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Rh 'Oh, oh,' said he, as he checked his steps, 'so this was where you parted, was it?—one for the reed-bed, t'other for up along, the withies most like.'

After a pause he added with a chuckle, 'Jack oter, you're mine yet.'

At the thought of the valuable prize falling to him he was all life and energy again : the vigour of his stride showed it as he stepped along the furrow made by the otter, with eyes fixed on the isolated clump near the inflow through which he expected it would pass. His surprise and excitement may be imagined when on reaching it and ringing it, he found no sign of track on the snow beyond.

'Niver can be in this morsel of a patch,' said he under his breath, as he took up a station between it and the reed-bed he felt sure the otter would make for. 'Yet eh must be, eh must be.' Then, raising his voice, he called out, 'King Oter, thy time is come; show thyself and get the business over.' With that he began to beat the reeds with the gun, trampling the stems as he advanced. In the midst of the clump he came on the couch. He stooped quickly and felt that it was warm. 'I knawed thee was theere,' said he; and crack, crack, crack went the reeds as he levelled them with the ground.