The ordinary-looking stick leaning against the crossbar is an ordinary
sort of stick, but a very useful one. He is the poker and pot-lifter.
He should be a stout green stick not easily burnt. Poplar is a
difficult wood to burn, but then many old hands won't use it, because
it is said to bring bad luck on the camp-fire where it is used; but
that is an old wife's story, and I always use it when I get the
chance.
If the soup gets upset, I look on it as my fault, not the fault of the
poplar poker. In fact, whatever wood the poker is made of, one always
seems to get a kind of affection for him. He is only an ordinary ugly,
old half-burnt stick, but he is jolly useful and helpful.
On this side of the fire you see the pile of wood that has been
collected for fuel. It is generally the right thing when in camp for
each camper, when coming in, whether from bathing, or fishing, or
anywhere else, to bring with him some contribution to the wood-pile.
Different kinds of wood are needed for it.
First you want "punk" and "kindling"--that is, strips of birch-bark
(which are better than paper for starting a fire), dry fibre from the
inside of old dead trees, dry lichen or moss, anything that will start
a fire.
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