TWO 'POSSUMS 169 



nest of leaves and feathers, and the nose was 

 followed in turn by an open, well-toothed mouth 

 and a quite unnecessary amount of snarling, of that 

 quiet guttural kind that 'possums delight in. 



'Possum One cared not to risk an encounter with 

 one so much larger than himself, and so ill-tempered 

 too. It was better to wait a short time, just to let 

 his amiable tenant see that he was not afraid. Oh 

 dear, no ! Never even thought of such a thing 1 

 Then, to show how entirely friendly was his visit, 

 he wished to know if 'Possum Two would care to 

 join him in a walk to the hen-house. It was only 

 a short distance away, and as it was late in the 

 afternoon he felt sure the chickens would be home, 

 and even if they were not, they could hide and wait 

 until they did return. All this was said in the 

 same sort of language that a dog uses when he 

 comes into a room where another dog is lying, and 

 asks him what he thinks of going off for a hunt ; 

 and off they go, one at a time, so as not to attract 

 attention until clear of the house. So went our 

 'possums. In the lead was 'Possum One, with 

 'Possum Two following a few yards behind. Up 

 the lane they went, keeping careful lookout. When 

 halfway along they saw a man coming their way, 

 so they quickly (and 'possums can do things 

 quickly) crept in between the stones of the wall 

 that edged the lane. Their enemy having passed, 

 they came out cautiously and once more resumed 

 their way to the farmyard. On arriving there 

 'Possum One went ahead, on past the corn-stack 

 and the stables, past the corn-crib and towards the 

 small hen-house. Everything seemed quiet and 



