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THE
ADVENTURES OF A DOG,
AND A GOOD DOG TOO
BY ALFRED ELWES
[Illustration: Cover]
[Illustration: A FAMILY PARTY]
THE
ADVENTURES OF A DOG,
AND A GOOD DOG TOO.
BY ALFRED ELWES,
AUTHOR OF "THE ADVENTURES OF A BEAR," "OCEAN AND HER RULERS," ETC., ETC.
WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS BY HARRISON WEIR.
LONDON:
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND CO., FARRINGDON STREET,
AND 18, BEEKMAN STREET, NEW YORK.
1857.
LONDON:
THOMAS HARRILD, PRINTER, 11, SALISBURY SQUARE,
FLEET STREET.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
INTRODUCTION BY MISS MINETTE GATTINA 7
EARLY DAYS 12
CHANGES 18
UPS AND DOWNS 25
THE INUNDATION 37
PAINS AND PLEASURES 46
DUTY 55
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
A FAMILY PARTY (FRONTISPIECE) 8
LADY BULL 17
GOOD DOG! 22
A CANINE BUTCHER 36
AFLOAT 45
A WORTHY SUBJECT 54
A SEVERE BLOW 60
CONSOLATION 62
PREFACE.
I love dogs. Who does not? It is a natural feeling to love those who love
us; and dogs were always fond of me. Thousands can say the same; and I
shall therefore find plenty of sympathy while unfolding my dog's tale.
This attachment of mine to the canine family in general, and their
affection towards myself, have induced me, like the Vizier in the
"Arabian Nights," of happy memory, to devote some time to the study of
their language. Its idiom is not so difficult as many would suppose.
There is a simplicity about it that often shames the dialects of man;
which have been so altered and refined that we discover people often
saying one thing when they mean exactly the reverse. Nothing of the sort
is visible in the great canine tongue. Whether the tone in which it is
uttered be gruff or polished, sharp or insinuating, it is at least
sincere. Mankind would often be puzzled how to use it.
Like many others, its meaning is assisted by gestures of the body, and,
above all, by the expression of the eye. If ever language had its seat in
that organ, as phrenologists pretend, it lies in the eye of the dog. Yet,
a good portion finds its way to his tail. The motion of that eloquent
member is full of meaning. There is the slow wag of anger; the gentle wag
of contentment; the brisker wag of joy: and what can be more mutely
expressive than the limp states of sorrow, humility, and fear?
If the tongue of the dog present such distinctive traits, the qualities
of the animal himself are not less striking. Although the dispositions of
dogs are as various as their forms--although education, connections, the
society they keep, have all their influence--to the credit of their name
be it said, a dog never sullies his mouth with an untruth. His emotions
of pleasure are genuine, never forced. His grief is not the semblance of
woe, but comes from the heart. His devotion is unmixed with other
feelings. It is single, unselfish, profound. Prosperity affects it not;
adversity cannot make it swerve. Ingratitude, that saddest of human
vices, is unknown to the dog. He does not forget past favours, but, when
attached by benefits received, his love endures through life. But I shall
have never done with reciting the praises of this noble animal; the
subject is inexhaustible. My purpose now has narrower limits.
From the archives of the city of Caneville, I lately drew the materials
of a Bear's Biography. From the same source I now derive my "Adventures
of a Dog." My task has been less that of a composer than a translator,
for a feline editoress, a Miss Minette Gattina, had already performed her
part. This latter animal appears, however, to have been so learned a
cat--one may say so deep a puss--that she had furnished more notes than
there was original matter. Another peculiarity which distinguished her
labours was the obscurity of her style; I call it a peculiarity, and not
a defect, because I am not quite certain whether the difficulty of
getting at her meaning lay in her mode of expressing herself or my
deficiency in the delicacies of her language. I think myself a tolerable
linguist, yet have too great a respect for puss to say that any fault is
attributable to her.
The same feeling has, naturally, made me careful in rendering those
portions which were exclusively her own. I have preferred letting her
say little to allowing her to express anything she did not intend. Her
notes, which, doubtless, drew many a purr of approval from her own
breast, and many a wag of approbation from the tails of her choice
acquaintance, I have preferred leaving out altogether; and I have so
curtailed the labours of her paw, and the workings of her brain, as to
condense into half-a-dozen pages her little volume of introduction. The
autobiography itself, most luckily, required no alteration. It is the
work of a simple mind, detailing the events of a simple but not
uneventful life. Whether I have succeeded in conveying to my readers'
intelligence the impression which this Dog's Adventures made on mine,
they alone can decide.
A. E.
LYNDHURST ROAD,
PECKHAM.
INTRODUCTION.
BY MISS MINETTE GATTINA.
It may seem peculiar to any but an inhabitant of this renowned city of
Caneville, that one of _our_ nation should venture on the task of
bringing to the notice of the world the memoir I have undertaken to edit.
But, besides that in this favoured place animals of all kinds learn to
dwell in tolerable harmony together, the subject of this biography had so
endeared himself to all classes and to every tribe by his kindness of
heart, noble devotion, and other dog-like qualities, that there was not a
cat, in spite of the supposed natural antipathy existing between the
great feline and canine races, who would not have set up her back and
fought to the last gasp in defence of this dear old fellow.
Many a time has he saved me from the rough treatment of rude and
ill-conducted curs, when I have been returning from a concert, or
tripping quietly home after a pleasant chat with a friend. Often and
often, when a kitten, has he carried me on his back through the streets,
in order that I might not wet my velvet slippers on a rainy day: and
once, ah! well do I remember it, he did me even greater service; for a
wicked Tom of our race, who had often annoyed me with his attentions, had
actually formed a plan of carrying me off to some foreign land, and would
have succeeded too, if dear Doggy had not got scent of the affair, and
pounced on that treacherous Tom just as he was on the point of executing
his odious project.
I can speak of these things _now_ without the slightest fear of being
accused of vanity. If I say my eyes were beautifully round and green,
they are so no longer. If I boast of the former lightness of my step, it
drags, alas! but too heavily now. If I dwell on the sweetness of my voice
and melody of my purr at one period, little can be said in their favour
at the present day, and I feel therefore less scruple in dilating on the
elegance of my figure, and the taste of my _toilette_, as, when speaking
of them, I seem to be referring to another individual Puss, with whom the
actual snuffy old Tabby has little or no connection.
But, it will be said, these last matters have not much to do with the
object I have in hand. I must not attempt to palm off on my readers any
adventures of my own under the shadow of a dog. I must rather allow my
Cat's-paw to perform the office for which it has become noted, namely,
that of aiding in the recovery of what its owner is not intended to
participate. I must endeavour to place before the world of Caneville, to
be thence transmitted to the less civilized portions of the globe, those
incidents in our Dog's life which he has been too modest to relate
himself, in order that after-generations may fully appreciate all the
goodness of his character. To _greatness_, he had no pretension, although
few animals are aware how close is the relation between these two
qualities.
I think I see the dear old Dog now, as it has been often my privilege to
behold him, seated in his large arm-chair, his hair quite silvered with
age, shading his thoughtful, yet kindly face, his pipe in his paw, his
faithful old friend by his side, and surrounded by a group of attentive
listeners of both sexes, who seemed to hang upon every word of wisdom as
it dropped from his mouth; all these spring to my mind when I recal his
image, and if I were a painter I think I should have no difficulty in
presenting to my readers this pleasant "family party." The very room in
which these meetings were held comes as strongly to my recollection as
the various young and old dogs who were wont to assemble there. Plainly
furnished, it yet boasted some articles of luxury; works of statuary and
painting, presented to old Job by those who admired his goodness, or had
been the objects of his devotion.
One of these, a statuette representing a fast little dog upon a tasteful
pedestal, used often to excite my curiosity, the more because Job showed
no inclination to gratify it. I managed, however, at last to get at the
incident which made Job the possessor of this comical little figure, and
as the circumstance worthily illustrates his character, I will relate it
as the anecdote was told to me.
It was once a fashion in Caneville, encouraged by puppies of the superior
classes, to indulge in habits of so strange a nature as to meet on stated
occasions for the express purpose of trying their skill and strength in
set combats; and although the most frightful consequences often ensued,
these assemblies were still held until put down by the sharp tooth of the
law. The results which ensued were not merely dangerous to life, but
created such a quarrelsome disposition, that many of these dogs were
never happy but when fighting; and the force granted them by nature for
self-defence was too often used most wantonly to the annoyance of their
neighbours. It one day happened that Job was sitting quietly on a steep
bank of the river where it runs into the wood at some distance from the
city, at one moment watching the birds as they skimmed over the water, at
another following the movements of a large fish, just distinguishable
from the height, as it rose at the flies that dropped upon the stream;
when three dogs, among the most celebrated fighters of the time, passed
by that way. Two of them were of the common class, about the size and
weight of Job; the other was a young puppy of good family, whose tastes
had unfortunately led him into such low society. Seeing the mild
expression of Job's face, and confident in their own prowess, they
resolved to amuse themselves at his expense, and to this end drew near to
him. Unobserved by their intended victim, with a rapid motion they
endeavoured to push him head foremost into the river, Master Puppy having
dexterously seized hold of his tail to make the somersault more complete.
Job, although thus unexpectedly set upon from behind, was enabled, by the
exertion of great strength, to defeat the object of his assailants. In
the struggle which ensued, his adversaries discovered that, in spite of
their boasted skill, they had more than found their match. One of them
got rolled over into the stream, out of which he managed to crawl with
considerable difficulty half a mile lower down; the second took to his
heels, with his coat torn, and his person otherwise disordered; and the
fashionable Pup, to his great horror, found himself seized in the
formidable jaws of the unoffending but own angry dog. Imagine how much
his terror was increased when Job, carrying him, as I would a mouse, to
the edge of the precipitous bank, held him sheer over the roaring river.
The poor fellow could not swim, he had a perfect antipathy to the water,
and he felt himself at that moment on the point of being consigned to
certain death without a chance of safety. But he did not know the noble
heart of the animal he had offended. Job let him feel for a few dreadful
seconds the danger to which he had been so thoughtlessly and in joke
about to consign himself, and then placed him in safety on the bank, with
the admonition to reflect for the future on the probable result of his
diversions before he indulged in them, and to consider whether, although
amusing to himself, such games might not be fatal to the animals on whom
they were played off. The shivering puppy was too much alarmed at the
time to attend either to the magnanimity of his antagonist or the wisdom
of his advice, but they were evidently not lost upon him. Many can bear
testimony to the change which that hour wrought in his character; and
some weeks after the event, Job received that statue of his little
adversary, which had so often struck me, executed by a native artist,
with a long letter in verse, a beautiful specimen of doggrel; indeed,
gifts both equally creditable to the sculptor and the writer, and most
honourable to the animal in whose favour they had been executed.
My task will scarce be thought complete without a few words concerning
the personal appearance of my old friend; although, perhaps, few things
could be more difficult for me to describe. Dogs and cats are apt to
admire such very different forms of beauty, that the former often call
beautiful what we think just the reverse. He was tall, strong, and rather
stout, with a large bushy tail, which waved with every emotion of his
mind, for he rarely disguised his feelings. His features were considered
regular, though large, his eyes being particularly bright and full, and
the upper part of his head was broad and high.
But none who knew Job ever thought of his being handsome or otherwise.
You seemed to love him for something more than you could see, something
which had little to do with face, or body, or tail, and yet appeared in
them all, and shone clearly out of his eyes; I mean the spirit of
goodness, which made him so remarkable, and was so much a part of Job,
that I do believe a lock of his hair worn near one's own heart would help
to make it beat more kindly to one's fellow creatures. This idea may be
considered too fanciful, too cat-like, but I believe it notwithstanding.
Such was the Dog whose autobiography I have great pleasure in presenting
to the world. Many may object to the unpolished style in which his
memoirs are clothed, but all who knew him will easily pardon every want
of elegance in his language; and those who had not the honour of his
acquaintance, will learn to appreciate his character from the plain
spirit of truth which breathes in every line he wrote. I again affirm
that I need make no apology for attaching my name to that of one so
worthy the esteem of his co-dogs, ay, and co-cats too; for in spite of
the differences which have so often raised up a barrier between the
members of his race and ours, not even the noblest among us could be
degraded by raising a "mew" to the honour of such a thoroughly honest
dog.
MINETTE GATTINA.
THE UPPER MEWS,
CANEVILLE.
EARLY DAYS.
I was not born in this city of Caneville, but was brought here at so
young an age, that I have no recollection of any other place. I do not
remember either my father or my mother. An old doggess,[A] who was the
only creature I can recal to mind when I was a pup, took care of me. At
least, she said she did. But from what I recollect, I had to take most
care of myself. It was from her I learnt what I know about my parents.
She has told me that my father was a foreign dog of high rank; from a
country many, many miles away, called Newfoundland, and that my mother
was a member of the Mastiff family. But how I came to be under the care
of herself, and how it happened, if my parents were such superior
animals, that I should be forced to be so poor and dirty, I cannot tell.
I have sometimes ventured to ask her; but as she always replied with a
snarl or a bite, I soon got tired of putting any questions to her. I do
not think she was a very good temper; but I should not like to say so
positively, because I was still young when she died, and perhaps the
blows she gave me, and the bites she inflicted, were only intended for my
good; though I did not think so at the time.
[Footnote A: I have preferred adopting this word in speaking of female
dogs, as it comes nearer to the original, _zaïyen_.]
As we were very poor, we were forced to live in a wretched kennel in the
dampest part of the town, among dogs no better off than ourselves. The
place we occupied overhung the water, and one day when the old doggess
was punishing me for something I had done, the corner in which I was
crouched being rotten, gave way, and I fell plump into the river. I had
never been in the water before, and I was very frightened, for the stream
was so rapid that it carried me off and past the kennels I knew, in an
instant. I opened my mouth to call out for help; but as I was almost
choked with the water that got into it, I shut it again, and made an
effort to reach the land. To my surprise I found that, by moving my paws
and legs, I not only got my head well above the water, but was able to
guide myself to the bank, on to which I at length dragged myself, very
tired and out of breath, but quite recovered from my fear. I ran over the
grass towards the town as fast as I could, stopping now and then to shake
my coat, which was not so wet, however, as you would suppose; but before
I had got half way home I met the doggess, hopping along, with her tongue
out of her mouth, panting for breath, she having run all the way from the
kennel, out of which I had popped so suddenly, along the bank, with the
hope of picking me up somewhere. She knew, she said, that I should never
be drowned. But how she _could_ know that was more than I could then
imagine.
When we met, after I had escaped so great a danger, I flew to her paws,
in the hope of getting a tender lick; but as soon as she recovered
breath, she caught hold of one of my ears with her teeth, and bit it till
I howled with pain, and then set off running with me at a pace which I
found it difficult to keep up with. I remember at the time thinking it
was not very kind of her; but I have since reflected that perhaps she
only did it to brighten me up and prevent me taking cold.
This was my first adventure, and also my first acquaintance with the
water. From that day I often ventured into the river, and in the end
became so good a swimmer, that there were few dogs in Caneville who could
surpass me in strength and dexterity afloat.
Many moons came and passed away, and I was getting a big dog. My appetite
grew with my size, and as there was little to eat at home, I was forced
to wander through the streets to look after stray bones; but I was not
the only animal employed thus hunting for a livelihood, and the bits
scattered about the streets being very few and small, some of us, as may
be imagined, got scanty dinners. There was such quarrelling and fighting,
also, for the possession of every morsel, that if you were not willing to
let go any piece you had seized upon, you were certain to have
half-a-dozen curs upon your back to force you to do so; and the poor
weakly dog, whose only hope of a meal lay in what he might pick up, ran a
sad chance of being starved.
One of the fiercest fights I have ever been engaged in occurred upon one
of these occasions. I had had no breakfast, and it was already past the
hour when the rich dogs of Caneville were used to dine. Hungry and
disconsolate, I was trotting slowly past a large house, when a side-door
opened, and a servant jerked a piece of meat into the road. In the
greatest joy I pounced upon the prize, but not so quickly but that two
ragged curs, who were no doubt as hungry as myself, managed to rush to
the spot in time to get hold of the other end of it. Then came a struggle
for the dainty; and those who do not know how hard dogs will fight for
their dinner, when they have had no breakfast, should have been there to
learn the lesson. After giving and receiving many severe bites, the two
dogs walked off--perhaps they did not think the meat was worth the
trouble of contending for any longer--and I was left to enjoy my meal in
peace. I had scarcely, however, squatted down, with the morsel between my
paws, than a miserable little puppy, who seemed as if he had had neither
dinner nor breakfast for the last week, came and sat himself at a little
distance from me, and without saying a word, brushed the pebbles about
with his ragged tail, licked his chops, and blinked his little eyes at me
so hopefully, that, hungry as I was, I could not begin my meat. As I
looked at him, I observed two tears gather at the side of his nose, and
grow bigger and bigger until they would no longer stop there, but tumbled
on to the ground. I could bear it no longer. I do not know even now what
ailed me; but my own eyes grew so dim, that there seemed a mist before
them which prevented my seeing anything plainly. I started up, and
pushing to the poor whelp the piece of meat which had cost me three new
rents in my coat and a split ear, I trotted slowly away. I stopped at the
corner to see whether he appeared to enjoy it, and partly to watch that
no other dog should take it from him. The road was quite clear, and the
poor pup quite lost in the unusual treat of a good meal; so I took my
way homewards, with an empty stomach but a full heart. I was so pleased
to see that little fellow enjoy his dinner so thoroughly.
This sort of life, wherein one was compelled either to fight for every
bit one could get to eat or go without food altogether, became at last so
tiresome to me that I set about for some other means of providing for my
wants. I could not understand how the old doggess used to manage, but
though she never had anything to give me, she did not seem to be without
food herself. She was getting so much more cross and quarrelsome, perhaps
on account of her age and infirmities, that I now saw but little of her,
as I often, on a fine night, preferred curling myself up under a doorway
or beneath a tree, to returning to the kennel and listening to her feeble
growls. She never seemed to want me there, so I had less difficulty in
keeping away from her.
Chance assisted me in the choice of my new attempt at getting a living. I
was walking along one of the narrow streets of Caneville, when I was
stopped by an old dog, who was known to be very rich and very miserly. He
had lately invented a novel kind of match for lighting pipes and cigars,
which he called "a fire-fly," the composition of which was so dangerous
that it had already caused a good deal of damage in the town from its
exploding; and he wanted some active young dogs to dispose of his wares
to the passers-by according to the custom of Caneville. As he expected a
good deal of opposition from the venders of a rival article, it was
necessary to make choice of such agents as would not be easily turned
from their purpose for fear of an odd bite or two. I suppose he thought I
was well fitted for the object he had in view. I was very poor--one good
reason, for his employing me, as I would be contented with little; I was
strong, and should therefore be able to get through the work; I was
willing, and bore a reputation for honesty--all sufficient causes for old
Fily (that was his name) to stop me this fine morning and propose my
entering his service. Terms are easily arranged where both parties are
willing to come to an agreement. After being regaled with a mouldy bone,
and dressed out in an old suit of clothes belonging to my new master,
which, in spite of a great hole in one of the knees, I was not a little
proud of, with a bundle of wares under my arm and a box of the famous
"fire-flies" in my paw, I began my commercial career.
But, alas! either the good dogs of Caneville were little disposed to
speculate that day, or I was very awkward in my occupation, but no one
seemed willing to make a trial of my "fire-flies." In vain I used the
most enticing words to set off my goods, even going so far as to say that
cigars lighted with these matches would have a very much finer flavour,
and could not possibly go out. This I said on the authority of my
employer, who assured me of the fact. It was of no use; not a single
"fire-fly" blazed in consequence, and I began to fear that I was not
destined to make my fortune as a match-seller.
At length there came sweeping down the street a party which at once
attracted me, and I resolved to use my best efforts to dispose, at least,
of one of my boxes, if it were only to convince my master that I had done
my best. The principal animal of the group was a lady doggess,
beautifully dressed, with sufficient stuff in her gown to cover a dozen
ordinary dogs, a large muff to keep her paws from the cold, and a very
open bonnet with a garden-full of flowers round her face, which, in spite
of her rich clothes, I did not think a very pretty one. A little behind
her was another doggess, not quite so superbly dressed, holding a puppy
by the paw. It was very certain that they were great animals, for two or
three dogs they had just passed had taken off their hats as they went by,
and then put their noses together as if they were saying something about
them.
[Illustration: LADY BULL]
I drew near, and for the first time in my life was timid and abashed. The
fine clothes, no doubt, had something to do with making me feel so,
but--I was still very young. Taking courage, I went on tiptoe to the
great lady, and begged her to buy a box of "fire-flies" of a poor dog who
had no other means of gaining his bread. Now, you must know that these
matches had not a pleasant smell--few matches have; but as they were
shut up in the box, the odour could not have been _very_ sensible.
However, when I held up the article towards her ladyship, she put her paw
to her nose--as though to shut out the odour--uttered a low howl, and,
though big enough and strong enough to have sent me head over heels with
a single blow, seemed on the point of falling to the ground. But at the
instant, two male servants, whom I had not seen, ran to her assistance,
while I, who was the innocent cause of all this commotion, stood like a
silly dog that I was, with my box in the air and my mouth wide open,
wondering what it all meant. I was not suffered to remain long in
ignorance; for the two hounds in livery, turning to me, so belaboured my
poor back that I thought at first my bones were broken; while the young
puppy, who, it appears, was her ladyship's youngest son, running behind
me, while I was in this condition, gave my tail such a pull as to cause
me the greatest pain. They then left me in the middle of the road, to
reflect on my ill success in trade, and gather up my stock as I best
could.
I do not know what it was which made me so anxious to learn the name and
rank of the lady doggess who had been the cause of my severe punishment,
but I eagerly inquired of a kind mongrel, who stopped to help me collect
my scattered goods, if he knew anything about her. He said, she was
called Lady Bull; that her husband. Sir John Bull, had made a large
fortune somehow, and that they lived in a splendid house, had about
thirty puppies, little and big, had plenty of servants, and spent a
great deal of money. He could hardly imagine, he said, that it was the
odour of the "fire-flies" which had occasioned me to be knocked down for
upsetting her ladyship, as she had been a butcher's daughter, and was
used to queer smells, unless her nose had perhaps got more delicate with
her change of position.
He said much more about her and her peculiarities than I either remember
or care to repeat; but, imagining he had some private reasons for saying
what he did, I thanked him for his trouble, and bid him good day.
Whatever the cause of my failure, it seemed that I was not fitted for the
match-business. At all events, the experience of that morning did not
encourage me sufficiently to proceed. So, returning the unsold
"fire-flies" to old Fily, I made him a present of the time I had already
spent in his service, and, with a thoughtful face and aching bones, took
my way towards the kennel by the water-side.
CHANGES.
The sun was just going down as I came in sight of the river and the row
of poor kennels which stood on the bank, many of them, like our own,
projecting half over the water. I could not help wondering at the pretty
effect they made at a distance, with the blue river dancing gaily by
their side, the large trees of the wood on the opposite bank waving in
beauty, and the brilliant sun changing everything that his rays fell upon
into gold. He made the poor kennels look so splendid for the time, that
no one would have thought the animals who lived in them could ever be
poor or unhappy. But when the rich light was gone,--gone with the sun
which made it to some other land,--it seemed as if the whole place was
changed. The trees shivered as though a cold wind was stirring them. The
river ran dark and sullenly by the poor houses; and the houses themselves
looked more wretched, I thought, than they had ever appeared before. Yet,
somehow, they were more homelike in their dismal state than when they had
a golden roof and purple sides, so, resuming my walk, for I had stopped
to admire the pretty picture, I soon came near the door.
It was open, as usual. But what was _not_ usual, was to hear other sounds
from within than the voice of the old doggess, making ceaseless moans.
Now it seemed as if all the doggesses of the neighbourhood had met in the
poor hut to pass the evening, for there was such confusion of tongues,
and such a rustling sound, as told me, before I peeped inside, that
there was a large party got together, and that tails were wagging at a
fearful rate.
When I stood before the open door, all the scene broke upon me. On her
bed of straw, evidently at the point of death, lay my poor doggess. Her
eyes had almost lost their fierce expression, and were becoming fixed and
glassy--a slight tremor in her legs and movement of her stumpy tail, were
all that told she was yet living; not even her breast was seen to heave.
I had not much reason to bear love to the old creature for any kindness
she had ever shown me, but this sight overcame me at once. Springing to
her aide, and upsetting half a dozen of the gossips by the movement, I
laid my paw on hers; and, involuntarily raising my head in the air, I
sent forth a howl which shook the rotten timbers of the old kennel, and
so frightened the assembled party as to make them scamper out of the
place like mad things. The sound even called back the departing senses of
the dying doggess. She drew me to her with her paws, and made an effort
to lick me. The action quite melted me. I put down my head to hers and
felt a singular pleasure mixed with grief whilst I licked and caressed
her, I could not help thinking then, as I have often thought since, of
how much happiness we had lost by not being more indulgent to each
other's faults, forgiving and loving one another. She also seemed to be
of this opinion, if I might judge by the grateful look and passive manner
in which she received my attentions. Perhaps the near approach of her end
gave a softness to her nature which was unusual to her; it is not
unlikely; but, of a certainty, I never felt before how much I was losing,
as when I saw that poor doggess's life thus ebbing away.
Night had come on while I sat watching by her side. Everything about the
single room had become more and more indistinct, until all objects were
alike blended in the darkness. I could no longer distinguish the shape of
my companion, and, but that I _knew_ she was there, I could have thought
myself alone. The wind had fallen; the water seemed to run more gently
than it was wont to do; and the noises which generally make themselves
heard in the streets of Caneville appeared to be singularly quieted. But
once only, at another period of my life, which I shall speak of in its
proper place, do I ever remember to have been so struck by the silence,
and to have felt myself so entirely alone.
The moon appeared to rise quicker that night, as though it pitied the
poor forlorn dog. It peeped over an opposite house, and directly after,
shone coldly but kindly through the open door. At least, its light seemed
to come like the visit of a friend, in spite of its showing me what I
feared, that I was _indeed_ alone in the world. The poor doggess had died
in the darkness between the setting of the sun and the moon's rise.
I was sure that she was dead, yet I howled no more. My grief was very
great; for it is a sad, sad thing when you are young to find you are
without friends; perhaps sadder when you are old; but that, I fortunately
do not myself know, for I am old, and have many friends. I recollect
putting my nose between my paws, and lying at full length on the floor,
waiting till the bright sun should come again, and thinking of my forlorn
condition. I must have slept and dreamed--yet I thought I was still in
the old kennel with the dead doggess by my side. But everything seemed to
have found a voice, and to be saying kind things to me.
The river, as it ran and shook the supports of the old kennel, appeared
to cry out in a rough but gay tone: "Job, Job, my dog, cheer up, cheer
up; the world is before you, Job, cheer up, cheer up." The light wind
that was coming by that way stopped to speak to me as it passed. It flew
round the little room, and whispered as it went: "Poor dog, poor dog, you
are very lonely; but the good need not be so; the good may have friends,
dear Job, however poor!" The trees, as they waved their heads, sent
kindly words across the water, that made their way to my heart right
through the chinks of the old cabin; and when morning broke, and a bright
sky smiled beautifully upon the streets of Caneville, I woke up, sad
indeed, but full of hope.
Some ragged curs arrived, and carried the old doggess away. She was very
heavy, and they were forced to use all their strength. I saw her cast
into the water, which she disliked so much alive; I watched her floating
form until the rapid current bore it into the wood, and I stayed sitting
on the brink of the river wondering where it would reach at last, and
what sort of places must lie beyond the trees. I had an idea in my own
mind that the sun rested there all night, only I could not imagine how it
came up again in the morning in quite an opposite quarter; but then I was
such a young and ignorant puppy!
After thinking about this and a good many other matters of no importance
to my story, I got upon my legs, and trotted gently along the bank,
towards a part of the city which I did not remember to have seen before.
The houses were very few, but they were large and handsome, and all had
pretty gardens in nice order, with flowers which smelt so sweet, that I
thought the dogs who could always enjoy such advantages must be very
happy. But one of the houses, larger than all the rest, very much struck
me, for I had never an idea of such a splendid place being in Caneville.
It was upon a little hill that stood at some distance from the river, and
the ground which sloped down from the house into the water was covered
with such beautiful grass, that it made one long to nibble and roll upon
it.
While I was quietly looking at this charming scene, I was startled by a
loud noise of barking and howling higher up the river, and a confused
sound, as if a great many dogs were assembled at one place, all calling
out together. I ran at once in the direction of the hubbub, partly out of
curiosity and in part from some other motive, perhaps the notion of being
able to render some help.
A little before me the river had a sudden bend, and the bank rose high,
which prevented me seeing the cause of the noise; but when I reached the
top, the whole scene was before me. On my side of the river a great crowd
had assembled, who were looking intently upon something in the water;
and on the opposite bank there was a complete stream of dogs, running
down to the hill which belonged to the beautiful house I had been
admiring. Every dog, as he ran, seemed to be trying to make as much noise
as he could; and those I spoke to were barking so loudly, and jumping
about in such a way, that I could at first get no explanation of what was
the matter. At last I saw that the struggling object in the water was a
young puppy, which seemed very nicely dressed, and at the same moment the
mongrel, who had helped me to pick up my matches the day before, came
alongside of me, and said: "Ah, young firefly, how are you? Isn't this a
game? That old Lady Bull who got you such a drubbing yesterday, is in a
pretty mess. Her thirty-second pup has just tumbled into the water, and
will certainly be drowned. Isn't she making a fuss? just look!"
One rapid glance showed me the grand lady he spoke of, howling most
fearfully on the other side of the stream, while two pups, about the same
size as the one in the water, and a stout dog, who looked like the papa,
were sometimes catching hold of her and then running about, not knowing
what to do.
I stopped no longer. I threw off my over-coat, and running to a higher
part of the bank, leapt into the water, the mongrel's voice calling after
me: "What are you going to do? Don't you know its the son of the old
doggess who had you beat so soundly? Look at your shoulder, where the
hair has been all knocked off with the blows?" Without paying the least
attention to these words, which I could not help hearing they were called
out so loudly, I used all my strength to reach the poor little pup, who,
tired with his efforts to help himself, had already floated on to his
back, while his tiny legs and paws were moving feebly in the air. I
reached him after a few more efforts, and seizing his clothes with my
teeth, I got his head above the water, and swam with my load slowly
towards the bank.
As I got nearer, I could see Lady Bull, still superbly dressed, but
without her bonnet, throw up her paws and nose towards the sky, and fall
back into the arms of her husband; while the two pups by her side
expressed their feelings in different ways; for one stuffed his little
fists into his eyes, and the other waved his cap in the air, and broke
forth into a succession of infantile bow-wows.
[Illustration: GOOD DOG!]
On reaching, the bank, I placed my load at the feet of his poor mother,
who threw herself by his side and hugged him to her breast, in a way
which proved how much tenderness was under those fine clothes and
affected manners. The others stood around her uttering low moans of
sympathy, and I, seeing all so engaged and taken up with the recovered
dog, quietly, and, as I thought, unseen by all, slid back into the water,
and permitted myself to be carried by the current down the river. I
crawled out at some short distance from the spot where this scene had
taken place, and threw myself on to the grass, in order to rest from my
fatigue and allow the warm sun to dry my saturated clothes. What I felt I
can scarce describe, although I remember so distinctly everything
connected with that morning. My principal sensation was that of savage
joy, to think I had saved the son of the doggess who had caused me such
unkind treatment. I was cruel enough, I am sorry to say, to figure to
myself her pain at receiving such a favour from me--but that idea soon
passed away, on reflecting that perhaps she would not even know to whom
she owed her son's escape from death.
In the midst of my ruminations, a light step behind me caused me to raise
my head. I was positively startled at the beautiful object which I
beheld. It was a lady puppy about my own age, but so small in size, and
with such an innocent sweet look, that she seemed much younger. Her dress
was of the richest kind, and her bonnet, which had fallen back from her
head, showed her glossy dark hair and drooping ears that hung gracefully
beside her cheeks. Poorly as I was dressed, and wet as I still was from
my bath, she sat herself beside me, and putting her little soft paw upon
my shoulder, said, with a smile--
"Ah, Job!--for I know that's your name--did you think you could get off
so quietly without any one seeing you, or stopping you, or saying one
single 'thank you, Job,' for being such a good noble dog as you are? Did
you think there was not one sharp eye in Caneville to watch the saver,
but that all were fixed upon the saved? That every tongue was so engaged
in sympathizing with the mother, that not one was left to praise the
brave? If you thought this, dear Job, you did me and others wrong, great
wrong. There are some dogs, at least, who may forget an injury, but who
never forget a noble action, and I have too great a love for my species
to let you think so. I shall see you again, dear Job, though I must leave
you now. I should be blamed if it were known that I came here to talk to
you as I have done; but I could not help it, I could not let you believe
that a noble heart was not understood in Caneville. Adieu. Do not forget
the name of Fida."
She stooped down, and for a moment her silky hair waved on my rough
cheek, while her soft tongue gently licked my face. Before I could open
my mouth in reply--before, indeed, I had recovered from my surprise, and
the admiration which this beautiful creature caused me, she was gone. I
sprang on to my legs to observe which way she went, but not a trace of
her could I see, and I thought it would not be proper to follow her. When
I felt certain of being alone, I could hardly restrain my feelings. I
threw myself on my back, I rolled upon the grass, I turned head over
heels in the boisterousness of my spirit, and then gambolled round and
round like a mad thing.
Did I believe all the flattering praises which the lovely Fida had
bestowed on me? I might perhaps have done so then, and in my inexperience
might have fancied that I was quite a hero. Time has taught me another
lesson. It has impressed upon me the truth, that when we do our duty we
do only what should be expected of every dog; only what every dog ought
to do. Of the two, Fida had done the nobler action. She had shown not
only a promptness to feel what she considered good, but she had had the
courage to say so in private to the doer, although he was of the poorest
and she of the richest class of Caneville society. In saving the little
pup's life, I had risked nothing; I knew my strength, and felt certain I
could bring him safely to the shore. If I had _not_ tried to save the
poor little fellow I should have been in part guilty of his death. But
she, in bestowing secret praise and encouragement upon a poor dog who had
no friends to admire her for so doing, while her action would perhaps
bring blame upon her from her proud friends, did that which was truly
good and noble.
The thought of returning to my solitary home after the sad scene of the
night before, and particularly after the new feelings just excited, was
not a pleasant one. The bright sky and fresh air seemed to suit me better
than black walls and the smell of damp straw. Resolving in my mind,
however, to leave it as soon as possible, I re-crossed the river, and,
with a slower step than usual, took the road which led thither.
UPS AND DOWNS.
I should not probably have spoken of these last incidents in my life, as
the relation of them savours rather too much of vanity, but for certain
results of the highest importance to my future fortunes.
When I reached the old kennel I found, waiting my return, two terrier
dogs in livery, with bulls' heads grinning from such a quantity of
buttons upon their lace coats that it was quite startling. They brought
a polite message from Sir John and Lady Bull, begging me to call upon
them without delay. As the servants had orders to show me the road, we
set off at once.
I was very silent on the journey, for my companions were so splendidly
dressed that I could not help thinking they must be very superior dogs
indeed; and I was rather surprised, when they spoke to each other, to
find that they talked just like any other animals, and a good deal more
commonly than many that I knew. But such is the effect of fine clothes
upon those who know no better.
We soon reached the grounds of the mansion, having crossed the river in a
boat that was waiting for us; and after passing through a garden more
beautiful than my poor dog's brain had ever imagined, we at last stood
before the house itself. I need not describe to you, who know the place
so well, the vastness of the building or the splendour of its appearance.
What struck me more even than the palace, was the number of the servants
and the richness of their clothes. Each of them seemed fine enough to be
the master of the place, and appeared really to think so, if I could
judge by the way they strutted about and the look they gave at my poor
apparel. I was much abashed at first to find myself in such a company and
make so miserable a figure; but I was consoled with the thought that not
one of them that morning had ventured, in spite of his eating his
master's meat and living in his master's house, to plunge into the water
to save his master's son. Silly dog that I was! it did not enter my head
at the same time to inquire whether any of them had learnt to swim.
If the outside of the mansion had surprised me by its beauty, the
interior appeared of course much more extraordinary to my ignorant mind.
Every thing I was unused to looked funny or wonderful; and if I had not
been restrained by the presence of such great dogs, I should have
sometimes laughed outright, and at others broken forth into expressions
of surprise.
The stout Sir John Bull was standing in the middle of the room when I
entered it, while the stouter Lady Bull was lying on a kind of sofa, that
seemed quite to sink beneath her weight. I found out afterwards that it
was the softness of the sofa which made it appear so; for sitting on it
myself, at my Lady's request, I jumped up in the greatest alarm, on
finding the heaviest part of my body sink lower and lower down, and my
tail come flapping into my face.
Sir John and Lady Bull now thanked me very warmly for what I had done,
and said a great many things which it is not worth while to repeat. I
remember they were very pleasing to me then, but I am sure cannot be
interesting to you now. After their thanks, Sir John began to talk to me
about myself--about my parents--my wishes--what I intended to do--and
what were my means? To his great surprise he learnt that parents I had
none; that my only wishes were the desire to do some good for myself and
others, and earn my meat; that I had no notion what I intended doing, and
had no means whatever to do anything with. It may be believed that I
willingly accepted his offer to watch over a portion of his grounds, to
save them from the depredations of thieves, on condition of my receiving
good clothes, plenty of food, and a comfortable house to live in. It was
now my turn to be thankful. But although my heart was full at this piece
of good fortune, and I could _think_ of a great many things to say to
show my gratitude, not a single word could I find to express it in, but
stood before them like a dumb dog, with only the wave of my tail to
explain my thanks. They seemed, however, to understand it, and I was at
once ordered a complete suit of clothes and everything fitted for my new
position. I was also supplied with the most abundant supper I had ever
had in my life, and went to rest upon the most delightful bed; so that
before I went to sleep, and I do believe afterwards too, I kept saying to
myself, "Job, Job, you have surely got some other dog's place; all this
good luck can't be meant for you; what have you done, Job, that you
should eat such meat, and sleep on so soft a bed, and be spoken to so
kindly? Don't forget yourself, Job; there must be some mistake." But when
I got up in the morning, and found a breakfast for me as nice as the
supper, and looked at my clothes, which, if not so smart as some of the
others, were better and finer than any I could ever have thought I should
have worn, I was at last convinced, that although I was poor Job, and
although I did not, perhaps, deserve all the happiness I felt, that it
was not a dream, but real, plain truth. "As it is so," I said again, "I
must do my duty as well as I am able, for that is the only way a poor dog
like me can show his gratitude."