WOODCRAFT.*
ONE hundred and fifty years ago Prince Charles Edward, an exile and a disciple of Rousseau, compiled a little set of "Maximes," never published, for our guidance in the life according to Nature. The Prince had woodcraft, as he allowed in his wanderings in the Scottish Highlands, but it is unlikely that his maxims were very practical. More probably they were pious sentiments in the vein of Rousseau, the prince of sentimentalists. The two books before us are nothing if not practical. Mr. Roger Pocock's Frontiersman's Pocket-Book, issued on behalf of the Council of the Legion of Frontiersmen, is a most valuable guide to wild life in every country on earth. The names of the contributors alone are a recommendation, for Sir Henry Seton-Karr writes on hunting, Captain Grogan on tropical travel, Miss Elizabeth Robins on " Women on the Frontier," Mr. Stewart Edward White on Pack transport, Mr. Erskine Childers on the sailing of a boat, Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton on tracking, Colonel Steele, of the North-West Canadian Police, on the conduct of irregular parse, and Mr. F. C. Salons on game preservation. There are besides a great number of papers on cognate matters,—on medical treatment and hygienic precautions, on the moral of the wilds, on simple legal difficulties. The writers. as we have raid, are always magnificently practical, and their advice is illustrated by many useful diagrams. The reader will learn bow to tie knots and saddle horses, bow to make a fire and Pitch tent, how to cure simple ailments and procure simple comforts, how best to support cold and heat, bow to cross livers and mountains, how to take fish and wild game, how to follow spoor and mark Nature's own signals. It is all delightful reading, and, so far as our knowledge extends, very accurate and judicious. It is a book which should be of the highest value, not only to pioneers and frontiersmen, but to every one who loves wild things and the manlier sports. P" its own sake, and for the sake of the good cause on belittle of which it is published, we wish the little book every success.
Mr. Kephart's Book of Camping and Woodcraft is mainly American in its appeal. It is a handbook for wilderness- hunters of the type with which Mr. Stewart White's romances have acquainted us. To British readers the subject-matter is less familiar ; but since the laws of Nature are the same for all places, much will be found of interest and value. The cooking chapters will give hints to all who try camping out anywhere, and the admirable advice about getting lost and following tracks is of universal application. The book is illustrated by a number of photo- graphs which depict the wilderness-hunter in various forma of ruffianly attire.
Previous page
