CHAPTER XII--How It Was Done
Scout Master Hall here interposed:
"Uncle Elk, I don't think any of the boys have a flint and steel, and Iam sure I do not possess them; matches are so cheap and convenient thatwe have discarded the method of our grandparents."
"I knew that when I spoke; the conditions are that no match nor flint,steel and tinder shall be called into use. The only artificial helps thescouts can have are their knives, hatchets and such aids as they maycarry with them. Come, boys, use your wits and inaugurate theconflagration."
The command or rather proposition stumped the lads, who looked at oneanother, smiled and shook their heads. Finally Patrol Leader Chaseapproached the Instructor, who was calmly waiting, saluted and said:
"I suppose all of us, sir, have read in story books that the Indians andother savages often start a fire by rubbing a couple of dry stickstogether."
"Have you ever seen it done?"
"No, sir."
"And you never will. No person ever produced a flame by that means, forthe reason that he cannot move the sticks fast enough and keep themgoing. I tried it once till my arms ached and found that I had onlysucceeded in slightly warming the surfaces of the pieces of pine. Imight have kept it up until to-day with no other result."
"What whoppers lots of the story books tell!" commented Colgate Craig.
"We expect them to do that; my only objection is that so many of theyarns are absurd. Will you allow me to diverge for a minute?" addedUncle Elk, with a bow to Scout Master Hall, who nodded.
"You are always interesting, Uncle Elk."
"To illustrate: some of our most popular stories are of hidden treasureand the means used to unearth it, the most interesting yarn being that akey to its location is left which is in so complicated a cipher that itssolution baffles every one for a long time. Now why in the name ofcommon sense did Captain Kidd or whoever buried his ill-gotten richesleave any cipher at all? Who taught the ignorant pirate or brigand howto build up a wonderful cryptogram? Why does he leave a riddle for themere sake of making strangers rack their brains over it? So it is thatmany of the most successful detective stories of to-day are simplyfeverish conglomerations of ingenious impossibilities."
Uncle Elk paused and chuckled.
"Excuse those tremendous words,--I forgot myself. Let's get back to thebusiness before us. It is true that Indians obtain fire by means offriction, that is, when they know how to do it, but the majority areignorant of the secret. Boys," added the Instructor, brightening up,"have you ever reflected upon the almost limitless uses of friction?Life would be impossible without it. When the axle of a railway car usesup its oil the brakeman is notified of the fact by the blaze whichspeedily follows. The falling stars shooting through space are invisibletill they reach our atmosphere, when the friction causes them to glowwith heat."
"Well, nothing is clearer than that fire can be produced by friction,but, as I said, no man can take two pieces of the dryest wood and evolvea flame without aid. Am I right in saying that none of you know how togenerate fire without matches or the old-fashioned flint and steel?"
Unanimous inclination of heads and a general chorus, "You are."
"I propose to teach you the trick. One boy will do, but it is better tohave two. Will Corporal Robe and Michael oblige?"
The lads stepped forward and gravely saluted Uncle Elk.
"I observe that the corporal carries his hatchet in the sheath at hisbelt, but Michael has none."
"I don't naad the constant reminder of Gin'ral Washington as he does, tomake me stick to the truth," said Mike with a grin and a quickness whichwas answered by a laugh from all. He added:
"It'll be my plaisure to see that the corporal obeys insthructions; I'mnot afeard of him if he does carry that axe wid him."
"The first thing to do," continued Uncle Elk, "is to cut two pieces ofdry cedar, one a foot and a half long and say an inch through, though itdoes not matter if it is slightly less."
Mike had forgotten everything told the boys by the Instructor regardingthe _Juniperus Virginiana_, but from his manner you would have thoughthim competent to give points to Uncle Elk himself. I have said that ouryoung Irish friend was gifted with an excellent memory, a fact which hehad proved many times, and especially while listening to the words ofthe hermit in his home the night before. In the latter instance,however, he was deeply interested while he had become a trifle weariedby the dissertations of the Instructor. You know how it is in suchcircumstances.
None the less, as I said, Mike's manner gave the opposite impression.Assuming the pose of director he walked slightly in advance of thecorporal, as the two set out to find the cedar sticks needed. Since allthe boys had heard the directions of Uncle Elk, they followed theircomrades and joined in the search. Kenneth Henke, prompted by thewaggish spirit of Mike, ran a little in advance and halted beside avigorous maple sapling.
"What do you ask better than this? Aren't we lucky, Mike?"
"That we are, 'tis just what we want, as me cousin Hughey said when hismither set a bushel of peeled praties in front of him for dessert."
And Mike walked up to the maple and tapped it smartly with hisbuckthorn.
"What are you driving at?" asked the astonished corporal; "that isn't acedar."
"And who said it was? Why didn't ye wait till I finished my enlighteningobservation? I was about to say whin ye broke in that it is the verytree that we want to lave alone. What do ye maan by such unseemlylevity?" demanded Mike, turning upon the other lads who were laughing athis slip. "Now, corporal, don't try to cut down that cedar wid the backof yer hatchet; the blade will sarve ye much better."
With the keen-edged implement the other youth quickly severed a dry limbfrom the proper tree and trimmed it to a length of eighteen inches.Having done this, he looked up and saw Uncle Elk and Scout Master Hallamong the spectators gathered round him. Robe turned to the old man forfurther directions.
"Whittle each end to a sharp point."
This was quickly done.
"Cut another stick and hew it flat, with the thickness of the first;make a notch in it and at the end of the small end of the notch a littlesaucer-like pit."
Let me describe what was done under the direction of the Instructor.
A small pine knot was selected and a little excavation cut in it withthe point of the corporal's knife. This was to receive the upper end ofthe vertical sharpened stick, the knot serving as a cap to hold theupright in position and in which it revolved, after the fashion of thecommon auger which is worked with one hand. The lower end of the uprightfitted in the cavity of the flat stick which lay horizontal on theground and this revolving point generated the fire.
The one necessity was that the dry, pointed lower extremity should bemade to spin around fast enough for the friction to produce a flame.This speed had to be much faster than can be secured by the unaidedhand, no matter how swift it may be. The needed velocity is thussecured:
A cedar bow, some two feet long was made. There was no difficulty indoing this, since every patrol of Boy Scouts is sure to be well providedwith twine or cord. The bow was bent sufficiently to hold taut thestring that is wound once around the upright stick. Then, by drawing thebow back and forth for its whole length, the vertical piece revolvedvery fast and the necessary friction was secured on the lower pointwhich rested in the cavity of the flat stick lying on the ground.
Before operations began some thin dry cedar shavings, macerated withcedar bark, were rolled into a sphere the size of a billiard ball. Thismade excellent tinder and all was ready.
Instructed by Uncle Elk, Corporal Robe rested his left hand on the pineknot or cap on the top of the upright stick, so as to hold it in place.He fixed one knee on the flat piece on the ground to keep it fromslipping. Then, as indicated, he started the business by drawing the bowits full length back and forth. The drill fairly hummed. It was hardly aminute when the dust thus ground out turned black, smoked and filled thenotch. The flat stick wa
s withdrawn and with his hat the corporal fannedthe powder, which quickly showed a crimson point. The tinder was gentlylaid on top of this, the fanning renewed and lo! a glowing flame brokeforth. Then followed clapping of hands and compliments.
Although Mike Murphy had played the part of spectator all through, hedoffed his hat and bowed low.
"This is so sudden, gintlemen, as Terry O'Brien said whin the lightningknocked him off the church steeple where he was working, but I thank yeall the same."
"It took about three minutes," remarked Uncle Elk, "because the corporalis an apprentice; I have done it in less than a minute. In these moderndays it isn't often necessary to know how to start a fire solely bymeans of friction, but you can see that such knowledge might well provethe means of saving one's life. There isn't a flint and steel in yourwhole party, and I presume the same may be said of all troops of BoyScouts. Suppose that in the depths of the woods, in the middle ofwinter, a small company finds that every match has been used. The onlymethod of starting a fire is by the means just employed. It is so simplethat it is always at command. So many story writers have the habit ofsaying in their glib, off-hand way that their marooned or astray heroeskindled a flame by rubbing two sticks together that the readers believeit, when the thing is as impossible as perpetual motion. Now, since youhave started a fire, your next duty is to put it out."
No water being handy, the few embers were scattered and stamped into themoist earth, until not a spark remained. Addressing the company, UncleElk said:
"Ernest Thompson-Seton tells an amusing story which he heard from WalterHough. An Apache Indian turned up his nose at the matches of the whitemen and boasted that he could ignite a quantity of sticks quicker thanHough could with matches. It was such, a preposterous claim that Houghchallenged him to a trial. It was accepted, they took their positions,the buck gave a few turns, but as the umpire was about to say 'Go!' theIndian called, 'Stop--stop him--no good.' He rearranged the contrivanceand Mr. Hough grasped his match.
"'Stop--stop him--no good,' protested the redskin again, demanding adelay a third time before he nodded his head and the umpire called,'Go!'
"Mr. Hough felt his advantage was so overwhelming that he did not hurryin striking the sputtering match, but hardly had it ignited, when theApache uttered an exclamation of triumph, for he had produced smoke.This was covered with tinder, fanned a few seconds and broke into avivid flame before the white man had his sticks ablaze.
"The Indian had won, but it was by a trick. While he appeared to betesting his contrivance the sly rascal was really 'winding it up' and itwas a part of his game.
"The Moros of the Philippines have an ingenious way of producing fire.They use a short piece of bamboo, a bit of broken china and tinder.Holding the bamboo firmly in his left hand, the bit of china, with apinch of tinder between the china and thumb in his right hand, thenative strikes a quick downward blow with the china along the bamboo. Along spark follows and ignites the tinder which is readily blown intothe blaze."
"Why should the process you describe cause a flame?" asked Scout MasterHall.
"The bamboo is very hard with a glazed surface; the sharp edge of thechina pares off a thin strip of the glaze, and the friction of the blowignites it. The operation is so simple that the Moro children have notrouble with it. But we have no bamboo in our woods, and that method isconsequently impossible. The method you have just learned is quitelikely to be at your command in all circumstances when lost in the woodsand is much more convenient than the other means."