CANINE SAGACITY. 203 



of the animal passion for revenge. The jetty which stretched along 

 the small harbor was at that time used as a promenade by the elite 

 among the sojourners on the coast, where, after the heat of the long 

 summer days, they regaled themselves with the fresh evening breezes 

 wafted in from the sea. Among the frequenters of this fashionable 

 resort was a gentleman of some position, who was the owner of a fine 

 Newfoundland dog, which inherited the time-honored possessions of 

 that noble breed very great power and facility in swimming ; and, 

 at the period of the evening when the jetty was most crowded with 

 promenaders, his master delighted to put this animal through a series 

 of aquatic performances for the entertainment of the assembled spec- 

 tators. Amusement being at a premium on the coast, these nightly 

 performances grew into something like an " institution," and the brave 

 " Captain" for such was his name speedily became a universal fa- 

 vorite on the jetty. It happened, however, that among the new ar- 

 rivals on the coast there came a certain major in her majesty's army, 

 accompanied by two bull-dogs of unusual size and strength, and of 

 great value ; but, value in a bull-dog being inversely proportionate to 

 its beauty, the appearance of the major and his dogs excited no very 

 enthusiastic pleasure among the aesthetic strollers on the jetty. On 

 the first night on which the major presented himself, nothing unusual 

 occurred ; and Captain dived and swam as before. But on the second 

 evening the brave old favorite was walking quietly behind his master 

 down the jetty, when, as they were passing by the major and his dogs, 

 one of these ugly brutes flew at Captain, and caught him by the neck 

 in such a way as to render his great size utterly useless for his de- 

 fense. A violent struggle ensued, but the bull-dog came off the victor, 

 for he stuck to his foe like a leech, and coiild only be forced to release 

 his hold by the insertion of a bar of iron between his teeth. The in- 

 dignation of the by-standers against the major was, of course, very 

 great ; and its fervor was not a little increased when they saw the 

 poor Captain wending his way homeward, bleeding, and bearing all 

 the marks of defeat. Some two or three evenings after this occur- 

 rence, when Captain again made his appearance on the jetty, he looked 

 quite crestfallen, bore his tail between his legs, and stuck closely to 

 the heels of his master. That evening passed away quietly, and the 

 next, and the next, and so on for about a week Captain still bearing 

 the aspect of mourning. But one evening about eight or ten days 

 after the above encounter, as the major was inarching in his usual 

 pompous manner along the jetty, accompanied by his dogs, something 

 attracted his attention in the water, and, walking to the very edge of 

 the jetty, he stood for a moment looking down into the sea. Scarcely 

 had the two bull-dogs taken up their stand beside their master when 

 Captain, seizing the opportunity for which he had so long looked, 

 rushed at his former conqueror, and, catching him by the back of the 

 neck, jumped off the jetty, with his foe in his mouth, down some twen- 



