214 THE TIRGINIAN OPOSSUM. 



would have been just as visible ; and as we bad no 

 axe, I was at a loss to understand what was the next 

 thing to be done. Not so my companion ; for, taking 

 his torch, the negro soon collected a huge pile of brush 

 and logs, which he placed at about forty feet from the 

 base of the tree, at whose foot the dogs were so merrily 

 barking, and set it on fire. As soon as the fire began 

 to sparkle and crackle fiercely, my friend, requesting 

 me to follow, went to the further side of the tree, and, 

 seating himself about fifteen yards off the tree, re- 

 quested me to seat myself just behind him, he having 

 the trunk of the tree upon which was the varmint be- 

 tween himself and the hugre brushwood fire. The 

 fire continued to burn each moment more brightly, 

 and the tree that intervened between us and it became 

 more prominent, and its outline more distinct, until the 

 most minute branch and leaf was perfectly visible. 



' Now,' said my host, ' follow with your eye the trunk 

 of the tree, up one side and down the other, and then 

 look on the branches, and see if you can discover any- 

 tlnng that looks like an excrescence upon any of 

 them.' 



It 



'Is not that something about three parts up, be- 

 tween the large branch on the right side and the one 

 next it ? ' 



'^ There is something there, but I do not think it 

 large enough for our game,' said my companion. 



Nevertheless, he raised his rifle, sighted, pulled the 



