not dare go very near while Prickly Porky was rolling and kicking
around so, for fear that he would get against some of the thousand
little spears Prickly Porky carries hidden in his coat. Prickly Porky
did as he was told. Indeed, he was so weak from his long struggle that
he was glad to. Unc' Billy caught hold of the piece of bark hanging
from Prickly Porky's mouth. Then he braced himself and pulled with all
his might. For a minute the piece of bark held. Then it gave way so
suddenly that Unc' Billy fell over flat on his back. Unc' Billy
scrambled to his feet and looked reprovingly at Prickly Porky, who lay
panting for breath, and with big tears rolling down his face.

[Illustration: Then he braced himself and pulled with all his might.
_Page 30._]

"Ah cert'nly am surprised, Brer Porky; Ah cert'nly am surprised that
yo' should be so greedy that yo' choke yo'self," said Unc' Billy,
shaking his head.

Prickly Porky grinned weakly and rather foolishly. "It wasn't greed,
Unc' Billy. It wasn't greed at all," he replied.

"Then what was it, may Ah ask?" demanded Unc' Billy severely.

"I thought of something funny right in the middle of my meal, and I
laughed just as I started to swallow, and the piece of bark went down
the wrong way," explained Prickly Porky. And then, as if the mere
thought of the thing that had made him laugh before was too much for
him, he began to laugh again. He laughed and laughed and laughed,
until finally Unc' Billy quite lost patience.