sing complaints and having
simple homeopathic remedies at hand to be used in the first stages of
what might otherwise have been serious illnesses.

PRODUCING FIRE

Every one has heard, and most believe, that fire may be easily produced
by rubbing together two pieces of wood. I have seen it done by natives,
but they seldom make use of the operation, which is generally laborious,
preferring to carry lighted fire sticks for miles. I have never
succeeded in the experiment.

Sometimes, however, it is almost a matter of life or death to be able to
produce fire. The back of a pocket knife, or an old file with a fragment
of flint, quartz, or pyrites struck smartly together over the remains of
a burnt piece of calico, will in deft hands produce a spark which can be
fanned to a glow, and so ignite other material, till a fire is produced.

Also it may not be generally known that he who carries a watch carries
a "burning glass" with which he can, in clear weather, produce fire
at will. All that is required is to remove the glass of your watch and
carefully three parts fill it with water (salt or fresh). This forms
a lens which, held steadily, will easily ignite any light, dry,
inflammable substance.

When firearms are carried, cut a cartridge so that only about a quarter
of the charge of powder remains. Damp some powder and rub it on a small
piece of dry cotton cloth or well-rubbed brown paper. Push a loose
pellet of this into the barrel, insert your half cartridge, fire at the
ground, when the wad will readily ignite, and can be blown into flame.

TO COPY CORRESPONDENCE

The prospector is not usually a business man; hence in dealing with
business men who, like Hamlet, are "indifferent honest," he frequently
comes to grief through not having a copy of his correspondence. It is
most desirable, therefore, either to carry a carbon paper duplicating
book and a stylus, or by adding a little sugar to good ordinary black
ink you may make a copying ink; then with the aid of a "yellow back"
octavo novel, two pieces of board, and some ordinary tissue paper, you
may take a copy of any letter you send.

TO PROVIDE A SIMPLE TELEGRAPHIC CODE

Buy a couple of cheap small dictionaries of the same edition, send one
to your correspondent with an intimation that he is to read up or down
so many words from the one indicated when receiving a message. Thus,
if I want to say "Claim is looking well," I take a shilling dictionary,
send a copy to