186 FIELD AND FERN. 



crossing a turnpike-road near Bracken Hill, and Billy* 

 looked, after the '' clinching^^ finish, just as if lie had 

 been shot with peas through the head. 



Sanderson was so impressed with the master of the 

 Teviotdale, after they had exchanged minds, that he 

 at once presented him with Billy — as a touching 

 tribute to his gameness. Still his separation from 

 Billy is only nominal, as he sometimes goes over, and 

 takes the horn when theDoctorhas a Wednesday meet, 

 or any urgent case on his hands. Cheered by his old 

 master's presence and the Cumberland dialect, Billy 

 soon got to work in his adopted country, and Eing- 

 wood recognised him at once as a most able and 

 business-like adjutant on the first day they were out. 

 The old dog, who has had about enough of the wor- 

 rying business, marked the otter under a root, 

 pricked his ears, and "stood back for battle.^' Billy 

 tunnelled up to the otter in a jifi'ey, and pulled it out 

 by the under-jaw ; but it was only 191bs., totally 

 without a tail, and not unlike a stoat about the face. 

 The Doctor flew to the cry, and fished frantically in 

 muddy waters for the tail. He is not to be trifled 

 with at such a crisis ; and yet " Sandy'' would keep 

 telling him that it was " only a diving pig,'^ and that 

 he saw (which was true enough) by the air bells 

 on the water that an otter had just slipped down 

 stream. At last he fished it up bodily, and held 

 it quite fondly in his arms ; but although he 

 invoked the crowd all round, there was no plaid 

 at hand, and so it was dropped among the terriers 



