"A WILD ANIMAL"

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 83, 4 October 1924, Page 20

"A WILD ANIMAL"

A FRIGHTENED ENGINEER

(rROH OCR OTVX CORRESPONDENT.)

SYDNEY, 25th September.

To appreciate the humour of a frantic battle which raged one night last week between the officers and crew of the overseas steamer Nowshera, while berthed at Brisbane and an opossum it mu3t be explained that the latter is about the most harmless and docile of all the Bmall marsupials that constitute an important section of Australia's unique and wonderful native fauna. The opossum is a favourite bush pet, but, as the present story illustrates it has a passionate distato for unnatural surroundings, and when confined in a city or other uncongenial surroundings it will display much ingenuity and remarkable instinct in its efforts ,to regain it* native bush.' Of all places, the fo'castle of a steamer may well be imagined to ks the most distasteful that would be chosen for this harmless little creature, and thus it happened that in the silent watches one which was confined as a pet on the steamer Palma determined, while the vessel lay alongside one of the Brisbane wharfs, to make a brave bid for freedom. It climbed over the stern of the vessel, ran along the rope connecting the vessel to the wharf, until it came to another rope, almost at right .angles. It was at this critical moment in the career of the opossum that an error of, judgment proved to be its undoing. Instead of going straight forward, .it climbed ■up this rope, which was attached to the bow of the Nowshera,' _ berthed alongside. Soon it found itself on the deck, and made off towards the gangway of the vessel Even at this stage the reckless opossum could have gained the wharf and saved his life, but it must needs ..pry. into the cabin of one of the engineers, who lay sleeping peacefully in his bunk, and in a moment of abysmal folly the opossum lumped plump on the engineer's tender bosom. The howl which awoke the captain, officers, and crew of the Nowshera and startled the watchman on the wharf, scared the opossum, who rushed into > a corner. In vain. . Tlie whole ship's company, armed with all kinds of weapons, came to the assistance of the engineer, who announced that a wild animal from the Australian bush had attacked himu AH' kinds of missiles were flying at the pair' of frightened eyes of the opossum, which, shone in the corner of the room, until the little animal lay mortally wounded. Next morning^ a visitor who arrived at the vessel found captain and officers fast asleep after their victorious battle overnight, and,, having heard the tale, the visitor departed to the Palma, where he told the captain of the opossum's fate. The explanations which followed lasted until both vessels left the. port next day for overseas.