use the stove in an old house, shed, or tent, and secure good
draught.

If you have ladies in your party, or those to whom the rough side of
camping-out offers few attractions, it is well to consider this stove
question. Either of these here described must be handled and transported
with care.

A more substantial article is the Dutch oven, now almost unknown in many
of the States. It is simply a deep, bailed frying-pan with a heavy
cast-iron cover that fits on and overhangs the top. By putting the oven
on the coals, and making a fire on the cover, you can bake in it very
well. Thousands of these were used by the army during the war, and they
are still very extensively used in the South. If their weight is no
objection to your plans, I should advise you to have a Dutch oven. They
are not expensive if you can find one to buy. If you cannot find one for
sale, see if you cannot improvise one in some way by getting a heavy
cover for a deep frying-pan. It would be well to try such an
improvisation at home before starting, and learn if it will bake or
burn, before taking it with you.

Another substitute for a stove is one much used nowadays by
camping-parties, and is suited for permanent camps. It is the top of an
old cooking-stove, with a length or two of funnel. If you build a good
tight fireplace underneath, it answers pretty well. The objection to it
is the difficulty of making and keeping the fireplace tight, and it
smokes badly when the wind is not favorable for draught. I have seen a
great many of these in use, but never knew but one that did well in all
weathers, and this had a fireplace nicely built of brick and mortar, and
a tight iron door.

Still another article that can be used in permanent camps, or if you
have a wagon, is the old-fashioned "Yankee baker," now almost unknown.
You can easily find a tinman who has seen and can make one. There is
not, however, very often an occasion for baking in camp, or at least
most people prefer to fry, boil, or broil.

Camp-stoves are now a regular article of trade; many of them are good,
and many are worthless. I cannot undertake to state here the merits or
demerits of any particular kind; but before putting money into any I
should try to get the advice of some practical man, and not buy any
thing with hinged joints or complicated mechanism.

CHAPTER VI.

COOKING, AND THE CARE OF FOOD.

When living in the open air the appetite is so good, and the pleasure of