156 
WILD AMERICANS 
Buck gave the limb a tremendous jerking and shak' 
ing, and sure enough, down the animal tumbled. It 
struck some bushy limbs as it dropped and really fell 
but a short distance from the last limb to the ground. 
The Negroes were shouting and laughing. The dogs 
barked wildly and were ordered back. Buck climbed 
down as fast as he could. 
There on the ground, in the light of the torches, 
lay what appeared to be an animal similar to a giant 
rat, larger than a cat, all curled up and lying very 
still. 
“Aw'W'W, he’s dead!” Ginger mourned. “I want' 
ed to see him alive.” 
“He not daid, honey,” one old man assured her. 
“He just c sullin.’ ” 
“He’s what?” asked Buck. 
Uncle Ely answered this time. 
“The ’possum is just playing dead, children,” said 
Uncle Ely. “He really isn’t hurt. He will always pre' 
tend to be dead when his enemies are near, and he is 
one of the few beasts in the world which have this 
method of defense. He hopes we will think him dead, 
and so go away and leave him alone. Most of his 
natural enemies, even dogs that aren’t trained, would 
do so.” 
