THE ST. BERNARD DOG. 121 



another, and this bag he used to give Bass to carry. Bass 

 always followed that man through all the villas in this neigh- 

 bourhood where he had deliveries to make, and he invariably 

 parted with him opposite to the gate of the Convent of St. 

 Margaret's, and returned home. When our gate was shut 

 here to prevent his following the postman, the dog always 

 leaped a high wall to get after him. One day when the 

 postman was ill, or detained by some accidental circumstance, 

 he sent a man in his place. Bass went up to the man, curi- 

 ously scanning his face, whilst the man rather retired from 

 the dog, by no means liking his appearance. But as the 

 man left the place, Bass followed him, showing strong symp- 

 toms that he was determined to have the post-bag. The 

 man did all he could to keep possession of it. But at length 

 Bass seeing that he had no chance of getting possession of 

 the bag by civil entreaty, raised himself up on his hind-legs, 

 and putting a great forepaw on each of the man's shoulders, 

 he laid him flat on his back in the road, and quietly picking 

 up the bag, he proceeded peaceably on his wonted way. 

 The man, much dismayed, arose and followed the dog, 

 making every now and then an ineffectual attempt to coax 

 him to give up the bag. At the first house he came to, he 

 told his fears, and the dilemma he was in ; but the people 

 comforted him, by telling him that the dog always carried 

 the bag. Bass walked with the man to all the houses at 

 which he delivered letters, and along the road till he came 

 to the gate of St. Margaret's, where h,e dropped the bag and 

 returned home." 



The St. Bernard " The convent of the Great St. Bernard is 

 at Work. situated near the top of the mountain known 

 by that name, near one of the most dangerous passages of 

 the Alps, between Switzerland and Savoy. In. these regions 

 the traveller is often overtaken by the most severe weather, 

 even after days of cloudless beauty, when the glaciers glitter 

 in the sunshine, and the pink flowers of the rhododendron 



