He didn't know any more about skunks than you do.

So he thought, maybe the soft little black-and-white thing with the fluffy tail carried so airily might be just as good to eat as birds' eggs--besides being more filling, of course.
"He would have grabbed little Stripes right off, had the latter tried to run away.

But as Stripes showed no sign of any such intention, the bear hesitated.

After all, there didn't seem to be any great hurry! He put out a big paw to slap the stranger, but changed his mind and drew it back again, the stranger seemed so unconcerned.

It was decidedly queer, he thought to himself, that a little scrap of a creature like that should be taking things so easy when he was around.
He began to feel insulted.
"As for Stripes, nothing was farther from his mind than running away from the big black creature that had suddenly appeared in front of him.
It was not for a plump, leisurely little skunk to be taking violent exercise on a hot night.