THE difference between tomahawk shacks and axe houses reminds me of the
difference between the ileum and the jejunum, of which my classmate once
said: "There is no way of telling the beginning of one or the ending of
t'other 'cept by the pale-pinkish hue of the latter."
It must be confessed that some of the shacks described in the preceding
pages are rather stout and massive to be classed as tomahawk shelters,
but, as indicated by my reference to physiology, this is not the writer's
fault. The trouble is owing to the fact that nature abhors the arbitrary
division line which man loves to make for his own convenience. The
tomahawk shacks gradually evolve into axe camps and houses and "there is
no telling the beginning of one and the end of t'other." Hence, when I say
that all the previous shacks, sheds, shelters, and shanties are fashioned
with a hatchet, the statement must be accepted as true only so far as _it
is_ possible to build them without an axe; but in looking over the diagram
it is evident at a glance that the logs are growing so thick that the
necessity of the woodman's axe is more and more apparent; nevertheless,
the accompanying caches have been classed with the tomahawk group and we
will allow them to remain there.
Wherever man travels in the wilderness he finds it necessary to
cache--that is, hide or secure some of his goods or provisions. The
security of these caches (Figs. 98-111) is considered sacred in the wilds
and they are not disturbed by savages or whites; but bears, foxes, husky
dogs, porcupines, and wolverenes are devoid of any conscientious scruples
and unless the cache is absolutely secure they will raid it.
Fig. 98. Fig. 99. Fig. 100. Fig. 101. Fig. 102. Fig. 103. Fig. 104.
Fig. 105.
[Illustration: Simple forms of caches.]
The first cache (Fig. 98) is called the "prospector's cache" and consists
simply of a stick lashed to two trees and another long pole laid across
this to which the goods are hung, swinging beneath like a hammock. This
cache is hung high enough to be out of reach of a standing bear.
The tripod cache (Fig. 100) consists of three poles lashed at the top with
the goods hung underneath.
Another form of the prospector's cache is shown by Fig. 102, where two
poles are used in place of one and an open platform of sticks laid across
the poles; the goods are placed upon the platform.
The tenderfoot's cache (Fig. 105) is one used only for temporary purposes
as it is too easily knocked over and would be of no use where animals as
large as bears might wreck it. It consists of two sticks lashed together
at their small ends and with their butt ends buried in the earth; their
tops are secured by a rope to a near-by tree while the duffel is suspended
from the top of the longest pole.
The "Montainais" cache is an elevated platform upon which the goods are
placed and covered with skins or tarpaulin or tent-cloth (Fig. 99).
The "Andrew Stone" cache is a miniature log cabin placed on the ground and
the top covered with halved logs usually weighted down with stones (Fig.
101).
The "Belmore Browne" cache consists of a pole or a half of a log placed in
the fork of the two trees on top of which the goods are held in place by a
rope and the whole covered with a piece of canvas lashed together with
eyelets, like a shoe (Fig. 103).
The "Herschel Parker" cache is used where the articles to be cached are in
a box. For this cache two poles are lashed to two trees, one on each side
of the trees (Fig. 104), and across the two poles the box is placed.
We now come to more pretentious caches, the first of which is the
"Susitna," which is a little log cabin built on a table with four long
legs. The poles or logs composing the legs of the table are cut in a
peculiar fashion, as shown in the diagram to the left of Fig. 107; this is
intended to prevent animals from climbing to the top; also, as a further
protection, pieces of tin are sometimes tacked around the poles so as to
give no foothold to the claws of the little animals.
Fig. 106 shows two other methods sometimes adopted to protect small caches
and Fig. 108 is still another method of using logs which have the roots
still attached to them for supports. Such logs can be used where the
ground is too stony to dig holes for posts.
Fig. 109 shows another form of the Susitna cache wherein the goods are
packed in a box-like structure and covered with tent-cloth tightly lashed
down.
The "Dillon Wallace" cache (Fig. 110) is simply a tent erected over the
goods and perched on an elevated platform.
The "Fred Vreeland" cache is a good, solid, practical storehouse. It is
built of small logs on a platform, as shown by Fig. 111, and the bottom of
the building is smaller than it is at the eaves. It is covered with a high
thatched roof and is ornamental as well as useful.
Fig. 106. Fig. 107. Fig. 108. Fig. 109. Fig. 110. Fig. 111.
[Illustration: Cabin caches.]
These caches might really belong to a book of woodcraft, but it is another
case of the "ileum and jejunum," and we will rule that they technically
come under the head of shacks, sheds, shelters, and shanties and so are
included in this volume; but there is another and a very good reason for
publishing them in this book, and that is because some of them, like Figs.
107 and 111, suggest novel forms of ornamental houses on country estates,
houses which may be used for corn-cribs or other storage or, like the
tree-top houses, used for pleasure and amusement.