Wild scenes and wild hunters of the world . these sounds, and soon we hear the eagerwinning of the dogs, through all the noise of their barkingWe are very close now; and bursting through the thicketcome upon them, all leaping up against a fence-corner of theplantation; there, showing plain against the moon, and hang-ing by the tail from a limb of that bare persimmon over thefence, we see the great grey possum savagely grinning at thescene below, with his long, white teeth full bared! Hah ! hah ! hah ! what yells of merry laughter greet thegrotesque sight! Some point their fingers at his shame-
Wild scenes and wild hunters of the world . these sounds, and soon we hear the eagerwinning of the dogs, through all the noise of their barkingWe are very close now; and bursting through the thicketcome upon them, all leaping up against a fence-corner of theplantation; there, showing plain against the moon, and hang-ing by the tail from a limb of that bare persimmon over thefence, we see the great grey possum savagely grinning at thescene below, with his long, white teeth full bared! Hah ! hah ! hah ! what yells of merry laughter greet thegrotesque sight! Some point their fingers at his shame-facedgrins, some pelt him with rotten boughs caught up from thedry leaves at our feet; while the dogs yell louder still, andleaping against the tree and fence fall back in scramblesbetween our leo-s. Ha, yah! ole boy! what do dar, grinnin at dat moon?St^eal^more ole hen, suck more eggs, nudder night, will Come out dat! dat curl-tail no hold whar dis child cHmb and up starts a young darkie to shake him out. 68 WILD SCENES AND WILD Yah! yah! see dat possum laugh! grin nudder sideyous mout fore long, ole chicken thief! Shake he, Josh! shake hard, nigger! he hold on goodwid he curl-tail! Ha ! yah! whoop! hear he growl! now dat possum laugh !dar he come! A simultaneous rush,—screams, shrieks, growls, all min-gled for an instant, while we beat off the dogs, and then he isswung in triumph above their heads by the tallest of the the well known trick of the opossum, in feigning to bedead, affords new amusement; and he is surrounded by hismerry torturers, who, amidst noisy clamors, tease him in athousand ingenious ways to make him show signs of life, THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 69 though all but the greener ones take good care not to givehim too good a chance to bite, which he sometimes does withseverity while thus playing possum. Sometimes he is treed in a large tree, and then the firemust be built, and a serious job we have of it to get at him ;but the attempt is s
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookpublishe, booksubjecthunting
