The record-union., 1894-09-24
PAIGE AND His SHASTA POLECAF.
The Latter's Fondness for the Funny
Newspaper Man.
An Ex-Sacramentan Relates His Expe-
rience While A-Fishing
Up in Shasta.

A correspondent of the Forest and
Stream who signs himself "Ransacker,"
but whose style plainly shows that the
writer is G. l.. Paige, a newspaper man
well known in this city, thus relates re-
cent experience while on a fishing expe-
dition in the hills of Shasta:
The other morning before daybreak
was out In very rough section of mount
AIMS ana picking my way down a canyon
to trout stream. | had got partly down
TO the water when / reached bench
Whlch oVerhung the slope SO that could
see down long, winding avenue of inn
inense pines and frs, lodges of time
stained rock and huge granite powders,
great logs and piles ot drifted debris from
mountains piled above, through which
The roaring, foaming stream tumbied
eastward. 1t was good point from
whlch 10 see the sun rise, as / guessed it
would come up in line with the canyon,
and as 1t was yet early and cold for fish
ing, | decided to wait awhile.
ne sun was coloring the horizon in a
fashion often described, but forever vary
ing In combination, and l was prepared
to make mental snapshot view of its
nrst beam, when polecat attracted my
notlce. 1he animal was either a pOlecat
or skunk. There may be a Latin name
Tor him more genteel and less suggestive,
put cannot command it; in any case he
was one OF iarge-SiZed species, beauti-
fully marked in his coat of bright, shiny
black, with stripes of white that looked
like snowy white harness. He was act
lively engaged in the erratic and TO me
mex plicable business OF trotting about.
some yards below me. peeking into all
the cracks and crevices OF the rocks; stop
ping. turning this way and that; and /
wondered what he was after.
w lille l watched | suppose the ami
mai started away in every direction that
radlated from his constant changes of
base. Whatever he was looking for he
did not seem TO lind it and | began to
hope. after while he would give up his
quest and go home; but when he did be-
gin 10 move away from where lie was he
began To come in my direction. OF course
he Kept up his tactics of shifting this way
and that, but he was coming, as il
seemed, inevitably. He was very nice
looking, abie-bOdied polscat, corpulont
and prosperous in appearance, and | pre-
sumed, with reasonable Judgment, that
he was IN possession OF all his faculties
and that he had them with him.
Il coughed-a sort of a forced cough
frequently practiced to attract attention
and he stopped, spread his tail aloft like
leathery canopy. jumped sIdewise
once, ike wild hog, and then forgot
everything and kent coming in his erratic
but inevitable manner. The bench that
was oD-that we were both on-was
narrow, at either side it was precipitous. /
wanted TO go down; the polecat was COM
ing up and had the only path. l scraped
my shoes, struck my tish-pole on the
rock, and said 'Scatn He stopped again,
stood on his hands for moment, then on
his all-fours, seemed to think awhile,
then forgot everything and continued. in
various attitudes to advance.
nave complete control over nv ad-
m1ratlon of skunks, or polecats. which
ever they are, and l never forgot our rela-
tive positions in society," l had hitherto
maintained formal aud proper barrier
OF distance to separate and distinguish
our different social standing. | have in
varlably met their advances beyoud a
certain point with cold austerity. or |
always retired and refused them an
interview. Upon this occasion, how
ever, 1t would appear that l had, without
intending it, made the first advances into
his circle and he intended to make the
most of his opportunity. Before l could
hnd any loose fragments of rock with
which L now proposed to bonn bard him if
he did not retire, | was aware that il
would be impolitic to begin actual
hostilities as he had approached quite
near me and seemed not only prepared to
resent insult, but rather anxious for me to
strike the first blow so he would have
the law OH his side. 1t appeared that he
would rather enjoy a conflict from the |
way he smiled.
never could throw missile with as
surance Of producing instant fatality.
and now L hesltated. / did not want TO |
una MAIN or olehd MIN or cause him to suf-
fer any torture-I only wanted to kill |
him suddenly. In the meantime he |
round like weather vane. |
stood on his hands, famed himself with |
his tail and pretended that he liked me.
After considerable active thinking, / |
concluded thatlf l could withdraw grace |
fully had better climb back up the hill |
although 1t was steep, rough climb and |
the sun was now shining warmly upon |
the dry rocks, pouring its beams upon the |
position in which | stood. The |
polecat seemed 10 enjoy the sun, and as |
he warmed himself he wanted TO be more |
and more friendly. l exclaimed 'Histp |
and scat! and threatened to throw rocks |
at him, but he only stood on his hands. |
then on his elbows, famed himself gently |
with his tail and smiled assuringly.
Il admire activity, and even labor con-
serVatIvely, but L abhor a useless ex-
penditure of strength and force, and | !
sighed and perspired as l re-ascended the
hill cautiously as the sun grew hotter If |
L stumbled. the polecat was inclined to
be emotional, and if a loose rock rolled
down to him, he manifested excitement-
but he came right along up with me.
There were many nice holes in the rocks
where he could have gone and STAYED.
but he only peeked into them, and about
the time L thought he would branch off
ana give me chance to throw rock
from good safe range. he would sud-
denly corduroy" (aS Mr.. Hough saws
they do on skis in the snow. and become
SO adjacent to me that l had not the heart
10 hurt him.
"Some time after | had become i'm
patient and weary and warm In the broil-
ing sun, the polecat and | reached the top
Of the hill where there was better
ground and some trees. AS soon as |
reached big tree L lodged behind it
and went away abruptly. l succeeded
in reaching a log at seemiy distance
from the eccentric animal and now
thought he must be satisfied, having got
me up the hill, and that he would with
draw and permit me to retrace my steps
down the cliff and regain my fish-pole.
He missed me all at once and seemed
quite forlorn and sorrowful He shed
around anxiously for many moments.
sat down and communed with himself.
scratched his northwest ear with his
southwest paw, wandered aimlessly here
and there, and then gradually shifted
back down to where we had met-where
my fish-pole was. Probably he con-
ectured that would go back there and
be would renew his operations and over
lures.
AT last I was in commanding posi-
ton / wouId diSaDDoint him Re I,o 30