114 Otters and Otter-Hunting. 



back. When an Otter takes to land and the pack 

 is running him hard the forward whipper-in must 

 endeavour to be with them and to be in at the kill. 

 It is his duty to hoist the dead Otter on his pole 

 while the Master performs the obsequies : unless 

 this job be left to the paid man. 



Although from his position throughout the day 

 he will frequently have to speak to hounds, it must 

 all be by way of rate. '' Hold up/' '' Hold hard," 

 '' Gently," " Steady," '"Ware riot," and so forth, 

 will form his vocabulary. Never should he permit 

 himself to encourage hounds to hunt or work : to do 

 so were to usurp the prerogatives of Master and hunts- 

 man, and to act detrimentally to the best interests 

 of the sport. Always he should speak to hounds 

 as quietly as possible ; a noisy tongue in a forward 

 or any other whipper-in is most objectionable. He 

 should be sparing in the use of his whip. It is 

 not needed to rouse an Otter, as it may be a fox 

 or a hare : and although Otter-hounds when struck 

 or rated do not turn sulky like harriers, they will 

 not work the better for chastisement. Hounds can 

 often be " held up " by merely holding an Otter- 

 pole horizontally in front of them, and this is better 

 than cracking a whip. Since, from the hounds' 

 point of view, the forward whipper-in is conceivably 

 regarded as a spoil-sport, always baulking them and 

 stopping them when they are keenest on a drag or 



