By Dan Beard
Figs. 100-103
Flint, Steel, Punk-Horn, etc.,
Drawn from Specimens is Author's Collection
Every Son of Daniel Boone should know that Andrew J. Stone, the arctic naturalist and collector, used a piece of water-proof cloth to cover a frame of willow sticks, and in this frail craft crossed a raging mountain stream; also how to make a camp-fire with flint and steel, and be supplied with a piece of flint, also a horn of punk. Fig. 100 shows the steel that our grandparents used; Fig. 101, the flint. Fig. 102 shows the manner of blowing the sparks to flame; Fig. 103, the manner of holding the flint and steel when striking them together to obtain sparks. These sparks are made to fall upon some dry, baked rags, and when the rags ignite they must be blown into a flame.
Figs. 102-106.
Fig. 104 shows the baked rags and the cow-horn punk box, which is made by sawing off the small end and the large end of a cow's horn. Cut a piece of wood to fit in the small end, and fasten it in with tacks made of pins which have been cut into two parts with the file blade of a knife (Fig. 106) ; the top ends of the pins are used as tacks.
The large end of the horn is closed by a piece of thick sole leather. A leather thong, or leather shoestring, is attached to the wooden disk at the small end by a tack, and to the other disk at the large end by thrusting it through a hole in the leather while it is wet, tying a hard knot in the end, and pulling the knot snug against the leather disk before the leather is allowed to dry. If the wooden disk and the leather stopper are made to fit the horn tightly, the dry, baked rags, charred cotton, dry fungus, or whatever substance you use for punk, when placed in the horn will be perfectly protected from moisture and dampness.
