63() Newfoundland Adventures. 



to hear his doings spoken of. He knows every word I say, and would 

 speak if he could. I reared him from his cradle, and fed and christened 

 him myself. I love him like a child, and he respects me like a father. 

 Well, as I was saying, my poor boy Ben and I were fishing on the 

 Bank one day, as usual, and Cabot was on board. I like to bring him 

 with me, for he has a pretty notion of the weather, and always takes his 

 watch with me, and keeps me warm in my berth when we turn in to- 

 gether (that 's if he 's not too wet, for then he has the decency to lie 

 alone). When on deck, he keeps a good look out for squalls, and barks 

 right in the wind's eye till they strike us : but if he spies a sleeping whale, 

 he 's as mute as a mouse. He can see an iceberg through a fog, or feel 

 the freezing blast from it, as well as any Christian. He 's like a Christian 

 in every thing eating his fish boiled or broiled, as we can give it to 

 him not bolting it raw like the unclean savages (who .only know the 

 use of fire to show them light), except when he takes a fancy to eat a 

 cod's tongue from my hand, or to munch a flounder, that he amuses 

 himself finding with his feet in the shallow water on shore, and chasing 

 till he catches them. 



" Well, as I was saying, we were pulling up the fish by hundreds. 

 The sea was alive with cod. 'Twas only the end of May, and we had 

 our ten thousand for the bounty already caught. Every man of us was 

 alive and jumping ; Cabot wishing he had hands to help us, and avoid- 

 ing the hooks like an old seaman. All of a sudden, a hook on the line 

 that I was paying out caught the riband of my seals, and whipt the 

 watch out of my fob ! a beautiful little double-cased, gold, flat, French 

 thing, that went as regular as the gulf-stream. The riband tore half 

 through in the jerk, and away flew the montre d'or clean off the hook ! 

 < O my watch ! my watch !' said I. Cabot saw the salmon-leap it made 

 over the gunwale, heard my outcry, and instantly plunged in head 

 foremost after the shining bait. ' Ah ! poor Cabot,' thought I, ' gold 

 sinks faster than you can dive, and the bottom is out of your depth here. 

 I pray Heaven he does not hook himself/ Well, it wasn't long till he 

 popped his head up like an otter with a fine cod splashing about in his 

 mouth. ' Well done, Cabot,' said I, ' you thought I bid you go fish 

 for me, as often you did before.' Ben helped him and the cod into 

 the boat, and up the side of the vessel. ( You deserve the tongue 

 for yourself, my fine fellow/ said I, as I cut it out for him, and 

 threw the fish to the gutter. Cabot wouldn't have it, but jumped after 

 his prize. Ben and I went on at our work as before, when presently 

 we heard him barking furiously, and saw the gutter threatening him 

 with his knife. ' What's all this about, Cabot?' said I, ' silence, sir!' 

 but he made more noise than ever. ' How dare you insult the dog ?' 

 said Ben. ' Upon my oath I didn't touch him,' replied the gutter 

 trembling. ' You lie,' said Ben, seizing the fellow by the arm ; ' he 

 never barks at any one for nothing, and to mend the matter you turn 

 your knife on him !' Cabot, the instant that Ben caught the fellow's 

 knife-arm (he never meddles with edge tools), sprung on the rogue's 

 breast, tore open his waistcoat, and down dropped my watch and seals 

 on deck. Cabot seized them, handed them safe to me, and jumped for 

 joy. We all kissed him, and Ben kicked the dirty gut-plucker ; and 

 Cabot barked him out of the vessel. I examined his fish afterwards, 

 and found that he had caught it by the tail, most likely as it was trying 

 the hard bellyful it had swallowed too hastily, and was shaking it out, 



