102 The hooke of Hunting 



alfo you fhould make an afTembly tor the Otter as you do for y« 

 Harte, and it is a note to be obferued that all fuch chaces as you 

 draw after before you finde them, lodge them, or herbor them, you 

 (lioulde make a folempne afTembly to heare all reportes before 

 you vndertake to hunte them, and then he which hath found of an 

 Otter, or fo drawen toward his couche that he can vndertake to 

 bryng you vnto him, fliall caufe his houndes to be vncoupled a 

 bowfliotte or twayne before he come at the place where he thin- 

 keth that the Otter lieth : bycaufe they may fkommer and cafte 

 about a while vntill they haue cooled their bawling and brayne- 

 iicke toyes, whiche all houndes do lightly vfe at the firft vncou- 

 plyng : then the varlets of the kennell fliall feeke by the riuers 

 fide, and beate the bankes with theyr houndes vntill ibme one of 

 them chaunce vpon the Otter : remember alwayes to fet out fome 

 vpwards and fome downe the ftreames, and euery man his Ot- 

 ter fpeare or forked ftaffe in his hande, to watche his ventes, for 

 that is the chiefe aduantage : and if they perceyue where the Ot- 

 ter commeth vnder the water (as they may perceyue if they marke 

 it well) then fliall they watche to fee if they can get to ftand be- 

 fore him at fome place where he would vent, and ftryke him with 

 theyr fpeare or flafFe : and if they mifTe, then fliall they runne vp 

 or downe the ftrcame as they fee the Otter bend, vntil they may 

 at laft giue him a Blowe : for if the houndes be good Otter 

 houndes and perfed:ly entred, they will come chaunting and 

 trayling alongft by the riuers fide, and will beate euery tree roote, 

 euery holme, euery Ofier bedde, and tufJt of bulruflies : yea fom- 

 times alfo they will take the ryuer and beate it like a water fpa- 

 niell : fo that it fliall not be pofljble for the Otter to efcape, but 

 that eyther the houndes fliall light vpon him, or els fome of the 

 huntefmcn fliall ftrike him, and thus may you haue excellent 

 fporte and paftime in hunting of the Otter, if the houndes be 

 good, and that the Riuers be not ouer great : where the Riuers 

 be grcate, fome vfe to haue a lyne throwen ouerthwart the Ri- 

 uer, the whiche twoo of the huntefmen fliall holde by eche ende, 

 one on the one fide of the Riuer, and the other on that other : and 

 let them holde the line fo flacke that it may alwayes be vnder- 



neath 



