Most packs have given up hunting at break of day, and meet at the more reasonable hour of nine or ten. Having arrived at the meet, and after a few minutes' law has been given for late comers, the hounds will be put on to the river, and the business of the day will begin. The Huntsman will always, if he knows his business, have some hounds on each side of the river, so that not a holt or inch of the water may be missed.
GROUP OF OTTER HOUNDS.
We will suppose that the river is being drawn up stream, for most huntsmen, for various reasons too lengthy to go into here, prefer to draw up stream. Perhaps several miles are traversed and no sign of an otter. Suddenly one of the old hounds is seen to hang and lash his stern at a bend of the river, the rest of the pack eagerly rush to him, and soon are busy trying every stick and stone and tuft of grass an otter may have touched during his nightly wanderings, and though they cannot quite speak to it, there are unmistakeable signs that an otter has been on the river. The whole pack know it too, and become doubly keen and swim backwards and forwards across the river eagerly examining with their trusty noses, every stone, island, or bit of shingle where an otter may have touched. Every now and again they come to some spit or bend in the river where he has touched, and then they can just "feather" to it, and one old hound actually speaks, but it is only a stale line and the rest of the pack can but just own it. A mile higher up we come to a spot where a small brook joins the river we are drawing, and in a moment a change comes over the scene. Across a bend at the mouth of the brook every hound dashes forward on a hot drag, a cheer from the Master—who is his own huntsman—a touch on his horn, and away the whole pack of eighteen couples dart up the rocky dingle, and with a musical chorus make the wooded valley ring again.
Here is a burning scent, and the ground being rough they get clean away from the most of the field for nearly two miles, but at length they check on an old weiring made of wattle work and covered with big stones. One by one the old hounds leave this, and with a satisfied shake plainly say they know their otter is not there. No doubt a place where he has been lying the day before, but now he has moved on to fresh quarters. The master makes a dash up stream to make quite sure his otter is not above him, then a return is made to the main river, by the nearest route. And now as we are quite sure the otter is not below us we have every hope of a find. We soon strike the drag again, but here there is more water, and consequently it is only across certain bends or spots where the otter has landed, that hounds can speak to his line.
OTTER HOUND AND TERRIER
For nearly three miles they pick out his line up stream, trying every hole and corner and tree stump where an otter might possibly lie, till at length we come to a long deep pool half-a-mile in length, and shaded by many overhanging trees. At the head of this is an old ash tree, with roots spreading down to the water's edge. Hounds seem to wind it before they get within twenty yards of the spot, and with a dash and cry they rush at it, and begin baying and tearing the roots with tooth and claw. Excitement is now at its height. "Look out below!" shouts the master, and the first and second whippers-in make their best pace to the fords above and below, accompanied by willing members of the hunt, all anxious to help in the day's sport, whilst others put themselves in likely spots to get a view if the otter should but show his nose above water, or betray his whereabouts by the long line of bubbles called "his chains." The hounds dart a little way down stream to make sure that our quarry has not slipped away from the belt, but they can make nothing of it and seem loath to leave the old ash tree, most of the old hounds persisting in returning to it. At last, after some difficulty, an entrance is made for one of the terriers, and after a short scuffle inside, a line of silvery bubbles darts out from the belt. Another minute and a ringing "Tally-ho" comes from down stream, and away swim the hounds, every one in the pack speaking to him. Now the hunt begins in real earnest. For two long hours they hunt him in this pool, marking him first in one place, now in another, then they swim him from one end to the other, and once he narrowly escapes meeting his doom on the bank. Suddenly he disappears, and nothing can be made of him for some twenty minutes, till at last one of the old hounds hits him off below the lower ford. He has slipped by, unseen in the muddy water and after going about a hundred yards or so down stream, has taken to the land, through a thick covert overhanging the river on the steep hillside. Every hound is now throwing his tongue wildly on the line and making the woodland fairly rattle again with their music, they are close behind him, after a couple of rings round the big wood, and it seems as if he would never reach the river, but the briars are very thick and the hounds have difficulty in getting through, and he just manages to reach the water as one hound makes a grab at him. Hounds, otter and one of the field all come tumbling down into the water together. We are now in a deep pool half-a-mile lower down the river, but there is little or no cover here and he gets no rest. There is a capital scent on the water too, and hounds never give him a moment's peace. He is constantly viewed and is getting dead beat. At last he makes an attempt to get over the lower ford. But the hounds are too close to him, and with a dash they are on him. Woo-whoop, and another dog-otter is added to the tale of the slain after a capital hunt of three-hours-and-a-half. With considerable difficulty he is taken from the hounds, his head, tail, and pads are distributed to the field and the hounds receive their well-earned blood.
To those women who can enjoy healthy exercise, good sport, and can appreciate beautiful hound-work amidst lovely surroundings, and at a time of year when they can get no other kind of hunting, my advice is "come otter hunting." Having once come out, you will assuredly want to come again.