198 FIELD AND FERN. 



vered drains and up its rocky sides, steady as a rock 

 amongst hundreds of rabbits^ without any crowd to 

 press thera. Half the village were out at Lilliesleaf 

 — the baker who seemed the spokesman^ and as 

 learned on otters as quartern loaves ; the shoemaker 

 with his thumbs in his apron armpits of course ; the 

 carpenter^ with his rule peeping out of his pocket — 

 all members of the great council which sat on the 

 whereabouts of the brace of otter cubs_, which had 

 been in the drain. Alas! it was all to no purpose; 

 we opened the drain in the middle, but Teddy and 

 Billy soon said "Not at home/^ and on we drew 

 again, sending the horses for a short space round by 

 road. 



The old white house with the trellises looked out 

 from the quiet, deep-wooded park, as we skirted 

 K/iddeli, and anon we v»^ere over the palings, and 

 among the roses and rhododendrons of Lint Hill, 

 which Sir Frederick Graham once had for his hunting- 

 box. We did not linger among these calm delights. 

 On we went, and the hounds went up with a rush to 

 try every place where there had been an otter before, 

 but the streams were far too low, and the game were 

 off to far happier fishing-grounds among the bul- 

 rushes. Then Sandy ^ — who has ridden for " four- 

 mile saddles^' at Kiugmoor, besides winning several 

 foot-matches — mounted behind the Doctor on Robin, 

 and gave up his pole to "Young Druid,^^ and Walter 

 brought up the rear with Shammy on his pommel, and 

 old Malakhoff came as he could, shambling be- 



