314 HUNTING. 



apt to flash off with the floating scent and to carry it for a long 

 distance down stream ; while the otter, scared by the men 

 guarding the shallows, has only taken a turn or two round the 

 pool and come back to his strong hover again. Foxhounds, 

 especially if not old hounds at the work, are not to be stopped 

 by whip or horn at such a time ; down they go in full swing, 

 splashing and dashing ahead in the wildest enjoyment of the 

 surface-scent. It is a beautiful sight but does nothing towards 

 killing the otter, for he soon recovers his wind and the terriers 

 must again tackle him, but now with a far tougher task before 

 them than in the first instance. He knows he is beset by a 

 strong host without, and therefore will too often punish the 

 lesser foe cruelly before he can be forced to quit his stronghold 

 again. But when in a rapid river the scent is thus washed 

 down by the current and the hounds are revelling upon it, the 

 huntsman cannot be too steady in his action, for by standing 

 still, instead of joining in their excitement, he will teach them 

 a lesson of steadiness ever needful in an otter hound. Again, 

 when an otter is loth to quit a big pool and shifts only from 

 one strong hover to another, the water and hovers become so 

 impregnated with scent that the most trustworthy hounds are 

 then unable to distinguish the new from the old scent ; they 

 mark here when the otter is there, securely catching his wind 

 to prolong the fight. The only plan then is to call off the pack 

 till the stained water has passed down, and presently on return- 

 ing, of course against stream, the hounds will fresh find him with 

 little or no difficulty. But observe that, when all is quiet, and 

 especially if the banks are fringed with coppice-wood, the otter, 

 finding no rest in the hovers and now half-beaten, is very apt 

 to land and, if he can, slip away across country for some 

 distant and safer refuge. This, however, is only a forlorn hope, 

 and the enemy often overtakes him before he can ' fetch ' the 

 point he aims at. 



An old otter going for a strong holt, especially if fortified by 

 water, is a very difficult animal to head back, and if not killed 

 in the attempt, will make his point against all odds. A very 



