HUNTING 227 



When first I came to the Forest, a local pack 

 of otter-hounds existed, and monopolised the 

 country. It was, however, conducted on peculiar 

 lines, for neither the master nor any of his staff 

 had a glimmering of knowledge as to how an otter 

 should be found or hunted. Moreover, the pack 

 only hunted in New Forest, and for a day or 

 two in Surrey, which was no sufficient country in 

 which to make and work a pack of otter-hounds. 

 Moreover, their custom was to hunt only in the 

 spring, and to abandon hunting just when the 

 other packs were getting into full swing. 



Let it, however, be recorded that I did once 

 see one good day with them, though, as far as 

 I could make out, neither the master nor his 

 staff had any idea of how or why this success 

 fell to them, though it was my good fortune to 

 see and realise all that was going on. 



Fortunately, in a couple of seasons this pack 

 was broken up, and the country became vacant, 

 so that I could at once set to work to organise 

 proper otter-hunting for the future. I first ap- 

 plied to that past master of otter-hunting and all 

 that concerned it, the late Major Geoffrey Hill, 

 the Gamaliel at whose feet I learnt whatever I 

 know of this rather abstruse craft. He was 

 willing enough to add a week's hunting to his 

 existing engagements, for he had just given up 



