"■Ji'ARS AND POSSUMS" 385 



'"What fer? Fer ter tell Massa Branscomb, and 

 den he'll tak' de dogs out! 'Tain't often B'ars come 

 near de cabins, dough de far woods am full ob 'em ! ' 



" 'Twarn't an hour afore de dogs was out, and I could 

 hear 'em yelpin'. Dere was most twenty of 'em. All 

 kin's, — some hounds, some tarriers, and some not any 

 kind at all. I heard 'era go along down de edge toward 

 Liza's cabin, and den when Grip — he war an ole hound — 

 let a yell, I knowd dey had struck de track ! Well ! 

 well! Sambo he neber come back till nigh mornin'. 

 He 'lowed dey had a long run and a glor'us fight wid 

 dat B'ar. Dat Massa Johns (he was de oberseer) was 

 clawed, and Grip was bit, and two cur dogs got kill'd ; 

 for dat B'ar jest backed against a tree, and fight all ober 

 till Massa Branscomb shoot him in de side ! 



"Massa gib Sambo some ob der best meat, 'cause he 

 found de B'ar tracks, a leaf o' fat, some libber, and er 

 chunk er rump, and nex' day we chop it all up wif 

 bac'n and peppers, and tie it tight in dat leaf er fat, 

 and fry it in der pan. It mak' de finest eatin' sassage 

 in de worl' ! Sambo he got er taste er sport and meat, 

 and 'lowed he liked 'em boff, so nex' night, seein' dere 

 was a moon, he went for Possums wid de Randolph 

 boys, — Caesar, Job, and Marcus-Rely us. Dey had 

 some or'nery dogs, and Sambo took de axe, and he 

 'lowed to know where dere was fine 'Possums. 



" Way dey do, dey get de dogs on de track, and 

 follers 'em close up. Sometimes de Possum'U get co't 

 on de ground, and den he roll up and play daid, and 

 get kilt easy. Odder times he hide in de tree hole, 

 and dey hab to cut down der tree, and odder times he 

 stick to a branch and curl his tail aroun', and den de 



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