It is no use to learn how to light a fire by hearsay, the only way is to pay attention to the instructions given you, and then practise laying and lighting a fire yourself.
In the book called "Two Little Savages," instructions for laying a fire are given in the following rhyme:
First a curl of birch bark as dry as it can be,
Then some twigs of soft wood dead from off a tree,
Last of all some pine knots to make a kettle foam,
And there's a fire to make you think you're sitting right at home.
Star Fire Ready to Light.
Remember to begin your fire with a small amount of very small chips or twigs of really dry dead wood lightly heaped together and a little straw or paper to ignite it; about this should be put little sticks leaning together in the shape of a pyramid, and above this bigger sticks similarly standing on end. When the fire is well alight bigger sticks can be added, and, finally, logs of wood. A great thing for a cooking fire is to get a good pile of red hot wood ashes, and if you use three large logs they should be placed lying on the ground, star-shaped, like the spokes of a wheel, with their ends centred in the fire. A fire made in this way need never go out, for as the logs burn away you keep pushing them towards the centre of the fire, always making fresh red hot ashes there. This makes a good cooking fire, and also one which gives very little flame or smoke for the enemy to detect from a distance.
To leave your fire alight at night, cover it over with a heap of ashes and it will smoulder all night ready for early use in the morning, when you can easily blow it into a glow.