288 HUNTING. 



otter hounds, they contrive to enjoy it all the year round ; and 

 you could well do the same.' 



' Thank you so much ; that's quite a new light to me, and 

 is exactly what I should like to do ; but give me a word of 

 advice as to the best quarters for otter hunting, and I'll lose no 

 time in paying a visit to your favoured land. ' 



' That I'll do with much pleasure,' responded the old otter 

 hunter, delighted to help a youngster who, from his inborn 

 love of hounds, he felt sure would enter well at his own 

 favourite sport. 'Tiverton for otter hunting should be your 

 first halting place ; and thence you could easily reach the early 

 and best meets of two good packs those of Mr. Collier and 

 Mr. Cherriton who would not only give you a hearty welcome, 

 but, if I mistake not, would very soon ask you to "look below " 

 and lend a watchful eye to the business of the chase. But I 

 would not recommend you to fix on any settled quarters for 

 more than a week or so at a time ; you should lead a kind of 

 nomad life, passing on from one district to another according 

 to the meets of the various packs hunting the Western counties. 

 Thus, weather permitting, you might safely reckon on getting 

 three days a week, from May i to the end of August ; then, to 

 complete the cycle, you should migrate to Porlock and top up 

 the year by enjoying a gallop with the staghounds over the wild 

 Exmoor. But hark ! the hounds are running hard ; that must 

 be a dog fox, and we shall lose perhaps the run of the season 

 if we stand gossiping here any longer.' So saying, the old 

 otter hunter dashed off into a narrow ride, making a signal to 

 his young friend that he'd let him know more about it at an 

 early date. 



He was as good as his word. The younger sportsman was 

 entered to other hunting and followed many packs of famous 

 otter hounds. At length he became so devoted to the sport 

 that, having ample means to do so, he determined to start a 

 pack of his own, and hunt on the south coast of Devon a 

 number of maiden streams abounding in trout and of course 

 visited by otters, but as yet unstained by a single hound. 



