ten or a dozen of his companions. The female has a nest in
one part, made of grass and leaves, where she brings forth her young--
having from five to nine kittens at a birth.

"`Strange as it may appear, the Indians, as well as many white men--
hunters and others--eat the flesh of this animal, and pronounce it both
savoury and agreeable--equal, as they allege, to the finest roast pig.
So much for the skunk and his habits. Now to the making of our salt.'"

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

THE SALT SPRING.

"We had now arrived on the banks of the salt creek; but as we saw the
cliff close by, and knew that we must be near the spring which supplied
this little rivulet, we resolved to travel on to the fountain-head. A
few hundred yards farther brought us to the spring, and it was well
worth travelling a little farther to see.

"Near the bottom of the cliff were several round objects, looking like
half globes, or bowls turned upon their mouths. They were of a whitish
colour, resembling white quartz rock; and of all sizes, from that of a
large baking oven to the size of a wooden dish. In the top of each
there was a round cavity--like a little crater of a volcano--and in this
the blue water bubbled and boiled as though a hot fire was in the ground
underneath them. There were in all nearly twenty of these, but many of
them were without the crater-like cavity in the top; and through the
latter, of course, no water escaped to the creek. These were old ones,
that had ceased to run.

"It was evident that these oven-looking mounds had been formed by the
water itself, which had been depositing the sediment that formed them
for many, many years. Around some of them there grew beautiful plants
and shrubs, whose leaves and flowers hung over, trailing in the water;
and from the cliff above long vines crept out, covered with gay scarlet
blossoms. Bushes of wild currants grew all around, and the fragrance of
their leaves scented the air. It was altogether a sweet, cool spot, and
filled us with feelings of enjoyment.

"After we had satisfied our curiosity in examining these objects, we
prepared to make our salt. Frank and Harry collected armfuls of dry
wood for the fire, while Cudjo erected a crane in his usual fashion.
Upon this the kettle was suspended, and filled with crystal water out of
one of the natural basins. The fire soon blazed under it, and we had
nothing more to do than wait until the evaporation should be completed