cted a spot on
a little rise of ground near a good spring of water, and where there
was plenty of small yellow birch trees handy to cut logs out of for
camp. We placed a good sized log down first at the end of the shanty
that we intended to build the fire place in. Another was placed at
the end that was to be the highest, so to give the right slope to the
roof, which was a shed roof. We always kept the large ends of the
logs one way, so that when we had the logs rolled up it made the
lower or eaves end of the camp about five feet high.

There was a slope of about two feet for the roof. We felled bass wood
trees which we split in half, and then dug or scooped them out so as
to make a trough. We notched the two end logs down and then placed
the scoops or troughs in these notches so that they would lay firm
with the hollow side up.

After placing these scoops across the entire width of the shack we
then placed another layer of the scoops (reverse) on the first set.
That is to say, the rounding side up. This made a very good roof but
required a good deal of chinking at the ends to keep the cold out,
but as moss was plenty, it was not a long job. The second day after
we got into the woods we had the camp in pretty good shape, well
chinked and calked.

The third day we worked on the fire place, laying it up to the jam of
stone, then we finished the chimney with logs and mud. We had a
fairly comfortable camp with but two exceptions. These were, no
windows, and for a door we had what I called a "hoghole," that was a
door so small that one had to get down on all fours to get in or out.
On the fourth day we intended to cut wood all day, and were at it
before it was fairly light, but before 10 o'clock it began to snow.
In a couple of hours there was a good tracking snow and the boys were
bound to go out and see if they could not kill a deer. I tried hard
to get them to stick to the wood job, but it was no use, they must go
hunting.

There was no partnership business in this hunt. It was every man for
himself, and the dogs, take the hindermost. I told the boys I would
stay in camp and do something at the wood job.

I had been along the creek a little the day before, poking my nose
under the banks and old drifts to see what manner of signs I could
see, and I had noticed several mink tracks. The boys had no more than
gone when I had a fishing tackle rigged out. It consisted of a line
braided from horsehair, out of a horse's ta