winter campfire,
and have marveled at their lack of common sense. Off to one side of such
a fire, lay your bed log as above; then shovel from the campfire enough
hard coal to fill the space between the logs within three inches of the
top. You now have a steady, even heat from end to end; it can easily be
regulated; there is level support for every vessel; and you can wield a
short-handled frying pan over such an outdoor range without scorching
either the meat or yourself.

"_Fire for Baking_--For baking in a reflector, or roasting a joint, a
high fire is best, with a backing to throw the heat forward. Sticks
three feet long can be leaned against a big log or a sheer-faced rock,
and the kindlings started under them.

"Often a good bed of coals is wanted. The campfire generally supplies
these, but sometimes they are needed in a hurry, soon after camp is
pitched. To get them, _take sound hardwood_, either green or dead, and
split it into sticks of uniform thickness (say, 1-1/4-inch face). Lay
down two bed-sticks, cross these near the end with two others, and so on
up until you have a pen a foot high. Start a fire in this pen. Then
cover it with a layer of parallel sticks laid an inch apart. Cross this
with a similar layer at right angles, and so upward for another foot.
The free draught will make a roaring fire, and all will burn down to
coals together.

"The thick bark of hemlock, and the hard woods generally, will soon
yield coals for ordinary cooking.

"To keep coals a long time, cover them with ashes, or with bark which
will soon burn to ashes. In wet weather a bed of coals can be shielded
by slanting broad strips of green bark over it and overlapping them at
the edges.

"_Fire in a Trench_--In time of drought when everything is tinder-dry,
or in windy weather, especially if the ground be strewn with dead leaves
or pine needles, build your fire in a trench. This is the best way, too,
if fuel is scarce and you must depend on brushwood, as a trench
conserves heat.

"Dig the trench in line with the prevailing wind. The point is to get a
good draught. Make the windward end somewhat wider than the rest, and
deeper, sloping the trench upward to the far end. Line the sides with
flat rocks if they are to be found, as they hold heat a long time and
keep the sides from crumbling in. Lay other rocks, or a pair of green
poles along the edges to support vessels. A little chimney of flat
stones or sod, at the leeward end, w