She decided that she would only go out once more in order to get just
two roots which she wanted, and then she would settle down for the
winter. But this once more was just once too often, for,
unfortunately, the man was on the watch, and, just as Pero was coming
slowly out of her burrow, she received a stinging blow on the nose,
which completely stunned her.

This is why the porcupine always takes special care to protect its
head by rolling itself into a ball. Any blow or wound on the nose is
capable of completely stunning it, and for the time being it can be
handled and carried away.

Pero was a fine specimen of a porcupine. She was about three feet and
a half in length, and stood about a foot and a half high. Therefore
she was well worth having, and, owing to her size, she was kept alive.

When she recovered her senses, she found herself in an iron cage, with
a cold, stone floor, and she realized, after many futile efforts to
get out, that she was a prisoner.

Here she stayed, for the man kept her as a curiosity, and, although
she fretted and grieved for a time at the loss of her babies, as the
winter grew on she began to get very, very sleepy, and by the time she
woke up had forgotten all about her burrow--all about her winter home,
and all about her little ones.

But, as she had comfortable quarters, good food and an easy life, she
grew, in time, accustomed to her prison. She made the best of it, and
soon became not only quite tame, but even fond of the man who had made