The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-09-28
HOW TO BUILD A FIRE AND
COOK WHEN OUT SCOUTING
BY @. L. Gilman.

You boys who have come along
with this scout reading this far
must be beginning to- wonder
when you can begin scouting.
Begin now. You don't have tc
know the whole scout science and
have a fun scout uniform to be
gin. So let's get out into the
woods somewhere and talk things
over around the camp fire.
But to begin with, you MUS
know how to build camp fire.
About the size of a hat" is the
general description a good scout
will give of a good fire. Ameri-
cas- pioneers-they were some
scouts emselves-learned how to
make such a fire from the Indians,
White man make heap big
work, build heap big fire, can't
get near um."
Begin with dry twigs, about the
thickness and~1ength of a lead
pencil. You don't need either an
ak or knife to get these, for they
should be broken from dead
branch still hanging to the tree.
Such wood is fairly dry, even in
rainy weather, while wood on the
ground is soaked with the water
which just runs off. the hanging
branch.
When wood is dead enough to
break with the hands it's just
right for a cooking fire. For
kindling, if you haven't paper, as
will often be the case, use dry
leaves for grass. Birch bark is
good. Inside the bark of a rotten
log you will find perfectly dry
punk" which makes the best of
kindling, even in rainy weather.
Pile the twigs above the kim
ding criss-cross, until you have
about four layers with the sticks
lying about an inch apart. Then
light. If yours is just cooking
fire you want most a bed of Goals
to throw off heat. This is gotten
quickest by feeding the fire with
the same small dry stuff. When
you have the colas then you can
use larger and greener stuff If you
want the fire for boiling water or
giving heat.
The Indians have a trick of lay
ing several large and long sticks
with just one end in the fire and
pushing them lin as the ends burn
off. A good fire can be kept GO
ing this way with little work.
For your first time out don't
try much cooking. Just toast
bread and cheese and iszzle bacon
on the ends of forked sticks.
But you may want to boil wa
ter to make tea or coffee-or bet
ter yet, cocoa, which is nourish-
ing as well as pleasant to drink.
Your mother is the best person to
tell you how to make cocoa. Just
have her mix up the right amount
of sugar and cocoa together be-
fore you start.
But when it comes to boiling
the water you have to hang your
pot over-the fire-a two-pound
lard tin we'll washed makes q
bully pot, and it's cover laid on
but not pushed tight SO the steam
will blow 1t off, keeps SCOT and
einders out of your drink.
To hang that pot right is nc
little trick. Most of the ways
shown in the picture books and
boys manuals are no good. Here's
one way that works.
Cut one stick about four feet
long, leaving the stub of a branch
sticking up near the end to keeI
the pot from slipping back
Fasten the outer end of this stick
to the ground by showing crotch
piece down over it. Then with a
second "Y" shaped crotch piece
prop this stick up to the desired
height.
If you don't quite understand
this look at the picture.
There are some sixty other
ways of hanging pot when this
one won't work. One of the
great pleasures of scouting is fig
uring them out yourself.