Frank A. Bates

“ The coffee can may also be a tin pail, but in whatsoever form it may be, see that it is so made that it can be hung over the fire. Eschew all patent contrivances for making coffee; they are a delusion and a snare for the feet of the unwary, and utterly unnecessary. The tight can for condensed milk is a necessary thing when moving about; to prevent waste a screw top is best.
The fry pan is an important part of the outfit, but not the most important. In it may be cooked the entire food for the party—meat, fish, bread and even the coffee. ”

“ Fish taken from sluggish, muddy waters are decidedly inferior to the same species taken from the cold, clear streams and ponds. Soaking in salt and water before cooking will improve these inferior fish, but all the preparation in the world will not make them taste like the fish caught in clear waters. Again, if you have not a fish car or net, or a well in the boat, by which means they can be kept alive till they are ready for use, always kill your catch at once, and keep them out of the sun. Fish that have lain in the sun for a half hour are unfit for food. ”

“ It is disgusting to a sensible man to see a campmate gorge himself and then wake everyone in the small hours of the night groaning with colic. A sick man in camp is a nuisance at the best, and if the sickness is caused by the sufferer’s own fault he will hardly get much sympathy. ”

“ I confess that I enjoy the comforts of life, and as many of the luxuries as my purse or circumstances will allow; and while I have enjoyed many tramps with nothing but what I could easily carry in my knapsack, I enjoy one much better if I have more conveniences, and very few vacationists care to “rough it” too much in the short time they have for their annual trips, and there is no need to do so. ”

“ If you are wise, you will have prepared a store of dry soft wood, which will be stored in the tent, but if you have used it up or have neglected this precaution, hunt up a pine log or a dead pine tree, and chop off the outside; you will find plenty of dry wood inside. Rake open the ashes in the camp fire, where you will probably find plenty of live coals, put on your dry chips, cover with pine, fir or spruce boughs, blow up the fire and you will soon have heat enough to keep the tent dry, and coals enough to cook by. It will take a pretty hard rain to put out a good fire if once under headway. ”

“ Tea:—Use a teaspoonful of tea to each cup. Have the water boiling, and use fresh water. Put the tea in the pot and pour the water over it. Let it set for a few minutes, in a warm place, to “draw.”
And now, in the hopes that these records of camp experiences may save some unlucky wight, who spoils the dinner because he did not know how to cook, from the “cobbing” that he richly (111) deserves, we will close with the line of the poet who had just had a square meal:
“—But where is the man who can live without dining.” ”

“ There seems to be a strain of wild blood in the most of us, that impels us to leave the haunts of man, occasionally, and getting out into the wildwood, to live close to nature for awhile. The expense of summer hotels and camps deters many, and the cost of hiring professional guides for those who wish to get rid of the formalities of such resorts and do not know how to care for themselves, prevents others. ”

“ It is none of my business if a man wants to make a salmi of his woodcock: I simply deplore his taste or ignorance.
I shall commence with what has probably been brought in when the party arrived, so the cook will not have to hunt far to know how to cook supper. Beef, pork, lamb, ham, bacon, sausage, etc.
Broiled Steaks:—Camp is a poor place for tough meat; so when you buy, get something so that you can, at least, stick a fork in the gravy when it is cooked. Have a good bed of hardwood coals, if possible. At any rate, have no smoke. Put the broiler over the hot coals and get it hissing hot. ”

“ Turn in a pint of milk, a piece of butter, salt and pepper; let it come to a boil, stir in a little thickening, and it is ready to eat. Don’t burn your tongue.
MEATS.
Unless camping in a game country, we seldom have any other meat than what may be brought into camp on the occasional visits to town. But it has been thought advisable to treat the subject as if there were a market within easy access, for the benefit of those who may be thus advantageously placed. Deer, bear, hares, squirrels, rabbits, grouse, quail and shore birds, however, will be at times available. ”

“ A party would not need the same outfit in July that he would require in October—and while there is (13) no sense in sleeping cold at night because of a lack of blankets, there is also no use for a sleeping-bag for a July camping trip, and in this judgment of the actual necessities is where the average camper fails.
The majority of camping parties occur in the warm season when game birds and animals are protected by law, and there is no need for a gun, but most men will confess to a feeling of greater security when there is a firearm in camp. ”

“ In temporary camp, cut three logs, about a foot in diameter; lay one for a back log, two for side logs, build your fire on top with small stuff, and when it falls in coals you have a convenient place to set your fry pan, coffee can, etc.
Remember that a small fire is better than a large one. With the latter you cook your face more than your food, and there is more liability of spoiling the cooking.
Hard wood is better than pine or spruce; the coals are what you want, and the longer they will remain hot the better for the cook. ”

“ A party can live just as well in camp as they can at home, if they wish to, and can afford it. And also a party can live on a dollar a week apiece, if they choose; and live well, too.
BREAD AND CEREALS. Baked Bread:—Put in the mixing dish (I use the stew pan) , 1 quart of flour, 4 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a teaspoonful of salt, and mix together; then work in a little butter with the hand or mixing spoon, add cold water, stirring all the time, till you have a stiff dough without lumps. Turn it out on a plate, wash the dish thoroughly, grease the inside so the dough will not stick. ”

“ If there is no broiler, this plan may be followed with any meat, but a little butter must be used, if there is not sufficient fat in the meat to prevent its sticking to the pan. But by all means, use as little grease as possible, and have the pan hot, to start with, so as to quickly sear the surface and keep in the juices. In cooking meats, in the fry pan, if there is any fat left, especially that from pork and bacon, turn it into a clean can (I use the empty condensed milk cans) , and save it to fry fish. ”

“ When you put it up, drive four crotched sticks into the ground at the four corners and stretch on poles placed on these crotches.
The next important adjunct is the camp fire. It seems almost superfluous to tell a man how to build a fire, but it is an old saying, that “It takes a wise man or a fool to make a good fire.” I take it the reader classes himself as neither. The cooking fire will be the most important. If you have flat stones, lay up a fireplace, placing the stones close enough together so that the fire will play all around the kettle, and with a space long enough to hang two pots. ”

“ When you have gone as far in any direction as you are certain of your course, lay it out again, always by compass, and you will come out somewhere at a place that you will recognize as leading to some known point.
If it is late in the day, do not wander around in the dark, but pick out a comfortable place, cut some boughs to lie upon and to build a lean-to; gather fire-wood enough to last through the night or as long as you want it to, and make yourself as comfortable as possible until morning. If you are fortunate enough to have some lunch with you, you will probably get a fair night’s sleep. ”

“ If a man is a gentleman he keeps his coat on and it bothers no one but his own conscience; but a surly grumbler, a gourmand who must have just what he wants to eat, irrespective of how much trouble it may make, or a selfish, lazy man, will disturb the feelings of all the rest. ”

“ Throw away the water, and boil the meat with a sliced onion in fresh water, till the meat will slip off the bones. Add sliced potatoes and season with salt, pepper, and a very little sage or poultry dressing. Many a man has become a confirmed mephitiphagist after partaking of the above without knowing what he was eating until he had finished his meal.
Lob-scouse:—Boil corned beef till the excess of salt is out of it. Drain off the water and fill up with fresh water; put any vegetables that you happen to have, except the potatoes, and boil till the meat will come to pieces ”

“ Some cooks always lay the cooked meat on paper to absorb the grease. Do not soak in water before cooking; it renders it hard when done.
Ham and Eggs:—Fry the ham the same as pork. When cooked, break the eggs separately into a cup, and drop into the hot fat. The white of the egg will spread out and should be turned up against the yolk as soon as it gains sufficient consistency; this prevents the outside of the albumen from becoming leathery. ”

“ Exposure or carelessness in changing the clothing often results in what is commonly called a “cold.” A few hot drinks and a night under warm blankets will usually bring relief; but if it get troublesome, drink plenty of hot water or tea, wrap in blankets and sweat it out. If the stomach revolts at the hot water, make an infusion of the leaves and twigs of the snapwood (Benzoin odoriferum) or of checkerberry leaves (Gaultheria procumbens) . When the disturbance is seated in the bowels, it often results in a colic, for which there is nothing better than black-pepper tea. ”

“ When I am following a rare or unknown bird I endeavor to keep my eye on it, irrespective of the direction in which it may take me, sometimes across country and often in circles, and when I get ready to resume my quiet path I know not where I am. ”

“ Then when the trip is over, cheerfully settle up, and if you are not wholly satisfied, do not put up a kick, but swallow the dose and remember it the next time.
More than that, always remember that life is too short to grumble or fight, and if any campmate makes himself too obnoxious, get rid of him, or manage to get a letter calling you home on important business. You go to camp to get needed rest and escape the fights of a busy life, and no man has a right to interfere with another’s (35) pleasure; always provided that the other party behaves like a man himself. ”

“ There are various makes of prepared flours in the market, under as many various names. As a rule they are very handy to the camper, as they are put up in small packages, by which the necessity (65) of breaking out a large package is avoided, and they also avert some mistakes of omission common to men doing work they are not accustomed to do.
Fils-d’une-chienne:—Fry out the fat from some salt pork. Soak hard-tack in water till it is soft. Drop it in the hot fat and cook.
SOUPS. Beef Stew:—Take 1 pound of lean meat, wash clean, and put it in cold water over a slow fire. ”

“ A little salt and some molasses, the quantity depending on the taste, will complete the list. Pour in enough hot water to cover the beans. Put on the cover of the pot, and set in the hot ashes of the bean hole, just before you go to bed. Rake the coals over it, put a few sticks on top, so the ashes will keep hot, and go to bed. In the morning rake out the bean pot, and you will find them nicely baked, and redolent of that aroma so dear to every Yankee. If you do not relish it, so much the worse for you, and so much the better for the rest of the party, for there will be more for them. ”

“ For fittings build two bunks of poles across the narrow end and fill them with fir browse. There will be room enough to stow personal belongings at the foot of the bunks and they will add to the warmth. If a camp stove is used place it at the back opposite the door and run the pipe through the roof. If no stove is used, make a fireplace of rocks laid up in clay and have a hole in the roof for the smoke to go out. If dry wood is used the smoke in the room is not offensive, for a very little fire will warm the place as much as is desirable. ”

“ Eschew caps, helmets and straw hats, and wear a soft felt hat, the softer the better; it will stand rain, will not get broken, will keep the sun out of the eyes and can be used for a multitude of purposes from acting as holder for a hot pan or kettle to stopping a hole in a stoven boat. Canvas clothes are a delusion; they make a lot of noise in the brush and are uncomfortable when wet. ”

“ If a person of average intelligence will take the pains so to educate himself that he can surely identify the edible varieties, and it needs no more than that, there is no more danger than is present in eating the fish you catch from the lakes. ”

“ Of all fish that the novice may be called on to dress, the Hornpout, bullhead, or Eastern cat-fish, as it is variously called, will probably give him the most trouble. The best and quickest way is to remove fins by cutting down each side and tearing out; cut the entire length of the belly to a point a little beyond the vent; then sever the head from the body from the under side, without cutting the skin; grasp the body with the fingers of the left hand, take the head in the right and a quick pull will take off head, skin and entrails entire, if a little care is taken in starting the operation. ”

“ Chop very fine a small onion, a little parsley or celery-leaves, and two or three mushrooms; put a generous lump of butter in the fry pan, season with salt and pepper; when the butter is melted, lay in the vegetables and heat thoroughly, but do not brown; add a gill of milk with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed in for thickening; lay in the eggs, let it come to a boil, and serve. ”

“ Place in the cold fry pan, and cook until well done. It is not safe to eat any pork product unless it is well cooked.
Boiled Beef:—Put the meat into boiling water, so that it will be covered and cook till tender; about 15 minutes to the pound will generally be sufficient. Use a teaspoonful of salt for every 5 pounds of meat, added when it is nearly cooked. This method will be proper for corned beef, also, but omit salt and use cold water. If the beef is not corned, just before it is done allow the liquor to boil away to about a pint, season with pepper, and thicken with flour ”

“ Fried Perch:—Have the pan well supplied with hot fat. If there is not a supply in camp, fry the fat out of a half-pound of salt pork. Roll the fish, previously skinned and well washed, in corn meal or cracker crumbs. If you wish to do it up in real fine shape, roll them first in well beaten egg and then in crumbs. Drop in the fat and fry brown, turning frequently, so as to have them evenly cooked. Serve hot. This rule holds good for all kinds of fish not over a half-pound in weight. If larger, either cut them in slices across the body, or slice the meat of the sides from the backbone. ”

“ We generally separate in the morning to hunt in different sections, which are duly allotted beforehand, so that each member knows just where the other men ought to be. In case any one of them becomes so overcome with the ardor of the chase, or in the following of wounded game, that he does not know how to get back to camp, he gives the call, three shots of the rifle in succession. ”