Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-22
THE OTTER.

A Very Busy Nomad of the Night.
On the river bank beneath the fall
floods had laid bare the gnarled and
twisted roots of willow tree; behind
them a cave had been followed out by
fast flowing water, and here the otter
I-nomad Of the animal world-found
snug retreat while the sun Of April
days beat down upon the river. A
four footed the otter in his
wanderings came back time after
time to this haunt beneath the shelv-
ing bank, resting there, it might be-
for days or weeks, until some taint OF
man, some visit from an overcurious
dog, sent him forth once more upon
his travels.
Night fell upon the river and faint
mist rose from the low lying fields
Pale moths fitted, ghostlike, through
gathering shadows; bat circled over
head, while from the copse on the
brow Of the hill a foX-red wood dog
Of the gypsies-stole out in search of
his next meal. Night, with its magic
transformation Of all things common,
struck land and water to new life
Trout rose in the river, pursuing the
pale moths that fluttered to and fro;
in time the moths grew weary and
dropped on the water-that moment
proved their last for with sodden
wings they were slow to rise and the
trout seized on their prey. In the
copse a night jar called; the brown
owl sailed out upon his nocturnal
hunting, while over the crest Of the
hill rose a full moon, and beneath its
light the river shone like quicksilver.
There was movement, phantomlike,
in that hover beneath the gnarled will
low tree; very cautiously the otter
stole to the opening and paused there
alert for tainted scent Of man In the
air or on the grass. Most shy Of all
woodland creatures he halted, inviSi-
BILE, for many minutes; then at last
there was an almost imperceptible
movement Of the water-the fisherman
reassured was abroad. AS he swan
down stream moonlight caught the
wet hair upon the otter's back, his
glistening whiskers could be seen and
the trail of his thick eyes shone like
beads.
An evil moment this for trout or
even salmon, since all day the otter
had tasted and now he was sharp set.
Downstream he passed, his 1.-the body
following the river current until some
movement on the river bank came to
his keen ears-was it the hated tread
of man at which the otter's blood runs
cold? In an instant he had dived and
vanished, only coming to the surface
again beneath the shadow Of the will
lows. There for a while he floated log
like until at last, since all was silence
again except for "plop plop" Of rising
trout, he glided from out Of the
shadow and swan toward the salmon
pool All his movements were strange
ly phantomlike; silently he swan, 81
lently he dived; silently now and
again he left the water and crept
through the tall grasses by the river
bank, gliding among them like some
gigantic eel.
Before the salmon pool was reached
the otter stayed his hunger with two
or three frogs hopping in lush grass
near the bank; as he passed on again
nate frogs remained as a monument
of the repast Then a few minutes Ia
ter the otter halted once more; his
whiskers twitched and quivered, his
head sank low. There was a tainted
smell abroad; surely not long ago man
curious form which haunts the river
bank by day claSping a long, 1.-the pole
had stood among the reeds, had
pressed down the dewy grass. Silent
ly, stealthily, the otter took ~ the wa
ter again-moonlight glistened on his
dark head and beady eyes-soon he
was separated by many a curve OF the
winding river from the scent that
chilled his blood.
In the salmon pool, which lay deep
and dark beneath overhanging banks
there was rare sport that night. Down
the side of the falls where water
splashed and roared foaming white
against hindering boulders came the
otter gliding through the shadows; he
halted above the pool and gaZed at Its
black surface, then slipped from the
rock and swan against the current
his jaws, wide open, raised above the
water.
In the pool some minutes later a sal
mon fought desperately for life, but all
in vain-there came a time when on
land the otter dragged his prey ashore
with vertebrae severed just behind the
neck. There on the island the otter
made his meal; he was no voracious
feeder, frequently contenting himself
indeed, with that portion behind the
fishs head known to sportsmen as the
''otter's bite"
AS he crouched upon the island with
his victim the otters short, powerful
legs were visible, his webDed toes
brown fur and bushy rudderlike tall
Sometimes in the midst of the feast ne
would raise his head, his lips would
curl back, his teeth lie barred; thus
motionless, he would listen for minutes
together, dreading the football Of the
enemy, man.
The meal was hardly finished before
pale dawn began to break above the
hills. Breeze trembled over the high
oaks the sedge warbler sang and then
was still again; later a simmer seem
ed to cross the sky, as gray mist NOV
ed over darkness and then was lost
again. Silver gray light soon grew and
broadened; gray passed to yellow;
trees near at hand loomed through
cloudy mist at last a red ball OF fire
outtoped the hills and slashes of GRIM
son spread westward, through the riv-
er lay sombre STILL But before that
dawn of redness in the sky the otter
had crept back to his hOvel under the
bank: spectrelike he vanished at the
coming of day.-LondOn Globe.