68 A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



bitch and half-a-dozen of the most hkely of the mongrels 

 (amongst them the " Kaffir "), which, although wild as 

 hawks, possessed wonderful scent, a short distance along 

 the spruit, while M. tried forward with the remainder. 



The old bitch proved herself a ratthng good worker, 

 and along under the shelving bank she himted until, 

 with a whimper, she was on the trail again and going 

 hell for leather, with the others close in her wake. 



With a " halloa " to the rest of the field — only three 

 of whom had accompanied me — I " footed it " for all I 

 knew to keep on terms with my " flying hounds," which 

 ran eagerly enough, and at a pace which proclaimed a 

 breast-high scent. 



Suddenly a loud " hieu gaze," from a youngster whose 

 long legs enabled him to pass everyone on the field, 

 caused me to put on a spurt, and looking forward I saw 

 a fine otter running under the far bank of the stream, 

 about three hundred yards ahead of the leading dog. 



In spite of the pitiable pack of mongrels I was 

 hunting, every nerve in my body quivered witJi excite- 

 ment ; and how I longed for a few couples of good 

 English otter-hounds at that moment. On and on ran 

 the gallant animal, now on the level veldt, now under the 

 steep bank of the narrow waterway ; and now those 

 weasel-barrelled Kafiir mongrels begin to press him, and 

 the old Airedale bitch is no laggard. The spruit widens 

 out, and the quarry takes to the water. The " hounds " 

 are puzzled at the sudden disappearance of their game, 

 enabhng M. and a few of the field to bring up the rest of 



