36 HEART OF THE SOUTHERN CATSKILLS 



logs, with balsam boughs thrust into the ground 

 and meeting and forming a canopy over us. 

 In coming off the mountain in the morning we 

 ran upon a huge porcupine, and I learned for 

 the first time that the tail of a porcupine 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 

 rJong the path in my front, and I threw myself 

 upon him, shielded by my roll of blankets. 

 He submitted quietly to the indignity, and lay 

 very still under my blankets, with his broad 

 tail pressed close to the ground. This I pro- 

 ceeded 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 preci- 

 pice. The quills were quickly removed from 

 my hand, when we gave chase. When we 

 came up to him he had wedged himself in 

 between 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 rotten 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. 



