Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/82

 we entered it, the dogs gave tongue, and, following them, we found them barking under a tree, up which an opossum had gone. It took us some time ere we could decide which spot he was on, as they hide themselves with wonderful instinct, sometimes stretched along a branch at full length; at another, coiled up like a ball at the top of a bough* We fired several shots without success; at length I fired at the top of a dead limb, and down came poor opossum to the ground. We had considerable success at this sport, and I have now a beautiful rug as a trophy.

The horse I had ridden at the first cattle-hunt my kind host begged my acceptance of: he is still in my possession, and justly considered most valuable. At first he was a fierce and untameable brute, but ere were turned to Melbourne he was to me as gentle as a lamb. I think my first advance into his good graces was on a moonlight night, when we sallied out in search of dingoes, the dogs being tied up, but exceedingly restless on their chains. In a small yard, not far from my own sleeping apartment, Blenheim, for so I called him, was now kept in compliment to me, and I was in the habit of paying him many a visit, and there feeding him; several escapes have I had from his hoofs, for at first he would lash out at me most unmercifully. This evening he was more quiet, and I was holding a sheaf of oats for him to eat, when he suddenly gave a snort, and, as his eye of fire looked up, it seemed to say—"there is sport upon the wind." This the cry of the dingoes soon assured