shingles, but in a double layer, and over them spread boughs, and finally covered the whole with earth to keep the heat inside the camp. The holes between the logs I filled with moss from the ground, driven in hard. I made s the door of boards split from balsam, and for a window cut out between the logs a space about nine inches wide and two feet long, over which I stretched a very thin piece of deerskin. To make my bed I used small logs, raised about sixteen 10 inches from the floor; the bottom was of small springy poles, which I covered about a foot deep with boughs. It was a very comfortable bed and only needed new boughs about every two or three weeks. Everything was now ready for the zero weather that was sure to come soon, Is and I had to set my lines of traps and bait them, for the fur was getting prime. These trapping lines are marked by blazing trees on both sides, forming what are known by woodsmen as "spotted lines." They follow across the ridges for many miles, and 20 a trapper usually builds a small camp eight miles or so from his home camp for eight miles is about as far as he can travel on the shortest days in winter and properly attend to his traps. He puts from three to five traps to the mile for sable and fisher; but for mink, otter, and 25 beaver, which frequent the rivers, streams, and small ponds, he places his sets more thickly. Usually bears go into their dens about the first of December, but much depends upon how cold the weather is. Some mild seasons they stay out until January. One 30 morning late in December that winter, when it was very cold almost zero and the snow was sixteen inches deep I saw the tracks of a large bear just ahead of me. As I carried my rifle, my ax, and a good supply of food with me, I thought I would follow his trail until I got him. I was wearing snowshoes and the snow was fairly hard, for there had been a thaw and a freeze, and then four inches of light snow had covered the crust. I had one big advan-s tage every time the bear started to run he broke through the crust so I hurried as fast as I could, trying to catch sight of him, but I couldn't seem to gain on him. I kept at it, however, until late in the afternoon; my clothing was wet with perspiration, it was nearing night, but still the 10 old bear led me due west, straight away from home. About four o'clock I was fourteen miles from home and too far to give up the chase and return to my cabin so I decided to go on and camp for the night. Bruin's track led me to the bank of a large stream of rapid open s water. He had gone straight across and I could see where he had crawled out on the other side and had shaken himself free of water, but there was no crossing here for me. I had to go upstream for a mile to find still water that was frozen over strong enough to hold me. I got across and 20 circled down until I found his track, but it was so late then that I had to camp. First I found wood, plenty of it, and carried it to a sheltered spot near by. I then shoveled and scraped away the snow to the ground on a space eight or nine feet long 25 and two or three feet wide and built a fire of fine wood all along this trench. When it was blazing well, I put on some hardwood limbs and split hardwood, and let it burn to coals. Then I gathered balsam boughs - heaps of them and after raking the biggest burning sticks from my 30 fire to the end of the trench where my feet would be, I piled the green fir boughs on top of the live coals in such large armfuls that there was no danger of their blazing up, and trod them down by jumping on them. Over all I spread dry decayed wood to lie on. Above my bed I placed some long poles in a lean-to manner, covered them s with boughs, and threw on snow to keep the wind out. At the end of the trench where I had placed the live brands I built up a fire, made my tea, broiled a piece of bacon, thawed out a chunk of bread, and ate my supper. After pulling off my moccasins, unloading my pockets, and 10 letting down my suspenders, I lay down for a rest. With the warm boughs under me and a good fire at my feet I soon became sleepy, and woke up only when the fire got low and I felt chilly. Then I put on some fine dry wood and got a good blaze going, and put on three big hardwood 15 logs with smaller ones to make the big ones burn. Properly laid, the large logs will roll into the center as they burn and the fire will last a long time. I slept warm and comfortably for about eight hours. At daylight I followed my bear trail for about two miles 20 and found Bruin curled up under some fallen trees where he had made a fine nest for himself some time previously probably in the early autumn. He was very large and very old. After I had shot him and had skinned him I set out for my home camp. It was about eighteen miles 25 away, but I hurried along with my pelt and arrived there after dark, tired and hungry, but satisfied. 1. Read this story once silently. Then outline briefly: (a) where the events took place; (b) how he built his camp; (c) his bear hunt; (d) how he slept in the open. 2. Make a rough pencil sketch of his camp. 3. Relate some experience of your own in camping out. (Reprinted by permission from The Open Road, The Magazine for Young Men.) SPRING BY HENRY TIMROD Henry Timrod (1829-1867) was a Southern poet whose fame rests on a single volume of nature and love songs of high quality. The following poem describes spring in the South. SPRING, with that nameless pathos in the air Which dwells with all things fair, Spring, with her golden suns and silver rain, Out in the lonely woods the jasmine burns 5 Yet still on every side we trace the hand Of winter in the land, Save where the maple reddens on the lawn, As yet the turf is dark, although you know A thousand germs are groping through the gloom, ΤΟ 15 20 Already, here and there, on frailest stems Small as might deck, upon a gala day, The forehead of a fay. In gardens you may note, amid the dearth, The crocus breaking earth; And near the snowdrop's tender white and green, And there's a sense of blossoms yet unborn In the sweet airs of morn; One almost looks to see the Grow purple at his feet. very street At times a fragrant breeze comes floating by, And brings, you know not why, A feeling as when eager crowds await Before a palace gate Some wondrous pageant; and you scarce would start, A blue-eyed dryad, stepping forth, should say, 1. What month do you think is described? Why? 2. What evidences of spring are given? What are the first signs of spring you have observed? What signs has the poet omitted? 3. Explain the fifth and tenth stanzas. 4. Define pathos; jasmine; festoons; lagoons; bowers; gala; azure; pageant; dryad. |