To Build a Fire

First Fire

1. From the under growth where high water of the previous spring had lodged a supply of
seasoned twigs, he got his fire wood.
2. He thawed ice from his face. (motive of first fire)
3. He ate his biscuits and smoked his pipe.
4. Much to the disappointment of the dog, the man headed on his journey and took the creek
trail up the left fork.

Second fire

1. The man breaking through the soft, unbroken snow fell into an icy spring.
2. He wet himself halfway to the knees.
3. He had to dry out his foot gear (motive of the second fire)
4. Under the spruce trees at the top of the bank, the man found some drywood and grass. This
served as the foundation.
5. The man got the flame by touching a match to a small spread of birch-bark that he took from
his pocket.
6. The fire was a success.
7. He mocked at the old times of sulphur creek who had advised him that no man must travel
alone in the Klondike after fifty below.
8. The second fire he built was put off by a ‘treacherous tree’ laden with snow.
9. Now he realized that Old Times at Sulphur Greek was right. If he had only had a trail mate he
would have been in no danger now.

Third Fire

1. He gathered dry grasses and tiny twigs from the high water floatsam.
2. He took a birch bark from his pocket.
3. He brought out his bunch of sulphur matches.
4. In effort to separate one match from the other, the whole bunch fell in the snow.
5. Then with his mittened hands, he scopped the bunch of matches, along with much snow, into
his lap.
6. After some manipulation, he managed to get the bunch between the heels of his mittened
hands.
7. He picked a match in his teeth and scratched it on his leg before he succeeded in lighting it.
8. As it flamed he held it with his teeth to the birch bark.
9. But the burning brimstone went up his nostrils and into his lungs, causing him to cough
convulsively.
10. The match fell into the snow and went out.

Fourth Fire

1. Removing the mittens with his teeth, he caught the whole bunch between the heels of his
hands.
2. He scratched the bunch along his leg. It resulted in flaring of seventy sulphur matches all at
once.
3. He held the blazing bunch to the birch – bark.

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4. His flesh was burning, when he could endure no more, he jerked his hands apart.
5. The blazing matches fell sizzling in to the snow but the birchbark was alight.
6. He began laying dry grasses and the tiniest twigs on the flame.
7. He picked up rotten wood and green moss clung to the twigs and he bit them off with his
teeth.
8. A large piece of green moss fell on the little fire.
9. While poking out he disrupted the nucleus of the little fire, the burning grasses and tiny twigs
separating and scattering.
10. He made futile attempts to poke them together.
11. As the twigs were scattered, each twig gushed a puff of smoke and went out.
12. Thus his attempt to build fire was unsuccessful.