Past and Present* 63 



into shallow water, and the hounds chopped him. 

 I heard many people present remark, " Oh ! what 

 murder." I wonder what any one of them would 

 have done in the jDOsition of Master of otter 

 hounds, which had such a stiff nine hours only 

 the day hefore. Surely the hounds deserved 

 blood. These growlers had not been out the first 

 day, so were evidently disappointed with so short 

 a hunt — "Blithering donkeys," I style them. 

 Had the otter gone down stream instead of up, 

 he might have gone into Dyehouse Dub, a long 

 and strong pool, and given another long hunt. 

 But accidents will happen even in the best 

 regulated packs of otter hounds. 



Mr. Gallon was a most game man, and a few 

 years later was unfortunately drowned when otter 

 hunting. Mr. Tom Burrill and I were on the 

 point of starting to join him when we saw 

 an account of his death, in a newspaper at 

 Wimbledon. 



