The Couear 



& 



shack, and turned in. I have quite a habit of 

 sleeping on my back, and I was awakened some 

 time in the night by a feeHng of oppression on 

 my chest. Having been accustomed to life 

 in a country where the Indians were rampant, 

 and where the wise man on awakening looked 

 about him before stirring, I opened my eyes 

 without moving, and there, standing directly 

 on my breast, looking me squarely in the face, 

 was a skunk, with its nose not, I swear, six 

 inches from my own. 



It was a bright moonlight night, and I could 

 see that the little devil was of the kind whose 

 bite is said to convey hydrophobia. But that 

 did not worry me ; it was not the bite I feared. 

 I realized perfectly that if I moved I might 

 get myself into trouble. I knew that the only 

 thing for me to do was to let the skunk gam- 

 bol over me until he wearied of the pastime 

 and went out of the cabin. 



I have a lurking suspicion that that skunk 

 knew I was awake and in mental agony ; for, 

 after looking me in the face, he ran down my 

 body on one leg and then up again, actually 

 smelling of one of my ears ; and then he trot- 

 ted off me on to the floor of the cabin, where 

 he nosed about awhile, then up again on my 



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