THAT FAMOUS ESSENCE PEDDLER. 179 



confidence in liis judgment and admiration for his 

 bravery that I have ah-eady expressed. He says : " 1 

 am able to speak on this point from ample personal 

 experience, having eaten its flesh cooked in a variety 

 of ways — ^boiled, broiled, roasted, fried, and fricasseed 

 — and am prepared to assert that a more " toothsome 

 bit" than a broiled skunk is hard to get, and rarely 

 finds its way to the table of the epicure." 



Hmc olim meminisse jimabit ; but the next time 

 we meet a skunk it will be just as well for us — now 

 we have learned of his superior character but still 

 lack that confidence which it ought to inspire — to def- 

 erentially step aside at least sixteen and a half feet ! 



