132 My Dogs in the Northland 



the side of his head. He went down all in 

 a heap, and at first I thought I had killed 

 him. 



But this was only for a few seconds. 

 Then he was up, and again he charged me. 

 My third blow completely dazed him, so 

 much so that when he rallied from it he 

 skulked off to the kennels. Next day he was 

 distant and sulky, and it was evident that 

 we were to have another battle ere the ques- 

 tion as to which was master would be 

 settled. The decisive battle came off a few 

 days after. As I had been obliged so 

 abruptly to leave off punishing Cuffy and 

 fight for my life against Jack, her ladyship 

 had become possessed with the idea that the 

 victory had been on their side, and that she 

 could do as she liked. The result was that 

 one evening shortly after, she marched into 

 the dining-room with a large fish, and there 

 on the carpet began leisurely to devour it. 

 And, furthermore, when requested to take 

 up her fish and go outside she most decid- 

 edly, with ruffled curls and angry growls, 

 refused to do anything of the kind. 



It was quite evident that things were com- 

 ing to a crisis in the dog kingdom. Had 

 Jack encouraged her to thus act, and were 



