With Otter Hounds. 115 



dam was Spruce, was well tried; he ran with the Kendal 

 otter hounds at least two seasons, and kennelled with them 

 too. The cold streams of the north, running for the most 

 part over and through limestone, were too much for 

 him at times ; and, though an extraordinarily, sturdily- 

 made, great-boned little fellow, he had often to be carried 

 at the end of a hard day. He was keen, too keen, for 

 he would swim with the hounds like one of themselves, 

 and was, perhaps, knocked up when his proper duties were 

 only about being required. All terriers should be kept in 

 a leash whilst hounds are running, and their strength 

 reserved until the time comes for them to go to ground. 

 They may have hard work to drive a fox, certainly such is 

 before them if the otter has reached his stronghold. The 

 otter, too, requires more than barking and baiting to drive 

 him, and I have had smooth terriers that would stay with an 

 otter till the roll-call, baying him all the time and showing 

 his whereabout, but never fighting him and driving their 

 antagonist into the open. The terrier just alluded to was 

 quite five hours at an otter under a harbour of roots, the 

 only one out with hounds that day that would really go to 

 ground. There he yelped and barked himself hoarse, and, 

 do what the hunters would, the otter would not budge 

 even jumping on the ground overhead w r as not sufficient to 

 stir him. Then a messenger was sent a distance of four 

 miles or more for another terrier, which, arriving fresh on 

 the scene, in due course, sniffed into the hole, waggled his 

 tail, went out of sight, and in five minutes a great otter 

 bolted, both terriers, amid loud tally-ho's, following their 

 game into the pool, where, after a fine swim and hunt, he 

 was in due course killed. I have seen fox terriers bark rats 

 out of a tree root, and even out of a hole, and my old bitch 



I 2 



