Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1916 edition. Excerpt: ... the drill around and around, and presently a little mound of brownish, powdery sawdust began to accumulate on the punk beneath the fire-block. Gradually the pile increased, the hole made by the drill in the block grew larger and larger, and a faint smell of scorching wood greeted my nostrils. Harder and harder I pressed down on the socket, faster and faster I twirled the drill, and an instant later the sawdust turned black and a slender column of smoke rose from it. Dropping drill and bow, I stooped and blew gently on the smoldering powder, and as the smoke increased I lifted the fire-block from the punk beneath, slipped a few bits of the papery birch bark into the powder, clapped the second pine punk on top of all, and, seizing the whole in my hand, waved it swiftly back and forth. Hardly had I swept it through the air when the bark burst into flame, and, knowing success was mine, I danced and capered about, as pleased as the first time I had accomplished the feat, years before. The tinder, punk, fireblock, and socket were inclosed in birch-bark packages, the drill and bow were laid carefully in the roof of my hut, and I felt sure that I would be able at any time to secure a fire in dry weather and, unless soaked with rain, that I could be reasonably sure of kindling a flame even in wet weather--for I now had two distinct methods of obtaining fire. My fire-making apparatus was such a success that I was anxious to go ahead with my bow and arrows, and I spent a long time scraping and whittling down the best of my spruce branches to form a bow. The ones I had selected were dead, seasoned limbs, for I well knew that green wood would warp and would have a very limited spring. At last one of the boughs was fashioned to suit me and I looked...
