SATAN THE RACCOON 



him into the cage every day before going 

 to the city for my mail. He resented this, 

 and would run up the pine-tree when he saw 

 me lock the cabin-door. One day I pulled 

 him down and whipped him while he lay prone 

 on the ground, with his eyes covered. I took 

 away his food and water. He must have been 

 downright hungry before I fed him. He never 

 forgot the lesson. After that, when he saw 

 me lock up he would sneak into his cage, fear- 

 ful, I suppose, that if found outside he would 

 be whipped and starved. He preferred food 

 in the order herein named : insects, eggs, birds 

 or poultry, frogs, nuts, red squirrel, rabbit, 

 gray squirrel, and fish. This, without doubt, 

 was the bill of fare of his wild state. He 

 would not touch green corn or milk until I 

 had crushed the former into his mouth, and 

 had dipped his nose into the latter. After- 

 ward he would leave everything for milk. 



The first rabbit I fed to him was about 



two-thirds grown. It was one which a mink 



had chased into my dooryard and killed. It 



was evident from the first that the coon was 



33 



