The desert home : or, The adventures of a lost family in the wilderness . we. Wewondered as we watched. The porcupine could offer no resistance. Its feet gaveway, and slipped along the snowy ground ; for the martenwas evidently the much stronger animal. In a short time, the latter had reached the tree, drag-ging the other after him to its foot. He now commencedascending, still holding the porcupines tail in his teeth, andtaking precious care not to brush too closely to the quills. Surely, thought we, he cannot climb up, carrying a bodyalmost as big as himself, in that manner ! It was not hisin


The desert home : or, The adventures of a lost family in the wilderness . we. Wewondered as we watched. The porcupine could offer no resistance. Its feet gaveway, and slipped along the snowy ground ; for the martenwas evidently the much stronger animal. In a short time, the latter had reached the tree, drag-ging the other after him to its foot. He now commencedascending, still holding the porcupines tail in his teeth, andtaking precious care not to brush too closely to the quills. Surely, thought we, he cannot climb up, carrying a bodyalmost as big as himself, in that manner ! It was not hisintention to climb up,—only to one of the lowermost branches,—and the next moment he had reached it, stretching his-ong body out on the limb, and clutching it fiimly with hiscat-like claws. He still held fast hold of the porcupinestail, which animal was now lifted into such a position thatonly its fore quarters rested on the ground, and it appearedto stand upon its head, all the while uttering its pitiful cries. For the life of us, we could not guess what the marten. The Marten and the Parcnplne. THE DESERT HOME. 207 meant by all this maneuvering. He knew well enough, gave proof the moment after. When he had got theother, as it were, on a balance, he suddenly sprang back tothe ground, in such a direction that the impetus of his leapjerked the porcupine upon its back. Before the clumsycreature was able to turn over and clew itself, the activeweasel had pounced upon its belly, and buried his claws inthe soft flesh, while, at the same time, his teeth were madefast in the throat! In vain the porcupine struggled. The other rode himwith such agility, that he was unable to get right side upagain; and in a few moments the struggle would have endedby the porcupines throat being cut; but we saw that it wastime for us to interfere ; and, slipping Castor and Polluxfrom the leash, we ran forward. The dogs soon drove the marten from his victim, biithe did not run from them. On the co


Size: 1306px × 1913px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookiddeserthomeor, bookyear1900