“This is an improvement,” Elmer called out, “but we ought to have a fire!”
“Fire!”
That word always appealed to Wee Willie, even as a red rag does to an aggressive bull; he never needed more than half a hint to find an excuse for building one.
“Whoop! watch my smoke, fellows!” he cried, delightedly. “I’m some boy when you need a blaze. Don’t either of you dare to offer to help; because I’m the fire-maker of this circus!”
One thing that the tall chum always insisted on when in the woods was to carry his pet camp hatchet along with him wherever he went. Many times it was likely to prove a grievous burden, but should the occasion arise when its value could be fully appreciated, like the present, Wee Willie felt amply rewarded for his forethought.
He had it loose and ready before Amos could have said “Jack Robinson,” and picking out an old stump near by attacked it with great vigor, Elmer holding his lantern so that the chopper could see what he was doing.
Of course the fire-maker was after the dry heart of the stump, which could not have been soaked by the recent downpour. Soon he was collecting small splinters of this inflammable wood, until he had quite a decent pile laid by. At the base he inserted the finest and most tempting of fibers, to which he meant to apply a match presently; since this was certainly no time for him to show off his knowledge of wonderful though tedious ways for making a fire without the aid of common, every-day matches.
It matters little to one who had made a hobby of the subject, that everything around may be reeking with water; because he knows a variety of ways for producing the desired result. Many fellows less wise would have tried in vain, and used up their whole stock of matches in endeavoring to coax wet tinder to burn.
Amos gave an exclamation indicative of solid satisfaction when in response to the click of the match, carefully protected by Wee Willie’s hat, a tiny blaze sprang up that rapidly increased in volume.
“Hurrah for you, Wee Willie! You’re surely the champion fire-builder of the universe. You’ll set the world on fire some of these days, if they don’t watch you pretty close. My but that feels fine already!”