The Golden Argosy: Tom Gale's Ride — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a te Or ww bo = F es fe. tee gg tees e "pte CAMPING OUT. BY CUTHBERT CARR. 7 ears are several degrees of ‘‘ rough- ing it” asa vacation pastime. You may form a big party, travel two or three hundred miles from home by rail or steamboat, and take along such a gener- ous ontfit in the way of big tents, tables, chairs, and cooking stove, that the rough- ness is all planed off the experience—and a good slice of the fun along witb it. Then, again, you may take your outing in a wagon or a good-sized sail boat, in which case you carry your bed about with you, so to speak, und, in a sense, don’t camp ont at all, but in. In both of these instances it is more than probable that a servant or two will be taken along to do the cooking and cleaning up, which, of course, is a great help and con- vevience, but, at the same time, sadly inter- feres with a complete realization of the . true joys of a life that was ostensibly en- tered upon solely for the sake of the con- trast it affords to the conventional luxuries of the home. But the camping party for the boys, that is, the one from which they are apt to ex- tract the most pleasure, is the one limited as to numbers, say three or four congenial spirits, and with no lumbering impedimenta in the way of equipment, no bed but a blanket on the ground, and with only the atar-studded sky for a tent. This is, we say, the way in which they would like best to camp. Of course the first thing to be decided upon is where to go, althongh it is to be confessed that this rnle is by no means in- variably followed. Indeed, we have known instances where hours were spent in dis- cnssing what should be taken and how it was to be carried, before any member of the company had any well defined knowledge of where the camp was to be pitched, wl Hl } { t \ ea WJ ih ‘Wal i ut) | ee | a AHA THA \ | | P: - } { Ali) THE I An ipo WA GIT i) iy MN ' mt LH | HN Mile dill ' WH i) Mt ! nf i : hig : | matt Ae The party may consist of the cheeriest possi- ble mortals, the weather prove of the most en- chanting and showerless description, and the fish fairly crowd about the hooks eager to bite, but if an unfortunate site has been selected, one whose proximity to a swamp inflicts rheumatism, ma- laria, mosquitoes, and wholesale ill-humor on the company, or whose too free exposure to lake or river breezes lays the foundation for colds des- tined to render one or more of the party mis- erable for days, in such an event all the other count for naught. to be near the water, so this should be one of the guide marks to be con- sulted. If the home of the would-be campers is on the banks of a river so much the simpler ; after selecting the local- ity, all that remains to be done is to embark themselves and outfit in boats, and row or sail down or up to it. Other- wise, as good a plan as any is to have all transported to the spot in a wagon, which should be at once sent back again, lest its presence may infuse too much of a civiliza- tion flavor into the project. Of course trees are essential features in camp life, so it is perhaps needless to men- tion that a wood is preferable to the open field or the bare rock. But do not get into the depths of a forest; keep to the outskirts, where the trees are not too thick, thus af- fording a chance for the sun to brighten things up. It is not necessary to remind you that the ground should be high, sloping off on either side, so as to readily shed water in case of rain. A choice location having been decided upon, the next thing is to seek out the owner of the property and obtain his con- sent to your occupancy of it. This may seem an unnecessary measure to some, but we can assure onc young friends that not merely the courtesy of gentlemen, but com- mon honesty requires it. Of course ina wild wilderness like the Adirondacks, or in the case of large tracts of land belonging to the government, the precaution may be omitted. The second thing to be considered in getting up a camping party is what to take along. Do not commit the error of carry- ing too much, as though you were bound on a trip merely for the purpose of getting somewhere and trying to do away with the tedium of the journey by soft pillows, dainty food, and light novels. As tothe question of sleeping arrange- ments, we think we cannot do better than quote from a letter to the editor of Forest and Stream. It is written by a Denver gen- tleman, and as he has been in the habit of camping ont for thirty-five years, and in various parts of the country between Flor- ida and Washington Territory, his experi- ence ought certainly to be worth something. wriies: i my At MY AL HO TIT LAT ene He it | iN re HELE tbeesbe otenet eels successes and delights Naturally all boys want ooo, ii i! pr j } alll * ls ri iit Ma UH eeatitad i be HW i} a i aif > All tt Beal | } ‘‘Tn it all,” he says, ‘‘I have never driven erotched stakes in the ground and built a bedstead thereon. Nor will I sleep ina wagon if there is ground under it upon which to spread my blankets. When out doors always sleep on the earth for comfort. Make your bed there as comfortable as time and circumstances will permit. If the ground is cold, or wet, or covered with snow, you must provide some kind of a foundation: It may be of hay, straw, weeds, brush, corn stalks or fence rails, but in any event stick tothe ground. Don’t roost on a perch like a chicken, and get every breath of air that blows and chills you from every side. ‘*Balsam fir boughs make the best bed of all beds; the tips broken off short and laid shingle fashion, bottom side up from head tofoot. All the firs, hemlock, juniper, ce- dar and pine, may be substituted in the order named as tochoice. Cherry, willow, alder, or any such shrubs follow next. If j#hg ground is smooth and dry, and it can. ae nerally be found so in this W estern coun- tty, it is plenty good enough. Under any cireumstances, when eamping try to pro- vide yourself so as to sleep warm, and the nearer you get to the ground the easier that is accomplished. With a comfortable night's sleep you can endure almost any- thing the next day. ‘‘Once, a long time ago, after pitching my tent, I was examining the ground for my bed when I found a very small rattlesnake, a young one. ‘That was the only snake ad- venture I ever had in or about my sleeping place, and I never knew anybody else to have a sitmilar experience. ‘* About shelter : a square of canvas suf- ficient for a ‘dog tent’ is good enough for anybody, though not as handy as a wall tent or a Sibley. I have lived all summer with nothing better, and other summers with. nothing atall. He is a poor woods- man who in a forest of any kind cannot very quickly provide himself with shelter from rain or snow. It may be of palmetto leaves, of branches of trees, or of bark trom the trunk of a tree. The favoring trunk of a tree may keep off the storm, or in a rocky country a shelter can often be found under a projecting ledge or in a shallow cave. ‘A good thing always to carry along is a rubber poncho for each person. It is good to roll around the bedding when en route, to protect it from wet and dirt ; or to put over one’s shoulders when traveling in rain or wet snow. When night comes, if the ground is wet and the heavens dry, spread it under your bed. If the reverse, reverse it. With two small stakes at opposite sides ofa bed for two, tosupport two corners of a pon- cho, the other two corners being stretched backward and held to the ground by a couple of stones or chunks of wood, a very good shelter is provided for your heads and shoulders. Then another poncho spread over the blankets to your feet, and you two ean sleep blissfally throngh any ordinary rainy night. Use only woolen blankets for camp bedding. Let Arctic explorers have the fur bags and feather ticks.” After sleeping, eating. Of course none of you will want to carry a cook stove along, no matter how small it is. A very good structions,” which appeared in no. 234 of the Arcosy. In fact that and the following chapter contained so many usefal hints 'concerning the provisions for a camping “* i Te Sati . 4 ar ee sw aan } j =f i - he . Stee Bo “4 5°" cat ges eee dt Pete UA Lh 1 ee ; Lin} Mit} | Peete $3234 appl eos i ee We igi, arsenate party, that we will refer the reader to them at once, re- minding him that he must use his own judgment as to the difference in amount that must be reckoned on between stores calculated to ‘‘ keep” thirty boys and those des- tined to administer to the material substance of many times less than that number. This mention of a military organization brings us natu- rally to the matter of leader- ship. ‘That some one person should be at the head of ever so small a party is very es- sential to the success of the outing. In the ordinary course of things he should be the old- est, and if possible should have had previous experience in camping; at least have been out with a party where he may have been the youngest, aris eo: oe but still have enjoyed the op- 2i- e portunity of seeing how things were managed. This leader having once been tacitly ap- pointed, it goes without saying that all the others should defer to what he decrees, and rely on his judgment on all questions of doubtful expediency. Otherwise a disagree- able clash of opinions is sure to nar the general enjoyment. Then it would be as well if at least one member of your party had some practical knowledge of cooking. It is all very well to anticipate the fun it will be to experiment, but when you find the coffee unfit to drink and the ham shriveled up to a crisp, and your sharpened appetites clamoring for supper, it will not be quite so apparent where the joke comes in. This *‘cook” needs to be especially ‘‘up ” in theart of frying fish, if your camp is to be anywhere within three miles of a water course. mortifying, after catching a fine string of trout or pickerel, to be obliged to keep them till camp broke up and you could It would certainly be very trust them to Bridget’s skill at home. have seen to it in selecting the camping-spot that a spring from which to obtain fresh water is close at hand, for you will need a good deal, not for drinking merely, but for cooking and washing purposes. One word as regards the last-named. Always see to it that your dishes and cook- ing utensils are cleaned after every meal. It would be as well to take turns at this task, or if you like, let all the party turn in and do the job up in short order, each taking a particular share of the work. And do not leave refuse around the tent or grounds. Either throw it in the river or burn it up. Another ‘‘ don’t.” Be careful how you treat the possessions of neighboring ™& farmers. Itis an all too common idea that apples, cherries, melons and peaches are common property, especially when a party of young people are out for a good time. The best way to show the fallacy of the theory is for each boy to put to bimself the question : ‘Suppose my father owned this orchard, and I should see a company of picnickers slink under the fence and begin to shake the limbs of a choice pippin? Would I not feel very indignant and charge down upon them with a threatening cry of ‘sick ‘em, Towser ?’” There is nothing like this ‘‘put yourself in his place” test for settling conscience qnalms the right way. A third and last ‘‘don’t,” don’t be reck- less, as we fear the young canoeist in the illustration is inclined to be. Especially be careful about handling fire-arms. In fact, in many cases just as good a time can be had without these dangerous adjuncts for to a large majority of boys the reel and rod is as fascinating as it is harmless. By observing these simple rules, not ex- pecting too much and not staying too long we think a camping party of three or more can manage to havea good deal of enjoy- ment while they are out, besides storing up for themselves a good amount of health for the coming work season and a stock of pleasant memories that will serve to lighten many a lagging hour. ———_—- > 6 @—____————_ TUE GAUGE OF MERIT. THERE is a whole volume full of suggestive thought in the idea hit upon in the course of substitute may be found in the three bar) | arrangement shown in the picture and de-_ 'seribed in Chapter V of the ‘‘ Military In-| a conversation between two members of a firm which we find recorded in the 7imes. They were talking about the inefficiency of their assistants, and one of the gentlemen expressed himself warmly upon the subject. Che other quieted him by saying: “ Vaita minute. Did itever oceur to you that if those people were as smart as we are they would not be our assistants ?” EOomicboo SAE) = wets