CHAPTER VII 



THE OTTER AT THE TARN 



So the otter held on his way alone, and before 

 dawn broke sought shelter in the wooded ravine 

 next the edge of the moor. 



The rocky recess was one of the favourite holts 

 of his kind, partly on account of the dry lying it 

 afforded, but more because of its congenial sur- 

 roundings. The seclusion, the gloom, the roar 

 of the fall, and the tumult of the pool all contri- 

 buted to please the shy wildling ; and he became 

 so fond of the ledge by the foaming waters that, 

 like a badger to its earth, the young nomad 

 returned to it again and again, till at length the 

 instinct to roam began to cry out against his un- 

 natural conduct and urged him to seek new 

 quarters. * Wander, wander,' repeated the voice 

 that grew more insistent as the days stole by. 

 * Tarry, my child, tarry,' replied the spirit of the 

 glen ; and for a while — a little while — he resolved 

 to stay. Yet before his short sojourn came to an 

 end the pool was sought by a hunted stag and 

 turned into a pandemonium. 



83 n_2 



