THE PORCUPINE 103 



was in plain view within four or five yards of 

 him, hut he heeded me not. Then he turned 

 back a few paces, but some slight obstacle in 

 his way caused him to change his mind. One 

 thought of a sleep-walker ; uncertainty was 

 stamped upon every gesture and movement; 

 yet he was really drifting towards camp. After 

 a while he struck the well-defined trail, and his 

 gray, shapeless body slowly disappeared up the 

 slope. In five or six minutes I overtook him 

 shuffling along within sight of the big rock 

 upon which rested my blanket and lunch. As 

 I came up to him he depressed his tail, put up 

 his shield, and slowly pushed off into the wild 

 grass. While I was at lunch I heard a sound, 

 and there he was, looking up at me from the 

 path a few feet away. " An uninvited guest," 

 I said ; " but come on." He hesitated, and 

 then turned aside into the bracken j he would 

 wait till I had finished and had gone to sleep, 

 or had moved off. 



How much less wit have such animals, — ani- 

 mals like the porcupine, opossum, skunk, turtle, 

 — that nature has armed against-all foes, than the 

 animals that have no such ready-made defenses, 

 and are preyed upon by a multitude of enemies ! 

 The price paid for being shielded against all dan- 

 ger, for never feeling fear or anxiety, is stupidity. 



