130 SPORT INDEED 



bunk while I was asleep and have been picked up and 

 carried off by this prickly thief?" The thought 

 started me back to the old camp to examine the floor. 

 It was made of long thin logs, the surfaces of which 

 were chopped off with an axe. Between two of these 

 logs was a space just wide enough to allow the wallet 

 to drop through — that is, if it were dropped directly 

 over the crack. But the logs were laid at right angles 

 to the bunk, so that if the wallet had fallen over the 

 side, it must have reversed itself in order to slide down 

 the narrow slit. This seemed improbable, but not 

 enough so to dampen my hopes. I determined to pry 

 up the logs, and with an old axe that was lying in the 

 corner I soon made a wooden crowbar for the purpose. 

 One of the logs had a bend in one end which caused 

 the opening I have referred to. I placed my bar un- 

 der this log, ripped it from its place, and found, as I 

 had expected, that the ground underneath had been 

 well furrowed with porcupines. Striking a match I 

 looked down into the hole. The dim light showed me 

 no wallet, and I struck another match with a like re- 

 sult. Then I tried the electric lamp, and its light en- 

 abled me to explore thoroughly all the nooks and cran- 

 nies of a porcupine's home. And there in one of these 

 nooks, and totally unconscious of the anxiety it had 

 cost its owner, lay my green wallet. It was un- 

 harmed, excepting that it had four marks which it 

 bears to this day. Whether these were made by the 



