s were now boarded up with upright slabs nailed to the
stringpieces. An opening 3 feet 6 inches high was left in the forward
wall for a passageway. Several slabs were now placed on the edge across
the bottom of the cave, to serve as floor beams, upon which a flooring
of slabs was laid. Next the rafters were set in place, one on each
upright slab. Slots were cut in the ends of the uprights to receive the
rafters, which were slabs placed on edge. As the forward uprights were 2
feet shorter than the rear ones, the rafters were given a good slant, so
that the roof would properly shed any water that might soak in through
the ground above.
[Illustration: Fig. 185. Notching in the Rafters.]
The roof was laid on the same way that we had made the roof of our tree
house; that is, a slab was first nailed at the forward end of the
rafters with its edge projecting far enough to make a good eave; then
the second slab was nailed on, with its edge overlapping the first, and
a third with its edge overlapping the second, and so on with the rest.
At the rear end of the roof a hole was cut, into which we fitted a piece
of stovepipe. We didn't plan to have a fire in the house, but set the
stovepipe in place to provide the necessary ventilation. As the pipe had
an elbow in it, there was no danger of rain or dirt falling through it.
The upper end of the stovepipe was concealed among some rocks at the top
of the knoll.
A suitable flooring was now laid in the passageway, and the sides were
boarded up to a height of 2 feet from the floor at the entrance to a
height of 3 feet 6 inches at the inner end. A roof of slabs was nailed
on, and then we were ready to cover our slab house with dirt.
COVERING THE CAVE.
We avoided piling on the dirt very deep, because there was danger of
breaking in the roof with a heavy load. A thin layer of sand covered
with the top-soil brought up the level to about that of the rest of the
knoll. Then the sod was laid back in place and well watered, and the few
bushes planted back in their original positions. Our sodding should have
been done in the spring for best results. The frost soon killed the
grass, and the bushes withered away. But a few cents' worth of grass
seed was sowed in, and in time gave the knoll a very natural appearance.
A bush at the bottom concealed the entrance of the cave, so that no one
who was not in the secret would have suspected that beneath that
innocent looking knoll were gathered
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