Костер

           Highupinthetreeoneboughcapsizeditsloadofsnow. Thisfellontheboughsbeneath,capsizingthem. Thisprocesscontinued,spreadingoutandinvolvingthewholetree. Itgrewlikeanavalanche,anditdescendedwithoutwarninguponthemanandthefire,andthefirewasblottedout! Whereithadburnedwasamantleoffreshanddisorderedsnow. 

           Themanwasshocked. Itwasasthoughhehadjustheardhisownsentenceofdeath. Foramomenthesatandstaredatthespotwherethefirehadbeen. Thenhegrewverycalm. Perhapstheold-timeronSulphurCreekwasright. Ifhehadonlyhadatrail-matehewouldhavebeeninnodangernow. Thetrail-matecouldhavebuiltthefire. Well,itwasuptohimtobuildthefireoveragain,andthissecondtimetheremustbenofailure. Evenifhesucceeded,hewouldmostlikelylosesometoes. Hisfeetmustbebadlyfrozenbynow,andtherewouldbesometimebeforethesecondfirewasready. 

           Suchwerehisthoughts,buthedidnotsitandthinkthem. Hewasbusyallthetimetheywerepassingthroughhismind,hemadeanewfoundationforafire,thistimeintheopen;wherenotreacheroustreecouldblotitout. Next,hegathereddrygrassesandtinytwigsfromthehigh-waterflotsam. Hecouldnotbringhisfingerstogethertopullthemout,buthewasabletogatherthembythehandful. Inthiswayhegotmanyrottentwigsandbitsofgreenmossthatwereundesirable,butitwasthebesthecoulddo. Heworkedmethodically,evencollectinganarmfulofthelargerbranchestobeusedlaterwhenthefiregatheredstrength.