kwoods.
They had often been taught how to do it by Cousin Walter and Larry
O'Dowd, and had made "playing at camps" their chief amusement in fine
winter days. When, therefore, they found themselves compelled to
"camp-out" from necessity, neither of them was at a loss how to proceed.
Roy drew a circle in the snow, about three yards in diameter, at the
foot of a large tree, and then both set to work to dig a hole in this
space, using their snow-shoes as shovels. It took an hour's hard work
to reach the ground, and when they did so the piled-up snow all round
raised the walls of this hole to the height of about six feet.

"Now for bedding," cried Roy, scrambling over the walls of their camp
and going into the woods in search of a young pine-tree, while Nelly sat
down on the ground to rest after her toil.

It was a dark night, and the woods were so profoundly obscured, that Roy
had to grope about for some time before he found a suitable tree.
Cutting it down with the axe which always hung at his girdle, he
returned to camp with it on his shoulder, and cut off the small soft
branches, which Nelly spread over the ground to the depth of nearly half
a foot. This "pine-brush," as it is called, formed a soft elastic
couch.

The fire was the next business. Again Roy went into the bush and
gathered a large bundle of dry branches.

"Now, Nelly, do you break a lot of the small twigs," said Roy, "and I'll
strike a light."

He pulled his firebag from his belt as he spoke, and drew from it flint,
steel, and tinder. No one ever travels in the wilds of which we write
without such means of procuring fire. Roy followed the example of his
elder companions in carrying a firebag, although he did not, like them,
carry tobacco and pipe in it.

Soon the bright sparks that flew from the flint caught on the tinder.
This was placed in a handful of dry grass, and whirled rapidly round
until it was fanned into a flame. Nelly had prepared another handful of
dry grass with small twigs above it. The light was applied, the fire
leaped up, more sticks were piled on, and at last the fire roared
upward, sending bright showers of sparks into the branches overhead,
lighting the white walls of the camp with a glow that caused them to
sparkle as with millions of gems, and filling the hearts of the children
with a sensation of comfort and gladness, while they stood before the
blaze and warmed themselves, rubbing their hands and laughing with glee.