60 SPORT IN NORTH AMERICA. 



and cut off a large bunch of twigs, -svliicli tlie 



negro picked up laughing. " Never mind," cried 

 my friend, reloading his gun, and, without paying 

 the slightest attention either to the laughter of 

 the black or the smile I had upon my face, he 

 recommenced his examination of the branches of 

 the tree. Twice again did he fire off his gun in- 

 effectually; but, after the third shot, a prolonged 

 growl proceeding from an object which fell upon 

 the ground before us, was succeeded by a loud 

 hurrah. An enormous opossum w^as struggling in 

 the agonies of death, and the negro, having deli- 

 cately seized him by the tail, relit the torch at the 

 dying embers of the pile, and we soon made our way 

 back to the house, where, around a capital fire and 

 cheered by a good supper and some delicious 

 champagne, we congratulated our skilful host upon 

 his important discovery in hunting opossums. 



During my stay at Philadelphia in 1845, I met 

 y\J with a certain Mr. David Crockett, an original 

 ^ genius, whom his fellow-citizens had elected captain 

 of the militia of the place. Although a Yankee, he 

 quite believed himself a second Robin Hood, for he 

 declared that he had never yet fired off a gun with- 

 out hitting his mark. Fur or feather, nothing 

 escaped his eagle sight. One of his friends told 

 the following anecdote one evening in his presence : 

 *' Crockett's aim is so c'rect, that when he goes a 

 gunnin', if a 'possum happens to see him, he puts 



