The following summer we continued our open fireplace experiments. Instead
of using logs we drove stakes into the ground, forming a small circular
stockade about 2 feet high and 3 feet in diameter. A paving of small
stones covered the floor of the fireplace, and a lining of stones was laid
against the wall. The stakes were driven in on a slant, as illustrated in
Fig. 198, so as to better support the stone lining. A break in the
stockade at one side let in the necessary draft. Two of the stakes on
opposite sides of the fire were made extra long, and were crotched at
their upper ends. They served to support the cross stick from which our
kettles were hung. This form of fireplace was more satisfactory for baking
than the one in which logs were used for the side walls, because the stone
lining retained the heat much longer. To bake biscuit, a pot of beans, or
the like, the ashes would be drawn away from the stone paving and the pot
placed directly on the hot stones, after which it was covered with hot
embers and ashes.
[Illustration: Fig.198. A Stone-paved Fireplace.]
A Cold Night in the Hut.
But to return to our experiences on the island. We found it very cold on
the first night in the hut.
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