“No, the wood,” replied Rollo; “we want to cover up the wood.”
“Then it won’t burn,” said James, “if you cover it all up with turf.”
“Yes,” replied Rollo; “it will burn very slowly. We don’t want it to burn fast. That is the very reason why we cover it up with turf, to keep it from burning fast.”
“I should think it would be best to pour a little water on it,” said James, “if it was burning too fast.”
“No,” said Rollo; “we must cover it up with turf. Jonas said so. And I must cut it.”
So Rollo began to cut turf with his spade. He found it, however, very hard. It is very hard work to cut turf. After he had cut a square place out, it was very difficult to crowd the spade under it, so as to get the piece of turf out. He, however, succeeded in cutting one piece; and then the next was easier. After working patiently for about a quarter of an hour, stopping occasionally to rest, and to wish that Jonas would come and finish cutting the turf for him, he succeeded in laying bare a spot of ground large enough for his coal bed; and, on looking at the pieces of turf which he had got off, he could not but hope that they might possibly be enough to cover his wood with. At any rate, he thought he would try it; for he could cut more, he said, if at last he found that he should want more. He therefore began to pile up his wood in the spot left bare by the removal of the turf.
“We must leave a hole down in the middle,” said he to James, “to put the fire in. I ought to have had some boards for it.”
Rollo wanted James to go up to the house, and get some short boards; but James said that he did not know where he could find any, and finally Rollo concluded to make the hole as well as he could by leaving a space, in piling the wood. He succeeded pretty well in doing this. In fact, he piled his heap very well, making it compact and snug, and rounding it up on the top as Jonas had directed, so that it could be easily covered with the turf.
“Now,” said Rollo, “we will cover it up. You hand me the pieces of turf, James, and I will put them on.”
James handed Rollo one large piece of turf, and Rollo placed it against the side of his heap of wood. He then brought him a second, and Rollo attempted to place it next to the first, but it did not fit very well.