A Day With the Essex Otterhounds 241 



that he may get on the faster. A few old reliable hounds, 

 however, are taking their time, or are waiting the horn. They 

 have learned that by the time you see an otter come to the 

 surface, he's not there. The next time he shows himself he 

 will probably be many rods either up water or down. 



The view Tally-ho M^as near a large elm tree that leaned 

 far over the stream. It stood on the very brink of a perpen- 

 dicular bank, which at tliis point was some four feet above the 

 water. It was about the roots and bank beneath this tree 

 that the hounds had gathered, two or three even climbing the 

 slanting trunk for twenty feet or more, giving tongue as they 

 went. Those in the water, if they had been growing more 

 clamorous as the drag went on, were now at the very climax 

 of rage and fury. Wliile the eagerness of the hounds for scent 

 of fox and wild deer is very great, that of the otter seems to 

 put them in a state little short of madness. The otterhounds- 

 were particularly free of tongue, especiallj'^ Gamester, who was 

 many times corrected by the Master, for he loved too well to 

 hear the notes of his own musical voice, which went clanging 

 on when nearlj^ all the other hounds had said their say. "Game- 

 ster! Gamester! gently, more gently. Gamester!" calls the 

 Master; then, with a half -stifled bay, the hound plunges on, 

 muttering to himself. In the water at the roots there was a 

 regular football scrimmage, while on the bank the little ter- 

 riers were digging at a "holt" or "hover." When the fury of 

 the onslaught had somewhat spent itself, the Master walked on 

 up stream calling to the hounds, which reluctantly obeyed. 

 Even then some of them kept returning to the tree until rated 

 on by the whippers-in. From now on for the next forty rods, 

 hound music ceased. This brought us to a grist mill. The 

 Master tried for a little way above it and then we all returned 

 to the leaning tree. Again the hounds proclaimed the find. 

 This seemed to settle the question beyond a doubt. Then the 

 Master cast back or down water for forty rods or more, work- 



