OTTER HUNTING, 301 



do, when all at once old Harrogate fixed my atten- 

 tion. He was about ten yards in front of me, and 

 rather more than that space I think from the river, 

 when all at once he winded up in the air, raising 

 himself on his hinder legs, amid the tangled cover, 

 sprung a yard or two nearer, over all impediments, 

 and ao-ain did the same. His countenance wore a 

 doubtful but an excited expression, and I knew at 

 once he had found some vermin. I called softly to 

 those near me " to make in on a shallow above and 

 below, for that we were about to find, or I was much 

 mistaken," and in an under tone to Harrogate I 

 cheerfully cried, "You do't, old boy." Each jump 

 with a flourishing stern brought him nearer, till at 

 last he paused on the river's brink, directing his 

 Mance and his nose to an old root under the dark 

 alders on the opposite side. He stood an instant and 

 then sprung in and swam across to the holt, his 

 bristles up, his stern waving from side to side, and 

 with a peculiar fling of his head giving promise of 

 his well-remembered tongue. It needed but the 

 cheer from me, and the old hound spoke, seizing and 

 tearino- the root above him with his teeth. In an 

 instant hounds and terriers were " together," and all 

 in full cry, rending the root and earth around the holt 

 as if they were mad. The instant Harrogate touched 

 the root, I cried, " An otter down !" and then the fun 

 bes^an. The shallow above first resounded with the 

 " Talliho ! look back," the hounds and terriers raged 

 on either side the river, and the former made short 

 casts to assure themselves he had not gone away. 

 Pickaxe and spade now thundered over the holts, and 

 men were manning the alder and willow boughs where 

 one would bear them that lay upon the stream, while 



