GHOSTS AND FAIRIES. 21 5 



research, for he is endued with amazing virtues. Where 

 a portion of his skin is, the house cannot be burned, 

 or the ship cast away, and steel or bullet will not harm 

 the man who possesses an inch of this precious material. 

 Antony, indeed, confesses that, in the course of his 

 otter-hunting, he has never been fortunate enough to 

 meet this invaluable brute ; but he tells a confused 

 story of one having been killed " far down in the 

 north " by three brothers called Montgomery, who, 

 from poverty, became immensely rich, and whose 

 descendants are opulent to this very day. He says, 

 the master-otter was seen twice in this neighbourhood. 

 At Dhu-hill, he appeared about sixty years ago, attended 

 by about one hundred common-sized animals, who 

 waited upon '' the master " like loyal and dutiful beasts. 

 He was also observed by one of the O'Donnel family, 

 whilst passing through Clew Bay in a sailing-boat. 

 Requiring a supply of fresh water, O'Donnel landed 

 on an island for the purpose of filling his keg, but found 

 the spring already occupied by a strange and nondescript 

 animal. After his first surprise had subsided, he 

 returned to the boat, and procured a gun. This he loaded 

 carefully with five fingers and a half* — ^for Antony is 

 minute in all his narratives — and then, and within a 

 dozen yards, levelled at the master. Thrice he drew 

 the trigger, and thrice the gun missed fire. The otter 

 wisely determined not to give him a fourth chance, 

 and left the well for the ocean. Mortified at his failure, 

 O'Donnel tried his gun at a passing gull ; it exploded 

 without trouble, and finished the unfortunate bird — 

 thus proving, beyond a doubt, that the gun was faultless, 



* The lower class of Irish describe the charge of a gun not by 

 quantity of powder and shot, but by long measure. 



