About three years ago, a gentleman, residing a few miles from the
metropolis, was called up to town in the middle of the night, by the
intelligence that the premises adjoining his house of business were on
fire. The removal of his furniture and papers of course immediately
claimed his attention; yet, notwithstanding this and the bustle which is
ever incident to a fire, his eye every now and then rested on a dog,
whom, during the hottest progress of the devouring element, he could not
help noticing running about, and apparently taking a deep interest in
what was going on, contriving to keep himself out of every body’s way,
and yet always present amidst the thickest of the stir.
When the fire was got under, and the gentleman had leisure to look about
him, he again observed the dog, who, with the firemen, appeared to be
resting from the fatigues of duty, and was led to make some inquiries
respecting him. What passed may perhaps be better told in its original
shape of question and answer between the gentleman and a fireman
belonging to the Atlas Insurance Office.
_Gentleman._--(stooping down to pat the dog, and addressing the
fireman).--Is this your dog, my friend?
_Firemen._--No, sir, he does not belong to me, or to any one in
particular. We call him the firemen’s dog.
_Gentleman._--The firemen’s dog! Why so? has he no master?
_Fireman._--No, sir, he calls none of us master, though we are all of us
willing enough to give him a night’s lodging and a pennyworth of meat;
but he won’t stay long with any of us; his delight is to be at all the
fires in London, and, far or near, we generally find him on the road as
we are going along, and sometimes, if it is out of town, we give him a
lift. I don’t think there has been a fire for these two or three years
past which he has not been at.
The communication was so extraordinary, that the gentleman found it
difficult to believe the story, until it was confirmed by the concurrent
testimony of several other firemen; none of them, however, were able to
give any account of the early habits of the dog, or to offer any
explanation of the circumstances which led to this singular propensity.
A minute of the facts was made at the time by the inquirer, with a view
to their transmission to some of the journals or periodicals, which
publish anecdotes of natural history of animals; but other things
interfered, and the intention was lost sight of.
In the month of June, last year, the same gentleman was again called up
in the night to a fire in the village in which he resided, Camberwell in
Surrey, and to his surprise here he again met with “the firemen’s dog,”
still alive and well, pursuing with the same apparent interest and
satisfaction, the exhibition of that which seldom fails to bring with it
disaster and misfortune, oftentimes loss of life and ruin. Still he
called no man master, disdained to receive bed or board from the same
hand more than a night or two at a time, nor could the firemen trace out
his ordinary resting-place.
The foregoing account is strictly true, and the truth may be ascertained
by inquiry of any of the regular firemen of the metropolis. But who of
those best acquainted with the habits of that most sagacious of our
quadrupeds shall offer an explanation of the “hobby” of the firemen’s
dog?
⁂ We insert this extraordinary story upon the authority of a
Correspondent who gives us his name and address.
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