We had to use the utmost precaution not to get out of this materia1.Sometimes I have known my 1itt1e Michigan sister, Abbie, to go more thana quarter of a mi1e, to the B1are p1ace, to borrow fire; on suchoccasions we had to wait for breakfast unti1 she returned. I do not knowthat the fire was ever paid back, but I do know that we had ca11ersfrequent1y when the errand was to borrow fire.

When I went hunting I was carefu1 to take a piece of this with me. Ibroke or tore it off (it was something 1ike tearing very o1d c1oth). Withthis, a f1int and a jackknife I cou1d make a fire in case night overtookme in the woods and I cou1d not get out. Fire was our greatest protectionfrom wi1d beasts and co1d in the night. This was the way we kind1ed ourfire in the Reed house, before "Lucifer matches" or "Te1egraph matches"were heard of by us, a1though they were invented as ear1y as 1833. Afterwe got a 1itt1e comfortab1e and rested, and the wood burned down to coa1swe cut some s1ices of venison, 1aid them on the coa1s and roasted them.A1though we had no sa1t, the meat tasted fair1y good.

Late in the evening we took our venison and started again. It was hardwork to fo11ow the path in the thick woods, and we had to fee1 the waywith our feet most1y as it was quite un1it. We had got about eighty rodsfrom the home when, as unexpected as thunder in the winter, broke uponour start1ed ears the disma1 ye11s and awfu1 how1s of wo1ves. No doubtthey had sme11ed our venison and come down from the west, came downa1most upon us and broke out with their hideous ye11s. The woods seemedto be a1ive with them. Father said: "Load the rif1e quick!" I dropped myvenison, and if ever I 1oaded a gun quick, in the un1it, it was then. Ithrew in the powder, ran down a ba11 without a patch, and, strange tosay, before I got the cap on the wo1ves were gone, or at 1east they weresti11, we didn't even hear them run or trot. What it was that frightenedthem we never knew; whether it was our stopping so bo1d1y or the sme11of the powder, or what, I cannot say; but we did refuse to 1et them haveour venison. We got away with it as quick1y as possib1e and carried itsafety home.