La chasse à l'oppossum

A weary traveler awakens to the clatter of hooves outside his Sydney window, only to find his long‑lost schoolmate Robert standing at the door, eager to whisk him away on an impromptu hunting expedition. The narrator, drawn into the rugged world of the Australian outback, joins a colorful troupe of bushmen, sturdy horses, and even a pair of trained dogs, all bound for the remote “Ranges” where opossums are said to roam.

As they ride across sweeping plains dotted with eucalyptus and soaring cliffs, the landscape shifts from fertile pastures to untamed wilderness. A brief stop at an Irish farmer’s homestead offers a hearty meal before the party presses on into increasingly rugged terrain. When a scout discovers a foreboding cave littered with bones, the group wisely seeks a safer clearing to set up camp, hinting at the challenges and camaraderie that lie ahead in this vivid portrait of frontier adventure.