Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-12-29

Win q COHipdSS III Ndiiouo ioS"'ioNS
and find that there Is no possible way
to get any help as to direction by look
ing at either limbs or moss; though II
Is a favorite idea of writer's to tell OF
people finding their way by looking al
branches and moss. have never
known of any woodsman being guided
in that way.
Another tells us that the tips of hem
lock and cedar point north, while very
recently one claimed that the tips OF
hemlock point toward the east. Now
the actual fact Is that no one In the
woods can see the tops Of trees. even
in bright days, unless he Is upon hill
above them or in some road or open
space In most cases when men are
lost 1t is on dark, rainy, snowy or
cloudy days, when there would be nc
could see them and 1t was calm, sc
that the tops were not bent by the
wind, they would find that they bent
in all directions. I have walked along
in open places and roads testing this
by compass, and one might as well rely
on which way the leaves fall as on be-
ing guided by the treetops.
Another tells us that the gum is
softer on the south side. Now, one
may travel miles without seeing any
gum at all, and to find it upon both
sides Of a tree except upon a spotted
line, would be very unusual thing
In our woods I hardly think that a
man could average finding one such
tree in a day, and even II he did by
chance find one In cold weather the
gum on both sides would be hard
In point of fact, the gum which has
recently exuded Is soft. no matter on
which side of the tree II is. while the
old gum Is always hard. Then, again.
the gum on trees Is not confined to
the north and south sides of the trees,
but is likely to be found upon the
east and west sides if the trees have
been wounded on those sides.
Another tells us that by cutting
down a tree the rings will be found
wider upon the south side. The ma
jority Of those out hunting do not
carry axes, but If one did he would
find very few cases where the grain
Of the wood would show any diff
ference. In some cases, where a
tree stands so its side is fully ex-
posed to the sun, there may be slight
difference, but a man might starve to
death cutting down trees before he
could tell the north from the south.
I have travelled the Maine woods In
company with as good men as ever
travelled these woods, and / never
knew any man to be in any way helped
by any Of these things which so many
write of, and those who write so only
show their own ignorance Of the
woods.
Some men have travelled with new
er used a compass; some always car
ried one but very seldom set 1t. ex-
cept in stormy weather, while occa-
sionally a woodsman relies entirely on
a plan and compass. Some men seem
to travel with a compass In their
heads, while some can never learn to
travel even with a compass in their
hands. A good woodsman finds his
way just as an animal does, by GER
| tain kind of instinct. He cannot tell
you how he does it nor teach you how,
but he can do 1t himself, ard knowing
that he will hunt all day without troub-
ling his head as to where the camp Is.
OF course he Is guided some by sun
and wind and lay Of land. but 1t is per-
fectly surprising what some men can
do II finding their way in stormy or
cloudy days.
| once separated from an Indian on
.hn top of Bald Mountain near Nictor
Lake on the Little Tobique In New
Brunswick He belonged north Of the
st. Lawrence and was an entire stran-
ger in that part of the country. He
was going to look for moose, while
was to take the canoe back after was
done hunting. he coming to the camp
at the outlet on foot. The day was
fine but at night grew cloudy and
threatened rain. AS he failed to come
in grew anxious and at intervals
during the evening fired my rifle with
heavy charges to try to guide him In.
In the morning 1t was raining hard.
At o'clock in the forenoon I heard
some one calling, and on going across
the stream found Peol.
| After he had eaten he told me that
he had followed the track Of a moose
till p. m, then he had started for
camp. He travelled till g. Then he had
the direction If the wind should
change; had built fire and stood by
1t all night until at a. M, when 1T got
light enough for him to see TO travel;
then he walked until and had struck
stream only mile below our camp and
followed it up. He estimated that he
was sixteen miles from camp when he
started back, as he had travelled eight
hours to get in. He had no compass,
In fact never carried one, although he
always carried watch. He had eaten
nothing except a piece Of hard bread
since the morning before and had been
out all night with no clothing but pants
and a red flannel shirt; yet he did not
speak of having had a hard time. He
remarked that two owls slept In the
same house where he did and that he
travelled by the wind. I have hunt
| ed with number Of men who. l think,
could have done as well.
once heard Paul B. Du Chaillu, the
noted traveller, say: "On the west
coast of Africa, If you fall into the wa
ter sharks will ger you sure; conse-
quently you had better never fall in!'
And so l would say to those going in
to the woods, You had better never
get lost"
The Power of Column of Water.
Imagine a perpendicular column