6 
THE MUNGOOSE 
termined to keep a sharp lookout for half an hour 
or so. My pointer dog was equally puzzled, and 
began sniffing round the margin of the Bey Pre- 
sently he stopped, became rigid and “ pointed.” 
His eyes were riveted on what seemed to me to be 
the end of a dead twig, barely above the level of 
the water. The dog’s head slowly, almost imper- 
ceptibly sank, and then with a rapid movement it 
thrust its nose under the water. Next instant 
there was a great commotion. The pointer dog 
and a large dark object were struggling and tum- 
bling over in the shallow water. Presently the dog, 
with much difficulty, dragged the Water Mungoose 
to the bank, gripping it firmly by the neck. What 
I took to be the end of a dead twig was the nose of 
the mungoose. Its body was invisible to me in 
the muddy water, but the keen eyes and powers 
of scent of the dog enabled it to locate the creature. 
In the Mooi River in Natal a pair of Water Mun- 
gooses became a pest, they having forfeited the right 
to live by reason of their thefts of poultry. Half 
a dozen fox terrier dogs were got together, and 
. a hunt was arranged. After searching the reedy 
bank of the river for some time, a mungoose was 
chased from its lair. It was headed downstream, 
where the banks were free from vegetation. After 
diving repeatedly the animal swam to the centre of 
the stream and awaited the attack. A venturesome 
terrier, bolder and more active than the others, 
swam ahead and tackled the mungoose. The two 
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