Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1914-08-13

~ mlra0On Tor Ihe splendid for
est conservation movement, which has
meant such great protection to the
natural world.
deplore the inexcusable careless
ness of some men who build fires at
random In the woods, thereby destroy
ing valuable timber. II these offend
ers would only stop to consider what
a tree would do for them they would
be far more careful with their fires.
The tree shelters man. 1t gives him
bark and wood for utensils. 1t offers
warmth and even food. Just as fire Is
a blessing, so are the trees of the for
est. However, the blessing Of fire can
be turned into a curse very quickly
through thoughtlessness and deliberate
neglect. 1t is good servant, but
bad master.
When l go over in my mind that
eventful life in the wilderness sup
pose / could have pulled through some
way without the aid of fire, but
know this, that if | had been obliged
to get along without it | would have
come back nothing but skin and bones.
! would actually have suffered. I'eo-
Die who look at fire with fear do not
realize what it really means. 1t is one
of mankind's greatest blessings.
Altogether. during the two months |
had perhaps six or seven fires, when
/ was forced to build for protection,
/ would bank them and keep them go
ing for days at time. One fire kept
for ten days by covering 1t over with
burnt ashes and dirt whenever | left
it. Sometimes | would go away all
day and stay overnight, and when
returned to the camp would ind
few glowing Goals. with which | soon
built big. healthy fire.
During the last days of my first
week / spent most of my time in the
Lost pond and Big Spencer stream
country had made no attempt to
get any skins since losing the deer,
but had busted myself IN many differ
ent ways
My witch grass leg shields were not
very durable. so / set about replacing
them with something better. With
sharp rocks started the bark on some
cedar trees and gathered a large sup
ply, peeling Oft strips right up the tree,
some of which were as long as twenty
feet.
These strips | would take back to
my lean-to in order to separate the
inner bark from the outer covering
Then would tear the inner bark into
smaller strips
The early training which my mother
had given me in baskptry came III very
handy in those days. | began 70 weave
long leggings out of strips about ii
quarter of an inch wide. After IA time
! had a pair which covered my rgS
like trousers. fastening 10 a neit OF the
same material could 20 anywhere
with this protection. which served me
we'll for a time 1t was all right while
it was perfectly dry. but when II be-
came wet it tore and wore out quickly
Getting more ambitious, | took wider
and heavier strips of bark ana wnve Il
pack basket large enough To carry my
fire kinder and othej things / might
need.
In the meantime. ! had not forgot
ten my art work or my diary Al va
riOus times | got birch bark and tuck
ed it away in whichever lean to hap
pened to be nearest. Whiting down
bits of charcoal for my pencils. | wrote
down the events Of the day by the
fare of the freight at night.
| decided TO go to Lost pond early
in the morning and sketch bit OF the
country where had seen the deer that
and there drew many of the birch bark
pictures | made while living close to
nature I'D the wilderness.
That Friday night, while was camp
ing in my lean-to at Big Spencer
stream. | INDUCED in my first luxury
a smoke-the first and last while | was
in the woods. Up to this time | hadn
missed smoking so very much, | had
too much else on my mind. just
didn't think of it.
Out of mere curiosity scraped some
squaw bark off of a bush and, using
some whitewOod leaves as a wrapper
rolled couple of cigarettes. Strange
to say, so far as looks went, / noticed
but little difference in these cigarettes
from those / had always smoked sc
many of in the city.
With a live brand lit one. not be
cause / wanted to smoke particularly
but out Of mere curiosity, as had 6
few idle moments to spare. I wanted
to see the smoke float up. ! smoked
them both and that was the end of it
I never tried it again. Not that they
weren't good cigarettes, but l had M
desire to smoke, living In the grea
outdoors.
There in the wilderness became
convinced that smoking is nothing bu
a luxury. 1t is a habit and harm
rather than benefits man. Its compan
sonship isn't worth the smoking.