CHAPTER XIII. 



A BATTLE, A CONQUEST AND A NIGIIT-RAID. — THE 

 CUTTING-ANT OF TEXAS. 



The morning following our last conversation was one 

 of rare excitement at tlie old flxrm. One of our most 

 esteemed household pets is Dolf, the dog. He is a cross 

 hetween a bulldog and a shepherd, is an admirable 

 watchdog, a devoted friend and follower of his master, 

 and has conceived a warm attachment for the School- 

 ma'am. As to the rest of the household, and visitors 

 generally, he is kind enough, or rather harmless by 

 reason of supreme indifference. However, he has an 

 inextinguishable jealousy of those of his own kind w'ho 

 may enter upon what he considers his lawful domain. 



I was, therefore, not so much surprised as agitated 

 to hear issuing from the front porch that peculiar com- 

 bination of sounds — snarling, snapping, yelping, tear- 

 ing, scratching, wrestling — wliich acc()mi)anies a dog- 

 fight. I was engaged at the time in the back yard, 

 with Penn Towues, a thrifty young farmer and de- 

 scendant of .June Townes, the i)ioneer, who had ridden 

 over from his neighboring place on some matter of 

 business. Unfortunately his dog had accompanied him, 

 a fact which I had not observed until the clamor on the 



front porch announced it. I rushed to the scene of 

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