“Ye swing the flaps by changing the poles till they is quartering down the wind.  That draws best.”

“How do you close the door?”

“Wall, some jest lets the edges sag together, but the best teepees has a door made of the same stuff as the cover put tight on a saplin’ frame an’ swung from a lacin’ pin.”

[Illustration:  3rd set up tenth pole with teepee cover fastened to it by lash rope]

[Illustration:  SIOUX TEEPEE]

This seemed to cover the ground, so carefully folding the dirty paper with the plan, Yan put it in his pocket, said “Thank you” and went off.  To the “Good-day” of the boys Caleb made no reply, but turned as they left and asked, “Whar ye camped?”

“On the knoll by the creek in Raften’s swamp.”

“H-m, maybe I’ll come an’ see ye.”

“All right,” Sam called out; “follow the blazed trail from the brush fence.”

“Why, Sam,” said Yan, as soon as they were out of hearing, “there isn’t any blazed trail; why did you say that?”

“Oh, I thought it sounded well,” was the calm answer, “an’ it’s easy to have the blazes there as soon as we want to, an’ a blame sight sooner than he’s likely to use them.”

VI

The Making of the Teepee

Raften sniffed in amusement when he heard that the boys had really gone to Caleb and got what they wanted.  Nothing pleased him more than to find his son a successful schemer.

“Old Caleb wasn’t so dead sure about the teepee, as near as I sized him up,” observed Sam.

“I guess we’ve got enough to go ahead on,” said Yan, “an’ tain’t a hanging matter if we do make a mistake.”

The cover was spread out again flat and smooth on the barn floor, and stones and a few nails put in the sides to hold it.

The first thing that struck them was that it was a rough and tattered old rag.

And Sam remarked:  “I see now why Da said we could have it.  I reckon we’ll have to patch it before we cut out the teepee.”

“No,” said Yan, assuming control, as he was apt to do in matters pertaining to the woods; “we better draw our plans first so as not to patch any part that’s going to be cut off afterward.”

“Great head!  But I’m afraid them patches won’t be awful ornamental.”

“They’re all right,” was the reply.  “Indians’ teepees are often patched where bullets and arrows have gone through.”

“Well, I’m glad I wa’n’t living inside during them hostilities,” and Sam exposed a dozen or more holes.

“Oh, get off there and give me that cord.”

“Look out,” said Sam; “that’s my festered knee.  It’s near as bad to-day as it was when we called on the witch.”

Yan was measuring.  “Let’s see.  We can cut off all those rags and still make a twelve-foot teepee.  Twelve foot high—­that will be twenty-four feet across the bottom of the stuff.  Fine!  That’s just the thing.  Now I’ll mark her off.”