We soon arrived at a large hole in a gum-tree round which the dogs began barking, leaving us no doubt that several opossums were ensconced within. Our first care was to collect a quantity of sticks and green leaves; when, a fire being kindled inside the hole, the smoke began to ascend, filling the whole of the cavity, which extended to where the boughs branched off. The moon having risen, we could see almost as well as in daylight. Before long, three or four little creatures emerged from the hole and began to make their way upwards. One, however, almost suffocated by the smoke, fell to the ground; when the dogs, instantly pouncing upon it, would have torn it to pieces had not their master pulled them off. Guy shot another, and two more were brought to the ground by the sticks which the rest of us hove at them before they had recovered their senses, after having been so unexpectedly smoked out of their nests.
We were equally successful with two other trees, round which the dogs gave tongue, and after an hour’s hunting we returned carrying our prizes, which took Bracewell and his shepherd some time to clean.
“Of course opossum hunting is but tame work, I’ll allow,” exclaimed Bracewell while washing his hands after having cleaned the last of the beasts; “but as you are both good horsemen and have steady nerves we will to-morrow go in chase of some wild cattle which have appeared in the bush not far off. I should not object to kill a couple of them, as we are in want of fresh meat and I cannot afford to slaughter my sheep. Perhaps on the way we may fall in with a kangaroo, which is sure to give us good sport.”
Next morning found us all three galloping along through the open forest. We trusted entirely to Bracewell’s guidance, for before we had gone a mile, I confess I should have had a difficulty in finding my way back again.
“We are in luck,” cried Bracewell, as in less than half an hour we caught sight of four head of the wild cattle we were in search of. As we approached they began pawing on the ground, sticking out their tails and looking anything but amiable.
“They will charge if we don’t take care,” observed Bracewell. “Shout and crack your whips, that will make them show us their flanks.”
We had, I should have said, our guns in readiness, and a brace of pistols in our belts, so that we were
well armed for the encounter with a wild bull, who, looking upon human beings and every other animal as enemies, was a dangerous character to engage.
Bracewell had before instructed us how to act under such ordinary circumstances as were likely to occur. The cracking of our whips, and our loud shouts, at length frightened the three bulls, and instead of running at us they turned tail and off they went.