily cure his feet.
J. But at the moment he was adding tt
IS first thick twigs to the fire grievoJ
IS thing happened. The pine bougl
above his head were burdened with
II four months snowfall, and so fine
q adjusted were the burdens that h
IS slight movements in collecting tt
< twigs had been sufficient to distul
IS the balance
d The snow from the topmost bous
]. was the first to fall, striking and di
is lodging the snow on the boughs b
n meath. And all this snow, accumula
g ing as it fell, smote Tom Vincent
head and shoulders and blotted out b
t. fire.
le He still kept his presence of min
d for he knew how great his danger Wa
le He started at once to rebuild the fiji
lg but his fingers were now so cold tn
he could not bend them, and he w
a forced to pick up each twig and spli1
Is er between the tips Of the fingers
g, either hand.
ne When he came to the match he e
e, countered great difficulty in separate
ne one from the bunch. This he succee
he ed in managing, however, and also,
OF a great effort in clutching the mat
~ between his thumb and forefnger. B
i'll scratching it he dropped it in
as snow and could not pick it up again.
is He stood up, desperate. He cot
e. not feel even his weight on his feet,
lie. though the ankles were aching pa
it. fully. Putting on his mittens,
stepped to one side so that the sn
he would not fall upon the new fire
he was to build, and beat his hands v
an lently against a tree trunk.
ne This enabled him to separate a
lp- strike a second match and to set fire
,rs the remaining fragment Of birch ba
But his body had now begun to ch
to and he was shivering, so that when
ain tried to add the first twigs his hs