Camp Housekeeping
Building fires. Fires without matches. Woods and their properties. Useful plants and trees. Camp 
cookery. Camp furnishings. Making beds. Handy hints to campers.

THE first thing to be done after camp is pitched, whether you use a tent, a tepee, a hut, a shack, or a lean-to, is to 
make the beds. For temporary use this is a very simple and easy matter, and you will be surprised to find what a 
springy, soft and comfortable bed may be made with no tools save an axe, machete or stout knife, and no materials
except a quantity of fir or hemlock boughs.

But it is hopeless to try to make a comfortable bed unless the floor of your camp is smooth, level, soft and free from 
all stubs, stones and hummocks. For this reason you should take care to follow the directions for smoothing the
floor.

This accomplished, cut down a young hemlock, balsam fir, or other evergreen, — the balsam is the best, — or lop 
a number of good sized branches from trees, and pull off the soft "fans" or flattened tips to the branches. I say 
"pull," for those which are too large or tough to be pulled off by hand are too large and coarse for bed making.

You may have to walk about quite a little in order to secure an ample supply of fans, but there is no difficulty in 
carrying them if they are placed criss-cross on the handle of your axe or are hung on a light pole.

Having gathered your supply of material, place a thick layer of the fans on the floor of your camp where the bed is 
to be, and be careful to place the butt ends towards the foot of the bed (which should be towards the fire) and place
the branches with their convex sides uppermost. Now, commencing at the foot of the bed, thrust the butt ends of 
more fans down through the first layer at a slight angle and letting each succeeding row overlap the ones already 
placed and this working towards the head of the bed or "thatching," just as if you were covering the roof. In this way 
you will secure a smooth surface of soft fragrant fans with the tips all turned towards the foot of the bed (Fig. 1) and 
by adding one or more additional layers you can make the bed as thick and soft as you may desire and over this 
the blankets may be spread as over a mattress. Even if you have no blankets or coverings of any sort you will find
this rough and ready bed as delightfully restful as any you ever slept in. The next step is to build a fire, but of 
course, if there are several people in the camp, work should be arranged so that while some are making the camp 
others are building the fire and cooking and others are gathering material for the beds, for one of the first rules to
be observed when camping is to have each member of the party assigned to a definite duty. Then there will be no 
bother nor vexatious delays and everything will go along orderly and smoothly with no loss of time or temper. It may 
seem like a very simple matter to build a fire, and you may think that a description of how to do it is superfluous. In 
fine weather, with plenty of dry material on hand, it is easy to make a fire, but it's one thing to make a fire and 
another to make one properly, while not a little skill and experience are required to kindle a blaze when everything is
soaking wet, soggy with moisture and the wind is blowing a gale, and rain is driving down in torrents.

Moreover, matches are valuable when camping out, and every camper should know how to build a fire in any 
weather without wasting a single match. The size of the fire you build must depend very largely upon the weather, 
the type of camp you use and the purposes for which you are to use it. Indians, as a rule, build a very small fire and 
tend it constantly, while white woodsmen usually make a roaring fire and trust to the coals keeping up sufficient heat
to warm the camp over night and to start a new fire in the morning, and little attention is required save to throw on a
log now and then. In the one case, one gets little sleep and must huddle over and nurse the tiny blaze, while in the 
other a vast amount of fuel is wasted, and one roasts while the fire is blazing and shivers after it dies down. It is far 
better to build a medium-sized fire and after a short time you will learn to wake up and replenish the fire at regular 
intervals.

Many campers use one fire both for heating the camp and for cooking, and if you use a tepee, with a fire inside, this
is all very well, but in case your fire is in the open, as is necessary with a lean-to or shack, it is a better plan to build 
two fires, one for heating purposes and the other for cooking.

In any event, the method of starting the fire is the same and with one fire going you can easily kindle as many more 
as you like.

The first important item in building a fire is to have an abundance of the proper materials ready to your hand. When
your fuel is ready, gather a number of light, dry chips and twigs and the dry, resinous branches of evergreens, such
as the dead stubs which may always be found sticking out from evergreen trees, and, if there are white birches in 
the neighbourhood, secure a quantity of the bark. Birch bark is a very useful thing, for it will burn readily, even when
damp or green, and every camper should carry a roll of bark with him for use in emergencies.

Make a little criss-cross pile of the driest kindlings and shreds of bark, and right here let me caution you against 
splitting up or breaking the dry sticks until you are ready to use them. A dead stick may be soaking wet externally 
and yet dry and inflammable inside, and if it is split open at the last minute it will catch fire readily, whereas, five 
minutes' exposure to fog, dew, rain or damp air may make it so soggy it is worthless as kindling.

There is quite a little knack in arranging the kindlings so as to blaze up quickly and surely at the first attempt. The 
best way is to build a little pile, like a miniature log cabin, and over this place dry sticks in conical form like a little 
tepee. Then light a bit of birch bark, or a resinous twig, thrust it under the kindlings and nurse the tiny blaze until it 
burns briskly. Do not smother it with too much fuel, and don't wait until the kindlings have burned away to coals 
before adding more fuel; but keep adding twigs, bark, and chips, little by little, and increasing the size of the sticks
as the blaze gains in size, until a good lively fire is burning.

As soon as you have the fire well under way, place a good sized green, hardwood log on each side of the fire and 
as far apart as is convenient for resting pots, pans or other cooking utensils across the logs. These side logs 
should be of hickory, maple, oak or some similar slow burning wood, for they are not intended to serve as fuel, but 
as resting places for your cooking utensils and as backlogs to confine the fire within certain limits.

If the fire is to be used only for cooking, the logs may be two or three feet in length and about six inches in diameter,
while for a large heating fire, they should be at least eight feet long and fully eight inches in diameter.

If one fire is to be used for both cooking and heating, the logs should be placed close together at one end and 
wider apart at the other, to form a ''V' and the cooking utensils may then be placed across the narrow space over a 
bed of coals raked from the main fire, between the ends of the logs farther apart.

For the heating fire, place two or three logs outside of the first two, and then, as the latter become charred and 
burned away, the others may be rolled forward to take their places. The heating fire for a lean-to should be fed with 
sticks several inches in diameter and three or four feet in length, for smaller sticks throw little heat, although they
burn brightly. Such a fire, placed six or eight feet distant from the front of a lean-to, will throw enough heat inside the
camp to keep it comfortably warm, even on cold winter nights.

As long as the fire is fed and kept blazing, there will be no trouble about keeping warm, and when ready to turn in 
for the night, two or three heavy hardwood logs, thrown on the coals, will smoulder and burn all night. Even if they 
die down and do not blaze, they will still give out considerable heat. Whenever one of the campers wakes up he 
should stir the fire, turn the logs over and perhaps throw on a new log, and in this way a uniform moderate fire may 
be kept burning all through the night with little trouble.

In order to build a fire intelligently, or to keep the fire going to the best advantage with the least waste of fuel, every 
camper should be familiar with the properties of wood in his vicinity. It is a common mistake for amateurs to look 
upon all kinds of timber as equally suitable for fuel, but, as a matter of fact, every wood has peculiarities of its own, 
and the wood which will give the best results for one purpose may be very unsuitable for another. By knowing the 
woods a great deal of trouble, annoyance and uncertainty may be avoided, and you should strive to familiarize 
yourself with the woods within reach of your camp and select them with regard to the purposes for which they are to 
be employed.

As examples of this, beech, oak, maple, chestnut and hickory are all good firewoods, while elm, hemlock, spruce 
and fir are poor; but each of these has properties of which the skilled camper may take advantage. Thus, chestnut 
does not make a lasting fire, but gives out a good heat and produces fine coals for cooking purposes; hickory does
not blaze freely, but makes splendid beds of coals and lasts a long time, but is liable to die out unless mixed with 
lighter woods; beech and maple are both good heating woods and burn well, while birch gives a good heat, blazes 
freely, makes good coals and is the best wood for all around use, as it will burn when green or wet; but it has the
disadvantage of burning too rapidly for a lasting night fire and should be mixed with hickory or other heavy, 
slow-burning woods. Elm burns poorly and it smoulders and smokes; pine blazes freely, but it gives little heat and it 
smokes, while hemlock, spruce and fir blaze well, but snap and crackle, and throw dangerous showers of sparks.

After a long rain, or in a heavy shaded woods, it is often very difficult even for an expert woodsman to light a fire, 
and if you wish to avoid long delays and loss of patience and temper, you should always be provided with a few dry 
resinous twigs and strips of birch bark, or similar kindlings, kept in a waterproof box or package. An Indian, or a 
veteran woodsman, can almost always find dry material, but it is far quicker and easier to carry a supply at all times.

If you have no dry fuel on hand, and the woods are sopping, you should know where to search for dry materials with
which to start a fire. Dead trees, especially balsam fir, hemlock, pine, cedar, Cottonwood, etc., usually contain dry 
wood in the centre, and oftentimes the under side of a dead and fallen tree or a log or a branch will be found dry 
and inflammable if it has been kept off the ground by stones or other logs. In the shelter of large fallen trees, and 
under overhanging ledges and in small cavities among rocks, one may often find dry leaves, twigs and similar 
material, while squirrels' nests, either in hollow trees or among the branches, often provide a good supply of
shredded cedar bark, twigs, dried leaves and nut shells.

Although there is little excuse for finding oneself in the woods without an ample supply of matches, yet accidents will 
happen and matches may become wet or damp and useless. To guard against such misfortunes, a flint and steel 
lighter, or a patent cigar lighter, should always be included in every camping outfit. But even these may be lost or 
useless, and any one who spends much time in the woods, or goes far from civilization on a camping trip, should 
know how to make fire without matches.

If provided with a flint and steel, this is comparatively easy, and in most parts of the world one may find a quantity of 
pebbles which, if struck with the back of a knife or an axe, will produce sparks capable of igniting tinder. If you use a 
regular flint and steel, such as are sold for lighting cigars, you will find little difficulty in striking a spark, for the 
prepared cotton tinder ignites readily, after it has once been charred; but if you resort to a makeshift of pebble and 
knife you will find it absolutely impossible to obtain fire unless you have the right kind of punk or tinder to catch the 
sparks.

Dry cedar bark, dry and rotten pine and spruce twigs, dried moss and lichens, resinous pine or balsam, dry sawdust
and many other common things may be used at a pinch, but the best of all materials to be found in the woods are 
dried "puff balls" or other fungus growths. Far better than any natural substance, however, is a bit of charred cotton
rope or twisted cotton rag.

To obtain a fire with flint and steel requires a little knack, but it is an art easily mastered. Hold the punk or tinder 
against the under side of the flint or pebble and strike the steel sharply down across the edge of the stone (Fig. 2).
A shower of bright sparks will fly from the pebble and, after two or three attempts, one or more of the sparks will 
lodge on the tinder, which will commence to smoulder and glow. As soon as this occurs, blow upon it until a 
good-sized red spot appears, and then, by placing bits of fine dry shavings, sawdust and cedar bark, or similar 
inflammable materials, upon the glowing punk, and blowing or fanning it, a blaze will soon spring up.

It must be admitted, however, that it is much more difficult to kindle a fire in this way than it sounds; but with a little 
patience and practice, you will be able to accomplish the feat every time, and the knack, once acquired, is never 
forgotten, and, as it is a most useful and valuable accomplishment, much time may profitably be spent in learning 
the trick.

Even without matches or flint or steel, a fire may be kindled by means of bow and drill, which is an adaptation of the 
more primitive method of rubbing two sticks together.

It must not be supposed that his is a simple matter for the beginner, however, for a good deal of practice and 
patience are required; but the real success or failure in making fire by this simple method depends upon having 
exactly the right sort of materials. As these cannot always be secured readily, it is a good plan for the camper to 
carry a bow and drill outfit with him and to practice its use, especially if going far from civilization, where there is 
danger of losing or exhausting one's supply of matches.

The appliances required for making a fire by bow and drill are as follows: 

The Bow (Fig. 3 ). This is a curved stiff stick about 25 inches long and from 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch in diameter, and 
with a leather string (an old shoe lace will answer). The string should not be tight, like a real bowstring, but should 
have enough slack so that a turn may be taken around the drill.

The Drill (Fig. 4) is a six- or eight-sided stick, from 12 to 18 inches long and 3/4 inch in diameter, pointed at one 
end and smoothly rounded off at the other.

The Fire Block (Fig. 5). This is a flat piece of very dry wood about 3/4 of an inch thick and of almost any size, with 
notches cut on one edge.

The Drill Socket (Fig. 6-7). This may be a knot of wood, a piece of bark or a pebble with a small hole or recess in 
one side.

The Tinder. Shredded dry cedar bark, dried fungus or moss or any good tinder, as described for use with flint and 
steel.

Fully as important as the tools are the materials from which they are made. Balsam fir, hemlock, cedar, hickory or 
any strong light wood will serve for the bow. The drill must be of old thoroughly dry but not rotten or punky wood, 
and the best woods for the purpose are fir, cottonwood, basswood, cedar, larch, pine or sagebrush. But of all
materials for a drill, cottonwood roots are the best. The fire block should be made from dry fir, pine, hemlock, or 
some similar soft, free-burning wood.

To secure fire with the bow and drill place a piece of dry pine punk on the ground, place the fire block on this and 
hold it in position with one foot. With the string of the bow, take a turn around the drill (Fig. 8), and place the pointed
end of the drill in a notch in the fire block. Hold the drill socket in the left hand and rest it firmly on the upper, 
rounded end of the drill, thus holding the latter upright. Grasp the bow in the right hand and with steady, long 
strokes, draw the bow back and forth, thus revolving the drill in its socket. After a few moments a brownish wood
powder will accumulate on the punk below the fire block, while the notch in the block will  increase in size and a wisp
of smoke will rise from it. As soon as this occurs, press more firmly on the drill and work the bow more rapidly. 
Presently the powdery wood dust will smoke and become charred, when the bow should at once be cast aside and 
the heap of smouldering dust should be fanned or blown gently until it smokes freely. Then lift off the fire block and 
place bits of finely-shredded bark or other tinder in the pile of dust, place another piece of dry pine punk over the 
powder and tinder, and grasping both pieces of wood, with the powder between them, wave the whole in the air or 
blow upon it until it flames. 

Of course, if you are tramping or travelling about and making camp only at night or for short stops, you will not 
require any camp furnishings save the beds of fir boughs. And here let me suggest that if you are travelling by 
canoe or boat, by automobile or by any conveyance, you will find a good hammock a most satisfactory sleeping 
arrangement. Not a fancy lawn or porch hammock or a heavy canvas affair, but a light South American hammock of 
fibre or cotton.

Don't have the hammock too small, it should be at least ten feet long and five or six feet wide when spread open, —
and don't hang it too loosely, so that you will double up like a half-open knife when resting in it. Hang it as nearly 
horizontally as possible, and, to sleep well and comfortably in it, lie diagonally across it.

But to return to camp furniture. If in a camp for some time, or in a permanent camp, simple furnishings will prove a 
great convenience and, moreover, the construction of tables, beds, chairs and other objects will prove a 
pleasurable and interesting way of spending your spare time. An improvement over the ordinary bed of balsam or 
hemlock fans may be made by arranging four logs, — two about eight feet long and the other two about four feet 
long, — in the form of a rectangle and secured in position by means of stakes as in Fig. 9.

The space thus enclosed may be filled with the fir fans, as already described; but with the logs confining the fans, 
fairly large boughs may be used for the first layer and more layers of fans may be thatched in, thus forming a much 
softer and thicker bed.

A still better bed is the Willow Bed, such as is used by many of the Western Indians. For making this, you should 
secure about 60 or 70 straight sticks about the diameter of a lead pencil and 30 inches in length, and in addition to 
these you should have three or four stouter rods, about half an inch in diameter. Preferably all of these should be 
of willow, but any other strong elastic wood will answer. Having secured the rods, cut notches or grooves about half 
an inch from each end of every stick. In addition to the rods you will require a quantity of strong cord or light rope
about 1/8 inch in diameter; a ball or spool of strong linen thread or fine twine, and a piece of shoemaker's wax. 
From the cord, cut four pieces each twenty feet in length, and in the centre of each piece tie a loop, as in Fig. 10 A.

Select a couple of trees about 8 feet apart, and in each of these drive four nails or pegs, nine and one-half inches 
apart, as in Fig. 10 B.

Over the pegs or nails in one tree, slip the loops in the cords and twist the free ends tightly together, being sure to 
twist against the lay or twist of the cord, so that the tendency of the cord will be to stay twisted, and having done 
this, tie the ends of each cord around the proper nail in the second tree, as in Fig. 10 C.

Next open the twisted strands of the cords and slip one of the stout sticks through the openings and push it up close
against the loop knot, as in Fig. 10 D.

Then insert one of the smaller rods in the same way, leaving an inch of cord between it and the first rod, and being 
careful to place the butt or larger end of one rod next to the smaller end of the one before it (Fig. 10 E).

Proceed in this way with the rods and at each spot where a rod passes through a twisted cord lash cord and rod 
together firmly with the waxed thread, as in Fig, 10 F. Continue in this manner for a distance of six feet, and then 
insert another stout rod and make loops in the two outer cords, as shown in Fig. 10 G.

From this point, decrease the length of the rods as you proceed, thus narrowing down the bed for a length of 18 
inches, as in Fig. 10 H, and use a stout rod for the last.

The bed is now completed by tying and lashing loops in the ends of the two outer cords, close to the last rod, and 
the whole may then be removed from the pegs or nails. The bed may be set up for use by placing it on a frame of 
logs and staking out the corners, as in Fig. 10 I., or, if desired, it may be covered with canvas, blankets or balsam
fans. If the latter are used, the butts should be inserted through the spaces between the rods, and each layer 
should overlap the one preceding, exactly as in making an ordinary fir-fan bed. If the bed is made with large cord 
and rather large rods at the ends, it may be slung like a hammock. Such a bed will be found very springy and 
comfortable, and as it can be rolled up into a compact bundle and is very light, it may easily be transported from 
camp to camp.

In case no suitable trees can be found, a frame for making the bed may be built by driving a couple of stakes in the 
earth, or the cords may be attached to a bough, pole or beam overhead, and their lower ends kept tight by being 
attached to another pole or log suspended a few inches from the earth.

Tables may also be made very easily by driving forked sticks into the earth and then lashing a rectangular frame to 
them, and which should then be covered by birch bark as in Fig. 11 A, In place of the bark, rods or withes may be 
lashed close together, or cords may be stretched across the top and wattled with willow, withes, or other materials. 
Chairs or benches may be constructed in the same manner, with legs lashed to the corners and braces fastened 
from leg to leg, as in Fig. 11 B, or if they are to remain in one place, as is the case of benches about a table or in 
camp, the chairs may be made by wattling a frame fastened between upright stakes.

Another method of making a rough and ready seat or bench is to hew off one side of a log until smooth and flat, 
bore four holes in the rounded side, and in these drive stout sticks to serve as legs (Fig. 12).

Of course, if you have hammers, saws, nails and other tools with you, it is a very simple matter to construct all sorts 
of rustic furniture, but those mentioned may all be made with material found in the woods, and with no tools other 
than a knife, an axe and a ball of twine. The last is not really essential, for roots, strips of bark, vines or twisted 
withes will serve as well as cord for lashings.

If you require hooks, on which to hang clothing, cooking utensils or any other articles, it is only necessary to cut 
down a young well-branched sapling and trim off the branches a few inches from the trunk. This may be suspended 
from the tent rope or shack rafters, or driven into the earth, and will make a very useful rack on which any articles 
may be hung out of the way and safe from dampness or ants.

A very important part of camping out is camp housekeeping, and the camper should strive to keep his woodland 
home as clean, neat and tidy as the most particular housewife. Far too many campers pay little or no heed to such 
matters, and many camps are slovenly, littered and disgracefully dirty. Nothing looks worse, and nothing disgusts 
the true woodsman and nature lover more, than to find a camp site littered with odds and ends of tin cans, papers, 
empty bottles and other rubbish, and there is no earthly excuse for such a state of affairs. Within a short distance of
the camp, a good-sized hole should be dug, as soon as camp is made, and into this all refuse should be thrown. 
Before leaving the spot, the hole should be filled with earth, and if you are staying in the camp for several days or 
longer, a layer of earth should be scattered over the refuse each day, in order to prevent flies and insects from 
being attracted and also to avoid any unpleasant odours.

Never throw refuse of any sort into ponds, lakes or streams. It is not only unsightly, but contaminates the water and 
may cause illness or even death to others who drink the water, thinking it unpolluted.

Keep everything orderly and have a place for every article, and make it a point to keep everything in its place. A 
skilled woodsman should be able to place his hand unerringly on any desired article in the darkest night, and if you 
acquire the habit of mislaying or leaving things here, there and everywhere, you'll either lose something or will waste
valuable time, and your temper, trying to find articles in a hurry. Cleanliness, too, is very important in camp. 
Because there's plenty of clean air and pure water, and unlimited space, is no excuse for keeping a dirty camp, and
it's far easier to clean everything up at regular times than to let things go until sheer necessity compels you to do a 
week's cleaning at one time.

Amateur campers are too prone to lay aside dishes and cooking utensils unwashed and put off cleaning them until 
required for the next meal. Washing dishes is an unpleasant job at best, and in camp there is always a tendency to 
avoid this work, but, like a great many other unpleasant tasks, it's easier to get it over with at once than to put it off 
and have it constantly on your mind as a bugbear.

With a fire going, there is no reason for not having a supply of hot water for washing dishes and clothes, and if the 
pot is placed on the coals when the meal is served, the water will be hot and ready to use by the time the meal is 
over. But even without hot water, it is easy to keep dishes clean and metal cooking utensils bright and shining. By 
scrubbing them in a brook or lake, and using a handful of moss and sand, or a bit of sod, for a dish rag, the dishes 
and pots and pans may be kept as free from dirt and grease as by means of soap and patent cleansers.

It is particularly necessary to keep cooking utensils perfectly clean, for cooking over wood smokes and soots the 
pots or pans, and if this is not removed at once it becomes baked and burned on until it is next to impossible to 
clean off the nasty blackness. Then, when the utensils are stowed in the pack or duffle-bag, the soot is transferred
to the canvas and will be smudged onto clothing and everything else which touches it.

If several are camping together, it is an easy matter to divide the various duties of camp housekeeping, so that each
member of the party takes turns at the chores. As a rule, however, one member of the party usually excels at 
cooking, and you will fare better if the position of cook is held constantly by the one most skilled in culinary arts. But,
in return, the cook should be exempted from all other duties, save in the case of emergency, and he should not be 
expected to wash dishes, cut firewood, build camp, lug water or do anything save to prepare the meals and enjoy 
himself between times.

If every member of a camping party has his special duties each day, and takes turns with the others, there will be no
cause for complaint, each will be doing his share, and no one will feel that he is a drudge of the others, which is one
of the commonest causes of dissension in camping parties.

Finally, and very important, is the matter of cooking in camp. Many a person who can cook at home in a 
well-appointed kitchen and with a coal fire in a range, will fail utterly when in the woods with only a saucepan and an 
open wood fire at his disposal. Never start on a camping trip without some member who is a good hand at simple out
of doors cooking, and if there is no such member of the party, be sure to take a few lessons from mother, sister or 
hired cook, and do a little practising at home before you start for the woods.

Don't try to prepare elaborate meals or be too anxious to exhibit your skill in camp. The simpler the meals, the 
better, and a few well-made flapjacks, a bit of broiled bacon, some fish or game, and a steaming aromatic cup of 
coffee, is a far more sustaining and satisfactory meal than a soggy dumpling and highly flavoured sauces. One 
always has a good appetite when camping, and an abundance of nutritious, simple, well cooked food is the most 
welcome fare.

It is a difficult matter to describe how to cook, but the following brief hints may serve to give you ideas as to the 
resources of camp cookery and may be of help to those who have but little knowledge of cooking with limited 
supplies and conveniences.

The simplest of all things to cook are fish and game, and while any one can broil or roast a piece of meat over the 
coals, some little knowledge is required in order to make such food really palatable and tasty.

Nearly all four-footed game should be skinned and dressed as soon after being killed as possible, and, as a rule, all
animals should be hung in the shade for several days after being dressed and before being cooked. In very hot 
weather care should be taken that the meat is not tainted or flyblown, and small game should be eaten within a few 
hours after being killed, but great care should be taken that no game or meat of any description is cooked until after
all animal heat has disappeared, as otherwise serious illness may result.

Birds should be plucked and drawn as soon as convenient after being killed, and may be eaten as soon as animal 
heat has all disappeared, or, if preferred, they may be kept for a day or two, while fish should invariably be cooked 
as soon after being taken from the water as is possible.

The South American Indians have a method of preserving game fresh and free from flies for many days, and which 
is known as "Bucanning." It is a very simple method and should be more widely known and used by campers and 
dwellers in the woods. 

After being cleaned and skinned, or plucked, the game is suspended over a smoky fire until thoroughly smoked and
slightly cooked on the outside. It is then laid aside and may be cooked at any time, as required. I have eaten game 
thus bucanned after being kept for two weeks in the hot tropical forests of Guiana, and yet the meat was as fresh, 
juicy and well flavoured as if freshly killed.

The simplest method of cooking game is by broiling, and there are few methods of cooking game which give a better
flavour, if properly done. But simple as it seems, many a broiled piece of meat is rendered unpalatable and 
indigestible by improper cooking, and a few words as to broiling may not be amiss.

To broil a squirrel, rabbit or other small animal, first skin and dress carefully and remove all bruised or 
discoloured flesh and blood clots. Cut off and throw aside the head and feet, and split the body into two parts by 
cutting longitudinally along the backbone. Spit each piece on a hardwood stick and broil over coals until slightly
seared on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook slowly over the coals until done, being careful to turn 
frequently to insure even cooking.

To broil birds, pick as usual, split open along back and remove entrails, sprinkle with salt and pepper and broil 
slowly over coals. Grouse or other large birds may be broiled by the same method, but a slice of bacon or pork,
skewered to the upper side, will add greatly to the juiciness and flavour. If the bird is very large, or you are in a 
hurry, slice pieces from the breast, disjoint the legs and wings, and spit these on a stick with a slice of pork or bacon
between each piece and broil as usual.

Slices of venison or beef may be broiled in the same way.

To broil fish, scale and clean. Split down the back; flatten out and broil on a grid of green sticks or iron over a bed 
of coals. Before placing on an iron grid, the latter should be well greased. By placing strips of bacon or pork over
the fish, a better flavour will be obtained. In the case of small fish, the heads should be left on and the fish broiled 
on the end of a green stick, like small animals. After the fish are broiled, sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread 
with butter or fat and hold over the fire until the latter is melted.

Frying Game Birds and Animals. To prepare birds or small animals for frying, cut them into medium sized pieces, 
parboil until tender (in the case of old or tough birds), sprinkle with salt and pepper, roll in flour and fry in melted 
pork fat or bacon. To make gravy, save the grease in the pan, stir in half a cup of flour until the frying fat turns a 
rich brown, add a little of the water in which the game was parboiled, bring to a boil, while stirring constantly, and 
season with pepper and salt.

Fish should be fried by rolling in flour and frying in very hot fat.

Game Fricasseed. Pluck or skin and dress as usual and cut into pieces of convenient size. Parboil in enough 
water to cover and, when tender, remove from the pot and drain. Place a few pieces of pork or bacon in the frying 
pan, until browned slightly. Season with pepper and salt; sprinkle with flour and fry in the pork fat until rich brown. 
Make a thick gravy of the parboiling water, fat and flour, as already described; add this to the pieces of meat and 
bring all to a boil. Vegetables may be added if desired.

Fish Chowder. Cut the fish into convenient sized pieces and remove as many of the bones as possible. Slice and 
fry a quantity of pork fat, (about 3/4 pound to each 5 pounds of fish), and fry until partly browned. Have about a 
dozen potatoes pared and sliced, and fry two medium-sized onions in the fat. Place a layer of the fish in a 
good-sized pot and on this place a layer of sliced potatoes, then some fried onions, and season with salt and 
pepper, and add a sprinkling of flour. Then place a few slices of pork or bacon over all, and repeat the alternate 
layers of fish, potatoes, onions and pork until all have been used. Over all, pour the fat from the frying pan, cover
with boiling water, and cook for half an hour or more, according to the quantity of fish and potatoes used. A few 
minutes before serving, break up stale bread or hard biscuits, dip them in cold water, add them to the pot of 
chowder, and pour in about a pint of hot milk.

Chicken Chowder may easily be made from canned boneless chicken by placing the contents of the tin in water, 
adding sliced potatoes, onions and other vegetables, with broken biscuit or crackers if desired, seasoning with 
pepper and salt and boiling until the potatoes are cooked.

Stewing Rabbits, Birds, or Small Game. Skin or pluck and dress as usual; cut into small pieces and place in a 
pot. Cover with water, add rice, vegetables and one or two soup tablets or bouillon cubes, season with pepper and 
salt, and boil until the meat is tender.

Muskrats are excellent food and are extensively eaten in the Southern States. Skin carefully and remove the musk 
glands, near the root of the tail, without breaking them. Clean well and place in cold water. Bring to a boil for a few 
minutes, strain off water and fry, broil, or roast, as desired.

Turtles are all edible, with the exception of the musk turtle, and even the wood tortoises are toothsome, although there
is little meat on them. First kill the turtles, by plunging in boiling water, and as soon as dead remove and allow to 
cool. Lay the turtle on its back and, with an axe, hatchet, machete or stout knife, cut the joint where the two shells 
join. Pull off the lower shell, remove entrails and gall bladder, cut off head and skin the legs and remove toes and 
outer surface of shell, which will be loosened by the hot water. Place the turtle in a pot of fresh hot water and boil 
until the meat comes away from the bones. Remove bones and add vegetables, seasoning, etc., and boil until the 
vegetables are cooked.

An excellent way to bake fish, birds or small game is to roast them in clay. Dress the game without skinning or 
plucking, enclose the bird or animal in a thick layer of clay and place the whole in the midst of a bed of hot coals. 
Cover over with more coals, and in about an hour rake out the clay, which will be baked hard. Break this open and 
the feathers or fur will come away with the clay and will leave the meat beautifully cooked. This is an excellent 
method for cooking porcupines, whose spines are very troublesome if one attempts to skin the prickly creatures.

Vegetables are easy to cook, and to prepare dried vegetables is a very simple matter, for all that is necessary is to 
place them in boiling water, stir and add seasoning. Fresh vegetables should be boiled until thoroughly cooked, and
to save time they should be placed in plain cold water, as a large portion of the cooking will be accomplished while 
the water is coming to a boil.

Dried potatoes make excellent griddle cakes. After being thoroughly cooked, mash with a fork or flattened stick 
until a smooth paste is obtained. Mix this with flour, moisten well, until a tenacious mass is obtained, pat into cakes, 
sprinkle with dry flour, and fry in a pan with bacon fat, butter or other grease.

Flapjacks are one of the old stand-bys of camp cuisine, and every camper should know how to make them. To two 
pints of flour, add two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one level teaspoonful of salt, two or three spoonfuls 
of dried egg, and mix thoroughly while dry. Add six heaping dessert spoonfuls of evaporated milk and water (or an 
equivalent amount of dry milk or fresh milk), add water slowly, while mixing, until a smooth, uniform thick batter 
results. The batter should be thin enough to drip or run freely from a spoon, but not too thin or watery. Fry in a pan 
greased with fat or lard. You will find it easier to fry small cakes at first, as these may easily be turned with a broad 
bladed knife, but after a little practise, you will be able to make cakes the full size of the bottom of the pan and to 
turn them over by a twist of the pan. When you can toss a flapjack a foot or two in the air and catch it, other side up,
on the pan, you can consider yourself a true camp cook. The only difficulty in making flapjacks is in mixing the batter
to the proper consistency. If too thin, it will make brittle, tough cakes, and if too thick, it will be difficult to cook the 
centre before the outer surfaces are scorched. The best method, until you are sure of the proportions, is to make a 
thick batter and add water gradually until the right consistency is obtained, as it is easier to thin the batter than to 
thicken it.

Another strictly camp dish is known as Dope, and is prepared as follows: Cut about a pound of salt pork into small 
dice-shaped pieces, place them on the pan with a little water and boil for one minute. Pour off the water and fry the
pork until slightly browned. Remove the pieces of pork and into the hot fat rub three or four spoonfuls of flour, with 
pepper and salt to season, and cook the flour without allowing it to brown or scorch. When perfectly smooth and 
free from lumps, add a quart of water, in which 12 dessert spoonfuls of evaporated milk, or an equal amount of 
dried milk, has been dissolved (or use half and half water and fresh milk). Bring this to a boil slowly, stir constantly, 
add the pork and serve.

This is probably the best of all methods of serving pork, and it is also good when used for a sauce or gravy, while at
a pinch it will serve excellently in place of butter, and will prove delicious on hot griddle cakes in place of syrup.

Corn Bread or Johnny Cake is another simple and healthy dish for camp use. To one pint of flour, add one pint of
yellow corn meal, two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one level teaspoonful of salt, two dessert spoonfuls 
of dried egg, one teaspoonful of sugar, and cold pork fat or lard the size of an egg. Mix thoroughly while dry; add six
heaping dessert spoonfuls of evaporated milk, or an equal amount of dried milk, and add cold water sufficient to 
form a thick batter, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Pour into a greased pan, place the pan on a bed of dull coals or 
hot ashes, cover it tightly, and place hot ashes or coals over it. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the cake is 
thoroughly cooked. One or two trials will serve to give you an idea of how long the pan should remain in the ashes.

Baked Beans are another most important camp dish. They are easy to prepare, but they require a long time to 
cook and can only be recommended for permanent camps or when a stop of several days is made. Wash the beans
and parboil until, when placed upon a spoon and blown upon, the skins will split open. When boiled to this state,
drain off the water, wash in cold water and drain again. Now, place beans in the pot for a depth of two inches, and 
on them place about a pound of pork and add the rest of the beans. Season with salt and pepper, add a dessert
spoonful of sugar, and cover all with warm water. Cover the bean pot with a thin cloth and force the lid tightly in 
place. For an oven, have a hole about a foot deep and about a foot in diameter in the ground, and in this have a 
good fire burning for several hours before you wish to bake, and place a  number of stones in the fire. When the 
stones are red hot, scrape out the ashes, coals and stones, place the pot of beans in the hole, cover it over with
coals, hot stones and ashes, and finally place earth over all. Leave for 8 to 10 hours, and remove, when beans will 
be found to be thoroughly cooked. In rainy weather, cover the spot where the pot is buried with a slab of bark.

To Boil Rice seems like a very simple matter, but it requires some practice and skill to cook rice properly. First 
wash and rinse the rice, drain and place the grain in boiling water, in the proportion of a cup of rice to each 2 quarts
of water. Add 2 teaspoonfuls of salt and boil hard for 15 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently and adding more hot 
water as the water boils away. When done, the rice should be soft and each grain separate. Too long boiling will 
produce a mushy, sticky mass. When cooked, drain off the water and set the pot near the fire or on the hot ashes 
for a moment, in order to drive off any water which may remain.

Hasty Pudding or Corn Meal Mush is made by stirring corn meal into cold water in the proportion of 1 cup of 
meal to 1 quart of water, to which 1/2 teaspoonful of salt should be added. Bring to a boil, while stirring constantly, 
and boil for fifteen minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Hasty pudding may be fried, if allowed to cool, when it should 
be cut into slices, rolled in flour and fried in very hot grease.

Braising. Tough meat of any sort may be greatly improved by braising in a covered pot or saucepan. This method 
is particularly good for bear meat, round of beef, or venison shoulders or haunches. Place the meat in the pot with 
about two inches of water over the bottom and add a bit of bacon or pork. In the case of bear meat, this should be
omitted. Put in some chopped onions, herbs, or other seasoning, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes to each 
pound of meat. While cooking, sprinkle with salt and pepper and make the gravy by adding a little water to the 
grease and thickening with flour until the proper consistency is obtained.

To roast properly, build a good fire of hardwood against a rock or a large green backlog. Sear the outside of the 
roast in the clear flame, skewer on thin slices of pork at one end, and hang the meat closer to the fire by a strong 
wet string or withe. Have the slices of pork on the upper side, turn the meat frequently, and place a pan or green 
bark trough beneath it to catch the drippings. Each time the roast is turned, it should be basted with the drippings.

For broiling, coals should always be used, while for roasting, a hot fire is the best. If you are frying, do not attempt 
to use a flaming fire or a large bed of coals, as the grease may catch fire. Either make a small fire of dry sticks not 
thicker than your finger, and feed this from time to time to maintain a steady heat, or else rake a thin layer of coals 
in front of the fire and add new coals as the bed dies down.

Occasionally you may have so much game or fish that you cannot use all of it at one time, and in such cases you 
should know how to preserve the supply for future use.

I have already mentioned "bucanning," but there are many other effective ways of keeping meat for a long time.

Venison will keep very well without any preparation, and, in fact, this meat is not really good until it has hung for a 
long time. If a handful of salt is placed in an incision in a haunch of venison, the meat will keep for weeks. In warm
weather, venison may be rubbed with flour, sewn up in a bag of cheesecloth, and hung in a shady spot, and if thus 
prepared and the bag is tight, the meat will keep for several weeks.

Fish may readily be dried by splitting them along the back, removing backbones and entrails and rubbing the fish 
with salt, after which they should be hung on a frame over a smoky fire. If a small, conical, tepee-like bark structure 
is made and a fire built within it, the fish may be thoroughly smoked by suspending them within the tepee for three 
or four days.

End of Excerpt.
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