Context, Style, and Language: Skipper Dan McCarthy, who is married to the fieldworker's grandmother, is sitting on the couch, smoking his pipe. Intermittent microphone noise suggests that the interviewer is unable to maintain a specific position during the narration.

Skipper Dan is very much aware of the tape recorder, but is much less nervous than in the first long story recorded at the same interview and the nervous laughter is much less evident (see notes to No. 3). His lively style is exemplified by considerable tonal variety, especially in the contrasting characterization of the three dogs.