ap line knows what pleasure there is in
relating the experience of the day's hunt or of the trap line to his
pard during the evening in camp. Yet, I will tell of one occurrence
though I have told the story many times, and I cannot say that I
relate it with any great amount of pleasure. Still since many years
have passed, I have often laughed over the circumstance. I can still
see that sympathetic grin of Bill's, when he would ask "if it hurt me
much."

It was a lowery morning, and Bill proposed that we go together and
look after a line of traps on Salt Run, and then put in the balance
of the day still-hunting deer. We went down to the lower end of the
line, worked up the run so as to be near the top of the ridge and in
a locality where we expected deer to be. We had not looked at more
than three or four traps, when we came to one that was set under the
bank. The trap chain was stapled to a root, and was stationary (and
let me say here that I believe it bad policy to fasten a trap to
anything, stationary) and it certainly was in this case for me. The
water was quite deep right at the point where the trap was set and
came close up to the bank. In order to see the trap, it was necessary
to lie down on my stomach, and lean my head over the bank.

When I looked down under the bank, I saw that there was some animal
in the trap. The trap chain was drawn tight and when I drew gently on
the chain I could tell that some kind of an animal was in the trap. I
little suspected that it was loaded, as it proved to be. I could not
see what sort of an animal it was, but supposed it was a mink. It did
not like to be drawn out in sight, and I was afraid to pull too hard
on the chain for fear I would draw his foot out of the trap. I let up
and straightened up to consult Bill, as to the best thing to do. Bill
said, pull him out and if he gets away, we will get him at another
trap, and I now suspect that Bill knew what was coming. I leaned down
over the bank and stuck my head down to see where the chain was. All
of a sudden I was struck with something more terrible than lightning
if not quite so fatal, and for the next half hour I was rolling on
the ground and washing my eyes. Bill said that I danced the Bear
dance and a Pot Full of Catfish all at the same time. When I
recovered enough to see what "hit me", I found that I had been
terribly shot by a measly skunk square in both eyes. Bill was
grinning and asking "if it hurt much" and telling