“Erectin’ myself cautiously, and peepin’ over the top of my clump of bushes, I seed a all-fired big skunk, rootin’ under the dry, matted grass near the brink of the river. He war lookin’ after mice, worms, bugs, grass-nuts, and sich like provender.
“I brought my gun to my shoulder and knocked the unsuspectin’ critter over so dead that he never kicked. He was jist as good game as I wanted—I wouldn’t have traded him for any number of blue-meated rabbits.
“Bein’ shot in jist the right spot, thar wasn’t a particle of smell about him. You see I’d knocked over many sich fellers back in Ole Virginney and knowed percisely whar to hold on him to do the work. Many’s the fine fat one I’d cooked and devoured! But it’s not every place whar they’ll eat skunk—it’s a thing that runs in streaks and through sartain settlements, as you may say.
“This was a prime feller! I think I never, in all my experience, killed a finer or fatter one. I shouldered my game and trudged back to the camp, which I found vacant. None of the boys had yet returned.
THE HAPPY BREAKFAST.
“I sat down and skinned my skunk, then tuck and hid the skin in some low bushes, a few rods from camp, in order that none of the fellows might know the exact natur of the game I’d brought in.
“If they knowed it war a skunk, not one of ’em would eat a bite of it—some people’s so prejudiced, you know ’bout outside appearances and the little nat’ral peculiarities of birds and beast.
“Well,[“Well,] to’ards night, Captain Crook’s and all the fellers got into camp, and not one of them had killed a thing. They soon spied the fine plump animal I had hangin’ up on a stake, near camp, and wanted to know what for critter it war. I told ’em I didn’t know for sartin—the blame thing ruther headed my time, and I war convarsant with most of the four-footed quadrupeds perambulatin’ the present hemisphere; yet I reckon the thing might do to eat on a pinch.
“All hands now wanted to see the skin. I pretended to look for it, then told ’em I’d seed the dogs a worryin’ with somethin’ a bit ago’ and ruther guessed they’d drug the skin into the river.