How well do I recollect, in the days of my youth, watching the
operations of a turnspit at the house of a worthy old Welsh clergyman
in Worcestershire, who taught me to read. He was a good man, wore a
bushy wig, black worsted stockings, and large plated buckles in his
shoes. As he had several boarders, as well as day-scholars, his two
turnspits had plenty to do. They were long-bodied, crooked-legged, and
ugly dogs, with a suspicious, unhappy look about them, as if they were
weary of the task they had to do, and expected every moment to be
seized upon to perform it. Cooks in those days, as they are said to be
at present, were very cross, and if the poor animal, wearied with
having a larger joint than usual to turn, stopped for a moment, the
voice of the cook might be heard rating him in no very gentle terms.
When we consider that a large solid piece of beef would take at least
three hours before it was properly roasted, we may form some idea of
the task a dog had to perform in turning a wheel during that time. A
pointer has pleasure in finding game, the terrier worries rats with
considerable glee, the greyhound pursues hares with eagerness and
delight, and the bull-dog even attacks bulls with the greatest energy,
while the poor turnspit performs his task by compulsion, like a
culprit on a tread-wheel, subject to scolding or beating if he stops a
moment to rest his weary limbs, and is then kicked about the kitchen
when the task is over. There is a story (it is an old one) of the Bath
turnspits, who were in the habit of collecting together in the abbey
church of that town during divine service. It is said, but I will not
vouch for the truth of the story, that hearing one day the word
"spit," which occurred in the lesson for the day, they all ran out of
the church in the greatest hurry, evidently associating the word with
the task they had to perform.
These dogs are still used in Germany, and her Majesty has two or three
of them amongst her collection of these quadrupeds. They are extremely
bandy-legged, so as to appear almost incapable of running, with long
bodies and rather large heads. They are very strong in the jaws, and
are what are called hard-bitten. It is a peculiarity in these dogs
that they generally have the iris of one eye black and the other
white. Their colour varies, but the usual one is a bluish grey,
spotted with black. The tail is generally curled on the back.
As two turnspits were generally kept to do the roasting work of a
family, each dog knew his own day, and it was not an easy task to make
one work two days running. Even on his regular day a dog would
frequently hide himself, so cordially did he hate his prescribed
duties. A story is said to have been related to a gentleman by the
Duke de Liancourt, of two turnspits employed in his kitchen, who had
to take their turns every other day to get into the wheel. One of
them, in a fit of laziness, hid himself on the day he should have
worked, so that his companion was forced to mount the wheel in his
stead, who, when his employment was over, began crying and wagging his
tail, and making signs for those in attendance to follow him. This was
done, and the dog conducted them into a garret, where he dislodged his
idle companion, and killed him immediately.
The following circumstance is said to have taken place in the Jesuits'
College at La Fleche.
After the cook had prepared his meat for roasting, he looked for the
dog whose turn it was to work the spit, but not being able to find
him, he attempted to employ for this service another that happened to
be in the kitchen. The dog, however, resisted, and, having bitten the
cook, ran away. The man, with whom the dog was a particular favourite,
was much astonished at his ferocity. The wound he had received was a
severe one, and bled profusely, so that it was necessary to dress it.
While this was doing, the dog, which had run into the garden, and
found out the one whose turn it was to work the spit, came driving him
before him into the kitchen, when the latter immediately went of his
own accord into the wheel.
Buffon calls the turnspit the _Basset a jambes torses_, but some of
the breed are said to have straight legs. Short as they are, the body
is extremely strong and heavy in proportion to the height of the dog,
and this weight must facilitate the turning of the wheel.
[Illustration: THE FOXHOUND.]