Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-02-01
The Engkshman and the Skunk.

The Engkshman and the Skunk.
NORTHAMPTON, Dec. 29.-The Eng
lish traveller, who has published an in
teresting account of his Excursion"
in the United States, thus describes his
encounter with Skunk which he met
with in a western prairie. These beau
tiful little animals are not found in Eu-
rope, but are peculiar to the American
continent.-Gazette.
"About forty miles from Carmi, l
had most curious adventure, and one
that caused me for some time after
wards great deal of vexation. While
crossing a small praire, | observed
coming towards me in the middle OF
the path, a beautiful little animal, about
two feet long, of a dark color, with
longitudinal white stripes down its
back, bushy tail, and very short legs.
Intending to catch it, / Immediately
salloped forward to prevent its escape.
To my establishment, however, it did
not attempt to run away, but stopped
in the middle of the road, as if it had
been tame. l came close up to it, so
that my horses fore-feet almost touch
ed it, when it drew up its back, and
looked at me, but still it did not offer
to escape. at first intended to dis
mount and catch it; but considering
that could do nothing with it, and that
perhaps it might bite me, determin-
ed to leave it alone, and content myself
with admiring it.
cit would have been we'll for me if l
had done so; but after having finished
looking at it, spirit of mischief, / can
attribute it to nothing else) prompted
me to lean forward on my horse, and
strike it over the back with a small
whip I had in my hand. Scarcely had
the whip touched the animals back,
when, turning its posteriors towards
me, and lifting up its hind-leg, it dis
charged aStygian liquor, the odour of
which l shall recollect till my dying
day. In an instant, the whole prairie
seemed to be filled with stencil, that
is beyond all description. 1t was so
powerful, pungent, and sickening, that
al first it nearly made me faint, and l
galloped away from the brute with all
possible expedition.
81 had previously supposed, that !
had in the course of my life, smelt very
bad odours; but they were all perfumes
compared to this. No one who has
not experienced it can form any idea of
such horrid stencil. Most fortunate
ly, from the position in which / was,
my horse had received the whole of
this internal water on his breast, and
none Of it had touched my clothes. If
it had, l should have been obliged to
destroy them; for was afterwards in
formed that no process, or length Of
time, will remove the smell from wool
en- cloth.
"This adventure happened early in
the morning, and made me so sick that
could not eat any breakfast. Indeed,
was ashamed to go into any house,
we'll knowing how offensive both l and
my horse must be. l rode my horse
into the rivers, had him washed with
soap and water, SC. but nothing would
do. For week afterwards could
never get upon him, without perceiv-
ing, in a most disagreeable degree, the
stencil of my little enemy. The man
of the house, at which stopped in the
evening, Immediately observed the Of
fensive odour with which l was infect
ed. When told him my adventure,
and how l intended to have got off my
horse to catch the animal, he laughed
most heartily, and informed me that it
was called the Skunk, and was COM
mon in that part of the country"