36 KIVERBY 



in the morning we ran upon a huge porcupine, and 

 I learned for the first time that the tail of a porcu- 

 pine goes with a spring like a trap. It seems to be 

 a set-lock ; and you no sooner touch with the weight 

 of a hair one of the quills, than the tail leaps up in 

 a most surprising manner, and the laugh is not on 

 your side. The beast cantered along the path in my 

 front, and I threw myself upon him, shielded by my 

 roll of blankets. He submitted quietly to the in- 

 dignity, and lay very still under my blankets, with 

 his broad tail pressed close to the ground. This I 

 proceeded to investigate, but had not fairly made a 

 beginning when it went off like a trap, and my hand 

 and wrist were full of quills. This caused me to let 

 up on the creature, when it lumbered away till it 

 tumbled down a precipice. The quills were quickly 

 removed from my hand, when we gave chase. When 

 we came up to him, he had wedged himself in be- 

 tween the rocks so that he presented only a back 

 bristling with quills, with the tail lying in ambush 

 below. He had chosen his position well, and seemed 

 to defy us. After amusing ourselves by repeatedly 

 springing his tail and receiving the quills in a rot- 

 ten stick, we made a slip-noose out of a spruce root, 

 and, after much manoeuvring, got it over his head 

 and led him forth. In what a peevish, injured tone 

 the creature did complain of our unfair tactics ! He 

 protested and protested, and whimpered and scolded 

 like some infirm old man tormented by boys. His 

 game after we led him forth was to keep himself as 

 much as possible in the shape of a ball, but with two 



