Jan. 25, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
A ’Possum Hunt with the Children. 
Raleigh, N. C., Dec. 21. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: We get very near to nature in the 
woods by daylight, but at night we seem to 
come even closer yet. What can be finer than 
a soft night in the splendid Indian summer of 
the South when glorious as are the days, the 
nights are simply inspiring: when the young 
moon looms above the horizon and streaks of 
pale gold and azure lie as level as lances below 
it, while underneath the forest, half green, half 
gold, seems like a work of art by the mightiest 
of all artists. On such a night as this there 
gathered here in November, equipped for a de¬ 
lightful sport, that of ’possum hunting, no 
fewer than 107 grown-ups and children, under 
my direction, the place of rendezvous being the 
Confederate Monument at the Capitol Square, 
which is the starting point usually chosen. 
There was Rich Pool and his trusty pair of 
’possum dogs, Buster Brown and Lawyer. 
Across his shoulder was a gunnysack, destined 
to be a- receptacle for ’possums, and on one 
arm was a lantern to take the place of pine- 
splinters or knots, the old-time light of night- 
hunters, but which has spread many an un¬ 
witting fire, and thus caused the destruction of 
fair forests. People gathered, laughing, to see 
the trooping boys and girls, with every variety 
of dress and head gear, children and dogs alike 
wild with expectancy. 
The time came for the start, and away we 
swung down a side street, forming line from 
curb to curb and singing with a will, “In the 
Evening by the Moonlight,” while presently the 
tune changed and people along the way heard 
the swinging strains of “Lindy and the Water¬ 
melon Vine.” One merit, and no small one, of 
'little cities like Raleigh is that it is not far to 
the woods, so delight came quickly. Gentle was 
the night; not a sound. The whip-poor-wills 
had retired weeks before. Nature was asleep, 
but oh! the odors, the balsamic ones of the 
pines; the inexpressible sweetness of the sweet- 
gum; delicious smells seemed to fairly rise from 
the earth and run riot through the soft air. 
Above our heads as we stepped into the woods 
were the many-colored trees, while underneath 
the falling leaves made nature’s own carpet. 
Our hunter, Pool, was- as interested as the 
children, for never in all his life had he seen 
so large a body in the woods at night. The 
older heads had, before we left the town, told us 
Ave would never see a ’possum, much less catch 
one, but they did not know what leadership 
could do. The children were very discreetly 
kept back and hushed into remarkable quietness, 
while Pool and his dogs went a little into the 
woods, whence presently there came the cheer¬ 
ful notes of the hounds. 
There is a peculiar sort of glamor about a 
'possum dog, which does not hang around the 
ordinary rabbit hound. A negro or a white 
possum hunter ranks his dog considerably 
above even a setter or pointer. As a matter of 
act a negro ’possum hunter regards his dogs 
is producers, a sort of bread winners or rather 
meat winners for himself and family, so to 
Apeak. There is close touch between the 
possum hunter and his dog. Their night 
ambles, under the pale rays of the moon or in 
hose even more favorable dark nights, have 
nought about a very near relationship between 
nan and brute. Pool had his ax ready for use. 
though he hoped no tree-cutting would be 
necessary, as in these days trees are becoming 
too valuable to be carelessly destroyed, though 
to be sure a ’possum hunter would not think 
it waste to cut down a three-foot poplar to get 
a six-pound ’possum, but if they can be shaken 
out, so much the better. 
The dogs ranged further, and presently one 
of them stopped and gave vent to very peculiar 
barks. Pool with the air of an expert an¬ 
nounced that his dog was telling him that the 
trail was too' cold and that this particular 
’possum which made it was not to tie had for all 
the quest. Pool added, ‘‘Nothing doing,” the 
warwhoop was given, the children came up and 
the hunter moved toward a lower part of the 
woods, where there were clumps of reeds and 
a tortuous streamlet or branch, very nearly dry, 
since the autumn in this part of the South was 
remarkable for its absence of rain. The dogs 
forged forward again and quickly there came 
very decisive barking. They were running the 
trail and soon the baying at a fixed point 
showed that a ’possum has been located. Away 
we went, for Pool said it was a safe thing, with 
more than a hundred children, sounding like a 
herd of elephants sweeping through the woods. 
Suddenly there were yells, denoting 'extreme 
fright, the sound of swift-running feet and a 
strange noise, like a cry of distress from some 
great animal. A girl and two boys had fallen 
over a cow, asleep in the woods, and the fright 
was mutual. 
The hounds held their post- at the tree, which 
turned out to be a small but tall white oak. 
Pool put his lantern on top of his head and in 
this way could see the eyes of the much- 
coveted ’possum, which was on a limb some 
twenty feet from the ground. Around the tree 
the children formed in a ring, and never will I 
forget the sight of their faces, all looking at the 
ball of fur up there in the half-dark, whose 
piercing eyes looked like beads. Up the tree 
“swarmed” a twelve-year-old boy, encouraged 
by tremendous cheering and hand-clapping. The 
dogs were held back, and at the third shake of 
the limb, down came the ’possum, striking the 
ground heavily, and bouncing like a ball, only 
to be taken by the back of the neck by a bold 
boy, who held him aloft, the ’possum as usual 
opening his mouth and showing rows of sharp 
white teeth. Into the bag he went, after he 
had been duly admired, and a war-dance was ex¬ 
ecuted by the whole outfit, while Pool received 
congratulations from everybody and was duly 
elated. 
Luck had been so prompt that we decided to 
have a camp-fire and incidentally cook supper 
and hear some yarns, Pool to do the telling. 
One of his stories was about the relative 
prowess of the raccoon and the ’possum. He 
said: “You all may not know it, but it is a 
fact just the same, that a ’possum will whip a 
’coon every time. I remember once we went 
down on Swift Creek, a few miles from here, 
and up a gum tree near the edge of an old 
slough in which there was a little water, treed 
one of the biggest ’coons I ever saw. We got 
him out, and as soon as he fell, he reared up 
on his legs, swelled up and went right at our 
dogs. He whipped one and then the other 
came in and the two handled him, but I grabbed 
him and we brought him home without his be¬ 
ing hurt. I had heard it said by old hunters 
1 37 
that a ’possum could whip a 'coon, but I really 
never believed it. 
I wanted to test it, so I put the ’coon in a 
big box and fed him up fine, so lie was all 
right. A little later, we got a good-sized 
’possum, but not near as big as the ’coon, and 
then I put the ’coon in the box with the 
^possum. He went right at the ’possum, but the 
’possum wasn’t scared of him at all. He tried 
to bite the ’possum, but you know a ’possum 
balls up and is hard to get hold of. The ’coon 
raked him with his feet and bit him, too, but all 
the while the ’possum kept nosing around with 
that long, keen snout of his, and I soon saw 
he was feeling for the throat of the ’coon. The 
’coon thought he was playing thunder with him, 
but lie soon found out mighty different, for the 
’possum shut down on his throat and mighty 
quick had the life out of him. This same 
’possum would be scared to death of a dog, 
even a small one, and would never think of 
fighting, but he would ball right up and lie on 
the ground like he was dead. I have seen them 
fool the dogs many a time when they fell out of 
a tree, by lying so still that the dogs thought 
they were dead.” 
Another of us told a story about the last wild¬ 
cat combat near Raleigh, this being a good 
many years ago. Alongside a creek north of the 
city i.here was and is a very heavy growth of 
high reeds, extending for half a mile on the 
border of the stream. One day a very well 
known foxhunter here was coming home late 
in the afternoon, with a fox at his saddle- 
pommel. With him was a trusty negro slave, 
both of them being on horseback, and behind 
trotted the pack of nearly a score of hounds. 
They crossed the -creek at the ford, and as they 
came alongside the reeds the sportsman saw a 
wildcat, upon which he harked the dogs, which 
rushed in, but to the surprise of all hands there 
were three wildcats Instead of one, and they 
put up such a fight as gave the dogs all they 
wanted and more, too. The white man and the 
black sprang from their horses, drew their 
hunting knives and went in to save the dogs. 
They cut and stabbed and finally killed the cats, 
but not until three dogs had been killed and 
half a dozen more badly torn and both 
men had lost plenty of blood and were fairly 
worn out, so much that they had to lie down 
and rest. They left their dead dogs behind, but 
brought the big cats into Raleigh as trophies of 
a very unexpected adventure. 
While the story-telling was going on supper 
was being cooked, and if there is anything 
better on earth than a bit of broiled ham on 
such a night, then I am not aware of it. Rocke¬ 
feller has offered big money for an appetite. If 
he can stand the pace of a North Carolina 
’possum hunt, it will give him all the appetite 
he wants. 
After supper the fire was carefully put out, 
and we looked for fresh conquests. When the 
dogs treed next time there was quite a propo¬ 
sition, for they stood around under a group of 
trees which had leaned their heads together and 
were caught by a mass of wild grapevines, the 
bullace or muscadine. The ’possum went up 
one of those trees and was somewhere in the 
mass above, but where? It took a long time to 
shine his eyes, but presently he was found and 
then five boys climbed as many trees, all con¬ 
verging toward a common point. Then there 
