RVR 
GATHERED BY THE WAY 
would do with the dogs. As the climber advanced 
the rodent went higher, till the limb he clung to was 
no larger than one’s wrist. This the young man 
seized and shook vigorously. I expected to see the 
slow, stupid porcupine drop, but he did not. He 
only tightened his hold. The climber tightened his 
hold, too, and shook the harder. Still the bundle 
of quills did not come down, and no amount of 
shaking could bring it down. Then I handed a long 
pole up to the climber, and he tried to punch the 
animal down. This attack in the rear was evidently 
a surprise; it produced an impression different from 
that of the shaking. The porcupine struck the pole 
with his tail, put up the shield of quills upon his 
back, and assumed his best attitude of defense. 
Still the pole persisted in its persecution, regardless 
of the quills; evidently the animal was astonished: 
he had never had an experience like this before; he 
had now met a foe that despised his terrible quills. 
Then he began to back rapidly down the tree in the 
face of his enemy. The young man’s sweetheart: 
stood below, a highly interested spectator. “Look 
out, Sam, he’s coming down!” “Be quick, he’s 
gaining on you!” “Hurry, Sam!” Sam came as 
fast as he could, but he had to look out for his foot- 
ing, and his antagonist did not. Still, he reached the 
ground first, and his sweetheart breathed more 
easily. It looked as if the porcupine reasoned thus: 
“My quills are useless against a foe so far away; 
243 
