A straight sapling was raw material and he worried it off close to the ground with the chip of stone.

So he took his axe to the forest, and selected some stout, straight saplings, which he cut down and trimmed of all their twigs and leaves.

"Now to find a good, straight sapling."

What he needed were young, straight saplings, or reasonably long branches that could be straightened; though for that he needed the heat of a fire.

He looked over the trees carefully and selected a tall straight sapling.

He had a straight sapling that he had cut on the way over.

Working quickly, he cut two long straight saplings, and plaited a drag litter from strips of wet bark.

Billy went deeper into the forest until he found a thin, straight sapling, which he cut down with half a dozen strokes of his belt-ax.

If he could find a straight sapling perhaps he could fire-harden it into a spear-provided he could sharpen a point.

Then, within sight of the car, he began searching for a straight sapling.