in hot stones, as described in the last paragraph, the stick will bend more easily. the long straight spears of savages are often made of exceedingly crooked sticks, straightened in the ashes of their camp fires.  A thick piece of wood may be well swabbed with hot water, forcibly bent, as far as can be safely done, tied in position and steamed, as if for the purpose of seasoning (see last paragraph), in a trench; after a quarter of an hour it must be taken out, damped afresh if necessary, bent further, and again returned to steam—­the process being repeated till the wood has attained the shape required; it should then be left in the trench to season thoroughly.  The heads of dog-sledges, and the pieces of wood used for the outsides of snow-shoes, are all bent by this process.

Carpenters’ Tools.—­Tools of too hard steel should not be taken on a journey; they splinter against the dense wood of tropical countries, and they are very troublesome to sharpen.  The remedy for over-hardness is to heat them red-hot; retempering them by quenching in grease.  A small iron axe, with a file to sharpen it, and a few awls, are (if nothing else can be taken) a very useful outfit.

As much carpentry as a traveller is likely to want can be effected by means of a small axe with a hammer-head, a very small single-handed adze, a mortise-chisel, a strong gouge, a couple of medium-sized gimlets, a few awls, a small Turkey-hone, and a whetstone.  If a saw be taken, it should be of a sort intended for green wood.  In addition to these, a small tin box full of tools, all of which fit into a single handle, is very valuable; many travellers have found them extremely convenient.  There is a tool-shop near the bottom of the Haymarket and another in the Strand near the Lowthier Arcade, where they can be bought; probably also at Holtzapfel’s in Trafalgar Square.  The box that contains them is about six inches long by four broad and one deep; the cost is from 20s. to 30s.  Lastly, a saw for metals, a few drills, and small files, may be added with advantage.  It is advisable to see that the tools are ground and set before starting.  A small “hard chisel” of the best steel, three inches long, a quarter of an inch wide, and three-eighths thick—­which any blacksmith can make—­will cut iron, will chisel marks on rocks, and be useful in numerous emergencies.

Sharpening Tools.—­A man will get through most work with his tools, if he stops from time to time to sharpen them up.  The son of Sirach says, speaking of a carpenter—­“If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength; but wisdom is profitable to direct.”—­Ecclesiasticus.  A small fine file is very effectual in giving an edge to tools of soft steel.  It is a common error to suppose that the best edge is given by grinding the sides of the tool until they meet at an exceedingly acute angle.  Such an edge would have no strength, and would chip or bend directly.  The proper way of