STORY OF A PORCUPINE HUNT 59 



tangled swamp. On our way to the place we 

 found a fine porky sitting asleep on the branch of 

 a tall spruce. Surely an excellent opportunity for 

 securing a model with very little trouble. Simply 

 cut down the tree and we would have him, so 

 thought we. Porky thought differently, As we 

 cut, up he went till he reached the topmost 

 branches. The tree swung slowly as the last strokes 

 of the axe cut through, then with gradually 

 increasing speed it heeled over, grazing another 

 tree as it fell. The porky took advantage of the 

 situation to scramble off the fallen tree on to 

 the standing one, and there he stayed, smiling, I 

 imagine, at our discomfiture. To cut down the 

 second tree was the work of only a few minutes, 

 and we began, but before half a dozen white chips 

 had flown from the keen edge of the axe the clever 

 creature decided that it was moving time, and he 

 left the vibrating tree and climbed into the branches 

 of another one. The pursuit was hopeless, so we 

 gave up and continued our search for the dug-out, 

 which we eventually discovered in a long aban- 

 doned beaver canal leading from the swamp to the 

 lake. When I say we found the dug-out, I should 

 more properly say we found half of it, for that was 

 all that remained of the rough-hewn craft. Of 

 course itwould not float ; we therefore placed it in 

 very shallow water so that it rested on the bottom, 

 with the broken end on a tussock, and when we 

 brought the necessary porcupine the following 

 morning we were able, with very slight trouble, to 

 make the picture just as it was described in the 

 story. The camera was placed so that the broken 



