Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-23
PLAYING INDIAN.
BALD EAGLE TELLS ABOUT ERNEST THOMP
son SETON'S 'wOODCRAFTERS''


The CAMP FIRE.
Boys who wish tobecome Woodcrafters, to
play Indian and get the most enjoyment
possible from outdoor sports. will find much
valuable help in the directions given here
| every week. Mr.. Ernest Thompson Seton
| is the Big Medicine Man of all the Wood
craft tribes. In little book OF instructions
| called the Red Book" he tells how any
two or more boys may start tribe and
commence the play.
The finest of all the Woodcraft games is
the deer hunt. The shooting Is done with
bow and arrow; and directions for making
the deer are now given.
Coarse sacking or burlap is used for the
a few pine pieces, as shown in the drawing
The body board is about two feet long, six
Inches wide. The four legs are each two
feet long and taper from three inches to
end and put wedges under them where
they are nailed to the body. The neck
piece is sixteen inches long and the head
piece six inches long.
When the skeleton Is securely nailed to-
gether lay on the hay or dry leaves or straw
or excelsior for the stuffing. Put plenty
upon the sides and lower part Of body, SO
that the arrows will not stick fast in the
body board. AS the padding Is laid on 1t is
held in position by string wound around II.
Body and head and neck are well covered
The legs are left bare.
Now draw the burlap snugly around the
body, and sew the edges together with a
long needle and wrapping Irvine. The COW
ering for body, neck and head would better
be in three separate pieces. as they are
easily sewed together where they Join. The
ears are whitfield out of shingles or thin
board. and stuck into the head. A string
drawn through holes in both ears and tied
closely at one side will hold them in place.
Paint white ring around each eye and
a white patch under the chin. The large
oval on the side. figure 0, represents the
body" the smaller oval Is the heart"
And now for the hunt! One boy is the
deer. He takes a five minute start of the
hunters carries the burlap dummy, and at
every step or two drops two or three grains
of corn for scent. If corn cannot be gotten
small bits of paper may be used: but, as
Mr.. Seton says, paper filters up the woods,
and an old trail may interfere with new
one, while corn that is dropped makes food
for birds and squirrels.
LAYING the trail the leader runs into
the woods and hides the deer Then he
may hasten back and join the hunters to
enjoy their efforts at following the trail. or
he may run off in another direction as a
decoy.
When the time is up or when the leader
calls ready" the runners start. The one
who first spies the deer counts ten points in
the game When the trail Is lost the hum
ter who first finds it again scores one. as
he shouts .'Ki-yi"' 1t is important to watch
the trail but it is also important to keep
looking ahead for first sight of game.
The successful hunter shouts Deer" the
moment he sees it. He is entitled to first
shot but must stand where he first saw It..
II he misses the next advances five PAGES
and shoots If he fails the next goes Ave
PAGES closer. and so on until some one hits
the deer. But no one can go closer than
ten PAGES.
A shot in the heart counts ten points. A
body shot counts five. A scratch outside
the body counts one point. II all the arrows
are used before the animal is shot in the
heart he escapes, and the deer counts
twenty-five. Then the hunt begins over.
If the deer is killed the successful marks
man is deer for the next hunt.
Mr.. Seton tells of one deer that was clever