The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-12-03
simple primitive method of fire

W1lC1l 6oA III StOOAH up OCoAOC IlA0
cracking flames of the new fire, he
found himself stronger than he ex-
pected. ALI shock from his wound
had passed during his two days un-
consciousness,an his healthy tissues
had already begun to heal.
Now were under way" he said
Next comes medicine. BY using the
ashes, you gave our wounds sterile
dressings. Your father was tuned up
to the pink of condition. His wound
will heal as rapidly as mine. What
little fever he has means nothing. To
cool it, crush in his drinking water
some of the cranberries from over
there along the edge of the muskeg
You might boil willow bark and add
little of the bitter decoction to the
cranberry juice"
ooh, it's good to know he not sick
But to Starve to death!"
Garth pointed to the wild fowl out
in the swamp. They were beginning
to flock together with the approach
of autumn. "How would you like
canvasback or mallard for dinner?''
Her eyes frightened, only to cloud
again. "You have no gum"
After looping some thongs to his
belt, he went to stack a hollow pile
of brush on a forked stub that had
broken off from a fallen beech tree.
Out in the water, he bobbed under
and came up with his head between
the forks of the float. The leaves and
twigs made a blind from which he
could see out without being seen.
He waded, neck deep, up the mus
key stream so slowly that the stub
and breaches appeared to be an ordi-
nary bunch of driftwood. He allowed
flock of teal to swim by. They
were too small to bother with.
When he stepped off over his
depth, he began to tread water. By
quiet movement of his hand under
the surface, he glided the blind into
the midst of a mallard flock. The
trick was to grasp ducks feet and
jerk the bird under before it could
squawk He waded back to shore
with five dead mallards tied to his
belt.
After the meal on roast duck, he
set some rabbit snares. He then
showed Lilith how to make cords by
splitting off strands from peeled
spruce roots. While she worked at
this, he collected more ducks and
hung them over a smudge for smoke
curing
Next came the carving of Eskimo
hooks from duck bones. With bait, a
catgut leader and spruce-root line,
Io To 10
fish. Lilith had never seen so beau
tiful a fresh-water fish, all mother
of-pearl below and frosted silver
above.
The newly caught fish proved far
better eating than even the best of
trout. Mr.. RamilPs slight fever gave
him distaste for duck meat and the
rabbits that were shared. But he ate
his full share and more of the deli
cious fish.
Besides the cranberries, Lilith
gathered black currants and blue
berries and mushrooms. More fish
were caught than could be eaten
fresh. A number were soon on the
smoke rack, along with ducks and
rabbits. For the present and near flu
ture, the question of food had been
met But the subarctic summer had
about reached its end. Still more
rapidly than before, the nights were
becoming longer and blacker.
A cold sleety rainstorm drench-
ed the camp. 1t brought only tenn
porary discomfort, for Garth kept
the fire alive under a slanted heap
of spruce boughs. None the less, the
storm spurred him to redoubled ac-
tivity. He knew it to be the forerun-
ner of the autumn billiards that
might now howl down off the snow
clad Selwyns at any time.
While Mr.. Ramill's slight fever re-
manned, he said little and seemed to
take everything as matter of
course. He had fully recovered from
the effects of shock even before the
fifth day, when the bullet wound
through his upper chest began to
heal. But with the passing of his
feverish condition, the irritability of
convalescence jabbed him out of his
placid contentment.
"Why are you loafing around here,
Garth?" he rasped. Instead of vast
ing all this time piling up food, you
could have made a canoe and run
us down across to that refueling
post days ago"
Garth swept his right hand edge
wise out across his upturned empty
left palm. No gun-no hides. Dead
birch-no bark. No hides, no bark
no canoe"
Huh! Do you mean to say we'll
have to stick here and freeze in your
id Arctic winter"
"Growl away, sir" Garth approx
ed. Sounds good. 1t seems you'll
soon be in shape for rafting. AS for
your question, perhaps you imagine
Miss Ramin and have been heav-
ing that down timber over the bank
just for sport"
The millionaire staggered to his
feet unaided for the first time since
Hubby had shot him down. "a raft!
How the devil can you make one If
you can't make canoe? No rope or
rawhide thongs to tie the logs to-