THE MATING OF BROWNIE 195 
for otter signs, or for some otter trail leading 
away overland and freshly used. He had about 
decided to move on, down-stream, perhaps to- 
ward the great river and the queer salt water, 
when quite suddenly, in mid-stream, at the outlet 
mouth, he met one of his friends—the prettier 
one, too!—coming up-stream. 
The two circled each other rather shyly. Then 
Brownie climbed the weedy bank, and began 
searching for a stick, while his friend stood in the 
shoals, her head raised, watching him. Finally 
he found one, came back with it, entered the 
water, and invited her to play. She took a tenta- 
tive bite, then a harder one, and yanked. The 
pull of her strength against his excited him. He 
began to frisk and splash, and show off his powers 
as a swimmer. All the time she watched him, 
and sometimes: followed him about. Finally a 
fine ‘fish went past, and Brownie dove for it, 
bringing it up in triumph in his mouth, and shak- 
ing it before her. It may well be that at this sign 
of his ability to provide that she smiled. At any 
rate, they swam off into deep water, and not long 
after they might have been seen by the muskrats 
