d close to the briars. It was of a round shape, and looked like a
large clew of hair or wool of a greyish colour, half-buried in the
ground. Whether it had been there before, neither Basil, nor Lucien,
nor Francois, could tell. It might have been without their noticing it,
as their attention was so occupied with the hares and the lynx.
Francois said he _had_ noticed it a little before; but it had only
slightly arrested his attention, as he supposed it to be a tuft of the
dry grass or a globe-cactus (_echinocactus_)--a species of which they
had seen much of late, and to which it bore a considerable resemblance.
It was evident, however, on closer scrutiny it was not that.

The little hares seemed to notice it about the same time; and, prompted
by curiosity, they drew nearer and nearer to it. There was nothing
about its appearance to alarm them. They had never been attacked by an
enemy in that shape. To all appearance it had neither teeth nor claws,
and consequently they had nothing to fear.

Encouraged by the absence of all danger, and vieing with each other in
boldness, the little creatures advanced, first one and then the other, a
few inches farther, and so on, until their noses almost touched the
strange object. All at once the clew-like body flew out, displaying a
sharp-snouted four-footed animal, whose long serpent-like tail, at the
same instant, sweeping around caught one of the hares in its prehensile
embrace! The little creature uttered a shrill squeak, while its
companion bounded off in terror.

The opossum (for it was no other than an old she 'possum), now turned
upon her tail; and, seizing the head of the hare in her hog-like jaws,
killed it at a single "cranch." She then released it from the coil;
and, laying it out upon the grass, would have made a meal of it then and
there, had she been permitted to do so. But that was not ordained to
be.

The lynx, who was crouching forward, not twenty feet from the briars,
had been a witness to all this. At first it seemed to give him chagrin.
In a little while, however, he appeared rather to like it than
otherwise.

"On second thoughts," said he to himself, "it is better as it is. The
'possum has saved me the trouble of catching the hare, and I might have
missed it withal. _She_ has _captured_ the game, but _I_ shall _eat_
it, I guess."

These thoughts he certainly had--for they were as clearly expressed by
his actions, as if he had been gifted with sp