I40 Otters and Otter-Hunting. 



circumstances to the Master. As the latter will have 

 appointed him to the onerous post he occupies, and 

 presumably made sure that he is not an irascible 

 martinet or unreasonable " Jack-in-office," it will 

 be well in such a case to hold hounds up for awhile, 

 and see whether the '^ roughs " take the hint. If 

 not, it may be necessary to take the extreme step of 

 sending hounds back to kennels; for the Field- 

 Master is to the Master what his Chief-of-the-Staff 

 is to a general officer, and if his authority is not 

 sustained he has no longer a raison d^etre. 



In dealing with these — happily rare — crowds of 

 poachers and loafers, it wdll be found that where 

 tact and gentle persuasion are thrown away sarcasm 

 will be found more effective than mere bullying abuse. 

 I have heard of one Field-Master in the North who 

 got rid of fifty per cent, of an undesirable follow- 

 ing — which not only refused to help man a necessary 

 stickle, but by rushing about, shouting and laughing, 

 was hampering hounds on a difficult stretch of 

 water — by the quiet suggestion that '' most of them 

 would be better off in gaol than out Otter-hunting, 

 as there they would at least be compelled to wash 

 their feet." But that, however effective, must have 

 been a very extreme case, and it does not do to carry 

 either sarcasm or abuse too far. 



Without any wish to appear ungallant, I am 

 afraid that the Field-Master will have most trouble 



