The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-09

feet. No word is spoken. Each man Is |
making his own observations individually |
in silence. Finally one man comes back
to the trail, lighting his pipe; the other
| one continues on. Later. he, too. hikes
back 10 the trail and the procession
| starts on.
what was No. nAts the man who
took no part In the pursuit. 80 4 ~
| "A doe with :. following. but j
! fret mistook the second track for
lynx"
80 did l." replied his companion.
Both men, making Independent OBJ
servations, come to the same conclusion.
| The sun has thswed the snow some
what and as you cross a lake It hardens
ana cakes under the heel. The wood
men. as a matter of habit. merely wiggle
| their heels from time to time and knock
II on the newcomer to snowshoing stops
frequently to dig the ice from the caribou
strings.
Crossing the lake the snow shoes be-
/ coming wet seem now to weigh a dozen
pounds, but on the light, cold SHOWS of
the woods the snowshoes lose the added
weight and snowshoelng becomes a
pleasure again.
Luncheon on the Ice.
A glance at the sun and an inciins-
ton for food from your tummy sug-
gests halt The guide selects a place
near water. takes the axe from the pack
basket, cuts a dead tree alongside a
fallen piece OF timber, takes or his
| showshoes and clears away the snow.
With his axe he cuts into the ground
until he strikes the warm earth under
neath the snow. and having cleared
space he splits some of the wood into
slender strips. Then he takes out his
jackknife and whites until the wood
curls mp and he has made perhaps half
q dosen suoh cuttings. These he places
under the taller. slender strips OF
wood Ono sfatwood" or "lishtwood"
being obtsinAble), strikes a match and
IN a few minutes he has a good Are
blasting.
| Taking a erotchsd stick he puts on
pail of water and heats a can of
beans cooked for the previous meal.
Then he cuts few slices OF ham, and
II you want II hot a slender stick with
pronss will hold II 30 as not to burn
the hands. Other sticks with prongs are
out for toast the butter can Is placed
near the IRE to thaw out, and within
fifteen minutes from the time Of cutting
the wood there ID baked beans, hot.
sizsling ham with a Virginia smoke
flavor, buttered toast and tea, with n
piece Of cheese to top of with. Then n
pipe or two. The fire is put out, the
snowslloes put on. luncheon utensils put
In the pack basket and the start for
, the night camp Is made. the three mixers
feeling much cheerier.
Black Bear Leaves Its Den.
, The afternoon proves as interesting
as the morning, because the warm
, weather has brought q black bear from
Its den and it's tracks are easily OBJ
served In the snow as It made its way
over the mountain side. Bears have
a tendency to climb into high lodges.
! over rocks and fallen trees and leave
. their telltale marks especially on logs
and fallen trees where they have brushed
! the snow away. The tracks are fresh,
having been made that morning The
trail OF the bear la not 70 far out
. Of the way where camp Is to be made
. that 1t cannot be followed. but when tho
J Afternoon sun begins to sink and a
|. sweater. trapshooters' coat or macRinaw
,, feels good, 1t Is time to think Of a
, camping place.
The pursuit Of the bear Ia left Off.
, for you do not intend to camp on his
!" trail. Tou have not come into the
winter woods especially for bear but to
enjoy The outdoors and observe wild life
and you look all around for an avail
able camp site, water. wood and mate
|. rial for the bed being the chief reQui-
y good, but the slopng ground indicates
I water and that site 10 passed up.
e Making a Night Camp.
Finally the most available selection
:. Is alongside huge boulder. Jim
u Sturges takes his axe and you know
:, that before he comes back he will have
the best hrewood possible without vio-
: lating the laws of the forest preserve
L Tho Dtb t,x,p l,,.s
:. shoes brushing the snow away for dis
lance of eight feet by twelve. a fire 1.
!, started to dry of balsam and spruce
boushs, and the tent poles are cut ant
J, placed In the ground.
Quickly the tent Is put into position
u tied down and rocks and logs are added
as a further windbreak AS soon as tn,
spruce and balsan dries II is stripped of
= and thick layers OF the fans or branche,
T. of balsam and spruce are placed will
the convex side up and the butts Of
y stems toward the foot of the bed
II To keep out dampness or cold
poncho is put over the balsam an,
o spruce. The tent Ia about four fee
u high tapering down to the ground
e where the heads will rest later Whei
III he'd time comes d mans feet will b.
Is about foot or foot and half from
e the fire.
70 The night wood being piled high,
Al back log is put in and the long log
u are piled up across the fireplace 81
that when they burn in two, both piece
can be thrown on the fire.
Preparations are made for the eveninj
Sc meal Soon the salt pork and bacoi
= is sizzling In the pan The eggs ar
X ready to go in. The beans are place,
~ close to, the Goals to make them hot
Dt The rice IL hot and will take the plac
ir OF potatoes Water is boiling for tn
er coffee and the prunes and apricots ar
lie ready. In a minute or two the toas
/, will be ready and the butter thawe
Ia out.
in 1t is a thoroughly Satisfying mea
If but you have n feeling that II yo
lie had one or two OF Riley Preston's rasr
30 berry pies that the town of Wells 1
famous for Cat least in the estimation
I'd of the campers) nothing more could b
es desired. But no pie accompanies tn
hot coffee land does hot coffee tast
>" better anywhere than In the woods wit
tho temperature hoverlng arOunu zero p
at Then follows washing the few dlshe
e. and a pipe.
The wood is brought closer to tn
VI fire. logs piled on to make II last an
es give good heat. The men take OF the
still hunting shoes and leave them hea
ks enough to the FIRE to dry but not to burr
w put on moccasins, draw up the BLANK
~ he nj.