INVISIBLE REALITY. I49 
“ Skunks!’" exclaimed Mr. H- — — , jumping 
down from his seat on the baggage. “ Shades 
of Arabia the blest ! you don’t mean to go after 
them ! ” 
“ Precisely my intention.” 
Striking an attitude of despair, he exclaimed* 
“ 4 What though the spicy breezes 
Blow soft o’er Ceylon’s isle,’ 
“ They’re too eternally far off to be any relief to 
us now. Doc., are you prepared to die from 
asphyxiation ? That woman means business, and 
we might as well be preparing our last words.” 
But his remarks were lost on her ears, as she 
started over the level open plain to get within 
range of a critical specimen. As there was nothing 
to do but wait, Mr. II , with the remark that 
“ Mrs. Maxwell’s game wasn’t of a kind a feller 
would particularly hanker after a hand in killing, 
still, if skunks were the order of the day, it wasn’t 
quite the thing to leave her to face them alone,” 
took up his gun, and, overtaking her, remarked, 
“ I suppose you’ve no objection to my being 
in at the death ? Should you be overpowered 
by an invisible reality (!), you might need some 
assistance.” 
“ Oh, don’t you be alarmed ! Even skunks 
don’t resort to extreme measures, unless badly 
frightened, or in very close quarters,” she replied. 
The little animals were in plain sight, and were 
