Only in very remote districts indeed would any one be limited to such
rough fireplaces as these. Fuel of some other kind, such as oil, would
assuredly be procurable to some extent, and a portable oil stove would
take the place of the gas ring and gas appliances in town houses. The
outgoing colonist would not be ill-advised to take with him a portable
oil stove of some make, and when doing so he might as well choose one
that will do more than merely boil a kettle. A small-sized Rippingill,
with one tank can, when required, cook a full-sized dinner and will
burn no more oil than a simple boiling stove. When buying such a
stove buy a can for holding oil, a filler, and an extra wick or two,
and carry something wherewith to clean the stove and keep it in good
condition, then wherever oil is procurable the little stove can be
brought into use and prove of endless comfort. There may be occasions
when the stove must be packed away and resort be had to the rougher and
more primitive methods of the clay fireplace or the tripod in the open,
but the stove would in that case take no harm and come out smiling when
opportunity favours it again.
The same remark applies to the spirit lamp or traveller’s Etna; though
methylated spirit is more difficult to procure than is kerosene or
paraffin oil. Still there are occasions when travelling or when camping
in a tent, or making a journey by boat, when a portable spirit stove or
lamp is of great service, or in sickness.