EPISODES 



463 



the breeze. I think I see him approach, and laying the 

 stick gently across the body of the animal, try to secure it; 

 and I can yet laugh almost as heartily as I did then, when 

 I plainly saw the discomfiture of the traveller. The Pole- 

 cat (for a true Pole- cat it was, the Mephitis amcricana of 

 zoologists) raised its fine bushy tail, and showered such a 

 discharge of the fluid given him by nature as a defence 

 that my friend, dismayed and infuriated, began to belabor 

 the poor animal. The swiftness and good management of 

 the Pole-cat, however, saved its bones, and as it made its 

 retreat towards its hole, it kept up at every step a continued 

 ejectment, which fully convinced the gentleman that the 

 pursuit of such Squirrels as these was at the best an un- 

 profitable employment. 



This was not all, however. I could not suffer his ap- 

 proach, nor could my horse; it was with difficulty he 

 mounted his own; and we were forced to continue our 

 journey far asunder, and he much to leeward. Nor did the 

 matter end here. We could not proceed much farther that 

 night ; as, in the first place, it was nearly dark when we 

 saw the Pole-cat, and as, in the second place, a heavy 

 snow-storm began, and almost impeded our progress. We 

 were forced to make for the first cabin we saw. Having 

 asked and obtained permission to rest for the night, we 

 dismounted and found ourselves amongst a crowd of men 

 and women who had met for the purpose of corn-shucking. 



To a European who has not visited the western parts of 

 the United States, an explanation of this corn-shucking 

 may not be unacceptable. Corn (or you may prefer calling 

 it maize) is gathered in the husk, that is, by breaking each 

 large ear from the stem. These ears are first thrown into 

 heaps in the field, and afterwards carried in carts to the 

 barn, or, as in this instance, and in such portions of Ken- 

 tucky, to a shed made of the blades or long leaves that 

 hang in graceful curves from the stalk, and which, when 

 plucked and dried, are used instead of hay as food for 



. I '(..ifc 



