In the United States we have no smooth lava with which to build slides on our native hills, and if we did have the lava-slides only a few of our boys would have an opportunity to use them.
When the snow covers the ground it is not every boy who can find a convenient hill where he may enjoy the healthful fun of coasting. A great many boys live in a level country, and hundreds and thousands of others have their homes in cities and towns, where heavy carts, policemen, and trolley-cars, make coasting a forbidden pleasure. However, with a real toboggan-slide in the back-yard, a boy may snap his fingers at a level country, lumbering carts, death-dealing cars, and meddlesome guardians of the peace.
In a day’s time three boys can build a slide; but, of course, it cannot be built without some labor. If it could, it would be of no value. The labor consists only in sawing a few pieces of timber and driving a few nails to hold the frame together, and it is effort well-spent.
If Your Back-Yard is Wide
enough you can run the toboggan-track alongside the back fence, with the starting platform built in the fence-corner, backing against the side fence. In this way your slide will occupy but little space.
But if Your Yard is Long and Narrow,
build your platform against the back fence (as described in Chapter XIV.), and let the track run along one of the side fences.
The most difficult part of the work is now finished. Make
A Frame,
on the pattern of C, E, D, G ([Figs. 133 and 134, Chapter XIV.]), and about half the height of the platform (see L, M, N, Fig. 138).