Of course a backwoodsman has to be pretty useful with his axe; and to
become a good axeman a fellow must know, firstly, how the thing ought
to be done, and, secondly, he must then have lots of practice in doing
it before he can be considered any good.
Bad workmen complain of their tools, but before starting to work be
sure that your tool is a good one.
Your axe should be a "felling" axe, of which the head will weigh
nearly three pounds. See that the handle or "helve" is perfectly
straight and true in line with the head and the edge. To do this look
along the helve with the edge of the head turned upwards. If the edge
is not true to the bevel, your cuts will go all astray.
Then see that your axe is sharp--really sharp, not merely with a good
edge on it. A slightly blunt axe is no more good for cutting down a
tree than a very blunt knife is for cutting a pencil. You should know
how to sharpen it on a grindstone, learn this now, while you are in
civilisation, where grindstones can be found and there are men to show
you.
When out in camp in India, for "pig sticking" (that is hunting wild
boar with spears) we found how very necessary it was to keep our
spears as sharp as a razor, and every time we killed a boar we would
sharpen up our spear-heads again ready for the next fight.
We could not carry grindstones about with us, but we carried a small
fine file, with which we were able to touch up the edge; and that is
what many an old backwoodsman does for his axe, he carries a small
file with him.
There is a saying with these men that "you may lend your last dollar
to a friend, but never lend him your axe--unless you know that he is a
good axeman and will not blunt it."
The tenderfoot will go banging about with an axe, chopping at roots
and branches on the ground, and blunting the axe at every stroke on
earth and stones; and when his arms tire, if he has not meanwhile
chopped his own foot, he will throw the axe down, leaving it lying all
anyhow on the ground, probably where it will catch and cut the toe of
someone moving about after dark.
When you want to leave your axe, strike straight down with it into a
tree stump, and leave it sticking there till required again,
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