80 OTTER HUNTJJNO. 



The Doctor with, a whoop of his horn instantly 

 gathered the hounds, bounded into the saddle 

 with a loud tally-ho, and galloped at a dangerous 

 pace along the beach and through the very 

 channel of the river below the ford till he reached 

 the new field of action. On seeing the game dog 

 contending bravely with the otter, though much 

 distressed and at the risk of being drowned, for 

 the otter had decidedly the best of it, he jumped 

 from his horse, dashed into the river, and fear- 

 lessly caught the brute by the tail under water 

 with an amount of dexterity that will long be re- 

 membered by those who saw the feat, and at once 

 brought the savage creature to bay. By this 

 time, however, the Doctor was much fatigued, 

 and required even to be supported by Stoddart 

 and others, while they dragged him by his own 

 urgent request from the river across the beach 

 along with the otter and dog still entangled in 

 lively combat. He unfortunately fell on his back 

 at the time, but no admonition could prevail on 

 him to quit the otter's tail. The hounds by this 

 time were up, and the Doctor asked assistance to 

 take them all back that he might have the honour 

 of introducing to the otter a pet terrier that had 

 never had the pleasure of meeting an otter before. 

 It was led by a chain with a collar round its 

 neck. He brought him forward and allowed 



