638 Newfoundland Adventures. [\TuNE, 



Neunook ! as if there were a bear in sight,, to spirit them on their journey, 

 when all at once they turned on Cabot, pretending to mistake him for 

 a bear. < A joke 's a joke !' said I, c but this is too bad !' so I levelled my 

 gun to quash the fight ; but the little woolly devils were over and under 

 him so often, that I couldn't fire without hurting him. He just gave all 

 their legs a chop a piece (that's his way of fighting), and left them lame 

 and howling. During the fight, their driver poised his fish-spear, and 

 would have shivered Cabot, if I hadn't fired my charge of duck-shot 

 across him, and blew the harpoon-head off: it was only tied on with a 

 single thong in the middle of it, as usual (to let it turn into a cross-barb 

 in the fish or flesh it penetrated, as the case might be) ; so he got it again 

 after the fray, in two of his dogs' mouths, that were fighting for its fresh 

 seal-skin thong. But, would you believe it? the savage was so intent 

 on slaughter that he didn't mind my shot, but darted the headless handle 

 at Cabot, who, in return, seized the ugly devil by the leg like the rest 

 (small blame to him) and pulled three boots off. I had great work to 

 untangle them. Well, when the battle was ended, and I was giving the 

 greasy driver a drop of brandy, he saw that poor Cabot had got fast to 

 his fishing-line by a hook stuck through the web between his toes : the 

 fellow seized the paw roughly to recover his property, and was going 

 to tear it out, as if it had only been in a cod's jaw. Cabot winced, and 

 was about to bite him again, so I knocked the fellow down for peace- 

 sake, to teach him gentleness, as words would be thrown away on him. 

 I cut the line and drew out the hook backward, to Cabot's admiration, who 

 was in despair at the awkward grapple he had made, and expected to part 

 with some of his precious toes, at least, before he got clear. Well, sir ! 

 when we went home, and fully six months after, one day as I came to 

 shore to unload a cargo of fish at Ben's scaffold, Cabot came swimming 

 and barking alongside to congratulate me, and play with Sebastian as 

 usual. He was anxious to attract my attention, but I didn't speak to 

 him for a long time, as I was busy on board, keeping a tally of the fish. 

 At last he howled mournfully : 'twas the first time I had ever heard him 

 howl (the Esquimaux brutes can do nothing else). And as little 

 Sebastian kept interrupting me, I looked steadily to see what was the 

 matter. Then I perceived he had another dog at the water's edge along 

 with him, very lame ; and as he kept running about the poor brute 

 then towards me then back again to him, I thought there must be 

 some meaning in it (for Cabot has no nonsense about him) ; so I stepped 

 ashore and looked at the lame dog's foot. And there, fast anchored in 

 the flesh, stuck an ugly cod-hook. I took it out, as I had done before 

 for Cabot, and jerked it into the water, as I thought, sinking it with a 

 hearty curse to the bottom of the sea : but it fell short ! When, what 

 do you think Cabot did? The considerate brute ran after it picked it 

 up let it drop fairly in the water then returned to his companion, and 

 away they both scampered, barking with delight. The dog 's worth his 

 weight in dollars ! He has a great heart, tender bowels, and no spleen, 

 bile, gall, or venom, in his nature. I'll bet my year's fishing he has a 

 soul to be saved ! Now, lads, to breakfast !" 



A substantial breakfast was spread around the mast. Our stores con- 

 sisted of green and dry cod, herrings, salmon, and eels, salt beef, gan- 

 riets and their eggs from the Bird Islands, biscuits, and brandy. The 

 last was a present from the stores of the admiral, who knew the general 

 poverty of diet of the fishers, and wished to infuse some spirit into their 



