University of Virginia Library

13. CHAPTER XIII.
WOODCRAFT.

When Carey came into the parlour he pulled off
his hat and made a profound bow; and then advanced
to the back of Ned's chair, where, in a low and
orderly tone of voice, he made the following grave
and interesting disclosure: namely, that the boys—
meaning some of the other negroes that belonged to
the plantation,—had found out what had been disturbing
the poultry-yard for some time past: that it
was not a mink, as had been given out, but nothing
less than a large old 'possum that had been traced to
a gum tree over by the river, about a mile distant:
that the boys had diskivered him (to use Carey's own
term) by some feathers near the tree; and, when
they looked into the hollow, they could see his eyes
shining “like foxfire.” He said they had been trying
to screw him out, by thrusting up a long stick cut
with a fork at the end, (an approved method of bringing
out squirrels, foxes and rabbits from their holes,
and much in practice in the country,) and tangling
it in his hair, but that this design was abandoned under
the supposition that, perhaps, Master Edward
would like to hunt him in the regular way.

Ned professed a suitable concern in the intelligence;
but inquired of Carey, whether he, as an old

sportsman, thought it lawful to hunt an opossum at
midsummer. This interrogatory set the old negro to
chuckling, and afterwards, with a wise look, to putting
the several cases in which he considered a hunt
at the present season altogether consonant with prescriptive
usage. He admitted that 'possums in general
were not to be followed till persimmon time,
because they were always fattest when that fruit was
ripe; but, when they couldn't get persimmons they
were “mighty apt” to attack the young fowls and
cut their throats: That it was good law to hunt any
sort of creature when he was known to be doing
mischief to the plantation. But even then, Carey affirmed
with a “howsomdever,” and “nevertheless,”
that if they carried young, and especially a “'possum,”
(which has more young ones than most other beasts,)
he thought they ought to be let alone until their appropriate
time. This, however, was a large male
opossum, that was known to be engaged in nefarious
practices; and, moreover, was “shocking fat;”
and therefore, upon the whole, Carey considered him
as a lawful subject of chase.

To this sagacious perpending of the question, and to
the conclusion which the veteran had arrived at, Ned
could oppose no valid objection. He, therefore, replied
that he was entirely convinced that he, Carey,
had taken a correct view of the subject; and that if
Mr. Riggs and Mr. Littleton could be prevailed upon
to lend a hand, nothing would be more agreeable
than the proposed enterprise.

We were unanimous on the proposition. Harvey
agreed to defer his return to the Brakes until the

next morning; and it was arranged that we should
be apprized by Carey when the proper hour came
round to set out on the expedition. Carey then
detailed the mode of proceeding: A watch was to
be set near the hen-roost, the dogs were to be kept
out of the way, lest they might steal upon the enemy
unawares, and destroy him without a chase; notice
was to be given of his approach; and one or two of
those on the watch were to frighten him away; and
after allowing him time enough to get back to the
woods, the dogs were to be put upon the trail and to
pursue him until he was treed.

Having announced this, the old servant bowed
again and left the room, saying, that it would be pretty
late before we should be called out, because it
was natural to these thieving animals to wait until
people went to bed; and that a 'possum was one of
the cunningest things alive.

Midnight arrived without a summons from our
leader: the family had long since retired to rest;
and we began to fear that our vigil was to end in disappointment.
We had taken possession of the settees
in the hall, and had almost dropped asleep,
when, about half past twelve, Carey came tiptoeing
through the back door and told us, in a mysterious
whisper, that the depredator upon the poultry-yard
had just been detected in his visit: that big Ben
(for so one of the negroes was denominated, to distinguish
him from little Ben,) had been out and saw
the animal skulking close under the fence in the
neighbourhood of the roost. Upon this intelligence,
we rose and followed the old domestic to the designated
spot.

Here were assembled six or seven of the negroes,
men and boys, who were clustered into a group at a
short distance from the poultry-yard. Within a hundred
paces the tall figure of big Ben was discerned,
in dim outline, proceeding cautiously across a field
until he had receded beyond our view. A nocturnal
adventure is always attended with a certain show of
mystery: the presence of darkness conjures up in
every mind an indefinite sense of fear, faint, but still
sufficient to throw an interest around trivial things,
to which we are strangers in the daytime. The little
assembly of blacks that we had just joined were
waiting in noiseless reserve for some report from Ben;
and, upon our arrival, were expressing in low and
wary whispers, their conjectures as to the course the
game had taken, or recounting their separate experience
as to the habits of the animal. It was a cloudless
night; and the obscure and capacious vault
above us showed its thousands of stars, with a brilliancy
unusual at this season. A chilling breeze
swept through the darkness and fluttered the neighbouring
foliage with an alternately increasing and
falling murmur. Some of the younger negroes stood
bareheaded, with no clothing but coarse shirts and
trowsers, shivering amongst the crowd; and, every
now and then, breaking out into exclamations, in a
pitch of voice that called down the reproof their
elders. Ned commanded all to be silent and to
seat themselves upon the ground; and while we remained
in this position, Ben reappeared and came
directly up to the circle. He reported that he had
detected the object of our quest near at hand; and

had followed him through the weeds and stubble of
the adjoining field, until he had seen him take a
course which rendered it certain that he had been
sufficiently alarmed by the rencounter to induce him
to retire to the gum. It was, therefore, Ben's advice
that Ned, Harvey, and myself, should take Carey as
a guide, and get, as fast as we could, to the neighbourhood
of the tree spoken of, in order that we
might be sure to see the capture; and that he would
remain behind, where, after a delay long enough to
allow us to reach our destination, he would put the
dogs, which were now locked up in the stable, upon
the trail; and then come on as rapidly as they were
able to follow the scent.

Ben had the reputation of being an oracle in matters
of woodcraft; and his counsel was, therefore,
implicitly adopted. Carey assured us that “there was
no mistake in him,” and that we might count upon
arriving at the appointed place, with the utmost precision,
under his piloting. We accordingly set forward.
For nearly a mile we had to travel through
weeds and bushes; and having safely accomplished
this, we penetrated into a piece of swampy woodland
that lay upon the bank of the river. Our way
was sufficiently perplexed; and, notwithstanding
Carey's exorbitant boasting of his thorough knowledge
of the ground, we did not reach the term of our
march without some awkward mistakes,—such as
taking ditches for fallen trees, and blackberry bushes
for smooth ground. Although the stars did their best
to afford us light, the thickness of the wood into
which we had advanced wrapt us, at times, in impenetrable

gloom. During this progress we were
once stopped by Harvey calling out, from some
twenty paces in the rear, that it was quite indispensable
to the success of the expedition, so far as he was
concerned, that Carey should correct a topographical
error, into which he, Mr. Riggs, found himself very
unexpectedly plunged; “I have this moment,” said
he, “been seized by the throat by a most rascally
grapevine; and in my sincere desire to get out of its
way, I find that another of the same tribe has hooked
me below the shoulders: Meantime, my hat has
been snatched from my head; and, in these circumstances,
gentlemen, perhaps it is not proper for me
to budge a foot.”

Notwithstanding these embarrassments, we at last
reached the gum tree, and “halting in his shade,”
if the tree could be said to be proprietor of any part
of this universal commodity, patiently awaited
the events that were upon the wind. The heavy
falling dew had shed a dampness through the air that
had almost stiffened our limbs with cold It was
necessary that we should remain silent; and, indeed,
the momentary expectation of hearing our followers
advance upon our footsteps fixed us in a mute and
earnest suspense. This feeling absorbed all other
emotions for a time; when finding that they were not
yet afoot, we began to look round upon the scene,
and note the novel impressions it made upon our
senses. The wood might be said to be vocal with a
thousand unearthly sounds; for, the wakeful beings
of midnight, that inhabit every spray and branch of
the forest, are endued with voices of the harshest discord.

The grove, that in daylight is resonant with
melody, is now converted into a sombre theatre of
gibbering reptiles, screeching insects and nightbirds
of melancholy and grating cries: The concert is not
loud, but incessant, and invades the ear with fiendish
notes: it arouses thoughts that make it unpleasant
to be alone. Through the trees the murky surface
of the river was discernible, by the flickering reflections
of the stars, with darkness brooding over
the near perspective; in the bosom of this heavy
shadow, a lonely taper shot its feeble ray from the
cabin window of some craft at anchor; and this was
reflected, in a long, sharp line, upon the water below
it. The fretful beat of the waves was heard almost
at our feet; and the sullen plash of a fish, springing
after his prey, occasionally reached us with strange
precision. Around us, the frequent crash of rotten
boughs, breaking under the stealthy footstep of the
marauder of the wood that now roamed for booty,
arrested our attention and deceived us with the
thought that the special object of our search was
momentarily approaching.

Still, however, no actual sign was yet given us that
our huntsmen were on their way. Harvey grew impatient
and took our old guide to task for having mistaken
his course; but Carey persisted that he was
right, and that this delay arose only from Ben's wary
caution to make sure of his game. At length, a deep-toned
and distant howl reached us from the direction
of the house.—

“Big Ben's awake now,” said Carey; “that's

Cæsar's voice, and he never speaks without telling
truth.”

We were all attention; and the tonguing of this
dog was followed by the quick yelping of four or five
others. Ned directed Carey to seat himself at the
foot of the gum tree, in order that he might prevent
the opossum from retreating into the hollow; and
then suggested that we should conceal ourselves under
the neighbouring bank.

By this time, the cries of the dogs were redoubled,
and indicated the certainty of their having fallen upon
the track of their prey. Carey took his seat, with
his back against the opening of the hollow, and we
retired to the bank, under the shelter of some large
and crooked roots of a sycamore that spread its bulk
above the water. Whilst in this retreat, the halloos
of Ben and his assistants, encouraging the dogs, became
distinctly audible, and gradually grew stronger
upon our hearing. Every moment the animation of
the scene increased; the clamour grew musical as
it swelled upon the wind; and we listened with a
pleasure that one would scarce imagine could be felt
under such circumstances, instantly expecting the
approach of our companions. It was impossible
longer to remain inactive; and, with one impulse,
we sprang from our hiding-place, and hurried to the
spot where we had left old Carey stationed as a sentinel
at the door of the devoted quadruped's home.
At this moment, as if through the influence of a
spell, every dog was suddenly hushed into profound
silence.

“They have lost their way,” said Ned, “or else

the animal has taken to the brook and confounded
the dogs. Is it not possible, Carey, that he has been
driven into a tree nearer home?”

“Never mind!” replied Carey, “that 'possom's
down here in some of these bushes watching us.
Bless you! if the dogs had treed him you would hear
them almost crazy with howling. These 'possoms
never stay to take a chase, because they are the sorriest
things in life to get along on level ground;—they
sort of hobble; and that's the reason they always
take off,—as soon as they see a body,—to their own
homes. You trust big Ben; he knows what he's
about.”

The chase, in an instant, opened afresh; and it
was manifest that the pursuers were making rapidly
for the spot on which we stood. Carey begged us to
get back to our former concealment; but the request
was vain. The excitement kept us on foot, and it
was with difficulty we could be restrained from
rushing forward to meet the advancing pack. Instead,
however, of coming down to the gum tree, the
dogs suddenly took a turn and sped, with urgent
rapidity, in a contrary direction, rending the air with
a clamour that far exceeded any thing we had yet
heard. “We have lost our chance!” cried Harvey.
“Here have we been shivering in the cold for an
hour to no purpose. What devil tempted us to leave
Ben? Shall we follow?”

“Pshaw, master Harvey!” exclaimed the old negro,—“don't
you know better than that? It's only
some varmint the dogs have got up in the woods.
When you hear such a desperate barking, and such
hard running as that, you may depend the dogs have

hit upon a gray-fox, or something of that sort, that
can give them a run. No 'possom there! Big Ben
isn't a going to let Cæsar sarve him that fashion!”

Ben's voice was heard, at this period, calling back
the dogs and reproving them for going astray; and,
having succeeded in a few minutes, in bringing them
upon their former scent, the whole troop were heard
breaking through the undergrowth, in a direction leading
immediately to the tree.

“Didn't I tell you so, young masters!” exclaimed
Carey.

“There he is! there he is!” shouted Ned. “Look
out Carey! Guard the hole! He has passed. Well
done, old fellow! I think we have him now.”

This quick outcry was occasioned by the actual
apparition of the opossum, almost at the old man's
feet. The little animal had been lying close at hand;
and, alarmed at the din of the approaching war, had
made an effort to secure his retreat. He came creeping
slily towards the tree; but, finding his passage
intercepted, had glided noiselessly by, and, in a moment,
the moving and misty object, that we had obscurely
discerned speeding with an awkward motion
through the grass, was lost to view. A few seconds
only elapsed, and the dogs swept past us with
the fleetness of the wind. They did not run many
paces before they halted at the root of a large chestnut
that threw its aged and ponderous branches
over an extensive surface, and whose distant extremities
almost drooped back to the earth. Here they
assembled, an eager and obstreperous pack, bounding
wildly from place to place, and looking up and

howling, with that expressive gesture that may be
seen in this race of animals when they are said to be
baying the moon.

This troop of dogs presented a motley assortment.
There were two conspicuous for their size
and apparently leaders of the company,—a mixture
of bound and mastiff—that poured out their
long, deep and bugle-like tones, with a fulness that
was echoed back from the farther shore of theriver,
and which rang through the forest with a strength
that must have awakened the sleepers at the mansion
we had left. Several other dogs of inferior proportions,
even down to the cross and peevish terrier
of the kitchen, yelped, with every variety of note,—
sharp, quick and piercing to the ear. This collection
was gathered from the negro families of the plantation;
and they were all familiar with the discipline of
the wild and disorderly game in which they were engaged.
A distinguished actor in this scene was our
old friend Wilful, who, true to all his master's pranks,
appeared in the crowd with officious self-importance,
bounding violently above the rest, barking with
an unnecessary zeal, and demeaning himself, in all
respects, like a gentlemanly, conceited, pragmatical
and good-natured spaniel. This canine rabble surrounded
the tree, and, with vain efforts, attempted to
scale the trunk, or started towards the outer circumference,
and jumped upwards, with an earnestness
that showed that their sharp sight had detected their
fugitive aloft.

In this scene of clamour and spirited assault Ben
and our old groom were the very masters of the
storm. They were to be seen every where exhorting,

cheering and commanding their howling subordinates,
and filling up the din with their no less persevering
and unmeasured screams.

“Speak to him Cæsar!” shouted Carey in a prolonged
and hoarse tone—“Speak to him, old fellow!
—That's a beauty!”

“Howl, Boson!” roared Ben, to another of the
dogs. “Whoop! Whoop! let him have it!—sing
out!—keep it up, Flower!”

“Wilful! you rascal,” cried Ned. “Mannerly,
keep quiet; would you jump out of your skin, old
dog?—quiet, until you can do some good.”

A rustling noise was heard in some of the higher
branches of the tree, and we became advised that
our besieged enemy was betaking himself to the
most probable place of safety. The moon, in her
last quarter, was seen at this moment, just peering
above the screen of forest that skirted the eastern
horizon; and a dim ray was beginning to relieve
the darkness of the night. This aid came opportunely
for our purpose, as it brought the top of the
chestnut in distinct relief upon the faintly illuminated
sky. The motion of the upper leaves betrayed to
Ben the position of the prey; and, in an instant, he
swung himself up to the first bough, and proceeded
urgently upward. “I see the varmint here in the
crotch of one of the tip-top branches!” he exclaimed
to us, as he hurried onward. “Look out below!”

The terrified animal, on finding his pursuer about
to invade his place of safety, speedily abandoned it;
and we could distinctly hear him making his way to
the remote extremity of the limb. As soon as he had

gained this point he became visible to us all, clinging
like an excrescence that had grown to the slender
twigs that sustained him. Ben followed as near
as he durst venture with his heavy bulk, and began
to whip the bough up and down, with a vehement
motion that flung the animal about through the air,
like a ball on the end of a supple rod. Still, however,
the way-laid freebooter kept his hold with a
desperate tenacity.

During this operation the dogs, as if engrossed
with the contemplation of the success of the experiment,
had ceased their din; and, at intervals only,
whined with impatience.

“He can never stand that,” said Harvey, as if
involuntarily speaking his thoughts. “Look out! he
is falling. No, he has saved himself again!”

Instead of coming to the ground, the dexterous
animal, when forced at last to abandon the limb, only
dropped to a lower elevation, where he caught
himself again amongst the foliage, in a position apparently
more secure than the first. The dogs
sprang forward, as if expecting to receive him on the
earth; and, with the motion, uttered one loud and simultaneous
cry:—Their disappointment was evinced
in an eager and impressive silence. The negroes
set up a shout of laughter; and one of them ejaculated,
with an uncontrolled merriment,—

“ 'Not going to get possum from top of tree at one
jump, I know. He come down stairs presently. Terrible
varmint for grabbing!—his tail as good as his
hand,—Oh, oh!”

Ben now called out to know how far he had

dropped; and being informed, was immediately
busy in the endeavour to reach the quarter indicated.

A repetition of the same stratagem, that had been
employed above, produced the same result; and the
badgered outlaw descended still lower, making good
his lodgement with a grasp instinctively unerring,
but now rendered more sure by the frightful death
that threatened him below. This brought him within
fifteen feet of the jaws of his ruthless enemies.

The frantic howl, screech, and halloo that burst
from dog, man, and boy, when the object of their
pursuit thus became distinctly visible, and their continued
reduplications—breaking upon the air with a
wild, romantic fury—were echoed through the lonely
forest at this unwonted hour, like some diabolical incantation,
or mystic rite of fantastic import, as they
have been sometimes fancied in the world of fiction,
to picture the orgies of a grotesque superstition.
The whole pack of dogs was concentrated upon one
spot; with heads erect and open mouths, awaiting
the inevitable descent of their victim into the midst
of their array.

Ben, indefatigable in his aim, had already arrived
at the junction of the main branch of the tree with
the trunk; and there united in the general uproar.
Hazard now interposed and commanded silence;
and then directed the people to secure the dogs, as
his object was to take the game alive. This order
was obeyed, but not without great difficulty; and,
after a short delay, every dog was fast in hand. We
took time, at this juncture, to pause. At Ned's suggestion,
Wilful was lifted up by one of the negroes,

with the assistance of Ben, to the first bough, which
being stout enough to give the dog, practised in such
exploits, a foothold, though not the most secure, he
was here encouraged, at this perilous elevation, to
renew the assault. Wilful crept warily upon his
breast, squatting close to the limb, until he reached
that point where it began to arch downward, and
from whence it was no longer possible for him to
creep farther. During this endeavour he remained
mute, as if devoting all his attention to the safe accomplishment
of his purpose; but as soon as he gained
the point above mentioned, he recommenced barking
with unwearied earnestness. The opossum began
now to prepare himself for his last desperate effort.
An active enemy in his rear had cut off his
retreat, and his further advance was impossible, without
plunging into the grasp of his assailants. As if
unwilling to meet the irrevocable doom, and anxious
to linger out the brief remnant of his minutes, even in
agony,—showing how acceptable is life in its most
wretched category,—the devoted quadruped still refused
the horrid leap; but, releasing his fore feet,
swung downwards from the bough, holding fast by
his hind legs and tail,—the latter being endued with
a strong contractile power and ordinarily used in this
action. Here he exhibited the first signs of pugnacity;
and now snapped and snarled towards the
crowd below, showing his long array of sharp teeth,
with a fierceness that contrasted singularly with the
cowering timidity of his previous behaviour. In one
instant more Wilful, as if no longer able to restrain
his impatience, or, perhaps, desirous to signalize himself
by a feat of bravery, made one spring forward
into the midst of the foliage that hung around his
prey, and came to the ground, bringing with him the
baffled subject of all this eager pursuit.

Ned seized Wilful in the same moment that he
reached the earth; and thus prevented him from inflicting
a wound upon his captive. The opossum,
instead of assaying a fruitless effort to escape, lay
upon the turf, to all appearance, dead. One or two
of those who stood around struck him with their feet;
but, faithful to the wonderful instinct of his nature,
he gave no signs of animation; and when Hazard
picked him up by the tail, and held him suspended
at arm's length with the dogs baying around him, the
counterfeit of death was still preserved.

More with a view to exhibit the peculiarities of the
animal than to prolong the sport, Hazard flung him
upon the ground and directed us to observe his motions.
For a few moments he lay as quiet as if his
last work had been done; and then slowly and warily
turning his head round, as if to watch his captors,
he began to creep, at a snail's pace, in a direction of
safety; but, no sooner was pursuit threatened, or a
cry raised, than he fell back into the same supine and
deceitful resemblance of a lifeless body.

He was at length taken up by Ben, who causing
him to grasp a short stick with the end of his tail,
(according to a common instinct of this animal)
threw him over his shoulders, and prepared to return
homeward.

It was now near three o'clock; and we speedily

betook ourselves to the mansion, fatigued with the
exploits of the night.

“After all,” said Harvey Riggs, as he lit a candle
in the hall, preparatory to a retreat to his chamber,
“we have had a great deal of toil to very little purpose.
It is a savage pleasure to torture a little animal
with such an array of terrors, merely because he
makes his livelihood by hunting. God help us, Ned,
if we were to be punished for such pranks!”

“To tell the truth,” replied Ned, “I had some
such misgivings myself to-night, and that's the reason
I determined to take our captive alive. To-morrow
I shall have him set at liberty again; and I think it
probable he will profit by the lesson he has had, to
avoid molesting the poultry-yard!”