95 OTTEE-HUNTIXG. 



their lawful prey, caring not for the whip which 

 Walter plied most vigorously. At length the 

 Doctor ordered a ruse to withdraw the attention 

 of the pack, and sent Walter off tallyho-ing down 

 the river. The ruse was successful, and the whole 

 pack went off eager for another engagement. 

 They must have found a second drag, for Walter 

 could scarcely get a-head of them, and when he 

 managed it at last, and brought them round, they 

 were a long distance away. Left alone, when the 

 excitement had subsided, the Doctor felt his left 

 hand quite powerless, and discovered, forthe first 

 time, that it had been severely bitten. The var- 

 mint had also left its mark on his arm and breast, 

 but the glorious excitement of the encounter had 

 made him insensible to pain while the wounds 

 were inflicted. The Doctor got home safely with, 

 his prize, a good deal exhausted by the engage- 

 ment, but glorying in the long contemplated 

 achievement of capturing an otter alive. 



