“There now,” said Rollo, “I haven’t got any knife.”
“What do you want a knife for?” asked James.
“To cut off some of this turf, and make it fit into its place.”
“Must you make it fit exactly?” asked James.
“Yes,” said Rollo; “so Jonas said. But I can cut it with the spade.”
So Rollo laid down the piece of turf upon the ground, and attempted to cut away one side of it with the spade. He could not do it very well. He was not strong enough to do it with one blow, and, in striking down the spade upon it repeatedly, he could not always hit the same place; and so he mangled the edge, and bruised it to pieces. However, it fitted better than it did before, though there was still an interstice left, at the lower corner, between the two pieces of turf and the ground.
“It doesn’t fit exactly,” said Rollo; “but no matter. There must some air get in.”
He placed the other pieces of turf in a row around the heap. After he had gone all around, there were some left, but not enough to cover the top over. They, however, covered it as well as they could, and then Rollo said he would kindle the fire and put it in; and then, while it was getting a burning, he would cut some more turf, and finish covering it.
They had some difficulty in getting fire. In the first place, the match would not light. Rollo did not see any thing to rub it upon but the handle of the spade, and that was so smooth and glossy, from long use, that it did not produce friction enough to inflame the match. Finally, James rubbed one of the matches upon the side of the wheelbarrow, and that lighted it; but then they had no kindling ready, and, of course, as the large sticks of wood could not be lighted by a match, James, after holding it until it was just ready to burn his fingers, threw it down. Then Rollo did what he ought to have done before. He collected together some leaves and dried grass, and splinters of wood, which he found lying about, so as to have some combustibles ready when the next match should be lighted. By this means they soon had a little fire at a short distance from the heap of wood which they had prepared for their charcoal bed.
As soon as their fire began to burn, they attempted to move it into the hole in the middle of the heap of wood. They took off the little sticks and chips from the fire, which were blazing at one end, and dropped them one by one into the hole.