140 HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 



number may be flushed from the same cover. More- 

 over, when disturbed, though they invariably made for 

 the sea, their movements were always disconnected and 

 independent. 



Blest with the finest of weather, well-trained crews, and 

 good shooting, the sport was as successful as exciting ; and 

 by one o'clock nine splendid full-grown otters lay stretched 

 across the bottom boards of the boats. The chase had led 

 us many miles to sea, and we were apprehensive of the 

 effects of the hot sun upon our cargo, which, strong 

 smelling with a low temperature, was now becoming 

 offensive. So, after a brief lunch, we made for the shore 

 in the direction of the schooner, and boarded at five o'clock 

 without seeing on our way anything w r orthy of notice, if we 

 except a couple of huge sea lions progressing, with slow, 

 porpoise-like movements, steadily to the southwards. 



After filling our water-bottles and tobacco-pouches, we 

 put off again, and killed our tenth otter, the only one 

 viewed, at a short distance from the vessel. Eventually 

 we had to grope our way back through a dense fog, and 

 climbed up the side as the clock struck nine. 



This was the best day's hunting we ever had, and will 

 give some idea how remunerative a sport it might be, if 

 the weather were only more frequently favourable ; but 

 over their habitat the storm-king reigns supreme, and 

 guards the " Kahlan," in no half-hearted way, from a too 

 ruthless pursuit. Nor is a more extended open time to be 

 desired, for, under circumstances more in favour of man, 

 the result would be the extinction of an animal as 

 interesting as it is valuable. There are already too many 

 instances on record where the lust of slaughter, as indis- 

 criminate as wasteful, has robbed the prairie and the 

 forest of their most useful and harmless denizens. 



It was a cheering day for us, though a fatiguing one, 

 and we had worked hard to secure our prizes. We had 

 been sixteen hours in the boats, with a pause barely suffi- 

 cient for a scanty lunch. For most of the time we had 



