The can is carried lengthwise, with the wire handle run through a hole in the closed end on through the entire length of the can and out the open end.  Do not wrap the handle wire around the can.  It will slip off.  Two cuts, crossing each other, make the candle opening, with the cut edges bent inward.  The candle is pushed upward as it burns down, the flame being kept in the middle of the can.  The cut edges prevent it from falling out until the last hold is melted away.  The “Searchlight” gives good service when hung in the tent or on a nearby tree, but is especially valuable in lighting up a rough path on a rainy, windy night.

Camp Hanger

The camp hanger shown in the illustration can be hung from the ridgepole of the tent, and is particularly useful when from two to four persons occupy the tent.  It can be raised and lowered at will by attaching the hanger to a pulley arrangement.  The hanger may be made of wood in any length.  Ordinary coat hooks are fastened to the side with screws.  A common screw-eye is used for the line at the top.  A snap hook attached to the rope facilitates its removal at will.

A boy of ingenuity can make a number of convenient things.  A good drinking cup may be made from a piece of birch bark cut in parallelogram shape, and twisted into pyramid form, and fastened with a split stick. (See illustrations on opposite page.) A flat piece of bark may serve as a plate.  A pot lifter may be made from a green stick about 18 inches long, allowing a few inches of a stout branch to remain.  By reversing the same kind of stick and driving a small nail near the other end or cutting a notch, it may be used to suspend kettles over a fire.  A novel candlestick is made by opening the blade of a knife and jabbing it into a tree, and upon the other upturned blade putting a candle.  A green stick having a split end which will hold a piece of bread or meat makes an excellent broiler.  Don’t pierce the bread or meat.  Driving a good-sized green stake into the ground at an angle of 45 degrees and cutting a notch in which may be suspended a kettle over the fire, will provide a way of boiling water quickly.

For suggestions in building a camp-fire and cooking on hikes, see chapter on “Cooking on Hikes.”  The bibliography for the whole subject of Hikes, including cooking, is on page 153.

[Illustration:  Birch bark cup, Camp fire tongs, Camp Broiler, Bark Plate, A Novel Candlestick, Pot Lifter, Pot Hook, To Boil Water Quickly.]

[Illustration:  Extemporaneous Dining]

CHAPTER XII—­COOKING ON HIKES

Building A cooking fire
fire by sun glass
griddle cakes
broiled bacon
creamed salmon
salmon on toast
baked potatoes
baked fish
frogs’ legs
eggs
coffee
cocoa
Sample menu
ration list
dish washing