THE OTTER AND HIS WAYS. 297 



discontent loudly expressed around him, the flowers have been 

 eyed with a cold welcome, and the lark's glorious song greeted 

 with anything but pleasure. 



It was just at this season of the year, not very long ago, 

 that a group of well-mounted horsemen were posted at a point 

 commanding a broad green avenue that stretched away far as 

 the eye could see into the depths of Whittlebury Forest. They 

 were listening with evident impatience to a pack of hounds 

 which, throwing their tongues intermittently, were unable to 

 force their fox beyond the 'quarter' in which they had found 

 him an hour before. In fact, there was no scent ; and some of 

 the older hands, with good reason suspecting that a vixen was 

 afoot, were anxious to whip off the hounds and draw for a fresh 

 fox. Favoured by Nature the little mother dodged about, 

 leaving scarcely a whiff of scent behind her ; the hounds 

 dropped their noses in vain ; and the field, now utterly discon- 

 certed, came to a general verdict that ' those spring flowers ' 

 were the chief cause of all the misery. 



' It's all up with hunting, at least for this season,' exclaims 

 a young squire, somewhat impatiently ; * but what on earth is 

 a fellow to do for the next six months of his life ? I hate town, 

 and I'm sick to death at sea ; and as for the " contemplative 

 art " — river angling — I have neither skill nor patience for that 

 craft, of all others the most solitary and uncertain. So, without 

 occupation, and never a hound's note to cheer me, I shall be 

 bored to death before the first of next November.' 



* Nay, my boy ; I don't see why we should lose you on 

 that account,' answered an old friend, who happened to be a 

 Devonshire man much given to otter hunting. ' Come down 

 to us, and if Collier and Cherriton don't keep you alive, and 

 happy too, with a feast of sport throughout the summer, I shall 

 be surprised indeed. Otters are to be found in every Devon- 

 shire stream ; and with no animal of chase is the instinct and 

 work of hounds so well displayed as in the pursuit of the otter. 

 Why, we have men with us who find hunting so conducive to 

 their health that, with staghcunds, foxhounds, harriers and 



