"How can I help it?"
"I'll bet Da's best cow against your jack-knife you got some Ellum or
Hemlock in that fire."
"Well, I have," Yan admitted, with an air of surrender.
"My son," said the Great Chief Woodpecker, "no sparking allowed in the
teepee. Beech, Maple, Hickory or Ash never spark. Pine knots an' roots
don't, but they make smoke like--like--oh--you know. Hemlock, Ellum,
Chestnut, Spruce and Cedar is public sparkers, an' not fit for dacint
teepee sassiety. Big Injun heap hate noisy, crackling fire. Enemy hear
that, an'--an'--it burns his bedclothes."
"All right, Grandpa," and the cook made a mental note, then added in
tones of deadly menace, "You get up now, do you understand!" and he
picked up a bucket of water.
"That might scare the Great Chief Woodpecker if the Great Chief Cook
had a separate bed, but now he smiles kind o' scornful," was all the
satisfaction he got. Then seeing that breakfast really was ready,
Sam scrambled out a few minutes later. The coffee acted like an
elixir--their spirits rose, and before the meal was ended it would
have been hard to find two more hilarious and enthusiastic campers.
Even the vague terrors of the night were now sources of amusement.
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