d to make all their fires by flint
and steel; and it is well for modern Scouts to practice this. When the
ground is too wet, and would be apt to put out the little blaze, the
fire can be started in a frying-pan. Matches are very convenient, but
they must be warded from dampness. They can be carried in a corked
bottle; they can be dipped, before leaving home, in melted paraffin,
which will coat them water-proof; and dampness can be rubbed out of them
by friction by rolling them rapidly between the palms of the hands and
scratching them quick. When every object is soaked through, matches (if
dry) may be lighted upon a stone which has been rubbed violently against
another stone.

If the Scout has a rifle or pistol or gun, then he can make a fire by
shooting powder into a bunch of tinder--raveled handkerchief or coat
lining, or frazzled cedar bark. The bullet or the shot should be drawn
out of the cartridge, and the powder made loose, and the tinder should
be fastened so that it will not be blown away.

In the rain a blanket or coat or hat should be held over the little
blaze, until the flames are strong.

It was the old-time scouts who taught even the Indians to make fire by
flint and steel, or by two flints. Two chunks of granite, especially
when iron is contained, will answer. The Indians previously had used
fire-sticks and were very careful to save coals. But they saw that
"knocking fire out of rocks" was much easier.

Note 41, page 108: Scouts of course know the Big Dipper or the Great
Bear, and the Little Dipper or the Little Bear, in the sky. The Big
Dipper points to the North Star or Pole Star, and the North Star or
Pole Star is the star in the end of the handle of the Little Dipper.
These two formations up above are the Clock of the Heavens.

The "Guardians of the Pole" are the two stars which make the bottom of
the cup of the Big Dipper. They are supposed to be sentinels marching
around and around the tent of the North Star, as they are carried along
by the Big Dipper. For the stars of the Big and the Little Dipper, like
all the other stars, circuit the North Star once in about every
twenty-four hours.

But the old-time scouts of plains and mountains told time by the
"Pointers," which are the two bright stars forming the end of the cup of
the Big Dipper. These point to the Pole Star, and they move just as the
"Guardians of the Pole" move. They are easier to watch than the
"Guardians of the Pole," and are mo