THE RAISING OF THE DAM 101 



live another hour.' All set to work. Except 

 the whipper-in, who had as much as he could do 

 to look after the hounds, every man lent a hand. 

 Some brought big stones, others armfuls of 

 heather, others stone -crop stripped from the 

 rocks, whilst Geordie the gipsy, the parson, the 

 miller and the water-bailiff constructed the 

 dam. Under their eager hands the wall rose 

 steadily across the tail of the pool, and before 

 long the impounded stream began to creep inch 

 by inch up the face of the rock. In half an 

 hour the mouth of the holt was covered ; soon, 

 too, the stone which had provided a resting- 

 place for the otter ; so that he now was compelled 

 to plant his fore-feet against the wall to keep his 

 head above water. Still the water rose, and but 

 for the presence of the imprisoned air the hollow 

 would have been filled and the beast forced to 

 leave and meet its fate in the open. Yet, con- 

 tracted though the space became, there was a 

 small interval between the water and the roof, 

 and there the otter's nostrils still found relief. 



Meanwhile the men at the dam had all they 

 could do to hold the stream back ; and presently, 

 despite their frantic efforts, the obstruction gave 

 way, and the whole mass rushed roaring down 

 the hill. 



