The Boy Scouts of Woodcraft Camp

ith a splendid stand of spruce and pine. A magnificent growth of birch, maple and ash with an occasional pine or hemlock scattered among them grew to the water's edge, save along the southe

locks where, completely hidden from the lake, was the camp which was Big Jim's objective point. Two comfortable lean-tos had been built perhaps ten feet apart and facing each other, with a stout windbreak closing one side between the two. The lean-tos were of hemlock bark, peeled from forest giants and flattened to huge sheets. These sheets formed the sides, back and s

pail an' follow thet trail yonder till you find a spring, while I dig out th' grub. Re

et long and eight or ten inches in diameter. These he had flattened on top and one side and had placed side by side, flat sides opposite and some three inches apart at one end, spreading to ten inches at the other. Between these he had built a fire of hemlock bark started with bir

ven surface, with a steady even heat beneath it, and one could squat beside it in comfort with

water to find Bi

BUILT

butter did taste, washed down by clear cold water! It seemed to the hungry boy that he never had eaten such a meal, its one fault being that

d a straight young sapling which the guide called a lug-pole. Then he took one of the other sticks and cut it off about three inches above the fork or crotch, leaving a good hand grasp. One branch was cut off some four inches from the fork, the other branch being left long enough so that whe

er of burning. Moreover, by simply taking up a pot-hook by the hand grasp a kettle could be moved anywhere along the lug-stick away from the hottest part of the fire without bu

twigs, showing Walter how to slip them on to the long sticks so that when he had finished they had two big green spicy cylindrical piles of balsam with a hand grasp at the top to carry them by. Returning to camp

ssor for the dropper. The boy had already become fairly proficient in getting his line out cleanly and dropping his flies with that lightness which so closely simulates the falling of the living insects on the water. As yet he had seen no indications of fish, but he was impatient to try his luck. Big Jim, however, was lazil

the last fish had broken. At his signal Walter cast, ten feet-twenty feet-thirty feet. The flies dropped lightly almost directly above the spot where

g in every inch of slack, until five minutes later he led the tired captive within reach of Big Jim's eager fingers, which closed in his gills and the prize was theirs, a sh

t to the edge of the deepest shadow of the rock. The strike which followed was so fierce and the strain on the rod so great that but for the screaming of the reel Walter would have been sure that he had cau

tip of the rod until the springing little bamboo was bent almost double, the fish pulling against the full spring of the rod, clear from the butt. This

his heart sinking. But the g

houted, deftly turning

, hence the slack line. Madly he reeled until a sharp tug that pulled the tip of his rod under

keeping the canoe bow on. "Funny he don't break water. He

urface, but instead of the silver flash arching through the air, which is the joy of the fisherman, the

hope of landing a record prize and fear of losing it. Another fit of sulking gave him a few minutes' respite. When the [125] next rush started he

ok up the line. At last in the clear depths he got a glimpse of a shadowy form as it

d 'em in th' canoe without a landin' net. I'm goin' t' work in t' thet bit o' shi

the sight brought his heart into his throat. Could he save both? What a chance to score for the Delawares! And what

hey that they were almost passive, their broad tails feebly winnowing as, getting the line in his left hand, Big Jim drew them slowly to him. Gently he sank his right ar

never tell just how it was done-and both fish were flapping on the shore. Jim threw himself upon them a second after, for his quick eye had seen that t

eftier," said Jim, eyeing them critically. "Pard, thet's goin' some fer a b

These proved the accuracy of Jim's guess, one being an ounce less and the other an ounce and a half more than the weights he had named. Th

moment subdued the boy's elation and pride, for he was one of the true nature

ed to bend on a change of flies, but

who kills jes' fer th' fun o' killin' ain't nothin' more'n a butcher. He'd better get a job in one o' [128] t

ir minded enough to appreciate and no

ick. One side of this he rapidly smoothed. Under his direction Walter had, in the meantime, built a fire of small pieces of hard wood. This was soon a bed of glowing coals which would re

t he tacked the fish to it, skin side down, and spread full width. [129] Then the slab was once more propped in front of the fire and three strips of bacon were hung across the top so that the fat would try out and drip on the fish. When it be

her a foot long, he tacked a piece of birch about two feet wide to the ends of the T, thus forming a segment of a circle. The white side of the bark was turned in. A flat piece of hemloc

ver sat under the sweet smelling hemlocks, careless of all else in the world save securing your full share of the flaky pink flesh of a trout cooked in this way? If you have

d the menu. When the dinner was finished, to the last shred of pink flesh clinging to crisp b

t of the trip. There was no moon, for the sky was overcast, and the night promised to be very dark. This was much to Jim's liking,

-light strapped on his hat. The reflector was within easy reach of the guide, to whom Walter had given careful instructions in its use. A flash, consisti

nd that, should they be lucky enough to find the deer, the judging of

hem. A dozen strokes from shore Walter felt as utterly lost so far as sense of direction was concerned as if blindfolded. B

er end of the pond. At a whispered word he turned on the jack. The narrow beam of light cutting athwart the darkness made the night see

A mighty chorus of frog voices in many keys evidenced the close proximity of the meadows surrounding the outlet. As the canoe's course was altered to parallel the shore the boy cautiously turned in his seat so that the rays

pitch. He was beginning to feel cramped from so long maintaining one position. One foot and leg had

deer first. Walter forgot his discomfort. Eagerly he stared at the shore. For a few minutes he saw nothing unusual. Suddenly he became conscious of two luminous po

e again! The deer had merely lowered its head for a moment. A shake of the canoe warned the boy that there was something more. Turning his own eyes

a lynx or even a panther! His excited imagination conjured up a thrilling scene. What if h

might go off. Still they drifted in, Walter as fascinated by the six glowing points as were the deer by the jack. Inch by inch, inch by inch they drew nearer. Woul

aring in curious alarm from near the shore of a wild meadow flanked by ghostly tamaracks. Quite automatically he squeezed the bulb that closed the shutter. Then for a few minutes he could s

drawled the voi

help it. Anyway, I held the camera po

ng the canoe about. "Shut off th' jack an' git out yer