FAITHFUL FRIENDS.
To one who has had to make friends of the brute creation, it is natural
for him to claim companionship with those domestic animals with which he
is constantly drawn by day and night, such as horses, oxen, mules, and
dogs. The dog is most thoroughly the comrade of those who dwell upon the
frontier, and a chapter regarding them will not, I feel, be
uninteresting to the reader.
I have always been a great admirer of a good dog, but my knowledge of
them is a general one, such as you and a great many other Western men
have. I have never made him a scientific study, but I think he is the
only domestic animal, and I don't know but the only animal that takes a
joint ownership in all of his master's property so far as he can
comprehend it, whether it be personal, portable, or realistic; in other
words, the man owns the dog and his other property, and the dog seems to
claim or own the man and all of his other effects, so far as he can
comprehend them.
I had a Shepherd dog that would not allow a stranger to take hold of me
or my horse, saddle, bridle, rope, spurs, gun, or anything else that he
thought belonged to _us_, without making a fuss about it, and he seemed
to think stepping upon a rope or blanket, or anything of that kind, was
just the same as taking hold with the hands, and yet he was very
good-natured with strangers otherwise.
He was very fond of playing with other dogs, especially young ones on
the pup order, but if they ever took any freedom with our _joint_
property, there was sure to be trouble. He would not allow them to take
hold of, or sleep on, or lay down in the shade of a horse, wagon, buggy,
or do anything that he thought was taking too much liberty with his
peculiar rights. He would go almost any distance to hunt anything that I
would lose, and was very quick to pick up anything that I would drop,
and give it to me without mussing it, whether I was walking or on
horseback.
He was a good retriever, either on land or water, and would cross a
river to get a goose or duck if it fell on the opposite side after being
shot. He would also take hold of one hind leg of a deer or antelope and
help me all he could to drag it home or to where I would leave my horse,
but he was more help in driving and handling stock than in any other
way. He would also go after a horse that would get away, with a bridle
or rope on, and catch him by the rein or rope and bring him back if he
could lead him, or if not, he would try and hold on until I would come
up. He had a great many other minor tricks to make sport for the boys in
camp, such as speaking, jumping, waltzing, etc., and he would also carry
in wood to make fires with, and thus save the men trouble.
I have also had experience with the Newfoundland and the Setter dogs,
and found them fully as easy to train and as faithful as the Shepherd
dog I have written about. A Newfoundland that I brought down from
Montana with me would do almost anything that it was possible for a dog
to do. When living in Salt Lake City I saw my daughter send him after an
apple once when she was sitting in a room up stairs. He went down and
found the doors all fastened, so he came back and went out at an
upstairs window and onto a lower roof and from there down on a common
rung ladder to the ground and out into some one's orchard, got an apple,
and returned the same way, and did it quicker than any boy could
possibly have performed the same thing. But of course he knew where the
ladder was, and had climbed up and down it many times before that. I
used to see the children in our neighborhood sending this dog over in
the orchards after apples, while they remained at the fence outside, and
he would keep going and returning with the apples until they were
satisfied. The people never objected that owned the fruit, as they
thought it so smart in the dog to steal for the children that which he
did not eat himself.
It came to my knowledge once of a dumb beast that showed the
intelligence of a human being.
He was only a dog, but a remarkably clever one. He belonged to the class
known as Shepherd dogs, which are noted for their sagacity and fidelity.
His master was a little Italian boy called Beppo, who earned his living
by selling flowers on the street.
Tony was very fond of Beppo, who had been his master ever since he was a
puppy, and Beppo had never failed to share his crust with his good dog.
Now, Tony had grown to be a large, strong dog, and took as much care of
Beppo as Beppo took of him. Often while standing on the corner with his
basket on his arm, waiting for a customer, Beppo would feel inclined to
cry from very loneliness; but Tony seemed to know when the "blues" came,
and would lick his master's hand, as much as to say: "You've got me for
a friend. Cheer up! I'm better than nobody; I'll stand by you."
But one day it happened that when the other boys who shared the dark
cellar home with Beppo went out early in the morning as usual, Beppo was
so ill that he could hardly lift his head from the straw on which he
slept. He felt that he would be unable to sell flowers that day. What to
do he did not know. Tony did his best to comfort him, but the tears
would gather in his eyes, and it was with the greatest difficulty that
he at last forced himself to get up and go to the florist, who lived
near by, for the usual supply of buds.
[Illustration: RIVER SCENE AT NEBRASKA CITY.]
Having filled his basket, the boy went home again and tied it around
Tony's neck; then he looked at the dog and said: "Now, Tony, you're the
only fellow I've got to depend on. Go and sell my flowers for me, and
bring the money home safe; don't let anyone steal anything."
Then he kissed the dog and pointed to the door.
Tony trotted out to the street to Beppo's usual corner, where he took
his stand. Beppo's customers soon saw how matters stood, and chose their
flowers, and put their money into the tin cup in the center of the
basket. Now and then, when a rude boy would come along and try to snatch
a flower from the basket, Tony would growl fiercely and drive him away.
So that day went safely by, and at nightfall Tony went home to his
master, who was waiting anxiously for him, and gave him a hearty
welcome. Beppo untied the basket and looked in the cup, and I should not
wonder if he found more money in it than ever before. This is how Tony
sold the rosebuds, and he did it so well that Beppo never tired of
telling me about it.
A farmer's dog who had been found guilty of obtaining goods under false
pretenses is worthy of mention. He was extremely fond of sausages, and
had been taught by his owner to go after them for him, carrying a
written order in his mouth. Day after day he appeared at the
butcher-shop, bringing his master's order, and by and by the butcher
became careless about reading the document. Finally, when settlement day
came, the farmer complained that he was charged with more sausage than
he had ordered. The butcher was surprised, and the next time Lion came
in with a slip of paper between his teeth he took the trouble to look at
it. The paper was blank, and further investigation showed that whenever
the dog felt a craving for sausage, he looked around for a piece of
paper, and trotted off to the butcher's. The farmer is something out of
pocket, but squares the account by boasting of the dog's intelligence,
which enabled him to deliberately steal for him, and deceive the butcher
to do so.
While in Edinburgh, Scotland, where my wife and I remained for a year,
our apartments were cared for by an English maid, who owned a very fine
Scotch terrier. Whenever she would come to our rooms the dog accompanied
her, and soon became very much attached to me, and would come into our
apartments whenever an opportunity offered, to pay his respects to me.
My wife had a great aversion to dogs of all kinds, and particularly
objected to having one in the room with her, as she declared she could
feel fleas immediately upon the appearance of a canine, no matter how
far away they were from her.
One morning, while I was quietly reading, my wife being busy in another
part of the room, the dog slipped in and succeeded in establishing
himself under my chair, without either of us being aware of his
presence; but before many minutes had passed my wife discovered him, and
remonstrated with me at once for allowing him to come in, when I knew so
well how she detested him. I assured her of my ignorance as to his
presence, but said nothing whatever to the dog. He arose with a
crestfallen air, and with his tail tucked between his legs, walked
slowly across the room, stopping in the doorway to look once at Mrs.
Majors, with the most reproachful, abused expression I have ever seen on
any creature's face.
After that he always endeavored to make his calls upon me when Mrs.
Majors was absent, and would often come up and wait in one end of the
hall until he would see her go into the adjoining room, when he would
come to see me, but immediately upon hearing her opening the door of the
other room, he would make a break for the door, making his escape before
she would reach the room; and this, too, when she had never been unkind
to him except in what she said of him.
One morning while the landlady and her servant were "doing up" our
sleeping apartment, the dog as usual accompanying the servant, Mrs.
Majors stepped into the room to speak to the landlady, and the servant,
knowing the dog's fondness for me, said:
"Prince, ask Mrs. Majors if you can't go in to see Mr. Majors." He
turned around, went up to Mrs. Majors and commenced jumping up and down
in front of her, asking as plain as dogs can speak for the coveted
permission. My wife could not help laughing, and said, "Well, sir, you
have won me over this time; you can go," whereupon he made a rush for
the other room, leaped upon my lap, and seemed fairly wild with joy. I
could not understand his unusual demonstrations until Mrs. Majors came
in and explained.
A friend who owned a very fine dog was one morning accosted by a
neighbor, who accused the dog of having killed several of his sheep in
the night. The owner said he thought it was a mistake, as he had never
known the dog to be guilty of such tricks, and after some discussion it
was decided to examine the dog's mouth, and if wool was found sticking
in his teeth, they would believe him guilty, and the man who had lost
the sheep could kill him. They called the dog up while talking about it,
and the master opened his mouth, and to his grief, found the evidence of
his crime between his teeth. The neighbor knew the man's attachment for
the dog, and not wishing to kill him in his presence, said he would
defer the execution until a more convenient time. The dog heard the
conversation, appeared to understand the situation perfectly, and when
the neighbor tried later to find him, he had disappeared, and neither
the owner nor the neighbor ever heard of him again. He fled to parts
unknown, thus showing his wisdom by putting himself out of harm's way.
It is hardly possible to say enough in the praise of the dog family,
especially regarding their services to the pioneers in the settlement of
the Mississippi Valley and frontier. At that time, bears, panthers,
wolves, and small animals of prey were so thick that without the aid of
dogs the stock, such as pigs, lambs, poultry, and such small animals,
would have been completely destroyed in one single night. The dogs were
constantly on guard, night and day, storm or sunshine, and upon the
approach of an enemy, would warn the pioneers, giving them a sense of
security against danger. They knew by the smell, often before hearing or
seeing an enemy, and would give out the warning long before the pioneers
themselves could have known of the proximity of the wild beasts. As a
rule those faithful friends and protectors of our race have not been
appreciated, more especially, as above stated, in the settlement of the
frontier, for without them it would have been impossible for the
pioneers to have saved their stock and poultry from the ravages of the
wild beasts. I could write a volume upon the sagacity, faithfulness, and
intelligence of these remarkable animals, as during my life in the Wild
West I learned to fully appreciate them.