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Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers is a [DLMURL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novel"]novel[/DLMURL] by
Henry Williamson. The book narrates the experience of an
otter. It was first published in
1927 by
G.P. Putnam's Sons, with an introduction by the Hon. Sir
John Fortescue,
K.C.V.O..
Plot summary
The plot begins with Tarka as a cub growing up in a den with his mother and siblings. As a cub, he learns how to clean himself, swim, and catch fish. When his home is attacked by hunters, he and his wild family must abandon it to flee from danger. Joining up with some other otters, the family continue to travel. At some point he loses his family and his mother forgets she even had a cub named Tarka. From now on he must fend for himself. He continues to be persecuted, and so he is constantly on the run from the hunters. In the end, as he is once again being chased by the pack of hounds, his life ends in a heroic deathmatch with the fearsome dog Deadlock, who dies with him.