larger, is then rubbed with white lead on both sides
and worked neatly into the hole with the penknife,
the lips of the cut then pressed down upon the silk,
a little more white lead rubbed on, and, after hard-
ening, the wound painted with shellac. In the case
of minor cuts, especially when the planking has not
been injured, the above will suffice, but if the hole is
a big one the lips may have to be further closed with
small tacks (copper best) , which are driven through the
planking and there clinched. In such a case it may
be necessary to cover the whole wound with an
additional piece of silk, as in the case of a bark canoe.
This does not improve the appearance of our craft,
but we are in the forest and not figuring in a canoe
parade in a suburban park. If the planking has been
perforated or badly cracked a piece of hard wood
may be whittled to shape and fixed over the wound
on the inside of the canoe with tacks, or, better still,
small screws, the ends of which, if they protrude,
must be filed off. If a canoe gets badly torn up it
should be repaired as well as may be on the spot, and
then shipped to the maker, or to some experienced
workman, for repairs, unless the owner think him-
self competent to undertake such a job, which is a
very difficult one for an amateur to do well. A bad
smash can be mended with birch-bark, quite as well
as if the canoe were a bark.
A small roll of bicycle-tape will be found excellent
for quick repairs.
In default of any other material spruce gum,
chewed soft, will stop a hole of small size.
Before entering a canoe bring it broadside to the
Canoes 97
landing-place, and, carefully preserving your body
balance, place one foot exactly in the
middle of the craft. When you perceive
that all is serene place the other foot beside it and
sit or kneel down quickly but steadily. If you do
not paddle there will probably be some one to hold
the canoe while you get in. If you have a paddle,
thrust it down to the bottom on the other side of the
canoe and use it to steady yourself; the paddle will
prevent the canoe sidling off and causing a possible
straddle on your part that might easily end in an
ignominious ducking. When in a canoe learn to
make all necessary movements without interfering
with the balance. The slightest lurch to one side
must be avoided; look backward as seldom as pos-
sible and be careful how you do it. Two men should
never change places without landing. Canoes are,
for their build, wonderfully steady and long-suffering,
but no man can tell just when the limit of their
patience will be reached. When it is, over they go
in a flash. Then hang on to your paddle. If you
cruise about lakes and cannot swim, it is safer to have
an inflated rubber cushion, provided with a life-line,
with you ; it will easily hold up two men if they keep
cool. The late H. P. Wells, the great angling author-
ity and charming writer, animadverts amusingly
on the feminine character of the birch-bark canoe,
and his remarks may apply as well to the canvas:
With a boat, too, you can, ordinarily at least, find a dry
spot on its bottom perhaps even right it and climb in.
But a birch, when it has once spilled its cargo, passes from the
placid demureness of a cat into the f riskiness of a kitten.
Touch it, and it squirms and sidles off like a country-girl
at a merry-making when some gallant tries to put his arm
7
98 The Way of the Woods
around her waist. It does not squeal, it is true; but it acts
just as skittishly: as if it did. Of all the floating constructions
of man, to none is the application of the feminine pronoun
more appropriate. (The American Salmon-Fisherman.)
Of course if a man can swim he does not mind a
ducking, and he can, if clever enough, climb into
his craft again over the end; but when on a trip,
loaded with provisions and duffle, it is a very serious
matter to capsize, for at very least his food and bedding
will get drenched, and it is not at all impossible that
enough heavy stuff will remain in the canoe to send
her to the bottom. Therefore, in capsizing at a long
distance from land, endeavour, if you have any doubts
about reaching shore, to give the canoe a smart tip
or drag her over with you, as many canoes will
float if not loaded, offering a refuge to which to cling.
All of which, to be sure, is much more easily said
than done, for which reason it is better to wait for
the fall of the wind if a lake seems to be rough. In
running dangerous rapids it may prove a saving in
more ways than one to unload and "tote" the
canoe's contents round the more difficult places.
In birch-barks, which have no seats, the stern
paddler usually perches on the small triangle formed
P ddl' ^ ^ e stern-end and the rear thwart, or
kneels with his buttocks supported by
the rear thwart. The bow paddler in like manner
either sits upon or kneels supported by the second
thwart from the bow. In canvas canoes a seat is
provided for each paddler. Either may, however,
kneel down for diversity of position, or when a high
wind blows against the canoe, as then the kneeling
position reduces the resistance to the wind and
Canoes
99
brings the weight in the canoe lower, making her
stiffen The kneeling paddler has his craft in better
control.
In paddling one hand grips the end of the paddle,
while the other holds it a short distance above the
blade. With the body kept nearly motionless, though
not stiff nor contracted, the paddle is dipped or slid
into the water a little in front (not too much) of the
paddler and swept through and downward to the
rear. At the end of the stroke the paddle is turned
so that it is edge-on to the bow and withdrawn
in that position for the next stroke, just clearing the
water as it moves forward. It should not be plunged
FIG. 22. Position of Hands at End of Stroke
into the water nor jerked out ; the movement should
be smooth from start to finish. Just where the accent
of the stroke comes can be learned only by experience.
The turning of the paddle is usually made by .the
upper hand, the thumb being thrust forward and the
paddle allowed to turn in the lower hand. During
the stroke the upper hand is thrust forward and
ioo The Way of the Woods
across the face or breast, while the lower pulls the
blade through the water. The failure to execute the
piston-like thrust of the upper hand is the besetting
sin of beginners.
The bow paddler's duty is simple, being merely
to keep up a regular stroke and watch for hidden
rocks and other obstructions, while that of the stern
paddler is more difficult and complicated, for he it
is who keeps the craft on a straight course or steers
it in the chosen direction. When assisted by a bow
paddle his task is easy, but when alone he must cor-
rect the tendency of the canoe to turn constantly
in one direction by a lateral and upward push of the
blade against the water, applied just the moment
before it is withdrawn for the next stroke. The
knack of stern-paddling, like waltzing or riding the
bicycle, can be learned only by experience, but it
is not difficult.
From the very first, learn to paddle as well on one
side of the canoe as on the other (a rule that should
be written in large capitals). It is a great rest to
change sides, and many 's the time the slap on the
water by one's mate, the signal for a shift -over, comes
as a welcome relief to the tired muscles.
It is in swift water that the work of the bow
paddler becomes more important, for here he must
In "White keep his weather eye peeled and be ready
Water" to fend off at the precise moment called
for, neither too soon nor too late. In running rapids
most bow paddlers are inclined to do too much, and
thus, instead of helping the steerer, handicap his
efforts. The ideal bow paddler holds himself on the
alert, ready to obey the command of the steerer,
Canoes 101
but does little until occasion demands. Then a deft
but energetic movement of the paddle averts the
impending danger. Running rapids is one of the
most exhilarating, not to say thrilling, of pastimes,
but it is dangerous to a degree and the wonder is
that so few bad accidents happen. Last year, as
bow paddle, I ran a nasty rapid with a first-class
Indian canoeman in the stern. In the midst of it,
while we were seething down the white waters at a
record pace, he had the misfortune, while trying
to throw the bow a little to the left, to get his paddle
caught between two stones in such a manner that
it was either break or let go, and, as it was his
favourite paddle, he chose the latter alternative,
wisely or not. Just as he sang out to me above the
roar of the rapid, "Look out, I Ve lost my paddle! "
the very same accident happened to me. My paddle
was whipped out of my hand before I could make up
my mind whether or not to let go, and the next mo-
ment a helpless and frail canoe with two men, pro-
visions, and dufHe went shooting down the last half
of one of the most precipitate and rocky rapids
in Canada. I had an indistinct consciousness of
sticking out one foot over the gunwale and shooting
my heel with all my might at one particularly danger-
ous, jagged point as we tore by, and the next moment
we sat high and dry on a flat rock at the foot of the
rapid. Talk of ice-yachting and motoring they
are nothing to shooting rapids without paddles! You
yell with excitement and exhilaration, but your hair
stands on end at the same time. Of course the inci-
dent described was very exceptional, and we had
all the luck in getting off with only one bad rent in
the bottom of our craft,
102 The Way of the Woods
On long trips, when many rapids must be run, a
"setting-pole" is used. This is a stout sapling
, about 10 feet long, into one end of which
Setting-pole
a tapering spike, made for the purpose,
is driven and confined by an iron ring. This spike
should not protrude too far (not over 3 inches), or
it will cause the pole to get caught between rocks
as our paddles did in the above story. The spike
and ring are taken as part of the kit and the pole
cut when needed. An iron shoe with nail-holes is
quite unnecessary. A setting-pole is absolutely
essential in getting up-stream when the water is
heavy and swift. Beginners are recommended not
to attempt its use except under the eye of an old
hand. There is a knack in handling it, though at first
it seems the most unwieldy implement imaginable.
If caught out in a lake in a storm kneel down and
be especially careful to make clean strokes; catching
On a Rough a crab in a canoe is apt to lead to instant
Lake disaster, particularly in a heavy sea. Be
careful not to get the canoe in the trough of the waves,
especially if she is at all top-heavy. If the wind is dead
ahead or dead aft the danger is lessened. The stern
paddler must watch the combers like a cat and be ready
to turn the bow into the big ones. At such a time (and
theoretically always in a canoe) one paddle or the other
should be in the water constantly. The majority
of u sets occur when this rule is neglected and some
sudden movement of one or both men cannot be
offset by the steadying paddle.
In a gale keep as much as possible under lee of
islands and points. Better still, don't start out at all
in such weather.
Canoes 1 03
If the trip is made through country abounding in
lakes much hard paddling can be saved by rigging
some kind of a sail in the bow. This may
Sailing
be simply a thick bush, or a tarpaulin or
poncho or tent-fly rigged on a pole and paddle.
A long experience in the lake district of southern
Nova Scotia has taught me that the most practical
sail is simply a big and strong umbrella of the kind
used in escorting ladies from the carriage to the house.
It fits into the rod-case and does yeoman service on
the lake. I have saved scores of miles' paddling with
one. An old umbrella may be taken along and
abandoned when the last big lake has been crossed.
Of course a sail is of service only when the wind is
quite or nearly dead aft. Centre-boards are imprac-
ticable on the rocky lakes of the north woods.
Canoes are loaded with two objects in view, proper
trim and the security of the duffle. See that no box
or bundle chafes the sides, nor slides from
side to side. Get the load, and particularly
the heavy stuff, as low in the canoe as possible, to
avoid top-heaviness. Have the receptacles contain-
ing provender and cooking utensils where they can be
got at easily at lunch time. Do not pack anything
that should be kept dry on the very bottom of the
canoe, especially if it rains, or on a rough lake or in
bad rapids. Be sure to leave room for the two pad-
dlers' feet and legs. When loaded the canoe should
float on an even keel, neither end being higher than
the other. In rapid water, however, the bow should
be a trifle higher than the stern when going up-stream,
and the stern a trifle higher when going down-
stream. Perhaps it would be more exact to say that
104 The Way of the Woods
the heavier end should be always the down-stream
end, whichever direction the canoe is going. This
makes steering easier.
Whether the duffle should be firmly attached to the
canoe is a question that may be answered with yes
if the canoe will float when upset. If not, then it
makes little difference in deep water, except that
some of the duffle might float if not tied on. In
swift, shallow water it is well to secure the important
articles, especially the heavy ones, such as the rifle,
camera, etc., as an upset might result in the loss
of material absolutely essential to comfort if not
life. Such experiences as that of Dillon Wallace in
Labrador should be taken to heart. (The Long
Labrador Trail.)
On long trips a stout tracking-line, about a dozen
or more feet long, should be attached to the bow.
It will be found very useful in getting up
Tracking - , , . , *
and down dangerous rapids, and in
anchoring for fishing purposes.
(The above chapter on canoeing has been read and very
kindly approved by Mr. J. H. Rushton, who disagrees with
me on one point only, the toughness of the all- wood canoe.
Mr. Rushton, certainly an excellent authority, has made the
"Nessmuk" and other wooden canoes for many years, and
has a high opinion of their strength and general usefulness,
even in swift waters, an opinion which I do not share, so far
as the waters of the north woods, with which I am most
familiar, are concerned.)
CHAPTER VII
PROVISIONS
ABOUT no subject connected with camping-out is
there so much opportunity for honest difference of
opinion as this, since the personal equation neces-
sarily enters into it to a large degree.
Provisions may be divided into two categories:
staples and legitimate luxuries. By the latter term
are meant articles of food and drink which may, at
one time or another, be admitted to the camping
larder without laying the consumer open to the charge
of being an abject slave to his belly.
It is likely that a conclave of experienced amateur
woodsmen would name the following commodities
among the staples:
The Staples
Flour or Bread Salt
Corn-meal Pepper
Baking-powder Sugar
Pork Milk
Bacon Butter
Lard Candles
Tea Matches
Coffee Soap
Of luxuries there is a wider choice :
105
io6 The Way of the Woods
The Luxuries
Rye-meal Sausage
Oatmeal Tobacco
Buckwheat Liquors
Rice Eggs
Beans Vegetables, fresh and dried.
Split peas Pemmican
Chocolate Canned meats
Cocoa Condiments
Lemons Molasses
Ham Syrup
Cured fish Citric Acid
Erbswurst Marmalade
Soup-Tablets Preserves
Additional Luxuries
Other canned goods Sweet oil
Other condiments Wines
Lime drops
The proportion of staples to luxuries must depend
upon the character of the proposed expedition. If
it is a hard one, where going light is the chief
essential, every luxury will be severely scrutinised
before admission to the pack, and even some of
the staples are likely to be omitted: for instance,
from the above list, either the coffee or the tea,
bacon, corn-meal, and possibly milk and butter.
On easier trips it is all a matter of transportation,
of personal taste, and the amount of physical ex-
ertion the members of the party intend to undergo ;
for hard work tends to increase the amount consumed,
while making the camper less fastidious; in other
words, he will be more contented with plain fare.
In a country where game and fish can be counted
on to enrich the menu luxuries are not so much
Provisions 107
missed; while on the other hand there are luxuries
which, for many people, are almost necessities, a
certain quantity of which they will prefer to take
with them in place of an equal amount of some recog-
nised staple. In my own case, for example, rice, beans,
dried apples or apricots, and eating chocolate invaria-
bly form part of the provender, and rather than leave
these behind I will sacrifice bacon and meal. This is
entirely a personal question and should be Choice of
threshed out by the members of the ex- Provisions
pedition. The best way is for each camper to pur-
chase out of his own pocket and bring along any
special luxury that is not sure of an enthusiastic
reception by the others; and then discussion at the
point of departure will determine whether the size of
the baggage will allow of its being admitted, either
wholly or in part. The task of collecting the necessary
provisions is best left to one man, the most ex-
perienced camper.
Flour should be taken in a stout bag. If you are
acquainted with a really satisfactory self- Remarks
raising flour, take it; otherwise baking- on Staples
powder (in the original tin boxes) must be taken.
Bread. Fresh-baked loaves are often preferred
to flour, being ready to eat, and thus saving time.
They are bulky and thus not adapted to hard trips.
One usually takes along a few, to last for a couple
of days.
Cornmeal (Indian-meal), the original American
flour, is a favourite with woodsmen; in fact many
prefer it to white flour in case only one is taken. It
has the advantage of being more easily cooked, as
Johnny-cake can be made in the frying-pan, and
io8 The Way of the Woods
cakes baked on stones. It is delicious as mush and
still more so when fried cold and eaten with syrup
or molasses. It is also the proper thing to roll fish in
before frying, and may be mixed with the white flour
for bread.
Pork of good quality can almost always be found
in the country, but this is less often true of
Bacon, on which account it may be as well to pur-
chase your supply in the city. Except on very
easy trips bacon should not be taken in tins, and
never in glass. Take it in the flitch.
Butter, in quantities of five to fifteen pounds, is best
taken in tin pails or wooden buckets, with tight-
fitting covers that will not come off when sunk in the
stream, where they should be kept as much as pos-
sible in warm weather. For the woods butter should
be more or less salted.
Lard is best carried in a small wooden bucket on a
long trip, though if overland it may be kept in two
thicknesses of strong brown paper and secluded from
too much heat. Not much need be taken as it is
used almost exclusively for bread-making.
Tea is the staple beverage of the wilderness, and
if there is any question of taking but one, choose tea,
for it is more quickly and easily made, does not de-
teriorate like ground coffee, and, finally, the guides,
almost without exception, like it best. In most cases
both tea and coffee can be carried. Keep in a separate
bag.
Coffee should be ground as short a time as pos-
sible before starting out, and is kept in a separate
bag or wooden pail, the bag fitting better in the
basket. On long trips carry in tins.
The quality of both tea and coffee should be high,
Provisions 109
as it takes more to make a pot in the woods than
indoors. Most people prefer black tea, but tastes
strangely differ. So well-known a woodsman as old
Nessmuk preferred green tea and boiled it for five
minutes !
Cream and Milk. The best substitute for these
is Borden's "Peerless Evaporated Milk," an un-
sweetened liquid quite devoid of the disagreeable
taste associated with condensed milk. It comes in
$.10 cans, one of which will be sufficient -for four
persons for two days if used moderately. Half-sized
cans can also be had, convenient for short side trips.
It is used by making two small holes in the top,
which can be plugged or stopped by the thickening
of the liquid if the can is held for a moment or two
upside down with the thumbs over the holes. " Peer-
less" milk will keep for any length of time and can
be used very economically. There is also an " Eagle"
brand of condensed milk which is sweetened, and
therefore less appetising to many people. The un-
sweetened milk has practically all the qualities
of cream. "Truecream" and "Truemilk" (Aber-
crombie & Fitch) come in soluble powder form, and
are therefore easy to transport. One uses four table-
spoonfuls to a pint of water. It is rather expensive,
costing $3.00 for a five-pound can. The " St. Charles"
brand of evaporated milk (unsweetened) is similiar to
the "Peerless," but inferior. ($.10 per can).
All these substitutes for milk must be taken from
home, as they are not to be had in frontier towns.
Malted milk makes an excellent forest drink.
Borden's is the most suitable, being most soluble.
If taken it is better to transfer it from the bottle to
a tin box well lined with clean paper.
no The Way of the Woods
Sugar. This is carried in its own bag. The prin-
cipal substitutes for sugar are saccharine and crys-
talose. Crystalose comes in one-ounce vials, the
contents being claimed to equal in sweetening power
a ton of sugar. On very light-going trips these drugs
have their place, but their taste is disliked by many.
Salt. This should be taken from home, as that
obtainable in out-of-the-way places is of poor quality
and has an annoying tendency to cake in moist
climates.
Pepper. This may be either white or black. Per-
sonally I use only Hungarian paprika (accent on
the first syllable), which is tasty, wholesome, and
promotes digestion. It must not be confounded
with the hot cayenne, being very much milder.
Soap. Sapolio is the first and last choice for camp
soap.
Candles. A supply of ordinary paraffine candles
is usually taken to be used in rustic candlesticks
(see Rustic Utensils). If a folding " Stonebridge "
lantern is carried special pressed candles had best be
brought for it (see Lantern).
Matches. Only the good old friction match, the
lucifer or " hell-stick" of our youth, will be found on
the outskirts of the wilderness, and a good supply
of these should be taken along in a tin can with a
tight- fitting top, if possible a screw-top. There is
a very good waterproof tubular match-safe on the
market in the shape of two brass telescopic cylinders
which fit together and hold about 500 wooden matches.
It weighs about half a pound and costs $.75. For
pocket match-boxes see under Personal Outfit.
Most tours in the wilderness are undertaken by
Provisions in
means of some kind of land or water conveyance,
and therefore the above strictly light- Remarks on
going list may be amplified by the addi- Luxuries
tion of many commodities which may to all intents
and purposes be considered as staples.
Rye-meal may be taken as a variety. The same
may be said of oatmeal, or crushed oats, though it is
now conceded that cereals are' by no means so nu-
tritive as once believed.
Buckwheat- flour, only of the self-raising variety,
makes the best of flapjacks, and, eaten with syrup
or molasses, satisfies the marked craving for sweets
which nearly all campers have.
Rice is now recognised as an extremely nutritive
food, and may be used in the woods either as a
vegetable or (when left over cold) mixed with
flapjack batter.
Beans are another luxury that may almost be
called a staple, while in a permanent camp they are a
prime necessity. A good quality of the white bean
apotheosised in Massachusetts should be chosen.
Army men and lumbermen fully appreciate the
value of the bean; in fact the classic dish, pork and
beans, may be considered the most popular of the
regular woods bill of fare, the beans forming, of
course, the more important part of the dish. For
"staying by" a man pork and beans have few equals
and perhaps no superiors. In permanent camps
beans are always cooked on the spot, but when trans-
portation is fairly easy and time must be saved canned
baked beans are very convenient. I have found
a Canadian brand, without ketchup, the most tooth-
some. A supply of