Now comes the fun of decorating the cover. Pin the cloth out flat and smooth, and paint in brilliant red, yellow, black, green, white, and blue the designs given in [Fig. 170]. When finished, fit the cover over the wigwam-poles and with short, slender sticks pin the fronts together. Peg the lower edge down to the ground with short black pins and slide a pole in each pocket of the smoke-flaps E and E ([Fig. 170]). Bring the poles around and cross them at the back of the wigwam. As you do this you will exclaim with delight at the result, for the little wigwam will be very realistic.
In front of your wigwam or tepee
Build a Make-Believe Fire
of bits of orange and scarlet tissue-paper mixed in with short twigs, and then you must manufacture something to cook in. Bore a hole in the ground near the fire and fit in the fire-pole, making it slant over to one side and hang directly above the fire. Place a stone over the embedded end of the pole to keep it firm. Suspend an acorn kettle or any little kettle of the right size for the Indians to use on the pole and the camp will begin to look cosey for the red men to enjoy. Hunt up a jointed doll about five inches high, paint it copper color, ink its hair, and the doll will be a fairly
Good Indian.
If you can find a Zulu doll of the required size, with long, straight black hair, and give him a wash of dull red paint, you can turn him into a fine Indian. Failing these dolls, make an Indian doll of dull red raffia or cloth. This you can do if you try, and remember to have your red man a little more slender than store dolls; most of these are rather too stout to make good Indians.
Fig. [171].—Wigwam with make-believe camp-fire.
