CAP— A NEW ENGLAND DOG. 



307 



friends by face or voice, though perhaps for a 

 year or two absent, and would run, wagging body 

 and tail equally, to meet them. But this was not 

 so astonishing as his memory for things. Like 

 all Newfoundlands he was passionately fond of 

 bathing, and had a certain stick which he always 

 carried to the water, and on returning put in a 

 particular place in our back-yard ; for, mind you, 

 he had a bump for order. He put it away for the 

 last time in October, the water being too cold to 

 bathe later : snow came soon after, covering it up 

 for months ; and it was late in May before it was 

 warm enough to swim again. My father said, 

 " Cap ! would you like to go to the water ? " He 

 jumped up, said "Yes" in his way, ran to the 

 door, round the house, over the fence, had the 

 stick and back again, panting with excitement. 

 Some one coming just then, my father had to say, 

 " Not to-day, Cap, to-morrow : " slowly and lin- 

 geringly he walked back and deposited the stick. 

 The next morning, however, on coming down^ 

 Cap was at the door, stick in mouth, apparently 

 having perfectly understood the cause of delay, 

 and determined to be in season to have no inter- 

 ruptions this time. Of course he was taken to 

 the water immediately and had a grand bath : 

 singularly this was the only occasion he was 

 ever known to take his stick from its place 

 without a particular invitation. Certainly he 

 understood. 



And he read character to a marvel, measuring 

 each member of the household, understanding 

 what he could, and what he could not, do with 

 each. With those who could master him, he 

 never held out uselessly, but yielded with a pecul- 

 iar grace, quite his own ; with those who could 

 not, why he mastered them ! Not overbearingly, 

 but impudently ; and when requested by them to 

 do anything disagreeable to him, would wag his 

 tail as much as to say, " I'm not in a mind to, 

 and I know you won't make me." 



They even laughed, and said he understood the 

 politics of the family, and from his amusing aver- 

 sion to negroes one would suppose so, as he could 

 never abide the sight of that African race. One 

 night a colored man being sent to the house with 

 some ice-cream, shrieks and a general sound of 

 rumpus brought us all to the kitchen, where Cap 

 had half torn the clothes off the man, who, with 

 rolling whites, now stood petrified and livid with 

 fright ; Cap making fresh plunges, carrying off 

 pieces of clothing each time. Indeed, it was al- 

 most impossible to take the dog off, so inveterate 

 was his hatred. The servants, on being ques- 

 tioned, said the man had done nothing. But 



never did he see one of this race, even in the 

 street, without hot pursuit. 



This was in the war-time, when Fort Warren 

 was hung over our heads — so much for his pluck 

 and party principles ! 



Beggars he looked on with a suspicious eye, 

 and always watched closely, but never molested. 



Little dogs were treated by him with con- 

 tempt — not noticing their presence, or even in- 

 sults, at first ; but if too persistent and intoler- 

 able, he would give them a sound shaking, and 

 throwing them over, would look off into space — 

 quite unconscious — an expression inimitable, I 

 assure you. In general he did not affect dog- 

 company ; carrying himself with a grand air and 

 great dignity, he would look at them and pass on. 

 Perhaps a sense of superior intelligence caused 

 this hauteur, more probably family pride; for 

 mark you, Cap was nephew to the Prince of 

 Wales's dog, the prince, while in this country, 

 having had the finest specimen of a Newfound- 

 land in the provinces presented to him. What- 

 ever evolutions of thought Cap may have had, the 

 fact is the same. 



When a child, I had a severe typhoid fever, 

 and every morning Cap was sent with a note tied 

 to his collar with tidings of my welfare to my 

 grandmother. Nothing could distract him on 

 such an errand ; but, when arrived at the house, 

 he would go straight and lay his head in her lap 

 till the note was untied. Then, considering his 

 duty done, he would go to the kitchen, be fed, and 

 inspect the dinner — to which he always returned, 

 if to his mind ; but if it was to be of poultry, or 

 game of any kind, they saw him no more that 

 day. 



My father bought Cap when a pup for us chil- 

 dren to play with, and great fun we had. As we 

 grew older he came into the house with us, our 

 constant companion, my own especial friend and 

 confidant. I told him everything, and he never 

 peached. Thus constantly with us, and talked 

 to, he learned to understand all that was said, 

 whether directly addressed to him or not ; and 

 the following story is strictly true, incredible as 

 it may seem. 



My father and mother were reading, and one 

 of them, noticing an article about water standing 

 in a room overnight absorbing impure gases, and 

 being unhealthy to drink, read it aloud, and re- 

 marked, "If that's the case, we must be sure and 

 see that Cap's water is changed every morning." 

 He had water always in mother's dressing-room, 

 where he went and drank when he liked. Cap 

 lay on the floor, apparently unobservant. The 



