A CANADIAN RIVER 117 



beautiful and, alas! evil-smelling skunk was 

 not uncommon, but I never got to close 

 quarters with him save on one occasion. I 

 had gone up the river to the Lazy Bogan 

 Camp and taken possession of the log-hut 

 which one of us generally occupied on these 

 occasions. It was not long before I found 

 out that the premises were already tenanted. 

 A family of skunks had established them- 

 selves under the floor of the hut. I could 

 hear them scratching and scuffling under- 

 neath the boards, and I could most unmis- 

 takably smell them. It was unpleasant but 

 tolerable, except when something happened 

 to upset the equanimity of the household. 

 They greatly resented, for example, my 

 morning ablutions, which were noisy and in- 

 volved the splashing of a good deal of cold 

 water, some of which no doubt percolated 

 to the family quarters. They showed their 

 resentment by the liberal use of poison gas, 

 which fairly drove me out of the house ; but 

 we got used to one another after a time, and 

 ended by making bon menage. H. A., who 



