THE FOREST KING 163 



indifferent to the marvellons swimming feats of 

 their parents, who strove in all manner of ways 

 to rouse a spirit of emulation which should bring 

 the careless atoms hotfoot into the stream. They 

 were quite indifferent. It was well enough for 

 grown-up otters to flash and dart and twist and 

 dive about in the water, and catch fish in mys- 

 teriously adroit fashion. What else had grown-up 

 otters to do ? For themselves the pups preferred 

 the grass bank. It made a beautiful playground, 

 and there were never-ending games. The water 

 looked strangely deep. Besides, how were they to 

 know that they could swim ? 



Their mother solved the problem in her own 

 way. When she found that they were not going 

 to take the water of themselves, she crept behind 

 them as they chased one another on its edge, and 

 flung them after each other, far out as the strong, 

 uplifting push of her nose could toss them. Then, 

 diving in herself, she swam between the pups and 

 the bank, resolutely preventing all attempts at 

 landing. 



Comedies and tragedies there were on every side. 

 The comedy of the baby otters, which ended in 

 their swimming even better than their parents. 



