They soon wearied of such dull sport, and began to set their wits to
work to know what to do next.
"Le's go 'possum-huntin'," suggested Dilsey.
"There ain't any 'possums in the daytime," said Diddie.
"Yes dey is, Miss Diddie, lots uv 'em; folks jes goes at night fur ter
save time. I knows how ter hunt fur 'possums; I kin tree 'em jes same
ez er dog."
And the children, delighted at the novelty of the thing, all started
off "'possum-hunting," for Mammy was helping unpack the
dinner-baskets, and was not watching them just then. They wandered off
some distance, climbing over logs and falling into mud-puddles, for
they all had their heads thrown back and their faces turned up to the
trees, looking for the 'possums, and thereby missed seeing impediments
in the way.
At length Dilsey called out, "Hyear he is! Hyear de 'possum!" and they
all came to a dead halt under a large oak-tree, which Dilsey and
Chris, and even Diddie and Dumps, I regret to say, prepared to climb.
But the climbing consisted mostly in active and fruitless endeavors to
make a start, for Dilsey was the only one of the party who got as much
as three feet from the ground; but she actually did climb up until she
reached the first limb, and then crawled along it until she got near
enough to shake off the 'possum, which proved to be a big chunk of
wood that had lodged up there from a falling branch, probably; and
when Dilsey shook the limb it fell down right upon Riar's upturned
face, and made her nose bleed.
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