he grand robe of some brave or chief,
whose whole life-history was delineated in hieroglyphical painting upon
its inner surface. To have made a fire, might have cost us our lives;
so alleged the trappers, Rube and Garey. It would be better to endure
the cold, than risk our scalps; so counselled they.

But for all that, Rube had no idea of being starved to death. He could
kindle a fire, and burn it upon an open prairie, without the least fear
of its being seen; and in a few minutes' time he had succeeded in making
one, that could not have been discovered by the most sharp-sighted
Indian in creation. I had watched the operation with some interest.

He first collected a quantity of dead leaves, dry grass, and short
sticks of the mezquite-tree--all of which he placed under his
saddle-blanket, to prevent the rain and sleet from wetting them. This
done, he drew out his bowie-knife, and with the blade "crowed" a hole
into the turf, about a foot deep, and ten inches or a foot in diameter.
In the bottom of this hole he placed the grass and leaves, having first
ignited them by means of his flint, steel, and "punk" tinder--all of
which implements formed part of the contents of Rube's pouch and
possible sack--ever present. On the top of the now blazing leaves and
grass he placed the dry sticks--first the smaller ones, and then those
of larger dimensions--until the hole was filled up to the brim--and over
all he laid the piece of sod, originally cut from the surface, and which
fitted as neatly as a lid.

His furnace being now finished and in full blast, the old trapper
"hunkered" down close to its edge--in such a position as to embrace the
fire between his thighs, and have it nearly under him. He then drew his
old saddle-blanket over his shoulders, allowing it to droop behind until
he had secured it under the salient points of his lank angular hips. In
front he passed the blanket over his knees, until both ends, reaching
the ground, were gripped tightly between his toes. The contrivance was
complete; and there sat the earless trapper like a hand-glass over a
plant of spring rhubarb--a slight smoke oozing through the apertures of
the scant blanket, and curling up around his "ears" as though he was
hatching upon a hotbed. But no fire could be seen, though Rube shivered
no longer.

He soon found imitators. Garey had already constructed a similar
furnace; and the others were soon warming themselves by this simple but
inge