An episode appeared twice a month
in The Michigan Farmer magazine.
Whitepaw Discovers a Pincushion
We met Uncle Joe in the forest the next day. He was looking at a clump
of evergreen trees when we first saw him.
"All the fires out?" I hailed him gaily.
Uncle Joe smiled and shook his head. "I have a little time off.
A relief man is taking my place in the tower until I get back."
"What are you doing out in the forest, Uncle Joe?" Jerry
asked innocently.
Uncle Joe's eyes twinkled. "Two things," he said. "First,
I came out here to see how the cedar trees are getting along. Second,
I expected to meet you two coming over to the tower and I wanted to
show you where Whitepaw found a pincushion."
"A what?" Jerry gasped.
"Well, it wasn't really a pincushion," Uncle Joe explained.
"Let's sit down on this log and I'll tell you about it.
"In the last story," Uncle Joe began, "you will remember
Whitepaw had run on ahead of the mother bear and Blackpaw. As he sniffed
here and there investigating everything he came across, he came suddenly
upon one of the strangest things he had ever seen in his young life.
It was about as big as a very large football and had several thousand
pin-like things sticking into it."
"It was a porcupine, wasn't it, Uncle Joe?" Jerry asked.
"Your first guess is correct," Uncle Joe said approvingly.
"But haven't you anything to add?"
"Well, porcupines can throw their quills, can't they?" asked
Jerry.
"That is what many people think, unfortunately," said Uncle
Joe. "But the truth of the matter is that they can't throw their
quills. Most of the quills are located on the back and in the tail.
The smaller quills are in the sides and when the porcupine rolls up
it sticks its head underneath, draws its legs in, and looks very much
like an enlarged pincushion.
"When the porcupine's enemy comes too close, as Whitepaw did in
his exploration of this new thing in the woods, out go the quills into
whatever they strike.
"Whitepaw was sniffing and sniffing around the porcupine. When
he saw that it did not move, he sniffed a little closer. His progress
made him bolder and he moved still closer. He was, by this time, about
three feet from the porcupine. A little growl arose in his throat and
he put out a paw.
"The porcupine was not frightened. He had met bears before, bears
much larger than the cub which was now growling at him. He was waiting
for Whitepaw to move just a little closer.
"Whitepaw stuck out a paw. Nothing happened. He moved up a little
and cautiously smelled at the strange creature. His little nose worked
up and down in excitement.
"Smack! I guess Whitepaw thought a thousand beehives had been
dumped on top of his nose all at once. When his nose had been stuck
out, the porcupine had whisked out its tail. When the tail came away
from Whitepaw's nose it left ten quills sticking in the little bear's
nose and around his eyes.
"Whitepaw was stunned for an instant. Then he let out a growl
of pain and started pawing at his nose. He sat down and pawed. He stood
up and pawed. Nothing seemed to do any good.
"When the mother bear and Blackpaw came up, Whitepaw was in real
pain. She cuffed Blackpaw and seemed to be trying to tell the cub to
stay away from the porcupine. Then she turned to Whitepaw. She seemed
to look at him sadly, for being an old bear, wise in the ways of the
woods she knew that she could not help him."
"School was over for the day and the mother bear headed for the
den, with Blackpaw following and Whitepaw close behind. Now and then
he would stop and paw at the quills and growl in pain."
"How did you know there were just ten quills?" Jerry asked.
"I counted them," said Uncle Joe.
"You did?" Jerry gasped. "And what happened to Whitepaw?"
"Well," said Uncle Joe, knowingly, "the quills have
a little hook-like affair on the end of them and they work into the
flesh instead of out. If they work in far enough, they cause death.
"But that is all for today. I must go on with my work," said
Uncle Joe, and we watched him disappear in the direction of the tower.
Click HERE to read "Whitepaw
Gets Help"
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© 2004 Leo VanMeer
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