Page:St. Nicholas, vol. 40.1 (1912-1913).djvu/416

270 brush to the fire beneath it, and as both ends were open, the draft was all that could be desired.

These ancient Indians were expert potters, and made vessels in which mush and meats were boiled. The pots were often supported by large stones which held the pot against the wall and above the fire.

Other and later Indian tribes of the far West cooked quite differently, or even, before kettles were to be had, ate some of their food raw. The of northern California wove water-tight baskets in which they cooked acorn-meal mush by dropping several hot stones into the mixture of water and meal. They also baked on dishes over glowing wood fires. The Indians who could get fish used to cook them on a “spit” over a fire, or boil them with other food in baskets, as already described.

While many Indians were cooking their food out-of-doors, the, who had little or no wood, were cooking theirs over soapstone lamps in their huts of ice, by boiling it in soapstone dishes hung from a grating at the top of the room, though much of their meat and fish was eaten raw. All of these people ate practically one daily meal—at evening—so very little cooking was required. Later, when driftwood could be had, large fires were made outside.

With the early settlers, and their comfortable ceiled log-cabins, came the large stone fireplaces with their great copper pots and iron kettles, swinging upon iron cranes in the chimney-place. The little “Dutch oven” was also used, and was convenient, as it stood on legs and could be covered with hot coals as well as have them under it.

A drawing of ’s camp gridiron is here shown. It was made from the original in the, at Washington, where many of the objects described in this article may be seen.

In those old days in the colonies, many methods were used for cooking, over and before the fire. There were horizontal, and vertically reversing gridirons. The latter would bring both sides to the fire. Fowls were hung on iron rods suspended before the fire with dripping-pans be