They then
prepared traps of various kinds--some made by an elastic stick bent
down, with a noose at the end, placed at a small entrance left
purposely in the hen-house, so that, when the skunk was about to
enter, he touched a spring, and the stick released, flew into the
air carrying the animal with it with the noose round its neck;
other traps let fall a heavy piece of wood, which crushed the
invader; and in these ways the skunks were pretty well got rid of,
the most unpleasant work being the removal of the body from the
trap. This had to be effected by taking hold of it with two pieces
of wood, for the odor was so powerful that if the body was touched
the smell would remain on the hands for days.
They had now added another species of domestic animal to their
stock, but this was the boys' charge. Mr. Hardy, when the pumpkins
began to ripen, bought six pigs. They were of little trouble, for
although a sty was built for them, they were allowed to wander
about as they pleased by day, another wire being added to the fence
round the cultivated land, to keep them from trespassing. The crop
of pumpkins was enormous; and Mr. Hardy determined that no pigs
should be killed for eighteen months, by which time, as these
animals increase rapidly, there would be quite a large herd of
them.
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